Dear IMG: Apple’s announcement of the Quadra 610 DOS has me trembling with anticipation. With both a 040 and a 486 chip, is this the gaming machine of my dreams, or is it just too good to be true? Will the Apple-designed 486SX add-in board be able to run current 486 games? And what about hardware support? Will the 486 board be able to use the Mac’s internal speaker or Mac-specific accessories such as the Gravis Mousestick II? Just how will this thing work? Please give us the scoop. John Rousselle - Madison, Wisconsin
- Although we haven’t seen the new Quadra 610 DOS yet, it does look promising. Especially if you’ve been yearning for those hundreds and hundreds of PC MS-DOS games. However, the 25 MHz 486 chip in the Quadra 610 DOS will disappoint some people. These days you need a 33 MHz 486 or higher for sophisticated games like X-Wing, Strike Commander, and Link 386 to run smoothly. When we have a chance to check one of these machines out, we’ll give you the complete inside scoop. —TD
Global Golf Dead?
Dear IMG: I was wondering what has become of Global Golf from ICOM Simulations (July 1993 Issue - From the Editor’s Desktop)? You reported that it was scheduled for an end of year release but it hasn’t appeared lately in your Mac Games Release List. Do you know if it has been scrapped or merely delayed? Colin Law - Houston, TX
- According to ICOM Simulations, Global Golf has been put on hold indefinitely. If you’re looking for golf games, check out PGA Tour II in February and Links for the Mac in the Spring of 1994. —TD
 
727 Flight Simulator
Dear IMG: I see 727 Flight Simulator has been released, How can I order a copy? Can you send me the address or phone of the publisher? I am a new subscriber and would like to give my comments on the latest crop of flight simulators. Keith Scala via CompuServe
- The first half of 727 Flight Simulator, developed by Robert Dorsett, was released in September. Robert is developing the product in two stages, a Systems Simulator (now released), followed by the addition of a six-degree-of-freedom Flight Simulator, scheduled for release sometime in 1994. The software is a full-fidelity simulation designed for airline pilots, students, instructors, and serious airliner enthusiasts. The graphics, systems realism, and interface (including a large number of user-definable variables and diagnostic screens) are all incredibly well executed, IMHO, as are the documentation and support. Contact Robert Dorsett, Flight Simulation Systems, PO Box 204092, Austin, TX 78720-4092. Phone 512/837-0827. E-mail rdd@cactus.org. — BT
How Many Macs?
Dear IMG: I was just wondering what are the official sales figures are for Macintoshes this year, and what the installed base of Macs are in the world? Where can you get this kind of info? Maybe we can use this info to convince obstinate game developers to think twice about the Mac target market. TKhaiWee via AOL
- According to sources, there are some 13-1/2 million Macs out there. Now if those numbers won’t convince game developers to develop Mac games, I don’t know what will. —TD
An FPU For U
Dear IMG: I'm getting ready to 86 my LCII—I'm so tired of the slow screen redraws—and would really value your opinion on this question: Does an FPU speed up, or specifically smooth the animation of games? Steve Pollock
- An FPU (or math coprocessor) will not increase the screen redraw or animation speed of games on your Macintosh computer. If you do a lot of mathematical calculations in Excel, then an FPU will help immensely. If not, you might want to skip out on the FPU. —TD
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