-------------------------------- ** ** ** ----------------------------- -------------------------------- ** ** ** ----------------------------- -------------------------------- ** ** ** ----------------------------- -------------------------------- ** ** ** ----------------------------- ------------------------------- ** ** ** ---------------------------- ----------------------------- *** ** *** -------------------------- ---------------------------- *** ** *** ------------------------- ATARI EXPLORER ONLINE MAGAZINE June 29, 1992 Volume 1, Number 5 Issue #92-05 Copyright (c)1992, Atari Computer Corporation Published by Atari Corporation Editor - Ron Kovacs Contributing Editor - Ed Krimen | | | TABLE OF CONTENTS | | | ||| The Publishers Workstation........................Bob Brodie Survey update and more..... ||| The Editors Desk..................................Ron Kovacs AEO Mailbag and new release schedule announced! ||| Z*Net User Group Newswire................................... Atarifest Update! ||| Straight Fax................................................ Reprint from Atari Explorer Magazine - Review! ||| Perusing GEnie......................................Ed Krimen Hot Topics of discussion on GEnie! ||| Lynx Owners Update..............................Clinton Smith Latest Lynx News from AtariUser Magazine ||| AtariUser Magazine Reviews................................... Great mini-reviews of interest! ||| Computer Terms............................................... Terminology of frequent terms! ||| Zenobot's Game Cheats........................................ April update! | | | THE PUBLISHERS WORKSTATION | | | By Bob Brodie | | | ---------------------------------------------------------------- WOW!! In my last column, I explained that my online time was starting to diminish. In an attempt to ensure that I was reaching the greatest numbers of people, I asked for the online Atarians to tell me what networks they wanted me to support. And tell me they have! Without a doubt, this has caused a little bit of controversy. However, most of the activity has been absolutely wonderful!! I have gotten mail from MANY people that I have never heard from before! All of the "lurkers" are crawling out of the woodwork to let me know their opinion on this important issue. Some people seem to feel that I was attempting to sway people by telling them that I thought the results would be GEnie and the FNET. Nothing could be further from the truth. It was my hope that the other networks would respond by showing me the level of interest that each one of them has in having my presence online. And to each and every one of you that has responded, my thanks! To each and every one of you that HAS NOT responded, in two weeks we'll be done with this fact finding exercise. Please, if you haven't already contacted me, do so as soon as possible. I'm really very open to suggestions. If you think that I have only listed the networks that I'm willing to be on, you're wrong! Let me know where YOU want me to be, and I'll give it careful consideration!!! I've already heard from a number of people on the InterNet, and the FidoNet!! If you can't reach me online, feel free to write, call, or fax. You can reach me as follows: Atari Corporation Voice: 408-745-2052 1196 Borregas Ave. FAX: 408-745-2088 Sunnyvale, CA 94089-1302 I have an answering machine on my system at work, and hey...feel free to test out those new fax modems by sending me your opinion!! A Word about CompuServe ======================= Despite my request for input via E-mail, Ron Luks, the Atari Forum administrator of CompuServe has started a limited poll for the members of the CIS Atari Forums. This is not what I had hoped for. The poll doesn't allow the same freedom that using e-mail does, and assumes certain responses are satisfactory to the respondent. No provision for alternative commentary or choices is made. Since Ron is determined to see his poll through, I'll take it under secondary advisement as a courtesy to our users on CIS. However, I encourage every member of the CIS Atari Forums to please send me E-mail!! At this point, I'm sorry to report that the response on CompuServe has been pathetic...far and away the lowest number of respondents on any network. You've got two more weeks to respond in e-mail, gang! Let's see how many of the CIS World-Wide membership will respond...in e-mail! My CompuServe ID is 70007,3240. It's no surprise to me that some of the users of the networks use one network to send me e-mail, while they encourage me to appear on another one!! Somehow, I doubt that this would happen in a public survey sponsored by a network. Further, there might be specific comments about the particular network that people would be willing to share with me in the privacy of e-mail, that they would rather not say in public. Believe me, some of the commentary in the e-mail has been pretty pointed!!!! GEnie, on the other hand... =========================== GEnie has shown once again why they are one of the leading online networks for Atari owners everywhere. The amount of mail that came in just last weekend alone was staggering! My heartfelt thanks to each of you that responded as asked!! I'm especially grateful for the cooperation of Head Sysop Darlah Potechin, who made certain that all of the Atarians online in the ST Roundtables knew that I wanted to hear from them. Reading this mail was one of the most encouraging things that I have done in MONTHS! Next edition, I'll share some of the comments that I've gotten in this survey. It's my hope that you will enjoy reading them as much as I have!! I'd also like to take this opportunity to thank the people from InterNet, FidoNet, and other networks that have contacted me to tell me how much they appreciate Atari Explorer Online! I appreciate them helping to distribute Atari Explorer Online to the other networks that we don't directly log on to. It's seems that there is a pretty impatient group out there, waiting to see the latest edition every two weeks! Thanks for writing, it's just that kind of encouragement that helps encourage the staff to keep up the effort! New Editor Update ================= An offer has been made to one of the candidates Atari is looking at to head up Atari Explorer Magazine, and assume the publisher duties of the online edition as well! We're doing some additional negotiations at this time with the candidate. Needless to say, I'm hoping for a quick conclusion to these negotiations...it's been a long time coming! As soon as we have the name of the new editor, I promise that you'll know RIGHT AWAY! Coming soon to a city near you?? ================================= We're starting to move in to the show season. Following in the footsteps of the hugely successful ACE '92 Show held in Toronto, Canada in early April. I've also taken to the road again, and have been out and about visiting user groups. A couple of weeks ago found me in Milwaukee for the MAST Show, as well as visiting with the Lake County ACE, and MilAtari members! I've also been in northern California, to be with the Redding Atari Computer Enthusiasts, and the Sacramento ST Users Group. Currently, I'm planning on attending the Mid Indiana ST Atarifest in Indianapolis in July, as well as the Connecticut Atarifest in August. Mike Groh, our national sales manager will be attending the Blue Ridge Atarifest in Asheville, North Carolina. I encourage all of our southeastern Atarians to contact Sheldon Winick (S.WINICK on GEnie) at Computer STudio in Asheville for details on the show! I've attended the Blue Ridge Atarifest for two years in a row, it's an experience not to be missed!!! There are also plans in the works for the Southern California Atari Faire, (The Glendale Show) Version 6.0 for the late Summer. We'll update you on the fall/winter shows as they draw nearer. New Products from Atari? ======================== Atari has made tentative plans for the North American debut of the Falcon 030 at the Boston Computer Society on September 23, 1992. While we have not finalized these plans yet, I'm personally comfortable enough with them that I've got my airline tickets already! This will be the first public showing of the Falcon 030 in North America. Part of the excitement of the Falcon 030 is MultiTOS, something that we've already shown to an anxious public at the extraordinary ACE '92 Show in Toronto. Since that showing, I've been assailed by hundreds of questions about how MultiTOS works, and looks. While the product is still in development, and therefore subject to some changes, it's solid enough to show YOU how it looks! So we've included some screen shots of MultiTOS with this issue to give you a glimpse of the future! I hope you enjoy them!! | | | THE EDITORS DESK | | | By Ron Kovacs | | | ---------------------------------------------------------------- Before continuing here, let me first state that this issue required additional time to produce. Please note that I am not at all pleased about releasing issues late, although the recent track record states differently. There is some good news to report however, in just 4 DAYS Atari Explorer Online moves to a weekly release schedule. In the AEO Mailbag recently, we received a request or two for 8-bit support. There are a number of things that require that to occur. First and foremost we need material. Z*Magazine, another relative to AEO and the grandfather of Atari Online magazines still exists. Z*Mag issues are released on a monthly basis with 100% 8-bit coverage. The need for an additional 8-Bit Online Magazine doesn't seem necessary in my opinion. The process to create Z*Mag on a monthly basis takes effort to produce because of the lack of information available. To date there are over 208 issues of Z*Magazine dating back to May 1986. There is plenty of information already available, however, there is a need for coverage and the amount to be allocated for AEO has yet to be determined. The other point noted was the release of AEO issues in a format compatible with the 8-bit machine. We are currently discussing this situation and will have a response real soon now :-), or atleast by the next release of this magazine. I am personally not to fond of resizing the issue to 40 columns or editing out material not applicable to the 8-Bit. Stay tuned for details. Another request received this week on GEnie was for Z*Net. Z*Net Atari Online Magazine was merged with this publication. Z*Net PC Online Magazine still flourishes and is currently away on summer vacation. AEO replaces Z*Net Atari and the Z*Net Newswire, already a part of user group newsletters and AtariUser Magazine continues in AEO. Please continue to forward your comments and suggestions! Thanks for reading and remember, Friday's belong to Atari Explorer Online Magazine! | | | Z*NET USER GROUP NEWSWIRE | | | Latest Shows Update | | | ---------------------------------------------------------------- This column covers the Atari User Group Show schedule. If you have an update to share, send all press release information to Z-NET on GEnie, 75300,1642 on CompuServe and via FNET nodes 593, 319, 706. DISCOUNTS OFFERED ON ADMISSION TO HARTFORD ATARI SHOW Budget-conscious Atari users can take advantage of a registration offer that will save them money during their visit to Connecticut AtariFest'92 (CAF '92) here on August 15 and 16. Show organizers have invited on- line and bulletin board users to pre-register for the Northeast's only Atari show this summer and save up to $2 off the price of admission. For a limited time, would-be show attendees can download an Earlybird Registration Form, fill in the necessary data and get $1.50 discount off the price of a one-day ticket, $2 off the price of a two-day pass. Attendees registering at the show will pay $5 and $8 for one- and two- day passes, respectively. Registrants must return the form with a check or money order by midnight July 9, 1992 to qualify for discounts. Organizers said the EarlyBird discounts will give showgoers a little more buying power with which to fill shopping bags with goodies at the show. By pre-registering, attendees can breeze through the check-in desk on the days of the show and won't be left waiting in line while other visitors grab the best bargains. CAF '92 Chairman Brian Gockley said EarlyBird registants will also receive a pre-show mailer containing news about specials that off-the-street visitors won't learn about until the doors of CAF '92 open. Connecticut AtariFest '92 is rapidly shaping up as the must-go Atari event of this summer. More than two dozen leading developers and Atari dealers plan to attend. More than one dozen Atari user groups from around the Northeast will also participate. The show runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday August 15 and Sunday August 16 at the Sheraton Hotel at Bradley International Airport in Windor Locks, 12 miles north of downtown Hartford. Show activities will include presentation of the latest Atari products and services, seminars on desktop publishing and video production, instruction from developers, a hands-on Atari 'Petting Zoo' spotlighting unique user creations, MIDI demonstrations, Lynx (game system) competitions, Portfolio (palmtop) applications, 8-bit support and more. Prospective showgoers who do not subscribe to a major on-line service or contact Atari bulletin board systems in the Northeast can still get a pre-show discount. They should address a self-addressed, stamped envelope to Connecticut AtariFest '92, 18 Elmwood Avenue, Bridgeport, CT 06605. For more information about the show, contact Brian Gockley at the above address [Phone (203) 332-1721; E-Mail GEnie = B.GOCKLEY], or Doug Finch, 46 Park Avenue, Old Greenwich, CT 06870 [Phone (203) 637-1034; EMail CIS = 76337,1067 or GEnie = D.FINCH7. GLENDALE ATARIFEST UPDATE Are you ready for the next Southern California Computer Faire? Yes, Version 6.0 will soon be upon us. We anticipate that this year's Glendale Show will be the largest ever. We also expect that there might possibly be a new machine on display. Hint. Hint. There will be over fifty developers, retailers, user groups and ATARI personnel on hand to make this event a must. The show will be held Saturday and Sunday, September 12-13, 1992 at the Glendale Civic Auditorium, 1041 N. Verdugo Road, Glendale, CA. Hours are 10:00 am to 6:00 pm on Saturday and 10:00 am to 4:00 pm on Sunday. General Admission is $6.00 per person with a two day pass costing only $10.00. If you plan on attending and you live outside of Southern California you may get FREE admission by sending a self-address-stamped-#10 envelope to H.A.C.K.S., 249 N. Brand Bl. #321, Glendale, CA 91203 and get a one day pass for two. For those of you who will be needing lodging we have made arrangements with the Burbank Hilton. Regular rates are $119.00 per night but if you mention ATARI you will get a room for $65.00 per night, single or double occupancy. Executive suites are also available for a per night charge of $95.00. Reservations may be made by calling the Hilton at 800-643-7400 (in California), 800-468-3576 (inside the USA) or at 818-843-600 (outside the USA). The guaranteed reservation cut-off date is August 20th. If you are quoted another rate ask for Roy Butler, Sales Manger. This year The Glendale Show will be holding Desk Top Publishing Classes. This has been a very popular addition at other shows. There will be a $25.00(US) fee for these hands-on classes. ISD Marketing will be holding Beginners and Advanced classes for owners and prospective owners of Calamus SL. Classes will be held on Saturday and Sunday. Classroom size is limited. Make your reservations by sending a check for $25.00(US) payable to H.A.C.S.K., 249 Brand Bl. #321, Glendale, CA 91203. Be sure to state the preference of day and class level. A confirmation will be sent, about two weeks prior to the show, by return mail stating which class you will be enrolled in. Enrollment in the classroom will also entitle you to admission to the rest of the show for the day of your class. Look for our full-page advertisements in upcoming issues of AtariUser and Atari Explorer magazines. If you have any questions send mail to H.A.C.K.S., 249 N. Brand Bl. #321, Glendale, CA 91203 or leave GEmail to John.King.T or call John King Tarpinian at 818-246-7276. WAACE ATARIFEST UPDATE The Washington Area Atari Computer Enthusiasts will sponsor W.A.A.C.E. AtariFest 1992 on October 10 and 11. The show will again be staged at the Sheraton Reston Hotel in Reston, VA. Show hours will be from 10 am to 6 pm on both days. In addition to the shopping bargains available from over thirty vendors there will be a full round of demonstrations, tutorials, and seminars. A banquet on Saturday evening will feature a special speaker on Atari matters and Current Notes Magazine's "Author of the Year" award. Special mixers will cap off the evening's festivities. The 1990 and 1991 editions of the show attracted approximately 2000 visitors. The Sheraton Reston Hotel is a spacious, attractive facility located in a parklike setting near Washington, DC. The hotel is offering a special room rate of $59 per night plus tax to 'Fest attendees. Call 1-800-392-ROOM or 703-620-9000 for reservations. Be sure to mention W.A.A.C.E. AtariFest '92. The number of rooms available at this special rate is limited, so make your reservations early. The price that W.A.A.C.E. will have to pay for the exhibit space is directly tied to the number of hotel rooms that are rented out. If you have any expectation at all of attending the event we would like you to reserve a room for Friday and Saturday nights. Immediately following the 1991 show Charles F. Johnson of Codehead Technologies announced that W.A.A.C.E. '91 was the most profitable outing that they had ever had, anywhere. For eight years W.A.A.C.E. has provided a complete Atari experience. 1992 promises to be in that same tradition. For additional information please contact: Charles Hoffmann, 5908 Bayshire Road, Springfield, VA 22152-1146 (703) 569-6734 GEnie : S. Hoffmann CompuServe : 73740,1507 Delphi : CHUCKHOFFMAN | | | STRAIGHT FAX | | | Atari Explorer Review | | | ---------------------------------------------------------------- Requirements: Any ST, STe, or TT computer with 1 MB or more RAM. Class 2 Faxmodem (receive and transmit) or SendFAX modem (send only). Summary: Powerful and well-designed send/receive fax software package. Manufacturer: Joppa Software Development, P.O. Box 214, Dallastown, PA 17313-0214 (717) 428-3231 Price: $89.95 Let me admit my bias: I think fax is pretty much an all-around stone drag. Fax machines cost too much, waste paper, and produce substandard output that can't be read directly by machines. Unfortunately, the Luddite majority has been led to believe that fax is a miracle of information science, and has embraced the standard with bleating, sheeplike enthusiasm. The resulting trend leaves us technically- literate types with no choice but to conform -- admitting that the fax standard exists, and using it when there's no reasonable alternative. The real miracle of fax, of course, is that people will pay upwards of six bills for the equivalent of a cheap auto-dial telephone, a handful of stock chips, and a low-res thermal printer. Luckily, however, there's now an alternative. Just because we're forced to use fax from time to time doesn't mean we have to put up with its unwieldy, redundant, underpowered, and overpriced machinery. Combined with one of the new high-speed faxmodems, Joppa's inexpensive STraight FAX software turns your Atari ST or TT into a versatile facsimile workstation, as powerful as the best stand-alone, plain-paper fax machines on the market. The Basics STraight FAX works by coordinating system resources -- faxmodem, printer, and hand scanner -- to substitute for the components of a fax machine. But by dissociating these components, it achieves efficiencies a stand-alone fax can't match. Unlike a regular fax, which accepts only physical documents, STraight FAX can take input in file form -- transparently converting ASCII text (from word processors, spreadsheets, databases, etc.), .IMG, and Degas files to its own "fax" format, prior to transmission. This approach saves time and paper, eliminates feed errors, and scotches any physical limitation on feed capacity. Perhaps even more important, converted documents are free of the spurious data, shadowing, and other problems introduced when physical pages are scanned into a standard fax, making for far cleaner output at the destination. To broaden the range of applications that can provide input to STraight FAX, Joppa has created "printer drivers" for Calamus (1.9 and SL), PageStream (1.8 and 2.1), and GDOS that let these programs produce fax files directly. Multiple-page transmissions can be assembled from up to 33 files in any of the supported formats (ASCII, .IMG, Degas .PI3, and "fax" (.J01 to .J99 extenders)); and the file-conversion routines can be operated manually to convert files to fax format for later sending. This capability is leveraged by sophisticated features permitting deferred document transmission. Faxing hardcopy requires a hand-scanner (MiGraph, Golden Image, etc.), plus Dr. Bobware's ScanLite desk accessory. With ScanLite present, STraight FAX controls your scanner directly, using ScanLite to combine the narrow "strips" produced by each pass into a single, seamless image. The image can then be reviewed, cropped, and massaged in one of STraight FAX's four "view windows," before saving as an .IMG file for transmission. While this is admittedly somewhat more laborious than simply feeding hardcopy to a fax machine, there are real advantages to this