Computer + Video Games - Commodore Is Awesome

COMPUTER + VIDEO GAMES
30-32 FARRINGDON LANE
LONDON, EC1R 3AU
A certain company has
just released a series of
£2.99 games which are old
Adventure International
basic programs.
The only people to release
a decent amount of good
machine code programs are
Databyte and U.S. Gold.
I say U.S. Gold, as far as I
can tell from press releases,
most of their coin-op
licenses recently purchased
are from Atari but are not
planned conversions to the
Atari home micro.
The same thing goes for
Elite. Paperboy is the perfect
example. It's not as though
the machine isn't capable or
anything. It crushes the
Commie 64, Spectrum, Amstrad,
BBC, MSX. In fact with
255 colours on the screen at
once (with interrupts) four
channel sound, playermissile
graphics and over 15
graphic modes, it beats
them all put together.
If anybody has seen
screens from Alternate Reality
or Mercenary on the
Atari, I am sure that they will
agree.
There are two options
Open to owners at the moment:
1. Purchase software from
importers a t ridiculous
prices £35 for Silent Service!
2. Rip it off!
I am sad to say I have
been forced to take option
two. I refuse to pay nigh on
150 for something that Commodore
owners get for a
termer. I have got four discs
full of utilities which copy
even the most heavily protected
software, even these
are rip offs from the U.S.
It's no problem getting
software either. Just look in
the pen-pal sections of
mags and write to someone
with your machine and lives
in the States or Germany.
I have got some superb
games from Germany. The
States have supplied me
with Alternate Reality— The
City and the Dungeon,
Ghostbusters, Spelunker
and many more up to six
months before they arrive
here.
This may sound stupid,
but, I would prefer to BUY
the original thing than copy
it.
The software houses say
it is a minority machine.
Well, Dixons sold well over
100,000 machines at Xmas
alone, and are still selling
them at a rate that outstrips
supply.
The Atari is in the top five
machines in the U.S.
If the M.D's of the houses
are still not convinced they
should have paid a visit to
the Atari Show at the end of
November and asked the
other owners what they
have to say.
Jack Ts motto is "Power
without the Price". Lets not
make it "Power without the
Software".
Name and address supplied
• At last a letter that makes
sense! C- VG has been telling
irate Atari owners exactly
this for ages now. Especially
when they keep on
telling us to review more
Atari software. It's a shame
— but software houses
have been neglecting this
classic machine. And again
loads were sold because
they were CHEAP last
Christmas! However, with
the rise of the ST maybe
people will take note of
your closing sentiment Mr
Anonymous...
• I have read your magazine
since 1983 and I own a Uric
Almos. At long last I am
thankfully getting a brand
new computer. Yes, not
even second hand!
But, as you might have
guessed I have a slight problem
and that is WHICH computer.
I have ruled out a
C64C because of its useless
basic and the Amstrad be-
cause of its seemingly lack
of games.
The possibilities are either
a C128 or a Spectrum.
Please help me in this matter.
HoweVer there is only
one problem, I find it hard to
think that the sound on the
Spectrum can only (or nearly
always) get a seven.
For instance look at Cauldron
lion the Spectrum, you
gave it seven, but, the only
sound that I could hear was
a resounding noise resembling
a bounce.
S Fitzpatrick
Dublin
• Don't know why you've
ruled out the 64C — it has
much the same basic as the
128 AND you get a really
good deal on the machine at
the moment. It comes with
a whole bunch of games,
the dataset and a mouse all
in one special package. The
128 has few games written
specifically for it — and it
always breaks when I try to
use it as a frisbee. The Spectrum
is, as ever good value,
although some compatibility
problems with the
Amstrad+ 2.
• Your magazine is the best
computer magazine I have
had the chance to read. It is
full of the things I like, especially
games. I started reading
your magazine two
years ago and since then I
have never missed a single
issue although it costs me
E4 every month.
I guess that you do not
hear much from your readers
in the Arab world so
please listen to a voice coming
from the U.A.E. When I
first bought your magazine I
found it a bit difficult to read
but now it is a piece of cake
— it has also improved my
English. I have even stopped
buying Arabic computer
mags.
Congratulations on your
5th birthday how can you
be so young and yet so
learned in computers. Keep
up the good work or in my
mother tongue "Wasiloo alamal
al-jaied"
Ashraf Obeid Alnager
Sharjah
• Hey! Hope that's not rude
Ashraf! Don't want the
IDEAS censors coming
down on us! And your English
must be a bit odd if
you've learnt it from
C+VG's writers! Seriously,
thanks for your comments.
But £4! We'll all have to
work a bit harder to make it
worth your while!
After reading your July and
August issues of C4 VG I
thought I ought to write and
correct a few points_
In the Price of Magik review
Keith Campbell says
that the VAX is 'dated and
unsuitable' and goes on to
say that Avalon will have a
save facility that will also
restore his status in the
event of a system crash a
feature which MUD lacks.
This is not true, MUD's
vocabulary is 1200 words
(600 useable by mortals)
and has room for about
2500. At present there is
600-700 locations but that is
hoped to be increased to
3000 as time goes on
(Richard Bartle's figures, not
It hardly sounds dated or
unsuitable to me, especially
now that the response time
is down to under three
seconds. And the suggestion
that a crash causes status
to be lost is ludicrous.
Your score is saved automatically
every time it increases
and you always get
returned to the most recent
of these.
This incidently is what the
save command which puzzled
Jim Douglas is for, in
the event of a bug in the
automatic facility.
I hope this information
will stop prospective players
being put off a very worthwhile
past-time.
Pebbles the Superheroine
Cambridge
• I like MUD. It helps cool
my circuits on a hot day. I
find wallowing in it is the
best — but mud-packs are
OK for quick relief if you're
in a hurry. The Bug Hunters
response time is down to
three seconds too — but it's
still not quick enough for
Jackson T.