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An Argus Speciolist Publication AUGUST 1986 £1.50

FOR ALL SINCLAIR USERS

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ENTER A NEW [ I
DIMENSION!
Graphic Adventure
Creator and r
Arcade Creator
THE PAWNBROKERS
meet Magnetic tf9/
Scrolls \ \

4BK

REVIEWS: Cauldron 2 * Bobby Bearing * Pyracurse

COMPETITIONS: Mantronix * Boggit * Elite Classics
 ..OK 30 THE 370R*f (]0L3-WL THIN
AND 30.,, A 3TAR13 BOW.

iinoiiM tvont»tw

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Kiof
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JLM

Gremlin Graphics Software Ltd . i^MMKM/W

Alpha House, 10 Carver Street, SPECTRUM 48K- MSX AMSTRAD
Sheffield S1 4FS. Tel: (0742) 753423, m i t M
Telex No: 547274

AR£ you TOO MUCH OFA WIMP TO PLA1 Tfi/3 (jAME.

 I M
SOFTWARE REVIEWS
SPECTRUM
Cauldron 2 (18), Ghosts a n d Goblins (33), Toadrunner
(44), Pyracurse 52), Mantronlx (60), reviews begin 10.
„ j
MINDPLAY 38
Adventure tips a n d reviews from the twilight world ot
Peter Sweaty. Sl«2
CU. 74
More graphics packages a n d even a couple of
games...

PROGRAMMING PROJECTS
Shortcuts: readers' nippy routines. 61

Elementary Graphics: some machine coded advice for

using the Spectrum's graphics capablltles. 62

Machine Code Calculator: another romp around the

ROM. 78

Classroom Adventure: an adventure game for the

Spectrum. 82

Waterline: amphibious action for frog-like Spectrum

owner*. 94

COMPETITIONS
Bogglt: win a copy of CRL*s latest mega-spoof. 45

Mantronlx: c a n you design a stunning cassette Inlay? 66

Elite Classics; win Elite's new range of budget games.

FEA TURES
Art Studio Artist: this m o n t h . . . the Superhero. 16 NEWS 5
New games for the QL, a n d lots of offers from Saga.
The Professional Touch: how to be a programming
superstar, by Hewsons* Steve Turner. 24 HARDWARE 22
Opus Disc Drive for the 128.
>C> Compilers: an alternative to Basic. 28
CROSSWIRES 34
Code Machine: a new programming utility from a new Problem page.
software label. 46
REALMS OF INTERACTION 35
Arcade Creator: If you're not Into adventures, you c a n Alan Davis1 adventure writing series.
write your own arcade games. 47
CROSSFIRE 67
Graphic Adventure Creator an In-depth review of Peaders' letters.
Incentive's new utility. 50
QL COLUMN 73
The Pawn Brokers: meet Magnetic Scrolls. 54 Some news of CST*s Thor micro.

Multi-user games a look at the expanding field of ACROSS THE POND 76

mega-adventures... 56 News of the QL In America.

Shades: and a trip Into the world of Mlcronefs new PAGE 81

(I
g a m & 58 Last outpost of the ZX81.

QL Superbaslo: Into the d e p t h s . . . 68

U
Editor: Bryan Ralph
Elite a visit to the home of Bomb Jack a n d Assistant Editor: Cliff Joseph
C o m m a n d o 90 Consultant Editor: Ray Elder
Advertising Managers; Peter Chandler a n d John
Read Only: the book page. 92 McGarry
Design: Argus Design
Printed by Aiobailof Pass/noro a n d Sons ltd. Tovll, Maidilono, Kent.
A.S.P. Advertising and Editorial
No. 1 Golden Square, London W1R 3AB 01-437-0626
Advofiiwmoni Copy Controller Lynn Coll It J
Distributed by Argus Press Sales a n d Olitrlbullon Ud. 12-18 Paul Stroot. London EC2A 4JS

ZX Computing Monthly n published on the fourth Friday ot e a c h month. Subscription rates cn be obtained (torn 2X Subscriptions intonet. Timet House,
179 The Wariowot Homol Hempstead. Herts HPS1 1BEL
The contenti ol this publication, including all orticlev designs, plans, drawings a n d other intellectual property rights herein belong to Argus Specialist
Publications Limited. All rights oonletred by the Law ot Copyright a n d other Intellectual property rights a n d by virtue ol Intoi notional copyright conventions
are specifically reserved to Argui Specialist Publications Limited a n d any reproduction requires the prior written consent ot the company.
Argus Specialist Publications Limited 1906

15
ZX Computing Monthly • August 1986
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Closing date 30th September, 1986

V. The prize of your choice to
the value of £500.
Gordon Harwood. Alfreton; Softspol Ltd. Banbury; Microfun.Barnsley; The Computer Centre, Birmingham; Bits and Bytes, nor Regis;
Gamer. Brighton; Bytes and Pieces, Burntey1\ Miles<Better
Better Software.
Software,Chadsmoor;
Chad! Cwmbran Compute? Centre, Cwmbran; EvesTiam Micro Centre,
Evesham; Ram m Electronics,
Electronics. Fleet; Gravesend Home Computer Ltd, Ltd. Gravesend; computer
Computer Magic,
Magic. ipswi
Ipswich; The Book & Gift Centre. Kilkeel.
H i
N. Ireland; Computer rnput
Plus. King's Lynn; Castle Computers. Lancaster; Dimension. Leicester; S. Mays, Leicester; Micro Point, Lincoln; Beaver
Radio. Liverpool; Crestline Electronics Ltd. Kentish Town Rd. London; Vic Oddens Micro's. London Bridge Walk,
London; Virgin Games Centre, Oxford St, London; Hobbyte Ltd, Luton; Crescent Gift. Market Drayton; John
Menzies. Motherwell; The Computer Shop, Newcastle on Tyne; Gwent Computers. Newport;
Compucom, Ottey; Datadeal. Paignton; Penrith Communications. Penrith; Logic Sales. Peterborough;
Micro Fun. Rotherham; Rugby Micro Systems. Rugby: Computer Plus. Sittingboume; J. Patience
Ltd. Southend-on-Sea; Estuary Personal Computers. Southend-on-Sea; ED40 Software,
Stanstead Abbotts; Topsoft Computer Software. Stockton-on-Tees; H. N. & L. Fisher Ltd,
Sutton in Ashftefd; Bucon Ltd. Swansea; Innovations, West Drayton; Wilding Ltd, Wigan;
Swifts of Wilmsiow. Wifmslow; Worthing Computer Centre. Worthing; and selected individual
branches of Boots and W. H. Smith

Alligata Software Ltd 1 Orange Street, Sheffield SI 4DW Tel: ( 0 7 4 2 ) 7 5 5 7 9 6

 /

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a h C *

Cfl^

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• • • - i f TT T
I / ' -•«

QL Mark 2?
Trivial Pursuits This is CSTs Thor Micro due to be launched at the PCW show
with a price tag of £550. Thor Is a long awaited upgrade of
It sooms entirely appropriate that the company which
has won the rights to the computer version of Trivial QL architecture but when Is a QL not a QL? Anthony Stuart
Pursuit should be Domark. Domark claim that their reports In the QL column on the new machine which should
vorslon will be true to the original game, a n d will even
Include many questions from the Master Genius edition, perhaps have been christened "the Phoenix".
though other new questions will be Included as well.
Domark also claim a 'major technical Innovation' In that
the question tape will include a feature c a l l e d 'Unlload'
which will allow the one tape to be loaded Into any of
the main makes of home computer (yuk! put that tape
down, you don't know where It's been). Trivial Pursuits Is
due to be unveiled at September's PCW Show at a cost
of £14.95.

Making Music
The British Music Fair Is staging a demonstration of 'Computer

Pub Games
Music" when ft Is held at Olympfa this August. There will be games — an unworlhy slur that
a serios of half-hour demonstrations, with the opportunity for III not stoop to reply to
(because it I do I probably won t
some hands-on experience, featuring all the major makes Alllgata Sottware are be able to stand up straight
of home computer (which obviously Includes tho Speccy). temporarily turning their back again). Still, seven games (or
on arcade action lor some £9.95 sounds like good value so
The show will demonstrate some ot the software packages slightly more sedate pleasures. it's probably worth looking out
currently available for home micros, Including packages Pub Games Is a compilation ot lor come opening time.
traditional games that occupy Atler Pub Games, Altlgala
from Yamaha, CMP a n d Actlvlslon, a n d will be held ot people's drinking hours — will be turning to the more
Olympla 2 In London, from the 1st to the 3rd ol August. Eniry, Billiards, Dominoes, Darts, Table cerebral Cyrus II Chess. The
Football. Poker. Pontoon, a n d original Cyrus Chess was one ol
between 10 am and 7 pm, costs £3 or £1.50 for children Bar Skillies. For some reason, the best and earliest Chess
under 14. Alligata seem to think that
computer journalists spend all
their time in pubs a n d recom-
programs, so the new version
could well give CDS's Colossus
a run for Its money. Alligata will
£
<D
mend that you go out a n d get
plastered before you play these
also be releoslng a 3D version
ol Cyrus lor the 128. z
ZX Computing Monthly • August 1986 15
 Falling Stars Saga's Last
Star Micronlcs, who make
lots and lots of printers have Word
reduced the prices of two
machines In their range. The Competitions and otters galore
PowerType dalsywheel from Saga, who seem intent on
printer has been reduced making the Spectrum wordpro-
from £349 to £229, whilst the cesslng Held their prlvale
stx-80 thermal printer has territory
been dropped from £149 to Along with their Elllo 3 anc
Just £79. It seems that Star brand new 2001 keyboards
aro out to grab a slice of Saga ar«t offering a free
the 'unexpectedly buoyant bundled package of the last
homo computer markot'. Word wordprocessor program
And that means you, so If And anyone buying those key
you're looking for a printer boards will also get an offer ol
you can give Star a ring on £20 ol (he cost ol the Centronics
01-840 1800. GIP (Great Little Printer)
And II you can't afford the
£119.95 price tag for the 2001
[reviewed in ihls Issue, by Ihe
way) Ihen you can enter their
Upol The Poster Competition'
and maybe win one of twelve
2001 that are available as
prizes To enter, all you have to
do is sond a postcard with Ihe
name and address of any com
puter shop that has a Saga
Systems posler on display Saga
will be awarding one prize a
month lor the next twelve

Bounces
months, and entries should be
Colossal Chess addressed to Saga Systems Ltd
2 Eve Road, Woking, Surrey
CDS Software are hard at work on Colossus chess 4 lor the
Spectrum. Complete with a 3D option, this version of the well freebie! GU21 4JT.
known Chess program will be compatible with both 48 and If you buy Beyond* new
128K machines. CDS claim lhat version 4 represents 'the state Bounces games plus any
ol the art" In Chess programs — the earliest versions ol Colossus other Beyond game, either
were all pretty impressive, so this should be worth looking out by mall order or at the PCW
(or It you're Into Chess, Show next month then
bountiful Beyond will give
you a free T-shirt with the
Microdriver 128 Beyond logo proudly
emblazoned across tn< io
Mirage have Just come up with a version of their handy chest.
Microdriver back-up '(•up device that Is compatible
compat with the
128. Unfortunately It's only compatible In 48K mode, so
you still c a n t get those long 128 programs (that take
forever to load) onto mlcrodrlvo. For owners of oxlshng
version of the Microdriver, Mirage are offering an Lost Talent
rade service for £9.95. The new 128 version will cost Talent Computer Systems
9.95 and Mirage can be contacted on 0376 48321. are one of the few
companies who are actively
supporting the QL at the
moment, and their next
release is (lie Lost Pharoah. Musical
Something of a change from
their usual brand of utilities,
Pharoah Is an arcade game
Cheetah
set In the passages and Cheetah are continuing to
chambers beneath a a d d to their range of
pyramid In which you have musical peripherals. They've
to seek out the Pharoah* just produced a second set
lost burial chamber. of voices that can be added
Pharoah will be available in to the Spec drum's library of
July for £14.95. sounds. The new 'kit' is a set
of 'Electro-drum' sounds and
sounds just the thing for
budding Gary Numans.

\Mt>V M
1M HNOIOGY
M
MODEM Spectrum
Ace
Cascade Games, the
people who are probably
best known for their tlve-
mllllon-games-on-ono-
cassette compendium, are
It's a Miracle! planning to convert their
C64 flight simulator, Ace,
Miracle Technology, one o( the country's leading manufacturers onto the Spectrum. Some
o< modems, have come up with another addition to Iheir range other computing mag voted
The WS4000 Is fully Intelligent and speed buttered' and offers the '64 version as Their
autodial/answer and Hayes compatablllty. as well as a number 'Flight Simulator of The Year'

5: of upgrade options. The WS4000 offers comms buffs 300. 600.

1200,1200/75 and 75/1200 baud rates which should be enough
to get you onto any board or database you care to mention.
so if you havent already got
three dozen flight simulators
cluttering up your sholves,
the Speccy version might be
Priced at £149.95 the WS4000 claims to offer the ultimate In
modem flexibility. Further details from Miracle on 0473 216141. worth going up for a spin in.

ZX Computing Monthly • August 1986

 Multi-user boom
It looks like multi-user games are really starting to take off.
Following on from MUD and Mlcronefs new SHADES game,
Level 9 are working on one too. Codenames AVALON, Level
9 claim that their game will be similar to MUD, but will be
larger — containing more than 10,000 locations and 1000
computer controlled characters. AVALON Is scheduled to go
online this autumn, and at about the same time Mike 'Lords
of Midnight* Singleton will be starting to run the Play By Mall
version of his new game, Dark Sceptre. This is a game In the
Ttr No Nog style, buthe PBM version will allow players to send
In their moves on microdrlve while Mike adjudicates the
whole game.

Design's Nemesis
Design Design have a g a m e called Nemesis planned lor
August release In II. you play the last survivor or a small plane!,
whose task is to delend the secret Nemesis weapon Irom the
attack ot Ihe Andro-bols. To complete your task you have to
local® all the modules that make up Ihe weapon, then locale
and repair the leleporl machine that c a n send both you and
the weapon to satety Complete with isometric graphics,
Nemesis will be coming your way soon (or |ust £7.95.

QL Datalink
Datalink (Wales), who wrote the excellent 3D Slime and
CADPAK packages, plan to launch a new game for the
QL In time tor the PCW Show In September. As yet
untitled, the game will feature 172 screens of Knlghtlore
style graphics and will be in a similar arcade/adventure
mould. Whatever they decide to call the game If will be
available for £19.95

Spectrum Games Top Ten

1 World Cup Carnival US Gold
2 Biggies Mlrrorsoft
3 Pyracurse Hewson
4 Groen Beret Ocean
5 Batman Ocean
6 Very Big Cave Adventure CRL
7 V Ocean
8 Equinox Mfkrogen
9 The Price ot Maglk Level 9
10 Way of the Tiger Gremlin
Chart supplied by W. H. Smiths
Batman took a bit of a tumble this month as the
controversial World Cup Carnival kicks off at No 1 in lis first
Brain of a Scorpion month In the chart. It's nice to see some adventures doing
well In a chart that is usually dominated by arcade games,
II you are looking lor a n add-on lor the Spectrum that's ditler-
ent try Ihe Scorpion Intelligent Controller. Made up ol 24k ol and Price of Magik seems to confirm Levol position as our
RAM and 32K or ROM Ihe Scorpion opens up endless premier adventure company, although CRL Is doing quito
possibilities with on board interlacing lor analogue Inputs,
digital inputs, servo outputs, an LCD display, a keypad, a serial nicely (with some help from the ladles of St 8rldos).
port, a user port and shall encoders.
Applications are numerous Including data logging,
monitoring heal light and distance changes and controlling
robotic a d d ons. The sling In the tall ol the Scorpion is
unlorlunalely the price at £249 + VAT but It Is remarkably
Summer Budgets
versatile as demonstrated In the ZX ollice by Peter Miller ol Alpha-Omega, CRL's budget software range, Is duo to
Micro-Robotics and II you've got a serious control or monitoring release two new Spectrum titles any minute now. Priced
project in mind lor your Spectrum or you are a robotics at £1.99, Summer Santa has you delivering prezzies the
enthusiast you might want to know more. empty stockings scattered around a house, while
For lurlher details Micro-Robollcs can be contacted on (0223) Dekoratlng Blues is a 'painter' game with 40 levels and
323100. lots of sound effects.

ZX Computing Monthly • August 1986 15

 128 Treasure
Hunt Winners
There was an unprecedented
response to our 128 Spectrum
competition and the five lucky
winners who unearthed the
burled Spectrums on Rom
Island were M. Richardson.
Forres, Morayshire, Mr A.G.
Punchard, Farnborough, Hants,
R.J. Sands, Sklpton. Yorkshire,
Bruce Whltehort, Fleet, Hants
and Andy Redfern of Open-
shaw. Manchester.
The c a p t i o n tiebreaker
featuring a picture of Sir Clive
holding a 128 at shoulder level
during a pholo session at the
Questprobe official launch attracted some
witty suggestions many relating
Winners to the Amstrad takeover such as
'Just because It's not mine
Fantastic Four lans had no
trouble with our questions in the
doesn't mean I can't hold It
does it?" Along the same lines Dulluiittaf. .R.
Questprobe competition and was "Another Spectrum coming
over Mr Sugar — Catcht" But Martech are set to follow up
50 of them will receive US Golds UlDJ^JLr/. Zolds and The Planets (let's
adventure featuring the Human perhaps the most apt was
Bruce Whitehorn's — 'If Ihey ask not mention Sammy Fox
Torch a n d fhe Thing. The

X
me any questions on Its sound, Strip Poker eh?) with W A R .
winners names are: Reza Pank- This Is a game set on a
hurst, Al Rasl, Kuwait; B Steele. I'll Jusl play If by ear."
world that Is entirely
West Drayton; Barry Carter, mechanical and whose
Bethnal Green; Chris Geggus, Inhabitants are about to go
Romford; Steven Curtis, Reading; to war on the planet Earth,
H. McGregor. Frome; David
Trlga. London SW19; Simon
Austin, Chigwell; C Blezard.
Ballblazer your mission Is to penetrate
the defences of the enemy
planet and do to them
Preston; Mark Summers, Mor-
peth; Jonathan Boam. York; Winners before they do to you.'
W.A.R. Is coming your way
Cllve Mariner, Halsfead: R. Laird. There are 50 winners of our this autumn on the
Selkirk: Christy Bartholomew, Ballblazer Competition who Spectrum.
Southampton; Ricardo Tamlsari, each receive a copy of Actl-
Aberdeen; Joseph Kasa, visions high speed futuristic
Basingstoke; Ben Scott. game. They are; Bartjan Van
Glasgow; M. Cunningham- Hulten, Roermond. Holland; Rob •r* \ • ^
Brown, Henley In Arden; Colin
McChesney. Renfrew; Brian
Ramshaw. Tynemouth, Andrew
Abbot, St Helen* Merseyslde; A.
T h e m (• •J
Carr. Carnoustie; David Irwin, Gilding, Leicester: Giles
Manchester; Mr S. Lea. London Cartmel, Derby. John Conway,
NW8; Ian Rowbofham, Man-
chester; A. McLellan, Paisley;
Ballisodane, Co Sllgo; Simon
Minter. Tellord; H. MocGregory,
I l l u s t r a t o r J % ^
Paul Tucker. Leicester; James Frome. Somerset; BC Steele.
Atkinson. Sunderland; Phillip For Tlie SiM't'lrum 41tk
West Drayton; Nicky Cashman,
Tredlnnlk, Storrlngton; Nick London E14; SO. Oglesby. BFPO
Almond. Coventry; P. Bamlord, 45; Klngsley Fleming, Co Wex-
Ilkeston; Hao-Yln Tsang, Oxford; ford; R. Copus. London NW10;
Mark Blery. Illinois, USA; A Alan Clarke. Warrington; ft
Gilding, Leicester; Nick Wright- Neal. Swansea; T.M Phan,
son. Kelahtey; A. Motin, Leeds; London SW20; Joseph Kasa,
Guy Volpln, Haila, Israel; R Basingstoke; David Merrick,
Mathews, London NW3; Paul Bolton; Steven Black, Glasgow;
Bayford, Norwich: J Russel, Paul Green. Sheffield: Alex
Fareham, Hants; Darren Webb, Wolstenholma Rugby; C Gibb*
Dagenham; Marcus Beer, Sit- Marsion Moretalne; Gary Bond.
llngbourne; Andrew Bennet, Carrickfergus; Daniel Grltz, 1 " » B' r "V -WTJ,
Washington, Tyne and Wear; Blackpool; David Irwin. Man-
Gordon Sutherland, Elgin, chesfer, Phillip Robinson, Stock- j •

Morayshire; Stuart Watt, Banff; M. ton: Jonathan Boam, Dunning-

Bedford. Bradford; S. Sarkar. ton. Ian Hope, Walsall; Casey
Wanstead; Darren Garbutt, Longden, Altrlngham; Armtn
Leeds; Ufhir Yasin. Leeds: P. Kluss. Mavxheim, Germany;
Atkins, Lochgilphead; K. Grant, James Strauss, New Orleans,
Glasgow; L Codelro, London N4 USA; A. McLetland. Paisley;

Quillquest
Wayne Argent, Hull; Anthony aire overnight]; Diane Bowie.
Ross, Billing* Montana. USA; Dudley (a case lor Inspector
Stuart Blnns, Redcar; Chris Clawso the cal); Jacqul Bates,
Geggus, Romford; Darren Lee
Garbutt, Leeds; Matthew Hoy. Winners Bushey (grim deeds aloot on
Noah's Ark); Chris Jones,
Trojan Cheshunt; Ben Scott, Glasgow;
Michael Power. Dublin; Marlln
The competition to win a
complete adventure kit from
Birmingham (Eric the Whale
tights for survival); Gordon
Wilkes, Coventry; PF Molhews. Gilsofl containing The Quill and Sutherland. Morayshire (Mike
Light Pen London NW3; Nell Jones.
Reading: Paul Boyford,
The Illustrator brought a huge
response with entries brimming
the Hippie's epic journey fo
Woodstock); Reynir Sfefansson,
Norwich; Thomas Schwlnd. over with Ideas for new adven- Reydartirdi (the perils of being
In our review last month ol Vienna, Austria: Robert Brown tures and with their prizes to a tourist in Iceland); Carine
Trojan's Cadmaster Light Pen It Orpington; Robert Heald help them, who knows, we may Daamen, Graven hage, Hol-
Headfotdswood; Richard see the winners adventures in land (strange mutations In

5
CO was Incorrectly stated that the
price was £14.95. The price of Wilkinson, Olney; Gordon the shops one day. The ten Hollywood); Mr J. Welsh.
the llghtpen and soltware Sutherland. Elgin. Morayshire; winners are D, Trevor, Guildford Glasgow (Unquest — a mission
package Is £19.95. Apologies to S.P. Sarlcar, London E11. (Escape from Pompeii); Leslie to rid yourself of all possessions
Trojan Tor any Inconvenience Beer. Sltlingbourne (a tramps and magic39
powers) and Nick
caused. attempls to become a million- -
Almond (Horrors In Ihe Harem).

8 ZX Computing Monthly • August 1986 15

 Centre5oft
presents
With over four years experience ol providing practical
software solutions lor business and home applications,
Gemini have put together their entire range ol lamous titles for
the Spectrum and Spectrum Plus in ONE special pack, at a
VERY SPECIAL price. Whether you're a cassette or
microdri ve user, this super value pack contains all the senous
application software you're ever likely to need lor your
Spectrum, from home accounts and database management
to a complete professional business accounting system.
Gemini's OFFICE MASTER is here-put that computer to WORK)

Database • Mailist
Stock • Cash Book
Control • Home
Final Accounts Accounts
Easiledger • Graph Plot
Each pack contains ALL 8programs, demonstration
data tiles, and clear and comprehensive manuals for
EACH program. Gemini's previous retail price tor
all these programs individually was £179.60.
Now they re all together in ONE COMPREHENSI VE
PROGRAM PACK.

OFFICE MASTER
Tape: £15 Microdrive: £17.50
includes P&P and VAT.

Database Cash Book Easiledger

Use this program for storing all types ol This is a lull and comprehensive cash book Consists ol invaluable routines to allow Ihe
information jusl the way YOU want 10 store it. accounts system designed to REPLACE your creation of any type of financial ledger syslem,
You set up a computerised 'card index1 system manual ledger entirely. It will take you Irom ihe lis usefulness lies in its ability to produce
and add records and data to the file in the format shoebox' situation ot sheaves ol invoices, account balances instantly for debtors and
that you choose. Advanced features indude cheque book stubs, petty cash vouchers and creditors together with an audit trail ot all entered
sorting and searching for specific records, bank statements etc. to a property constituted transactions, with dales and references.
mathematical calculations, printer routines, data tnal balance. You may then take your FINAL • A year-to-date summary is included ot sales,
summanes. etc. If you don't have a database, ACCOUNTS package and produce profit and purchases, receipts and payments over a
you certainly should! loss account and balance sheet ready for audit 12 month penod. and most importantly, a
A REAL money saver when it comes to your completely interactive bank account database is
accountancy bill! featured

Mailist Final Accounts

This is a specially designed database for storing Using the data file on microdnve or cassotte Graph Plot
names and addresses, and printing out in label prepared by Ihe cash book program, this software At last, superb grapns, bar charts and pie charts
format Speaal search routines are included lor will produce comprehensive end-ol-year reports on your Spectrum' With a complete data entry
selecting only names and addresses that ready lor audit by your professional adviser. stfction and the ability to load and save tiles, this
conlorm lo your critena. The famous Gemini The Gemini cash book andfinalaccounts system is really one of the tun programs to use.
'Searchkey'facility is included with this program, is now in use by many thousands ol businesses Represent numbers and data in dear diagrams
and data entry is simplified by an on screen label and as a classic' professional program has been with this package, and pnnt them out on your
painting system. Just type in those names and translated (or a wide variety ol micros. Cash - pnnter to accompany reports, budgets, etc.
addresses as though you were using a typewriter! book and final accounts alone warrant the Very highly recommended lor the office, home
purchase ol this OFFICE MASTER program pack. and school. Also includes capability to provide
mathematical (unction plotting.

Stock Control Home Accounts

Designed as a complete financial and budgeting
r
BEMINI
One ol Gemini's speciality programs, this To Gonvn MATkolsig
software will lake ihe drudgery out of keeping package for home affairs, this program allows the
user to set up a budget for items of household and
Untttd.
stock records. Enter details of part number,
description, unit quantity, cost price, sel li ng pnce, family expenditure and compare actual GemmHouM,
minimum stock level, units in stock, order quantity expenditure with budget as otten as required. Enmoulh EX8 4RSI
and supplier details. Detailed reports include A running lotal ol surpluses and defiots is ^ • • H Please send me Spectrum OFFICE MASTER packs

X
totals ol slock at cost and sale price, cost ol available both numerically and in bar graph form.
bringing slock up to level spodfied, gross margin, A complete bank account routine is included, Cheques/POs enclosed or please dotal my
understocked items, etc. Full browsing facilities together with suggested expenditure categories Access/Amoncan Express No
to make inventory management a pleasure! which may be simply altered as required. Name:

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Sole distributors to the trade: CentreSoft Ltd. Signature: t r V j

Tel. 021-359-3020 24 HOUR CREDIT CARD HOTLINE - (0395) 265165 (4 lines)

Trade and overseas enquiries welcome. '
7
CAVERNS OF able a n d playing by either key-
board or Joystick Is comfortable
KONTONIA a n d responsive. Colour Is well
used a n d sound Is unobtrusive
Alantlf Action Is rather uninspired,
£1.99 the axing of some cute little
alien 1$ done by a disem-
This Is a underground caverns bodied chopper not attached
maze lype g a m e which has to your character at all! How-
some Interesting fealures. By ever the animation of the
scrutinising the Inlay card I various sprites is a c c e p t a b l e
discovered that I was searching There Is not a lot to say about
the caverns beneath the sur- this game, against It are the
face of the planet Kotonla In an factors that It is uninspired,
elforl to llnd the key and the limited In scope and relatively
sword a n d then escape plain In presentation. On the
The screen Is simply de- positive side is that it Is c h e a p
signed with an action window relatively easy to play and Inter-
In the centre and pictures of esting enough to provide pleas-
objects above It. Once you llnd urable hours of entertainment.
a n d pick up one of these I would recommend It to
objects the word "held" ap- relative newcomers, plaers who
pears beside It a n d It Is auto- llnd Ihe "Wally" games Incom-
matically used In situations prehensible or games men and
M. where it is required.
This means that the trial and
women who still think space
Invaders is difficult.
error' melhod ol playing this
kind adventure game Is negat-
ed a n d your task Is simplified to
finding and collecting ob|ects
o o In order to progress.
t "T ^ Some objects wear out and
tzyi
• , • %
have to be replaced periodic-
V /

SPIKE
There are many spln-olf
games from the original Manic

Zsv it Miner", some are even better,

Firebird Silver 199 Range most are Indifferent. This one Is
£1.99 poor.
Admittedly there is the chal-
To begin with, I c a n see no lenge of working out how to
relationship between the cover cross the screen and timing the
picture, a Vampire or Zombie Jumps Is often critical, but
type being In front ol an old somehow it Is all rather tired
gothlc building, and Ihe g a m e a n d Hat b a n d uninspired.
You control Spike, a small Sound Is very basic, colours
averagely animated graphic clash and detection of collis-
creature, as he moves left or ions appears to be at attribute
right or jumps. From the first rather than pixel level.
screen he moves a n d Jumps
across a series ol platforms In There is nothing actually
the caverns of the Golden wrong with the game as such
Dream World. but compare it with say "Spiky
Harold" a similar style g a m e
As you wander you collect Irom Firebird at the same price,
keys to open further doors a n d a n d II sutlers considerably.
jump to press buttons to enable As a supporter of Firebird
you to progress or to reach a n d all responsibly priced
different platforms. Eventually, games it pains me to have to
provided terminal boredom say that It is not worth the
doesn't strike, you will come money unless you are an avid
upon the Dream Sphere which platform games Junkie desper-
will follow you back to the Hall ate for a fix.
of Dreams. This sometimes
breaks away a n d leaves you
forever — end ol game, very
irritating.

li
The usual variety of sprites try
to cause your demise a n d you
have live lives to succeed with.

ZX Computing Monthly • August 1986 15

THE MASTER
A such as Blade Runner. E.T. and
Raiders of the Lost Ark. So on the St OH OOO020 Ht M >00000
s
E.T. screen there are platforms
Artie Computing patrolled by little extra-terres-
£1.99 trial type creatures a n d men in
space suits.
Attic Computing, once one of The best thing about The
the big names In the Spectrum Master Is that the screens have
software marketing, have clearly been well thought out in
recently launched their own order to present you with a real
budget label and like Creative challenge It took me ages to
Sparks, have kicked off with a get past Just the first screen, but
platform g a m e the g a m e was sufficiently
The master has you chasing addictive that I enjoyed the
after a number of crosses in process of trying to get through
order to defeat a vampire who even though I was having to
lurks somewhere In the final tackle the same obstacles over
screen ot the g a m e The crosses a n d over again.
are situated on the many levels The adalctlveness ot the
ot platforms on each screen game makes up for the tact that
and, of course, these platforms the animation is a bit flickery
are patrolled by an assortment a n d the colour combinations
of deadly beings who stand on most of the screens are a bit several lives as a result, just a n d will probably be good fun
between you a n d the crosses. rough on the eyes. There's atso when I thought I'd m a n a g e d to tor the younger Spectrum
Once you've collected all the one sneaky little feature In that clear the screen. owners.
crosses on each screen you the crosses you're trying to The only less than addictive
can then make your way to the collect are themselves deadly feature of the g a m e Is that you
exit which leads onto the next from time to time Every now have to go through the screens
screen.

nnnira
a n d then they burst Into tlame In a fixed order, and after a
All the screens that I've been and I otfen found that I was so while going through the early

uuulJ
able to reach so tar have been busy working out how to reach screens time alter time could
named after a n d based upon the crosses that I didn't notice get a bit boring. But at £1.99 this
well known science fiction films when they were on fire and lost Is an enjoyable budget title

NINJA MASTER The game Is enjoyable to

play, it has a charm ot Its own
a n d is fairly addictive Back-
Firebird grounds are well drawn and
£199 colourful while the animation Is
reasonable
What could make more sense? Sound Is Interesting, if you
Take two successful g a m e connect up to a beep booster
formulae a n d blend them to- or other sound enhancement
S ather to torm a third, A least
Is seems to be the idea with
this g a m e it could be called
system then your Nlnja char-
acter yelts a passable "HAH"
every blow he makes or when
Way Of The Track a n d Field or struck.
Hyper Sports meets Fighting A high score or 'record' Is
Warrior. kept for each event and an
Actually the main format is overall score is used for a hall
that o( the track a n d field type of fame at the end.
of game a n d you progress Though limited, I enjoyed
though the grades by reaching this game and at the price 1
qualifying scores In each of the would recommend It, especi-
four different events. The events ally if you do not aleady own
are: any of Its predecessors. If you
1. Defend against arrows by are already a master ot a
punching a n d kicking them out similar game then you may tind
of the way. this one a little to easy. One final
2. Build up power by pressing gripe between each screen
left/right In order to karate chop the computer does a good
a log. Imitation of a system reset. Very
3. Use a sword to defend unnerving.
against flying Shuriken stars.
4. Use a blow pipe to fire at
flying cannlsters.
The graphics are accept-
able but not realty In the same
league of similar program* the
number of events Is likewise
limited but having said this the
program is also a lot cheaper
than Its contemporaries.

ZX Computing Monthly • August 1986 15

 RUGBY
MANAGER
Artie
C2 <»9
Rugby manager is an attempt
to emulate the all time tavourtte
football manager a n d has
mony similar features.
You have to pull your team
from the bottom ot the second
division to the top of the first. This
is done by buying a n d selling
players, picking your team by
balancing players skill and
energy.
To liven up what would be a Once all ihe above tasks
fairly straight forward textual have been completed then It's
display ot options an animated off 1o Ihe emergency shuttle
sequence of match "highlights" launch chamber where the un-
are featured showing the scrambled word has to be en-
Overall the old power still tered to e s c a p e a n d so
scoring (and near misses). works in this game a n d anyone complete the game.
You have options to enter with the J.R. twlng complex will Now here Is a platform game
be In their element. The cheap which, though not breathlaklng OK, so maybe it's not the
your own names lor p l a y e r most o r i g i n a l or creative
select your own team from a list price adds to its attraction as a n d state of the art, is good,
well!! solid a n d enjoyable variation on the Manic Miner
of teams, sell players, buy type of program, but some
players, see the league table One problem I found with Its tunny how a little thing
c a n m e a n the difference thought has gone into this
change players, finances, view the copy I had was there was a g a m e a n d an attempt to a d d
status, quit, save game or play few bugs which cause fatal between boring and enjoyable
In this case It was the animation new features to an old format
new g a m e The last nine are crashes. Selling player number has been tried.
selected from an Icon control- two seems to cause this and on of the character's feel which
led menu and an arrow control- other occasions an 0 O.K, mes- lickled my fancy The end result Is a game
led cursor. sage appears or even a system So here we are stuck on a which is very playable provides
reset occurs. multi-level s p a c e station enough of a challenge to make
The screen layout is well you keep on playing and Is fun,
designed a n d easy to under- i hope this will not be the searching for fuel barrels and
computer terminals — Well, It Animation is good, and screens
stand. all the options I could case with the tapes in the are well designed a n d gener-
think ot are provided and you shops. makes a change from caverns,
keys a n d jeweTs. ally uncluttered with unneces-
soon become engrossed in the sary detail. Colour is used well
problems of survival. There are booby traps and
wandering robots which de- but sound is used sparingly. Nol
I like the easy to operate a masterpiece in the Spectrum
selection system a n d the well plete your AC power (another
way of losing a lite) a n d your games field, but worth the
prompted input sections. The money and will occupy an idle
animated graphic section Is a overall time (TM) Is limited.
Once either of the AC or TM hour (or two),
little elementary but as Ihe
game does not 'ely on It to any level indicators reaches zero
great exlent It isn't Important. then It's the end of the game.
Your task Is to collect nine
fuel barrels, three each of Ihree
colours and collect, through
trial a n d error, the six letters of
a jumbled word by visiting the
appropriate computer
terminal.

the bonuses. As you Improve

these bonuses c a n boost your
score greatly.
A further hazard Is the bomb
block which gives you five
CO
5
seconds to reject it or douse It
with a dripping tap tor more
points. Pieces of Ihe puzzle c a n
be pushed off the board when
sections of the side walls slide
open.
The pictures are all of
famous people I got to see
Reagan, Thatcher, Klnnock, Sir
Cllve, Alan Sugar and Price
Charles before losing all three
of my lives and after several
attempts.
Considering this is not an
animated arcade wonder, I
found It very addictive reac-
tions have to be very fast a n d
most Importantly you have to
think!
blocks around, this program right until It is where you want It. A marvellous combination
SPLIT shows Inventiveness a n d In-
genuity, a n d by a d d i n g a time
Other pieces of the puzzle
which appear may have relat-
of strategy, puzzle a n d reac-
tions The pictures are all recog-
PERSONALITIES limit a n d other related factors
they have created a fast, furious
ed pictures which, when paired
correctly with another piece,
nisable and well drawn, control
is sensitive a n d I found it easier
Domorfc

5
and fun g a m e will give you a bonus. For using a joystick.
£7 95 The basic task Is to move example a bullet goes with a
pieces of a picture to their gun.
III At last! A gome from Domark correct position on the main There is an overall time limit
Q. that lives up to their publicity! screen. This is done by position- so at first you tend to concen-
Based loosely on the old ing your cursor over it and trate on getting the puzzle
CO picture puzzles where you slide 'pushing' It upt down, left or together correctly and ignore

ZX Computing Monthly
w

Spike Sparkler** pick of

the hits. Six Super Games
~ at only £199 each-
Street Date 16 June.
»[D®i
?••-! yout sleuthing skills agamst tvo/W laments detectn'es
A teal sn-ike ofa game tte There are whrte horses to tame
DANGERMOUSE
IN DOUBLE TROUBLE
Help the supet rodent overcome Baron Greenback* latest
They re .1II there hunting the slippery Sno:iqjts - dreadful
ghostly henchmen to overcome and a nasty Wizard to ployout The evj nJUin b buikhng an android Dangermouse
bttte creatines who wrMlr few in Lord and Lady think But the rewards are high - the hand of a smashing )bu muB aop him and defuse the danger Tha game c not
Snodgtt s snobsviOe mansion A must lor aH bnght sparks princess and your iwy cwn kingdom rot only tl 99 - thirfor the amateur'
AmU.xl CPC 464 and Spectrum 4BK must t/e potty< Commodore 64 Commotlore 64 and Spectrum 48K
SfurHe rating **** Sparkle rating ***** Sparkle rating*****

MAO DOCTOR
/ k '/• ••. a chance to create your own monster 1 No kidding—
KIDNAP Tower of Evil
111ii? yau on»r /; jjht a Baphomet* Well they are no
Babes m space' Kkmdd on evil alien has kidnapped tiny
all you have to do is collect the hits As Dr Fraru Earthhngs and froten them m suspended animation Kpushover
>u They guard n here the Pnncvss ts imprisoned
/UocfwiifweJ y <jrafr un'.usfiecting passers tiy and drag must rescue them from then (ate Bitatte unknown and hare some equally horrendous Inends nor old
iheni tuck lo your lib Gruesome and dangerous - th- creatures ate on guard - you need aS your skill to defeatPnncvss Dtana locked away in the clutches ol the
noterttltcjf>n;are alter you Grab your gorni and get them l/rtetty cafitivating' Spectrum 48K Necromancer Vou are her only hope Commodore 16
scalprUtng' Commodore &4 Sparkle rating * * * * Sp.vkle rating * * * * Sparkle rating****

125
The E x p l o s i v e J o y s t i c k from Cheetah
Compatible with Z X Spectrum. C o m m o d o r e 64. Vic 20. Amslrad.
Atari. M S X . etc At only C8 9 5 the leatures on Ihe 125 are second
to none B e s i d e s its u n i q u e internal structure, built to withstand
i m m e n s e p u n i s h m e n t f r o m e v e n the most vigorous g a m e s player,
Ihe joystick contains no less than lour extremely sensitive lire
buttons. T w o are h o u s e d in the h a n d g r i p w h i c h has been
m o u l d e d (or extra comfort and ease of operation
The trigger finger lire button provides e a s e and comlort
for your finger a n d the top fire button is c o n t o u r e d to lit
your t h u m b for sure lire shooting The b a s e lire buttons
are p o s i t i o n e d for extra conlroi and two hand firing
w h e t h e r y o u are right or left h a n d e d
A built in auto-fire switch provides continuous shooting
at the touch of a fire button.
T h e 125 c o m e s c o m p l e t e with a full 12 m o n t h s warranty

P r i c e s i n c l u d e VAT, High Ou«ility, L o w Priced

Singh' Port I n t w t a c e
postage A packing
D e l i v e r y n o r m a l l y 14 d a y s
(Of Spec Irum 48/1 ?8K
A c c e p t s any st.ind.ud style
Export orders joystick aleludirx)
ol n o extra c o s t Cheetah 1JS. O u C k s h o t
Dealer e n q u i r i e s w e l c o m e and Kempston

Cheetah, products
available Irom
Value a t . . . £9.75
twnchfso' ^ W t I S M I I'll • H i g h St Stores a n d a l g o o d
^ computer shops

(neetah : . - ES
"(TT' ' N
I • • / J - Cj^ lAtMWVMIW
A f l o r ' LK 'f cf ir ff iIfnl/ y^
/ V a s
• *-><"
, 7 r
*• i « n w > i i a i i M u w < j
 You must also be able to
differentiate between when you
will need certain types ol
MASTER OF
police. I found thai cars were
needed most during Ihe night
MAGIC
MAD Games
shift {4pm to midnight), pre- £2.99
sumably to c o p e with the
drunken drivers!
Walking along In Ihe under-
I &
As well as coping with thefl, ground caverns I wondered
muggings, burglaries, a n d Ihe what adventure I might confront
like, you must take on the more this time. As I reached the deep
mundane tasks such as ensur- black pool, my mind was think-
ing the traffic flows smoothly ing ol other things.. .Suddenly
around town, a n d for this you a hand slid out of the water and
will be rewarded In the way ol

f *
popularity — as long as every-
thing keeps moving. B o b b e d me. As I slowly sunk to
e bottom of the lake I realised
I was entering a new world, and
Thanklully your predeces- that I had been attacked by no
sors have left you a series of less than Thelrlc, the Master of

MI,
notes which detail the most Magic
efficient ways ol crime preven- Once In this new world,
tion, but sometimes a compro- Thelrlc explains that the only
mise is necessary, a n d Ihe

H M R R R ^ S decision rests on your h e a d . . . way for you lo gel home alive

Is to retrieve the lost Amulet of
Using a Joystick/keyboard Immorlallty for him. To give you
driven pointer, a la Macintosh, a chance. Thelrlc has given you
means that playing is very the ability to cast spells, but
simple and this combined with apart Irom that you are on your
aand
n d aadvice on how
how to
to make
make the the reasonable graphics means own, in a very strange world
I "5!a
g H JMp ^M MBMnHHI dvice on The Force Is one ol Argus' best
THE FORCE most Indeed.
iB^ W m rtf • rt olI your
ilAlir rp\ FrAeA
crat rr il /oMu Isf
position. recent releases II you do well,
something I never quite man- When the game has llnlshed
Argus Press Software Argus Press Software's latest
game, The Force. Is not one that aged, I am assured thai you
£9.95 receive promotion — but
will appeal wildly to arcade
Congratulations, Sir, on your
promotion to Superinlendant.
tans, yet it can be really lasci-
naling to play. Your first task Is
unlortunalely the public never
look a liking lo me. is this a INTERNATIONAL
Afler countless years plodding
(no Joke intended!) around the
to plan ahead lor the weekly
shifts. Although you cannot be
rellection on my policy of ban-
ning football? MATCHDAY
If you fancy a game lhal Ocean
streeis telling people where Ihe expected to control e a c h £9.95
Gents are, you have linally otllcer on a minute by minute stretches more than your joy-
basis. you are expected to have stick. The Force could well be Spectrum 128
made Ihe grade. In your new
role you wlil have less contact m a d e sure l h a l there are lor you. I lound II enthralling, Spectrum 128 owners patiently
with the general public, nor will enough men to cope with any though fortunately I can't vouch waiting for 128 software will be
you be able to spend hours at eventualities (or ils realism!!! heartened by the arrival ol that
Ihe pub during lunch time! In each dilferent area that old favourite Matchday. which
As Super, you must both you control there are areas has been internationalised and
maintain a satisfactory level of where more police are likely to Improved to use the full poten-
community goodwill, and be needed at specific limes; tial ol the m a c h i n e The most

B8QD
police your area elflclently Saturday afternoon at the loot- Important extra is the Inclusion
enough to stop any massed riot- ball ground needs crowd con-
ing. Thankfully you have been trol, a n d you will be expected
provided with three manuals, to have checked your diary
each ol which give you clues a n d planned ahead. g a m e would have received a
really high rating. As It stands
however it has just loo many
need his head examined! you would expect Irom a well b a d points (Including a bug or
CUFF HANGER What makes the g a m e
slightly enjoyable to play is that
known software house such as
New Generation (and being
Iwo). I'll just have to wait lor
Loony Tunes'!
New Generation the author, James Day, has bought by Virgin Is no excuse),
£7.95 managed lo capture some of with the men looking more like
the feel of the original cartoons matchsticks, and Ihe animation
At certain points, such as when being reminiscent ol a ZX81.
Everyone who has ever (ound you roll a boulder at the Overall, Clill Hanger is a
themselves In hysterics as bandido and It rolls back a n d great Idea, badly executed. If
Coyote talis, yet again, lo catch

5
flattens you, you realise how New Generation had spent
the Road Runner will undoub- much potential this game had. more time trying to develop a
tedly leel as disappointed as I That said, the graphics are plot, and then programmed ihe
did when playing this game. really not up to a standard that graphics a n d sound well, this
Set in Ihe wild west you play
Cliff, Ihe hero ol this tale, and
you must stop the bandit (or
bandldo to his chums) Irom
rushing up the canyon, guns
blasting. This might sound
incredibly easy, but you can't

2
just shoot him. oh no, you have
lo use various techniques that
only someone as dumb as
Coyote would try.