approach. Not least of these is the fact that scanned documents can be "touched up" (e.g., algorithmically smoothed, contrast-corrected, etc.) prior to transmission, making for clearer output at the destination end. As STraight FAX receives a document, it outputs a series of page-files in its own "fax" format -- optionally displaying these in a view window as pages are received. Once transmission is complete, fax files may be printed (using GDOS), reviewed directly in a view window, or converted to .IMG format for various purposes, including import to graphics, DTP, or perhaps even OCR software. (Now there's irony for you: use all this sophisticated tech to receive a fax, process it through MiGraph OCR, and end up with the same ASCII text file you could have downloaded directly if the ruminant at the other end of the line would learn how a modem works! Is that high techno-camp, or what?) STraightforward! Though essentially a specialized telecommunications package, STraight FAX is much easier to operate than regular terminal software. Once the program is properly configured, it hides the complex business of faxmodem management behind a simple user-interface that automates every aspect of fax communication, and provides clear records of faxes transmitted and received. Initial installation is easy -- an "install" program is supplied on the distribution disk, so all you have to do is point, click, fill in the blanks in the online registration form, then (as a famous scientist once said) "sit back und vatch der blinkenlights." STraight FAX can reside in any folder, and can address independent folders for outgoing and incoming material. Additional preparations are only slightly more complicated. For printing, STraight FAX requires that GDOS (or G+Plus, or Font GDOS, or FSM/GDOS) be installed, though since the program does not require any special fonts for printing, an existing GDOS configuration should work fine. Depending on what version of TOS you're running, it may also be necessary to install one of a variety of AUTO-folder "patches" to insure proper handling of the modem port. The necessary patches are supplied with STraight FAX (Atari has released these to the public domain), and the manual contains a table correlating TOS versions, patches, and flow- control options. Finally, STraight FAX's unattended transmission and logging features require that system time be set correctly. Because early-model STs lack battery-backed clocks, Joppa has thoughtfully included a time-setting utility with the package. This utility can be run as a program or installed as a desk accessory. Additionally, if STraight FAX determines that system time has not been set during the current work-session, it will auto-execute the time-setting program if the utility is stored in the same directory as the main application. Once the program is up and running, online configuration is simple and straightforward. You will have to identify the type of faxmodem you are using (the program supports both Class 2 send/receive faxmodems up to 14,400 baud, and Joppa's own SendFAX, send-only faxmodem), though most other low-level parameters (DTMF intertone delays, redial intervals, comma pause times, etc.) are preset to tolerable default values. Setting baud rate in the program is easy -- just set it to the highest rate your faxmodem will support, and the modem will handle such "stopping down" as may be needed to communicate with lower-speed equipment. Additional configuration options may be set to control automatic cover-page and page-header generation and appearance, influence the formatting of .IMG and Degas files on conversion, and to master certain cosmetic aspects of program behavior (use of "grow" and "shrink" boxes, etc.). Features and Details Though menu-driven, all of STraight FAX's features may also be elicited by keypress. Frequently-used features are coded to the main function keys and to a small button panel, embedded in the screen background. Faxes may thus be sent, received, and scheduled; phone lists may be updated and logs reviewed, all with "one-touch" ease. Four "send" buttons permit transmission of a single document in ASCII, .IMG, Degas, or FAX format. When one of these buttons is clicked, a file selector pops up -- its mask set to reveal only files of the selected type. Once a source document is selected, conversion and transmission proceed immediately unless automatic cover-page generation is active. In this latter case, a default cover-page file is loaded and displayed for approval or modification. Cover pages contain standard fields for sender, recipient, and other information, and can incorporate a graphic saved as a fax-format file. Cover page parameters may be loaded and saved to disk, so several types of cover sheets can be maintained. When a cover page is generated for transmission, variable fields such as date, time, and total number of pages are filled in, automatically. Recipient name can also be filled in by the program, from information found in the telephone list. This is particularly useful when sending the same document to multiple recipients. Selecting a destination fax number is the next step. Just point and double-click, and your fax is on its way. Call progress is monitored by a status dialog box, and automatic redial, re-sending of failed pages, and other "hands off" convenience features are supported. Transmissions are automatically made at the highest speed sender and recipient can support, limited by current line conditions. Successful completion is announced by an audio tone, and entries are automatically made in the transmission log, for later reference. Sending the same document to multiple recipients is just as easy: select multiple destination phone numbers from the phone list (up to 100 numbers may be loaded at once, and phone lists can be saved and loaded from disk), and off you go. STraight FAX automatically logs each requested transfer into the scheduler (using the current time), then calls each number and sends the document. Recipient information, actual time of transmission, and date are automatically modified for each cover page. Call history is saved in the transmission log file. Deferred transmission is also handled by the scheduler: just select a document, approve a cover page, designate one or several recipients, then input a time and date. Entries to the scheduler can be edited or cancelled at any time prior to transmission. STraight fax can only process scheduled transmissions when active, but otherwise unoccupied -- it cannot inherently perform "background processing," nor "wake up" from dormancy to perform pending tasks. For this reason, the program is designed to perform any pending transfers whenever it is executed. A similar problemette occurs on fax receipt: which STraight FAX performs gracefully either in manual or automatic mode -- but only when up and running. Luckily, when Atari releases MultiTOS, later this year, both these quibbles will go away. According to Joppa, STraight FAX is already fully compliant with the promised operating system upgrade. As a MultiTOS background process, STraight FAX will be fully capable of unattended transmission and receipt. Final Notes STraight FAX's 80-page manual is complete, concise, well-organized, and well-written -- covering each aspect of the program in ample detail. The only problem with the manual is that several groups of pages appear more than once -- confusing until you figure things out and remove the extra sheets. Purchase and registration also gives access to Joppa's technical support voice line and BBS, both of which are staffed by technically-expert personnel. The only reasonable objection to the program is its lack of background processing capability, and this problem will evaporate as soon as MultiTOS is released. Beyond this, it's hard to think of any fundamental feature STraight FAX lacks, though it's possible to imagine the program being enhanced, over time, to give access to a wider variety of file-types for direct transmission. Overall, STraight FAX is a very good piece of software. Anyone managing a sales force, keeping in touch with a broad client base, zapping press releases out to expectant media, or fielding any similarly advanced, professional fax application (oxymoronic as this may sound) would be well advised to purchase STraight FAX and an appropriate faxmodem, straightaway. It's simply the cheapest, neatest, most efficient way to deal with the fax phenomenon. | | | PERUSING GENIE | | | By Ed Krimen | | | ---------------------------------------------------------------- Some messages may have been edited for clarity, correct spelling, punctuation, and grammar. 40-FOLDER BUG REVISITED ----------------------- -=> In the "Atari Corporation Online" category (14) -=> from the "Atari's new TOS 2.06" topic (8) Message 201 Tue Jun 16, 1992 MUSE [Tomas] at 03:07 EDT > FOLDRxxx is only necessary if you plan to have over 40 folders > OPEN at one time. Doug, Who plans? I'm always trying to figure this out. Would a backup session result in over 40 folders OPEN or just ACCESSED? ===Tomas=== (Who always listens when Doug talks.) ---------- Message 204 Tue Jun 16, 1992 J.WISNIEWSK2 [Jeff - ST'er] at 05:44 EDT The 40 folder limit - you would have to have 40 or more windows open at the same time, and the limit is now more than 40 so you will never hit it, at least that is what I understand from some of the Codehead's comments. ---------- Message 206 Tue Jun 16, 1992 J.EIDSVOOG1 [CodeHead] at 10:28 EDT It really isn't possible to reliably predict exactly when you will hit the "40-folder limit". Although it does have to do with folders being open, there are other factors involved. GEMDOS has a "memory pool" that is used for (at least) two things -- path structures and memory descriptors. Ever since the "fix" of the 40-folder limit was implemented in TOS 1.04, these two structures have shared the use of the memory pool. Each time a new path is accessed, a new structure is allocated from the pool. If you do a media change on a drive, all of the path structures belonging to it will be returned to the pool. The pool is also used for memory descriptors. When GEMDOS first initializes there are just two descriptors, one for the memory used by GEMDOS and one for the free memory available. Every time a program allocates a block of memory, an extra descriptor is taken from the pool and assigned to that block of memory. If that block is freed (_and_ it is contiguous with free block of memory), the memory will be combined into one descriptor and the other will be given back to the pool. With all of this action in and out of the pool, it is impossible to predict how much pool memory will be needed by any particular system. I choose to add "200 folders" to my setup (through ICDBOOT.SYS) no matter what TOS version I run. It only takes 13K for this