COMPUTE!s G $2.95 November 1984 € Issue 17 Vol. 2,No. 11 02220 $3.75 Canada AZBETTVE For Owners And Users Of Commodore VIC-20° And 64° Personal Computers C/G Term Talk to other VIC and 64 users with the Color/Graphics Terminal program, the first in a series of integrated telecommunications software. Designed especially for ease of use. Horizons:64 How does the new Plus/4 stand up to the 64? A revealing look at Commo- dore’s new computer. ‘aM a i Also In This Issue: Function Key Machine Language For Beginners: A VIC/64 Assembler Programming Sound ‘And Graphics With The Super Expander 64 Plus an expanded reviews column Bulletin Board Fever A look at the growth of ‘telecommunications networks geared to Commodore owners. Disk Auto Load For The 64 A handy utility that auto- matically loads and runs your BASIC or machine language programs. Bagdad Stay on your magic carpet and fend off the evil genies. Put them back in their bottles, but don’t let them escape. A challenging arcade-style game for the VIC and 64.iy és Once upon a lime (it was 1984, in fact) and not so far aw Ml Ae Ss (right in your neighborhood), there lived a Nice Family: f oo ( ae, Billand Janet Nice, and their children, Tom and Marybeth. Nene iA ‘The Nices owned a home computer, and they liked what j \ 4 they could do with it. But I ey something was wrong. Every time ok they went to the store to buy anew game, LY AX, Roonewasever happy: © “Ohno,” ~ \ j ff OS f S said Janet Nice. “This won't do at all! by) Son ot These games are not for us!” nee {hf hnreeaaane wSxA) SI “You're right,” said Bill. “They’re just not nice.” 3 You see, all the games were about war and. killing and hurting for no good reason. Things that the Nices didn’t want the Nice children doing or even thinking about doing. So Mr. and Mrs. Nice decided to buy educational programs. But that made Tom and Marybeth unhappy, because they thought educational programs were—you know—B-o-r-i-n-g, What were these Nice people to do? @ Then, one day, they found some new games called Adventures in Narnia, part of the new LifeWare™ line from Word Publishing. The first two games were Narnia and DawnTreader, and they were © The Nice kids were happy because these games were loaded is based on the classic fantasies by C.S. Lewis. with action, adventure, excitement For more information, call toll-free 1800-459-1240. In Texas, ell tllsree 1-800-7021270,and challenge. Why, they even included things usually found in board games! So everyone in the family could get or ale ee inonthefun! @ Mr.and ett Se Mrs. Nice were happy with i. j Se Adventures in Narnia games, too, WX eis because they made their children Wye think. And, of course, because the stories by CS. Lewis present sound concepts and values (no other computer games do). “It’s as if these games had our name on them!” said Janet Nice. @ Which brings us to the end of the story. It might be too much to say this family lived happily ever after. But they did live more happily with their computer—and with each other. @ And what could be nicer than that? The End. But not really. Your family’s Adventures in Narnia are waiting for you atyour local computer store or Waldenbooks store. Ask for Narnia and DawnTreader— the first two games in the Adventures in Narnia interface series— they're compatible eee with Apple II series? and Commodore 6 oe 64” home computers. i | : _ ra aL, £ a )@ UFEWARE” ee, Se) mS | a Sy TES ler GE ee ea from Word Publishing \ Oneofthe ABC Pubtisning @ Compants a ed trademark of (64 fsa trademark of ComOUR ARCADE GAMES WE BROUGHT ly ’sSpy Hunter puts you inthe driver’ machine on four wheels. You're after enemy spies. The situation is, lifeand death You'l need every weapon you've got- machine guns, and puided missles oilslicksand smoke screens. But the enemy is, everywhere. On the road, in the water, even in the air: So you'll have tobe more than fast to stay alive in Spy Hunter. You'll need brains and guts, too. Do you have what it takes? Bally Midway's Tapper to welcome you tothi in the universe. You're serving up drinks in some of the craziest places you've ever seen, And the service better be good, or else. You'll work your way through the wild Western Saloon to the Sports Bar, From there to the slam dancing Punk Bar and on into the Space Bar full of customers who are, literally, out of this world! Are you fast enough to play Tap- per? If you have to ask, you probably already know the answer. Bally Midway's Up 'N Down by Sega. In this game, acrash is no’ accident In fact, it's the whole object of the ‘game. You'll race your baja bug over some of the worst roads south of any border: Leap dead ends, gaping can vyons and oncoming traffic ina single sound. And if anyone gets in your fay, crush em. Crashing, bashing Up 'N Down. Its cone smash hit that really is a smash. Gally[mmoway ‘The M1 Arcade Game of 1984 ‘Nominated as Most Innovative Coin-Op Game of 1984 by Electromie Games magazine. Arcade Hit, Play Meter Conversions Poll, sis.WERE SUCH BIGHITS, THEM HOME. home game world when it shot up to Number 3 on the Billboard chart this summer And now its available for even more home systems, So check the chart and get ready for jungle action. You'll pursue the mighty ape Congo up Monkey Mountain and across the Mighty River. Do battle with d ‘gerous jungle creatures. Ride hip- pos, dodge charging rhinos and try toavoid becoming a snack for a man-eating fish. ‘Congo Bongo. It's fast and it’s fun. Bute careful. It’s a jungle in there. Arcade and Home Smash. Hit #3 on Billboard magazine's TopVideo Games survey few years | 8 | g | | é 3/2 ‘Atari 2600 ally 7 cartridge | NEw new] | Atari 5200, ial ies ew jed Zaxxon, youmusthave been | cartfidge” (NEW ving on another planet forthe past i gompaanr disketie lew! ‘And now the ultimate space com- savailableforevenmore —_| ColeceVision & | | ems, You'll pilot a space aces fighter through forcefieldsandene- | Commodoreo4 | 7 fighter through force fields and Commodore [| on your way to do battle with hhty Zaxxon robot. Countless others have gone before you in this Hall of Fame game, But ihis time your life is in your own hands. Zaxxon killed them in the arcades. But compared to what it will do to you at home, that was child's play. Games Hall of Fame. Commodore 64 diskette Iwew| ‘Apple, He, 7 7 | diskette vw new NeW NeW 1BM PC h Ke aes ew we ew [evr] NeW] ‘7 Published bY Bitsa ne ander icese from Seen 1 Pied by Coleco industries, ne underlicease ete SNA edema ena spe ep errr : sent th is€omputer ee faTWO SURE WAYS TO GET MORE OUT OF YOUR COMMODORE 64 _as advanced programming one S, ts “Advanced series guides you through music ‘Doesn't interfere with the and sound effects and sprite graphics. ‘of your computer; it's Hee there wh ‘you need it. CR E A Tel ESO Far We ARCE 230 East Caribbean Drive, Sunnyvale, CA 94089 ©1984 Creative SoftwareNOVEMBER 1984 Vol. 2, No.11 Bulletin Board Fever Kathy Yakal .. ndee © A Buyer's Guide To Modems Sharon Darling... re 30 V/64 GAZETTE Telecommunications Software, Part 4: C/G Term Robert Sime 00.200 0000 0238 wes Inside View: Free Fall Associates Selby Bateman ..... iene a2 * EasyDisk Harvey B. Herman ‘MusiCale Arthur B. Hunkins ‘Adventure Creator C: Regena... Dro! And Spare Change For The Commodore 64 | George Miller geeee Also Worth Noting . 2110 Bagdad Bryan Files .... <8 VI/64 Jump _Femando Ciccarelil and Marcel Ferreira 262 vies Supertank Boris Litinsky .... Descent To Kaylon Steve Stiglich ‘Computing For Fami sak At New Backes Fromt‘Ragaie’ Giignacia, Fred Dignaro 70 * Budgeteer Robert N. Pinoau . ; 76 vies BASIC Magic: The Four Most Important BASIC Commands Michael S.Tomczyk ---.80 V/64 Machine Language For Beginners: Getting Started Richard Mansfield 416 vie4 Power BASIC: Slowpoke Daniel R. Widyono ..... 2138 V/e4 Hints & Tips: Creating Program Listing Files. Richard N. Witiong ..... 142 vies Programming Sound And Graphics Wits The Super Expander 64 Loo Noel, ir [155 64 Function Key Wille Brown a eres 11160 Vi/64 Disk Auto Load Dan Carmichael iiteaies The Editor's Notes Robert C. Lock 2 SAise Soe renee Gazette Feedback Editors & Readers oo... icccseeseeceesecnscniononl dg # Group Update... RAGE MEN 8455 ee : igo + ‘Simple Answers To Common Questions 7om A. Halfhi ae i434 * Horizons: 64 Charlos Brannon... ..s..eseevessesses 1146 64 viCreations: VIC Mailbag Dan Carmichael See 152. VIC MIX. Se 167 vies How To Type in COMPUTE!'s Gazette Programe ites * ‘The Automatic Proofreader 1169 vjea Program Listings 1170 V/64 Bug-Swatter: Modifications And 221 vies Product Mart ......... 221 * ‘Advertisers’ Index... 224 * *=General, V=VIC-20, 64=Commodore 64. ‘COMPUTETs GAZETTE ie pabihed month by COMPUTE Pullcatan, Ine, Post Of Box 2G eas re beat a 01 West Wendover Avenue, Greenbore, NCA Deere subse ouge arene £6, Form) Chain Dep, CIFTE » GAZE, hn a emi 77 Sa ct pa pr Ger NC 750s and ona malin ones copyright e188 by COMPUTE Fabio, ln. Alghiseeeed, BONUSES SOR ‘COMPUTE ablations, ne, On Fubsing Compare ABCFublohing, reient Rober Han 190 Aven ofthe Arras New Yor, Ne Yr 09GAZETTE Editor Lance Elko contributes a guest editorial this month, Robert Lock, Editor In Chief At last June's Consumer Elec- tronics Show, the prototype of a very powerful, new personal computer was demonstrated in- side a closed, invitation-only suite, The computer was manu- factured by a small Silicon Valley company, the Amiga Corporation, previously known only as a manufacturer of joy- sticks. Amiga was looking for capital to finish developing the rough prototype and move it into mass production. Code-named Lorraine, the computer wowed the few who saw it, Although it houses the same microprocessor found in ‘Apple’s Macintosh—the 16/32- bit Motorola 68000 chip—it could leave the Mac in the dust. Consider that the Amiga was designed to come with 128K of RAM (expandable to 512K inter- nally and several megabytes ex- ternally); a built-in 320K double-sided disk drive (IBM- compatible), expandable to sev- eral more floppy drives and a hard disk; built-in speech soft- ware and modem; four sound channels with synthesizer ca- abilities similar to the Commo- dore 64’s; medium- and hi-res graphics (with an astonishing 4096 colors); eight sprites (with up to 16 colors each); standard parallel and serial interface ports; outputs for TV, composite video, and two types of RGB monitors; and a lot more. Plus, original plans called for it to be bundled with its own operating (6 COMPUTEr's Gazoto November 1984 system, word processor, and spreadsheet. The retail price? With all the above features, Amiga claimed the Lorraine would sell for under $1400. Although the power of this new machine surprised many industry watchers, what sur- prised them more was the Au- gust announcement that Commodore had purchased the Amiga Corporation—and what could be the most powerful per- sonal computer yet developed. Not to be denied, Atari, un- der Jack Tramiel’s new leader- ship, filed a $100 million suit against Amiga, contending that Atari had already made a deal with Amiga to obtain the new custom chips which make the Lorraine possible. This lawsuit came several weeks after Com- modore had filed litigation against a group of engineers who left Commodore to join Atari. Commodore claims the engineers took with them some of Commodore's computer de- sign secrets. An interesting game of one-upmanship, perhaps? As one Commodore source noted during this writing, no court injunctions have been granted in either case, and Commodore is continuing with its plans to market the Lor- raine—possibly for under $1000. Whatever the results of the suits and countersuits, Commo- dore and Atari seem to be plan- ning more powerful and less costly computers for the future. The outcome may depend on home computer sales this Christmas. Commodore leads in the under-$1000 market by a wide margin, but with Tramiel now heading Atari and the Jap- anese preparing to distribute MSX-based computers, we can expect renewed activity on the price/features front in 1985. Telecommunications Software Series Beginning with this issue, we're introducing a series of inte- grated telecommunications soft- ware, which includes a terminal program and a bulletin board. “C/G Term,” which starts on page 38 in this issue, is de- signed for the VIC and 64 and is easy enough for a novice to use, What makes this terminal program unique is that it elimi- nates nearly all the cryptic codes and tedious chores normally as- sociated with the operation of terminal software. For example, you don’t have to worry if you're sending or receiving a letter, program, or color graph- ics screen. The program figures it out and does the hard work. Next month, we'll publish the first half of the listing for the bulletin board system, de- signed for the Commodore 64 and for use with C/G Term, The remaining half will appear in the January issue. Until next month, enjoy your GAZETTE. Lance Elko Editor In the October issue, page 132, we incorrectly noted the phone number of the Modem Times. The correct number is (303) 578-5405.Telengard: How low can you go? We've created a subterranean monster. Fifty stories low. That's the number of levels in the TELENGARD dungeon. Each labyrinthine level holds hundreds of dark chambers and tomb-like corridors for the mighty adventurer to ex plore. It goes without saying that a shifting collection of hideous monsters with unpredictable behavior patterns can make life in the TELENGARD maze quite interesting —and frequently quite short! Using wits, magic and true grit, your character delves deeper and deeper into the depths of TELENGARD in this realtime fantasy role-playing game. Available on cassette for Commodore* 64, Atari” Home Computers (40K), for a ghoulish $25.00. 48K diskettes for Apple® Il, Atari , Com: modore® 64 and TRS-80° available also, for $28.00. AND FOR THOSE WHO DON’T DIG UNDERGROUND GAMES. .. There's B-1 NUCLEAR BOMBER, a nail-biting solitaire simulation of a manned 8-1 on a mission over the Soviet Union, Your plane equipped with six Phoenix Missiles, a one megaton warhead and lorders to retaliate! Cassette for Commodore 68, Atari tome Com: ppuiters (32K), T109/4 & 4A (16K), VIC-20 (16K), Timex/ Sinclair 1000 (168), and TRS-80 Mods. 1/11 (16K) are available for an explosive $16.00. Diskette versions for Apple (481), TRS-80 (324), Atatl (24K) and IBM (48) Just $21.00, NUKEWAR: Defend your country by massive espionage efforts, of by building jet fighter bombers, missiles, submarines and ABM s, Your cold and calculating computer will choose its own strategy! Cassette for Commodore 64, VIC-20 (16K), TRS-B0 Mods. 1/IN (LOR) land Atari Home Computers just $16.00, FOOTBALL STRATEGY: Animated action on a scrolling fleld. A. head-to-head challenge or solitaire as you select the best offensive ‘or defensive plays in response to your opponent. Commodore 68, Atari Home Computers (32K) and TRS-80 Models 1/IM/IV (16K) cassette for $10.00. Atari (32K), IBM (68K) and TRS-80 Models V/II/AV (52K) diskettes available at $21.00, ‘Thank Goodness it's Friday! Avalon Hill's new party game 0 four players recreating an often-not-so-typieal week in the lives of the working class. Half the fun fs just making it from Monday to Sunday. Commodore 64, Atari Home Computers (40K) cassette for a meager $20.00. Atari dishette (48K) for $25.00. AVAILABLE WHEREVER GOOD COMPUTER GAMES ARE SOLD or call Toll-Free: 1 (800) 638-9292 for the name of a store near you. Ask for Operator C. a Division of 4517 Harford Road, Baltimore, MD 21214 U.S.A, EarthCOMPUTE! Publications, Inc. Ono ot ABC Rahn Comrie Publisher Gary R Ingersoll Editor in Chief Robert C. Lock Director of Administration Alice S. Wolfe ‘Senior Editor Richard Mansfield ‘Managing Editor Kathleen Martinek Editor Lance Elko ‘Assistant Editor Todd Heimarck Production Director Tony Roberts Eaitors ‘Tom K. Halil, Eitor, COMPUTE! Magazine: Stephen Levy, Editor, COMPUTE! Books Division; Gal Walker, Production Editor, Otis R Cowper, Technical Ector Charles Brannon, Program Editor, Selby Bateman, Features Faitor Assistant Editors Dan Carmichael Submissions); Gregg Keizer, Steve Hudson (Books), Joi Krae, Googe le, Pp Reson Ceci Bak {Etmbert, Robert Alonso (Publications), Kathy Yaka, Edtonal Asis tany Sharon Dasing, Research Assistant (Features) Rendall Fosner, ‘sistant Managing Editor (Books) Editorial Patrick Pariah (Supervisor, Gregg Peele (Assistant), Tim Victor, Kevin Mykytyn, Gary Black, Kevin Marin, Chis Poer Programming Assistants Mark Tutte, David Florance Editors. Juanita Lewis, Joan Rouleau, Ann Davies Proofreaders Ethel Silver, Dwight Smith, Marty Selby Administrative Staft ‘Vicks Jennings, Laura MacFadden, Julia Fleming, Susan Young, Iris Brooks, Jan Kretlow Production Irma Swain, Production Manager: Janice Fary, Art & Des [Lee Noel, Assistant Editor, Aft & Design; De Potter, Me Supervisor; Terry Cash, Carole Dunton, Typesetting Artists Director, nnical Art ‘Leslie Jessup, Larry Sullivan, (Publications), Debbie Bray (Books); Hoy baer“ ne ‘Associate Editors jim Butterfield (Toronto), Harvey Herman (Greensboro), Fred Dignazio (Roanoke) Circulation Charles C. Post, Circulation Manager Operations) Service Pe Tone: Gebseber Series Supervisor, Assistants: Chis Paty, Ehavon Sebastian, Rosematte Davi fran Lyone, Dealer Sales Super: ‘oor Asastants Gall ones, Sharon Minor, Rhonda Savage Customer Service Staff Borothy Bogan, Supervisor, Judy Taylor, Anita Roop, Debi Goforth, Jenna Nash Elizabeth While, Mary fant Gayle Benbow, Betty Jn, Chi Gordon in Conard (Warchoase Manag), La Si Eonngr Bat Ree ack Mcconnell i tly Bal ies Sam asker, David Hensley, John Archibald; Mary Sprague, Mall Room ‘Coordinator peewee Data Processing ‘Leon Stokes, Manager; Chris Cain, Assistant ‘Accounting Paul J. Megliola, VP, Finance & Planning: R. Steven Vetter, Director, Finance & Planning’ Robert Bean, General Accountant; Karen K. Rogalski, Financial Analyst; Staff’ Anna Haris, jill Pope, Shannon Roesk Croait Bary L. Beck, Credit Manager; Staff Sybil Agee, Susan Booth, Anne Ferguson, Pat Fuller, Doris Hall, Linda Mille, Mary Waddell Purchasing Gregory L. Smith, Purchasing Manager Promotion | Mindy K. Kutchel, Promotion Manager Advertising Sales Ken Woodard, Diector of Advertising Sales; Bonnie Valentino, Assis- tant Advertising Manager; Patti Williams, Production Coordinator: Joyce Margo, Production Assistant; Kathleen Hanlon, Sales Assistant ‘Sales Representatives Jerry Thornpson 415-348-8222 Phoebe Thempson $08 354-5559 Ed Winchell 213-378-8361 Hany Blair 519.275.9809 [ules Thompson, In. fatonal and Canadian Sales Representatives 1290 Howard Avenue, Suite 303, Burlingame, CA 94010 ‘Address all advertising materials to: Patt Willams, COMPUTE!s GAZETTE 324 West Wendover Ave,, Suite 200, Greensboro, NC 27408 ‘Sales The Company New England (617-720-1888 Mid-Atantic 212-772-0933, Southeast 519-275-9809 Midwest 312-726-6047 Teas 713-731-2609 Northivest, Nevada 354-5553 Norther CA 348.8222 or 408-354-5553 Souther CA 213-378-8361 ‘Arizona 213-378-8361 Now Mexico 213-378-8361 Colorado ‘COMPUTE! Publications, Inc, publishes COMPUTE! COMPUTE! Books COMPUTEI's GAZETTE Office: 324 West Wendover Ave,, Suite 200, Greensboro, NC 27408 Malling Address: Post Ofice Box 5406, Greensboro, NC 27403, Distribution Conter 505 Edwardia Drive, Greensboro, NC 27409 Telephone: 919-275.9809 Oifige Hours: 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM Monday-Friday Chiet Executive Officer Robert C. Lock President Gary R. Ingersoll Vice President, Finance & Planning Pau! J. Meglola Executive Assistant Debi Nash Assistant Cassandra Robinson ‘Subscription information COMPUTE!'s GAZETTE Circulation Dopt. B.0, Box 5406, Greensboro, NC 27403, TOLL