product reviews
APROM and SIX PACKWalling Co.
775 E. Evans
Scottsdale, AZ 85260
(602) 998-7550
$99.50, Aprom Cartridge
$44.95, Six Pack
Reviewed by Larry Dziegielewski
A new
program-storage product for the Atari 800 will make life at the keyboard
much easier. Aprom is a cartridge-based EPROM (Erasable Programmable
Read-Only Memory) programmer that fits into the right cartridge slot of
the Atari 800. It allows you to create your own cartridge-based software.
When used with the Six Pack, another program-storage cartridge,
you can access up to 48K of programs in only 8K of RAM space.
Aprom can access either 2764 (8K) or 27128 (16K) EPROM's
in the right cartridge slot of the Atari 800. Aprom comes with the
GP (general purpose EPROM programmer), and a "wedge" that adds commands
to the BASIC or Assembler cartridge. With the GP program in control,
it is possible to read, program, verify and erase EPROM'S. GP also
includes the PARAM command (PArallel RAM), which disables the Aprom cartridge
and "hides" it from the Atari Operating System. Aprom disappears
when PARAM is selected, and the 8K block of RAM normally used by Aprom
becomes free RAM. A POKE from BASIC or Assembler returns control
back to the Aprom cartridge.
The Aprom also includes the Aprom Operating System command
mode. When AOS is booted from disk and then written to the EPROM
with the "Write/ OS" command, Aprom becomes a self-booting cartridge.
AOS has its own set of commands, including some found under GP and its
own "RUNU" (run utility) command. RUNU is used to select an 8K block
of programs residing on the Six Pack cartridge. AOS gives the user
the ability to store, list and execute programs on an EPROM.
The Six Pack cartridge is an EPROM board with three sockets
in which 2764 or 27128 EPROMS can be mounted. As a result, BASIC,
Assembler and PACMAN programs can be available with a simple two-key command,
without the need to switch cartridges. This cartridge is used in
the Atari 800's left slot and gives the user access to 48K of program storage,
switchable in 8K blocks. (The full 48K is available only when three 27128
EPROMS are installed on the Six Pack.) The Six Pack enables users to keep
programs that normally reside in the left-cartridge address space on the
Six Pack, calling the programs in as needed.
Six Pack can be used in any Atari machine, with or without
Aprom. When used with the Aprom AOS, it can call 8K programs with
the RUNU command. Blocks available from AOS are labeled "A" through
"F." A "RUNU C " command, for example, will cold start the computer and
select the program in block C of the cartridge.
Aprom and Six Pack are gems, and I highly recommend them
for work that involves jumping back and forth between the Assembler cartridge
program and a debugger.
PANZER-JAGD
Avalon Hill
4517 Harford Road
Baltimore, MD 21214
(301) 254-5300
$30.00, 48K - disk
$25.00, 32K - cassette
Reviewed by Edward Bever
"Panzer-jagd" means "tank hunt" in German, and that's what Avalon Hill's
game Panzer-Jagd simulates. As commander of a German battle
group, you lead 50 or more tanks, organized into platoons of five and often
supported by infantry and artillery, in typical offensive operations.
The computer controls the defending Russians, and skillfully deploys them
into a series of defensive positions concealed in the wooded countryside.
Your forces can find the Russians only by exposing themselves to enemy
fire, so you must maneuver carefully to minimize your own losses.
The German force includes a mixture of obsolescent Mark
III light tanks and state-of-the-art Panthers, probably the best fighting
machines of the war. Opposed to them are numerous weak anti-tank
guns and profuse T-34/85s, the only tanks in the world that could fight
the Panthers on roughly equal terms.
The program contains two scenarios. In the first
you assemble and lead a mixed group of tanks to secure the flank of a larger
offensive. In the second you command a force of tanks and infantry
supported by field artillery in a diversionary attack designed to draw
enemy strength away from a German offensive elsewhere by driving as deeply
into Russian lines as possible.
Panzer-Jagd is suitable for both novice and veteran players.