piece of mind. Remember, this is not a bug fix...it's a system configuration. I'm expanding my GEMDOS memory pool to fit my system. On an MSDOS machine, this is handled by "FILES=xxx" and "BUFFERS=xxx". If you want to dive into a pool, just make sure there's enough water in it. John ======================================= EPIC ---- -=> In the "Games" category (9) -=> from the "Epic by Ocean" topic (40) Message 51 Sun Jun 21, 1992 HAINES at 15:56 EDT To run Epic on a Mega STE at 16MHz boot normally to the desktop, set speed to 16MHZ with cache in the Control CPX, run DC Bootit and set to Low Res, 60Hz. Will run visibly faster. I have run Epic on a 1 meg 1040St with Tos 1.2, Mega STE 4 at 8/16MHz, and a SST with a total of 8meg ram. It does detect that it is running on a 68030 cpu, and tells you that on one of the title screens. Very smooth motion on higher speed machines, though the actual game speed does not change that much. The game is too easy though, I finished the last mission the first time through it. Was kind of dissapointed it was over. The storm mission depends on how much damage and how fast you were earlier. You can have to 200 fighters coming in. When you barely scrape through on the earlier levels, and get to this one, and start seeing multiple squadrons of fighters side by side coming in, it really envokes feelings of Battlestar Galatica and Star Wars. Oh, if you boot your Mega STE off the disk, it will be defaulted at 8MHz, running before the hard drive spins up. I have not noticed the 4 meg problem that was around with F-29. I wish there were real files you could see though, so you could move it to a hard drive. The intermissions take time. ======================================= GEMULATOR UPDATE ---------------- -=> In the "Emulation for the ST" category (19) -=> from the "GEMULATOR (Atari ST emulator)" topic (15) Message 130 Mon Jun 22, 1992 D.SMITHRN [Smitty] at 01:06 EDT Darek.... When do think you will have Gemulator ready to go? The reason I ask is I really have been burned before and you do ask for a hefty chunk of change for this. I still have bad memories of the PC DITTO fiasco... (Yes It does linger...) I have tried the IBM emulators... PC ditto, AtSpeed), But Now have a clone, so the Gemulator does look pretty good to me.... I am one of the project managers for the up coming San Diego Show... Interested in letting SDACE demo Gemulator? Let me know.. (That is If you are not selling them at Glendale) Pax Smitty ---------- Message 131 Tue Jun 23, 1992 BRASOFT [Darek] at 00:09 EDT Pax, you probably haven't read my newsletter. Gemulator I is being RELEASED at the Glendale show. It's on schedule and I have 10 of the units already installed at Atari dealers and beta testers across the country. Gemulator is not a "PC Ditto fiasco" since the product has already been demoed and is in the hands of magazine reviewers, and you may notice that I AM NOT ACCEPTING MONEY at this time, not until the product is ready to ship at Glendale. So please, read press releases before you accuse me of scamming. - Darek ======================================= DOVER DOOHICKEYS ---------------- -=> In the "Hardware" category (4) -=> from the "Dover Research Corp. (AlberTT & ISAC)" topic (28) Message 146 Thu Jun 11, 1992 J.CRASWELL at 22:28 EDT You will all be happy to know that Leonardo is going to be NTSC AND super VHS. The two monitor scheme is the best we can do while we get a screen driver that's ready to rock. I'm getting very excited about the new things we are working on. Leonardo, the 5 1.4 Optical drive and also RSN the 3 1.5 optical. This is really nice in that the price is low and it's much faster than the larger unit. MultiTOS/MiNT appears to be a fantastic step (in the OS) for our favorite machine. I can't wait for the release version. Other companies are coming out with such great products. Jim Allen's 030 card turns your Mega into a monster speed computer (not to mention the 20Mhz 68K cards). New software and nifty updates from the Codeheads/Gribbys/Clickers etc. It's so fun to be in on the ground floor with 24 bits. The world is wide open for new applications. Working with the Lexicor cats really a gas. Such talent and a world thats new ALL THE TIME. I suspect these may well be the good old days Everything IS possible and it's happening all around. Anyhow, got to get back to the grind. Stay tuned for more hot info. ======================================= CODEHEAD'S CARTRIDGE RAM DISK ----------------------------- -=> In the "CodeHead Software" category (32) -=> from the "Ask the CodeHeads" topic (11) Message 22 Tue Jun 23, 1992 M.EASTER [Mike] at 09:05 EDT Alpha Systems made a cartridge that could contain 4 megs of RAM (for use as disk RAM), keep them alive with a battery that charged itself from the cartridge port while the ST was turned on, and could contain a clock chip. This thing came in various configurations and sizes of ram and was called MegaDisk or UltraDisk. I've heard CodeHead reports of an interest in this device, and have also heard that Charles or John didn't like the provided Alpha software and did some kind of personal re-write to do something better. I don't think Alpha Systems is still in business. I don't know where I would find an UltraDisk, or how well it would work if I did find one. What is the latest CodeHead interest in such a device, are any of the old Alphas still available, and what is wrong with the accompanying software if one should be found? Mike Easter ---------- Message 23 Tue Jun 23, 1992 J.EIDSVOOG1 [CodeHead] at 20:44 EDT Mike, The cartridge RAM disk is definitely still on our list. We currently have someone designing the hardware to our own specifications. There's no definite release date however. As for the Alpha Systems software, the main problem which we fixed immediately was that if you have a full population of four megs, it could not be assigned to one drive letter without problems. Other than that, it was clumsy, had a bad interface, and lacked extras (all things which we will not tolerate, if you know our software). We've solved all of those problems. One of the extras is the ability to run a program from the RAM disk _before_ the hard disk or floppy boot up! John ======================================= ST BOOK MYSTERY --------------- -=> In the "Atari Corporation Online" category (14) -=> from the "ST Book" topic (7) Message 187 Thu Jun 11, 1992 ISD [Nathan] at 11:25 EDT I hate to say it, but I think I will regardless; I remember Tracy Hall showing me the ST Book over a year ago. I remember 5 of them I believe, appeared at the Duesseldorf show LAST AUGUST! With all due respect, and I certainly mean that literally, the ST BOOK should have been on the dealers shelves a long time ago. It is not so obviously we are missing some relevant piece of information that would give us all a better understanding of the reason for this ridiculous delay. (sigh) Personally, I was thrilled with the ST BOOK and fully intended to replace my STacy 4 with it. I'm getting kind of resigned to doing without it. By the way, I use TOS software. I want to use TOS software. I couldn't care less about DOS or anything else in this regard. My requirements are well met with the existing TOS software that I use and love. All I wanted was a smaller, lighter more convenient piece of hardware to run the exact same software. I had hopes that the ST BOOK would satisfy my on-the-road computing needs. I suppose that I am not alone in this. :-) BUT, I'd wager that Atari needs far more of a potential market share to justify production on the ST BOOK and their current marketing and advertising efforts do not reflect any consideration to develop product awareness of Atari's computer division at all, at least not that I've seen in the USA. Nathan @ ISD ---------- Message 192 Fri Jun 12, 1992 TOWNS [John@Atari] at 03:29 EDT The STBook is still in the works. We should have some to sell in the near future. I think the problem has been a number of production mess-ups. I think these problems have been cleared up and we should be seeing the STBook in the very near future. -- John Townsend, Atari Corp. ---------- Message 203 Sat Jun 13, 1992 TOWNS [John@Atari] at 13:58 EDT I think you people know me better than to attempt to pin me down to a specific date. I don't believe in specific dates. There are so many factors in producing a product that I am unaware of that I just don't want to give a date. (The only exception.. They are done and are definitely going to be in the warehouse on X day of this month! ;-) As for FSMGDOS.. Packaging isn't the hold up. The hold up has been legal problems. We are attempting to get this straightened out as soon as we can. Believe it or not, we don't develop products and just sit on them to spite anyone. We really want to sell the stuff. Unfortunately, producing products is a a process that involves a LOT of people and steps. If a delay is encountered in a step, it throws off the rest of the steps after that step. Those are just the facts. -- John ======================================= | | | LYNX OWNERS COLUMN | | | Reprint from AtariUser Magazine - By Clinton Smith | | | ---------------------------------------------------------------- The following article is reprinted in Atari Explorer Online by permission of AtariUser magazine. It MAY NOT be further reprinted without specific permission of AtariUser. AtariUser is a monthly Atari magazine, available by subscription by calling (818) 332-0372. LYNX BRIEFS ~ Look for unexpected fun in the new Lynx game TOKI (reviewed last month in AtariUser). On level 3, a bug in the program (rather than an intentional "Easter Egg" surprise) allows you to go through the ceiling and bypass part of the game. It can make the game crash or distort the display if you do go exploring. This might be fixed in a later production run, making this a limited-time passport to the unknown! ~ As summer approaches, video game companies start dropping their prices and the competition starts to heat up. This year is no exception. Turbo Technologies started out by packing Bonk's Revenge with the Turbografx-16 and slashing the price of their CD-Rom peripheral to an amazing $150. Sega made their move next by dropping the price of Genesis to $130, and were quick with a commercial that touted their price advantage over the $180 Super Nintendo system. This would have been a real coup if Nintendo hadn't dropped their price to $150 at the same time. Who's going to be the winner? The game buying public. LYNX SURVIVAL - The Essentials What Lynx accessories and games are absolute necessities for Lynx fanatics? AtariUser asked me to come up with some suggestions for you. Accessories The Lynx is a compact portable system, but if you plan to have your essentials with you, a carrying case is a must. Atari's kit carrying case is readily available and does the job