FREE Subscription Order Line 134-0868 TnNC 919-275:9000 COMPUTE!’s GAZETTE ‘Subscription Rates {12 tasue Year: US (one yeu) §24, Canada, Mesio and Fore Surtace Mail $30; Forelgn Ale Mall $35 cf The conus cazeie suberiber list is made avalable to carefull sereened organizations witha preduct or service which may be of interes to oar readers. If you prefer not to receive such malings, plate send an xcopy’ our aber abel COMPU Edgurres BO. Bor 961, Farmingdale, NY 11737. Ince a note in- cating your preference to receive only your subseripion. ‘Authors of manuscripts warant that all material submitted to Courvrsscazerte ave orginal materials with fll ownership ghts fesifent in sid authors By submiting ales to comPUTt!s ong TT, duthor acknowledge that such mates, upon acceptance for publication, become the exlisive property of COMBUTE! Publica- Fons Ine No portion of this mayacine may’ be eproduced in any form without eriten permission trom the publiater, Entre conten’s Copyright ©-1984, COMPUTE! Pubicaons, Inc. Rights to programs eYeloped and submitted by authors are explained in our author ont Unsolicited materials not acepted for publication will be fetured i author provides a selraddrassed, stamped envelope. Tihere programs afe included in an aril submission, a tape or disk trust accompany the submission. Printed listings are optional, but Fpl Akl sould Be furisned os yped copy (pe and lowercase, please) with double spacing, Each article page should bear the ttle ofthe article, date and name ofthe author COMPUTE! Publiestions ine, assames no lability for errors in aries or Avertsements Opinions expressed by author are not necessary Those of COMPUTEL Pulicatons, Inc, COMPUTE! Publications as Sumes no responsibilty for damages, delay, oF failure of shipment in Eonmecton win authors offer fo make tape or disk copies of pro" grams published herein. PET, CBM, VIC-20, and Commodore 64 are trademaris of Commo ore Business Machines, nc, and/or Commodore Electonics Limited ‘ther thar as an independent supplier of quality information and Services to onners and users of Commodore products, COMPUTEL Publications, Ine i n no way assocated with Commodore Business Machines, ic, ot any of is subsidiaries,Catch ‘ over } New Game In Town ence ats eetce Saeki At $39.95, Trivia Fever comes complete with Question and Answer Book, Category Selector, and Tally Sheets to be used when played without a computer. “The Hottest uM iva Fevers absolutely unique — it’s the only software entertain- ‘ment package that can be enjoyed with or without a home corn- puter! When played on your home computer, Trivia Fever isa Tefteshing akternative to all those shoot'em up games. An elected ""Master of the Game” uses the computer to randomiy select sub- ject categories, handicap players, generate questions and answers, ep score automatically, and motel instructive by its very nature, Trivia Fever can be enjoyed by up to 8 individuals or teams. And when played without a computer, Trivia Fever has al the best fea tures ofthe “popular” trivia games plus more — all without the ‘cumbersome board, cards, and little game pieces, You can play in a car, onvacation, anytime, anywhere! And Trivia Fever iby far the best Tria game available anywhere, Here's why: iva Fever offers thousands of challenging questions in 7 inter esting categories, so there's something for everyone. Each category has questions with 3 lev. cls of difficulty, which score comparable points What's more, Tria Fever allows players to HAND} CAPall those socalled "tia experts” three di ‘erent ways, giving every. ‘one a chance to win. And players can easy control the lenath of play from ‘quick thity minute games to mult-hour party marathons! “Tva Fever is unique, entertaining, educational, and most ofall FUN. And at $39.95, Trivia Feveris destined to quickly become the best seling software entertainment package of all time. There's even a $5 rebate available to any non-computer users who return the computer diskette ‘Trivia Fever can be enjoyed on the Commodore 64, IBM PC & PCjr and compatibles, Apple Il series, and others. So don’t delay, Catch iva Fever at your favorite software retaller today! For additional information call 617-444-5224, or write to: A PSL fedora coresGAZETTE FEEDBACK Editors And Readers Do you have a question or a problem? Have you discovered something that could help other VIC-20 and Commodore 64 users? Do you have a comment about something you've read in COMPUTE’s GAZETTE? We want to hear from you. Write to Gazette Feedback, COMPUTE’s GAZETTE, P.O. Box 5406, Greensboro, NC 27403. Better Pictures In most of your programs, the graphics tend to be significantly better for the VIC-20 than they are for the 64. Can you explain why this is? Eric Miller Very simply, the reason is because of the difference in size of the characters. The VIC has 22 characters per screen line, while the 64 has 40. This means that the VIC's characters are larger and sharper. Hence, the better picture. Mysterious DATA Statements In some of your programs, you have lines such as: DATA John, Jerry. What exactly does that mean? What do DATA statements really do in a program? Brian Dempsey DATA statements are used to store information within a program. Data stored in this fashion is an integral part of the program, as opposed to being stored externally on a disk or tape. DATA statements themselves are not executed. When a program is running and it comes upon a DATA statement, it skips to the next BASIC com- mand. For this reason, it’s best to place them at the end of the program. The information in DATA statements is accessed with the READ statement. Data can be either numeric or string, although there are a few characters (commas and quotation marks, for ex- ample) which can cause problems. Multiple items of data within one DATA statement are separated by a comma. A DATA statement containing both numeric and string data might look like this: 10 DATA 1,2,3Charles,ToddKathy The READ statement retrieves data within a DATA statement from left to right, in sequential order. The 10 COMPUTE"* Gazote Noverbor 1984 DATA statement with the lowest BASIC line num- ber is read first. Enter and run this example, which will READ and PRINT names from a DATA statement: 10 READAS:IF Ag= 20 PRINTAS 38 Goto 10 40 DATA TOM, GEORGE, DICK 50 DATA HARRY, PRED, PERCY 69 DATA END Also, we've covered this subject in depth in past issues. See especially November 1983, page 150. What's Zero Page? I’ve often come across the term zero page. I'd like to know what this term means, and what it’s used for. END" THEN END Rob Gronemann In the terminology of machine language, a page is 256 continuous bytes of memory. There are 256 pages of memory (64K) in a Commodore 64 or VIC- 20; sonie are RAM and some ROM, although in an unexpanded VIC some pages are empty. Since programmers begin counting at zero, zero page is the first page of memory, locations 0-255. This area of memory is especially important to ma- chine language programmers because there are many ML instructions which work only on the con- tents of zero page locations. For example, the BASIC language itself, which is actually a collection of ma- chine language routines, makes use of almost all of the locations in zero page. PEEKing The Joystick While programming my Commodore 64, I've found these PEEKs for use in programs that use the joystick, Use this formula: PEEK(56321) AND A for joystick port 1 or PEEK(56320) AND A for joystick port 2 where A is one of the numbers in the table listed below. Value of A Joystick Function Desired up down left up and left down and leftIts only business is managing your home finances. No program does it more quickly, more easily, more directly. Your ‘sonal Net Worth systematizes in less time than it takes you to balance your expenses, credit cards and check book: Nothing else — no other program at twice using methods tested for accuracy by Touche —_the price —makes handling your personal Ross, one of the nation’s leading accounting money matters simpler, faster and more direct firms. than Your Personal Net Worth. Your Personal Net Worth puts your com- puter to work, keeps your records straight, in- You'll find it at your favorite software cluding your personal inventory of valuables _—retailer in the h the real and stock portfolio, tells you where and how silver dollar on the front. It could be the you're spending your money or if you're mak- _single most valuable purchase you'll ing a shambles of your budget. And does it all ever make. Record all banking and any credit card trans- reconci ytoments instantly (up to 10 separate bank ac- counts can be handled), —print checks, too. Record stock, bon other investment tr: actions. Inventor household valuables, insurance purposes. pee Ere a ces Set up a budget (as many as 350 catego! then compare your actual income and expenses to the budget. Your Personal Net Worth works fast becaus machine language. Docu- mentation in plain English nced for easy Use. “Help” functions on screen atall times. Never forgeta tax-deduc- ‘ible item. Today or at tax return time. Available for: IBM-PCOXTIPG) (128K) Apple li teiite {Sak} Commodore 64 tari (8k) ‘The Program comes wth two cists, one of Display or print every ancial report you'll rneed. Which has aesounte Teady set up forentn Eacuee | drive emecessary. Tha Crarharaurh Guetan FEE SOU PVE VUYIE VY SIViE le 1 1984, Scarborough Systems, Inc, 25 N. Broadway, Tarrytown, NY 10581 co-t1-048 right 9 up and right 10 down and right 16 fire 7 ‘up and fire 18 down and fire 20 left and fire 2 up, left, and fire (diagonally) 2 down, left, and fire (diagonally) 4 right and fire 25 up, right, and fire (diagonally) 26 down, right, and fire (diagonally) For example, to test whether the fire button is being pressed on the joystick connected to port 2, you could use a line like the following: TF PEEK(56320) AND 16 THEN PRINT “FIRE” Mike Sudduth Hot Drives Loften load a program or a game that | know will be played for hours. However, I don't like to leave the disk drive on because it might heat up. Is it safe to tum off the drive after it has finished loading the program? Ise Herrmann Once a game is loaded, it's fine in most cases to turn off the disk drive. Of course, if the program you're running needs to access the disk, then it will have to be left on. Some games like Infocom's text adventures continuously use the disk drive while the game is in play, Tf you are going to turn the drive off, be sure to remove the disk first. Cursor Controls I've discovered a technique for simple cursor control. In many of the programs I study, the cursor is positioned prior to printing with cursor control characters: {DOWN}, {LEFT}, etc. There is a much easier way to position the cursor. An added plus to this technique is that you don’t need to know the current cursor position to move to the new position. There is a Kernal routine called PLOT that can be accessed easily from BASIC or machine language. The subroutine (starting at address 65520) requires that the desired row number be placed in the X register and the desired column number in the Y register, and that the accu- mulator carry flag be cleared (set to 0). At first glance, this looks complicated, but the X and Y register values can be easily loaded from BASIC before calling this Kernal routine. To set the registers, POKE memory locations 781-783. These bytes are arranged as follows: Location Register 781 x 782 Y 783 status register 12 COMPUTE?® Gazette November 1964 To use the PLOT function, first POKE the reg- isters with the desired row and column values For example, if you wanted to print the word TEST starting af the sixth row down and the eleventh column over, you would: POKE 781,5: POKE 782,10. (Remember, the computer calls the top horizontal line of characters row 0, and the leftmost vertical line of characters column 0). Next, the carry flag of the status register must be cleared. Bit 0 of the status register is the carry flag. When this bit has a value of zero, the carry flag is clear. To set the carry flag: POKE 783,PEEK(7S3) OR 1 and to clear the flag: POKE 783,PEEK(783) AND 254 Using the above example, the program to print TEST would look like: 10 POKE 783,PEEK(783)AND254:POKE 781,5:PO KE7A2, 10:SYS65520: PRINT" TEST" Jack K. Bonge This can be a useful technique for simulating the PRINT@ (print at) statement common in other ver- sions of BASIC, and will work on both the VIC and 64, Readers should remember to begin counting at zero. The upper-left corner is row zero, column zero, which is why you POKE a § to get row 6 and a 10 to get column 11, Interfacing With The SX-64 Town a Commodore SX-64, and I have a Cardco interface and a Gemini printer. In the recent article, “Selecting a Printer Interface,” you stated that interfaces which draw power from the cas- sette port will not work with the SX-64. This is correct, but with a soldering iron, a bit of solder and a joystick port connector (available at your local electronics store), you can remedy the prob- Jem quickly and easily. First, remove the original connector designed to plug into the cassette port. Solder the end of the wire to pin 7 (see figure) of a joystick plug (not the joystick port of the SX-64), and cover the solder connection with electrical tape, or cover the back of the connector with a specially de- signed hood (also available at electronics stores). To power up the interface, simply insert the connector into the joystick port and turn on your computer. Patrick Spence This is a good solution. However, if you aren't experienced in electronics, consult a specialist. Be careful not to void your warranty. Also, some inter- face manufacturers claim there is insufficient current available from the joystick port to drive their interfaces. Contact the interface manufacturersBREAKDANCE. BREAKIN’ MADE EASY. The hottest craze in _has to duplicate the steps of the computer- (a S. this fall is controlled dancer and the free-dance = Breakdancing, and you segment wi don’t have to miss it dance routines and the one can Break- them back for you to just grab your Lear to Breakdance today! Epyx and control your makes it easy! Breakdancer in poppin, punking, stretching ‘One player; joystick controlled. and breaking. ..all on your computer screen. ‘ Breakdance, the game, includes an action ’ game in which your dancer tries to break EpYyX. through a gang of Breakers descending on him, 1 gro asimon-like” game where your dancer Strategy Games for the Action-Game Playerfor further information. Also, see page 139 of the SX-64 User's Guide for information on the joystick port. Readers should be sure not to use the original joystick plug The “PREMIER COLLECTION” connector. A disk packed full of games and ather interesting programs for the Commodore 64. For all ages and Joystick Plug (Rear View) interests, ALL tor $34.96. BULLRIDE. How 1ong can you | REVERSI. 7 level machine fide the wild bull inthis fast | language version of ths familar @ Animated computer simulation? | game. We bet you can't beat it on level 5 DARTS. Use a oystick to detect arated ae © ) © darts toward tne target Scores | SLIDE, SOs, Sauna scones tke Engish Darts. 1-2 players, | quence o) outer space sewnee EUCHRE. Ths soltave version ot | 24° the fast paced tump.card game | SOPWITH CAMEL. Outly the pits you against the computer. | RedBaronand you Twin his one, ‘SQUABBLE. Youave 3 minutes WordPro 3 Plus/64 ee ore ON tin | fofeximore words than thecom- Modification wae serne Law o| ton theca owe We've received several letters regarding in- Piche vialen Momeni liWoncnie oat compatibility between WordPro for the 64 and the phone rectory with automatic | tame for you. tty shooting Contmodore 1526 printer. Professional Software, io salpoio tee coats eer eae ola distributor of WordPro, has a fix and will send d 0 ha Cormoase 4 ered toda ol Connie Electonics Li information on the modifications on request. Contact ‘oral Drives) then al: (95 (OH, Res, a0 81.931): Professional Software Inc. 51 Fremont Street Needham, MA 02194 @ FINALLY, YOUR COMPUTER WILL DO WHAT YOU TELL IT. sc, Now anyone Now everyone can use will use their computer. computer more. Introducing Chirpee": The most Train Chirpee to understand your voice Patented phonetic voice activation atfordale, osteficient computer or several voles tyler saves valuable user memory. Volce command module ever developed, Chiposis eer bias versaileas tis unc: Chipe fs much more han a coneraaton Wertyourcompuerodovwhetyoutet?, Sera Tank cbeyyourvolo er several piece tls produc of ayers cf eet ee eer eee, yelees Traini ouncersland any unguage and devsopmunt Chpeo designed obs Tice Capes: Apuered pronets-esed— Snearn rom Engish to Sanh Alpo- ens) use nhl ureionl an ered Meee ae cree go gramming needed Ie put Chpan to wokia.eficen:Cputesin fas machine code an eee eee rece een Headed ih ttevlce comand mode, estar le memory han more com, eee ee areca gE vocorecositon rang ane ting" convenionl vce commend modes Conmar acompur ah athespoan Boston Salter chee tinea) ocean aaconteeetete reel ‘ Me ee epee se ela crr ren eicrroneralen aoreeaiiam NOME. NOG na (OPA finally become the full-function tool it was 1D Special program that converts each 4304 W. Saturn Way ~/|->) onto oe Provale reel iicescing CAT graphics Chandler, azeca24_(((t Mejor tolwaronewesmredomoniy. Prone uamoro16s, OSS Suggested Retail 1179" opianets sthance Gurpesvensties For more information call toll free 1-000-491-3991 (etectve 8--04) or 602-831-0400 for dealer location nearest you.ete TE St YOUR MISSION-TO SAVE La y t a.modem is a rather unremarkable-looking piece of equipment lastic housing, maybe a couple of lights or switches, occasionally a wire or cable attached to one end. Nothing magical. But when you connect it to your computer and dial certain phone numbers, remarkable things do happen. Telecommuni- cations networks offer help with technical problems, up-to-date news, movie reviews, public do- main software, shopping cata- logs, and, sometimes, new friends. CompuServe and The Source are probably two of the best-known national networks, They are multi-user systems which can be used by more than one caller at a time. They charge a subscription fee and an hourly on-line charge. Most large cities (population of 50,000+) have a local number, 50 you can avoid long-distance charges. Of course, you don’t have to call an established telecom- munications service to commu- nicate with your modem. If you and a friend each have modems, you can call each other and 16 COMPUTE" Gazato Noverbor 1984 Kathy Yakal, Editorial Assistant Get used to hearing bus; signals: Telecommunications networks are tied up a lot these days. And bulletin board systems specifically designed for Commodore. owners are popping wy see et oa look at what's happening. “type” to each other, or send software, instead of talking. Though that can be fun for a while, the novelty soon wears off (and the phone bills add up if it’s long- distance). ‘Another telecommunica- tions alternative that’s fast gain- ing popularity is the bulletin board system (BBS). Some of the original boards went on-line in the late seventies, and were run by computer user group members. They were used pri- marily for posting messages. ‘Over the past year, BBSs aimed specifically at Commo- dore owners have popped up all over the country—even in many foreign countries. I’s not hard to see why they call them electronic bulle- tin board systems. Think of what you most often see tacked up on regular bulletin boards. Notices of time and place for upcoming meetings. Items wanted, or items available for sale or swap. Funny cartoons or articles