770959 963008
ng Jason Holbc
by Jerry
full report ami pics
P U B LI cz;
o cz> i\/i a i r\i
Shown below is just a selection from over 500 PD titles, carefully
chosen (or their quality content., and all at Exceptional Prices.
Phone lor listings NOW! Everything from Demo's to full blown
programmes ..OUR sets' are unique and at BARGAIN PRICES !
r
p -
' 1 ' * * 1 0 ‘ D IS ; > S Shown in this mag.
PHONE NOW FOR
FULL LISTINGS! £9.00
GAMES SET 1 5 Disk Set
RISK. MONOPOLY. TETRIS.
2 x 10 FANTASTIC GAMES
DISKS...23 GREAT GAMES! £4.95
GAMES SET 2 5 Disk Set
STAR TREK 1&2, COLOSSAL
WORLD ADVENTURE.
BATTLEFORCE. TENNIS. i—
MORIA £4.95
r
^ • -ft •. » . . r .
TOP 5 DEMO s 5 Disk Set
Updated Daily £4.95
UTILITIES SET s Disk Set
MESSY DOS. POWER
PACKER. VIRUS
KILLER. EUROPA
DISK. ARP (Brilliant!) £4.95
BUSINESS PACK 5 Disk Set
BANK, SPREADSHEET.
DATABASE. WORDWRIGHT ♦ _ „ ^ „ r—
AMIGA SPELL ♦ CLERK £4.95 1
...... ...... .. _ ..
r
1
i ...
r ■ " ■" ' ■ - -
MUSIC 5 Disk Set
PROGRAMS
GAMES MUSIC CREATOR.
SOUNDTRACKER (All Vers).
OKTALIZER (8 Channels).
NOISETRACKER V2 (Midi
Compatible) M. E. D. £4.95
Highly Recommended !
MUSIC SAMPLE FILES
(FOR ABOVE) 99p Ea. J—
r
GRAPHICS 5 Disk Set
MANDLEBROT MOUNTAINS.
MANDLEBROT SHOW.
GRAPHICS UTILITY DISK,
VIDEO APPLICATIONS
DISKS 1 & 2. Progs for the
Graphics Enthusiast £4.95
ANIMATION SET 5 Disk Set
r
SOOT. SPACE CHASE (Great!).
STEALTHLY 2. STAR TREK
MANOEUVRES. THE RUN £4.95
OLD FAVOURITES 5 Disk Set
PUGGS IN SPACE. SPACE ACE.
FLASH DIGI CONCERT 3. RED
SECTOR MEGA DEMO 1 & 2 £4.95
r
LANGUAGE 5 Disk Set
NORTH C. S02AB0N C. PASCAL
COMPILER. C UTILITY DISK.
VC + A68K ASSEMBLER £4.95
EDUCATION 1 to 5 5 Disk Set
The Best selling education around £4.95
Learn & Play 1-2 (under 7's) 99|l Ea
^SCREENGEMS\
Std. Amiga A500 with
some Great New Software
SCREENOEIV1S TRAOKPAK
As above but with a TRACKPAK exclusive to
Track Computers.. . YO U get EXTRA VALUE!
BACK TO THE FUTURE II, BEAST II,
L DAYS OF THUNDER, NIGHTBREED, /
|L DELUXE RAINT II, 20 GAAAE PACK /a
1 -Disk Storage Box, 1 -Mouse Mat,
^ 1 -Joystick, 1 -Dust Cover,
5 PD Disks*:*; , S Blank
Membership
Sxetuauxc
k *V<Uuc!
y SUPERBASE PERSONAL (up £59.95) £ 1 S.OON^W
V SUPERBASE II (up £99.95) £29.95^
SUPERBASE PROFESSIONAL & SUPERPLAN (rrp £350.00) £ 1 49.95
BBC TRANSFER UTILITY A Real Translation Program to get those £24.95
. i BBC files to an Amiga ; complete with cable to link both machines together ./
m. TRACK BBC TRANSFER UTILITY + BBC EMULATOR S/W £49.95 /A
51 2K MEMORY UPGRADE
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PRICES FULLY INCLUSIVE OF VAT & DELIVERY ( UK MAINLAND ONLY)
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holder that
can hold
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FOR 14" MONITOR
aiioi £16.50
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xino
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ATARI HI RES.
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REPLACEMENT MOUSE
REPLACEMENT MOUSE
X2009 £34.00
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HOLDS 14" MONITOR £14.50
Ref. A0701 All monitor stands
revolve 360° and tilt up to 25°
STACKABLE • LOCKABLE
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£ 158.00 (£137.39 Ex. VAT)
PANASONIC KXP 1124 PRINTER
£ 250.00 (£217.39 Ex. VAT)
INCLUDES FREE PARALLEL PRINTER CABLE!
ncik}hci MOUSE
280 dpi • suitable for Amiga, Atari & Amstrad
Includes: • Mouse Pad * Mouse Pocket
X2009
ONLY £ 34.00
PRINTERS
PRINTER RIBBONS
H0000 LC10 (MONO)
£158.00
H0009 LC10MKII
£195.00
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£205.00
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£245.00
#CITIZEN
H0 100 CITIZEN 120D +
£139.00
H0101 SWIFT 24
£320.00
X0900 SWIFT 24 COLOUR KIT
£38.00
HOI 02 PRODOT 9
£375.00
Panasonic
H0200 KXP 1081
£155.00
H0201 KXP 1180
£170.00
H0202 KXP 1124
£250.00
All PRINTERS INCIUOC A FREt PARALLEL PRINTER CABLE
REMEMBER ALL OUR PRINTER PRCES INCLUDE VAT & DELIVERY
R4820 AMSTRAD DMP2000 £2.75
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R4540 EPSON LX80 £2.90
R2730 EPSON MX80 £2.90
R8440 NEC P2200 £4.50
R2280 PANASONIC KXP 1081 £4.50
R9040 PANASONIC KXP1 124 £4.90
R8610 STAR LC10 £3.90
R8696 STAR LC10 COLOUR ORIG. £7.90
R8680 STAR LC24-10 £4.50
Ribbons available for many other
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INTER STAND
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Made of moulded
plastic.
Feeds and refolds paper
underneath the printer.
Takes up hardly more
space than the printer
itself.
YUS-25A for 80 col. printer. Ref. A0203 £32.50
YUS-25B for 130 col. printer. Ref. A0204 £34.50
—
MANUAL
DATA SWITCHES
All metal case with rotary switches.
Ref.
36pm.
1 Ref.
25pin
2 way
X0001
£17.50
X0011
£16.50
•1 way
X0003
£22.50
X0013
£21.50
X way
X0004
£24.50
X0014
123.50
DUST COVERS
C0102 Amiga A500 £5.50
C0108 Atari 520 STFM £5.50
Printer 80 column* £4.50
Please specify which printer you have.
CABLES U
A0801 25 Male/36 Male
£7.50
A0804 25 Male/25 Male
£8.50
A0805 25 Male/25 Female
£8.50
A0806 36 Male/36 Male
£8.50
All cables are 2 metre.
Longer lengths available on request.
PRINTER BUFFER
i)
A simple low cost solution to increase
the size of your printer's buffer.
X0200
£76.00
64K
IN-LINE
PRINTER
BUFFER
HOW TO ORDER important please remember to quote the reference number.
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ALL PRICES INCLUDE VAT & DELIVERY (UK. MAINLAND ONLY)
E3
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52 PAGE FULLY ILLUSTRATED CATALOGUE NOW AVAILABLE CALL NOW FOR YOUR COPY
HUS1C-X File! Untitled. Knap
Fi ay Note I
ESUrfisj,
Pro^ran Chars*
Hut* Traci
Sato Traci
Ch3f>?e Tfflpo
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« **# A - -■
This month's cover feature is ai about desktop video, the process
of mixing your favourite video images with Amiga-generated
displays to provide a stunning visual extravaganza. .What you
need, where to go, what to do, it's all there stalling on page 1 7
Deluxe Paint Color*
WHO’S WHO
MANAGING EDITOR: Derek Meakin
STAFF WRITERS: Paul Austin. Stevie Kennedy
PRODUCTION EDITOR: Peter Glover
ART EDITOR: Terry Thiele
ADVERTISEMENT MANAGER: John Snowden
ADVERTISING SALES: Tracy Carroll
PUBLISHED BY: Interactive Publishing Ltd
Europa House. Adimgton Park Adhngton.
ItectosMd SX104NP.
CHAIRMAN Derek Meakin
MANAGING DIRECTOR Hugh Goltner
COMMERCIAL DIRECTOR David Hirst
Editorial: 0625 878888 AdvartiiiBg: 0625 878888
Subscriptions: 051 357 2961 Fir 0625879966
Amiga Ccmpating welcomes articles lor pibllcation. Material
should be sent on Amiga readable floppy disk. Tbe return of materi-
al cannot be guaranteed. Contributions can only be accepted for
publitatiin by Intaracthra Publishing Ltd on at all-rights basis.
c 1990 tnteracttva Publishing Ltd. No malarial may be reproduced
M whole jr ia part without written permission (that mean you
snoaty). While every cart is takta. tbe ptflisfttrs cannot be held
legally responsible for any errors ii articles, listiags or advertise-
ments.
Amiga Ccmpating is an isdepesdeot publication and Commodort
Business Mach ires (U.K.) Lid is not responsible lor tny ol the opin-
ions expressed.
News trade distribution: Ccmag (0895-U4055)
THE DISK
The disk that leaves all others with their
electro-magnetic heads bowed. Every month, we present some of
the best free software around and this month’s no exception!
To begin with, we’ve got some fantastic network software which
enables you to connect two or more Amlgas and share programs
and data between them. There’s an unreal automatic telephone
dialler and, following our visit to graphics supremos Alternative
Image, a truly outstanding animated demo of a revolving computer-
generated head that will leave you breathless. All this and a catchy
revamp of an old favourite Christmas singalong - tune in and dance!
4 Amiga Computing
REGULARS
REVIEWS
CONTENTS
AMIGApeople
All that's new and innovative from the world of
Amiga computing 6
Chamaleon
Strange spelling sure, but there's nothing wrong with
the ST emulation provided by this baby 61
Public Domain
Stewart C Russell looks at some corking software and
gets it free, gratis and for nuthin’ 193
Prodata
The latest addition to Arnor's successful business
range of software 80
Dispatches Protext V5
Where you tell us what you think about life, the The other to Arnor's business twins. Protext V5 is the
Universe and everything 1 23 latest incarnation of the popular word processor 90
Technical
Help
Computer cracking
up? Printer all out of puff? ■ * - v - . «. *
Check out our techinlcal help 1 39
GAMES
The latest and best I the world of electronic entertain-
ment (and you don't need batteries). James Pond.
Betrayal. Battle Command. Days of Thunder. Indie 500
and much, much more 37
ColourPic
JCL's comprehensive video digitiser put through its
silicon paces 106
ATonce
The powerful PC-AT emulator. Does it live up to its
poower claims? Find out on page 115
GALLERY
And now. a visual treat in the shape of some of
the best graphics we've ever seen in the long
years of the Gallery.
Strong colour, brilliant composition and an
incredible eye for detail. Turn to page 102 now
ALMANAC
Something for
everyone, every
month in Almanac
MACHINE CODE
127
CODE CLINIC
129
COMMUNICATIONS
DESKTOP
PUBLISHING
...135
Amiga Computing 5
Make The Amiga Work For You!
rdProcessor, Database and Spreadsheet
:ill in one vackage, for one low price.
■ - > . •
KINDWORDS 2.0
Word Processor
• Powerful and Easy to Learn
and Use
• Color Graphics with Text
• High Quality Printing
MAXIPLAN PLUS
Spreadsheet
• Spreadsheet Analysis
• Business Graphics
including Charts
• Lotus 1-2-3 Capability
I N F O F I L E
Database
• Graphic Storage and Retrieval
• Flexible Database Structure
• Powerful “Forms"
Capabilities
THE DISC COMPANY - 60 RUE DE MARCEL DASSAULT, BOULOGNE 92100 FRANCE,
PHONE: 33-1-49-10-99-95
A MIGA Computing has
been named as one of
the official UK sponsors
for the prestigious European
Computer Leisure Awards 1991 .
It will be responsible for
nominating UK entries in the
Amiga categories and a senior
member of staff will join
representatives of other leading
European computer titles for the
final judging.
Linked to the European
Computer Trade Show, the Oscar-
style awards will take place at
London's popular nightspo* The
Hippodrome on Sunday April 14,
1991.
Amiga Computing nominations
will be for five non-games and
technical excellence categories -
Best Art Package, Best Music
Package, Best Home Education
Package, Best Home Productivity
Package and Most Innovative
Peripheral of the Year.
Other publications taking part
in judging are TILT (France), Amiga
Magazine (Germany), Det Nye
Computer (Denmark), MikroBitti
(Finland). Compupress (Greece).
Amiga Magazine (Italy), Mega
Ocio (Spain), Dator Magazine
(Sweden) and Amiga Nieuws
(Holland).
Also involved in special awards
are Compute! in America and
Log-In of Japan. In all, the
publications involved have a
combined worldwide readership
of eight million.
The European Computer Trade
Show '91 takes over London's
Business Design Centre from April
14 to 16. Yet again, it is destined to
>
Business Design Centre, home of the European Computer Trade Show
WHAT’S
new
TRUE FAMILY
COMPUTER
BILLED as "the first true family
computer", the latest offering
from Commodore is the Amiga
1500 Personal Home Computer.
Based on the A2000, it has two
floppy drives instead of one
floppy and one hard drive, but
the loss of the hard drive is
compensated for by an
attractive bundling deal.
For a price of £999.99, which is
cheaper than an A2000, it
includes wordprocesso,r data-
base and spreadsheet package
Platinum Works, paint and
animation program Deluxe Paint
The new Amiga 1500
III, top games Populous and Sim
City, flight simulator Their Finest
Hour and cerebral offering Battle
Chess. Two Amiga books are
also included in the bundle.
Commodore are aiming the new
1Mb machine at the whole
family, intending it for both
games and business use in the
home. They predict that more
than a quarter of a million homes
will have an Amiga 1500 in the
next four years.
"Commodore recognises the
importance and growth of the
family market and with the Amiga
1500 has developed a machine
that addresses the needs of all
members of the family", said
managing director of
Commodore UK, Steve Franklin.
"Commodore computers now
touch people in all walks of life,
from the home to school and
Amiga Computing 7
AMIGA
>►
be a major launchpad for Amiga
products. Big names already
signed up include Ocean,
Mirrorsoft, US Gold. Virgin
Mastertronic, Electronic Arts,
Impressions, Microprose. Psygnosis,
CDS Software. Domark and Arc
Software.
MULTI-MEDIA
COMPARISON
WHEN the news of Commodore's
CDTV first broke in America few
people in the UK knew that two
Amiga people from Britain were
already playing an important role
in its software development.
From the very first developers
meeting in Los Angeles through to
private demonstrations at the
giant CES shows in Las Vegas and
Chicago. Lee Gibson and Kevin
Stevens have been working
closely with Commodore US for 1 2
months.
The success of CDTV will
depend on the quality and
quantity of available programs,
but their development is a
complex business. Lee and Kevin
have come up with a practical
solution and have now decided
to talk about it.
Their company is Digigraphic
(0455 558855) and the result of
their year's work is Living Book
Publisher, an innovative answer to
the needs of multi-media
development.
Itr differs from most multi-media
development systems such as
Amiga Vision because it is more
than a compositional tool, being
a complete production system
from story boarding through to
final product. It allows a fully
interactive book to be developed
from start to finish within a single
environment.
Lee started Digigraphic in 1986,
to be joined by Kevin six months
later. They already had a number
of creative Amiga packages
under their belts before CDTV
emerged, including Prosound
Designer. Pro Midi Plus and Video
Magic.
"We now feel the impetus for
CDTV/CDI is irreversible, and due
to our broad base development
experience are directing
Digigraphic towards that
emerging market", said Lee. "We
also feel the time is right to talk
about our major development
work in this area.
"The problem with
development of this kind is the
lack of support from good
software. The system we have put
together is the first complete
environment from s*art to finish.
'In December 1989 we flew out
to Los Angeles under invitation
from Commodore US to the very
first CDTV developers' meeting to
talk to US developers ands
publishers about our work in the
areas of software motion video for
CDTV.
'Our programming department
spent six months researching
motion video before the CDTV
was a twinkle in anyone's eye".
Following the Los Angeles
meeting, Lee, Kevin and their
team produced a multi-media
demonstration which was shown
to a selected few at CES in Las
>
WHAT’S
D6W
through to the workplace. This
ubiquity is a vital part of our long
term strategy - to provide
computers for life".
In addition to the speed,
colour, sound and graphics
features needed for c games
machine and Amiga Dos
environment for business
applications.
The 1500 will also run industry-
standard MS Dos applications by
the addition of an AT or XT
bridgeboard. It is expandable to
9Mb.
Based on a 16/32 bit Motorola
68000 chip running at 7.14MHz,
the 1 500 has eight expansion slots
for both Amiga and PC options
plus parallel, serial, video, audio
and mouse interfaces as
standard.
CHECKMATE
OWNERS of an A500 who want to
treat themselves to Checkmate
Digital's A 1500 conversion kit can
take advantage of a special offer
which reduces the cost of the kit
from £230 to £199.
Checkmate Digital's James
Campbell described the offer as
"a special Christmas treat". It runs
out soon, so Amiga buffs wanting
to expand their A500s will have to
act quickly.
For those who can't afford the
complete kit, Checkmate Digital
(071-923 0658) are also offering
the separate keyboard element
for £59.
It allows the A500 keyboard to
be lifted out of the machine and
includes twisted cable and
blanking plate which slots into the
space where the keyboard used
to be.
"It immediately gives you a
separate keyboard for your
existing machine", said James. "In
the future, if customers want to
buy the full-blown system, they
just send in their keyboard invoice
and buy the rest at a 20 per cent
discout. It's a useful two-stage
way to buy the system".
HIGH RATE
SAMPLING
TRILOGIC (0274 691115) has
produced a new version of
Audiomaster including Audio
Engineer, which can sample at
very high rates using up to 8Mb of
memory.
It also includes a CD player
simulator which can play up to 70
sequences of samples in any
order.
New software developed in
8 Amiga Computing
M. ALIM & CO.
Accountants
VAT, Taxation Accountancy, Book-keeping, Management Accounts, PAYE
( 081 ) 543 7827
PERFECT
Accountant
COMPUTER SOFTWARE
TAILOR MADE PROGRAMMES AT
OFF-THE-SHELF PACKAGE PRICES
Integrated Pack: A complete book-keeping system with various types of reports including P&L, Balance
Sheet, Trial Balance, Sale/Purchase and Nominal Ledger, Budget, Cash Flow, plus VAT return. Also featuring
Stock Control and Payroll for a bigger system (ie Multiuser on Unix Xenix Novel. Price £3000 onwards.
We will also convert your old system into our faster and comprehensive system with a little or no extra cash..
» Integrated Accounting Software
> Easy to use pull-down menu or by pressing first letter of menu
1 Help message at each menu and input (option to turn it off)
1 Initial set-up is done for you
1 Up to two billion records in file
1 UP to 999 departments
' 99999 plus posting codes
1 3000 plus accounts group codes
1 Compatible with many databases, spreadsheets and
wordprocessors (option to be requested)
Works on IBM and compatibles, Atari STs,
Amiga (Commodore). Minimum require-
ments: 512k RAM, 360k Floppy disk drive.
Write to Abbey Freeman & Co, 15 Parkleigh
Court, Wimbledon, London, SW19 3BX.
Tel: 081-543 7827
FEATURES
SET-UP
Accounts group codes
Posting accounts codes
Department codes
VAT rate codes
SALES LEDGER
Summary invoice posting
Itemised invoice posting
Cash sales posting
Credit notes posting
Cash received posting
NOMINAL LEDGER
Opening balances
Bank (non sales/purchase
ledger)
Journals
Prepayments
Accruals
PURCHASE LEDGER
Summary invoice posting
Itemised invoice posting
Petty cash expenses
Debit notes posting
Cash payments posting
REPORTS
Transaction file report
Sales day
Aged debt analysis
Statements
Purchase day
Aged creditors analysis
Trial balance
Monthly management accounts
Profit & loss with tax calculation
Balance sheet
Nominal ledger
Bank reconciliation
VAT return
Source report
Account enquiry
OTHERS
Budgets
Cash flow
Transaction
Code correct routine
Back-up
I
Company name:
Address
ORDER FORM
Postcode
Atari Id IBM Id Amiga
One Floppy dJ Two Floppies. Jd Hard Disk
Allow 28 days for delivery
.d
nn
Write to Abbey Freeman & Co., 15 Parkleigh Court,
Wimbledon, London SW19 3BX. Tel: 081-543 7827 j
Requests for modification or tailor made programs are welcomed
Please write with your specification to:
A PERFECT
ACCOUNTANT
SOFTWARE
15 Parkleigh Court,
London SW19 3BX
°«as 2 L«
:SONA L
plann 6B
¥ SSSS^J*
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Cleverly written and always favourably reviewed in the press,
Digita produces a range of powerful, low cost software for the home
and business user.
DGCALC
The fastest and most powerful spreadsheet available in this
price bracket, with 512 rows by 52 columns, giving you up to
26624 cells As with all Digita products, the operation of the
program is clearly thought out Being either menu, mouse or
command driven you'll be able to start using it within minutes
- even if you've never used a spreadsheet before Some of
the features which make it such good value are the exporting
of ASCII files for integration with other programs, adjustable
column width and text overflow, programmable function keys
(macros), and a unique windowing facility, so that you can
look at different parts of a sheet at the same t |me 0 _
lJo.oD
E-TYPE
Do you ever have to pnnt names and addresses at awkward
places on envelopes, or do you ever need to fill in tncky
forms or invoices where the text has to be in exactly the right
place 7 Usually you have to do it by hand, or get your trusty
old typewriter out of the cupboard and dust it off Well not
anymore. The Emulated TYPEwriter transforms your
computer and printer into a fully fledged typewriter,
supporting bold, underline, italic and other type-styles
Because it can display and print text INSTANTLY you can line
up your form, press Return and Space a few times to move to
the correct place, and then start typing. Alternatively you can
switch to Ime-by-line mode, which offers word-wrap,
justification and proportional spacing, so that you can edit
each line before it's printed £39 95
PERSONAL TAX PLANNER
Are you absolutely sure your taxman is doing hts job
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program will calculate your income tax liability (4 tax years
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You can perform what-il? calculation to discover ways to
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July 89 - PTP user receives tax refund of over £2,000"
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Available to the trade from:
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MAILSHOT
If you ever need to send out mailings or pnnt labels, you
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mailshot available. nc
124.95
MAILSHOT PLUS
Advanced version of Mailshot for the business user with the
following extra facilities
* integration with other software (using ASCII files)
' column/tabulated summary (ideal for telephone lists, etc)
* 4 extra memo lines per label (with defaults) * system for
coding, dating and adding messages to each label
' different layouts available for horizontal and vertical
lus .ita*«v £ 49 . 95
CASHBOOK COMBO
Money saving combination pack featuring both Cashbook
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5lo9.9o
DAY-BY-DAY
An excellent way to get organised With it you'll be reminded
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The program will take information prepared by Cashbook
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All reports may be produced at any time with
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HOW TO ORDER
CREDIT CARD HOTLINE
Post: Digita International Ltd
Black Horse House
Exmouth Devon
EX 8 1JL England
Fax: 0395 268893
>►
Vegas, then to Commodore's
leading lights Gail Wellington,
Nolan Bushnel and Irving Gould at
CES Chicago in June.
To coincide with the launch of
LBP in March, Digigraphic have
also produced the first application
on the subject of technology. The
working title is Everyman's
Technology Living Book, but for
sexist reasons, they are thinking of
changing the name. Its launch is
timed to show just what the LBP
system can produce and there
are seven more programs in the
pipeline.
This first Living Book covers
many aspects of technology,
including communications,
entertainment, industry,
medecine and the military.
Features used in the Living
Books include graphics, computer
animation and full motion video
of any size and display mode,
contents and index pages, a
comprehensive searching system
and a narration facility to read
out pages aloud.
Then there's a magnifier for
users with impaired vision.
unlimited video animation and
audio length, electronic
bookmarks for easy movement
between references and “hot
words' which can be selected for
cross reference.
Digigraphic will licence the
publishing system and will also
continue with their own
application development on it.
Pricing has yet to be agreed.
KONIX CRASHED
AS Amiga Computing went to
press, receivers Peat Marwick
McLintock were just days from
making an announcement on the
future of failed joytick firm Konix.
which fell into receivership at the
beginning of October.
A number of companies are
believed to be interested in
buying the company, one of
which is Spectravideo which have
been marketing Konix products
for the past year.
'There are five or six other
people looking at it at the same
time as ourselves', confirmed
Spectravideo boss Ashwin Patel.
"The company is up for bids and
the price is in the hands of the
receivers. There is nothing
concrete on v/ho will get it and no
figures have been mentioned, but
we expect some further news very
soon'.
A spokesman for Peat Marwick
McLintock said there had been a
lot of interest in the company and
that negotiations to sell off Konix
were in an advanced stage.
Konix went into receivership on
October 2, reputedly owing in
excess of £1 million. Partly to
blame for its failure were heavy
development costs on its new
Multi System games console
which never reached the market
BIG KIDS
OLDER Amiga kids may still go for
the shoot-em-up fun of the more
violent games but there is still a
market for younger computer
children who have not lost their
interest in the traditional colouring
book.
That's the opinion of Trevor
Scott from l-D (0207 71417) who is
now selling a range of computer
colouring books for the Amiga
from Dallas-based Merit.
Trevor has field-tested the Merit
colouring packages with under
elevens in this country and found
them to be very popular - a fact
backed up by sales of more than
half a million in America.
'There are few companies in
the UK who have successfully
addressed the under elevens
market' . he said. 'These colour
packages are something a little
different. As well as being
educational, they are extremely
entertaining and most important
of all, they are easy to use'.
There will be seven packages in
the series. Due to be launched
the week after Amiga Computing
went to press, the first is based on
the current Turtles craze. It will be
followed in January by three
offerings from Sesame Street
complete with Big Bird and other
colourful characters.
Running through to Spring, titles
will be released at monthly
intervals and will also include
Dinosaurs Forever. At The Zoo and
All Dogs Go To Heaven.
Using the packages is a simple
>►
WHAT’S
new > ► > > ►
Britain is provided free with the
sampler for an inclusive price of
£39.99. Audiomaster 3 costs
£89.99.
NEW HARD DRIVE
AS an addition to its GVP range.
Power Computing (0234 52207)
has launched a new hard disc
drive for the Amiga 500 which
uses the new series two controller.
With a completely fresh slimline
style, it fits snugly beside the
Amiga and offers an impressive
turn of speed. •
The new drive comes in 20Mb
version fo £499, 50Mb version for
£599 and 80Mb version for £849.
Also new from Power is a two
inch internal hard disc for the
500. As Amiga Computing went
to press, the price of the new
hard disc hadnot been fixed
CUT-PRICE
PHOTON PAINT
YOU'VE all heard of Star Wars,
but what about Paint Wars?
Over at The Software Business.
Jeremy Cooke is ready to do
battle with a New Year
resolution to hit Electronic Arts'
Deluxe Paint 3 head on by
pitching the latest version of
Photon Paint at the same price.
While full details of Photon
Paint 3 are not yet available from
Microillusions in America, Jeremy
confidently predicts: "It will be the
most superior paint package on
the market”.
Extensively re-written by a
Canadian development team,
the main claim to fame of the
new package is that it will work
in both Amiga resolution and
Ham.
"It is the natural successor to
Photon Paint 2", he said.
"Originally it was intended to be
in the UK by the middle of
December but with design work
still to be done on the packaging,
we will probably have it on the
market by the end of January or
early February.
"We intend to pitch it directly
against Deluxe Paint at £79.95.
We sold Photon Paint 2 at £89.95 -
£10 higher than Deluxe Paint
which we thought was the right
decision since we had a superior
product. This time, we'li hit Deluxe
Paint head on'.
Having recently released
version 1.1 of Microillusions' Midi
sequencing system Music-X, The
Software Business (0480 496497) is
already setting its sights on version
2, but it could be a year away.
Amiga Computing 1 1
►
point and click exercise. Children
select the colour they want from
the screen pallette, move to the
area they want to colour and
click. A mix facility gives them
more than 200 colour to choose
from, there is a print-out facility
and the programs are backed up
with information leaflets. Price,
£19.99.
BUCKETS AND
SPADES
"THE problem with Cumana is that
we never have time to sit with
buckets and spades. No time for
holidays", says the company's
marketing manager Steve
Dickenson.
Well-known in the Amiga world.
Steve joined data storage
specialists Cumana in April 1989,
and his workload reflects the
success which Cumana has
enjoyed since it was founded by
managing director Don Bolton in
1979.
At a time when interest rates
are biting and many employers
are shedding jobs, the people at
Cumana are actively seeking
more staff to take advantage of
the strong growth in exports to
France, Italy, Germany and
Scandinavia. From that record,
their evaluations of the
market and their views of
the future are worth investigating.
Along with moves into the PC
world and investment in CD Rom
drives, Cumana remains a
staunch supporter of the Amiga,
with new products coming thick
and fast.
All the company's new drives,
including Winchesters and
opticals, are adapted for use with
Commodore machines, and
looking into the future, Don sees
the industry creating a new
market for optical storage
devices.
"Cumana will drive part of this
market with new fast read-write
drives", he said, "but ordinary
magnetic media will be here for
some time yet". That's looking
further into the future, but Steve
has revealed some of Cumana's
more immediate plans.
Following the launch of the
COM201 board featured in
October's Amiga Computing,
there are plans for a smaller
version. The COMN 201 gave A500
users an MFM ST506 hard disc
interface as well as 512k memory
expansion. Just half the length, its
successor the COM202 will come
in two versions.
COM 202 version A will offer
half a megabyte of ram alone
and version B will give half a
megabyte of ram and realtime
clock.
"What we have done is to
make COM202 smaller", said
Steve. "There is no controller
interface, only ram and realtime
clock. We hope to have it on the
market by January. The price has
not yet been fixed".
Also in the future is COM203 for
the Amiga 2000, a full-length card
complete with SCSI controller.
There will be four versions - an
unpopulated one with SCSI and
no ram, and three others offering
2, 4 and 8Mb of ram.
Along with more expansion
boards for the Amiga range
and CD rom drives for
Commodore machines, this
wealthof new product is evi-
dence of Cumana's stated
confidence in the future of the
Amiga market.
"A few years ago we had very
much an Atari sales base, but
now it is just the other way round
in favour of the Amiga", said
Steve.
CDTV RENTAL
COMMODORE have confirmed
that a rental scheme for their
CDTV (Commodore Dynamic
Total Vision) is among a number of
avenues being explored for
when the new system hits the
market.
They are negotiating with High
Street rental companies for an
arrangement which -will allow
customers to enjoy the
educational and entertainment
capabilities of the interactive
system without have to shell out
the £700 purchase price.
CDTV is currently undergoing
massive field trials with 2,000
machines placed in homes,
businesses and schools for three
months. It will probably hit the
market in April. If the rental system
goes ahead, charges could
be between £25 and £30 a
month, according to trade
sources..
WHAT’S
{PJAmerican development
recluse David Joiner is presently
working on CDTV projects for
Commodore so has had to shelve
Music-X 2 for a while. One bit of
information filtering across The
Atlantic is that it will feature a
front end notator.
Due for a spring launch by The
Software Business is a new fractal
landscape generator which will
go under the grand name of
Genesis - The World Creator.
Genesis is nearing completion
in the States and is awaiting work
on the manual.
A useful tool for Amiga owners
who want to create landscape
graphics for their own programs, it
enables them to plot pixel points
on screen, produce valleys and
mountains and combine them
into a whole landscape.
GREAT T-SHIRT
RAID
Retailer's Heaven would have
been a fair description of the
Commodore show, with the
assembled spending money
hand over sweaty fist, as the box-
shifting community scrambled to
relieve the punters of their hard-
earned.
But did we say Heaven? In the
case of Dowling Computers,
make that Heaven with a double
helping of Paradise bolted on for
good measure! The company's
contribution to the Christmas spirit
consisted of opening up Amiga
Screen Gems bundles supplied by
commodore removing the T-shirt
which Commodore supplied as a
little extra surprise for the already
deliriously happy new owners.
Because of the lack of detail
concerning the contents of the
Screen Gems bundle, it was a rel-
atively simple operation for
Dowling to remove the sticker
and rip off the punters by selling
the T-shirts contained therein at
massively inflated prices - a
reported price of £15 being asked
for a T-shirt which should have
been free. A time of giving? Bah.
humbug!
Mr Andrew Ball head of press
and publications, and official
spokesperson for Commodore
said "Commodore does in no
way support the action taken by
Dowling Computers." Mr Ball went
on to mention that although the
action was not strictly illegal, it
was however morally wrong, and
if Commodore was in a position
to take legal action, which unfor-
tunately they weren't, they cer-
tainly would have done so.
1 2 Amiga Computing
I □□□□
BO Finedon Road,
RTHLINGBOROUGM, NORTHANTS NN9 5TZ. TELEPHONE: 10933) 650677 INTERNATIONAL! + 44 933 650677
Solid State Leisure Limited
ANNOUNCING
AMMm
i -
» —
. — * '
IS YOUR AMIGA STILL IN THE STONE AGE?
> Faster than the Commodore A3000 (
• Faster than your Amiga #
► Massive 4Mb of superfast memory t
• 100% Software Compatibility •
Plug-in upto a 50 MHz Maths Co-Pro
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CPU: 16.67 MHz Asynchronous MC68020RC16 2-3 MIPS (8 MIPS peak)
FPU: 12.5 MHz - 50 MHz Asynchronous MC68881RC or MC68882RC
RAM: 4 Megabytes of 32-bit zero-wait-state 256 x 4 80ns DRAMs
SHADQW ROM: Move your Kickstart into 32-bit SUPER-FAST-RAM
SOFTWARE: 68000 Fallback mode for 100% software compatibility
HARDWARE: 100% compatible with Amiga 500/2000 and add-on cards
INTERFACE: Plugs into 68000 processor socket inside your Amiga
68881 - &99 1 Mb RAM - &69
£399
(INC VAT & DELIVERY)
BASIC MODEL - 68020 (16 MHz) + 1 Mb RAM
Commodore's
Christmas beano
Review
Venue for box shifting, or important
Commodore showpiece? Paul Austin
and Stevie Kennedy mingled with those
quick to hand over their cash...
C ommodore has already
launched its big surprises
for this year, and the third-
party manufacturers didn't pro-
mise to make too many hearts
flutter. With this in mind, we
scoured the show for new stuff and
found it all rather more interesting
than it had first appeared.
At long last Commodore has
seen fit to throw its weight, and
indeed cash, into the Amiga music
scene. To aid the company in this
noble quest, it's joined forces with
Roland, a long established
member of the music industry. In
order to promote this new venture,
the partnership has signed up a
new band of fresh-faced young
popsters, called The Jazz Amiga to
wave the corporate flag.
The band's name is a bit of a
coincidence and it's not entirely
unconnected with their being
sponsored by Commodore (they
were formerly known as Juvenile
Jazz). The change of name is, of
course, entirely of their own
volition, and nothing to do with
Commodore forcing a financial
arm up their back or anything like
that. Honest.
Unfortunately, there's no doubt
that in the long run the band will -
probably - regret the decision.
Credibility is worth it's weight in
gold disks as anyone in the music
biz will tell you (just look at Bucks
Fizz. They couldn't possibly have
made all that gelt if they hadn't
had street credibility by the
bucketful, right kids?), and such
obvious bottom kissing doesn't do
a lot for your credibility.
So much for the free A/R
advice, what were these young
musical funsters like? Well, the
marketing manager of
Commodore should not be the
happiest man on the planet.
During the press briefing hacks
were informed that the ‘boys'
would not be playing live due to a
lack of ahem, space. After casting
a critical eye over the rather
amateur video provided as a
replacement, we were not
impressed.
If the Amiga is to be sold as an
equal, indeed a superior to the ST.
which given the software it will be.
The Jazz Amiga will do nothing for
its cause, if the music they provide
is to herald the Amiga's entry into
the music industry.
To be fair to the boys in the
band, they are not entirely to
blame for the rather sad state of
affairs. Given a couple of years
they will no doubt be a reasonable
'act*. They have simply had a
large carrot dangled in their faces
a little too early in their careers.
On a more positive note, the
partnership between Commodore
and Roland has got to be seen as
a great move for the musical
development of the Amiga. In
order to promote this new initiative.
Roland has produced a new
package of instruments which
includes the PC-200 MIDI control
keyboard, CM-32L sound module,
plus software and even matching
speakers. A full review of the
equipment and supporting
software should be in next month's
issue.
The next big launch at the show
was Commodore's new adver-
tising campaign which features
two glossy adverts. The first consists
of an aboriginal tribesman who,
for reasons best known to himself,
throws his boomerang over a cliff
and then proceeds to blindfold
Lay down your joystick . . . you have
fifteen seconds to comply
himself prior to patiently awaiting
its return. When it does, the noble
tribesman casually catches his
weapon a split second before it
would have removed a large
portion of his skull. If anyone out
there can relate this scene to a
computer you're a better man or
woman, than me.
The second ad is to be used
exclusively in the cinema, and
features another tribesman
leaping off a 270 foot bamboo
platform, in a desperate attempt,
one can only assume, to escape
the boomerang. The press release
informs me that the campaign is
an attempt to break free from the
usual format of computer
advertisement - it certainly does
that.
Anyway, Commodore has
certainly made a bold move in the
musical field, and we can only
hope that, despite The Jazz Amiga
and the ads, that it's a huge
success. The more Amigas out
there the better.
Earth calling Commodore
The actual Commodore presence
at the show was a little thin on the
ground, with a somewhat sparse
selection of the company's wares
on display. This consisted of a few
Amigas, and the games console,
which strongly resembles a large
plastic Victory V with a cartridge
stuck in to it.
There was no sign of the
mythical CDTV which, if rumours
are to be believed, would have
made the trip worth while in itself.
The general atmosphere was
somewhat similar to that of a car
boot sale, which considering the
time of the year, is somewhat
1 4 Amiga Computing
mmimmmMi
inevitable. It would be fair to say
that the show was more for the
box-shifters and bargain-hunting
punters than for those interested in
new product releases,. But there
were enough goodies on show to
excite the average compu-junkie's
pleasure centres, and chief
among these were one or two
rather tempting pieces of
hardware. Solid State Leisure's
A5000 accelerator board made its
much- heralded debut on a stand
which was otherwise sparse in the
extreme.
Due to a last minute production
hitch, it was found that the unit
had problems with some hard
drives, and the resulting delay
meant that all A5000s coming off
the production lines were being
boxed and dispatched to
clamouring customers before the
solder had cooled. The only reason
there was a unit on display at all
was that it had been found to be
faulty at the quality checking
stage. The assembled finally given
a glimpse of the fully finished
product on the second day of the
show.
The amount of interest the stand
attracted despite its appearance,
is a testament to the mouth-
watering performance offered by
the A5000. Utilising a 68020 chip
running at 16.67Mhz and 1Mb of
32-bit RAM. the standard model
costs £399, and if that sounds
expensive, then consider that for
the price you are upgrading your
A500 or 2000 to something
approaching an A3000.
The company claims for
example, that the accelerator will
do four hours of ray-tracing in only
45 minutes, and that's without
adding the optional 32-bit 68881
maths co-processor. With a
standard 16Mhz 68881, it's
claimed that this is reduced to
only 14 minutes. As the top of the
range model with 68882 co-
processor and 4Mb of 32-bit RAM
is an almost-affordable £1039, the
A5000 threatens to become the
most desirable add-on the Amiga
has had anywhere near this price.
If it lives up to its promise, the
A5000 should revolutionise the
way the A500/2000 is used in all
maths-intensive areas such as 3D
graphics, ray-tracing, DTP, and
even the latest applications in
virtual reality. Look out for a full
review soon.
Multi-tasking PC?
Another interesting launch was the
Vortex Amiga version of the
ATOnce 286 PC emulator.
Claiming to be a '286 on a
board', the ATOnce was a rave
success on the ST and looks set to
enjoy the same success on the
Amiga. Again, the price will make
the man in the street cringe a bit,
but for £199 (or £249 if you don't
already have MS-DOS) you get a
lot of computing power.
The board sports an 8Mhz
80286, which should out-run most
other PC emulators and claims to
be fully multi-tasking with the
ability to use all available RAM as
either expanded or extended
memory. It also offers several
display options and full use of all
Amiga hard drives. It will also auto-
reconfigure the mouse, parallel,
and serial ports to their MS-DOS
equivalents, allowing PC hardware
to be plugged in.
For the moment, these are
claims we haven't been able to
fully test ourselves, but the board
seemed happy enough running
Windows 3.0 and Microsoft Word
on the Silica Systems stand. Rest
assured that a full review is on its
way as soon as we can get our
grubby little hands on one.
Nuts 'n' bolts
On a less technical note, the final
production version of the A1500
made its first appearance. Up until
now, the unit had been prototyped
and then sold by Checkmate
Digital. However, a dispute has
arisen as to whether or not they
had any right to sell the A 1500 in
the first place and a new
company, A1500 Ltd, is now selling
it while injunctions fly back and
forth between the two.
For those who missed our review
of the A 1500 a few months back, it
is an add-on which turns your
Amiga 500 into a sexy system box
and separate keyboard, then
enables you to slot in a hard drive.
Further expansion options are
available with the Dual User
Configuration (DUC) board,
making it possible to mount, for
example, a flicker fixer, a hard
drive, and a second floppy
internally. The unit offers several
improvements over the prototype,
and full details of these can be
found in this issue's update review.
Desk top video (DTV) is, at the
moment, one area in which the
Amiga triumphs over all comers,
and there were a few interesting
bits and pieces around at the
show. Marcam was showing off its
newest genlock, the Super 8802.
Based on the flagship 8802, it adds
S-VHS compatibility and hardware
controls for fades and wipes, and is
set to compete with the G2 Video
Centre. The Super 8802 will retail for
about £550, end the good news for
existing 8802 owners, is that they will
be able to upgrade their systems
for about £350, although Marcam
stresses that these prices are still
provisional.
Spanish truckers' dispute delays
ensured the hardware was not
entirely ready, but Marcam assures
us that the unit on show was
complete in just about every
respect except the knobbly bits,
and was performing exactly as will
the finished unit. The S-VHS quality
certainly was impressive, and
playing about with the slides gave
gratifyingly wipey and fadey
effects, but for the final word and
a comparison with the G2, you'll
have to watch this space.
Silica Systems was showing
Videocomp's Video Effects System
Two (VES 2), offering Digi-View
Gold, genlocking, video titling,
and an RGB splitter in one
integrated package. It looks like a
worthwhile attempt to deal with all
your DTV needs in one package,
using existing and new products,
but we didn't get a close enough
look at it to judge how close it
came. Look out for it in future
issues.
On the video software front, we
saw two fantastic new packages.
Amiga Centre Scotland was
showing off its Broadcast Titter 2
package from InnoVision
Technology.
It promises 320 colours per
screen, 16 anti-aliased fonts
without a jagged edge to be
seen, multiple screen effects such
as wipes, flips, and tumbles, text
scrolling, random access to 600
pages, a selection of
backgrounds, and many other
goodies with which to produce
client-pulling presentations and
video professionalism.
The demo we witnessed was
going through what looked like a
CBS American Football pro-
gramme, and appeared to be
smooth enough to coat a frying
pan. More on this next issue.
All in all then, a worthwhile
show, and a relative success
despite Commodore's apparent
attempts to dispense cold water
from a great height.
The Commodore stand was
subdued and without new
products, there were very few
representatives around, and
enough has already been said of
The Jazz Amiga. On the other
hand, the linking of Commodore's
name to Roland was a smart
move which can only boost the
Amiga's standing with the music
industry, and third party launches
were of sufficient number and
quality to generate a buzz of sorts.
This certainly makes my stylophone look a bit sad
Amiga Computing 1 5
Send cheques to: Dept ac
Memory Expansion Systems Ltd.
Britannia Buildings, 46 Fenwick Street
Liverpool L2 7NB
Amiga Computing 1 7
Feature
Each genlock is housed in a tasteful, slim case
S itting on your desk is one of
the most important devel-
opments in video technol-
ogy since the arrival of the
domestic video recorder. Since its
release back in the mid '80s, this
wondrous device has revolu-
tionised video post-production,
bringing the power of a £100,000+
video studio within the reach of
the person in the street. That
device is none other than the
Amiga.
Throughout the world the
Amiga is recognised as the num-
ber one choice for the discerning
video engineer. You'll find
Commodore's baby in some of
the most advanced video studios
around, happily rubbing shoulders
with equipment costing tens of
thousands of pounds.
Indeed, chances are that much
of what you see on TV and at the
cinema has been produced with
a little help from the Amiga. All
pretty heavyweight stuff, but that's
not to say that desktop video is
only for the pros - no siree, you too
can get in on the action wrth little
more than a low-cost genlock and
a bit of decent software.
You've probably read endless
articles about desktop video in
other publications, but few seem
to have addressed the subject
from the point of view of the aver-
age home user. After all. very few
of us could afford such incredible
devices as video mixers and time
base correctors. The aim of this
article then, is to discuss the possi-
bility of DTV for the masses (and
that means you! - Ed).
What is it that makes the Amiga
so special? Why aren't machines
such as the PC and Macintosh
stealing the limelight? After all. the
Amiga's graphics capabilities are
now no longer regarded as state
of the art. Both the PC and
Macintosh offer higher screen reso-
lutions and larger colour palettes,
so it would seem only natural that
they're better qualified for the job.
As always though, looks can be
deceptive. Hidden away within
the Amiga hardware is a little
piece of circuitry that makes the
Amiga a natural for video work. It
doesn't matter how flash your
video hardware is, without this little
slither of silicon your computer will
be something of a none starter.
Without getting too technical,
this bit of circuitry allows the Amiga
to synchronise itself with an exter-
nal video source - in the case of
desktop video, a genlock. And as
you'll learn later on. synchronising
is the all-important factor, a case
of sync or swim (!) Even today the
A typical Amiga DTV setup
Getting Into desktop video
needn't be expensive. OK, if
you're intending to use your
Amiga for professional applica-
tions then expect to write out
some pretty hefty cheques, but
otherwise you need little more
equipment than that which you
already own.
The diagram on the right shows
a typical home DTV setup - it's
about as simple as things get, so
don't expect to produce the kind
of results that you see on the
opening credits of Wogan. The
heart of the system is obviously the
Amiga, but the genlock is the
device that does all the hard
work.
Note that you actually need
two videos - one to play the
source tape, and another to
record the complete genlocked
output. As an option, there's also
an audio mixer in there.
One of these will set you back
as little as £40. so it's well worth
investing in one just so it's there if
you need it. The Amiga supplies
the sound in this set-up. but it's
also perfectly possible to connect
up MIDI devices such as synthesis-
ers and samplers to get truly pro-
fessional sounding results.
You may have also noticed that
the Amiga monitor is connected
to the output from the destination
video.
This is necessary if you wish to
view the mixed video signal. Most
monitors will take a composite sig-
nal. so just connect the destina-
tion composite output to the
appropriate input on your monitor
and you'll be in business, if you're
using a Commodore monitor, then
you'll also need to set the monitor
to CVBS mode by pressing the
video mode button hidden
behind the monitor's front panel.
TV modulator users will have to use
the RF output from their videos
instead.
GENLOCK
DESTINATION
VIDEO
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GENLOCKED
OUTPUT
DEST .
OUTPUT
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MIXED
AUDIO
AMIGA
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COMPOSITE
VIDEO SOURCE
SOURCE VIDEO
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AMIGA
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AUDIO MIXER
(OPTIONAL >
1 8 Amiga Computing
Feature
Software Scene
We've already mentioned three or
four packages which are ideal for
desktop video, but there are so
many more that will also fit the bill.
Here's a quick run down of the
best.
• Deluxe Paint 3. The acclaimed
paint system from Electronic Arts is
a must for every desktop video
engineer. It can be used to pre-
pare just about all your graphic
material, both static and animat-
ed. If you can afford only one
package, then this is the one to
buy.
• Deluxe Video 3. The companion
product to DPaint, DVideo 3 is a
competition is only just starting to
get its collective desktop video
acts together - Atari has since built
exactly the same external syncing
options into the STE, so it should be
only a matter of time before Atari
owners can also get into desktop
video.
If the STE is to match the Amiga,
however. Atari has got an uphill
struggle on its hands. The Amiga
has been around for nearly five
years now, so Amiga developers
have had time in which to perfect
their skills.
Of course genlocks are avail-
able for other machines - the PC,
Mac, Archimedes and ST all have
them - but the Amiga still remains
the best bet in terms of price and
performance. Not only are Amiga
genlocks better equipped, but
they're also considerably cheaper.
Only on the Amiga can you pick
up a genlock for under £100!
Another good reason why an
Amiga is the videophile's choice is
the flexibility of its screen display
hardware.
Interlacing may do terrible
things to your eyesight, but it was
deliberately built-in to make the
Amiga video output more
compatible v/ith video equipment.
Then, of course, there's also
built-in overscanning, so Amiga
graphics fill the entire screen -
something that even today most
of the competition can't manage!
The heart of any desktop video
system is the genlock, which is a
sophisticated device that can
combine two or more incoming
video signals into one. By treating
a particular colour as transparent -
usually colour 0, although more
expensive genlocks will allow you
to change this - the genlock
powerful presentation system that
can handle graphics, animations,
music and sampled sounds.
All operations are carried out
from within a nice user-friendly
environment, so constructing pro-
fessional-looking presentations is
an absolute doddle.
• TV*Text Professional. Definitely
the best video titling package cur-
rently available. Will use both
colour and mono Amiga fonts.
Even mono fonts can be 'tarted
up' using TV*Text's extensive font
rendering tools.
• Music-X Junior. Music-X Junior is
ideal for adding MIDI and Amiga
sound to your video productions.
At current prices, you can pick it
up for as little as £60!
• Elan Performer. A simple to use
yet powerful presentation pack-
age that can handle both static
and animated graphics. Perhaps
not as powerful as DVideo 3, but
still worth investigating.
• AMOS. Yes, AMOS can indeed
be used for desktop video. Now
that it's been fixed to work with
genlocks (you'll need versions 1.2
upwards), AMOS is ideally suited to
desktop video. Smooth scrolling,
full IFF support, sampled sounds,
interrupt-driven music, what more
could you ask?
• Frame grabber. A video digitiser
is well worth investing in. If you
can, go for a real-time video digi-
tiser (Rombo's VIDI-Amiga is a
good bet). Imaginative use of the
video digitiser can produce some
stunning effects.
For off-line digitising, NewTek's
Digi-View is also a good digitiser to
own.
replaces all occurrences of that
colour with the secondary video
source. The computer's signal is
treated almost as a stencil which is
laid on top of the secondary sig-
nal. You'll find genlocks in use con-
stantly on TV - for example,
genlocks are used to overlay
English subtitles on to foreign films
and so on.
The Amiga certainly isn't starved
of its fair share of genlocks.
Depending upon your particular
requirements, you can pick one up
for as little as £100 or as much as
£1 ,000 plus.
If you're serious about using your
Amiga for desktop video, then it's
probably worth shelling out a bit
more cash for a genlock with a few
more features. Later on we'll be
taking an in-depth look at three
genlocks from Neriki, all of which
are ideal for serious desktop video.
Source signals
Once you've got your genlock all
plugged in, you now need a
source signal. This can come from
just about any device that outputs
a composite signal - anything
from a domestic video camera to
an expensive video-disk player, or
even another Amiga will do, as
long as the signal is composite. For
most of us though, the source sig-
nal will usually come from a video
recorder. Most people now have
at least one VCR to their name, so
this medium is ideal.
Many seem to think that you
can store a desktop video presen-
tation on a floppy disk. This just
isn't true - the Amiga has nothing
to do with the process of genlock-
ing, it merely provides the video
signal which is superimposed over
Amiga Computing 1 9
Please call for pre-Christmas releases Order early for Christmas
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SK MARKETING
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AMIGA HARDWARE
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SCREEN GEMS PACK
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ONLY £599
10 STAR GAMES PACK - £30
NEW PHILIPS TV/MONITOR
★ MEDIUM Resolution Monitor Input
★ Infra-Red Remote Control
★ 15" FST Teletext TV
★ 60 TV Tuner Presets
★ Scart Input/Output connector
SPECIAL OFFER £279.95
SCREEN GEMS PACK
Philips 8833 + lead, Kindwords 2,
Fusion Paint, Miniature Golf, Super
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FIRST STEPS - £539
JOYSTICKS call tor prices and availability
DOT MATRIX PRINTERS
A590 20MB Hard Drive £289.95
Philips 8833 Monitor £230.00
Commodore 1084S Col. Monitor £259.95
A501 Ram Expansion/Clock £129.95
Video Digitizer £99.95
Cumana 3.5" Drive £94.95
MES Halt Meg Ram Expansion £50
Star LC 10 £173
Star LC 10 Colour £213
Panasonic KX-P1 1 24 £260
Panasonic KX-P1180 £190
LC200 9 pin col £230
LC24-200 24 pin mono £265
LC24-200 24 pin col £310
LC24-10 £265
FLIGHT OF FANTASY
★ Amiga 500 + TV Modulator
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ONLY £385 inc VAT
AMIGA B2000 P.O.A.
CONTROL CENTRE
Instantly transform your Amiga 500 into an
A1000/2000 ‘look a like* without any
modification to the computer. Simply slip
the 'control centre’ over the Amiga 500 and
by reason of its colour match and contour
hugging design it becomes an integral part
of the computer itself.
• Hides untidy connections at rear of A500
• Holds disk drives, genlocks etc...
• Easy access to joystick parts
• Monitor sits about A500 £54.95
Advanced Amiga BASIC £18.
Advanced Syst Prog Gde Amiga £32.
Amiga 3D Graphics Prog BASIC £18.
Amiga Applications £16.
Amiga Assembly Lang Prog £14.
Amiga BASIC Inside & Out £18.
Amiga C Advanced Programmers £32.
Amiga C for Beginners £18.
Amiga DOS Inside & Out £18.
Amiga DOS £14.
Amiga DOS Quick Reference £8.
Amiga DOS Ref Guide £14.
Amiga Desktop Video £18.
Amiga Desktop Video Guide £18.
Amiga Disk Drives Inside & Out £27.
Amiga For Beg nners £12.
Amiga Gd Graphics Sound Teleco £17.
Amiga Graphics Inside & Out £32.
Amiga Hardware Ref Manual Rev £21 j
Amiga Machine Lang Guide £21 j
Amiga Machine Language £14.
Amiga Microsoft Basic Prog Guide £18.
Amiga Prog Handbook Vol. 1 £24.'
Amiga Prog Handbook Vol. 2 £23.'
Amiga Programmers Guide £17.
Amiga Programmers Guide £20.
Amiga ROM Kernel Ref Man Autoa £28.'
Amiga ROM Kernel Ref Manual £29.'
Amiga ROM Kernel Ref Man Lib £32.'
Amiga System Programmers Guide £32.!
Amiga Tricks and Tips £14.'
Becoming an Amiga Artist £18/
Beginners Guide to the Amiga £16.!
Compute's 1st Book of Amiga £16.!
Compute's 2nd Book of Amiga £16.!
Elementary Amiga BASIC £14.!
Inside Amiga Graphics £16.!
Inside the Amiga with C 2nd Ed £24.!
Kickstart Guide to the Amiga £13.!
Kids & the Amiga £15.!
Mapping the Amiga £20.!
More Tips & Tricks for Amiga £18/
Programmers Guide to the Amiga £23.!
9 out of 10 £29.95
Animator/Images £89.95
Animator £39.95
Animator 3D £99.95
Arena Accounts £149.95
C-Light £39.95
Comic Setter £44.95
Deluxe Paint II £49.95
Deluxe Paint III £64.95
Deluxe Print 2 £39.95
Deluxe Music Construction £54.95
Deluxe Productions £99.95
Deluxe Photolab £54.95
Deluxe Video £65.95
Diqipaint III £54.95
GFA Basic Compiler £39.95
Distant Suns £37.99
GFA Basic Interpreter III £39.95
Hisoft Devpac v2 £39.95
Hisoft Lattice C £175.95
Home Office Kit
£104.95
Infofile
Instant Music
£34.95
£21.95
K-Data
£34.95
K-Gadget
£19.95
K-Seka
£29.95
K-Spread III
£75.00
K-Text
£14.95
Kind Words V2
£33.95
Mailshot Plus
£40.95
Maxiplan Plus £49.90
Music X £169.00
Photon Paint 2 £54.95
Prodata £59.95
Protext £64.95
Protext V.5 £110.00
Publishers Choice £74.95
Quartet £39.95
Sound Express Stereo Sampler £39.99
Starter Kit £54.00
Superbase Personal £54.95
Superbase Personal II £65.95
Superplan £69.95
TVShow £59.95
Word Perfect £185.00
Workbench 1.3 £15.00
Zoetrop (5 in 1 package) £79.95
LEISURE SOFTWARE
688 Attack Sub 116,99
’Action Stations - £19.99
’Adidas Championship FoothaH...£16.99
Amos - Game Creator £35.99
Anarchy - £14.99
Answer Back Junior Quiz — — £1 5.99
Apprentice - £17.50
Armour-Geddon- £17.95
Atomix £13.99
Ant Heads Data Disk „..£11.99
•A.WE.S.0.M.E £23.99
Back to the Future II £16.99
Bad Company -..£17.50
Badlands £17.50
Bar Games £19.90
Battlemaster £16.99
Battle of Britain (Finest hour) £19.99
Battle Squadron £16.99
Battle Chess £1699
’Battle of Austeriitz £16.99
Black Tiger £16.99
’Betrayal £19.99
Better Spelkng ( 8 -Adult) £18.95
’Blade Warrior £16.99
Blitzkrieg May 1940 £17.45
Blood Money £16.99
BSSJane Seymour £16.99
•Cadover £16.99
’Carthage £16.99
Castle Master .. £16.99
Castle Warrior £16.99
Champions of Krynn £19.99
Chaos Strikes Back (1Mb) £17.45
Chase HQ £16 99
Chess Champion 2175 £19.99
Codename Iceman £27.99
Conqueror - .£17.45
Colonels Bequest £27.99
Corporation. £16.45
’Cartoon Capers - £14.99
’Chrono Quest II £19.99
Curse of RA £17.50
Cyberball £14.99
Days of Thunder £16.99
Death Trap £17.50
Dragons Breed £1750
Dragons Breath £19.99
Dragon Flight - _£17.50
Dragons of Flame _£16.99
Drakhen £19.99
Dungeon Master £16.99
Dungeon Master Editor- £8.99
Dynasty Wars .£16.99
Dyter 07 -£13.99
East v West - £16.99
Edition 1 .£1999
Emlyn Hughes Int. Soccer ..„ £16.99
Elite ...£16.99
E-Motion £16.99
Everton F.C. Intelbgension £14.99
F-16 Combat Pilot £16.99
F-1 9 Stealth Rghter £19.99
F-29 Retailor £16.99
Fighter Bomber £19.99
Final Conflict
Final Countdown
£17.50
- £17.50
Fools Errand - £17.50
£19.99
£14.99
Falcon
Falcon Mission 1.„
Falcon Mission 2 £14.99
Flood £16.99
’Final Battle.-..- - - £16.99
Fiend sh Freddy £16.99
Fire & Bnmstone £16.99
Flight of the Intruder - £21 .50
Flimbo's Quest £16.99
fire Brigade £19.99
Fun School II (under 6 's) £13.99
(6 to 8 s) £13.99
(Over 8 s) - £13.99
Fun School 3 (under 55) £16.45
(5 toTs) £16.45
(Over 7’s) £16.45
Future Wars. £16.99
Ghostbusters II £16.99
Gold of the Realm £14.99
Grand National £13.99
Granc Prix Circuit £16.99
Gunship. - - £16.99
Hammerfist £16.99
Hardball 2
Heroes
Herewith the Clues -
Heroes Quest
Harley Davidson
Hot Rod
Hound of Shadow.-.
Honda RVF
Hypermana -
Impenum
Impossamole
Indiana Jones Adventure
Indiana Jones Action
Infestation
Intact -
International 3D-Tenni$
International Soccer Challenge .
It Came from the Desert
Ivanhoe -
Jack Nicklaus Golf —
Jack Nicklaus Int. Courses
James Pond -
Jumping Jackson
Kick Off 2
Kings Quest IV..—
Klax
Knights of Crystalfcon
Leisure Suit Larry
Leisure Suit Larry 2
Leisure Suit Larry 3—
Let’s Tell X-Mas Stones
Lombard RAC Rally
Loom
’Legend of the Lost
Lost Ninja 2
Lost Patrol
Lotus Esprit Turbo
Magic Maths (4-8yrs)
Manhunter -
Manhunter 2
Manchester United
Maniac Mansion
Mastermix..— -
Maths Mania (8-12yrs)...
Matrix Marauders
...£16.99
,..£19.99
...£16.45
..£24.99
...£19.99
..£16.99
..£16.99
.£16.99
.£16.99
..£16.99
..£14.99
..£16.99
..£14.99
..£16.99
..£17.50
..£16.99
..£1750
.£20.99
£16.99
£16.99
£10.99
..£1750
.£13.99
.£16.99
..£24.99
..£14.99
..£19.99
..£14.99
...£24.99
..£27.99
...£16.90
..£16.99
..£19.99
..£16.99
...£16.99
..£16.99
..£17.50
£18.99
£19.99
..£19.99
..£16.99
£16.99
..£19.90
£18.99
£14.99
Mega Maths
£19.99
Midnight Resistance
Midwinter
£16.99
£19.99
Might & Magik 2
Xi 9.99
’Murder
-£19.99
Murder in Space
£17.50
Mad Professor Mariarti
. £1750
Nitro , r
£1750
’Necronom
£1699
Newcomer ... -
- £19.99
New Zealand Story-,
£1699
New York Warriors
Night Breed
Ninja Spirits
£19.99
£16.90
£16.99
Ninja Warriors
£1699
Nuclear War
£17.45
Operation Harrier
.—£17.50
Operation Spruance
£19.90
Operation Stealth
£16.99
£20.90
’Oriental Games
.—£16.99
Pipemania
£16.45
Pirates
.—£16.99
Photon Storm
£13.99
Player Manager
£13.99
Police Quest
£17.45
Police Quest 2 -
Pools of Radiance
£24.95
£20.90
Populous
£16.99
Populous Data Disk
Primary Maths Course.. .
£9.99
„. . £19 99
Precious Metal
£16.99
Projedyie
£16.99
Pro Soccer 2190
. £1750
Pro Tennis Tour
£16.99
Puzzle Book
£13.99
Pyramix ....
£13.99
Red Storm Rising
£1699
Resolution 101
£17.45
Rick Dangerous
£16.45
’Rick Dangerous II...
£17.45
Riders of Rohan—
£21.50
Shadow of the Beast IL
£2399
Shockwave
£1699
Sn'kworm
. £14.99
Shadow Warriors
...£16.99
Sherman M4
...£17.45
Sim City
£19.99
Sim City Terrain Editor
£11 95
Skid 2-
...£14 99
’SIySpv
£1699
’Snowstnke
£17.50
Space Ace
£32.95
Space Hamer II
..£17.50
Space Quest 1
....£17.45
Space Quest 2
£1745
Space Quest 3
.£2499
Space Rogue
£1999
Spell Book (4-9 yrs)
£1399
Star Wars Trilogy
. £20 95
’Street Hockey
....£16.99
Strider
...£17.50
Stunt Car Racer
...£16.99
Sword of Aragon
....£19.99
Sword of Twilight
£1999
‘Starblade
£1699
Storm Lord
£13.99
Teenage Mutant Turtles
£1745
Tennis Cup
....£16.99
Test Dnye 2
Rings of Medusa £17.99
Rorkes Drift £16.99
Rotox £16.99
Test Drive Euro Challenge
£11 99
’The Killing Game Show
£1750
The Punisher
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The Third Courier
...£17.50
’The Spy Who Loved Me
’The Ultimate Ride
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Theme Park Mystery
Third Courier
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Thnil Time Platinum II
£1999
Thunderstrike
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Tie Break
...£16.99
Trivual Persuits
...£17.50
Turrican
....£13.99
Tusker
.£1699
The Plague
£16.99
TV Sports Football-
...£19.99
TV Sports Basketball
.—..£19.99
Time Solcier
£1645
Toobin — .