nicely. However, if you can find someone who has one of the modular Realm cases, see if they'd be willing to part with it. The costs for making the cases was too much for Realm to absorb and attempts to do a new case haven't panned out, so they're something of a collector's item. If you're planning on doing any outdoors Lynx play, you'll need a sun screen. These handy items from Atari are very affordable (only $5) and are available in versions for the original Lynx and the new smaller Lynx (the original models are starting to get scarce so if you need one, be sure to pick one up). If you don't feel like buying tons of AA batteries to keep your Lynx running you have two excellent options. If you're in range of a power outlet, the AC adaptor will provide you with continuous power and tons of playing time. But you're probably saying, "Clint, the Lynx is supposed to be portable. What if I want to play a long time while I'm on the move?" No problem. With the newly released Lynx battery pack and 6 D batteries, you can go portable for 30 straight hours and play to your heart's content. Games Best Puzzlers: If you want brain-twisting, you have 2 terrific choices. Chip's Challenge was one of the first Lynx games and is still regarded as one of the best (since its debut on the Lynx it's found its way onto most computer platforms and the NES). Crystal Mines 2 is much newer but is just as addictive. Fans of the classic Boulder Dash will be pleased. Best Shooters: Want something less cerebral with more firepower? Blue Lightning is a jet jockey's dream that makes excellent use of the Lynx's scaling abilities. If you like the scrolling-power up-bosses type of games then Zarlor Mercenary delivers. Expect to invest some time before you see the final boss. Best Run and Jump: This category has become a staple thanks to the Mario Brothers, and the Lynx has a real standout with Scrapyard Dog. It has lots of gameplay and plenty of hidden stuff to keep you interested. Best Multi-player: Think you might run into some fellow Lynx enthusiasts? The Lynx was built with multi-player fun in mind and it has 2 real standouts. Slime World was the first game that really showed just how good multi-player action could be (up to 8 people can join in). Feel like a little dogfighting between friends? Then you need Warbirds. Players take to the skies in World War 1 biplanes in a contest to see who's the real ace. Best Arcade games: Need some arcade action without the quarters? Tackle the classic reflex tester Klax (regarded by many to be the best conversion available). Martial arts more your speed? Then take on Ninja Gaiden which is a tremendous mimic of the arcade game. An arcade game that few thought could be done justice on any home system (let alone a portable system) was the popular Stun Runner. Guess what? The folks at Atari somehow pulled it off and it's very impressive. Best Sports games: As I write this, we're still waiting for the flood of new sports titles but there are now two goodies for sports fans. Checkered Flag brings you formula 1 racing action and lets 6 people compete against each other. If you fancy a round of golf, Awesome Golf lives up to it's name. It's easy to grasp and quite challenging. BIO: Clinton Smith lives for his Lynx. His APE NEWSLETTER is published 5 times a year now. Contact Clint at APE, 2104 North Kostner, Chicago, IL 60639, or on GEnie at C.SMITH89. | | | ATARIUSER MAGAZINE REVIEWS | | | Reprint from the May 1992 Edition | | | ---------------------------------------------------------------- The following article is reprinted in Atari Explorer Online by permission of AtariUser magazine. It MAY NOT be further reprinted without specific permission of AtariUser. AtariUser is a monthly Atari magazine, available by subscription by calling (818) 332-0372. Microprose Formula 1 Grand Prix (ST, STe) Formula 1 Grand Prix is simply the best car racing simulation available on any computer. Graphics are simply spectacular, blowing away just about everything ever released for the ST, Amiga, and yes even MS/DOS machines. You really feel like you are there! All 16 racetracks (taken from the 1991 Formula 1 Season) have multi-colored buildings, bridges, trees, skidmarks and other little details. The cars themselves are different colors and each has its own multi-colored helmet sticking out of the cockpit. Race marshals appear throughout the racetrack to inform you of potentially dangerous situations by waving colored flags, just like in real racing. Even the pits are fully detailed--you can see other cars pull in and out and their crews work on them. The Formula 1 Grand Prix also features external viewpoints, instant replay, and the ability to jump into any of the 25 cockpits. With all details turned on, the screen update speed is very good on a stock 8 mHz ST running TOS 1.0. It's also compatible with STe's and Mega STe's, but I didn't notice any increase in speed. You can setup your car just the way you like it for each racetrack and save it to disk. You can adjust front and rear wing angles, brake balance, tire type, and gear ratios. Controlling the car couldn't be simpler, with either joystick or keyboard. Six driving Aids are available, each with a status icon on the dashboard, to help you tame that speed demon. The dashboard even shows the artificial intelligence setting of the other drivers. While the sound is nothing special, it does the job well. Designer Geoff Crammond really did his homework and the manual is crammed with all sorts of information about the Formula 1 racing world: racetracks, teams, driving tips, technical data, etc... His previous outstanding works include The Sentry and Stunt Car Racer. Grand Prix is a high-quality product and deserves to do well. It comes on 4 copy-protected double-sided disks and can't be installed on a hard drive. But disk 4 contains a program that lets you backup all the disks. You never wait more than 4 or 5 seconds between menus, and if you have 2 double-sided drives, you won't have to do disk swapping. Formula 1 Grand Prix is available as an import from Microprose UK, $59.95. --Alex Bitton XBOOT (ST, STe, TT) Gribnif Software's latest import is a boot-up manager with a mouse interface. XBOOT offers automatic or manual selection of your screen resolution, AUTO programs, desk accessories, and configuration files for GDOS or any application. More impressive, it also can execute a series of batch commands as part of its preset activities: setting up RAMdisks; copying files; creating, renaming or moving folders or files; even checking to see if files already exist. It does all this from your hard drive's AUTO folder in a GEM-like environment that looks and feels like Gribnif's NEODESK--familiar, friendly and well thought out. Although there are a number of shareware boot managers available, most do without mouse input or use a modified, sometimes odd mouse response due to GEM not being available until later in the startup sequence. XBOOT emulates the feel of a normal GEM operation, even with variable mouse speed! File housekeeping is available, including rename, delete, re-ordering the AUTO folder, checking and setting of fastload bits, etc. The clock can be set, blitter and caches can be configured, and presets and passwords can be created at any boot. By running XBOOT as a program anytime from the desktop, adjustments can be made anytime to any setting. Multiple DESKTOP.INF or NEWDESK.INF files can be configured and selected and GEM programs can be set to auto-start as part of up to 40 presets. I'll confess that I miss the random picture that some shareware boot managers offer while starting up. And unlike a few shareware offerings that offer an auto-set for each screen resolution, XBOOT has a single "standard" setup. Change monitors or resolution, and you must manually select an alternate preset or custom setup at boot time. But the ability to tweak presets at any time without a config program makes it more likely that I actually keep my setup evolving. A good boot manager makes your computer easier and more fun to use every time you turn it on, and XBOOT offers the most useful features of any of them. Considering the good boot managers available as public domain or shareware, some buyers may be put off by XBOOT's $39.95 SRP. Fortunately, Gribnif is still offering an introductory price of $29.95, and dealers may have itat some discounts as well. Gribnif Software, P.O. Box 350, Hadley, MA 01035, 413-584-7887. --John Nagy HOYLE OFFICIAL BOOK OF GAMES, Volumes 1 & 2 (ST, STe, TT) Card lovers, this is it. The Hoyle Official Book of Games has come to the Atari. In spades, shall we say? Volume 1 has seven different card games, Crazy Eights, Old Maid, Hearts, Gin Rummy, Cribbage and Klondike Solitaire. You have nine colorful decks to select from, and your opponents range from novice to expert. You can choose who you want to play with individually (even a dog!), and can set table conversation on or off. Volume 2 has twenty-eight solitaire games, including Klondike, Canfield, Yukon and Pyramid. Two entirely new, never before seen solitaire games by Warren Schwader are Slide and Bowling. Each game has an easy or hard setting, plus complete game rules can be read on-screen. Both of these packages are first rate. They are a throwback to the good ole' days of playing cards on a rainy day. The opponents are challenging enough to keep your interest, and the individual games are excellent computerized versions of old favorites. The only drawback is that the computer won't let you cheat. The Hoyle game sets require only 512K and a double-sided drive, and run on all machines, including the TT in ST modes, but not on the big TTM194 monochrome monitor. Volume 1 is $39.95, Volume 2 retails for $29.95. The Hoyle games are by Sierra On-Line, P.O. Box 485, Coarsegold, CA 93614. --John King Tarpinian CRYSTAL MINES II (LYNX) What do you get when you cross DIG DUG with CHIP'S CHALLENGE? CRYSTAL MINES II, a puzzle game for the Lynx and a sequel to Color Dream's Nintendo title. You control a mining robot who gathers gems from various caves, while facing falling rocks, monsters, radioactivity, and a time limit. The robot has a laser and dynamite to fight creatures and make caverns. Meet the gem quota, then find the exit to travel to another level. More advanced challenges such as gravity switches and item-changing pipes are used to create 181 challenging stages. The best part of CRYSTAL MINES II is the diversity of game items, which interact in numerous ways. Temporary robot enhancements are available, and other items help or hinder depending on how they're used. A lot of time is spent learning how things interact, as the instruction booklet is intentionally vague. You have an unlimited number of lives, each level has a four-letter password, and the game will let you skip a level if you take too many