S On the levels I got through,

this included dropping boul-
ders on him. throwing boom-
erangs al him, chasing round a
railway track a n d then drop-
ping boulders, etc. Apparently
there are 15 levels ol difficulty,
each with between three and

o
live dillerent screens that
appear randomly. To graduate
Irom one level to another you
must kill the bandido a certain
amount of limes; though any-
a. one willing to play the game
CO through all 15 levels would

14
 loading, you are presented with force, a n d one lor your magic
three distinctly different areas. ability — both of which diminish
The lower half of the screen disturbingly quickly!
shows what crealures or objects What makes the game even
are within your range (irrespec- more annoying is that some of
tive of whether they are alive or the monsters, especially the
H a s t . , dead), a n d It is also used as the Vampires, have limited intelli-
area in which you choose your gence. In practice this means
spells a n d actions. that they chase atler you for
The top left of the screen is hours!
a n independently scrolling The Master of Magic is a true
area which shows a section ol a r c a d e adventure, a n d al-
your progress through the maze though its graphics a n d sound
Most Importantly however Is the are not outstanding, the game
top right "Scroll', which shows is extremely playable, and at
you what action you have £2.99, you must be MAD not to
d e c i d e d to take, a n d what — if buy it!! (Sorry, but I had to gel
any — crealures are attacking that in!!)
you.
If you are unfortunate
enough to be attacked, you
can use one of your spells to kill
your opponent, or if you have
picked up a weapon, you c a n
use that. Of your spells, the
Magic Missile tends to be pretty
useiul against everything ex-
m$ cepl the most hardy opponent.
Your status Is displayed on
vffM two meters, one tor your life

of an International knockout c a n vary difficulty levels when nice louch a n d the scene shifts petitive g a m e with friends and
tournament where, starting from playing the computer (ama- to the crowd, a screen of well with the extra option ot being
Ihe quarter finals you c a n take teur, professional. International), animated fans jumping up and able to select your own team
on your friends or the computer game length, team colours and down with delight. The goal- names you can fulfil all those
In a three stage compeition. border colours A neat addition mouth scene remains in Ihe top fantasies about mighty Brazil
Overall the graphics are to the original is a h a n d i c a p right corner of the screen where being humbled by your local
most impressive a n d the g a m e feature so If you are scared of those forwards are still gal- team.
play is very smooth a n d yes, getting a trouncing you can loping around.
Ihere Is a rousing three channel give yourself a few goals head With so m a n y options
rendition ol the Match of the start which may not b e realistic combined with an excellent
Day theme as well as authentic but does buffer the humiliation simulation of the game itself
sounding crowd noise during ol double figure defeats againsi International Matchday will be
the matches. the compuler at the top level. w e l c o m e d by a l l f o o t b a l l
What singles out Matchday When you score a goal your fanatics with a 128. The Inclu-
from most other simulations is forwards go loopy a n d charge sion of the tournament feature
the range of options so that you around celebrating, which is a makes It a winner as a com-

It seemed like a fairly ordinary by the height of the screens need a key to get through them
ACTION REFLEX dodge-the-obstacles
program with a bouncing ball
type Ihemselves) and once you've
achieved the height that you
and some locked doors have to
b e b a s h e d d o w n with a
Mlrrorsoft instead of a jumping Jel Set think you need you c a n then hammer.
£7.95 Willy character. However, when bounce oft along the course. Graphically the game Is
I finally got my hands on the This requires good judgement fairly simple 1o look at — and
finished version It turned out to on your part, since once the looks a lot like any decent plat-
This Is an o d d little game. I'd be quite a bit more challeng- ball is bouncing it's quite easy
seen a couple ol pre-produc- form and traps game — with
ing than I expected. to misjudge the speed and lots of large colourful sprites
tion versions of the g a m e a n d height lhat the ball will be
You control a chequered a n d some quite good ani-
bouncing ball that has to be moving at, a n d If you hit some- mation, particularly In Ihe
guided around an obstacle thing accidentally you can find movement of the ball itself.
course Your controls are Just yourself bouncing helplessly all There is no set number of lives
lelt/rlght and jump, a n d to over the place a n d getting as you play against a lime limit,
begin with the ball is left lying killed by one of the traps lying but each time you get punc-
on the floor of the first section of In wait. tured you receive a time
the course. The motion of the There are three mazes to penalty so you've got to try a n d
••uywy. ball is quite tricky to h a n d l e complete, each containing 25 make some quick decisions
a n d although this isn't an enor- screens full of traps a n d and you don't always have time

C
mously fast g a m e It c a n be obstacles, a n d each harder to stop and work out exactly
quite challenging working out than the last. The course con- what your next move Is
how to get past all the dillerenl tains some goofy green mon- Action Reflex Isn't going to
types ot obstacles — especially sters which wander back a n d win any awards tor tne most
\*
as getting past one tricky spot forlh and a variety of fixed traps original g a m e of all time but it
c a n send you hurtling out of that can destroy you in all sorts Is an addictive and tricky game
' *

>Vn • control Into an even deadlier of ways There are lakes that you that needs a combination of
one just a little further along ihe c a n sink into, tubular tunnels arcade reflexes and a little bit
way. that need to be smashed open of planning a n d judgement.
The movement of the ball is with a hammer, flame throwers, My only doubt about it Is lhat
fairly realistic, in lhat It has magnet* (lying darts and many three mazes might not be suf-
Inertia which causes the ball to other devices guaranteed to ficient lo give the game a very
accelerate a n d decelerate deflate both the ball a n d your long lifespan.
3 quite slowly at first then the game-playing e g a
speed change Increases more There are also some
rapidly. To get the ball bounc- obstacles which can't just be
ing you have to stop moving bounced past. These require
telt/right a n d press the bounce you to collect objects that are
button to build up the height of scattered along the course
your bounces The longer you (and normally in inaccessible

i;
hold the bounce button, the corners guarded by monsters).
higher the ball will bounce The lakes can only be crossed
(though obviously this Is limited II you've found a life raft, tunnels

ZX Computing Monthly • August 1986 15

ZX Computing Monthly • August 1986
0

II:I*I) N

\
nutw
•'ir

i i
RAF PILOT

"I JUST COULDNT BELIEVE HOW MUCH THERE WAS IN IT"

wW.
"ACE IS ONE OF THE BEST SIMULATORS I HAVE EVER PLAYED
•1
coscodc "

'THERE ARE FLIGHT SIMULATORS AND THERE ARE FLIGHT

SIMULATORS - AND THEN THERE'S ACE'
COMPUTER AND VIDEO GAMES

$d««n iholi oin l o ^ n limn llw O 64 m u o n

n
The Pumpkin returns as get through If you're frying to go Spectrum's sound, with nice little
up from the lower levels. sproingy noises accompanying
hero In the sequel to Pumpkins don't have legs (In the bouncing action. And just
fact they don't have much watching the pumpkin bounce
Cauldron except heads and a big grin) so around Is fun, especially as the
the only way to get around is by squlshy little fellow squeezes
bouncing. This where most of the through some of the tight spots
Cauldron 2 fun lies, as controlling the In the rooms
Palace Software pumpkin's bouncing is an art in If you enjoyed Cauldron the
itself. There are three different first time around, you'll certainly
£8.99 heights of bounce that can be enjoy Cauldron 2. It doesn't
used in conjunction with the really break new ground, being
T h e Pumpkin Strikes Back! If usual left/right controls, but a descendant of the long line of
you played the original unlike most platform games platform games, but It Is welt
Cauldron game you'll remember where you just jump a n d stop, designed and puts the emphasis
that it was the witch's task to the pumpkin continues to on fun a n d playablllty rather
destroy the Evil Pumpkin In order bounce all the time, a n d if you than enormously complex Icon
to become Queen of the misjudge a single bounce you menus and suchlike. I haven't
Witches. can end up shooting out of come anywhere near finishing It,
But now, In Cauldron 2, the control a n d ricocheting from but I'll be going back to
tables are about to be turned as platform to platform. If Cauldron more than I do with
the last of the pumpkins enters something like this happens in most games these days.
the witch's castle In an attempt the wrong place you c a n find
to cut off a lock of her hair and yourself hurtling out of a window
drop It Into the cauldron hidden at the top of the castle, only to
In the depths of the dungeon, fall into the grounds beyond the
But before you c a n cut off the moat at ground level.
witch's hair you'll need fo find In addition to the problems of
the scissors which are hidden bouncing your way around all
somewhere in the castle, as welt the rooms, there are all the
as collecting a number of other monsters wandering around to
objects that will be needed if deal with as well. One or two
you're to find your way safely monsters are deadly upon

(M:of?i;

i ii I i Iff i
I \m ) * *
I \w J

MBM

through the dangers of the contact, but most of them Just

castle drain your energy level — which
Each game starts In one of six is recorded as a percentage
possible locations within the level at the top of the screen,
castle and you have to guide along with a record of all the
the little pumpkin through Ihe objects that you've managed to
corridors, stairways and halls in find - a n d when this falls to 0%
search of the objects a n d the you lose one of your seven
room where the witch lies pumpklnny lives. Fortunately,
sleeping. The 127 rooms are laid there are sources of magic
out in the shape of a castle with within the castle which allow
different floors and turrets jutting you to recharge your magic
out here a n d there so finding poweqs a n d to blast most of the
your way up or down properly monsters that stand In your way
adds an extra level of difficulty (though at a cost of 1% of your
to the game since some rooms energy each time).
are easy to get through if you're The graphics a n d animation
on your way down from the top are excellent throughout and
of the castle but impossible to good use has been made of the

ZX Computing Monthly • August 1986 15

 DISCOVERY
CRUSHES THE
COMPETITION

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TRANSFERS YOUR FAVOURITE TAPE SOFTWARE TO DISC

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* COMPREHENSIVE USER MANUAL

* OPUS DELIVERY PLEDGE

A t an amazing £99.95 Discovery deals a crushing blow to every

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the best equipped disc drive you can buy, it's also the cheapest.
The Opus package is unbeatable value. We guarantee you delivery within
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To order your Discovery call the Opus Sales Hotline now on 0737 65080
Choose Discovery and you'll find a system packed with brilliant features: or post the coupon. Dealer and Education enquiries welcomed. Special
export rates available.
• 3V2w250 K DISC DRIVE ^ To: O p u s Supplier L i m i t e d . 55 O r m t i d e W.iy, H o l m e t h o r p e l n d u i t r i . i l E i L i t e . Redhtil, Surrey. T
I Pleate r u s h m e t h e f o l l o w i n g : (PRICES INCLUDE VAT A N D CARRIAGE)
• DOUBLE DENSITY DISC INTERFACE
I DISCOVERY unit(s)at £114.94
• JOYSTICK INTERFACE I I enclose a cheque for C or please debit m y credit card
| account w i t h the amount of C
• PRINTER INTERFACE | M y Access Visa | i n o . is:
I I 1I I I I1
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• SIMPLE ONE-POINT CONNECTION I TELEPHONE
—
 REBEL STAR
Firebird Silver
£1.99
"This Is no ordinary game!",
gushes Ihe blurb trom the Inlay.
'There Is no fancy story or
scenario, just you against the
computer or a friend.lt Is a fight
to the death. There are no hall
measures. No truces or pacts
The b a t t l e will b e h a r d
fought... but the winner will be
supreme."
It seems an o d d claim thai
Rebel Star should be extra-

KNIGHT TYME This time the Magic Knight exomlne and manipulate ordinary because It doesn't
has been catapulted Into the objects or save the g a m e until have frivolous additions like a
25th Century onto Ihe decks of another day. "fancy story". In fact Rebel Star
Mastertronic the USS Pisces The spaceship Is A few hints are given on the Is very ordinary Indeed, a
£2.99 inhabited by a range of robots cassette insert to get you started straightforward kill or be killed
a n d aliens who c a n help or on the right tack. With this tussle between forces fighting
When Moslerlronic set out their hinder the Knight in his search knowledge a n d a little perse- for domination ol Moonbase
stall In the soltware market they for the Time Guardians. verence you'll be able to move Delta. It's certainly adequate
were seen as a nine day Wlndimation is the awful the slarshlp to boldly go where considering Its limited scope
wonder. No-one expected that n a m e for the clever menu no knights have gone befora but a story, fancy otherwise
a handsome protlt could be system by which the Magic would have helped.
made from games at such low Knight's actions c a n be con- The g a m e Is keyboard only
prices Thai Spellbound should trolled. Each m e n u super- A, 4 "^ S>" a n d on one side of the tape Is
have received such lavish Imposed u p o n the screen Ihe one player version a n d on
Ihe other a two player option.

GREAT
praise shows jusl how far the displays a selection ot options
company has come and Knlghl or sub-options. The options Briefly the attackers (Raiders)
Tyme should carry on Ihe good allow you to question other have to break Into the base a n d
work. c h a r a c t e r s in the g a m e , destroy the central computer.
The defending force are mainly
carrying ior the object in your
SNODGITS possession, be it a turkey,
candlestick, suitcase or rubber hap:
Creative Sparks duck. You pay a penalty for
£1.99 each indiscretion a n d If too
many errors are made you will
never solve the crime.
object:
I like a good whodunnit especi-
ally If I c a n solve the crime The graphics are superb,
chunky 3D affairs a n d I've nof
belore I reach Ihe end of Ihe O : unit:
_ J " ol b vj e c t
book. Benlon the butler shares enjoyed a g a m e like this for a
my enjoyment a n d t was long time It's on the budget
pleased that we could join Sparklers label toa All I can say
forces in Snodgits. Is thank you Creative Sparks,

l U Lk S^SELECT
i IM use:
Benton is an amateur sleuth CDS a n d Martin Harris. This
who musl solve various crimes
ijame deserves a place in the
A H A
A
op Ten games.

b mm\
in the mansions owned by Lord
a n d Lady Snodger. Unfortun- ScSELEC
ately, he must also see to their '••END
laEHD
TUWM
N-NCXT
3%. a
needs while snooping about for
clues . UHI T
I I-INFO
1
Until now all of Ihe thefts
have been blaimed on the J-CEMTRE
Snodgits. mischievous little
creatures who inhabit the Hfi&Jr
k-
' 1 =
Snodger houses. Various
famous detectives are also
working on the case a n d
Benton must solve Ihe cases
before the likes ot Miss Marbles,
Inspector Clousteau or Padlock
Holmes get cracking.
Each g a m e Is set in a differ-
ent house. There ore five houses
altogether each with a maxi-
mum of six floors All start off with
only two floors with a new floor
being a d d e d as you progress
through the levels of the game.
The Snodgits will tell you lhat
a certain object is required by
a certain member of the family.
You must locate the object and
deliver it to Its owner. This
enables you to visit the clue
table Here you c a n match up
suspects lo the object they have
stolen. If you are correct, you
must then report them to a
detective.
On your way around the
house you must avoid bumping
into Snodgits or Ihe person who
Is currently bellowing for an
object. II you bump into one of
the other characters you c a n
exchange whatever they are

ZX Computing Monthly • August 1986 15

drolds. Your capabilities revolve
a r o u n d the a c q u i s i t i o n of
action points which are distri-
buted before each turn.
All your actions such as
picking up dropping or chang-
ing objects uses up these points
Loading a n d firing a variety of
weapons also saps your action
points. You are Informed as to
how many points either an
aimed or a snap shot will take
and there's also a mode known
as opportunity tire where a shot
Is delayed until your opponents
turn. The aiming mode Is a rudi-
mentary shift tne cursor affair
and this combined with weigh-
ing up how much each shot will
cos! In energy terms makes the
action very slow.
It's certainly not an all action
shoot-em-up a n d the constant
need to assess what you can do
with your action points makes it
more a g a m e for would-be
accountants than a spree for
the trigger happy.
Given the lack ot arcade
action one would have thought
that a greater strategy element
would nave been included but
it's been kept to the minimum.
There are things to remember il
you are attacing the base such
as Ihe combat droids armed
with blast torches are the only
ones who c a n destroy airlock
doors and il you succeed in
destroying the three laser
computers In the base you will tantalus with 32 booby trapped The graphics deserve spec-
get reinforcements. These
aspects however, only give a Tantalus doors between himself and the
attacking Spike Punkolds Four
ial mention. They are extremely
colourful and well designed.
token degree of sophistication of these mutants have been The variety a n d detail In each
to ihe game. Argus Press Software
£8.95 given the task of attacking a n d screen makes this game more
Although the g a m e fails to overrunning the humanoids of a feast for Ihe eyes than
generate much excitement or hideaway. fodder for Ihe brain. Apart from
involvement It might a p p e a l to I have a dislike for the use of the Hidden inside Ihe labyrinth- looks it is a very average maze
those who like their destruction word 'movie' to hype up an ine stronghold are the switches game.
and mayhem at a leisurely arcade g a m e to a level which which operate the doors to the
pace a n d a budget price a n d It doesn't merit. The sleeve notes inner sanctum. These lock
don't want to get bogged down for Tantalus makes such an aciivators are guarded by the
with complex g a m e play. elevated c l a i m but it's no usual range of flying, pulsating
amazing new concept, in tact a n d decendina nasties
It's a lairly ordinary 2D maze The Punkoicfs can choose
adventure from six weapons. Five have
The mutants are on the distinctive tiring patterns and
rampage a n d there is only one the sixth makes Ihe Punkoid
enemy humanoid left. He Is
entrenched on the planet
vessel (the Prolonthrust 3000)
disappear lor a few moments. IJUU
RUPERT AND At first, the g a m e looks a bit
better than it actually Is. The
THE ICE graphics for the scenes inside
are all nicely designed, and
CASTLE Rupert himself is a l a r g e
detailed sprite. But after a short
time you'll realise that there's
not awful lot of game to go with
Rupert may be over 60 years the nice graphics
old now. but he's still hopping Each of Rupert's friends are
abut like a good 'un In Bug
Byte's latest release.
hidden in a separate screen,
a n d there are three difficulty
</>
Rupert's chums have been levels to play on. But. as poor Ul
kidnapped a n d frozen inside Rupert only seems to have four
Ihe Ice castle, and It's up to friends this give you a grand <

O
Rupert to slip on his Ice skates total of just twelve screens to
and rescue them with his play on.
special Ice pills. Each screen seems a bit
Inside. Ihe ice castle looks tricky at first, especially as
remarkably like a plaltorm Rupert goes out ol control
game with Utile sprites of snow- whenever he collides with any-
balls and toy cars bouncing thing. But once I'd completed
around. 11 these touch Rupert he each screen a n d worked out a
loses one of his pills, and when route thai works I was able to go It's a shame really — with a

o
he runs out ol pills he too Is through most of Ihem over and budget price and nice
frozen and the game ends. over a g a i n without much diffi- graphics this could have been
There are also patches of Ice in culty. The lirst level of tour a good addition to the ranks of
all the rooms thai you can skate screens took me about len budget games, but with such a lil
over, though here you have to
be carelul as It's easy to skid out
minutes to complete, a n d the
next levels* though harder, soon
small number of basically re-
petitious screens there's not
a.
ol control. started lo seem repetitive. much of a game here lo play. CO

ZX Computing Monthly • August 1986 15

 2001 -
KEYBOARD
OF THE FUTURE?
— onto a shetf somewhere a n d keyboard INPUT, symbol shifted
Saga 2001 Keyboard then settle down to work with AT. extended mode CODE and
your nice, tidy 2001 keyboard. exlended mode plus symbol shlfl
Saga Systems Then, when you actually start would give you IN (and that's an
£119.95 to use the keyboard, you'll start Indication of how awkward the
to realise that there's more to the Spectrum's entry system really Is!).
2001 than just a load of infrared But on the 2001 the T key offers
S a g a are currently putting the rays. Saga haven't just produced just INPUT a n d the letter T as
finishing touches to the latest in a unit with better quality keys usual, a n d all the other functions
their range of add-on keyboards a n d a few extra keys for numbers normally associated with that
for the Spectrum — the infrared a n d punctuation, which is what key are arranged on other keys
controlled 2001. most add-on units amount to. on the back row of the unit.
What's an infrared controlled With the 2001 they've virtually Because of the extent to
keyboard? Well, for a start, it's redesigned the entire keyboard which all the keys have been
one that doesn't require you to layout and entry system. The rearranged It took me quite a
take your beloved Speccy apart single letter and keyword entry while to get used to the new
and install it inside the body of system remains the same, but layout, a n d I made lots of
the new keyboard. Work is still Saga have more or less done mistakes when my hand
being done on the infrared link, away with extended mode, and automatically went to press a
but the prototype that we've altered the fiddly symbol key that was no longer there or
been playing with gives a good shift/shift plus extended mode did something totally different to
idea ol how the finished version system. its usual function, but the new
should work, and it's Impressive arrangement is a definite
because of more than just the improvement. Saga have even
hi-tech Infrared business. Shifting keys Improved the layout over their
The 2001 keyboard is a Along the top of the keyboard own earlier keyboards: most
complete unit in itself a n d (the rear row) is a row of keys for punctuation symbols have their
requires no fiddling with all the extended mode own keys and at last they've put
screwdrivers to connect it to your functions: if you want to enter the Delete and Edit keys In
Spectrum as it connects via an commands like CODE. PEEK. TAB sensible positions.
interface that plugs into the and so on, all you have to do is The 'calculator cluster", the
Spectrum's peripheral port like press the appropriate key — group of keys on the right hand
any other type of interface. The there's no need to press symbol side of the board which deal
interface goes into the Spectrum shift/caps shift or anything else. with numbers a n d maths
and the keyboard is linked to These new keys also carry the functions, has been enlarged
the interface by infrared (Just like various VIDEO and symbol shift over Saga's previous efforts: the
some TV remole conlrot units). functions, but because you only block graphics characters are
What this means is that not have to use the symbol shift key labelled on the number keys, all
only are you spared the bother (sensibly positioned away on the the obvious maths keys are there
of taking your Spectrum apart left of this row) to get at these (/*-+) a n d separate Delete a n d
(which is a business that always the whole business Is much Enter keys have been included.
worries me. not being very easier than on the Spectrum's Mind you I would have liked
technically minded) and also normal keyboard (especially the 2001 to have separate Stop
voiding your guarantee, but you with the VIDEO functions which and Break keys, and for one of
can also dispense with that allow you to manipulate the the punctuation keys to be a
miserable tangle of wires that attributes of what you're putting litlle further from the Enter key. as
clutters up your desk a n d makes on screen — I've always found I often found myself typing sets
life so awkward for Spectrum using these a horrendous of quotation marks when T was
owners whenever they want to business on the Spectrum, but trying to hit the Enter button
connect the machine to the 2001 makes it simple). Instead. The keys themselves are
anything. You just set up your Furthermore, the way these noticeably smaller and closer
Spectrum as you would functions are grouped together together than on other Saga
normally, a n d Ihen. with the 2001 on the Individual keys has been boards and I found that I often
interface in place, you just shove rearranged: normally the key tor over stretched my fingers when
it — wires, power supply, and all V would carry that letler, the trying to hit keys, but this is really

ZX Computing Monthly • August 1986 15

 /

just a matter ol time and keys along the back. All in all. tape recorder for just £140,
becoming familiar with the the 2001 is an impressive piece existing 48K owners could
board. of hardware but though the upgrade to a whole new
£119.95 price tag isn't machine for just another £20.
unreasonable considering what's If you're looking for an add-on
Overall gone Into it, that is stitl a lot of keyboard then you couldn't do
Because you don't have to fit the money to pay for an add-on to much better than this (though
Spectrum's circuit board Inside it a computer that probably only Saga's Elite 3 is still a strong
the 2001 is very slim and quite cost £140 itself. And. with competitor), but the 2001, for all
flat and looks like a 'real' Amslrad apparently ready to its admitted excellent features,
computer terminal board, launch a 128 Spectrum with a might very well have priced itself
especially with that extra row of 'proper' keyboard and built-in into a very small market.

128: THE FIRST DISK DRIVE This is where I encountered From my own tests, a typical
Discovery Disk Drive 1 my first problem. I use an RGB loading time is 25 seconds tor
Opus monitor connected to the DIN loading a multisection program
socket on the back of the 128. If which takes almost 5 minutes
£99.95 is impossible to fit the drive with from cassette. In a year this will
Loading up the memory of a the plug in position unless you probably mean that the modest
Spectrum 128 from cassette is strip off the plastic cover and cost of £100 will be recouped by
rather like filling a swimming remove the metal shield on the Ihe reduction in my weekly
pool with a one gallon bucket, plug. Surely it would not be too consumption of coffee (what else
you get there eventually but It's difficult for Opus to fit a special can you do while a program
a long haul. The Opus Discovery connector through to the back loads from tape!).
1 disk drive has come to the aid of the disk drive to overcome this
of Spectrum owners in the past problem.
and the new 128 compatible Apart from this the drive was
version has now made its timely very easily assembled and Overall
appearance. tidied up the messy collection of The main advantage of disk over
Using the word 'new' is a little wires and interfaces which lape is random access of files.
misleading because the only abound with my mircodrive This is like the difference
difference is the ROM controlling connection. The other pleasing between cassette and disc use
the machine. The Version 2.2 feature for me is the inclusion of in the audio world. A piece of
chip makes no radical changes an on/off switch. It's just a small music is easily played on an LP
to the operation of the drive and improvement but somehow record by moving the stylus
the manual which came with it makes the system feel more directly onto the chosen track. A
is Ihe original 48K machine's professional. cassette relies on fast winding to
document with a sheet of A4 To be honest, though I the selected area and then
paper outlining the few small marvelled af the technology hunting up and down for the
changes to the system. involved in the development of beginning. With a computer disk
The unit is more than |ust a the microdrive system, it's never the recording head is like the
disk drive because it replaces really appealed to me. I find the stylus. In a database record disk
Ihe strung out power supply, cartridges to small and fiddly. In the individual entries can be
provides a Kempston compatible contrast the rigid cased floppy loaded, modified or stored in a
joystick connector, a parallel disk has plenty of room for way which is inconceivable with
printer Interface and a through labels cataloguing the contents a tape based system. The
connector for peripherals. There of the disk, access to information Discovery 1 turns the 128 into a
Is also room for expanding the Is much more direct and places plausible small business
system Into a twin disk drive less strain on the recording machine rather than a games
utilising 3.5 inch disks which are medium. computer.
fast becoming the Industry norm.
In operation the computer
sees the drive as a standard
mlcrodrlve. The commands
follow closely those long-winded
phrases required for microdrlve
operation but this is a syntax
Imposed by the mother
computer, particularly when it is
in 48K mode.
Good connections
Setting up the drive requires
more care than skill. The
standard disk Is supplied with
the new ROM in a plastic
casing. After following the
simple Instruction sheet on
dismantling your new drive's
outer shell, it's simply a case of
removing the old chip from its
socket and slotting In the new
one. When the casing is
reassembled the 128 can be
slotted onto the connector and
the drives base plate screwed to
the bottom of the computer to
make a good solid connection.

ZX Computing Monthly • August 1986 15

 II
Steve Turner, author of
Hewson's Quazatron,
with advice for

PROI=l=5SIONAI b u d d i n g games writers.

This month — The

" C U C II Machine Code Barrier.

carry over from when we used to

Tools Of The Trade Input programs on punched
cards which could get out of
1. Assembler/Editor. sequence.)
Most people who want to learn Finally, consider what
assembler start by using BASIC to hardware you wish to use. This
sef up machine code routines may limit your choice as few
with Pokes and data lists of packages cafer for non-standard
cryptic codes. While this Is an drives. Tf you own a disk drive
easy way to Include a fully the manufacturer Is the best
working routine In a BASIC person to advise you about a
program, it is no way to develop compatible Assembler,
even a small routine. Numbers
and codes are for the machine 2. Monitor
to understand, using a decent Although I do know some games
Assembler, a machine code programmers working without a
program can be made easy to monitor I strongly advocate their
follow. If you use meaningful use. The machine is there to be
labels instead of those ridiculous used so why not let It help
BASIC line numbers you have the debug your programs! It Is best
chance of making an Assembler to look for an Assembler that has
listing clearer than BASIC itself a sister monitor so you can
(eg. CALL SOUND is a lot clearer easily get from one to the other
than GOSUB 9700). (It Is best if the monitor can be
When choosing an Assembler loaded on its own). If the monitor
look carefully at Its editing and Assembler are in one part it
system. Sadly it seems that few does not leave much space for
micro programmers know of the your own program. I prefer a
superb standard of a typical monitor that is as small as
mainframe system. Entering and possible as my programs fill the
editing a program should be as machine.
easy as typing a letter on a Essential features are a
word processor. Desirable register display, memory display,
features to look for are block memory change and break-
moving, block delete and block points. Breakpoints allow you to
copy. Without these features it is run your program up to any
a laborious and error prone point so you can check register
process writing a large program. and memory contents. Their use
I recommend a full page is rather like using the STOP
editing system where you type statement In BASIC to halt a
all over the screen and the program at a particular point to
editor formats your work Into the check the variables. A
conventional columns. Cursor, disassembler Is advantageous
F^rogrammlng In machine code delete and insert control should especially If you have not got a
Is essential to realise the full be the good old spectrum printer, since when running your
potential of any micro The monitor standard or you will be assembled code there may be
Spectrum can execute on forever using the wrong keys. It is no room to hold the Assembler
overage 300 thousand machine surprising how many packages and source program In the
code operations every second. ignore this common sense machine at the same time.
BASIC is never really executed approach.
by the machine — the program Another feature to look for Is 3. Storage Medium
that runs Is the Spectrum BASIC that the Assembler does a If you want to develop large
Interpreter, a machine code proper listing after fully programs a fast storage medium
program hidden away in ROM. It assembling the code. The soon pays for Its cost. In writing
may take thousands of Assembler should provide an Quazatron I saved over six
Instructions to decode and "run' object listing of a similar format hundred versions of Its ten
a BASIC line. to that used in this month's modules. I dare not count how
But most people find the example routine. Essential many loads I made when testing
transition from writing BASIC to features are the addresses the program. When the machine
programming In machine code printed on the left with the crashes, be It from code or a
a formidable task. Using BASIC assembled object code. The hardware or power problem, you
we are looked after by the source line should appear need to have the system up and
Spectrum. Using machine code alongside. Some assemblers running In a few seconds to
we are on our own and one print the listing before all labels prevenl you from loosing trace of
wrong instruction can crash the are resolved Into addresses and what you are doing. Incidentally
machine. These obstacles I call these are not so good. The line I suffer from about two crashes a
the Machine Code Barrier'. Like numbers of the source (five digit day from typing causing the
the sound barrier it can be numbers in the middle of the connector at the back to
overcome using technology and example list) are not really wobble. This makes frequent
correct design. necessary. (Line numbers are a saving very necessary.

ZX Computing Monthly • August 1986 15

 urn

Mlcrodrives are adequate development is tackled differs squeeze other functions onto the
and cheap and you will have depending on the tools that are joystick. It is easy to go too tar
several software packages to available on any machine and and make a game difficult to
choose from. Floppy disks are to some extent the type of learn. Plan your control method
my favourite but I had to program being developed. carefully and be prepared to
customise my assembler to work change it if people can't
with my drive, which was no manage it.
easy task. Stage One: Program
Definition Files A n d Tables
4. Printer At this stage only an outline of
Printers seem to be available at What is the program going to what data tables the program
a lower price every year. For do? For a games program there will use is needed. This is
programming, cheap ones wilt are several important decisions developed in the next design
surflce as print quality does not to be made at this early stage. phase. Consider what data Is
have to be that good. Speed Which method of screen needed, its size and the 'lookup'
and low noise are more presentation is going to be method. For example in a game
important unless you like to used? What is the theme of the using rooms what is the
program with headphones on. game? What is the size of the numbering system, how will
An 80 column print width is best game, and how much room is doors link to the next room?
so that there is room across the required for graphics and data
page to print a line of Assembly storage? At this stage you should be
listing. Choose an Interface that If you are developing any sort getting a firm idea of whether
matches your assembler. Find of routine try to define Ihe your project is possible or
out how much new ribbons cost. following. whether a rethink is needed. I
I get through one for each few usually end up with a desk full
inches thick of listing. At Outputs. of scraps of paper which are
anything up to £12 a time the These may be screen layouts, used to prepare Ihe next stage.
cost of the ribbon Is many times print formats, tape or disk Sometimes I play about with
that of the paper (£9 per 1000 saving, and also sound. How BASIC or an old program to test
sheets) that I use for any project. often! see "not applicable" In preliminary ideas. I have found
reviews for use of sound. ANY paper cutouts useful. You cut out
5. Z80 Books. program that communicates a tele screen in cardboard and
There are many books printed with the user benefits from useful run sketches of the characters
about Z80 machine c o d e The sounds. Not that I list outputs behind it. I designed Avalon like
kind you need as a reference before inputs. You cannot this.
guide devotes one page to decide what to put in a
each instruction and includes program untli you know what
details of times of execution. A you expect out ot it. For games Stage 2: Program Design
good reference manual is Z80 programs you could also
Assembler Language consider less obvious outputs Now you must decide HOW you
Programming by Lance like colour, speed of play, are going to program what you
Leventhal. excitement... Draw a list up ot have come up with in the first
In order to learn machine everthing you would like to see stage. It starts with the job ot
code a different kind of book Is in a game and when you have adding the detail and tidying
needed. Visit your local library a design go back to your list up Ihe first stage I like to end up
and you will find many to and check each feature. with clear file and table layouts
choose from. Look for a book to which 1 will a d d variable
that is written for your level of Inputs. names. Your design of the data
understanding and has lots of These include keyboard and should be done before the
example routines explained. joystick use, and possibly tape or actual program procedure
You will also find that your disk loading during the game. design. Then you can set about
good old Spectrum manual has Files and tables set up before the important job of splitting the
a wealth of useful information in the game are also Inputs and program into smaller
the appendices. Using machine are discussed below. manageable parts. These are
code requires a knowledge of Keyboard and joystick use, split into routines, each with a
the machine's organisation. together with the control particular purpose which you
There are some good books methods for the main ligure in a can just summarise until you are
written lor the Spectrum game, make or break the ready to code.
expanding on areas like screen playability. Joysticks are a The program design is critical
layout, keyboard addressing etc. limiting factor because there is to the success of a project. Bad
only one button. If joysticks had or undesigned programs take
Program Development two function buttons we could much longer to get working and
do so much more with them. often never do completely! It Is a
My own method of program One button becomes a "DO costly mistake to neglect this
development is based on THIS" button and the olher a stage. I shall cover the methods
professional training by both ICL "CHANGE FUNCTION" button. used in detail in the next part of
and IBM. The development Alas, we are stuck with single this series. It is the crux of
process is the same whatever button sticks so if the main machine coding to be able to
the language or application. character has several things to split a problem into component
The actual way each stage of do we must design methods to parts, each simple to program.