clipped out of news- papers and magazines. People needing assistance of some sort. That's the kind of interac- tion you'll find on Commodore bulletin boards. Only your inter- action won't be limited to the bulletin board hanging at the laundromat or on the office wall: You'll have access to peo- ple literally all over the world. Lewes: first call to a BBS. Once you've received an answer and a termi- nal tone, and answered with your own, you'll probably see a message welcoming you. If nothing happens in the first ten seconds or s0, try hitting the RETURN key a couple of times. Some systems require you to give them a couple of carriage returns to signal the software that someone is on-line. After the welcome message and maybe a couple of bulletins from the system operator (sysop),Not just all talk. Add Speech to your Commodore 64™ today! yur Commodore 64 can say any simply! Just for fun....oP as an educational tool, nple to proggram your C-64 ‘The Voice Messenger features: * Infinite vocabulary * One BASIC command “SAY” provides easy The Voice Messenger -Speech 64 For more information contact: @ (eurrahOn the road to Discove Your child is on the road to the future and ChallengeWare can help him discover new and exciting infor- mation along the way: With colorful graphics and presentations, ChallengeWare can help him to im- prove practical learning skills as well as enhance his creative thought pro- cess. It will strengthen his knowledge of subjects learned in class and in- troduce him to a world of new concepts. For Commodore G4 and Apple It series, challengeWare is the new series of educational programs available for the first time for home use through Orbyte Software, Currently used to improve the educational quality of over 1,000 schools systems across the United States ChallengeWare offers a distinct difference in home education...the academic erial taught through this series has been tested, approved, and recommend ed by your child’s teachers! A wide variety of topics, quality material, performance evaluations, and immediate positive reinforcement for correct responses are several of the ex. ceptional features offered and acclaimed in this series. And, ChallengeWare grows as your child docs. Beginning with basic pre-school concepts and progressing to mathematics, grammar, reading, socialy with...ChallengeWare studies, science, foreign language, For a dealer nearest you, call TOLL FREE 1-800-253-2600. years until adulthood, A total of 55 titles n all to keep your child's interest ps with new and exciting information! Now you can play anyou'll be asked for your name and the city and state you're calling from. You may also be required to make up a password you'll have to remember and uuse each time you call. This in- sures that no one can post fake messages using your name. Make sure you write down your password. Because of the tremendous number of calls that BBSs get, and the tendency of some users to try to crash boards, you may get no farther than this. Many Commodore bulletin boards have been forced to go private in the last year or two. If this is the case, you'll be given an ad- dress and/or telephone number to call to inquire about gaining access to the board. Some re- quire modest membership fees, others just want more infor- mation about you. In any case, have a piece of paper and pencil handy. Once the system’s menus come rolling by, you may want to take notes, though most systems offer com- mands that let you stop the ac- tion for awhile. Watch for a message that says something like, “Hit S to pause, Once paused, hit S to restart, A to abort."” Remember those com- mands. You'll want to use them once you've become familiar with a BBS and to skip over the opening bulletins. Command level is where things start happening. You reach this level when all of the sign-on procedures and opening bulletins are completed and the BBS software wants to know what you'd like to see, It's a good idea to download a system’s main menu and print out a copy of it (though you must have software that allows downloading to do that). You'll probably become familiar enough with the features that you use most often to remember the commands, but you may also be missing out on some other features. 20 COMPUTE! Gazete Noverber 1984 BULLETIN cee el OMe Preroet fades CaM Cmeas Omer ecy DTT BYE a Cae ie Cr CHECK Once you've chosen a com- mand and entered it (usually just one or two letters), the sys- tem will give you instructions ‘on how to proceed. For exam- ple, if you want to enter a mes- sage to an individual or for everyone to read, it will prompt you all the way through the process, then give you options to edit or abort the message if you've made a mistake, (If you're brand new to the board, you may have restricted ac- cess—allowed to read messages but not leave any—until you sign up as a member.) Most bul- letin board systems are user- friendly, as long as you stay alert for command menus and prompts Try to complete your busi- ness as soon as possible, Bulle- tin boards are not multi-user systems: While you're on-line, everyone else trying to call is getting busy signals. ‘One of the commands you must remember is the one to log off. Most often, it's G (good- bye), Q (quit), or just OFF. If you disconnect your modem without first logging off the sys- tem, it will take longer for the next person to gain access. You tm COC a be a ery tian Cl tae eg Of Dowmload/Upload Side Page SYSOP to CHAT CHECK a Pa Cr) This is a partial listing of the commands available on Commodore Commu- nications, a Commodore BBS located in St. Louis. may even wreak some havoc with the BBS software. Some bulletin boards will automati- cally log you off if there is no activity for five (or ten or fifteen) minutes. If the board is very popular, the sysop may de- cide to limit calls to thirty min- utes per person per day, to prevent callers from monopoliz- ing board time, he two most common uses of Commodore bulletin board systems, say many sysops, are electronic mail and program downloading, Users leave messages about all kinds of things: selling or trading equipment, advice on what kind of software to buy, questions about technical prob- lems, opinions about movies and books and TV personalities, and even debate about political issues. Some of the debates get so heated, in fact, that the sysop will occasionally intervene and put an end to the discussion, Besides the public forum that electronic mail provides for all to see, a lot of messages are sent privately on BBSs. (You're always given this option when entering a message.)WHO'S GOT 7 NEW BUSINESS SYSTEMS Here's aseriesofseven easy-to-use Manage- ment Information Re- ports flexibly designed to accommodate all small and medium size busi- ness accounting require- menis for Commodore 64° computers, Inventory Management / Sales Analysis Management / Accounts Receivable Manage- ment and Invoicing / Accounts Payable Management and Checkwriting / Payroll Management / Cash Flow Management / General Ledger General Overview Each system includes ‘AMenu-driven program, sophisticated enough to provide complete Management and Product information, yet requires no prior computer or accounting knowledge to operate. ‘A unique method of creating your own, un- limited array of reports — easily and quickly. YOU select the information you want, and YOU determine the sequence of the report column headings. ‘Aprogram which can be used by itself (stand- alone), orcan be interfaced, one at atime, with other TIMEWORKS MANAGE- MENT INFORMATION pro- grams into at fully integrated accounting system. A Manual written in easy-to- understand, people-friendly English, abundantly illustrated to provide further clarity and eliminate guesswork. Password Protection, to prevent unauthorized ac- cess to confidential data. Suggested Retail List at $59.95 each. Customer Support Plan Timeworks Telephone Con- sulting Service is available to all users at no charge to support your installation and ongoing operations. For further details, contact your local Dealer or Timeworks, Inc. Choose from a host of Commodore 64 programs, Now al your favorite dealer. Or, contact Timeworks, PO. Box 321, Deerfield, IL 60015. 312-291-9200. SOFTWARE WITH SUBSTANCE —FOR EVERYONE, ‘egislered Trademark of Commodore Comper Slams £1689 Timeworks tc Al his eer,Take our educat home. And bea The publishers of America’s num- ber one educational program make you this unusual offer: Take any of our educational programs home and be a hero once, because kids love the fun we bring to learning. As a bonus we'll send e a ero the program of your choice to your school, free**, including a gift card in your name. You'll help meet the acute need for superior software in our schools. You'll be a hero twice! The Scarborough System has a complete range of programs to stimulate, challenge and help you or your children be more produc- tive—including Your Personal Net Worth, that makes handling home finances fast and easy, Make Millions, an adult business simulation game, and PictureWriter,* a program that makes drawing on the computer fun. At your : dealer's now. “Americas schools need your help! Tha Crarharaucriis FEI SU WVEIVUU °Scarborough Systems, Inc., 25 N. Broadway, Tarrytown, New York 10591ional software hero twice! Typo" Sharpen typ iis and increase come Puter facilty. Mastortype is {he nation’s bestselling edu- tational program. i's an entertaining game that teaches typing a: it increases the Keybdard skils needed to boat Rome with a computer And there's a bonus on top of this Bonus: when we send 9 Run for the Money'™ Learn to pursue profits in tho real ‘world by escaping from an alien planet. Here's an excit ingly different, action-packed game of business strategy for {wo players. Your children will have fun as they learn a Tot about business, copy to your local school, at your request your chi wil come even more proficient with a computer Mastertype. GUIDE Phi Bota Filer PatternMaker.™ An amazing software program. Its geom etry, I's art. It's great fun, Kids an build dazaling patterns fand learn alot, PattorniMakor Builds @ foundation that ean be applied to many profes- sions and crafts, challenges Creativity and effectively, teaches symmetry, color and design, and i's just as much fun for grown-ups, too. Our programs are available for: 1B PCjr, Apple Il family, Commodore 64, Atar Wy JE Gul ile nies lists of addresses, dates, Insurance and medical rec- bord, hobbies an collec: tions“even school work — Structures quizz0s on any Subject, quickly and easi Not aval ‘i pct: Songwriter kids and aduits willlove making musi atthe Somputer Just press 9 Hey 10 lise fem, press a key to record and You've started your own compo: Bion‘ ifs tun way fo ea about musie:And Songweter an be played thr Stores éreomputer labie for Atari) Yes! I want to software a school! **Enclosed is the completed warranty card and sales receipt for the purchase of a Scarborough product. am enclosing my check for $3.50 to cover handling, ship ping and postage required to send a free Eopy ata Scarborough program t tho ‘school listed below. A gift card with my ame will be enclosed, Your Name (for gift card) Name of Principal Name of School Address (school address only) City. State. Zip. Software will be sent only to verifiable school addresses. Otter Expires Dec. 16, 1994 Check computer used in schoo! OiGomm: 66 C)Atar 1) Apple i family 11M ‘Chock product to be sent to school: [)Masteriype Ci Songwriter’) Phi Bota Filor 1 PatternMtaker C) PictureWriter? () Run for the Money + Apple ony. Make check payable and mailto Scarborough Systoms, 25 N. Broadway, Tarrytown, N.Y. 10591 oc-11.94The Indispensable Sysop Kathy Yakal, Editorial Assistant For one sysop, starting a bulletin board system was a leisure-time hobby, an entertaining way fo learn about computers. For another, it was an important factor in recovering from a decade of serious illness. Tony Ott and Bob Shannon tell contrasting stories about their histories as sysops and authors of BBS software. Aree often said, is to teach it to someone else. In order to explain a concept, you must understand it much more fully than if you were just trying to understand it yourself. Tony Olt had such’a theory when he decided to start a Commodore bulletin board system over two years ago. “By establishing a BBS, I thought I would triple my learning time about computers,” he says. “The board has done that.”” Ott, who travels frequently in his job as a management consultant, runs the BBS from his St. Louis home in his spare time, He has written several telecommunications- oriented programs which are in the public domain, and re- cently completed a software program for BBSs that runs on the Commodore 64. He plans to market that, as well as set up a second board using it ‘Ott went on-line in the pre-Commodore 64 days, when only PETs and VIC-20s were available, “Initially, one had to be somewhat wealthy to set up a Commodore system,” he says. “CBMs were still selling at $1795, 4040s and 8050s. [disk drives] were $1795, and the IEEE modem cost $395. “Then you had to build your own auto-answer circuit, which was another $75-$100. That's a tidy sum, but it was really worth it. It’s an amazing learning tool for someone who's really serious about it.” During the last year or so, it’s become possible to start a BBS using only a Commodore 64 or VIC-20, a 1541 disk drive, an auto-answer modem, and BBS software. “There are at least 50 BBS programs in the public domain, but they all have enormous problems,” says Ott. Which may be one reason why so many boards perish quickly. Several systems have gone on-line and dis- appeared, the victims of inadequate software, equipment failures, lack of funds to maintain two phone lines (one for the BBS, one for personal use), or pranksters bent on crash- ing boards, Ott uses Steve Punter’s BBS software, modified for his own use 24 COMPUTE!® Gazato November 1864 Some bulletin board sys- tems store hundreds of public domain programs, software that is not copyrighted and can be shared freely. Users are encour- aged to upload public domain programs, or programs they have written themselves. Sysops will often put a limit on the number of programs you can download without having uploaded some already, just to keep the program disks full. Other common features include: *Bulletins. News about the latest Commodore hardware and software products; infor- mation about user group meet- ings; miscellaneous industry news. "Delete a message or pro- gram you uploaded. “Expert Mode. Lets you skip over new user information, ex- planations, and menus. “System Usage Log. Gives you a list of who has been using the system. “Summary of Available Mes- sages. Lets you scan over mes- sage headings and only read the ones you want, “Other BBS numbers. Lists telephone numbers of other bul- letin board systems. This is the most up-to-date way of finding other BBSs to call. *Chat Made. Allows you to “chat” on-line with the sysop (if he or she is available). ‘ou might wonder what's on the other end of the line when you call a bulletin board system. Occasionally it’s the back room of a computer store, but often, it’s an individual's living room or bedroom. Usu- ally, the sysop is a Commodore dealer or a user group member. The hardware that runs the BBS may be no more compli- cated than your own set-up. All you need to start a BBS is a computer, disk drive, monitor, auto-answer modem, BBS soft- ware—and a lot of time and pa- tience. Sysops spend anywhereSolves the typing P id, dot matrix js and eve printing thing butte aS Kel ut ny Gemini PINE Commodore ye used it £0 ng eters. The 1YP° js the most sol modore and Gemint graphics 10 Pls a good move. Te made my commedors Sc abeter oo Stever ‘ark Sah ne eenonia acters Pet Gemini-10X was ini-10X printer 300 yu get smulti-funet aca. typesetting ads rye ee seen. Fad is great Havin oth Com my own “OES. “Buying the ‘with Star’s Gem ea an iy ore etn ae + New post. stor 200 Park ASS oan The 6 052, rapt aroar 1 geetThe biggest problem with being a sysop, according to Ot, is lack of time. “It’s an enormous responsibility,” he says. “I get from ten to twenty-five messages a day, ad- dressed to me, people wanting help.” And the only way he can get logged onto the BBS to answer those questions is by auto-dialing the system from another computer in his home. Beyond that, he has received thousands of letters over the last several months, as well as a steady stream of phone calls, “There was a period there when my phone bill was running about $400 a month, just from returning calls to people who had questions,” he says. Why his BBS's activity picked up so dramatically last fall and hasn't stopped yet is a mystery to Tony Ott. “I kind of wish I could bring back the old days sometimes. It loses the personal touch when there are so many people,” he says. Ott’s board averages around 70 calls per day, with callers staying on for 10 to 20 minutes. Though the personality of his BBS hasn't changed, the age of the callers has. “The old PET-CBM people—the ones that bought the old 8K PETs—still call, but they're in the minority today,” he says. “Most of the activity is with youngsters.” Nor has Ott’s role as sysop changed. ‘‘I'm still doing the same thing now as I was two years ago, providing a lot of information and answering a lot of questions. “There's something mystical about this, and I don’t know why. I think it’s sort of a security blanket to a lot of people in small towns that call because they don’t have a dealer in their town and there isn’t even a K-mart for a hundred miles, They know that if I don’t know the answer, that someone I come into contact with over a week's period of time will know it.” For the present, Ott considers his work with bulletin boards and software a hobby, though it certainly could be a full-time job. “It’s really a release from my high-pressure job,” he says. “Beyond that, the consistency of staying on-line and growing is a big thing. So many boards come and go. I'm just enthralled and fascinated by it now.” JH 32029 20085 the county from Tony Ot, Bob Shannon lives and works in a house on the beach near Fort Bragg, California, about 150 miles north of San Francisco. He's the sysop of Electric Magazine, a BBS designed in a magazine format, Callers can get updates on local news, read and leave messages, and read columns on a number of topics. 