tries. Though this is a strategy title, it places a little more emphasis on reflexes than other puzzle games. Aside from the first few introductory stages, the levels are usually challenging and not quickly solved. Sights and sound are functional, and no more. Graphics are drawn with little or no animation. Similarly, music and noises are very simple, with much of the sound coming from a background theme through the game. CRYSTAL MINES II borrows much from earlier puzzle games and produces a good challenge mentally and physically. It won't win awards for special effects, but the demanding levels and wide range of game elements make this a respectable game. Atari Corp., $34.95. --Robert Jung TOKI (LYNX) Toki the cave man was spending time with his lady when the evil High Priest Vookimedlo kidnapped the girl and devolved Toki into a chimp. Now able to spit fireballs, Toki musters his primitive machismo and heads to the rescue. That's TOKI for the Lynx, an adaptation of the hard-to-find arcade game. None of the gameplay has been altered on its way to the Lynx, but the original wasn't great to begin with. This isn't to say that TOKI is a bad game, it just has little to distinguish it from the field. You guide Toki through several scrolling stages of caverns, moats, and forests, battling Vookimedlo's flunkies with fireballs or by jumping on them. But there's a lot of variety and an irreverent tone, including items like football helmets and anvil-loaded teeter-totters. And the game is fairly hard; with four lives and two continues, a typical player will be pressed to get by stage 3. Graphics and sound capture the game's lighthearted attitude well. There is good use of color and a lot of detail, but several elements are very small. Worse, some backgrounds are too cluttered, making it hard to see incoming objects. An unobtrusive theme plays through each level, and individual sound effects are distinctive. Digitized clips are also used throughout, such as Toki's death yelp and the cartoon-inspired "boing!" sounds. In the end, TOKI is a great adaptation of an average game. If you don't like run-and-jump contests, this won't change your mind, but if you're looking for a new arcade-action game, TOKI is worth considering. Atari Corp., $34.95. --Robert Jung WARP 9 (ST, STe, TT) The successor to Quick ST (formerly from Branch Always Software), Warp 9 is a program/system redesigned by Codehead Technologies that's intended primarily to speed up the screen performance on Atari computers. On the way to that goal, a load of features have been added to it that each make life easier, more fun, or prettier. Most people who tried Turbo ST or Quick ST agreed that windows pop and fill faster, dialogs bang into place, text rolls by with a vengeance, and overall, the computer feels more enthusiastic about life. The down side has been incompatibilities that have caused problems as niggling as leftover marks in some software and as large as total bombing in other software. The new Warp 9 disposes of these problems in two ways. First, the known problems in Quick ST (over 36 of them) have been wiped up better than coffee in a paper towel commercial. And IF you ever find a problem, an automatic disabling feature (via a .DAT file with the program name in it) can shut Warp 9 down during the problem application. Skipping the boring index numbers, most screen text and dialog functions are two to four times faster when Warp 9 is engaged. Some (string printing) are ten or more times faster. And Warp 9 is faster than its predecessor, Quick ST V.3. Installation is simple, despite the outstanding 50 page manual: just put it in the AUTO folder. A desk accessory provides "knobs" for the extras, like alternate GEM fills, desktop picture, fonts (72 are provided!), and use of function keys 1-3 to run any dialogs you encounter. The mouse handling is unique: choose wrap-around, wrap-over, jump to menu, or block from menu bar options, and even set up a custom acceleration curve of your choice! The frills only work if the accessory is loaded -- I'd prefer it to work without losing a slot. Of course, CodeHead also sells MultiDesk Deluxe, which eliminates the six- accessory limit anyway. By the way, an upgrade program for MultiDesk owners is included with Warp 9, as you'll need version 3.4 to use it with Warp 9. Warp 9 is speed that anyone can feel, and anyone can afford at 44.95 retail. But if you upgrade from any Quick ST or Turbo ST version, it's a give-away at only $20 (send payment and original disk to CodeHead). CodeHead Technologies, P.O. Box 74090, Los Angeles, CA 90004, phone (213) 386-5735. --John Nagy SUPER SKWEEK (Lynx) It's a bird! It's a plane! It's--an orange furball? No, it's SUPER SKWEEK, a Lynx adaptation of the French computer game. You control Skweek in his mission to paint blue tiles, rescue hostages, and shoot the creatures on 250 levels. Skweek can find or buy icons for other powers, play levels in a fixed or random order, and continue a game saved with a password. ComLynxing two people together offers cooperative or competitive play. Though it sounds like a puzzle game, SUPER SKWEEK isn't; some of the levels require strategy, but most levels require arcade instincts. This title's biggest asset is its wealth of features--dozens of enemies, enhancements, tiles and wall pieces. Almost everything in the game is random, making pattern developing impossible. While the game idea is fine, the implementation is not, and there are problems in SUPER SKWEEK that may turn off some players. Shooting monsters requires a direct hit, and near-misses prove deadly. Movement is not confined to the "grid" of the tiles, meaning Skweek can straddle tiles and accidentally walk into a dangerous area. There's also a bug if you die on a disappearing tile: if the tile is still missing when your next life reappears, you immediately die again. The problems don't ruin the game, but do increase the frustration. Colors are spectacular, with bright pastels and lots of shades used to compliment the whimsy. Game objects and text are small but easily identifiable. Sound effects are nothing unusual, but the musical tunes are slightly above average. This is an unusual game that will not appeal to everyone. Still, if you're willing to put forth a little patience, SUPER SKWEEK can return many hours of fun. Atari Corp., $34.95. --Robert Jung LOGOLIBRARY, QWIKFORMS (ST, STe, TT) How do 1,000 logos in IMG format fit on six disks? Rather tightly. The Sterling Connection offers their LogoLibrary for $39.95 and includes a convenient booklet that shows every image in the set. Each 300 DPI image is a separate file, despite being an average of well under an inch square, making selection easier than some sets that require you to clip an image from a collection file. The LogoLibrary will be useful for some, but unless you're making traditional business cards or phone books, you may find the collection to be flat and unimaginative. Scaling any of the pictures up to even 3" results in jagged edges. The manual suggests converting the images to vectors if blow-ups are to be used, requiring one of the auto-trace line art packages. But one look at the cover of LogoLibrary will let you know what to expect, and if you have a use for them, the collection is comprehensive at a fair price. Sterling's QWIKFORMS for PageStream is over 100 forms and layouts, ready for use as is or for modification for your own purposes. Everything is here, from invoices to WHILE YOU WERE OUT pads, construction estimates, calendars, plus legal forms, even wills. The 40 page book with Qwikforms illustrates every form in the set. Two disks full of clip art and logos accompany the set to make it four disks for $39.95 retail. If you use PageStream, and if even one of these forms makes your life as a publish-for-profit operation a bit easier, it will pay for itself. If you find two or more, you'll bless this set. I just wish it was available in Calamus format, too. They also offer Lotus/LDW templates, PD disks, and more clip art sets. Ask for their product flyer. The Sterling Connection, Box 4850, Berkeley, CA 94704, phone 510-655-2355. --Dr. Paul Keith WP SWITCH (ST, STe, TT) This little utility has made my life easier, allowing conversion of Word Perfect files between versions 4 and 5, as well as other text conversions. The current PC Word Perfect (5.1) will import Atari (4.1) files, but requires special export to make a file readable by 4.1. Even then, expect an error message on loading on the Atari. It's a hassle, and requires planning ahead to be sure files are saved in the right format. WP Switch is cheap (under $20) and simple. Choose the type of input and output files, and give a name for the output. File types supported for translation in any combination include WP5.1, WP4.x, 1st Word Plus, ASCII, and Calamus Text. A few beeps later, your selected output type file is ready. And the file types are right. Naturally, any imbedded WP5.x graphics are lost in the translation, but the text is complete with all attributes, margins, headers, etc. that are supported by the Atari version. The small manual details ways to optimize conversions for use in Calamus. For me, it's what the doctor ordered. On the down side, translation is slow, and particularly when coming off a floppy disk. I was able to improve a small (10K) document's translation time from almost a minute to under 15 seconds by first copying the file to a hard drive. I also wish the program were available as a desk accessory, for use when I discover a problem file from within Word Perfect. I'd have rather saved my money for an upgrade for Word Perfect, but that's not happening. I lived a normal life without WP Switch, but for the price, I'm glad to have it. WP Switch, $19.95 by Rovell Enterprises, Ltd., 16814 114 Avenue, Edmonton, AB Canada T5M 3S2. --John Nagy ROTOR (ST, STe) Microdaft's release of ROTOR marks their first new title in four years, and is a better game than the very generic box might hint. Rotor is a strategy-oriented arcade game, where you are in command of a highly sophisticated Rotor craft, flying solo through enemy fortresses in an effort to destroy their primary defense systems. There are a total of eighteen missions, with a password system to resume play on higher levels. You can use a joystick or the keyboard to play, and the handing of your craft is smooth as silk. ROTOR is essentially a four-way smooth scrolling platform game with pleasant but not outstanding graphics. A maneuvering simulator followed by a combat simulator gives you the practice you'll need for the missions that follow. ROTOR is tough to master, you must keep your cool and plan ahead. This is not a "kick in the door and blast anything that moves" arcade game. Collecting pearls allow you to enhance the different features of your ship, add hull armor, upgrade engine, add