ZX Computing Monthly • August 1986 15

 Stage 3: Coding
Now comes the task of coding
each routine, it is very important
Listing
0000 jhEXVOJ EXHIIKLEb
to build a reference guide on 00U0 tfWdc*) I EXHHPLfc PKlNl
the program as you proceed. oouo J t y i O0OJ0 L0 8, 1 ; nwr
You may think you can lb08 00040 LO 0, IK) I *Y PIXEL PUb
remember what each variable is 0004 IEOM OtJOSO L0 k, 10 J->. ?1X PUS
used for but unless you have a 00tib CO0H0M 00000 C8LL I E X 1
photographic memory many M M * L» ooooo KLI
time consuming mistakes will be kJUHM 00800
made. For each variable used MO0H OOO»0 IIbXI k U k k u U U N k
write down its name, format, and OM0H 0O0/0 ; 8-lkXI NU
contents. Record any codes or 00000 >0E-UUIPU1 Y,X PIXEL PUblflONb
special uses of a variable. Eg.
000H 01 rfO > LUUkb UP lfcXT MNU PKlNlb
OOOM ooioo 1EX1
UUdH 218H0O 06110 L0 HL < 1X800 I IEAI I HbLt
FIRON DB 1=ON 0=OFF Set up by OtfUO 0600 001^0 LUUK LI* Ui U
GETKEY routine. OOUF 16k) J 00130 Jk L.UIKY
0 0 1 1 4k £0149 LONLi LO C , ( HL ) j M H O TEXT
For each subroutine you write 23 00130 INC HL
record the registers that It sets 0613 03 00160 H00 HL/W,
0014 30 00170 &0TRY 0EC 8
up on entry and exit, the M I S 20FH OOlbO JK N2,LUNU
variables used and what It does. 001 v LUibuy 00180 C8LL TRINT
This can all be Included In the 0018 C9 0l_S0 RET
source but I still like to have a 001b 00410
quick reference sheet on each OOlb 00220
routine. 0010 00230 jPR INT ULWROUTINfe
You need not code all the 0*10 22H000 00240 PRINT LO <INPUT JiHL
program at once. Start with the 001E 78 00290 LO 8*0
00 IF k630 002bU 8WP 308 ; LiE 1 KUW
small self-contained routines that 0021 <( 002/0 800 8,8
can be Independently tested. 0022 0/ BO*60 800 8^8
00k J 03 00200 80D 8,E i800 X
Stage 4: Testing 0024 OF 00J00 LO fe/8 /LOW 0Y1E
0013 78 00310 LO 8/0
I like to try each routine as soon 002b IP >€320 RKH
as I have written It. Sometimes 0027 IF 00330 KR8
this means writing a few lines to 0026 IF 00340 KkH
0023 E610 00900 880 0188 j&ET SECTION
provide the data the routine 0020 4F 003*0 LO Cift
expects when executed. 00<£C 78 003/0 LO
Sometimes it entails coding 0020 k607 30380 880 07H J GET Y bLlLE
many routines that support each 002F 01 00330 800 C
olher. Remember, the chance of 0030 C640 00400 800 40H J 81C8 BYTE
something not working seems to 0032 9? 00000 LO 0,8
be related to the square of the 0033 288600 00410 LD 8L/CINPUT >
size of the coding. The more 0036 EO538400 00429 LO t 0UTL18>,0t
coding tested at once the 0038 7K 00430 LO 8,<8LP
0030 ft/ 00440 8N0 8
longer it takes to find the 003C C8 00400 RET I jCOUNI INV8L10
problems. 0030 4F 00460 LO C,8
By the time every routine Is 003k ED938600 004/0 PROLET LO <OUTPUT>,0E
tested you should be confident 0042 23 00400 1NL HL
that each routine works at least 0043 22H00O 00430 LO (INPUT J/HL

o on its own. It is then a question

of Ironing out communication
problems between routines. If
0046 7E
0047 FfcFF
0049 2016
00900
00910
00920
LO
CP
JR
8,(HL J
OFF8 i»NEW LINE COOE
82,C88R

o
004® 00930
you have defined each routine's 0040 00340 J TUB 70 NEW LINE UHOtR U R S T
inputs and outputs these
<
004B 00390 i PB1NT POSITION
problems wilt be minimal. I like 0040 £0368400 00560 LO 0E,<0UTL1N i
to a d d each routine to the other 004F 7B 00970 LO 8,E J IF NEWLIN
completed routines as I finish 0030 C620 00300 800 20H
them. The trusted routines form 0052 5F 00090 LO
0033 00 00600 RET NL
Z the tesl bed for the routine

o
0034 7H 00*10 LO 8.0 J NEW 6ECTI0N
under trial. 0039 C6oo 0&<S2U 800 0
0097 FE3B 00630 CP 96H
Good and b a d coding 0033 00
oo
00640 RET NL
0058 57 00600 LO 0,8
Clear coding means fewer 0000 EO538400 006b0 LO tOUTLINiiOE
00 009F 103C OUb/O JK REJOIN
errrors. Remember that you may 00k 1 O0O00
need to go back and improve 00t>l BP 00690 L8HK LO L/8 JFINO CHHR
routines so try not to leave traps 0062 2ok!0 00/00 LO Hi 0
for yourself. Here Is a fist of things 0064 20 00710 800 HL#HL
I consider to be poor coding. 00t9 29 00/20 800 NLjHL
Very rarely is the use of an 0066 2V 00/30 *X> 8L,8L
unclear method Justified. 0067 ED!S365C 00740 LO OE, (CH8SET)
Exceptions are when speed is 0060 13 00/60 800 8L,0E
006C £0908000 007/0
absolutely critical, as in the 0070 78 00/00
LO DE/COUTPUT?
main plot routine in a Spectrum LO 8,0 J ONLY IP ON
0 0 / 1 Ftbd 00730 CP 908 j&CREfcN tlftP
games program.

26 ZX Computing Monthly • August 1986 15

 m

Misuse ot the stack. 0073 i/0 80808 ktl NC

The stack is best left alone for 0074 0608 0bU 10 Lb 8,8
the CPU. Do not be tempted to 887b 7E 88020 EIGHT L U R,(HL J
push variables onto It. Using a 0077 12 00830 LD <DE)ifl J OUTPUT
variable name is faster, clearer 0076 23 00848 INC HL /EIUHT
and amendable. 007§ ZR 008b8 LLi H, D >£>L1CES
007R E607 8dbbU RND 07 I OK
Improper Subroutines. 007C 3C 08870 INC R jCHHRRLTER
007D Fbtfb 0bbbu CP 8
Each subroutine should have 007F 80898 JR NZJMIHEW
one entrance a n d one exit. If 8081 ZR 00>k3k3 LD R/D
you need more the design is kJIfl Hi EOF8 00910 RND 0F8H
wrong. Never jump to a 0064 b? 08920 LD U/H
subroutine a n d then play about iMtit 7B 00930 LD R/E
with the stack to pretend It was 00Bb L620 88940 RDb 20H
called. Always execute a proper 88uu bF 809b0 LD E/R
return at the end of a subroutine. tdWS* J00b 88968 JR NCiNEXISL
88bB 7R 88970 LD RJD
008L L608 80980 HDD 8
Bad Jumps. midbfc 37 80998 LD D/h
A program reads best east-' 14 01088 HUNLW INC D
sequentially. The only jumps 8090 10E4 81010 NEX1SL DJN." EICHI
should be to c o d e loops or IF 0092 ED3BRfco3 01028 LD D E A OUT PUT >
structures. 0096 1C 81030 NEX1LT INC E
U8*7 2004 81848 JR NZ,REJOIN
Addresses. 0099 7R O10S0 LD R/D
Utf^M LbUSS 8l8bU HDD R/b
Use variables not addresses. If 009 L b/ 81070 LD D#R
you use addresses a n d then 0091/ 2RRbU8 81880 kbJOIN LD H L A 1NPOI )
have to move routines the result 00R8 60 01098 DEC c
may be disasterous. 00R1 C098 01100 JR HciPRUCE1
00R3 C9 01118 kbl
Good features to code are as 00134 U0888
follows: U0M4 8080 81^4U UUTL1N DU V J LINE 61HRI
60flb t>l2b0 OUTPUT DW 0 J PRINT MDDKLib
Meaningful variable names. 00R8 HfaOH 81260 1NPUI DW 8 iIEXT RDDREbb
Remarks for tricky bits and SC3b tfl270 LHhbbl EUU 2>?6Ub< LHMkML 1 bk i b l
heading e a c h routine. 88RR , RL'DKbsb-2be> blUkbD bV bFELlKUH
Use Equates definitions for 00RR 00000
constants. 00HH kJUM J ItAl IhbLb
Try to use the registers as they UtiHH 07 U1JOU lXnL/D Dbhb 7
are intended: Utihb 4bbb4J4D UIJXU DtN1 ' bXtiUPLb'
a = the accumulator, uyRh b84l4b
b = the count register, 0882 8D 013W Dbl-b 13
00B3 uijjo DbK 11 'ur- IL/.I iHbLb
c = backup count or 0067 4bb8b44U
accumulator oeBb b441424<^
hi = Primary 16 bit data access oobt- 4b
reg pair, 16 bit accumulator,
de = secondary 16 bit register. yyyyy iuihl ERKuRb

Machine Code MACHINE CODE: preceeded by a byte containing

LD B7 its length. Call the routine text to
Constructs LOOP . . . find the text a n d print it. The text
To illustrate how easy machine
code is I have converted some DJNZ LOOP
number Is passed in the A
register. The y a n d x pixel
positions are passed in D and E
o
o
key BASIC commands. There Is registers. Alternatively you can
always more than one way ot BASIC:
GOTO 9000 set up the position in DE a n d
doing something with machine point HL at a text area you have
code and these examples are MACHINE CODE:
JP NAME set up. For example to print the
just one way of achieving the score of a g a m e set up the
equivalent BASIC score In a number of bytes the
BASIC:
IF LABEL=1 THEN . . . first containing the number of
MACHINE CODE: characters in the score, eg.
BASIC: LD A,(LABEL)
LET LABEL=1 CP 1 SCOREDEFB 04
MACHINE CODE:
LD A,1
JR NZ.DIFF C1
C2
DEFB 00
DEFB 00
oo
LD (LABEL),A DIFF C3 DEFB 00
LABEL DEFB 0 C4 DEFB 00
Note that you have to define the
label somewhere. The DEFB
command says this byte is
BASIC:
PRINT "TEXT" Then set up the values of C1 to
C4 and load HL with the address
O
ct
called "LABEL" Not so easy this one. This month's of SCORE. Then call PRINT
example routine allows you to directly. a.
BASIC: print at any PIXEL position on the LD DE. 1010H
FOR Z=1 TO 7 screen. You define all text in a LD HL, (SCORE)
NEXT z text table. Each text is CALL PRINT

15
ZX Computing Monthly • August 1986
PROGRAMMING
there are no functions built in to
the 'C' compiler; all compilers
are supplied with a 'standard'

IN
library of functions, and routines
are 'borrowed' from the library in
compiling a program. Like most
libraries, new functions can be
a d d e d by Ihe user, or the
supplier. This is also a feature of
SuperBASIC but 'C' has the
advantage that all functions
remain in the external library
(rather than occupying ROM or
RAM space), and are included
only when required by a
program.
C' Is not without certain
disadvantages. Being small and
powerful, it can be very difficult
to de-bug. A particular problem
lies In the multiple use of
If you're bored with Learning machine code (or operators such as *,+,=, etc For
assembly language) to achieve example '=' and '==' mean
Basic but not yet up to fast machine code programs is quite different things, but a
a daunting task for amateur simple typing error could enter
machine code, there programmers. For those with the wrong operator, which might
neither the time or patience to take some time to spot and
are alternatives. David devote to mastering the correct.
complexity of machine code, It Is beyond the scope of this
Nowotnik looks at the there are high level' languages article to provide a detailed
which are designed to be description of C . Due lo its
increasingly popular compiled. popularity, there are a number
Over the relatively short of books available which
'C 1 language. history of microcomputers, the
fashionable alternative to BASIC
provide a tutorial on the
language. The 'C' programmer's
^ n c e the basics of BASIC have has changed a few times. Pascal 'bible' is "The C Programming
been mastered, then the was the favoured language in Language" by C designers B W.
programming enthusiast often the 70s, but gave way to FORTH Kernlgham and D. M. Richie,
looks for a fresh challenge. One in the early 1980s. Now, top of which sets the standard for the
of the main motivations for this is the charts Is the language of 'C'. language. Good lower price
for speed. For fast action games, The attraction of 'C' is that It options are "C at a Glance" by
BASIC Is frustratingly slow. This adopts a structured style similar Adam Denning, and "Practical
sluggishness is a result of the to Pascal, and allows close C" by Mark Harrison; both cost
fact that BASIC Is a translated interaction with the machine £7.95. However, to give a flavour
language. In other words, a operating system. C" is machine of the language, fig. 1. conlains
BASIC program exists in memory language orientated, compiling a listing of a simple 'C' program,
In a form which is relatively easy to fast and space efficient with Its equivalent In BASIC The
for us to understand, and this machine code, yet It Is relatively BASIC listing was designed to
program is then translated by simple to learn and to write in run on both QL and Spectrum,
the routines in ROM to machine •C'. and Is a simple test of speed.
code, In run-time (while the 'C' originated In 1972 as the The 'C' listing was typed into two
program is In operation). systems language ol the UNIX C compilers, one for the QL
It would be better for this operating system, designed by and one of the Spectrum, to
translation process to be carried Bell Laboratories. Like many determine how much faster the
out before the program is in other languages, 'C* developed compiled program will run
operation, simply to save time. because of deficiencies In other compared witn the BASIC
Doing the translation this way is languages: 'C' was based upon versions. More on that test
called compilation, and Ihe BCPL and 'B'. The former is still later...
result is a machine code used, but the latter appears to Notice in the C listing, there
program (or something close to have faded into obscurity. is one defined function called
machine code) which runs very "main'. This function appears in
much faster than the original Lure of the 'C' all ' C programs, and is the
translated program. starting point for all programs
The attraction of 'C' is its size. It (other Tunctions can be called
Compilers has very few keywords, so it is from 'main'). The body of the
easy to learn. Routines can be function is contained within
You can buy BASIC compilers for small, but very powerful. Many of 'braces' (curly brackets); braces
both Spectrum and QL the operations adopt a are also used to group together
computers, which convert your shorthand which save on typing, blocks of statements which
BASIC programs to machine and enhance readability (e.g. combine logically together, e.g.
code. However, these compilers ++i is equivalent to LET i = i - 1 in the d o . . .while block. Variables
are never fully compatible with BASIC). can be defined as local (as in
all aspects of BASIC so, more Its structured style will be very SuperBASIC) to the function, and
often than not, alterations have familiar to SuperBASIC these are normally defined at
to be made to BASIC programs programmers on the QL. the beginning of a function. In
to allow them to be compiled Programs are built up in a the example, the keyword 'int'
and to run smoothly. modular fashion using routines, defines the variables a, b and c
Furthermore, BASIC was not called functions, which can be as integer. The mathematical
designed to be compiled, and independent of each other. expressions used in fig. 1. are
the machine code produced by Each function can be written very similar in both languages.
BASIC compilers can still be separately and tested The printl" command is a
rather slow and wasteful of independently before building standard function of formatted
space. into a program. By tradition output to the screen.

ZX Computing Monthly • August 1986 15

 Before moving onto the QL
compiler, it's worth making the
C programming - 11
point that neither package offers
Fig. l. Simple programs to t e a t o p e r a t i n g speeds any tutorial on 'C'. Both manuals
make frequent reference to
a> In BASIC b) In *C Kernigham and Richie's book.
This is a must for professionals,
10 R E M a r k A s i m p l e t e s t of /» A s i m p l e t e s t of although beginners may find
20 R E M a r k operating speed operating speed */ one of the cheaper books,
30 R E M a r k mentioned earlier, easier to use
40 L E T a = 0 : L E T b = 0 : L E T c « 0 main (>
<
50 R E M a r k
60 P R I N T "a" int a , b , c ; Lattice C
70 R E M a r k
00 L E T a - a + 1
a»b-c»0j
print* C"s\n"); Metacomco
90 L E T b » 5 « a / t O
100 L E T c - a A N D b
£99
do {
110 IF a < 8 0 0 0 T H E N B Q TQ 8 0 ++a j
At £99. the Metacomco Lattice
120 R E M a r k b«5*a/10} 'C' compiler, called the 'QL C
130 P R I N T a c = a 8<Sc b; Development Kit', is much more
140 P R I N T b > while (a<8000); up-market; not only in price but
150 P R I N T c In the extra facilities on offer. It is
p r i n t f (""/.d\nV.d\n"/.d" , a, b , c ) ; a professional package for
: professional users.
In its smart case, this package
provides a plug-in ROM. software
Hisoft C mixed up), but with very few key
presses the programmer can
on three cartridges, and a 248
page manual. The ROM is the
Hisoft return to the text editor, edit the system's security mechanism,
£25 offending line, then back to the providing a few extra keywords
compiler for another try. essential to the operation of the
Hisoft's compiler costs £25 and Once all bugs are removed, system, and allowing the
consists of a tape cassette with the programmer indicates 'end cartridges to be backed-up
the compiler on one side, the "C of file', and the compiler asks if freely.
library on side 2. and two you want to run the program, The compiler uses
manuals. The main manual. 78 and If the reply is yes, the Metacomco's highly-rated full-
pages in length, provides compiled program is executed. screen text editor, with a wide-
instructions on how to use the In this mode, the compiler, ranging set of immediate and
compiler and text editor, with a text editor, text file and extended commands to make
reference section giving compiled code all exist in RAM program development very easy.
differences of Hisoft's at the same time, so the amount Once complete the source file is
Implementation of 'C' to the of space for "C programs is saved to disc or mlcrodrive with
standard of Kernigham and rather limited. The object code a * C' suffix, required for
Richie. There is also a chapter generated in this manner recognition by the compiler.
explaining error messages. cannot be saved independently; Compilation Is carried out in
The second booklet explains to use a 'C' program in another a two pass process, followed by
upgrades of version 1.3 (the session, the text file must be use of the GST 'Linker' (Included
second Issued version of this saved to tape or cartridge, then in the package) to a d d library
compiler) a n d responds to compiler and text file loaded at and run-time routines; all three
deficiencies reported by users in the next session, then the source steps are required to produce
the original version. file re-complled and run. code suitable for running with
Once the compiler is loaded, Alternatively, use of the the QL's EXEC OR EXEC_W
the user Is given the option to ' translate' command In the commands. First pass
save the compiler to mlcrodrive. source file causes the compiled compilation is Initiated with the
The library routines on side two code with run time routines to new keyword 'LCT. Several
can also be transferred to be dumped to tape, for use arguments can be a d d e d to this
mlcrodrive once in the editor Independent of the compiler. keyword to provide a very wide
routine. Compiled code can only be range of options for the
The compiler Is very simple to used when loaded to a start compiler, including adjusting
use, and Hisoft's package is address of 25200, leaving just workspace, producing list files,
Ideal If you are learning to enough space for a short BASIC and setting the stack reserved
program In 'C' Pressing 'EDIT' boot program. space. The compiler, loaded
takes you into the text editor. A feature very useful for from the first mlcrodrive
When typing In a program, the beginners is the library; as It Is In cartridge, displays any warning
text editor assigns each line a source code, the library can be or error messages, automatically
number. Line numbers are not loaded into the text editor and halting compilation with fatal
part of the language of 'C', but many lessons learnt from errors.
they are used to simplify text examining the routines. User In a similar way, LC2' Initiates
editing. Once a program or routines can be a d d e d to the the second pass, loading the
routine Is complete, compilation library, and Hisoft promise to compiler routine from the
Is simply a matter of returning to a d d routines periodically. second cartridge Again, many
the compiler (pressing 'c^, then Library routines are a d d e d to compile time options are
typing ' Include'. The compiler the user programs with the permitted. The second pass
appears to operate, unusually, in ' Include' command. A special compiler signs off with a
a single pass. Many of the variant of this command. message providing information
standard 'C' routines are built In ?lnclude?' searches the on code size, and the sizes of
to the compiler so there's often library, and only includes blocks for Initialised and
no need to access the library. If routines which are required by uninitialised data.
the compiler finds any errors, It the user program. Having called Metacomco's
stops to present an error number, Hisoft's compiler offers integer 'C' compiler a professional
line number, and short error arithmetic only, but otherwise it system, it must be said that It
message, of course, the actual is an excellent, easy-to-use really needs a professional QL
error may not be on the line package, ideally suited to both system for ease of use. With a
indicated (and the compiler did beginner and computer standard QL, with no added
sometimes gets Its line numbers professional. memory it can take over 10

ZX Computing Monthly • August 1986 15

 Machine code functions can
be Included, provided they
follow the standard explained In
the manual. The compiler
closely follows the Kernlgham
and Richie standard with full
floating point arithmetic; and It
also supports Macros. The
compiler was designed by
Lattice, so code written on the
QL should be compatible with
other Lattice compilers for 68000
and 8086/88 micros. 'QL C" may
be expensive by home
computing standards, but It Is
well worth the investment for
those taking up 'C'
programming seriously.

Speed test
So what of the operating speed,
mentioned at the beginning?
Here are the results of the test
programs in fig. 1. The Spectrum
took 164 seconds to work Its way
minutes to compile even a very A lot of space on the through the BASIC version; In 'C
short routine, such as shown in microdrives provided with 'QL C' the program ran in just 9
fig. 1. With 'only' 128K of RAM. Is devoted to library routines, seconds. The corresponding
the compiler needs to use part and a comprehensive set of times for the QL are 82 and 7.5
of the screen display as Unix, mathematical, and QDOS seconds. Quite a saving!
workspace, producing some functions are available to the As a footnote to all those
interesting coloured screen user. When Including any library tempted to take a look at 'C', It Is
displays Most of that 10 minutes routines, all the library Is worth bearing in mind that
is devoted mlcrodrive access, incorporated, giving rise to very many established software
and the longest operation is large files, even with short houses now program almost
using the linker. With a d d e d programs (the object code entirely In 'C', and it is predicted
memory and discs total compiled from the program in by some that C will eventually
compilation time and linking example in tig. 1. occupies 29 lake over from BASIC as the
can be less than a minute. sectors on microdrive). standard for microcomputers.

ARE YOU A BUDDING

PROGRAMMER?
^ . X is always looking for top
quality games and utilities for
MmmM
^ P IA
m v P Pf i l a
publication. If you have a top IMsmfitm
notch game or a useful utility for MjKmL
the Spectrum or QL why not MiJL&^&liii
send it to us for appraisal on
cassette or microdrive complete
with a listing if possible.
There is also our new feature \ ^ ^
Short Cuts to showcase your
practical, novel or imaginative
short routines with cash prizes for
published listings. For longer
programs we pay competitive 1
rates, and if you have an idea
for an article or series for ZX —
drop us a line or phone Bryan or
Cliff on 01-437 0626 to talk it over.

ZX Computing Monthly • August 1986 15

 M1CROSNIPS
37 SEAVIEW ROAD
WALLASEY
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ZX C O M P U T I N G A U G U S T 19B6 31
 Redhawk 'kwah', one cartoon will show a
close up of your face and the
Melbourne House word 'kwah' In a speech
C7.95 balloon, the next will be a
flashing block of colour
representing the transformation,
B^fedhawk is a highly then the final cartoon will show
original adventure game our costume crusader along
that attempts to recreate the with the caption 'Redhawk
format of a Batman or appears'.
Superman style comic strip on The text editor Is very
your computer screen. In it, you sophisticated, and allows you to
play the part of Kevin Oliver, a store up to ten lines of
mild mannered chap who commands at a time, as welt as
wakes up in hospital one day, accepting a fairly wide
unable to remember what's vocabulary. This saves you
been happening to him. For having to type out commands
some reason the only thing that over and over, so lhat if you wish
he can remember is the word to enter the same command
'kwah', which, when uttered turns more than once within a short
him into the ultra-dynamic space of time you can just scroll
superhero, Redhawk, the text display back to the first
Redhawk has superstrength time you typed It and use It
and the ability to fly, which is again.
probably just as well because There is also a series of single
Kevin's a bit of a wimp and key entry commands for the
doesn't even have enough most often used adventure words
strength to fight an unco- There have already (examine, get, say, save, load
operative librarian. eta) which c a n save a lot of
At the start of Ihe game Kevin been games based on time.
is carrying an unloaded camera The text area also has status
which can get him a job as a existing comic strip displays for your current Identity,
news photographer. This will strength, popularity a n d the time
keep him in louch with all the heroes, but now of day, all of which can come In
criminal goings on in his home useful during the course of the
town, and as you go through the Melbourne House have game.
game you can choose between There are a number of
playing Redhawk as a created the first characters and objects in the
superhero or a supervlllajn, game that you can manipulate
according to your actions at original superhero for and deal with as you would In
various stages. If you do your any ordinary adventure, but the
best to defeat criminals and the Spectrum. sophistication of the cartoon
solve the main problem of the strip style of presentation does
bomb hidden In the power seem to have eaten up quite a
station, then Redhawk's lot ot the Spectrum's memory so
popularity (measured by a bar fct4hWk I Mki It that the g a m e Itself doesn't
meter) will Increase and people j-fL'-J^jl really match the level of
will be more likely to trusl him n I n. 0 a n a I complexity and problem solving
and offer help However there is I n Ln. J
that more conventional
always the option of running adventures might offer. After
amok and beating the living
daylights out of everyone you
come across, but this Is likely to
$1
hkrn w hit Mflor
playing Redhawk for a while I
began to feel that I was going
over the same ground time quite
get you arrested and slung in a lot of the time, and this format
jail (though there Is a woy out of would probably benefit from the
this if you time your identity extra memory of a 128K
changes properly). machine.
In some ways Redhawk is a In the end It's hard to judge
fairly traditional adventure in Redhawk as It's something of a
that you enter all your cui fzirj voi cnxi'i'UD cnu [>011 b u u t i o a hybrid. As an adventure It's not
commands as text in the lower as challenging as a Level 9
section of the screen, but the game might be, neither does It
elements of originality lie In the have the sort of dazzling
way that the game responds to graphics and action that might
your input. appeal to the arcade player. But
The top half of the screen Is It does have Its merits, and as a
divided into a row of three sort of eccentric one-off game It
cartoon drawings which elect could well be worth a look if
the actions that you make you'd like to have a break from
Kevin/Redhawk carry out. The the more conventional games
right hand cartoon is updated to that are cluttering up the
show what happens after a shelves.
command and this then scrolls

'JSF 9
left leaving the right hand
position for the next cartoon.
When, for example, you decide
to switch identities by saying

ZX Computing Monthly • August 1986 15

Not just ghosts 'n Further into the graveyard
there are birds that swoop down
goblins but gargoyles on you as well as plants (?) that
hurl fireballs at you. Some fancy
too In Elite's medieval footwork can get you past these
and all the creatures that attack
rescue mission! you can be destroyed with the
weapons you carry. If you get far
enough you'll then be faced
with the gargoyle who stands
Ghosts 'n Goblins between you and the later
sections of the game.
Elite These later stages of the
£7.95 game combine elements of the
Green Beret format with the
good old fashioned platform,
fell first of all Elite ought to and throws In a bundle of
consider supplying some sort of additional monsters for you to
Instructions for the game along cope with. Despite the relative
with the packaging. The outside age of the platform game by
of the cassette inlay claims 'full now. this one. along with the
instructions Inside", but the little combat element that's been
leaflet that comes with the added, is enjoyably addictive.
game only tells you that you It's not as sophisticated as some
can move left/right and so on. In games these days, but it's still
half a dozen languages. There Is fun.
a bit of self congratulatory blurb The graphics are good,
along with this that tells you though not outstanding, and the
what a terrific version of the colours tend to be a bit on the
original arcade game Elite have dark side — but this is probably
produced, and the assumption dictated by the game scenario,
seems to be that everyone will ghosts and graveyards and the
know all about the original like. The scrolling landscape
because there's absolutely no works well, and the controls J - ^s - J J - - ^ J
explanation of the plot, the respond quickly and smoothly
J

purpose of the game, scoring which adds to the game's

system or anything else. As a payability. I did find the 'front 1 II I I I AI M ' . .Ill * •
result it took me ages to even end', the choice of
figure out the game mechanics joystick/keyboard controls, and
- admittedly I began to enjoy it redefining option a bit fiddly. On
once I'd worked out what was several occasions I redefined the
going on but It was a bit of a keyboard controls only to find
chore getting there. that the game was still on
It seems that your girlfriend joystick control, so I had to wait
has been captured by some sort until I'd lost all nine lives and
of winged gargoyle and it's up then start again. This could have
to you to fight your way through been avoided If more detailed
haunted cemeteries and castles Instructions had been Included.
to rescue her. You are equipped Once more Elite have done a
with a suit of armour, one of good job in converting a
several possible weapons, and a popular arcade game onto a
total of nine lives to help you home micro, but it's a little
achieve your goal within the unfortunate that a bit more care
time limit. could't have gone into the
The first section of the game is presentation. Ghosts 'n Goblins Is
a bit like a medieval version of a good game, but one or two
Green Beret. You run across a easily recitified flaws have crept
scrolling landscape (in this case in which mean that It doesn't
a cemetery) being chased by quite match the heights of
zombies who rise from beneath boggle-eyed addlctiveness that
the ground. Some of these are Elite's recent conversion of Bomb
fairly harmless, but others will Jack achieved.
rob you of your armour and
leave you vulnerable to the next
blow that strikes you. Dying
causes you to go back to the
start of that section.

ZX Computing' August 1986

A veritable spate of letters on Ihe
eternal problem of using a full sized
printer yet a g a i n dominates our

CR VIRI-S
postbag. but this time there Is a lair
smattering of Spectrum 128 queries.
First I would like to thank Dr. G.J.
Waterink of the Netherlands who sent
us an Interesting letter with his views
on Ihe ever faithful TASWORD and
ends with the quesllon, "Why doesn't
Sinclair come out with his own full
sized ZX Printer which obeys Ihe LUST
and COPY commands?"
He quite rightly complains that Ray Elder tackles more readers 1 problems
the ZX Printer is alright for hobbyists
but a pain for anyone else who
simply wishes to use the machine
a n d not have to tuss with adapting
a n d customising.
Well, the answer to that one Is
easy. Sir C Inlended his ZX80 and
ZX81 for ihe fringe of the computing
fraternity, moslly the hobbyist. The
Spectrum was produced on the machines that was clever, but what Well now, with the recent
back of the Incredible success of he DIDN'T say. And this is a classic drop ot OPUS disk drives to
ihese machines wilh the general example of something he around a hundred pounds
populace a n d was also Intended as conveniently forgot to mention. As to they represent excellent value
an answer to the BBC computer. I a solution I'm afraid there is no Indeed. I rang Opus a n d explained
suspect that people taking Ihe simple a n d c h e a p one I c a n offer, so our problem a n d they were very
Spectrum seriously and using It lor I phoned Sinclair Research. helpful, but unfortunately It does
applications which previously Now we are all aware that Sir C Is seem you cannot use the ZX Printer
needed a dedicated machine no longer in charge a n d his options wilh the Opus a n d the
surprised even Sir Sinclair. And here customer service, at best chaotic, Is M1009.
we come lo problem number o n e . . . now modelled on Dante's Interno — However, In answer to question 2,
sheer hell! Eventually I got through to they assure me that there should be
a technical advisor, who said "Ah. no problems with VTX 5000
yes. We're aware of difficulties In this compatibility as only systems which
Dixons' p a c k aspect a n d we are going to take control on power up will clash
I Dear Mr. Elder, circulate an advice sheet sometime, with the m o d e m (eg. Spectrum
I purchased a Sinclair but we are not sure what is 128*sl).
Spectrum 128 computer h a p p e n i n g , . . " He then went on for The answer lo question 3 Is a little
and a serial 8056 compact printer about ten minutes about the more complex but you were on ihe
from Dlxons as a starter pack. They problems he was experiencing due right track. Once TASWORD 2 has
gave me the following line to type in lo the c h a n g e ot ownership. loaded go to the STOP screen a n d
to get it to work: FORMAT "P";1200 In the meantime the way to at EXIT Tasword (or press break). Now
This works but I cannot use the least use your 8056 with the 48K Is to modify lines ???? to ???? by
printer control codes, ie. LPRINT invest In a n RS232 unit such as Ihe changing all the microdrlve SAVE
CHR$(14). which should print Interface 1 at around (Iffy pounds or commands to TAPE SAVE commands
whatever follows at double width, a device such as the ZXLprint 3 from — !e. leave out the * "m'|1; bits. Restart
but does not. Dixons can't help me. Euroelectronlcs at around forty by GO TO 25, connect a tape
can you? pounds. recorder a n d use the SAVE TASWORD
Andrew Warwick Amstrad of course are primarily option from the STOP screen to make
Tyneside Interested In selling Spectrums as a lape copy. Now disconnect the
games machines a n d pushing their Interface 1 a n d mlcrodrlves a n d
And again... 8256 a n d 8512 machines as atlach the Opus (alter switching the
Wordprocessors/Buslness machines. machine off first of course).
Dear Sir. So, we are back to Sir C's original Load the tape copy of TASWORD 2
Can you please advise me on a concept a n d the answer to Dr. and again BREAK or use the EXIT
problem with my Spectrum 128 and Westerllnk's q u e s t i o n . . . Tasword option. Now c h a n g e the
serial 8056 printer which came with lines back fo mlcrodrlve commands
the computer In a Dlxons package. (or the Discovery variation), GO TO
Alter several frustrating hours 25, a n d from the STOP menu use the
trying to get the printer to work. I SAVE TASWORD option to make a
went back to Dixons and was given copy onto disk.

^
a handwritten note to enter FORMAT
"P";1200. This would get the printer
working! More printers
ADAPT u n a d a p t a b l e ?
Q
I n o w find that this will operate
the printer In 128 mode — trying to
use it In 48K mode the computer will Dear Sir Finally, we h a d a very long a n d Irate
not accept the FORMAT entry. I recently bought an letter from H.G. Carrlngton of Boulder,
Similarly, my old Alphacom printer OPUS discovery and a BRC fOTHER USA, who explained at length the
will only work In 48K mode and not M1009 printer and I have several problems he was experiencing with
In 128 model It would appear that questions that I hope you will be the ADAPT RGB monitor Inlerface a n d
the onboard RS232 Is disconnected able to answer. the company.
In 48K mode and the expansion port 1. How do I get the printer to COPY, Apparently their unit will not work
Is disconnected In 128K mode. particularly graphics. I have several In the USA. 1 assume that It was the
Can you tell me if this is correct programs which are ZX Printer same "polite lady" he phoned who
or are there some other commands compatible, but do not state other answered my queries, a n d Indeed
to enable me lo use both the serial printers. Does this mean that I will be she was very polite but nol very
8056 and the Alphacom In both 48 unable to use my printer with them? enlightening. I gathered that they
and 128 modes. 2. I am getting a VTX 5000 modem were working on a version of their
BT. Heat ley and wonder if I will be able to use interface (or him as he could see It
Stevenage this with the disc drive connected, or was the only way of operating his
will I have to remove this every time I British Spectrum in the USA.
I published both letters, a n d want to use the modem? Allowing for postal time and
we have others In a similar 3. How do I get my microdrlve development time he should have
vein, so that neither they or version of TASWORD 2 to load Into my his unit by now. 1 would very much
anyone else will leel silly al being disk drive? When I tried to transfer it like lo hear If he encounters further
caught out by this problem. to tape It didn't work, and instead of difficulties or from anyone else with
ft was once said to me by a getting the usual screen I didn't get service problems. All my own
famous computing character {well, anything but a blank screen. dealings with Adapt at both
fairly well known anyway) that It Janet Watson personal a n d business level have
wasn't what Sinclair said about his Tyne & Wear been very satisfactory.