28 COMPUTE": Gazete November 1984 from 2 to 20 hours a week on board maintenance, doing things like answering mail, de- leting outdated messages, up- dating bulletins, and modifying software. Why do they do it? Toronto resident Steve Punter, author of the WordPro word processing package.and one of the longest- running Commodore sysops, says he’s always had a fascina- tion with communication, “Computers are another way of communicating,” he says. “And being at the center of a commu- nications network like a bulletin board is fascinating. “People think that running a board is simple. They soon find out that it’s a lot of work.” nother sysop, 14-year-old Matt Peterson, of San Fran- cisco, found that out when someone crashed his board and destroyed his software, He's try- ing to reconstruct the program, feature by feature. It’s slow going. But it's better than a $100 phone bill every month, which is what prompted Peterson to start his own BBS, “I wanted to have people start calling me i stead of having to call them, he says. Many user groups start BBSs as a service to their mem- bers, instead of, or in addition to, a monthly newsletter. Some, like the Commodore Club of Augusta, Georgia, have equip- ment donated to them or get it at wholesale cost. Club presi- dent David Dumas says that having a bulletin board system simplified the task of distribut- ing public domain software to club members, Tim Renshaw, a Commo- dore dealer in Indianapolis, was simply intrigued by the idea of bulletin boards. He had been calling an Apple board in the area, then found out that Steve Punter had written a BBS pro- gram for Commodore comput- ers, Renshaw’s BBS wentTomorrow I've got to get ORGANIZED Get id of your paper clutter...any kind of ee ic Mee a Cacao ens ree) eerie meaerom ents ane co aac! DOCU Ma ria TACO No er ara CIS eae aes Acai aCe tS itor omen oe MicroFiler will also work with a printer, letting you make labels and. print lists, CSc cuneate Mane inset Wem une hai e a biti Pee TT} nee Peele Und a ' Enjoy the convenience of an electronic Semis mee eM ence ns semble standard checks, deposit slips, Ceaser ne Tak tary Which you are familiar. MicroCheck can Lee RR Ge ty Sen RL aC cn eR Cn SUR MC So oem cm TCILTT Se ew mae scrolling forward or backwards through cee au ee) Piece cs te) eel cg Scene al eA ae) MICROBITS PERIPHERAL PRODUCTS PPC EN CM WN OME MLAS} een acest oer eet ea Tere ent een itdShannon has sold his BBS software to almost 400 peo- ple, and keeps in close contact with his sysops through phone calls and a monthly newsletter. He charges $39.95 for the software, unless it’s requested by someone who plans to use it for communications between the handi- capped. His most recent donation went to a group in Israel, who plan to translate it into Hebrew and set up a BBS for the deaf. “Because it’s so much fun, I probably spend more time on upkeep of the board than most sysops do,’ says Shan- non, “It’s fun because of the contact with people, and be- cause I’m making enough money to start my own little business.” Five years ago, Shannon wasn't even able to consider such things. Severely brain-damaged from an industrial accident in the late sixties, he was confined to his home for ten years. Thanks to advances in psychiatric medication, Shannon started to recover a few years ago. He bought a Commodore 64 and began teaching himself to program, “I had read Toffler’s The Third Wave about three years ago, and remem- bered how he talked about new entrepreneurships with home computers,” he says. Shannon began to wonder if he could do something with computers that was fulfilling and profitable, He contacted the State Department of Rehabilitation, which told him about a program called PASS (Plan to ‘Achieve Self-Support). By enrolling in it, he could still re- ceive his Social Security disability pay for three years while trying to start a business, Shannon had logged on to a number of bulletin board systems, and was intrigued by the idea of writing his own. He wrote his own program in about two weeks and went one-line last November using a Commodore 64, a 1541 disk drive (which has run perfectly ever since), and an auto- answer modem, His BBS software has sold so well, he thinks, "because it's a 14K BASIC program, very easy {o tailor. I think its simplicity is kind of a selling point. The board can develop the personality of the sysop. You could look at my boards running all over the country and they don’t look at all like mine.” With the money he’s made from the sale of his pro- gram, Shannon is in the process of setting up his own soft- Ware store in Fort Bragg. But he has no plans to abandon’ the Electric Magazine, or the daily contact he has with his sysops. “After so many years of disability, it's tenibly enjoyable.” 28 COMPUTE!'s Gazote November 1984 on-line August 11, 1982, and has been running ever since. Sysops report a dramatic in- crease in activity on their bulle- tin board systems in the last year. Five calls a day have grown to 75, Message sections of the boards, which used to have months-old mail on them, now have to be cleaned out weekly. More women are call- ing. Public messages, which used to be all computer-related, have turned to all kinds of topics. Such a jump has to be re- lated, in part, to increased modem sales, Tim Renshaw thinks the movie War Games had a lot to do with that. “That movie opened up a whole new world for people who had com- puters and didn’t know what modems are all about,” he says. But there's another reason, believes Renshaw. “In one light, it’s kind of taken the place of CB radio. It’s a chance for peo- ple to chat with each other and maintain a little bit of anonym- ity,” he says. Matt Peterson agrees. “You can say what you want without people knowing who you are.” Telephone numbers for BBSs mentioned here (all are opera~ tional 24 hours a day unless noted): AVC Commodore Bulletin Board (Tim Renshaw, sysop) (317) 898-5027 Commodore Club of Augusta _/) (David Dumas, sysop) (404) 863-7733, ‘Commodore Communications (Tony Ott, sysop) (314) 867-6950 The Electric Magazine (Bob Shannon, sysop) (707) 964-7114 PSI-Word Pro (Steve Punter, sysop) (416) 624-5431 (ME, 6 pm-8 a.m; 24 hours on weekends) @Unlimited Free Programs - Unlimited Fun! with VIP Terminal A Powerful 80 Column Communication Program! VIP Terminal is what you need to talk to the world! Communicate with F friends, work, school, bulletin boards, even information services like Compuserve. Share programs, news, pictures, stock quotes - anything in writing. With your C64, any modem and VIP Terminal, you can master the information revolution — professionally! VIP Terminal is power packed to get the job done! It features a professional 80 column display (40, 64 & 106 columns too!) to bring your C64 Up to the industry standard - without any hardware modification! It works with all popular modems, and, with those that allow it, VIP Terminal will auto dial, and redial if the line is busy. It also will auto answer - even take messages! Of course you can send and receive programs and the like. And you can print what is coming on the screen. It has a 16-entry phone book for those often used numbers, and a 20-entry message file for frequently sent messages. Italso has a powerful editor so that you can write messages to send later, or edit ones you have received, You can even save and use files as large as your disk! VIP Terminal Is Easy and Fun to Use! VIP Terminal makes full use of the potential of your C64 - you get color, graphics and sound, VIP Terminal uses menus and “icons,” pictures of the tasks to be done. In fact, VIP Terminal can almostbe totally controlled with a joystick. You can switch menus, change screen colors, change parameters, even dial your phone without ever touching your keyboard! Just move the hand to point to the colored icon, or the entry, press the fire button, and the change is made. Of course, it all can be done from the keyboard too! Help is built rightinto the program so you can't get lost or confused, The manual is even capsulized on the disk for reference from the program when you need it. VIP Terminal also hasa chiming clock for the quarter hourand the hour, and an alarm you can set. There's even a musical alarm to let you know when you havea call. VIP Terminal has put it all together to make the perfect communication program! Integration With VIP Desktop VIP Terminal is connected to the whole VIP Library" of programs through VIP Desktop™. From VIP Desktop, you may access any of the other VIP Library programs that you own. The rest of VIP Library will meet your word processing, financial planning, data management and other essential home and business information management needs. All VIP Library programs feature high resolution graphics to give 80 columns on the screen without any hardware modification. They also give you icons and plenty of help. Quality and affordability are our number one concern! VIP Terminal ONLY $59.95 Available at Dealers everywhere. If your Dealer is out of stock ORDER DIRECT! iE 1-800-328-2737 Eso ia (akoye ‘Order Status and Software Questions call (805) 968-4364 [MAIL ORDERS: Shipping: $3,00 U.S.; $5.00 CANADA; 132 Aero Camino $1500 OVERSEAS; Personal check alow 3 weeks Goleta, California 93117A Buyer’s Guide To Modems alking to other com- puters, whether they're across town or across the world, is easy. All it takes is a computer, a tele- phone, a modem, and a terminal software program. ‘A modem (MOdulator- DEModulator) simply translates the numeric digital data from your computer into analog sig- nals (which sound like high- pitched whistles) that can be carried by your telephone. An- other modem then reverses the conversion at the receiving end, Terminal software is the pro- gram that tells your computer how to talk with other computers. ‘Although modems are pri- marily signal converters and translators, there are numerous features which bear individual consideration. Modems range in capabilities from the quite simple to the complex. Before buying one, you must decide which features are important to you, and how much you're will- ing to spend for those extras. Compatibility is the first thing to be concerned with when modem shopping. The modem you buy must be capable ‘of working on your computer. That's a little trickier than it sounds, where the Commodore 64 and VIC-20 are concerned. While many modems are equipped with an RS-232 inter- face, and your Commodore 90 COMPUTES Gezatto November 1968 Sharon Darling, Research Assistant Telecommunicating with other users, data bases, information networks, bulle- tin boards, and buying ser- vices opens up a fascinating world of possibilities. All you need is a modem, but there's a variety to choose from, with a wide range of rices and features. Here's a look at what's available for Commodore users. computer has an RS-232 port on the back, it’s not as simple as plugging it in, ‘The Commodore RS-232 port is not compatible with the industry standard RS-232, so unless a modem is designed to work specifically with the 64 or VIC, you'll need an adapter (available from Commodore) to make it work. NY cur nat casidention should be what kind of phone system you have. Tele- phone lines are incapable of transmitting the digital bips and beeps sent out by computers, so, again, compatibility is a factor. On some modems, the special features such as automatic dial- ing will work only with touch tone telephones, while others will work with either pulse (ro- tary) or touch tone models. Check before you buy to see what kind you need, Connectors are available to convert your phone's signal to one that will work with the modem you want to buy, should you have your heart set on a particular brand. Price becomes a consider- ation when deciding whether you want a direct-connect or acoustic modem. With acoustic modems, which are generally less expen- sive than direct-connect models, you place the handset of your telephone into soft rubber cups on the modem. One of the cups contains a speaker, which gen- erates audio tones, while the other cup acts as a microphone to receive tones from the other modem. While you'll save money with this kind of modem, you'll probably sacrifice some quality, as the connection generally is not as good as with a direct- connect modem. And room noises can interfere if the phone handset is not sealed tightly in the cups. With direct-connect models, the modem plugs directly into the telephone through a modu- lar phone jack. Some direct- connect modems, such as the ViCmodem, are cartridges that plug into a port on the computer. Still other models are stand-alone units that can be placed directly underneath the phone and plugged in,IF YOU CAN FIND A BETTER WORD PROCESSOR OR DATA BASE SYSTEM WE'LL BUY IT FOR YOU. Outrageous offer? Not really, For your Commo- dore 64, we're putting our money where our mouth is, because the Timeworks Word Writer and Time- works Data Manager 2 are so complete —s0 ex. tremely easy to use, we think nothing beats them atany price. (Oursuggest edrelail pricesare: $49.95 for Word Writer. $49.95 for Data Manager 2.) BEL AIL on. 3 Me ‘Word Writer This menu-driven system includes A program which can be used by itself (stand- clone), or interfaced with Timeworks’' Data Manager or Dala Manager 2, enabling you to maintain and, print out name and address lis's, create individu- lized form letters automatically, and produce custornized reports up to 20 columns wide, which can be incorporated into any text produced by the ‘Word Writer. ‘Two plastic keyboard overlays which place the word processing commands directly onto the keyboard. A {ull screen format (up to 80 characters) which simplifies your text entry and editing. All the essential fecttures — plus some exclusive ‘Timeworks extras — making this system completely functional for most home & business requirements. Data Manager 2 This system includes: Amenu-driven program that easily lels you store information on a wide variety of subjects— trom general name and address lists, to research data. This program will also calculate and store any corresponding numerical data, Quick access to important information. Ilemscan be easily retrieved and printed by category. name, index code, date range, amount range, or any category of information stored in the system, on with cen suggested ta pices seb par Spiers Timeworks exclusive X-Search™ X-Sor!™ and X-Chart™ features allow you to easily cross-search, any of the categories. Or arrange your stored items, in increasing or decreasing order, alphabetically, numerically orby date, Break down statistical infor- mation by up to ten indexed categories of your choice —and graphically review your results Arithmetic calculation of your mathematical data is possible, allowing youtoperform Payroll cal- culation, cost estimates and more. Data Man- ager 2 also produces the Sum, Average and Stan- dard Deviation of statis- tical data enteredintothe system, along with Fre- quency Charts When interfaced together, these programs: Generate customized data reports, which can be incorporated into any written text produced. Individually address and print form letters automatically. Print your name and address tile onto standard mailing labels. Transfer and print text information onto labels and tags. Calculated numerical data from column to column, giving these programs spread-sheet capabilities, So, ityou can find anything better, simply send us your Word Writer or your Data Manager 2, your Paid receipt and the name of the program you want long with your check or money order for any price difference fits available welll buy itforyou"* Now at your favorite dealer. Or contact Time- works, Inc. PO. Box 321, Deerfield, IL. 60015, Phone 312-948-9200. TIMEWORKS SOFTWARE WITH SUBSTANCE. TIMEWORKS Deegae Ss ees ||P hw ac | | a rare es | = = ae ale ae a ee eae = = a Se (Re | es ee [eed || reo ee |S Re eae |e (at Pr eel CB | ee eee el ane rE df EE P| ngs earner |e [eee ee Opec | oes eee | =a Feros | | Se = oe ne eae |S |e ea |e ee a ee ee ee eo eee = oe |e ES r= |S Pen (cra | ere |e a ss 2 oun| Es erent es lend de | eet ea ee me ee = ee es eae ee |S (= |e ee ees ee Jee GS [| ae ce |S olla eal er =< os mcs = Tass Les x secs Ss | PS a ee rc a ee oes ro || ee | et re T ‘pec wenon pn ee | es [oe (ero (aes a ee | ee ee Leela = = eee rcs (ees ee [eS [ere [macs re |r |r |e [ere = aa = a Blase cares (Pea | | ae (Dire | eles te [eral es [ee fest =e = Be tes (ee | ee leas ree alee eee | T sae = a Berea cere (ellis al eet te| ceed ee rare | | een fees | Sree | etal ! a sade el ae =a lee [ene | rei | eames | ar | reese | err as = a Een ean ss | eee [cong om | Ps || | a ie es ee eee = es re toes) S| cml Sa] Se] “ae Ze) oes) ees ae ree aa SuIspOWN OL epiny sekng ¥ 92 COMPUTE!'s Gareto November 1054INTRODUCING OKIMATE 10... THE FIRST The printer in a class by itself. It’s here! The new OKIMATE 10 Per- sonal Color Printer. The first color printer that lets you show off and Sp tell all. The printer that lets you a print all the information you can Q create with your Atari? or Com- - modore® computer. But with the re- markable ability to create original drawings and graphics as well, in r over 26 beautiful colors. A class act! The OKIMATE 10 gives & you crisp, clean term papers, school reports and homework. Word processing capability means everything you do can be printed letter quality in minutes, instead of typed in hours. OKIMATE 10 color gives you the op- portunity to print graphs, charts and pictures from pop- 4m vat graphics and drawing pro- grams. OKIMATE 10's brilliant color means you'll shine, every time. * hal isa registered trademark of Ata tne a OKIMATE 10 feels right at home. Anywhere, ‘A special PLUG ‘N PRINT pack- age lets you plug your new OKIMATE 10 into your Atari or Commodore computer. And print. It's that easy. In minutes you'll be printing every- thing from soufflé recipes to needlepoint patterns. Party invita~ tions to kitchen inventory. Love let- ters to gardening directions. At 240 remarkable words per minute. And not just in black and white, but in over 26 brilliant colors! I Financial statements will keep you tickled pink for very little green. If you use your personal computer to keep track of mortgage payments, tuition payments, balance your checkbook or jump ahead of the Dow Jones’, there’s good news for you. You'll find that the new OKIMATE 10 gets down to. business quickly. And easily A “Learn-to-Print” diskette and tape shows you how to set up your new personal color printer and start printing. A complete OKIMATE 10. Handbook will show you how you can take your imagination to places it's never been before. *commodore isa registered trademark of Commedore Business Machines nePERSONAL COLOR PRINTER UNDER $250. And while your imagination is soaring, you'll be glad to know that your new printer can keep right up with it! The new OKIMATE 10 is built with the same tradition of quality and manufac- turing excellence that has made Okidata the most respected name in computer printers. Okidata craftsmen specially designed and engineered the new OKIMATE 10 to be in- credibly small and lightweight. And they made it quiet as a whisper. But their imagination didn’t stop there. To help you puter keep within your personal bud- get, they made the OKIMATE 10 available at re- tailers everywhere for less than $250. Something that should make every personal budget tickled pink Color your world. if you've been playing games on your personal computer, now you can get serious and still have fun. The new OKIMATE 10 is completely com- and your personal com- patible with a variety of software packages that will run on your Atari and Commodore with a simple disk drive. Just load and you're off and running. Plotting charts. Designing special graphs. Creating original illustrations and pictures. Drawing special graphics, And printing them all beautifully for everyone, On most kinds of paper. In over 26 beautiful colors!QUESTIONS “ ANSWERS Q: Why do I need a printer? Aes Xoumight 25 well ask, "Why dot nee crayons?" When it comes to communicating. ~ putting it on paper”’is stil the best way to get your message across, You can have lots of computer equipment, but without the OKIMATE 10, it doesn’t mean very much. Unless you get your letter. report term paper or party invitation off the screen and down on paper, nobody's going to see it Q; West makes the OKIMATE 10 better than * any other printer? A: Because the OKIMATE 10 is unlike any other printer. First, it prints in COLOR. Up to 26 beautiful colors. Second, it prints up to 240 words a minute, so quietly you can talk in a whisper right next to it and still hear every word! And third, it prints letter quality, every time. Q:: what about graphics and pictures? '. The OKIMATE 10 does it all. Graphs, AAS chars. symbols, pictures. ilustrations, and special drawings! With a compatible drawing package, anything you create con your screen can be printed in full color, a disk drive is required for color screen printing, 3 what kind of paper can | use? A Just about any kind of smooth paper you want. From contin- uous feed computer paper to single sheets. From mailing labels to plastic acetate for overhead transparencies, the OKIMATE 10 prints crisp. clean. colorful images you'll be proud to send to friends, teachers, business associates, or frame and hang right in your own living room! Qt is the oxIMATE 10 easy to use? A: As easy as “PLUG 'N PRINT! No other printer is easier to use than the OKIMATE 10. Connecting the printer to your Com- modore or Atari computer is, literally, a snap. The exclusive PLUG 'N PRINT package snaps into the j printer. One cable connects it directly to your computer or diskitape drive, Turn it on and you're in business. Once your OKIMATE 10 is up and running, the Learn-to-Print” software program (included) teaches you printer basics—the "Color Screen Print’ disk (also included) automatically prints everything on the screen in a single stroke, As a matter of fact, most of your printing can be done with just one command Qh: what's the printer tike in operation? « ln.one word: easy! In- AS credibly easy! the rb- ’bon comes in a “Clean Hands" cartridge. So it's as easy to change as the tape in your audio cassette player. 