Although the graphics are on the dull side and the BASIC is a bit sluggish,
the program is easy to operate, and the game is well structured and simple
to learn. Playing well, however, requires concentration and practice,
and the experience is a credible re-creation of armored tactics on the
Eastern Front.
EXODUS: ULTIMA III
Origin Systems, Inc.
PO. Box 99
1545 Osgood St. #7
North Andover, MA 01845
(617) 681-0609
$59.95, 48K - disk
Reviewed by Chris Chabris
You must discover and defeat a mysterious cause of great evil in this
fantasy adventure game. Created by Lord British (Richard Garriot),
this successor to Ultima II features scrolling wilderness and city
maps, 3-D dungeon views, monsters, and magic spells. In these respects,
it resembles its predecessor.
However, in the interests of a better plot and multi-player
capacity, several frills have been eliminated.
Also in a radical departure from past procedure, as many
as four characters can go adventuring together.
Each character may be "forged" from one of five races
and eleven professions-a good mix is needed to complete the adventure.
During a session of play, the party of characters wanders
around the continental map, exploring sites, obtaining clues, fighting
monsters, and, of course, taking treasure. The puzzle-solving aspects
of Ultima III resemble a text adventure more than a "hack and slay" fantasy
game. Virtually all of the game's elements must be used to win.
Surprises continue to appear, even near the end of the quest.
This is a well-crafted program featuring animated figures,
polyphonic background music, game save, (an essential function), and magical
gates. It is one of the few programs on the market complemented by
documentation, including an introductory "Book of Play" and gazetteer,
two tomes of magic spells, and a command reference card. All are
excellently written and add to the game's atmosphere.
However, the Atari translation by Chuckles (Charles Bueche)
is disappointing. All colors are produced through artifacts, restricting
the display to white, black, red, and green. Although most objects
are animated, the animation slows down when the player
is typing a command. No Player/Missile Graphics were used and sound effects do not fully utilize the power of the Atari. The dungeon graphics are low resolution and poorly colored, and the character set is hard to read.
Exodus: Ultima III is an excellent and engrossing adventure, but the graphic execution could be better. If you expect every game you play to stretch the graphics potential of your Atari, be prepared for a possible letdown. However, if you enjoy fantasy role-playing games, this program will not disappoint you.
SAFETYLINE
Maxitnus, Inc.
6723 Whittier Ave.
McLean, VA 22101
(800) 368-2152
$39.95, 48K -
requires cassette and disk
Reviewed by Rhonda Holmes
Safetyline
is a flashy presentation starring Max the Cat in two movies and four games
that teach youngsters ages three to seven how to cross the street safely
and what to do if they get lost. The two games that follow each movie
exercise the "Safety Tips" outlined in the movies.
I tested this game on 25 children aged two through seven
at a Montessori school. The children, even the youngest, instantly
took to the bright graphics and bouncy music of the first movie, in which
Max introduces a little boy named Sam. Max, Sam's invisible friend,
helps him cross the street to get to school. In the second movie,
Sam gets lost at the zoo and Max helps him find his way back to his teacher.
In the first game, "Streetcross," you must help Sam get
to school safely. In the next game, "Hidden Tips," you have to find
a word from the "Safety Tips" in a word-search puzzle. This word
is prominently displayed at the top of the screen. Children who know
their alphabet but cannot yet read can play this game, as it involves finding
letters in the correct order within a puzzle.
"Tipmatch" is designed for one or two players who can
read. You are given eight squares; within each square is a statement
about safety. If you find four matching squares, you win!
By the count of "oohs" and "ahhs" in the classroom, "Zoomaze"
was Safetyhnes most popular game. To play, you have to help Sam through
a maze whose walls appear only after you bump into them. At the four
corners of the screen are boxes; one contains the teacher, two contain
other familiar faces (those of a police officer and a store owner), and
the last contains a stranger. If you find the stranger, you lose.