ZX Computing Monthly • August 1986 15

 tines In Listing 1. Notice that the least In the first instance, so that
i n
Merlin a n d Co start to old line 2000 (which contained you can get a good idea of the
take on a life of their only a RETURN Instruction) is no kinds of interaction which are
longer needed — If you don't taking p l a c e But these are
own In this Installment delete this, then nothing will really no more than
happen at afll When you've demonstration examples of the
of Alan Davis* a d d e d the new lines, save the sort of thing that c a n be
complete updated program and achieved, and I hope you'll be
adventure series. code (GOTO 9998 will do the job able to develop the routines to
tor you) a n d then type GOTO devise other Interactions of your
R e a d e r s who have been 8010 to get the program started. own. For this reason I want to go
patiently typing In the routines As usual, you II tlnd yourself In through this month's listing In
from earlier articles In the series control of Merlin, though since some detail, describing
might well be forgiven tor the program doesn't have a precisely what has to be
wondering just when the real proper c o m m a n d analyser your programmed to achieve the
action was going to start. control Is only partial, of desired e n d i Deep b r e a t h . . .
Wonder no longer, my friends — necessity. You can move him here goes.
the time has come. It you'd like about or check his inventory, but
to get cracking straight away, he'll perform all other actions of
then load in the program a n d his own accord, as the
code you ^ v f i i i l a s t , Inclination takes him. If you just Objects
BREAK, a n d o c b v h d t e o a r a m sit back and watch, you'll find
f that things start to happen as Line 60 defines a new function
the real-time operations take FN o(x), which returns the
over. When you're tired of his address In which the I
Interactions with Tlmbrll (who coordinate of the "xth" object
starts oft at the same location) stored. There's going to be a I
you can make him wander off In of manipulation of objects, a
search of fresh adventures with In each case we'll need to
other characters. For the present, modify the appropriate obj
the other people will remain location coordinates. The
immobile: Independent function FN o(x) makes this
movement Is something we'll be just that little bit easier.
dealing with next month. Incidentally,
It's probably a good idea to if you were
type In Listing 1 as it stands, at writing a full,

fetacfton s /

V >,

/
. L

l
. f/ » • ...
, •« . Jf- 1. # v » \

m.'

k\
UfcO
 working adventure you wouldn't ob2: object carried by "fk2" On Location
need lines 2500 a n d 2570. I've r1 a n d r2 are a c o u p l e of
included these to make the independent random variables The next job is to check through
program loop twice through the used mostly to provide variety In the objects present on the
Interaction routines so that some the text output. ground at the current location,
kind of interaction Is more likely The first job Is to determine a n d pick one at random (line
to occur, keeping up a more which characters are present at 2520). If there aren't any. then
interesting screen output. (After Merlin's location a n d to choose "ob" will be reset.
all, without a full adventure to one of them at random (see line Carried objects are dealt with
play there's not much for you to 2510, where the relevant next: line 2530 checks through
do once the program is Instructions ore lei m = USR the active character's Inventory,
runningl) There's a small price to who: LET fk1 = PEEK (pres+INT choosing an object at random
pay for this In that the program (RND* m)) ). This defines which of (obl). Again, if the character is
doesn't run quite as fast as it the characters is going to "act", empty-handed (ije. m = 0) then
would otherwise do. a n d fk1 will always be non-zero o b l is reset — a n d If a "passive"
The real meat of the simply because Merlin, at least, character Is involved then line
programming starts at line 2510, will always be present. If there 2540 does a similar job tor him,
which begins by initialising the are two or more characters assigning a value to ob2. This
important variables. These present (l.e. m is greater than 1) leaves everthlng set up ready tor
variables will e a c h be assigned we dive back in a g a i n to assign action.
a numeric value corresponding a value to fk2: a character Nine possible activities are
to one of the characters or which c a n be "acted upon" If provided for, a n d the first Is the
objects, as follows: necessary. The last statement in simple one which involves the
fk1: the "active" character line 2510 checks to see If the picking up of any object which
fk2: the "passive" character same character has been happens to be lying around. This
ob: object just lying about picked twice — a n d resets fk2 if is done in line 2550, a n d since
ob1: object carried by "fk1" It has. this line is scanned every time
the Interaction routine Is called,
It's unlikely that any object will
be left lying about for long!
Here, by the way, you c a n see

Listing 1 the power of the string handling

functions we dealt with In an
earlier article. It doesn't matter
b(l til. ( Ml O I XI -UblCI IX-I I .2 IH n i l»"k2 I t" to SWaP "IIH 111 Ob 2 who picks up what — this line
t 99/ REM »••• ror "»HI It(Obl) GO 'jUU 1UO will generate the approrlate text.
t 9911 nt II • •• l .idr pendent net i on Jt?/U Ltl J i i f r i n K f k ^ H " - j a y s . "
1999 Nrn ii r i liitn L t l z i : z i i " i i o thank Finally, since the object has now
i M I U U HI II uelele line 24(10! I s" 00 "iUII i Oil REIUHH been picked up, we need to
.'*<>/ HEil 2/8U Ltl z » = Z t i " U * r y well then":
. 490 Ml I. • < . scan W i l l i inrou'jli i.O 4UI) 10U L t l 2»:|H n l i n . a i t " c h a n g e its "I" coordinate to
independent action hands over "•FH t d o b Z M " , and register its new status as "carried
rout•nca • r h m i r u n " gives tun " i i h t *
hi ii I ob i l l " in i-xciioiijr" . GO SUB 100 by fk1" - a n d the POKE In line
250 O f o r <i to 2 POkt III O *Ob 1 1 , I Ollti'l.JPOKE t
25 b / Hill I II O lob2l , luull'i.l HtlURIt 2550 does just that.
;-?«(< it Ht.lt I II l I l J I I 4« lllU-l'4CtlUn 2/9/ HLIi
v,in Jbii's and select 2/4U Htll lie<|ue s t inventors The main bulk of the
objects .mil characters 2/t<* II til
25W9 ill ii 2BUO IF 1101 ri.2 I Htll fltlUHH interaction options comes next,
.'MU L t l Ob o Lt I oht tl LI I Ob „'1>1 0 Ltl i t fil nl i ri. i i » " says to e a c h one with its own
2-U I I. I I 1.2 It L t I r i = IMI I 2 * RH •i•t »i uarryiny, h ntU'1.2) • Khot' s that you
f i l l nt HIV 1 • " ?'* :
ID i n iv m i i,>.nm>> Lt T cu ->us loo subroutine, a n d line 2560 selects
M who II I Ikl-Prkk ipres+IHT (H 2U2U L t l z $ - It I nt (f'1.2 J •" replies
(III -nl I 11 n > I I Ht H L t l lk2=Ptfck one of these at random. It's
(pr is » I n I i mm -n t i l I I Ik2 = l'k2 I 'n carryiny " worth noting that e a c h
ililli i l2< n 1.1 2»JU fOt;t char.TkS LCI n=Ush I t
252U Ltl « UiK what L t l obsPEEk st it hoi ft men lei zt:zt«' uut subroutine needs Its own error-
l|» F'.t III! IBHU-Ill I MHO fl I,my, root 1 ": 00 SOtt 100: RETURH
PukE clijr , I't. 1 L t l rtrUbh I I checking system, as there will be
st l e t obi-Pttr. ipre>*liiT c r h d - 2B4U 6 0 Slltt 1 1 3 0
2 0 4 7 REM
ML I HUM
times when a certain kind of
n i l RllO n 2640 REM ••• txanine object action simply won't be possible.
2540 It rk2 I Ht H eo».t Char.rt.2: 2B49 Htll
Ltl fHUsH l i s t Ltl ob2sPEEK 1 pr 2ttbU It HOI Obl I HI II nttOHll For example, you can't have a
i s » I H I I Him -<11 I ftilli n
2i:>0 If Ob HMU n 1 Ht H L t l 2t = FM 2(960 LET Zl-tll H i i a i l n " e x an i n
es ' Hilt) HUT r l l i l " studies " RH conversation if there's no one to
m i l l u«" picks up "•tit i n u b i . l) r l) • FII i f lOblMl" curiously" H talk to (line 2600), you can't drop
POKt til OlObl , 100 III; I GO 5UB 1 m> nut r a i t c with interest" iihu
Ol) r2l : 60 iUli 100 RETURN anything If you're empty-handed
• v../ RE»l 2U9/ HI it
i>i»;»M RF.it « 4f i f t l Randon Action 2B90 REM • • • Steal Object (line 2650), a n d you can't thieve
2559 REM 2099 RElt if there's nothing to steal, nobody
,!bl)0 Ull sub 2bUU*bO" I 111 10-HMU) 2900 It n.1-1 OK HOT Tk2 UR HOT
25/U HtXT J Ob2 1 HE II RETURH to steal from, or If you're a
2580 RLIUHH 2910 LET zt-FH II* (»'l. I > •" looks e
259? Rtll rioiously at "• FH tt(ob2l»" in morally upright citizen like
2598 Rtii conversat>ons (H nt<rk2i•"'s hand, suddenly he Merlin! (line 2900). Remember
,'59<I Rtlt 9rat>s i t and runs o r r . " : GO SUB
0II It HUT Fk2 T Ht H HtTUKH 100 too that in a n actual adventure
2b 1 0 LCI Zt=FH M t i r k l l t l " ChdtS 2920 LEf / t ^ f i i nttrl.2> •" cries
po l i t e m to " mho MUl r i i + l " has out a n ^ n i y , but too late. "•FH you'd almost certainly want to
a heated discussion with " hhU nt (Fk t I •" has 90lte" : GO SUb 100:
m *rit n*nn2i»" about "•("the poi.t fh o t ub21, ion• r1.1 p o k e ri, impose other conditions — like
weather" mill HOT r ? l . ( "the situa I c+ IFkl - I ) -2,10-I•(2 RHO 10 = 11: preventing unfriendly characters
11on- Hiiti r2t uu sun iuu RtTUR HI. TURK
H
264/ REM 294/ REM from giving valuables to e a c h
2648 Rtll < * •drop object 2948 HEn Cast spell merlin) other, for example.
2b49 HLII 2949 REM
2b50 It HUT O b l OR n I HI. II HtTUH 29b0 II I'Ltk tH 0(I):101 RHU PEE Once the error-trapping is out
II k III o 4 J I -101 THEH lib TURll
26611 Lt T Zt-Fll ( I t t r k l ) * " acc > den 2960 It PLEF. III Oil t i >101 THFll L of the way, e a c h of the sub-
t a l l y drops • FH 1t1 ob 11 POkt t CT oli-l routines consists really of only
II o l o b l M O I'UKt Ob I c • 1 • I Ob 1-11 2970 It I'tEi; trl 01410101 THtH L
• 2. jo i,U SUb 100 KETURM El Ob-4 two parts: first, It generates the
2b97 Rtlt 29UO Ltl I ZisFH n H I H " casts the
2b98 Rtlt ••• bive Object Spell or Retrieval". GO suo 100 text which needs to be printed
2b 99 Rtlt ILT n 1»|H b'j.JSO. LET Z ( ; " l h t r ( to the screen; a n d second, it
2700 It HUT Obt OK HUT Tk2 TMEH IS a I*. .ISI. OF i t f h t , and "•FM t
RETURN •iiobit" l e t u r n i niracuiousty to shuffles the location coordinates
2/10 Ltl zt-frt m i r i . l n - asks his hand' (.0 SUB 100 POKE FH o
ih ntirk2>»" »•' ht-d like "•tH a lUbl , IUI at TURIi around as necessary. Just one
t i u b i l 60 son too LtT z»=m nt 2999 HtlUHll detailed example should be
i r k 2 i t " says: *es please'": (.0 S HS4/ Rtlt
UB 100 LL l zt-lii ntU'l.l I «" (jive 9 S 4 d r e m --- surprise it-te Girt" enough to help you sort out the
S •••tH l i l o b l l t " LO "•tH lit u'ki I 9S49 HEit
60 jUK 1U0 POkt til OlObl I , 1U0 •bbO OriTfl b,»,197,33,10,O,l/,3,0 others, a n d since the swapping
• 112 RCIURll ,b,20O,229,213, 197,205, 181 ,3, 193 routine (lines 2750 - 2780) is
2/47 Rtlt , 209 , , 35 . I f . 244, 193, 16,232,20
2/4H Rtll * Swap object 1 fairly representative we'll use
2/49 RtH <<bilO fun i=b5250 TO l>5276 RE HO that. Line 2750 checks that there
2/bU lt HU1 11.2 UR HUt Obi UH IIO X POKE i , X lit :-I i
I Ob2 T Ht H RE I UIIH 99-jb SH'.'t Iter I in" L 1 HE 8000 S« is another character present to
2/bU Ltl m l l ' k l l i " asks " • "E ft.:"C0DE 64500,446
bargain with (fk2), that the active

ZX Computing Monthly • August 1986 15

 /

character has something to offer strength falls to zero, a n d a What you do will d e p e n d very
(ob1), and thai the passive d e a d character c a n be much on the particular
character has something to eliminated from the g a m e by adventure you're writing.
swap (ob2). Line 2760 generates setting his location coordinates Next month will see us
the initial conversation a n d to some "impossible" value — Involved In a little machine
prints the text. Line 2770 gives say 200. code again to that we can get
the passive character the option Something like this, together our characters moving about
ot refusing the deal (depending with suitable text description of independently, but In the
on the value of rl). If the deal the battle, would really be the meantime you might like to try
goes ahead, then line 2780 bare minimum needed for improving on the various
prints up the appropriate text convincing combat — a n d you routines I ve suggested here,
and transfers the "I" coordinates could of course go very much replacing them with some of
of the two objects so that ob1 is further. The Idea of "friendly" your own. Be careful though — if
now carried by fk2, a n d ob2 a n d "hoslile" characters could you start to hear screams of
carried by f k l be used In other ways — so that protest when you switch off your
friendly characters don't steal Spectrum, then you're probably
Spell-casting from each other, for example. doing just a little TOO w e l l . . .

As I've written them here, the

Interactions are pretty random — fieri in tin; fltn, i c i u t i i s -.tumiim.
but logically consistent of by (i cbtit.cbcu cor.cuqt;. Innttint;
course. I've Included the spell- ikmt.ii cauui'ite <i i , i n t ; foi'ct-c, Cine IHlSMti,

casting routine, however, as an Clnc imsso.,

t.mi. PU66CS.
example of the way that the I m b l ' l t lltTlvC'i.
f i e r i in (.Ik: l l i i u u ' i i i iiUMMilliC IIli I i i i UCC1 ilcncni I (j ili'tilis tin:
actual plot of a particular g a m e b'j ti ifxicchcd cot-t.tiQC. loottin<; nacicul scarf.
miahl influence things Here the cutc i.nw.i, Us <i pint: I'urciit. Sn- uotifrcg cbac* noiir.cltj »-,o
lit; OHI st:l: I.tnlii i I Clli- uoml Clnbri I nbnnc Clw sli.Utit.ion.
staff and the book of spells are M»7tC.
assumed to be under Merlin's /.intuit io.iIis litwiuwily ot. tin: Clnu iiiijseb,
i i in,on ot wine in fieri in *, Ihiiid.
command so that he c a n recall •.tltitl. ill tj In; 1,1 lib', IC <111(1 runs r.inln 11 -itivj co nci'lin: UIHI^'S
mi. . i.but. v a u ' r u ctu'i*y, n,;. r k . r ( m - \
them by magic if they're lost or Dor 1 i n criuh mit. tmcn l«j. I.ut. r t t : i l m i c i i i c!>; I n i . u r r w * n ; a
stolen - or If he's just too lazy to 1.00 lace. C m b n l Imp, i ( oi>i:, b»-otKJ->wortl, it bnoli HMiil-i,
fieri in novi;'. i im.. ,IIh1 «i I ilN,OII til win:.
pick 'em up! In a case like this O c t l i n c.Ih: f Kit, i c i ( i n i * i u i iiikI11n; Unl'i J 1 DicliS t.ln: rwimctil
lit (i nine foi'i:<.,t. I unit tin, CUsC SCtll'f.
the error trapping needs to be t.nviciriis >< i u i h ; h.ir.Hi,.
very specific, a n d so lines 2950 Itc Ctin sec. in- liodfi-i:y til L,cci. Cine |X>*aot>.
f i n i n 11 urnvut,
- 2970 must be included to ,ii liodlrcu loulc. tiiviviLi-.ly tii.
t i n e pasacfr. t.In; ntii;ii;til sc.at I in f . m b r i l ' s
check on the whereabouts of birntl. baUacnty lie t;iiibs ic ontl
these particular Items. If Merlin is Sir Godfrey aceidcncully droits I i m oil..
t.itc bi'ond'.ui>i 11. i* inln' i I cries out mn.nlij. buc
already carrying both these fieri in pickb (im mm: hrootJswn-d. t.oo lat.c. Sir uooi is,i| lhi-* ctMtc.
items, for example, then there's L i n i : ihi».s»:S.
nothing to cast the Spell of tine PiH,MI>.
Cinlll'll U'.lc. nor I HI i I lit; ti like l l c r l i i i ct«st.s the Snoll <>'
Retrieval on (line 2950). Oh yes. (I I I UCOII (il wi lie, llet.n evol.
jusl one more thing — I'll leave I It; r I in sliys; :(».•.- Iilcni.i:! . Clien i-> (i flti-.b ol li<;hc.. ontl
(.iiiln'i l Give. lit: ft<n;on ol ukiir (lie nueictil s t a l l ret.tuns
you to find out for yourself what i.ti rit-i l in. nirucuiouslu [.o 111-, boi it I.
Sir U i k U i i . i i Sim*, to t.inlin I :
the USR 65250 call does. Spell 1.1 int. 1.1H«t (inn 11; ctn'iijint, ('mi; inisses.
casting, after all. is a pretty {.inliill
i l M u . l 1-1.ill u ' l . X n c t l l l l l l l s t.mbi . l i;lim.i uoliecly co (ki l i n
mysterious business... iiiit i i i i K . i <>• 1 1 : , tibotit. .-.be ueuelier.
fieri uiiminc'j clM: I I tit,IH1 Of
(. 1 OC ptl>,M uint: cm louslij.
You'll notice that there's a
fairly important type of activity
which Isn't dealt with at all here:
combat. Obviously It would be
easy to a d d a simple routine of
the "Tlmbrll hits Merlin with the
magical staff" variety, but this
wouldn't be enough on Its own.
The truth Is that combat would
really need a whole article
devoted to It. but here are a few
suggestions which you might like
to develop Probably the simplest
way to start Is to consider the
Individual characters as either
"friendly" or "hostile", perhaps
using an array to store this
Information for all the characters
(e.g. 0 = friendly; 1 = hostile).
Error-trapping would then ensure
that friendly characters don't
attack each other. On top of this
you'll need an array to store the
"strength" of each character,
and another to store the "hit
points" for each object when
used as a weapon. When a
character is attacked by
another, the result c a n be
worked out by comparing the
strengths of the two combatants,
taking info account the hit
points of any weapon used. The
strength of the loser Is then
reduced by an appropriate
amount. Dealh can be said to Q
<
occur when a character's

15
ZX Computing Monthly • August 1986
•
Peter Sweasey
enchained a n d
engrossed in the
adventurer's dungeon

S ^ o d ' s Law is how I would

describe my current situation, as
well as dlsmat. d a m p a n d
depressing. Regular readers will
know how I have been
whingeing about the lack ot
good adventures since I started
writing this column. Then this
month Everyone seems to be
releasing adventures. And c a n I
review them? No, I flipping well
can not. For one month I find
myself with too much other work
to do. So someone else is given
all the lovely new games —
someone who hasn't suffered
down her in the dungeons tor
years. My savage editor Bryan
would no doubt be chortling
despicably at the thought of it.
but he is away, probably on a
torture a n d torment training
course; so instead his "assistant
editor" — i.e. evil henchman —
who calls himself Cliff has been
chucking down the cold custard
this month.
Anyway. I did manage to see
one or two adventures which are
reviewed here, along with a
somewhat shortened helpline
and a look at adventure clubs.
Normal service will be resumed
next issue!
As tor the continuing saga of
Hunchback The Adventure — the
nice lady at Ocean says it
should be released by the time
you read this. But then it should
have been released In mid-
January. so who knows whether
she is right?
Knight Clubbing?
Such is the nature of the adventurers. The magazine is 52 Micawber Way. Newlands
peculiar bests known as reasonable: it contains medium Spring. Chelmsford, Essex CM1
adventurers that they like to length reviews, views on games 4UG.
group together In clubs. This from adventure writers and Questiine is run by another
issue I'm taking a short look at players, complete solutions a n d certifiable adventure nut, Tony
what three have to ofler. other assorted hints, Treadwell, a man with a
The Adventureline Club is run competitions and discounts on frequent, long laugh. Annual
by Roger Garrett, an adventurer selected adventure software. It is membership is £6, for which you
of considerable experience. A short considering the pound receive a monthly newsletter
years subscription costs £12.00. price though, and not very (consisting of brief tips, news and
for which you receive the professionally or attractively plugs for club services) and a
monthly magazine of the club. produced (nearly all text); also bi-monthly magazine, The
"The Guiding Light", a n d a someone at ADLC cannot Questiine Chronicles. This is half
helpline service. This latter is punctuate text to save their life, the cover price ot The Guiding
very good; seven days a week which makes some of it hard to Light but is over twice as long
Q
<
there Is a phone number which
you can ring for instant solutions
read. Adventureline Is a good
club, but pricey. Information or
(about one tifth of it is adverts
though, from companies like
from extremely well informed membership from Roger Garrett, Ocean and Melbourne House). It

38 ZX Computing Monthly • August 1986 15

too has reviews (but with the impressed with what this club swap, and arrange this for them
added attraction of screenshots, offers: certainly recommended at a modest handling charge. A
albeit fuzzy ones); loads of tips to the adventure freak. Questline monthly newsletter Is also
and several complete solutions, is at 17 Headley Way, produced; the sketchy details I
plus lots of maps and a few Headllngton, Oxford, OX5 OLR for obtained about this (SAEC is a
puzzles, It's a bit more more details. mere fledgling organisation)
professional lhan Adventureline's Both these clubs have a lot of mentioned a helpline service,
publication, but presentation enthusiasm and good ideas reviews, news and support for
could still be improved; both behind them. I wish them both a titles from lesser known
clubs use extremely grotty lot of luck for the future: I hope companies. I'm not sure how
photocopiers. One of the there will be some friendly much of this will materialise, but
Questllne reviewers also has a competition between the two since membership is free, it's
similarly fatal lack of before long. worth joining if you are a keen
punctuation. The Spectrum Adventure venturer. Send to 4, Kilmartin
Questline offers a couple of Exchange Club offers rather Lane, Carluke. Lanarkshire ML8
telehelpline numbers, although different services. The club has 5RT.
their service is not as slick or as realised the limited lifespan of None of these clubs are large,
large as Adventureline's. They adventures — i.e. that when profit making organisations, so
publish their own software too: you've finished them, you cannot give these kind-hearted
the first game on the Questline really play them again. Their enthusiasts a hand by enclosing
label, Trollbound, should be worthy Idea is to build up lists of a stomped addressed envelope
reviewed next month. I'm very games which members want to when you write.

man a n d you're told "No sign of which are sometimes rather

life — perhaps his pockets,..") good. The text untortunately,
These contribute to making isn't; very clumsy considering
Seabase apparently fairly easy: how little it actually tells you,
my initial impression is that it sometimes badly punctuated,
won't provide much challenge a n d written entirely in capital
to the experienced adventurer. rijrt* ot
letters which looks extremely
The puzzles are entertaining n*7 C - . primitive
enough though, and mostly Although I liked the plot, it's
l o g i c a l . It's a very nicely been wasted really and much
constructed game and you feel ot the game is very run ol the
a real sense of progress as you mill s c i e n c e fiction. The
play. "problems" aren't very inspired,
As well as the friendly lend lo be similar, and are
SEABASE DELTA vocabulary there is a good
range ol messages as a result THE incredibly easy — I solved this
in two hours! There are a tew
Firebird
£1.99
ot various actions. Unlortunately
t h o u g h , there are some DOOMSDAY bugs too, a n d a stupid piece ol
(il)logic at the end. The
"Ontvlucht d e v l j a n d e l i k j e
Zeebasis" commands Ihe Inlay
unnecessary, lengthy pauses
when messages are revealed, PAPERS vocabulary Isn't too bad. but
l i m i t e d nevertheless, a n d
which the player cannot speed Matand Software tacking EXAMINE which should
in one of six different up. Also presentation could £1.95 be standard these days.
languages; In English, that have been improved, perhaps The shortcomings I've
means e s c a p e from the with a redesigned character Just before the destruction of outlined c o u l d have been
enemy's seabase. This is Ihe set. the earth by the warring super- easily avoided; but with them
sequel lo p o p u l a r b u d g e t Generally though, good tun powers. all the people deemed the game Is sadly not worth the
game Subsunk, a n d again you lo play and worlh Ihe asking necessary to the survival of effort. It is cheap however, so
play wittily named reporter Ed price. It's particularly aood for humanity (eg doctors, scientists maybe it you're an absolute
Lines. The briet Instructions tell ihe novice adventurer, (hope to but not. unfortunately, beginner, you might like it. Malt
you little more t h a n the see more cheapo adventures of adventure reviewers) were sent order only trom: 29 Moorland
sentence given above; If you this quality in the luture from lo Alla-Ren, a distant planet. Road. Mickleover, Derby DE3
had never played an Firebird, Untortunatety among them was 5FX.
adventure before this would be an obligitary megalomaniac
very confusing. who promptly destroyed the
The game has some fairly new planet when it wouldn't let
attractive lull screen graphics, him rule. Bui a goodie scientist
drawn with The llluslralor; and had invented a time-machine
reasonably descriptive, though beforehand, and now you. his
not really Booker Prize winning, apprentice, must go back In
text. Vocabulary is very friendly time a n d stop the nutter by
lor a quilled game; in particu- finding' a n d destroying the

DGOI)
lar EXAMINE Is surprisingly plans ot the title.
responsive, a n d olten gives This amateur adventure is
somewhat blatant clues (tor Quilled and Patched, and so
example, examine the d e a d has some split screen graphics

TIME OF THE over-long pauses a n d mindless

b e e p i n g have a l l been
nonetheless a bit limited, a n d
pedantic about word combina-
Langton Close, Woking. Surrey
GU21 3QJ. M a n d a r i n is a
END removed; now we have a very
readable redesigned font and
tions. I would have liked il to be
more responsive at points. The
company that certainly shows
promise, and their next release.
Mandarin Adventures polished appearance. program also repeats The Bottomless Pit, sounds most
£3.95 The good points I messages after every move Inlriguing And of course they
c o m m e n d e d remain: the when in certain locations, come trom my home town, a
scenario Is reasonably original which Is poor use of the Quill. definite a d v a n t a g e . . .
No I'm not going mad; I'm and the problems you face are These are relatively minor
perfectly aware I reviewed this varied a n d unusual. Descrip- points though. Time ot The End
Same several monlhs a g o But
is is a "new, Improved" version,
and very welcome it is too.
tion Is atmospheric, lengthy
a n d impressive; a n d there Is a
pleasantly off-beat sense of
has raised its status trom sadly
flawed amateur effort to a
worthy product, particularly at
Why? Because one of Ihe humour. what Is basically a budget os'^ks
main faults I moaned about In The g a m e still has a few price. Definitely worth
my review has been correcled, faults. Although the vocabulary considering If you have a few
namely the unprofessional Is friendlier than many games pounds to spare. It's available
presentation. The garish colour. I review, at polnls it is m a l l order only from 14,

15
ZX Computing Monthly • August 1986
 E L P L I N E

Amongst this month's mail were page). Peter wanted to know NORTH then CLIMB UP. In water
missives from Norway, South what the lit branch is for. Take it elsewhere in the game, you
Africa a n d America — good to to the tunnel In the mountains need the c o m m a n d form SWIM
see that adventuring is a and LIGHT THORNS, then head the direction.
worldwide pastime. But our first downwards. He also asks where M. P. Shovelton has what at
problem this Issue comes from to fly Falkor, You can use him to first could seem a simple
Middlesex: Cathy Maher is cross the great desert; FLY SOUTH problem in Incentive's Temple of
having problems with the from its edge. Vran. He can't get the bow and
perennially puzzling Splderman. Norwegian Jan-lvar Hansen- arrow from the hole. Well, "M",
n answer to her questions: to Bergli writes from Tofte about this takes a little time. You need
ake the bio-gem, SHOOT WEB - Artie's grim nuclear warning. to climb up a stepladder, which
AT EGG from the corridor outside Ground Zero. To get to the is found at the bottom of the
the room. To stop the fan, use shelter you should CUT CONIFERS cliff. To get this, you need to tie
your web to continually press with the axe; you will then need the rope to the elephant, who
the button. And to reach the to cut the fence with the wire will need bribing with an
basement, enter the maze of cutters. He asks where to find the obvious food. Feed him at the
vents behind the fan and head battery for his radio: you don't clifftop. Then take the ladder to
down. have to in fact, Jan-lvar, as the the wart's caves. You will need to
Peter Butcher from Surrey is tranny is only used for trading for take it through the trapdoor, as it
having difficulty progressing in bread. In the shop. You'll find won't fit through the normal way
Ocean's Never Ending Story. another radio when you enter down. But, you can only open
Unfortunately I haven't caught the shelter. the door from below, so
up with this popular game yet, W. Booth in Nottingham writes advanced planning is
so I rely on master-adventurer "I cannot get out of the sea" In n e e d e d . . . Then you c a n use
John Wilson's invaluable help (as Mastertronic's Slnbad and The the bow, vine and cane to cross
I have done for some of the Golden Ship. Presuming you are the quicksand, as you
problems answered on this at Ihe start, you need to SWIM suspected.
There are loads more
problems to be dealt with, but
that's simply ail I have the time
for this month.

Write to m e . . .
Title:
Told you it was a short one! 8ut
as I say, back to full length next
issue, when I'M be catching up
Company: with all your problems and the
adventurers that need dealing
with. Meanwhile. I hope to
Problem:... receive loads more mail. Having
that baffling adventure puzzle
solved is as easy as filling in the
coupon printed here. Don't forget
to enclose a SAE for a personal
reply. I must also ask that you be
as specific as possible about
the problem: If necessary, send
I c a n h e l p solve: me a supplementary sheet
giving full details of where you
are In the game. Sometimes your
requests are simply too vague for
Name: me to give an effective answer.
The address to write to is:
Mindplay, Dismally Dank Argus
Address:. Press Dungeons, No. 1 Golden
Square, London W1R 3AB Until we
next meet, happy venturing, my
friends...

ZX Computing Monthly • August 1986 15

 \
T H S A G A
If you want the best from your Spectrum
ensuring it advances with technology, then
Saga Systems have the ideal keyboard for
you. Look at the choices available.

M 0 F
~laa w t c
Ff
Om Jvitn. KyulAH COwnrth
W
I »«s to M o m * « b * t,
l C WTC U.T
R
T H E H> • M« erf

LAST
"h tin h M M I W g U p K M V I uMl h >
UJ Johfl a.Uwt. bhCUUfl USf A
f i l ' M ' • r m w k i u (VDQf •nwtung IHI "

a
N
to o WORD
With a database and spreadsheet to follow soon, when it I f i f f t S S f l f
comes to word processors we have The Ust Word.
• The Last Word • Sinclair User Classic Award. £13.95.
c
B 0 R D
• Saga 1 Emperor - "Good looks • Saga 3 - 'The best* Chris
<
O ... works remarkably well...* Jenkins, Popular Computing
cc Sinclair User. £39.95. Weekly. The Last Word available
o with it free. £69.95.
UJ
>
Direct Entry Keys
a • Saga 2 + • 'Well done, Saga.' Sinclair User. £54.95. • Saga 2001. Infra red remote transmission, out of this world.
o Direct Entry Keys The Last Word available with it free. £119.95.
<
t-
< Q •P R I N T E R
o < • LTR1 Printer. Letter quality printer •The Citizen 120D Precision dot

IflH
for only £119.95 matrix, with 2 year warranty.
D Prints in ink on paper. 'The 1200 is an excellent printer.*
u-
OC o> 96 characters including Sinclair User. £235.00
o c Underline
u. 2 £O
O C
*
« =s •The GLP (Great Little Printer)
o Dot matrix printer, 100 cps, letter quality mode. £199.95
0) > £J -6
S o <3 • P E R I P H E R A L S
o </> O- O ^ >,
Q m ^ CL 0) 0) • Microdrive extension cable for use with your Saga 3. £4.95. • Dust cover. To keep your computer and Saga keyboard dean.
z O) Q. « > t • Sound Boost. To put music in your ears (and television) £9.95 £4.95
UJ n oj £ UJ 3
U) <fi O LL CM </) • Flexicable enables you to drive 2 interfaces. £11.95 • Centronics interface. To drive your printer. . £34.95

r QL
HiSoft SPECTRUM
Speed, Price,
C Compiler
Facilities, Proven
ones
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editor
cmbler You'de be surprised how
gger many of the games you
ble code play are written with
HiSoft programs!

HiSoft tools - the ones

the professionals use The mbler &

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or Pascal, £5 separately
Tel (0582) 696421

ZX COMPUTING AUGUST 1986 41

 a n d so c a n leave a lot of the
minor tactics to them (you c a n
also assume total control If you
so desire or any combination o(
the two). The second major
feature Is that In order to
By pure coincidence, two war- simulate the confusion of battle;
ames specifically for the there Is hidden movement by
Spectrum 128 arrived on my the Austro Russian forces. Thus,
desk on the same day. As both whilst you c a n see their Initial
are by the same company a n d disposition of forces, as soon as
one Is very g o o d a n d the other they move; you hove no Idea of
very bad. It Is useful to look at their whereabouts until you
them side by side The com- rediscover them by combat or
pany Is Lothlorien a n d the two Intelligence
games are Confrontation a n d The mechanics of the g a m e
Austerlltz. ore fairly standard a n d feature
Confrontation is a g a m e for different terrain types, morale
two players a n d attempts to factors a n d victory conditions
cover scenarios from all over Terrain is important for two main
the twentieth century. Seven reasons. Firstly It affects how fast
different scenarios are a unit c a n move through It a n d
Included in the package a n d secondly, It c a n also affect the
there Is also the facility to results of c o m b a t — It Is a lot
create your own mini games by easier to defend a ridge than
first of all drawing up a m a p a frozen lake or marsh. Morale
from various terrain types a n d too Is a vital factor. Combat
then populating It with tanks, strength Is worked out on a
paratroops, flak guns a n d basis of 500 men = 1 strength
point so that a unit of 4500 men
would have 9 strength points. If
AUSTERLITZ morale ts absolutely abysmal,

m
lothlorien there Is no adjustment, but If It
£9.95 is excellent, then that parllcular
Spectrum 128 unit c a n get a +6 strength
bonus which effectively means
ln»antry eta The seven scenarios another 3000 men.
Included are Poland, Greece, Austerlltz Is a superbly pre-
Desert War, Crete; Afghanistan. sented g a m e The Instructions
Slnal a n d Angola. are clear a n d the booklet also
The main problem with the provides a brief summary of the
g a m e Is that it was originally actual historical situation, p e n
wrltlen back In 1983, In Basic; pictures of Napoleon's com-
a n d Is now showing Its a g e in manders a n d a reading list for
that It Is extremely user people who get realty inter-
unfriendly compared to similar ested In the historical aspects.
products released today. Draw- If Napoleon h a d h a d this game
ing your m a p is done by mov- to play, I c a n certainly see why
ing a cursor round the screen he would b e saying "not tonight
a n d positioning towns a n d hills Josephine".
eta Unfortunately, the cursor
keys (remember that they are
separate keys on the 128) d o n l Confrontation rating
work as the Instructions claim.
Only keys 5-8 (the cursor keys on
Ihe original Spectrum) worked.
Another p r o b l e m was that
when I l o a d e d a scenario the
Instructions left me unsure as to
what I was supposed to be
doing a n d my first attempt
caused a n "Integer out of
range" error message whilst my Austerlltz on the other h a n d much more highly trained a n d
next key press reset the shows how a g o o d wargame he h a d better commanders, Is
machine should be presented. A large a matter of historical record.
The only differences clear display with a well pro- What you must d o Is prove that
between the 48K a n d 128K d u c e d instruction booklet a n d you too possess the strategic
versions appears to be that the a n excellent g a m e to boot. In a n d tactical skills of Napoleon.
scenarios sit in RAM In the 1805. N a p o l e o n h a d man- And In case you get too confi-
larger model instead of having oeuvred his army to Austerlltz dent. there are three different
to be l o a d e d In separately, ft where; although heavily out- skill levels to test you even
you otready have the 48K numbered, he sought to Inflict further.
version, d o n i bother with the a decisive defeat on the com- There are two main features
update a n d if you don't have b i n e d forces of the Austro In the g a m e that make It not-
the earlier version, dont bother Russian army. That he did, a b l e The first is that you have
anyway. mainly because his army was Intelligent corps commanders

ZX Computing Monthly • August 1986 15

 Movement a n d combat are
very straightforward a n d there
are optional arcade sequences
If you want lo participate In
them. Rebuilding allows you to
top u p both army a n d olr
strengths. The amount ol rein-
forcements that you receive
depends on which day ot the
battle It l& The air phase allows
u to make reconnaissance
lights, seek air superiority or
launch raids on the enemy sup-
ply tines. There Is then the
opportunity to make a special
attack. This might be a chemi-
cal attack, a limited or a full
nuclear strike Before you can
launch a nuclear attack, you
n e e d to input the proper
authorisation code a n d there Is
a phone number tor you to call
In order to receive the code as
well as get a message about
the probable effects.
Politics aside Theatre Europe
Is a superbly chilling game
a n d extremely well presented.
Let's Just hope that It never
becomes a reality.

displays the initial disposition of moving first a n d a turn consists

the forces, as well as major of one side moving, attacking,
features such as cities a n d rebuilding a n d the air phase
Alliance. The m a p shows mountain ranges. The g a m e followed by a similar sequence
Europe and Western Russia a n d starts with the Warsaw Pact by the Nolo forces.

firepower, morale a n d the repu-

IWO JIMA tation of the unit a n d o defence
factor which Indicates how well
PSS the unit can look after itself and
£7.95 Is also dependent on the cur-
rent terrain — It Is easier to
Every regiment or fighting unit defend a mountain than open
takes Inordinate pride In battles land. Movement determines
in which they have distin- how far a unit can travel In a
guished themselves In the case particular turn, again terrain
of the US Marines, one of their dependent whilst range Indi-
finest hours was undoubtedly cates how tar away a n enemy
when they coptured the Island force c a n be before you can
of Iwo Jlma, It was a n extremely attack It. When attacking an
bloody battle with some 24,000 enemy unit, you c a n also sum-
American casualties over the mon up supporting naval gun-
36 days of battle Because of fire in certain situations a n d It
their reluctance to surrender, is advisable to concentrate this
only 216 Japanese troops sur- initially on the J a p a n e s e
vived from an original garrison coastal batteries.

3
of 22,000. In this beginner's level
wargame from the author of Iwo Jlma is a n excellent
folklands 82, you play the part Introduction to the noble art of
of the American forces as you wargamlng. It is very simple to
attempt to eliminate every play a n d provides o reason-
single Japanese unit within a able challenge Experienced
certain number of g a m e turns wargamers will no doubt prefer
(this varies according to the skill something a bit meatier
level selected). though.
The game starts with all your
forces otlshore a n d you must
land them at one of five available from turn three pro- specific action. The three baste

GOOD
beaches. As you land or move viding the seas are calm. Con- commands are land, move a n d
the position of any Japanese trol of your forces Is done attack.
forces that are within range are entirely*through three keys, Keys Each untt Is assigned lour
revealed. Not all your units land 1 a n d 3 scroll through your different values. These are a n
at turn one Reinforcements ore options whilst key 2 selects a aggression factor which reflects

ZX Computing Monthly • August 1986 15

 uw • I

: w -
•
V • F • V FL^B ' J

r \ U I i 11 L n
creatures who guard entrances.
Afler a while (six toad units we
are told) a flitting thief appears
In order to spread confusion by
stealing any objects that might
be around. He c a n only hold
one and c a n drop what he's
filched any second to nick
something else. He's a nuisance
but not Indestructible, killing him
takes up a lot of your energy
a n d make sure he's not carrying
something vital to finishing the
game before you finish him off
because in his case he c a n take
it with him.
Toad death is a little
complicated. He Is given five
lives and loses one each time
his energy runs out. Taking the
wrong triple exit a n d getting
squashed do. however, mean the
this is plenty to keep you wiping out of all lives, which
occupied on the way a n d the seems a bit harsh a n d means
Toadrunner triple exits between some you face a lot of annoying

%
Ariolasoff screens a d d an extra element restarts before you really get Into
instead of Just wandering from the game.
£8.95 scene to scene. There may be A screen display at the top of
111 three exits to the next screen but
> the screen shows the objects you
only one is passable, the other are holding, toad units ticking
A warty hero in search two lead to swift termination. At away a n d percentage of the
first these exits must be tried at game completed. I managed to
of a princess to give random, which c a n be complete 15 per cent a n d It
infuriating as the safe exit may kept me busy for a good while

s
him a m a g i c a l change every game. There are so don't be put off by the
however subtle clues In the rocks apparent low screen count — it's

s
smacker. around each entrance to give not quantity but quality that
you a hint on which exit to take, counts a n d Toadrunner offers
• f you are an ambitious toad but it takes a while before you good value. It may not be the
wanting to be returned to your c a n read these signs with most original game In the world
princely form you can't just hang confidence. a n d spotting the forerunners to
around on the nearest lily p a d Many potentially useful Toadrunner could be a game In
waiting for a smoochie princess objects are scattered around the itself but despite this it's an
In Toadrunner the animated locations a n d any four can be enjoyable game with enough
amphibian has decided to take carried at one time Using an perplexing problems to kee[

o
some positive action and makes object is simplicity Itself — just you on the hop.
off to find the royal antidote. make sure it's p l a c e d in the
In his way are many hazards, toad's "fourth pocket" and hit
enemies and problems strewn the fire button. An axe-wlelding
through over 50 locations, which toad Is especially effective in
CO may not sound very many but dealing with some of the

ZX Computing Monthly • August 1986

There are 30 copies of *TJ Ludtoui J Comer of
CRL's Hobbil spoof The
Lh« i r j j p

rSe Coment fTW>Ui«i ^ j ^ 'Ul^tht At J

Boggit to be won in our M O'tJ

Tolkienesque us o'tm"' Pltjt*

I CW'"^
u. •-^yjk. ^
competition. "Tavern^. ^ ^ ti>« L , ^
1 -cLf
T h e Boggit is the prequel to
Bored ot the Rings and follows Ve«"H "Mil
Ihe adventures of Bimbo Faggins
an obese and lazy Boggit who JViWwvlJ^
grudgingly gets Involved In all
sorts of scrapes in the faraway .Mf -
tirom* ^ Cane
country that is Muddle Earth. Ci»H( Houvr
His exploits take him across Old
Berkwood, the Great Anadln V - ^ o ^ ou
River and the Plastic Hills. In his ' rot- Toed
•W
path are perils aplenty <JL
especially the dreaded "horrid Iajf:
• ^ ^ a n t * ESS
squelchy things". In all this
graphic adventure trundles over lit
TOO screens of spoofery mtn
>. ^

tomfoolery and wacky

. * v. Court?

encounters with comically I v^ "Vv^

distorted Tolkien characters.
31 .'ftetnoi \mtr%
An epic competition
What you have to do to be able
to ioln in the Boggit trail Is show
that you are one of the world's
authorities on Tolkien and
answer three excessively testing
questions. The Boggit Competition
1. What was The Hobbifs real
name? The answers to the three tricky questions are
2 Name the wizard who features 1
in both The Hobbit and Lord of
the Rings.
3. Finally what was the name ot 2
the creature who talked in
riddles and was fond of saying 3
"precious" when anyone gave
him the chance?
Fill out the coupon below and Name
send it to Boggit Competition, ZX
Computing Monthly, No 1 Address
Golden Square. London W1R 3AB
lo arrive by September 5th. All
ZX readers can enter except £L
employees of Argus Specialist Send this coupon to Boggit Competition. ZX Computing Monthly,
Publications, Alabaster Passmore No 1 Golden Square, London W1R 3AB. The closing date is 5
and CRL. The editor's decision is September 5th 1986. Please write your answers on the outside of O
final and no correspondence the envelope.
can be entered into O
ZX Computing Monthly • August 1986 15
Carol Brooksbank gets driven from within the program, The Editor/Assembler has a
so it is not possible to use 40-column screen display
Into the C o d e Machine Wafadrive there. divided into fields for line
The Monitor allows you to number, label, operator and
a n d finds it a g o o d examine memory locations; operand. You must use the
change the contents of RAM correct fields. If you put 'QJNZ'
vehicle for m a c h i n e addresses; Insert or delete code; into the label field, It will be
fill blocks of memory with a taken to be a label, not an
code programmers. single byte; copy blocks of code operator. Line numbers, which
to other locations; and search can be generated
for a sequence of up to five automatically, work tike BASIC
Code Machine bytes. Text strings c a n be line numbers but there can only
Discovery Software — entered direct. A hex dump of be one instruction per line. All or
Gremlin Graphics any section of memory can be part of your listing can be
sent to either screen or printer. renumbered.
£12.95 Notes can only be entered In
T h i s Editor/Assembler, Passing the test separate lines, rather like BASIC
Monitor/Disassembler suite, first REM statements. This seems a
marketed as two separate The testing facilities are very pity. It Is often helpful to make
programs by Picturesque, is now good. Breakpoints are available, notes on Individual Instructions,
sold by Gremlin as a single and a display of registers a n d and the listing is clearer if these
package for £4 less than the old flags can be called up at any can go on the same line as the
combined price. time. In trace mode, the instruction they explain. Labels
The two can be used program will single step through can have up fo six characters,
separately — both are fully a sequence of instructions. The can be permanent or
relocatable — or can reside screen display, updated after redefinable, and their high and
together in memory, providing a each step, shows a disassembly low bytes can be used
complete environment for of the last and next instructions; separately. LD A, LOOP, for
developing and testing machine the contents of all the registers — example, will put the value of
code with room to assemble 6K which c a n be c h a n g e d — and the high byte of the label
— 7K of code. Longer programs the first five bytes at the address into the A register. The
can be developed in modules addresses to which they point; table can be carried forward
a n d assembled in sequence the state of the flags; and the after assembly, so that later
automatically to produce one top five entries on the stack. If modules of a program can refer
block of code. you use a previously tested to labels used in previous ones.
For some extraordinary subroutine you c a n speed up The program accepts all the
reason, the Editor/Assembler the operation by fast running to standard Z80 Instructions, and
accepts decimal or hex entries, RET. It is virtually impossible lor the normal pseudo-opcodes like
defaulting to decimal, so you the program to crash In trace DEFB and ORG. JR and DUNZ
must put H" after hex numbers, mode. The Monitor has its own instructions are a c c e p t e d with
while the Monitor/Disassembler stack, and if your operations arithmetical displacements or
only accepts hex numbers, corrupt the normal one, you c a n label addresses. Addition and
rejecting any with the 'H'. This is correct the Sfack Pointer simply subtraction are permitted In
infuriating when you use the by going into BASIC and then re- operands, so you could use
programs together. I found entering the Monitor. Instructions like LD HL.LOOP+42H.
myself accidentally entering The Disassembler will operate A very useful feature is that the
decimal numbers instead of hex on any part of the ROM or RAM, program will accept the
every time I went from Monitor to except that it coyly refuses to unofficial instructions — the ones
Editor because I forgot that I disassemble itself. It has no which work on all Z80 chips, but
had to switch back to adding 'H' objection, however, If you copy which Zilog do not list or
to the numbers. the code to somewhere else in describe. They Include SLL a n d
All listing c a n be sent to memory where If will happily a group of Instructions which
screen or printer, and both disassemble It. operate on the high a n d low
programs will drive the ZX bytes of IX a n d IY individually.
printer. Interface 1 RS232 port, or

INSIDE
The handbook is excellent,
one of seven popular Centronics clear a n d straightforward, with
interfaces — but look before you lucid explanations of technical
buy. There are some equally terms and plenty of well
popular interfaces it does not documented examples. This
support, notably Kempston '$'. makes The Code Machine a
After customizing, you can save particularly good package for
a backup copy to either tape or someone fairly new to machine
Microdrive, and listings a n d code programming. It will not
code can be saved a n d loaded tell you how to program, but al
with either storage system. leasl you will have a test and
Backup copies can be made on development environment thai
Wafadrive, but the Editor source you c a n understand and use
text and object code save and easily. It probably does not have
load routines are machine code the sort of exciting features
which would make someone
already using a similar package

A Cf F I^ N
rush to change to this one, but It
Is a good workmanlike program
and well worth considering If
you are still using a hex loader
a n d the crash-and-try-again
method of testing.
Budding adventure A r c a d e Creator
writers are well served Argus Press Software
£14.99
by The Quill a n d GAC,
but now a r c a d e fans
can get in on the a c t
with The A r c a d e :UnU!U:nf:|:#|U!rt)P
Creator. ••• ••• j i t •••
T h e Arcade Creator is the first
title in the new Creator range of
••• 222
••••••• •••
•••••• •••
••••• m m ® *
programming utilities, a n d it's a
reasonable, if not outstanding
start for the new range. •••
Arcade Creator is quick and
easy to use. but it does have
very clearly defined limitations.