3 what about retiabiity? «. Okidata has built the reputation of its com- AAS pete line of printers on quality. dependability and rugged construction. The OKIMATE 10 is no ex ception, Don't let its light weight and compact size fool you. This printer is not a toy. It's a workhorse OKIDATA Available at retailers everywhereModem Manufacturers And Distributors Listed below are the manufac- turers and distributors of the modems included in this buyer’s guide, Anchor Automation, Inc. 6913 Valjean Avenue Van Nuys, CA 91406 Commodore Business Machines 1208 Wilson Drive West Chester, PA 19380 Hayes Microcomputer Products, Inc. 5923 Peachtree industrial Boulevard Norcross, GA 30092 Human Engineered Software 150 N. Hill: Drive: Brisbane, CA 94005 Inmac 2465 Augustine Drive Santa Clara, CA 95051 Intec Corporation P.O. Box 5164 West Bloomfield, Ml 48033 ME] Enterprises, Inc. 922 Louisville Road Starkville, MS 39759 The Microperipheral Corporation 2565 152nd Avenue NE. Redmond, WA 98052 Novation, Inc. 20809 Prairie Street Chatsworth, CA 91311 INW Corporation 3444 Hancock Street San Diego, CA 92110 Universal Data Systems 5000 Bradford Drive Huntsville, AL 35805 USI 74 Park Lane Brisbane, CA 94005, Any modem you buy will be capable of full, half, or both types of duplexing. With a half duplex modem, only one com- er can “talk” at a time, while full duplexing allows both the sender and receiver to transmit at the same time, much like a normal conversation. Full du- plexing is pretty standard on most bulletin boards; when you type something, it goes over the phone lines and the receiving computer echoes it back to your TV screen or monitor. When you access a bulletin board system, it will usually tell you what type of duplexing is needed, as well as the baud rate, or speed at which you can transmit information. Most of the modems in this buyer's guide have baud rates from 0-300, which roughly translates to 0-30 characters per second. Some of the more ex- pensive models have a baud rate of 1200 or more. The communication standard of your modem also tells you the baud rate. Those listed as Bell 103 allow information to be sent at 300 baud; some can go as fast as 600 baud. Bell 202 and 212A standards allow for faster transmission rates. Extras to consider for your modem are whether you want ‘one that can automatically dial and answer the telephone, and whether the modem is capable of a self-test to make sure every- thing is hooked up and working properly. One essential item, as we noted, is terminal software. Some modems come with their own software; if yours doesn't, you'll have to purchase a terminal pro- gram, or type one in from a manual or magazine. (For a ‘Commodore-specific terminal program, see “C/G Term’ else- where in this issue.) The accompanying chart ives specifications for many ands of modems for the 64 and VIC, each priced under $300.@ COMPUTES Gazecte Noverber 1908.37GAZETTE Hi Telecommunications# Software Part 1: C/G Term Robert Sims The first in a series of integrated tele- communications software, “C/G Term” sane you there? (Color/Graphies Terminal program), is MA kesas tailor-made for VIC (with 16K expansion) 4 eee ee ey uh and 64 users. It’s easy to use and includes a number of transparent features which take care of the time-consuming and tedious chores normally involved in tele- communicating. Written entirely in ma- chine language for speed and efficiency, no knowledge of ML is required for its use. C/G Term offers upload and download capabilities and makes full use of Commodore's color and keyboard graph- ics. Next month, we'll continue with the C/G Bulletin Board System. Although C/G Term is designed for use with the bulletin — Telecommunicating in color with C/G Term. board, it can be used as a stand-alone terminal program for instant two-way tele- communication. A disk drive and modem are\required: typing in a BASIC program or using a word a processor: Whatever you type on the keyboard is displayed on the screen, But C/G Term also “C/G Term’ is a lot like having a two-way type- transmits your words and graphics characters, in Did you get a flag? eo IR" Just wanted to test the colors ang aearnjces vhosahes’ apd upload the et Y lore it comedy 1 writer and a chalkboard plugged into your color, over the phone line, and displays incoming telephone. characters as well. This terminal program makes your computer Two people with telephones, modems, and work in much the same way as when you are copies of C/G Term can communicate in several 38 COMPUTEY's Gazato November 1984LAST NIGHT WE EXCHANGED LETTERS WITH MOM, THEN HAD A PARTY FOR ELEVEN PEOPLE IN NINE DIFFERENT STATES AND ONLY HAD TO WASH ONE GLASS... That’s CompuServe, The Personal Communications Network For Every Computer Owner And it doesn't matter what kind of computer you own. You'l use CompuServe's Electronic Mail system (we call it Email) to compose, edit and send letters to friends or business associates, The system delivers any number of messages to other users anywhere in North America CompuServe's multi-channel CB simulator brings distant friends together and gets new friendships started. You ‘can even use a scrambler if you have a secret you don’t want to share. Special interest groups meet regularly to trade information on hardware, software and hobbies from photography to cooking and you can sell, wap and post personal notices on the bulletin board. ‘There’ all this and much more ‘on the CompuServe Information Service. All you need is a computer, a modem, and CompuServe. CompuServe connects with almost any type or brand of personal computer or terminal and many communicating word processors. ‘To buy a Starter Kit, see your nearest computer dealer. To receive our infor mative brochure or to order direct, call on write: CompuServe Consumer information Service $265 Arington Centre Ska Columbus, OH 49220 800-848-8199 ‘nh call 614-457-0802, ‘An HBF Block Companyways. They can talk, type messages back and forth, or swap programs and text files automati- cally, with only a few keystrokes. C/G Term can also be used off-line, to cre- ate graphics screens and messages for later use. And it’s designed to communicate with the Color/Graphics Bulletin Board System, to be published next month. For Commodore Only Most bulletin board systems (BBSs) and infor- mation utilities (like CompuServe or Delphi) are dleslgned t0 work with'al idl varleby of coms puters and modems. For this reason, most use standard seven-bit ASCII. Terminal programs generally do not allow you to send Commodore graphics characters, which do not have a stan- dard ASCII equivalent. To send graphics and color requires a new ‘Commodore-specific protocol. For this reason, you cannot use this terminal program to call CompuServe or most bulletin boards. The com- puter you call must be running C/G Term or next month’s Color/Graphics Bulletin Board. The incompatibility with CompuServe is off- set by C/G Terms color and graphics capabili- ties, as well as the reliable and easy-to-use upload/download features which allow you to trade files with friends. Typing Over The Phone The program automatically handles most of the technical aspects of personal telecommunications, allowing you to concentrate on your message, rather than on the transmission medium. To use the program for two-way commu- nication, connect your modem to the computer's user port while the power is off One party must set the O/A switch on the modem to O (originate) while the other party must use A (answer). If you're using the Com- modore Automodem, set the H/F switch to F (full duplex), and set the D/T switch to T (telephone). Load C/G Term and run it. An initialization prompt will appear on the screen: Press any key to start, or CTRE-Cto bypass handshake This means the computer is on hold. If you're calling a friend, you can go ahead and press. CTRL-C to bypass the handshaking routine (which is more important for the C/G Bulletin Board). When the other party answers, unplug the cord from the telephone handset and plug it into the VICmodem (or move the Automodem D/T switch to D for data). The two programs 40 COWPUTE"'s Gazote November 1984 will then complete the connection, and you'll see the “OK continue” prompt. The program starts in terminal mode, which simply means the computer is ready to commu- nicate with another VIC or 64. Once the connec- tion is made, you can switch back and forth from modem to voice communication without disturb- ing the program, To talk, unplug the cord from the ViCmodem and plug it into the handset (or move the Automodem D/T switch from D to T). When you're through talking, just move the Automodem switch back to D (on the ViCmodem, plug the handset cord back into the modem), and resume (ping. The program makes use of the standard key- board, with a few exceptions. The CLR key is disabled, the function keys (f1-f8) perform spe- cific tasks, and the CTRL key has a special significance. Also, as you type in responses to prompts, you may notice that some keys don’t seem to work. For example, if you are asked for a filename, the program will only accept letters, numerals, and the period. All other characters are ignored. Or, if the program asks for a number, alphabetical characters are ignored. As a general rule, if you press a key and nothing appears on the screen, the key has been ignored. Color And Graphics Keys In terminal mode, you have full control over screen and character colors, and the full set of keyboard graphics characters is available. Border and background colors are usually changed with POKEs. But C/G Term lets you change the border color by pressing the {3 func- tion key; to change the background color, use f4. The {3 and f4 keys change only your screen’s colors; they are not transmitted over the phone line to the other party. However, character color is transmitted, so be careful not to change your character color to the same color as the other party's background and cause your message to be invisible. ‘As you might expect, character color isYou bought a computer to cultivate your kids minds Make sure it's bearing fruit, not aeowinngs vegetables. Introducing a whole crop of Learning Adventure gates from Speanalar, SPIMANER 22 We make learning fun,it ee a tS EA |) BOTTOM LINE! eMC ae OMe alternative to the frustrating LOAD ... wait See] Toy een (Ko). ORT te ee LS AW a CTT. at Bt) LF Rene eM ac au eae lags that inflate expensive labor costs and deflate your bottom line. Cs a eae aa PR UCU LT Ce cedure that normally takes 30 to 40 minutes Puen eee wore aL PPC ee merce ic Munters Pee eure run ntact a Tae eae ea CO Maa acct Coe ised Teac UR aCe Ca eee oa eee aU a puter to command the drive and then con- tinue, SUPER DISK II does the work quickly so that you can get on with your program. eee ee Cc Ce ges cee SLC Se Rn it in a daisychain of SUPER DISKS. These workhorse drives will allow you to connect POR ee a eS a reliable, continued performance. a Polit ey + Sturdy sheet metal casing and heat sink PAY ie Me CRC are eel 9 Se oma CMe le aes Cola) Secs meee ule eee UR) Cre BRCM em omer NNR Cam LS PROM CULM Clm Ce cclceie leer ome g Era Beato) Meme meuletfolF Pe Xccrm ot nme Ree Rm CoaUs Dae | Pye tt COMPATIBILITY .. Commodore 64,” VIC-20," aac 0 BUFFER MEMORY CAPACITY Gd COMPLETE . PIM ero SOV ste) Paces gem Cem ed PERL Cen Ur cc TSE ter eon ean FORMAT Yee EL OD) CaS nee Reo Pie) eau ie Sieg ANT ag CN NOR Meee ea et ces rss ea Be ie ee oc Poet eee ce Steen eee CLS peers Sean ecu eCity manual. Coys a ee eh a tinual operation. Sn een eure Ce) ne RL ata aod Sree ects Se eet READY TO GET DOWN TO SERIOUS be pS Te eee MSD Systems also offers COMMODORE OWNERS the reliable Pees a ee Reet ble with the COMMODORE 64, VIC-20, and PET computers. Like the dual drive, MSD’s SUPER DISK I never overheats... its internal state-of-the-art design provides exceptional durability and longer eC aut ee ee ee ag ane aces ae ae Sm rae ‘open more files at any one time. The drive accomplishes many internal operations in less time than other single disk drives re- CU a ee eC a eae ae) Cec uC SE ee Ris a eeu era Cea Seer ua skeen eT Run eee eM ae ee EU ai ae The unique vertical load architecture of MSD's SUPER DISKS reduces desktop space normally required. The durable sheet metal casing minimizes heat retention and contributes to the re- eee ue ae Oe Ree mt Pues uu nua a es ae eee ars MSD SUPER DISK DRIVE TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS ea ie rr Fe RL A eet PC i rca above capacities (one for each diskette). ead eu oro ra eae) Nicer ee Re ee a) ‘Commodore Compatible Serial Bus Interface ee eeu Saat td Interface eres Coa Caer oy Pel Ped Core meer} aoa) Ace am cc auED) Boa) PUREE Mer ILD) SER MeEL ID) Ted PKU Lee fee tL alsa ee Jumpers for selecting device number 8, 9, 10 Ca Ea emo Voltage ..........+.+. 10 or optiona 220 VAC ote eee Ts aca nie Bes So a on Cr Me See CE MM Ok Cer eter Lychanged by pressing the CTRL key in combina- tion with the number keys. If you have a 64, you can also hold down the Commodore key and press one of the number keys, (For a discussion of changing character color, see the User's Guide that came with your computer:) Character color may cause problems for a VIC owner commu- nicating with a 64. The VIC will not properly re- ceive the eight extra colors generated by the 64’s Commodore key. So, if you have a 64 and are talking to a VIC, use only the CTRL key to change your character color. To clear the screen, press {6 (SHIFT-f5), The graphics characters on the front of the keys are generated by pressing the appropriate key while holding down the Commodore key (for the character on the left of the key) or the SHIET key (for the character on the right). When the program starts, the keyboard is in lowercase mode. This means that when you press SHIFT, you get uppercase letters instead of graphics characters, But the graphics characters associated with the Commodore key will work in lowercase mode. You can toggle between lowercase and uppercase/graphics modes by pressing the SHIFT and Commodore keys at the same time, just as in normal operation. In the uppercase mode, you get uppercase letters, the graphics associated with the Commodore key, and the SHIFTed graphics as well. File Transfers C/G Term provides for automatic disk-to-disk transfer of either sequential files or program files. The files may contain any type of data, whether a BASIC or machine language program, graphics characters, a SpeedScript document, or data cre- ated by some other word processor. You can use C/G Term as your own private electronic mail carrier. For example, you can write a letter with SpeedScript and save it to disk. Then you can call a friend, connect your computers using C/G Term, and upload the letter. Later, your friend can use his or her copy of SpeedScript to read the letter, The long-distance charge may be more than a 20-cent stamp, but your letter ar- rives immediately. If you want to send a file to the other party, then you are the uploader and the other party is, the downloader. The uploader sends an existing, file to the downloader’s disk drive, where it is stored as a new file. Easy Uploading To transmit a file, the uploader types CTRL-U (press U while holding down the CTRL ey C/G Term then takes over. Each party will see ‘44 COMPUTE: Gazette November 1964 the messages searching for the filename and loading. The downloader’s filename will appear as $0:@!