›              o=o=o=o=o=››           ATOMIT REVISITED›› I inadvertantly opened a can of worms› last  issue  by  including  the game,› "Atomit"  on  the   newsletter  disk.› This is one of the most  fascinating,› yet one of the most frustrating games› written  for  the  Atari  8-bit  (see› Editor's  Notes  of  the  July/August› issue if you haven't played the  game› yet,  and  then  play  it!)  The time› limit for each screen  is  the  major› cause  of  the  frustration that most› players feel.›› JOSEPH E. HICSWA,  OHAUG  member  and› President  of  the  JACG,  sent  me a› letter  and  a  disk.   He  used  the› CHIPMUNK (Microdaft) copy program  to› make  a  copy   of   the   game   and› simultaneously  free  up  the  unused› sectors  on the disk so that he could› include a copy of his letter and some› files that he created that would help› anyone master the game.  In short, he› developed  a  "cheat"  for the  game.› But he couldn't  do  that  unless  he› could find a way to defeat the timer.› Joe   discovered   that    the    key› combination  <CTRL-1>   pauses   (and› unpauses)  the game.  Armed with that› fact, Joe designed a grid that  could› be  printed  out   from   any   word-› processor.   Joe included a file that› is   properly   set   up   for  XLENT› (ATOMGRID.XLT) and a generic  "ASCII"› file (ATOMGRID.ASC), and I've put the› two of them on this disk.  If you use› a  word-processor  other  than XLENT,› Joe states that  you  must  set  your› left  margin  at  zero,  your   right› margin  at  79, and use a page length› of 61 lines.›› Joe uses his grid to diagram the game› screen  at  each  level,  showing the› barriers, outlines of the  playfield,› and  the  pre-play  locations  of the› cursor and the atoms. He  sent  me  a› copy  of  his  "cheat"  for the first› screen, complete with the  directions› of  all  moves.   Although  I   can't› include that diagram here, I can tell› you that Joe was able to do the first› screen in twenty-seven moves.›› Joe  suggested  that  the OHAUG run a› contest to see who can solve the game› in  the least number of moves at each› level.  But,  then,  we  should  have› many winners if our members use Joe's› grid techinique, shouldn't we?›› Whether we run such a contest or not,› and  whether  you  use  Joe's grid or› just try slugging  out  the  game  on› your own, I think we should thank Joe› for   the   work  he  put  into  this› project.››              o=o=o=o=o=›››