:::.:;: ::: ••• ••«::::<•

The programs in this two cassette
package are designed to help
non-programmers to create their ••••• : « : : : : » • ••• mZZ •••
own arcade games, but for this • ••mm~
purpose the word "arcade" is
defined as basically meaning
simple platform games or shoot
•••••* jjl
'em ups. This isn't necessarily a
criticism — remember, some of t E
the most addictive games ever T •
released fall into these
categories — but just don't
expect to produce your own •V.'M 1
version of Knight Lore with these
programs.
Tape 1, Side 1 is mainly y i
concerned with designing your
own UDGs and sprites. Programs
for designing these things are IS •
probably familiar to most of you
by now — grids of different sizes
in which you define the shapes
of your graphics by filling in
squares on the grid which
represent pixels on the television
screen. This aspect of the .. .. Y u n f u J
Creator is fairly standard, but is .v. r j r l
well thought out and the option
of joystick control makes It much
quicker a n d easier to use than
most similar utilities that I've
come across. I m a n a g e d to
knock up a few simple sprites in
just a couple of minutes using
this program, whereas designing
sprites normally takes me ages
and uses up stacks of graph
paper, so Creator gets good
marks for 'user friendliness'.
The sprites that you c a n
design can be two character
squares high by two wide, and
there are also options allowing
you to rotate, Invert and produce
mirror images of sprites. The
program comes with about two
sets of sprites built In, and there
are four variations on each of
these which can be used to
produce animated sequences in
your games.
This side of the tape also
allows you to 'manufacture'
sound effects for use within the
game. This is also made quite
simple as you can choose
between 'Beeps' and 'White
noise' (explosion type noises)
and for each of these you can
vary ihe frequency, starting and
ending tones and number of

15
ZX Computing Monthly • August 1986
repetitions. This won't allow you
to create music as In the way
that dedicated music utilities
can, but it's perfectly adequate
for "spot* sound effects,
explosions, collisions and the
like.
Again, the ease of use is quite
Impressive and clearly this has
been considered as a major
part of the package's design.
The manual Is just 10 pages long
and not at all intimidating (I can
remember reading the thick,
incomprehensible manuals of
some other games-designing
utilities and wanting to give up
before I'd even got started).

r / m f
Game screens can be built

/
up simply by entering the screen
editor option. Once In this mode
you can position a cursor
anywhere on screen and then
just drop the appropriate UDG
into place. All the UDGs
available (either your own
designs, or the Creator's own
built-in files) are displayed at the
bottom of the screen and
correspond with the keys A-U as
normal. The type of screens that
you design need to be kept to
under 1000 bytes, a n d of course
the simpler the screen design
the more of them that you can
fit into the available memory —
up to a maximum of forty. The
sample screens that come with
the program occupy about 600
to 800 bytes each and some are
quite complex, so the memory
limitation Isn't likely to be much
of a drawback.
Side 2 of this tape contains a
demo game called Nutty
Gnome, set In a garden a n d
featuring a little gnome sprite
who bounces around collecting
things and trying to avoid
deadly butterflies and plants. As
the instruction manual tells you,
It's a simple example of what
you c a n do. but its as good as
some of the budget games that
are around these days. The
colours are a bit garish, and the
layout of the platform seems to speed and direction of programming, so this should
have been done in a bit of a movement. have been Ironed out before
hurry but It wouldn't disgrace All the way along the now — it doesn't make the
most budget software ranges program gives you prompts and programs unusable but it is an
(Mastertronic might think twice, indicates the options available, irritating and fairly sloppy
but some of their budget stuff is so all you have to do is press the mistake to let through (mistakes
streets ahead of the appropriate button. This makes in input have to be expected
competition). game design quick and simple, with this sort of utility).
Once you've designed your but you are limited to just the The only drawback with
graphics and screens, or chosen few options available (for Arcade Creator lies In the
to use the Creator's own pre- instance the number of objects relative simplicity of the games
designed lites, you then go onto to be collected on each screen that you will be able to design.
the second tape which allows is limited to 0, 1 or 2). If you think back to the days of
you to program the game's I haven't looked closely at Manic Miner and Jet-Pac those
mechanics'. how this program is actually games represent about the level
Here you first choose between written but it does seem to of complexity that you'll be able
the platform and shoot 'em up include a chunk of BASIC, and to achieve. As I said earlier,
type of game, and then decide on a couple of occasions I've some of those games were
on the allocation of points and caused it to drop back into enormously addictive and
bonuses. For each screen you BASIC a n d then crash when I've spawned vast hordes of imitators,
are asked to choose the number accidentally returned a wrong so the potential is definitely
of items to be collected, the reply to a prompt. Potential there for you to produce a mini-
number of "aliens' (sprites that buyers are unlikely to have a lot classic but you shouldn't expect
are out to get you) and the of programming knowledge (or to create a game that is
effect of collisions on your own else why buy a utility of this anywhere near "state of the art'
player sprite. For all ol these sort?) and can't be expected to by today's standards (or last
sprites you can also define the iron out bugs in the year's for that matter).

ZX Computing Monthly • August 1986 15

 (bake up the
n the summer of 1986 the crew of VIRGIN
ATLANTIC CHALLENGER once again
attempt to win the coveted BLUE RIBAND
title for Britain by crossing the ATLANTIC
OCEAN in the record time of 3 days and
10 hours.
Virgin Games brings you the VIRGIN
ATLANTIC CHALLENGE GAME. This arcade
game is a fun simulation of RICHARD
BRANSON'S part in this exciting and
dangerous event. You must guide Richard
at BREAK-NECK SPEED from one piece
of equipment to another to keep the
boat ON-COURSE and in good time and
take vital MONEY-MAKING (or breaking)
decisions that are telexed to him from
all parts of the VIRGIN EMPIRE.
AMSTRAD CPC 464/664/6128 COMMODORE 64/1?8

r.r.p. 4 T m^ ^ ^ ^ r.r.p. • ^ ^ r.r.p

Available from all good Software Retailers or directly from Virgin with the tear-off slip below

Please rush me my copy of the Virgin Atlantic Challenge Game!

NAME.

ADDRESS.

• Spectrum 48/128 £ 7 . 9 5 • Amstrad CPC 464/664/6128 £ 8 . 9 5 • Commodore 64/128 £ 8 . 9 5

Tick appropriate box

Please make cheques and postal orders to VIRGIN GAMES LTD and post to the address below Please do not post cash.
VIRGIN GAMES MAIL ORDER. 2/4 Vernon Yiwd. Pbrtobello Road. London Wll 2DX
ii
6rapl)fc Jitotntu
Cteat or
recommend several readings of THE BOX CAREFULLY. (Personally I
the manual before you even view this with some misgivings —
load in the program. There are a I foresee a spate of games
few points which remain whose solution depends entirely
obscure, giving rise to much on the correct use of obscure
head-scratching when you're adverbsl)
Graphic Adventure using the program, but virtually Entering location descriptions
all you need Is In there — It's just and messages is sheer delight.
Creator a matter of finding Itl Gone are the days of fiddling
Incentive Software Unfortunately there are no about with your text to get It
instructions for transferring the formatted correctly on screen.
£22.95 program to disc or microdrive, You c a n Just bash In your text as
^ n c e In a while a
programming utility appears
which makes a major impact on
the games-writing world, a n d
undeniably The Quill was one of
them. It opened up the art of
adventure writing so that anyone
with the necessary patience
a n d Imagination could turn out
a professional and polished
game regardless of his or her
programming ability. Of course
it's true that a great number of
Quilled adventures leave much
to be desired, but the best of
them (remember the superb a n d neither are we told where It comes, ignoring the effect of
Tower of Despair?) show just what an alternative character set words breaking at the ends of
can be achieved. could be safely stored In lines, since GAC sorts all this out
Although The Quill has memory — two pieces of for you when the adventure Is
dominated the adventure scene Information which many users running, word-wrapping where
for some considerable time It will very sensibly require It's not necessary. That's the g o o d news.
does have Its limitations, a n d dlfllcult to sort this out yourself — The b a d news (which caused
now It has a serious competitor but personally I don't see why me much loss of temper) Is that
in fhe shape of The Graphic you should have to be put to this it doesn't always work properly!
Adventure Creator, designed trouble. Although It's standard practice
and written by Sean Ellis a n d On loading the program Itself when typing to leave a space
Brendan Kelly for Incentive you'r* presented with a after a punctuation mark, the
Software You'll have seen the comprehensive menu of options, program doesn't seem to know
ads already: on paper the GAC an</ if you're wise your first this a n d fails to c o p e with It
looks very promising indeed, choice will be to load In the when punctuation marks fall at
offering complex sentence "Qfcickstart" data file which Is the end of a line. The result can
analysis, multiple commands, provided on the cassette be a messy, Irregular left hand
text compression, a wide range fallowing the main program. This margin, necessitating either a
ofrgraphics facilities, a n d much jglves you a useful base from fresh editing of your text
ignore besides. What really 'which to start work, as it contains description or the omission of
counts, of course, Is how it , r a basic vocabulary of common the obligatory space as a
performs In use and the ' verbs which all adventures need matter of course (which gives the
potential quality of the / (GET, INVENTORY, LOOK, EXAMINE text a rather c r a m p e d
adventures you can write with it. and so on) together with a set of appearance). Neither is really
At the time of writing this I've / basic system messages without satisfactory.
been beaverlna away with a which the program can't At every stage the program
copy for several days; this Isn'tr operate (YOU CANT, WHAT NOW?, prompts you in an Intelligent
long enough to completely » YOU ARE CARRYING etc.). All of manner. After completing a
master the program, but It's * these c a n be edited as much as location description, for
enough to get its measure, fiuite you like. example, you are asked to enter
simply, it's the most excltincf Vocabulary is a d d e d to the the connections between t h l s ^ 0
utility I've encountered forborne program In three separate files a n d adjoining locations. il»goTng
considerable time It isn't without for VERBS, NOUNS a n d ADVERBS north would take yeu TO location
flaws, a n d it does suffer tfcm its (yes folks, ADVERBS!), a process 15 for exarrjaddflnls is simply
own inevitable limltatloos, but which Is made admirably simple ent^od^lsTiORTH 15 — a n d in
there is no doubt that tile GAC by the excellent editing facilities. this way the m a p of your
has enormous potential for the Each verb, noun, or adverb Is adventure world c a n be built up
budding adventure wfiter. assigned a number between 1 quite painlessly. Modifications
a n d 255, and synonyms are can be made with great ease.
Getting starte^/ catered for by assigning the
same number to each synonym. Logic
The GAC p a c k a g e Includes the The ability of the program to
Adventure Creator Itself, plus a recognise adverbs (or Once your basic text
useful "Qulckstai/' data file, a adjectives) as such represents an descriptions, messages, map,
sample mlnl-adyenture and, as advance on The Quill, since It objects a n d so on have been
might be expe/ted for a utility allows you to distinguish entered, It's time to start building
which offers s ^ m u c h , a fairly between commands such as up the logic of your adventure.
lengthy instruction manual. I'd EXAMINE THE BOX and EXAMINE This Is where the real strengths of

ZX Computing Monthly • August 1986 15

 graphics commands are
mastered. This picture takes up
about 450 bytes. A help In this
respect is the facility for merging
pictures together, so that you
could use a 'standard' tree for
Instance, stored as a picture on
. its-.own. ..and merge ttito.'.L
whenever it's needed. The value
of fhls Jeature-|s Ifmfiedlby fheO:
fact that the tree would have to
be drawn in the same place
every time In the graphics
window — there's no facility for
moving It about.
Overall the program is such a
joy to use, and its potential so
great, that my chief criticisms
U p o n e m e f 9 i n - 3 ( r o m the d i n g y h u t might seem like nit-picking. I've
y o u n o t i c e a cu f l O U S s j o ha already mentioned the word-
b e e n n a i l e d t o • t h e e a s ii) a I I — wrapping problem, but there are
T h a t you id e <p a i n t h e ban g i n g other rough edges which I'm
you h e a r d e a r l 1 e r . S a i l " ' (, ' s ( o r sure could be very easily put
s t i L L Looms mena c i n g l y o n the right, and these do affect the
d i s t a n t r o c K s . . polish of the final adventure that
can be produced. The worst of
these concerns the way in which
this program become apparent, Roughly translated (I) this means: inventories and objects are listed
and It's also where things can If the player's command — Instead of "You are carrying a
\ get rather difficult. There are contains the verb "tell" (24) a n d gun, a hat, and a letter.", you
basically three types of nouns "Nick" (3) and "gun" (5), If actually get "You are carrying a
I conditional actions available, flag 6 is reset, and if Nick is gun, a hat, a letter" without a
. the tiles for each type being present (HERE 3). then set flag 6 full stop at the end. I could
I separately accessible from the (so that this action can occur ignore the omission of "and", but
• main menu. High priority only once), print a suitable the omission of the full stop
1 conditions are checked before message (MESS 6), create the really does matter If a high
»the player types a command, gun in this location (5 TO 3) and priority message Is printed
»low priority ones are checked put it in the player's Inventory immediately afterwards, giving
lafter his command is entered, (GET 5 . rise to output like "You can see
*and local conditions refer to Multiple commands work a letterNIck arrives." You can
f ivents which take place In
peciflc locations. The logical
Operators available for all this
beautifully without any special
effort on the part of the writer,
and "IT" is automatically
fiddle a way around this (and t
did so to produce the screen
shot) but things can become
are so extensive that It would understood to mean the last rather messy. 1 also found It hard
t$ke considerable time to noun used. to get consistency in the printing
explore their potential fully, and I As long as each separate of blank lines to space out the
c f n't pretend to have done command has already been text pleasantly: an unconditional
more than scratch the surface so programmeaNo sentence like 'line feed* as a high priority ^
far. 255 flags or "markers" are "UNLOCK THE DO^R. OPEN IT AND Instruction works most of jfcelime
provided so that you c a n keep GO IN" Is easily a d a p t e d , with — but not when y^bi iflbve
track ot Important events (such each command beln jkexecuted between IgfiodCns.
as whether doors are locked or in turn. The only n o t a b l e ^ aespite the claims for
unlocked) together with the omission is "DROPP ALL" and ^GET ipET ^•xrcompression in the current
means for testing just about ALL" which, sadly,I are not ^ ^ Incentive ads, I confess that I'm
everything you'll ever want to test catered for, unable to find evidence for any
— weights of objects, whether ^such thing. Free memory is
objects are present, carried, or Graphics displayed constantly on the
In some specified room. This is menVscreen, and so it's easy to
all accomplished using a s l m p ^ A<d«€nlures c a n be written to
incorporate graphics, of course, keep tr&ek of what's going on. If
language — well explalngdfft you type say, 500 characters
the manual — whigh*li used to and any pictures can be turned
on or off at wilt when the of location d^criptlons, free
describe botf^tcmaitlons
(enter^fHPflbrackets) and finished adventure Is played. The memory seems to reduce by
pictures are drawn In a window considerably mo7&Jhan 500
^ u r t b q u e n t actions, bytes! Am I missing sbmething, I
^ One specific example should which occupies the top % of the
screen, which I thought was wonder? ^ .
Illustrate the power of the If you've never used a r ^
program here. In the IIHte rather excessive. It leaves
relatively little room below for adventure generator before,%en
adventure I wrote to test GAC,

£
text, and I found I often had to I suspect you'd find The Qulil \
the player encounters Nasty Nick easier to use Because The Quill
the burglar, who Is armed with,a amend a location description to
.prevent the top lines scrolling attempts to do less, It's naturally
8 un. On typing TELL NICK TOOIC" out of view before they could be
IVE ME THE GUN. the plqyer;!;!;
needs to be given arvi-I-J-r!-;"In-
read: fqc)l|i|es for drawing
easier to work with. But if you
want to boldfy go where no Quill ftil
ellipses," rectangles, lines, dots, has gone before, then the

E
appropriate mesage, apd tol;i«: solid filling a n d shaded filling Graphic Adventure Creator must
have the gun (which In fact I are qM provided, together with come very close to what you're
doesn't yet 'exist' as a n b^je^O! very good editing facilities, and probably looking for. Even as it
added to his list of possessions one of the screen shots here stands, the program is a superb
The condition line needed !f6r! represents the result of my addition to the game writer's
this was: • 11 i • i experiments with these. Not a armoury; a n d if Incentive can
IF ( VERB 24 AND NOUN 3 AND masterpiece, I'm afraid — but it sort out the minor presentational
NOUN 5 AND RES? 6 AND HERE should give you some Idea of defects mentioned earlier, then it
SET 6 MESS 6 5 TO 3 GET 5 the sort of thing you can turn out could very well prove
U D In half an hour or so, once the unbeatable.

ZX Computing Monthly • August 1986 15

 action avoids the tone room per There aie uli sorts ol oojects
Pyracurse screen' format by giving tho lo pick up a n d e a c h character
Hewson ployer a slightly elevated c a n carry Ihree (ot course some
£9.99 viewpoint that allows peeks Into characters ore quite Incapable
the rooms by the side of your o' picking up some objactsj.
chosen path While this makes it Ono object worth collecting fo
Four intrepid explorers easier to gain an Idea ol the prolonging active lllo is the
layout It also creates corners goblet of reluvenallng lluid
take on the tomb fhal are hidden and whoro which c a n b e used to bring
various hideous foes can members of Ihe heroic foursome
dwellers in Hewson's conceal themselves back from iho doad. But the
Each ot the four controlled giant vases which contain many
latest 3-D scroller. characters have their own of the objects may also contain
personalities a n d some are a itirhal scorpion so beware
^ o o p in the jungles ot South botter than others at throwing or One b i g advantage with
America is Hie tomb of Xipe collecting objects a n d access to Pyracurse <s thai II Is easy to
Totec a n d d e e p in tho tomb Is some ol the rooms Is open for play with either Joystick or
an English explorer who has just one character so there is the keyboard a n d II does not take
aeon capfurod by tho grotesque usual trial a n d error stage long lo become acquainted
and deadly inhabi?an*s Your before you get mto the g a m e lor wltn what you can d o a n d how
objoct is to guide a team of four real. It is, though, quite possible to do II. This slmplic.ry combined
Daphne Roger, a c e reporter to move around a great doa! of with Ihe sophisticated 3 D
legloss' O connoll a n d the ' the tomb wlftiouf h ndronce a n d graphics, the expansive scrolling
d o g Frosble on o rescue a nice feature that cuts down on scenario a n d involved
attempt But this Is no characters just doing the gameplay makes Pyracurse a
a b a n d o n e d burial ground It* legwork from ono area to game well worth the money.
teeming wltn scorpions, skulls, anolher is the LEAD feature You II doos lack that certain
headless guardans, mechanical c a n opt to doplov your something fo make It a classic
men a n d other assorted nasMes c h a r a d e ' In SOLO mode in but Ills only a near miss.
nfent on making the tomb your which caso the other characters
t n a i resting place will remain stationary, but if you
Pyracuree Is similar in style to use LEAD they will gravitate
Hewson* previous games Ava'on towards the lead character
a n d Draacntoic a n d sprawls under your control [unless of
pleasingly ever three levels of course Ihey are trapped, whlct
approximately WO screens each tended to b e tho fa»s ol my
The scrolling l£ ettorlless a n d the 'earless loam}.

ZX Computing Monthly • August 1986 15

George Duval looks at
the latest 3D offering
from The Edge.
Bobby Bearing
The Edge
£7.95
ithin the last four months,
three different games based on
the Marble Madness theme
have been released. First c a m e
Gyroscope, and the less said
about that the better! Next was
Spin Di2zy. a game I personally it kkit 11 kuiiHtinnu.nt
thought was great. With Bobby
Bearing, the Edge have difficulty of play, rather than squashed! — all of whom are
stretched the Spectrum to its deadly enemies; although there spread at the extremeties of the
absolute limits, and in doing so are a few 'baddie bearings' — massive maze. Only when you
have produced an all time complete with tangs a n d Teers — get near the edges of the maze
great. who chase you around various do you discover all the really
You play Bobby, a small and screens. To counter this you must clever little touches, which
immensely cute little bearing rush them. American Football include switches which make
who is getting lonely having no style, a n d then dive out of the you Immune to all dangers for
company. Upon hearing that screen. thirty seconds. Of these, my
your cousins are not too far Graphically. Bobby Bearing is persona! favourite are the hot air
away, you set about attempting stunning. Using a technique the blasts which throw Bobby into
to find them, and return them to Edge call 'Curvispace 3-D', the the air, enabling him to reach
the safety of your home. realism created by the rolling of higher ledges. If I had to
Unlortunately. they are immobile, the bearings is quite criticise the game, a map
and you must therefore push remarkable. What makes this similar to Spin Dizzy would have
Ihem everywhere! game so superior to all the other made life a great deal easier —
Bobby Bearing is played in Marble Madness games I have although I'm not sure If that Is
about two hundred and fifty seen is the animation and what The Edge would have
screens, each of which has backgrounds. No longer are the wanted!
different entrances and exits. backgrounds flat facets with Otherwise. Bobby Bearing is
Getting from A to B is fraught sharp angles. Bobby Bearing very nearly perfect. This may
with difficulties, and to be even has curves, loops and bends — sound a bit over the top, but this
slightly successful, you must all of which you roll around with game deserves a whole string of
learn your way about. To unreal accuracy. superlatives. If you want to buy
succeed in Bobby Bearing you Once Bobby has m a n a g e d to one game this year, and as yet
must be prepared to make a locate a cousin, the first of you are undecided, buy Bobby
map! To help, as well as hinder, which is called Barnaby (ahh!), Bearing and help him save his
there are a series of lifts and you must push him through the cousins — you certainly won't
mobile blocks. These c a n either maze back to the original start regret it!!!
take you to a new section ot the screen. It is only when you
map, or more often squash you. attempt this that you realise

fyyiora
After a couple of hours play, it what all the banking around
soon becomes apparent that each corner is for; you try
certain 'tricks' must be pushing a bearing round a
M,TE
%PSP
employed. ninety degree turn!
As far as hazards go, the In all, there are five different
game revolves more around the cousins to rescue — or to get

ZX Computing Monthly • August 1986 15

 Spectrum 128 adventurers c a n look f o r w a r d to
the intricacies ol the Magnetic Scrolls parser
a n d will soon be a b l e to "plant the pot plant
in the plant pot with the trowel" with The Pawn.
• M a g n e t i c Scrolls are taking The down and write it. I would think
Pawn onto machines lhat other that The Pawn has taken four to
adventures can't reach. No less six man years up to now."
than eleven conversions of the Magnetic Scrolls came into
saga are being fine tuned at being once The Pawn was
the moment. And it all began on complete and Sinclair Research
marketed the product. Now
w the QL, in the dim distant past of
1984. Magnetic Scrolls have signed a
"The Pawn was designed for marketing deal with Rainbird to
the QL as we wanted a very produce six adventures over a
powerful machine with which we wide range of machines in the
could write a parser that was next two years.
better than Infocom's," said
O Magnetic Scroll's managing 128 Pawn
M director Anita Sinclair.

o
The Pawn was originally a six A text only Spectrum 128 version
month project begun by Anita of The Pawn will be released at
and a group of friends but the PCW show in September.
constant improvements a n d the "That conversion is not
complexity of text recognition particularly difficult," said Anita,
meant it wasn't finished until "except that the memory

o
earlier this year. management in the 128 is

< "Once we had the scenario spread around a n d can be

written other things became slightly nasty to handle."
Sinclair m e e t s Sinclair! Anita Sinclair of M a g n e t i c
tempting to do. We would say Many of the conversions will
let's make it understand this feature graphics but Anita
5 Scrolls presents Sir Cllvo with a c o p y of The P a w n .
particular construction and sit considers that text only

54 ZX Computing Monthly • August 1986 15

adventures allow the adventurer
to teel more closely involved
with the created world.
"The whole idea is to get
IM
inclair-
people closely involved In the
plot. II you have graphics it
takes it away from your own
imagination and dilutes the
imagery. Also graphics c a n
mean you lose a lot of text a n d

QL- Pawn
what we have tried to do is
include as much text as possible
so that if you examine
something you get a vivid
description. It may not be
helpful but it does give the idea
that there is a complete world to
walk around in."
As welt as the feeling that you
are inhabiting a real world, the
QL Pawn impressed because ot
the range a n d complexity of
what you could do — as shown
by the example, "Plant the pot
plant in the plant pot with
trowel," which The Pawn accepts
without any problems.
"The difficulty here is coping
with nouns that are also verbs
With our parser it is possible to
recognise the meaning from the
construction of the sentence so
that three part, two noun
sentences can be used.
'Also it is possible, for
instance, to tie two things
together with a third. One thing Software by
we hope lo be able to do in the
future is accept relative phrases
so that you could say 'you
Magnetic Scrolls
wanted to examine the box that
was furthest away'."
Another aspect of adventures
that Magnetic Scrolls have
worked hard on is responses accept a particular word Guild of Thieves will come
from characters. people criticise the parser, but it complete with a 43 p a g e
"I think that characters should doesn't have anything to do with novella, a n d will be released
display an intelligent response the parser itself, just the extent of before Christmas. Beyond this lies
to almost anything you say to the vocabulary." a third part to the chronicles of
them and the parser will work While the parser may be the Kerovnia but Magnetic Scrolls
out the gist of a sentence a n d star turn ol adventure will also be taking their parser
you will see a response that has programming, impressing you as onto adventures in different
some bearing on what you've it accepts complex phrases, the genres.
said. For instance if you tell a whole created world depends "We would very much like to
character that the weather Is on skilful database do a murder mystery and
nice today he may respond with management. science fiction adventures and
'lhat's what you think'. "I suppose writing a parser is also very humorous adventures,
"That sort of response cuts about as complicated as writing perhaps In conjunction with top
down the feeling of distance a routine to rotate a 3-D cube in comedy script writers."
from the program a n d plants the space but it's creating the The Magnetic Scrolls parser
idea that maybe the characters database that is the most has been developed almost to
really are clever. I always like it complex challenge. Every object its limit within the constraints of
when I find people talking lo the has to be defined within its own home micros.
screen as it they were talking to world, what it is made of a n d "We know we can take it
a real person." what it c a n do. as well as cross further but we need 300K for the
referencing everything so that memory to live in so I think we
Vocabulary you don't have a situation where will have to wait until larger
say. keys can cut shirts or gloss is memory machines have
The size of an adventure's unbreakable." become the norm"
vocabulary is often taken as an In the meantime QL users will
indication of its complexity but Guild of Thieves be g l a d to know that future
this can be misleading. Magnetic Scrolls adventures will
"There is a trade-off that has Magnetic Scrolls' next adventure appear for the machine.
lo be made between the is Guild of Thieves which, like "We will continue to support
vocabulary and the amount of The Pawn, is set In the land of the QL with adventures because
text you can use. We prefer to Kerovnia. it is a nice test market."
give depth to our descriptions so "It's a very simple plot, but II the mysteries of how a
that you can discover things extremely devious," said Anita. parser operates appear a bit
about the world rather than o d d "You have to steal 19 treasures in mind boggling, boggle no more
to the vocabulary. order to gain admission to the because next month we will be
"The vocabulary of The Pawn Guild. There will be lots of presenting a basic parser writlen
is about a thousand words a n d puzzles and some ot them are by one of Magnetic Scrolls' own
sometimes because It won't very funny." programmers.

ZX Computing Monthly • August 1986 15

 CV Multi-User Game is basically
an adventure which more than
one player c a n take part in at
any one time. It is not merely a
game where people take turns
to play. Instead of being
User
gaseous area whilst carrying a
fit brand, then you only lose a
few points. This Is known as
being deaded, a n d Is not very
harmful. However, if you are
dead-deaded, then that's it.
acquire more a n d more points,
you will rise through the ranks,
being given more a n d more
powers as you do so. These
powers may be spells, or just
new commands. Normally you
confronted by some totally Finito! No more character; back will also mature physically. Your
dumb monster as you would be to the start eta Bang goes your strength, dexterity a n d stamina
in a normal adventure, your hard won 100,000 points a n d will rise, giving you a better
opponents in a MUG are other heaven knows how much time, chance of winning when you
players, apart from dumb phone bill, and effort In a puff of fight. Your strength and score
monsters, which are known as smoke. Being dead-deaded for may also determine which
mobiles. You actually play the the first time is absolutely weapons you can use. A Novice
adventure together with all the devastating, especially If your in MUD cannot use the
other players who are persona was of a high rank. But Longsword because (s)he is not
'logged-ln'. life goes on, a n d you soon get experienced enough. Only on
In most MUGs you can used to It! rising a few levels up can the
communicate with other players When you've finished playing Longsword be used.
in three ways. Firstly, you c a n for the day, you just type QUIT, ~
SHOUT messages in which case and your current status (score, Revenge is best
all the olher players will get your stamina etc) is saved for use In If you get into a fight, it is to the
message, with the possible the next session. In some MUGs, death. In almost all MUGs, with
exception of those with a certain possessions are also the exception of GODS, you get
hearing problem as a result of saved, a n d In Image MUG, your a percentage of your opponent's
being magically deafened or position is saved as well. MUGs points when you kill him or her.
some similar spell. are reset every few hours as the Of course, when they die, they
Secondly, you can Items a n d treasures are used may take revenge by attacking
communicate on a one-to-one and collected. When you log in you ceaselessly until your
basis with another player by after a reset, all objects have stamina has been worn down
typing NAME, message. Nobody been returned to their starting low enough for them to bump
else apart from Ihe player at positions, and all puzzles you off. It is unwise to kill
whom the message is directed restored. someone unless you absolutely
will receive anything. In most of the present MUGs, have to.
Lastly, you c a n SAY message. the object of the game is to get Some of the more powerful
This is similar to SHOUT, but only to an all powerful rank (normally a n d cunning players form a
players in the same location as a Wizard). Once you have
you will get the message. This achieved this rank, you can, in a
can be used by a group of small way. control what happens
players who wish to work in the game. You can kill mere
together, or to form alliances, or mortals by a Finger of Death "I u s e d to b e h u m a n 'fill I
maybe even to declare war on (FOD) or its equivalent. You c a n discovered multi-user g a m e s . "
each other (although this is rare teleport to anywhere in the land.
— for most attacks you will You can go invisible, snoop on
receive no warning!). This is what other players to see what they
really makes MUGs so addictive. are doing, change players'
They are interactive. Players c a n scores, summon them to any
tight together against a location, such as Limbo from
common enemy, fight each which they can't even Quit
olher. chat together, co operate unless you remove them from
with each olher, and generally that location. In some MUGs,
help one-another out it they so such as Image, Wizards can
wish. Maybe you have a even create their own locations,
magical item that a fellow monsters and puzzles, thereby
player needs, so you might strike creating mini MUGs within the
a deal. "You give me the wand, game. The Wizards c a n then
and I'll tell you how to get past summon two poor, unsuspecting
the Dragon" is a pretly good mortals into this home-made
example. Of course, you might area (some of them are quite
tell him the answer, only to be good!) give them each a
killed by him (or her — there's no weapon and make them fight it
sexism in MUGs) wilh lhat very out to the death, purely for their
wand, but after all, it's all in the own amusement. The victor is
spirit of the game! normally rewarded with some
points, and the lower, may, at
c/> Multi-user d e a t h
the Wizard's discretion be
resurrected, it is all very
This leads nicely on to the medieval and vicious!
subject of death, of which there To get to that much coveted
are usually two forms. If you are rank of Wizard, you have to
merely suffering a mild case of collect treasure and depending
death resulting from being on the game, drop it in the A'• •>;
crushed to pulp under a swamp, otter it to the gods, or
2 waterfall, or maybe entering a just find It, to gain points. As you

56 ZX Computing . Sf
Games
George Duvall takes
you into the intrigues of
Multi-User Games or
MUGs as the insiders
call them.
'private army". In return for being you say to a Wizard, a n d how purchased the hardware and
protected by these players, a n d you treat him/her. It they feel you software, you will have to
being able to command them can trick them, or are making subscribe to whichever game
to killsomeone, they hand out fun of them, they can FOD you in you wish — and set up your
Ihe occasional treasure. a matter of seconds. If a Wizard character — name, sex and
Desertion is pretty widespread Is angry with you, you would do password — after which you are
though, because the risks are well to make amends, even If it away!!
pretty high! involves grovelling — which is One problem with MUGs is
Although Wizards are all- frequently does! that they can get very
powerful, they will help out To play MUGs, you'H need a expensive!! At up to two pounds
struggling players so long as modem that can handle 1200/75 per hour of play, it pays to limit
they receive courtesy, a n d baud. Spectrum owners can buy your time to late at night a n d
provided that the player is one of these almost anywhere; early in the morning! To see If
worthy of help, and is not just but you will also need some you like the idea, most MUGs
trying to get as much help as simple terminal emulation gave a guest account, on which
possible. Be very careful what software. Once you have you can play free for about 15
77*" «*frjETT/* 'W minutes.
Overall, Multi-User Games are
a lot of fun. and give you a
chance to lose your 'real world'
identity. It's also one of the few
places you don't get in trouble
for killing real people!!!
Contact:
MUSE (MUD II): 01-608 1171
CNET MUD: 01-965 8866

MmMiim
f t *

ZX Computinf&SV
 * Bthink there's going to be more The Saga of Arthur The
and more demand for multi-
player games," Micronet's Peter Novice
Probert told me when I visited
their London offices recently. The cave in which Arthur finds
And, starting In August, fhere's himself Is cold and dark, and In
going to be a new multi-user the distance there Is a fluttering
game available fo Micronet noise like the beating of many
subscribers when SHADES goes wings. Arthur goes west only to
online {and If you're not a find himself confronted by a bat,
Micronet subscriber you should which, being only a humble
be, after all ZX ran a special novice, he Is unable to defeat.
subscription and modem offer From a long way away a voice
just the other month — where calls to him - "Want any help?"
were you?). Like most adventure games,
After a few unkind words Shades has Its own vocabulary.
about British Telecom's MUD The full extent of the vocabulary
game (which I shan't repeat Is for you to find out on your
here), which did admittedly own, but there are some
suffer a few delays In going standard words that will come in
online, Peter took me upstairs to handy a n d Mike calls some of
meet Mike Brown, Micronet's them up on the screen to see If
Technical Manager (and we c a n get some help for Arthur.
resident Genius, according to All the usual adventure
Peter) for a look at the new commands are there (GO, GET,
game TAKE, and so on), but Shades has
some unusual commands such
Hot in the Shades as CRINGE, BOOGIE and QUAKE,
and there's also a WHO? will be highlighted in yellow as
Like MUD, Shades is set in the command that can be used to they are acted upon. Quite a lot
sort of Tolkienesque Middle Earth find out who else is playing the of work has gone into the
environment that most adventure game at the same time. Using presentation of the game, and
game players should be familiar this command Arthur discovers Mike claimes to be pleased at
with. There are castles, forests, that his offer of help comes from the effect that they've achieved
caves and swamps all hiding Fink the Sorcerer. Using one of as It should enhance the game's
treasure and deadly traps for his few spells, Arthur SUMMONS playabllity.
the unwary player. The aim of Fink to his aid. Eventually Shades should be
the game Is simply to stay alive Fink appears, summoned by able fo cater for some 60
and, by collecting treasure, Arthur's spell, and with his players all at o n c e
forming alliances and/or Sorcerers powers despatches the "The number of players Isn't a
stabbing other players In the bat that has been causing problem. We could go up to 50
back, to amass enough wealth Arthur so much aggro. Kindly or 60 but we won't start off with
and power to join the ranks of Fink offers Arthur a key and a that number. We'll test the water
the game's elite players, the pewter goblet — small items of at first, but we can expand at
Arch Wizards. treasure to boost his score a little any time." Already, a
"The game's just about — then goes off to find some questionnaire about the possible
finished. Mike told me as he more treasure for Arthur. "Terrific," popularity of a new game has
rang through to the game on he thinks to himself. "What's the brought a great response from
East Grinstead's Prestel number. catch?" Fink returns empty Micronet users, so Mike has few
'There's just some software handed. "Well, I don't want to doubts about Shades' chances
needed for the interfacing give you too many points," says of success.
between Prestel and Micronet Fink. "Scumbag," thinks Arthur. Once the game is online
which should take about four There are, according to Mike, ("We're not sure when in August,
weeks." some very complex rules to but It will definitely be August.")
"Shades has been running for follow in the game and already there will be no registration fee
some months now. It's been run there is a large area on Prestel and the charge for playing time
from Neil's home — it seems to devoted to advice for players of will be 99p an hour, which will
have quite a following." Neil is multi-user games, Including be itemised and a d d e d onto
CO Neil Newell, the game's author those who have already started people's Prestel or Micronet
and the person who will run a n d playing Shades. accounts at the end of every
continue to improve Shades now One aspect of the game that quarter. Having seen just a
s that it has been taken up by might seem unusual to Micronet glimpse at what Shades will be
Micronet. users Is the way that the game offering I c a n see that there are
S As Mike logs on to East
Grinstead, a warning appears
on the screen telling us that
manages to duplicate a
Viewdata' method of
presentation. What this means is
going to be plenty of people
with healthy Micronet bills
before the year is out.
while the management will try to that most of the top of your Arthur walks through caves full
ensure fair play they cannot be television screen will be given of fetid odours and dripping
CO held responsible for whatever over to the controlling water. Unknown to Arthur, a thief
may happen to players in the computer's output whilst the enters the cave behind him and
game. In other words we're on bottom two lines of the screen springs to attack. Arthur, without
our own as we find ourselves in will be for the player's own the help of Fink, is unable to
a dark cave In control of a commands to be typed into fend off the attack and snuffs It.
character called Arthur the New information will be But In Shades death Is not the
Novice — Novice being the level highlighted in white whilst older end. It means the loss of half his
at which all new players join the information will lade' into cyan, points but Arthur will return, If he
2 game. and commands from the player can afford the Micronet bill...