£14.99
Treasure T rap
£16.99
Triad III -
£1999
•Ultima V.
£19.99
’UMS2-
£1999
Unreal
£19.99
Untouchables
£16.99
Ultimate Golf
£16.99
’Universe 3... —
£16.99
UN Squadron. -
£17.50
Vaxine
£17.50
Venom Wngs
£17.50
Venus Fly Trap
.—£13.99
Voodoo Nightmare -
War Head -
£1750
£1699
’War Jeep
£1699
Wayne Gretzky Hockey
£1999
’White Death
£1999
Wild Streets
£1699
Wings of Death
£1750
Woffpack (1Mb)
£2150
Xenomorph -
£16.99
Xenon II Megablast
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the secondary video signal. You
can of course keep all your Amiga
generated graphics on disk, but if
you wish to 'store' the complete
genlocked presentation, then the
only way is to record it onto video
tape.
As you've probably already
guessed, this is impossible with just
a single video recorder. Ideally you
need at least two VCRs, one to
generate the source signal and
the other to record the output
from the genlock. VCRs can be
rented very cheaply these days, so
this shouldn't represent too much
of a problem.
But what can it do?
So far we've discussed the
mechanics of desktop video, but
we haven't actually mentioned
what all this hardware can actually
do.
The classic example is video
titling, but there's so much more
you can do. Even this seemingly
limited application can be extend-
ed beyond merely adding static
text to your home videos of granny
at the beach.
Of course the Amiga is well
catered for if you do just want to
add titles to your home movies.
Companies such as Zuma and
Aegis (now Oxxi) have been selling
video titling packages for years, so
there's plenty to choose from.
I use Zuma's TV'Text Professional,
which allows you to use all sorts of
rendering effects to standard
mono Amiga fonts. It can create
impressive effects such as glints,
sheens and metallic-looking text
automatically, which is ideal if your
artistic talents leave something to
be desired. In some ways, you
don't really need a dedicated
Feature
OFF
mi
im
DIGI-View is one of the best art packages around
Add sounds to your creations using Music-X
Amiga Computing launches themselves into TV
r.-vJ
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21
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* *
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US
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video titling package, any pack-
age which allows you to manipu-
late fonts will do the job perfectly
well - DPaint for example.
After a while though, you'll soon
realise that a title generating
package just isn't enough. If you
want your titles to appear at pre-
cise moments, then you'll also
need some form of presentation
package.
These can be set up to display
IFF screens - and perhaps even
animations - on cue. One of the
best is Elan Performer which can
handie both static raster files - pic-
tures to you - and animations.
Performer allows you to assign
these to the Amiga keyboard, so
all you do is hit the corresponding
key when a particular graphic
event is required.
If you're a home movie maker,
then an Amiga desktop video sys-
tem could also be used for creat-
ing special effects that would
have been previously impossible.
Because you can literally draw
directly onto video, you could use
a package such as DPaint to cre-
ate any number of special effects.
Enter the lasers
This is precisely what many top film
companies use DTV for - If they're
making something like a Sci-Fi film,
then they can use a machine
such as the Amiga to generate
such things as laser blasts etc. As
with anything of this type, the only
limitation to the kind of effects you
can create is your own imagina-
tion.
As a general rule, try to create
your presentations in the highest
screen resolution possible, with full
overscan and interlacing, if it's
available. This may entail losing a
The video option
Video used to be an expensive
medium with which to work, but
with advances in technology
achieved over the space of little
more than a couple of years, you
can build up a high quality system
relatively cheaply.
The current number one choice
for most home enthusiasts will be
trusty old VHS, which has estab-
lished itself as the consumer stan-
dard. VHS isn't exactly ideal for
professional desktop video -
believe it or not, Betamax was far
superior - but better quality sys-
tems such as Super-VHS and Hi-8
are starting to become available.
Super-VHS, or S-VHS as trendies
call it, offers a much higher resolu-
tion which will produce better
quality results. Even if you use only
a single S-VHS deck, the destina-
tion tape will be closer in quality to
the source. Super-VHS recorders
are currently rather expensive, so
it may be worth renting instead of
buying. Genlocks are already
starting to appear that take
advantage of the Super-VHS for-
mat so for those you can afford it,
going for S-VHS is a good bet.
Hi-8 also looks very promising
indeed. This new system uses high
bandwidth 8mm video tapes
offering very high quality picture
and stereo sound recordings.
Coupled with the fact that the
tapes are very compact, this too
looks like a favourable alternative
to the ageing VHS standard.
Then of course there are video
cameras and camcorders. Every
week sees more and more of
these pouring onto the market, so
It's only a matter of time before it'll
be possible to pick up a cam-
corder for little more than a cou-
ple of hundred pounds. If you can
get a camcorder which offers
built-in playback, then it's possible
to use this in place of a source
video recorder. This is perhaps a
more favourable set-up. as it also
allows you to grab your own video
material.
If you intend buying a second
VHS video recorder, then a good
bet is the new Amstrad Double
Decker twin video system which
costs approximately £400. This
rather groovy bit of kit features not
one, but two video recorders in
one box.
It's an ideal machine for home
DTV enthusiasts. Not only can you
play and record simultaneously
with the same machine - on two
separate tapes, of course - but it
also offers tape to tape transfer of
video material.
Amiga Computing 2 1
few colours, but the results often
look considerably more profession-
al. Because of the huge amounts
of memory that such displays
swallow. 512k users may want to
Invest in a decent siz^d RAM
expansion. If you can afford it, go
for at least 2 Mb.
Then, of course, there's sound,
in the form of both music and
effects. Most videos offer a sepa-
rate ‘audio out' connector, so you
can also mix in your own sounds to
the existing sound track using an
audio mixer such as the one pro-
duced by Omega Projects, which
is the one I use.
This way you just feed the output
from the audio mixer into the desti-
nation video recorder and both
sound and vision will be recorded
back to a single video tape.
Software neglected
Feature
Genlocks enable you to combine computer-generated pictures
The best package for this kind of
thing is currently Deluxe Video 3.
as it can handle both graphics
and audio. Unfortunately current
Amiga desktop video software
tends to neglect the audio side of
things a tad. so it's really a matter
of experimenting with multi-tasking
to get both audio and visual
materials working together.
Hopefully when ARexx takes off
- which it should now it's an inte-
gral part of Workbench 2.0 - we'll
see presentation packages that
can control software such as
sequencers and samplers, but until
then it's a case of working around
limitations.
The Microlllusions package
Music-X (and Junior) is great for
adding music and sound effects
to desktop video presentations.
...with those from a video to produce a stunningdisplay
Because Music-X has a ‘real' clock
which represents time in terms of
hours, minutes and seconds, it's
possible to build up a sort of cue
sheet for sound effects simply by
storing them as samples within
Music-X and then using the Bar edi-
tor to lay down play note events at
the exact time that the samples
are required.
The same goes for music - just
compose your tunes within Music-X
and then use the program's
unique ‘Play Sequence' event to
start the score when it is required.
If you're lucky enough to own a
MIDI keyboard, you could even
assign samples, and indeed entire
scores, to your keyboard using
Music-X's unique keymapping
facility. This way you just strike a key
whenever you want Music-X to
play a sample or start a tune play-
ing.
Professional video engineers will
probably laugh at such an unreli-
able system of syncing sound and
video, but it's about the best way
possible when your budget is
rather limited. In the professional
world, video engineers use a syn-
chronising system called SMPTE
(Society of Motion Picture and
Television Engineers) which is used
to weld music and video together.
Music-X does support SMPTE, but
the hardware which uses it is very
expensive.
Desktop Video is an exciting
application that would have been
practically impossible before the
arrival of machines such as the
Amiga.
Although it may seem rather
limited in scope at first, experimen-
tation with different video tech-
niques can reap wondrous
DPL Video Services of Wembley is
a company who specialise in low
cost but high power video solu-
tions. If you're a video engineer
who has £3,000 to spare, then
DPL's complete video system
could well be what you've been
looking for.
The heart of their system is an
Amiga B2000 with 3Mb of RAM .of
which 1Mb is chip RAM. and a
40Mb A2091 auto-booting hard
drive.
Also thrown in is a Commodore
1084 monitor which offers both
RGB and composite inputs, mak-
ing it ideal for viewing both Amiga
and genlocked displays.
Obviously you'll be wanting a
genlock, so DPL supply the Neriki
Desktop genlock (which you can
Video solutions
With a suitable art package all kinds of art package all kinds of effects are available
read more about within the main
body text).
Software wise. DPL have select-
ed what they feel to be the state
of the art in Amiga DTV software
including DPaint III (paint and ani-
mation), TVText Professional
(titling) + 3 Zuma Font packs,
NewTek's Digi-View 4 digitiser and
DigiPaint HAM paint system, Pro-
Video Titler and a selection of
public domain utilities.
Obviously three grand is a lot of
money to anyone (even the
Editor!), but DPL believe that the
combination of Neriki genlock
and Amiga makes for the most
cost effective video system avail-
able. For professional users, things
have never been so good.
DPL are on 081 900 1866.
22 Amiga Computing
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Create a fantastic pop video using your Amiga and a video of your favourite band
rewards. It really is down to you to
find just how far your video presen-
tations can go. With a minimal out-
lay you too can produce results
that would have made video engi-
neers green with envy little more
than a few years ago.
Future tense
The Amiga may have already
established itself as the de-facto
standard in video computing, but
the software and hardware we
have today is little more than a
taster of the goodies that we'll
have tomorrow. Indeed, the future
has only just begun.
In many ways desktop video is
very closely associated with the
latest buzz word application, multi-
media. Indeed the genlock is an
integral part of many multi-media
systems. Because the two are so
closely associated, the develop-
ment of multi-media software is
good news for desktop video users.
Many multi-media packages are
ideally suited to desktop video
applications, so it's up to you to
use them to their fullest.
More immediate is the impend-
ing release of several major DTV
applications. First up is Gold Disk's
long-awaited ShowMaker system.
Neriki genlocks may be the best,
but they're certainly not the
cheapest. If you're after little
more than a simple genlock that
will overlay your graphics onto
video, then there are much
cheaper alternatives available.
Here's a quick run down of a few
for those of us with somewhat less
demanding needs.
ASAP's Mini-Gen is a simple, no
frills affair that can be picked up
for just over £100. It certainly isn't
the best quality genlock you
could find, but is worth investigat-
ing if you're on the bread line. For
which promises to be something
very special indeed. ShowMaker is
very much the DTV package
Amiga users have been waiting
for. It provides full support for
ARexx, therefore allowing it to con-
trol other applications. Not only
the rest of us. it may well be worth
shelling out a few pounds more
for a better quality unit.
Rendale produces a couple of
genlocks in the shape of the 8802
and the 8806. The 8802 is the
cheapest of the two. It offers
near broadcast quality, both
background and foreground key-
ing and can be picked up for
around £290.
It's big brother, the 8806. offers
full broadcast quality output
and selectable colour keying.
Price for this one is a bank brak-
ing £800.
that, but with the addition of some
extra hardware, it can directly
control your video recorders,
therefore providing perfect syn-
chronising of your presentation.
Expect a review as soon as it is
released.
Next up is Video Toaster from
NewTek. the company responsible
for the acclaimed Digi-View video
digitiser. Many industry pundits
believe that 'Toaster could well be
the most revolutionary product yet
devised for the Amiga. For £1 ,500 -
it ain't cheap! - you get a seven-
input broadcast quality genlock, a
powerful digital effects system. 24-
bit frame grabber and buffer, 24-
bit painting and full 3D animation.
Rumour has it that those who
have been lucky enough to see it
have suffered for weeks from
'knock your socks off' syndrome. If
you're after a genlock that offers
that bit more than the rest, then
Neriki are a name to look out for.
Neriki, of New South Wales in
Australia, has been producing
Genlocking on the cheap
24 Amiga Computing
m
III
I R E CT
E A L
AT LAST!!
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3.5" DISKS
Large or small users - we have the prices for you!
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guarantee. Disk labels supplied
STORAGE BOXES
3.5" (10 capacity box) "Slimpak" £0
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3.5" (40 capacity box) lockable disk storage box £3
3.5" (50 capacity box) lockable disk storage box £3
3.5" (80 capacity box) lockable disk storage box £4
3.5" (100 capacity box) lockable disk storage box £4
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All disk boxes are anti-static, Amiga beige, contain keys,
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ACCESSORIES
Printer Stands (80 col) £6.50
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Tilt 'n' turn monitor stands for Amiga £9.95
Monitor Arms (fully adjustable with keyboard keeper) £69.95
Data Switches (2-way serial or parallel) £12.95
Copy Holders (Thingi III) £3.95
A4 Desk Top Holder £7.90
Mousemats (boxed 8mm) red. blue, grey £2.95
Mousemats 5mm packaged £1.95
Mousebrackets £1.95
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3.5" cleaning kits £1.95
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Roll of 1000 3.5" labels £7.50
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PRINTER RIBBONS
Star LC10 £2.90
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£8.95
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Trade a/cs welcome. All prices include VAT. Corporate, education orders welcome. Personal callers welcome carriage* £8 50
DEAL DIRECT
DEAL DIRECT
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Feature
Money no object
Amiga genlocks for years now, so
you can bet that the company
knows a thing or two about pro-
ducing a decent bit of kit.
In independent tests conducted
by a well known Amiga technical
journal, Neriki genlocks came out
on top in nearly every test catego-
ry. With a pedigree such as this,
you'd be right to expect some-
thing pretty special.
Neriki genlocks come in two
flavours, although these them-
selves also come in two flavours!
At the bottom of the scale is the
company's DeskTop Composite
genlock which offers near broad-
cast quality output for around
£750 plus VAT.
Next up is the big brother to
Desktop Composite, in the form of
the Desktop Y-C at £850 plus VAT.
The Y-C series have special con-
nectors to allow them to take
advantage of the higher resolu-
tions offered by the new breed of
Super-VHS decks now becoming
available.
Both the Y-C and composite
models allow background keying
with full fade control. In plain
English this basically means that
you can control whether colour 0
is to be made transparent or not. If
it's turned off, then the second
video source will not appear
behind your Amiga generated
graphics. One nice feature is the
ability to fade in and out the
Amiga graphics using a built-in dis-
solve knob. This allows the input
signal to be replaced gradually by
If our look at desktop video is too
basic for your needs, then you
may wish to invest in some profes-
sional video kit. Here's a run
down of the kind of hardware
you'll need.
If you want to be really posey,
then a video mixing desk is a
must. With it you can mix two of
more composite signals into one,
therefore, allowing you to create
such effects as those seen on TV
and at the movies. News pro-
grams use them extensively to
overlay a picture of the news
reader on to video footage relat-
ing to the news story.
Desktop Video often requires
you to transfer video material
from one tape to another several
times. As you'll probably already
know, this inevitably leads to a
degradation in picture quality.
With a time base converter, pic-
ture quality is kept constant by
digitally sampling the incoming
video signal in real-time.
Although a TBC isn't really
needed with a single video input,
when you start your multiple
inputs one is required to keep the
signals in sync. Sounds like the
perfect piece of kit. right?
Problem is. TBCs aren't cheap.
Expect to pay about £100 per
day just to hire one!
the computer image (or vice-
versa) by slowly turning the dissolve
knob either left or right. This is par-
ticularly effective when using the
genlock in conjunction with video
titling software.
At the other end of the Neriki
spectrum is the Image Master gen-
lock, which is also available in both
composite and Super-VHS com-
patible Y-C formats. This profession-
al standard genlock offers all the
benefits of the Desktop range, but
features a full broadcast quality
encoded output of 600 lines, thus
making it ideal for high end video
applications.
Sounds like a very nice piece of
kit. right? Problem is, they don't
come cheap. Expect to pay
around £1,150 for the basic com-
posite Image Master.
Both the Image Master and
Desktop series genlocks come in 19
inch 1 U rack-mountable format, so
they'll slot in nicely with both pro-
fessional music and video hard-
ware.
OK. most of us don't possess
such gear, or even the racks to
store them in, so you'll be pleased
to know that they also sit under-
neath your Amiga monitor quite
nicely. If you've got either an
A1000 or A2000. you can stack
both genlock and monitor on top
of the system unit.
Neriki genlocks are distributed
by DPL Video Services Wembley
Park Business Centre North End
Road, Wembley Middlesex, HA9
OAG Tel: 081 900 1866.
A host of useful and simple to use tools facilitate easy creation of vldeo-genlocked images. No need to waste time learning the software!
26 Amiga Computing
$gSBb»
kU AMIGA A500 BEYOND ONE MEGMJTFMSsZ?
Y\KOA\\\t MAD E\X THE EXPANSION MEMORY WS/tt, 77/P&
MVRAUTV , OVERLOADING THE POWER SUPPL YAWP O/T&V
mj&XUCi ^NSKSTEROUS HARDWARE iNCOMP AT ABILITY PROBLEMS
^WtN C AME
1. A500/A1000 8Mb Expansion (2, 4, or 8Mb). Fully implemented
autoconfigure. Fully operational through port for compatability with other
autoconfiguring hardware (e.g. CBM A590). Complete with its OOflO
own power supply (U.K., U.S. or Euro). (2Mb FITTED).
2. As above, but with the cover removed.
3. A2000/A2500/B2000 8Mb Expansion (2, 4, 6 or 8Mb).
Fully implemented autoconfigure. Uses 1M x 8 bit or 1M x 9 bit
SIMM's. (2Mb FITTED).
£249
4. A500 72 Mb Expansion. The essential A500 upgrade. A high quality A501
equivalent using low-power 1Mbit DRAM's. The unit has a "enable/disable" switch
and is available with or without NiCad battery-backed clock/
calendar module. (CLOCK VERSION £41 )
All prices include VAT and postage & packaging. Prices may be subject to
change without notice. All products carry a 1 2 month guarantee.
Dealer enquiries are welcome.
5. External 3.5" Floppy Drive (not pictured). High-quality silent mechanism. ^ ^
Extra drive port and "enable/disable' switch. JtO O
Hard disks. Systems available for all Amiga variants call for details and pricing.
£60
CHIP UPGRADES
"Fatter Agnus" chip (8372A) for A500/A2000. Enables up to 1Mb of Chip
RAM. Fitting requires some skill and will invalidate your warranty.
1 .3 Kickstart ROM. Upgrade for A500/A2000 £33
A590 Upgrade chips: V^Mb £34, iMb £62, 2Mb £120
SIMM's. All types available. Call for pricing.
A3000 4 Mbit Static Column Dram call for pricing.
CORTEX products are marketed in the U.K. by
Memory Expansion Systems Ltd. Britannia Buildings,
46 Fenwick Street, Liverpool L2 7NB. Tel. (051) 236 0480.
Fax: (051) 227 2482. Make cheques payable to M.E.S. Ltd.
THE BEST ST HOME FINANCE PROGRAM
NOW AVAILABLE FOR THE AMIGA
AMIGA
VERSION
ersonai tz???
i nance
* FULL MULTI TASKING
* OVER 100 BUDGETS SELECTABLE
(10 ANALYSABLE)
—The Worlds Most Sophisticated Personal finance Program—
If you run a personal bank account and have a Commodore
Amiga then you need "PERSONAL FINANCE MANAGER".
AS EASY TO USE AS A CALCULATOR
PFM makes full use of Amiga’s Workbench interface, if you
need to amend or update an entry or Standing order simply
click on it. Your screen looks just like a bank statement!
STANDING ORDERS & DIRECT DEBITS EATEN ALIVE
PFM handles Credit and Debit - Monthly, Quarterly, Yearly and
even complicated regular payments like 12 payments of £52.99
followed by one of £12.50, PFM will check the date and
automatically insert standing orders as they become due.
BUDGET WITH EASE, AT A CLICK OF A MOUSE.
If you’re the type that likes to look ahead then PFM allows you
to set budgets for both expenditure and income. Over 100
budgets can be set over a year, a quarter or a month and then
10 can be displayed either in figures or as a bar graph for a
given period. Expenditure for these budgets can also be shown
as a pie chart so you can tell at a glance where your money’s
gone. PFM also allows you to display or print your budget
groups selectively so you can see your expenditure quickly and easily.
BALANCING WITH YOUR BANK ACCOUNT IS NO LONGER A
JUGGLING ACT
When you get your bank account statement or a balance from
an autobank machine you can confirm it with PFM quickly and
easily. Simply select PFM’s unique "Auto Balance" option and
type in the balance as given by the bank and PFM will attempt
to balance and highlight entries that have not yet been
processed through the bank.
MAIN ACCOUNT SCREEN
OTHER FEATURES
BUDGET COMPARISON BAR-
GRAPH SHOWING BUDGETS
& ACTUAL EXPENDITURE
OR INCOME
The number of entries is limited only by memory size
You define the file size
Old entries are automatically deleted
Automatically places entries in date order
European or U.S.A. date formats
Balance of account graph
Moveable and re-sizeable windows
Run multiple bank accounts by simply using different file names.
Multi-Tasking allows Multi-Account access.
Facility to check off items against statements
Locates cheques written months ago in seconds
Selective print features for dates/statements/standing orders and budgets.
MichTrori
Home Pinance Program Peter Veale
Here's what the critics say: g Amiga Version by Dan Lennard.
"PFM is one of those rare programs with which it is easy to feel
comfortable from the first time you run it."
Ron Massey, ST USER
"Personal Finance Manager is a sophisticated home financial
package, it will probably help you save money."
ST UPDATE.
* • * ~ r -
"PFM is just the ticket if your expenditure is as disorganised as
mine."
POPULAR COMPUTING WEEKLY.
PIE CHART SHOWING SELECTED
ENTRIES OVER CHOSEN DATES
BALANCE DISPLAY SHOWING
HIGHS & LOWS OVER
SELECTED DATES
Free 30-Day Trial
Order direct from MICHTRON
and if you are not 100% satis-
fied, return within 30 days for a
full refund.
r.
NOT COPY PROTECTED
TO ORDER:
SEND TO: MICHTRON
PO BOX 68. St. Austell.
Cornwall. PL25 4YB
Allow 28 Days for delivery.
BY PHONE:
WITH CREDIT CARDS.
TELE: (0726) 68020.
£30 95 (incl P&P).
AMIGA VERSION
Please send me Personal Finance Manager at £30.95 (incl
□ Cheque enclosed made payable to MICHTRON
[ZI Please debit my credit card account:
] Expiry date:
P&P)
Name
x
Address
Signed:
i
COMPUTING
Stuffed to overflowing with sumptuous software, we’re having
trouble finding sticky tape strong enough to hold it on the cover!
RadioDemon
This tune was created with MED.
the tracker we gave you on the
last cover disk. Alex Van Starrex
reckons that with its strong and
consistent monotony and carefree
abandonment of both interest and
worthwhile value, the music on our
cover disk invokes strong images to
the listener, transporting him far
away from the everyday world to
a magical dreamland where
memories of filing tax returns
and reading telephone directories
are constantly and vividly evoked.
With stirring march rhythms
reduced to a level of absurdity
that even John Cage would be
envious of. and enveloped in the
almost gut-wrenching dissonances
of the major and minor keys, our
cover disk tunes manifest them-
selves as possessing all the qualities
that make Amiga computer music
so familiar and yet so attainable by
almost anyone who can lay their
hands on a music program.
He sincerely doubts whether
Igor Stravinsky or Maurice Ravel
could possibly have re-orchestrat-
ed these works without losing any
of the appeal that comes from
their being pieces churned out by
a glorified adding machine, thus
bringing a level of ultimate truth
through to all. and without the
need for descriptive words or lyrics.
I still can't work out whether
that's a compliment or an insult.
Alex is an Australian, so he
was probably on a XXXX drip at
the time. Nice one. Alex. More
please.
Are you a budding musician
looking for fame and fortune? If
so. perhaps the Amiga Computing
cover disk can give you a little
push up the ladder. You never
know who might be listening to
your music...
If you insist on sending exe-
cutable tunes, then try not to send
the kind which freeze the mouse
pointer or use the left mouse but-
ton to quit - right button or both is
better. If your tune needs a sepa-
rate Play utility, please include
that on the disk as well.
Parnet 2.40
Parnet is here by popular
demand. To be honest I consid-
ered it a little too specialised and
a little too advanced for the cover
disk, but there have been too
many requests to ignore.
Networking is a deeply won-
derful experience. Imagine being
able to have access not only to
your own machine, but to your
friend or colleague's machine on
the desk opposite. Imagine being
able to run software from his/her
hard drive. Imagine being able to
write him a message and save it in
Amiga Computing 29
Phonedir
Phonedir is a short and simple
telephone directory program
with one important addition - it
will actually dial the telephone
number for you!
This is because the program
can produce standard DTMF
dialling tones, allowing it to dial
any telephone number as long
as your telephone and local
exchange supports tone dialling
(System X), and many do nowa-
days.
If your telephone is of a mod-
ern design, it will have a switch
of some kind on it to allow you to
toggle between pulse and tone
dialling.
If you don't know whether
your local exchange is on
System X or not. take your
receiver off the hook and listen
to the dial tone for a while.
If you're on System X, after
about 20 seconds you'll hear a
series of high tones and a
recorded message.
To run the program from
Workbench simply double-click
on its icon. From CU. first use CD
to change the current drawer to
that which contains PhoneDir
(CD015:PHONEDIR on the cover
disk) then type ’run phonedir'.
The reason for changing the cur-
rent drawer is that if you save the
phone directory which you have
created with PhoneDir it is
placed in the current drawer.
When you first start PhoneDir it
checks the current drawer to see
if you have already created a
phone directory file and if so.
loads it into memory.
There's nothing to stop you
having several phone directories
in-different drawers. PhoneDir will
load the one in the drawer that
you are currently CD'd to.
When PhoneDir is up and run-
ning. you will see two string gad-
gets on the left (one labelled
Name, the other Phone) and a
cluster of buttons to the right.
Now I'll go through the but-
tons one by one explaining their
functions.
SAVE: Selecting this button will
save the entries held in memory
to a file named directory. data in
the current drawer.
ADD: This allows you to add a
name and associated phone
number to the phone directory.
First click in the Name gadget
and type in a name, then click in
the Phone gadget and type in a
phone number. Finally, click on
the Add button to include the
name and phone number in the
directory. Entries are automati-
cally sorted into alphabetical
order.
START: If you already have some
names and phone numbers in
the directory then selecting this
button will display the first in the
list.
DEL: To delete an entry In the
directory, move to the entry for
deletion using the Start, End and
arrow buttons, then select the
Del button.
ARROWS: Selecting the left arrow
displays the previous entry, if
there is one. Selecting the right
arrow displays the next entry, if
there is one.
FIND. This button provides a limit-
ed search function. Select the
Name gadget and type in a
string. Now click on the Find but-
ton and the program will
attempt to find an entry which
begins with the string you typed.
For this reason I would suggest
that if you are storing peoples'
names - John Smith for example
- enter them in the form Smith
John so that they are sorted
alphabetically by surname and
can thus be searched for by sur-
name.
END: If you have some entries in
the directory, selecting this - but-
ton will display the last one in the
list.
QUIT: Hitting this button quits the
program. If you have an
unsaved phone directory in
memory don't forget to select
the Save button first. Sorry,
there's no reminder - 10 brownie
points deducted from Richard
Kalton's account.
L & R: These two gadgets are
mutually exclusive. They allow
you to decide whether the DTMF
dialling tones are sent to the Left
or Right speaker. Obviously only
useful if you have some sort of
stereo sound output. When the
program Is first run the sound out-
put is directed towards the right-
hand speaker.
DIAL: If you click on this gadget,
or hit the spacebar, the number
currently shown in the Phone
string gadget will be dialled. If
you have stereo sound output, a
stereo monitor, hi-fi or
Soundblaster for example, then
first decide which speaker the
tones should come out of with
the L & R buttons.
Make sure the number you
want to dial is displayed in the
Phone gadget, then hold the
microphone part of your tele-
phone receiver (that's the bit
you talk into) very close to the
speaker from which the tones will
be produced. Then click the Dial
button or hit the spacebar.
You should pick up the tele-
phone receiver, place it next to
your chosen speaker and hit the
Dial button or spacebar as
quickly as possible otherwise the
dialling tone may disappear. If
you delay too long - about 20
seconds with my exchange -
you'll get a recorded message
from the telephone requesting
you to replace the handset and
try again.
If you can still hear the dial
tone from the telephone when
the computer has finished
dialling, try increasing the vol-
ume of your monitor, hi-fi or
whatever. If this doesn't help
then it's probably because your
phone line isn't on System X yet
and doesn't support tone
dialling.
If you hear nothing but
silence from the phone once the
computer has finished dialling,
try increasing the volume again
or changing the position of the
handset. If this doesn't help, try
swapping speakers.
You don't actually have to
add a name and phone number
to the directory in order to tone
dial that phone number. A num-
ber can be dialled simply by
selecting the Phone gadget,
typing the desired phone num-
ber into it then hitting the Dial
button or the spacebar.
PHONEDIR was written in
Lattice C V3.10 by Richard
Kalton. The program is freely dis-
tributable so long as no money
changes hands in the process.
PhoneDir and its source code
may not be included for sale in
any public domain, shareware
or freeware disk library.
It may be offered for down-
load on Bulletin Boards provided
it is made available as a free
download.
|DD|PhoneDir VI . 0 by Ric Hal ton z:
SflUE
Nane : |Anisa Conputing
Phone ! 10625 878888
-
ADD
startN
1 1 DEL |
Hh
DAL
pa
FIND
1 END |
j | QUIT |
By all means use this program to ring us, but please, please ask for John Smith
30 Amiga Computing
his messages directory on his hard
drive. Imagine (imagine being
able to squeeze even more 'imag-
ines' into this short pieceis- Ed)
being able to do all this, and
more, from your own keyboard.
That's what networking does for
you.
Parnet sets up a network using
the parallel port. Don't let its
apparent complexity put you off.
You've got all the festive season to
get it together. And whether you
get Parnet working or not. you'll
have lots and lots of fun and
games trying!
Computer Head
Alternative Image is the company
when it comes to generating the
kind of graphics previously unseen
outside a Dire Straits video is until
now.
Exclusively Amiga-based,
Alternative Image create fantasti-
cal animated displays guaranteed
to knock your socks off. And just for
your favourite magazine. 'Image
agreed to construct a stunning
animated sequence and mount it
on our cover disk.
The amazing result is Computer
Head. Drool at those colours, thrill
to the smooth animation and
swoon to the effects of 'extrane-
ous' light sources reflecting from
the silicon bust.
And when you've recovered,
turn to an amusing and exclusive
company profile and interview we
did with them.
And now a veritable feast
for your visual senses
Rummy
Rummy started life as a noble and
ancient Spanish card game
called Conquien. It crossed the
Atlantic with the early Spanish
colonists to Mexico. From there it
wandered into Texas, where it
gave birth to a child. Rummy.
Nearly a century ago it took
Europe by storm, gaining for a
while as popular a place as
Contract Bridge occupies today,
but it passed out of favour after a
few years. The object of Rummy is
to collect 'sets' of at least three of
a kind, and 'sequences' of at least
three cards in the same suit. The
full rules and scoring system are
explained in the file Rummy.DOC.
In this excellent Amiga imple-
mentation, you can play a game
with either two or three players.
Any or all of the players can be
controlled either by the Amiga, by
yourself, or by friends. If you've set
up the Amiga to control all three
players, don't forget to select
Continuous Play from the Special
menu else you'll have to click on
Continue after each player's turn.
The computer players have 10
skill levels. The default level on run-
ning Rummy is Level 4. The skill
level for each player is selected
from the Intelligence menu.
At level 10 the computer plays
a mean game, remembering
cards that have passed out of
play and making educated guess-
es as to whether the card it wants
is in someone else's hand or still in
the pack.
I'm keeping a long-term run-
ning score of my points against the
computer's, penny a point. At the
moment I owe it £3.65. When it
gets to £20 1 might buy it a game.
An excellent program but a
shame there's no load or save
option. Rummy was written with
Lattice C V5.05 by Simon Preene.
This program is freely distributable
so long as no money whatsoever
changes hands in the process.
Rummy, its source code and its
documentation may not be
included for sale in any public
domain, shareware or freeware
disk library. It may be offered for
download on Bulletin Boards pro-
vided it is made available com-
plete with source code and
documentation as a free down-
load.
Fancy yourself as a card shark,
but bored with Poker and Black
Jack? Rummy may be the
answer to your prayers
Runny by
non Preene, Copyright Arnica. Conpui
Amiga Computing 3 1
WARNING 1988 COPYRIGHT ACT WARNING
Date! Electronics Ltd . nertt'er condones or authorises the use of it’s products for the reproduction
of copyright material
The backup facilities of this product are des-gned to reproduce only software such as Public Domain material,
the users own programs or software where permission to make backups has been clearly given.
It is illegal to make copies, even for your own use. of copyright material, without the clear
permission of the copynght owner, or the licencee thereof.
S s INTO THE
5IVES YOU THE
OGRAM
MIGA ACTION R
NSION PORT (6
POWER TO FI
F YOUR AMIGA v
REEZE MOST AN
JUST LOOK AT THE UNMATCHED RANGE OF FEATURES
SAVE THE ENTIRE PROGRAM IN MEMORY TCjrOfSK
Special compacting techniques enable up to 3 programs. to fit on one
disk. Now saves directly to disk as Amiga Dos - reloads independently
of the cartridge - even transfer to hard drive! Works with up to 2 Megs
of Ram - even 1 Meg Chip Mem (Fatter Agnus).
UNIQUE INFINITE LIFE/TRAINER MODE - NOW MORE POWERFUL
Allows you to generate more and even infinite lives, fuel, ammo, etc.
Perfect as a trainer mode to get you past that "impossible" level. Very
easy to use.
4 IMPROVED SPRITE EDITOR
The full Sprite Editor allows you to view/modify the whole sprite set
including any "attached" sprites. RANGE OF IMPROVED FEATURES.
VIRUS DETECTION
Comprehensive virus detection and removal features to protect your
software investment. Works with all presently known viruses.
SAVE PICTURES AND MUSIC TO DISK
Pictures and sound samples can be saved to disk. Files are saved
directly IFF format suitable for use with all the major graphic and
music packages. Samples are displayed as screen waveform.
SLOW MOTION MODE
Now you can slow down the action to your own pace. Easily
adjustable from full speed to 20% speed. Ideal to help you through the
tricky parts!
• RESTART THE PROGRAM
Simply press a key and the program will continue where you left off.
FULL STATUS REPORTING
At the press of a key now you can view the Machine Status,
including Fast Ram, Chip Ram, RamDisk, Drive Status, etc.
* POWERFUL PICTURE EDITOR
Now you can manipulate and search for screens throughout
memory. .Over 50 commands to edit the picture plus unique on
screen status "overlay" shows all the information you could ever
need to work on screens. No other product comes close to offering
such dynamic screen handling of frozen programs!!
# MUSIC SOUND TRACKER
With Sound Tracker you can find the complete music in programs ,
demos, etc. and save them to disk. Saves in format suitable for
most track player programs. Works with loads of programs!!
I
.
FOR THE A500/1 000
vg _
A2000 VERSION
AVAILABLE
i .SSe*
PLEASE STATE WHICH COMPUTER
YOU HAVE WHEN ORDERING
THE NEW MK If VERSION is
HERE!!
NOW WITH A MASSIVE 128K OPERATING SYSTEM IN ROM OFFERING
EVEN MORE COMMANDS...
€> AUTOFIRE MANAGER
From the Action Replay II preference screen you can now set up
autofire from 0 to 100%. Just imagine continuous fire power?
Joystick 1 and 2 are set separately for that extra advantage!
® DISKCODER
With the new "Diskcoder" option you can now 'tag 1 your disks with a
unique code that will prevent the disk from being loaded by anyone
else. 'Tagged" disks will only reload when you enter the code.
Very useful for security.
O' PREFERENCES
Action Replay II now has screen colour preferences with menu
setup. Customise your screens to suit your taste. Very simple to
use. * •
• - r *
O DISK MONITOR
Invaluable disk monitor • displays disk information in easy to
understand format. Full modify/save options.
© DOS COMMANDS
Now you have a selection of DOS commands available at all times -
DIR, FORMAT, COPY, DEVICE, etc.
© DISK COPY
Disk Copy at the press of a button - faster than Dos Copy. No need
to load Workbench - available at all times.
6 BOOT SELECTOR
Either DF0 or DF1 can be selected as the boot drive when working
with Amiga Dos disks. Very useful to be able to boot from your
external drive.
PLUS A MACHINE CODE FREEZER MONITOR WITH EVEN MORE POWER!!
MORE FEAHJREqtfNCLUDlNG 80 COLUMN DISPLAY AND 2 WAY SCROLLING...
Full M68000 Assembler/Disassembler © Full screen editor © Load/Save block Write String to memory
Jump to specific address O Show Ram as text @ Show frozen picture © Play resident sample
Show. and edit all CPU registers and flag 0 Calculator © Help command ® Full search feature
Unique Custom Chip Editor allows you to see and modify all chip registers - even write only registers! Notepad
Disk handling - show actual track, Disk Sync, pattern etc. © Dynamic Breakpoint handling
Show memory as HEX, ASCII, Assembler, Decimal © Copper Assemble/Disassemble - now with suffix names
JREMEMBER AT ALL T0MES YOU ARE 3NTERROGAT0NG THE PROGRAM IN HT8
: “FROZEN" STATE WTO ALL MEMORY AND REGISTERS mTMOT
- INVALUABLE FOR DE-BUGGSMQ
OR JUST THE INQUISITIVE!
©
©
0
©GET YOUR ACTION REPLAY II rAST.
TELEPHONE (24 Hrs) •. [»>*»>« EMOri • CREDIT CARD ORDERS
WE WILL DESPATCH YOUR ORDER QUICKLY & EFFICIENTLY TO ENABLE YOU TO START RECEIVING THE BENEFTTS OF YOUR PURCHASE WITHIN DAYS NOT WEEKS -
ORDERS NORMALLY D E S PAT^pWlTHIN 48 Hf». ALL PRICES JfcLU^g^^CHEOUES POSTAl OROERS MADE PAYABLE TO^. iHHHi
GOVAN ROAD, FI
~ , w ') r ~
IUSTRIAL ESTATE, FENTON, STOKE-ON-TRENT, ST4 2RS, ENGLAND
ECHNICAL/CUSTOMER SERVICE 0782 744324
THE ANSWER
TO YOUR
DISK
DUPLICATION
PROBLEMS
FOR ONLY
P Y AVAILABLE FOR
AMIGA
ST
PC COMPATIBLES
*PC VERSION £69.00
THE
ilml •
A NEW WORLD OF POWER
IS HERE!
m
SYNCRO EXPRESS IS A HIGH SPEED DISK DUPLICATION SYSTEM THAT WILL PRODUCE COPIES OF YOUR DISK
IN AROUND 50 SECONDS!!
Syncro Express requires a second drive & works by controlling it as a slave device & ignoring the computer disk
drive controller chip whereby high speeds & great data accuracy are achieved.
• • • •
m
Menu driven selection for Start Track/End Track - up to 80 tracks. 1 side, 2 sides.
D Very simple to use, requires no user knowledge. Also duplicates other formats such as IBM, MAC etc.
Ideal for clubs, user groups or just for your own disks. No more waiting around for your disks to copy.
Probably the only duplication system you will ever need!
THE LATEST CUSTOM LSI CHIP TECHNOLOGY
By using an on-board Custom LSI Chip, Syncro Express has the power to transfer an . > a\V
MFM image of the original disk directly to your blank disk - quickly, simply and
without any user knowledge. One external disk drive* is required for AMIGA/ST.
SYNCRO EXPRESS IS AVAILABLE FOR THE ST/AMIGA/PC SYSTEMS - PLEASE
STATE WHICH REQUIRED WHEN ORDERING
*lf you don't have a second drive we can supply
SYNCRO EXPRESS together with a drive for
ONLY £104.99 (AMIGA)
ONLY £119.99 (ST)
WARNING 1988 COPYRIGHT ACT WARNING
Datel Electronics Ltd., neither condones nor authorises the use o< it's products for the reproduction of
copyright material.
The backup facilities of this product are designed to reproduce only software such as Public Domain
material, the users own programs or software where permission to make backups has been clearly given
It is illegal to make copies, even for your own use. of copynght material, without the express
permission of the copynght owner, or the licencee thereof
1
-
HOW TO GET YOUR
TELEPHONE (24 Hrs) - GHD3lEI5E0 ■ CREDIT CARD ORDERS
WE WILL DESPATCH YOUR ORDER QUICKLY & EFFICIENTLY TO ENABLE YOU TO START RECIEVING THE BENEFITS OF YOUR PURCHASE WITHIN DAYS, NOT WEEKS.
ORDERS NORMALLY DESPATCHED WITHIN 48 Hr*. ALL CHEOUESPOSTAL ORDERS MADE PAYABLE TO...
DA-EL ELSCT^OnlCS- LTD.,
GOVAN ROAD, FENTON INDUSTRIAL ESTATE, FENTON, STOKE-ON-TRENT, ST4 2RS, ENGLAND
TECHNICAL/CUSTOMER SERVICE 0782 744324
v . ' >
■ - - v
Kbk-
QUALITY
GUARANTEE
All our products carry our full
replacement no quibble
guarantee
REMEMBER!!!
We only supply Quality
Beware of cheap imitations
TELESALES HOTLINES
0782 208228
Cheques and PCs to:-
Media Direct Dept AMC
Unit 19 The Business Park
Bedford Street, Shelton
Stoke-on-Trent, ST1 4PZ
All Prices inc VAT
Please add £2.95 P&P per Order
Next Day delivery £10.00
U.K. ORDERS ONLY
UB4
STACKABLE STORAGE
BOXES
BANXBOX
holds 90 3.5’disks
can be stacked horizontally
and vertically
1 off £9.00 each
3+ £8.50 each
5+ £8.00 each
THE AMAZING POSSO BOX
holds 150 3.5* disks & can be
stacked horizontally or
vertically
only £15.95
DISK STORAGE BOXES
3.5' 1 00 CAPACITY £5.50
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All the above have lock & dividers
3.5" 10 CAPACITY £0.95
or 10 for £7.50
AMAZING OFFERS ON
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SPECIAL OFFER
200 DSDD DISKS & £Q-| QC
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FOR BULK BUYERS
3.5" DSDD 135tpi DISKS
500 £1 87.50
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1000 £330.00
**
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Standard 50 or 1 00 capacity boxes when
purchased with disks
**
UMITED OFFER
ONLY
BRANDED DISKS
SONY or
VERBATIM
100 3.5" DSDD
only £69.95
100 5.25" DSDD
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3.5" HIGH DENSTTY DISKS
All disks 100% cert & error free
10 £9.95
25 £24.45
50 £47.50
75 £69.75
100 £89.95
inc. Labels
SWI TCHES AND CAB LES
2 WAY DATA SWITCHES:-
SERIAL £12.95
PARALLEL £1Z95
PAR. PRN CABLES.. .£7.95|
5.25" DSDD DISKS
All disks 1 00% cert & error free
50 £12.95
100 £23.95
150 £35.25
200 £45.95
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MINI REVIEWS 38, WELLTRIS 40,
CADAVER 43, BATTLE COMMAND 45,
INDIANAPOLIS 500, ROBOCOP 2,
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MINI REVIEWS 55
Amiga Computing 37
Puzznic
Supplier: Ocean
Price: £24.95
Transportation plays a major part in
this Ocean puzzle game. As with all
games of this type, there is a time
factor involved. In Puzznic there's a
count-down while you struggle to
match up blocks of the same
colour or pattern. When two or
more likewise blocks rest adjacent,
either vertically or horizontally, they
all flash and disappear. The object
of Puzznic is therefore to remove all
the blocks from the screen by care-
ful manoeuvring.
The game does need real care,
since you can only move your
blocks sideways. To get them to go
down just push them over an edge
and gravity takes its course. With
only two of each type of brick It is
simplicity itself to sort out a screen.
Where it starts to get tricky is when
there are three blocks, and two are
very near each other. Remove
those two, whether by design or
accident, and you're scuppered,
with one block remaining.
Puzznic doesn't boast great
graphics or sound, but after a cou-
ple of screens It becomes fiendishly
clever, requiring more and more
forethought before you continue
playing. Thumbs up time as this is a
refreshing alternative to Tetris,
Welltris et al.
Betrayal
Supplier: Microprose
Price: £24.95
Give me a game where treach-
ery is the altar on which friends
are sacrificed, where nefarious
deeds are not just the order of
the day, but one of the Ten
Commandments, and where
tongues have more forks than a
set of stainless steel cutlery from
Sheffield, and I'll give you a knife
in the back.
Generosity is a strong charac-
ter trait of mine. In games like
Betrayal, I give away a lot of
knives.
This Rainbird offering has been
touted as the next biggy after
Midwinter, but alas lacks the cut-
ting edge to take it there. The aim
is to secure a majority of courtiers
in both the court of the king and
bishop, and then install your own
puppet rulers, making you
Mister/Ms Big. To this end, you
travel around the poorly drawn
land of the West Marches, cap-
turing villages belonging to the
other knights - four players, in any
human/computer combination -
flogging your own peasants and
harvesting the land for cash, then
eventually buying more seats in
the two courts. Alternatively find
blasphemous evidence against
someone and blackmail them
out.
Betrayal is a reasonable game,
but is hardly distinctive or impres-
sive in any way, and those graph-
ics look like they were designed
on a C64.
• u * 1
($v\x\c\u )«?
UOUt
Wolfpack
Supplier: Microprose Price: £24.95
Achtung, achtung, das
Englanders vost dropping das
depthun chargun, mein Kapitanl
And 30 seconds later it was all
over for poor Fritz as U-141 collect-
ed a one way ticket to the bot-
tom of the ocean. Unfortunately I
happened to be the German
captain that was going down, in
the Mirrorsoft tale of aquatic ser-
vice during World War II.
As captain of a U-boat, you not
only have to worry about what
the Allies are doing over your
head, and whether you can fulfill
your mission objectives - there are
loads including a design your own
scenario kit - but also where you
left the other submarines in your
wolfpack. If you leave them to
the vagaries of computer intelli-
gence they can end up any-
where, and usually it's on the sea
bed, so you need to take control
of each while arranging elabo- I
rate traps and manoeuvres to fool I
the Allied escort ships.
One main screen is utilised in
Wolfpack, which explains why the
game has a fiddly nature - com-
pounded by the slight unrespon-
siveness of the mouse clicks - but
if you can be bothered learning
them, there are keyboard equiva-
lents for all the controls.
Graphics are pretty good until I
you get close up to something,
then the image simply becomes a
jumble of bit mapped blocks. For
all its faults this is still a fab game
and will keep you happy until I
Silent Service II surfaces on the
Amiga.
38 Amiga Computing
/
The official Commodore repair centre is now open for business
At the Commodore Notional Repair Centre we have over 100
highly trained technicians committed to repairing and
maintaining your Amiga and C64 computers.
Our expertise and experience ensures that your computer is
repaired to the highest standard for the lowest cost. And we
will repair your equipment within 12 days.
One low payment covers diagnosis, repair, ports, labour
and return corriage.
And os an extra bonus, if you reply before
December 1 Oth we’ll send you an
award winning software title.
To schedule a repair simply call the number below.
Be ready to give us your name, address, computer type,
serial number and type of foult.
Call the Commodore National Repair Centre NOW on
Payment accepted by cheque, PO and credit card. The charges
are £39.95 for the C64, and £49.95 for the Amiga 500
and remember, all colls prior to December 10th receive
FREE SOFTWARE
m
Commodore
Ordinary people doing ordinary things, so Russians don't have three heads and eat babies as we've been told
WELLTRIS
Infogrames Price: £24.99
W elltris, or 'Tetris: the
Sequel' if you prefer, is
the long awaited follow
up to the arcade classic Tetris, one
of the most successful logic games
ever.
The action takes place in the 3D
well on the left of the screen. The
aim of the game is to guide the vari-
ous shapes down the walls of the
well, rotating them if necessary, so
that they fit perfectly with the
pieces already on the floor. You
have to do this without leaving
gaps, or pieces resting against the
walls of the well.
Allow a piece to come to rest on
the wall of the well, and the entire
wall section is blocked for the next
three falling pieces. When all four
walls are blocked it's time for the
immortal words ‘Game Over'.
Sounds simple? If you can think
Publisher:
and react fast enough it is, if you
can't, however. It can be a very dif-
ferent story.
After sliding down the wall of the
well, pieces continue to slide across
the floor until they're either stopped
by coming into contact with anoth-
er piece or the opposite wall of the
well. As a piece falls it can be
moved around the walls of the well,
providing they're not blocked, and
when it reaches the desired point
of entry to the well floor, pressing
the space bar sends the piece fly-
ing down to a perfect fit with its
companions.
The higher the piece on the wall
when released, the more points
scored. When a line is completed
across the well floor either horizon-
tally or vertically, it disappears,
allowing room for more pieces to
fall.
The screen displays depict vari-
ous aspects of Soviet society and
as the difficulty levels change, so
does the scenery. Anyone able to
make it past Alexey should contact
MENSA, and start donating to a
sperm bank immediately (er, unless
you're a girly- Ed).
Like many essentially simple con-
cepts, the closer you look the more
complex things become. Any
game which possesses these quali-
ties is invariably a good one. No
doubt Alexey Pajitnov will do for
home computing what Professor
Rubik did for coffee tables.
Graphics
Strange would not be an unfair
description. The actual gameplay
graphics are adequate, being more
functional than decorative. As for the
screen shots, they're pleasant
enough and do add an extra goal to
the game rather than just increasing
your score.
Sound
Thin on the ground, mostly short sam-
ples, with a jingle at the end of each
level. The samples are played, for
example, whenever a line is complet-
ed just before it disappears. My per-
sonal favourite is a nice metallic
crunch as blocks slam together when
a line is removed. There is music,
again with a Russian flavour but
unfortunately, it's dreadful (thankful-
ly you can turn it off).
Gameplay
Basically simple and repetitive, which
nevertheless requires considerable
co-ordination of hand and eye, espe-
cially when things start to speed up.
The real game is played in your mind
as you desperately try to calculate
the possibilities while the piece
makes its inevitable slide to the floor
of the well.
Be warned, you could become
addicted, it's the sort of game you
may tire of but will always come back
to. If you’re a Tetris fan, the game's a
must, and I’ve no doubt you will find
it worth every penny, literally adding
a new dimension to an already classic
game.
I lf you're new to Alexey's work but
are looking for something different
and challenging for your collection,
this could well be the one.
When you're in the red, getting around can be a
real problem, things could be worse
Here's the man himself, watching you, watching
him, watching you, eh?
40 Amiga Computing
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Publisher:
D oes the thought of wan-
dering alone through a
deep, dark, dungeon fill
you with the urge to wet your
armour and shout for your Mum?
You're not alone! Fortunately, the
good old Bit Map Brothers have
come up with the wimp's alterna-
tive: Cadaver.
Yes, I know it's a silly title, and no
it isn't some form of rhyming slang.
It is however, an excellent graphic
adventure. Produced in the - now
familiar - 3D isometric format (in the
style of Treasure Trap) and for those
people with very long memories,
the Ultimate series on something
called a Spectrum.
Fortunately we've come a long
way since the days when every-
thing was in one colour and the
sound was enough to make you
turn the game off. Cadaver is a
fine example of the state of the art.
It s based upon the continuing
adventures of Karadoc. Fancy call-
ing a kid that. Some people, hon-
estly!
Anyway, your mission and
indeed his, is to explore Castle
Wulf, dealing with the objects,
monsters and people you meet on
your travels, as well as the numer-
ous puzzles which need to be
solved before you encounter the
final task, namely, killing the evil
necromancer Dianos. Familiar sce-
nario for adventure freaks?
What Cadaver lacks in originali-
ty, it more than makes up for in real
quality. The action takes place in
the 3D dungeons, rooms and pas-
sages of Castle Wulf and Karadoc
is moved around this little world
with a joystick (as indeed are all his
functions).
If you want to pick up an object,
move Karadoc next to the
required item. This activates a num-
ber of icon options relevant to that
particular object, you can then
pick it up, use it, drink it, examine it
and so on, depending on the icons
activated.
Certain items however, cannot
be picked up and may only be
pushed, dragged, or used in the
room in which they were found.
There are a large number of icons
which become available depend-
ing upon the item being used and
the situation Karadoc is presently
involved in. This can make interac-
tion with both characters and
objects quite complex and also
makes for some interesting puzzles.
Many items can be found on
your travels and these fall into four
broad categories, the first being
food and drink.
Food is usually found in chests
and drink usually in barrels, but be
careful, always examine what's in
the barrel before you guzzle it
down.
The second category is best
described as a collection of utili-
ties, items which are needed to
proceed in the quest, such as keys,
ropes, weapons and so on.
The third section consists of mag-
ical items, and these can be
weapons, healing potions, and
various spells for more abstract
uses such as learning what certain
potions may be used for.
The Main Screen is the window
to Karadoc 's world, it displays your
present position in the game, giv-
ing all the details you need to
know concerning Karadoc and
the items he finds.
There's a rucksack which, in the
interests of safe keeping, stores all
your goodies. They can be viewed
as a whole, or scrolled individually.
■■■■■■■■■■■■■Ml
Graphics
Excellent, giving real texture to the
game, and creating a wonderful
atmosphere with subtle additions
such as the flickering lamps, and
mushrooms growing as Karadoc wan-
ders by.
Sound
This takes the form of individual sam-
ples - footsteps, screams and the
like. All the sounds are extremely
convincing, but, and this is probably
the only ‘but’ in the game, there is no
background music.
OK, it’s not a big problem, and it
probably would’ve been turned off if
it was there anyway. However, it may
have added significantly to the atmo-
sphere of the game.
Gameplay
Again, excellent. Controlling Karadoc
and the items he uses is quite
straightforward, given a little prac-
tice. One of my favourite aspects of
the game’s design is the difficulty
level, which is pitched just right •
hard enough to be a challenge, but
not impossible. Which in the long run
will save you lots of money on Valium
and smashed up computer equip-
ment. The game, like a good book,
seems to have real depth.
What else can I say apart from ’buy
it!’ If you're looking for a stocking
filler for Crimbo, you would have to
go a long way to beat this one.
In the first room of the adventure
you'll find a personal log book.
Examining it provides details on
your health, score, and the per-
centage of completion of the pre-
sent level.
A map is activated by pressing
FI and the result is a display of the
rooms you've entered. Maps can
be scrolled and zoomed at will.
Up to 10 individual quests can
be saved via a separate disk and
loaded as required, however there
is a price to be paid.
The further you progress in the
quest, the more money a subse-
quent save will cost. There is some
good news, at least loading is free!
Solve the difficult puzzle and you can claim
a wonderful prize (Crackerjack, right?)
With such a corkingly perfect map, no more
scribbling on bits of paper!
It may be in your incredibly stuffed rucksack
but what do you do with it?
Amiga Computing 43
Please rush me a copy of Bug-Bash/Nucleus
1 enclose a cheque/postal order for £12.99 ,
To order by Access or Visa
plus £1.00 post and packaging i
1
NAME 1
i
RING
ADDRESS i
I
i
POSTCODE ■
071 ■ 281 9022
1
Also available from your local computer store
MICROTEC ENTERTAINMENT, 61 STROUD GREEN ROAD, LONDON N4 3EG.
BATTLE
COMMAND
Ocean Price: £24.99
A majestically-
sweeping land-
scape is the
theatre in which
you'll play out
thrilling battles
From foreground
to horizon, tanks
of every side are
rumbling into
play...
Publisher:
W hen Carrier Command
was released a couple
of years ago mouths
dropped open in amazement. It
was one of the few games that
could honestly be described as
awesome!
It wasn't until weeks later that
everyone realised it had bugs and
playability flaws .^Realtime Software,
the creators of that epic, haven't
done anything since then, except
work on Battle Command which,
they hasten to point out, is not a
sequel. It just has the word
'Command' in it.
Battle Command will appeal to
lovers of Battlezone, and to north-
erners who harbour resentment
against southerners. Why? Because
the plot has north facing south,
deadlocked in an Ultra War.
You. as a Northerner in your
one-man tank full of sophisticated
electronics, are dropped behind
enemy lines and have 15 or so mis-
sions to try to alter the course of the
war. Or get blown up. which is the
more likely.
The missions on offer range from
straight blasting exercises to
destroying particular objectives.
You're also racing to pick up a
satellite from behind enemy lines,
leaving time-bombs on runways,
shelling inaccessible bases, and -
possibly the most varied - defend-
ing a bridge while your own forces
pull back across It, then getting
across yourself and blowing it up.
You can tool up with a number of
Infra-red and radar guided missiles,
a time-bomb, anti-missile lasers, a
mortar, wire guided missiles. IR
decoys, chaff and anti-armour sys-
tems. You don't get mines though,
which is a serious oversight. You
can't install everything because
you only have four weapon pods,
so armament needs to reflect mis-
sion requirements.
Once you get dropped off and
are under way, you'll notice the
screen has become 320 x 200 pixels
- ie, sized to suit the American mar-
ket. A scanner, your weapons pods.
speed indicators and the main 3D
display outside are your primary
sources of information, as well as a
damage display screen just like
Carrier. Except you can't repair
damage, and there is no way you
can re-arm. capture armament, or
organise a supply drop - something
of a pity really.
The 3D graphics are smooth and
decidedly impressive when there
are large numbers of tanks on the
move at once. They travel at a fair
lick too, and the action is always
thick and fast. Geographical fea-
tures are minimal, the odd tree and
I Graphics
Fast and smooth, but the scenery
often looks like MacDonalds has paid
a visit at times. It’s flat and empty,
save for the odd shrub and low hill.
The installations are nicely realised,
and the tanks themselves all zip
around impressively.
Sound
The music is a little flat, but the
sound effects are crisp enough,
without you sitting there gob
smacked. It’s all rather rudimentary
really.
Gameplay
The game isn’t going to win any
Oscars for depth, as it consists of
firing away at tanks and installations.
However it is frantic fun, and the
missions give the game considerable
variety and increase its longevity no
end. Simple, but satisfying.
hill here and there. You cannot
drive up the hills or hide on the
down-slopes and ambush anyone,
but you can disappear behind
them to avoid being shot at.
The missions make the most of
what is, despite the interesting mis-
siles and weapons, a simple game.
If you were hoping to get a tank
version of Carrier Command then
you're in for a disappointment,
since it comes across more as
Battlezone with solid graphics and
missions.
It is a good game however, and
completing the 15 or so missions will
take you no little time. These are
what lend variety, because one
minute you're sneaking towards a
hidden base, ready to fire mortar
shells at it because you can't actu-
ally see it. and then the next you
are frantically trying to defend a
bridge while your own troops strag-
gle across.
If you were hoping for a sequel
to Carrier Command, you've done
so in vain, but if what you were
looking for was an all action, tank
blasting, monster battle simulation,
Christmas has just arrived...
D«nun«trnt Ion M«m1»
Although the graphics are not especially...
Danonitratiun Motlw
...impressive, this is an all-action, blaster...
D»non«tration Horta
...of a game which will thrill to the last shell
Amiga Computing 45
fowetme* the
SO WHEN ITS LIFE OR DEATH
Situation Allow
CONFLICT ON YOUR COMPUTER CAME
fto Second
YOU CAN RELY ON CONTRIVER!
Chance* • . •
BREEDER OF SMART MICE!
e u r o p e ltd
cnncRH
V 1 CM:
1 t« < » » »i
1 V
11 Cl! 1 MO
S K V
REPLAV
TRACK
CRASH
Exciting action can be replayed so you don't miss anything...
I ndianapolis 500 is the latest
game from Electronic Arts and
focuses, strangely enough, on
the legendary American speedway
race. Now you may think that to
base a game idea on 200 circuits
of an oval track which might take
three hours to complete is the
mobile equivalent of a text-only
adventure about coarse fishing,
but you'd be (mostly) wrong.
Although the idea itself is boring in
the extreme to anyone but a total
speed-freak. EA's implementation
of the racing experience is rather
more exciting.
The scenario is simple. You are a
driver with one of three teams,
hoping to steer your car to victory.
And apart from a few fine tuning
options, whereby you can fiddle
with things such as tyre pressures,
wing angles, and the number of
sandwiches you'll need for the trip,
there appears to be nothing more
to this game than driving as fast as
you can without crashing until the
bloke with the chequered flag tells
trackside wall, while worrying about
other drivers lapping you rather
than slamming into your rear end.
the game becomes something
more than a high speed merry-go-
round. What it becomes, in fact, is
the most challenging and addictive
racing game to appear for a long
time.
Speed is what makes this game
work. Your cockpit is little more than
few laps hopelessly oversteering
until I grew used to it. After that, you
soon realise that the ability to make
small repeated changes to your
cornering line is essential if you are
to negotiate the long, sweeping
bends without losing yards of paint
to the boundary walls.
Ten minutes of practice with a
clear track should see you
competent enough to tackle a ten
Graphics
Excellent. The cars look like real
racing cars and they move like them
too. Screen update is fast, if a little
jerky, and there are nice touches like
IndyCam and the bits which fly off
when you crash.
Sound
Good enough for what it does. The
engine noises are throaty and you
can actually hear other cars getting
louder as they catch you, with nice
doppler effects when they zoom
past. Crashes are a bit duff, but you
can sometimes hear clanging noises
as exhausts and things fly off.
■■■■■■■ I
Gameplay
| The biz. Fast and ferocious action,
especially when mixing it with a pack
| of competitors, coupled with
sensitive and responsive controls.
INDIANAPOLIS 500
Publisher: Ocean Price: £24.99
you to stop. Until you start driving
that is ...
At this stage the game's filled
vector graphics really steal the
show. From the moment you push
forward on the joystick to
accelerate out of the pit lane on
practice day, the sheer speed of
play is gob-smacking. When you're
nose-to-tail at 225mph and trying to
judge the gap between the car in
front and the ever-present
a foot or so from the track surface,
so everything tends to blip past you
at nauseating velocities, and this
effect is aided by the very slightly
jerky screen update. It's notoriously
difficult to convey the feeling of
speed but Indie manages the task
very well.
Steering can be controlled by
joystick, keyboard, or mouse, and in
all cases is very responsive. In fact,
it's so responsive that I spent my first
lap novices' race, with no yellow
flags to slow things down and no
car damage (this is a godsend)
should you, heaven forbid, collide
with another car or a stationary
distraction, such as spectators. This
is where IndyCam comes in.
IndyCam is the obligatory action
replay facility, and allows you to
freeze the action at any time to
review the last 10 seconds or so of
the race from almost any angle
and camera position. This is loads of
fun and adds considerably to
gameplay because it also enables
you to replay your cornering efforts
and judge how close you came to
the optimum line (or alternatively,
how much carnage you caused).
Unfortunately, this is the only
added extra the program offers,
and it's in this department that I
have the most gripes. Why is it that
we can fly head-to-heads in F-l 6s
but not in lowly automobiles? With
a two player, split-screen option or
even a team management
section, this game would have
been the dog's vitals of the genre.
As it stands, it is a (slightly) flawed
masterpiece which I can
recommend to any fan of the
sport, but if you're not particularly
into race games or motor sport,
then you'd be advised to try
before you buy, as the otherwise
limited scenario and gameplay
probably won't grab your interest
for very long.
CAMERA
V 1 EM :
1 t< C Alt
T V
BCHIMD
SK V
REPLRV
TRACK
CRASH
CAMERA
V 1 Ell :
1 H CAR
TV
BEHI HD
SKV
c v f>irz.v\ 1 1/^ 4
ryyji /
i # i V ' cs aar - -.
INDY l
CAMERA
nci’i o v
IH CAR
BCHIHD
TRACK
TV
SK V
CRASH
1001 eager fans and a clear track ahead
Crash the car and watch those bits fly off!
Amiga Computing 47
An endless sideways-scrolling procession...
...of heinous cyborg foes dog Robo's...
...every step as he tries desperately to...
...redress the balance of power between...
...good and evil. What will be the...
...outcome of this vicious battle?
R0B0C0P2
Publisher: Ocean Price: £24.99
W hether it was due to
cross media marketing,
or whether the video
inspired thousands of would-be
Murphys to rush into their local soft-
ware supermarket, or indeed
whether it was simply a very good
game, there's no denying that
Robocop (the game) has been an
astounding success story for
Ocean. Can the sequel possibly live
up to that sort of performance?
Read on and find out.
