Classic Computer Magazine Archive START VOL. 4 NO. 11 / JUNE 1990

Instant Amusement For Your Kids

BY A. BAGGETTA

Do your little darlings turn into monsters when bored? Tame the wild beasts with Fun Pages, favorite puzzles that will take their minds off mischief
 
AT A GLANCE
Program:
 
Type:
 
Requirements:
 
Arcfile:
 
Files:
 
 
Language:
Fun Pages
 
Kids' game generator
 
512K, low rez
 
PAGES.PRG
 
FUNPAGES.LST  FUNPAGES.PRG
FUNPAGES.PI1
 
GFA BASIC 3.0

Fun Pages was inspired by one of my favorite breakfast restaurants. While waiting for hotcakes one morning, the waitress brought my children placemats that had an assortment of little games printed upon them.

What a great idea! These placemats could keep the kids entertained when we had to wait at other restaurants, went on long car trips, or were delayed on shopping expeditions.

When I got home, I experimented with my Atari and Gemini printer, trying to produce sheets similar to the ones I had seen. After several hours scribbling on graph paper, I wrote Fun Pages.

Up and Funning
To use Fun Pages, double-click on the archive file PAGES.PRG and choose Extract when the dialog box appears. Select a destination disk and the files will be un-ARCed directly onto that disk. To start the program, switch to low resolution and make sure that FUNPAGES.PI1 is in the same folder as FUNPAGES.PRG, then double-click on FUNPAGES.PRG.

Each Fun Page has four games, two of which always are TIC TAG TOE and Secret Word (the secret is its scrambled). The remaining two are chosen from the following list.

1) Faces: Doodle features on preprinted heads. Six are chosen from the program's repertoire of 10.

2) House: Design your own house by drawing the windows and doors.

3) Igloo: Similar to House.

4) TeePee: Similar to House.

5) Guess How Many Circles: Try to figure out the number circles that were printed. The capital letter next to the puzzle gives the answer. A equals one circle, E equals five circles, Z equals 26 circles, and so on.

6) Connect the Dots Game: A symmetric grid of dots is printed. Two people alternately connect the dots by drawing a line between adjacent pairs. When a person completes a square, it is theirs. The one with the most squares wins.

Pick and Choose
After the title screen is displayed for a few seconds, you will see the Fun Pages Construction Menu. Using the mouse, choose the first puzzle you want printed, or click on Computer Random Choices, which lets the computer pick. If you didn't opt for Random, a second menu appears. Choose your second puzzle.

Your Fun Page will be printed automatically. You may abort printing at any time by pressing [Alternate] and [Help] simultaneously. Otherwise, when the page is done, you will be given the opportunity to construct another.

Setting Up the Printer
The programs expects your printer to be set for 960 pixels per line. To set it, or check it, install the Control Panel accessory which came with your ST. (Put the program CONTROL.ACC in the root directory of your boot disk.) At the Desktop, activate the drop-down menu under Desk. Choose Control Panel.

The Control Panel will appear in the middle of your screen. Click on Install Printer in the lower right hand corner. A list of printer options appears. One is labeled Pixels/Line. Make sure 960 is highlighted. Click on OK, then on the close box of the control panel.

If you want the printer automatically set to 960 pixels per line every time you boot, save the Desktop. Otherwise, always check your printer's options before using Fun Pages.

A. Baggetta has contributed to both Antic and START magazines. He wrote Santa BBS for the December 1988 issue of START.