%!, which is a dummy filename for reading a directory off the disk. This can be ig- nored, as the program handles the exchange automatically. The uploader is prompted for the name of the existing file to be transmitted, while the downloader is prompted for a new filename so the incoming file can be stored onto disk. Once the respective filenames have been typed in, the two programs perform several handshakes (communications exchanges) in which information is exchanged on whether there is room on the receiving disk for the incoming file, whether the file type is sequential or a program, and when to start transmitting. Alll of this is per- formed automatically by the program. The file is then taken from the disk of the sending computer, transmitted, and stored on the disk of the receiving computer. ‘An image of this process is displayed on the screen. You'll see a series of lines consisting of a colon followed by 76 numbers or letters, comprising a hexadecimal image of the file's contents. Uploading becomes a simple process. The uploader presses CTRL-U and the name of the rear ‘The downloader just invents a filename, C/G Term does the rest (of course, your disk drive has to be on, with a disk inserted). Checking For Accuracy There will be a brief pause after each line is sent, while the receiving computer calculates a checksum to insure that the line was transmitted correctly. If not, the line is sent again. When the transfer is complete, the message “OK continue” is displayed, and the program returns to terminal mode, Even though file transfer is automatic, it is not failsafe. For example, if the uploader fails to type in the filename exactly as it appears in the disk directory, an error message is printed and the operation is cancelled. An error message and cancellation also occur if the downloader types in the name of an existing file. To avoid these errors, it’s good practice to make a copy of the disk directory before you go on-line, so you'll know exactly what's on the disk. Or, make up a name you know is not on the disk (like QWERTY), If a mistake is made, though, no harm is done. The program returns to terminal mode, and you can try again. ‘Other problems are not so simply solved. No error-trapping routine can overcome noisy phone lines or hardware failures. Even though such**Now Your Commodore 64" Can Print Like a Pro!” Grapp Printer Interface The Revolutionary Printer Interface for the Commodore 64™ ANew Era in Commodore Printing Power. Grappler CD offers the first complete answer to your printer interfacing requirements, with many Powerful capabilities unique in the Commodore ‘marketplace. Complete signal translation allows many popular name brand printers to operate perfectly with the Commodore 64, oF to imitate ‘Commodore's own printer. Even Commodore's graphic character set can be reproduced on Epson, Okidata, Star, ProWriter and other popular printers, Exclusive Grappler CD features provide a variety of graphic screen dumps, text screen dumps and formatting. No other Commodore interface can offer this. I you own a Commodore 64 It you're serious about quality trouble free printing... You need the Grappler CD. Contact your nearest Commodore dealer or call Orange Micro for a dealer near you. A Uniquely Intelligent Interface: ‘Prints Screen Graphics Without Software * Graphics Screen Dump Routines Include Rotated, Inversed, Enhanced and Double Sized Graphics. ‘* Full Code Translation From Commodore's PET ASCIlto Standard ASCII, the Language of Most Printers. ‘* Complete Emulation of the Commodore 1525 Printer for printing of Commodore's Special Characters. * Dip Switch Printer Selection for Epson, Star, Okidata, ProWriter and other popular printers. + Conversion Mode for Easy Reading of Special ‘Commodore Codes. Text Screen Dump and Formatting Commands + 22 Unique Text and Graphics Commands Orange Micro inc. 1a00 LAKEVIEW AVE, ANAHEIM, CA 9207 USA GO ates ree asstproblems are rare, you can make the best of a bad situation if you know what to expect. Garbage On The Line Sometimes you'll get strange characters on your screen (garbage) even when you are typing care- fully. These garbage characters usually occur for one of two reasons: Either there is some disturb- ance in the phone signal, or one of the modems is malfunctioning. If the transmission is normally correct, but an occasional garbage character comes in, the phone line probably is the culprit, If a trans- mission suddenly turns to total garbage for both parties, you can probably blame the phone connection again. But if you experience such problems con- stantly, or if you're getting garbage while the other party is receiving without difficulty, take your modem back to the dealer or service center and have it checked. If garbage is mixed into an image line during a file transfer, the line will be retransmitted up to five times before the program aborts the transfer, closes the disk files, and returns to terminal mode. The first two characters will be an up arrow followed by a capital R when a section is being retransmitted. Crash Insurance If garbage interferes with a handshake, the two programs may go into an infinite loop, waiting for a signal that's never coming, This is highly unlikely, but if it happens you'll notice that the image display has stopped, without an error message. Also, the red light on the drive remain on, indicating that a disk file is still open. ‘The solution is for both parties to go off- line by holding down RUN/STOP and pressing, RESTORE, Then type: CLOSE 15:OPEN 15,815:CLOSE 15, to close the file. Next, initialize the disk: OPEN 15,8,15,"10":CLOSE 15. ‘Then run C/G Term again (the 64 version re- quires a SYS), press RETURN, enter a CTRL-C, and your connection should be restored. If it isn’t, then both parties must reload their pro- grams and run them again to restart the handshaking. Disk Problems Another potential problem (though very rare) in- volves the disk drive and disk. C/G Term cannot evaluate the data; the program takes whatever data the drive sends. If the drive is out of align- ment, if the read/write head is dirty, or if the 48 COMPUTE!'s Gazette Novembar 1984 disk surface is worn or damaged, then it's pos- sible that bad data can be transferred. If you find garbage in a transferred file, check fhe original file. If the original was clean, chances are good there’s been a drive mal- function, or you have a defective disk. If you get a garbled file, try another disk. The life of a disk is difficult to estimate, since it depends on how often the disk is used, Also, it’s hard to see signs of wear on the sur- face, and most disks are so reliable as to give the impression that they last forever. But disks do wear out, and even a tiny flaw can render a disk useless, To be safe, if the disk surface looks worn, replace it, If you can’t remember how long, ago you started using the disk, replace it. ‘Avoid using a disk that’s full, or nearly full (less than 100 blocks free). When you begin an on-line session, you can’t be sure how many files you may download or how long they may be. If there's plenty of room on the disk, you won't need to worry about having a transfer canceled with a “FILE WON'T FIT” message. Creating Graphics Files Besides transmitting programs and text files, C/G Term has a message mode that lets you create graphics screens or brief messages, and save them to disk for uploading later. You can enter the message mode in two ways. First, you can load and run the program without hooking up your modem. When the initialization message is displayed, press CTRL- C, which puts you into terminal mode without going through the on-line handshaking sequence. ‘To get to message mode from here, press {8. The screen will clear and “message mode” will be displayed. You can also get to message mode while on- line by pressing £8. Keep in mind, though, that the other party will be ignored while you're in message mode, To create a screen, simply type in the graph- ics or message contents. You can move freely around the screen, but are not allowed to type anything on the last screen line. There are two reasons for this limitation: First, it prevents your message from scrolling up the screen. And the bottom screen line is used to display prompts and error messages which otherwise would de- stroy your design. When you're satisfied with your screen, press £5. You'll be prompted for’a filename. If you have a VIC, this filename must contain fewer than 10 characters, since the screen will scroll and destroy your design if you type be- yond the end of the line. Enter the filename, press RETURN, and your graphics screen will beIT MAKES THE RIGHT IMPRESSION. PCM RRRUOM keen ces Nina ca ue eur MCW Whoa uee Ue aCe U i keh iste kuna Ce Reco ums The Riteman LQ. It’s the right choice. Inglewood, CA 90302 at, (800) 424-2865 ln Cat)saved to disk, As with downloading, you must not use the name of an existing file. In message mode, you also can load a screen file, edit it, and save it back to disk. But again, be sure to save it under a new filename to avoid an error message, To erase a screen and start over, press £6. To return to terminal mode from message mode, press £8, Another use for CTRL-C at the initialization prompt is to help you learn to use C/G Term without going on-line, CTRL-C puts you in terminal mode even though your modem is not connected. You can learn to change colors, type graphics characters, and experiment freely with cursor movement. If you first try out C/G Term on your own, you will avoid delays and errors when you do go on- line with another person. You can practice with any feature except uploading. If you press CTRL-U without being, connected to another computer, the program will lock up because it’s trying to shake hands and nobody's shaking back. If this happens, hold down RUN/STOP and press RESTORE. Then load the program and run it agaii The Bulletin Board Message mode does double duty in C/G Term, It allows you to create and save screens, and it's the routine you'll use to send messages to the bulletin board system to be published next month, In that issue, we'll go into the details of how C/G Term and the bulletin board interact. For now, you should know that all the color and graphics features discussed here also will work with the bulletin board. Together, the programs allow you to read public messages, leave mes- sages for others, to send and receive private elec- tronic mail, and to upload or download files. Typing In With MLX To type in C/G Term for either the VIC (16K expansion required) or 64, first type in MLX, elsewhere in this issue, and save it to disk. Before beginning, read the instructions for using MLX. Next, turn your computer off and then on and enter this line: POKE 642,45: SYS 58260 (Commodore 64) POKE 642/45: SYS 58232 (VIC-20 with at least 16K expansion) This POKE and SYS relocate the beginning, of BASIC so MLX will run above the section of memory used by C/G Term. Now you can load 48 COMPUTE"'s Gazette Noveroer 1984 MLX back into your VIC or 64. Enter RUN and you'll be prompted for a starting and ending address. The starting address is 4609, the ending address is 11262. Com- modore 64 users should type in the listing ex- actly as shown in the back of the magazine. VIC users should also type in the same listing, but re- place the last three lines of the program with these: 11245 11251 11257 £234, 234,022,132,015,017,123 1227,016,021 ,022, 023,020,060 £022,022, 234,234,234, 234,204 After the program is saved to disk, VIC users can load the program by typing LOAD“CGTERM",8. Then simply type RUN as you would for a BASIC program. (Of course, this assumes that you used the filename CGTERM when you saved the machine language you typed in using MLX.) Load the 64 version by typing “CGTERM’,8,1. To run, type SYS 4621. Alternatively, 64 owners who don’t want to have to remember the SYS address can use the follow- ing short boot program. When run, this program will load in and start the machine language: 10 IP A=O THEN A=1:LOAD 20 sys 4621 Modifying C/G Term C/G Term uses about 8K of memory, including, the object code, variables, and temporary storage areas. Several useful options can be added to the program, including routines to read the disk directory, to save data into a capture buffer, and to dump screens to a printer. There is plenty of room in the 64 or in an expanded VIC for refine- ments and modifications. However, because it is written entirely in machine language, changes are difficult to make unless you have the source listing. And the list- ing is too long to print here. It would take up more space than the MLX listing. If you wish to modify the program or study any of the routines, or you'd just rather not type it in, you can get a copy of the source listing in PAL/LADS format (and the machine language program itself—the object code) on disk by send- ing a SASE (a padded disk mailer is preferable), a blank disk, and $3, to: Robert Sims 100 Lee Street Jamestown, NC 27282 My CompuServe ID# is 75005,1553. On Delphi, it’s BOZART. “coTERN" See program listing on page 199. @4 Introducing The New 64-ACCOUNTING SYSTEM. Ifyou can't put your finger on your total financial picture, weve got the answer. Software Design, Inc. has a personal software accounting package designed for your Commodore 64°, Even if youre all thumbs, we offer a support line and an easy-to-follow manual writen in plain English. Created for home and small business demands, the 64-ACCOUNTING SYSTEM puts financial management at your fingertips. FLEXIBILITY Design your own financial statement with no rigid account number system, and with flexible subtotal possibilities, Take the quesswork out of checkbook balancing, Distribute checks and receipts to 20 separate accounts. Establish monthly, quarterly, or yearly accounting periods, 64-ACCOUNTING expands with your financial management needs. For use with Commodore 64% and isk drive. ‘Copyright 1983 — Software Design, Inc Software Beyond Compare CONVENIENCE oe Organizing your tax return has never ben eases. 64-ACCOUNTING offers up to 10 checking ledgers for those special home and business accounts. Teams with your printer to write checks, print statements, profit and loss and trial balance sheets. Even offers mini accounts receivable and accounts payable ledgers. PRACTICAL BUDGETING Control your expenses with the 64-ACCOUNTING SYSTEM'S budgetingledgers, Monitor your past expenses against projected costs. It's so versatile you ‘can select year-to-date totals or any span of months forcomparison budgeting. Plan your financial future around the 64- ACCOUNTING SYSTEM. There may neverbea bettertime than now. $69.95. To order call 1-800-553-0002, In lowa call 1-800-772-5771. Dealer and distributor inquiries welcome wb sien nc RO. Box 570, Waterloo, lowa 50704WE UNLEASH THE MUSIC A ( aN 71) eae) een (7 iets, 71) emer (| eae 111The INCREDIBLE MUSICAL REYBORRD® transforms your computer into an exciting musical instrument. The Incredible Musical Keyboard can do more than turn your Commodore into a music synthesizer. Deep within every Commodore 64 lurks the unexpected. A versatile music synthesizer. A ‘music video machine, A three track recorder. And a way to create music that's so easy yyou'l be playing songs within minutes. Just place the Incredible Musical Keyboard ‘over the computer keyboard, load the Included music software diskette, and you hhave all you need to make piano, guitar, synthesizer and electronic sounds. Everything you need to create music is included . . . whether you're a beginner or an accomplished musician. It you can press a few keys, you have all the skills it takes to create and play music with the Incredible Musical Keyboard Just beginning? Attach the included ABC key Stickers to the keys and match the etter in the note withthe letter on the key and PRESTO! ... you're playing music instantly, I's easy. It's fun. It unleashes the music in you... even if you don't read music You already read music? Great! We've included a Melody Chord Songbook featuring hits from today’s top recording artists. Or play songs from your own sheet music The Incredible Musical Keyboard works with other exciting Sight & Sound Music Software programs, too! Get the KAWASAKI SYNTHESIZER and transform your Commodore 64 into a Sophisticated music synthesizer and sound processor. With one keystroke, you can contral waveforms, vibrato, sweep and other special eects. Let your imagination soar with the KAWASAKI RHYTHM ROCKER creating and recording your own songs while ‘you contral eye-popping color graphics that explode across the screen. Create your ‘own music with the MUSIC PROCESSOR, a word processor for music. Then record i, edit it ‘nd play it back. Use the £9 preset instrument and special effects sounds for endless new creations. Or travel through a complete tutorial on Imusic synthesis with the newest Sight & Sound music program, 3001 SOUND. ODYSSEY. After you've learned the basics of ‘music synthesis. you can use the complex ‘music synthesizer included in the program to ee compose your own music, create your own sound effects or simply experiment with the hundreds of pre-programmed sounds, From the Incredible Musical keyboard to software that plays your favorite hits, we've got them all. Look for the Incredible Musical Keyboard and the complete line of Sight & Sound music software at your local computer software cutlets and music stores. And unleash the rmusie in you: "St. ge For more information and a free catalog, ‘phone 1-414-784-5850 or write P.O. Box 27, ‘New Berlin, Wi 53151, SIGHT€&SSOUND Music Software, Inc. WE UNLEASH THE MUSIC IN YOU.”Free Fall Associates: The Designers Behind Archon and Archon II: Adept Selby Bateman, Features Editor Free Fall Associates: Jon Freeman and Anne Westfall. Emerging from the avalanche of a thousand computer games came Archon, 1983's popular and unique mix- ture of strategy and action, good and evil, light and dark. Now, Archon's creators bring you the sequel— and the fight between Order and Chaos is on again.ee ie GAZETTE DISK! Aiea rime urd Cri cia Start your subscription to. COMPUTE!s. Gazette Disk. Each month you can r@- ceive a fully tested 5%” floppy disk to Pie Carel mern tutes cic tel VIC-20 personal.computer.Each.issue. ‘of COMAUTE!'s Gazette Disk will contain Pl Rach eucieess Yt N kar corresponding issue gf COMPUTE!'s Ga- PER eee meee om atte tN ey Elm iene cmon ay month's COMPUTE! Gazette ready-to- load on a disk. Send in the attached coypon and subscribe today! Calltol-iree 1-800-334-0868 gr send your prepaid coupon to: COMPUTE!'s/Gazette Disk P.O. Box 5406 Fe oe oa, ee)agic is subtle, Magic is sly. ‘Our ancient and enduring fasci- nation with things magical stems chiefly from that strange interplay between illusion and reality. And at the heart of that, fascination is the human imagination. We have some pretty wild imaginations,” admits Jon Free- man, laughing and smiling at his wife and collaborator, Anne Westfall. “But in our wildest dreams we did not anticipate a sequel when we created Archon. It was just not the kind of game that suggested to us a sequel, We didn’t want to just do the same game with a little teeny bit of difference and then resell it.” Freeman and Westfall (hence, Free Fall Associates) and Archon co-creator Paul Reiche III faced a dilemma in 1983. The game was so successful that seemingly everyone was asking them for a sequel. And that in- cluded Trip Hawkins, a big fan of Archon and the president of Electronic Arts, the company that published the game. Hawkins kept asking them about a follow-up game. And Freeman, Westfall, and Reiche kept saying to themselves, “Se- quel? Good grief!” “First, we had to convince ‘ourselves that it seemed like a reasonable thing to do,” says Freeman. They began to study the components of their own cre- ation, trying to isolate the magi- cal elements that made Archon a very different game from any that had appeared before. The fundamentals were en- gaging in their own right: A chess-like strategy game which dissolves at times into a fierce arcade-action battlefield. Enough wizards, dragons, gob- lins, golems, and djinnis to fill a medieval alchemist’s nightmare, The struggle to conquer and hold five “power points.” And ‘54 COMPUTE's Gnzeto November 1964 the shifting subtleties of teleporting, summoning “elementals,” learning uminos- ity cycles, and the like. In fact, to look at the com- plexity of Archon is to realize that the creators of the game are certainly not newcomers to game design or programming. Paul Reiche III (pronounced RICH-EE), for example, has been involved with the creation of fantasy role-playing games since high school. He worked for TSR, which publishes Dun- geons & Dragons, following pro- duction of his D&D module, Temple of Poseidon. Reiche also worked with Freeman on the creation of programs for Auto- mated Simulations (later re- named Epyx), which Freeman cofounded. Westfall, who took up com- puter programming at the age of 30, soon found that her talents in that area were considerable, After a couple of years produc- ing complex technical software, she joined Freeman at Auto- mated Simulations and began her efforts in game programs. It was her programming expertise that turned the game designs by Freeman and Reiche for Archon and Adept into substance. No name is more associated with excellence in computer game design than that of Jon Freeman. Among the numerous games he developed at Auto- mated Simulations was the award-winning Temple of Apshai (for which he designed the Dunjonquest System) and Star Warrior. He is also the author of The PLAYBOY Winner's Guide to Board Games, The Complete Book of Wargames, a variety of stories and articles, and more than a dozen game manuals. With Adept, Freeman has now pub- lished 17 games. t was in late 1981 that Free- man and Westfall formed Free Fall Associates, located a couple of miles from the Stan- ford University campus in Palo Alto, California, and began working with Reiche on what was to become Archon. The trio also designed an earlier Elec- tronic Arts release, Murder on the Zinderneuf, a murder mys- tery game which is one of Free- man’s personal favorites. “With Adept, what we wanted to do—this is an over- simplification, but—while pre- serving the mechanics and the general feel of Archon, mostly the mixture of strategy and tac- tics, we wanted to do as many things differently as we could,” says Freeman. ““To do things that we couldn't do in Archon for one reason or another. And to put things in that people had suggested.” ‘Why doesn’t Archon have varying difficulty levels, some players have asked? Well it does, Freeman re- plies with a smile, but then ad- mits that the function is subtle and has never been mentioned before. “There's a built-in, self- adjusting difficulty factor in Ar- chon so that if the computer keeps beating up on you, it will get easier and easier. “But most people don’t know that because it goes in lit- tle tiny increments, By the time it really starts kicking in, players think, ‘Oh, I’m just getting bet- ter.’ Well, they are, partly; but partly it’s because the computer is not being as good,” he adds, laughing, “But nobody knows that’s there, It’s not something we advertise, but we were aware of the problem. “Just like chess: How do two unequal players play chess? Well, not very well, And there's not really a great deal you can do about it. If you start taking pieces away, you change the Bame so radically that you're not playing chess anymore, Ar- chon is the same way. So we said, we want to do a game in which we can do that without screwing it up,” he says. Other ardent Archion fans suggested that the game shouldallow you to be able to build your own armies, to play some of your opponent's types of pices, to use magic spells more often, and to limit the edge given to players who happen to be agile with a joystick—with- out slowing down the game. Those ideas and much more have been incorporated into Adept. In the game, you use your four Adepts—something akin to powerful wizards—to conjur and then maneuver monsters, cast spells against the enemy, and ultimately win by occupy- ing the six flashing—and moving—power points, hile the basics are in many ways similar to the origi nal game, Adept is a different game and has a number of in- teresting features: Energy must be monitored and expended carefully; the health of individ- ual Adepts is crucial to your chances, and the various gor- gons, wraiths, firebirds, sirens, juggernauts, giants, and other monsters are more or less effec- An Adept of Order summons a Gorgon (in box at upper right) for placement on Fire, Air, Water, or Earth in the Electronic Arts’ game, Archon Il: Adept. tive depending on which of the four elemental bands on the game board they occupy: fire, air, water, or earth, There is even an Apoca- lypse spell which at certain times can be used to begin the battle that ends the game, “At the start, there are only four pieces on a side, the Adepts,” says Freeman. “Every- thing else you add. “You can concoct your own army to suit yourself. For in- stance, if you have trouble mas- tering certain pieces or you need practice on them, you don’t have to use them. Don’t sum- mon them. Or, if you like some particular piece, that’s all you can have. Or you can have a lit- tle of everything,” Freeman. adds. “This is a game of, in part, resource management. You can cast as many spells as you want as often as you want. You can summon pieces from now to kingdom come—as long as you can pay for them. You pay in magical energy, and you get magical energy by occupying power points, which cycle from element to element each turn.” In designing Adept, the three creators came up with a particular piece which is espe- Cally nice for beginners not used to conducting battles a joystick: the Siren, “All you have to do with the Siren is push the joystick button—you don’t aim, you don’t move—just push the but- ton,” says Freeman, “And as long as you push the button, she sings. And as long as she sings, the other person’s lifeline goes down “But you can’t move while you're pressing the button, so you can’t dodge. Whenever [an opponent] fires something and you think it’s going to hit, you have to let go of the button and run. As soon as the missile’s passed, you go back to holding down the button, For beginners, this piece is overwhelming, After a while, when you get used to everything else, then it’s not nearly as good,” he says. On the other hand, the Chi- mera may be the most difficult piece in Adept to learn, Freeman adds. “The Chimera has three different attacks. It breathes fire, snorts a cloud of poison gas, and has a poison stinger in its tail. And all three of those at- tacks do different amounts of damage and require different ranges, “That's a hard piece to learn. Beginners have trouble with it. But in Adept,” says Free- man, “they don’t have to use it until they've practiced.” Adept, now available for th Commodore 64 as well as At computers at a suggested retail price of $40, is not by any means the last program from Free Fall Associates. Now that they've recovered from the cre- ation of Adept, there is already a list of possible projects a long, Freeman admits. But there are only twenty- four hours in a day. Not even an Adept can change that. COMPUTES Gazete Novenber 1904 557 ee SSNSSNS SNES oe RORAA RA ae oe & ae oe Le RRS e oe Os a Rae Cone ee = eee se Bae Ras a ESR = 3 ESS AOU EI OOS ee = se = RS a So RAIAG Rae ae a Bee oe SS ‘ ue BOSS oe ee RRS g ee ae oe = ae os Bryan Files Beware of the evil genies determined to knock you from your magic carpet. With a little strategy and skill, you can trap them in bottles—but work quickly before they re-emerge. A lively arcade-style game for the VIC, we've added a version for the 64. A joystick is required. Flying through Bagdad on your magic carpet, you're suddenly accosted by some rug-riding evil genies bent on knocking you off—literally and figuratively. Your only defense is to knock them off first, and this takes some tricky maneuvering. First, you must trap each genie in a bottle. Then collect the bottles before the genies have a chance to escape. If you fail to collect a bottle in time, the lid opens and your battle resumes. The Calm Before The Storm Ridding the city of enemy genies gives you a brief rest before the next wave of more numerous and determined genies. Only white genies are encountered during the first four waves, but the fifth wave brings a new, more aggressive menace —the blue genies. (The 64 version plays a bit differently—see 64 Notes below.) If you manage to reach the ninth wave, white, blue, and the dreaded purple genies emerge for a fast and furious battle. Twelve is the maximum number of genies that will appear, but the difficulty increases with each higher level. You begin with four green genies (one on the screen, three in reserve), and a new one is added for each 4000 points scored. For each bottle collected, 250 points are awarded. ‘56 COMPUTE"'s Gaze November 1984 The player must swoop down to retrieve the bottle before the genie within escapes (64 version). Current score and high score are continuously displayed in the VIC version. Flying The Magic Carpet To start a new game, push the joystick forward. Move the joystick (port 2 in the 64) left or right to move your genie correspondingly. Press the fire button to fly up, and release it to allow grav- ity to pull you down. Hovering requires alter- nately pressing and releasing the fire button. If you reach the top of the screen, your genie will bounce, however, he will wrap around the screen at the left and right edges. Strategic positioning is extremely important. When two genies hit at the same level, they bounce off each other. You have to use your car- pet to hit the other genies. If you're at a higher level when you collide, the edge of your carpet knocks the genie off his rug. The falling genieRelease The Graphics Power Oi oU m @o yi ilanlolelole-Koy- am aiaee Wasa Now there's a sophisticated graph- ies system for your C-64—the Koala Light Pen System™ from Koala Technologies. It's easy. You ‘work directly on your computer screen to draw, design, chart graphs. The Koala Light Pen System is all you need. A State-Of-The-Art Light Pen We've packed all the electronics in the streamlined Koala Pen, using the most advanced miniaturization techniques. This means clearer, smoother, more precise graphics— and, unlike other C-64 graphics products, you can use the Koala Technologies rm 800-KOA-BEAR full range of the C-64's colors. It also has an easy-to-use tip-switch. A Complete Graphics Package Koala, well known for our graphics systems, has created the premier C-64 graphics package. It contains a complete array of graphics capa- bilities. In addition, you can dip into a palette of 16 colors—and over 3,000 textured patterns. Point to “mirror” and a Kaleidoscope of col- orful images bursts onto the screen. Zoom in for 320 x 200 resolution. Rubber band’ lines and shapes. Explore the full graphics power of your C-64 with the Koala Light Pen System. There is no other system ike. The Koala Light Pen System™ and Graphics 64 Software™ Teh) talksOUR ARCADE GAMES Bally Midway youin the drive machine on fou after enemy spies. The situation is life and death, You'll need every weapon you've got- machine guns, and guided missiles, oil slicks and smoke screens, But the enemy is everywhere. On the road, in the ‘water, even in the air. So you'll have Spy Hunter puts st to be more than fast to stay alive in Spy Hunter: You'll need brains and euts, to. Do you have what it takes? WE BROUGHT Bally Midway’s Up 'N Down by Sega, In this game, a crash is no accident. In fact, it’s the whole object of the game, You'll race your baja bug over some of the worst roads south of any border: Leap dead ends, raping can. vyons and oncoming traffic ina sing] bound, And if anyone gets in your ‘way, crush ‘em shing, bashing Up’N Down. It's one smashhit that really is a smash, Bally Midway's Tapper would like towelcome you tothe fastest ame inthe universe, You're serving up drinks in some of the craziest places you've ever seen. And the service better be good, orelse. You'll work your way through the wild Western Saloon to the Sports Bar, From there tothe slam dancing Punk Bar and on into the Space Bar full of customers who are, literally, out of this world! Are you fast enough to play Tap. per? If you have to ask, you probably already know the answer The #1 Arcade Game of 1984, 6 iy |MID ‘Nominatéd as Most Innovative Coin-Op fil Arcade Hit, Play Mever Conversions Poll, Game of 1984 by Electronic Games mnagazine. Sif sisWERE SUCH BIGHITS, THEM HOME. Sega's Congo Bongo rocked the home game world when it shot up to Number 3 on the Billboard chart this summer: ‘And now its available for even more home systems, So check the chart and get ready for jungle action. You'll pursue the mighiy ape Congo up Monkey Mountain and across the Mighty River. Do battle with dan- ‘gerous jungle creatures. Ride hip. pos, dodge charging rhinos and try Toavoid b yecoming a snack for a man-eating fish. Congo Bongo. It’s fast and it’s fun, But be careful. Ir’ a jungle in there. Arcade an 30n Billboard azine’ TopVideo Games survey ‘Sega's Zaxxon. If you haven't played Zaxxon, you mast have been few years, And now the ultimate space com bat game is avai home systems, You'll pilot a space fighter through force fields and ene my fire on your way todo battle with the mighty Zaxxon robot. Countless others have gone before you in this Hall of Fame game. But this time your life is in your own hands. Zaxxon killed them in the arcades. But compared to what it will do to you at home, that was child's play. Games Hall of Fame. | 8] al 3) Tari 2600 7 | canidger dw iw Ata 5200 cartridge | iw Atari ] | Computers’ ew ew ew] “ jew] nother planet for the past. [jascommeatT LTT Ty diskente ie ew Hale specs oor | caer 4\¢ “ ADAMeartridge (NEW | diskette [Applet Hfe, tle diskette L pw ec diskette * feeneleom Sopa tnerricn ine" fo eeer es count Ce oar erlang b cartes for Au oo ae ions Bally Midwas'The evil genies hover while the good genie is reincar- nated (VIC version). then crawls back into his bottle, which falls to the ground (or to one of the intermediate levels). ‘Once in the bottle, the evil genie begins to work his way out again. The only way to get rid of him is to fly down and pick up the bottle. If you hit a genie when you're at a lower level, you're the loser. You don’t have a bottle, you simply lose one of your genies. You'll reincarnate at the bottom of the screen, providing you have at least one life remaining, During the three or four seconds the genie is flashing, he cannot be defeated by enemies. However, if no genies are nearby, you can terminate the flashing and begin play by moving the joystick. Important VIC Instructions Since “Bagdad” uses the entire memory of the unexpanded VIC (including the stack and screen memory), it must be entered in three parts. Pro- gram Tis written in BASIC and is entered in the normal manner, Program 2 represents replace- ment lines for tape users (see below), and Pro- grams 3 and 4 are written in machine language and require the use of MLX (elsewhere in this issue). At least 8K memory expansion is required to run MLX. Follow these instructions carefully to enter and save the program: 1. Type in and save Program 1. If you're using tape, replace lines 32-59 of Program 1 with those shown in Program 2. After saving, do not rewind the tape, but remove it from the Datassette. You might want to save a copy onto two different tapes or disks. 2. Turn your VIC off and back on to reset the machine. Install your 8K (or greater) 60 COMPUTES Gazoto Noverbar 1864 memory expander. 3. Type the following statement in immedi- ate mode (no line number) then press RETURN: POKE 648,26:SYS 58648:POKE 44,28POKE 7168,0:NEW This moves screen memory to 6656, and puts the beginning of BASIC just above the screen, to leave room for the ML program. 4, Load and run the VIC MLX program. Answer the MLX prompts as follows: starting address: 4096 ending address: 6144 5. Enter and save the second part of Bag- dad (Program 3). Disk users must save the program with the filename “B” (make sure you don’t already have a file with this name). If you're using tape, save the data on the same tape you used for Program 1, immediately following that program. Again, do not rewind the tape, but remove it from the Datassette. 6. Turn your VIC off and on to reset the machine. Leave the 8K expander in place. 7. Type the following statement with no line number, then press RETURN: POKE 44,33POKE 8448 0:NEW Screen memory is now back at 4096, and BASIC begins at a location in the memory expander, to free up memory for the sec- ond ML program. 8, Load and run MLX again and answer the prompts as follows: starting address: 6144 ‘ending address: 8192 9, Enter and save the third part of Bagdad (Program 4). If you're using disk, you must save this data with the filename “C’, For tape, use the same cassette you used for the first and second parts, and save the data immediately following the previous part (Program 3). You now have all the programs necessary to play Bagdad. Turn off the computer and remove your memory expander. Bagdad is now config- ured to run only on the unexpanded VIC. To be- gin, simply load and run the first program. After viewing the game instructions, the remaining machine language will be loaded automatically. If you'd rather not type in the programs, I'll make a copy (VIC version only) on receipt of a blank tape, self-addressed stamped mailer, and $3. Write to: Bryan Files 404 Eastbrook Lane O'Fallon, MO 6336664 Notes The 64 version of Bagdad is somewhat different from the VIC version, although the game concept is the same, You begin with three lives (com- pared to four in the VIC version). The maximum, number of enemy genies in one wave is seven, and a new life is added every 5000 points. The PRODUCTS FOR C-64 tenth level introduces the first blue genie, and the fourteenth level debuts the sinister purple genie. High score is displayed only at the end of each MASTER COPY — Backup full disk in under 5 minutes with a single drive. game. MASTER LOCK — Disk security system As in the VIC version, MLX is required for which uses 6 different disk deception typing in Bagdad (Program 5). Follow these routines. instructions carefully: COMPUTER CUISINE — A kitchen 1 Arta tan ou 6alchy ee FORE helper which stores and prints up to 100 44,32:POKE 32°256,0. Press RETURN. verigee Regain, e MATHWORKS — 2 Type NEW pes RETURN, ten od |] WETMORE ay, $44 95 to everyday 3. Respond to the prompts with: Rae starting address: 2019 EACH ending address: 6020 a ; 5 calor and Dist 4, Type in Program 5, save it, turn off the DIGITAL pomieeurtararall| computer to reset the pointers, then load WIZARDRY? | wecome | and run. Lecce : : 662A S, 15th Stroot, Milwaukee, WI 59221 See program listing on page 178. @ Chath eeotas Eo ee fretaecrs aero pia ets pa rad SUNGEN’ Palen ai) nay Un OE Ra Ae eR SA) G STATE CHASE-conains a Hoof aston, START MY CHILD LEARNING TODAY! eabenea ‘Onder by mall or hone, Each atucalonal avert i Sa Such ts fut" cate Yela | Stats ony on Bava a the tow pen of $2095" fins, rane, aration € eat rs | Sago 81 0 postage & handing; Gx Pasian ade i aL ne | _ sales ax Vibn and MAGTERCARO welcome seek Ease dent ance ientsdera| © Send me your free Color Brochure. ee RETISEACTION GUARANTEED OR YOUR MONEY ACK. |" —axamaoearwien od bam ‘COMPUTE!’ Gazerto November 1968 61Fernando Ciccarelli and Marcel Ferreira Fire your laser and defend your planet from the invading Ryiads in this keyboard- controlled game for the VIC and 64. “Jump!” pits you against an invader who's trying to blast both you and your planet. He's wily and you must use your laser in defense. en you hit the invader, a Ryiad, you get 50 points and 25 energy units. When a Ryiad shot hits the surface of your planet, the point of impact is illustrated by reversing the damaged character. When he hits it a second time, a crater is formed, If he hits the same spot a third time, it disappears and you lose 25 points. You can move over the undamaged and slightly damaged areas of the surface, but you lose a turn if you try to move over craters or pits. Move left by holding down the Z key, To move right, hold down the C key. Avoiding The Pits You can bypass craters and pits by jumping over them, Pressing SHIFT Z allows you to jump over an empty spot to your left. To jump to the right, press SHIFT C. Fire your laser by pressing X, SPACE, or RETURN: As you play, you'll notice that your energy units aré constantly ticking away. Standing still costs one energy unit per second, moving costs five, and jumping costs ten, You get a total of three turns. Five Difficulty Levels There are five difficulty levels: Beginner, Rookie, Pro; Expert, and Random. Try Beginner just to see how the game plays. When you're comfortable with that level, go on to Rookie. Pro is the major level; it gives you a fair game. At the Expert level, the Ryiad is smart and fast. In the Random level, the difficulty factor is chosen randomly for each invader. If you would like a copy of the program (VIC version only), send a SASE with a blank tape and $3 Fernando Ciccarelli 14 Poplar Place ‘New Rochelle, NY 10805 See program listings on page 173. @ A life is lost during this direct hit in the VIC version. 