Robocop is a man in a can with
a mission. A mission to clean up the
streets and stop the flow of designer
drug nuke’ through the arteries of
old Detroit. This takes place over a
scant three levels, inside various
nuke producing factories, and end-
ing with a confrontation with the
Robocop 2 model on the streets of
Detroit.
On the first level the object is to
arrest a sidekick of the drug lord
Cain, while collecting 10 packets of
nuke for destruction. This accom-
plished. you can go on to find the
actual drugs laboratory and
destroy it while going on to arrest
Cain.
In the final showdown, you fight
your way through another of these
warehouses to confront Cain again.
Graphics
Graphics arc razor sharp. Digitised
screens abound as you start each
level, try to remember your missus,
and finally complete the game. The
sprites for the characters are
excellent, with Robocop gleaming
away, and the totally impressive
animation.
now firmly chopped up and fitted
inside the Robocop 2 casing, and
hopefully blow him to bits. Alas you
don't get to see Cain go on the
murderous rampage that he did in
the film, but that's memory limita-
tions for you...
Memory also plays a part in one
of the two sub-games which
appear between the levels. After a
digitised picture of Murphy's wife, a
simple board containing chips and
obstructions appears. The object is
apparently simple. Just move from
one chip to another in whatever
order you like, until you have cov-
ered all of them.
It would be simple if it wasn't
for the fact that you
cannot retrace your steps, and
some chips are positioned so the
there is only one way in. There's a
Sound
There are three slices of aural accom-
paniment (er, sound I think • Ed) to
the game, though none run while the
game is being played. All are good
enough to one degree or another.
The sound effects do stand out
though, mainly because they have
been sampled, and the resounding
bark of Robocop's gun is suitably
crisp.
time limit too. There are three of
these circuits to complete, each of
which restores a picture of Murphy's
pre-mutilated face as he starts to
remember his former life. Complete
all three and you get a bonus con-
tinue option when you've lost all
three lives in the main game.
The other sub game involves tar-
geting your weapon on criminals
who pop up In a firing range-like
screen. The more hits you make, the
easier the villains will be to kill in the
next level. Conversely, make a mess
here and the game suddenly gets
hideously difficult.
The main sprite for our man in a
can is hugely impressive as he plods
his 16-coloured way around the
screen blasting hither and
thither. Sampled sound effects for
the weapon, which can be
Gameplay
Like the Scales of Justice, the game-
play is finely balanced. Sure, it's
i tough, sure, you keep getting
i squashed or falling into vats, but it’s
h fun. It's worth dusting yourself off,
girding your all-metal codpiece and
giving those evil drug dealers a taste
of lead-jacketed justice. Robocop 2
is just a wonderful orgy of non-stop
: violence.
upgraded to produce three-way
fire and rapid fire, make for violent
and exciting entertainment.
Robocop has the usual range of
moves, being able to fire at diago-
nals as well as up and sideways,
and he can squat to duck from fire,
while still spraying it around himself.
Energy can slowly crumple as
Robo takes hits, but this can be
replenished by walloping contain-
ers which may disgorge extra ener-
gy, a weapon power up, or some-
thing fiendish like reversing direc-
tion.
A status line can be called up to
give the situation on how many
cans of nuke are still required to be
collected, and how many hostages
have been rescued. Rescue
enough hostages and you get an
extra life.
There may only be three main
levels, but what's packed into them
is going to keep you occupied for
some time. Boy is this game tough.
There are hundreds of villains out to
ventilate you, stomper platforms
can squash you like o bug. and col-
lapsing platforms and other traps
can dump you in rather messy situ-
ations.
It is by far the best film conver-
sion of the year and should be
number one for months.
48 Amiga Computing
RETURN THE COUPON FOR FREE COLOUR RROCHURES
Commodore A500
Flight Of Fantasy
AMIGA
|\V\W\V\W
Flight of Fantasy is the very latest Amiga 500 pack from Commodore,
featuring BRAND NEW software releases, to make this the most spec-
tacular A500 pack ever! The pack features the Amiga 500 computer
with mouse controller and TV modulator, as well as four top software
titles. These include the following:
The ultimate >n flight simulation with a choice
of two aircraft and four battle environments
with dozens of different tactical missions.
Aenai combat, strategic bombings, interac-
tive ground based battles, seagoing carriers
the list of 'eatures is endless heal time
cockpit displays including 'true radar'
enhance the realistic feel of this stunning
simulation
The high quality graphics program that
set the standard for other Amiga art
packages Deluxe Paint II includes
powerful, easy to use tools tnat bring
out the artist in you Create master-
pieces. presentations. 30 perspectives
or just doodle
Here's something completely different
• a science fiction story with comic
book style graphics Our heroes Jake
and Duke are on the Planet X rescu-
ing Humans who have been captured
by the Robot Monsters and forced to
create an evil Robot Army to DESTROY
EARTH! Jake and Duse fight their way
through hordes of evil Robots to help
the Humans escape
PACK INCLUDES:
A500 Computer & Mouse £399.99
A520 TV Modulator £24.99
Deluxe Paint II £49.95
Escape/Robot Monsters £19.99
Rainbow Islands £24.95
F29 Retaliator £24.95
TOTAL RRP: £544.82
Less Pack Saving: £14532
PACK PRICE: £399.00
For the more serious or professional applica-
tions user. Commodore have a selection of
systems based around the expandable Amiga
2000. at prices from £1295+ VAT. The A2000
features a full 1Mb RAM (expandable to 9Mb),
9 system expansion slots, plus IBM com-
patibility with the use of PC-XT or PC-AT
bridgeboards. Complete and return the
coupon, putting a tick A .
in the A2000 box, for
details of A2000 com- mmB M
puter systems. ♦vat- £1489 25
Slip on your magic shoes. practise
throwing a rainbow and you re ready
to go aland hopping From the Island
of Doh to Monster Island, you will en-
counter Doh himself, stinging insects,
letnal combat machines, mechanics'
assailants, the formidable beings of
legend and folklore Finally enter the
world of darkness and its inhabitants
The Commodore A500 Batman Pack must
surely ran< as one of the most popular com-
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mouse controller and TV modulator, plus
four top software titles. The software in-
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II • top quality Amiga graphics package
which set the standard for others to follow.
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PACK INCLUDES:
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TOTAL RRP: £549.78
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you buy it Consider what it will be like a lew months after ouymg your Amiga, when you may require additional
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ILICA
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Publisher: Ocean
Price: £24.99
D ig out your Safari hat
when playing Pang, but if
you're into bloodsports
forget it. In keeping with the sweet
nature of Pang the animals have
been substituted with a series of
bright, cheerful and cute bouncing
balloons.
The fun starts when you manage
to strike the balloons with the futur-
istic harpoon you're armed with, as
on impact the spheres divide into
smaller balloons. These bounce at
varying speeds and cost you a life
if you're unfortunate enough to be
hit by one.
Your mission is to wipe the
bouncing bunnies off the face of
the screen in order to progress in
the game. There is a time limit
though, which becomes tighter as
you move through the levels, dis-
played at the top right hand cor-
ner of the screen.
To make your task more interest-
ing, the balloons are well travelled
and you have to seek them out in
17 locations from Japan to the
island of Paques. There are 50 lev-
els and although the scenery varies
from the mountains of Mt. Fuji to
skyscrapers in New York, it isn't par-
ticularly striking.
The platforms which contain the
bouncing balls are rather like
Arkanoid. Until such times as
you've worked out which direction
to attack, it seems a little out of
place in this game.
What does work well in the
scenery is the generous use of
colour as there are 32 background
colours to cheer up the dullest of
days. The destination map which
you return to after the completion
of each level is simply drawn, but
elsewhere the graphics blend in
well with the design of the game.
The time, for example, is clearly
displayed at the top of the screen,
while the bottom section illustrates
whether you have opted for a one
or two player game, how many of
your six lives you have left and your
score. By having Easy, Normal or
Difficult modes you can play at
whatever speed suits you best,
although you'll need reactions
faster than the speed of light to
progress by the aptly named
Difficult route.
Your weapon can be cashed in
and upgraded depending on
which icon you pick up. There are
masses of them including guns,
dynamite, fruit and vegetables. So
many in fact, that you are best not
to collect too many different ones
as changing firing methods in the
middle of a tight situation often
causes a loss of life. And you have
start the current screen again from
the start.
The laser attachment is good for
zapping a multitude of large
spheres provided you remember to
keep to either side of the balloons
and don't fire from too close a
range if you don't want to get
wasted. The icons not only
enhcnce your arms capacity but
give you other plus advantages
like an hour glass which gives you
extra time, and stop watches
which freeze animation giving you
the chance to give the bouncing
blobs all you have.
Balloons aren't the only hazard
though. A wide variety of birds
and crustaceans like owls and
crabs flap and scuttle around the
screen but are easy to deal with
whatever their nature.
The only problem with this
game is that although it isn't very
taxing skill wise, just calling for a lit-
tle strategy and fast reactions, it is
addictive in the same manner as
Bubble Bobble or Rainbow Islands.
Graphics
Plenty of different locations with
appropriate features but crudely
drawn in places enhance the game.
Still, cartoon like and enjoyable with
nice animation of the bouncing balls,
and neat vignettes of the characters
between levels.
Time is
running out
Sound
Sound is basic in terms of effects,
but there’s catchy background music
continually playing, which as time
starts to run out suddenly becomes
more up beat.
Gameplay
Gameplay ensures Pang is horribly
addictive. Easy to play skill-wise, it
becomes increasingly more difficult
as more and more balloons and
obstacles appear. There are four skill
levels to choose from which affect
the speed of the balloons, but when
there are 20 or so of the blighters
closing in, even the slowest setting is
fast enough.
50 Amiga Computing
POWERMONGER
Publisher: Electronic Arts Price: £24.99
F or a long time it was as if
Powermonger was going to
be Populous 2. After all, the
game featured the same style of
graphics, and was being pro-
grammed by the same program-
mers. As it transpires. Powermonger
is anything but Populous 2, and any
familiarity with the original Populous
will count for little in this game.
Miremer, your ex-kingdom has
gone up in flames and molten ash,
making you take your people to
the seas in order to find a new
home. Arriving at the top left cor-
ner of a large map containing 195
islands, your mission is to conquer
each and every one, by trade,
espionage, and naked steel in the
vitals.
The first few islands are quite
easy to conquer (if two thirds of the
population are under your sway,
this counts as conquered), but get-
ting down towards the bottom
right hand corner of the map, the
opposing armies get bigger and
nastier, requiring food and
resources need to be skillfullyman-
aged. Conquer the final island in
the bottom right corner of the map
and overall victory is yours.
The display is familiar territory for
Populous players, a 3D filled vector
centre display shows the rolling
landscape, numerous surface fea-
tures, towns and centres of popula-
tion, wildlife (sheep!) and of
course, armies. This can be
zoomed into and out, but if you try
to move the map while on max
zoom, you can easily lose track of
what it was you were looking at. It's
best to keep at maximum distance
until a fight breaks out, as all your
men and Captains are displayed
anyway, no matter what the scale.
Initially you start with one
Captain, who is in fact yourself. So
if you get killed in battle then it
doesn't matter how many others
you have, its game over time, and
a particularly gory end scene.
Captains have three aggression
levels (peaceful, neutral, aggres-
sive) which affect how they trade,
the numbers of men they will
recruit in one session and quite
how bloodthirsty they are when
attacking a settlement. Although
initially its great fun to send your
men off on a mad killing spree,
when you get to the harder islands
you need to keep them to the min-
imum force so that all those defeat-
ed troops either end up forming a
new army on your side, or are put
to work harvesting the fields.
Troops can be recruited from any
of your established settlements, but
leaving them empty simply invites
an attack by a rival. The troops will
faithfully follow your Captain, but
only as long as morale is high, food
is plentiful and the weather Is nice.
Forcing an artack in winter (yup
there are seasons along with snow
and rain) can lead to mass deser-
tions if food is scarce, so food man-
agement as well as battle tactics
need to be incorporated in to the
successful powermonger's strategy.
The detail in the graphics and
the continuously evolving world is
astonishing. Every person in the
game has a name, profession, alle-
giance and health rating, sheep
wander the meadows, birds flock to
and fro, and fishermen go out to
sea. Added to this the sound
effects are just brilliant. You can
hear the livestock making
theirown particular noises, the
sound of wood sawing comes
from forests where inventions are
being made, and your Captain
grunts 'Yeah', in tones designed to
tell you how happy he is with your
orders.
Powermonger really is a step
beyond Populous, but it isn't as
immediate. You have to read the
manual, and work out and experi-
ment on courses of action. Initially,
the game is intriguing but baffling
however, bit by bit you get drawn
into the intricate, evolving and
utterly marvellous world of
Powermonger.
Graphics
It isn't that the graphics look
good , it’s that there is just so much
detail. In fact the small map of the
current land is a bit too small for you
to really see where everything is, and
only the clever sound effects lead
you to attack a nearby settlement
rather than half a dozen stunted
trees.
Sound
Sound is fabulous and no mistake.
Where the graphics become too con-
gested it is the effects that save the
day. A large variety of effects alert
you the various events taking place
in your neck of the woods, and even
the tone of your Captain’s voice has
. meaning.
■■■■■■■■■■■■
Gameplay
Powermonger is nowhere near as sim-
ple as Populous, and the straightfor-
ward, up and dice ’em approach may
s work initially but is doomed to fail-
ure later. If you like managing
resources as well as fighting battles
; then this is a treat because the detail
and interaction are amazing. I sus-
pect everyone will buy this game, but
a sizeable number will not play it for
very long. For myself, and many other
people though, Powermonger is
nothing short of sensational.
Amiga Computin 5 1
BLACK MOON
COMPUTERS
B1ACK MOON
+ BLACK MOON PACK
512K RAM, 1 MEGABYTE DISK
DRIVE, TV MODULATOR, MOUSE,
MANUALS & TUTORIAL DISK,
KICKSTART 1.3, WORKBENCH 1.3,
BACK TO THE FUTURE II, DAYS OF
THUNDER, SHADOW OF THE
BEAST II, NIGHT BREED. DELUXE
PAINT II, DISK BOX. MOUSE MAT,
DUST COVER, 10 BLANK DISKS
AND TWO SUPERB JOYSTICKS.
AMIGA 500, KICKSTART 1.3, WORKBENCH 1.3, MANUALS
& TUTORIAL, MOUSE, MODULATOR.
AMIGA 500
SCREEN GEMS
(Standard pack)
369.95
+ BLACK MOON PACK
512K RAM, 1 MEGABYTE DISK
DRIVE. TV MODULATOR, MOUSE,
MANUALS & TUTORIAL DISK,
KICKSTART 1.3, WORKBENCH 1.3,
F29 RETALIATOR, RAINBOW
ISLANDS. E.FT.P.O.T.R.M. DELUXE
PAINT II, DISK BOX. MOUSE MAT.
DUST COVER, 10 BLANK DISKS
AND TWO SUPERB JOYSTICKS.
CM 8833 COLOUR. STEREO
MONITOR 249.95
1 MEGABYTE d.s.
EXTERNAL DRIVE 69.95
512k MEMORY EXPANSION
+ CLOCK 49.95
COMMODORE GS GAMES
CONSOLE 99.95
SEGA MEGADRIVE ...189.95
AMIGA 500
FLIGHT OF FANTASY
(Standard pack)
369.95
AMIGA 500
BATMAN PACK
(Standard pack)
369.95
All our
hardware comes with
1 years GUARANTEE
and FREE
delivery
AMIGA 500
5
CLASS OF 90 1st STEPS
+ BLACK MOON PACK
AMIGA 500, MOUSE MODULATOR,
MANUALS, A501 MEMORY
EXPANSION, PRO WRITE 2.5,
D PAINT II, D PRINT II, INFO FILE,
LOGO, MUSIC MOUSE, TALKING
TURTLE, BBC EMULATOR, BOX OF
10 DISKS, MOUSE MAT, RESOURSE
FILE, INTRO VIDEO, LET'S SPELL AT
HOME. DUST COVER AND TWO
SUPERB JOYSTICKS.
3.5 40 holder with 10 3.5 d.s.d.d 11.99
3.5 40 holder with 20 3.5 d.s.d.d 15.99
3.5 40 holder with 40 3.5 d.s.d.d 27.99
3.5 80 holder with 10 3.5 d.s.d.d 13.99
3.5 80 holder with 40 3.5 d.s.d.d 29.99
3.5 80 holder with 80 3.5 d.s.d.d 49.99
Cheetha 125 7.99
Cheetha starprobe 14.99
Pro 5000 extra 14.99
Konix navigator 14.99
Replacement mouse 29.95
AMIGA A590
2
HARD DRIVE
+ BLACK MOON PACK
20 MEGABYTE HARO DRIVE WITH 2 MEGABYTE
UNPOPULATED BOARD. DISK BOX, MOUSE MAT
AND DUST COVER FOR AMIGA 500,
36A Osborne Street, Colchester, Essex. C02 7DB
CHEQUES AND POSTAL ORDERS PAYABLE TO BLACK MOON. POST AND PACKING FREE IN UK. Overseas charged at cost.
Subject to availability and price change without notice. Some titles may not be released at time of going to press. Shop prices
may vary, but personal callers can claim advertised discounts on production of cut-off slip. All prices include VAT.
r
I
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TITLE
COMP
PRICE
AMC JAN TOTAL £
Name
Address
Tel No.
Have you ordered from us before (yes/no)
i
i
i
Publisher
Melbourne
House Price: £24.99
B arry The Bad, ruler of four
star systems. Lord and
Master over millions of
cowering minions, sneered con-
temptuously as Rorn prostrated
himself at the feet of his conqueror.
“Forgive me, oh Barry, for my inso-
lent attempt to oppose your will.
My life and possessions are yours In
victory. Do with me as you will."
Barry's sneer became a grunt of
disgust. “You unspeakable insect!"
he boomed, raising his hand to
strike the fatal blow, “You will die
very slowly...*
At that moment, however, a
strange figure appeared in the
entrance to his throne room. "Barry I
You haven't washed those dishes
yet, you naughty boy!" Barry
groaned. “For God's sake, mum,
I'm playing Supremacy!"
For all you power-hungry train-
spotters and match box collectors
out there. Supremacy is the latest
sci-fi empire building strategy game
to appear on the Amiga. Not a lot
to excite the old cerebral cortex
there, you might think. What makes
this one so different from all the oth-
ers? Well, in the final analysis, just
about enough to elevate the
game above the average.
It's in the sound and graphics
departments that it makes its
biggest impact. The Intro
sequence, showing a God-like per-
son forming a new universe, is very
nicely done, and is accompanied
by mood-setting music of demo
quality. From here, you might
expect presentation to lapse a bit
as the game gets under way. but
with Supremacy this is definitely not
the case.
You control things from what is
basically a collection of choice
screens activated by mouse clicks,
and in some games these can be a
tad dull. From the first screen
onwards however, Supremacy is a
bit of a visual treat.
Hugely colourful and packed
with info, the screens are easily the
best of their kind I've seen, and
even include spot animation effects
as an added distraction. Sound is
provided as a series of one-offs, the
best of which is the mellow female
voice crooning ’message' every
time one of your opponents wants
to insult you, or a natural disaster
occurs such as ‘coach load of
Leeds United supporters now disem-
barking in Bay 3‘.
All very nice, and supported by
excellent static graphics of the vari-
ous ships you can purchase.
What lets Supremacy down a lit-
tle is the gameplay. In strategy
games, this is by far the most impor-
tant element of all, and the best
graphics in the world are to no avail
if gameplay is sub-standard. I'm not
MM
> CARRIES FOUR FULLY EQUIPPED PLATOOHS IHTO BATTLE.
> TYPE : B-2S BATTLE CRUISER
£Jl>jliLrJ=i ililJjl
-~1 f r! u >! fl“~l ^ LU’3
0 s YOU HAVE
SOOT. : PAYLOAD
: CREDITS! S2S0 :CREDITS
The instrument of oppression or the answer to a despot’s dream?
18U9 I
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EEFFULE ;
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5TPEF10TH
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W2010 ElHTE
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Things are looking good ... time to buy some hardware.
suggesting that Supremacy is actu-
ally sub-standard, it's just
that it doesn't offer anything espe-
cially new.
Your expansionist aims must be
rooted in a sound economy, and in
order to achieve this elusive miracle
you must balance a variety of fac-
tors from tax levels to food produc-
tion and population growth. To its
credit. Supremacy keeps things
tightly inter-connected, such that
lower tax levels will increase morale,
which will lead to higher levels of
‘breeding', and therefore more
people to draft into the armed
forces. However, you soon find that
those same lower tax levels have
left you so skint you can't afford to
equip your new soldiers properly.
As everything happens In real
time, and you can see the effects
of each decision almost instanta-
neously, the game is given a sense
of urgency often missing from oth-
ers of the type.
You soon find yourself clicking
away madly at the mouse In an
effort to juggle all the variables
which affect progress towards uni-
versal omnipotence, and if your first
attempts are anything like mine,
things start hitting the floor quite
quickly.
That, unfortunately, is that. The
presentation initially generates
enough of the 'Cooorrr!' element to
keep interest levels high, but once
this has worn off, content and
gameplay fall just a little short of the
expectations thus created. The
Amiga's sound and graphics capa-
bilities are utilised more fully than is
usual with strategy games, some of
which set out to be as bland as
possible, but its strategy element,
on which it must stand or fall, is just
not original enough to warrant the
window dressing.
All in all. Probe have taken an
average game system and married
it to better than average graphics
to produce a game which, rather
than standing head and shoulders
above the competition, shows just
a hairline and the odd eyebrow.
Graphics
Very nice, with great use of colour
and fine animated effects. The graph-
ics are the best feature of this game
and would look good anywhere.
Spot effects are good, and you're
saved the normally painful use of
continuously playing tunes. Limited
hut
Gameplay
This is where the game falls down a
1 bit. Ho new stuff here - it’s all been
done before. The real time element is
OK, though.
Amiga Computing 53
DAYS OF THUNDER
I f I had the licence to produce
a film tie-in game starring Tom
Cruise and some attractive
girl. I would make sure that there
were plenty of digitised pics show-
ing both leading lights. I would also
incorporate some of the plot and
ingredients that made the film so
memorable.
Faced with the problem of find-
ing anything memorable in Days of
Thunder. Mindscape has instead
side-stepped the entire problem by
simply producing a stock car rac-
ing game with solid 3D graphics.
No pictures of Tom Cruise with his
manly jaw anywhere. Methinks this
is a big lost opportunity here.
Someone ought to tell the folks at
Mindscape that if you proudly flag
a game as being “the only official
game of the film to give you all the
excitement of the big screen',
then you should deliver something
more than a rather tepid and
largely anonymous racing game.
There are five race tracks includ-
ing Daytona - fast banked curves
around a central lake, Atlanta -
deep south, blistering temperatures
and slave plantations, Phoenix - a
one mile oval where speeds of
over 200 mph are reached,
Talladega - cost $4 million to build
and there are apparently 20 million
people living nearby, and
Charlotte - seats 118,000 people
and is in 31 year old racing track.
Those are what you have to race
around to bring home the stock
car Championship.
On your first appearance at a
track, you need to set a fast
enough time to qualify, which is
easier if there are more cars racing
(but that makes the actual races
themselves harder). Unfortunately,
you are not told the time you need
to achieve in order to qualify, but
at the end of a lap that is too slow,
you're told that you haven't quali-
fied.
Still, after five laps, gradually get-
ting faster and learning how to
navigate the very strange angled
bends, you should be ready for the
parade lap. Don't bother driving
around yourself because if you get
out of race order position, you're
instantly disqualified. This lets you
see reasonably good pictures of a
Publisher:
Price:
stock car, but it means you have to
qualify all over again in the next
race. Leave the controls alone and
the computer will drive you around.
And after that, you're off. You have
five gears, accelerator and brake
Mindscape
£ 24.95
to worry about. Just getting round
some of the corners takes some skill,
never mind over-taking the opposi-
tion.
The graphics are solid 3D for the
most part, and look like a pre-pro-
duction version of EA's
Indianapolis 500. What I didn't like
was the representation of the
crowd in the stands. This consisted
of pixels of rapidly flashing differ-
ent colours. Marvellous.
Scrapes In the car are
inevitable, so pulling into the pit-
stop is often required during a
race. As well as being repaired,
you can also alter tyres to affect
handling, change the steering
response, and refuel.
So it all continues around the
course until the required and num-
ber of laps have been completed.
You are then either on your way to
the Championship, or the dole
office.
An amusing aside is that you
can race against a friend on
another machine via a null
modem cable. Mindscape
describes this as a unique feature!
Graphics
The graphics are not that great to
be honest. On High Detail, there sim-
ply isn’t that much detail and the
game is fairly pedestrian. On Low
Detail there’s hardly any and the
game moves at a reasonable lick. The
3D stuff is average with only the pics
of the cars being notable. Ho Tom
Cruise either.
Sound
Whatever the title music is, I hope
it isn’t supposed to have come from
the film. It does sound vaguely famil-
iar but that is probably because
David Whittaker writes an awful lot of
music. Sound effects otherwise are
adequate.
Gameplay
Gameplay is sort of a cross
between Stunt Car Racer and
Indianapolis 500, but not as good as
either. Sluggish until you turn down
the detail, it then lacks atmosphere.
A reasonable driving game, naturally
fun when going head to head with a
friend, but there are opportunities
missed a-plenty in this film conver-
sion.
This is m© . . . honest!
DAYS OF THUNDER OPTION SCREEN
i i
Ready, set, crash!
If that’s a car, I’m a turnip!
54 Amiga Computing
Janies Pond
Supplier: Millenium Price: £24.95
After the rannygazoo over the wit-
less Greenpeace game, which did
the enviromentalists more harm
than good, it's refreshing to see
that most puerile of game formats,
the so called 'cutie', being used to
promote simplistic environmental
messages. James Pond is a fish
with a mission. Twelve missions in
all, which range from rescuing lob-
sters to helping fish to safety
before radioactive canisters send
them on a mad feeding frenzy,
plugging leaks in oil tankers and
rescuing mermaids and orchids.
Well the music is suitably aquat-
ic and impressively jolly, but it's the
excellent graphics which really
deserve a mention. You really feel
this is an Amiga you're playing on.
rather than the Sega-like graphics
of games like Pang. Incredibly
colourful, they also feature eel-
smooth parallax scrolling.
As well as the nasty humans
seeking to stop our fishy hero,
there are nefarious aquatic foes to
combat, which can either kill or
stun poor James, costing him valu-
able time. To these he can blow
bubbles, which encapsulate said
foe. Swimming over the bubble
destroys the enemy within.
There are secret caverns to
explore for bonus points, and plen-
ty of surprises along the way. If you
are looking for a bright and colour-
ful, but most of all hugely enter-
taining game to play then check
out James Pond, environmental
messages and all. He's far more
tasty than Haddock and Chips.
Team Yankee
Supplier: Entertainment International
Price: £24.95
Released around the same time
as Microprose’s Ml Tank Platoon,
Team Yankee offers a different
kind of tanking experience, one
which seeks to evoke the atmo-
sphere and tension of real tank
battles. Much more so than some-
thing so realistic you have to
pause the game every two min-
utes just to see which key to press
next.
Team Yankee is based on the
book of the same name by Harold
Coyle, and some game packages
actually contain a copy of the
book. While I would recommend
reading the book prior to playing,
it isn't necessary as the plot is fully
explained before each battle. The
game includes excerpts from the
book, which is also written in a
pretty turgid style, so don't rush out
looking for it.
The story concerns the com-
mander of Team Ycnkee, which
consists of Ml A1 Abrahms tanks
and mechanised sections. These
are split up into four units, each
containing four vehicles, which
can be ordered into a variety of
formations. Thankfully they do fol-
low your lead, so the prospect of
directly controlling 16 vehicles is
largely avoided.
Small screens appear for each
unit leader, which can be expand-
ed so you can see what is going
on. Strangely enough, the gunnery
system of simply pointing the
mouse cursor and clicking, while
not being in any way realistic,
does stop the game from bogging
down, and with Soviet shells land-
ing all around, the objectives of
simulating the tension and excite-
ment of a tank battle are fully met.
Superbly entertaining and a wel-
come alternative to Tank Platoon.
i^\ii
crss M
jttt ityvcn'uinr
Kills*
Losses*
ChaetecFirst Battle
UMT t
ifsr
m\’ *BHJSS
Amiga Computing 55
(Or buy two - and get them both for
almost a quarter of the normal price)
The three pens that make up the Pentech 200
pen set can stand up to the roughest treatment you
can inflict on them - and still give you best possible
writing quality. The pens, made to the highest standards of
workmanship, are not only robust but are of classic
appearance suitable for all occassions from the home to the
Board Room, from the school essay to the best selling novel
We have made a special purchase of a limited number of
sets and can now offer you this unique, high-quality
writing technology at a price never before possible.
normal retail price is £37.85. But with this special offer you
can buy one set for just £14.95. Buy a second to offer a
colleague as a present and we’ll send you the two sets for £20!
You can buy with confidence. Each
set comes with a lifetime guarantee.
To order, please use the form on Page 114
The three pull-top
pens in their
presentation
case consist of
One cartridge pen
One ballpoint pen
One fine liner
Choose from
smart matt black
or satin chrome
metal finish
—
AMIGA
COMPUTING
Thanks to a breakthrough by Rombo
Productions in frame-grabbing technology,
you can now produce good colour images
quickly and cheaply with Vidi-Amiga and the
VidiChrome colour software.
• Take snapshots in 16 shades live from video
• Multiple frame store
• Dynamic cut and paste
• Full palette control
• Hardware and software control of brightness and contrast
• Compatible with all video standards
"Vidi must be one of the most exciting peripherals you
can buy for your Amiga" - Amiga Computing, March 1990
RRP £134.95*
OUR PRICE
£119.95
Includes colour
upgrade worth
£19.95
See order form on page 114
VIDI
SPECIAL
OFFER
Making Music on the Amiga —
Shows the Amiga user how to take
advantage of the musical capabilities and
making your own MIDI interface. Includes
disk with music and utilities.
Amiga Printers: Inside & Ou
Learn AmigaDOS command?
printer control, printing tips
the experts. Includes disked
printer utilities.
for simple
ind tricks from
■i with essential
AlulgzlSASiq
Inside and Out
Understanding and using ycur
printer more effectively
Amiga for
Beginners
AmigaDOS
Inside & Out
An in-depth guide to AmigaDOS
and the AmigaDOS Snell
A complete guide to teaming
and applying AmigaBASIC
A complete guide to leamng
and applying the Amiga
AmigaBASIC — Inside & Out —
isTHE definitive step-by-step guide
to programming the Amiga in
BASIC. Each BASIC command is
fblly described and detailed. Some
of the topics covered include
files and file handling, using pull-
down menus, sensing the mouse,
handling windows, drawing charts
and using the speech commands.
Techniques for advanced BASIC
programmers.
554pp
Amiga for Beginners —
learn the essentials of the Amiga
easily and quickly from opening
the box to your first application.
182 pp
AmigaDOS - Inside & Out -
covers AmigaDOS in depth so
that you can use many of its
advanced capabilities for practical
applications. Includes a complete
reference section detailing all of
the DOS commands, information
on using the DOS editors - ED and
EDIT, creating and using script
flies and taking advantage of the
Amiga’s multitasking features.
280pp
Amiga Machine Language —
is a thorough introduction to
68000 assembler programm-
ing and is a practical guide for
learning to program the Amiga
in ultra-ffest machine language.
Covers 68000 microprocessor
architecture and addressing
modes, making speech and
sound fTom machine language
and more. This book is also a
perfect companion to our
AssemPro machine language
development software.
264pp
/AlilLgtzi.
Umdme Lziigiizge
Amiga Disk Drives —
Inside & Out —
a practical guide to disk drive
operations. Information about
data security, disk drive speedup
routines, disk copy protection.
boot blocks and technical
aspects.
360pp
Amiga Disk Drives
Inside & Out
The most thorough coverage of
Amiga Disk Drives ever.
Abacus
* iw*«- m
Abacus
mu mm
U.K. DISTRIBUTOR: COMPUTER BOOKSHOP LTD.
30 LINCOLN RD, OLTON, BIRMINGHAM B27 6PA
CALL 021 706 1188 FOR YOUR NEAREST STOCKIST
A
EXTRAORDINARY PRICES
♦ no commitments
♦ no obligation to buy
♦ no fuss replacement
free call hotline
«* free game for every new member
(P. Plague RRP £14.95)
ONE YEAR MEMBERSHIP £7.00
DISKS • DISKS
-
Direct from West Germany the N I branded sell inu disk
on the market ‘Eclixa’ Top top quality, and every Edixa
disk carries our lifetime warranty.
We can offer to all members these branded disks at
unbeatable prices.
Price per box 10
3.5 inch DS/DD lmcg ....
3.5 inch DS/IID 1 meg ....
£ 4.99
£11.99
CLASSIC SOFTWARE
MEMBERS
RRP
Deluxe Paint 3
£54.99
79.99
Deluxe Video 3
£74.99
99.99
Digieview Gold 4.0
£94.95
149.99
Excellence
£119.95
....*.189.95
Pen Pal
£94.99
1 29.99
Pacesetter 2
£49.99
79.99
Pagestream 2
£89.99
149.99
WordPerfect 4.2
£149.99
229.99
MUSIC X
NUMBER
A M IGA C L U B
SPECIAL OFFERS
GRAPHICS STARTER PACK
4 Fantastic graphics packs, ideal for beginners at a price you just can't refuse:
AEGIS ANIMATOR:
The classic animation software programme that gives you the ability to control both the colour
and the speed of the animation.
AEGIS IMAGES:
Similar to Deluxe Paint. A great start for the person wanting to get into paint program.
AEGIS DRAW:
A computer aided design programme for creating scaled drawings.
AEGIS ARTPACK:
This programme is for use with Animator and Images. Essential pictures for people that draw.
All this as one special offer far all club members.
OUR MEMBERS PRICE: £29.99 (RRP £99.00)
DISK DRIVES
MADE IN W. GERMANY - SUPERB QUALITY
• THRU PORT • ON/OFF SWITCH • SLIMLINE DESIGN • ONE YEAR WARRANTY
The No. 1 music software package
We can offer you at a never to be repeated price
RRP £129.95
MEMBERS PRICE £39.95 incl. VAT
3.5" external A5 00/1 000/2000
3.5" with "track display"
3.5" internal A2000
TOP AMIGA GAMES
members
rrp
members
rrp
688 attack sub
16.95
29.95
Leisure Suit Larry 3
22.95
34.99
Apprentice
13.95
19.95
Magic Flv .".
16.99
24.99
Battle Chess
15.95
24.95
Midnight Resistance
15.99
24.99
Battlemaster
18.95
29.99
Manhunter 2
17.99
29.95
Battle of Britain
16.49
24.99
Midwinter
17.99
29.95
Back to Future 2
14.95
24.99
M 1 Tank Platoon
19.99
29.99
Blade Warrior
15.95
24.99
Powcrmonger
15.95
24.99
Chase HQ
15.99
34.99
Police Quest 2 ( 1 Meet
20.49
34.95
Chess Champion 2175
18.95
29.99
Populous
15.95
24.95
Codename Iceman ( 1 Meg)
24.99
39.99
Pro Tennis Tour
15.95
24.99
Conq Came lot ( 1 Meg)
24.99
39.99
Pipemania
15.99
24.99
Corporation
15.99
24.99
Pirates
15.49
24.99
Dick Tracy
15.99
24.99
Rick Dangerous 2
15.45
24.95
Ferarari Formula 1
15.95
24.99
Red Storm Risins
14.99
24.99
FI 6 Combat Pilot
14.95
24.99
Resolution 101
15.49
24.99
F29 Retaliator
15.49
24.95
Shadow of Beast 2
19.99
34.99
FI 9 Stealth Fighter
18.99
29.99
Shadow Warriors
15.49
24.99
Flieht Simulator 2
19.95
29.95
Space Quest 3
20.49
34.95
Flitiht Sim Scenery
13.99
24.99
Supremacy
18.99
29.99
Flood
15.95
24.99
Starflicht 2
15.95
24.95
Future Wars
24.99
24.99
Gremlins 2
15.95
24.99
Teenage Mut. Ninja.Turtls
16.99
24.99
Harlev Da\ idson
16.99
29.99
Ultima 5
17.45
29.95
Heroes Quest. ( I meg)
21.99
39.99
UMS 2
18.99
29.95
Imperium
16.99
24.95
Venus-fly trap
13.99
24.99
J. Nicklas Golf
15.99
24.99
Welltris
15.49
24.95
Kick off 2 + World Cup
14.99
24.99
Wings
18.99
29.95
Kings Quest 1 . 2 & 3
20.95
34.99
Windwalker
17.99
29.95
Killing Game Show
15.95
24.99
Wonderland
16.99
24.99
PRICE BUSTERS
After the War 5.49
Bards Tale 2 9.95
Blastcroids 5.95
Battle Valley 7.95
Bad Company 5.95
Barbarian 2 7.99
Balance of Power 8.99
Chrono Quest 2 8.99
Drivin Force 6.99
Dvnamite Dux 7.99
Fifth Gear 7.99
Future Sport 7.99
Football Manager 2 9.99
Gravity 9.99
Hoyle Book of Games 13.99
Hunt Red October 10.99
Intnl Wrestling 6.99
Interceptor 9.99
L. Suit Dirrv 2 14.99
Micropose Soccer 8.99
Omega 7.99
Pow 9.99
Powcrdrome 9.99
Pool 3D 8.99
Quartz 7.99
Rockford 6.99
Starblaze 6.99
Space Harrier 2 7.99
Soldier 2000 7.99
Silent Sen ice
Shoot Const Kit 9.99
Warp 6.99
Wicked 6.99
Zany Golf 9.99
£54.99
£74.99
£59.95
DELIVERY CHARGES
Software:
UK £1.50 EEC £3.00
C. Service hardware:
UK £6.00 EEC £10.00
Normal delivery 1-7 working days.
All price* and supplier subject to change without notification.
Trading divj*ion of Nortek Computers Ltd.
CALL FREE
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(D
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I enclose cheque/PO for £
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inc VAT
E mulators, emulators, emu-
lators! Seems that not a
single month goes by
without yet another emulator
appearing on the scene. We've
got PC emulators - read the
review of ATonce elsewhere in this
issue - C64 emulators, BBC emula-
tors, Macintosh emulators, QL emu-
lators and even a Spectrum
emulator. Makes you wonder
when someone will come up with
a Cray emulator!
The latest machine to receive
emulation treatment is the Amiga's
closest cousin, the Atari ST - you'd
be surprised how closely they are
related!
Last month saw the release of
the Medusa Card, a software and
hardware combination that trans-
formed the Amiga into an ST. This
certainly worked, but there was
one major problem with it: the
price.
Coming in at just under £200, it
certainly wasn't cheap. You could
easily pick up a real Atari for just a
few pounds more.
Hot on its heels is Chamaleon
from German software publisher
Maxon. Hoping to steal sales from
Medusa, Maxon claims that
Chamaleon will work just as well as
the Macro Systems hardware-
based emulator, yet it still manages
to sell for £100 cheaper than its
rival.
Sounds pretty impressive so far.
but the thing that makes
Chamaleon so special isn't its
price, although that too is impres-
sive, but the fact that the whole
process of emulating the Atari is
handled entirely by software.
The Chamaleon package con-
sists of two disks and a rather short
manual describing the process of
setting up. For those of you who
Jason Holborn puts the latest
software-based ST emulator
through its paces
have never had the pleasure of
using a real ST, there's even a tuto-
rial section covering the basics of
using the Atari desktop.
So you've got no excuse to pop
around and beg your friendly Atari
owner for a crash course in all
things ST.
Setting up Chamaleon would
be pretty straightforward If it
wasn't for the fact that Maxon
doesn't actually supply the neces-
sary utilities to make this possible.
The reason for this is simple -
Chamaleon. just like the Medusa
Card, needs the Atari TOS operat-
ing system to work.
Obviously Maxon couldn't just
hand this out with the rest of the
Chamaleon programs - after all, it
is the property of the Atari
Corporation - so you'll need to find
a friendly ST user who is willing to let
you rip TOS from their machine.
Thankfully this isn't as painful as it
sounds, and all that's needed is a
small utility that will dump TOS to
disk as a binary file. Problem is.
Maxon doesn't even supply you
with this utility, so expect problems.
According to a source in
Germany, Atari's lawyers are
already looking very closely at
both Chamaleon and Medusa, so
Maxon are wise not to give Atari a
chance to pounce on them. Such
happenings aren't exactly news -
Apple has been trying to put a
stop to the use of its ROMs within
emulators for years now. so Atari
too has decided to try their luck.
Whether it is successful in stop-
ping software like Chamaleon is
uncertain, but it may end up as a
test case for deciding the legality
of other emulators. If you really
need a particular emulator, you'd
be well advised to take the plunge
A File Lasers Range Measure Work Parameters
LATHE. CAP Laser? 1 Pen: 8.55
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Try a bit of ST computer aided design courtesy of BeckerCAD and Chamaleon
now. Leave it too late and you
may find that it's been withdrawn
from sale.
Once you've found a program
which will extract TOS from an ST - 1
used the GETTOS program that
came with Medusa - the resulting
TOS file must be copied to an ST
disk under the filename TOS.IMG.
Virtually all versions of TOS
should work fine, although I was
unable to test this as my review
copy refused point blank to work
with English TOS files. Thanks to a
friendly ST user In Germany though.
I was eventually up and running.
With luck, you shouldn't have to
suffer the same frustration as
Maxon assure me that fixed ver-
sions should be available by the
time you read this article - check
this when ordering though.
Getting started
Turn on your Amiga, insert the pro-
gram disk into the internal drive
and Chamaleon will then boot.
After a few seconds disk access it
will then ask you to insert the Atari-
format diskette containing the
TOS.IMG file.
If you do as it asks, Chamaleon
will blank the screen and start to
read the file into memory. If every-
thing goes well, you'll now be that
bit nearer to ST emulation.
All that now remains is to choose
the resolution you wish to work in.
The ST supports three screen resolu-
tions - 320 x 200 with 16 colours,
640 x 200 with 4 colours and 640 x
400 with two colours - although
you need two monitors to display
all of them.
Thankfully though, Chamaleon
allows you to use all three on a
standard Amiga monitor, so there's
no reason to buy any extra equip-
Amiga Computing 59
Choices to Keep you
Spellbound at Truly
Wizard Prices! JL^
> wF
(SEIlllDa®llQ5B mm
Amiga A500 with Modulator, Mouse,
1 Meg Internal Dhk Drive, 51 2K RAM,
All Connecting Leads, Kickstart 1.3,
4096 Colours, Built-in Speech Synthesis
Multi Tasking, Workbench 1.3 System Disk,
id a full set of manuals.
* COMPLETE WITH FIVE
GREAT SOFTWARE TITLES
Back to the Future II, Beast II,
Days of Thunder, Nightbreed,
& for arts' sake Deluxe Paint II
anc
Includi n g VAT and Postal Delivery!
AMIGA,
THE COMPLETE
PERSONAL
•Ji'i
COMPUTER Br = ° -
THE SUPREME AMIGA PACK FOR GENERATIONS TO COME ...
CENTRAL PROCESSING UNIT (CPU) PLUS SOME GREAT SOFTWARE...
The heart of your computer system
with 1 Mb of RAM, two 3.5“ floppy
disk drives, and 8 expansion slots.
Fully expandable accepts all Amiga
2000 peripherals.
CBM 1084S COLOUR MONITOR
Stereo, High Resolution monitor
KEYBOARD AND MOUSE
Keyboard with numeric pad, 4 cursor
keys, complete with 2 button mouse
lly integrated
tasheet, & Dal
Processor, Spreadsheet, & Database
u DELUXE PAINT III - The New One!’
a THEIR FINEST HOUR - The Battle of
Britain, POPULOUS - The Promised
Lands, SIM CITY - Terrain Editor,
and BATTLE CHESS - 3D Animated'
is# 525 £1 069
Totally Nfw 1Mb...
AMIGA CLASS OF THE 90's
Amiga A500 Computer
A501 0.5Mb Upgrade
Pro Write 2.5 (W.P)
Deluxe Point II
Deluxe Print II
Infofile ( Dbote )
Mutii Mouse
Amiga Logo *
Talking Turtles * i
Let's Spell at Home
BBC Emulator
10 Commodore Disks
Mouse Mat
Resource File
Am tmtt .4mrHr y VMm Tap.
mpptMwtU by rtf Hm Hmmm I
( m tX •! IPuntim Ttd mtltf f
£ I
NE\V HEW
oc
Amo bJI Al I
Add a Sorcerors Pock Too!
NEW NEW!
CLASS OF THE <
Amiga A 500 Computer.
A501 0.5Mb Upgrade.
Midi Imterfoce,
BBC tmutmtor.
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Superbote Personal
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Dr rt Midi Kecordmg Si
10 Blank Ditkt. Moute Mol.
Diskette Walter
‘Q
Mm /
Add a Sorcerors Pock Too!
NEW
COMMODORE 1084S
1 4" Stereo Colour Monitor
At j y w ' t *
£259
PHILIPS CM 8833/11
14" Stereo Colour Monitor
Successor to the popuktr CM8833 the
new Mark II version is sleeker looking
than the old model
-
£249
CM 8833/11 rtitiAt
This designer version is colour keyed
and includes a matching kit to apply
to YOUR keyboard!
ABSOLUTELY FREEI
£249
WE SAY CHOICE...
and we mean it.
Add one or more of our 'SORCERORS PACKS' to extend
your choice and SAVE EVEN M0RE...0nly from MERLIN!
( Only available when you buy an Amiga , see notes on individual packs')
-X
900000
© SORCERORS PACK 1
O Mouse Mat
O Amiqa Dust Cover
MegaBlaster Joystick
1 Ten Blank Disks in
<dOOOOO
O SORCERORS PACK 2
A 10 GREAT GAMES
jL (Worth £219.50)
W Dotations, E-Motion,
Dungeon Ooesl,
IQd Gleves,
Grand Monster Slant,
Powerplwy, RVF Honda,
Shefflepock Cole,
Tower of Babel,
Mkroprosc Soccer
o>h-
pQOQOQ •OOO
n
SORCERORS PACK 3
i TOP SOFTWARE TITLES
Select ONE er MORE seftwweti*
I (rent ear ’SORCERORS SEVEN* oed
■oy LESS tkce tW elrtody itcweifd
prim iWwW CHOOSE—
^HOLLYWOOD COLLECTION,
teenage mutant hero
m TURTLES, FI 9 STEALTH
A FIGHTER, BETRAYAL,
■ROBOCOP II, GREMLINS II.
SBlNT. SOCCER CHALLENGE
SB BUY AS MANY AS YOU
SORCERORS PACK 4
THE ULTIMATE IN
AMIGA EXTRAS
Moose Mot, Amiga
r Dost Cover, Megabloster
f Joystick, Tea Blank
' Disks in Ubrary Cose,
Ten Great Games (as
Pock 2), PLUS...your
a choice of one of our
? "Sorcerors Seven"
l Gomes!
LIKE cf LESS THAN the
Discounted Prices Shown
Below! Phone for Delals
(’When purchased with
an Amiga)
£38
• £47 if ordering £23.99 Games
('When purchased with on Inigo)
FREE will) EVERY Amiga
...from MERLIN EXPRESS
you'll receive this...
• v holiday
Accommodarion Vouch... I
Breaks
STAR RANGE: Merlin are Star Registered Dealers
STAR LC 10 Mono
STAR LC 24/10 Mono
STAR LC200 Colour
9 Pin Dot Matrix, 180/45cps COLOUR
STAR LC24/200 Mono
24 Pin Dot Matrix, 200/67cps MONO
STAR LC24/200 Colour
24 Pin Dot Matrix, 200/67cps COLOUR
£159
£219
£205
£255
£289
3ULX BUY DISCOUNT!
If you buy your Amigo WITH
other hardware (eg Printer
or Monitor etc etc) ASK
ABOUT YOUR EXTRA
DISCOUNT!
CITIZEN 120D+
£139
9 Pin Dot Matrix, 1 20/25cps MONO
CITIZEN 1 24D
£219
GMUDBflS “MCUffiOKS StMIKT SCQXFDW ME
SEVEN OF THE LATEST SOFTWARE RELEASES BROUGHT TO
YOU BY MERLIN EXPRESS AT A PRICE TO BEWITCH
flcose note the titles listed ore advertised row based on the release dctes
issued by softwore distributors. Eo<h title should be available on or before
the sole dale of this mogarine. We do not, however, accept responsibility
for delays in release dotes by software houses or distributors
We strongly recommend you check availability before placing
your order. Faulty software will ONLY
be replaced with the same title, NO REFUNDS CAN BE GIVEN
HOLLYWOOD COLLECTION £23.99
80 Cap. DISK BOX
MOUSE MATS
DUST COVERS(All Types) £5.95
SPEEDKING-Autofire £10.95
CBM A501 RAM £69.95
Including FREE 1Mb Captive Game!
S 0.5Mb RAM £39.95
Compilation of Batman, Indiana Jones & the
Lost Crusade, Robocop I, & Ghostbusters II
TEENAGE MUTANT HERO TURTLES
GREMLINS II
R0B0C0PII
F-19 STEALTH FIGHTER
BETRAYAL
INTERNATIONAL SOCCER CHALLENGE
i f lr t» the games mow) above art Hitter i?4 1
Extra discount when purchased with on Amiga or if buying more than one title
£8.95
£4.95
£5.95
-24 Plin Dot Matrix, 120/40cps MONO
CITIZEN SWIFT 9
-9 Pin Dot Matrix, 160/40cps
MONO VERSION £199
COLOUR VERSION £229
CITIZEN SWIFT 24
-24 Pin Dot Matrix, 160/53cps
MONO VERSION
COLOUR VERSION
£289
£319
f?) Merlin Express i
' ill Authorised Gtiz
: ore pleased to announce that we are now an
. Authorised Oliien Dealer and of course the CITIZEN 2 YEAR
WARRANTY means an evert better bock up for you!
Commodore 3.5“ diskettes
TTTTT
mm
ir.
.r>- ,
BOX OF 10 C9.45
£19.99
£19.99
£19.99
£23.99
£23.99
£19.99
1 99)
HUNDRED! 1 00)
_ __ _ _ _ _ _ With FREE Lockable c* q a nr
FIFTY (50) T44.9S go Cap St0f0ge Bqx C84.95
CUMANA CB 354
CUMANA CAX 354
CUMANA CAX 1000
1 Meg. 3.5" Singlo Internal F 69
1 Meg. 3.5" Single External CBS
1 Meg. 5.25* Single External f 1 29
A590 20Mb HARD
DISK DRIVE
■I At a Great NEW LOW PRICE! £279
(Coming Soon! Official CBM 1Mb £ 2Mb upgraded
versions at super prices I Ask for details
COMMODORE 1011
3.5" SECOND DRIVE
Compatible with ALL Amigas -J
J 880K Formatted Capacity
-J No external power required
El
ALL MERLINS PRICES INCLUDE V.A.T. AND POSTAGE (UK Mainland)
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ment. A quick tap on the appropri-
ate function key then brings
Chamaleon to life.
From here on, you now have
what amounts to a real Atari ST.
Obviously, you can't use ST periph-
erals, excluding things like printers
and modems, of course, but the
world of ST applications software is
now within your reach. First though,
a look at the Atari desktop.
For those of you who haven't
been lucky enough to play with an
Atari, the Desktop is a WIMP-based
front end - the Atari Workbench, if
you like - that uses the same basic
principles of pull down menus, win-
dows and icons for most of the
machine's operation.
There's not a great deal of dif-
ference between the Desktop and
the Amiga Workbench, although I
feel it is fair to say that the Atari
Desktop is somewhat simpler than
Workbench - especially Work-
bench 2.0!
I don't want to get into any ‘my
machine's better than yours'
debates, but I'm sure that even
quite a few ST owners would agree
that the current Desktop environ-
ment stinks - the TT's Desktop is
very sexy though!
After a quick trip to my friendly
ST neighbour, I came back to
Chamaleon arms filled with soft-
ware to test on it. I was actually
pleasantly surprised at how well
Chamaleon coped.
Most applications ran without
problems, although some did
'bomb out' or even guru the emu-
lator completely. This is hardly sur-
prising. After all, Chamaleon is
completely software based.
ST compatibility
The list of what did actually work
was still pretty impressive. I man-
aged to test programs such as
Becker CAD, GFA BASIC, Deluxe
Paint ST. Protext 5 and even Pro-24,
all of which appeared to work fine.
The emulator seemed to run
them slightly slower than a real ST,
but the difference wasn't really
that noticeable. Quite an achieve-
ment when you realise that the
Amiga itself runs 10 per cent slower
than an Atari - the Amiga custom
chips make up for this.
Chamaleon appears to run
about the same speed as the
Medusa Card, which Macro
Systems claims to run about 90-95
per cent of the speed of a reel ST.
Some programs don't work
unmodified, however. Supplied on
the Atari-format disk that comes
with Chamaleon are a number of
Review
R
) MR>
Rutoren:
&
The Chamaleon title screen
256878 bytes used in 8 i tens .
FON
8 PRII
DEFf
DESK
DPA
DPA
PRII
REAE
'n Qi m niQ7
SET PREFERENCES
Confirn Deletes: ITCT No I
Confirn Copies: 17T1 | No i
Set Screen Resolution:
EE
Lou
Mediun
Cancel
TRASH
Yes folks, here’s the ST Desktop In all it’s glory - but this time running on an Amiga
FROM ROT
COUNT :■
FRRME : |
SET POS
ROT
ROM;
Even the St’s premier paint system ran without problems
! Reserved for snail Resource file
! RSC_TREE
!0bj
!0b
!0b
in 80
in 86
in 80
in 80
in 80
in 80
f™
RESERUE -1000
LET dialogic
LET titell=l
LET nane4=2
LET strasse4=3
LET ort*=4 !0bj
LET abbruch*=5 !0b
LET ok&:6 !0b
IF RSRC.LOAD ("DEMO . RSC") =0
^FORM-ALERT (1," Ell [Resource file DEMO . RSC | not found] [Abort]")
END
ENDIF
^RSRC_GADDR(0, dialogic, dia/.)
‘■FORtLCENTER (diaX, xl, y4, ui, hi)
p£-llll
s$= ,,n
0 $:""
CHARUOB-SPECEdiaX, nane£)})=n$
CHAR({OB_SPEC(diaX,strasse«)»=s$
CHAR({OB-SPEC(dia^ort«)))=o$
DO
Now you can convert all your Amiga GFA programs to work on the Atari!
patch programs that fix certain
well known programs to work with
the emulator. Patches are supplied
for such programs such as GFA-
BASIC. Signum Script! and so on. •
Using them is pretty simple. Just
click on the appropriate patcher
program and the application is
automatically fixed. Obviously it
goes without saying that you
should only feed back-up copies
of your Atari software through
these patcher programs, otherwise
you could well end up with an
Atari program that won't even
work on a real Atari!
Now for the bad news. There are
of course some programs that
don't work under Chamaleon. For
starters Atari games won't work.
Even if Chamaleon managed to
cope with the heavy disk protec-
tion systems used, the game would
fall over as soon as it realised that
there's no ST hardware to address.
Some PD games that don't 'bash
the me?al' might just run, but the
general rule is that games are a
non-starter.
This isn't exactly surprising. After
all. no matter how advanced the
Amiga hardware, the fact is that it
isn't an Atari. If you went to run ST
games, then you're probably bet-
ter off buying a real Atari. Although
any Amiga owner who does buy
an Atari to play games on needs
his head examining.
In the early days of the Amiga,
people cried out for an ST emula-
tor because the Atari had all the
decent software such as word
processors, databases, MIDI
sequencers - the list could go on.
These days though, the reverse is
true. Atari owners look on enviously
at such packages as DPaint 3 - ST
DPaint doesn't really compare to
the Amiga version - Music-X, Digi-
Paint 3 and Professional Page.
So what is the point in emulating
an ST? There are a few decent
applications out there. Calamus
and Cubase spring to mind, but
not enough to warrant spending
almost £100 on an emulator.
In the end the fact remains that
Chamaleon does what it sets out
to do - to provide a reliable and
fast ST operating environment on
the Amiga. It's highly compatible,
fairly easy to set up once you've
found a TOS ripper, and runs soft-
ware at an acceptable speed.
If you really need ST emulation,
then Chamaleon is the one to go
for.
Chamaleon
£80
George Thomson Services
(077082 234)
Amiga Computing 6 1
AMIGA 3000’s
The complete Amiga 3000 range,
available now and we are specially
extending our introductory offer of a free
15" Multisync Monitor with each A3000
bought. This extension of the offer will
last only until Christmas. So you had
better hurry as we have only limited
supplies of the machines on this offer.
A3000 l6Mhz/40Mb
+ FOC Monitor 2499.00 + VAT
A3000 25 Mhz/40Mb
+ FOC Monitor 2999.00 + VAT
A3000 25 Mhz/100 Mb
+ FOC Monitor 3299.00 + VAT
A3000 25 Mhz/lOOMb
Hard Disc + FOC 14"
VGA Colour Monitor 2999.95 inc VAT
(Note the A3000 is approved by Cosmo)
CLASS OF THE 90 s PACK £549.95 FIRST STEPS PACK £549.95
A1500
A2000 HD
1Mb RAM, TWIN 3.5 M DRIVES
1Mb RAM, 40Mb SCSI-
COLOUR MONITOR +
HARD DISC + COLOUR
SOFTWARE
MONITOR
£1049.95 inc VAT
£1499.95 inc VAT
Greater London Computers, 481 Hale End Road
TEL 081 - 527-0405
J
AMIGA 500
NEW
S*C*R*E*E*N**C* *
Pack.
ONLY £379.95
including:
Days of Thunder, Back to the
Future II, Night Breed, Shadow
of the Beast II & Deluxe
Paint II.
Business
Customers
Our Business Division can help
you with all your computer
needs. From Hardware to
Software and Supplies
For more information and a
credit account application, call
081-527-0405 and ask for
Business Sales.
Tflevuf
fo all <m
Delivery on all items is free to UK
addresses. All purchases of £1000 or
more; earns a free Teddy Bear -
"Cosmo"
All enquiries about Bears should be
made to Cosmo in our Teddy Bear
Department.
Please note: All our. machines are
new UK models NOT grey impoiis or
second hand models
COMMODORE C286
PORTABLE
PC AT Portable 286 12.5 Mhz 1Mb
ram 20Mb Hard Disc
£1999.95 inc VAT
x-copy n
GLC would like to apologise but we
have had to raise the price on this
popular item.
*24.95
(X Copy is COSMO Approved)
COSMO S MESSAGE FOR
THE MONTH
"Yo Dudes, it's crigimo time again! It's dead
cool ere! Mr Mike Nilbog and Nigel the manic
munchkin have put up the tree and there's
loads of pressies round it. most of them for
me! But it aint too late for you to get your
pressies from the GLC crew, they still got some
stuff left.
By the way dudes, sorry I missed yous at
the Commodore show, but 1 was naughty so
Mr Mike made us all stay in. No fair!
Ta ta for now dudes.
Highams Park, Chingford, London. E4 9PT
FAX 081-503-2341
THE
£ 3.99
GAME IS HERE!
NO CLUBS TO JOIN, NO
HIDDEN CHARGES, JUST
£3.99 A GAME PLUS 50p
POST & PACKING
ALL THE GAMES
REALLY ARE JUST
£3.99 EACH.
I OWN AN
ST □ AMIGA □
Please send me:
GOLDRUNNER
ELECTRONIC POOL
JUPITER PROBE
KARATE KID PART 2
AIRBALL
GOLDRUNNER 2
LEATHERNECK
TETRA QUEST
MAJOR MOTION
SLAYGON ADVENTURE
TANGLEWOOD
ADVENTURE
TIME BANDIT
THE GRAIL' ADVENTURE
INTERNATIONAL SOCCER □
J.U.G. □
ABZOO EDUCATIONAL
SOFTWARE □
Qty
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ST OR AMIGA
GOLDRUNNER
Our top selling
shoot em up from
Steve Bak and
Pete Lyon.
ELECTRONIC
JUPITER PROBE
POOL
Mono or colour
version of 'Video
Pool' arcade
game.
Vertically
scrolling shoot
em up by Steve
Bak.
KARATE KID
PART 2
Our top selling
karate game.
-1 L. V
if'
AIRBALL
Over 200 rooms
of strategic
arcade action,
graphics from
Pete Lyon!
GOLDRUNNER 2
Sequel to our top
selling shoot em
up, high speed
action packed
arcade game.
LEATHERNECK
Reviewed as the
best arcade war
game, program by
Steve Bak.
TETRA QUEST
Over 300 screens
of arcade
strategy.
MAJOR
MOTION
NAME
ADDRESS
POST CODE
SEND ME
TITLES
at £4.49 (50p p&p)
TOTAL ENCLOSED £.
CREDIT CARD TYPE
No
EXPIRY DATE
Allow 28 days for delivery
Post to:
O
o
software
PO Box 68, St. Austell, PL25 4YB
or phone with credit cards*
VISA
"3
0726 68020
ATARI »T
f » TT ’ m h |
i: i’Kll M U U
MAJOR
MOTION
Spy car chase
arcade game.
*■
SLAYGON
ADVENTURE
Stop Cyber
Dynamics ruling
e world in this
graphic
adventure.
TANGLEWOOD
ADVENTURE
Rated as one of
the best 1 6 bit
graphic
adventures.
TIME BANDIT
Top selling arcade
adventure, the
original ST Mega
game.
jft M8tli¥ron ^
i
THE GRAIL'
ADVENTURE
Full size
adventure
programmed
using our
Talespin
development
system.
INTERNATIONAL
SOCCER
Soccer action at
its best in our
own soccer game.
J.U.G.
Highly rated
arcade game with
4 way scrolling.
ABZOO
EDUCATIONAL
SOFTWARE
Preschool to 8.
Helps character
recognition and
spelling with
Musical MEDley
Review
From Chopsticks to Chopin - it’s all in
Amiga Computing’s guide for the
musician...
H3
•mujrc. dW
Song2
Song24
Sunset Blues
T anko2
Ves ter day
Id _ LOADS 0 MG
i^sam^Gluiod_ play volumes
ore: on: DF2: OHO: DHi: SAMPLE MIDI
t BLOCK TRANSPOSE
, FILE fl ML I EBIT IMMKILIST
001/014 80/13 12 E 2* 0C nonobass
04 24 H - 2
043
044 H-2
045
046 R - 2
48 |R
R000 H
0000 -
R000 H
0000 R
5000
eeee R
00 ~
10000
2 R000 -
- 0000
2 R000 R
2 5000 -
0000 -
2 5000 -
- 0888 C
-20000
- 0000
0000
2 5000
- 0000
- 0080
30000
D - 2 M000
0000
C - 2 M000
0000
0000
00001
050 H-2 R000 H-2 R000 C-2 6000 fl-2 P000
Remember, large amounts of CPU time can be saved by turning off screen effects
O K, all you lucky folks
who bought Amiga
Computing's December
issue are probably familiar with
Med213, the great music utility we
gave away on the cover disk. If
you're not, get hold of a copy
nowl
The main aim of this article is to
take a complete musical beginner
from first notes to a finished piece
of music. To do this we'll be work-
ing with Med213, which dedicated
readers already have, don't you?
We gave it away on the cover
disk, but you don't have it, check
out any good PD library. I'm -
hopefully - going to take some of
the mystery out of the process of
creating music.
Basically, putting together a
tune is a simple process which,
through technology and its
inevitable jargon, has become
somewhat a secondary consider-
ation in comparison with
equipment. As a result, most
beginners are left with the idea
that to create anything worth
doing, you need a huge pile of
MIDI equipment, and a First in
Electronics, as well as music. This is
not the case, as I hope you'll find.
There's thousands of would-be
talented musicians out there who
have never played a note, simply
because of a lack of opportunity,
or perhaps because of the con-
ventional skills required. Much to
the disgust of many an old guard
muso, these conventional skills are
no longer required in certain
areas, thanks to your Amiga, and
the sequencing packages it can
support (Med213 being a fine
example).
I hope to provide a guide to the
production of a piece and cre-
ative technique rather than a sec-
ond manual for Med. With this in
mind, I suggest you print it out if
possible, as this will speed things up
considerably, until you're familiar
with the program. Use fan-fold
paper as there is quite a lot of it to
print, but don't let that worry you. If
you don't have a printer you could
always load the document file
before Med213. You can then
alternate between the program
and the Instructions using the
Amiga key and N or M. This will use
up RAM but at first, though I doubt
it will cause too many problems.
