¢8-BIT NEWS - MAY/JUNE 1993¢by S.J.Murray¢¢¢* The Brundles are coming! Derek Fern has informed me that the main animation screens have been completed by Rolf Specth in Germany, but the completed program is very large and is currently undergoing compression before it will fit onto a 64K machine. There are ten main screens and ten levels for each screen!¢¢ Derek is also considering the import of Geisterschloss, a game for the light-gun. I hope he gets a good deal from Kemal at KE-Soft because this game is quite expensive to buy in Germany (DM40 - about 16 pounds). Obviously, Derek will get it for a lot less than DM40 so let's hope he can sell it in the UK for under a tenner.¢¢ Other new European disks to look out for include The Curse, Captain Gather and Humanoid.¢¢¢* The third TWAUG Newsletter is now available. Send 1.95 pounds to: TWAUG, P.O.Box 8, Wallsend, Tyne & Wear, NE28 6DQ. A six-issue TWAUG subscription is only 11.00 pounds. I've been quite impressed by the first two issues and strongly urge you to support the TWAUG team; Dave, John and Max. Keep up the good work guys!¢¢¢* Page 6 issue 62 is also out now. Look out for my new column, The Classic PD Zone. Issue 62 is priced at only 2.50 pounds. A six-issue UK subscription is only 12.00 pounds (25.00 pounds with issue disks). This represents amazing value for money. Where else can you get 50+ pages of 8-Bit news, reviews, ads and articles for about two quid? It's about time those who don't subscribe to Page 6 took a step back and looked at what they're missing. Allan Palmer's new Mailbag column is an excellent read! Send to: Page 6, P.O.Box 54, Stafford, ST16 1DR.¢¢¢* The third issue of Atari Classics has just been released and I must say it is excellent. AC just gets better and better with the release of each new issue. Highlights from issue 3 (Vol.2 No.2) include:¢¢- Readers Forum (including a letter from Allan Palmer of Page 6 Mailbag);¢- Us Guys Iz Yooze Guys: A Status Report On The AC Experiment (a lengthy and very entertaining report by Ben Poehland);¢- Tips 'n' Tricks (manuals, monitor cables, Atariwriter 80, and XF551 sockets);¢- The Fitting Room (the "Whizzy" 256K upgrade);¢- Dollars and Sense in Education (the Bellcom PD Library);¢- The Garret (text adventures);¢- Correspondent's Corner (from Hawaii);¢- Exploring the Wild FONTier (the third part of the Daisy Dot III series);¢- The XL/XE Guide to Expanded Memory;¢- Advanced C Programming on the Atari 8-Bit, Part 2;¢- A Look at Synchromesh (software enhancement for the Indus GT disk drive).¢¢ Add to this a healthy splattering of 8-Bit advertisements and you have a quality product. Ben and all the AC staff must be congratulated for producing such an excellent magazine within such a short period of time. If the issue disks develop at the same rate as the magazine, we may very soon see AC outshine Antic and Analog. Yes, a tall order - but after AC issue 3, quite possible!¢¢ A six-issue disk subscription to Europe (Airmail) is only $47 ($38 + $9). AC accept Access and VISA ($2 processing fee). Send to:¢¢Ben Poehland,¢Managing Editor,¢Atari Classics,¢179 Sproul Road,¢Rt. 352,¢Frazer,¢PA 19355-1958,¢USA.¢¢ I noticed in the latest issue of the 2600 Connection that Ben is currently offering a FREE sample copy of AC to prospective subscribers. Include an International Reply Coupon to help with the postage. Give AC a try - you will not be disappointed!¢¢¢* A small correction to the news I gave you last time on the Bellcom PD Library: Bellcom only accept VISA credit card orders. They DO NOT accept Access. Have you sent for your Bellcom lists yet?¢¢ I have just received a letter from Don Bell and the news is both good and bad. The good news is that the new Bellcom Catalogue Supplement #2 will be ready very soon and it will contain almost 100 new Bellcom disks (including Futura issues 1-6). The bad news is that Don has decided to close the Bellcom P.D. Library at the end of this year due to a fall in sales.¢¢ Perhaps if Don receives increased support over the next six months he may decide to keep the Bellcom Library open. I hope so. You can get in touch with Bellcom at the following address (remember to include an International Reply Coupon):¢¢Bellcom,¢P.O.Box 1043,¢Peterborough,¢Ontario,¢CANADA¢K9J 7A5.¢¢¢* Irish Atari User (IAU) is an Atari 8-Bit newsletter from Northern Ireland which comes complete with a disk of programs. It is great value at only 1.50 pounds. I have recently received issue 3 from the editor, Robert Paden. He informs me that due to poor sales, issue 4 (out in July) will be the last. This is a great shame as I feel IAU has a lot of potential. Perhaps he may change his mind if enough 8-Bitters order issue 4. Just send 1.50 pounds to: IAU, c/o Robert Paden, 54 Ardmillan Crescent, Newtownards, Co. Down, Northern Ireland BT23 4PW. Apart from a few spelling mistakes, I found issue 3 to be a very good read (16 pages). The disk includes Blackjack, Xevious, Kitt Demo and Pixel Artist Deluxe. Keep up the good work Robert - don't give up now!¢¢ Robert does mention that he and his friends are working on a new game called 'POD'. They also plan to begin a disk newsletter towards the end of this year. It is great to hear of others who share my enthusiasm for the Atari 8-Bit! I wish you all the best of luck with your future projects and will help in any way I can. I look forward to IAU4.¢¢¢That's all the news for now!¢¢¢¢And now... the weather...¢¢¢naaa!¢