62 COMPUTE'® Gazetto November 1964 To cross either of the holes made by the invader, you must remember to jump (64 version),The F-15 STRIKE EAGLE, one ofthe world's most sophisti cated fighters, costs the Ar Force more than $20,000, 000.00 ach Now you too can strap into your election seat and prove how geod you realy aren exiting modem et fighter ‘combat, Fly combat missions, engage enemy aircraft, and estoy enemy ground targets fram historic missions over ‘Southeast Asa to today’s Getense of the stratecic ol routes through the Strats of Hormuz F-15 STRIKE EAGLE (simulator) has all the features tha ‘makos th ral EAGLE the gretfghter aircraft itis — aterburners, multiple radars, ait to air missiles, high ‘explosive bombs, cennon, drop tank, Electronic Counter Measures (ECM) aes, electronic ground tracking maps, Heads Up Display (HUD), outstanding 3-cimen sional cckpit visibity, and realistic F-18 manau- ‘erably, Your mision is to take off trom your base, fy to and destrcy your primary target through al the dangers of enemy trtry including Sutace to Air Missiles and enemy aircraft Ofcourse, you have to {get back ome again, too! F-15 STRIKE EAGLE isa very roa simulation, accom: plished with the guidance of ral fighter pits, and includes en diffrent combat misions, four sil levels, nd an Infinite number of exciting scenarios. F-15 wil hil and cha- lenge you and give you the chance to prove you have the "Right Stuf!” ofan EAGLE fighter pilot! F-15 STRIKE EAGLE is avalable for Commodore 64, ATARI (48K), and Apple I (64K) computers. Suggested re is only $3495. Find STRIKE EAGLE at your local rtalle, oF call or wit for MCIVISA, or COD orders, Add $2.50 for Postage and Handing (i a $4 00080). MD resides aid 5% sales tax MicroProse Software 10816 Beaver Dam Road Hoan Pounsng Hunt Valley, MD 21030 Tiel reg a You Simulated — the Excitement is REAL! §= (301) 667-1151 CConmadre 4, ATARL APPLE IM ae eres tasers of Conmodare Busnes Machines In, ATARI ne, APPLE Compt ns ange Aare tltSupertank Boris Litinsky In this unusual action game for the 64, your goal is to prevent hostile tanks from cross- ing into your territory. By aiming carefully and avoiding direct hits, you may make it to the rank of Marshal. Your orders are to stop the enemy tanks. But in the back of your mind, you know there’s more to it than just following orders. You know that if you don’t stop them, they'll stop you, Your goal is simply to survive. Your commander has been kind enough to give you a choice of three different tanks. The Tiger has strong armor, which is great for help- ing you survive, but it moves sluggishly. The T-34 has moderate armor and speed, but lacks fire- power. If you choose the Sherman, you'll have a quick tank with a good cannon, but almost no defense (armor). If you're a new recruit, you might want to choose the T-34 because of its defensive capabilities. Advanced players who j om 8 A missile flies toward the opposing tank. 64 COMPUTE!'s Gazote Novemoer 1868 are sure of their abilities may prefer the Sher- man, although a single hit by the enemy can be devastating. Controlling The Tank After you are outfitted, your tank moves onto the battlefield. Enemy tanks move across the screen from left to right. Using the joystick to control the crosshairs of your cannon, get the tank in your sights, and press the button to fire a salvo. Remember that it takes time for the missiles to travel; you'll have to adjust your shots accord- ingly, shooting slightly in front of your target. ‘After pressing the fire button, you'll see the missile fly (from the left edge of the screen). If it misses, nothing will happen. But if it hits its tar- get, the enemy tank will explode and the screen will change color, to simulate new terrain and new weather. You score ten points for each successful shot. If you miss, you become the target. The enemy tank will {urn toward you and fire, The enemy rarely misses—and you'll lose one armor point when you get hit. In the upper right corner is a status indicator which displays how many points you've scored and how much armor you have left. When your defenses reach zero, your tank is destroyed. The windshield cracks, and the tank is reduced to scrap. Extra Chances Losing a tank is not a total catastrophe, however. You manage to escape by the skin of your teeth, and make your way back to headquarters. Based on performance, you are awarded a rank from Private (less than 50 points scored) to Marshal (over 1000). But if no points are scored, you're branded a Traitor. Whatever your rank, you are given another chance to go forth and do battle. Choose another tank and the game begins again; you may yet earn the exalted rank of Marshal. See program listing on page 170. @ese y tN ase t hla eM mya Ve | DTCC 0):10 Diarrhea mama Booted up any good books lately? An entire line of the most challenging, most exciting, most rewarding adventures ever Se» created. Adventures that put you right in the Be center ofaction—and completely in command. Only Tin gives you programs like |", Ray Bradbury5 timeless eee cle ‘one mans courage to defy a book-buming, repressive state, Only Trillium combines a line of classic fiction with state-of the-art interactive fea- tures—features like full-color graphics, Maybe you've wondered what kind of software a giant like Bradbury or Crichton or advanced text parsers, Clarke could dream up. Maybe you've won- and the intense, realistic dered what it would be like to be the hero in game play of multiple- one of their mind-boggling adventures. disk programs. And ; (Or maybe youve jusl wondered if youd only Tilium gives you these benefits in every ever see software that knocks you right out of single game, r your seat—and literally lands you in a whole Trillium. We give you more than great new world, software, Well, now you can stop wondering ‘We give you great books to boot. Because now theres Trillium. An entire line of games produced in collaboration with the greatest science fiction authors of our century.Descent To Kaylon Steve Stiglich Gliding asteroids and a layer of clouds separate you from your supply base on Planet Kaylon. Is safe passage possible? For the VIC and 64. Cruising over Planet Kaylon in your spaceship, you spot a supply base below, But as soon as you send off a shuttle ship to the base, a cluster of asteroids sails across its path. Darting quickly through the asteroids and clouds, your shuttle narrowly escapes collision before touching down on Kaylon. This fast paced, arcade-style game uses the full potential of the unexpanded VIC, and is entertaining on the 64 as well. There are as many levels of play as you can master, and the program automatically records the high score after each game. “Descent To Kaylon” begins with your spaceship moving across the top of the screen. To release a shuttle, press the space bar. Your shuttle will begin moving downward through the Having traversed the layer of clouds, this shuttle must now dodge some asteroids (VIC Version). 65 COMPUTEY® Gazoto November 1988 layers of asteroids and clouds. Pressing A moves it to the left, and D to the right. You can also hold your shuttle at one latitude by pressing the space bar. There are four landing pads on Kaylon. For each shuttle that you safely land, you earn 100 points. Landing four shuttles on the base ad- vances you te the next level, and adds to your score a bonus of 100 points times your level. With each increasing level, more asteroids are added to the screen, If your shuttle collides with a cloud or as- teroid, you can start again at the top of the screen. After three of your shuttles have collided, though, the game ends. With the demise of your last shuttle, the instructions are reprinted, the high score is updated, and you're given a chance to replay. Variable Names v = Volume for sound generators (VIC version only) st = Sound generator for VIC sD Sound generator for 64 Uy yyy MM) In the higher levels, more asteroids move across the sereen (64 version).Flight Simulator I ter a! Sec eeeu rte ea rennetLE = Number of ships leit PO = Position of shuttle c = Location of color RAM under screen position Msqi) and SQ) = Two characters used to make the strings of asteroids AS, BS, C$ = Three strings of asteroids printed on the HI = High Score Ww = Level of play : FPseei with hinges - 89.95 Program Description (VIC Version) FP555 without hinges - 87.95 ea. 0-1 Reserves character set; changes screen color; en- ters special character mode 6-30 Resets most variables. 49-59 Creates strings of asteroids, with increasing difi- HOLDS UP TO 8 cul at each fev! of game “ose 98-106 Sets up play screen. 190-192 Moves spaceship across the top of screen; checks keyboard for input. $P-1200 DISKETTE 219 Moves the strings of asteroids in the appropriate $P-1202 CASSETTE $295 €@ direction. 227-233 Checks keyboard for input, eotoas® 350 Collision check. Yellow, Almond, lon 500 Determines what you have collided with, 510-511 After collision with obstacles, decreases remain- ing shuttles by one. If no shuttles remain, GOTO 1200. 600-603 Increments score when you land on base. 700-712 Calculates bonus according to level of play. 1200 Sets high score, 1201-1215 Prints Game Over message and instructions. UNIVERSAL MONITOR STAND TILTS 25°& SWIVELS 360° MODEL 1400 Universal INCLUDE 21.60 stiPriNG Penguin Products yyga°k Sos HONEY ORDER m Call See program listing on page 176. @ i In Mich. (313) 774-2228 arr nash Mar ae ONLY Beeoeee a parent ueumpegicts omar eee ut Tones ry ru Reo 's on the ee ae Tl a cites ence net Bre rR ere re ne er Bee eee nec rere Aare tater eR Ree Sherine ee era eee oer Eien ene eer etre rete cet Renova ee ont t a a not Deeg eu ig esiiavid Doarere Davionter VISA MASTERCARD ACCEPTED. 1-800-732-0614CAN FLYING FEET AND FISTS CONQUER THE EVIL WIZARD'S FORTRESS? What's it like tohave and punch your way Even if you survive all the lightning feet and through an array of that, the Evil Wizard is fatal fists of Bruce Lee? deadly chambers. Where —_ waiting to do you in with You'll find out in this the brutal Green Yamo, an arsenal of flaming death-defying game. terrible Ninja, exploding _ fireballs. You have to kick, slash bushes and other dangers Destroy him and his lurk. fortune is yours. Now, have you got v/ fs what it takes vo play Bruce Lee? For Commodore 64, f Apple ll, Atari and IBM PC { ‘& PC/JR systems. 2 Datasoft, ne, 19808 Norahot Place, & Cchateworth, CA SI311 » Phone (818) 7015151A Look At New Books From “Reggie” D‘Ignazio Fred D'ignazio, Associate Editor A Peek In The Mirror I'm a magazine columnist. That means that every month I get the opportunity to climb up a moun- tain, grab a bullhorn, and harangue thousands of GAZETTE readers. ‘Some months I take a look at new products that have caught my fancy. Other months I tell you about all the foolishness that goes on around my house, with our kids and computers, And some months I get philosophical, and spin off ideas and opinions I hope will stimulate and pro- voke you Until a couple weeks ago, when I got up and made my speech to you each month I never thought about how { must look to you. Then I got a letter from Dallas Denny of Nashville, Tennessee. Dallas enclosed the June 1984 issue of the Nashville Commodore Users Group (NCUG) Magazine. On page 5 was a piece by Dallas en- titled, “On the Road with Reggie D'Ignazio.” The title of the piece comes from my column in COM- PUTE! magazine entitled. “On the Road with Fred D'lgnazio.” And the piece parodies my columns in various COMPUTE! publications. I'd like to share it with you here: On the Road with Reggie D’Ignazio There is a place in my house where you or 1 can go zooming into the sky like a jet fighter pilot with a fine mustache, or feed peanuts 10 the elephants at the z00, or figure out our budget for Christmas presents for Aunt Patsy and Uncle Roger, or play tic-tac-toe with someone who lives in a cloud. It is a magical, exciting place. It does not have fancy curtains or decorations o eve a rug on the floor, but in it my neighbor's children have killed nasty green dliens from space, and in it they have made friends with men in red-and-white- striped balloons. It is a place where there is a 70 COMPUTE!'s Gazote November 1068 television screen, but where television never comes, It is a place which is filled with wonderful sights and sounds, The place that I am talking about has a lot of outlets to plug things into. You can plug things into slots in the floor or the wall, or dangle them from the lightbulbs on the ceilings. It has a desk with lois of interesting things: there are pencils without erasers and pens without caps, staples, rulers, ink, paper clips, rubber bands, razor blades, harmonicas, matchbooks from faraway places, batteries, note pads, stamps, out-of-date prescriptions, envelopes, guitar picks, pocketknives, screws, rolls of tape, and expired identification cards. On the desk in my place sits a computer. It is not a particularly big contputer, or a particularly tiny computer; itis just a com- puter. But my computer is a ticket on Lufthansa Airlines. It is a letter from my grandmother. It is a vacation trip to Disneyland. My computer is a lifetime subscription to National Geographic Maga- zine. It is a paper cup telephone that con- nects me with my friends. It is a notebook on which I can scribble my thoughts. It is dinner for two at Andre's, It is a reunion with an old friend, it is a coloring book, it is a safari to Africa, There are places with computers like mine all over America, all over the world. Magic places, And ... who knows? Maybe there are similar places on Betelguese, Sirius, or Proxima Centauri. If there are, do you think we could arrange a software exchange? When I read Reggie’s “column,” I laughed and winced—at the same time. Do I really sound like Reggie to you readers out there? I would welcome hearing more from Reggie and from any other “Fred D'ignazio” clones and lookalikes that you can invent. In the future, IEducational Software That Works: Spell. Spell It! Spell expertly 1000 of the most misspeted words. Learn the spelling rules. Improve with 4 exciting activities, including a captivating arcade game! Add your own speiling words, ‘ages 10 ~ adult / 2 alsks: $4395 Math. Math Blaster! Master addition, subtraction, multiplication, ‘ivision, fractions, decimals and percentages = by solving aver 600 problems. Learn your math facts with 4 motivating activities, ‘ Including a fast-action arcade game! Add your own problems. ages 6 ~ 12/2 alsks: $49.95, Word. Word Attack! ‘Add 675 new words to your vocabulary ~ with precige definitions and sentences demonstrating usage. Bulld your skls with & 4 fun filed activities, nluding an arcade ‘gamel Ada your own words ages 8 — adult / 2 disks: $49.95, Speed Reader II Increase your reading speed and improve ‘comprehension! Six exercises designed by reading specialists vastly improve your reading skills. Chart your own progress with 35 reading selections ana comprehension Quizzes. Ada your own reading materials. high school, college & adult / 2 disks: $69.95, 7 Davidson. See ce verge ato SCE ov nocls Gemoalan, IpSs oisinalioasl Boskvepe Machine Gesp andigiom ssodivs Buaihesd lassi ren, lou The Davidson Best Seller Tradition. For your Apple, IBM or Commodore 64. ‘Ask your dealer today. For more information cal: (800) 556-6141 In california call (213) 375-9473 Davidson & Associates 6088 Groveoak Place #112 Rancho Palos Verdes, CA 90274 Lae NEA" Splan to publish the best “columns” I receive Then I'll ask you if you can tell the difference be- tween the real Fred D'Ignazio and his artful imposters. I have the embarrassing suspicion that separating Freddie and Reggie D'Ignazio will not, be that easy. A Potpourri Of Books Every month I receive dozens of books about computers, robots, and high technology. I read through the ones that look like they would in- terest me, I'd like to share the best of these with you. I've grouped the books by topic. First, in- troductory books. There are thousands of these on the market. One of the most current and most readable is George Beekman’s The Commodore 64 Home Companion (Datamost, 1984, $19.95, 359 pages, index, appendices). Unlike many so-called “beginner's” man- uals, Beekman’s book is truly accessible, attrac- tive, and inviting—for the entire family. It's a great alternative to a user’s manual. It should ap- peal to both the young and old non-technical members of the family. Also, the book is comprehensive. It begins by introducing you to the applications home computers can perform. Then it takes you, step by step, into buying software and hardware, set- ting up a system on your own, programming, and dealing with peripherals like modems and printers, The book ends up with a solid index, a list of user groups, and a handy pull-out sum- mary card with BASIC commands, how to LOAD and RUN a program, how to SAVE a program, how to view the disk directory, how to format a disk, how to control the screen, and how to use a modem. The second introductory book I'd like to recommend is Computer FUNdamentals, by Barbara Kurshan and Nancy Healy (Reston, 1984, $16.95, 208 pages oversized), Computer FUNdamentals is a big activity book, equally suitable for families and schools. Each chapter begins with a brief look at such topics as computer history, programming, and ‘computer applications, Most of each chapter, however, consists of activities, and many of the activities don’t require a computer. For example, you can assemble your own computer out of an egg carton and write programs for it. Or you can create a junk robot out of shoe boxes, bits of tin foil, and markers, There are dozens of activities. All are attractive and easy to do, and they all teach some aspect of using computers. At the end of the book is a “keys and answers” section that gives the solutions fo computer problems in the book. Computer FUNdamentals makes an excellent 72 COMPUTE!'s Gazeta Novembor 1984 introduction to the broader, more practical as- pects of “computer literacy” for children ages 8 to 13, ‘As a companion to FUNdamentals, 1 would recommend The Beginner's Computer Dictionary by Elizabeth S. Wall and Alexander C, Wall (Avon/Camelot, 1984, $2.25, 80 pages, paper- back). This is a straightforward reference book and complete guide to computer terms for chil- dren grades 4 and up For younger children, I'd recommend The Computer Alphabet Book by Elizabeth S. Wall (Avon/Camelot, 1984, $2.25, unpaged). This is a sprightly little book designed to be used by beginning readers in 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grade, and to be read by parents to younger chil- dren, When you browse through the book, you see that on the left side you have a big leter of the alphabet, followed by a computer term and a brief explanation. On the right side (on the facing page) is a cartoon of a silly, Snoopy-like dog learning about computers. This book has a laudable, secondary pur- pose. As parents read it to their children, they may also be acquiring a painless dose of com- puter literacy themselves, including information about the computer's memory, programming lan- guages, computer parts, computer applications, and fundamentals about how people actually use computers. If you find other computer manuals too scary and technical, then this is the book for you A companion package to Wall's Alphabet Book, or a possible alternative, is a book/software package, Qwerty's Alphabet Adventure by Shadow Lawn Press (Hayden, 1984, $19.95, 4-color un- paged book, Commodore 64 diskette). Qwerty is a cute little caterpillar who takes your child on a journey through the letters of the alphabet, The pictures on the computer screen are extremely simple, but the Qwerty character and the illustrations in the Qwerty book compare favorably with other alphabet books for children. I like Elizabeth Wall's Alphabet Book and Querty’s Adventure because picturebooks, stories, and cartoon characters are a familiar and comfortable way for young children and their parents to begin learning about computers. In addition, the Qwerty package combines storytelling and books with a hands-on introduc- tion to the computer keyboard. Puzzles And Adventures ‘Computers can act like workhorses and number crunchers, but they can also stimulate our imagination, and help strengthen our thinking skills, I welcome any books and programs that open up this dimension of computers to new users—especially children.