After loading Med213, you may
be struck by two features, the wor-
rying complexity of the control
panel, and how incredibly ugly the
whole thing looks. The first thing to
do is click on the Misc button and
alter the preferences. After that
things may look a bit more friendly
and the preferences will be stored
and reloaded with your master-
piece.
The next step is to load in some
samples. This is done by loading
the Song24 demo on last month's
cover disk. Not only will you have
its component samples in memory,
but also a chance to pick up a few
ideas, or perhaps what you should
avoid from the demo. When you're
ready, clear the song in the Misc
section, making sure you leave the
samples in. Now the fun really
starts.
The first thing to do is pick a sam-
ple. let's say ‘Ahh Vox’, then play
around until you find a little melody
you like, the theme tune to Close
Encounters say, which requires you
to press w. e, q. z, b. If you can
come up with something original it
would be better, as this tutorial is
not based around a particular
tune. Once you're comfortable
playing the piece, it’s time to start.
Tempo
One of the most important things
to do before recording anything, is
to set the tempo, so your first job
must be to give yourself a stick
count to give you a point of refer-
ence when you start to play. I sug-
gest you do this on a separate
block, with, let's say. a clap sam-
ple on one track to count you in.
Select a new block, enter edit
mode, and Play Song. The present
block will scroll by. Wait until the
stick count, the new block will
appear, then play your tune.
Now one or more things may
have happened depending upon
how diligently you constructed the
tune.
Either the piece when played
back may be perfect, and the
block may cycle perfectly without
interruption - this is unlikely - or the
piece was too long for the block,
and the cycling of the block
caused the end to overwrite the
beginning of the piece. This can
be rectified by clearing the chan-
nel, lengthening the block in the
Block section and re-recording the
piece.
A third possibility is that the
block was too long for the piece,
producing a long pause between
plays. Simply delete the additional
steps in the block until the the
block cycles smoothly.
Amiga Computing 65
Tempo hints
When you first play back the tune
you may find that it sounds differ-
ent to what you actually played.
Notes may have been moved
slightly and the track in general
may sound regimented and
mechanical. This is a sure sign that
the tempo is too slow. Because of
this, your Amiga has been forced
to place notes, which fell between
two steps in the sequence, into
the closest free step, causing the
changes you can hear.
The easiest way to combat this
is to re-record, increasing the
tempo until you hear exactly what
you played. This will possibly
require the lengthening of the
block and the stick count, if you're
using one.
Sometimes, it can be a good
idea to place the first note in step
time on the first step of the block,
rather than trying to play it live.
Thus, when you come to play the
tune you will hear the count and
the first note, enabling you to fill in
the rest live. This makes life a lot
easier when you start copying
blocks by keeping everything in
the same time signature.
When you first record a tune
you may find that the gaps
between the notes are relatively
short, perhaps only two or three
spaces on average. The tune may
sound perfect, but it probably a
good idea to double the gaps
between the notes. I know it
sounds a bit drastic, but you'll
thank me in the end.
If you're lucky, your tune will fit
in a block under 128 steps. If so.
you can use the Expand option in
the transpose section to double
the spaces between the notes.
The problem with having the notes
too close together, even when
they're correct, is that when you
progress with the piece you'll no
doubt want to add fiddly bits
(technical term). With other sam-
ples. it's at this point you may dis-
cover that there is simply not
enough space in the sequence to
put the new notes where you
want them.
When this happens there is
nothing else to do but reach for
the hankies, followed by the off
switch, and start all over again.
Increasing gaps will mean length-
ening the block, altering the stick
count and doubling the tempo,
the end result sounding exactly as
before. Ten minutes of work at this
stage, can save hours of misery
later.
When writing a piece don't feel
Review
-rtiV.sTTC
»ar>jBu
THE RELATIVE VOLUMES (l-GH) OF TRACKS • - 15:
FILES
MISC.
PLAY
ii’lVlMl*--!
1 — 1 — I — 1 — i
SAMPLE
_ 1 Ml
ee = «<C3JI
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MASTER VOL.= 4 < > »
FLOCK
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TRANSPOSE
«e aum n tor
[009/ 014 0 8/13 12 1 2x ^ 0E popsnar e2
:T:T:T:
04
0484- -
049 - -
050* --
051 - -
052 - -
0000
0000
0000
0000
0000 C - 2 6000
0000 0000
0000 C - 2 6000
0000 - - - 0000
0000 0000 --- 0000
0000 F - 2 7000 fl-2 5000
000j§
0000 0000
00
00
0000
F - 2 7000 fl-2
rn
0000
0000
0000
0000
0000
0000
0000
0000
Don’t forget to set instrument volumes before you start to compose
MED 2.13 ©1989, 1990 by T. Kinnunen|r | [
: SLD:|;i«^ H | FILES MISC.
-i+ - masam volumes
INS v: HEX ns LP -FILTEP. HlOBffl TEMPOS 038 SAMPLE MIDI
— |iBs.| STOP Ma— l COHTIHUC SOHO i U.OCK TRANSPOSE
1 dwsil rufflNS { plot hock i continue ilqck \ niT samplelist
004 /089 03/08 12 e 01 Doub 1 eB ass
iF-Ti
059
0604-
061 -
062 C
063 -
064 -
fs
068 C
069 -
070 -
071 -
072 -
073 G
101000
- 0000
- 0000
1 1000
- 0000
- 0000
? ill!
1 1000
- 0000
- 0000
- 0000
- 0000
1 1000
F-214
0000 -
0000 -
F— 2 4000 -
0000 -
0000 -
E-2 4800 C
E-2 4000 -
0000 -
0000 -
E-2 4000 C
0000 -
0000 -
1*1
0000
0000
0000 F-2
0000
0000
m mi m
0000 E-2
0000
0000
C-3 AC 2 6 E-2
0000
0000
■ 28
0000
0000
5C28
0000
0000
5C28
0000
0000
5C28
0000
0000
Try to keep gaps at the beginning, you’ll never know what you II want to add later on
■1ED 2TX3 18198$: 1998 by~T. Kinnunenjih|
k!
R 0 RESET
G ■■■■■■■■! 8 undo
b mmmmmmmmm e
■LfcLMLL
B88/ee9ie6/e8 te|t|tx i::::::::»A
Tx-rrr-rrrrrjrj
CLEAR AU. I EM*
CL> SOHO ONLY 1 HIT I VOLUME
EXIT MED _ | SAMPLE [ MIDI
ADD PATHS P»EM PATHS DL OCW frMNSPO:
JUMPING: OFF SAMPLE edit SAMPLELI
0424P
04 3 -
044 -
045 -
046 -
hm
0
050 -
051 -
052 -
053 -
054 D
055 -
1 1000
- 0000
- 0000
- 0000
- 0000 ---
1 K 000 ^ ^
- 0000 G— 2
- 0000
- 0000
- 0000 F-2
1 1000 D-2
— 0000
0000 G-3
0000
0000 A-3
0000
0000
111! -
4000
0000
0000
4000
4000
0000
8C44 -
0000 -
8C44 C
0000 C
0000 -
0000 -
0000 C
0000 -
0000 -
0000 -
0000 -
101
- 000
- 000
3 300
3 300
- 000
3 ill
- 008
- 000
3 300
- 000
- 000
- 000
— 000
Add that personal touch with some new preferences - it certainly needs them
| TRACK:! CUT
‘ILOCK*r~CUT
COPT [PASTE
| SWAP TRKS:Q[8
12
16
>»!■
COPY PASTE
snap urns « < [
B4
[ FREE: MARK
CUT COPY
PASTE DEL IUFF
[1
|t:
3 H
* 1 * 1 ? 1
FILES MISC.
PLAY VOLUMES
SAMPLE I MIDI
■ICiHM TRANSPOSE
EDIT SAMPLELIST
-10000
3 4000
- 0000
- 0000
3 4000
- 0000
Ctt 3 BC25
0000
0000
Ctt 3 BC20 C-3
0000
005/009 04/08 12 € 2x 01 Doub 1 eBass
055 00000 -
0564H-1 1000 E
057 0000 -
058 0000 -
059 A— 1 1000 D
060 0000 H
064 0000 -
065 F-2 1000 -
066 0000 -
067 0000 -
068 E-2 1000 -
069 0000 -
0000
0000
0000
30B0
0000
0008
0000
0000
0000
0000
0000
Ctt 3
Ctt 3
Ctt 3
0000
BC20
0000
0000
BC 25
0000
C-3
0080
3080
0000
0000
0000
0000
The block section, once mastered, can save hours of drugery
it's necessary to record everything
live on each channel. Often it's
easier and quicker to enter the
notes step by step rather than
spend your valuable time record-
ing and re-recording the same
block over and over again.
Song construction
Most of the readers who've dab-
bled in music may be thinking at
this point, "why hasn't he done the
drum track first? I always do that
first" Well, I admit that having
something to keep you in time is
useful, so I suggest you use a click
track. This is simply an extended
stick count which runs through the
piece.
The trouble with producing the
drum track first is that they can
dictate the way the rest of the
track is arranged. If the drums are
one of the main features of the
piece you're working on you may
want them to dictate the pace, so
by all means do them first, but if
not they're better written around
the tune.
The reason for this is to keep
things original rather than pre-
dictable. This can happen if you're
forced to work around the music
rather than write the music around
the drums. You could find yourself
writing drum patterns you may
never have thought to otherwise
use .
By now you'll probably have
noticed my obsession with trying to
keep the creative flow as free as
possible and this really is essential.
Original ideas are the life blood of
good music, which is why restric-
tive practices, and consequently
habits, must be avoided. The end
result of such practices is
invariably boring, predictable and
repetitive.
To help combat falling into the
trap of producing predictable
arrangements. I have produced
the three note major and minor
chords. First save your piece, then
clear the song, leaving the sam-
ples. Now enter a note, say G on
the first channel, and listen to it.
Sounds fine? Now add the B and
the D on channel two and three
to form your first G major chord.
Play the block and hear the differ-
ence. Try messing around, perhaps
stagger the notes on each chan-
nel, experiment with a short tune,
just single notes at first then build
the notes into chords. Using chords
can open many opportunities -
have fun!
For some strange reason the
note B appears as H in Med213. I
haven’t the faintest idea why this
66 Amiga Computing
mUUUUliiiiul
umum
f ?l?
S3-'
Amiga A500 Computer Keyboard
512K Random Access Memory
Built-in 1 meg double-sided disk drive
Superb 4096 Colour Graphics
4 Channel Digital Stereo Sound
Speech Synthesis
Multi-Tasking Operating System
Kickstart 1.3 and Workbench 1.3
Three Owners Manuals
Extras 1.3 and Tutorial Disk
Amiga BASIC Programming Language
Notepad Mini Word Processor
Commodore Mouse
Power Supply Unit with mains plug
TV Modulator
..and all connecting cables to get you up and
running on your home TV set!
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Days of Thunder
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Telephone (0908) 378008 - Fax (0908) 379700
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9.00am-5.30prn
SCREEN GEMS is
the only NEW
Official Amiga A500 pack
from Commodore l
99p
per disk
per disk
The Christmas Party starts here!!
DEMOS
0052
Laurel & Hardy (2 disks)
D003
ACIID Demo (outsiders)
Dill
Light Cycle Demo (2 disks)
0004
Adams Family
D053
Luxo Teenager
D102
Adventures Disk 1
D054
Madness Demo
0005
Agatron Star Wars (1 Mb - 2 disks)
D055
Madonna Demo
0006
Alcatraz Mega-Demo (V (3 disks)
0056
Magnetic Fields
0007
AJf Demo
D129
Maria Whitaker
0008
Art Mix II
0058
Mental Hangover
0009
Amos Games Creator Demo
0059
Miller Light Demo
0010
Anarchy Demo
0060
Mirage 18
0124
Arnold Schwarzenegger (2 disks)
0062
Monty Python (2 disks - 2 drives)
D011
Arsewipe
0063
Monty Python's Nudge Nudge !! (2
0012
Assassin's Demo Mix VIII
disks)
0013
Avenger Mega Demo
0065
Newtec Demo-Reel (1 meg)
0014
Beastie Boys
0066
Nightmare on Elm Street
0113
Bloodsucker Volume III
0067
Not Boing Again (1Mb)
0015
Budbrain Demo (2 disks)
0069
Not the Nine O'Clock News (2 disks)
0016
Buggy Commander
D070
PD Spectacular
0017
Car and Unicycle Animation
0071
Popeye meets the Beach Boys
0019
Cave Megademo
0073
Predators Mega Demo (2 disks)
0020
Cebrt9Q/ComaMctory (1Mb)
D074
Probe Sequence
0021
Charon (1Mb -2 disks)
0075
Puggs in Space
0023
Comic Strip Presents
D077
RAF Mega Demo (2 disks)
0024
Crionics Demo
D078
Real Things ‘Birds’ Demo
0116
Crionics Neverwt.ere
D079
Real Things ‘Horses' Demo
D026
Cult Mega Demo
0080
Robocop Demo
0027
Darkness Mega Demo
D081
Rocket Ranger Demo
0029
Deathstar Mega Demo (2 disks)
D083
Safe Sex Demo
0139
Derek and Clive Live
0130
Sam Fox (nice!)
0103
Diggy Piggy’s Slideshow
D105
Sargon Mega Demo
0133
Donald Duck Animation
0084
Sculpt 3D Animations
0031
Donald Where's Your Trousers?!?!
0085
Shell Shocked
0033
Dragons Mega Demo
0086
Silents Slideshow (2 disks)
0134
Eddie Murphy (2 disks)
D087
Space Ace Demo
0034
Education of Cool Cougar
D088
Space Fighter (1Mb)
0035
Elvira Demo
0089
Star Trek Animations
0106
Equaliser Demo
0112
Stealthy II (1Mb)
D150
Fillit the Fish
0091
Sun Slideshow 3
D036
Fraxion Horror
0092
The Run (1Mb)
0037
Fractal Right (1Mb)
D093
Tomsofl Trip to Mars
D038
Forgotten Realms Slideshow 1
D094
Trilogy Mega Demo (2 disks)
D039
Forgotten Realms Slideshow II
D095
Turtle Mania!!!
D040
Garfield Demo
D096
Visit Merseyside!!!
0041
Gate Mega Demo
0097
Viz Slideshow
D042
Ghost Pool
D098
Walker Demo 1 (1Mb)
0131
Giants Megademo (2 disks)
0099
Walker Demo II (1Mb)
0043
Golem's Gate Slideshow II
0100
Warriors Hot Demo
DOM
Gymnast (1Mb)
0045
Holsten Pits Demo
0101
Ian & Mick Mega Demo
UTILITIES
D151
Intuition Demo
U001
Action
D047
Jarre Docklands Demo
U002
APDL 17 (Home Utilities)
0048
Juggler Demo
U003
APDL 28 (Midi Collection)
0049
Juggette Demo
U004
Bankn
0104
Kickoff 3
U005
Boot Block Champion III
0050
Knight Demo (1Mb)
U006
Business Pack (3 disks:
D128
Kylie Demo (2 dsks)
Wordprocessor. Spreadsheet, Database)
U007
C Manual (3 disks)
M022
Sonix Jukebox III
U033
Crunchers
M023
Sonix Jukebox IV
U008
Dark Star 3
M024
Sonix Jukebox V
U009
Dark Star 4
M025
Sonix Jukebox VI
U010
Dark Star 5
MW5
Sound Tracker (3 disks)
U011
Dark Star 6
M027
Technotronic Remixes
U012
Dope Intro Mater
M029
Van Gelis Demo (1Mb)
U031
Ghost Writer
M030
Vision Music Masters
U013
Gurubuster
M031
The Wall - Pink Royd
1)014
Intro Maker
M032
Walk this Way
U015
Jazz Bench
M033
8-Channel Soundtracker
U016
Journal
U017
Mandel Mountains
U036
Noise Tracker
GAMES
U019
Pagesetter Clip Art
G001
All New Star Trek Game (2 disks)
U022
Perfect Sound Utility
G002
APDC III
U023
Ram Manager
G003
APDCVIII
U024
Ray Tracer
GOW
Board Games
U025
Sid VI .6
GQ05
Blizzard
U034
Star Trekker
G006
Collosus - The Adventure Game
U026
TV Graffix (2 disks)
G007
Chinese Chequers
G038
Cribbage
G008
Eat Mine
MUSIC
G009
Flaschbier
M001
Beatmasters Club Mix
G010
Function 1
M0Q2
Beatmasters Remix
G011
Fish 260
M003
Crusaders Bacteria
G012
Gravattack
MOW
Cryptobumers
G013
Golden Fleece Adventure
MW3
Danish Knowhow
G014
Hack VI .0.3
MOOS
0-Mob Music 4 (2 disks)
G015
Jumpy
M006
Depeche Mode
G016
Larn - The Adventure Game
M007
Digital Concert II
G017
Mega Games 2 (2 disks)
M008
Digital Concert III
G040
Monopoly - Cluedo
M009
Digital Concert IV
G019
Pacman
M010
Digital Concert V
G020
Panorama 13a
M011
Digital Concert VI
G021
Paranoid
M012
Games Music Creator
G031
Pipe Line
M014
Godbrains House Disk
G023
Pseudocop
M015
Genesis
G024
Return to Earth
MW2
Kim Wilde
G025
Starfleet
M017
Mahoney and Kaktus
G035
Star Trek 3 (2 disks)
M018
Miami Vice Remix
G037
The Holy Grail
MW8
Queen & Black Box Remix
G027
Track Record
M019
Pet Shop Boys
GW1
Trek Trivia
MW1
Silent Sounds
G028
Tennis
M020
Sonix Jukebox 1
G029
Wanderer
M021
Sonix Jukebox II
G030
Wrarthed Ore
XMAS PACK:
3 Disks - Band Aid, Auld Lang Syne and
Rock Around the Christmas Tree
£3.00 1
Please add 70p for post and packing.
Send SAE for full catalogue.
Cheques/PO’s to:
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for over
11 orders!!
should be so, but It's worth remem-
bering.
Creative use of volume
You may find it a good idea
before starting a piece to reset all
the volumes to around 40, reduc-
ing the general volume level by a
third. The reason for this is that
when you have written a piece,
you’ll want to mix the levels of the
various samples. If your levels are
already on full, pushing things up in
the mix can be a tricky business.
One of the main complaints
about a lot of computer generat-
ed music is that they sound 'com-
puter generated', mechanical
and lifeless. This is not the fault of
the machine, but rather that of the
people who write the music. With
a little effort it's possible to put real
feeling into your creations.
One of the best methods of
doing this is by varying the volume
on individual notes. This isn't quite
as painful as it sounds. After finish-
ing a block make any changes
before copying, then when you
do copy the changes will go with
it.
The best way to get an idea of
how this should be done is to listen
to real people playing their instru-
ments. A bass player, for example,
will play certain notes in his bass
line louder than others. You should
listen for this and try to do the
Review
MED 2 - 13 ©19:
ex
TUNE*
doc „ i»r
S£L£C7 THE 5-flVE fORMAT
Kinnunen
001/009 00/08 12 C[£x BlDoubl eBas s
0
4
1
2
1 1 8880
0000
C-3
AC 2 8
0898
raei
0060
—
0000
0000
002
0000
0000
—
0000
0000
003
0000
0000
—
0000
0000
004
0000
0000
—
0000
0000
005
0000
0000
—
0000
0800
006
0000
0000
C-3
AC 22
8000
(0 0 7
0000
0000
—
8000
0600
Be careful with save and load, time can be gained and lost with a click of a button
HEP 2-JL3 1998 toy T. Kinnunen
satiate
l±fci»
K
008/009 06/08 12 € 2*
nUE 5 __ | HtSC
JGSB VOLUMES
INS v: HEX 023 LP-riLTEf ED S3 Q3 TEMf 0 = 8 3 8 ! SAMPLE ! HUH
STOP PUtY SONG CONTINUE SOWS m_O0K TRANSPOSE
PLAYING 1 PLAY HOCK _ CONTINUE SLOCK ^WT ’ g| mw
81
041
6424D-1
04 3
044
04 5
04 6
04 7
00608
1000
0006
0008
0000
0000
0888
10000
0000
0088
0000
0000
0000
6688
A — 3
G-3
A-3
H - 3
2 8C44
8C44
0800
8C44
0600
0600
8C44
1 1 r> O 1 1 1
1 II 1 1 1 1
1 1 COCO 1 1 1
360 0 0
0000
0000
3600
3660
0000
0080
848
G-l
1088
F-2
4088
F - 3
8IC&4
D-3
2888
649
—
0060
—
0000
—
0600
—
0000
056
—
0000
G-2
4060
—
0606
—
0600
051
—
0000
—
0000
—
0600
C-3
3600
652
—
0000
—
0000
—
0600
—
0000
653
—
0000
F-2
4060
—
0600
—
0000
6 54
D-l
1000
D-2
4060
—
6600
—
0000
855
— —
0006
—
6600
— —
6600
—
0000
The letter highlighted in the central bar is just one of many effects available with Med
same. Change the volume of indi-
vidual notes by using the com-
mand option described in the
program docs. Experiment with
various commands such as slides,
arpeggio's, portamento and so
on. All these effects can add life
to the piece, so try them out.
On this month's cover disk,
you'll find a new demo 'Crimbo
Tune', written by yours trully, (but if
anyone asks I'll deny all knowl-
edge). You're more than welcome
to mess around with it. Also feel
free to make use of the samples
I've added several extra samples,
which are not part of the tune, to
help you to build a sound library,
feel free to use them.
So, there's a basic introduction
to starting out. Armed with the
above, you should be ready to
enter your first tunes. Experiment
and see what comes up. Working
with Med does have its limitations,
but it's the ideas that count. A
bad idea does not get any better
no matter how much money is lav-
ished on it.
Next month I'll tell you about
the construction of complete
'arrangements'.
Article and cover disk tune
written and arranged by
Paul Austin
Chord
Major
Minor
G
GBD
G A# D
G#
G# C D#
G# B D
A
A C# E
ACE
A#
A# D F
A# C# F
B
BD# F#
BDF#
C
CEG
C D# G
C#
C# F G#
C# E G#
D
DF# A
DF A
D#
D# G A#
D# F# A#
E
E G# B
EGB
F
FAC
F G# C
F#
F# A# C#
F# AC#
N
Public Domainia !
Capacity boxes 99p • SO Rainbow labels 99p
Mousemats £2.50 • Dust covers £3.50
• DS/DD 100% Certified Disks inc. labels, P+P
£5.50 25 -£12.95 SO - £24.95 100 - £44.95
All PD discs
Each /
499 Slabby’s Music • Superb musci disk - get it
474 Spacechase • Fantastic animation ! 1 Meg
472 Crusaders Demos • New demos inc ED -209
47 1 ST Bash • Smash those grey slabs of Junk I
461 Yabba Dabba • The Flintstone slideshow - Brill
458 Star Trek Manuevers • Just Superb I 1 Meg
457 Tron and Spaceship Anim • Very good 1 Meg
456 Stealthy 2 • Funny cartoon animation. 1 Meg
455 Agatron Anlms 15 • 3 Brilliant 512K animations
454 Nightbreed Slideshow • Yukky spooky slides !
445 Anarchy CES music • Superb music by 4-Mat
444 Start demo pack 5 • inc.Crusaders latest I
440 Tropical Sunset • A great demo from Silents I
426 Crlonlcs Neverwhere • Very Impressive I
425 Digital concert 6 • Another Brilliant remix I
424 Sound of Silents • music by Jesper Kyd. Get it
252/253 Budbrain megademo • Just terrific I
242 100 64 songs • Old C64 tunes on the Amiga !
227 Jarre Docklands • Music with slideshow
225 Digital concert 5*4 Superb Chart songs
218 Kefrens Jukebox • Brilliant music disk
164 Mental Hangover • Mindblowing vectordemo
153 Puggs In Space • Great cartoon animation
496 Visicalc • A Great PD spreadsheet
180 Wordwright • Wordprocessor. labelprinter
495 RIM • Powerful relational database
460 Iconmanla • Superb Icons and icon tools
434 Amlbase • Simple to use database.
377 North C compiler • Version 1 . 1
378/379/380 C Manual on 3 disks. Brilliant I
345/346 Video Applications • Utilities and fonts
356 Fish 327 • MessiDos. read/write to PC disks
354 Sid 1.6 • Brilliant Directory Utility. Get it
340 Jazz bench • Great new workbench tools
330 Pendle Utils 7 • Superb Utilities disk.
331 Pendle Utils 6 • More utils Inc.Sid.Newzap
332 Pendle Utils 5 • 28 Great Utilities
123 ST-91 • Samples disk compiled by Start
122 ST-90 • More Mega samples by Start
1 18 Noisetracker • The Best music composer !
1 14 Dope Intromoker • Create your own demo
Hot Pack • 5 disks of the LATEST and BEST
demos - so new they are not even listed yet I
and the hot pack is updated every week I
ALL PD DISKS ARE 99p PER DISK • PLEASE ADD 60p P&P TO TOTAL ORDER VALUE
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please note our minimum credit card order is 5 disks
ART
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70 Amiga Computing
Qz commodore
A1500 IN STOCK!
Prices Include VAT, delivery & warranty.
Please add £15 for overnight delivery.
All systems are tested before despatch.
On-site maintenance options available.
Amiga A3000-25/100. 6MB £3145
Amiga A3000-25/40. 3MB £2895
Amiga B2000 latest UK model £845
Amiga A1500 as above, plus £945
2nd floppy, DPaint3, Works Platinum etc
Amiga B2000 with A2091 40MB £1295
Quantum llms autoboot hard disk
Amiga B2000 with A2206 PC-AT £ 445
bridge board 4 5$" disk drive
^■■^B2000T^T^^g^Boar?^^0M¥jautob^r^rd^is^^^95^
PERIPHERALS
A2620 68020 Card ♦ 2MB 32-bit £995
A2286 PC-AT board 4 5$" drive £645
A2088 PC-XT board 4 5 j" drive £349
C2058 8MB Board, 2MB Installed £224
RAM for above, per 2MB ... £104
RAM for A3000, all types ... Phone
A2091 ♦ 40MB 11ms Quantum £495
A2091 ♦ 105MB 11ms Quantum £845
RAM for A2091, per MB ... £48
Quantum ProDrlve 40MB Urns £349
Quantum ProDrfve 100MB llms £695
Quantum ProDrlve 170MB llms £995
Amiga A500 vl.3 comploto ... £349
KCS PC Power Board £299
RAM for A590, per MB ... £48
Supra Modem 300-2400 baud £ 1 59
Supra 2400zl intornal modem £ 1 59
A1084SD colour storoo monitor £259
14" MultlSync monitor 1024x768 £475
NEW! A2320 do-lntorlacof £ 1 1 5
CBM 1270 ink}ot 192 dpi 160 cps £225
£495
£925
£199
£575
£595
HP DeskJet 500 inkjet, 300 dpi
HP PaintJet colour Inkjet 180 dpi
Rendate 8802 Genlock
Rendale Pro Genlock
SketchMaster 18x12 dwg. tablet,
1000 Ipl. with stylus 4 4-button cursor
FrameGrabber alt colour modes. £549
ovorscan, up to 640x400 resolution
Why not enjoy the free Teletext databases
with the MIcroText Teletext adaptor... Fully
programmable, with Fastext facility, instant
access to last 16 pages, double page view,
telesoftware loader, auto-start/background
operation... Pages can spoken, printed as ASCII or graphics, saved as ASCII or IFF flies...
And it turns your 1081/1084/8833 monitor into a digital TV! Available now lor only £1391
| ■■■ Amstrad FX9600AT Fax + Printer + Copier 4- Scanner £115 off! |
PRODUCTIVITY
SuperBase Personal
SuperBase Personal 2
"" Professional v3
SuperPlan
C64 Emulator v2
Doctor Ami
Excellence 2
Pagestream 2
Professional Draw 2
Professional Page vl.3
CG Outline Fonts
Gold Disk Type
Professional Page Templates
Pagesetter 2
Pen Pal
■ NEW I Lattice C v5. 10 £159.95
■ A/C Fortran 179.93
■ A/C Basic vl.3 109.95
■ APL 68000 Level II v7.30 299.95
■ Dos-2-Dos 34.95
■ Workbench vl.3 Enhancer 12.95
Handles data 4 graphics, with oasy VCR stylo controls 24.95
Relational database power, without programming! 39.95
"The Rolls-Royce ol Amiga databases" (NCE) 154.93
Pro spreadsheet with business graphics, time planner 49.95
Don’t throw your C64 software away! 49.95
Guru stopper... disables bad disk blocks and FLAM! 39.95
New improved version... Word Perfect with graphics! 129.95
With major new features Incf. Agfa/Adobe fonts 139.95
Now much faster, with auto-trace, curved text 4 more... 89.95
Includes WP, Desktop, colour separations, CAD 139.95
35 Agfa CG fonts for ProPago, F^oDraw 2, PagoSottor 2 89.95
Choice of 4 sols of 3 Agfa CG fonts, per set ... 39.95
£39.95 ■ Works Platinum Edition 99.93
59.95 ■ System Programmer's Guide 24.95
79.95 ■ Amiga Logo 39.95
PAGESTREAM 2 PRODRAW 2 EXCELLENCE 2... In stock now!
CREATIVITY
Introcad Plus
Broadcast Titter 2
Pro Video Post
Pro Video font sets
TV-Text Professional
TV-Show v2.02
Video Effects 3D v1.2a
3D Professional
Turbo Sliver
The Art Department
■ AmlgaVIston V1.53G £99.95
■ Dlglvlew Gold v4.0 99.95
■ PageFlIpper ♦ F/X 39.95
■ De Luxe Paint II 24.95
■ Fantavlslon 24. bs
■ Walt Disney Animation Studio 99.gs
Powerful new version o! popular CAD program 79.95
Real broadcast quality titling with 4-lovol anti-aliasing 179.95
The ultimate in video presentation, titling 4 effects 209.95
Choice of 5 sots ol 4 anti-aliased fonts, per set... 89.95
Latest futl-foaturo video titlor, Includes Zuma fonts 89.93
Video presentation, soocial effects 4 transitions 54. gs
Smooth playback unlimited 3D offoct combinations 129.95
£259.95 ■ RGB Splitter 69.95
89.95 ■ ColourPIc Digitiser 475.oo
59.95 ■ SuperPIc Genlock/Digitiser 595.oo
]
[
IF YOU WANT IT TOMORROW... CALL US TODAYI ON 081-546-7256
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ware
LAKESIDE HOUSE, KINGSTON HILL, SURREY, KT2 7QT. TEL 081-546-7256
Widely acclaimed as the only computer
graphics event worth visiting, Jason
Titchberry found out what the future
holds for pixel punchers
T here is always one event
that is well documented in
any graphics aficionado's
diary. Try to meet them on those
days and you'll hear stories of sick
aunts, sudden and violent flu
attacks - unavoidable business
elsewhere perhaps. Written in bold
legend among the nether regions
of their personal organisers how-
ever. will be just three letters: GFX.
This is the time when the graph-
ics world unites in a desperate
attempt to persuade everyone
that it isn't all just about pretty pic-
tures, which of course, it is.
DTP, CAD (computer aided
design) and graphic design are
represented by names from sever-
al continents. You're not likely to
catch the likes of Agfa at a 16-bit
show but you'll find them here
along with names like Dowty,
Hewlett Packard, Ashton Tate,
Sony ond Hitachi. Pretty pictures
are big business.
As anyone in the know knows,
the area where Amigas have had
the biggest impact so far, at least
professionally, is in graphics, partic-
ularly desktop video. While the
Amiga may still lag behind Apple's
Mac and the PC in terms of busi-
ness sales, the machine has
become really popular with ani-
mation houses which explains why
IFFs keep appearing on Channel 4.
This year brought not only the
launch of two new Amigas, the
A3000 and the A 1500, but also the
promise of two even more power-
ful machines, the Tower A3500 and
the Unix-compatible A3000UX. This
commitment to leading-edge
hardware ensures a solid position
for Commodore's Amiga.
Harlequin
One of the most exciting pieces of
kit for anyone interested in profes-
sional standard graphics was dis-
played by Amiga Centre Scotland.
The Harlequin is a 32-bit frame
buffer on a Zorro II card ie. - it fits
internally into a 1500/2000/3000
but you can't use it with a vanilla
A500. This allows you to display
Amiga Computing 71
Show
Report
/ 'ft
a .
i I 1
-
/J
Pr'*--- . 1 M ' *1
broadcast-quality images at a
maximum resolution of 910 x 576.
But wait, there's more. The frame
buffer handles up to an amazing
16.777.216 colours.
A few quick calculations will
reveal that this is the number of
colours available for a 24-bit
image. So why does the ACS
Harlequin use 32-bits? The extra
eight bits make possible a whole
range of other functions - as an
alpha-channel to provide 256-level
linear keying for anti-aliasing the
signal or perhaps as control data
for other video sources and gen-
locking.
The Harlequin comes with soft-
ware enabling IFF files to be trans-
ferred to the frame buffer including
24-bit IFFs which you are likely to
get from ray-tracers, scanners, digi-
tisers and so on, and a library and
device driver for programmers. The
price? A mere £1 .395.
Virtuality
If you were tired of the real world
you could always enter a virtual
reality, courtesy of Virtuality
Limited. A snip at £20,000 and
apparently the cheapest of its
kind, the Virtuality system consists
of a base unit and a large headset
containing two miniature colour
ultra-high quality liquid crystal dis-
plays.
Two versions are available, a
stand-alone unit where the user
72 Amiga Computing
O iOFTMACHINE
Hardware
A500 Screen Gems
Back to the Future II
Days of Thunder
Shadow of the Beast II
Nightbreed
Deluxe Paint II
£369.99
A 500 Flight of Fantasy
F29 Retaliator
Rainbow Islands
Escape from the Planet
of the Robot Monsters
Deluxe Paint II
£369.99
Amiga 500 First Steps
A501 Ram Expansion
Deluxe Paint II + Print II
Pro Write + Info File
Let's Spell at Home
Amiga Logo + Talking Turtle
Mouse Mat + 10 Blank Disks
ProWrite V2.5
Music Mouse
BBC Emulator
£539.99
Commodore Amiga 1500
Amiga 1 500 c/w 1 Mb Ram
10B4S Colour Monitor
Platinum WORKS!
Deluxe Paint III
Populous, Battlechess,
Sim City, Their Finest Hour,
A-Z of Computer Jargon,
Getting the most
from your Amiga with
Populous + Promised Lands
also Sim City +• Terrain Editor
£1064.99
Class of 90’s
A501 Ram Expansion
Midi Interlace
Deluxe Paint II
Publishers Choice
Maxi Plan 500
Superbase Personal
Dr. T’s MRS
Amiga Logo
BBC Emulator
Mouse Mat
10 Blank Disks
£539.99
SOFTMACHINE P0WERPACK
Tower of Babel
Shufflepack Cafe
Microprose Soccer
Grand Monster Slam
E-Motion, Kid Gloves
RVF Honda. Powerplay
Datastorm, Dungeon Quest
ONLY £25*
Amiga 3000 Series
A3000 c//w 16Mhz 40Mb HD
£2079.99
A3 000 c/w 25MHz 40Mb HD
£2494.99
A3000 c/w 25MHz 50Mb HD
£2744.99
AMIGA 2000
Complete with:
A2091 Hard Disk Controller,
capable of taking 2Mb Ram
on board + 40Mb, 19m/s
Quantum HD
£1269.99
SOFTMACHINE STARTER PACK
Deluxe Mouse Mat
Tailored Dust Cover
Drive Head Cleaner
10 TDK MF2DD Disks
80 Cap Lockable Disc
Storage Box
ONLY £20*
'When purchased with any
Amiga
computer... Offer limited to 1
Starter/Power pack per
Amiga purchased
Peripherals
1084S Colour Monitor £259.99
A1011 Disk Drive £89.99
A590 20Mb Hard Drive £279.99
A501 Ram Exp/Clock £59.99
1230 Dot Matrix £134.99
1270 Inkjet £184.99
1550 Colour Dot Matrix £209.99
A520 Modulator £24.99
A1352 Mouse £34.99
Cumana 1 Mb 3.5* Drive £69.99
Cumana 1Mb 5.25* Drive ...£104.99
Microbotics M501/S £49.99
AT Once/286 Emulator £184.99
Digidroid £59.99
Camera Stand w/lights £79.99
Sound Trap 3 £29.99
Perfectsound £47.99
TL Mono Digitiser £24.99
TL Stereo Digitiser £32.99
Audio Engineer Plus £169.99
Alter Audio £79.99
Midi Interface II £29.99
Midi Connector £29.99
Midi Master Interface £29.99
Phantom SMPTE/Midi £209.99
Contriver Mouse £22.50
Naksha Mouse £34.99
Marconi Trackerball £49.99
Contriver Trackball £32.50
Mouse Mat £3.99
Optical Mouse £34.99
10 x Sony Bulk 3.5’ £5.99
10 x Sony MFD2 DD £10.99
10 x TDK MF2DD 3.5’ £11.99
3.5' 40 Cap Lockable Box £5.99
3.5* 80 Cap Lockable Box £7.99
3.5* 150 Cap Posso Box £19.99
Printer Cable £4.99
3.5' Head Cleaner £3.99
Mouse Mat with Amiga Logo .£5.99
NEW
Philips 8833 Mk I1 14"
Stereo Colour Monitor with
Earphone Socket and cable
8833 Mk II
..£244.99
8833 Mk II Artist..
..£244.99
| Video/Image Processing
Hitachi Camera + Lens £219.99
Digivlew 4 Special Offer
While Stocks Last £84.99
Vidi Amiga £97.50
Vidi Chrome. £18.99
P.P. Colour Frame Grabber .£519.99
Colorpic £434.99
A4 Flatbed Scanner £579.99
Type 2 Handy Scanner £104.99
Type 10 Handy Scanner £209.99
Minigen £97.50
Rendale 8802 Genlock £187.50
Cherry A3 Tablet £479.99
Podscat 12* x 12* Tablet £196.99
Books
40 Great Flight Sim Adv £13.95
40 More Great Flight Sim Adv £14.95
68000 Assembly Lang £17.95
68000 Assembly Lang Prog £21.95
68000 Hardware + Software £12.95
68000 User Guide £8.95
Advanced Amiga Basic £18.95
'Adv Sys Prog Guide £32.45
* 3D Graph Prog Basic £18.45
Amiga Applications £16.95
* Assembly Lang Prog £14.45
Amiga Basic Inside & Out £18.95
Amiga C for Adv. Prog £32.45
Amiga C for Beginners £18.45
Amiga DOS £14.95
Amiga DOS Inside & Out £18.45
Amiga DOS Quick Ref £8.95
Amiga DOS Ref. Gde £14.95
Amiga Desktop Video £18.45
Amiga Desktop Video Gde £18.45
* Disk Drives Inside & Out £27.95
Amiga for Beginners £12.95
’Gde Gra./Sound /Comm £17.45
Graphics Inside + Out £32.45
’ Hardware. Ref. Manual £21.95
Amiga Mach. Lang. Guide £21.95
Amiga Machine Lang £14.95
•Microsoft Bas. Prog. Gde £18.45
Printers Inside + Out £32.95
’Prog. Handbook. Vol. 1 £24.95
’Prog Handbook Vol 2 £23.95
Programming the 68000 £23.95
Amiga Prog Gde Compute £17.45
Amiga Prog Gde Weber £20.45
’ROM Kernel Ref Man Inc £28.95
’ROM Kernel Ref Man Lib £29.95
Amiga Sys Prog Guide £32.95
Amiga Tricks and Tips £14.95
Becoming an Amiga artist £18.45
Beginners guide to Amiga £16.95
Computes 1st Book of £16.95
Computes 2nd Book of * £16.95
Elementary Amiga Basic £14.95
FI 9 Stealthfighter handbook £13.95
Falcon Air Combat £14.95
Flight Sim Odyssey £14.95
Flying Start Sim £7.95
Gunship Academy . £14.95
Inside Amiga Graphics £16.95
Inside the Amiga with C £24.50
Jetfighter School £1 1 .95
Jetfighter School II £14.95
Kids and the Amiga £15.95
Learning to Fly £14.95
Mapping the Amiga £20.95
Prog Guide to Amiga £23.95
Sub Commander £12.95
Take Off Flight Sim £15.45
’ Indicates Amiga in Title
Printers
DOT MATRIX
Epson LX400 £169.99
Epson LQ400 £249.99
Epson LX850 £244.99
Epson LQ550 £334.99
Seikosha SP-2000 £174.99
Seikosha SL-92AI £284.99
Citizen 120D + P £134.99
Citizen 124D £219.99
Citizen Swift 9 £199.99
Citizen Swift 24 £294.99
Swift Colour Kit £35 00
Panasonic KXP1 1 80 £1 69.99
Panasonic KXP1 124 £274.99
Star LC-10 £169.99
Star LC-10 Colour £214.99
Star LC24-10 £249.99
INK/BUBBLE JET
Epson SQ850 £599.99
Epson SQ2550 £829.99
HP Deskjet 500 £499.99
HP Paintjet £899.99
Canon PJ1080A £584.99
Canon BJ130E £549.99
LASER
Epson EPL7100 £929.99
HP Laserjet IIP £899.99
Canon LBP 4 £934.99
| Lanquage/Compilers/Etc
AMOS £35.95
A-Rexx £32.50
Argasm £42.50
Aztec C Developer £199.95
Aztec C Professional £112.95
Benchmark Modula 2 £137.50
Benchmark Libraries £72.50
Devpac 2 £43.50
GFA Basic v3.5 Compiler £22.95
GFA Basic v3.5 Interpreter £39.95
Hisott Basic £56.95
Hisoft Extend £15.95
K-Seka Assembler £34.95
Lattice CV5 £174.95
Lattice C++ £259.95
Please ring for prices/availability on any hardware/software/peripherals not listed.
Desktop Publishing
G.D. Type Decorative £32.50
G.D. Type Designer £32.50
G.D. Type Publisher £32.50
G.D. Type Video £32.50
Gold Disk Office £104.95
Pagesetter V2 £49.95
Pagestream v2 £142.50
Professional Page v2 RING
Professional Page VI. 3 ...£159.95
PP Outline fonts £104.95
PP Structured Clip Art £35.95
PP Templates £35.95
Proclips £20.95
Music
Audiomaster III £57.50
Bars and Pipes £184.95
Deluxe Music £54.95
DR. T's Copyist App £72.50
DR. T’s Copyist DTP £184.95
DrT'sKCS £229.95
Dr T's MRS £47.50
Dr T’s Tiger Cub £79.95
Music Xvl.1 £89.95
Music X Junior £62.50
Pro 24 £265.95
Quartet £35.95
Sonix £49.95
Communications
BBS PC £97.50
GP Term £57.50
K-Comm 2 £34.95
Ruby Comm £54.95
Accounts
Cashbook Combo £49.50
Cashbook Controller £34.95
Final Accounts £21.95
Home Accounts £21.95
Small Business Acc. Cash .£56.50
Small Business Acc. Xtra... £79.95
System 3 £34.95
; Audio Digitising/Sampling
A.M.A.S £79.99
Futuresound £74.99
Mastersound £34.99
Omega Midi Mini Interface £19.99
Modems
Designer Modem £104.99
Pro 4 Modem £389.99
WS 4000 Modem £164.99
Linnet Modem £144.99
Linnet 1200 Modem £244.99
Linnet 2400 Modem £164.99
Utilities
BAD £32.50
B.B.C. Emulator £39.95
Calligrapher £67.95
Disk Master £39.95
Dos2 Dos £29.95
Cross Dos V4 £28.95
GomfV.3 £27.95
Power windows V2.5 £54.95
Project D £29.95
Quarterback £39.95
Superback £41.95
X-Copy + Hardware £24.95
X-Copy Professional £36.95
(Full price list on request)
Word Processing
Excellence 2 £132.50
Kind Words 2 £35.95
Pen Pal £104.95
Protext v5 £102.50
Scribble Platinum
....£41.50
Transwrite
....£32.50
Word Perfect
..£176.95
Databases
Acquisition 1.3
..£169.95
K-Data
....£34.95
Prodata
....£56.95
Superbase Personal
....£27.50
Superbase Personal 2 ..
....£69.95
Superbase Professional. ..£169.95
Spreadsheets
Advantage
....£79.95
DGCalc £27.95
K-Spread 2 £42.50
Superplan £69.95
Educational
Designasaurus £32.50
Distant Suns £52.95
Fun School Under 6 £14.95
Fun School 2 6-8 years £14.95
Fun School 2 Over 8 £14.95
Fun School 3 Under 8 yrs.. £17.95
Fun School 3 5-7 years £17.95
Fun School 3 Over 7 £17.95
Mega Maths GCSE £20.95
Micro English GCSE £20.95
Micro French GCSE £20.95
Micro Maths GCSE £20.95
Play and Read £20.95
Primary Maths £20.95
Spell at Home £15.95
Spell at The Shops £15.95
Spell Book 4-6 years £1 5.95
Spell Book 7+ £15.95
Things to do with Numbers £1 5.95
Things to do with Words ...£15.95
World Atlas £44.95
CAD/Graphics/Animation
3D Professional £394.95
Animagic £54.95
Broadcast Titler £184.95
Can do £101.95
Comic Setter £39.95
Comic Setter Clip Art £1 7.50
Deluxe Paint III £59.95
Deluxe Photolab £54.95
Deluxe Print II £36.95
Deluxe Video III £74.95
Design 3D £62.95
Digi Paint 3 £54.95
Disney Animation Studio. ..£81. 50
Fantavision £32.50
Imagine RING
IntroCAD Plus £81.50
Movie Setter £39.95
Page Flipper + F/X £69.95
Page Render 3D £81.50
Photon Paint 2 £29.95
PIXmate £39.95
Professional Draw V.2 £104.95
Pro Video Post £215.95
Spectracolour RING
The Director £47.50
The Director's Toolkit £27.50
TV Show V2 £57.50
TV Text Prof £104.95
Video Generic Master £54.95
Video Titler 3D RING
Video Wipe Master £54.95
X-CAD Designer £86.95
Zoetrope £74.95
Please make cheques/postal orders payable to SOFTMACHINE. All items subject to availability.
All prices include V.A.T. & U.K. Delivery. All prices subject to change without notice. E.&O.E.
SOFTMACHINE Dept. AC1, 20 Bridge House, Bridge Street, Sunderland SRI 1TE. Telephone: 091-385 7426
PHONE ANYTIME FOR FAST FRIENDLY SERVICE
FREE WITH EVERY AMIGA
PURCHASED 16 DAY HOUDAY
ACCOMMODATION FOR TWO
PEOPLE - CHOICE OF 250 HOTELS
I AMIGA SCREEN GEMS
BUMPER PACK
A500 AMIGA 5 1 2K RAM Computer * Built-
in 1 Mb Disk Drive, Workbench 1 .3, Mouse,
A520 TV Modulator Speech Synthesis.
Basic 1 .3 Disk, Extras and Tutorials Disks,
Joystick, Tailored Qualify Monogrammed
AntiStatic Dustcover, Mouse Mat, Mouse
Holder, 10 Blank Disks, 40 Lockable Disk
Box All Leods, Three Manuals and even a
1 3A Plug Plus SCREEN GEMS SOFTWARE
PACK CONTAINING
Back to the Future 2, Shodow of the Beast 2
Knight Breed and Days of Thunder, Deluxe
Paint II Art Pockoge
ALL FOR ONLY £389.99 1
Add NEW ASTRA PACK if Required
DataStorm, Dungeon Quest, Grand Monster |
ISIam, Powerplay, M croprose Soccer, RVF
Honda, E-Motion, Tower of Babel, Kid
Gloves, ShufFepock Cafe. Value £250
£20 ONLY if ordered with BUMPER PACK
AMIGA CLASS OF 90'S
EDUCATION PACK
Consists of A500 Computer, Mouse etc Plus
Midimaster Interface, Mouse Mat, 10 B'ank
Disks, DeLuxe Paint I, Publishers Choice,
Maxiplan 500, Superbase Personal, Dr T’s
Midi Recording Stucio, Amiga Logo and
BBC Emulator. £529.99 1
AMIGA CLASS OF 90'S
FIRST STEPS PACK
Consists of A500 Computer with A501 ,
51 2K RAM Expansion Pack, Mouse, Mouse
Mat, T.V. Modulator, 10 Blank Disks,
DeLuxe Paint II, DeLuxe Print II, Infofile
Database, Prowrite 2 5 Word Processor,
Music Master, Let's Spell at Home, Amiga
Logo, Talking-Turtle, BBC Emulator RRP of
Hardwore and Software over £1000
£529.99
ALL NEW AMIGA 1500
For Home, Business, Education, Design &
Leisure Fitted with 1Mb RAM, Twin Disk
Drives and complete with 1084S Monitor,
Separate Keyboard and CPU case as
A2000.
SOFTWARE pock includes
THE WORKS - PLATINUM EDITION
Spreadsheet, Datobase, Word Processor
ond Comms Pockoge DeLuxe Paint III Art
I Pockoge ond 1 Mb S^ateay Games:
I Their Finest Hour, Battle Chess, Sim Gty plus |
Terrain Editor, Populous plus Promised
Lands ONLY £1049.001
1 LEISURE SOFTWARE
Billy the Kid
| Chaos Strikes Bock
£16 99
....£ 16.99
1 Chase HQ 2
....£ 19.99
Dragons Lair 2
....£ 31.99
I Elvira Mistress of the Dark
£ 19.99
(Golden Axe
£16 99
1 Goofy's Railway Express
£16 99
1 Hard Drivin 2
£16 99
I Life & Death
£16 99
1 Mickey's Runaway Zoo
£16 99
1 Ninja Turtles
£16 99
1 Powe rroonger
. ..£ 19.99
1 RoboCop 2
£1699
[Simulcra
....£1699
(Total Recall
£1699
(Ultima V.
....£ 19.99
IWolfnock
....£ 19.99
| NEW GAMES RELEASED DAILY
PLEASE ASK FOR ANY fTEM NOT LISTED
MONITORS
COMMODORE 1 084S Stereo
incl Leads £249.99
PHILIPS CM8833/II New Model High
Resolution Stereo incl Leods £249.99
Philips TV Tuner to convert either
of above Monitors to High Quality
| T.V. complete with Aerial.. £64.99
1Mb -3.5" DISK DRIVES
ICUMANA
CAX354 Disk Drive £63.99
GENLOCK RENDALE 8802
Genlock £159.99
EXTRA SPECIAL - AMIGA EXTERNAL
SECOND DRIVE SUMUNE AND FULLY
GUARANTEED ONLY. £57.99
HARD DISK DRIVES
AM'GA A590 20 Mb
Plug In Drive £269.99
RAM EXPANSIONS
51 2K RAM Expansion, Clock and Switch
(Total 1 Mb Memory Capacity) £32.99
Very easy to fit and does nof invalidate
warranty. Can be fitted and tested FREE of
charge if purchased at same time as Com-
puter.
MIDI EQUIPMENT
DATEL Midi Master nterface.. £29.99
Midi Leods. Per Pair £5.98
PRINTERS
STAR LC 10 MONO £159.99
STAR LC-200 COLOUR £209.99
STAR LC24/200 MONO £259.99
STAR LC24/200 COLOUR £299.99
PANASONIC KXP1124
24 Pin £249,99
We are CITIZEN SUPER DEALERS
and Authorised to Offer their
FULL 2 YEAR GUARANTEE ON ALL
CITIZ EN PRINTERS
CITIZEN 1 20D ♦ Serial or Parallel Interface
Please State which when ordering. £1 34.99
CITIZEN 124D Lowest Cost 24 Pin
letter Quality Printer £235.99
CITIZEN SWIFT 9 COLOUR High Spec.9 Pin
with 4 Fonts and 240 x 240 dpi Colour
Graphics £229.99
CITIZEN SWIFT 9 MONO as above except
Mono until Colour Kit Fitted £1 99.99
CITIZEN SWIFT 24 COLOUR High Spec 24
Pin for Perfect Qual ty Text and 360x360
dpi Colour Graphics £319.99
CITIZEN SWIFT 24 MONO as above except
Mono until Colour Kit Fitted £289.99
SWIFT 9/24 COLOUR KIT easily fitted
converts SWIFT 9/24 Mono printers into
Colour Versions £34.99
SEIKOSHA SP-2000 9 Pin NLQ
RRP £228.85 £159.99
CASPELL RIBBON REFRESH
Ink in a tin £ 8.95
CASPELL RE-INK
Ribbon treatment £12.95
All Printers are Supplied with Ribbon, Con-
necting Cable and Plug and Ready to Go to
Work.
Please Ring for Prices of Printer
Ribbons - Full Range Stocked
JOYSTICKS
CHEETAH Exterminator £5.99
CHEETAH Moch 1 £10.99
CHEETAH Starprobe £12.99
KONIX Speedking £9.99
Z1PST1CK Superpro £11.50
Z1P5TICK Superpro Auto £1 1 .99
QUICKSHOT 2 Turbo £ 9.99
QUICKJOY Infrared £34.99
exclusive:!
THE AMIGA TUTOR VIDEO
For new and not so new Amiga Users - shows in clear graphic detail all
you need to know to become proficient in using me Amiga
SUBJECTS COVERED INCLUDE:
• Setting-up Monitors - Mouse Expansion
• Workbench Customisation - Copying - Renaming - Formatting
• Notepad - Menus - Fonts Saving - Printing
• Icons - Clock - Sizing - Moving - Scrolling Windows
• CU Directory Structure - Start-up Sequence - Multi-Tasking
• Printer Set-up - Preferences
• Virus Protection
For the cost of a game you will learn techniques that will entertain you for years
to come. Make sure you get the best from your expensive investment
£ 1 9^9 9 inc POST & PACKING
DUST COVERS
TOP QUALITY COLOUR CO-ORDINATED
DUST COVERS TAILORED AND WITH PIPED
EDGING. PROTECT YOUR
EXPENSIVE INVESTMENT
AMIGA Keyboard Dust Cover £4.99 1
AMIGA Moni tor Dust Cover £4 99
STAR LC1 0 Printer Dust Cover £4.99
STAR LC200 Printer Dust Cover £4.99
STAR LC24-200 Printer Dust Cover ....£4.99
CITIZEN 1 20D Printer Dust Cover £4.99
CITIZEN Swift 9 Printer Dust Cover £4.99
CITIZEN Swift 24 Printer Dust Cover. ..£4.99
Quality Soft Boxed Mouse Mat £4.99
Mouse Brocket (to Hold Mouse) £1 .99
3.5’ Disk Drive Head Clean Kits £3 99 1
PREMJERCONTROl CENTRE-Sits over
Amigoas Monitor Stand & Second Disk
Drive Holder. Colou' Matched to Amiga and
supplied with extension Plugs and Sockets to
bring Ports forward to front side £45.99
CONTRIVER Trackball £34 99 1
TWIN Joystick/ Mouse
Extension Leod £5.99 1
AERIAL SWITCHING BOXES fit in TV lead
to eliminate constant disconnection and
wear on TV £3.99 1
SURGE Protector Plugs £1 1 .99
PRINTER Cables £7.99
DISKS • DISKS - DISKS • DISKS
FULLY GUARANTEED DSDD BULK DISK 1 00% Certified - either SONY, TDK or
MITSUBISHI UNBRANDED - ALL INDIVIDUALLY WRAPPED & WITH LABELS
STAMPED MADE IN JAPAN DO NOT CONFUSE WITH INFERIOR UNCERTIFIED
Pock of 10 £5 49
Pock of 20 £9 49
Box of 50 XI 9.99
Box of 100 £37.99
Pock of 20 in Our Top Quality Lockoble 40 Disk Holder £1 2.99
J 1 0 Flip Top Disk Holder 89p
40/50 Disk Holder Lockable Top Quality. £ 3.99
80 Disk Holder Lockable Top Quality £ 5.99
Spare Labels. Asstd Colours 60 for £1 .00
EDUCATIONAL
& CHILDRENS
NEW Fun School 3 - Under 5 £1 6.49
NEW Fun School 3-5-7 Years £16.49
NEW Fun School 3 • 7 and Over £16.49
Junior Typist £ 12.99
Better Maths 12-1 6 (GCSE) £19.99
Micro English (GCSE £17.99
Micro Maths (GCSE) £17.99
Micro French (GCSE) £17.99
Mega Maths (GCSE) £17.99
Primary Maths £ 17.99
Things to do with Numbers £15.99
Things to do with Words £15.99
ABZoo X3.99
First Letters and Words £19.99
Kid Talk £19.99
Spell Book 4-9 £ 13.99
Lets Spell at Home £1 4.99
Lets Spell ot the 5hops £1 4.99
Puzzle Book Vol 1 £13.99
Amigo Logo £ 39.99
Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing £18.49
AMIGA BOOK SPECIALS
Advanced Amiga Basic £16.49 1
3D Graphics Programming in Basic. .. £16.99
Amiga Applications £1 4 49
Amiga Assembly Lcnguoge Program £11.49
| Amiga Basic - Inside and Out £1 7.99
j C For Beginners £14 49
I Amiga C For Advanced Programmers £27.99
Amiga Disk Drives-lnside and Out £24.99
Amiga DOS- A Dab Hand Guide... £13.99
Amiga DOS Quick Reference Guide £8.99
Amiga for Beginners £1 1 .99
Amiga Graphics Inside & Out £25.99
Amigo Hardware Reference Manual . £20.99
Amiga Machine Language £1 2.49
Amiga Programmers Handbook £22.99
Amiga ROM Kerne 1 Libraries & Devs ..£27.99
Amiga System Programmers Guide £28.99
Amiga Advanced Systems Prog Guide.£25.49
Amigo Tricks and Tips £1 3.99
Amiga More Tricks and Tips £16.49
Computes First Book of the Amiga £13.9?
Computes Amiga Programmers Guide £15.99
Beginners Guide to the Amiga £13.99
Elementaty Amigo Basic £1 2.49
Inside Amiga Graphics £14.4?
Kids and the Amigo-Kids 8 to 80 £1 3.49
Programmers Guide to the Amiga £22.49
Using DeLuxe Paint 2nd Edition £1 7.4?
Amiga Desktop Video Guide £15.99
Kickstart Guide to the Amiga £1 3.99
Learning C - Programming Graphics £16.99
Inside the Amigo with C £1 8.99
Becoming An Amiga Artist £1 5.99 1
NEW
Amiga Printers Inside & Out + Disk £24.99 1
Making Music on the Amiga + Dsk ....£24.99
1 SERIOUS SOFTWARE
Kind Words V2.0
Scribble Platinum
£29 9?
£35.9?
1 Pen Pal
Protext V4.0
£ 94.99 1
£64.9?
(Advantage
£ 69.9? |
1 The Works • Platinum Edition
£ 79.99 1
Gold Dsk Office
£99 99
Home Accounts
£1999
1 Digita System 3
£3199
Personal Accounts Plus
£21.99
Smell Business Accounts
£55.99
Small Business Accounts Extra....
£ 79 99 (
|Poge Setter V2
£ 49.95 1
Publishers Choice..
£65.99
Disney Animation Studio
£ 72.99 1
Digi- VTew Gold
£112.99
DeLuxe Print
£999
1 Home Office Kit
£94 99
HiSoft Basic
£55.99
| HiSoft Basic Extend
£ 1 4 95 1
AMOS Game Crector Plus FREE Disk .£ 37.99 1
DeLuxe Point III
£ 59 99
DeLuxe Video III
£ 59 59
Spritz High Quality Paint Pock ...
£ 24 95
D T’s Midi Recording Studio
£ 38 59
Instant Music
£1759
Perfect Sound
£45 99
Music XJnr
£ 49.95 1
Music X
£89.99
Answer Bock Junior £1 3.99
Answer Bock Senior £1 3.99
Donalds AJphcbet £19.99
Kosmos • The German Master £1 7.49
Kosmos - The Spanish Tutor £1 7.49
Kosmos - The Italian Tutor £1 7.49
Foct File 500 - General Science £8.99
Foct File 500 - 20th Cent.History £8.99
Math Talk - Fractions (8-12) £19.99
First Shapes.(3-5 Years) £19.99
Puzzle Story Book (3-8 Years) £ 1 9.99
Trivial Pursuit £ 14.99
AUDITION COMPUTER SERVICES
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can actually walk around his unre-
al world, and a sit-in unit, where
users control a vehicle of their
choice.
The heart of the system is an
Amiga 3000, although Virtuality
aren't really keen on letting peo-
ple know this - the fact wasn't
mentioned when the system was
previewed on BBC TV's Tomorrow's
World.
The Amiga handles all the sums
and control electronics, while a
custom graphics board drives the
stereo-visual d splays. A big plus for
the engineering fraternity is the
ability to enter standard CAD
designs and actually walk around
them. The system is already being
sold to deep-sea divers, nuclear
physicists and anyone else with
enough dosh.
The assembled were treated to
the most exciting computer dis-
plays some of them had ever seen
- when these babies hit the
arcades, it's going to be a whole
new ball-game. The only draw-
back with the system (apart from
the price) is the weight of the
headset - hardly portable end a
bit painful on the nose!
Commodore
Apart from demonstrating some
interesting CAD software.
Commodore had the A3500 on
show again, still without its produc-
tion casing of course.
Also there were a few net-
worked A3000s running Amiga
vision to show its potential as a true
multimedia authoring system.
Hiding on the CBM stand, apart
from Real Time Graphics, was
Chromacolour, whose animation
story-boarding set-up features in
the very popular Rolf's Cartoon
Club. A cut down home user sys-
tem is still in development, presum-
ably with the backing of Com-
modore, but Managing Director
Dave Prudence wants to be sure
to get it right before the product
hits the streets.
Also making a discrete appear-
ance was a prototype version of
Professional Page 2.0, as men-
tioned in last month's Almanac.
The new version includes such fea-
tures as object rotation, style tag-
ging and Pantone colour
matching. Perhaps its presence on
the CBM stand means some sort of
bundle deal is in the offing?
Real Time Graphics
Real Time Graphics is a company
specialising in television and makes
Yes, but does it work?
Sit down, strap on the goggles and you're in a world of you're own...
3^iSB53iaKgi5ffig:^aB
!>•
IS
D
C T
j
Of
Simpatica in action
extensive use of Amiga Video.
Chances are you've clready seen
some of their work without realising
that it v/as generated by the same
piece of hardware that you play
Meenage Tutant Hero Burples on.
Real Time productions include Star
Test and ITV's Chart Show. Keep a
sharp lookout for their name at the
end of some Channel 4 pro-
grammes.
ArtBeat
The people behind Simpatica
were at the show. This is an anima-
tion controller, facilitating the trans-
fer of IFF animations to video tape
at the correct speed.
Anyone familiar with Dpaint
knows that the frames-per-second
count is a little optimistic at the
best of times. This might not be so
critical when showing demos and
the like on your Amiga but is
potentially, financially lethal in the
realms of serious animation which
is all about timing.
Simpatica works in conjunction
with a professional video deck to
transfer your animations automati-
cally to video at a smooth 25fps. It
provides full timer code support
and many other video tools, which
you may or may not find useful.
Lustechnik Gmbh.
Amiga owners on the move were
delighted when they visited the
Graf-Card display. The German
Graf-Card uses miniature transistors
in each of the primary colours to
provide a full colour. 25fps 5cm x
7cm display.
Although hardly state-of-the-art
when compared with the current
crop of LCD TVs, the Graf-Card is
special because it can be fitted
internally to an Amiga 500 with the
display showing through a special-
ly cut hole on the top. If you want
a portable Amiga, this is definitely
the way to go about it.
The next generation?
A short Star Trek film displayed on a
projection TV drew the crowds at
the Commodore stand. Not espe-
cially noteworthy perhaps, except
for the fact that it was generated
entirely on an Amiga.
Requiring 25 days to render, and
taking over 60Mb of animation
data, the film was proof that the
Amiga could produce TV-quality
special effects. All 15 minutes were
a joy to behold, and put the origi-
nal Star Trek series effects to
shame.