Two- and three-year-olds had some coordination problems
and trouble understanding the correlation between the joystick and the
computer. However, I believe that, with practice, three-yearolds
can play the games that don't involve reading.
The four- and five-year-olds, many of
whom already could read, remembered the "Safety Tips" when questioned and enjoyed playing the games. The six- and seven-year-olds understood the importance of taking safety precautions and played the games very well.
This product is an excellent introduction to the computer: it's fun, and the games are easy to play. Most importantly, they teach children vitally important lessons about safety.
SPARE CHANGE
Broderbund Software, Inc.
17 Paul Drive
San Rafael, CA 94903
(415) 479-1170
$34.95, 48K - disk
Reviewed by Keith Valenza
If
you're looking for a humorous arcade game in the tradition of Mappy or
Domino Man, Broderbund's Spare Change fits the bill.
Here's the scenario: You are the owner of the Spare Change
video arcade. Two of the characters from your newest game have escaped
and are trying to save enough tokens in their piggy bank to retire.
If they succeed in depositing five tokens in the bank, the game is over.
Your task is to stop these characters called Zerks-by
collecting tokens for yourself. One way is to steal them from the
Zerks: they will get angry and stomp up and down-one of the game's many
amusing touches.
You can also distract them: put a token into the jukebox
and watch the Zerks dance for a few seconds while you collect your tokens.
Their imitation of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers might not win first prize
on "Dance Fever," but it will make you laugh.
If you collect ten tokens before the Zerks get their five
you progress to a higher level. You can then empty the Zerks' piggybank
by entering the Zerk Cartoon Show booth. Here you're treated to one
of several brief cartoon intermissions, reminiscent of the interludes between
levels on Ms. Pac-Man.
However, Spare Change does have its flaws. Poor
graphics is one of them. The Zerks aren't very detailed; they just
don't look enough like arcade characters.
Another potential problem: advancing to the higher levels
happens slowly. However, the authors included a feature rarely seen
in arcade games-the ability to adjust the difficulty level by changing
several combinations of variables.
In spite of some of the game's problems, the authors worked
hard to make this game as "arcade-like" as possible. The demo mode
features a brief Zerk cartoon, followed by a demonstration of the game.
At the game's conclusion, a screen with the top five scores which the scorers
can initial are displayed. However, scores could not be saved on
the disk.
Like many of the computer arcade games that preceded it,
Spare Change is challenging, with fast-action. The game is non-violent
and just plain zany fun.
BASIC BUILDING BLOCKS
Micro Education Corp. of America
285 Riverside Ave.
Westport, CT 06880
(203) 222-1000
$79.95, 48K - disk
Reviewed by George Adamson
BASIC Building Blocks turns your computer into a teaching machine
straight from a science fiction fantasy with its interactive and stimulating
computer-assisted instruction.
People buy computers for a variety of reasons, but sooner
or later they want to know how to program. BASIC Building Blocks
can help; it is a useful tutorial for the whole family as either an introductory
or remedial course in programming. The program is also suitable for
classroom-type seminars.
Unlike a book, BBB gives immediate feedback and reinforcement
to the learner. (This is the aspect of computer-assisted instruction which
is so important. -ANTIC ED) The program reviews the user's progress by
asking multiple choice questions. You cannot proceed to more difficult
concepts until you correctly answer the earlier queries.
As you progress through the lessons, which range from
"Introducing BASIC," to "Arrays," to "Strings," and more, you'll practice
about 60 BASIC programs. These calculate things such as gas mileage,
temperature conversions and grade averaging. At the end of each chapter,
you're given a simple problem and are encouraged to solve it with the BASIC
programming techniques you've just learned.
The program comes on two disks with the introductory material
on the
first and the more difficult lessons on the second. One of the useful features of the program is that you can skip directly to the example. The Disk chapter even permits a secret password number to be inserted and then correctly input later to run a program. The last two chapters on "Sticks and Sounds" and "Graphics" are specifically written for Atari's capabilities.