58 ZX Computing Monthly • August 1986 15

 /

MUD has competition.

Very soon Micronetters

laoes
will be a b l e to enter
the world of Shades, a
multi-user g a m e set In
a world "where magic
works a n d logic are
really rather
unreliable..."

Nell Newell on Shades

Before Mlcronet became
Involved, Neil Newell had been
running Shades on his awn for
some six months, although in a
simpler form than it will b e In
once Mlcronet get the game
online
According to Neil, Shades
"started as a hobby. It's not
rigidly structured a n d grew as
people suggested things Some
people wanted a castle, so one
got put In. It was incredibly
simple to begin, a n d only got
this rich and complex since
Micronet became Involved"
At present the game takes
place above ground for the
most part and contains about
500 locations, though Nell will
continue to expand and Improve
the g a m e in the future and
Mlcronet members will be able
to make suggestions toa He has
also Included a number of
'mobiles' In the g a m e These are
computer generated players
whose main rote is 'lo attack
people", though they hove
varying degrees of Intelligence
and some of them c a n be quite
useful to players if you can work
out how to deal with them.
At present the main
geographical features In the
game are the Swamps Castle,
Forest a n d the Ruined City to the
south of the game world. When
Neil ran the game from his
home he had some 400 regular
players, though the phone
facilities only allowed six at a
time to get Into the g a m e But
some of the players were
incredibly dedicated and would
keep on trying the phone lines
until another player left and
allowed them to get In. Joining
Mlcronet will allow more players
access to the game, though Nell
Intends to keep the game under
control so that too many players
don't start stumbling over each
other:-
"We'll have thirty two players
to start off with on Mlcronet, then
sixty four. We'll probably have
four games ot sixteen players to
stop It getting too busy."

ZX Computing Monthly • August 1986 15

 A

A
Get on the trail of
Interstellar villains with
the bounty hunting
robot Mantronlx.
#
4
i
Mantronix
Probe Software
v. • rgt.
£7.95 4

k
V o u ' v e tlnalty done It — at long
lost you've managed to achieve 11 L L 1 K I L I I I L I 1 I

Legal Combat Status a n d qualify L^OIOOOVOO • cunt ;tk*fl

'' " 'i »hhi rmi-if
as a galacttc Bounty Hunter. •fcifciftV* • FiTti—rairrar
So like all budding bounty
hunters you're ready To track
down all Ihe b a d guys in the
universe a n d rake In the rewards
(not that you're doing II for the
money ot course, the chance to
tight tor truth. Justice, a n d all that
tosh Is Its own reward afler all).
The nice thing about being a
bounty hunter In 2001 AO is that
you can get your remote
controlled Mantronlx robot to do
all the dirty work for you. The
Mantronix is equipped with a
pulse laser for combat, and you
con control Its movements and
actions via the Mark 1 Autoscan
that allows you to observe the
Mantronlx at ail limes
When you're hunting villains
the planet Zybor Is the place to
b e The entire planet Is quick on your leet you c a n choice ot control keys was a bit
populated by defence outmanoeuvre them and get odd. a n d even when a
humanolds whose only purpose Into position a n d blast them with Kempston joystick was used the
In lite is to defend the tour your laser. directional controls still took a
criminals who are hiding on the Also scattered around the bit ol getting used to with the
planet Information about each planet are various obstacles, result mat aT first I h a d to play
of these criminals Is presented many ot which are harmless in an awful lot ot games without
on your communications themselves, but which can stow getting anywhere Just to
console, a n d consists of the you down If you're being chased familiarise myself with the
criminal* name, nature of his by one of the humonolas. as controls. But once I became
crime and the bounty on his well as Items of treasure thai more used to the controls the
head. can be collected to increase p a c e ot the game started to
The surface ot the planet is your credit rating. Some sections pick up as I oof closer a n d
seen as a series of grid-like of the planet surface are closer to tracking down my
surfaces, presented Tn the 30 Impassable so you have to find quarry.
5< Knlghtlore style graphics that are
so popular these days. As you
alternate routes, whilst other
parts conceal conveyor belts
Mantronix puts less emphasis
on problem solving than the
Ultimate games, but it Is a good
0
walk across the planet's surface that send you trundling along,
the screen display switches unable to change direction. tricky shoot em u p with a large
quickly to show the latest section Added to all This are the playing area that should keep

£
ot the grid that you've moved power packs that are needed to our trigger finger flexing for a
5 onto The display from your
autoscan is In |ust two colours, to
fuel your craft when you leave
a n d also to neutralise some of
ong time.

avoid attribute clashei though the oblects that can kill you.
tt the background colour varies Though the animation is nice
from screen to screen. a n d smooth a n d the graphics
The defence humanolds ore themselves are all large a n d

;REAT
easy to spot as they're the only clear I must admit that I had
in things moving. They bounce quite a lot of trouble when it
Ol around the screen, slowly came to moving around a n d
</> homing In on you, but If you're shooting at these things. The

ZX Computing Monthly • August 1986 15

 Sl-I
If you've got an amazing chunk of c o d e or some dazzling short
routines lying around, why not send them in to Short Cuts —
a n d earn yourself £10!

Fade Out
10 R E S T O R E : F O R n ^ 3 0 0 0 0 TO 3 0
M. Waters o( Slough sent us the
first program, a great way of 049
clearing the screen in games, It 2 0 R E A D a: P O K E n , a : N E X T n
really gives that professional 30 FOR n=0 TO 21: P R I N T "12343
touch to your programs.
It works by removing pixels to 6 7 0 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 " : NE
give a dissolve effect a n d uses a XT n
50 byte machine code routine. 40 R A N D O M I Z E USR 3 0 0 0 0
As it is printed here, it is loaded
to address 30000 so that both 50 DATA 17,254,8,123,7,7,7,95,
16K and 48K owners can use it. 33,0,64,1,24,0,126,163,119,35,16
To relocate it higher in memory ,250,13,32,247,21,32,233,50,141,
and make it more practical for
48K users Just change the '30000 92,119,84,93,19,1,192,2,237,176,
to 30049' to the address of your 50,72,92,119,14,63,237,176,201,0
choice (l.e. 60000 to 60049) and ,0,0
call It with RANDOMIZE USR your
address.

Scrambler Hacker Basher of the BASIC line if you have a

microdrive or disk unit attached.
One for the newcomers sent in One of our most frequent i.e POKE (PEEK 23635+256'PEEK
by Niclas Carlenlus of Sweden is requests Is for ways of making 23636)+3, 255 or 0
a version of the ever popular your programs hacker proof
scrolling games. Notice that use (personalty I feel pleased that
of USR 3582 to scroll the screen anybody would want to see how ZX81 Screen Print
one line. I wrote a program). I. J. Rogers
To adapt the program to your has sent us the method he uses. Here Is a short, six byte routine
own taste should not be that One method Is to make a which will let you COPY as many
difficult a task for even the least program unmergeable and this lines of the screen as you like
experienced, and to adjust the can be done by POKING the (up to a maximum of 24)!
speed of the game vary the line length of the first line In the Dennis Clinton of California
number 20 inline 150 and you program with 255. When the sent us this one a n d it should
can adjust the road width by program is saved and someone work on machines both sides of
modifying the number of spaces tries to MERGE It the computer •he Atlantic. The second POKE
in line 90. thinks It hasn't enough memory line determines how many lines
The aim of the game Is to and refuses to accept it! of the screen will be copied on
drive as long as possible along Due to the way in which the ZX/Alphacom/Timex type
the road as it scrolls towards you Sinclair BASIC is stored you have printer, so change the number
using keys 5 and 8 to move left to a d d a little more to your 24 to suit your needs.
and right, NIclas tells us his program than a simple POKE, Once the code has been
highest distance/score is 1900 — but this isn't a lot and It is very poked Into the line 1 REM
OK, get driving! easy. The secret Is to include the statement, the other lines can be
following lines: deleted one at a time. The COPY
routine can be used at any
1 REM SCRAMBLER
1 POKE 23758,0: GO TO 5 stage in the program by RAND
2 5 main program starts here USR 16514 8UT the line 1 REM with
10 F O R m-0 1 0 10: P R I N T A1 a,X 9999 POKE 23758,255: SAVE the machine code must still be
2|'H •••! N E X r • "PROGRAM" LINE 1 there. The program makes use of
20 LET w - 0 ! L E I a > l 3 t L E T b * X 5
70 LET P - I N r (RND4M ) •1
SAVE your program by using the the fact thaf the 81 "s own COPY
B0 LEI • < r > 2 . 5 A N D a< 2 6 > - < r
instruction GO TO 9999 and routine expects the register pair
(2.3 A N D * >0) verify it with VERIFY "" as per to contain the number of lines to
90 PRINT At 1 0 , » - ! ! • • • usual. Now NEW your computer be copied before calling it. We
100 L E T i " U S R 3 3 8 2 a n d try to MERGE the program. simply set It fo the number of our
110 LEI m - m H Mind you It Is not much use on choice.
120 LET b " b * ( I N K E Y « - » 8 " ) - ( I N K E Y its own as you can still load it ZX81 COPY
•-•3'1 and BREAK the program to list it.
130 IF S C R E E N * < 0 , b t • * • * T H E N To make It completely foolproof 1 REM
00 TO 170
you will have to use one of the 10 POKE 16514,22
140 P R I N T AT 0,bI *V*I AT l,b|
130 0 0 TO 7 0 POKEs which cause a crash if 20 POKE 16515,24
170 C L S : P R I N T * You travel I anyone tries to break it as the 30 POKE 16516,205
»d * i n | " mI I | A T 3,01 F L A S H 11 first line of your program. I.e. 5 40 POKE 16517,107
•PRFSS A N Y K E Y TO S T A R T A G A I N * POKE 65364,0: POKE 65365,0 50 POKE 16518,8
160 F O R X-l TO 3 0 0 : N E X T XI P A U And, Just to make life really 60 POKE 16519,201
5E 0: R U N
difficult, you may have to use a 100 REM RAND USR 16514 TO
bit of extra code to find the start USE.

ZX Computing Monthly • August 1986 15

 that you c a n see where the
C O R N E R OF S C R E E N
middle part of the screen begins
and ends — you should notice
BINARY 11111111 H E X FF ( D E C I M A L 25S> that the little bar you've just
printed is in the very fop left
hand corner. Now try typing
POKE 16384,15 - this will give
you a little bar half the length of
the first, and not quite in the
corner.
What you have to do to
B I N A R Y 0 0 0 0 1111 HEX OF ( D E C I M A L ID'
understand this is to think of the
numbers In binary. If we imagine
that the zeroes are blank
squares, a n d the ones are filled-
in squares, then we c a n easily
see the picture given by Figure
O n e According to this Figure
BINARY 01010101 HEX 55 ( D E C I M A L 85) One, the instruction POKE
16384,85 should give a speckled
bar In the top left hand corner
(if It doesn't then try tuning your
TV in a bit better).
In other words, each bit of the
Figuie 1 screen memory corresponds to
one pixel on the TV. Have a look
at Figure Two — this contains two
machine code programs (very
Ton! Baker continues with all the colour taken out),
short), and a BASIC program
whereas addresses 5800 to 5AFF
(also very short), which I'd like
her graphics series store the colours. Those of you
you to try. The first of these prints
without a 128K Spectrum are
a symbol on the screen, but
with a look at the restricted to using these
without using RST 10; the second
addresses only — the screen
prints a lower case letter "a". The
layout of the screen area cannot be moved. Those of
third program in the set is in
you with a Spectrum 128 will find
BASIC and this too manages to
display. that there is a second area of
get a whole character-sized
memory which may be used to
• n this article I want to talk store a screen image (addresses symbol on the screen — and all
about the possibilities of 7C000 to 7DAFF) and we'll be without using PRINT.
creating graphics by directly looking at that possibility later
POKEing the screen, Instead of on in the article. For now though, Graphics in ROM
"printing". To master this art we we'll just take the simple case of
must first understand how the the 48K machine. All of the keyboard characters
screen works. The mysterious The first (hex) address for the are stored in pixel expansion
layout of the TV screen is screen is 4000. In decimal this Is form in the ROM. To find the
therefore today's topic. Let us 16384. Type CIS followed by pixel expansion for any given
proceed. POKE 16384,255 (Spectrum 128 character just multiply its
owners would be advised to use character code by eight and
The screen display the Screen option from the menu a d d 3C00. For instance, "a" has
to move any program to the character code 61h, and 8*61 +
The area of memory which is bottom of the screen first, if they 3C00 = 3F08. This is the address
normally used for the TV screen are operating in 128K mode). we gave to DE in the program in
lies between addresses 4000 Watch what happens — you will Figure Two.
a n d 5AFF. Those between 4000 see a little bar appear In the You may have noticed that
and 57FF store the 'black and top left hand corner of the the machine c o d e programs
white' version of the picture (ie screen. Now type BORDER 5 so used INC D (and INC H) to

ZX Computing Monthly • August 1986 15

locate the next row of pixels on
the screen. Now this is very
Program One
211000 START LD HL.0010
LLLLA
interesting because INC H
increases the value of H by one, 09 ADO HL.BC HL: points lo data given.
and therefore increases the 110040 LO DE.4000 DE: point! lo lint square on screen.
value of HL by 0100h. Also the 0608 LD 8.08
BASIC program used a n
7E LOOP LD A,(ML) A: = next byte ol d m
increment of 256 (note 256d =
0100h). This tells us something 23 INC HL
about the layout of the screen. If 12 LD (DE).A Poke into screen.
HL contains the address of the 14 INC D
first (topmost) pixel-row of a
character square then the other 10FA DJNZ LOOP Repeat for all eight bytes
seven pixel-row addresses can C9 RE RET
all be obtained by an 00 38 54 92 BA D6 54 38 Data to print.
appropriate number of INC H
instructioni (See Figure Three.)
Progrwn Two
So now we know the effect of
adding 100h to the address, 210040 START LO HL.4000 HL: point! to first square on screen.
what about a d d i n g one? Try 11083F LD DE.3F08 DE: points to expansion of " A " .
typing In the following BASIC 0608 LD B.08
program and running it to see
what happens: 1A LOOP LD A.IDE) A: • next byte of data.
77 LD (HLI.A Poke into screen
10 LET x = 16384
24 INC H
20 FOR i = 0 TO 7
30 POKE x,255 13 INC DE
40 LET x = x + 1 10FA DJNZ LOOP
50 NEXT I C9 RET
You should see a thin bar lining
out across the top of the screen. Program Three
Changing line 20 to FOR I = 0
10 FOR I - 0 T Q 7
TO 31 extends the line right
across the full width. So far It 20 INPUT af
seems simple, but Is there more 30 LET * - FN h(a$) + 16* FN h(»J(2>)
to it than that? Change line 20 40 POKE 16384 • 256*i. x
again to read FOR I = 0 TO 255
(arter all, we already know what 50 NEXT i
happens If we a d d 256). Try it 60 OEF FN h(x$) • CODE - 7 * U $ • " : " ) - 48
and see: RUN thu then input ((or example) " F " . "81", "BD". •A5". "AS". "BD". B V , " F F " .
All well and good — the first
eight rows of characters are Figure 2.
lined out. But — surely there's
something wrong here? After all,
we've a d d e d 255 to the original eight rows in binary, and assign
address to get the last address, such a number to HL then it HL
1 I 1 i i i
and yet we know that it we looks very sensible indeed, with
H recording the row number HL+IOOh
odded instead 256 (ie if we | | 1 i i i
added one more) then we'd be within a character square, and L HL+200h
one pixel-row down from our recording which character 1 | 1 t i i
original position. You can try It if square. If you split the value in L HL+300h
you like (Just change line 20 into two parts, as I have done in 1 I I i i i
again). Common sense, on the Ihe diagram, then we actually HL*400h
come up with the PRINT AT 1 I 1 i i i
other hand, would lead us to
expect that the next pixels would coordinates of the character HL+500H
1 1 1 i i i
be at the left of the screen, one square in question. This is just
more character square down. one way of looking at the HL *600h
1 1 1 1 1 1 1
Common sense, unfortunately, correlation between what you
doesn't mean much In the world see on the screen, and what the HL*700h
1 1 _l i «
ol the Spectrum. Change line 20 Spectrum sees in its memory.

o
Figure 3.
to read FOR I = 0 TO 2047 a n d
see what happens.
II you can imagine that the
first eight lines of character
squares are a completely
EE
0 10 00 rrr III qqqqq FOR SEGMENT ZERO Q.
Isolated and separate part of <
the screen, having no relation to
OC
o
the rest of it. then the problem s F. ui ac
OC ui
UJ

disappears and it all seems o

_ m
2
— to
UJ
<m
a S E => 5
rather boring and sensible once D 3 O 3
more. Adding one moves you Z Z « Z
one character square to the
right (skipping down to Ihe left
hand edge of the next line of 0 1 0 S i rrr 11 1 <1 q q q q FOR WHOLE SCREEN
character squares if you go off
the right hand edge), a n d
NUMBER'

LINE.

NUMBER'
NUMBER'

addng 256 (100h) moves you

NUMBER
SEGMENT

SQUARE
ROW

down by one pixel-row (provided

you don't try to move down
below the bottom ot a character
square). Figure Four shows that if
we write the address of any Figure 4.
screen position within these top
15
ZX Computing Monthly • August 1986
 Screen tines general a d d i n g one to a screen that good for humans. The
address will move you one diagram in Figure Six looks at
square to the right (or onto the screen addresses directly in hex.
Figure Four also shows us a left hand edge of the next line) All you have to do Is read off the
second picture. You see — so far the procedure will not work If first three hex digits from the left
we've only looked at the first you try to cross from one or right edge of the screen
eight lines of the screen. We now segment to the next. For (whichever is closer) and the
need to look at the other 16. The instance, the last square In fourth digit from the lop. Thus the
first eight lines use up all the segment zero has address 40FF, square on the diagram which Is
addresses from 4000 to 47FF. The whereas the first square in filled in has address 509A. I
next eight lines are organised in segment one has address 4800. hope you can see how to read
exactly the same way! They Confusing though this may seem this from the picture. This means
occupy addresses 4800 to 4FFF. It is still very straightforward If we that the eight addresses which
Finally, the third eight-line look at the address in binary. together comprise this square
segment occupies addresses The second diagram In Figure are 509A. 519A, 529A, 539A, 549A,
5000 to 57FF, and once again is Four gives the general picture — 559A, 569A a n d 579A.
organised in exactly the same the address of any pixel-row on And now, a quick little
way. What this means in practice the screen. subroutine to turn PRINT AT
Is that we have to envisage the I use the terms 'square', 'row', coordinates Into screen
screen as being divided up into 'line', etc with precise meaning. addresses. This is the subroutine
three "thirds' or segments', with Figure Five shows you the best in Figure Seven, which assumes
segment zero being the top way to visualise this breakdown. that B contains the screen's y
eight lines, segment one being Now this way of representing coordinate, and C contains the
the middle eight lines, and screen addresses is fine for x. The final address is left In HL.
segment two being the bottom computers, since computers
eight lines. Thus — although in work In binary, but it's not all Attribute bytes
Now that we've looked at the
screen in black and white, we
need to consider the colour
aspect of it. Consider the
following BASIC program:
U Q aj u.

a s4 e s4 s4 10 PAPER 6: INK 0: BORDER 6:

4 4 4 4
EE X

3 43 34
4
Z n
4
<r
3 3 3 33
4 4 4
3 3 3
ROW 0 CLS
sssiiSisssisisss
J 20 FOR I = 1 TO 22
ROW 1
3 33 3 3 3 3 3 3 33 HOW?
LINE a
I 1 1 M I I 1 I II I I I I I I IT
HOW
HOW
3
4 30 PRINT , "SYNCHRONICITY"
Lint 1 HOW
HOW
&
6
40 NEXT i
LINL ? HOW 1 50 FOR ( = 22528 TO 23295
UNC 3
IINE *
60 POKE i,15
UNI S
•25 25 25 — 25 — S 70 NEXT I
LINE 6 Watch what happens when you
UNI > run it. First of all some text is
printed on the screen (In black
on yellow), and then, one square
at a time, the screen changes
colours (to white on blue) without
altering the text.
To understand exactly why the
program works It is much easier
FIUN 5 to think in hex. The area of
memory between 5800 and 5AFF
is c a l l e d the attributes file (as
DISPLAY FILE LAYOUT o p p o s e d to t h e display file
which is the screen area). The
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 A B C D E F 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 A B C D E F contents of the attributes file
(580)400 401(581) determine the colours on the
(582)402 403(583) screen. It's very simple. Every
(584)404 405(585) character square on the screen
(586)406 407(587) has one attribute byte all to
(588)408 409(589) itself. The contents of such an
{58AI40A 40B(58B) attribute byte determine the
(S8CI40C 40D(58D) colours of the corresponding
(58EI40E 40F(58F)
(590)480
square. This means that if you
481(591)
(592)482 483(593)
POKE an address In the
(594)484 485(595) attributes file then you will
(596)486 487(597) change the colours of one
(598)488 489(599) character square. We discussed
(59AI48A 48B(59B) attribute bytes In last month's
(59C148C 48D{59D) article, so I won't go over them
(59EI48E 48F(S9F) here in too much detail, but just
(5AOJ500 50H5A1) a reminder: an attribute byte
(5A2J502 503(5A3I
(5A4J504
stores the FLASH status (off or on),
50S(5A5)
(5A6)506 507(5A7)
the BRIGHT status (oft or on), the
(5A8)508 509(5A9) PAPER colour (0 to 7), a n d the
(5AA)50A 50B(5AB> INK colour (0 to 7). The byte
(5AC)50C 50D(5AD| value is 128'F + 64'B + 8'P + I.
(5AEI50E 50FI5AF) or in binary: F B P P P I I I.
In machine code, of course, it
Take first three digits from nearest edge of diagram.
Take fourth digit from top of diagram.
is useful to know precisely which
Use numbers NOT in brackets for display file. byte In the attributes file
Use numbers in brackets for attribute file. corresponds to which square on
the screen. You can work out the
Figure 6.
address of any individual

ZX Computing Monthly • August 1986 15

attribute byte In BASIC by the Additional information stacked one above the other.
formula 22528 + 32'Y + X The first file saved will begin at
(where X and Y are the PRINT AT for Spectrum 128 address 1C000. and the stack
coordinates of the owners will build upwards through
corresponding square). You see. consecutive memory areas:
unlike the main screen, the The Spectrum 128 has not one. 1C000 to 1FFFF, 3C000 to 3FFFF.
attributes file is laid out but two areas of memory which 4C000 to 4FFFF, 6COOO to 6FFFF.
completely sensibly — left to may be used to store a screen then 7C000 upwards At the
right, top to bottom! In fact — if image. Ordinarily addresses same time a second stack is
you go back lo Figure Six I'll 4000 to 5AFF are used, but the built, beginning at address 7EBFF
show you an easy way to second possible location Is and growing downwards — this
visualise It, Pick a square (for addresses C000 to DAFF on RAM stack stores the NAMES of the
instance the one marked), and page seven. The first region Is files saved (as used by CAT!)
read off the first three digits from called screen zero, and the and other information about the
the left or right of the screen second region is called screen files. These two stacks are not
(whichever Is closer), but use the one. Obviously only one of these allowed to meet — if there is any
figures given in brackets! Finally screens may appear on the danger of this happening then
read the fourth digit from the television at any one time. error report "4 Out of memory" is
top This gives the full address in The addresses of individual given. Furthermore, the directory
hex — for Instance the attribute bytes within screen one are stack is not allowed to grow
byte lor the square marked has obtained by calculating the downward beyond address
address 5A9A. Got It? address for the corresponding 7C000 (this is why it is Impossible
byte within screen zero and then to SAVE! more than 562 files,
'setting' bit fifteen (Ie change the even if they don't a d d up to 69K.
Changing the BORDER initial 4 Into a G or the 5 Into a It turns out that even though
colour D). Remember though that this these stacks are not allowed to
screen area resides in RAM meet, they are allowed overwrite
There are essentially two steps page seven, not RAM page zero screen one. In fact, screen one
involved in changing the colour (the normal page). Note that it Is may be overwritten by either the
of the screen border in machine possible for screen one to be file stack, or the directory stack.
code. This is because the ROM active irrespective of whichever Conversely. If enough programs
uses the border colour In two RAM page is p a g e d in — in are SAVE'd in RAMdisc then it is
different ways. The actual border other words. It Is not necessary equally possible that POKEIng
colour is the colour you see on for page seven to be p a g e d In Into screen one may corrupt
the screen, right now, with your for screen one to work. some of the files — a far more
very eyes. The recorded border serious prospect. Machine code
colour is a separate record kept Changing from screen zero to programmers should beware!
by the Spectrum amongst the screen one (or vice versa) may Screen one may only be used if
system variables. Every time you be achieved by calling either you don't save too much Into
press a key whilst in command label SCR_.0 or SCR_1 from the RAMdisc. You can safely save
mode the actual border colour machine code program of 64K or 216 files, whichever comes
Is changed to that of the Figure Eight. Note that the ROM first and still make use of screen
recorded border colour. The is only designed to print onto one.
problem for the programmer Is screen zero, not screen one.
that changing the actual border Neither PRINT nor RST 10 will work Well that's it for this month.
colour does not alter the ROM's on screen one. nor will PLOT or Next month I shall conclude this
permanent record — so you DRAW, neither will the automatic short mini-series by telling you
may llnd that the border colour listing, and neither will how anything BASIC can do,
changes back to what it was command editing or INPUT. You machine code can do better —
before, the next time you press a must select screen zero before and faster. Happy Lughnasadh
key. Alternatively, simply the end of a program. — see you next month.
changing the permanent record Another word of warning. The
will not affect the actual colour Spectrum, being a machine of 7» LO A.B A. -000., ,,1,1, 1,
on the screen (not Immediately very many bugs, not only f GIB ANO IB A: OOO •„ 000
anyway). You must change both displays a complete lack of IMQ on 40 A. - 0 1 01, l, 0 0 0
of Ihese. ROM software to use screen one •7 LO H.A H -0 10i, t, 000
(not even In the new ROM), but 71 LO A B A -000,, 1,1,1, 1,
To change the actual border OF RRCA A •1.000., .,1,1.
colour on screen you may use worse — the software It does
contain clashes directly with any OF nncA A.
either the BASIC Instruction OUT Of RRCA A - 1,1,1, 000., s
254,colour or the machine code possibility of using screen one.
The problem Is this: whenever (HO ANO CO A •1,1, 1.00000
OUT (FE),colour. These 81 OH C A: • 'j 'l <« "», ti O, %
instructions look Identical — In you SAVE! something into 0
RAMdlsc using the new SAVE! OF LO L.A i i •1,1, 1, q4 a, q,
fact they are. C» RET
To change the permanent command, the files saved are
Iifiii 7
record you must POKE the system
variable BORDER (address 5C48)
with an attribute byte for the 1E00 SCR 0 LO E .00 E: has bit three reiet.

border. It Is the PAPER colour of 1802 JR SCR.SELECT

this attribute which will be used 1E08 SCR LD E.08 E: hat bit three set.
for the border. The rest of the 3A5C5B SCR .SELECT LO A,(BANK_M) A: contami control (lags.
attribute byte is used to specify
the colours of the lower part of E6F7 AND F7 Reset bn three I terpen number).
the screen used for INPUT eta B3 OR E Set or reiet bit three (icreen number)
ot required.
There Is, as always, an easy
way of doing both jobs at once: 325C5B LO (BANK_M).A NOTE: it ii important to amgn
(BANK Ml tgigrs ihe icreen it
the machine code instruction Actually changed in cate an interrupt
CALL B O R D E R S a t a d d r e s s occurt between thu instruction and
2297 (In hex CD9722). This will the OUT instruction
change both the actual border 01FD7F LO BC.7FFO BC: - required output port number.
colour and the recorded border ED79 OUT (C).A Select required icreen
colour to whatever colour you
desire — the choice of colour C9 RET
must first be loaded into the A F i g u r e 8.
register.

ZX Computing Monthly • August 1986 15

 m
Here's a c h a n c e for
b u d d i n g artists to prove
their talents a n d design
their own cassette
artwork!

lantronix is the latest game

from Probe Software — a three
dimensional combat game set
in outer space, In which you
have to hunt down a group of
deadly galactic outlaws and
collect tne rewards that have
been put up for their capture
On this page you c a n see the
artwork that is used on the
cassette of the Mantronix game.
What do you think of it - terrific?
awful? Would It catch your eye if
you saw It In a shop or turn you
away in search of something
else? Whatever your reaction to
it, here's your chance to show
whether you could do any better
because Probe Software want to
see what you would come up
with If you were designing the
artwork tor Mantronlx. Elsewhere
in this issue there's a review of
the game which should give you
some idea of the theme a n d the
style of Mantronix, and once you
think you've got an idea that
would suit the game it's Just a
matter of putting it down on
paper.
You c a n submit your artwork
In whatever form you want —

COMPETITION
pencil sketch, water colours,
anything you like And
remember, the idea behind the
artwork Is as important as the
skill that goes into drawing it, so
a rough pencil sketch with a
good Idea In It stands as much
chance as an elegant but dull
oil painting.
The prizes
The first prize is the chance to
go along to the studio and see
the designers at work on the
artwork tor Probe's next g a m e
And you'll even be able to get
Involved and offer ideas of your
own when you meet the
designers!
And tor fifteen runners up
there are copies of Mantronix on
ofter, so you don't have to be in
the Picasso class to stand a
chance of winning something.
Send your masterpieces in to
Mantronix Competition. ZX
Computing Monthly, 1 Golden
Square, London W1R 3AB and
entries should arrive by
UI
September 5th 1986.
The competition is open to all
a. readers of ZX Computing
Monthly, except employees of
Argus Specialist Publications,
O Alabaster Passmore a n d Sons
and Probe Software, a n d the
O Editor's decision is final.

66 ZX Computing Monthly • August 1986 15

 CROSSFIRE
Let off steam, blow your top or shower a g a m e or manufacturer with

Small is beautiful
compliments. It's w h a t Crossfire is f o r . . .
utilities a n d routines w h i c h c o n h e l p
y o u g e t t h e most I r o m your c o m p u t e r .
Why nol write t o us it y o u (eel y o u h a v e
s o m e t h i n g ot Interest to ZX readers?
Come on. let's have some
praise lor the little guys out
there In Speccy land. 'V' hints BncriPr*p&,Vtoivefhcrvton
When my Issue 2 Spectrum came After reading your write-up on "V" in the June issue ot ZX Computing
down with a severe headache I sent Monthly, page 44. although not numbered. I thought you might like to
him to H.S. Computer Services. 2 The receive the notes I have compiled, which should help other readers who
Orchard, Wharton, Preston. This was on are havina the same problem through lack ot information for playing this game,
the Thursday, I telephoned them on although it is Very good even without these vital notes that one needs, to achieve
Saturday and was Informed that they success
had received it that morning and
would post It back on Monday. It duly The following notes will give you all the understanding to use the Communi-
arrived on Tuesday fully recovered and puter. lay the explosives, break through the beams, and Tind the formula tor the
with a totally new character, he wos an Red Dust
Issue 3. this means no more colour drift First. LOAD the game, then look at the Communiputer. it has 12 buttons with
problems on my TOSHIBA TV, all for fif- a different symbol on each one. these are explained in detail below...
teen quid. Now, how's that tor service? BUTTON (left to right, top to bottom) This Is done by looking at the row ol
All too often It seems that companies 1) PAUSE GAME/QUIT (Y/N)? symbols above your SCORE LINE, and
recommended In magazine editorial 2) LOCATION reading off the first 4 symbols trom lett to
are those who pay the most for adver- 3) SEE NUMBERS 6 & 9 right, then moving the icon to the same
tising while the smaller, sometimes 4) SEE NUMBERS 6 & 9 symbols on the following buttons. 3.4. 7. 8.
better, companies go unnoticed. 5) FORMULA 11 & 12, press Fire to enter them in turn, then
David Pluse. Washington. Tyne and move back to button six and press FIRE
Wear. again, if it is not accepted, then one ot the
NOTES: CONTROLS AS NOTES
symbols changed while you were keying
Writing for ZX Tells you the Plane, Level and Sector you them in, just press Fire again, and you are
are presently In. Planes are changed by given the chance to key It In again. Once
I am writing to you because I looking for a White Vent (oblong In shape) it has been accepted, you will see the
would like some Information and pressing 6 whilst standing in front ot message ot confirmation. You will also see
on how ZX Computing It. You will see yourself transported through how long you have before the ship is
Monthly operates a tube between two sides of the shipi walls, destroyed by the explosives you have just
If I want to write some articles what once you are through, you will be behind laid there, although it won't help you very
kind do you require? For what type ot a BLACK BLOCK with your head just visible, much, as It Is in symbol form. (?)
games Is there the highest demand? press 6 after moving slightly lett or right ot Use also lor finding Important locations
Since I am a programmer could you this block, and move the icon to the No 2 Ditto
give me some guidelines of what you button to find out this Location and moke When this has been selected, then you will
require? a note of it. it is one way out from this Plane see Mode: followed by 6 symbols, and a
Paolo Barbalonga. London NW3. you are now In. although there is another statement at the bottom saying Circuit: on
White Vent to take you to another Plane Using buttons 3. 4. 7. 8. 11 A 12. you have
ZX is always o n the took out tor Use also tor finding Important locations. to put In a code that will switch-off the
articles on using Sinclair Ditto BEAMS, this Is done as follows...
m a c h i n e s In n e w ways or Press 6 when at the Laboratory, and guide BUTTON 3: Changes symbols <S> 1 & 6
pushing the a c c e p t e d limits ol w h a t the the icon to the No 5 button and you will see together.
m a c h i n e c a n do, b e It In t h e f i e l d ot part of the 5 part formula lor the Red Dust BUTTON 4: Changes symbols && 1 & 5
graphics, s o u n d , utilities or g a m e s (This is only possible It you have gone together.
p r o g r a m m i n g . If y o u think y o u h a v e a through the BEAM by switching It off... see BUTTON 7: Changes symbols ® 2, 4 &
g o o d I d e a tor a n a r t i c l e d r o p us a l i n e No 9). together.
e x p l a i n i n g w h a t y o u w a n t to write BUTTON 8: Changes symbols & 1 & 4
about a n d h o w y o u will a p p r o a c h t h e together.
subject. We d o r e c e i v e a r t i c l e s "on
6) DETONATION TIME TO BE SET
BUTTON 11 Changes symbols & 2 & 6
spec" a n d o c c a s i o n a l l y they a r e of a 7) SEE NUMBER 6&9
together.
very h i g h s t a n d a r d but It is wise to 8) SEE NUMBER 6 & 9
9) SECURITY LEVEL plus hash one BUTTON 12: Changes symbols <3> & 2 2 &&3
contact us before y o u p u t p e n to p a p e r together.
lo a v o i d w a s t e d effort if o n a r t i c l e Is
unsuitable NOTE: See enclosed diagram.
NOTE: SWITCH-OFF is obtained by having all
% (percentage) symbols as shown on No Ot
As r e g a r d s p u b l i s h e d llsilngs, t h e r e 11. allowing you lo go through the beam.
is still r o o m for t h e w e l l p r o g r a m m e d 10) USE COMMUNIPUTER Icon controlled via movement keys, or
g o m e or a d v e n t u r e C o m p u t e r m a g a - joystick.
zines b e g a n p r i m a r i l y as listings 11) SEE NUMBER 6&9 Use also tor tlnding Important locations
catalogues w h e n c o m m e r c i a l software 12) SEE NUMBER 6&9 Ditto
was s c a r c e . N o w t h e i r r o l e h a s
c h a n g e d b u t listings a r e still a n
invaluable w a y of l e a r n i n g p r o g r a m -
ming a n d c a n g i v e a lot of satisfaction.
</>
As g a m e s software has b e c o m e so DC
a
widely a v a i l a b l e our m a i n o b j e c t i v e is ill

<
in p r o v i d i n g utilities w h i c h a r e ot w i d e
Interest a n d m a y not b e p r o v i d e d in
your l o c a l software e m p o r i u m . Tonl
Baker's 128 K e y p a d p r o g r a m In the J u n e
issue was a g o o d e x a m p l e . So w e a r e
especially Interested i n s h o w c a s i n g

cont*OI- ax-man 15
ZX Computing Monthly • August 1986
 SuperBASIC
David Nowotnik changes. We'll see that later on. just see part of the circle. Small
The 'circle _ test" routine sets circles do look very odd. but this
examines SuperBasic's the scale to 200,0.0. and the is due to the limitations of
coordinates of the centre of the resolution of the QL. If you can
graphics commands. circle to 200.100. With a radius of remember how the turtle circle
100 pixels the circle just fits the looked, hopefully you will agree
display window. If you type a that it looked just as good as
• _ a s t month, part tour of this number bigger than 100. the QL circles from the CIRCLE
series on SuperBASIC started to doesn't seem to mind; you will command.
examine the QL's impressive
graphics capabilities. In case
you missed it. we concentrated
on SCALE, positioning the F i g . 1. rust o* commands far Circ.lea, Ellipses and Area
graphics cursor (POINT), drawing
straight lines with LINE, a n d the a) Circle Drawn with Turtle Graphic* commands
LOGO-like commands ol MOVE
a n d TURN. This month we'll be 100 DEFine PROCedure TV
concentrating on drawing 110 M O D E 8: W I N D O W 512,256,0,0
circles a n d arcs, filling in shapes 120 P A P E R Oi CLS
with colour, a n d pixel print 130 WINDOW 448,200,32,16
positioning with the CURSOR 140 WINDOW *2,448,200,32,16
command. 150 WINDUW 448,40,32,216
160 P A P E R 2: P A P E R »2,1: P A P E R # 0 , 0
Circles a n d lines I/O
180
INK 7: INK # 2 , 7 : I N K « 0 , 7
C L S : C L S ttO
It could be said that a circle or 190 END DEFine TV
curve is no more than a series of 200 DEFine PROCedure TURTLE_CIRCLE
very short straight lines joined 220 SCALE 200,0,0
together. Try the example in fig. 230 POINT 200,SO
1a to prove the point. Type in the 240 PENDOWN
program lines, then type the new 250 F O R i"1 T O 1 8 0
command turtle circle". The 260 M O V E 2s T U R N 2
routine uses the QL's turtle 270 END FOR t
graphics commands drawing in 280 END DEFine TURTLE_CIRCLE
sequence 180 straight lines, and
turning two degrees after b) Extra Program lines to test the CIRCLE command
drawing each segment. You'll
get a circle as good as the QL 200 DEFine PRQCedure CIRCLE_TEST
210 TV
c a n provide, albeit rather slowly
220 CLSt S C A L E 2 0 0 , 0 , 0
drawn. 230 REPeat LOOP
Of course, the QL has a more 240 CLS *0
sophisticated, and faster method 250 INPUT #0," C i r c l e radius";r
of drawing circles - the CIRCLE 300 CIRCLE 200,100,r
command. In its simplest form 310 PAUSE 200
CIRCLE requires three 320 INK 2: C I R C L E 2 0 0 , 1 0 0 , d : INK /
parameters; the x - a n d 330 END REPeat LOOP
y-coordinates. a n d radius, 34U END DEFine CIRCLE^TEST
respectively. The effect all three
will have depends on the SCALE c) Extra Program lines to draw ellipses
that you've set before calling the
CIRCLE command. There's a 260 INPUT #0," Eccentricity
simple example in fig. 1b to 270 INPUT HO," Angle M
;a
demonstrate the CIRCLE 300 CIRCLE 200,100,d,e,a
command. Hopefully you've kept 320 INK 2: C I R C L E 2 0 0 , 1 0 0 t d , e , a : INK 7
the program lines trom fig. 1a;
a d d the lines in fig. 1b to them, d) Extra program lines to test the ARC rommand
and type in the direct command
circle test" The routine asks for
the circle radius; type in any 4<X» DKFine PROCedure ARC_TEST
positive number. It will keep on 4 10 TV
drawing circles for you until you 420 CLS: SCALE 200,0,0
BREAK the program with CTRL 4 30 REPeat L00P1
44" CLS #0
and space. In the program
450 INPUT HO," Input arc angle
listing, the circle is drawn twice, 46u A R C 1 0 , 1 0 TO 2 5 0 , 1 8 0 , r
once to draw it in white (INK 7) 470 PAUSE 200
and once to draw it in red (INK 480 INK 2: A R C l O , 1 0 T O 2 5 0 , 1 8 0 , r
2). to match the background, 490 INK 7
a n d so erase it. There is a more 500 END REPeat LOOPt
elegant way of erasing items 510 END DEFine ARC TEST
which does not need INK