Amiga Computing 7 5
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ORDER
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*9 Lives 16.99
688 Attack Sub 16.99
‘Action Fighter 15.99
•Adidas Championship Football 16.99
•Adidas Champ Tie Break 1 6.99
•Alcatraz 16.99
•Alpha Waves 16.99
•Amnios 13.99
Anarchy 13.99
'Ancient Art of War 16.99
‘Ancient Art of War At Sea 1 6.99
Ants Head (Datadisc) 12.99
•Aquaventura 24.99
•Armourgeddon 1 6.99
•A.T.F. II 16.99
Atomics 13.99
•Atomic Robo Kif 16.99
Awesome 24.99
*BAT 16.99
•Back to the Future III 16.99
•Bards Tale III 16.99
Back to the Future II 16.99
'Bad Lands ...16.99
•Bad Blood 19.99
•Barbarian II (Psygnosis) 16.99
Battlechess 16.99
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•Battle Command 1 6.99
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•Betrayal 19.99
•Billy the Kid 16.99
•Blade Warrior 15.99
Bomber 19.99
BSS Jane Seymour 16.99
•Buck Rogers 16.99
Budakhan 16.99
Captive 16.99
•Challengers 19.99
•Conquest Camelot 29.99
•Cruise for a Corpse 16.99
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•Codename Iceman 29.99
‘Colonels Bequest 29.99
Cabal 16.99
Cadaver 16.99
’Carthage 15.99
’Champion of Raj 19.99
Chase HQ 16.99
’Chaos Strikes Back 16.99
Chess Champion 2175 19.99
’Chess Simulator 13.99
’Chuck Jaegers AFT 16.99
Combo Racer 16.99
Conqueror 16.99
’Corvette 19.99
•Commandos Compilation 15.99
'Crimewave 16.99
*Cutipo 16.99
Death Trap 16.99
’Dragons Lair II 34.99
•Dick Tracy 16.99
Damocles 15.99
Days of Thunder 19.99
Defenders of the Earth 12.99
Dragons Breath 19.99
•Dragons Breed 16.99
Dragon Flight 19.99
’Dragon War 16.99
Dungeon Master Editor 9.99
'Duster 16.99
Drakken 19.99
’Dynamic Debugger 15.99
Dynasty Wars 16.99
*E Swat 16.99
•Epic 16.99
’Escape from Colditz 16.99
’Eagle Rider 16.99
’Ecstacy 13.99
Edition 1 (Comp) 19.99
Emlyn Hughes International
Soccer 16.99
Escape from the Planet of
Robot Monsters 13.99
•Full Blast 19.99
•Ford Q8 Rally 16.99
’Flash Dragon 13.99
F29 Retaliator 16.99
FI 9 Stealth Fighter 19.99
F16 Combat Pilot 15.99
Falcon 19.99
Falcon Mission II 13.99
Federation Quest 1 16.99
’Final Battle 16.99
‘Finale (comp) 16.99
•Flight of Intruder 19.99
Flip it Magnose 16.99
•Flirt 16.99
Flood 16.99
’Football Simulator 13.99
’Fourth Dimension 16.99
’Future Basketball 16.99
Gremlins II 16.99
Gold of the Aztecs 1 6.99
Golden Axe 16.99
’Guns & Butter 19.99
’Hunt for Red October 16.99
Halls of Montezuma 16.99
•Hard Drivin* II 16.99
Harley Davidson 19.99
‘Harpoon 19.99
Heroes (Comp) 19.99
Hollywood Collection 19.99
Immortal 16.99
Imperium 16.99
Indy 500 16.99
'Interceptor 16.99
Int. Soccer Challenge 15.99
Invanhoe 16.99
International Championship
Wrestling 16.99
International 3D Tennis 16.99
Iron Man 13.99
Judge Dread 13.99
Italy 1990 13.99
Jumping Jackson 12.99
KickOff II 12.99
KickOff II (1 Meg) 16.99
Kick Off II World Cup Ed 16.99
Kick Off Extra Time 9.99
Killing Game Show 16.99
Klax 13.99
Knights of Crystalian 19.99
’Krypton X 12.99
’Line of Fire 16.99
’Lords of Chaos 16.99
’Leaving Terramis 16.99
Legend of Faerghail 16.99
’Legend Billy Boulder 16.99
’Lemmings 16.99
‘Light Corridor 13.99
Lotus Turbo 16.99
Leisure Suit Larry III 24.99
Last Ninja II 16.99
’Life & Death 19.99
Lost Patrol 16.99
’Last Stuntman 12.99
Loom 16.99
•Muds 16.99
Magician 19.99
Magic Fly 16.99
Man Utd 16.99
Manic Mansion 16.99
Matrix Marauders 16.99
Mean Street 16.99
Ml Tank Platoon 19.99
•Moon Blaster 16.99
Monty Python 13.99
Murder 16.99
Murder in Space 16.99
’Mystical 16.99
Midnight Resistance 16.99
Midwinter 19.99
•Myth 16.99
•Night Shift 19.99
'Narc 16.99
’Navy Seals 16,99
•Nebulus II 16.99
Night Breed 16.99
Nitro 16.99
New York Warrior 13.99
North and South 15.99
Nuclear War 16.99
•Omnicrom Conspiracy 16.99
*Obitus 24.99
’Operation Harrier 16.99
‘Outboard 16.99
Operation Thunderbolt 16.99
Oriental Games 15.99
Power Pack (Comp) 16.99
’Predator II 16.99
•Parig 16.99
Photon Storm 13.99
Pinball Majic 16.99
Police Quest II 24.99
Planet Busters 13.99
Player Manager 12.99
Plotting 16.99
’Pop up 13.99
*Powermonger 19.99
Powerdroid 90 16.99
’Panic Station 13.99
Projectile 16.99
Pyramax 13.99
•Rocky Horror Show 16.99
•Rogue Trooper 16.99
•Rotator 16.99
Rotox 16.99
•Railroad Tycoon 16.99
•Rally 16.99
•Ramrod 16.99
•Reach for the Sky 19.99
Rick Dangerous II 16.99
•Riders of Rohan 16.99
Rainbow Islands 16.99
Red Storm Rising 15.99
Resolution 101 16.99
Risk 13.99
*Robo Cop II 16.99
Rourkes Drift 16.99
*ST Dragon 16.99
’Soccer Mania 16.99
’Solid Gold 19.99
‘Search for the King 16.99
‘Secrets of Monkey Island 19.99
•Secrets of Luftwaffe 19.99
’Silkworm IV 13.99
•Skull & Crossbones 13.99
*Stun Runner 16.99
•Strider II 16.99
S.E.U.C.K 19.99
Secret Agent Flies By 16.99
’Shadow Sorcerer 16.99
Simulcra 16.99
Sly Spy 16.99
•Speedball II 16.99
’Spin Dizzy II 16.99
Spy Who Loved Me 13.99
’Stun Runner 16.99
Supremacy 19.99
*Sword of Samurai 16.99
Shadow Warriors 1 6.99
’Skate or Die 16.99
Starflight 16.99
’Star Trek 5 24.99
Storm Across Europe 19.99
’Street Fighting Man 13.99
Shadow of the Beast 16.99
Sherman M4 16.99
Snow Strike 16.99
Star Blaze 13.99
Super Cars 16.99
’Silver Blades 16.99
Sim City 19.99
’Steven Hendry
Championship Snooker 16.99
Subbuteo 16.99
’Super League Manager 16.99
Team Yankee 19.99
’Torvak the Warrior 16.99
‘Toyatta Celicia 16.99
*TV Sports Baseball 19.99
’Team Suzuki 16.99
’Teenage Turtles 16.99
TNT 19.99
•Toki 16.99
•Tournament Golf 16.99
Tennis Cup 16.99
’The Keep 16.99
‘The Plague 16.99
Thunder Strike 16.99
Time Machine 16.99
‘Toyottes 13.99
Triad III or IV 19.99
‘Total Recall 16.99
’Turbo Buggies 13.99
Turrican 16.99
Tusker 16.99
’The Gales 16.99
Ultimate Golf 16.99
Universe III 15.99
Untouchables 16.99
‘Ultimate Ride 19.99
•UMSII 19.99
‘Ultima V 19.99
*Up & Away 16.99
Vaxine 13.99
‘Vendetta 16.99
Voodoo Nightmare 16.99
Venus Fly Trap 13.99
•Yolanda 16.99
’Walker 16.99
’Wildfire 19.99
’Wrath of the Demon 16.99
•War Jeep 16.99
*Weltris 16.99
Wheels of Fire 19.99
Wings 19.99
’WLF 16.99
‘Wolfpack 19.99
’Wonderland 19.99
’World Champ Soccer 16.99
‘Warmonger 16.99
World Cup Soccer '90 13.99
Warhead 16.99
•Warp 12.99
Xenomorph 16.99
’Z-Out 13.99
CHEQUES AND POSTAL ORDERS PAYABLE TO SOFTSELLERS. POST AND PACKING FREE IN UK. OVERSEAS Cl. 50 per item. Subject lo availability and price change without
notice. 'Some titles may not be released at time ol going lo press. Shop prices may vary, but personal callers can claim advertised discounts on production ol cut-oil slip.
MAIL ORDER PURCHASE LINE (0473) 257158/210605 FAX NO. 0473 213457
ATARI 520 STFM
DISCOVERY PACK
Bombjack, Carrier Command,
Outrun, Space Harrier, STOS,
Neochrome, First Basic, ST Tour,
Discover the ST
£269.95
ATARI 520 STE
Turbo Pack
STOS, Basic, Music Maker II,
Hyperpaint II, Indiana Jones,
Impossible Mission II, Human
Killing Machine, Supercycle.
Outrun, Dragons Breath,
Anarchy, Bloodmoney.
£349.95
ATAR1 1040 STE EXTRA
Prince, Hyperpaint, STAC, ST Word,
ST Basic, ST Calc, ST Graph
£449.95
ATARI LYNX HANDHELD
Portable Games Machine California Games
£179.95
ATARI SMI 24
Monochrome Monitor
£99.95
PHILIPS 8833
Colour Stereo Monitor
£249.95
ATARI EXTERNAL DRIVE
1 Megabyte DS
£79.95
DISC BOXES
WITH DISCS
3.5" 40 Holder
10 3.5" dsdd
3.5" 40 Holder
20 3.5" dsdd
3.5" 40 Holder
40 3.5" dsdd
3.5" 80 Holder
10 3.5" dsdd
3.5" 80 Holder
40 3.5" dsdd
3.5" 80 Holder
80 3.5" dsdd
Lockable with
discs £11.99
Lockable with
discs £15.99
Lockable with
discs £27.99
Lockable with
discs £13.99
Lockable with
discs £29.99
Lockable with
discs £49.99
3.5” dsdd
Unbranded
DISCS
QtylO Qty 20 Qty 50 Qty 100
£6.99 £11.99 £29.99 £49.99
3.5” dsdd
Sony Branded £11.99 £22.99 £54.99 £99.99
AMIGA 500
STANDARD
£339.95
AMIGA 500
SCREEN GEMS
Back to the Future II, Days of Thunder,
Shadow of the Beast II,
Night Breed, Deluxe Paint II
£369.95
JOYSTICKS
Cheetah 125
...£7.99
Cheetah Starprobe
.£11.99
Pro 5000 Extra Glo Green
.£13.99
Pro 5000 Extra Glo Red
.£13.99
Pro 5000 Black
.£11.99
QS Turbo III
...£9.99
AMIGA 500
FLIGHT OF FANTASY
F29 Retaliator, Rainbow Islands,
E.F.T.P.O.T.R.M., Deluxe Paint II
£369.95
PERIPHERALS
Replacement mouse + mouse
holder + mouse mat
£29.95
Four Player Adaptor
..£5.95
Mouse Mat
..£4.95
Joystick Extender
...£5.95
Dust Cover
..£4.95
AMIGA 500
CLASS OF 90'S 1st STEPS
A501 Expansion Pro-Write 2.5, D Paint II, D Print II,
InfoFile, LOGO, Music Mouse, Talking Turtle, BBC
Emulator, Box of 10 Discs, Mouse Mat, Resource File,
Intro Video. Lets Spell at Home
£549.95
COMMODORE 1084S
Stereo Colour Monitor
£249.95
AMIGA EXTERNAL DRIVE
1 Megabyte DS
£69.95
DISC BOXES
3.5”
40 Holder Lockable
...£4.99
3.5”
80 Holder Lockable
...£6.99
5.25’
’ 50 Holder Lockable
...£4.99
5.25’
’ 120 Holder Lockable
...£6.99
AMIGA MEMORY EXPANSION
512k with clock 51 2k without clock
£49.95 £39.95
A590 HARD DRIVE
20 Meg Hard Drive
£279.95
CHEQUES AND POSTAL ORDERS PAYABLE TO SOFTSELLERS. POST AND PACKING FREE IN UK. OVERSEAS £1 .50 per Hem. Subject to availability and price change without
notice. ‘Some titles may not be released at time ot going to press. Shop prices may vary, but personal callers can claim advertised discounts on production of cul-ofl slip.
TITLE
COMP
COST
TOTAL COST £
Name
Address.
Tel No
Have you ordered from us before YesD NoD
AMC JAN
CDL A 1 500
Ttl
Checkmate Digital bringlyou the
Ultimate peripheral for the A500.
The A1500 Mini-Workstation
ItHI
A 1500 Worstalion Examples
Home Station
A 1500 Base Unit wiih I Meg Amiga
Internal second Floppy Disk Drive
Commodore A 1084 Stereo Colour Monitor
Only £ 969.00
Businness Station
A 1 500 Base unit with I Meg Amiga
A 5 90 Haiti Drive 20 Meg with 2 Meg Ram
CDL A590 internal fitting Kit
C ommodore A 1 084 Stereo Colour Monitor
Only £ 1395.00
New A 1500 Base Unit Price
Pre- Xmas Offer
!! £199.00 inc vat !!
- -| Hard Drive Systems and Ram C ards
Ram Chip Prices A590 Adaptor Kit (A 1500) £ 99.00
256x4 (A590 etc) £49.00 / Mb A59 ° 20 mc » drive (,K Ram £299.00
, n , uu , „ , ,, A590 wiili 2 Meg ram £399.00
It-000 Ram , 2 Meg £112.00 ST506 Hanl Drive 44Mb (A1 500) £*99.00
A3000 4 Meg of 1 Mb x 4 £299.00 ST506 i lanl I )rive 66Mb (A1500) £54900
Spirit Inmate SCSI Controller + X Mb Ram
... Board 2mb installed + optional 68881 £299.00
,, . Spirit SIN500 2 Meg Populated £199.00
Commodore A 084S Stereo £249. .. . . ' , .
NEC Multi-Svnc 2A £ 399 00 Splr " 5 l2K Ram card inc ‘ Clock L 4<> -^
V i I, c ^ t - , • Spirit Fat Trapper 4 Meg Card un-populated £ 99.00
, , Floppy Di$k drives 3.5 inch £79.95
Mtcroway Nicker F.xcr B2000 £299.00 150 Watt Power Supply £ 69 00
Microway Flicker Fixer A 1 500 £349.00 ,',,,-J.r ' , \ , , ,
J !! Ring for prices and details of Ihe latest A500 packs
Cheapest 68030 Card In The World From C.S.A.
AT THE 16 BIT SHOW IN JANUARY, WE WILL BE SELLING THE LOWEST
PRICED EVER 68030 ACCELERATOR CARD FOR THE A500 AND B2000 RUNNING
AT 25 MHz. THE PRICE STARTS AT AN AMAZING. £ 375 Inc VAT
Forget all the other slower and more expensive 68020 cards. Now you ean have A3000
performance with a sensible price tag. This card has sockets for the 68882 Maths processor
allowing speeds of upto 50 MHz, and for 32 bit SRAM.. Ring about our 33MHz 68030
cards, and our wide range of 32 Bit Ram Cards, which allow upto 8 Meg.
Colour Monitors
Commodore AI084S Stereo
NEC Multi-Sync 2A
NEC Multi-Sync 3D
Mieroway Flicker Fixer B2000
Microway Flicker Fixer A 1500
£ 249.00
£ 399.00
£ 549.00
£ 299.00
£ 349.00
£299.00
£399.00
£499.00
£549.00
£299.00
£199.00
£ 49.95
£ 99.00
£ 79.95
£ 69.00
200 Mb SCSI Drive £ 499.00
Includes ease, fan, leads, and power supply
HZH CDL A 1 500
[“HECHnniE
IDITRL
imiTED
80 Mildmay Park. London, N1 4PR
England.
Tel 071-923 0658
Fax 071-254 1655
Can't afford the initial cost of the A 1500 system, but
you need the seperate keyboard. Why not buy the A 1 500
keyboard kit, this includes all the cables, and the Keyboard
case of the A 1500, plus the blanking plate for your A500.
£59.95 + P&I\
But that is not all, should you decide to upgrade to
the full A 1500 system, then Checkmate will give you a 20%
discount on the full price, for the balance of the kit.
All Prices include Vat hut exclude P&P
Ask MMCi about Project \
★ It adds, substracts,
multiplies and
divides
★ It works out VAT and
other percentages
★ It has a powerful
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★And it's solar
powered!
You've never seen a
disk like th
(But just don’t put it in your computer!)
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APPLICATION
• • AMP1 - Home Business Pack : UEdit wordprocessor.
Visicalc spreadsheet. RIM and Hyperbase databases and
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• FF1SH 176 - AnalytiCalc V23 2a of the large and powerful
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• AMICUS 17 - Communication packages; COMM vl.33 -
XMODEM/ WXMODEM. Aterm V7.2. VT-100 V2.6 VTek V2.3.1.
Amiga Host V0.9 for CompuServe.
• FF1SH 195 - Micro Emacs V3 10 the text editor which is very
comprehensive.
UTILITY
• FF1SH 366 - PrintStudio VI 2 print any text file in many styles,
print part of or a whole picture, screen or window, also control
printer and much more
• FF1SH 362 - ArchEdge V1.5 a shell that can be configured for
most programs. Already setup for ARC. ZOO. LHARC etc.
• FFISH 327 - MSH handles MSDOS formatted disks exactly the
same way as you use files on native AmigaDOS disks. Fully
functional, read/write version
• FF1SH 342 - IE V1.0 is an icon editor which can create and
modify icons upto 640x200 pixels
• PDOM 278 - LHARCa VO 99a data compression program hat is
100% compatible with MSDOS LHARCV!13c
• PDOM 279 - European Software Agency Utility t Amiga Tool
VI 5. Boot Dlntro Vl.O. BootGenerator V1.5. BootLeg V2.1.
Character Editor Vl.O.Coder Board V4.0. Cosaque VU DCopyfl.
Deluxe Presed V2.0. BlockV1.3. Font Ripper. Guru Maker Vl.O. ISC
Amiga vl.5. memory SearcherVI O. Menu Maker vl.O, Nol
Setracker VI 0. Power Utility V2 0. PowerPacker V2.3a. PPMore
V1.2. Pseudo Ops Save IFF Scanner V2.0.Scroll Maker 2. Seek
Destroy Vl.O. Seka Source Rescuer. StartupCoder Vl.O. Structure
HunterVI.O. Time Cruncher VU TVFieldWriter V1.1, Vector Check
Vl.O. View Boot Vl.O! Virus Expert V14. Virus Slayer Vl.O. Virus
Killer V3.10.
• PDOM 280 - The Champions Total Utilies Vol t Boot Generator.
Boot GirlBootmaker. BootWriter, Character Editor. Demo Maker.
DiskX v2.2. Flash Ripper. Font Ripper. Guru Maker. Guru Master.
Icon MasterMake A Menu. NoiseTracker. Power Packer V2 3b.
PPMore. PPShow.Sceneray. Graphics Searcher. SetKey.
Slide SHow Maker. Time Set.Tristar Virus KiferTxED.
• TBAG 28 - Machfl features configurable, your help screen,
mouse accelerator. PopCU. Screen Blanker. Mouse OFF Sun
Mouse ( activates a window byplacing mouse it). CBck To Front
(bring window to front by clicking on it). Cycle (move a window or
screen to back with left then right mouse button click). Window
and Screen Shuffler. CLock. Alarm. Beeper etc. DiskSalv V1.32 is
a disk recoverer. NewZap file sector editor.
• TBAG 30 - MyMenu create your own menu on WB to run any
commands Icon Meister VI 4 THE Icon editor. SYSCheck checks
your boot disks libraries Disk Storage Deluxe VI. 10 shows details
of ALL mounted devices.
• TEAG 31 - ShoWiz V2.0 show ANY picture with or without a
script 1 picture or several disks fuH. also play a music file in the
background 1 Also show text files in any colour!
• PDOM 59 -Ameteur Radio Disk: Star Term V3.0. P81 and P1027
2 packet terminal programs. TA Term V5 Oa HAM Database for
the Amiga Amateur Radio Group. Morse Code. Satellite Tracking
and loads of HAMutihtiea A must for serious HAM user.
• PDOM 300 - The Master Virus Killer V!9. Recognises 62
viruses, a full list is on our DiskCat.
• PDOM 62 -The Public Dominator Anti Virus Disk: Virus X V4 . 1 .
VCheck VI 2 (for memory). VCheck V1.9 (for disk drives). Zero
Virus V13the fully integrated virus detector and killer. Also Boot
Block Champion the utility and information on boot blocks.
• PDOM 93 -ARP v!3. The AmigaDOS Replacement Project
includes text manual files.
• FFISH 243 - ImageLab V2.2 is an IFF pictures manipulator.
NoClick V3.5 stops the disk drive clicking if there is no disk in the
drive. Password V12lp you specify the password for your system
security. Pcopy V2.0 the excellent disk copier. SimGen
adds a 2 or 4 colour picture to your WB screen
• FFISH 244 - BB Champion V3.1 load, save and analyze boot
blocks Bootlntro V1.2 you specify The headine text of upto 44
characters and the scrolling text of upto 300.
• FFISH 279 - MRBackup v3 3d the hard aisk backup utility
• FFISH 300 -TitleGen vl 6 excellent script language that creates
scrolling text on screen in any font and upto 500 lines long!
• FFISH 213 - 300 8 colour program icons'
• FFISH 168 & • FFISH 169 - Matt Dillion disk special includes
loads of utilities and source: Config Vl.O. Clock VI 0. DME V!3!
DMouse V!! Backup V2.0! SUPUB. UBREF DRES V10. DASM
V2.11FILES V!2. SHELL V2.1. FINDIT VI 0. UBS VI 0. SCAT
Vl.O. ADDCR Vl.O. REMCR Vl.O & CMP VI O.You need both disks
• FAUG 41 - ARC V0.2 compatible with MSDOS ARC V5.0.
• AMICUS 22 - Printer Driver Generator V2.3.
• FFISH 158 - MSDOS V0 1 lists files written in standard MSDOS
or ST format, then copies them to RAM then rewrites to disk in
AmigaDOS format. DiskX is a sector based disk editor.
• FFISH 290 - Xlcon a CU command scnptor and executor.
• FFISH 258 - DMouse v!2 is a versatile program that includes
screen/mouse blanker, auto window activator, mouse accelerator,
popcli. pop window to front, push to back etc.
• FFISH 131 - DFC is a disk copier that multi-tasks
• APDC 15 - Icon utilities; full of icon files and creators Some
animated 1
• APDC 18 - Floppy Disk Utils Quick Copy VI 0. Disk Mapper. Disk
Salvage. Virus check. System Utils Blitz Vl.O text editor. TimeSet.
ACalc calculator Amiga Monitor VI! MeM Grab fast memory
grabber. Directory Master V!!
• FFISH 164 - DiskSalv V1.3 excellent file recoverer and undelete
utility. New Zap V3.18 the great fie sector editor. Zoo V2 0 the
great file archiver.
• FFISH 106 - Funckey a function key editor.
• FAUG 62 - Access V2.6 comms package. Hide II toggle RAM
expansion Add Icon V!0 adds icons to files without cons.
MUSIC
• • AMP11 - 5 disk pack of Sonix files & player for £12.50!
• • AMP23 - 5 disk pack of SoundTracker V3 & files £12.50!
• PDOM 281 - Oktalyzer V!1 the music composer
• PDOM 285 - GAME MUSIC CREATOR Supports MIDI
• PDOM 299 - MED V2.01 the music editor with MIDI
DEMO
• PDOM 1 - The Walker I animation of the Star Wars Walker. 1MB.
• PDOM 2 - The Walker II animation of the Star Wars Walker. 1MB.
• PDOM 6 - Mahoney & Haktus sounds of the knome music disk l
• PDOM 27 - Alcatraz Mega Demo II
• PDOM 65 & • PDOM 66 - Red Sector Mega Demo
• PDOM 73 - Star Trek the Enterprise leaves dock.
• PDOM 74 - Star Trek craft featured in 4 animations
• PDOM 76 - Star Trek Shuttle landing on Star Trek craft.
• PDOM 83 - Space Ace demo.
• PDOM 84 8 • PDOM 85 - Royal Amiga Force Mega.
• PDOM 86 - MES mega demo 1. 1MB.
• PDOM 87 - MES mega dmeo 2 1MB
• AMUSE 8 - The amazing Berserk demo
• FAUG 33 - The Juggler.
• FAUG 61A & • FAUG 6 IB - New Tek demo 1MB
• FAUG 88 - Dragons Lair.
• FFISH 200 - NotBoingAgain The scene is a user who puts a
disk into an A1000. a Boing Ball demo loads up and the Amiga disk
drive opening turns into a mouth and says ’Oh No. not again!' &
spits the disk out! 1MB.
• PDOM 32 - Amazing Demos Volume 7.
• PDOM 40 & • PDOM 41 - Northstar Fair Ught mega demo U.
• PDOM 42 & • PDOM 43 - DeathStar Blasting II
• PDOM 44 & • PDOM 45 - The Walker I demo. 2MB
• PDOM 89 - AMOS the Amiga Games Creator product demo
• PDOM 104 - Complex BOBs.
• PDOM 105 - DOC No we are not dead!
• PDOM 114 - Slipstream Sneintro 1*2. EquaJogo II. Terminator
• PDOM 146 & • PDOM 147 - Monty Python Nudge Nudge sketch.
• PDOM 148 - Escape from Singes Castle animation
• PDOM 150 - Scoopex Mental Hangover
• PDOM 188 - Crypto Burner CD Player.
• PDOM 193 - Red Devil of Dark Star UK Muzak 4
• PDOM 195 - Slipstream Music 7.
• PDOM 207 and • PDOM 208 - Kefrens Mega Demo 8'
• PDOM 214 - Fractal Flight. 1MB
• PDOM 217 - Alpha Flight Demo Creator.
• PDOM 222 - Titanics Acid House music disk.
• PDOM 229 & • PDOM 230 & • PDOM 231 - Alcatraz Mega
Demo 4 The Devils Key'.
• PDOM 236 - Mr Turnip from APEX : Cebit 90. Coma and others.
• PDOM 241 - Anarchy Compact A
• PDOM 242 - Anarchy Compact B.
• PDOM 246 & • PDOM 247 - Jungle Command Music lnvasion3.
• PDOM 250 - North Star Acid Demo 1989.
• PDOM 251 - TSK Accumulators; Acid House demos!
• PDOM 252 & • PDOM 253 - Death Star Mega Demo.
• PDOM 267 - Jungle Command Non Stop Music Selector.
• PDOM 296 - The Dope Intromaker Vl.O
• PDOM 298 - SUCKWAYS Clapping World music compilation.
• SOFT 73 & • SOFT 74 & • SOFT 75 & • SOFT 76 - Miami
Vice digitised theme tune.
GAMES
• • AMP8 - Game Pack 1 Clue as in Cluedo. Othello. Klondike.
Canfield and Cribbge. Backgammon. Yahzee. TVision. Missle
Command. Cosmo 2 and 3D Breakout. Empire. Gravity Wars.
Hanoi. Hockey. Bikoff. Jackland. Othello Master and Pacman.
A 3 disk pack for £750!
• • AMP22 - Game Pack 2 Amoeba space invaders.
CosmoRoids. Stone Age a Boulder Dash type. Back Gammon.
Chain Reaction. Master Mind. Reversi. Black Jack. Crazy
Eights . Klondike. Jig Saw Keno. YachtC. Daleks and Ratmaze.
Monopoly and Escape From Jovi V30. 3 disks for £750!
• FFISH 194 - Moria V3.0 the single player dungeon simulation
adventure game. 1MB.
• FFISH 273 - BattleForce v3.61 game.
• FFISH 336 - Car V2.0 is a racing game.
• FFISH 357 - Empire V2 1w is a multiplayer game of exploration,
economics and war.
• FFISH 62 - HACK the adventure.
• FFISH 63 - LARN the adventure
• PDOM 77 - Paranoid the breakout type game
• PDOM 90 - Tennis' 1MB
• PDOM 79 & • PDOM 80 & • PDOM 81 - Star Trek 3 disk game.
1MB. External Drive Required
• PDOM 215 & • PDOM 216 - The Star Trek Demo 2 disk Version.
Another totally different Star Trek game External Drive Required
• PDOM 233 - The Holy Grail Adventure. MB
• PDOM 234 - The Golden Fleece Adventure.
GRAPHICS
• A MP3 Graphics Pack V Clip It! clip any part of the screen
and save to disk. Filter Pics manipulate pictures with
enhancers, edge definition, colour and size shifters, plus
loads of excellent graphic utilities. MCAD V1.2.2 excellent
Computer Aided Design package. IFF to pieces jigsaw
program. ROT 3D drawing prog. VDraw V1 19 brilliant painting
program. Ray Tracer Generator A 3 disk pack for £750
• • AMP21 Graphics Pack 2 DBW Render Ray Tracing utility
Mandelbrot Explorer Excellent full features mandelbrot
designer. ST2IFF convert Atari ST pictures to Amiga IFF
format. HAM Editor drawing program and prog to convert
HAM pictures to IFF format. A 3 disk pack for £750.
• FFISH 334 - FBM V0.9 image Manipulation library. Compatible
with Sun. GIF IFF PCX. PBM bitmaps Can input raw images and
output Postscript and Diablo. Also does rectangular extraction,
density and contrast changes, rotation, quantization,
halftone, greyscaling etc.
• PDOM 112 - Graphic utilities Clip It!. ShowPrint II. Snatch.
HamEdit. Dissolve. AutoPics. Zaplcon. ImageTools. FilterPix.
IconMaker. Startle. IFF to Icon
• FFISH 295 - Mandel Mountains V1.1 a Mandel Brot generator
LANGUAGE
• PDOM 211 - NORTHC vl 2 Steve Hawtins C compiler Features
compiler, linker, disassembler, examples and tools An excetent C
compiler for the knowledgeable and beginner alike.
• APDC 25 - Logo. XUsp. Modular 2. MVP Forth
• FFISH 140 - Stoney Brook PROLOG v2.3.2.
• FFISH 141 - Contains the source code for PROLOG FFISH 140.
• FFISH 181 - AM XLISP V2.0 of the XLisp interpretor.
• FFISH 193 - ZC V1.01
• FFISH 201 -Draco V!2 the excellent programming language by
Chris Gray. Documentation on FFISH 77.
• FFISH 37 - Little Smalltalk.
• FFISH 91 - The Adventure Definition Language (ADL).
• FFISH 337 - CManual Vl.O is a COMPLETE C manual for the
Amiga. Includes 70 fully executable examples
• FFISH 339 - PCQ VI 1c Pascal compiler.
• FFISH 347 - Cursor V1.0 Amiga BASIC Compiler
• PDOM 60 - Modula n compiler.
• FFISH 314 - A68k v2 61 of the 68000 macro Assembler
PDOM CLIPIT
• • VOL1 - 3Mb of clip art images, subjects covered:
sports, flags, animals, cartoons, humorous. Jewish,
borders, all occassions. horses, eyes, and many
many more. ALL in IFF format, ALL compatible with
DPaint and Page Setter 5 disks only £12.50!
Mega value Mega Quality Product!
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Fields,
files ...
ho hum!
One step ahead of the Data Protection
Registrar, Stevie Kennedy keeps tabs
on his nearest and dearest . . . with
Amor’s
P rodata is Arnor's cousin to
the Protext word processor
reviewed elsewhere in this
issue, and as such, it shares certain
of Protext's features. Luckily, it also
avoids some of the disadvantages
suffered by earlier versions of
Protext. In other words, it is as fast
as Protext, yet it remains reason-
ably user-friendly (this is a short-
coming which Protext 5.02
manages to overcome).
Databases in general can be
dauntingly hostile beasts, snarling
and scowling, and doing every-
thing you tell them with great
reluctance. But Prodata, while not
exactly kissing your hand, tends at
least to flip a quick salute and rush
off to carry out your orders.
Yes, yes, that's all very well, but
what's the point of a database
program when I can easily find
any number I want just be flipping
through my card index?
If you're still asking questions like
this, then you're missing out on the
unique and powerful features
offered by going ‘electronic'.
Simple databases are of the ‘flat
file' variety which means they
can't do anything more than act
as electronic card indices. Prodata
and other more complex pro-
grams, however, can do much
more, and using them could vastly
change the way you use data.
It is very simple to set up a
database using Prodata. Unlike
some, it will allow you to create a
standard layout just by typing in
the names of the fields you wish to
include, such as ‘company name'
and ‘phone number'. Once
you've done this you can start to
feed data In until you have creat-
ed a large database of simple
records.
Indexing on a basic level is car-
ried out automatically, and you will
be able to sort new files by refer-
ence to the first field as soon as
they have been input. This means
that before you go any further,
and within five minutes of picking
up the instructions, you can entirely
duplicate the functions of a card
Index, and all of this without the
slightest hint of jargonese.
The manual, through several
tutorial sections, then guides you in
the process of further manipulating
the database . It is now that you
begin to slap yourself for ever stor-
ing data in any other form.
Step one...
The first feature you'll find useful is
the ability to define more than one
index for the purpose of sorting
and searching through your
records. With an index defined,
you can search for a specific field
instead of having to look through
all your records. The automatically
Prodata
generated standard index will sort
the first data field in alphabetical
order, and your database will be
ordered accordingly.
However, this can easily be
changed to numerical, reverse
numerical, date, or reverse date
order, and the same on up to four
extra indexes.
Now you can search the
database for say a salesman
whose name you can partly
remember and if this brings no joy,
change index and search for the
company name, invoice number
or even phone number.
This is all much faster than the
Find option on the main database
screen, which becomes quite slow
once the number of records goes
much above 20.
So far so good. But things start
to get really groovy when you
make use of the filtering option.
This allows you to filter the
database so that it will select only
those records which meet the
filter's conditions.
For example, you could specify
that you only want the businesses
whose specialist area is pizza mak-
ing and delivery. The Prodata filter
would look something like :
pizza making and
delivery in fl 1
where fl 1 is the field containing
information on specialist areas. A
quick search would then gather
together only the required records,
making their perusal and sorting a
much faster job.
The expression evaluator which
defines the variables and condi-
tions used in the filtering can be up
to 70 characters in length, resulting
in some very selective filters
indeed.
Filters such as:
find all pizza companies
who make and deliver ten
Inch with extra mushrooms
for less than £10
are not beyond the bounds of
possibility. Once the filter has
selected the desired records, you
can treat them like a sub-
database or switch back to the
remainder of the records at will.
In this way, the filter can act, for
example, as a selective trashcan.
Just gather together all the unde-
sired records and delete them, the
electronic equivalent of “round
'em up, put 'em in a field, and
bomb 'em!'
Sorting, indexing and filtering
your data is useful, but to receive
the full benefits of a computerised
database you must be able to
print out the now readily available
Information in a fashion as flexible
FH2: Filter out those
pizza-parloursl
Open: (11F) >" BKMLDGE
Printer SIMPLE Rees: 14
Directory PR0DATA-PRO6MH-DISC:
Sel: 1 Layout: I Index: 1
15:47:33
imniiiivi
Amiga Computing 8 1
ft&UNUE m urr re&'msT
19:59:29
Review
WWUU Kf,:
II
Directory PROMIA-PMQItM PItC:
Hi: 1 Urout: 1 2rd»«: 1
19:51: Jt
The standard layout
can soon be
altered....
...to the
mailmerge layout
as you can sort it, and this is where
Prodata's idiot-proof layout system
comes into its own.
Using either the cursor keys, or
by pointing and clicking with the
mouse, you can arrange up to 99
extra layouts using some or all of
your data fields in any order you
please. Page length, record
length, and the number of records
on each page can be set in a list
of the layout's attributes, and a
number of different variables, text,
or page layout attributes can be
given to ecch field chosen for the
new layout.
This means you can choose liter-
ally any layout your heart desires to
display the data (within limits -
Prodata doesn't yet support 3D
graphicsl).
We defined a new layout called
'mailmerge' and, with a couple of
keystrokes, rearranged our entire
database as a mailing list ready to
be output as address labels.
By including only the fields we
needed and leaving out phone
numbers and such like, we man-
aged to put together a rather tidy
little layout which would keep lines
together even if one was missing, It
would also tack the first and sur-
names together in the correct
order, rather than sending mail-
shots out to Bloggs Joseph and
Smith John.
Any beginner would be able to
do likewise in a very short time, as
the manudl supplied with the
package is designed with those
people in mind.
Having got this far, you're now
using Prodata in a productive
fashion, if not fully stretching its
capabilities. If you want to take
things further, you can expand the
use of the expression evaluator so
that your stock list keeps a running
total of the VAT payable on the
items you hold or, if you keep a list
of employees, the total company
payroll (both of which would be
updated automatically as new
entries are made).
With this support for variables
and their free use within any
record. Prodata allows your
database to carry out a range of
functions that paper-bound sys-
tems could never equal, and
adds a potentially very powerful
tool for evaluating your data.
Bring out the big guns!
This is by no means a spreadsheet
or anything of the kind, but imag-
ine that you are a club chairman,
and you want to evaluate the
effect on your club's finances of
putting £5 on the membership fee.
If you allow that you might lose
x amount of members, it is a sim-
ple task to have Prodata calcu-
late your new income from
subscriptions and display it in the
epilogue at the end of the
database.
Add to this the supplementary
features, such as the ability to
define up to 128 macros, and give
your database five separate levels
of password protection with a dif-
ferent password for each level,
and you've got a surprisingly fully-
featured package for less than a
ton.
OK, I've pumped this thing till its
eyes are popping, and you might
be thinking what's the down side?
Well, the first thing you notice when
you start building bigger databases
is that the speed of searches
becomes a little slow.
Even with clearly defined index-
es. you can sit looking at the
screen for painful periods while
Prodata crunches through the
records looking for the ultimate
pizza parlour.
This is not a serious flaw however,
as the deft application of filters will
bring your search area down to
more manageable proportions
quite quickly.
What is a little more unsettling is
the program's inability to graphi-
cally represent its data. It will hap-
pily import and export text in ASCII
format, and the layout definition
process allows for simple boxes to
be drawn around fields and so
forth,. But the inclusion of even a lit-
tle more 'whizz' on the graphics
front would have made a lot of dif-
ference.
It seems we're destined to use
databases which remain deeply
rooted in their green-screen ances-
tors, presenting wodges of text
quickly and effectively but just a
tiny bit boringly.
The traditional businessman
won't mind this in the least, but
these days, your average comput-
er user is demanding that informa-
tion be presented in a way that
takes full advantage of a
machine's capabilities. Prodata
falls an appreciable distance short
of this, in the Amiga's case at
least.
The Arnor family is steadily gain-
ing recognition as one of the best
Amiga choices for the small busi-
nessman or self-employed person,
and Prodata is as good a choice
in its field as Protext is in the word
processing game. And with a few
reservations concerning presenta-
tion, I would recommend them
without hesitation.
If. as Arnor claims. Prodata is to
be given the Protext 5 treatment
and provided with to pull-down
menus and the like, then so much
to the good. But I can't help think-
ing that if the competition starts to
match Arnor's price-to-perfor-
mance ratio with packages which
are more pleasant to use and
capable of presenting data in a
way which someone other than
the package user can appreci-
ate. then Prodata might start to
look a bit dated.
Prodata
Publisher: Arnor Ltd
Telephone: 0733 68909
Price: £79.95
Open: a IF) THE KNOWLEDGE
Printer SIMPLE Rees:
14
Directory PRODATA-PROGRAH-DISC:
Sel: 1 Layout: 1 Index: 2
19:52:18
trrmTTTT^nu —
mmmniEQ]
lata
configuration file
Assign selected field
Undo data changes
Delete all selected records
Rebuild database
Close database
■i r*
Open: « No File » Directory PRODATA-PROGRAM-DISC:
Printer SIMPLE Rees: 0 Sel: Layout: Index: 19:53:52
Import/Export of data is relatively painless
The disk management screen is identical to Protext’s
82 Amiga Computing
17 Bit
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789 ANARCHY MUSIC DISK
788 WRATH OF DEMON PRODUCT DEMO
787 WARFALCONS MUSIC DISK
786 NEUTRONS MUSIC BOX
785 OPT! UTILS I (ESSENTIAL UTILS)
784 BOWL V.2
785 GOLDEN FLEECE SOLUTION
782 DUNGEON MASTER SOLUTION
781 GAMES GALORE VOLUME 2
780 EXORCIST VIRUS KILLER DISK
779 ANO THER GREAT UTILS DISK
778 MUSIC UTILS I (NOISETRACKER
ETC)
777 STAR WARS DEMO ON 71 VO DISKS
776 ONE FOR ALL STAR WARS FANS
775 PROPERTY MARKET PD GAME
774 INTRO'S 48 FANTASTIC DEMO'S
773 CAVE MUSIC DISK
772 MUSIC DISK
771 ADVENTURE GAME HINTS AND TIPS
770 GAMES SOLUTIONS AND HACKS
769 BRAND NEW COMS DISK!!
767 HOUSE MUSIC SAMPLES
766 HOUSE MUSIC SAMPLES
765 HOUSE MUSIC SAMPLES
764 1 MEG MADONNA ANIM (GREAT)
763 FONTS DISK
762 STEALTHY 2.1 MEG ANIM!!!!
761 DEMONS SLIDESHOW 3 (AMAZING)
760 UP+RUNN1NG UTILS
759 GAMES GALORE (10 PD GAMES)
758 100 C64 CONVERSIONS (THE BIZ!!)
757 INDY 500 ROLLING DEMO (SUPERB)
756 CRIONICS NEVERWHERE DEMO
755 SILENTS MUSIC DISK
754 WHATEVER NEXT UTILS DISK
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746 PD SHOOT EM UP
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17-BIT TOP 10
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645 VIZ CALENDAR
651 MENTAL HANGOVER
671 MARIA WHITTAKER SLIDESHOW
688 HORROR SLIDESHOW
122 AMAZE MUSIC DISK
761 DEMONS SLiDESHOW 3
770 GAMES HACKS AND TIPS
781 GAMES GALORE VOLUME 2
792 GARY TOWER SLIDESHOW
17-RIT OFFER A WIDE RANGE OF PUBLIC DOMAIN. 50 Ft WaRe PACKS ,
USTED BELOW ARE JUST A FEW, PLEASE PHONE, IN FOR M ORE DETAIL ■>.
CLASSICAL MUSIC PACK
Three superb music disks, and a catalogue, all for only £6.50
MUSIC CREATION! PACK
A 5 disk pack for only £7.99. Pack includes disk 778, octylizer and noise tracker, disk 440 soundtracker rippers and play
routines, disk 482 games music creator, disk 478 sound mon. disk 479 samples disk for all above disks.
QS+CD
Popular pack that introduces you to all aspects of PD, features great music, great utils, and great games.
Available at an unbelievable £6.50
SAMPLER PACK
As it sa\s a selection of just about everything PD has to offer, at only £1 1 .00 for / disks it represents an ideal way to tr\ out
17-Bit.
ASTRONOMY PACK
A 3 disk pack which includes the latest catalogue and 2 superb astronomy disks. 173 Ami gazer and disk 223 Starcliart. Only
£5.00
GAMES TIPS PACK
3 disks for only £5.00 with solutions, tips, hints for 100's of current and old game titles, with lifetime membership to 1 7-bit
you just can't go wrong, complete all those games that you gave up on a long time ago!!!!!!!!
5 ISSUES OF THE LEGENDARY 17 -BIT UPDATE
Yes 5 issues of the update for only £5.00 thats only a pound each, which includes all postal charges, and lifetime membership.
and also special offers which arrive with each monthly update.
BLANK DISKS
Blank disks are now only £5.99 for 10 complete with labels (to club members oniy!!!!)
AMOS PACK
7 disks to help you get the most out of Amos, only £9.95. A nuist for all those who own this excellent programming package.
Also available Demo Pack I and 2. Graphics Pack 1 and 2. Adult Pack., i Meg Pack I and 2,
Music Pack 1 and 2 and Utility Pack. All are £11.00 each and ail represent fantastic value
WE ALSO PROVIDE A SUPERB CHRISTMAS MUSIC DISK WHICH IS ONLY
AVAILABLE EXCLUSIVELY THROUGH 17-BIT ONLY £2.00.
EVERYTHING ABOVE GIVES LIFETIME MEMBERSHIP TO 1 7-BIT AND OPENS UP A
WHOLE NEW WORLD FOR YOUR AMIGA!!!! DON’T DELAY ORDER TODAY .
WE ALSO STOCK
FISH-1 TO 360
AMICUS-1 TO 26
AMIGAN-1 TO 23
T-BAG-1 TO 42
All these including the
whole range of PD in our
library are only
£2.00 EACH
MEGA DOS
Mega Dos is an Amiga dos manual-on-disk designed to
be an easy to use self help reference and tutorial for
understanding the CL1 and WORKBENCH.
MEGA DOS IS NOT PD AND IS ONLY AVAILABLE
FROM 17 -BIT SOFTWARE.
OUTSTANDING VALUE AT £6.95
IT ALSO NOW COMES FREE WITH DIR MASTER
V3.0 AN UNBEATABLE PD FILE HANDLER SIMILAR
TO CLIMATE.
17-BIT SOFTWARE ARE OPEN
From 9.00am to 8.00pm Mon to Friday
and 9.00am to 5.30pm on Saturdays.
We take all major credit card orders
over the phone. TEL: 0924 366982
Postal orders and cheques should be
made payable to 17-bit software.
10 disks are £18.00 or any one disk £2.00
Amiga Computing 33
A
OTM i <>i ■ i n 1 1
COME TO THE
PROFESSIONALS!!!!
NOW TAKEN
2 William Clowes Street
Burslem
Stoke on Trent
ST6 3AP
Tel: 0782 575043
AI/ilCvA SI 'I 0IAI S
AI/.ICoASM 01 A I 0
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POSTMAN
PAT
£6.99
SHADOWGATE
£9.99
FERRARI
FORMULA 1
£7.99
DYNASTY
WARS
£7.99
ZARK 1
£7.99
LAST NINJA 2
£7.99
SUPER
HANG ON
£7.99
AFTERBURNER
£7.99
BLUE
ANGELS
£6.99
MOONWALKER
£9.99
HITCHHIKERS
GUIDE
£7.99
STEVE DAVIS
SNOOKER
£7.99
GRAND
MONSTER SLAM
£7.99
CONQUEROR
£9.99
FALLEN
HAMMERFIST
£8.99
ANGEL
£6.99
STUNT CAR
£9.99
HONDA RVF
£9.99
WAR HEAD
£9.99
CORPORATION 16.99
CADAVER 16.99
NINJA TURTLES (MiRRORSOFT) .16.99
R0B0C0P II 16.99
AMOS 34.99
SPY WHO LOVED ME 16.99
WINGS (1 MEG) 19.99
GOLDEN AXE 16.99
4x4 OFF ROAD RACER 16.99
TOTAL RECALL T.B.A.
COUNT DUCKULA 5.99
CAPTIVE 18.99
ATF2 17.99
Ml TANK PLATOON 19.99
JAMES POND 16.99
E. S.W.A.T 17.99
WONDERLAND 19.99
SIMULCRA 16.99
STRIDER 2 17.99
PANG 16.99
TEAM YANKEE 19.99
SUPREMACY 19.99
THEIR FINEST HOUR 19.99
BOMBER BOB 16.99
POWERMONGER 19.99
FI 9 STEALTH 19.99
MIDWINTER 18.99
CHASE HQ 2 17.99
TORVAK THE WARRIOR 16.99
SHADOW OF THE BEAST II. ...25.99
UNI.MIL. SIM. II 19.99
LOOM 18.99
TITLE/ITEM
PRICE
TOTAL COST £:
KICK OFF 2
1 MEG
£17.99
HOT ROD
£7.99
SILENT
SERVICE
£9.99
LEATHER
GODDESS
£7.99
FALCON
£11.99
DEJA VU
2
£9.99
CHRONO-
QUEST
£9.99
BARDS TALE
2
£7.99
SHADOW OF
BEAST
£9.99
CLOUD
KINGDOMS
£6.99
KICK OFF
£8.99
3D
POOL
£9.99
BARBARIAN
2
£7.99
SPEEDBALL II
£17.99
UNTOUCHABLES
£9.99
POWER
DROME
£7.99
DYNAMITE
DUX
£8.99
TNT
£19.99
WEIRD
DREAMS
£7.99
CORRUPTION
£7.99
DRUM STUDIO
£3.99
FIRST
CONTACT
£7.99
SAVAGE
£6.99
mmmA
BATTLE COMMAND 19.99
INDY 500 17.99
BETRAYAL 19.99
MICROPROSE SOCCER II 16.99
RICK DANGEROUS 2 16.99
CHRONICLES OF OMEGA 14.99
LEGEND OF THE LOST 16.99
EPIC 19.99
OPERATION HARRIER 18.99
VIRUS 4.99
IK+ 3.99
DICK TRACY 19.99
BLOOD MONEY 7.99
COMMANDO 7.99
R TYPE 7.99
TRACK SUIT MANAGER 6.99
XENON 2 9.99
HONDO RVF 9.99
CHRONO QUEST 2 9.99
THEME PARK MYSTERY 8.99
GRAVITY 8.99
PIONEER PLAGUE 2.99
UMS 6.99
SONIC BOOM 6.99
PLANET FALL 7.99
FLIGHT PATH 737 4.99
MR HELI 9.99
FAERY TALE ADVENTURE 7.99
LOTUS CHALLENGE 17.99
LEISURE SUIT LARRY II 16.99
INFESTATION 8.99
PACLAND 4.99
CONFLICT IN EUROPE 4.99
PLEASE NOTE: ALL GAMES ARE
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Feature
I t's that time of year again.
Retailers are cutting each
others' prices (and throats) to
grab the biggest slice of the
market, salesmen are fighting
feverishly to boost their bonuses,
and advertisers are launching sav-
age assaults on our ears. eyes, and
financial libidos in an attempt to
lure us into even more debt with
our not-so-flexible-when-we-owe-
them-money friends. Oh, and
there's also the small matter of
some bloke being born in a barn,
but how they're going to market
that I've no idea. Yes - it's
Christmas!
We at Amiga Computing realise
what a strain all this Noel stuff can
be on both body and soul, and so
we've taken the revolutionary step
of offering our readers a guide to
Christmas shopping for the Amiga
nut who has everything. Within
these pages you will find indispen-
sible advice on all the best and
the most gloriously naff pressies
you can buy for That Boring
Relative Who Never Stops Talking
About His/Her Hard Drive (ahem).
£0 - £50
The Cheapie Zone
The first and most obvious pur-
chase is a copy of Amiga
Computing (£2.95 from a
newsagent near you today!)
which you can roll into a neat tube
and wrap up to give the appear-
ance of a bottle of Glenfiddich.
This leaves £47.05 (or £32.68 in Irish
money) to spend on graphics,
music, and other applications and,
if you stretch it, the odd add-on
(and some of them are decidedly
odd!).
'How do I make fifty quid go so
far?" I hear you scream. Easy, just
pop it in a jiffy bag and post it to
me from a distance of a hundred
miles or so. Seriously, though, there
are plenty of useful items you
could buy in this price bracket. For
example, music.
Do you know anyone who's into
music and has an Amiga? Did you
know that any one of a number of
Here it is, the definitive letter to the old
guy with the beard and red suit. Get
your message to Santa, without having
to sit on a pensioner’s lap...
essential music-type thingies can
be yours for fifty notes or less?
Mastersound for instance, does a
budget sampler you can pick up
for £32.95, MIDI interfaces can be
as little as £19.95, and Music X
Junior. Aegis Sonix. and Dr T's MIDI
Studio all come in (individually)
under the pony barrier
Add to this the number of
SoundTracker clones, such as the
excellent MED from last month's
cover disk, and zillions of disks'
worth of samples, tunes and
effects disks to be had from PD
libraries and it's clear that you'd
have to be a few bars short of a
symphony to miss out on afford-
able Amiga music.
Graphics Again, the pixel-power
available in the sub-£50 area,
leaves no excuse for those boring
pressies you were about to buy.
I've no sympathy for anyone who
is evicted from the family fold after
buying a home accounts pack-
age for Dad at Christmas.
There are, for example, margin-
cutting maniacs who will sell you
Pagesetter II for £49.95, and I'd
advise a hasty response to the
offer before they're certified.
All the older paint packages,
such as Dpaint II. Photon Paint,
and Spritz Paint are lurking in cor-
ners of the classifieds at prices
you'd have considered shocking
this time last year. None of these is
outdated in the least - they've
simply been superseded by newer
versions and continue to be per-
fectly viable pieces of software in
their own right.
Upgrades
The Walker II
If you know someone lucky
enough to have the Vidi-Amiga
package but not the colour
upgrade, you could supply this
useful little beast for a mere £15.95
and banish Rudolph The Dark-
Grey-Nosed Reindeer for ever.
Come on now, do I have to
draw you a picture? Get out there
and upgrade your sense data!
Speaking of upgrades, these
have been steadily creeping into
Amiga Computing 85
UNIVERSAL OVERNIGH
| TEL: 0228 42373 (ext. 53)
IT DISH
Callers most
welcome
EIBUTION LTD 1
Fax: 514484
Unit
26, Enterprise Centre, James S
treet, Carlisle, Cumbria, CA2 5BB 1
10+: 48p
50+: 38p
100+: 36p 250+
500+: 33p 1000+
Individually wrapped 100% certified and
Suaranteed 3.5" D5DD 135tpi disks with labels
Add 7p per disk for genuine bulk SONY disks
Z
3.5" DISKS WITH BOXES
10 Disks with 12 cap library box: £6.45
25 Disks with 40 cap box: £15.95
35 Disks with 80 cap box: £19.95
45 Disks with 80 cap box: £24.95
55 Disks with 80 cap box: £28.55
80 Disks with 80 cap box: £38.95
1 60 Disks with 2x80 cap boxes: £68.95
240 Disks with 3x80 cap boxes: £122.95
Our claim: We are probably the cheapest disk
and accessory supplier in this magazine!
Individually wrapped 100% guaranteed DSDD disks
Remember - Prices INCLUDE VAT AND POSTAGE
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Lockable high quality disk
boxes at unbeatable prices:
Qty= 1 + 3+ 6+
40 cap £4.99 £4.25 £3.99
80 cap £5.99 £5.25 £4.99
12 capacity library cases.. .Five for £4.75
~ZH~
z
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DUST COVERS
Amiga and Atari Dust covers.
High quality covers protect
your Amiga or Atari keyboard
1+ 3+ 6+
£3.50 £3.25 £2.99
QUALITY COMES FIRST AT UNIVERSAL!
™ ACCESSORIES
Mouse Mat: £2.99
Mouse House: £1 .99
3.5" Cleaning Kit: £2.95
5.25" Cleaning Kit: £2.95
IBM or AMIGA parallel printer cable: £7.95
Universal plastic printer stands £6.95
Extra disk labels (3.5") per 100 £0.95
DON'T RISK STORING DATA ON
OTHER TYPES OF DISKS -
OURS ARE INDIVIDUALLY
WRAPPED, 100% CERTIFIED AND
GUARANTEED ERROR FREE
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MONITOR STAND
The monitor stand enables
you to swivel your monitor in
nearly any direction.
1+ £12.50 - unbeatable
High quality 14" Universal
monitor stand takes any monitor from 12" to 16"
DATA SWITCH BOXES
Our quality switch boxes use
only the BEST connections:
1:2 parallel type £15.95
1:2 serial type £14.95
High tech, rotary controls
WHY BUY DISKS FROM US?
1 . All disks meet ANSI standards.
2. We supply shops, PD libraries and educational
establishments on a regular basis.
3. If you can find a supplier who sells disks
cheaper then we will beat the price. No
questions asked.
I
y
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S
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ALL PRICES INCLUDE VAT AND POSTAGE!!
%
To order via telephone simply quote credit card number and expiry date
| To order via mail make cheque or PO payable to: UNIVERSAL OVERNIGHT DISTRIBUTION LTD |
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Trade customers, call for spot prices. Bulk buyers - we have great prices.
Overnight courier (get your goods tomorrow!) £ 7 . 99 . Min order value: £10
1
#» f* WE WISH YOU A MERRY CHRISTMAS ** **
1 Uyy (Hyp AND A PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR
1
Feature
the Cheapie Zone for the last year
or so. It's not so long ago that
Commodore were charging £150
for the official RAM expansion car-
tridge, and with a straight face into
the bargain. Now you can
upgrade to a full megabyte of
raunchy RAM complete with bat-
tery backed-up clock for less than
a third the price.
External floppies are also sinking
fast, as third-party peripherals
manufacturers engage in outright
commercial warfare over the
pound in your pocket so that these
days, you can expect to spend no
more than £50 for your second
drive.
Either of these essential
upgrades is guaranteed to trans-
form your A500. and they are easi-
ly the two best buys for any
standard A500 owner. They also
have the advantage of being the
two most readily available pieces
of extra kit in the High Street.
Most dealers, and I don't
include certain washing machine
and Hi-Fi retailers masquerading as
computer dealers, will stock these
items all year round but if you want
the best bargains, look in our ads.
Stocking Fillers
If you're thinking ’fine, but s/he has
already got everything from a
mouse holder to a laser printer',
then don't despair. It is a fact of
computerised life for example, that
no-one buys decent disk boxes
except the sort of people who
arrange their toothbrushes in
alphabetical order.
Everyone else is too stingy to
part with 10 or 20 quid for a lock-
able disk box when a much
cheaper storage space can be
utilised, which is why all my disks
are missing. It follows that a disk
box will suffice if your budget
and/or imagination completely
desert you.
It would be doubly welcome, of
course, if full of blank disks. These
elusive creatures hardly ever grace
my desktop, and most people buy
them ten at a time (some have
been known to buy them singly,
but they prefer not to admit it -
they know who they are).
If you want to splash out a bit
more, go for a printer stand which
will normally be less than £15. No-
one actually owns one of these
things and I have never seen one
in the flesh. They are useful for ele-
vating your printer above the work
PD music
Joysticks
PD comms
Virtually a necessity these days
surface so that it is easier to lose
things under it. A bit more cash will
get you a replacement mouse or
a tracker ball for between £20
and £45 and, as the internals of
most original mice gradually
become large indeterminate balls
of fuzz and strange water-proof
hairs (!), a nice shiny new one is
usually very welcome.
£50 to £150:
The Erogenous Zone
How about a "fatter Agnus" for
Christmas? No it's not some sort of
new creation from Bernard
Matthews, it's a splendid piece of
silicon which can give your trusty
old Amiga a whopping one meg
of chip RAM, ideal for any RAM-
hungry package such as ray trac-
ing utilities.
For anyone who doesn't yet
know, chip RAM differs from fast
RAM in that it is the only memory
portion which the Amiga's custom
chips can access directly, and this
is limited to only half a meg with
the older Agnus chips (skinny
Agnus?).
Do you want to capture the
Christmas spirit forever? If so, Vidi-
Amiga could be your answer to
the Christmas shopping blues.
"Sounds great, what is it?" I
hear you cry. Weil, it's a reason-
ably inexpensive video digitiser,
retailing at around £80 to £90
depending on the version you
require. The end result of spending
your cash will be a 16 shade mono
screen grab of any domestic
video image provided by any
VCR with composite video output
(that's the output v/ith 'CV5S' writ-
ten under it at the back of the
VCR).
The grabs are all in IFF format
and thus can be loaded into, for
example. DPaint and completely
ruined, er. I mean edited. If you
are feeling particularly generous
you couid also invest in the colour
software upgrade (as mentioned
in The Cheapie Zone), which uses
red, green or blue filters (supplied)
with a mono video camera, or
takes still colour source if used with
an RGB splitter.
Continuing in the video screen
grabbing direction, we have the
next crimbo classic - or the
Rombo RGB splitter. It will take a
still colour video signal and
extracts red, green and blue for
use with Vidichrome or Digiview.
This little item will set you back
Amiga Computing 87
Review
Too many add-ons and you’ll need a beefier power supply
around £60.
The AMAS sampler and midi
interface is the biz here. If you're in
the market for a super sexy sam-
pler in your stocking, but you don't
want to burn a huge hole in same.
AMAS is great. OK, it's not exactly
cheap at around £75 but it does
give great results.
With its many features and
options it can produce excellent
quality sounds which can be
saved in a standard IFF format.
Obviously these can then be
reloaded and further manipulat-
ed. or perhaps used with other
music packages.
Music X version 1.1 is one of the
most powerful sequencing pack-
ages available on the Amiga, and
a must for anyone wishing to pro-
duce professional standard music
via their Amiga.
At approximately £60 it may
seem rather expensive when com-
pared to PD music packages, but
when some of the features are
taken into account it is. to be hon-
est, cheap.
Upgrades
If you are not already the proud
owner of lots of MIDI equipment,
however, it may be worth looking
for something cheaper for the
time being (again, all you
Scrooges are directed to The
Cheapie Zone).
If you don't mind splashing out a
bit. there are lots of goodies to be
stuck onto your Amiga for £150 or
less. You can, for example, elevate
your beloved Amy to the dizzy
heights of 1 .5 Meg for only £89.95 if
you read our ads carefully enough,
and an ADRAM board, populated
to 1MB and capable of being
gradually upgraded to a chillingly
desirable 6MB can be had for
£139.
With one of these babies
installed, you need never worry
about memory requirements
again. Storage-wise, you're still
stuck with floppies, as no-one,
despite my begging letters, can
presently supply hard drives for less
than about £300 (alright then
£299).
However, if you want the best in
floppies, you could have dual 3.5
inch drives with their own power
supply for £110. Alternatively, if
you're silly enough to want an
Amiga to talk (down its nose...) to
a PC. you might look at external
5.25 inch drives, most of which are
a bit more expensive than their 3.5
inch cousins at £100 or there-
abouts.
In the £1 00-£l 50 bracket, there
are now dozens of decent quality
9-pin printers to be picked up,
although if you don't pay for them
first you may find yourself on a
shoplifting charge (don’t say we
didn't warn you!).
Star and Citizen printers are the
most commonly discounted
models, but Panasonic,
Mannesman, Olivetti and others
can also be found heavily price-
chopped for Christmas and all of
them give acceptable quality
print output.
At the check-out
Well, there you have it, the defini-
tive guide to spending between
£50 and £150 on Amiga software
and accessories without ever hav-
ing to leave your seat.
All of the items mentioned can
be found in our ads. so just relax,
pick up the phone, think of setting
fire to a wad of fivers, and start
chanting out your credit card
number.
B \ \ VVf
Ooh! Wouldn’t this be nice?
luuttiiTWNv
88 Amiga Computing
LATEST DESIGN INCORPORATES ' CHIPMEN ' OPTION AT NO EXTRA COST !
• Increases computer memory from normal /: megabyte
to 1 megabyte
G Includes disable switch/ incorporates high quality silver
coated pin connecror
• 1 6 bit technology
0 Fit in minutes
C Direct replacement of Commodore A50I expansion
0 Includes 'CHIPMEM OPTION" - Phone for details
• 1 2 month warranty
• In stock now!
^
Price includes VAT and post ■
and packing B9'BS
Tel: 0582 491949
EPlTTSr*
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AMIGA PACKS
INC. MODULATOR/WORKBENCH
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£349.00
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£499.00
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£499.00
AMIGA 2000 Please ring for best prices
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SOFTWARE ALL AT DISCOUNTED
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PRICES, PLEASE RING FOR DETAILS.
PRINTERS
STAR LC10
..£156.00
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We carry an extensive range of software for all
machines, all at discounted prices -
at least
25% off RRP. for example
RRP
Our Price
BADLANDS
£24.99
£18.50
CADAVAR
£24.99
£18.50
EUROPEAN SUPER LEAGUE £19.99
£15.50
F.19 STEALTH FIGHTER
£29.95
£22.95
GREMLINS II
£24.99
£18.50
INDIE 500
£24.99
£18.50
LOTUS TURBO ESPRIT
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£18.50
NEW YORK WARRIORS
£19.99
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NIGHT BREED
£24.99
£18.50
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PUBLIC DOMAIN DISKS
We have an extensive range of public domain and Shareware programs.
Please ring for details of our Amiga and ST libraries.
SEVEN DISK SPECIALS ONLY £10.95
AMIGA DEMOS PACK 4 - All of the best latest demos. Pack changes
all the time but never has same demos twice.
AMIGA BUSINESS PACK - Spreadsheet, Wordprocessor, Database,
Journal, N.A.G., Inventory.
