Spring has sprung! And with warmer weather and snow free fields comes a rebirth of our love of outdoor sports. But just in case it's raining or you're stuck indoors with the flu, here are some new sports games you can play on your Commodore. They may not help you burn those extra calories gained during the winter sloth but they'll provide lots of challenges and fun.
If you fail on the soccer field when it comes to making banana shots and Pele-style backwards overhead kicks, then try these acrobatics in "Keith Van Eron's Pro Soccer" ($39.95 Medalist International: 301-771-1151). This program has both indoor and outdoor versions. The indoor game features rebounds off the boards and gives people the opportunity to play a Major Indoor Soccer League schedule, the length of which can be determined by the players. In the outdoor game, a weather option that produces high winds and wet turf can create havoc for ball handlers. Up to 16 people, each playing a different team, can organize their own World Cup Tournament in the outdoor mode. The program presents action from a overhead point of view, and constant vertical and horizontal scrolling ensures that the ball and the players around it never leave the screen.
"Powerplay Hockey: USA vs. USSR" ($24.95 Electronic Arts: 800-245-4525; in California: 800-562-1112) matches two of the world's sports superpowers on the ice rink. All the defensive and offensive moves are here: full-speed slap shots to artful drop passes to no-holds-barred body checks. Sometimes a fight breaks out and penalties result. (This is hockey, after all!) There are three levels of play and either one-on-one or team play five-on-five competition.
Also from Electronic Arts comes "Skate or Die" ($29.95), a skateboarding game that begins at Rodney's Skate Shop, where you can select your skateboard, check the high scores, and register for competition. Competitive events include ramp, freestyle, downhill race, and ramp high jump. Two special events pit up to eight players one-on-one in pool joust and downhill jam. The latter includes skating down the "baddest" alley in the neighborhood head-to-head against a friend or Lester, the wildest skateboarder of them all. All the moves of real skateboarding are allowed, including hand plants, kickturns, tweeks, frontside aerials, and ollies.
Your skateboarding savvy also gets an outlet in "720 Degrees," the coin-op hit that has been adapted for C64/128 computers ($29.95 Mindscape: 312-480-7667). Jump on your skateboard then shoot around hairpin curves, down slalom runs, and through the streets of Skate City, a skateboarder's fantasy where every surface is skateable. Then head for the parks, where you can compete for cash and medals in downhill, jump, ramp, and slalom competitions. You can even tackle the dangerous 720, a double loop through space. But on your way to fame and fortune keep an eye out for water hazards, street gangs, swarms of killer bees, Frisbee throwers, and other obstacles.
"TKO" ($29.95 Accolade: 408-985-1700) is a boxing simulation that lets you step into the ring to fight five different challengers for the heavyweight championship. Or you and a friend can select your fighters from a roster of 12 boxers and slug it out. You can choose from a wide variety of punches, target areas, guard positions, and player attributes. You also can choose to go 3, 5, or 10 rounds. The program keeps track of the blow-by-blow stats, displays round indicators, and provides an aerial cam view for determining your position in the ring. And you can win (or lose!) by knockout, the judge's decision, or TKO.
%cHelpful Hints
Always lose at Dragon Wheel while playing "The Legend of Blacksilver"? Have problems flying reconnaissance in "Space Station Oblivion"? Confused about what to do after you discover the body in "L.A. Crackdown"? Wonder what kind of submarine attack is recommended for moonless nights in "Sub Battle Simulator"? "The Masters Collection Advanced Hint Book" will help you solve these and other secrets ($7.99 Epyx: 415-366-0606). The book includes map drawings, gameplay hints, and interviews with game developers.
%cNew Word Processing System
"GEOS Writer 64" ($49.95 Timeworks: 312-948-9200) is a GEOS based word processing system that includes the following features:
1. A "WYSIWYG" preview mode that allows you to view your document on your screen exactly as it will appear on the printed page, before you print it.
2. A 100,000 word built in spelling checker.
3. Complete compatibility with "geoPaint" and "geoWrite."
4. Special effect fonts. In addition to importing all GEOS fonts, "Writer 64" provides hundreds of type style combinations. With each font you can choose regular, underlined, bold, italic, outlined, reverse, superscript, or subscript characters.
5. Mail merge.
6. Two way printouts. Choose the fast draft printout to quickly proof and review your document or the final quality printout for a professional looking document.