ZX Computing Monthly • August 1986 15

 /
Ellipses with colour then we have a window as 0,0. BLOCK uses top
So far the QL has performed in already come across one way of left of the window as 0.0. and
much the same way as the achieving this earlier in the WINDOW has the top left of the
Spectrum or most other micros. series; the WINDOW command. screen as 0.0. As an example of
But the CIRCLE command on the Opening a window to the using the BLOCK command,
QL can have two additional screen, defining the paper there is a listing of a BREAKOUT
parameters to produce ellipses. colour, then clearing that game in fig. 3. The bricks in the
The first parameter is window wilt give a block of that multi-coloured wall are drawn
'eccentricity', which, according colour. Fig. 2a has an example. with BLOCK, as is the moving
to the User Guide Is 'the ratio Again it is written as a bat. In case you're not familiar
between the major and minor procedure, so you can type it in with the concept of this type of
axis of an ellipse', the second with the other procedures (from game, the object is to keep a
parameter Is angle; again from fig. 1). then type the direct bouncing ball in motion by
the User Guide, this is 'Ihe command 'display'. This shows moving the bat at the base of
orientation of the major axis of one of the effects used in a lot of the screen (use cursor left and
Ihe ellipse relative to the screen professional QL software, where cursor right keys). Every time the
vertical'. Confused? Well, a d d two windows of exactly the same ball hits a brick in the wall, the
the program lines in fig. 1c to size are opened, one slightly brick will be knocked out ot the
those already in your QL, and displaced from the other. The wall, and you score a point. A
you have converted your circle first window now appears to be total of five balls are delivered
drawing test to a test of ellipses. standing out from the screen (more if you clear all the bricks,
Start things going again with the with the second window as its and get a new wall), at random
direct c o m m a n d 'circle_tesf. 'shadow'. So any text written to from either side of the screen.
and BREAK once you've had this window is highlighted. For The object, like many of these
enough. You'll need to enter the purpose of drawing blocks, games, is to achieve the highest
radius, eccentricity, and angle. the window can be ot any score possible.
Try it enough times to get a feel desired size. But. unless you are
intending to use the block as a
for the effect of those last two window, a better way of creating Fill-in
parameters. a block of colour on the screen It would be very limiting for
An arc is any line joining two is with the QL's BLOCK command. graphic displays if the only
points which follows a simple shape we could fill with colour is
curve. So, like the LINE »IIJ tnt ti« UINIHIH mtitl I1M.I rnuwna, a rectangular block. The QL
command, the QL's ARC A) *mdnw l*tt ruutln** comes to our rescue with a
command needs two Mm Hff inv l-Mll'.nti>r> MINIYIM test simple command. FILL, which
coordinates, to specify the start HO tVl l«,K A! CLS acts as a simple switch. 'FILL 1'
r.'.i,
and end point of the arc. a n d a 3:0 gf'th •*, nrr
?,«!> U
converts line drawing with LINE.
1MX1M (M,-•>'•, IT..' ,Av,*4
third parameter which describes 33<i tlWlfft 14,234) 0.0 ••> ARC, and CIRCLE commands
the angle of the curve. As the tri'lN 13. CCV> 30l»* 1 r»7* 4i*./ (and the turtle graphics
1/n Mini cis
arc can curve either side of the (HI, IM > IM MIMM.M '1 ',t commands) to produce shapes
straight line joining the two t>> H.UCI I n t roullni filled with the current INK colour.
points, this angle parameter IVK, no It,* HOT., Itffrl The command 'FILL 0' turns off
needs some way to define which 6ii> ivi r , at. the colour-filling facility, so that
k.M ;Jrti.L VWO.U.O
side the arc will curve. If the i.:v w u i loop: line graphics c a n again be
angle is positive, the line curves U.B achieved. You do have to be
IMill «i>,* f'ntor lllort t«-mjll> "IX
one way; if it is negative, to goes LStUl ••>,'" (•ntw Ol ock h»lgt.t "IV
bin IN,',II »•>." Ft.ttf i-IWilKKlP "1 • L 1*1. ,P
very careful in using the FILL
the other way. MM, (MtH •<>,' Intw r trm* di<i»t <• *ly. to. p. i. command; you may get some
INFUI •!>,- Entw •<il».r t»'-."V l -j ml o d d effects Here are some
Add the program lines in fig. 7<M> h Of, enor d ,v_coor 4 ,c«l
1d to the ellipse testing routine,
7IO simple examples:
J?fhi in • .cikkii.v coo*4,J
then type in 'arc__test'. The (NO KEPMt Imtti
'V LND Oft m> bLULI lliil
routine will draw lines INK 6: FILL 1: CIRCLE 100,100,50:
diagonally across the screen, BLOCK requires five FILL 0
curing with whatever parameter parameters; the horizontal and FILL 1: ARC 50,50 TO 200,100,2:
you set. You'll find that very small vertical sizes of the block in FILL 0
numbers (less than absolute 0.6) pixels, the x and y coordinates
will produce no effect. The QL of the top left point of the block, FILL 1: ARC 50,50 to 200,100,2:
cannot cope with very small and the colour of the block. LINE 50,50 TO 200,100: FILL 0
angles of curvature; instead of Again, the effect of the values FILL 1: LINE 10,10 TO 50,50 TO
drawing a straight line, it does depends upon scale. The block 50,10: FILL 0
nothing! colour can be any value FILL 1: LINE 100,100 TO 100.150 TO
Both CIRCLE and ARC have between 0 and 7 for the 140.20: FILL 0
relative equivalents; CIRCLE R standard eight colours, or values
and ARC _R. These commands between 8 and 255 for mixtures Type in each as a direct
enable circles, ellipses and arcs of them. In fig. 2a you'll see that command, using CLS between
lo be drawn relative to the the same range applies to the each; you should be in TV
graphics cursor. In CIRCLE R, PAPER command in defining the mode, with a SCALE of 200.0,0 (as
the coordinates of the centre of background colour of a window. set up by the earlier examples).
the circle are denoted as Fig. 2b has a listing of the The first command draws a
relative to the graphics cursor procedure to allow you to try out circle filled with yellow (INK 6).
position, whereas ARC_R will block sizes, positions, and So far, quite predictable. The
drawn an arc from the graphics colours. Again, a d d the listing to second command only asks for
cursor to a point relative to it, the previous test routines, and a curve to be drawn. You'll
moving the graphics cursor in type in block test' to initiate notice only part of the arc is
the process (as we saw last the routine, pressing BREAK to drawn, but you get a filled-in
month with LINE R). stop. Notice that if you define a shape with the FILL command
block to extend outside the providing a line joining the
There is a lot that can be appropriate window, then
done simply by drawing line starting point of the arc to a
nothing happens (including no point on the arc horizontal with
diagrams, but for more effect, error message).
sooner or later you'll want to fill the starting point. The rest of the
in shapes with colour, to You may have noticed that arc is ignored. The third
produce more striking effects. the graphics coordinate system example joins the two end
varies depending on the poinds of the arc in example 2
Colour fills command used. LINE. ARC a n d with a line; the whole shape is
tf you simply want a box filled CIRCLE all use the bottom left ot filled in.

ZX Computing Monthly • August 1986 15

 It.SO tOR i • l TO SOi move b»t: NtX1 I
F MJ. itKlAMHH ||,1W ISfoO IF BILL 1 *»0 I III.N
lS7u d i r x " t i FLSE I d i r x « - l
1 KEM.tr I >•»• 1(1,1 ill IH I • • • • 158U END II-
2 Rerun l>y U.tvlil IIKWII H , I (S90 b.i) ly h.il 1 v* I : Im 1 U"bal lk+1
J 1(1 f1..f I Hi-toi t . » s , I vti/- 160U END DEt-int-
4 RfcHarl 1690 RKM.
In tin 1 : Hitt I s hi<t b 2000 DEFino HiNttiun itiovo ball
.!•• Hl>va t ni ti h . t uO|i i'OJO UllCiil K ,y,«2. v2,bi.u I ant
'.<i itplayi hum l>«l I ti 2O20 REF'D.tt MidD locip
411 RI Ppat c (. 2030 REPoat cbutrt
50 itlOVI' ll.it 1 ItiQvt* III I t : lut>\i' I)a"
2040 x>b«llKi y b A l l y : b«ll_out a O
6»' IF z-1 * I HEN t- X. 1 r i*i 20SO :<2=>{4di r it: y2=yttliry: turn brtl|t=o
206i > IF x2<l OR x2>34 THEN
/0 hull Rfel tf.it n 2070
VO IF no w*l 1 nil N w«l I : (t I. • dt rx-dirK » - l
2COO BEEP 2000,20
luO hMi I 2O90
IlO If- IMJ 1 lit ti I * I t Oitiin icufi EXIT check
21 oo END IF
12" F.ND Kl.Po.tt wain I * <OtI 2 1 10
130 Ol « , " , . 4 : PNINI M t,.. .c iJ.i f IF yZ<l IHEN
2120 diry»l
HO HtlN! «u,' ! 1. you w.tnl .mo l u r q -Hi' t//n»' 2130
IS" KEPIMI I I BEEP 2000.20
I6"> z t * :n» t ¥» t I I
I/" if .-i-'-'v" in< .-J iH< t ' - r - IP ri-- I Ml N I a 11 It
1U" F.ND REPoat It
1911 II ; t t " V " OR . THEN RUN
20u Slut* 2140 EXIT chocI
SOO DEFine PRUt.iilur i> ili-l.iy :'1M> FND IF
510 i.otai t 2160 IF (y2,«2) '"X" 1IIEN
S,'" FUR l - l tt) |im HI; NI X I I 21 /O d l r y « - l i BEEP :j000,10s EX 11 chrrl
530 t ND DEFlne 2180 END IF
2190 IF y2»l9 I HEN tut) 1 out-ls EXll widu loop
IQ0O UEFI ni? PR(Jv.»dnre i ri 11 2200 IF >tl < y2 ,ii2i°" " IHEN EXIT wide loop
loto MINMM »iti,4lii t to,45,212 221 O tot«tot+nl (y',',M2)
102u WINDOW til ,4lO, 192,43,20 2220 f*rri»3»_brjcl: y2,«2s score
lo30 WINDOW 112,4 IO, 19 ,4:.,20 2230 BEEP 2000,ti: lorn b « l l » l
PAPER O PAPIR tr.',0: INt 4: INK 112,4 224o EXIT widestoop
1030 IISI 7;: i MJ CBIZS 10,1,0
22SO tNO RFPeat cbecli
226* > END REF'ent wide^loop
lu6o OF1.N It 4crt WINDOW tii,t>U', J LIB , O , O 2270 AT b a l l y - I , b d l l x - l t HRIN1 - "
lo/O n I " I1 2280 IF b a l l . o u t I MEN REItirn O
1 • H|i' PAPER it -.,4: MODE U 2290 lid I 1 x *b«t I I x «rii ri: i bait y»bal 1 y +dl ry
lovo CLSt CLB ROt C t l l f K , 2 , t i t o t « 0 2SOO AT bally-1,balIm- It PRINI "O"
i n n ' INI »3,0l AI «3,0,6i PRINT •3,"Score " t t o t ; ' IF t»irn_bal I THEN
HalIs " 231J. IF balfx-tdirx>0 AND bal t n+dirit 35 IHEN
1120 END DEFine 2320 IF til itirtl J y > l , liiil 1 x +dirx > * IIILN
I I *." Kl Mar I' d i r y l t ELBE
1 f l u DEFine PROCodura wal I 2330
-.'340 iliry=diry« I
I 15< i IOCaI 1 , J rjsu END It
1 1 6" DIN (19,34)i f i l l array
I I /O FOR lO 11 23SS END IF
1180 FOR i - l TO 34 2360 END IF
•t(j,tl*l2-j 2380 RETurn I
t JVC 2400 F.ND DEFine
1200 END FOR i 2SOO DEFino PROCeduro f i l l . a r r a y
2b IO LOCat i'
2320 FOR k»l IO I V
l o t Nil I I M I 2530 a*(tc)-l t i l * ( " ' ,341
•ti MM I 4*1 t i l - Ol S l t f 10 2540 NEX1 t
.V.' Uk I ' l 4i»U a 2SSi.> END DEI int*
•K HI in..! », J , I , i . 1m- ; 2600 tif M.ir I •inM#»»i.»m»n»ii,.,,,»
!n i I rrlj I Its j 3OO0 Dt F i ne PKOO'liirr hr let iy,:t I
frit I fib I-OR i 3020 It INI (K/2) «.'2 THEN
U'/O ! NI) Dtt- l n» S03o at<y,x>«" '*. ill ty. i-11<
t ",< 3u4t> A1 y - 1 It f Willi
I '.Hi' •J! i . r f PRPCm I i r e H.« T U N I T 3O50 ELSE
! 320 W t< ' 4H, i . ! < • •! I B O . r c l 30t>u ;>i < v t — t > •
i O M LiKTt 1 IN i ill 3i>/i» AT y - 1 , « 2t FftINI
t >4 t / I .1 I IV,I( I * . I 10 I •. •4) = "XXXX' 3OU0 END IF
1 '.AO -I-J a l (19,K i l ItJ « I •- * A / - 3090 END DEFinn
I • i I ND L I H I D 31bii KhNrtrl
t mo I- ND till I IIP 3200 DtFtne PftOCc.dure irorr-
l *90 Kl tl. 3210 12» P R I M ti , I nt
!-i»K> Dn ne I 'liOEeililr C MOVP brtt 3-'20 FA1Nl)N3,0,
DFF i rw»
14 lO Itr.tMl s 32K0 REMftrl
14 20 ; s i:ilbt «INi EYt tOI I DEFino luNi I I M I no >1 1
I 4 30 StLuut ON f 351 <>i OCal i
I 440 • f 9 S i I f i l l I iti.N l o t O j x l - x l - 1 : bat / t OR t T M II

o
J 45o »200i IF x l l i l i t N b«tt Olitl"! I ' l : ti«t 7
146fi END bELtsct
I 4 70 END 1)EF l nr
I 49<-' .1 i r
oo 15O0 DEFim* PKOv.t-tluf e nfw hall tip SS30 IF a F ( i ) FILL»C 1 ,:.4> IHEN RE Turn O
< 151 u I.OCal ) 3340 END FOR I
i 520 In I In* RND 11 > Si RND i l l III 14) 35SU RElurn 1
i 5 '.i • AT tlrtl ly.b.ll Ixi PRINT "0" 3560 END DEFino
QL t :.4o d i r y = l . ft! (13,0,30! PKIN1 *3,c) 35B0 REMrtrl I
ill
0 . Example 4 draws two sides of horizontal. FILL does the best It any problem in getting the
a triangle, but FILL gives you a can; It draws a horizontal line, desired result. Giving the FILL
completely filled triangle, with a n d ignores the remainder of c o m m a n d a partially complete
00 the third side a horizontal line the longer of the two lines. shape to fill. It sweeps up or
The last example a g a i n draws So. as you c a n see, if you give down a n d ends with a horizontal

0 two sides of a triangle, but the

expected third side is not a
FILL a complete shape, with both
ends joined, then there is rarely
line where it runs out of two
points to connect with colour.

70 ZX Computing Monthly • August 1986 15

 Just try these two almost an INK pixel over another INK POINT # 2,10,10
Identical examples to see how pixel c o n produce some o d d CIRCLE * 20,20,10
dlflicult it Is to predict exactly colour effects (try it!). 'OVER -1* LINE # 2,10,10 TO 50,60
what will h a p p e n to the display c a n be used to erase Items from In the first example, the graphics
when using the FILL c o m m a n d . the screen. When print cursor of window two Is moved to
commands, or line graphics, or 10,10. This does not affect the
LINE 20,20 TO 20,180: FILL 1: ARC coloured shapes are repeated position of the graphics cursor In
100,150 TO 100,100,-5: FILL 0 exatly In the same p l a c e after any other window. The second
FILL 1: LINE 20,20 TO 20,80: FILL 1: the OVER - 1 c o m m a n d is used, c o m m a n d draws a circle In
ARC 100,150 TO 100,100,-5: FILL 0 that item Is erased from the widow 0, while the third example
screen leaving the background draws a line In window 2.
The rule ot safety applies with colour. Hence, erasing c a n be The final listing to
FILL. Switch It oft (FILL 0) accomplished without c h a n g i n g demonstrate further the QL's
whenever you have successfully the INK colour, as mentioned graphic commands appears In
completed a colour filling earlier. fig. 5. It employs most of the
operation. principles outlined this month
The program in fig. 4 provides Windows a n d last, a n d It's a g a m e which
an example of several of the So far. in this, a n d last month's is fun to playl The object Is to
principles dealt with so far. It examination of the SuperBASIC land 10 parachutists onto a
draws a simple countryside graphics commands one target (at the base of the
scene. No doubt the artists Important feature of all screen). The closer to the centre
amongst you could do much commands has not been you get. the more points you
better, but if you watch the mentioned, tor simplicity. Every scora An aircraft travels across
scene being drawn out. a n d
follow the listing, It should help
to explain any of the principles
dealt with so far which might not Fin,4, Coutryvid* - giwnitritiwt a* OL griDMct
have been to clear. it) xfR«r> couNinvtiK sax
To MPUri An ><H»lt t> OL Orcpnic*
JO MfWl
Text 'n' graphics W WIKrl Imttlllw
so WINDOW 3I;,M*,O,O
Ml MOM Hi f»tft Ol CLS
There are many occasions when 70 SCALE 700,0,0
drawing diagrams on a micro MO Mn«r>
v<> moo 310,140,0,0,1
when you want text to a p p e a r 1 0 0 M n a r l Ldtit)
IWlHULl 510.114,0,140,4
on the screen mixed In with the 120 rolling milk
graphics. With most computers, IJO I** 41 FILL 1
140 LIM o.fto TO O.I4u
using the PRINT c o m m a n d will 1*> MIC o,l«o to 2oo,«o,-.»
t»0 riLL Ol Flu. I
not allow you to p l a c e the text 170 LINE SOO.IOO TO rOO.BO
exactly where you want It. With l » j MIC i s o . a o TO 3 0 0 , 1 0 0 , - 1 . 3
1*0 wnvk 51M
the QL. however, you have two TOO l » *
rio cinci* TOO,i7o.to
ways of p l a c i n g the print cursor. ! M MKVI fOAO
The AT' c o m m a n d organises the 2JO It* 0
240 MM: 40,0 TO 170, too TO 179, IOO TO 70,0
window Into a grid of columns 330 «n.rl <1.1 a,
7tO It*. 14
and rows, a n d e a c h character 270 FILL Ol FILL I
can only be positioned within ;t" LIU* as, IO TO I40,*0 TO 770,*o TO TOO, |»
7*0 FILL Ol FILL I
one of the character sized SOO 17
sio n i 4 3*.to TO iso.ao TO O.OO TO 0,0
blocks of that grid, allocated by ITU FILL O
the computer. 330 POINT To.iaoi ciou«*
J40fttvn.11=0,0,0
Finer control of the print 33"raiNt75,1151 rlcwm
•t.l) tlCMT 300,0,0
position Is attained with the 370 ft) I NT 400,2701 cloud*
FO* l-l TO 5
CURSOR command. Using this 3*0 KM F 700*40*1,0,0
command, you have pixel 400 POINT 13»i *IH>P i *40-20
4IO »ol«
control of the print position. This 4TO esc rod I
430 DCFin* cloud*
short example will demonstrate 44u II* >| ML- 1
the principle, a n d show you an 4V CI«U.t.l« 0 , 0 , 1 0 , 7 , 0
4fcu C I * C L E it 10,10.10,7,0
attractive way of producing 47n C I I H X C . R 1 0 , - 1 5 , 1 0 , 2 , 0
4(IO FILL u
program title pages. 4VO I Nil IX> I n# cloud*

10 PAPER 7: CLS
20 OVER 1
30 CSIZE 3,1
40 FOR l = 2 TO 4
50 CURSOR 50+3 * 1,60+3 * I
60 INK I SOO BCF i na MifX>d *r* eel**
3IO II*
70 PRINT "ZX COMPUTING JM klNC.lt 10 U.TO tO 0,-S
MONTHLY" 3111 LINE ft to - 4,0 TO •,() TO -4,0
540 I INT K 1(1 0,3 10 -7,0 TO 3,0
80 END FOR I 330 IND MF in*
90 OVER 0
In each circuit of the FOR. . .END
o
<
FOR loop, the print position Is
moved three pixels to the right, c o m m a n d c a n be directed the top of the screen, a n d you
and three down, to displace towards a specific window. In have to press the space bar
sllghly e a c h printing of the the examples to date, no when you want the parachutist
words "ZX COMPUTING window has been specified, to jump, then press the space
MONTHLY". To prevent e a c h over and, as window one takes the bar a second time to open the
printing erasing the previous default all commands have parachute The wind direction
text, the c o m m a n d 'OVER 1' Is operated on window one. To a n d speed cause the problems;
used. If you omit this c o m m a n d direct these commands to take note of those on the g a u g e CL
(or cancel It with OVER 0") then another window, e.g. 0 or 2 (or at the top ot the screen.
only one layer of text, the final any other channel that you have Next month Is the final part of
one printed will be seen. o p e n e d to the screen), you must C/>
this series; we'll be seeing how
Another variant of OVER Is 'OVER specify the channel. This Is done the QL communicates with other
-1' which also allows
overprinting, except that p l a c i n g
Immediately after the c o m m a n d
keyword. For example:
devices, a n d how files are
created a n d managed. a
ZX Computing Monthly • August 1986 15 71
 Fig. S. P a r at hull' itimci ut.mi- Ur oil nor. i'J n:nd speed -">
SOU r.l J.: I-LS H *: t t S « >: Cl.S Ml
Slo p. »P!-R AI tt0,0,16
| U Rt M a r P a r a h u t r ittmp S/u r'R IN1 #0, "
20 RKMar t hy . i 1 Mown'nil 530 jumps-O
3o REMart S4u PR 1III l l / H i g h .lumps Wind: "
4 0 1nit 350 PAPER tK',4: INI (10,2
S O R E P e a t qanH* PRIM I NO, "scnr p - O"
bu btar t up 57 O si ure-Mj
70 m a i II sau END OEFine Slnrt up
00 IF s c o r «f g h _ s c o r b I H i N Itign si.i)' L'-'setire 590
90 Update ejOO Dl t inn PROCeriur <• ,<r t plane
1 Oil 11 N U I m o r e T H E M I X I I g a m e 6 1 0 FILL H . , I
1 lO END R E P e a t g a m e 620 LINE « 3 , 0 , 0 HI 1 S O , 0 TO 100,40 10 40,40 TU O , B 0 TCI 0 ,
120 : ii SO K I L L #3,0
1 3 0 DEI-1 n e 1 mNI t i *,m inure 6 4 0 drop pes' 1"
1 4 0 C L S t» " 6 S 0 E N D DF.I l n e s t a r t pi flnp
130 P R I N T H i , " Anottiei ' (v/r.J " f»6t»
160 R E P e a t a t h ti'fO DEFinc? PlvUCodure move? pi aim
170 7.1 - I N K E Y i ( - 1 ) 680 PAN # 3 , 6
1 HO IF z J = " n " IJR "N" 1HEN REIurr 0 69U d r o p pufa< tirno.pOs+6
190 II OR = 1HEN RETurn 1 700 E N D D E F i m-? m n v p p l a n e
2 0 0 E N D R E P e a t as!" 7IO
210 END DEFinp mure 72o llEFine F ' K U C e d u r e j u m p
220 • /30 PU I N r drup_pos,260
2 3 0 D E F i n e P R O C e d u r p lust 740 CURSOR drop_pos-5,0
240 W I N D O W 3 1 2 , 2 5 6 , 0 , 0 7 SO F I L L 1: I N K 6
250 P A P E R O: C L S 7 60 P R I N T "o"
760 W I N D O W 5 1 0 , 2 0 0 , 0 , 3 0 770 FILL 0
27'> I - A P t R 1 : I N K 6 780 L I N E _ R TO O , - 8 T O 0 , 4 1 0 - 2 , 0 TO 6,U
2b0 O P E N *3, scr: W I N D U W H3,S10,1S,0, IS 790 P0IN1 drop_pos-2,245
2 9 0 P A P E R 1 1 3 , 1 : INI W3,2 800 LINEAR TD 0,6 10 5,0 TO 0,-7
30O O P E N » 4 , « t r : W I N D O W 5 1 0 , 1 5 , 0 ,0 BIO END DEFine Jump
310 PAPER H 4 , S : INI W'1,0 820
J20 W I N D O W #0,SI0,23,0,230 830 DEFine PRQCedurp Update
330 PAPER tto,4: INt t r 4 , 7 B4'.> INK * 4 , 0
34(> h i g h s c o r e - 0 850 AT H 4 , 0 , P R I N T H4,high scorn
330 SCALE 2 7 0 , 0 , 0 : MODE 8 860 A T 114,0,19s P R I N T jumps;" "
360 S C A L E #0,200,0,0 B/O INK W 4 , 7
3 7 0 E N D D E F i n e Init 880 AT ttO,1,8: INK « 0 , 0
380 : B9Ci PRINT WO, score
39o DEFine FuNction test_spare 900 END DEFine Update
4 0 0 IF K E V R O W ( 1 ) « 6 4 1HEN 910
41O IF j u m p e d - 0 T H E N R E T u r n 1 920 OEFine PROCedure set_wind_spped
420 IF j u m p e d o l T H E N R E T u r n 2 930 wi nd._s.pped = R N D (2 T O 8 )
4 30 E N D IF 940 M I n d _ s p e e d a WT n d _ s p e e d * ( R N D (1 T O 2)»2-3>
440 RE Turn 0 950 S E L p c t O N MI n d _ s p i ? e d
4 SO E N D D E F i n e t e s t _ s p a c e 960 =0: =" 0 "
460 3 970 = 1 T O lo: a * » " "«-wind_speedS<" > "
470 D E F i n e P R O C e d u r e S t a r t _ u p 9 BO O V wi n d _ s p e e d = R E M A I N D E R : a * = " < AKS (wind speed)
3 N
48o No_plones 0: scorB»0

990 END SELert 1340 E L S E : F'AUSE S

1 0 0 0 INI K 4 , 2 : AT H < 1 , 0 , 3 0 1350 E N D IF
1010 P R I N T It4 . a * 1360 II N O T c h u t p A N D j u m p e d ( H E N •.;>•• -ii s p e e d + l
1 <>20 I N K M 4 , 7 1370 IF c h u t e THEN
1 030 E N D DEI- I rip s o t m i nil s p e e d 1381) PAN wind speed
1040 1390 posit»on=position+mnd ipond
1050 D E F i n e PRCH.Pdure p a r a c h u t e 14u0 E N D IF
1060 1Nl 7 : P O I N T p o s t t i o n - 1 2 , h e i g h t + 2 8 14 I O I F h e i g h t * 0 I H E N E X I 1 main l o o p
1U70 F I L L 1: A R C _ R T O 2 4 , < > , - P l i42o IF d r o p , i > o a -180 A N D N O T j u m p e d I H K N E / I 1 (fa l n 1 oor
lOBO F I L L Ot L I N E A R T O - 8 , - 1 0 1430 IF p o s i t i o n " ) O R p o 5 i t i o n > S O O I H E N I. /. 1 I m. il r I
1090 P O J N t potii t i o n - 1 2 , h e t q h t i 2 B I 440 END REF'eat main_loop
1 100 L I N E R T O 8 , - 1 0 ) 4 SO II p o s i t i o n . 2 0 0 A N D p o s i t i o n - 29i> A N D i h u t e 1 M E N
1110 E N D D E F l n e iirfrachute 1460 s c o r e - 1 s c o r e + INI ( 1 0 - < A B i i < : ' 4 S - p o o i t i o n i / l o )
1 120 14/u E N D IF
1 130 D E F i n e P R U C e d u r e (t.ain 1480 Update
1 140 F O R i = l T O l O 1490 PAUSE 300
1 ISO j u m p s = JUITIDS* I
1 160 U p d a t e : s e t w i n d s p e e d

o I 170 jumpfc-d J 0: h e i g h t ^ 2 4 5
1 180 c h u t e = 0 : p o s i t i o n = l o
1 190 s t a r t _ p l a n e
u>
<
1200
1210
REPeat main_loop
7 2 =t t?st sp.n. e 1510
i r.oi i LI S: CLS »
PAUSE 2W'
1220 S E L e c t U N si i S/u END FUR i
1230 =0: P A U S E 5 I '330 END DKF' i np main
1240 s»l t j u m p : j u m p e d = l : speed=2
1230 post t i o n = d r o p _ p o s
1260 = 2 : IF h e i g h t < 2 3 5 A N D h e i g h t SO T H E N
Q. 1270 p a r a c h u t e : c h u t e = l : sp»e<i <i
:

1 280 jumped»2
1290 E N D IF
CO 1300 END SELect
1310 ntnv»»_pl a n e
1.320 IF j u m p e d T H E N

a 1330 S C R O L L s p e e d * . 7 7 : height«height-spei -d

72 ZX Computing Monthly • August 1986 15

Antony Stuart reports £1300. Apart from the problem of certain amount of redesigning is
transfering microdrived soft-ware essential. Microdrives are as
on CST's Thor micro, the to disc (which ought to be dead as the proverbial doornail
main contender. solved without too much and a new model QL will have
to incorporate a disc drive,
difficulty as long as the various
T h e Greeks used to tell a softwarehouses cooperate). Thor which will obviously boost the
parable about the ancient should run existing QL programs price from its current silly-sale
equivalent of a tramp steamer with little or no difficulty. level but this needn't be enough
plying the trade routes ot the Thor is actually the QL mark II to push the machine into the
Aegean. At every porl ol call, that Sinclair was flirting with cost bracket already dominated
the ship underwent some sort of before giving up and dumping by Amstrad and Atari where Ihe
minor repair — a few planks the problem on Amstrad's non-enthusiast is likely to think
here, a mast there and so on — doorstep and promises to be a twice and start looking at
until every piece of the vessel very good machine. But is stilt a Spectrum 128s Popular
had been replaced at least QL or is the QLs heralded computers also generate floods
once. None of the crew was lost resurrection more a of software from profit minded
through death, disaster, reincarnation info a higher life companies while small but
desertion or early retirement but form? The question would be as steady sellers get less attention.
(herewith the punchline) were idle as our Greek parabel were While quality QL software has
they aboard Ihe same ship they it not for Thor's price lag. An finally reached Ihe not bad'
originally left on? No doubt the improved QL is to be welcomed level, there is plenty of room for
issue topped the Greeks' hit — especially as existing owners improvement and Thor (unless it
parade of philosophical will be able to up-grade their were to really take off) is not
conundrums and may have machines thanks to CST — but going to provide the necessary
even rivaled the after dinner it's going to cost some £400 kick up the backside to software
problem of whether or not a first- more than the price ot the old houses.
class athlete could ever outrun a model in one of the large retail Elsewhere, plans by various QL
lortoise. outlets. One of the main ideas peripheral and soltware
It's easy to dismiss questions behind the QL's first (disasterous) companies (sometimes in
like this as non-starters. After all. launch was to bring a high cooperation with each other an
what else would one expect quality micro onto the market at sometimes not) to bring out a
Irom a civilisation which defined a price just about anybody can new version of the machine are
Man to be a featherless biped' ( afford. At £550. on the other continuing but, as yet, there is
and refuted It when Diogenes hand, Thor will lie in that never- little sign of anything on the
threw a plucked chicken over never-land between the low cost horizon. One scheme
the walls of the Platonic games machines and the masterminded by QDOS author
Academy) or tolerated a loud- dearer jungle of PCs and small Tony Tebby reports considerable

COLUMN
mouthed proto-hippy (Diogenes business machines. enthusiasm on the part of
again) smugly going about To be fair, the QL was first dealers and others but (in the
looking for an honest man while launched at £399 and the later last few weeks) some reluctance
he was wanted for drop to £199 was more due to to match this eagerness with
counterfeiting? But, never to be commercial desperation than a hard cash. Again the target is a
outdone, Ihe wonderful world ol kindness to micro-hungry people PCW launch and scaring up
Sinclair computers may Just with tittle disposable income. backing money from reluctant
have come up with an up-to- Given Thor's considerable cheque books is a problem that
date contusion of near equal number of a d d e d features and lhas been overcome before. So
magnitude. Anybody unlortunate improvements. £550 certainly it's quite possible that we will
enough lo run across an ancient buys a better value machine see a second reincarnated QL
Greek armed with questions than £399 die a couple ot years In a few months time, costing
about identity loss in sailing a g o but price trends in micros (probably) about £100 less than
vessels may now retaliate with are downwards and Thor is Thor.
Ihe ever burning issue of 'when unlikely lo capture much of the But the future of the QL we alt
does a QL cease to be a QL?' market Sinclair first envisioned know and love still rests with
for its quantum leap computer. Amstrad which still looks set on
QL Mark II CSt has found an adequate letting it die off with or without
Recently the micro press has supply of QL circuit boards dignity. Apparently Amstrad is
carried stories about the QL without going to Amstrad but still willing to sell its rights to the
rising from the d e a d (or at least eventually such a step would QL for some £2 million but,
from Ihe Amslrad dust bin) in Ihe seem unavoidable if Thor is to considering the small market
form of CST's Thor micro, which is have a long-term future. appeal so far. this is probably
scheduled (or launch at Ihe next Otherwise it could prove to be little more than a clever way of
PCW Show. Thor, to put things in little more than a clever way to discouraging would-be buyers
the most basic terms, is a QL turn some surplus circuit boards from ringing up Reincarnated
circuit board in an IBM format at into a marketable product at a QLs wilt be a good Ihing but the
an Atari price. Thor will come reasonable price. chances of keeping a low-
with a single 720K floppy disc I wish the Thor well but to save priced. machine with only
drive. 640K RAM. Centronics and the QL as we know it from the essential up-grading on the
mouse ports and will cosl £550. d e a d we need something pretty market stilt look slim. I suspect
A second version will add a much like the old product we will have to wait tor the PCW
20Mb hard disc drive and cost selling at a rock-bottom price. A Show before we know for sure.

ZX Computing Monthly • August 1986 15

 David Nowotnik takes a
look at what's new on
the QL software scene
including two new
graphic packages.