AMIGA UTILITY PACK 2 - Virus killers, Copiers, Disk Managers,
Rippers, Boot copier PLUS Loads more!
AMIGA PROGRAMMERS PACK - C Compilers, Assemblers, Source
Codes, Pascal, LISP, C Manual etc.
BLANK DISKS
3.5" QUALITY DISKS £12.00 FOR 30-
‘FULLY GUARANTEED DSDD 100% CERTIFIED
PERIPHERALS
AMIGA HALF MEG UPGRADES
£30.00
AMIGA SECOND DRIVE
£65.00
NAKSHA MOUSE
£33.50
LINNET MODEM
£145.00
LINNET 1200 MODEM
£212.00
A590 20Mb HARD DRIVE
£365.00
HARDWARE VIRUS PROTECTOR
£14.95
Please enquire for the latest prices on RAM upgrades for the
A590
MUSIC PROGRAMS
RRP
Our Price
MUSIC X 1.1
£149.95
£110.00
MUSIC X JUNIOR
£79.99 ...
£63.50
PRO 24
Please Enquire
KCS 3.0/DR.T
£299.00...
...Please Enquire
MASTER TRACKS PRO
£289.00...
...Please Enquire
TFMX
£44 95 ...
£ 39.50
Amiga Computing 89
A late night had turned into
an early morning, and
the cold light of day
shone through the smoke filled
office window. "The copy's late"
said the new temp as he dropped
the mail onto Sam Spillane's desk.
“Tell me something I don't know. "
Sam grunted. A blank page and
an overdue deadline were all he
had to show for a night's work.
There was nothing to look forward
to but a whisky breakfast and
another smoke.
This man needed help, and as
he thumbed through the mail it
appeared: Protext V5. The story
continues, the culmination of
Protext's five year mission to save
the written word. Could it save
Sam. could it save you. (will we
make it to a review? - Ed) we shall
see...
Those familiar with Protext in its
many forms will no doubt find me
wandering over old ground, but
hang in there, because even the
old hacks may be in for some
surprises with this, the latest version.
All versions are compatible, so
experienced Protext users
shouldn't be in for any unpleasant
surprises. All the keyboard short-
cuts are still here, making
production as fast as ever and
even with the new features, the
program seems to run as smoothly
as its predecessors (touch typists
shouldn't find themselves blasting
away on the keys leaving the
processor struggling to keep up...).
With this in mind, it may be
worth while for owners of earlier
versions to upgrade to Protext V5.
All you would-be writers out there
will no doubt want a run down of
the features available on Protext -
a daunting prospect. The best way
to do this is to flick through the
advertiser's index and find this
month's Arnor advertisement. This
should provide all the information
required.
It may seem something of a
cheat, but it means I can devote
more detail to the features, and
the various advantages and
indeed, disadvantages of Protext.
One of the main drawbacks of
the old Protext was the rather rigid
operating system, which in certain
circumstances required the use of
the command line section of the
program.
All the beginners out there are
probably thinking, 'God, he means
CU". In the past, that may have
been the case, but no more!
Protext V5 has a full complement
of pull-down windows and
Paul Austin dons the hack’s traditional
garb of trench coat and trilby to take a
new look at an old friend...
dialogue boxes which in version 5
cover all the options available. My
personal favourite is the help
window which, in these days of
software house paranoia
concerning their products, is
refreshingly detailed, and indeed
useful.
Most options can be activated
by keyboard short cuts so there's
no need for the hacks among you
to reach for a rodent.
The Amiga version of Protext still
doesn't support graphics other
than simple IBM boxes. To be fair,
the program has never been
aimed at the DTP market. Those of
you wishing to dabble in that area
may do well to look elsewhere,
possibly ProWrite or Pen Pal. If
however, you need pure power
and speed. Protext is difficult to
beat. Arnor's little gem is aimed
directly at the professional user
rather than someone who needs
pretty pictures.
If you're writing a lot of text
regularly or perhaps require
options such as mail-merging or
multiple file handling, Protext is
great. The new version provides
block marking which is simply a
matter of dragging the mouse
from A to B.
Auto-formatting
When it comes to the handling of
pure text, it's very difficult to think
of a problem which Protext can't
handle. In short, a small business
would find it ideal, possibly used in
conjunction with ProdaTa the
Protext-compatible Database.
Automatic page numbering,
The new improved printer options take some of the pain out of printing
multiple line headers and footers
with odd and even printing are an
author's dream, making the
production of a book manuscript
with a really professional look a
simple 'task apart from writing it of
course '. A new timed save feature
auto-saves files, reducing the
chances of any unforeseen
disasters.
With business in mind, it's worth
mentioning Protext’s contribution
to 1992 and the opening up of
Eastern Europe. To accommodate
this corking event, Arnor has
incorporated 27 different lan-
guages plus 10 different keyboard
layouts and 13 separate accents
can be allocated to any
character. A German dictionary is
already available, with others to
follow.
Improved printer options, multi-
proportional fonts, mixing different
font sizes on the same line,
formatting while editing, side
margins, centre tabs and a
massive range of printer drivers -
am I getting through to you?
Protext is positively dripping with
features.
But wait, there's more-: Multiple
file handling, up to 36 files open at
one time, split screen editing and
variable window sizes while editing
documents. The split screen option
makes exchanging blocks of text
between files simple.
Index and contents generation
is a breeze. The indexer takes
marked words or phrases and
wraps them in printer control
codes enabling them to be
reproduced In various styles.
There's also a new and
considerably larger Collins
dictionary (1 10,000 words*).
Perhaps one of the greatest
improvements however, comes in
the form of a very fast phonetic
look-up, which is very impressive.
The previous version's pattern
recognition was dreadful. In
version V5 it's splendid. If, like
myself, spelling is not your strong
point, the spell checker is a god-
send.
There are many subtle additions
which generally enhance the
package including adding a row,
or column of figures, find word at
cursor, 40 column mode support,
inter-paragraph spacing, news-
paper style column printing and
probably some others I've missed.
Protext V5 is in fact three
programs in one. Protext itself,
Config, and Fsort. Both Config and
Fsort can be loaded while in
Protext and with Config, it's
90 Amiga Computing
possible to set all the parameters
relevant to the program. Using
Config, separate configurations
can be saved and loaded, making
it possible to load specific
document styles direct from disk.
No more setting tabs and margins,
just load in the required con-
figuration and it's all done for you.
Fsort is a file sorting utility with
special options for names and
addresses. A revised manual and
tutorial have been produced to
accompany the new version and
both make use of the program
very straight forward.
One drawback with Protext is
that at least 1Mb is required to use
it. An extra drive is also a good
idea. With Protext retailing at
approximately £150, it may seem a
little expensive to a beginner, but
it's worth remembering that it's
unlikely you will ever need to
upgrade.
And in the red corner...
Those looking for comparisons
could take a peek at Word Perfect
by Sentinel. The program's a firm
favourite on the PC, and in the
business community in general. It
also runs in 51 2K and features a
thesaurus.
Excellence is the second alter-
native in the serious user market,
and is possibly Protext's biggest
rival. It really is the ultimate system
with full DTP support, fast spell
check and thesaurus and even a
grammar checker. If you’re a
professional journalist who needs
all these features, this could be it,
but the program isn't cheap.
If you're a beginner or perhaps
an occasional writer, it may be
worth while looking at the cheaper
end of the market. If, however, you
need speed, power and lots of
options when handling text. Protext
is unbeatable and a firm favourite
with many an old hack.
Read the Arnor advertising, and
you'll no doubt come across the
usual extravagant quotes, such as:
“I would rather drink a pint of ear
wax than use another word
processor" - Mr Fictitious. The truth
is if you need a professional word
processor to handle large amounts
of text for what ever reason,
Protext is perfect.
Protext V5
£149.99
Arnor Ltd.
661 Lincoln rd Peterborough PEI 3HA
Tel.0733 368909
Fax.0733367299
Review
The file requester supplies you with all the options at a single stroke
B(ack)
wmm
mmm
PRO IE XT v5.82 <c> Arnor , Itacuneftf Pretext* <S;0 ZZZZZZZ
f ' FRO TEXT sp ell I ng ch ecker Checking’:’ T< Current: T e xf T ‘ ’
Options : S(tore), Kgnore), V(iew), C(hange), L(ookup)
Pull down menus bigger and better than ever
Printer: STARLC10
Screen
Filenane
Single Sheet
Start At page
Nimber of copies
cancel
PSPS!;??
"Page ! Tine"! 'CoT ”2 Ro’ Markers ’set’ A'utF’rn Key" T4" To' vTew
Insert Justify Off Wd-Hrap SCR Printer STARLC10 22:02:45
Blocks now can be defined with a simple drag of the good old rodent
Amiga Computing 9 1
0530 411485
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HOW MUCH WILL YOU NEED
TOMORROW?
THE NEW ASHCOM RAM EXPANSION IS EXPANDABLE
TO 1.8Mb
GIVING YOU 2.3Mb OF AUTOCONFIGURE SYSTEM RAM
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£28.00
FEATURES: -
* Real Time clock/calendar with high
capacity Nicad battery backup
* Memory disable switch
* Low power consumption
* Buffered Data Bus (Essential for high
capacity Ram boards)
* Plugs in as A501 NO SOLDERING!!!
* 12 Months warranty
* Configures to 1 Mb chip ram when
FATTER AGNUS is enabled
* Works with 1 .2 and 1 .3 kick start
All prices include VAT and delivery.
ONLY £59.95 for 51 2K version.
Expander Board £1 5.95.
Expanded to 1Mb £99.95
Expanded to 1.5Mb £1 28.95
Fully expanded to 1.8Mb only £1 54.95
ASHCOM 51 2K RAM EXPANSION WITH REAL
TIME CLOCK/CALENDAR AND DISABLE SWITCH
ONLY £39.50
WITHOUT CLOCK £34.50
Gives 1 Mb chip RAM with Fatter Agnus
NEW NEW NEW NEW NEW NEW NEW
Selects DFO or DFI as boot drive and
eliminates that annoying click when
drive is empty.
Easy to fit -just plug in!!
BOOT SELECTOR
WITH ANTI CLICK
ONLY £19.95
0530 411485
READ THIS
FREE REGISTRATION WITH THE
ASHCOM USER CLUB
Fill in the coupon below to register
with the Ashcom User Club and
receive exclusive information on new
Ashcom products. With each free
mailshot you will receive a massive
10% discount voucher.
10% discount off any order received
with registration. No more endless
sitting through adverts for a good
deal.
^lame
Address
I
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Only from ASHCOM, 10 The Green, Ashby-De-La-Zouch, Leicestershire, LE6 5JU
Telephone: (0530) 411485 Fax: (0530) 414433
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Yes! Rush me...
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L
NAME
ADDRESS
POSTCODE
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Please post this order form (or a copy of it)
plus your cheque or postal order made out
to JAM to: Just Amiga Monthly (AC),
75 Greatfields Drive, Uxbridge, UBS 3QN
Whether you've just bought your Amiga or
whether you're already in training for Guru
status, we're sure you'll find JAM magazine an
informative, entertaining and honest read.
The articles, tutorials, reviews and commentaries
in JAM are written by your peers - Amiga users
- with an almost fanatical interest in the machine.
And it’s also a forum where you can have your
own say - a place to get it off your chest, pass on
something you’ve learned, find out what other
users think of your ideas.
JAM is typeset, laid-out and produced on an
Amiga 500 and an Amiga B2000 - living proof
that the Amiga is ideally suited to serious pursuits
other them playing games. JAM concentrates on
the applications and programming side of the
machine, never afraid to go in-depth when the
occasion calls for it.
It’s a magazine written by Amiga users .for
Amiga users.
The subscription rate for Just Amiga Monthly
is only £19.95 (Europe £29.95) for a years supply
- that’s less than 40 pence per week.
But don't take our word for how good it is, drop
us an order form plus a cheque or postal order for
£1.50 (Europe £2.25) and we'll send you an
introductory issue to check out. Naturally, there’s
no obligation to subscribe, but we know you’ll be
back for more!
92 Amiga Computing
Public Domain
Stewart C Russell gets it tree, gratis and tor nuthin’
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N E
• Freely Redistributable C Update
Two completely new C compilers
landed on my desk, along with
two new versions of NorthC. All of
these compilers have the poten-
tial for producing good code at
low cost.
Let’s start with NorthC. Version
1.0 did not impress me one bit. It
was slow, lumpy, and unreliable.
This must have been the symp-
toms of ‘Version 1 .0 Syndrome’ (an
affliction of first release software,
which passes after VI. 01)
because V1.1 is quite neat.
But that’s history now, because
VI. 2 is neater still. NorthC is essen-
tially a port of Sozobon’s C for the
Atari ST. Steve Hawtin and a few
others have been busily fixing
bugs and implementing new fea-
tures. It now has good, fast con-
sole I/O, and produces fast, If
rather large, executables.
Amiganuts now handles the dis-
tribution, and Ray has put it on two
disks, with none of the mammoth
archiving to be found in the Fish
collection. It’s also Charityware,
Steve wants you to send £15 to a
national spastics society.
• For those of you who dig
archives in a big way, Fish Disk
351 has three of them. They con-
tain PDC V3.33, the ‘Publicly
Distributable C’ compiler. This has
very tenuous links with the ancient
curiosity known as PDC, as it has
some very advanced features
indeed.
Notable support is for most of
the features of ANSI C. This variant
of the language is touted as the
ultimate portable compiler, and a
solution to the old problem of
compatibility between machines.
It also supports precompiled
header files, speeding up the soft-
ware development cycle no end.
The authors of PDC, Lionel
Hummel and Paul Petersen, have
done a lot of good work here, and
w s
ask for a paltry $10 appreciation.
You'll still need the Commodore
Amiga Include files (as you will
with NorthC) but it’s an extremely
neat system.
• Right. I can now reveal the glad
tidings. $40 (plus a bit more for
overseas postage) will buy you
the registration to Matthew Dillon’s
latest and greatest venture. It's
called DICE - Dillon’s Integrated C
Environment.
Matthew's a fully paid up
developer, which allows him to
include the Commodore Library
and Include files with his new
compiler system. That means if
you register you get absolutely
everything you need, software-
wise, to write proper C programs
on the Amiga. I knew you’d be
impressed.
The system is built for speed, as
everything can be made resident
if you have the memory. The edi-
tor, DME, is fast, efficient, and
what I use for everyday writing.
DCC, the compiler front-end, con-
trols the rest of the package. First It
calls the DCpp preprocessor to
sort out macros. Most of the work
is done by DC1, the compiler,
which does huge scale optimisa-
tions for both speed and code
size, and outputs assembly lan-
guage source to the tiny assem-
bler Das. The last link is Dllnk,
which glues together the libraries
and object files into an exe-
cutable image.
In its initial release form on Fish
Disk 359, DICE had no support for
floating point, and had little in the
way of ANSI features. Via the won-
ders of MicroLink’s Internet ser-
vice, I heard from Matthew that
floating point and 68020/
030/881/862 are now supported,
most bugs have been crushed,
and that more ANSI features have
been implemented. This will be
the last distribution to the public.
3rd Day grab
3rd Day
Graphics
Ripper
How many times have you seen
some graphics and lusted after
them? Fine, with Workbench run-
ning and a few simple tools, you
can have an IFF image within sec-
onds. But what happens if the
graphics were from a game, or
something else that doesn't use
AmigaDos? You'd be stuck - if
Intuition doesn't know about a
screen, then you can't save it.
But consider this - there's at
least half a megabyte of chip RAM
on every Amiga, and the chances
NorthC - see News
are that it won't get cleared out
every time the machine is reset. So,
somewhere deep in the heart of
the chipmem, lurk the graphics
you desire.
The 3rd Day Graphics Ripper
(catchy name, huh?) allows you to
wander through this memory, look-
ing at interesting bits. There's noth-
ing new about this, but 3rd Day is
clever. It knows what to look for - if
there's a valid Copper List, it will be
interpreted as such.
Every screen that appears on
your Amiga has a Copper List. This
is a program for the graphics co-
processor which tells it exactly how
to display a screen. So if you can
find this 'program' you're most of
the way to finding the whole
screen.
Usually, finding a possible
Copper List results in a random
mess of harmless pixels. Sometimes
you get exactly the screen you're
looking for. 3rd Day is extremely
powerful, it found the screen of an
ST Emulator I'd been playing with
first time.
The colours might be a bit off.
but there's a helpful option to
search for colour data. Colours
aren't that important, because
Amiga Computing 93
Gharri * Howe. Applied Research Kernel
'nr '"vse "mr* Lenp. •’•’ale Green, Ventnor, P03821A, U.K.
' iiil •- are mo-, t welcome by appointment
Pont* U‘ 1st Recorded). Special Dl ry £2 .39 sail before 12am). Securicor £6 90 (call before 12am)
^ 1 ■!: * 'y' *c Europe extern, World £12/ltem. Please call about carriage on heavy items.
. Vf: ; . ids ir.c:ude U.K. VAT. at 15% except for books. Books are zero rated.
CHPOUES- 1 a. iry starting Payable to A R.K. please. High value ordinary cheques may require clearance.
EXPCHi ti urPu. Remove U.K. vAT. (=Price/1.15) except on books which are zero rated.
AVAR ‘ .nr'- p ' :>st derm 'is^nd are in stock. Others can usually be obtained within 48 hours.
DESI ATHH: Within 24 hours on stock Items. 48 hours on non-stock but available items.
F3JCES. May occasionally be subject to change.
Switchable voice/fax line open between 10.00am and 7.00pm Monday to Saturday
ACCOUNTS
Arena Int Accounts 1MB 119.83
Cashbook Combination 49.91
Cashbook Controller 36 80
Desk Top Budget 34.96
Easy Ledgers 149.96
Home Accounts - —23.92
Personal Tax Planner 34.96
Personal Finance Manager .. £27.83
Service Industry Accounts 299.92
Small Business Acc. Xtra 79.81
System 3 39.79
BOOKS
1st Book of Amiga 16.9S
2nd Book ot Amiga 16.95
S3000 Asm lan Programming 19 95
£3000 Assembly Language 24.95
Amiga 30 Gfx Prog In Base 18.45
Amiga Adv Sys Prog Guide 32.95
Amiga Asm Lan Programming 14.95
Amiga Basic Inside 4 Out 18.95
Amiga C Fa: Beginners 18.45
Amiga C For Adv Prefers 32.95
Amiga Desktop Video Guide 18.45
Amiga Disk Drives In i Out 27 95
Amiga For Beginners 12.95
Amiga Graphics In 6 Oat 32.45
Amiga Machine Language 21.95
Amiga Prcgrs Handbook Vo! 1 24.95
Amiga System Progers Guide 32.95
Amiga Tricks And Tips 14.95
AmigaDOS Reference Guide 14 95
AmigaDOS Qu ck Ref Guide 8.95
AmigaDOS Inside 4 Out 18.45
Eenentary Amiga Basic - 14.95
Hardware Reference Minuai 21.95
Incs 4 Docs; ROM Kernel Ml 28.95
Inside Amiga Graphics 16.95
Kickstart Guide To Amiga 14.95
Kids And The Amiga 14.95
Learning C Programming Gfx 16.95
Libs 4 Devs; ROM Kerne! Ml 29.95
Mapping the Amiga 22.95
More Tricks And Tips 18.45
Programmers Guide Tc Amiga 23.95
Programming The 68000 21.95
The Amiga Handbook —24.95
CABLES P=Plug S=Socket
Cross Over Box. D25S —35.88
D23S-D15P NEC MSync 2A3D 14.95
D23S-D9P NEC MulbSyncOid 13 80
D23S-OpenEnd Monitor 10.81
C23S-Scart Monitor CM8833 13.80
D23S.2Ph-D9/2Ph (CM8833/2I ...13 80
D25P-D25P 9Wire 2M Modem 10.81
D2SP-C36P 2Metre Printer 6.90
D25P-C36P 3Metre Printer 1 1.96
D25P-C36P 5Metre Printer 14.95
D25P/D25P 25Wire 2Metre 12.88
D25P/D25P 25V/ire 5Metre 21.85
D25P/D25S-D25P/D25S 2M 25W. 23.92
DIN5P-DIN5P MIDI Cable 4.83
Gender Changer; D25P 7.82
Gender Changer; D25S-. 7.82
Null Modem Cable 10.81
Plug 23 Pin D With Hood - 4 83
Plug 25 Pm O With Hood 2.99
RS232 Mini Tester 12.88
RS232 Null Modem - 8.97
RS232 Paten Box -...12.88
Socxst 25 Pin O With Hood 2.99
Socxet 23 Pin D With Hood 4.83
Switch Box C36S 4 Way 39.79
Switch Box 025S 2 Way 24.84
Switch Box D25S 4 Way - 36.80
COMMUNICATIONS
A Talk 3 69.92
K Comm 2 - 24.84
Paragon BBS 1MB ...109.94
COMPUTER AIDED DESIGN
BoardMaster PCB Design 1MB 79.81
Design 3D 1 MB 57.96
Pro'essional Draw 2 1MB ..-..99.82
X Cad Designer 1MB 79.81
X Cad Professional 2MB .— 339.94
X Cad 3D Professional 3MB 689.77
DUST COVERS
Amiga 1 084/1 084S/8833 Mons 8.97
Amiga 500 Computer 7.82
Citizen 120D Printer 9.89
Epson LX80/86 Printer 9.89
Panasonic KXP1124 9.89
Star LC24/10 Printer 9.89
Star LC10 Printer 9.89
Custom Cover Medium Size 19.78
DATABASE MANAGERS
InfoFile 44.35
Maiishot Plus - 37.95
Micro Base... - 19.78
Microfiche Filer 59.80
Prodata ... 54 97
Superbase Personal 34 96
Superbase Professional 164.91
Superbase Personal 2 59.80
DESKTOP PUBLISHING
Clip Art PD 14.95
E Clips Structured Clips 69.92
Gold Disk Type; Decorative 32.89
Gold Disk Type; Video 32.89
Gold Disk Type; Publisher 32.89
Gold Disk Type; Designer 32.89
Outline Forts 99.82
Pagesetfer 2 49 91
Pagestream2 139 84
Professional Page 2 14936
Structured Clip Art 36 80
DUST COVERS
Am-ga 1084/1 084 S/3833 Mons 8 97
Amiga 500 - - 7.82
Citizen 120D Printer - 989
Custom Cover Medium Size 19.78
Epson LX80/86 Printer 9.89
Panasonic KXP1 124 .9 89
Star LC24/10 Printer 9 89
Star LC10 Printer- 9 89
EDUCATION
Distant Suns 49.91
Fun Schoo 2 (Various) -...15 87
Mega Maths A Level 23 92
Micro Engbsh - 23 92
Micro French 23 92
Micro Maths -. 23 92
My Pamt 19 78
Primary Maths Course 23 92
EDITORS
CygnusEd Professional 2 59 80
GRAPHICS (Also See Video)
3D Professional 289 80
Animagic Editor/Effects 59 80
Animation Studio (PAL) 99 82
Comic Setter Publisher 39 79
Deluxe Print 2 Poster Gfx 39.79
Deluxe Paint 3 57.96
Deluxe Video 3 Edtr/Segncr . 74 98
Digi Paint 3 (HAM Pamt) 52 90
Fantavision Animation 34 96
Impact Business Graphics 49 91
Pixmate Image System 39.79
Real 3D Ray Tracing 99 82
Rea! 3D Professional 279.91
Real 3D Turbo (68020*) 349.83
Sculpt 3D XL Ray Tracing 99.82
Scult Animate 4D 329.82
Sculpt Animate 4D Junior 84 87
The Director Editor/Seqncr 47 84
Video Titter 84.87
HARDWARE
1 3 Kickstart ROM.—. 29.90
45M3 A500 HO 4M9 Sckts OK . . 289 80
A Max Mac Emulator No ROMs... 109 94
Amiga 500 51 2K RAM 359.95
Amiga 500 1MB RAM 399.97
Amiga 500 Screen Gems 369 84
Amiga 1500 1MB 2 Dnves 599 84
Amiga 1500 Inc Monitor 1049 95
Amiga 3000 16MHZ/40MB 1999 85
Amstrad FAX 9600AT NEW 639 86
A590 20M3 Hard Disk Drive 289 80
A5 90 With 2MB RAM 379.96
Citizen 124D 249.78
Citizen Swift 9 - . 239.89
Citizen Swift 24 329 82
Sharp JX100 Scanner 619 85
Star LC200 Colour 229.77
Star LC24/200 Colour 299 92
Star Laserprmter 8/2 1380.00
Disk Drive 5.25* External 129 95
Disk Drive 3.5* Int A2000 54 97
Disk Dnve 3.5* External 64 86
Fatter Agnus 64.86
MAC 2 DOS Fie Transfer 79.81
Naksha Mouse 34.96
Podscat 12x12 Inch GfxTab 199.87
Printercept Epson Emulator 34.96
RAM A500 51 2K Clock/Switch 39.79
RAM Chip 256K CMOS (A590) 6.90
Z88 To Amiga Link . 34 96
PACKAGES
Appetizer (Gold Disk)
29.90
Gold Disc Otter 1MB
-109 94
Graphics Starter Kit
. 54 97
Home Office Kit 1MB
99 82
Publishers Choice 1MB
68.77
Starter Kit
59 80
The Works
69 92
The Works Platinum 1MB
.99 82
PROGRAMMING
Amos Basic
3680
Benchmark Modula 2
...136 85
Dsvpac 2 Assembler
.42.78
GFA Basic Compiler
24 84
GFA Basic Interpreter
.... 39 79
Hisoft Basic Compiler.
56 81
Hisoft Extend
1794
Lattice C 5.1 Compiler
...164 91
Pascal Compiler (PD Disk)
2 99
RIBBONS & TONER
CBM MPS 1230 (6)
—23.46
CBM MPS 1500 (6)
2898
CBM MPS 1500 Colour (3)
35.88
Citizen 120D (MPS1200) (6)...
1932
Citizen Swift 24 (6)
... 31 74
Epson LX80 (6)
1656
Epson RX/FX/MX 80 (6)
1794
HP LazerJel 2 Toner Carl
7981
Panasonic 1174 (6).
26.22
Star LC10 (6)
23 46
Star LC10 Colour (4)
26 68
Star LC24/10 (6)
—2484
SOUND
A MAS. Stereo Sampler
7498
Deluxe Music Composer
52 90
MasterSound Mono Sampler ..
34 96
MIDI Master Interlace
34 96
MIDI Plug Interface
19.78
Music X 1.1 Sequencer
...109.94
Music X Junior Sequencer
64 86
Quartet Composer -
44.85
Sonix 2 Composer
54 97
Sound Trap 3 Mono Sampler ..
29.90
Tiger Cub Composer 1 M3
59 80
SPREADSHEETS
Advantage 65000x65000 1MB ...74.98
DGCaic 512x52 - 29.90
Superplan 2048x1024 1 M3 59 80
UTILITIES
Amikit For Beginners 29 90
ARexx Macro Interpreter 32.89
Award Maker Plus 34.96
B A.D. Disk Optimiser 32.89
BBC Emulator 34.96
Byte & Back HD Backup ...19.78
Cross DOS File Transfer . 28.98
Directory Utility/Enhancer 34.96
Dodcr Ami Disk Analysis 39.79
DOS 2 DOS Rle Transfer 29.90
Mavis Beacon Typing 24 84
Virus infection Protection 34.96
Your Family Tree 2 1 MB 64 86
X Copy 4 Cyclone .27.83
X Copy Professional — 37.95
VIDEO (Also See GRAPHICS)
Digi View Gold 4 1MB 109.94
Hitachi Camera 6 16mm Lens ....199.87
Minigen Genlock —.99.82
Vidi Amiga PAL 1MB 94.99
WORDPROCESSORS
Excellence 2 1MB 129.95
Kindwords 2 1MB 34.96
Micrctext - 19.78
PenPalIMB - 99.82
Protext 5 1MB 99.82
Scribble Platinum 41.86
Tranwrite Query
WordPerfect - 169.97
December catalogue
and second hand list
now available . . .
Please send a
stamped addressed
A5 size envelope.
X-COPY PROFESSIONAL
X-COPY PROFESSIONAL is the essential program that every Amiga owner should have. X-COPY PRO is the most
comprehensive back-up system. No other program offers more!! X-COPY PRO includes floppy disc back-up, hard
disc back-up and full file copying facilities.
i
OTHER FEATURES:-
• ALSO BACKS UP ST & IBM DISCS
• CHECKS DISCS FOR ERRORS
• OPTIMISES DATA FOR FASTER LOADING
• FAST FORMATTING
• COPIES UP TO 4 DISCS IN 48 SECONDS
• VERY EASY TO USE
X-COPY PROFESSIONAL IS AVAILABLE NOW
ONLY £39.99 + £1 .00 postage and packing
ORDERING X-COPY NAME
PROFESSIONAL address
ACCESS/VISA orders can be placed by
telephoning 061 228 1831. For mail order,
in the order form and send with a cheque
or postal order made payable to SIREN
SOFTWARE to Siren Software, 84-86
Princess Street, Manchester Ml 6NG,
ENGLAND. Telephone: 061 228 1831 .
X-COPY PRO IS THE
BEST GUARANTEED
* u.; • . . : v
At the time of purchase, if you can find a
more powerful copier than X-COPY PRO, we
will refund your money. Can any other
system offer such a guarantee?
94 Amiga Computing
you can always restore them with
a paint package.
If you're unlucky. 3rd Day won't
be able to build the screen auto-
matically. Manual mode requires a
little technical knowledge and a
lot of patience. Bitplanes have to
be found singly, and then stuck
together in the right order -
tedious!
For a program that works out-
side the constraints of Intuition
(that means it's a hack). 3rd Day
has good documentation. It takes
the form of a scrolling demo with a
SoundTracker tune. It may have
the odd rude word in it. but it's fair-
ly helpful and very original. Find it
on UGA Utilities Disk 9.
The Amiga
Coders' Club
There's a lot of people trying to
learn how to program in assembly
language out there. It's not difficult
- after all. if a small inanimate bit of
plastic can understand it. anyone
who knows A from E on a key-
board should be able to compre-
hend it too.
The difficult bit about assembly
language is getting the right atti-
tude. And there's no better way of
doing this than just messing about
with some source code, seeing
what happens if you change
something, and then wondering
why it bombed out. Or pondering
quite what the subroutine called
by ‘JSR Format_HardDisk' does.
Getting source code is quite dif-
ficult. There's usually some on our
coverdisks. but there's little to beat
wandering about the entire source
of a demo to see how it works. But
where does this code come from?
The Amiga Coders' Club (ACC)
aims to provide that service.
Several of its contributors are well
known demo writers, who have
supplied commented source code
for the benefit of humankind.
It's pretty much a club rule that
all source code has to be
DevPac2 compatible, which is a
greatidea since it's about the
friendliest development system you
can get. Most of the code is demo
orientated, but occasionally you'll
find a bit that works with the oper-
ating system intact.
Utility routines like SoundTracker
players are also available, but as
these are specifically built for
speed, they're not built to be
understood. However. I see just
CRobots
I've been playing with far too
many C compilers this month.
Usually this has to be remedied by
a few rounds of something simple
and stupid like Amoeba Invaders,
but this time I'm fighting C with C.
CRobots is a game of fighting C
programs. The game doesn't
involve bashing two structs
together to see which cracks first,
but rather pitting robots against
one another to see which one sur-
vives the longest.
How long your robot survives
depends on how good a program
you wrote to control it.
Unlike most games, the strategy
of CRobots is played out before
the final contest, which involves
dumping the robots in the playing
grid and leaving them to it.
First, write your C program. The
compiler supports integer mathe-
matics, and has only the most
basic functions built in.
As it's really an interpreter, it
won't crash the machine if you
run a faulty program. In that
respect, CRobots may just teach
one tiny problem with ACC.
Anders Bjerin has been running the
Amiga C Club (also ACC) for quite
some time now. The two clubs will
get confused, even though they're
very different.
ACC disks are produced period-
ically, and distribution is now han-
dled by Ray Burt-Frost of
Amiganuts UK. Amiganuts disk
ACC1 contains a selection of old
ACC articles, and makes good
browsing.- well worth a look.
Anyway, it's $4E75 for now...
you the basics of C. There are
seven functions available to move
your robot, fire its cannon, scan for
enemies, check damage and
locate itself
For faster operation, robots can
be precompiled, and saved as
executable programs for the
CRobots Virtual Interpreter, which
runs at 0.000309 mips! These pro-
grams won't run on your Amiga
without CRobots. Pre-compilation
makes for quick games, and stops
opponents peeking at your code.
Mathemusical
AlgoRhythms
Everyone knows that the Amiga is
the best music tool in the business.
Until now though, only a few peo-
ple have actually used them to
write music. So. say the smug
types, exactly what are all those
people with Music-X doing?
CRobots will probably appeal
most to programmers (especially
those who think they can write the
‘best' programs), computer game
enthusiasts, people wishing to
learn the C language, and those
who are interested in compiler
design and virtual computer inter-
preters.
The program is also lots of fun
for those of you who just want to
see two robots knock the living
daylights out of one another.
CRobots V2.3w is on Fish Disk 345.
They're only using the computer to
get a tune out of their heads and
into the air.
AlgoRhythms uses the Amiga to
write music itself. Algorithmic com-
position has been around for many
years now, usually beyond the
realm of popular appreciation.
Professional music packages
sometimes use composition algo-
rithms to develop melodic frag-
ments as an aid to improvisation.
In AlgoRhythms. the computer
chooses the pitches, durations,
and dynamics played to a MIDI
channel. The shape of the compo-
sition is determined by the user -
how the pitches, durations, and
dynamics slowly change with time
while the music plays.
AlgoRhythms plays music in real
time while it makes choices of
pitches, durations, and dynamics,
and can run virtually indefinitely.
The music created is different to
anything you've ever heard, yet
often manages to be pleasant
despite its curious form.
The author of AlgoRhythms,
Thomas E. Janzen, has been com-
posing using algorithmic methods
for many years. Originally, this
meant transposing lists of numbers
by hand from a batch-job printout,
but with the wonders of MIDI the
Algorhythms - feed in some good vibes and away you go
CPU • SPOOL* IN USE A/B««
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Robotic mayhem in the form of C-encoded metal funsters
Amiga Computing 95
process has been automated.
The program Is presented as an
introduction to algorithmic compo-
sition, and includes excellent doc-
umentation. You should have
guessed by now that you
need MIDI equipment to use
AlgoRhythms. You can have up to
16 channels outputting at once for
mellow soundwash experiences,
right down to a single channel for
startling minimalism. Look on Fish
Disk 356 for AlgoRhythms. It can be
beautiful.
LHArcA
What happens when your disks
start to get full of old files that sud-
denly become important immedi-
ately after they're deleted? Or
what if you've got to keep some
files together so that you can
move them between machines,
maybe over a phone line? You
archive them, of course!
LHArc by Paolo Zibetti is current-
ly the archiver of choice for the
Amiga community. Although it's
slow to create an archive, com-
pression is the best in the business,
and de-archiving is fairly rapid.
Some of the space savings are
remarkable. PostScript bitmaps (for
DTP) often shrink to one twentieth
of their former size. Text files are
usually reduced to two-fifths, exe-
cutable files and IFF bitmaps fold
neatly in half.
Even IFF sound samples, notori-
ously difficult to compress, are cut
down by a quarter.
These are general figures -
sometimes you get better results,
sometimes worse. The only thing
wrong with LHArc is that it's purely
command-line driven, and has lots
of confusing options. What's need-
ed, is a Naive User Interface for
LHArc, something everyone can
use.
Stefan Boberg has given us
LHArcA V0.99c on Fish Disk 331 . You
can do everything with the mouse,
except type in file names. Storage
devices appear as little icons, and
any file operations are controlled
by the standard ARP file selector.
LHArcA grab
HyperHelp
Don't you just love loose-leaf manuals? Flip to the
back to find something in the index, flip to the sub-
ject. find something you don't understand, flip to the
glossary (near the back) then flip forward to the sub-
ject again. And if your manuals are anything like
mine, the little metal hoops in the binder never quite
join, so turning pages at all is a major exercise in get-
ting angry.
The other thing about manuals is that when you
need them, they've emigrated to Siberia. But as
soon as you don't need them, they create a teeter-
ing pile which looks almost strong enough to support
another of their kind. Of course, you soon find out it
wasn't when you try...
Hyperhelp can help. It's a small program
designed for the presentation of information in a
straightforward manner that anyone can under-
stand. You browse through the text, and key words
are highlighted. Double click on the word, and it
takes you to another window of information. Once
you've found what you were looking for, you can
close up the program, and it waits in memory for the
next time you hit Alt-Help.
Creation of hypertext documents to use with
Hyperhelp is straightforward, as they can be created
with a text editor no more complex than Ed. The only
complexity is that you will have to work out the struc-
ture of the documents yourself - Hyperhelp only nav-
igates through linked files, it cannot create them.
Hyperhelp an interesting program, and could be
useful to some people. It's very conservative of
memory, using only the bare minimum of resources -
partly due to its development on a single drive half-
megabyte A1000.
Hyperhelp is hidden away in the Utilities drawer of
TBAG Disk of the Month #38. Joe Porkka. the author,
may develop it further if he gets enough of a finan-
cial incentive.
101 fibou t flgjwriM P k\\\\\\V\\\\\\\\\\\\\\V\\Viy iwc
Hypertext grab
You'd think that this friendly version
would be slower than the real
thing. Not so. The compression and
extraction routines are written in
carefully optimised assembly lan-
guage, so LHArcA is not merely the
most efficient, it's also one of the
fastest archivers around.
The final version will support
ARexx, have on-line help, and cre-
ate archives which will automati-
cally extract files from themselves.
Even though the original Amiga
LHArc is free, Stefan would like the
samll sum of $15 registration. This is
not excessive by any means
(under £10) for such a fast, easy to
use product.
PCopy 2.0
PCopy 2.0 is a copying program
that's just as fast as the well-known
copier X-Copy, but unlike that pro-
gram, is quite happily multitasking
with anything else. It does require
two drives (Diskcopy will work with
one) but cranks out a perfect
copy in just 68 seconds. If you want
to make sure that the copy really is
perfect, call it 100 seconds for full
verification.
If that's not fast enough, you
can lock out most other tasks and
save a few more seconds. For real
speed fiends, you can set PCopy
to autostart as soon as there are
disks in the drives.
A neat feature of PCopy is that it
shows a history log of the current
session. That means if you've a
batch of disks to do for several
people, you know exactly how
much aimless hanging around you
still have to do before you're done.
PCopy 2.0 was written by Dirk
Reisig. a name you may remember
for the excellent Tracksalve we put
on the coverdisk months ago.
You'll find the program on TBAG
Disks 40. Yes. two disks make up
collection 40, to celebrate the
interesting new format that the
Tampa Bay Amiga Group uses.
96 Amiga Computing
n#pp4± Tlew ijea4/
U V ('from HiSoft
* Devpac has it all plus a lot more " - sr Format , Dec qq
Consistently acclaimed as the best assembler development system for the Amiga,
Devpac Version 2 is a complete package including:
/
/
/
Powerful, extremely fast assembler with macros, conditional assembly, include,
optimisations, local labels, multiple hunks, producing executable or linkable o/p.
Advanced, multi-window symbolic debugger with single-step, dynamic condi-
tional breakpoints, full expression evaluatcr. disassembly to disk etc.
Integrated, fast and easy-to-use editor so that you can create, assemble, debug,
edit, assemble etc. all without leaving the editor. CLI versions are also included
for those who have strong editor preferences.
y Fast Linker, standard 1.3 Include files and full documentation.
With full technical support and constant improvement. Devpac has no rivals - most of the
top software houses who develop on the Amiga use Devpac - why don’t you?
•V.. a very professional package" - Transactor May 89
Quite simply. SAS/Lattice C 5 is the best C system you can buy for your Amiga.
Having sold more than 12.000 copies worldwide, the package is used by professionals
& hackers alike. Upgrades from version 5. Ox cost £34.95 - send your master disks back.
y Powerful, enhanced C compiler with full 68020/68030/68881/68882 support plus
screen editor, faster linker, assembler, librarian, code profiler, disassembler & more.
y Advanced global optimiser which gives your programs performance improve-
ments of up to 40%. You can optimise for execution speed or program size.
y The CodeProbe source level debugger with 4 separate windows, allowing you to
single-step through source code, set source line breakpoints, examine, modify
and continuously monitor your C variables and much, much more - invaluable.
y Workbench 2.0 support and environment, AREXX support. C++-style comments.
SAS/Lattice C 5 has improved ANSI compliance, function prorotyping, is multi-tasking & re-
entrant. has nearly 300 library functions and comes complete with full technical support.
Use the order form below to order any HiSoft products and we will send you, totally free
of charge, an Amiga Starter Pack consisting of: a mouse mat with the Amiga ASCII
character set, a stylish disk wallet holding up to 8 disks and 4 quality double-sided
diskettes; a package worth over £14 if bought elsewhere!
Please rush me the following software together with my free starter pack:
'all prices include 15% VAT and postage and packing within UK. Please phone for export details)
ma , — m
1 I Devpac Amiga X
Name:
***
Date:
wM
Address
CS4-9S
n HiSoft BASIC
& Extend
I wish to pay by:
t
tX
—
/*> . ■ *
L-'a
Card No:
.
□ Cheque/POs Q Access
□ Visa Expiry Date:
in to ft
EpiSoft MIC Vision 1,85 with Extend — Hid
* HiSoft BASIC is an excellent choice" - ST/Amiga Format March 89
HiSoft BASIC is the answer to your programming prayers, an extremely fast, interactive,
standard and easy-to-use system, used by many top software houses all over the world.
y Modern, structured programming with long IFs, multi-line functions, sub-
programs. REPEAT. DO. CASE, full recursion, local & global variables etc.
y No limits to your program size and no limits on the size of any variable, memory
permitting, plus the ability to link easily with C and assembler programs.
y Totally interactive system with easy-to-use Intuition editor allowing mistakes to be
corrected simply and quickly, substantially reducing development time.
y Extremely close compatibility with AmigaBASIC and Microsoft PC QuickBASIC 3.
Complementing HiSoft BASIC, HiSoft Extend is a comprehensive set of library
routines for IFF files, gadgets, menus, sub-menus, sound. HAM mode and more.
Normally costing £19.95. we are including this package, for only £5 extra
until 1 January 1991, if you use the order form below.
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PAGE
102 Amiga Computing
This month's Galery is entirely given over to the work of
Senor Curro Astorza from the fair city of Barcelona.
Normally, we prefer to give as many readers as possible
the opportunity to display their talents, especially if they
have not done so before, but when we saw these
piccies we decided to make an exception.
Curro tells usthat he uses a 9Mb Amiga 2000 with a
GVP hard drive, designing his objets d'ar t in Sculpt 4D
before rendering them in Turbosilver, and adding
textures with DPaint III. This three-stage process, he says,
is a bit like a computer triathlon event, and if that's the
case Curro, then I reckon you're a real gold medal
prospect. Feast your eyes on these...
Amiga Computing 1 03
Evesham Micros
ALL PRICES INCLUDE VAT AND DELIVERY
3V 2 " external drives
• Very quiet
• Slimline design
• Cooling Vents
• Sleek, high quality metal casing
• Suits any Amiga
• Quality Citizen drive mechanism
• On / Off switch on rear of drive
• Full 880K Formatted capacity
• Throughport connector
• Long reach connection cable
Amazing low price!
including VAT
and delivery
5.25" External 40/80 Track Drive also available, only £99. 0C
Philips CM8833 colour monitor inc. cable £249.00
Vidi-Amiga video digitiser package £95.00
Vidi-Chrome colour accessory for above £ 16.00
Vidi-RGB splitter accessory unit for VIDI £59.95
MiniGEN Genlock Adapter £95.00
KCS Power Board PC emulator package £289.00
Vortex AT-Once PC emulator package
featuring fast 8MHz 80286 processor £179.00
5V 4 " External Floppy Drive 40/80 track
switchable (360/720K) with throughport ... £99.00
TrueMouse superb quality replacement mouse.
excellent value for money £17.95
Naksha Mouse Package (also compatible
with Atari ST and Amstrad PC) £28.95
Kickstart 1.3 Upgrade pack £29.95
Amiga Replacement Power Supply Unit
(Genuine Commodore Amiga Type) £39.95
Amiga A500 Dust Cover £ 4.95
CBM A590 HARD DISK
Good quality Commodore Hard Disk unit, including its own PSU
and built-in cooling fan. Features sockets for up to 2Mb of
on-board FASTFIAM expansion (see below). 80ms Access time,
wtih up to 2.4Mb / sec transfer rate. Autoboots when used with
Kickstart 1.3. We are now supporting specially upgraded
versions of the A590 incorporating new NEC high capacity SCSI
drives, featuring an excellent access time of only 25ms!
A590 Hard Drive (20Mb) £279.00
A590 Hard Drive (40Mb NEC disk) £399.00
A590 Hard Drive (110Mb NEC disk) £599.00
A590 RAM UPGRADES
Upgrade kit comprising of D-RAM FASTRAM IC's. We will
fit the upgrade free of charge when bought with an A590.
A590 51 2K RAM Upgrade kit £31.95
A590 1Mb RAM Upgrade kit £59.95
A590 2Mb RAM Upgrade kit £99.95
AMIGA A500 SOLDERLESS RAM UPGRADES
ONLY £34.95
including VAT & delivery
51 2K RAM/CLOCK UNIT FEATURES :
ft Direct replacement for the A501 expansion
ft Convenient On / Off Memory Switch
ft Auto-recharging battery backed real-time Clock
ft Compact unit size : Ultra-neat design
ft Only 4 low power consumption FASTRAMs
1.5MB RAM BOARD
51 2K RAM Expansion
also available without
clock for only
RAM UPGRADE
ft Fully populated board increases the total
RAM in an Amiga 500 to 2MB !
ft Plugs into the trapdoor expansion (as with
51 2K unit) and connects to GARY chip
ft Includes Auto-recharging Battery Backed
Real-Time Clock
ft Socketed FASTRAM ICs for
accommodating up to 1.5 MB RAM
Unpopulated RAM Board with Clock £39.95
RAM Board as above, with 51 2K FASTRAM Installed -. £59.95
RAM Board as above, with 1 Mb FASTRAM installed £74.95
RAM Board as above, fully populated, with
1,5 Mb FASTRAM installed ...„. — £89.95
N.B. : The expansion board Requires Kickstart 1.3 to operate -
Kickstart 1.3 Upgrade available from us for £29.95
GOLDEN IMAGE HANDY SCANNER
WITH TOUCH-UP PACKAGE
Top value package including a high quality 100-400 dpi scanner
with dither options. Scanner includes viewing window with
backlight, plus a start control button, for accurate scanning
every time. Scans either line-art (mono) or one of three
greyscale options, at 100/ 200/ 300 /400 dpi. The package
includes the amazingly powerful, well featured TOUCH UP'
graphics program which drives the scanner directly as one of
its many facilities. Includes many image enhancement tools.
Please note that this package is not Amiga 1000 compatible.
ONLY £149.00 and delivery |
PRINTERS
Prices include VAT, delivery and cable
EVESHAM MICROS SPECIAL OFFER -
ALL STAR PRINTERS INCLUDE 12
MONTHS ON-SITE MAINTENANCE !
Star LC10 top-selling 9-pin printer £159.00
Star LC200 replaces LC10 colour, features bottom
teed option and push /pull tractor, 180/45cps £209.00
Star LC24-10 24 pin. excellent value £215.00
Star LC24-200 improved version of LC24-10: 200/67cps
bottom feed option and push /pull tractors £249.00
Star LC24-200 Colour version of above LC24-200 £289.00
Star FR-10 9pin 300/76cps 16 NLQ fonts £369.00
Star FR-15 as FR-10. wide carriage £429.00
Star XB24-10 24pin; 4 SLQ. 25 LQ fonts £429.00
Star XB24-15 as XB24-10. wide carriage £569.00
Star LC15 wide carriage vers, of LC10 £299.00
Star LC24-15 wide carriage vers, of LC24-10 £369.00
Star Laserprinter 8. 8ppm/300dpi £1329.00
Star Laserprinter 8 Starscript upgrado lnc.2Mb FIAM .. £1599.00
Olivetti DM100S 9 pin printer 200/30cps
price Includes 1 year on-site warranty I £129.95
Olivetti cut sheet feeder for DM1 OOS £79.95
Olivetti PG-306 laser; 51 2K RAM. HP compatible £976.35
Olivetti PG-306 as above, with PostScript fitted £1749.00
Epson LX400 budget 10* £159.00
Epson LQ550 10* 24pin £349.00
Epson LQ400 24pin printer £229.00
Panasonic KXP1180 mutti-feature 9 pin £179.00
Panasonic KXP1 124 24pin printer £259.00
Panasonic KXP1624 24pin wide cart, printer £399.00
NEC P2+ 192/ 64c ps mutttlorrt 24 pin printer £239.00
Hewlett Packard Deskjet 500 - Includes 3 years
•Return to Hewlett-Packard’ Warranty £459.00
Hewlett Packard LaserJet III superior 300dpi laser £1595.00
REPLACEMENT
A500 P.S.U.
Genuine CBM
Amiga A 500 type
replacement
power supply unit
Good quality
switch mode type.
Super low price 1
ONLY £39.95
HEAR THAT
STEREO!
Your Amiga produces
•x cel lent quality hi-fi
stereo sound. Enjoy
sound reproduction to
the full with this twin
speaker system I Uses
a specially designed
amplifier with volume
control, to obtain the
best sound.
ONLY £34.95
Including VAT
and Delivery
TRUEMOUSE
WE GUARANTEE that this is the smoothest,
most responsive and accurate replacement
mouse you
can buy for
the Amiga.
Excellent
design,
incredible
low price I
ONLY £17.951
MIDI
INTERFACE
GET CONNECTED !
Our new fully compatible, high quality
MIDI interface connects directly with the
Amiga serial port and provides IN. OUT
and THRU ports for good flexibility.
Features LED Indicators on each port to
assist ease of use and also for diagnostic
purposes. Superb compact design.
KRAFT TRACKBALL
EFFICIENT MOUSE OPERATION -
IMPROVED GAME PLAY !
Very high quality trackball,
directly compatible to any
Amiga. ST or CBM'64, plus
many others. Operates from
the mouse or joystick port,
and features selectable drag
control / autofire button for
versatility and better action.
Left or right hand use, with
total one handed control.
Top quality construction and
ONLY £19.95
opto-mechanical design, j
delivering high speed and i
accuracy every time. No j
driver software required 1 1
I0NLY £44.95 1
ONLY £29.95
STEREO SOUND
SAMPLER
S-S-SAMPLE THIS !
Offering full compatibility wtth almost any Amiga
audio digitiser software, our Sound Sampler features
excellent circuitry, yielding professional results. The
main A/D converter gives a digitising resolution of up
to 50 KHz. with a fast siew rate. Two phono sockets are
provided for stereo line input, plus an option for
microphone. Adjustable gain is achieved with built-in
control knob. Complete with public domain disk
containing sound sampling applications / utilities.
AMIGA SOFTWARE
WORDPROCESSING
Protext Version 5 £1 19.95
Kind Words Version 2 £39.95
ACCOUNTING
Digits Home Accounts £18.95
Digits Cashbook Controller £39.95
Digits Final Accounts £23.95
Digits Cashbook Combo £55.95
SBA Cash £62.95
SBA Extra £89.95
SBA Plus £179.00
GRAPHICS
Deluxe Paint 3 £59.95
Deluxe Video 3 £59.95
MUSIC
Dr.T Tiger Cub £84.95
Music-X £110.00
PROGRAMMING
AMOS Game Creator £37.50
AMOS Sprites £11.95
HiSoft Lattice 'C' £179.00
GFA BASIC Version 3 £39.95
GFA BASIC Compiler £34.95
Hisoft Devpac 2 £44.95
GAMES AND SIMULATIONS
Battle Squadron £16.95
Damocles £18.95
Emlyn Hughes £18.95
F-19 Stealth Fighter £22.50
F-29 Retaliator £18.95
Kick Off 2 £18.95
Sideshow £14.95
Treasure Trap £16.95
MISCELLANEOUS
Super-Plan Spreadsheet £74.95
Superbase Personal Version 2 £69.00
Digita DG-Calc £31.95
AMIGA s Ei££ l
All OUT A500 Goldrunner Jaws Wordprocessor ♦ Spr sheet
p kanpc; Leatherneck Defcon 5 Nigel Mansell's Grand Prix
. 9 Karate Kid II High Steel Better Dead than Alien
include . Battle Squadron Night Walk Super Huey
Amiga 500 51 2K SCREEN GEMS Pack includes ‘Night Breed’, The Beast 2‘,
‘Back to the Future 2‘, 'Days of Thunder', 'Deluxe Paint 2’ and TV modulator £379.00
Amiga 500 1MB Screen Gems Pack includes our 51 2K RAM upgrade with clock fitted £409.00
Amiga 500 51 2K Screen Gems Pack With Drive includes our 3'/ 2 m External Drive £430.00
Amiga 500 1MB Screen Gems Pack With Drive
features our 51 2K RAM upgrade plus our 3V 2 " External Drive £465.00
Amiga 500 1MB CLASS OF THE 90's Pack indudes A501 51 2K RAM Upgrade,
TV Modulator, 8 software titles, 10 Disks, Mouse Mat, Video Tape and more £549.00
Amiga 500 1MB CLASS OF THE 90's Pack With Drive includes our 37 2 - External Drive ... £600.00
NEWI AMIGA 1500 STARTER PACK includes A 1500 computer (1Mb RAM, 2x3V 2 " drives, 8
expansion slots), Hi-Res colour monitor; plus software induding: 'Deluxe Paint ill’, ‘Battle
Chess', 'Populous', 'Sim City’ and 'The Works' (business software). All for only £999.00
PHILIPS 15" FST TV/MONITOR
(MODEL 2530)
With its dedicated monitor input, this model
combines the advantages of a high quality medium
resolution monitor with the convenience of remote
control teletext TV - at an excellent low price I
✓ Fun infra-rod remote control
✓ SCART Input/Output Connector
✓ Audio /Composite Video inputs
✓ FASTEXT Teletext
✓ 60 TV tuner presets
Headphone private fcsterxng jack
ONLY £269.00
price includes VAT,
delivery & cable
Buy with confidence from one of the longest established companies in their field, with a reputation for good service and prices. We have invested heavilv
p n nuin C nnri P Wnr^fhnlf m ,c ? enable our Telesales staff to provide up-to-the-minute stock information, coupled with highly efficient order processing. Our fully
equipped Workshop enables us to carry out almost any repair on our premises. We feel sure that you won't be disappointed if you choose Evesham Micros'.
Unit 9 St Richards Road
Evesham
Worcs WR11 6XJ
V 0386-765180
fax:0386-765354
\^Open Mon - Sat, 9.00 - 5.30^
- RETAIL SHOWROOMS
r
5 Gllsson Road
Cambridge CB1 2 HA
1 T 0223-323898
fax: 0223-322883
t Open Mon - Sat. 9.30 - 5.30
\^SpeciaSst Education Centre
f 1 762 Pershore Road N
Cotterldge
Birmingham B30 3BH
TT 021 -458 4564
fax:021-433 3825
y^Open Mon - Sat. 9.00 - 5.30 y
ALL PRICES INCLUDE VAT AND DELIVERY
Same day despatch whenever possible. Express Courier delivery £5.00 extra.
Unit 9 J
iFTl
MAIL ORDER DEPARTMENT
>t Richards Rd, Evesham, Worcs WF
Call us now on ©0386-765500
8 lines, Open Mon -Sat, 9.00-5.30. Fax:0386-765354
Technical support (open Mon-Fri, 9.30-5.30) : 0386-40303
ill 6XJ
^ — -» Send an Order with Cheque, Postal
L>+<] Order or ACCESS/VISA card details.
Allow 5 working days personal chq. clearance.
Government. Education St PLC orders welcome
All products covered by 12 Months Warranty
All goods subject to availability. E. St O.E.
Review
Cotouific
At last, real-time colour video digitising
at a reasonable price. Paul Austin
investigates ColourPic...
I n the not too dim and distant
past, if you wanted to grab
an image from a moving
source such as a video camera, TV
or VCR. it was a simple process as
long as all you wanted was
straightforward black and white. If,
however, you required a colour
image it was a different story.
Black and white images could be
easily captured by a so called
'real-time' digitiser such as Digipic,
but in order to generate a colour
picture, three separate images
where required, each filtered
through a colour filter using an RGB
colour wheel.
Due to the need for three expo-
sures of the same image, the sub-
ject had to be kept perfectly still
while each component of the
colour image was digitised.
Needless to say. the finished prod-
uct was often ahem, less than per-
fect - usually rather dull in fact. An
alternative to the stone age colour
filter approach was desperately
needed and into the arena
stepped ColourPic.
You may think such add-ons for
the Amiga are like furry dice and
go-faster stripes on an X-reg Escort
- an illusion of power. Given a little
thought however, numerous appli-
cations soon arise adding picture
files to a database for example. It's
also possible to reduce pictures
generated with ColourPic to a
quarter screen or less, making stor-
age of large numbers of captured
images possible even on with a
floppy-based system.
Pictures produced using
ColourPic are saved as IFF files and
can be used in many popular
paint packages. The feature also
allows access to DTP software,
making it possible to import TV or
video images direct onto the
page. Picture composition and
general educational programs
can also be greatly enhanced
using the equipment. And last but
not least there's always pulling
stupid faces, harassing people by
grabbing them at inopportune
moments and generally being a
pain in the behind - hard to resist.
Fine, but how does it work and
what can it produce? Well you
can import a captured image
direct into the Amiga. This can be
done in several formats including
320 x 256 HAM. HAM+ and 32
colour mode. If you're really rolling
in cash, you could always go the
whole hog and invest in JCL's RAM
expansion, which will allow you to
use interlace mode producing
high quality images, but the sub-
ject must be completely static as
the image is digitised in stripe
mode and imported directly
into the Amiga. Interlace
mode can take several minutes
and the usual problems associated
with interlace still persist (ie the
famous flicker) which occurs if any
movement takes place between
the two fields of the interlace
image. The finished product how-
ever, is very impressive.
Monochrome images can also
be captured via ColourPic and this
is achieved by adding together
the three elements of the RGB
data from the video signal, the
result of which is then imported as
a 16-level monochrome, grey-
scale image. A particularly useful
pull down menu in the ColourPic
software allows access to various
tools for manipulation of a
monochrome image and with a lit-
tle practise, some very interesting
and professional results can be
achieved.
Lower resolution formats, such
as HAM and HAM+ (which I found
gave the best Instantaneous
results) sample every one fiftieth of
a second which is as fast as the
signal is generated by the camera
or VCR. At these kind of speeds.
movement is captured with the
minimum of blurring and this alone
is a big plus for the system.
ColourPic's hardware is, in
effect, an instantaneous frame
store (or image buffer if you pre-
fer), which takes snapshots of the
subject. The image is overwritten
by the next until the appropriate
Amiga key is pressed, and the
image frozen. When a good result
is achieved, the image can be
imported into the Amiga and from
then on, the choice is yours.
When an image is imported,
there is a reduction in picture qual-
ity due to the screen format being
used and the display restrictions
imposed by the computer. Even
so, images produced on the
Amiga in HAM or HAM+ mode with
4096 possible screen colours are
still very impressive (although there
are certain restrictions on the
colours which can be displayed
together).
Getting it up and running
If you can control your excitement
long enough to read the instruc-
tions, installing the equipment is a
relatively simple process. I
couldn't, and consequently spent
an entire afternoon pressing the
wrong buttons.
Once the system is set up the
real-time signal from the video
input can be viewed on your mon-
itor. With a 1084 monitor however,
the live video signal will not work
1 06 Amiga Computing
properly due to synchronisation
problems. It is possibly to use
ColourPic with a 1084 monitor,
you'll just have to view the live sig-
nal via a separate monitor or TV.
If, however, you do have a
monitor which is compatible with
the system, it's then possible to
monitor the live signal and the
frozen image stored in memory by
simply alternating between the
two via the CVBS button on your
monitor.
The chaps from JCL have been
thoughtful enough to provide sep-
arate connections at the rear of
the unit which enable a separate
monitoring signal of the live video
image to be piped out to either a
second monitor or TV. This can be
very useful because when an
image is frozen prior to being
imported into the Amiga, the live
signal is lost until the system is
unfrozen. If you're trying to cap-
ture movement you can miss
some golden opportunities while
watching a frozen screen.
ColourPic is capable of excel-
lent results, as you can see from
the grabs on this page, but it's
worth bearing in mind that as with
most things, you only get out what
you put in, and ColourPic in no
exception. I personally found that
good lighting was essential in
order to produce a quality result.
In most respects using ColourPic
is exactly the same as any photo-
graphic project and a certain
amount of experience in the field
is a definite advantage. If you're
serious about importing the real
world into your machine, you
could consider taking stills in the
conventional manner and then
using a scanner to import your
imagery into the Amiga. This
method though longer, would still
give better quality when capturing
movement.
Nevertheless, ColourPic is an
impressive product and you pays
your money and takes your
choice. One of my main worries
lay with the lack of any Genlock
facilities but I needn't have wor-
ried, because JCL has produced a
big brother for ColourPic, namely,
SuperPic which does exactly that
(although it will set you back an
extra £100 for the privilege).
If you'd like any further informa-
tion, give JCL a ring, they're a
helpful bunch, and will be more
than happy to sort out any ques-
tions.
JCL Business Systems LTD
Tel: 0892 75791
Review
The fab four, a small sample from JCL's show reel. All of which were created via ColourPic with no extra image processing
Two products of ColourPic's instant imagery, both grabbed using a standard VCR camera.
A. Using Ham+ mode. B. Using interlace ham+ The first being grabbed instantly, the second, imported directly In stripe mode
An example of
what can be
produced by a
pro, photographer
using the system.
On the right we have the wee Scottish bloke Stevie Kennedy, on the right little old me. On the left a passing punter at the commodore show, h
said he was a coach driver but I think that's a porky myself.
Amiga Computing 107
NEW! - "NEW DIMENSIONS" - NEW!
Amazing 3D effects make your Amiga come alrve You will find that graphics and pictures float before your
eyes in front of your screen' The depth of the pictures extends up to ten feet into the screen' These fantastic
effects have to be seen to be believed Included on the disc are generous numbers of 3D pictures, 3D graphics
and 3D games. We even provide a tutorial to help you design your own 3D effects on a pairt package or write
ycur own 3D programs Included in the package a-e two pairs of 3D specs so you can experience these amaz-
ing effects with a friend Probably the most mpressrve pictures'graphics you have ever seen on a computer 1
New Dimensions package Excellent value at £13.95.
NEW! - DESIGN-A-TEESHIRT - NEW!
Have you ever wanted to put YOUR art work on a T-shirt" 5 Just send us a disc with your picture/logo/slogan on
and we will send you back a high quality white cottorVpofyester T-shirt with your art work printed on it. (We
will of course return you drsc!) Ideal presents with you own individual design Artwork from paint packages
or digitisers is ideal Pease state you size - small, medium, large, extra large Outstanding value at £14.95.
THE NEW - “BEGINNER’S GUIDE TO AMIGADOS”
This is a highly effective way to take you from a beginner to an expen on AmigaDOS This very popular package
has now been COMPLETELY updated to cover all AmigaDOS versions. The package consists of a guidebook, a
tutorial DISC, a cnb card and FREE software worth over £20 This is a clear and well thought out guide to
AmigaDOS It takes you by simple steps, with marry examples through the powerful AmigaDOS commands
The emphasis is on learning through experience and doing - not just reading like most other books In no time
at all you will master a fast, powerful and customised operating system ... you can easily include you own
pictures, messages and programs
The guide includes an incredibly fast picture loader, a password system, a gallery of high quality pictures, a
variety of boot up sequences, other hign quality programs and much, much more . . Guide book. Disc,
Cnbcard etc only £13.95.
WIZARD S GUIDE TO BASIC
This is a very effective and enjoyable way to leam BASIC The whole concept is designed to help you learn
c^uKtkJy and achieve impressive results n no time You confidence and skills will nse rapidly as you make you
way through this course The Wizard s BASIC guide comes on two discs with a sophisticated electronic book -
You can get help in the form of text, moving demonstrations, graphics, sound or speech with just a touch of a
button The course starts at beginner level and carefully rises to expert level. You will learn to master graphics,
colou, sound, movement, speech, windows, menus, dataprocessing etc. Hundreds of example programs and
demos are included This is a value packed package which will lea/e you with a wealth cf knowledge yxj
expertise Excellent value £13.95.