storm bombs or power shield, even a duplicate ROTOR. The enemy are all fixed based units with cannon or laser shots, plus generators which attract or repel nearby ships. I was frustrated with endless disaster in ROTOR until I finally reached for the box and read the instruction manual. Now ROTOR is tough but very playable. You must really earn your way to receiving the password for the next mission. I know ROTOR will give me many months of fun. Copy protection prevents use on hard drive, program is on one disk. $39.95, Microdaft Software, 1012 S. Main Street, Taylor, PA 18517. --Daniel Hanners | | | COMPUTER TERMS | | | Atari Explorer Guide - Part 1 | | | ---------------------------------------------------------------- ASCII - American Standard Code for Information Interchange .ACC - Extender used to define that the program is a desk accessory. ACK - Acknowledge ANSI.SYS - An MS-DOS device driver that performs many of the functions of the BIOS. ANSI - American National Standards Institute .APP - Extender used to define that the program is executable. AUTOEXEC.BAT - An MS-DOS batch file that is automatically executed when DOS is executed. .BAT - Extender used to define the program is a batch file. BAUD - Used to define the number of seperate events that can be transmitted per second along a communications channel. BIOS - The Basic Input/Output System. The BIOS controls the video display, disk drives, and keyboard in an MS-DOS based system. BLITTER CHIP - A co-processing chip in the MegaST. When on, it improves the speed of text formatting and graphics operations. BOOT - Term to define the loading of the computer operating system. BPS - Bits per second. BYTE - Eight contigous bits forming a character. CACHE - A buffer between the CPU and main memory. CD - Carrier Detect for telecommunications and modems CLUSTER - A group of disk sectors that form the basic unit in which disk space is allocated. .COM - An MS-DOS program which has all memory addresses written into the file before it is loaded to run by the computer. CONFIG.SYS - A file that MS-DOS systems search for when booted. CONTROL PANEL - A desk accessory supplied on disk with your Atari computer which is used to ser up many of the systems features. CPU - Central Processing Unit. CRC - Cyclic Redundancy Check CR/LF - Carriage return/Line feed CRT - Cathose Ray Tube, your monitor CTS - Clear To Send. CYLINDER - The group of tracks at a given distance from the center of the disk mounted in a hard drive unit. CYCLIC REDUNDANCY CHECK (CRC) - An error checking technique where a mathmatically driven code follows the transmission of a block of date. Used in telecommunications/Modem programs. DESK ACCESSORY - Application that is loaded into memory from your BOOT disk. DESKTOP.INF - This is a data file that holds the information chosen and saved with the CONTROL PANEL. DEVICE DRIVER - A software routine that controls and monitors a device. DMA - Direct Memory Access. Used to make rapid ata transfers between peripherals and memory. DOUBLE CLICK - Not only a software company, but a term used to determine the amount of clicks of a mouse. EBCDIC - Extended Binary Coded Decimal Interchange Code. EOF - End of File EOT - End of Transmission EPROM - Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory. This chip can be erased if exposed to Ultraviolet light. .EXE - An extender used to define that the program requires relocation in memory after it has been loaded in an MS-DOS machine. EXTENDER - The three letters that follow the (.) after a filename. See the listing for popular file extenders. FAT - File Allocation Table FCB - File Control Block FF - Form Feed FOLDER - A sub-directory to store files FORMAT - To prepare a floppy disk for information. GEM - Graphics Environment Manager I/O - Input/Output ITEM SELECTOR - A dialog box on the ST used to load or save files. KILOBYTE - 1,024 bytes of memory LF - Line Feed MIDI - Musical Instrument Digital Interface MODEM - A modulator/demodualtor, a device hooked between the phone line and your computer. MOUSE - A device used by the hand to move a pointer on the desktop. MSB - Most Significant Byte NAK - Negative Acknowledgement NUL - Abbreviation for Null PIXEL - A dot of video graphics .PRG - An extender the denotes the program is a GEM application. RAM - Random Access Memory RGB - Red, Green, Blue RTS - Request To Send RI - Ring Indicator ROM - Read Only Memory | | | ZENOBOT'S GAME CHEATS COMPILATION (NEW ENTRIES) | | | Updated 4-19-92 | | | ---------------------------------------------------------------- (X) Another World (US Gold): here are all the access codes. EDJI (the beginning), HICI (inside the cage), FLLD (inside the vents), LIBC (the first weapon recharger), CCAL (leftmost edge of the caves), EDIL (rightmost edge of the caves, next to the second tank), GABK (on top of the anvil-shaped rock), KCIJ (columns room with friend crawling in conduit), these next codes are somewhat similar to each other, but they revolve around 4 different parameters: whether the grenade-throwing guard behind the 3 doors is alive or dead, the second guard is alive or dead, the chandelier intact or broken, or the power line in the cave is on or off: LDCI (alive, alive, intact, on), LAEA (alive, alive, intact, off), ICAH (alive, alive, broken, on), FIEI (alive, alive, broken, off), LDIJ (alive, dead, intact, on), GABK (alive, dead, intact, off), FLAK (alive, dead, broken, on), KCGB (alive, dead, broken, off), LALD (dead, dead, broken, off), and now back to the normal codes: KJIA (inside the battle tank), LFEK (about to crash in the harem). Armalyte (Hewson): pause the game and type DELTA 3 to turn off the sprite collision detection. Armour-Geddon (Psygnosis): start a game and go to the message screen. Hold down the left mouse button on top of "Day 1" to make a constant beeping sound. Press Escape while doing that and you get a message saying "You wouldn't let it lie!". You're now invincible and have an unlimited supply of whatever you load up with. You can still crash or mess up your landings, but the enemy can't kill you. The Blues Brothers (Titus): type HOULQ on the character selection screen, then add 1 through 6 followed by the Spacebar to skip to that level. BSS Jane Seymour (Gremlin): level access codes: level 2 SLUMBER, 3 INTEREST (or INTERST), 4 BULKHEAD, 5 SHOWROOM, 6 MUSHBASH, 7 HAMPERED, 8 BLACKOUT, 9 WARRIOR, 10 VICTORTY, 11 TRAPPED, 12 FRENZY, 13 HANDYMAN, 14 CROWDED, 15 RADIATE, 16 VOLTAGE, 17 GLOOM, 18 PRIMATE, 19 MADHOUSE, 20 TRIUMPH. Captain Planet (Mindscape): this is a weird cheat. You must own that cool Dungeon Master style game called Captive to access it. Load Captain Planet as normal and when the level selection screen appears, remove the game disk and stick in Captive instead. Press Fire and "Disk Error" should appear on the screen. Pull out Captive and stick Captain Planet back in. The game will load with the cheat mode active. Castle Master (Domark): start the game by holding Shift and L. Press A at least 12 times or until you hear a thud. You'll see this diagram in front of you: 4 1 2 3 Throw rocks at the boxes for these effects: 1 - increase rock travel, 2 - increase strength, 3 - get all keys, 4 - see end game sequence. (X) Chip's Challenge (US Gold): press F once to flip the screen, then type SAGGITTAREANS MAKE BETTER LOVERS. to get infinite keys, water shield, and fire shield. Or, type 09/12/57. for infinite time. Or, type I THINK THEREFORE I AM. so that no chips have to be collected. You must include all the spaces and periods! And now, all 144 level access codes!!! Level 1 Lesson 1 BDHP 2 Lesson 2 JXMJ 3 Lesson 3 ECBQ 4 Lesson 4 YMCJ 5 Lesson 5 TQKB 6 Lesson 6 WNLP 7 Lesson 7 FXQO 8 Lesson 8 NHAG 9 Nuts And Bolts KCRE 10 Brushfire VUWS 11 Trinity CNPE 12 Hunt WVHI 13 Southpole OCKS 14 Teleblock BDTY 15 Elementary COZQ 16 Cellblocked SKKK 17 Nice Day AJMG 18 Castle Moat HMJL 19 Digger MRHR 20 Tossed Salad KGFP 21 Iceberg UGRW 22 Forced Entry WZIN 23 Blobnet HUVE 24 Oorto Gelo UNIZ 25 Blink PQGV 26 Chchchips YUYJ 27 Go With The Flow IGGZ 28 Ping Pong UJDD 29 Arctic Flow QGOL 30 Mish Mesh BQZP 31 Knot RYMS 32 Scavenger Hunt PEFS 33 On The Rocks BQSN 34 Cypher NQFI 35 Lemmings VDTM 36 Ladder NXIS 37 Seeing Stars VQNK 38 Sampler BIFA 39 Glut ICXY 40 Floorgasborg YWFH 41 I.C. You GKWD 42 Beware Of Bug LMFU 43 Lock Block UJDP 44 Refraction TXHL 45 Monsterlab OVPZ 46 Three Doors HDQJ 47 Pier Seven LXPP 48 Mugger Square JYSF 49 Problems PPXI 50 Dig Dirt QBDH 51 I Slide IGGJ 52 The Last Laugh PPHT 53 Traffic Cop CGNX 54 Grail ZMGC 55 Potpourri SJES 56 Deep Freeze FCJE 57 Strange Maze UBXU 58 Loop Around YBLT 59 Hidden Danger BLDM 60 Scoundrel ZYV? 61 Rink RMOW 62 Slow Mo TIGW 63 Block Factory GOHX 64 Spooks IJPQ 65 Amsterdam UPUN 66 Victim ZIKZ 67 Chip Mine GGJA 68 Eeny Miny Moe RTDI 69 Bounce City NLLY 70 Night Mare GCCG 71 Corridor LAJM 72 Blind Alley 73 Morton QCCR 74 Playtime MKNH 75 Steam MJDV 76 Fourplex NMRH 77 Invincible Champion FHIF 78 Force Square GRMO 79 Drawn And Quartered JINU 80 Vanishing Act EVUG 81 Writer's Block SCWF 82 Socialist Action LLIO 83 Up The Block OVPJ 84 Wars UVEO 85 Telenet LEBX 86 Suicide FLHH 87 Cityblock YJYS 88 Spirals WZYV 89 Blockbuster VCZO 90 Playhouse OLLM 91 Jumping Swarm JPQG 92 Vortex DTMI 93 Roadsign REKF 94 Now You See It EWCS 95 Four Square BIFQ 96 Paranoia WVHY 97 Metastable To Chaos 98 Shrinking TKWD 99 Catacombs XUVV 100 Colony QJXR 101 Apartment RPIR 102 Icehouse VDDU 103 Memory PTAC 104 Jailer KWNL 105 Short Circuit YNEG 106 Kablam NXYB 107 Balls O Fire ECRE 108 Block Out LIOC 109 Torture Chamber KZQR 110 Chiller XBAO 111 Time Lapse KRQJ 112 Fortune Favours The Code NJLA 113 Open Question PTAS 114 Deception JWNL 115 Oversea Delivery EGRW 116 Blockbuster III HXMF 117 The Marsh FPZT 118 Miss Direction OSLW 119 Slide Step PHTY 120 Alphabet Soup FLXP 121 Perfect Match BPYS 122 Totally Fair SJUM 123 The Prisoner YKZE 124 Firetrap TASX 125 Mixed Nuts MYRT 126 Block'N'Roll QRLD 127 Skelzie JMWZ 128 All Full FTLA 129 Lobster Trap HEAN 130 Ice Cube XHIZ 131 Totally Unfair FIRD 132 Mix Up ZYFA 133 Blobdance TIGG 134 Pain XPPH 135 Trust Me LYWO 136 Double Maze LUZL 137 Goldkey HPPX 138 Partially Post LUJT 139 Yorkhouse VLHH 140 Ice Death SJUK 141 Underground MCJE 142 Pentagram UCRY 143 Stripes? OKOR 144 Fireflies GVXQ. Cisco Heat (Imageworks): pause the game and type TIME UP, then hit Return. Infinite time is yours! Daylight Robbery (Electronic Zoo): level access codes: Level 1 FIRST, 2 DRILLS, 3 ZOOOOO, 4 BUSHES, 5 MAYHEM, 6 XAMPLE. Deuteros (Activision): press Caps Lock then press C twice. Two numbers appear, and anything you design is available without actually building it! And you get an infinite quantity of everything to boot! Dragon Breed (Activision): hold down the left mouse button and press HELP and UNDO while the end-of-level-boss is loading. The screen should flash