A few minor deficiencies should be noted: the documentation contains several misspellings, not acceptable in an educational program. The tutorial treats the POKE command very superficially. Additionally, BBB is not compatible with BASIC XL from OSS. It is compatible, however, with all XL series including revision B of Atari BASIC, included on the second disk is the "BASIC Design Tool".
BBB's exclusive "Basic Design Tool" is like a window into the computer, allowing you to watch a program execute line by line. But, the "BASIC Design Tool" can also be used as a "standalone" to trace and debug any programs with its variable, statement, and stack windows. BDT uses 12K of RAM and does not interfere with BASIC programs. (The documentation says it does move the BASIC screen address.)
Combining a tutorial and a debugging tool into one package makes BASIC Building Blocks a genuine good deal which you can use long after you master the lessons. (MECA bas done a good job, and we encourage our readers to let them know. A lot of their current effort is aimed at the IBM and Apple market. Let them know you are Atari owners and you d like to see more. ANTIC ED)
810 TURBO
Neanderthal Computer Things (NCT)
RO. Box 16489
Irvine, CA 92713
(714) 770-0372
$195.00
Reviewed by David Duberman
If you've owned your Atari 810 disk drive for a while, you've probably
"bumped your head" at least once on its limited storage capacity.
The standard 810 only holds about 90K of data per side (180K total), much
less than similar drives for other home computers. Well, here's some
good news: Neanderthal Computer Things' 810 Turbo offers you a way
to increase your system's storage capacity without incurring the expense
of a new drive.
When installed in an 810 drive, the 810 Turbo circuit
board provides true double-density storage, thus doubling the capacity
of each disk side to about 180K. The installation instructions for
the board are so clear and explicit that even novices should have no trouble
following them. Many illustrative photos are included, and no soldering
is necessary. However, you must make sure that your drive's head
is clean, and that the drive mechanism is in good working order, because
double-density operation is much more sensitive than single-density.
The Turbo also lets you use Mach DOS, which is included
with the circuit board. Mach DOS speeds data transfer to about four
times its normal rate (which makes it comparable to Happy Computing's Warp
Speed). Programmers, who often load and save programs many times
before they're complete, will find that this feature saves a significant
amount of program development time. They'll also save time going
back and forth between DOS and the programming language in use. In
addition, because the Turbo uses track buffering, it permits faster data
transfer even without Mach DOS.
Another special feature of the 810 Turbo is its ability
to disable write protection. This feature can be controlled by Mach
DOS, and lets you use the back sides of disks without having to notch them.
There is no provision, however, for the write protection of notched disks.
The 810 Turbo automatically recognizes the density of
the first disk inserted into it after it's turned on, and configures itself
accordingly However, application programs that use a DOS disk format and
directory, such as DataSoft's Text Wizard, can use double-density
storage for data files. in fact, the Turbo's documentation includes specific
instructions for just such situations.
Mach DOS has several other useful features. When
you read the directory of a disk whose density is opposite that of the
last disk read, Mach DOS automatically switches the density mode and displays
the density modes of all drives in the system. You also can use special
options on the Mach DOS menu to switch density, turn write verification
on and off, switch the default drive (the one addressed by "D:") to a drive
other than Drive 1, and convert files between densities.
At $195, the Turbo 810 costs much less than a new double-density
drive. It works and it's a good value.
DRAGONRIDERS OF PERN
Epyx
1043 Kiel Court
Sunnyvale, CA 94089
(408) 745-0700
$39.95, 48K - disk
Reviewed by Ellen Keyt
Dragonriders
of Pern, based on the novels by Anne McCaffrey, is an unusual and intriguing
strategy/action game. Set on the planet Pern, the game centers around
the periodic fall of a deadly rain of silver thread, presaged by the appearance
of the Red Star. Pern's human population inhabits holds and Weyrs,
strongholds in which commerce, industry, and dragon-raising take place.
As the representative of an important Weyr, your twofold task is to win
the confidence of the other holds and Weyrs through negotiation, and to
defend the planet from the falling silver thread by riding dragons whose
fiery breath burns it.