MASTERPIECE
"THE BEST PICTURES I HAVE EVER SEEN ON THE AMIGA* reported a recent review This package takes you
on a spectacular tnp through the world of art Every picture is of true quality and is displayed using thousands
of colours To help ycu enjoy the world s heritage of art to the full we have included comprehensive notes on
each artist and painting. Whether you are an at expert or know nothing at all about art, this is a wonderful way
to appreciate the great paintings of the world (and appreciate the graphic capabilities of you Amiga as well).
The package comes with two discs packed fu I of pictures and information Outstanding value £8.95.
EXTRA VALUE!
Buy two or more of the above products and benefit from the following d* sc outs ... 2 products - £2 discount,
3 products • £3 discount. 4 products - £4 discount etc Discouts are given on the TOTAL value of the order
UK PSP - FREE and by FIRST CLASS post Overseas orders welcome - Europeans please add 50p
Outside Europe please odd Cl. 50 for airmail. All payments in pounds sterling please.
Cheques/P.O.’s to:
Wizard Software (Dept. ACC)
20 Hadrian Drive, Redhills, Exeter, Devon. EX4 1SR
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VIDEOCENTER VC1
Video Mixing & Keying - Fade to Black
True S-VHS Key
RGB Buffered Output
Software Controllable
Transparent Colours Adjustable
Price £645.00 exc. VAT
VIDEOCENTER VC2
As VC1 but with 20 Wipe Patterns
Circular
Diagonal
Wipe/Insert
Wipe Position via Joystick
Price £995.00 exc. VAT
Upgrade VC1 to VC2 £425.00 exc. VAT
All available from:
G2 Systems, 5 Mead Lane, Farriham, Surrey GU9 7DY
Tel: (0252) 737151
Reach the top
with . . .
Self-Tuition Courses
World leaders • Hons graduate/teacher authors • At all
major shows • Excellent reviews - £5 off total for 2,
£10 off for 3
i «
PRIMARY MATHS COURSE
Complete course of 24 programs and 2 books. Only £24 for:
• Counting
• Addition using units
• Subtraction using
units
• Tens and unts
• Hundreds tens and
units
• Addition usng tens
and units
• Additions using
hundrejs, tens and
units
• Subtraction using
hundreds tens and
units
• Subtraction using
tens and umts
• 2-10 times tables
(taught separately)
• Muitipl cation
problems
• Division
• Short Multiplication.
• Long Multiplication.
• Fractions and
Decimals
• Addition, subtraction,
multiplication and
division of fractions
NATIONAL CURRICULUM Ages 3-12yrs
MICRO MATHS
Complete course of 24 programs and 2 books. Only £24 for:
• Percentages and
tractions
• Averages and
histograms
• Ratio and proportion
• Polygon properties
• Simple algebraic
equations
• Simplification in
algebra
• Interest
• Solutions ot triangles
using sne and cosine
formulae
• Profit and loss
• Similar trangies
• Geometric of the circle
and its chords
• Advanced statistics
• Applications of
Pythagoras theorem
• Trigoncmetry
Ages 11 - GCSE
• Factorisation of
algebraic equations
• Graphs
• Simultaneous
equations
• Indices in algebra
• Indices in arithmetic
• Vectors
• Matrices
And much much more
MICRO ENGLISH
Complete course of 24 programs, 2 books and a voice tape
Only £24 for:
• Punctuation
• Elementary spelling
• Advanced spelling
(like an advanced
‘Speak-and- Spell ’
machine)
• Vocabulary
tests (meanings of
words )
• English grammar
• From phrases to
words
• Words commonly
confused (e g. effect
and affect)
• Irregular plurals
• 8 comprehension
tests, each passage
Ages 8 - GCSE
having 20 questions
• 4 programs on
making notes
(summarising)
ORAL COMMUNICATION
• Speaking (3 programs
on reading aloud)
• Listening
MICRO FRENCH
Complete course of SPOKEN and written French. 24
programs. 2 books and a voice tape. Only £24 for:
• Pronunciation
• Colours
• Articles
• er verbs
• Wordsearch in French
• ir verbs
• Learning by pictures
• re verbs
• Signs found in France
• otr verbs
• Plurals
• Time
• Graphics adventure
game
• Oral exam
• Commands
Ages 8 -GCSE
• Adjectives
• Future tense
• Dictation
• Perfect tense
• Imperfect tense
• Opposites
• Comprehension tests
• Direct object pronouns
MEGA MATHS
Complete A-level course of 24 programs and 2 books, 105
topics! Far too many to list. Includes everything on
Calculus and much more. Only £24
A-level Course
Send coupon and cheques/PO's or phone orders or requests for free
colour postcr/catalogue to:
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or ring 0491 579345 (24 hrs)
Name
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Title
Computer.
1 08 Amiga Computing
The public image of the alternative graphics company
A fter the sort of train jour-
ney horror movies are
made of, I found myself
at the door of Alternative Image.
Leicester's answer to Saatchi and
Saatchi. I discovered very quickly
that first impressions can be some-
what misleading, as the business is
based in a back street terraced
house. I assumed the outfit inside
would be, well, slightly amateur.
Once inside I realised that the
house possessed the same dimen-
sional double-tricks as the Tardis,
and two minutes of conversation
with Henri Bujko and Stuart Hicking
convinced me that guys with that
sort of cynical arrogance most cer-
tainly know what they're taking
about!
The duo are two of the three-
man partnership which constitutes
Alternative Image. The company
caters for various media require-
Don't say "graphics manipulation",
say "Alternative Image"!
Paul Austin made the hellish journey
to Leicester to find out why
The head man at Alternative Image mini animation on this month s cover disk
ments including DTP, audio visual
displays, video production, pho-
tography and last but not least,
computer graphics the latter being
the main reason for me boarding
the train to Leicester.
All the graphics they produce
are created solely on the Amiga,
using software that is available to
everyone. When the results are
viewed on their show reel, even an
old cynic like me v/as suitably
impressed. If you'd like to see your
own creations on slides, as prints or
even on video, the company can
provide them at very reasonable
rates.
Aside from expert opinions on
graphics, which I'll get to later.
Alternative Image is in the process
of branching out and releasing
software which it has designed
itself. The reason for this is that they
simply could not find commercial
Amiga Computing 1 09
software to do what it required.
Being rather clever chaps, the trio
wrote their own and the end result
of these endeavours will soon be
available to everyone.
Utility city
The first of the range, ready just in
time for Christmas, and is a caption
scroller program which creates
titles for use on video. All the text is
produced in hi-res. with four defin-
able colours, and each colour can
be used on separate characters if
required, using eight separate fonts
each in two sizes.
Text can be re-sized, even when
the program is running, with just a
single key stroke, and all alteration
to text or font occurs instantly.
Thanks to the use of a type ahead
buffer even the biggest fonts
appear immediately when you
type them in.
Scrolling can be either horizontal
or vertical and can be speeded up
or slowed down to the required
speed again with a single stroke.
Several keys control the entire
package, which is very fast, profes-
sional and easy to use. It retails at
around £50, with a minimum lmb
required. The only other package
capable of doing this sort of thing
is ProVideo Plus although it can be
a little tricky to use.
The next product Image is work-
ing on is a title sequence designer
which should be ready for release
later this year. It's hoped this will
bring the home user the sort of
whacky tricks presently only avail-
able to outfits like the BBC.
The dynamic trio assured me
that this wonderful thing will send
words and letters flying and spin-
ning around the screen at your
command. The end result should
be a very professional look to
home produced video.
The next release could be an
autocue available around the
same time. This is obviously a more
specialised utility which will be be
capable of reverse text for mirror-
imaging onto glass. It will also be
possible to import ASCII.
Writers need only take an Amiga
to the studio or wherever it's
required, plug it in, load up the text
from any word processor - provid-
ing it's saved as an ASCII file - and
the result will be an instant
autocue, ideal for TV, video, con-
ferences or even amateur dramat-
ics. South Pacific may never be the
same again.
The fourth and final project
planned for this year will be a new
clip art disk. Not a new concept
A pepper mill and shiney ball - they had to appear somewhere
Showing their true colours, everyone wants to be a rock star
Sam Spade in the twenty first century
What the pro s use, but you can still do a lot with less
perhaps, but designed to fill a hole
in the market due to the fact that
clip art now available leave a lot
to be desired.
The disk will have vector objects,
backgrounds, and various groovy
things that have been produced
as a result of 'Image's work.
As an addition to all the other
irons already in the fire, the chaps
are about to start a consultancy
for people needing help and
advice in the general graphics
arena. The reason for this is the
large amount of time spent
answering the phone when the trio
should be earning cash.
At the time of my visit to the
company, it didn't have any
details of possible cost, but I'm sure
the guys will furnish you with the
facts if you give them a ring.
Give 'em a call
Are you having problems with dot
angles and densities in DTP or a
moire pattern where it shouldn't
be? If so. 'Image could be the
people to end your misery.
Unfortunately, the graphics gurus
would not tell me how such prob-
lems are solved, but they may tell
you for a small fee.
They did mention, however, that
if you're looking for a DTP pack-
age, then in their opinion, you
need look no further than ProPage
- I'm assured it's the best desktop
publisher available.
If you're willing to wait a while
ProPage 2.0 should be on the
shelves soon, and judging by the
excited way Henri v/as describing
it, it's well worth the wait.
According to him, no matter
what anyone else says. Sculpt 4D is
still the best ray tracing package
due to its excellent object modeller
and a very fast rendering time. He
did admit, however, that the ani-
mation can be a little dodgy, and
the lack of texture mapping was a
real problem.
It's worth bearing in mind that
these people have to work fast
and may have to produce in a
week what the rest of us take a
year over.
Real 4D was the next topic of
conversation. Henri agreed that
the program's texture mapping is
brilliant, although he thought the
rendering very slow compared to
Sculpt 4D.
In general he didn't think much
of it, due mostly to the massive
amounts of memory required to
produce relatively simple anima-
tion. He did feel, however, that the
package would improve in time
110 Amiga Computing
Ear shattering offers
Amiga Computing re
Make the most of your Amiga’s superb
sound capabilities by connecting
Soundblaster’s high quality stereo amplifier
and speakers.
Using the latest microchip technology, the
specially designed amplifier can deliver an
ear-shattering five watts of music power,
with twin controls provide complete control
over volume and balance.
The fifty watt speakers consist of a woofer,
a mid-range and a tweeter for the highest
possible sound quality. Thumping bass,
crisp trebles: You’ll hear them all with
incredible clarity.
The Amiga Soundblaster comes complete
with mains adaptor and full instructions. No
alterations to your computer are required
-just plug in and switch on to re-discover
sound on your Amiga.
Boost your computer's sound with an
AMIGAJSOUNDBL
Make beautiful music
on your Amiga
Quartet is a stunning sequencing package that will allow
you to compose anything from a jingle to a symphony.
Making full use of the Amiga’s unique four channel
stereo sound system, Quartet is equally at home playing
Depeche Mode or Debussy. Quartet comes complete with
complete instructions, a disk of full of sound samples and
full source code to allow you to intergrate your tunes into
your own programs.
What’s more, Quartet is MIDI compatible, so you can
connect a suitable keyboard or synthesiser to enter notes
directly.
It’s the ideal sequencer package to complement
the excellent Master Sound sampler
-Amiga Computing , August 1990
Quartet comes with full instructions
and two disks for £39.95
dll*
4-
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■ 5EQ
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LORD
REE ■
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4-
Wimm
»►
lililt.s
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*1^
"►'Jr'
ICSH
■7
EUQ
Master Sound
Capture any sound you hear
and replay it in seconds
It’s so easy to use: Simply connect the sampler to your
Amiga, load the software and immediately you have the
ability to capture sounds with amazing accuracy.
Connect your compact disc player or personal stereo
and digitise sounds to incorporate into your own games
and tunes.
The supplied software provides complete control over
the sampled sounds: Cut and paste them, flip and fade
them and you’re still only using a tiny fraction of the sound
processing tools available.
Best of all, the comprehensive instructions will soon
have you creating your own public domain demo disks
complete with IFF picture files.
The perfect sound sampling package for beginners and
experts alike.
Master Sound is a complete hardware and software
sampling system for only £34.95
“Is it real or is it Master Sound?”
-Amiga Computing, May 1990
See order form on page 114
once memory management prob-
lems were solved.
Turning to Turbo Silver, he felt
that although excellent results
could be produced, the main
problem was the program's front-
end which, in his opinion, was very
badly designed and tricky to use.
The next program to come
under the critical microscope was
4D Professional - criticised for the
strange animation problems con-
cerning textured objects which, in
Henri's experience, caused the
object to move but the texture to
stay where it was, as if these
objects were rotating inside a
strange stationary skin.
If you're interested only in ani-
mation. Henri's top tip is Video-
Scape. He admits the rendering is
not up to the standard of some of
other packages, and it doesn't
really ray-trace, but the animation
sequence I was shown produced
with VideoScape was very impres-
sive. Henri assured me that to pro-
duce something similar on even
Sculpt 4D. would have taken ten
times as long.
Another big advantage with
VideoScape was its excellent
memory management, allowing
very long and complex animation He,e 5 the 9uy wh0 does ,he ,eal work ’ some of » hun9 ,05,e,u " y in ,he bock t" ound
sequences to be created using tiny
amounts of memory. This effect is
achieved by creating the model,
then performing the required cal-
culations for movements via ASCII
file co-ordinates. The model is then
altered according to the co-ordi-
nation data supplied by the ASCII
file.
This is a massive advantage as
the resulting file is tiny in compari-
son to some other packages avail-
able. and editing is a very swift,
simple process. Re-rendering the
whole image is not required.
In most other packages, each
frame of movement is saved indi-
vidually, which then has to be sep-
arately rendered. This can take a
very. very, long time and an exces-
sively large amount of disk space -
something which is at a premium
as every Amiga owner knows.
All animation in VideoScape is
controlled via x, y and z co-ordi-
nates, which require a certain
amount of getting used to. But
Henri thinks it s brilliant.
For more information concern-
ing the company and its products
give them a ring 0533 440041 .
Finally, many thanks to Henri and
Stuart for all their help, coffee, and
pizza...
The Christmas card conversion, featuring the good and the bad, and the rest of the staff
112 Amiga Computing
It's Amazing!
It's Radical!
It's the Rolling Rul
A complete drawing board in one simple unit. With a
rolling ruler you can draw:
★ Horizontal parallel lines
★ Vertical parallel lines
★ Perfect right angles with ease
★ Any other angles from 1° to 359°
★ Clever circles
\ Available in two sizes 22cm (8in) and 30cm (12in) this great offer gets
you both rolling rulers for just £5.95 (RRP £9.99)
It's innovative design gives the new rolling ruler the ability to draw
vertical and horizontal lines without lifting it off the paper, parallel
lines, angles, circles, musical staves and graphs with ease, making
it ideal for the home, the office, schools, workshops and 3D design
work.
Reader
offers
AMIGADOS: A Dabhand Guide
Is a comprehensive guide to the Commodore amiga’s disc Operating
System (Versions 1 .2 and 1 .3). It provides a unique perspective on this
powerful system in a way which will be welcomed by the beginner and the
experienced user alike.
Rather than simply reiterating the Amiga manual, this book takes a
genuinely different approach to understanding and using the Amiga and
contains a wealth of practical hands-on advice and hints and tips.
The many features of this book include:
• Full coverage of Amiga DOS 1 .3 functions
• Filing with and without the Workbench
• The Amiga's hierarchical filing system
• Pathnames and Device names
• The Amiga's multitasking capabilities
• The AmigaDOS screen edtor
• AmigaDOS commands
• Batch processing
• Amiga Error code descriptions
• How to create new systems discs
• Use of the RAM discs
• Using AmigaDOS with C
Amiga Computing approved reading
£ 14.95
Need
some
extra
discs?
There’s always a demand for spare Amiga disks -
and at Amiga Computing we have lots we will be
happy to sell off at a really exceptional price. They
are all disks that have been prepared as monthly
cover disks, but they are brand new and have never
been used, so you can safely reformat them and use
them for any purpose you like. Look at these prices:
5 for £7.50! 25 for £20!
Keyboard dust cover
(A500)
£4.95 j
Protect your
Amiga with
this top-
quality
cover made from clear, water-resistant vinyl.
It's bound with strong cotton and features
the Amiga Computing logo.
Binder
£5.95
Mouse
mat
£6.95
The perfect desktop environ-
ment for your mouse with its
specially-designed, perfect-
grip surface. It ensure much
smoother movement,
gives super-positive
control and protects
your table top from
scratches.
Twelve rods hold your issues
in place and keep them in
pristine condition in this smart
PVC binder.
Disc storage box
£4.95
This luxury padded box is the
ideal storage medium, holding
up to FIFTY 3.5“ discs
ArgAsm
Probably the fastest
assembler ever
for the Amiga!
Exclusive price for readers of
ASSEMBLER
✓ Fast oie-pass design
✓ Code Imrted only by memory
/ Unlmred number of labels
✓ Long label names
✓ Unlmred macro nesting
/ Unlmred include nesting
/ Include binary data
✓ Extra-helpful error messages
✓ Instruction cycle timings
✓ Processor flag dsplay
/Mub tasking
✓ Ful muto-tte capacity
✓ Uni-rated spirt level views of files
/ CuTpaste between windows
/ Insert delete blocks etc.
✓ Full configuration facilities
/ Save'vestore environment
✓ Extremely fast text scroing
/ Fast page update rates
/ Assemble from any window
✓ Works on Workbench screen
SAVE
£30
Buy the combined
package of the HiSoft
Basic Compiler and
Hlsott's award-winning
Extend library for less
than the price of the
compiler alone
HiSoft Basic is THE language to get you
started with programming the Amiga.
★ Runs up to 30 times faster than AmigaBASIC
★ Produces stand alone programs
★ Compatible with PC Quick Basic &
AmigaBASIC
HiSoft Basic is easy to use
★ Supplied with a high quality manual
★ No upper limit to program or data size
★ Multi-tasking editor and compiler
HiSoft extend is the natural enhancement for
HiSoft Basic users
★ 50 functions and subprograms
★ Load and Save IFF pictures
★ Use all the commands in your own programs
Together both programs would
usually set you back almost £100, as
a special offer to Amiga Computing
readers both programs are available
for just £69.95.
Offers subject
to availability
MOGA READER OFFERS
Back Issues
July 1990
£3.10
9725
Aug 1990
£3.10
9726
Sept 1990
£3.10
9727
Oct 1990
£3.10
9728
Nov 1990
£3.10
9729
December 1990
£3.10
9730
All these back issues include cover disk.
Bargain bundle
Six issues of Amiga Computing (July-Dee) £17.00 9936 I I
fAdd £3 Europe & Eire/£1 2 Overseas 1 I
Mail Order offers
Extra discs (set of 5)
£7.50
9887
Extra discs (set of 20)
£20.00
9888
Publishers Choice
£79.99
9867
Mini-Gen
£98.85
9869
Word Perfect 4.1 version
£178.85
9870
X-Cad
£89.85
9871
Small Business Accs Xtra
£89.85
9873
Mavis Beacon Typing
£24.99
9874
Home Accounts/Day by Day
£34.90
9851
ArgAsm
£54.95
9858
Right Simulator
£35.95
9868
Pair of Scenery Discs
£31.90
9872
Right Simulator+Scenery Disc
Rolling Ruler
£65.85
£5.95
9878
9930
Rombo Vidi-Chrome
£119.95 9891
□
Protext Version 4
£79.95 9530
□
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Basic Compiler £69.95 9896
□
Battery charger
£19.95 9861
Plus post and packing £1 .50
/
DG Calc
£14.95 9875 □
Amiga Music
Soundblaster
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Package of all three
(Seepage 110)
Amiga DABhand Guide
A comprehensive guide to the Amiga’s disc
operating system (version 1.2 and 1.3) £14.95 9866 i !
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£19.95
9932
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9934
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9935
Pen Tech 2000
(seepages 106)
Matt Black
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£14.95
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9918
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9920
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£14.95 9882
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9508 □
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9509 cn
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£4.95
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AMC1
N o one ever got fired for
buying IBM or so the old
saying goes. It's a sad
fact that IBM has gained itself that
sort of power. First time corporate
computer buyers are duped into
buying under-powered PCs just
because everyone says that IBM
compatibles are 'the safe option'.
Even when someone tries to bring
a breath of fresh air to the corpo-
rate computer scene, the old
guard trundle out and slam the
machine just because it won't run
IBM software.
In the early days, the Amiga suf-
fered terribly from this syndrome.
Commodore unwisely pitched the
machine directly at the business
computer market, which brought it
into direct competition with the
established PC standard. Everyone
loved the machine's graphics and
sound capabilities, but few corpo-
rate buyers bought one because it
wasn't IBM compatible.
Indeed, if it wasn't for a change
in marketing direction, and brand
loyalty from existing users, the
Amiga could well have died long
before the birth of the second
generation machines, the A500
and 2000.
Emulation solution
Commodore's answer to those
concerned about the lack of IBM
compatibility was a nifty little
device that plugged into the side
of the machine. SideCar, as it was
called, was a clever box of tricks
that effectively transformed the
Amiga A 1000 into a PC-compati-
ble computer without the need for
major open heart surgery.
For about £600 you got a snail-
paced 4MHz XT emulator and a
5.25 inch drive, all of which was
housed within a case nearly half
the size of the machine itself.
This then was the Amiga's first
ever emulator. It weighed a ton,
cost a fortune and to top it all, was
very slow.
Thankfully things aren't as des-
perate these days, but that's not
Vortex’s long awaited ATonce AT
emulator is finally here. Jason Holborn
gets it on the test bench
The main installation screen
to say there's no more need for a
good PC emulator. Far from it. The
latest arrival is Vortex's ATonce, an
emulator that certainly boasts an
impressive specification. It is as the
name suggests, a PC emulator
which emulates an Intel 80286-
based AT compatible computer.
OK, nothing particularly special
so far, but there's one thing that
really makes ATonce stand out, its
price. At just under £200, it is not
only one of the cheapest PC emu-
lators available, but it also just hap-
pens to be one of the most
powerful.
Apart from Commodore's own
AT bridgeboard which costs con-
siderably more than either ATonce
or KCS, it is one of the first PC emu-
lators to take advantage of the
powerful Intel 80286 processor,
which is the 68020 of the PC world.
Once you've handed over your
£200. you'll be presented with a
tiny box containing little more than
two disks, an even tinier manual
and the ATonce hardware.
The first thing that will strike you
about it is its size - if you thought
Bitcon's KCS card was small, just
wait until you see ATonce. It really is
tiny. The card itself is so small that it
could quite easily get lost under a
floppy disk. But, as the old saying
goes, the best things in life come in
small packages, so you'd be
wrong to judge ATonce on size
alone.
The hardware actually consists
of two separate items, both of
which must be installed internally
inside an Amiga 500 or 2000 using
a separate adaptor. The second
item is a Gary Module - that's
what the manual calls it anyway -
which is basically a chip holder
with a resistor bridging two of the
contacts that sits between the
Gary chip and its socket.
According to Vortex, this extra
piece of hardware is necessary to
allow ATonce to run at its maxi-
mum speed.
The presence of this Gary
Module is one reason why ATonce
won't work with the A1000. The
machine doesn't have a Gary
chip. Gary, or MOS 5719 0189 42 to
the techies among you, didn't
actually join the rest of the Amiga
custom chips until the release of
the 500 and 2000 series machines.
As a result, A 1000s are out in the
cold. Oh well, such is the price of
technological progress.
Vortex is justifiably proud of the
ATonce PCB. Using the latest SMT -
Surface Mounted Technology to
you - circuit design. Vortex has
managed to keep the size of the
ATonce hardware to a minimum.
As a result the board draws very lit-
tle power so your Amiga power
supply isn't put under too much
strain.
Nuts and bolts
Installing ATonce certainly isn't a
job for the faint hearted. For
starters, it certainly isn't a plug in
and go affair like its main rival, the
KCS card. No sir, instead you have
to open up the A500 - thereby
invalidating your warranty -
remove the 68000 chip from its
socket and replace it with the
ATonce PCB. Surprisingly, it comes
complete with its ov/n 68000 chip
soldered on the underside, so your
old 68000 can be stored away for
possible future use - if you can find
one.
Vortex claim that this was neces-
sary to maintain compatibility with
all Amigas. Personally, I'm not con-
vinced. What do you do if your
Amiga is fitted with a 16MHz 68000
or a even 68010? Well folks, there's
a simple answer to that question
you're stuck.
About the only solution would
be to try and find someone who
produces a device that allows two
68000s to be installed simultane-
ously. I haven't actually seen such
a device, but it shouldn't be too
hard to knock one up yourself.
Be careful when Installing the
ATonce PCB. The card uses CMOS
technology which is very sensitive
to static electricity, so take precau-
tions when handling it. If you don't
I can virtually guarantee you that
Amiga Computing 115
Review
Colors GRAPHIC: CGA/Hercuies/T3100/Gl ivetti
CGA-LoRes Palette 1;
CGA-LoRes Palette 2:
L CGA HiReS; Hercules Graphic;
T3I09 / Olivetti HiRes:
Background: Foreground:
R~ G- B-
R* G+ B+
HELP
RESET
DEFAULT
OK
QUIT
Lots of options, but CGA is slow
Option: Floppy
DOS-Floppy A:
DFl:
DF2:
1DF3:
48 Track
iin
HELP
RESET
DEFAULT
DOS-Floppy B:
DF8:
'MB
DF2:
DF3:
80 Track
OK
QUIT
Control your floppies with ease
you'll fry ATonce at once. Better
still, get an experienced electrical
engineer to do the job for you.
Installing the Gary module is the
second job, which is actually pret-
ty straightforward. This time you
have to remove the Gary chip and
then install it onto the module. This
is then plugged back into the slot
previously occupied by Gary.
Once this is done you can put
everything back together and start
thinking about running all that
lovely PC software.
Software express
If everything goes well, you're now
ready to get ATonce up and run-
ning. Boot up the program disk,
double-click on the ATonce icon
and your new acquisition springs to
life.
After a brief memory check, the
PC displays a few lines of system
information and then sits back
waiting for a boot disk. A quick
search through the bundled disks
soon reveals a major problem you
don't actually have a boot disk.
Vortex, in its infinite wisdom, don't
actually bundle MSDOS with
ATonce, so you're going to have to
look elsewhere for this.
If you already own a PC, then it
isn't too much of a problem. After
all, you can use the copy of DOS
that came with that machine, as
long as you don't use both
machines at the same time, of
course!
However, if you don't have
access to a copy of MSDOS, then
you'll have to dig deep once
again and fork out around £40 for
a copy of the PC's operating sys-
tem - the latest 4.01 version of MS-
DOS will actually cost you £80.
Thankfully. SDL can also supply
this, so you may want to add this
to your shopping list when you
order ATonce.
PC plus
MS-DOS problems sorted out, your
hybrid Amiga-based PC should
now boot up to the familiar MS-
DOS A> prompt. From here on,
things are exactly the same as
they are on a real PC. But hang on
a moment, there's something
strange here. Every time you put a
disk in the drive the Amiga still per-
forms the usual read check. Surely
this isn't necessary under PC emu-
lation? After all. real PCs don't do
it!
Well, in some ways you'd be
right, the PC side doesn't need to
access the disk each time a disk is
116 Amiga Computing
inserted, but AmigaDOS does. Put
simply, ATonce is the first ever truly
multi-tasking PC emulator for the
500.
OK. such things are old hat to
A2000 owners, but AmigaDOS and
MSDOS running concurrently on a
500? Some thought it impossible,
but here it is in glorious techni-
colour, a fully multi-tasking PC envi-
ronment for the 500.
At last you can run both PC and
Amiga applications concurrently -
memory permitting of course! -
something that is sure to make PC
owners green with envy. Being
able to run PC software on an
Amiga was bad enough, but to
run it as a task?
It really is adding insult to injury.
Multi-tasking support is the one
feature that really makes ATonce
shine.
Also on the program disk is an
additional installation program,
which allows you to alter different
aspects of ATonce's operation. For
starters you can specify the screen
emulation to be used. Four major
screen modes, are supported:
CGA. Hercules. Olliveti and Toshiba
3100, with up to 16 colours.
For most applications, it's best to
use a mono screen mode
because screen update tends to
slow down considerably when
using ATonce in 16 colour CGA
mode. It's a shame there isn't sup-
port for some of the more recent
PC screen modes. EGA would be
possible, but VGA would certainly
need extra hardware to be emu-
lated successfully.
You can also assign Amiga
drives to their MS-DOS equivalents.
By default, ATonce treats DF0: as
drive A, although this can be
changed to DF1: through to DF3:if
you feel the need.
This can be particularly handy if
you're lucky enough to own an
external 5.25 inch drive. Although
most PCs now come with 3.5 inch
drives, there's still a large number
of PC applications that are only
available in the larger 5.25 inch for-
mat.
And it works
Ultimately, the most important
aspect of any emulator is how well
it can emulate. The good news is
that ATonce certainly seems highly
compatible. I managed to run
applications such as Ashton Tate's
dBase III+, Lotus 1-2-3, Borland's
Turbo C, Turbo Pascal and
Microsoft QuickBASIC, all of which
ran first time. Due to disk protec-
tion, NextBase's acclaimed jour-
ney planner AutoRoute didn't
work, which is a great shame.
I must admit that ATonce didn't
seem to be quite as compatible as
its rival, the KCS Card. Quite a few
software titles which would run
under KCS would just lock up
under ATonce, leading me to con-
clude that perhaps KCS is the
more compatible of the two.
Admittedly though, most of
these were games, so I wouldn't
be too worried about not being
able to run them under ATonce -
anyway. PC games are appalling!
Worth it?
It's been a long wait, but it was
worth it. ATonce is quite simply
stunning, but, and it's a big but, it
certainly isn't the ideal choice for
everyone. If the thought of wiring a
plug sends shivers dov/n your spine,
then ATonce most definitely isn't for
you unless you can talk someone
else into installing it.
Then of course there's the prob-
lem of having to purchase MS-DOS
separately. Vortex probably had a
very good reason for taking the
decision not to bundle this all
important part of any PC system,
although I'll be damned if I can
suss out the reasoning behind it.
I also managed to find a few
quirks that spoil its otherwise spot-
less image. Because both
AmigaDOS and MS-DOS share the
same drives, ATonce managed to
screw up quite a few PC disks.
After losing one very major disk, I
eventually decided that perhaps
it's not a good idea to feed first
generation disks to ATonce.
Another problem I found was
that it occasionally seemed to lock
up the keyboard for no apparent
reason. This can be a barrel of
laughs if you're using it to run pro-
fessional applications software. I
lost quite a bit of Turbo C code at
one point something I was not
happy about.
I originally thought this was a
problem with my Amiga keyboard,
but it continues to work on the
Amiga even after the PC side has
locked up. so it can't be a hard-
ware fault. Mind you. I once had a
Tandon PC that would do much
the same thing if you managed to
overflow the keyboard buffer.
Maybe the ATonce is just emulat-
ing the terrible PC too well?
All things considered though.
ATonce is an impressive product
which only just loses out to the KCS
card. From an emulation point of
view the two are very well
matched, but KCS pips ATonce to
the post because it is comprehen-
sive and easy to use. If Vortex was
to obtain a distribution licence
from Microsoft and start bundling
MSDOS for no additional charge.
I'm sure the scales would tip in its
favour. It is for precisely this sort of
situation that MSDOS was written
for in the first place
ATONCE vs KCS
There are now two PC emulators
on the market, both of which seem
to offer a stable PC environment.
But when it comes to the crunch,
which one is best. ATonce or KCS?
Well, from a technical point of
view ATonce is the better product.
It's 286-based. supports full multi-
tasking. although you really need
2Mb to make this feasible, end will
run a high proportion of PC soft-
ware. However, the fact is it
doesn't appear to be that stable.
Even with the presence of the
286 processor, ATonce doesn't
seem any faster. Screen updating
is much slower than KCS.
To find out their precise speeds, I
Review
Screen modes are flexible, If a bit pedestrian
Opti on:MeHory/Mouse/RS232/LPTi
Menoi'v :
Base :
Extended:
Expanded:
Mouse:
RS232:
LPTl:
Step: 10
640
.KB
«
< >
»
RESET
0
KB
«|
< >
»
0
KB
«
< |> »|
DEFAULT
mmm
COM2
OK
HI
>$
OFF i
so• **
&378
6278
QUIT
—
Memory and I/O control
THE COMPETITION
PC emulators have been with us
since time began, at least it cer-
tainly seems that way, so there's a
fair old selection to choose from if
ATonce isn't your cup of tea.
• Bridgeboard. A2000 users have
a choice between both an XT
and an AT emulator card that fits
internally to the Amiga A2000
upwards. Both come with a single
5.25 inch drive which can also be
fitted internally, making it quite a
nice compact solution. Problem is
though, they certainly aren't par-
ticularly cheap. The basic XT emu-
lator is nearly £400, while the AT
versionr is nearer £800.
• Transformer. If you're totally and
utterly skint, then Commodore's
feeble software-based Trans-
former emulator is about the
cheapest available. It runs at
about 0.00001 MHz, making even
the performance of a ZX81 look
impressive. Unless forced by
poverty, steer well clear of this
dodo.
• KCS Power PC Card. Bitcon's
acclaimed KCS Power PC card is
about the only emulator that can
challenge ATonce.
It runs at a very respectable 8
MHz, reads and writes PC disks
and it even doubles up as a half
meg RAM expansion! It costs £100
more than ATonce, but you also
get MSDOS 4.01 , MSDOS Shell and
GWBASIC software thrown in.
• SideCar. For A 1000 users - don't
knock it, the A 1000 is still a fine
machine - Commodore's aged
SideCar is about the only option
available.
If you search hard, you may be
able to pick one up - at a car
boot sale probably! - for about
£ 200 .
• A real PC! Time to face the
facts. PCs can be picked up quite
cheaply these days, so you
fed the respected Norton Utilities
Syslnfo program through both
emulators. To my surprise, both
came out with exactly the same
performance rating - 2.8, for those
of you who are interested.
So what's the point in having this
wizzo processor if it's no faster than
a V30-based XT emulator?
Another advantage of KCS is its
completeness. For £300 you get a
ready to plug in and go emulator
that could be fitted and working in
a matter of minutes.
Included in the price are several
items of software including MSDOS
4.01 . MSDOS Shell and GWBASIC. In
addition this emulator kit also dou-
bles up as a 51 2K RAM expansion,
making KCS even better value for
money.
Oh well, decision time. Which
should you buy? Well, I must admit
that I'm not totally convinced by
ATonce. It may be £100 cheaper,
but the KCS card offers so much
more for the extra money.
There are some acceptable
excuses for opting for the ATonce
though. Remember that the trap-
door space, which is the only possi-
ble home for many of the new
memory expansion systems, is left
free by the Vortex device. The pos-
sibility of a true multi-tasking pur-
pose for a PC emulator is another
legitimate excuse.
True power users will buy ATonce
just for the pose value of a 286
based PC emulator, but I think I'll
stick with KCS.
ATonce (Amiga 500. Amiga 2000 needs
separate adaptor)
£200
Silica Distribution 081 309 1 1 1 1
shouldn't ignore the option of
buying a real PC compatible.
Amstrad pioneered the cheap
PC market, but even they have
since been beaten in the who-
can-produce-the-cheapest-PC
stakes. If you look around you
could pick up a PC for as little as
£300!
Obviously, a real PC is the best
bet in terms of compatibility, but
you must also consider that buy-
ing an extra machine will take up
a lot of extra desk space.
Most importantly though, you'll
also have to fork out for another
monitor if you intend using both
machines simultaneously.
Amiga Computing 117
Diamond Computers
** Call your local branch now! **
Southampton ( 0703 ) 232777 Poole ( 0202 ) 716226 Midlands ( 0926 ) 312155
London 081-597 8851 Bristol ( 0272 ) 693545 Southern Ireland 061-376744
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Diamond's Flight Of Fantasy!
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AMIGA 500 + Philips Monitor £559
First Steps AMIGA 500
Education Pack
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The AMIGA 3000
AMIGA 3000 - 25 - 40
25Mhz clock speed with 40Mb hard disk
£P.O.A.
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£P.Q.A.
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The AMIGA 20C 0
Call for prices of your 2000
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Full range of peripherals
stocked - call for prices &
advise.
Call our expert sales team on your local number!
Amiga Storage Devices
40Mb HD - £295
40Mb HD + 2 Meg Ram - £339
100Mb HD - £699
200 Mb HD - £ Too fow to proof.
THE ULTIMATE
44 Mb Removable hard disk, unlimited storage
capacity, each cartridge only £99
Controller, Syquest & cartridge only £999 inc VAT
CD ROM PLAYERS NOW AVAILABLE
Amiga 2000 -8 up Board - 2 Meg Pop
ONLY £250 inc VAT
VIDEOS FROM DIAMOND
Pod Scat Graphics Tablet - £Too low to print
Kendall 8802 Genlock - £139 inc
New SVHS Rendale Genlock - £299
Rendale 8806 Genlock - £499
G2 Genlock - £595
Vidi Amiga inc Colour Kit - £99
Digiview Gold V4 - £95
Colour Pic — £499 inc
Markham Frame Grabber - £499
Panasonic Ave5 Video Mixing Desk - £799 inc
Professional Amiga Software
Just a sample of our Prices, Call for the Title of your Choice
Professional Page VI. 3- £99 Audio Engineer - £179 inc Sculpt 4D - £309
The New Philips 8833 II
£1 QQ
3uJLy y
with on-site maintenance
AMIGA 500 half meg upgrade
«> ^ including VAT
or £39.95 inc VAT with Comicsetter, Spritz Paint or Fantavision
AMIGA 500 8Mb ram board with
2Mb populated
Easy to install - fits under your computer in the trap door!
dn“t7»7j including VAT
OR - POPULATE IT TO YOUR OWN REQUIREMENTS
A500 8Mb Board O.K. Pop. - £9? inc. 8Mb Board 4Mb Pop - £249.95 inc.
8Mb Board 2Mb Pop. - £149.95 inc. 8Mb Board 6Mb Pop - £349.95 inc.
8Mb Board 8 Mb Pop £449.95 inc. VAT
Deduct £30 if you part exchange your old 512K Ram Board
Fed up of Unplugging your Printer?
2 Way Switch Box inc. Lead - ONLY £34.95 inc.
4 Way Switch Box inc. Lead - ONLY £49. 0
Printers
AMIGA
external
drive
_ 'sM
including
VAT
with through port & on/off
switch
Citizen Swift 24
£234
Philips NMS1432
£99
Canon Bubblejet
£438
Star LC10
£118
Star LC10 colour
£154
Star LC200 colour
NEW £169
Star LC24/10
£1S8
Star LC24-200
NEW £219
Star XB24/10 colour
£364
Panasonic KXP1124
£194
HP Deskjet 500
£379
HP Paintjet
£$99
Citizen 120D
£.192
Epson LX-400
£121
Epson LX-850
£16S
Epson LQ-550
£249
Okimate 20
£130
STOP PRESS - NEW JUST IN
OKI 880 24 pin Sheet Feeder £295
OKI Laser ico Low to Pr { r.t
Monitors
Philips 8833 (UK)
colour stereo monitor - £ 19 ?
NEW
Philips 8833 Mk II - ONLY £19?
Commodore I084S
colour stereo monitor - £189
New Commodore 1084SD - £29?
Diamond Multisync 2 - £295
Diamond Multisync 3D
Super VGA 1024 x 768 - £379
NEC colour monitor (for BBC B &
Master, C64, Amstrad PPC, IBM PC)
TUNER FOR ANY MONITOR WITH
CUBS INPUT
0X7 Y £49 QQ
HOW TO ORDER:
Phone through with your Access or Visa card, or send a cheque or P.O. to your local branch.
Diamond Computer Systems Ltd., 84 Lodge Road, Southampton, S02 2QS.
Diamond Computer Systems Ltd., 406 Ashley Road, Upper Parkstone, Poole, Dorset, BH14 OAA.
LHC Microsales, 121 Regents St., Leamington Spa, Warwickshire.
LAN Computer Systems Ltd., 1045 High Road, Chadwell Heath, Romford, Essex.
Diamond Computer Systems Ltd., 227 Filton Avenue, Horfield, Bristol.
Diamond Computer Systems Ltd., 1022 Stockport Road, Levenshulme, Manchester
Diamond Computer Systems Ltd., Ballina, Killaloe, Co. Clare, Eire.
All prices exclude VAT unless otherwise stated. Courier delivery £7.50.
Next day service £10. E&OE. All prices correct at time of going to press
and subject to change without notice.
Southampton (0703) 232777
Poole (0202) 716226
Midlands (0926) 312155
London 081-597 8851
Bristol (0272) 693545
Eire 061-376740
Manchester 061-257 3999
AMIGA ATARI & PC SOFTWARE
The Tipster
This HORSE RACING software was used to select the 100/1 NORTONS
COIN outsider in this years GOLD CUP. Data for this program requires the
RACING POST. An INTERNATIONAL version is available for AMIGA &
ATARI computers using the DAILY MIRROR for data on UK races.
hH
£ 29.95
The Punter
Let your computer WIN THE POOLS for you with our latest software. We
have used the same sums that the TIPSTER proves can beat the odds to give
you a better chance with on any pools coupon. The AUSTRALIAN version is
included on the disk which also contains the LATEST ENGLISH leagues.
£ 29.95
The Does
This GREYHOUND RACING program is available on the AMIGA and
ATARI ST. Using data from cither the DAILY' MIRROR or RACING POST,
you can rate races over HURDLES and the FLAT. Very easy to use. this
program will rate 5 races in under 1/2 an hour
£ 29.95
★ ★ PART TIME PROGRAMMERS REQUIRED ★ ★
If you have games, utilities or business programs written on the Amiga.
Atari ST or PC. please send details and a demo.
TAM Marketing
7 GIJ UNITS, Marsh Barton
Trading Estate, Exeter Devon
SALES: 0392 427186
ENQUIRIES: 0392 215485
PLEASE QUOTE
AMIGA COMPUTING
THE THREE BEARS (5-10)
IBM, ST, CPC, AMIGA.
Superbly reviewed educational
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imagination.
MAGIC MATHS (4-8)
IBM, PCW, ST, AMIGA.
Highly rated primary maths
programs. Selection of games.
Ada and Subtract
MATHS MANIA (8-12)
IBM, PCW, ST, AMIGA. The best
primary programs I have yet seen"
Multiply, Divide, Maths Skills.
BETTER SPELLING (8-18)
IBM, ST, PCW, AMIGA, CPC,
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Challenging.
BETTER MATHS (12 - 16 GCSE)
IBM, PCW, ST, AMIGA, CPC,
CBM (D). Very comprehensive
coverage of all the major aspects of
maths for this age group. Excellent
JUNIOR TYPIST (4-10)
IBM, ST, AMIGA. Keyboard trainer
which helps spelling.
THE BEST IN EDUCATION
HOW TO ORDER
1. Post your order.
2. Fax your order.
3. Ring credit card number.
4. Ring for advice.
5. Ask your dealer to order.
Pncos*
IBM 5’/4 or 3Vz, ST & STE AMIGA £2295
CPC. PCW. CBM (disks) £16.95
FREE CATALOGUE
ORDER DIRECT TO:
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Tel: (U.K.) 010 353-61-45399.
Fax Orders: 010 353-61 -44315.
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010 353-61-45399.
Others Tel: 010 353-61 -45399.
A II
II
A
n
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A
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n
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A II A II A I I A I I A 1 1 A II A II A 1 1 A II A II
IA
AUTHORISED DEALER FOR * AMIGA * STAR *
PRINTERS
Citizen 120D+ 129.95
Star LC-10 159.00
Star LC-200 Colour 209.00
Star LC24-10 239.00
Star LC24-200 259.00
Star LC24-200 Colour 299.00
Star XB24-1 0 24 pin 481.85
Okimate 20 Ribbons/Heads/
Paper PHONE
DISK DRIVES
A590 Autoboot 20Mb + S/W .279.00
A2000 Internal 3.5". ..p&p £2 69.95
A500 Replacement Internal
3.5" p&p £2 69.95
High Quality Amiga Ext 3.5"
Metal Cased p&p £2 69.95
MONITORS
Commodore 1084S Stereo ...239.00
Philips 8833-11 Stereo Colour249.00
Quadram Hi-Res Multi-scan. .329.00
MISCELLANEOUS
A500 RAM/Clock 51 2Kb with
Disable Sw 39.00
A500 RAM/Clock 1 .8Mb (Internal
Connect) 149.00
RAM Chips for A590/2091
per 51 2Kb 29.00
A500 Compatible Power Supply
49.00
Kickstart VI. 3 ROM for A500/2000
28.00
1Mb Fat Agnus 8372A 69.00
CIA Chip 8520 15.00
Rendale 8802 Genlock 199.00
Vidi-Amiga PAL Frame Grabber inc
filters 129.00
RGB Composite Video Splitter69.95
Surge Protector 4-Way
Block/ 3-Way Adaptor ...15.95/19.95
ALL PRICES INCLUDE 15% VAT
CARRIAGE £5 (EXPRESS £10)
Price subject to change without notice. E. & O. E.
VISA
8 Ruswarp Lane, WHITBY, N. Yorks Y021 1ND
TEL/FAX: 0947 600065 (9am-7pm)
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122 Amiga Computing
Exam time
I am a third year student at Napier Polytechnic
studying printing (administration and produc-
tion). As part of my course work I have to com-
plete a project The Implications for Colour in
Desktop Publishing using an Amiga I would be
very grateful if you could give me any informa-
tion on the following questions.
1. Just how effective do you feel colour
desktop publishing is compared to traditional
typesetting methods?
2. What are the advantages to the maga-
zine designer using a colour desktop publishing
system?
3. What are the new design possibilities
offered by colour desktop publishing systems?
4. What does colour desktop publishing
imply for the production of the magazine?
5. What do you think the implications are for
the magazine industry regarding advancing
technology in desktop publishing?
Any help with the above would be most
appreciated. I look forward to hearing from
you.
Andrew Markin, Edinburgh.
Jeez, you didn’t even attempt to disguise the
exam questions did you? Lifted straight from
the paper as I live and breath!
Well, Andy, I’m not going to help you to
cheat by answering your questions in full
-here’s a potted version.
Colour desktop publishing compares
favourably with traditional methods in terms of
quality. Old printing sweats will probably tell
' Despatches — Write to Amiga Computing, Europa House,
you that there’s nothing like the old way of
doin’ fings, but to the untrained eye, there’s
very little difference (particularly in magazine
and newspaper publishing).
As for speed and freedom of production, sili-
con beats hot metal hands down. The supreme
flexibility of a computer DTP system has to be
experienced to be believed.
And that is as far as I'm prepared to go.
You’ll just have to spend a few nights in the
library, reading the relevant studies and papers
and formulate your own answers - have fun!
We’ve got nice paper!
It has been in my mind for some time to write
and congratulate you and your staff on pro-
ducing a continually improving magazine. It
was only when I picked up the December issue
today that I decided to do something cbout it.
I don't intend to go on at length, merely to
stress that having bought or subscribed to just
about all the Amiga magazines available in this
country and America over the years. I consider
that you are worthy of the number one posi-
tion. Both the new layout and quality of paper
are impressive indeed! Long may you flourish.
R C Medford, Cheshire.
Thank you Mother...
Upgrade path
Has anyone stopped to consider how many
Amigas there seem to be now (forgetting the
excellent CDTV for a moment)? Apart from
Commodore's own A500, A 1000, A2000, B2000,
three A3000s and an A3000-UX, there are also
three other boards and peripherals that claim
to be Amigas. These are Checkmate's AT 500,
GVP's A3000 and the new A5000 from SSL. That
makes 1 1 configurations in total. With that kind
of choice, how can the Amiga fail to succeed?
The answer is that it can! The only machine
that is supported is the A500, usually with .5Mb
of RAM as well, which is a very primitive
machine when compared with VGA PCs. Of
course, machines like the A3000, A3001 and
A5000 are vastly superior to the PC but the
A3000 is vastly over-priced and the A3001 and
A5000 will probably not be supported.
In the case of the A5000, it is claimed that
your Amiga will run six times faster. How many
programs can you think of that need that kind
of speed? Spreadsheets, databases, DTP, art
and animation programs maybe. But what
about games? Would you really want Xenon II
or F-29 Retaliator to be six times faster? They'd
be completely unplayable, as would most
other games.
Now I'm not saying that the faster machines
can't have better games, look at 20MHz VGA
PCs for instance. 256 colours on screen which
really make the processor work for its money
while still keeping a lively speed.
The point that I'm really trying to get at in this
letter is that there is no clear upgrade path for
the Amiga after the A500. The B2000 is, after all,
exactly the same in performance, while the
A3000 is too expensive for all but the serious
user. Cards like the A3001 and A5000 are all
very well, but since they are third party, will
Amiga Computing 123
probably not be supported. After all, can you
see Ocean bringing out a conversion of an
arcade game that uses the boards allowing a
game to be indistinguishable from the original
in HAM mode?
What Commodore needs to produce is a
machine that replaces the B2000 but still offers
a cheapish machine (£600 extra) upgrade for
A500 owners. This machine needs to be 32-brt,
with a 20MHz 68020 and the ability to put in
maths co-processor later. It should have a 1Mb
of super-fast RAM as standard, upgradable to
4Mb and a separate keyboard and processor
with lots of connectors.
Sounds impossible? What I've just described
is a combination of an A 1500 and an A5000
costing about £730 together. Obviously, they
don't cost that much to make so why can't
Commodore put all that in a package for
around £1 ,000 and call it the A2500?
And while the company is about it, two more
sound channels wouldn't go amiss. This new
graphics mode could be introduced into a
new baby Amiga as well (the fabled B500?),
thus allowing full software compatibility. As it is. I
can only see a machine like this being consid-
ered as a games machine in the future and
never as an entertaining and serious one like
the PC.
Jason Glover, Basingstoke, Hampshire.
Surely the point is that anyone laying out
megabucks for one of the top-end machines or
upgrades does so because they have a press-
ing need for a computer offering immense
power? No one who simply wants to play
games is going to bother to spend cash on a
heap of power they don’t need, right?
Software houses have to appeal to the low-
est common denominator so that they don’t
exclude anyone.
What do the rest of you think? How many of
you bought upgrades or powerful machines in
the hope that software houses would convert
their games to incorporate better resolutions, a
larger memory quotient and so on?
Any takers?
I have just acquired my City and Guilds certifi-
cate in applications programming, receiving
two distinctions and two credits so if anyone is
looking for a trainee computer programmer in
or around London, would they please contact
me? Thanks for the plug. (No problem. Good
luck! - Ed). And now for some questions.
1. The Pagesetter II demo is great and I am
considering buying it. My deciding factor how-
ever, will depend on the form of protection
employed. Does it use a dongle?
When I first had a Commodore 128, I had
more dongles than sockets and if I lost one. my
software became worthless.
2. Is there an analogue joystick available
that will serve as a direct replacement for the
Amiga mouse?
3. Do you think you could set a programming
problem each month? The emphasis would be
on technique rather than volumes of code.
4. In your recent questionnaire you asked
about how many other people read one copy
of Amiga Computing. If someone else reads my
copy of Amiga Computing, that's piracy isn't
it?
Mark Ford, 22 Farley Hill, Luton, Beds LU1 5HQ.
Gold Disk has - sensibly - decided not to copy
protect Pagesetter. The result is that you can
make a backup without problems. An ana-
logue joystick to replace the mouse? Not as far
as we know.
We could set programming problems, what
do the rest of you think? If you want a program-
ming problem write and tell us.
The question about other readers was an
attempt to determine how many people we
reach, not how many more we could sell to.
Not everyone can afford to buy a magazine,
we understand that, and welcome those who
must resort to reading someone else’s copy.
Short sighted?
I was just reading the November issue and
thinking how much 1 like Amiga Computing, the
news, reviews and of course the letters page. In
fact. I have recommended your magazine to
several new Amiga users (jolly decent of you! -
Ed). This time I happened upon a very strange
thing. One of your adverts is actually for Atari ST
software! In the same advert, in brackets and
very small print is written ‘Amiga and PC also
available'.
Not only does this rub salt into the wounds as
a dedicated Amiga user, but as I recommend
your magazine as the best Amiga-only maga-
zine very often, it also doesn't do a lot for your
credibility or mine come to that!
The advert is on page 80 but your advertis-
ers' index states that it is on page 68 - another
boob?
The question is. does anybody actually proof
read your magazine? If so, when does s/he get
his/her new glasses? If you require somebody to
check the adverts etc., I willingly volunteer my
service (perhaps in return for some blank
cheques...).
Graham D Morecroft, North Yorkshire.
Ho hum, that old chestnut. Many advertisers
cater to both the Amiga and ST markets and
consequently, run one advert in both ST and
Amiga mags. Unfortunately, the particular
advertiser you're talking about has given more
emphasis to the ST side of the biz. In fact, the
company also offers a corking service for
Amiga owners too.
We’ve got a proof reader. Problem Is, the
only glasses he’s familiar with are cylindrical
and have foaming, creamy heads on them - oh
well...
Down with games!
Congratulations! I'm glad to see someone
exercising that grey matter between their ears
(I won't use the term 'lug holes' as this is an up-
market magazine...). What am I talking about?
This is the first magazine that I've read that has
not printed its questionnaire to be cut out and
returned on the back page of the magazine.
I'd say this is the top Amiga magazine out at
the moment. It's not full of rubbish on games
and you don't need a dictionary to read it.
Talking about games. I think I'll have a dig at
them. Picture this. You are built like a brick wall,
someone you know has been kidnapped or the
world has been taken over by the evil Lord
Shoutalot (I was tempted to say ‘that git Harris',
my form master, but I won't because I'm such a
nice person). Anyway, you have to walk from A
to B to complete the game, kicking and hitting
everything that moves. Every now and again,
some bloke about ten feet tall will come along
and guess what? You have to hit him.
That has just about summed up 99.9 per cent
of all games. A demented peanut that's brain
dead could complete this. ..(edited here to
save the terminally bored... Ed)
Chris Webb, Southampton.
Yeah, yeah - if only you could spell as well as
you can play games, right? Perhaps you ought
to pay a little more attention to Mr Harris and
stop worrying about Amiga owners who like to
play the occasional game.
Copyrights
Could you please help me on a matter of the
copyright of files which appear on your
coverdisks?
The query I have is with reference to the
piece of music entitled Marilyn by Steve
Cooper. Am I allowed to use this or other
pieces of music in my own programs, as long as
I make no financial gain from them?
The author of the piece will get a credit in
the program as will Amiga Computing. The pro-
gram would then be released into the public
domain.
As I presume the disks on the front of your
magazine are already public domain (I have
seen them for sale in various public domain
libraries for instance). I see no problem in using
files from them in non-commercial programs,
but could you please confirm this point?
Matthew Norman, Warley, West Midlands.
You can use the stuff on the disk without prob-
lems. To remain within the definition of public
domain, you shouldn’t alter any PD programs
from our coverdlsk, and if you pass them on,
you should include any associated documen-
tation and so on. Music samples and so on can
be used and abused.
124 Amiga Computing
MACHINE CODE.... 127
The way to the heart of any hi-tech machine is via the lowest level -
the machine code level. Jolyon Ralph presents his continuing
adventures in all things 68000.
CODE CLINIC 129
This month, Paul Holmes delves deep into the Amiga's music
making capabilities and how they relate to programming. SMUS,
SHDR, TRAK and so on, hared for all to see.
Silver silicon songster Jason Holborn discusses what's new and
best from the world of Amiga music, presenting a tuneful whole that
is simply hard to resist. / • I
■ f J J wf* i . .
News from the airwaves. This month, Eddie Mckendrie presents
and in-depth exploration of British Telecom's popular public access
service, Micronet.
DESKTOP PUBLISHING 135
Throw away your scalpel, spray mount and set square, Nick Vietch
wields the electronic pages using nothing more than a standard
Amiga and some funky software.
Games ideas, but no programming skill? Halfway through that
arcade corker but don't know how to finish? Don't sweat it, all the
answers and more are here.
Amiga Computing 125
—W
n
(y\?
Te'!
V
1®J
(
R
T_,
Y
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AMI-CAT MOUSE ELIMINATOR JOYSTICK £29.95
FI 9 STEALTH FIGHTER £29.95
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SCENERY DISCS £14.95
AMIGA DISC DRIVES (CHINON) CASED WITH THROUGH PORT AND
DISABLE SWITCH £59.95
Delta 3A Joysticks should be available from your Amisa dealer. If not they are
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Arena Accounts 119.00
Small Business Acc+ 1 69.47
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Personal Finance Manager 22.85
BOOKS
Large range please phone i.e.:
Amiga Ref Manuals (set) 68.93
Amiga Desk Top Video 16.61
C Prog. Lang. 2nd ed. (K&R) 20.97
COMMUNICATIONS
BBS-PC Bulletin Board % 69
K-Comm 2 22.46
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Intro CAD. 44.96
X C.A.D. Pro (2 Mb) 338.25
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Pageslream 1.8 118.95
Pagestream Fonts (each) 29.49
Publishers Choice 68.77
Pen Pal 98.92
Protext V4.2 64.86
Protext V5 102.47
Scribble (Platinum) 39.80
Professional Page V2 Phone
EMULATORS
A-Max II Phone
AMIGA AT-Once 199.47
KCS Power PC Board 278.00
BBC Emulator 33.96
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UTILITIES
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Phone
CLI Mate
29 99
A590 H/Drive
275.50
Disk 2 Disk
27.55
1084S Monitor inc Leads
239.98
DOS 2 DOS
29.90
Amiga 500/1500/2000/3000 Phone
G0MF3
25.75
Demon II modem
88.95
Interchange
39.80
I/Change Modules (each)
16.70
PROGRAMMING UTILITIES
MAC 2 DOS
62.73
K-Gadget
22.46
Project D
26.44
AREXX Macro Lang.
32.88
Quarterback
39.35
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48.97
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26.44
Hi-Soft Basic Extend
14.97
Power Windows 2.5
51.54
VIDEO & GRAPHICS
Animation Studio (Disney)
Phone
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Arg. Assembler
41.96
C-Light
36.97
Devpac V2 Assembler
39.97
CAN-DO
95.77
K-Seka Assembler
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FI 9 Stealth Rghte r
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This month, Jolyon reveals the secrets of
Soundtracker and gives you the best (and
worst) from the world of assemblers . . .
ssemblers Look out for:
1. Integrated Environ-
ment. Some assemblers
only operate from the CLI. That
means you'll have to execute sev-
eral (long-winded) commands to
edit a file, assemble it. link it and
test it. In an Integrated environ-
ment all this is looked after for you
(although they should also allow
you to use it via the CU if you real-
ly have to). You run the editor and
menu options allow you to assem-
ble the current code and test it
without having to leave the editor.
This saves an awful lot of time.
2. Macros. Almost all assemblers
have macro support. Macros are
not 68000 instructions, but a sort of
language to make writing your
source code easier. Here is an
example:
REPT 250
move. I (a0)+,(al)+
ENDR
This would give the same results on
assembly as 250 lines of MOVE.L
(a0)+,(al)+. It's important to
realise that this isn't a 68000 loop,
but merely an instruction to the
assembler to assemble the follow-
ing line 250 times.
3. Speed. OK. speed isn't that
important, but if you've got 200K
of source code, would you rather
wait half an hour or 30 seconds for
it to assemble?
4. Compatibility. Most good
assemblers are compatible with
the original Metacomco
Assembler at least to some extent.
This is useful as most public
domain source codes are in this
format. HiSoft Devpac 2 £59.95 is
one of the oldest assemblers
around and there are versions for
many computers.
It's a comprehensive package,
containing an assembler, integrat-
ed editor, monitor and linker and
contains everything you need to
start programming in 68000,
including a little 68000 reference
book.
Compatible with Metacomco,
HiSoft is probably the most widely-
used Amiga assembler around.
Make sure you get the latest ver-
sion (2.15).
Argonaut ArgAsm is a god
assembler and costs £59.95.
Argonaut, the people who
brought you Starglider and
Starglider II, got fed up with using
slow assemblers on their Amigas.
so they set out to write the fastest
assembler yet on the Amiga. It
beats Devpac (the next fastest) for
speed by about 6:1. It also
includes an integrated editor, but
no monitor. It's memory-hungry.
Don't expect to use it without at
least 2Mb of memory for all but
the simplest programs. If you have
a machine with plenty of memory
and a hard disk, this is the assem-
bler to go for. I use it for most of my
work.
Kuma K-Seka 68000 is another
old assembler which unfortunately,
it hasn't been updated for quite a
while, and it shows. The editor
makes AmigaDOS's Ed look pro-
fessional. It's not compatible with
Metacomco Assembler, and won't
allow you to assemble a file with
more than one section. Best
advice is to avoid it.
Oxxi AssemPro has the nicest
looking user interface of the
bunch, with separate windows for
Editor, debugger, assembler and
on-line reference, however the
editor saves files out in a non-stan-
dard format and is not compatible
with Metacomco. It's not terribly
fast either.
A68K is a public domain which is
the only freebie assembler in this
line-up. It's a very basic affair, simi-
lar in operation to the original
Metacomco Assembler. If you
want a cheap way into learning
assembler, this is a good place to
start, but it's difficult to use and will
probably put you off coding for
life.
There are some places doing
cheap copies of the original
Devpac version 1 (you can usually
pick it up for about £10). This is a
much better product, although
not as good as the latest version.
Monitors
When your code fails and you
can't work out why, you have two
choices. Either sit back with the
source code and think through the
whole process very carefully (the
best way), or load up a monitor
and go bug hunting (the quick
way).
HiSoft Monam 2, part of the
Devpac 2 package. This is an
excellent debugger. It's a symbolic
debugger, if you assemble a pro-
gram with the Debug Info option
set to ON, It will add a symbol hunk
to your file, which basically means
when you load it into the debug-
ger. instead of getting loads of
instructions and strange hex val-
ues, you get all your original labels
displayed in the disassembly. This
really makes debugging easy.
The Amiga Mon, also called
Rossi Mon after its author Timo
Rossi, is a fully featured monitor
from the public domain, allowing
you to load files, single step, and
disassemble, save blocks of mem-
ory, load and save raw disk tracks,
search memory and so on. In fact
every time I load it there seems to
be another feature I overlooked.
This monitor doesn't support
symbol hunks, however, but we are
promised this for a future release.
What other software do you
need? If you want to compact
your files (not a bad idea if you're
short of disk space) you need
PowerPacker and Titanics
Cruncher.
Picture conversion
Need to convert IFF graphics or
fonts into easy-to-use format files?
Ask for IFF Converter and Font-2-
Raw. All this and more should be
available from your local public
domain merchant.
Soundtracker. You either love it. or
you hate ft. This non-standard, non-
approved, non-legal music pro-
gram suffers from many faults, but
it's ease of use has won out and
mode it (and it's derivatives
Noisetracker & Protracker) the
most popular Amiga music .pack-
age cround.
Unfortunately, from a program-
mer's point of view, there Is no offi-
cial documentation of the file
formats, so if you wanted to use a
tune in your program, you would
have to use one of the widely-
spread and badly-written hacker's
replay routines.
Now, for the first time ever, I can
reveal the Soundtracker File for-
mat for everyone to use them-
selves. All recent soundtrackers
save out using the module format.
This is a filename with a MOD. pre-
fix, containing the song data and
the instrument samples combined
into one file. The older versions of
Soundtracker only supported 15
instruments:
NAME BLOCK: Offset Size
Description $0000 20 bytes ASCII
Module title
INSTRUMENT BLOCK: Offset Size
Description $0014 15 x 30 bytes
Instrument Data
Instrument block, starting at offset
$0014 contains 15 instruments,
each 30 bytes long, the instru-
ments have the following format:
22 bytes ASCII
Instrument name 1 word
Sample length *IN WORDS* 1
word
Sample volume, 0 to 64 1 word
Repeat start position *IN
WORDS* 1 word
Repeat length *IN WORDS*,
1 =no repeat
SONG BLOCK: Offset Size
Description $01 D6 1 byte Number
of patterns $01 D7 1 byte Set to
120. Not used $01 D8 128 bytes
Pattern play order list. 1 byte per
pattern, max 200 $0258
1024 bytes'number of patterns
Each pattern is made up of 64
rows. Each row consists of 4 long-
words (1 for each channel) of the
following format:
* $00 1 word period value of
note $02 1 word control word.
The control word contains infor-
mation on which Instrument is
being played, along with special
effects such as volume slide.