purple and you're invincible! Also, while the next level is loading, hold down the left mouse button and press Delete and Help. When the screen flashes, you can skip levels by hitting one of the keys on the keyboard. Elf (Gremlin): type CHOROPOO during the game to get 99 pets. Punch W to become the Werewolf, or H to get the shades. Escape From The Planet Of The Robot Monsters (Domark): hold down the fire button and push the joystick up. It now takes 30 hits to kill you. F-19 Stealth Fighter (Microprose): hit Alternate-N to toggle between night and day. Also, if you want to shake off any enemy aircrafts, land on an airfield, any airfield will do, and wait a few minutes. The bogies will lose your radar trace and will fly away... Fantasy World Dizzy (Codemasters): enter IMMORTAL on the high score table, and you'll get infinite lives. Final Blow (Storm): when you start to fight with your opponent, pause the game. Press F10 six times and unpause. You have infinite energy. Final Fight (US Gold): pause the game and type SHERIFF FATMAN for infinite lives. Gods (Renegade): enter SORCERY as a password to get infinite lives. Heavy Metal Heroes (Players Gold): during the scroller, type THE OWLS ARE NOT WHAT THEY SEEM. Hudson Hawk (Ocean): while the title screen is visible, type SANITYCLAUSISCOMINGTOTOWN for infinite lives. If that doesn't work, try typing SANITYCLAWSISCOMINGTOTOWN instead. James Pond 2: Codename Robocod (Millenium): press Control and the screen flashes. Press Return and you'll have a shield, basically, infinite lives. Jimmy White's Whirlwind Snooker (Virgin): to see the computer perform a perfect 147 break (whatever that be), do the following: go to the trickshot menu, hit F7, then F4, then F1. You should hear a double- click. Now, go back to the main menu, and enter the demo mode, or play against Jimmy. Now, seat back and enjoy... Leisure Suit Larry (any of them) (Sierra): select Load Game but use a game disk instead. This lets you access specific parts of the game. Lotus Turbo Challenge 2 (Gremlin): level access codes: Level 2 (night) TWILIGHT, 3 (fog) PEA SOUP, 4 (snow) THE SKIDS, 5 (desert) PEACHES, 6 (motorway) LIVERPOOL, 7 (swamp) BAGLEY, and 8 (storm!) E BOW. Also, TURPENTINE for infinite time, DUX for secret game, and DEESIDE to continue to the next level even if time runs out. Midnight Resistance (Ocean): play the game and press F10 to pause it. Type OPEN THE DOOR HAL. Unpause the game, and you now have infinite energy! Or, pause the game, type SAMANTHA LYON, and you now have infinite everything! You can also pick which weapon you have by pressing F1 for normal rifle, F2 for full auto, F3 3-way, F4 shotgun, F5 fire, F6 homing missiles, F7 shower, and F8 for nitro. F9 and F10 make you quit the game. Nightbreed (Ocean): type RISEN FROM THE DEAD at any point for good things to happen (Muahahahaha!!!). Pang (Ocean): on the map, type WHATANICECHEAT. The screen should glow blue or purple. You can now go to any level. Panza Kick Boxing (Futura): on the menu screen, enter your name as PANZA. This lets you change all the specs to 99%! Pipedream/Pipe Mania (Lucasfilm/Empire): assorted level access codes: BALL, BLOB, WILD, DOCK, GRIP, TICK, OOZE. Pitfighter (Domark): while playing, type LOBSTERS then press 1 through 0 to go to any level you want. Press C to go straight to the Championship Match and L to visit the elimination match. Prince Of Persia (Domark): press Shift-L to skip levels. Railroad Tycoon (Microprose): hold down Shift and hit 4. A dollar sign pops up and you get 500,000 extra bucks! Revenge Of The Mutant Camels (Llamasoft/shareware): access codes: level 1 SIETCH TABR 2 OLLANTAYAMBO 3 RAVEADELICA 4 NEWSCASTLE EMLYN 5 DROMEDARIA ZOOPHILIA 6 THIS IS BASINGSTOKE 7 OCCAM II 8 SMOKE ME A KIPPER 9 RED-HOT ZONE: RASPBERRY INFUNDIBULUM 10 WHITE-HOT ZONE: GOATS GOATS AND MORE GOATS. Rick Dangerous 2 (Microprose): type JE VEUX VIVRE in the high score table to get infinite lives. That's French for "I want to live" by the way... Rodland (Storm): pause the game and hit Help five times. You now have infinite lives. Or, enter BIG BOSS on the high-score table. R*Type II (Activision): pause, press F1, then F2, then unpause. You gots yourself infinite lives! Satan (Dinamic): hold down Alternate, 1, and D to get infinite lives during Part 1. Hold down Alternate, 1, and M for infinite lives and credits during Part 2. Skweek (Loriciel): on the option screen, try pressing F2 while holding down the Spacebar. This lets you move around the different levels. Space Ace 2: Borf's Revenge (Readysoft): type CADAVERRA & see what happens. Terminator 2 (Ocean): pause the game, press keys F1 through F10 one by one in order, press fire to unpause, then hit Escape to skip a level. Test Drive II (Accolade): type GASS at any time during play to go straight to the next gas station. Type OUTRAN to outrun your opponents and the police cars. Type AERF to double your acceleration. 3D Pool (Mirror Image/Firebird): solutions to the 20 trick shots. Simply set the position of the table to these figures: 1) 0768 024 63 10 2) 1002 041 63 09 3) 0032 100 63 00 4) 0962 024 63 10 5) 0512 024 63 10 6) 0405 060 63 20 7) 0018 061 63 20 8) 0771 099 56 12 9) 0932 024 63 11 10) 0927 027 63 20 11) 0751 100 16 20 12) 0916 025 55 10 13) 0004 054 58 20 14) 0864 100 63 10 15) 0084 076 12 00 16) 0880 048 39 20 17) 0372 100 63 10 18) 0512 100 63 10 19) 0601 024 63 20 20) as you wish. Torvak The Warrior (Core): enter CHEAT and as many commas as you can fit in on the high-score table. Now, hold down fire and press 1 through 5 to select a level. Turrican (Innerprise/Rainbow Arts): get a high score and enter ANTIDOTE. This gives you infinite lives. Or, enter BLUESMOBIL instead to get infinite everything! Turrican II (Rainbow Arts): when you get to the end of level 3 and confront the guardian, turn into a gyroscope and stay on the guardian's head. Nothing will seem to happen, except that your life counter will start to increase but one unit at a time. You can do this until you get 99 lives! Here's another one: from the title screen, press the spacebar to access the main menu. Now, press 1, 4, 2, then Escape. Start the game, and you'll have infinite lives and power lines! Xenon 2: Megablast (Imageworks): well, it's about time!!! Pause the game, type RUSSIAN AIR, and unpause the game. Pressing N will advance you by one level. This file is public domain, and is updated every 3 or 4 month. If you know of any special access codes, secret passwords, or other hints that you didn't see listed here, tell me about them! If you own some of the games I wasn't able to test, and the cheat codes work, I also want to know about it!! I can be reached at the O'Mayer V BBS (213-732-0229), the Jungle BBS (213-254-9534), and on GEnie (A.BITTON1) in the Atari ST Roundtable, Category 9 (Games), Topic 22 (ST Gaming Digest). Copyright 1992 CyberSysTek | | | NEW PRODUCT ANNOUNCEMENT | | | From the Z*Net Newswire | | | ---------------------------------------------------------------- INVISION ELITE ANNOUNCED INVISION Elite is a program which allows you to create sophisticated black and white raster images. Stretch! Skew! Bend! Rotate! Thin! Thicken! Copy! Outline! Anything you want! If you can think of it, INVISION Elite can probably do it. Using images that you create in the program, or ones from other sources, you can manipulate your graphics in a hands-on manner to achieve stunning visuals. INVISION Elite's easy-to-use processing features give you limitless possibilities. INVISION Elite is a fully GEM based program featuring a slick and surprisingly simple icon interface and supports up to seven images, each in their own window, with image size limited only by memory. INVISION is full of powerful functions including: Gradient fill, Image Bending, Bezier Curves, Outlining, Smoothing, Rotation, Skewing, Mirroring, Atari Clipboard Support, Instant access panning, and much more. This is a _very_ slick, powerful, and fun-to-use program. It requires a monochrome monitor and is compatible with large screen monitors. Try the demo version now, and release the creative genius within you! It's available on GEnie as files #24641 and #24642. The release date for INVISION Elite is August 1, 1992. Suggested retail price is $174.95. Pre-release versions are available now at a special price of $149.95. This includes the full program, a quick-start manual, and the option to purchase the full manual after August 1, 1992. Box #98, 275 King St. East, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M5A 1K2, Phone/FAX:(416) 594-9355, GEnie: H.HUGH, CompuServe: 76266,1064. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ To sign up for GEnie service call (with modem) (800) 638-8369. Upon connection type HHH and hit . Wait for the U#= prompt and type XTX99436,GEnie and hit . ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ To sign up for CompuServe service call (with phone) (800) 848-8199. Ask for operator #198. You will be promptly sent a $15.00 free membership kit. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A special limited time offer is available for subscribers to AtariUser Magazine. The regular $19.95 subscription price is now just $15.00 for a full year or $25.00 a year for first class mailing. For more information contact AtariUser at (818) 332-0372. Credit card or billing is available. This offer available for new and renewal subscriptions. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Editorial material, including article submissions, press releases, and products for evaluation, should be sent to the Z*Net News Service Post Office Box 59, Middlesex, New Jersey, 08846. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ You can subscribe to the bi-monthly hard copy Atari Explorer Magazine for $14.95 for 6 issues, $39.95 for 18 issues. Canadian subscribers should add $5.00 per 6 issues,foreign subscribers should add $10.00 per 6 issues. Checks must be drawn in US funds on a US bank. Send orders to Atari Explorer, Post Office Box 6488, Duluth, MN 55806. VISA and MasterCard orders, call (218) 723-9202. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Atari Explorer Online Magazine is a weekly publication covering the Atari computer community. Material published in this edition may be reprinted in non-commercial publications unless otherwise noted at the top of the article. Opinions presented herein are those of the individual authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the staff. Atari Explorer Online Magazine is Copyright (c)1992, Atari Computer Corporation. Z*Net and the Z*Net Newswire are copyright(c)1992, Z*Net News Service/Ron Kovacs. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Atari Explorer Online Magazine "The Official Atari Online Journal" Copyright (c)1992, Atari Computer Corporation ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~