Dragonriders of Pern is a winner. Its 16th century
music transports you back to medieval times. A dragon soars across
the screen in time to the music. You can choose a game with or without
thread fighting, and select the game's speed and length. There are
two stages of play: negotiating and thread fighting. After negotiating,
you can save the game to disk to finish later.
In the negotiating stage of the game, you try to persuade
Pernesians that your plans for the future of Pern are sound. You'll
meet many different characters, each with a distinct personality.
Negotiation is difficult because you can't foretell exactly how a Pernesian
will react to your approaches. You may negotiate well and still be
denied the political alliance you seek. Sometimes, if a Lord persists
in refusing an alliance, you must resort to a duel.
In the thread-fighting sequence, you battle silver threads
from the back of your dragon. In level 1, you fly in two dimensions.
Levels 2 and 3 are more challenging because you have to fly your dragon
in a three dimensional playfield. Learning to maneuver the dragon
isn't easy, as you can only rotate a quarter of a turn at a time.
However, once you get the hang of steering, flying your dragon is a breeze.
Dragonriders of Pern is a challenging game. You
can assume different types of behavior when negotiating with Pernesians,
so the game is never the same. The thread-fighting sequence is very
realistic. This is a satisfying game for anyone who likes adventures.
Now, if you will excuse me, I have a negotiation meeting to attend ...
SUCCESS WITH MATH
CBS Software
1 Fawcett Place
Greenwich, CT 06836
(203) 622-2670
$24.95, diskette
$19.95, cassette
Reviewed by John and Mary Harrison
Success With Math is billed as a "comprehensive, self-paced math
tutorial." The first two packages cover the basic operations of addition,
subtraction, multiplication, and division with whole numbers. The
last two explore fundamental topics in algebra: solving linear and quadratic
equations. The educator who created this made sure they were classroom
tested; this alone makes the programs unusual.
In each of the four packages, you select the number and
type of problem on which you want to work. The program keeps track
of the errors and gives a summary at the end of each problem.
Each program comes with a short instruction manual that
briefly explains how to load and use the program by following an example
step-by-step. The directions are also included in the program-you
can display them by pressing the [H] key.
The packages for primary school students (addition, subtraction,
multiplication, and division) are drill-and-practice rather than tutorial
programs. When a child errs, the correct answer is shown without
the explanation one expects from a tutorial. These two programs are
also visually drab: white text on a black screen with no color or sound.
Other programs that cover these topics are just as technically correct,
yet present a more visually exciting package.
However, the two algebra packages, directed toward older
students, are well-written tutorials. Although their presentation
offers no more visual interest than the previous packages, the purpose
of the programs is different and their starkness is less obvious.
With the algebra packages, the program explains and guides the student
to the correct solution when an error is made. Thus, the student
is eased into learning while practicing effective techniques for solving
simple equations.
There are a few relatively minor complaints we have to make about the packages.
Only on the disk itself is it stated that the programs require BASIC to
run; this should be clear from the documentation. The BREAK key is
not disabled; this simple procedure can eliminate the frustration encountered
with a misplaced keystroke. The on-screen instructions are long and
boring to read. There should be more interaction between the student
and computer if for no other reason than to guarantee attention.
Finally, as mentioned before, none of the programs make use of the computer's
graphics capacities. It is a shame that the author did not vary the
screen colors to reflect different difficulty levels or at least to reduce
the eyestrain that comes from staring at a black screen.
On the positive side, the programs are technically sound
and bug-free. They always encourage and never criticize the student,
even after several mistakes. Best of all, CBS recognizes the right
of the consumer to create archival copies of the software. The packages
are not copy protected so you are free to make backup copies. Although
we cannot get overly excited about another set of drill and practice arithmetic
programs, we feel the algebra tutorials are well done, accomplish their
goals and are worthy of consideration.
Note: The algebra packages will not run on the Atari 400.
The addition and subtraction packages for the 400 require 16K. All
other packages run on all other Ataris and require 32K.