Format for this word is: $xyzz,
where x is the instrument number
(0 to 15), y is the effect (Set
Volume is $C) and Z is the value
for this effect.
SAMPLE BLOCK: This follows
immediately after the song data,
and contains the 8-bit sample
dumps for the instruments 0 to 15
in order. FALSE);
Amiga Computing 127
It's official!
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Programmers, these games are used daiiy
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AC4 - Doctor Who digitised slide show 2
AC5 - Star Trek: The Next Generation,
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AC6 - Star Trek: The Next Generation,
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AC7 - Red Sector Megademo (2 disks)
AC8 - Scoopesa - Mental Hangover
AC9 - Kefrens - Megademo 8 (2 discs)
AC10 - Star Trek game 1 (3 discs, 2
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AC11 - Space Ace demo
AC12 - Home finance disc including
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AC13 - Agatron slide show 8
AC14 - Fish 344 - ROM kernal reference
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AC1 6 -The Walker demo 1 (1 Meg)
AC17 - The Walker demo 2 (1 Meg)
AC18 - Monty Python - Nudge, Nudge
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1 28 Amiga Computing
To the dying echoes of Auld Lang Syne,
here’s Holmes. This month he’s on about
music and why the amiga’s so good at
making it
T he Amiga makes and
stores its musical files in a
format known as SMUS.
Every file has at least two chunk
types SHDR and TRAK. SHDR is very
simple. Take a look at this
53484452 00000004 3E807F02
SHDR...
In the format used by last month's
IFF analyse program, it comes out
as
SHDR | ;size=4
tempo 16000
volume 127
tracks 2
134
Set MIDI preset.
135
Set clef. Data=0 for tre
ble, 1 for bass. 2 for alto,
3 for tenor.
136
Change the tempo.
137-143
Unused.
144-159
Reserved for 'Instant
Music' package. If you
have this package,
refer to its documenta
tion. If not ignore these
values.
160-254
Reserved.
255
End-mark. You won't
find these in disk files,
but some programs
use them in RAM to
mark the end of track.
Events 0-11 denote C, C#, D,
The tempo is 16000 128ths of a
quarter note per minute! This is 125
beats per minute in common par-
lance. Volume is 0 - 127. ‘so this
piece is to be played back at full
volume. Finally, there are two
tracks Current Amigas will play up
to four at once, but the standard
lets you have as many as you
want, so when you get an A9000
with 2 gigabytes and 20Gb floppy,
you might be able to do a whole
orchestra. Good programming
note - make your programs ALLOW
for future developments.
Each track contains a sequence
of 16-bit 'events'. An event can be
a note, a rest, a time signature or
one of a few other things, as we'll
see later.
Each event is coded by two
bytes - the first 'sID' tells you the
type of event, the second 'data'
depends upon the event type.
0-127
A number in this range
means a note. 0 is the
lowest.
128
This codes for a rest, or
pause.
129
Select an instrument.
130
Set time signature.
131
Set key signature.
132
Set (or alter) volume for
this track.
133
Set MIDI channel.
D*. E, F. F#, G, G#, A, A#, and B in
the lowest octave, known
(strangely) as -1 or ' '. 12-23
denote C, C# B in octave 0,
and so on up to 127, which is in
octave 9. Most packages, such
as Sonix, use octaves 2-7. If you
want to know the frequencies, A1
is a rumbling 55Hz. A4 is a lovely
440Hz, and A7 a squeaky-clean
3520Hz.
The data part of a note, or rest,
is split into 5 bit fields. Bit 7 is set if
the note is chorded, ie, played
simultaneously with the following
note, clear if not. Bit 6 is set if the
note is tied with the next one. If so
the two notes should be played as
one note of the combined length.
Bits 5-4 code for n-tuplets: 00=nor-
mal. 01=triplet, 10=quintuplet.
I I =septuplet. An elementary
music textbook will tell you what
tuplets are if you're not sure. Bit 3
is set if the note is dotted, ie
half as long as it would otherwise
be. Finally, bits 2-0 give the division:
000 = whole note (semibreve)
001 = half note (minim)
010 = quarter note (crochet)
011= eighth note (quaver)
100 = sixteenth note (semi-quaver)
I I I = a 128th note, too short to be
used at all often.
At this point, let's break for a little
exercise. Run last month's
IFFanalyse program on a music file
from say Sonix, or Deluxe Music.
Type ‘IFFanalyse FurEllse’ at the
CLI. or ‘IFFanalyse > prt: FurEllse' if
you want a hard copy. Also, get a
hex listing of the file enter ‘type >
prt: FurEllse opt h‘. See if you can
identify the different durations of
notes in the TRAK chunks. You will
notice that tied notes chorded
notes, and tuplets appear quite
infrequently, if indeed at all.
Time signatures have two bit fields
in the data byte. Bits 7-3 give the
'numerator-!', ie 00000-11111
codes for a numerator of 1-32. Bits
2-0 give the 'denominator', ie 000
means whole notes. 001 for
half notes, up to 111 for 128th
notes. ; Confused? Here's an exam-
ple:
hex: 8212
Well, hex 82 is decimal 132. so
this is a time signature. Hex 12 is
binary 00110010, so the first field is
00010, and the second is 010.
Therefore, the numerator is (00010
+ 1) or 3; the denominator Is 010,
whichSmeans quarter notes; we
have three quarter notes to the
bar. or 3/4 time. Anyone for the
next waltz?
Key signatures have a data byte
from 0-14. 0-7 is a numbier of
sharps, so assuming major scales,
0=C, 1 =G. 2=D, 3=A, 4=E, 5=B,
6=F#, and 7=0. Codes 8- 14s for 1-
7 flats; so 8=F, 9=Bb, 10=Eb, lll=Ab,
1 2=Db, : 1 3=Gb. and 14=Cb.
I remember some of these by
the mnemonics - for sharps
'Charjlie goes down and cats
breakfast', and flats ‘For breckfast
'e 'adjdamn good cornflakes.'
"rat's the hard bit over. Se' vol-
ume has a data byte of 0-127, just
like the volume code in SHDR. Use
this to alter the volume of a track
while it is playing. Codes 133 & 134
are for MIDI use, outside thescope
of this article. Code 136
change the tempo of a
s you
part-
way through. It's NOT like the
tempo field in SHDR - it gives the
tempo as quarter notes per
minute because it only has eight
bits available. If you use this code,
be careful to change the tempo
of all the tracks at the same time;
if you don't you will get horribly
out of step.
Tunes will almost always contain
'INST chunks as well. These give
the names of instruments used
in the tune, and the register
numbers to be associated
with them, so that instrument
events in TRAK chunks can refer to
them by name. Here's one:
494E533 1 0000000E 00000000
5069616E INS1 Plan
6F2E3853 5658
0.8SVX
This means 'load in the instru-
ment called Piano. 8SVX, and refer
to it from now on as instrument 0' -
remember from last month that an
instrument will probably be an
8SVX file.
You could also find chunks like
’NAME', 'AUTH' and 'ANNO' in a
SMUS file These are just like the
ones we saw in 8SVX files last
month.
Finally, you may find other types
of chunk in the file; these are
NON-STANDARD chunk types - see
Code Clinics Oct & Nov 1990. They
are quite legal, provided they
conform to IFF-85 syntax. If your
program finds any that it doesn't
understand, it should ignore them.
Alternatively, check the manual to
see what they mean, and if noth-
ing is revealed, contact the the
people, who published the pack-
age. and ask them for the specifi-
cation of any chunks they seem to
have invented. You may have to
pester them, but that serves them
right for not putting the informa-
tion in the manual.
Next month's Code Clinic is the
last for the time being on IFF, it's all
about ILBM picture files, and how
to read and display them.
Amiga Computing 129
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130 Amiga Computing
Whether you’re a Strauss with Sonix or a
Mozart with Master Tracks, this is the
column for you. Jason Holborn conducts . . .
A fter years of blinkered
marketing, Commodore
finally seem to be exploit-
ing the Amiga's potential as a tool
for the serious musician. But the
question on everyone's lips is still
“where's the official Amiga music
bundle?" We've seen games bun-
dles. graphics bundles, education-
al bundles, but still no music
bundle has arrived.
Commodore US has been suc-
cessfully pushing its music bundle
(an Amiga 2000, 1084 monitor.
Dr.T's KCS and two synth patch
editors) for a fair old time now, but
still Commodore UK seems unable
to come up with a suitable pack-
age.
The marketing brains at
Commodore UK had been secretly
negotiating with both Microlllusions
and Dr.T in an attempt to tie up a
deal to bundle either Music-X or
KCS Level 2 with the Amiga.
Eventually Commodore managed
to clinch a deal with Microlllusions.
The company was contracted to
supply Commodore with a larger
number of copies of Music-X
for inclusion within its planned
bundle.
Although the deal seemingly
went through fine, Commodore
eventually changed its mind and
decided to dump its massive
stocks of Music-X onto third party
vendors at a vastly reduced price
(which explains why Music-X can
be bought so cheaply).
At the Frankfurt Music Fair held
earlier this year, Commodore
Germany showed off its new
Funlab bundle. The pack con-
tained a Kawai MIDI keyboard, a
five-track Steinberg sequencer
(Pro-5 perhaps?) and an Amiga
500.
Since then, however, we've
heard little of this bundle, but it
would seem logical that if it was
eventually released, it may well
end up on this side of the English
channel.
In the meantime, Roland has
already jumped on the bandwag-
on with their £470 Desktop Music
System. Although this doesn't
include an Amiga, the pack does
contain Dr.T's excellent Tiger Cub
Sequencer, Copyist Apprentice
and Roland's own CM-32L LA
sound module. If you're after a
one-stop music pack, but can't be
bothered to wait for Commodore
to come up with the goods, then
Roland's pack may well be worth
investigating.
Next month I'll be taking a look
at the Roland music pack, so stay
tuned (no pun intended) for that
one. Meanwhile, Roland is on 081
568 4578.
ON THE RIGHT TRACK
Written by the infamous Fairlight
team. Star Trekker is a new arrival
that could well oust Sound Tracker
from its throne. Unlike most of the
competition, it uses the same
proven user interface of Sound
Tracker (even to the extent of
using the same bass relief graph-
ics), but adds a few tricks of its
own.
After just a few minutes of play-
ing, you'll soon realise that Star
Trekker is something pretty special -
feature for feature, even the
Software Business' TFMX (reviewed
in the November issue) would be
hard pushed to match it!
For starters. Star Trekker doesn't
just include all the usual Sound
Tracker song creation tools, there's
also a vast range of extra tools
included as well.
For those of you with audio digi-
tisers, Star Trekker provides com-
plete sample grabbing and editing
options. There's also a preset editor
built-in, so you don't have to mess
around with ST-nn disks - just load in
any sample and build up your own
preset lists.
Most importantly though. Star
Trekker is fully MIDI compatible.
Previously, about the only Sound
Tracker-like program that support-
ed MIDI was Andreas Tadix's
Game Music Creator, but that had
a disturbing habit of crashing with
some (most) keyboards.
Star Trekker supports both
recording and even playing
though MIDI, making it possible
to create tunes that
take full advantage of your MIDI-
setup.
The only negative aspect of this
is that it still only supports four note
polyphony - so even if you have
something flash like an SY77 or an
Ml you can still only play four
notes at once.
Gripes aside. Star Trekker Is most
definitely the best Sound Tracker
program available. For just £3, you
can own a music composition sys-
tem that simply blows away com-
mercial offerings such as Quartet
and TFMX. Buy it now!
Star Trekker is available from
Seventeen Bit Software on 0924
366982. Also, look out for a round
up of PD Music software in a future
issue.
MUSIC-X JUNIOR- £80
The Software Business (0480 496497)
After over a year of painful waiting,
Microlllusions' Music-X Junior has
arrived. You may have read
reviews of Junior in other publica-
tions, but be sure that we're
reviewing the official release - and
not just another pre-production
back-hander.
Music-X Junior looks and feels
almost identical in operation to its
big brother. There's the same 250
tracks of real-time MIDI recording
(albeit a few recording options
such as punch in/punch out etc).
Gone are the complicated syncing
options such as SMPTE, but who
needs 'em anyway? After all. the
nearest most of us come to a 24-
track tape machine is the trusty
domestic hi-fi.
Junior can still record a full six-
teen MIDI channels of MIDI data
simultaneously. These can then be
extracted and placed Into their
EXPRESS
YOURSELF!
Music is all about extremes. In
our round up of sound samplers
in the November issue of Amiga
Computing, I was lucky enough
to be able to review RAMScan's
Audio Engineer, a very powerful
sampler from Australia that
would leave you with little
change from £200. At the other
end of the pricing spectrum.
Harlequin Distribution have just
released their Sound Express sys-
tem that is perhaps a little easier
on the pocket - £160 easier, to
be precise.
Samplers can be jolly tricky
things to suss out, but Harlequin's
unit is definitely designed with
own private tracks (don't worry,
there's plenty to go round!). If like
me you use a music work-station
such as the Korg Ml, then this is a
great way of dumping perfor-
mances straight from your
keyboard sequencer into the
Amiga.
Editing power has always been
a strong point of Music-X. and
Junior shares much of this power.
Music-X offered two sequence edi-
tors (the stream-based Event Editor
and the graphics-based
Bar Editor), but Junior offers only
one. Thankfully the best of the two
- the Bar Editor - has been
retained. Notes are represented as
lines of different lengths (the longer
the duration of the note, the
longer the line).
Also, events such as pitch bend
and note velocity can also be dis-
played in a graphic format. All
sorts of events can be edited sim-
ply by clicking on them with the
mouse when the proper editing
mode is selected.
Entirely new sequences can be
built up from scratch simply by
drawing them in with the mouse.
Alternatively, you can even record
straight into the bar editor with a
MIDI keyboard.
Just to keep you on the edge of
your seat, and maybe also to
ensure that you continue to buy
Amiga Computing, more details of
this package will be printed next
month.
the beginner in mind. Everything
is layed out in a clear and con-
cise manner, making Sound
Express an absolute doddle to
use. There's the usual cut, copy
and paste operations, plus a
unique real time effects section
which can add effects such as
echo, reverb, hall, room, phaser
and church to any incoming
sound signal. The sound quality is
hardly ear shattering stuff, but -
as the old saying goes - you gets
what you pays for. Personally,
I'd rather go for Microdeal's
Master Sound (which is the same
price!). Anyway, if you're after a
sampler which requires very few
brain cells to operate, then
Sound Express could be the one-
for you.
THE AMIGA MUSIC MATRIX
A disk magazine for the Amiga Musician
Issue One has Sampled Sounds from the Korg Ml in IFF Format and 8 Trak
Soundtracker Software.
Issue Two with original sequences and samples for MUSIC X and
OKTALYZER. MIDI System Exclusive Dumps for the D10/D20/D1 10-256 new
voices for all these instruments.
Also each issue has tutorials on MIDI, Music and using Amiga Basic for
music playing/teaching.
Both issues available now - price £10 each or you may subscribe for four
issues for only £35.
New 500 voices for Korg Ml £30.
Amiga P.D. Catalogue Update only £2 on disc.
Phone for further details 0592 714887 or write to:
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1 32 Amiga Computing
This month, Eddie Mckendrie provides a
comprehensive tour of BT’s popular inter-
active service Micronet...
I magine c bulletin board that
is only a local number away
and has callers spread out as
far a field as a small croft on the
isle of Skye, and an even smaller
bedsit in central London.
Throw in a good measure of
Teletext-style graphics and you've
pretty much summed up British
Telecom's Micronet. This is a coun-
try wide Videotex service which
aims to provide information and
entertainment for the growing
number of computer users who
have access to a modem.
During Micronet's early days, it
was dominated by the propeller-
head elite, but these days, it's a
very different story. The price of
modems drops daily. But listen
hard and you can still hear the
muffled rustling of anorak hoods
coming from keyboards up and
down the country.
The Net - as the psueds call it - is
basically, a huge collection of
Teletext-style frames. At the last
count, there were more than
30,000 pages, containing informa-
tion on various topics from home
computing to satellite TV.
The database is divided up into
a series of mini-magazines which
focus on a specific area of interest.
By keying in a frame number
(which can sometimes be enor-
mous!) you’re presented with the
relevant information.
The service is extremely well
structured and it's possible to
glean the information you want
without ever keying a frame num-
ber directly. Instead, single or dou-
ble digit selections can be made
from intermediate menus which
flow down different arteries and
veins of the network. This is by and
large, fine as long as you are not in
a hurry!
The built-in ‘keyword' facility
provides a more friendly way to
get to the most commonly
accessed areas. For example, typ-
ing ‘AMIGA# while on-line takes
you directly to the Commodore
area of the Net.
But what about the quality of
the information? There's no point
in getting to your frame to find it is
out of date or irrelevant.
Fortunately, most Micronet areas
are well run. a large number of
topics are updated daily with oth-
ers typically being updated twice
a week.
The information comes from a
variety of sources. Micronet has a
core editorial team which provides
the main news and computer
magazines, while external contrib-
utors provide news and features
on special interest topics like hi-fi,
music and television.
There's even a special open
access section of the database
called ‘Gallery' which allows
members to provide editorial on
any topic they fancy. OK, so what
makes Micronet different from
Ceefax or Oracle? That can be
defined in a word - interactivity.
Teletext now boasts an audi-
ence of 7 million readers, but have
you tried to chat to one of them
without getting out of your comfy
chair? Unlike Teletext, in order to
use Videotex you must be physi-
cally linked to a central computer
system. This has obvious pros and
cons. On the up-side your two way
link means the system knows exact-
ly who you are. Every Micronet
member has a unique personal
‘Mailbox' number, rather like a
'phone number, which other mem-
bers can use to get in touch indi-
vidually. Most of the main Micronet
areas also have letters pages
which are frequently updated,
allowing members to openly air
opinions or waffle on about the lat-
est burning issues. Now this is
where it gets tricky. Comms is a
funny old business, enthusiasts
seem to hook their micros up to a
board and then converse with
other people who've done the
same, about things of mutual inter-
est. This usually results in lots of very
boring conversations about baud
rates and how much better the ST
is over the Cray for MIDI sequenc-
ing, letters praising the Amiga to
the ST area on-line and so on.
Most bulletin boards have a
range of software which can be
downloaded. Micronet is no
exception, but the system it uses is
unique. Telesoftware is regularly
updated with public domain and
shareware programs for most for-
mats of machine, including the
Amiga. Although this should not be
confused with the Telesoftware ser-
vice Ceefax operated, it does work
on the same principle.
Unlike most other boards, you
cannot upload software to
Micronet (although they do wel-
come contributions by post). If
meeting people for a chat is more
your cup of tea. then it's probably
worth taking a trip to Micronet's
very own on-line hotel - Dialtalk.
Sixty four people can link up and
exchange news interactively.
Dialtalk is different to the letters
areas because it's a real-time envi-
ronment. Other people using the
service see what you're saying as
you type it, just as you can see their
input. I -
If you've called a BBs and chat-
ted to the Sysop you'll already
have a feel for how the system
works. Dialtalk is divided up into a
series of rooms, laid out loosely like
a typical hotel. Upon arrival, you'll
be in the Dialtalk Foyer. This is
where most of the regular users
stand and chat. There's also a bar
and some private rooms which
Trash, one of Micronet's two multi-user games
anyone can use should the need
arise for more personal conversa-
tion.
Multi-user games form an essen-
tial part of the Micronet package.
These are best described as text
adventure games played with,
and against, other real people
rather than just your Amiga.
Currently, there are two such
games on Micronet. Shades is a
medieval fantasy adventure and
Trash is a futuristic labyrinth of puz-
zles.
There will be much more on
these and other non-Micronet
multi-user user games next month.
Joining Micronet also gives you
access to Prestel. the massive
300,000 frame database of which
the Net is only a small part.
The bulk of Prestel' s information
is provided by newspapers, travel
agents, educational institutes,
banks, companies and of course.
British Telecom. You probably
won't use Prestel much, but when
you do, it can be very handy for
booking holidays, theatre tickets
or sending flowers. The most useful
part of the main Prestel service is
Phonebase. a direct link to the
national directory enquiries system
- ideal if you want to avoid the
hefty new charges for dialling 192
from April.
The most obvious drawback of
using an interactive on-line service
has to be the cost. In order to take
advantage of Micronet you have
year. There is also a time-based
charge for use of the service of 1 p
a minute off peak and 7p a
minute during the day.
The charge is waived between
midnight and 8am (handy if you
can't sleep because of the phone
bill). Premium services like Dialtalk,
Shades and Trash cost yet more
with 2p a minute being the rate
during off-peak hours Add to this
the cost of your phone call and
your bank manager might not be
as keen on Micronet as you are.
If you have a modem and
viewdata comms software, call
the Micronet demo. Set your
modem to 7E1 (7 data bits, even
parity. 1 stop bit), dial 0272 250000.
Use the customer ID: 4444444444
and the password 4444.
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AMIGA
AMIGA
688 Attack Sub
..£16.99
Days of Thunder
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Indv Jones <the arcade! £16 99
Amos
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Debut
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Back To The Future
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Dragon Wars
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International 3D Tennis .
..£16.99
Badlands
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Dungeon Master (1 meg) .£22.99
Italy 90
..£16.99
Balance of Power
..£19.90
ECO Phantoms
..£16.99
Ivanhoe
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Battle Chess
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Elite
£16 99
Jack Nicklaus Golf
£16 99
Battle Ships
....£9.99
Fscane Frnm Hell
£1790
Judge Dread
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Battlemaster
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Fiirnoean Suner Learme P1.199
Kick Off II
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Betrayal
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FI 6 Combat Pilot
£16 99
Kings Quest Triple
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Black Tiger
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FI 9 Stealth Fighter
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Klax .'
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Block Out
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F29 “
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Blood Money
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Falcon
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Bloodwych
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Fiendish Freddy
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Laser Squad
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Bloodwych Data Disc. .
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Fire and Brimstone
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Last Ninja II
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Bomber
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Flight Sim II
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Leisure Suit Larry II
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Breach 2
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Flimbo's Quest
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Leisure Suit Larry III
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Midnight Resistance
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Helter Skelter
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Midwinter
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Colonels Bequest
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Heroes
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Monty Python
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Combo Racer
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Cyberball
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Immortal
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PPG A
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Nuclear War £16.99
Operation Hamer £P0A
Operation Stealth £16.99
Operation Thunderbolt £16.99
Oriental Games £19.99
Photon Paint II £19.99
Pipemania £16.99
Pirates £16.99
Planet of Robot Monsters £16.99
Plaque. £19.99
Player Manager £16.99
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Powerboat £16.99
Powerdrome £16.99
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Pro Tennis Tour £16.99
R.A.C. Rally £16.99
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Rick Dangerous II £16.99
Rotor £13.99
Rotox £16.99
AMIGA
AMIGA
Time Machine £P0A
Tower of Babel £23.99
Treasure Trap £16.99
Triad 3 £22.99
Turn It £13.99
Turrican. £16.99
TV Sports Basketball £22.99
TV Sports Football £22.99
Ultimate Golf £16.99
UN Squadron £POA
Vaxine £16.99
Viking Child £16.99
Web of Terror £13.99
Welltris £16.99
Wheels of Fire £19.99
Wings. £19.99
Wings of Fury £16.99
WipeOut £16.99
World Cup 90 £16.99
World Cup Compilation ....£16.99
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1 34 Amiga Computing
How do you get stunning artwork
into your DTP creations?
Jason Titchberry explains...
W hatever form of pub-
lishing you are into
you're bound to run
across the artwork problem sooner
or later. Problem? Well, it's like
this...
Suppose you were compiling
copy for the latest edition of your
rave hit ‘Guernsey Sweaters
Monthly'. Someone's submitted an
interesting pattern but the trouble
is, they've put it on a sheet of A4
paper. How on Earth do you
include it in the mag?
Actually, there are several ways.
If you have a digitiser or a scanner
then you can grab an image of
the diagram. Of course, this means
the relative expense of a camera
or a scanner but there you go.
The other options all involve you
drawing it. either by copying it
directly or using a graphics tablet
to trace over the image. The
Summa graphics tablet Is very
good and not too expensive if you
like tinkering with art packages.
But the problem isn't over yet.
You still have to get the image into
the DTP package. Think yourself
lucky that you own an Amiga and
not a PC is all I can say.
The Amiga IFF system is almost
unique in that it is a standard
which people actually adhere to. I
can't think of any package on the
Amiga capable of exporting
graphics which doesn't use the
standard IFF format for bit-
mapped graphics.
On other systems you'd have to
contend with file types like TARGA,
PICT. PCX, GIF. IMG, TIFF (two
types), DEGAS and NEO.
Handling all these image types
on lesser DTP systems is an expen-
sive business as many publishing
houses have found out. It's not
enough to ignore these files
though - you may need to use
them yourself.
Without a scanner or digitiser
there are only two sources of art-
work for your publication - images
drawn by yourself or those drawn
by someone else. Clip art, as the
latter is known, is very handy for
spot illustrations to brighten up
pages.
There is a surprising variety of
clip art and much of it is public
domain, so it will only cost you the
price of a disk and copying.
Unfortunately, a lot of it has been
produced with the Mac in mind so
you'll find that you'll have to have
to deal with all these alien file for-
mats after all.
Pagestream2 comes with a lot
of import drivers allowing you to
decode some of these stranger
files although I have good reason
to question some of its Pro Draw
conversions. If you have
Pagesetter or Pro Page, then you'll
have to rely on a third-party solu-
tion.
At the moment, ASDG's The Art
Department is a good option, pro-
viding many different drivers for
handling file types such as TIFF and
GIF, but If you buy the professional
version, you may have to pay
extra for other file types.
A package like TAD or Pixmate
is a very useful addition to your
DTP tool-chest, not only for chang-
ing between file types but for sub-
jecting your artwork to palette
changes, colour compactions.
Ham to 64 conversions and for
subjecting them to weird filters
and effects.
It's quite easy to end up with a
piece of artwork that bears little
resemblance to the original.
TAD will also handle 24-bit IFFs,
which is more than Dpaint and the
like can do, so it may be your only
option for editing ray-traced
images for example. Remember
that these images require a lot of
RAM - at least 1Mb before you
consider running TAD and prefer-
ably two or three before you can
use it seriously.
It is a good idea to tinker with
your graphics before loading them
into a DTP package. Invariably the
screen refresh takes so long during
page layout that it is worth your
while cropping the image exactly
as you want it first.
With all this to consider it's small
wonder that a lot of magazines
have as many staff handling the
artwork as they do handling the
words. Still, it was your idea to
become a one-man Wapping
wasn't it?
Gold Disk II 8 1389 Documnt: Untitled [TlEi
Meteosat- 1 False colon fern of Wester n Eur ope
Bitmap graphic imported info Pagesetter II. Note that this is only
a screen preview and bears only a passing resemblance to the
actual output
Pixmate allows many wonderful image processes as well as the
normal palette stuff
»4.r3 naxi-ii
■ <— i r-wo »:>no
imoti | rr>4» * imn
iam»i i j I nnri • -*
isuimm»nj i imp
liU iiil * us*
iyy
An example piece of artwork supplied with Pagestream.
Again, this is only a screen preview
'
,'t#
Then here’s the ideal helping hand - 1 2 months
supply of the world’s FIRST computer comic!
All over the country parents are discovering the benefits of getting
Let’s Compute! for their children. Here are just a few of their
comments:
• / was very fortunate recently to pick up a copy of Let’s
Compute! It is a publication which really allows youngsters to
appreciate the fun they can get out of writing programs - Mr D
Dave, Fareham, Hants
• / was so pleased to find a magazine my nine year old son could
use and understand - Mrs Lever, Harwich, Essex
But these are other peoples' opinions! We’d like you to judge it for
yourself. With this note is a complimentary copy of Let’s Compute!
Please give it to your children, grandchildren or friends. We’re sure
they’ll find it a great introduction to the world of computing.
Even if they haven’t got a computer themselves yet, Let’s Compute!
can help them at school. Our features are designed by a dedicated
team of teachers and educationalists with the aim of giving children of
ALL ages a head start in Information Technology.
Subscribe now- and guarantee a lucky
youngster a whole year’s computing fun!
r
Ves!
I'd like to get
hot off the press
each month!
Please send me the next 12 issues of Let’s Compute! for £12
I wish to pay by:
l Cheque payable to Database Publications
□ Credit card No: Exp. date /
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My computer is a
SEND TO: Database Direct, FREEPOST, Ellesmere Port, S.Wirral L65 3EB
PHONE ORDERS: 051-357 1275
Registers, keyboard scancodes and
controlling a joystick, it’s all here
H ave I got news for you....
AMOS has been
reincarnated yet again,
this time boasting the ability to run
from any folder. Mandarin say that
this is not the only change from
version 1.2 but offers significant
improvements for owners of hard
drives who previously had to run
AMOS from the root directory of a
partition - messy!.
The other major improvement of
VI. 21 is the introduction of an
improved music extension and
SoundTracker converter. To get
hold of the new update contact
Sandra Sharkey at the Official
AMOS PD Library on 0942 495261. If
you've just updated to version 1.2.
Sandra says she will update your
disk with 1.21 if you return your PD
updater disk together with 50p to
cover P&P. Sandra would like to
stress that this offer is only open to
those people who obtained the
original update from her, not
those who got a rather cut down
version on another magazine's
coverdisk.
Also everybody who buys AMOS
should now get luwerly ring-bound
manuals instead of the perfect
bound ones that you and I got. This
is due to general demand for a
manual which can lay flat on your
desk. Congrats to everybody at
Mandarin Software, it's nice to find
a company who listen to the end
user. This issue should reach you just
before the Computer Shopper
Show, if you are going pop along
to the Mandarin stand. All the
gang should be there including
Chris Payne. Richard Vanner,
Aaron Fothergill, Sandra Sharkey
and of course me. See ya there.
Infinite wisdom?
OK then, register time. In his infinite
wisdom Francois Lionet decided to
implement a series of data
registers that AMAL can use in the
same way as a normal variable is
used in AMOS itself. He also
created a special series of
registers RA-RZ which can be used
to communicate with the BASIC
part of your program. These are
known as 'external’ registers, and
now you know what they are it’s
time to use them. The first thing to
do is to sort out the AMOS Data
Disk which we have been using
over the past few months, stick
that in the drive and type the
following into the editor.
Flash Off : Curs Off : CIs 0 : Double
Buffer : Get Sprite Palette: LOAD
“AMOS_DATA:MAGIC_FOREST/MFSPRIT
ES.ABK”
OK, that sets up the initial screen,
(remembering that AMOS
automatically opens a default
screen when any program Is run)
and loads in the SPRITES. Now
we’re going to define a simple
AMAL string, remember to type this
in exactly as it appears here ’cos
otherwise you may get nasty errors
cropping up.
A$=”Begin: Let X=RA ; Let Y=RB ;
Jump Begin
Some of you will spot what I am
doing in the string but I’ll explain
anyway. First I have set up a label
called 'Begin:’ which will serve as
the beginning of the program.
Next, I use the special register 'X’,
this is a special register whose only
purpose in life is to control the X
position of an object or screen. I
then make 'X’ equal to the value
in the external register RA and
then do exactly the same with the
special register 'Y* (guess what
that does!). After all that is finished,
I jump back to the label we called
'Begin:’ and do it all over again.
Just add these few lines and
we will be ready to run the
program.
Bob 1,50,50,1 Channel 1 To Bob 1
Amal 1 ,A$ Amal On Direct
OK, run the program. Oh gosh,
where has the little geezer gone?
Has our program worked? Well try
typing this in direct mode
Amreg(0)=50 : Amreg(l)=50
As you will see our little guy has
jumped to position 50,50 on the
screen. You may now have
realised the relationship between
RA/RB and Amreg(0)/Amreg(l) -
they are the same thing! As we put
a new value into these registers
the AMAL program we just wrote
automatically passes the values in
the X and Y coordinates of the
BOB, amazing huh?
Right then this is all very nice but
not too impressive is it? How about
using the special 'Y’ register to
control the movement of a
screen?
Flash Off : Curs Off : CIs 0 : Paper 0
Centre At(,8)+”AMIGA COMPUTING
AND AMOS" Centre At(,10)+"THE
PERFECT COMBINATION!"
These couple of lines just display
something for us to scroll around,
the bit which does the real work is
next, and once again please type
it In exactly as it appears (AMAL
does know the difference between
upper/lower case characters)
A$=" Begin: If RA=1 Jump Upscroll
; If RA=2 Jump Downscroll ;’’
A$=A$+”Jump Begin:’’
A$=A$+’’Upscroll: Let Y=Y-RB ; Let
RA=0 ; Jump Begin ;’’
A$=A$+’’Downscroll: Let Y=Y+RB ; Let
RA=0 ; Jump Begin
This little AMAL program looks at
the number contained in 'RA’, if it
is one then the program will jump
to the label 'Upscroll'. After this the
special register 'Y* is decremented
by the amount stored in the
external register 'RB’ and 'RA' is
reset to 0.
Now we need to control what
values are passed into 'RA* and
'RB’, Amreg(0) and Amreg(l) as
the BASIC part of the program
knows them!.
Amreg(0)=5 Channel 1 To Screen
Display 0 Amal 1,A$ Amal
On Repeat TEMP$=lnkey $$CAN=
Scancode: If Jup(l) Then Amreg(0)=l:
If Jdown(l) Then Amreg(0)=2: if
SCAN=>1 and $CAN<=9 then
Amreg(l)=SCAN Until TEMP$=" “
variable TEMP$ and the scancode
of the key Is passed Into the
variable scan. Scancodes are
numbers which don’t represent the
actual character which is pressed,
rather they represent the actual
position on the keyboard.
I'll go off on a bit of a tangent
for a few words and give you a
few more strange facts about
keyboard scancodes. A few
people have phoned and written
to Mandarin about a strange extra
key that seems to appear on their
screen when using the keyboard
define. This strange key is actually
part of the return key on British and
American Amigas, but in other
countries - France for example - it
is an extra key with its own
scancode (43 for those with an
interest) and because AMOS is
designed to be easily configured
for non-English keyboards I had to
include this extra key in the
keyboard definer!
Getting back to the program,
the numbers along the top of your
keyboard one to nine, just happen
to have the scancodes of one to
nine so it is a simple task to put this
value into Amreg(l) ('RB' in AMAL)
in order to control the amount of
lines the screen will scroll up when
the joystick is used.
Incldently. I know I could have
used the AMAL facilities to read
values from the joystick but what
about reading information from
the keyboard? Why not try to alter
the program so that pressing the
up/down cursor keys does the
same as moving the joystick up
and down?
Anyway, try running the
program. You will see a message
printed in the middle of the screen
telling you what is totally obvious,
you can then push the Joystick up
or down for a nice smooth scroll.
Now try pushing the numbers one
to nine and you will see the
scroll slow down or speed up. Neat
This part of the program assigns an
AMAL channel to screen 0, and
goes into a loop. Every time the
loop goes round AMOS reads the
keyboard to find out if a key has
been pressed. If a key is detected
the character is passed into the
huh?
Well, that's about it for this
month. I've got to get back to
programming the very latest red
hot AMOS demo which should,
fingers crossed be available by the
time you read this.
Amiga Computing 13 7
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and keyboard stickers. P&P S3 (inc. VAT). To order, contact:
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90 London Road London SE1 6LN Tel: 071 922 8800
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The APL programming language is used by many of the
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Versions of APL.68000 are available for most 68000-based computers
APL - the Alternative Programming Language
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from £3 per disk all inclusive
★ Over 750 disks!
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★ Fast Service
We have one of the largest
collections of PD software for the
Amiga in the UK.
We currently stock:
O FISH 1-340
O AMICUS 1-26
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All the above are £3 each + 1 FREE
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for the set which give details of the
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Write or phone for a free
catalogue. Please make all
cheques payable to "A.P.D.L."
★ JOIN THE CLUB! Interested
in joining our user club? Write
or phone for details ★
Our own special selection
£4.00 each
O APDL #6 CLI HELP
Confused by CLI? This one's for you
O APDL #7 LANGUAGES
Lisp. Prolog, Logo. Forth
O APDL #8 AMIGA DISK DOCTOR
Life saving programs!
O APDL #14 BEST ARCADE GAMES
O APDL #15 BEST BOARD GAMES
Backgammon, Othello. Yahtzee etc.
O APDL #17 BUSINESS COLLECTION
Editor, Spreadsheet & Database
O APDL #41 DATABASES
Keep track of your data
O APDL #42 ADVENTURES Vol 2
Castle: A graphic adventure & several
text adventures
O APDL #43 C COMPILER ASSEMBLER AND
LINKER
O APDL #44 WORD PROCESSING
Word Processor & Spellchecker
O APDL #45 PUZZLE & STRATEGY GAMES
O APDL #52 FRACTAL GENERATORS
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O APDL #69 BOARD GAMES
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O APDL #89AIR WARRIOR
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138 Amiga Computing
Computer cracking up?
Printer all out of puff?
We're here to help!
Write to Amiga Computing,
Europa House, Adlington Park,
Macclesfield SK10 4NP
Checked his Agnus...
The other day I decided to have a go at
writing my own boot block with July's edition of
the Code Clinic. First I checked my Agnus and
found it was a standard PAL version. I then
followed the instructions, tried the 60Hz boot
block and re-booted. The disk still booted even
though I don't have the fatter Agnus. Why?
Stuart Unsworth, Rochester
The answer is simple. The 60Hz boot block
doesn’t really mind If you don’t have a fatter
Agnus. It will happily pass over the code on the
new boot block, as it is now redundant, and
carry on with a normal boot. Oh, and for all
you out there with A3000s (gimme! gimme!),
please don’t be alarmed if the Agnus check
routine doesn’t work on your machine - it has
a bug which Jolyon will be rectifying in a later
version of the program.
The colour of money?
I recently bought a Commodore MPS1550C
printer in Bradford, England. Unfortunately, the
colour ribbon has now run out and I find it
impossible to get one. People in England tell
me the printer is out of date. Would you
confirm this for me, as I cannot afford to lose
£250 after only a couple of weeks' use.
If the ribbons are not available I will have to
bring the printer back over to Bradford.
Nael Nangle, Raheny, Dublin.
Your printer problems are over! The
Commodore MPS1550C is indeed an elderly
printer but is by no means out-dated. Silica
Shop can supply a ribbon for £12.99 (carriage
may be extra for overseas). Just phone 081 309
1111 and ask for part number RRB 3150.
Formatus Interruptus!
I have a problem with my Workbench. When I
want to format a disk I click on the icon and
choose initialise from the disk menu. But when I
do this the computer only formats one cylinder
and then it's over. I would like to know what
the problem is. Is it a hardware problem or is it
a software problem? I am thinking of taking my
computer to a repair shop. What should I do?
Remco Andriese, Holland.
Don’t, whatever you do, take the machine to a
repair shop before trying the following
relatively straightforward procedure. First, put
the disk you want to format in the internal
drive, then open a Shell by double-clicking on
the Shell icon in the Workbench disk’s window
(the Shell is simply a souped-up version of CLI).
Now type in this AmigaDOS command line:
FORMAT DRIVE DFO: NAME <any name will
do> <RETURN>
A window should now appear showing the
cylinders being formatted and, at the end of
the process, your disk will be initialised. You
can rename the disk if you like from
Workbench, but ignore the ’initialise’ option in
the Disk Menu - it’s useless.
Driven to distraction
Recently, I have bought a GVP hard disk for
my A500 (GVP Impact 45MB). The drive has an
additional 2MB of RAM However, on
connecting the drive to the expansion slot of
the Amiga I notice that I now have the
expanded memory but It doesn't seem to
recognise the hard drive.
The ASSIGN command provides me with all
drives except DHO: and upon doing a DIR DHO:
the Amiga requests me to 'insert volume DHO:'.
Does this point towards a failure or am I doing
something wrong? The drive was bought from
Power Computing in the .K.
Ron Pieterson, Bankok, Thailand
DON’T PANIC! The drive is fine. The only
problem is that you cannot just plug in devices
such as hard drives and expect the Amiga to
converse freely with them. What you have
neglected to do, is make your Amiga aware of
the drive’s presence with the MOUNT
command. This command forces the Amiga to
examine the Mountlist in its DEVS directory for a
description of the new device.
If an entry for your hard drive is inserted in
the Mountlist this will ensure that the drive is
recognised when you next boot up. Refer to
the Enhancer Software Manual for further
details and consult the information supplied
with the drive. If there is none, or it is
insufficient, those friendly people at Power
Computing will put you straight if you call
technical support (on 0234 52207) between
3pm and 5pm.
In CAMRA?
Realising I could no longer spend my spare
time touring this area searching for real ale.
Last year I splashed out on an Amiga 500 and
all the peripherals I could afford before my
lump sum disappeared.
I've bought several books allegedly for
beginners but to date have been unable to
make much progress. Most of the letters in
your column appear to come from readers
who slung their L-p’ates away long ago, but at
the risk of seeming completely devoid of my
marbles could you give the answer to the
following queries?
When using Kindwords, unless I remember
to use the gb setmap beforehand, I get the
wrong apostrophe and if I do remember I
cannot obtain all the symbols required for the
A590 RAM test. Presumably there is a way to
obtain either whichever setmap is used, but I
cannot suss it out, and the set of 18 keys on
the extreme right of the keyboard is also a
mystery to me.
Also, having connected the A590 after
much frustration and cussing I do not fancy
the job of separating it from the A500 when I
eventually get around to acquiring some
more RAM. Is there any way of doing this
Amiga Computing 139
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THE FORM ON
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f
r
i fggjg
without gaining access to the 501 already
there?
Finally, could you tell me what causes a
'hard error' on a track surface and if there is
any remedy. So far I have only found them on
games when Disk-Doctoring a dodgy disk.
B Easter, London
First of all, were a little confused over your
setmap problem. If you can’t obtain all the
characters you want from a single setmap, you
will have to use SetMap from the Workbench
system drawer. You can copy this over to the
Kindwords disk if you like, and can access it by
pushing Kindwords into the background with the
toggle device in the top right -hand corner.
As usal is the standard Amiga keyboard
setmap, were not surprised you can’t complete
the A590 RAM test with the gb setmap. Oh, and
the 18 keys you refer to are those which make
up the numeric keypad!
As to the A590 RAM upgrade, I’m afraid you’ll
have to go through the hassle of disconnecting
the beast before slipping in the chips, as it’s
impossible to get to the chip sockets unless you
do.
The hard error on your floppy is just that - a
physical blemish on the disk which acts not
unlike a crinkle in an audio tape. You might
record something new over the corrupted
piece of tape, but it’s still going to sound lousy.
The only thing you can do with disks like these is
either throw them away or (if you’re
stingy/desperate) use them as backups for
non-essential programs or data until you can
get some new disks. Keep your disks covered
and away from dusty places, and try not to spill
coffee on your floppy drive if you want to avoid
hard errors.
Virus? What virus?
I have read in the last issue of Amiga
Computing about a virus on the magazine
cover disk. I have disks June to November 1990
and would be pleased to know which are
infected. As a newcomer to the Amiga
(welcome aboard - Ed) I am worried and
haven't used any of them yet.
(name unreadable) Leatherhead.
Take it easyl You got the wrong end of the stick.
The letter concerning viruses on magazine disks
had nothing at all to do with our cover disks -
that story was about RAMPAGE, the defunct
disk-based Amiga magazine whose publishers
are now in liquidation.
There ISN’T a virus on ANY Amiga Computing
cover disk. We check them thoroughly before
dispatching them and take pains to ensure that
they are positively antiseptic. Now that I’ve put
your mind at rest, you might like to recall that
your November cover disk contains VirusX 4.01,
the latest version of possibly the best virus killer
available, along with full instructions for its use.
This ought to keep you safe from the viral
heeby-jeebies.
Wot, no backup?
I am sure many people read this excellent
magazine every month, and I am equally sure
that many more than you think are confused
and baffled when they are faced with running
some of the excellent utilities on the cover disk
each month, or even PD disks from the CU.
This brings me to my first cry for help. Could
you please print a step-by-step guide to
running a program that can only be loaded
from the CU?
The second request is again a step-by-step
guide to salvaging a corrupt disk. I was in the
process of saving a file to disk when some idiot
blew the main circuit breakers and caused
havoc on my data disk (you are quite right to
be thinking ‘I bet he didn't have a back-up
copy').
Anyway. I eventually found about the only
thing that would help me was the COPY
command. It did. and now the entire
(remaining) contents have been saved onto a
new disk under one heading, and all the
previous directories are now sub-directories.
Everything used to be stored in drawers, now
there isn't one in sight. Can you please help
me to regain proper order on my disk.
Terry Evans, Cheltenha.
It just goes to reinforce the old proverb, "Thou
shalt make backups”, dunnit, huh? Don’t
despair, though. We’ll be running a sort of
"Guide to the CU”, appearing on a cover disk
near you, soonl This should help with many of
the basic problems often overlooked in over-
techie books and letters pages.
Your second problem is slightly trickier. If
power was shut off half-way through a disk
access, it is highly likely that your disk is very
badly corrupted. A simple COPY of all the data
on the disk is next to useless. What you need to
do is use the AmigaDOS DISKDOCTOR
command (from CU) or one of the many PD
disk utilities, like DiskSalv. These will read as
much as they can from the disk and erase
what they cannot, then replace the old files
with the newly checked and operational ones.
The AmigaDOS command concerned is:
DISKDOCTOR DRIVE DFO:
(If you’re using the interna! drive)
The utility will then prompt you through the
operation, which doesn’t take too long, and
report on any corrupted files or track errors It
finds. If you COPY what’s left to another disk,
you should be able to access the files as icon
files (those with the ‘.info’ suffix) will also be
DISKDOCTORed and then copied.
If, as you say, there are still no icons to be
seen, drawers or otherwise, it just means you
may have to re-organise your files in new
directories. This can be a lengthy proces but
you may not have much choice in the matter.
If you do have to re-structure your files, I would
refer you to the PD programs SID and
IconMaster, both of which are readily
available from any PD library and both of
which have appeared on our cover disk at
one time or another.
Idiot's guide?
As a subscriber to Amiga Computing. I write to
ask if you would be kind enough to post to me
an idiot's guide in the form of a set of
instructions on how to install the virus-killers on
your November cover disk into a startup-
sequence? The instructions in the Amiga
manual are by no means adequate for
someone with my lack of technical
knowledge.
Derek C Robinson, Barton-under-Needwood
The Amiga manual is inadequate for anyone
with any level of technical knowledge! It Is,
how shall we say it, utter crap. The first step is
to use a text editor to get the startup-
sequence on screen. The ED or MEMACS
utilities supplied with Workbench are sufficient,
but there are plenty of superior PD editors such
as JED.
Using an editor you insert a line with ‘VirusX’
into the sequence somewhere before the
command ‘loadwb’, then copy the VirusX
program into your C: directory using the
RENAME or COPY commands, or a PD utility
such as SID.
When you next boot from the disk, VirusX
will run itself as the disk is loading and check
all disks currently inserted in drives (including
its own). It will then appear as a small window
in the menu bar and will carry on
automatically checking all new disks.
To get the KV utility to work, you must also
copy it into the C: directory, as it will not run
from the Workbench. Once you copy it to C:
just follow the directions in KV.DOC (see the
VIRUSX401 drawer) to find out what syntax and
parameters it uses.
Amiga Computing 141
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28MHz £1495
33MHz £1795
50MHz £2199
AT HARD DRIVE for 68030 CARD
40MB £359
80MB £689
200MB £999
Phone for other combinations
◄
4
4
◄
GVP SERIES 2 ,
The Next Generation in SCSI & RAM Contro
Fully SCSI Compatible
Up to 8MB FAST RAM on-board
High Speed "FAASTROM" controller
Auto-boot from any FFS partition
All combinations available
BUY YOUR AMIGA 2000 SYSTEM
Leaders in the Home and Bus
ers for the A2000
HARD CARDS
40MB
£499
84MB
£699
100MB
£799
200MB
£999
RAM MODULES
2MB
£129
4MB
£219
8MB
£409
: ROM POWER
ness Mark
e t
Amiga B2000
£899
Extra internal floppy
£49
XT Bridgeboard
£299
AT Bridgeboard
£699
600MB Optical Drive
£3299
200MB Tape Streamer
£699
◄
◄
◄
◄
◄
VIDTECH SCANLOCK
STATE OF THE ART AMIGA GENLOCK
Broadcast quality video
ICD
ICD
■
PAL, NTSC, SVHS Compatible
HARD CARDS
RAM CARDS
■
Handles all Amiga Graphics
40MB
£429
2MB
£239
modes
84MB
£649
4MB
£349
■
Completely Eliminates video
100MB
£759
6MB
£459
dot crawl
200MB
£949
8MB
£549
SPECIAL OFFER !
BUY ANY B2000 SYSTEM &
GET A 40MB HARD CARD
FOR ONLY
£349
NOW ONLY £759!
◄
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◄
4
4
4
4
4
Power Computing Ltd • 44a Stanley Street • Bedford • MK41 7RW
Telephone 0234 273000 • Fax 0234 270133
Orders and dealers enquiries welcome by Telephone or Fax
ALL PRICES INCLUDE VAT AND AMIGA 2000 PRICES INCLUDE 24 HOUR DELIVERY • PRICES SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE
◄
4
AVAILABLE NOW FROM POWER!
NEW FROM ICD!
Ad Speed Accelerator Card
for the A500 & B2000
■ 14MHz Replacement processor
■ 7MHz fallback software selectable
■ On-board RAM Cache
■ No soldering required
ONLY £199
Flicker Free Video
■ Eliminates ALL flicker in interlace mode*
■ Rock steady display in high resolution
■ Compatible with Amiga 500, 1500, 2000
■ Ideal for artists and graphic designers
Introductory Offer £279
* Multisync Monitor required - call for more info
ICD 2080 - 8MB RAM
SPECIAL OFFER!
EXPAND YOUR B2000 TO THE FULL!
FULLY POPULATED 8MB RAM BOARD
ONLY £379
Enquiries in Italy contact PowerComputing Italy, Via delle Baleari, 00121 Ostia Lido, Rome
Enquiries in Australia contact ACL Engineering, Perth (09) 481 0555
Enquiries in France contact Power Computing, Paris (1 ) 43 75 94 00
For latest prices see our advert in New Computer Express
POWER'S FULL HOUSE
OF TOP QUALITY SOFTWARE.
Our extensive range of Amiga software currently includes:
Art and Graphics
Animagic £69
Comic Setter £49
Deluxe Photolab £59
Digipaint 3 £49
Elan Performer £30
Fantavision £29
Kara Fonts £49
Pro Video Plus £169
Pro Draw 2.0 £100
Sculpt 4D Junior £149
SCULPT-ANIMATE 4D ... £229
Turbo Silver £99
X-Cad Designer £75
X-Cad Professional .... £229
Deluxe Paint III £85
Deluxe Video III £79
Digiview Gold V4 .... £100
Pixmate £35
Vista £50
Distant Suns £35
Word Processing, DTP
& Business
Home Accounts £29
Digicalc £29
Excellence £160
Kindwords £45
Pen Pal £79
Pagestream £139
Pagesetter 2.0 £69
Pro Write 3.0 £89
Languages and
Development
Devpac Amiga £45
Lattice CV5 £149
Lattice C + + £250
Power Windows £45
Hisoft Basic £55
Benchmark Modula 2 ... £99
Utilities
DOS 2 DOS £29
Cross DOS £24
X Copy £24
Quarterback 4.0 £34
Workbench 1.3 £15
Educational
Math Talk £23.95
Math Odyssey £24.50
Math-Amation £39.95
Math WLizard £24.50
Arithmetic £24.50
Algebra £24.50
Learn French £14.95
Letters for you £19.95
Learning the Alphabet . £14.95
Kinderama £24.50
World Atlas £29.95
Word Master £24.50
Talking Storybook ... £14.95
Spell-A-Fari £19.95
At the Zoo £19.95
Aesops Fables £24.50
Many more in stock -
phone for details
COMMODORE
TM
WE ARE THE SPECIALISTS WHEN IT COMES TO
PROGRESSIVE SOFTWARE. CANT SEE THE TITLE
YOU'RE LOOKING FOR? CALL 0234 273000 AND OUR
SALES TEAM WILL BE PLEASED TO HELP YOU.
Power Computing Ltd • 44a Stanley Street • Bedford • MK41 7RW
Telephone 0234 273000 • Fax 0234 270133
Orders and dealers enquiries welcome by Telephone or Fax
ALL PRICES INCLUDE VAT PRICES SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE
Power's exclusive range of offers on floppy drives!
The Famous PC880 Power Drive! £55
NEW IN!
■ Special NEW circuitry to prevent that annoying click
when the drive is empty
■ Isolating on-off switch
The dual 3.5" drive
with power supply
ONLY £110
■ Thru' port for daisy chaining
■ 880K formatted!
■ Comes with free utility disk
■ 12 Month warranty
We also stock fully guaranteed Verbatim disks
and a range of boxes, including:
40 Disks with lockable storage box - ONLY £29.95
15 Disks with storage box, for an unbeatable £9.95!
The A500 Internal drive kit
External 5.25" drive
£49
£99
MEMORY EXPANSIONS
PRINTERS
The A500 Clock Card
The Power Computing
512K RAM expansion In-
cludes Battery Backed
up clock!
VERY LOW PRICE £34.95
card without clock: £29.95
clock card with PC880 Power Drive £95!
The 1.5MB Expansion Board
Plugs easily into your
Amiga (Kickstart 1.3 &
above) to give you the
memory you need. Sim-
ple internal fitting
NOW ONLY £89.95
ICD ADRAM Memory Expansion
1MB £139
2MB £179
4MB £249
6MB £489
RAM chips for the upgrade specialist!
We are proud to present an offer
you'll be proud to accept!
Glorious Colour Kit!
The new LC200 Colour Printer!
■ LC200 Colour model
■ Parallel Cable
■ 200 sheets paper
■ 200 address labels
■ Delivery and VAT
LC200 Colour £239 I
LC24 10 £259 1
XB 10-24 Colour £499 1
Flexidump Amiga
now available £CALL I
/
PLUS
LC10 Colour Fabric
Printing Kit
ONLY £24.95
1x1 Mbit RAMS £6.99 256 x 4 RAMS £5.99 Also in stock, an impressive range of automatic shee
Kickstart 1 .3 ROM £39 GARY ROM £49 feeders, replacement ribbons and printer stands.
ALL PRICES INCLUDE VAT AND ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE
...or Telephone 0234 273000
POWER - the potential for your Amiga!
Basic Pack
As above
Super Pack With PC880 Drive
Ultra Pack With PC880and512K
Mega Pack With PC880 and 1.5MB
Hyper Pack LIMITED TIME ONLY
With PC880, 1.5MB and A590 Hard Drive!
£379
£439
£465
£509
£879
SCREEN GEMS PACK ALSO AVAILABLE
COMMODORE A590 20MB Hard Disk £379
NEW GVP SERIES 2 HARD DRIVE
WITH UP TO 8MB RAM EXPANSION
0MB
2MB
8MB
■ 20MB
£499
£619
£939
■ 45MB
£599
£719
£999
■ 80MB
£849
£969
£1289
ACCESSORIES
NEW!
The "PPS" Framegrabber
ONLY £599 INC VAT
■ Real-time Digitiser
■ From Mono to 4096 Colours
■ Many Image processing functions
■ Compatible with major art packages
e finishing touch
Keep it covered! With this new hard wearing dust cover specially designed
to fit snuggly over the Amiga
Video Master now in stock
Call for details
Replacement 2 button mouse £20
Naksha Mouse £35
Optical mouse with pad £35
'Anti-click' board for your internal or
external drive - introductory offer £19.95
POWER
EtjoVSE DIRECT
Power House is the fast expanding di-
rect sales arm of Power Computing
Ltd. With competitive prices, backed
by large stocks and a trained sales and
technical department. Our high speed
computerised service makes Power
the first stop for the Amiga enthusiast.
Call us now on 0234 273000 for advice
on the very latest in software and
peripherals.
Rush in your credit card order FREE on
0800 581742. Make the most of our
"fast fax" service on 0234 270133, or
simply fill in and post this form to:
Power Computing Ltd,
Power House,
44a Stanley Street,
Bedford, MK41 7RW.
Name
Telephone
System owned
Credit Card No.
Expiry Date
Signature
I would like to order
Make Cheques Payable to
Power Computing Ltd
I enclose a cheque/PO for
e
Power technical helpline Monday - Friday 3pm - 5pm 0234 273248
KCS Power PC Board AMIGA 500
THE BEST OF BOTH WORLDS
What the critics say
*
INDEPENDENT
EDITORIAL
REVIEWS
“Standard XT/AT
software runs with
no foreseeable
problems and 704K
at its disposal. All
normal PC function
keys are also
emulated, so you
can run through all
those bewildering
Word Perfect key
combinations. . .
So, if it’s a cheap PC
you’re after, don’t
buy one. Buy the
KCS Power Board
instead”
Amiga Format
Oct 1990
* What
KELOWOOD LTD
Sales & Marketing Consultants
Electrical & Mechanical Engineers
Tel: (0793) 875735 Swindon
Fax:(0793)871277 Wiltshire
Mobile (0836) 655556 SN5 8RA
23 Aug 1990
Bitcon Devices Ltd
88 Bewick Road
Gateshead
Tyne & Wear NE8 IRS
England
Dear Sir/s,
Ref: KCS Power PC Board
As someone who has used the Amiga 500 for both
business and pleasure applications and who is
aware of the limitations on the availability of
suitable business software, I was immediately
interested in the above product. It seemed like the
ideal solution: no second machine to take up
valuable space, retention of the superb graphic
and video capabilities of the Amiga, needed for
part of my business and the chance to make use
of the huge range of business software available
for MS-DOS machines.
Too good to be true, I thought, especially as the
price is quite a lot less than even a DIY PC-XT
alone!
Your advice and assistance on the telephone, prior
to placing an order, was certainly of a standard
that most companies have long since forgotten
and the speedy dispatch of the goods was most
impressive.
I fitted the board within 5 minutes and then spent
a further 15 minutes reading the manual. A further
30 minutes was then spent on setting up the
software to suit my particular requirements. This
process was simple and trouble-free.
Hey Presto! - an IBM compatible machine sprang
to life. Now for the acid test - the software.
A colleague with many years experience in the PC
world had brought his disk collection along and
we started the process of trying to make the board
fail! No chance - we ran all sorts, amongst the
programs tried was Autoroute 1.2, Word Perfect
5.1, Norton Utilities, PC Tools and Flight Simulator
4 (latest version). We also tried many PD and
Shareware titles. Everything functioned perfectly,
including the disk drives, video and printer ports.
We then loaded Procomm, connected a modem
and proceeded to download more PD software
from various bulletin boards.
All in all, I can only say that I am more than
satisfied with this superb product and I would
recommend it to anyone who requires MS-DOS on
their Amiga 500. You may use this entirely
unsolicited letter for any purpose in connection
with the promotion of your product.
Yours most sincerely
Nell Bristow
our customers say
Greensborough
Victoria, 3088
Australia
11 Aug 1990
Bitcon Devices Ltd
88 Bewick Road
Gateshead
Tyne & Wear
NE81RS
England
Dear Sir/Madam
I would like to thank you for the delivery of
the KCS PC Power Board. It has been
installed in my computer and is working
satisfactorily. It has allowed me to have the
best of both worlds at a very cheap price.
I am looking forward to the upgrades in
software as they are developed. I am looking
forward to the hard disk software.
I was a bit apprehensive about importing
goods from overseas suppliers but your
prompt service is appreciated and I thank
you for that. I am looking forward to hearing
from you again.
Yours faithfully
BS
Hay Mills
Birmingham
B25 8NH
Bitcon Devices Ltd
88 Bewick Road
Gateshead
Tyne & Wear
NE81RS
England
Dear Sir
I am writing to ask if it would be possible for
you to send me a registration form for the
PC board, as I seem to have misplaced
mine! Otherwise, thanks very much for an
absolutely fantastic product, one which has,
in the space of only two weeks, proved its
worth. Other programs not on the list which
work are: Quattro, Fleet Street Publisher and
Printmaster Plus. Once again, thanks very
much.
Yours sincerely
K Whitchurch
Bitcon Devices Ltd, 88 Bewick Road, Gateshead NE8 IRS England
Tel: 091 490 1919/1975 Fax: 091 490 1918 Helpline 091 490 0202
THE AMIGA 500 PC/XT IS HERE
WE...
★ Supply MS-Dos 4.01 and
GW Basic and Shell FREE
★ Supply extra memory FREE
★ Do not invalidate your
Amiga Guarantee
★ Are continually improving
the product with software upgrades
(nominal charge)
★ Run a helpline just for you
★ Leave your 68000 processor free
for other useful internal add-ons
“Screen handling is
faster than many 286
AT’s . .
- Amiga Format Oct 90
“...the PC Board is
indeed a very highly
compatible device . . .”
-AUI Dec 90
wwwww wwwww
Run Professional
MS DOS Software
on your Amiga 500 at
a price you can afford
\
POWl*
SUPPORT OF THE
A590 H-D AND
OTHER IMPROVEMENTS
NOW INCORPORATED
, RING FOR DETAILS
Why did you buy an Amiga 500?
Of course, because of its superb graphics, music and animation capabilities. However if you
want to get serious, you soon realise that it is distinctly lacking in memory and professional
software.
Well - they said It could never happen - but it's here at last!
You! In your own home can transform your Amiga 500 into a real IBM compatible with
Amiga memory expansion up to one and a half megabytes.
It's simple - no screv/driver, no soldering iron and no technical knowledge required. Just
turn your Amiga over, open the cover, slide the Power PC Board into the connector, close
the cover and your Amiga PC/XT is ready. (In other words, no loss of guarantee)
You are no w ready to use a wealth of professional MS DOS software at speeds faster than a
PC/XT (ind. review), and in colour, with compatibility thanks to Phoenix-Bios.
You can also rely on the correct date and time at any moment in Amiga and MS DOS mode.
★ Video support: monochrome, Hercules and Colour Graphics Adaptor (CGA)
(4 and 8 colours)
★ Disk support: internal 3.5* external 3.5* external 5.25* drive. (Software-upgrade to H/D
A590 in pipeline)
★ Including MS DOS 4.01, MS DOS shell and GW Basic (market value approx £130.00)
★ Including English Microsoft books + KCS manual
★ Further exciting software upgrades in the pipeline
★ Available memory: 704KB + 64KB EMS in MS DOS mode, 1 megabyte + 512KB RAM
(disk) buffer in Amiga mode
★ No extra power supply necessary thanks to the most modern CMOS and ASIC technology
★ OK with TV. No special monitor required
★ Price: £299.00 including VAT and Postage.
Access and Visa accepted.
★ For export price please contact us
★ Trade enquiries welcome (UK - Scandinavia - and all English language.)
Compatibility is excellent but no-one can guarantee every single program available, therefore if your
purchase depends on a particular program, please ask us first or send in a copy of the program. (With
suitable S.A.E. if to be returned). Price subject to change without notice.
Bitcon Devices Ltd.
88 BEWICK ROAD, GATESHEAD,
TYNE & WEAR, NE8 IRS ENGLAND.
Tel: (091)4901919/4901975.
Fax: (091) 4901918
MDI-AMIGA SCREEN SHOT
P* THE
COMPLETE 1
COLOUR SOLUTION
Vidi Amiga, Vidi Chrome
(Colour Software Upgrade)
& Photon Paint
(4096 Colour Art Package)
£ 129.95 /
inc VAT
£ :
VIDI FEATURES .
I
i
AVAILABLE
FROM ALL GOOD
COMPUTER SHOPS
I akc snapshots in 16 shades live
from \ ideo.
Multiple frame store will utilise all
available memory .
Dynamic cut and paste.
I nil palette control.
I lard ware and software
control of brightness and
contrast.
Compatible with all video
standards colour, black
and white. VI IS. Beta.
PAL, NTSC etc.
I pgradable to full colour
with additional
YIDICIIROME' pack.
VIDI ENABLES YOU TO . . .
i lave perfect freeze frame from
any video.
Incorporate real life objects into
vour favourite design.
(nab real time 3-D images
from TV.
Enhance vottr graphics
creativity.
Capture and store
action sequences;
Desk top v ideo.
n:r.p. Desk Top, 1
Publishing;' .
MDI-AMIGA SCREEN SHCX1
VI DI-AM 1 GA SC RE EN SH ( )'
. ■ •
'
/♦r
Limited
Rom bo Ltd., 6 Fairbairn Road, Kirkton North, TEL: 0506-414631
Livingston, Scotland EH54 6TS.
FAX: 0506-414634