CAD PAK
Datalink (Wales)
£14.95

TECHNIQL
Talent Computer
Systems
£49.95
C o m p u t e r Aided Design (CAD)
Is a rather fashionable phrase to
describe computer graphics
aimed at producing all sorts of
professional designs, from cars to
buildings to maps; anything
which might be otherwise
assigned to a draughtsman's
board. There is a rather obscure
dividing line between CAD and
computer graphics aimed at
producing pretty pictures. This
review takes a took at two recent
QL releases which exemplify this
point. The first under the
microscope Is CAD PAK;
modestly priced at £14.95, by Its
name, it obviously tries to place
Itself at the professional grade. In
practise, It Is just on the
borderline, but scores quite high
as a graphics program.
Unfortunately, CAD PAK's 16
page 'manual' is a something of
a joke! The pages are only 3x2
inches, and the contents can be
read In just a few minutes (If you
read slowly). These Instructions
leave a lot for users to discover
by trial and error.
However, as a graphics
program, CAD PAK is simplicity area; press 'space' again, and
itself to use. Having produced start using the option selected.
the obligatory backup cartridge, Moving the arrow keys draws,
the ommislons In the manual paints, erases as the cursor
can be overcome relatively moves. Pressing space
easily. After loading, when the alternatively switches on and off
00 drives stop, there is a worrying 6 the option, so you can move the
second pause before anything cursor to start at a new position.
5 happens, then the drawing The window at the lower left is
board appears on the screen. a demonstration window, which CAD PAK has a 'cut' and 'stick'
Take a look at the sample shows the type of result you option to move blocks of the
printout in fig. 1. Apologies for should get from the selection of picture from one place to
the reviewer's rather poor artistic ink. brush, shade, etc Various another, or repeat blocks. This
skills: Instead, take a close look window shades are shown below facility, coupled with ability to
at the Icons and text around the the drawing window. In tig. 1 the create shapes and specific
drawing area. Using cursor keys large areas of 'colour' and window shades Just about justify
and space bar (or joystick and pattern were drawn with the the 'CAD' label. But for a really
fire button) options are easily window shade facility. professional CAD package for
selected by moving the usual Along the top are another the QL, TechniQL from Talent
arrow to the selection required, series of options; load and save Software is going to be hard to
and pressing 'space', or fire. pictures, a d d text (of various beat.
Working down the icons on sizes), select shapes, a few
the left hand side, you get simple help pages, plus print to Down in the cells
O selections of recolour. text, air Epson compatible printers. CAD The concept of TechniQL Is the
brush, select a shape, dustbin* PAK uses QL's four colour, high 'cell'. Within each cell you can
09 (to clear the screen), eraser, and resolution mode, but the 'colours' create diagrams, icons, and
various sizes of paint brush. option permits many designs as simple, or as
Having made the selection, the combinations of these for various complex as you desire.
0 arrow is moved to the drawing shade effects. Depending on available

74 ZX Computing Monthly • August 1986 15

memory, you can create up to positioning of the line Is good reproduction of the
75 cells. So, the main cell c a n required. arcade classic has the player
be a large diagram with the Not only do you have a large trying to rescue the fair maiden
basic framework, and within that piece of 'paper' to draw on, but from that evil giant gorilla, King
cell are e m b e d d e d smaller several 'transpacencies' which Kong. On screen one. the King is
cells. Within limits, each cell can can be layed over the 'paper'. rolling barrels from the top of the
be scaled up or down, mirrored, Up to eight layers can be used; screen, down ramps at our hero,
rotated (90° at a time). One cell the user can select which of who has to avoid these hazards
can be e m b e d d e d In another these eight layers are active, so (and fire) in making his way to
several times, so easing the allowing the final diagram to be the top to release the damsel in
problem of redrawing the same created literally layer-by-layer. distress. For extra points, the hero
item several times over. Hard copy output is limited to can smash the barrels as they
The oblique view of a house Epsom compatible printers, but fall with hammers, but must
In fig. 2 was created by the enhancements are planned otherwise avoid death by
reviewer with TechniQL. The which will allow output to dodging or jumping over the
outline of the house is the main plotters and non-standard barrels as they tumble to the
cell, small, medium, and large printers. Talent currently offer a ground.
windows three other cells, and service to users In producing The reward for success Is a
the door a fifth cell. After plotter prints of user diagrams. further three screens, with
creating the simple icons In the Other planned enhancements variations on the same theme,
secondary cells, embedding, are cell 'library' maintenance and other deadly hazards to be
scaling and positioning in the utilities, and a font (character) overcome by our hero. As
main cell are very simple. generator. always, the object is to score as
much-as possible within three
lives. There is a 12 life option to
practise the game, and a 1/2
player option if two heroes are
competing to save the girl.
At any other time, one might
question why a past favourite
c r m should be resurrected for a
quality micro like the QL. The
quality of graphics are well
below the QL's capabilities. But
arcade game enthusiasts,
starved ot material for the QL
and, no doubt, worried about
Fig. 1: Example printout from CAD PAR. fig. 2: Example from TechniQL. the tuture, will certainly welcome
Very large pieces of 'paper' It is unfortunate that such a the arrival of The King".
can be used in creating superb program Is not supplied
designs, with the monitor acting with a good manual. The
as a window over a section of manual appears on the single Underwater adventure
the diagram. Panning across the microdrive supplied with Adventurers, also short of QL
diagram, or zooming In a n d out, TechniQL as a 'compressed* text material, will be warmed by the
are simple. An example tor using file. The file has to be expanded arrival of Aquanaut 471. This
these facilities Is Included In this (using software provided), then offering Is a mixture of fairly
package. This demonstration Is a printed out by the user. Although standard text adventure injected
map of the Isle ot Arran; this 'manual' has a table of with a little arcade action.
zooming out displays the whole contents, the printout has no Based in the 21st century, the
Island, and zooming In, and page numbers. Nor are there object is to guide Aquanaut 471
panning to the right position on any Instructions on page size, to ot the Oceanic Federation to the
Ihe Island gives a street m a p of ensure that the printout is undersea research station of
Ihe town of Brodick, for those correctly paginated. At £49.95, it Trident Dome, which is In trouble.
south of the border, Arran is Is not unreasonable to expect a Why this senior officer hasn't got
located In the Firth of Clyde, the hard copy of the manual, rather a map explaining how to get
detail on this example is very than the user having to spend there, goodness only knows, but
Impressive an hour or so producing you have to guide him by trial
There are a wide range of something markedly Inferior. a n d error with the usual north,
commands to accommodate all In summary, CAD PAK might south, east and west directions.
the facilities offered by TechniQL, be fine for producing pretty The journey can take place

£
but Ihese are grouped into five pictures, but if you really want on the surface of the sea, or
menus, which are "pulled down' CAD of a professional standard, underwater. Despite being the
simply by pressing one of the TechniQL Is well worth the 21st century, the submarine
function keys. Alternatively, all investment, appears Incapable of detecting 111
commands can be entered as anything under the surface >
two or three letter keywords. while travelling on the surface.
Accurate drawing is simple Monkey business So, underwater travel Is essential 111
using a grid facility. With 'SNAP' Despite all the uncertainty over to find where you are going, but OC
engaged, all drawing Is the future of the QL, It is beware ot getting trapped, and
accomplished by connecting reassuring to see new good running out of air!
points with a grid of dots. So quality software still appearing For light relief, the game
lines, polygons, circles, arcs, and for this micro. The Cornwall firm incorporates three arcade
curves are created, and of Microdeal have recently action situations. Sound and
accurately positioned by launched two new titles, 'The graphics quality are reasonably
'snapping' to the grid. If you King' a n d 'Aquanaut 471' for the good in these sections, and the
zoom out, the dots of the grid QL. Both are priced £19.95, a n d games are fun to play.
may disappear, but moving the both will appeal to quite The manual recommends that
cursor reveals that the arid Is still
active. Shapes can be Tilled,
different sections of the games
market.
you make a map to help you as O
and Ink colour varied, to provide The King is simply another
you go along, as some mazes
are rather complex. For those
</>
(on the screen, at least) version (although the first for the who get really stuck (like the
coloured diagrams. SNAP can
be disabled, if more precise
QL) of the game otherwise
known as Donkey Kong. This
reviewer!) Microdeal offer two
help sheets for an extra £1 each. 0
ZX Computing Monthly • August 1986 15
Mark Fendrick reports A+ Computer Response marking these units would be designed
the first national ads appearing directly for the U.S. use. and not
on product news from for Sinclair products since need any modification and
Sinclair Research sold the ZX-81 would be 100% compatible with
the States a n d the QL's by mailorder in the days before currently existing computers. A+
Timex acquired the North Is not stopping its support with
brightening future. American marketing rights. the current model QL, a n d has
One of A+'s priorities Is the investigated the next generation
acquisition of additional stock of QL's being developed by Tony
the current model QL. Two Tebby and by CST. It seems that
directions being investigated are although Cllve Sinclair's
the purchase of British model company is out of the picture,
F=or whal is probably the first QL's, or an additional production the future of the QL In the U.S.
time since the original ZX-80 was run of the American model. The market Is brighter than ever. Not
introduced, U.S. and UK, Sinclair first option would require that the all QL action Is being
computer owners have many of British models be modified for undertaken by A+ however. The
the same concerns. Although use in the States (Including first two software titles written in
the future of the Spectrum line Is perhaps the substitution of a JSU the U.S. have now been
not truly an issue In America ROM!). The power supply would released. They represent the
where it was never introduced, have to be compatible with the beginning of a number of
the future of the QL is of great U.S. power system; the TV display packages being written In the
interest. As was reported last mode would have lo be States by software authors long
month, however. Ihe US. might modified for the NTSC standard familiar to the American Sinclair
have a slight edge with the in use in the U.S., and additional user.
involvement of A+ Computer shielding would be required to
Response as the new QL pass the Federal Upgraded war
distributor. At the moment there Communications Commission The first title released Is the QL
are 16 authorized QL dealers as (FCC) required testing. version of a game which has
well as the many other dealers (Computers not passing FCC been with us since the days of
who still carry Sinclair products certification are now being the ZX-81 (T/S 1000). Written by
including the QL. confiscated and heavy fines Mark Stueber of Sharps, War In
A+ is not just supplying its being levied. US. owners of the East is now available for the
dealers with QL's and other British models of the QL are QL. With each new Sinclair
Sinclair products, but is truly technically in violation of this computer released. War in the
supporting the line in a manner law which is currently being East has been upgraded to take
unheard of for Sinclair products enforced quite vigorously. Those advantage of the increased
in this country. After the Sinclair now considering the purchase of technology. The latest version is
ComputerFest in May, Carol and a QL should ascertain that they in four parts — a master games
George Whitham flew to London are receiving an FCC approved module and three scenarios.
to attend the ZX Microtair. Upon unit.) A+. who is supplying repair These scenarios cover three
their return, we were happy to and warranty service, informs me different years of the German-
hear that there are many that no warranty service is Russian conflict during World
exciting developments on the available for British units War II. Scenario I {Barbarossa
horizon for the QL which A+ although repairs can be done
tor a fee. For a list of the 1941) covers the initial Invasion of
Computer Response will be Russia during World War II. The
supporting. In addition, to authorized QL dealers send a
S.A.S.E. to A+ Computer player controls the German
augment the official Sinclair line Army and allies while the
of software and hardware, A+ Response (69-B Island
Street/Keene. NH 03431). computer directs the Russian
will be adding third party Army. Scenario II (Stalingrad
developments to their list of The second option would 1942) covers the second summer
products available to the have to be negotiated with the of the war between Germany
authorized QL dealers. The first owner of the production rights to and the U.S.S.R. After falling short
national advertising for the QL the QL — Amstrad. This would be of victory the summer before, the
has slarted to appear thanks to preferable in my opinion since German army tries to knock out

ZX Computing Monthly • August 1986 15

Russia — this time through the present a real challenge and almost any position by
wheat fields of southern Russia requires thought and planning, speficylng the rotation around
to deprive the Red Army of their you may consider the newest the x, y and z axes. You can
food supply. Scenario III release of this classic Sinclair zoom in or out, pan left, right, up
(Destruction of Army Group simulation. It Is available from or down. You can even make a
Center 1944) has the German most U.S. QL dealers as well as hard copy by utilizing the print
army spread thin on three fronts from Sharps, lnc./Rt. 10, Box driver supplied with your copy of
and near total collapse as they 459/Mechanicsvllle, VA QL Business Graphics (Easel).
try to hold ground a n d prevent 23111/U.S.A./(804)746-1664. You can either make your
the Red Army from entering the creations completely freehand,
Third Reich. 3-D images or use the built in figures such
You get some Idea of the The second new U.S. release of as boxes, circles and elipses.
quality of this product from the QL software Is from another Your figures can then be rotated
time you receive it just by the programmer whose work dates to create the 3-D images which
way it is packaged. Inside the back to the ZX-81 - Robert are so vividly displayed by this
four cartridge "book" you will Fingerle of Tesseract Software software. Text may be placed
find in addition to the four parts Development. I first became into the screen area in one of
of this program a full page copy aware of Robert when I received five character sizes and any of
of the entire map (you only get a copy of Textwrlter 1000 the solid color choices available
to see a portion onscreen at any wordprocessor which I employed on the QL. Models may, of
given time) as well as a card extensively in the days when my course, be saved to microdrlves
describing each scenario and ZX-81 was my workhorse. When I for future use or modification.
its individual victory conditions. first started writing my Sinclair "What about speed?", I hear
Each game will continue for column over here, I contacted you ask. Concept 3-D Is a
twenty turns or until the victory him to see if he had upgraded Supercharged program, and
conditions are met. TW1000 for my new Tlmex/Sinclair one which truly makes use of
When first loaded, you will be 2068. It turned out that he had Digital Precision's fine SuperBasic
asked to Indicate if you have indeed made the upgrade, and compiler. With each
any additional memory my earliest columns were written reorientation, the model Is
installed. At this time, however, on Textwriter 2000. (A full size redrawn with quite bearable
War in the East does not work printer version - TW2000 + — speed. Concept 3-D will work
with 512K a d d e d - as I and a 64 column version — with any amount of memory
discovered — so you will have to TW2000 + 64 — were to follow as including an unexpanded QL. It
disconnect your expansion if you well.) does work with 512K added.
have a d d e d 512K. Mark Stueber His first release for the QL is Concept 3-D is being
has told me that he Is working to not a wordprocessor, though a marketed by Curry Computer
correct that and should have it newsroom type program is in the (RO. Box 5607/Glendale, AZ
licked shortly. The loading works. Concept 3-D Is a three 85312-5607/U.S.A./(602)978-2902/Tel-
process takes quite a while, dimensional CAD (Computer ex(via WUI):6501267701) and is
switching back and forth Aided Design) program. available through most U.S.
between the master module Concept 3-D comes with a Sinclair dealers. Curry Computer
cartridge and the scenario thorough 42 page manual with is the exclusive U.S. distributor for
cartridge. When loaded the many Illustrations. Even If you many QL products including the
screen is divided into three have never had the need or Pyramide line of software from
windows. Window 1 shows a opportunity to design three France whose offerings include
portion of the map; window 2 dimensional Images, by Wanderer and Peintre.
shows the phase the game is In following the illustrations and Finally, in answer to a query
(movement/attack/view) and zone demos as presented In the by Timothy Parnell In
of control; window 3 shows the manual, you will soon find CROSSWIRES (ZXC June, 1986 -
type of terrain the currently yourself creating some very yes Bryan, I do read the whole
active unit Is in. In addition. sophisticated images. issue each month!) both disc
Information is presented The Concept 3-D screen is In drive interfaces and modems
regarding the type of unit in three parts. Across the top In the are still available for the ZX-81
question and the number of red area you can see the here In the Stales. For
positions It may move. The percentage of memory being information on disc drives write
player conlrols the Axis power used, which model you are to AERCO (Box 18093/Austin. TX
units while the computer currently using (you may store a 78760/(512) 451-5874). The
handles all Russian units. number of different creations Westridge 2050 modem is
This is not an arcade shoot- called models), the viewing available from many Sinclair
em-up type game nor Is it an angle, and the window size. The vendors, but the supply is not
adventure game. It Is In fact a second window, which occupies reliable as this modem was
very sophisticated war most ot the screen, is your work discontinued almost from the <O
simulation in which you have to area. At the bottom left corner start. By contacting them you
analyze all factors and plan you will see the reference can check on availability. (Send
strategy. Unit size, strength, coordinate axes so that you can me a letter asking about
position, weather (the seasons determine the orientation of your availability and I will forward it
change as Ihe game procedes), design. The final window, across to dealers who I know currently
and many other factors must be
considered in order to meet the
the bottom of your screen in
green, Is your menu of options.
have stock. Write to Mark L,
Fendrick/RO. Box 2392/Secaucus, 2<
objective and produce the Your screen may be set to either NJ 07094-0992/U.S. A./Telex(via
victory conditions. Be prepared TV mode or high resolution WUI):6502163495). Often, uncased
to spend several hours with each monitor mode, as well as having modems can be had for a
scenario as this is not a fast the option of setting your design much reduced price. The Byte-
action game. Chances are that and background colours Back Company (Rt. 3. Box 147,
you will find yourself using the The manual takes you through Brodie Rd./Leesvllle, SC
SAVE GAME feature more than 29070/(803) 532-5812) Is still 15
<
a very complete tour of three
once before each scenario is dimensional design, in both manufacturing their ZX-81
completed. compatible modem/Interface/
d
theory and practice. There Is a
If you are looking for a run of demo file containing a racing software package. Don't forget to
mention that you heard about It
z
Ihe mill arcade, shoot-em-up or sailplane with which you can
adventure game, War in the East practice using the features of here in ZX Computing Monthly
is not for you. If. however, you Concept 3-D. You have the whenever you contact any of
want something which will ability to rotate the figure to these vendors.

ZX Computing Monthly • August 1986

 iiiiiiB
Toni Baker looks at
D i i a
Instruction'. This sequence of
bytes is therefore a sequence of
spare byte beyond the
calculator stack.
calculator instructions, and, as Let's see what we can do with
some of the functions we know, any sequence of the calculator now, shall we?
Instructions constitutes a That Is to say. let's examine what
of the Spectrum's built- program. RST 28 thus Initiates happens when we put
execution of a program — not instructions between RST 28 and
in calculator. BASIC or machine code, but a end-cala
calculator code program. Figure One In this article is an
T h i s article is all about how to Such a Calculator Program' Appendix, which lists those of
use that magical machine code must be terminated by the the calculator Instructions which
instruction RST 28. which controls calculator Instruction "end-calc", are covered by the Information
the Spectrum Calculator. We which switches the calculator In this article. Each Instruction
shall cover the principles, and off. All bytes following this end- has a hex c o d e (the data byte
ot most ot the calculator Junctions calc Instruction will be to be used In the byte-
Interpreted as normal machine sequence), and a name (which
O (le the easy ones). In next
month's article I shall deal with code Instructions. The describes Its function). The first
< the remainder of these functions. hexadecimal code for "end-
calc" Is 38. This means that the
calculator instruction we shall
learn is "add" which, as Its
RST 28 is a machine code shortest possible calculator name implies, will a d d two
Instruction. It Is a short form of program is just two bytes long, numbers together. To use "add"
CALL 0028, which simply calls a
o
as follows: the two topmost Items on the
machine code subroutine at calculator stack must be
< address 0028 (In the ROM). But
that's not the easiest way to
remember it, because since
EF DEMO RST 28
38
Switch the calculator on
end-catc
numeric The action of this
function is to remove these two

o
numbers from the stack, a n d to
address 0028 is in the ROM It Switch the calculator off replace them with their sum.
means that all Spectrum users As you can see from the Thus "add" will reduce the
will find RST 28 working comments, the above program calculator stack by one Item,
111 Identically (although WARNING has the effect of switching the "add" is called a BINARY
o - the Shadow ROM of the ZX

8
calculator on, then off again, function because it requires two
Interlace One, or the New Rom and so effectively achieving operands (although it only
of the Spectrum 128, should not nothing at all. It does, however, produces one result).
be p a g e d In when RST 28 Is achieve one useful "side-effect",
used in this way). The easiest which Is to assign DE with the
way to remember if is that RST 28 contents ot the system variable Binary functions
is an instruction meaning (STKEND). and HL with (STKEND)-5.
"Switch the calculator on". In other words, both HL and DE There are many other binary
will become pointers into the functions. As you would expect,

%
RST 28 calculator stack, which was "subtract", "multiply" and
discussed last month. HL will "divide". There Is also "power"
A RST 28 instruction must be point to the first byte (Ihe which raises one number to the
followed by a sequence of data exponent byte) of the topmost power of another.
bytes, each of which is item on the calculator stack, The calculator also provides
Interpreted as a "Calculator while DE will point to the first us with UNIARY instructions. These

78 ZX Computing Monthly • August 1986 15

work by taking just one operand FIGURE OfiF - SOKE OK T«E CAICU'ATOR IKSTKL'CTTCXiS
(rom the stack, and replacing It
with a result (for instance "sqr" CODE SAKE B&rORE AFTKR fiSSCHITTl v
which will remove the topmost 01 exchange *»y y(x exchange two H e " * .
item on the slack, and replace it OP delete X delate one I t e n .
with the square root of that
number). These leave the length 03 subtract x,y x-y subtract second r.'jmber from f i r r t .
of the stack unchanged, 04 mil t i p l y **y n u l t i r 7 y two number* t n r e t * « r .
because the number of items on divide x/y divide f i r s t nunber by second.
05
the stack is the same afterwards *»y
as It was before. Figure Two Is a 06 power *»y *fy raise 1st num to pover o f Ppd.
calculator program to calculate 07 or *iy x OR y logic*} OR function.
SQR(COS X + SIN X) - you logical A'*D funrtinn (ro« i n l y ) .
08 end (no.4 n o . ) x ANO y
should be able to follow it quite x,y
easily. OF ndd (nums) *,y x*y prfd two r.umt ers together.
Some of the functions are 10 and (str.A n o . ) x$,y x$ AND y empty s t r i n g I f n'tmber r*ro.
logical ones, for instance AND 17 ndd ( s t r s ) x$,y$ xS+y$ nrtd nafor.d s t r i n " to f i r ^ t .
and OR. These work the same
way as they do in BASIC (ie X 19 usr ( s t r . ) xt USR x$ addre?? of HDf* riven by s t r i n g .
AND Y equals X, unless Y is zero 1A read In X Pi KEYS # x read In byte fr • r«v«*n ihinr.el.
In which case it equals zero; negate negate the rubber.
IB X
similarly X OR Y equals X. unless
-X

Y is non-zero, in which case It 1C code x$ CODE x$ the ch»r"cter endo i ' rrr,
equals one). The function NOT is IE len X* Lfy the number o f <?h»-s the *tr1nr».
available, which produces one if
SIM * the sine o f the r i - h * r .
the original number was zero, IF a in V
but zero otherwise. There are ?0 cos X COS x the cos i n " o f t k e number.
also two new logical functions: PI tan X TA!: x the tangent o f tne number.
LESS THAN ZERO and
GREATER _THAN ZERO. As their PP *sn X fiSS x the ercslre o f the n'lTbet-,
names suggest. LT Z will ?3 acs X ACS X the nrceo*l»-e o f the »-<inber.
produce one if the original ?4 atn X ATM x the arctanrent o f the n'i**ber.
number was less than zero, zero
otherwise, and GT _Z will In X IK x the natur-1 logaHthw nf the
produce one if the original exp X EXP x the antllogarithm o f *be r r ^ r ,
number was greater than zero, lnt D:T x largest I n t e g T not g r t r than nun.
?7 X
zero otherwise.
?8 SM^R X SQR r the sruare eoot o"* the nu^be--.
There are five ready made
constants which you c a n stack ?9 sgn X SON x -1, 0, or 1, areordlnr to slgr:.
onto the calculator stack 2k ebs X ABS x absolute magnitude o f number.
automatically. Their codes run
?B peek PEC.K x contents o f ne^re-s gW"n.
from AO to A4 Inclusive. AO for X

Instance Is the calculator 2C In X Hi x re^d in byte from Input p o r t .

Instruction "stk . zero", and its 2D usr (mini) X UfR x value det"mined by aubrt.
action is to leave an additional
Item — the number zero — at ?K str$ X 5TR$ x atrlng o f the num^e- r* p^lrt*' 4 .
Ihe top of the calculator stack. ?F chr$ X CHRt x ctv»r»rter whose ro^e is
Similarly "stk one" will stack the 30 not X NOT x 1 i f nun equals 'ero, e'^e 0,
number one; stk half will stack
the number 1/2 (remember the 31 duplicate X x,x extr» copy O r t o i ^ S t Item.
calculator stack c a n hold full 3? mod_di» *»y x K0D y,x DIV y quotient ^nd rj—aln^er (lrtef«r'
floating point numbers); stk_pl/2 less_zero X x<0 t i f num leaf tb»n el»e 0.
36
will slack halt ol pi (or 1.5707963);
and finally stk ten will stack the 37 etr_zero X * >0 1 i f nun gt.r than 0, else 0,
number ten.
Some of the entries In Figure
JB end_cnlc switch o f eaiciPMor.
O
One may surprise you. For
39 get-argt X ( ? / P I ) ' A S H SDI x <
instance, we have two functions 3A truncate X (SGN x)«WT (x*SGN x)
- "usr (string)" a n d "usr 5D restack X X re-stnrk In f l o a t i n g j o i n t form.

o
(number)". In BASIC there is only AO stk_zero 0 3tack the number zero.
one USR keyword. The difference
is that In BASIC the same
keyword does two separate Jobs.
USR 'J" lor instance will give you
At
AP
stk_one
stkjwlf
1

0*5
stack the number one.
atack the mwiber one h a l f . <
o
stkjii/? PI ft stack the number h a l f o f PI.
the address of user-defined A3
graphlc-J, because "J" is a atk ten lOd 3tack the number ten.
string, not a number. On the CO store_H0 x store in memory zero.
LU
X

a
olher hand, PRINT 65536-USR 7962 store in memory one.
CI atoreJM X
will tell you how many bytes of X

memory you've got left. The C? atnre_K? X X store in memory two.

calculator is not so clever. It has O
o
CJ atore_K3 X X store in memory three.
no way of knowing whether the
item at Ihe top of the calculator CA ritorc_tfit X X store In memory four.
stack is a number or a string. C5 fltore_H? X X store in memory f i v e .
You have to telt itl For this reason Ul
z
E0 r«callJ40 HO recall from memory zero.
Ihere are two separate
calculator functions (or the two recall f r « memory one.

x
El r*rall_K1 HI
different operations.

o
n> recall_H? M? recall from momory two.

<
"usr (number)" is by far the E3 rfca)i_K3 HJ r e c a l l from memory three.
most confusing calculator KA r e c a l l from memory four.
Instruction of all. What It does M rec*ll_K4
precisely is this: one number is E5 r-cillj") recell from memory f i v e .
removed from the top of the 5
15
ZX Computing Monthly • August 1986
 is that if x Is negative then
FIGURE TWO MOD DIV will produce the
wrong answer! (The first of the
EF PFMOJ? RST 28 Switch calculator on. (Assune one two new numbers will be
Incorrect.)
number, x, on the calculator stack).
51 duplicate X, X
Adding Calculator
?0 cos x, COS X
Memories
01 exchange COS x,x
1F sin OOS x,SIN x Giving yourself more than six
calculator memories all hinges
OF ndd cos x • sm x on the system variable MEM. You
?8 sqr SqHtCOS x +SIH x) see, each Item on the calculator
stack takes five bytes. Therefore,
w endcalc Switch calculator o f f .
each of the calculator memories
must also take five bytes.
Memory zero is stored at address
FIGURE TOREK (MEM), memory one at (MEM)+5,
memory two at (MEMJ+OA, and
EF DFH0_5 RST ?& Switch calculator on. (Assume ono so on. The address of MEM Is
5C68, and it normally contains
nunber, x, on the calculator stack). the value 5C92. This means that
c? storo_H5 {Memory three contains x ) . it normally points to the system
?0 COS COS x variable MEMBOT. Since MEMBOT
contains thirty bytes, it follows
K5 r c c a l l M5 CO? x,x that there is room to store
1F sin cos x,sm x exactly six memories (since five
OF ndd COS x +STH X
times six equals thirty).
Suppose you wanted to give
?e SCH(COP x +SIN x) yourself thirty-two memories (this
58 endcalc Switch calculator o f f . is the maximum number of
memories possible). Firstly you
would need to create six
calculator stack, and stored in memories. Figure Three Is an hundred and forty bytes of spare
the BC register pair (It it will fit. of alternative way of calculating memory. You could use space
course — if It doesn't you'll get SQR(COS X + SIN X), but this above RAMTOP tor this purpose,
an error report). Then a machine time using memories. by CLEARing enough space in
code subroutine will be called Before T go on to tell you all BASIC Another way of doing It
at this address On return from about how you can Increase the would be to load BC with the
such a subroutine, the value memory space. I'd like to a d d a number of bytes needed (In this
contained by the BC register word or two of warning: The case 640d, or 280h), then use the
pair is placed at the top of the functions SIN, COS, TAN, ASN, Instruction RST 30. This will create
machine stack. The next ACS, ATN and LN will corrupt the required number of spare
calculator instruction In memories 0, 1 and 2. The bytes in the workspace.
sequence will then be executed. function EXP will corrupt Following the use of RST 30, DE
There are other instructions memories 0, 1, 2 a n d 3. The will point to the first byte, and HL
which discriminate between functions INT, MOD__DIV and will point to the last. Thus, all you
strings and numbers. ADD for GET ARGT, corrupt memory 0. now need do is to load (MEM)
instance has two different The function STRS corrupts all six with the value in DE.
calculator codes: "add memories, and the function USR The calculator codes to
(numbers)" will a d d numbers (number) may or may not operate the new memories will
together in the normal way (so corrupt absolutely anything. be C6 (store„M6), C7
that 1+2=3), whereas "add Also, the machine code (store_M7), and so on up to DF

o
(strings)" will concatenate two subroutine PRINT_FP at address (store M1F); also E6 (recall_M6),
strings (so that "CAT" + "FISH" = 2DE3 which prints a floating E7 (recall_M7), a n d so on up to
< "CATFISH")
PEEK (byte 2B) is possibly
point number, will corrupt all six
memories, and printing any of
EF (recall M1F).
Warnings are attached to
confusing. This works by POPping the built in graphics characters moving (MEM) as well. If (MEM)
an address from the calculator (CHRS 128 to CHRS 143) will contains any value other than
corrupt memories 0 a n d 1.
o
stack, PEEKIng there, and 5C92 then the calculator
PUSHIng the result back onto the It is certainly important to

<
function STRS will not work, and
stack. remember if memories are neither will the machine code
corrupted, since otherwise the subroutine PRINT_FP which prints
Calculator Memories end result will be wrong. The

o
floating point numbers. (MEM)
Spectrum, being a machine of must be restored to 5C92 before
The Spectrum Calculator has six very'many bugs, gives us a either of these are used.
memories (though this number ready made example of this
may be increased, as we shall malpractice. As I've already
Q see later), each of which is stated, the function INT corrupts More complex
o c a p a b l e of storing either a memory zero. In point of fact It programs

o
number or a string. The will only corrupt memory zero if
calculator instruction set the number being INTed is As t have already stated, the
includes a set of Instructions for negative, otherwise memory zero sequence of instructions
storing the item at the top of the is unchanged. The function between RST 28 and "end-calc"
stack in one of the memories MOD_DIV is supposed to constitutes a "Calculator
(codes CO upwards) — these remove two numbers (x and y, Program", written In a language
instructions do not remove the say) from the calculator stack, called "Calculator Code", but
number from the top of the and to replace them with two no language would be
stack, they just make an new numbers: x-y*INT(x/y), complete without controlling

3
additional copy in one of the INT(x/y). Unfortunately, the ROM instructions: IF/THEN's; GO TO^S;
memories. Conversely, codes E0 routine fails to take into account FOR/NEXT's; and so on. These
upwards will retrieve a number the fact that INT may corrupt things we shall now turn our
or string from one of the memory zero. The consequence attention to. To be continued...

80 ZX Computing Monthly • August 1986 15

This month we look at KEY PRESSED - 16923 INPUT ROUTINES
The opposite to the last routine
machine c o d e inputs and it waits until a key is pressed
before continuing. Both these
and a memory saving routines are used by other 1 REM AT LEAST 500 CHARACTERS
routines and can be used from
technique for the ZX81. BASIC as long as there is no 9 REM ROUTINES AS PER TEXT.
need to know which key was 10 LET A*="CDBB02444D51143E01C
pressed (le. a "press any key to 8CDBD077EC9"
continue" prompt).
20 LET A*=A*+'CD0442FE0120F9C9
GET A LETTER - 16931 •
Does the same as the last 30 LET A*=A*+"CD0442FE0128F9C9
re have now reached the routine but this time only
accepts a number from 0-9. Note
•
stage where we must move
away from short relocatable that the A register contains the 40 LET A*=A*+ - CD0442D62638F9D6
routines and begin to build a CODE of the number NOT its 1930F5C63FC9*
series of subroutines which value, you will have to SUB 1Ch
further routines In this series will from the returned number to get 50 LET A*=A*+"CD0442D61C38F9D6
make use of. It is therefore of the the value. 0A30F5C625C9"
utmost Importance that we use 60 LET A*=A*+"1152422A0C4001C1
consistent addresses so that PRESS A KEY - 16959
future CALLS will function. I am 0209EB010B00EDB0CD1342CD1B42C953
A routine to demonstrate how
O to set these routines at
onwards.
For regular readers who have
the inputs can be used. From
16959 to 16974 Is a piece of
code to print the message held
55425656003800484262"
100 FOR 1=16900 TO 16992
110 POKE X , 16-X-CODE A* + CODE A»(2
been building the giant REM at the end of the routine.
there are no problems as we 16975 calls the 'no key ) -476
have plenty of room and other pressed' routine to ensure no 120 LET At=A*(3 TO )
general routines can be p l a c e d carry over from the last key held. 130 NEXT I
In the spare locations between 16978 calls the 'key pressed'
the last byte used and the start routine and returns.
ol these routines. New readers 16982 to 16992 holds the computer are also saved a n d
will have to enter a REM ot ot message. loaded, so if you type in LET
LEAST 500 characters as line 1 — Used from BASIC or machine FRED=100, although there is no
approx. 17 lines. Quite a task! code whenever a "PRESS ANY line with this value It you type
The block of code consists of KEY" message is required, the PRINT FRED then 100 Is
five routines and a useful text being printed centrally at displayed, and If saved a n d
application. position 21,10. reloaded FRED is still
Next month I will tie some of remembered as 100,
KEYBOARD SCAN - 16900 these routines together to give Provided you never use RUN,
The first routine is a general imputs of one or more CLEAR or NEW (start programs by
purpose keyboard scan a n d characters and make them more GOTO 10 or whatever) FRED will
conversion to character code. useful. Meanwhile if you want to always remain In the memory.
This is not checked for any timlts check some of these routines try Those among you who are still
and the resultant key press Is this as a little exercise. awake will realise that when you
returned In register A which is Add routines to call each of enter a line such as 10 LET
pretty useless if called from the inputs, transferring the result D$="COSMIC CONSCIENCE"
BASIC A=1 If no key was pressed. from A to Q zeroing B a n d that not only Is memory used to
This routine Is 15 bytes long returning to basic Using LET hold it in BASIC line form, but
and Is used by all the following X=USR address, you should then also in memory In the variables
routines. be able to Identity which key area, i.e. using almost double
was pressed. the memory.
NO KEY PRESS - 16915 Tip tt1 is that if you are
A routine which may appear to General t i p 1. running out of memory then go
be pointless, it simply waits until through your program and note
NO keys are being pressed I well remember the joy of all the variables that are
before continuing. When you having a 16K rampack tor the constant (are not altered during
remember how fast machine first time Instead of only 1K — in the program run) and either
code works you will realise that today's 48/64/128/256+ memory remove those lines after a RUN
If subsequent keyboard scans machines it seems rather or enter them as direct
are required then unless the ludicrous now — and I also commands. As Ihis makes future
computer waits until the remember how quickly I used all alteration to your program even O
previously pressed key is of that memory as well! more difficult, a good system of z
released a multiple Input will Old hands will be aware ot note keeping is essential. I have
occur. Fine for realtime games the fact that when you save and saved some 6K In a 16K program £
but not much else! load, the variables in the using this system.

<
ot
r O
O

CO
X
N

ZX Computing Monthly • August 1986 15

 PROGRAM 1
* 0 > R E M C l a s s r o o m Adventure.'
1983 D a v i d Knight
7 POKE 23638,8
9" P R I N T A T 2 1 , 0
10 G O S U B 9 2 0 0 i R E M i n i t i a l i s e
13 0 0 S U B lOOOi R E M i n t r o d u c t l
on
23 LET ob-0
27 P O K E 2 3 6 9 2 , 2 3 3
30 LET d c 8 3 9 3 + 5 » r o o m
40 R E S T O R E d! R E A D d*: L E I
d * (1)i L E T d * = d i ( 2 T O >i R E A D h e
lpi IF x * - " N " O R K i = " Y " A N D o ( 1 9
,2) O l T H E N PRINT d* ' '
4 2 IF R O O M * 1 1 4 T H E N G O TO 7 3 6

acWw*
/
0
4 3 IF y l » " Y " A N D o ( 1 9 , 2 > « l IHE
N P R I N T "It is d a r k , a n d y o u c a
nnot see where you are going. Y
o u s t u m b l e i n the dark on an u n k n
own obstacle and break you
r skull. You finish here. " :
GO TO 7360
30 LET m-»64623+room»7
6 0 F O R a=l T O 6i L E T r < a ) " P E E K
(m-l+a)i N E X T a
7 0 L E T f l a g - P E E K (m+6)
7 3 IF t l a g O O T H E N LET ob-1
80 LET d u - 2 3 6 : D I M d(4>
9 0 F O R a - 1 T O 4i F O R b = 2 T O t
STEP -1j LET du-du/2i LET d(a)«d
(a)+<b A N D f1ag-du>»0>t L E T flag
=flag-(du AND f1ag-du>»0>: NEXT
bi N E X T a

$• 1 0 0 P R I N T " V i s i b l e e x l t s i "i
110 PRINT ("North, " AND r(l><>
0 A N D d(1> < > 3 A N D d < 1 ) < > 1 ) j ( " S o u
t h , " A N D r ( 2 ) < >0 A N D d ( 2 ) < > 3 A N
D d(2)<>1)'("East, " AND r(3><>0
A N D d (3) < >3 A N D d ( 3 K >1) j ( " W e s t
, " A N D r < 4 > < >0 A N D d ( 4 > < > 3 A N D

r You fell asleep in class

d ( 4 ) < > 1 > | ("Up, " A N D r ( 5 ) < >0)I ("
D o w n . " A N D r <6><>0)
by David Knight 1 2 0 P R I N T * " Y o u soei "
' a n d woke to find 130 L E T « * - C H R * 2 3 + C H R * 9 + C H R *
0+"a door to the "
yourself trapped! C a n 140 P R I N T ( a * + " n o r t h " A N D d < l > <
>0);<a*+"south" AND d<2)<>0)j(«*
you escape in time to +"east" AND d(3><>0);(«»+"west"
AND d(4)< >0>|

enjoy the summer

1 3 0 L E T a * = a * ( T O 3)
1 6 0 F O R a - 1 T O 28i IF o < a , l > - r o
om THEN LET 1i-7995+3»ai RESTOR
holidays? E lit R E A D o * , o # i L E T o b - l i P R I N
T a*;o*
In this adventure, there are some 163 N E X T a
thirty verbs which the Interpreter 170 F O R T O 22t IF p ( a , l > - r o
om THEN LET 1i-8193+3*ai RESTOR
wili accept. With the open, close E lii R E A D o * , p * i L E T o b - l i P R I N
and unlock commands, you
0
z
T a*»p»
should type the verb, and then 173 N E X T a
the direction that the door Is in. 1 8 0 IF o b - 0 T H E N PRINT at;"not

1
For instance, to open a door to hing special"
the east, you should type 'OPEN

<
1 8 3 IF g a s - 0 A N D p ( 2 2 , 2 ) « l T H E N
EAST', or 'OPEN EAST DOOR1, or 'OP P R I N T ''"The g a s is s o t h i c k ,
E'. Most verbs are for use with a that you cannot breathe proper
certain object. For instance ly. Y o u fall into a d e e p s l e e
p, n e v e r t o a w a k e . " ' i GO TO 7 3 6 0
'WRAP BANDAGE' will wrap the 187 IF G A S > 0 A N D P ( 2 2 , 2 > - 1 T H E N
ot bandage. 'WRAP' will not work PRINT '"'You can smell gas" 1 i
with any other noun. Object LET gas»gas-l
O names must be typed out in full, 1 8 8 IF a n k - 1 T H E N PRINT '"'You
but verbs may be abbreviated.
o
've t w i s t e d y o u r a n k l e . " '

a
1 8 9 L E T T R 0 L L = 0 l IF P ( 1 6 , 1 ) = R 0 0
Getting started M THEN LET TROLL-I
QL To type in the program, follow
190 P R I N T
195 LET y*-l*
s G O S U B in

the following Instructions. 2 0 0 F O R a = l T O ii IF U ( a ) » " "

2 First, type in Program 1 and
save it. Type in Program 2, the
THEN LET a*-i*< TO a-l>+"
1 GO TO 2 2 0
hex-loader, and run It. Type in 210 NEXT A
a the hex listing. Now, save the 2 2 0 IF 1 * ( 1 > » " " T H E N GO TO 20

5
2 3 0 R E S T O R E 9 4 0 0 : F O R a=l T O 3 3
loader, and load In Program 1 : R E A D 2*i IF a t ( T O L E N l * ) ~ x S
after NEWing the loader. Do not THEN LET voc-ai GO TO 260
type USR O, as this will wipe out 240 NEXT a
the machine code a n d data.
a
2 5 0 P R I N T ' ' " + + S o r r y , p a l . I'm
Save the program finally by afraid you d o n ' t m a k e all t
CO typing GO TO 9999.

82 ZX Computing Monthly • August 1986 15

hat much sense to me 2340 LET p<19,2>-0 S1SO PRINT
urn
"You h e a r a g r i n d i n g
••"I G O T O 170 2330 P R I N T '"You mix the alkali in the distance."'
2 6 0 R E S T O R E 9 4 JO: F O R a-1 T O v o into the acldpool."' 5160 RETURN
ci R E A D s u b i N E X T a 2360 LET o<3,1>-235 3200 REM Load
270 GO S U B tub I P R I N T 2370 LET p(19,1)-233 3 2 1 0 IF l t ( L E N a$-Z TO L E N a*)<>
271 IF 0 ( 2 3 , 1 1 - 6 T H E N LET P(21 2380 LET o(3,2)-0 "CASS" THEN PRINT "'You cannot
,l)-6l L E T O ( 2 3 , 1 ) = 2 5 3 2600 POKE 64638,4 l o a d t h a t '"'l R E T U R N
2 7 2 IF o < 6 , l ) - 1 3 A N D o ( 6 , 2 ) - 0 T 2990 RETURN 3 2 2 0 IF r o o m < >43 T H E N PRINT "Y
HEN PINT *"The frog s t i c k s its 3 0 1 0 IF i * ( L E N a * - 3 T O L E N a S > < > Ou are not by tho c a s s e t t e r
tongue out at t h e f l y , a n d It i "FLY " THEN PRINT '"You cannot ecorder."i RETURN
* g o n e in * f l a s h . T h * f r o q l e a p cook that."'i RETURN 3 2 3 0 IF o ( 9 , 1 ) < > 2 0 2 T H E N PRINT
• off."i LET o<6,l)-255t LET p(6 3 0 2 0 IF o ( 6 , 1 > < > 0 T H E N PRINT " " T h e r e i s n o c a s s e t t e in t h e
,t)"233i LET p ( 6 , 2 ) " O You are not carrying the fly."*j recorder."'! RETURN
2 7 3 IF o < 6 , l > - 1 3 A N D o ( 6 , 2 ) - l T RETURN 5 2 4 0 PRINT '"The p r o q r a m loads.
HEN P R I N T ' " T h e f r o g m a y * 'Hm. . 3 0 3 0 IF roo«i< > 9 3 T H E N P R I N T '"Y It i s a school history prog
c o o k It f o r m e . * Y o u w i l l h a v e o u h a v e n o t h i n g t o c o o k it w r a m . It i s m o s t l y b o r i n g , but
to cook the fly a s w e l l . " ith.""I RETURN one part saysthat there are supp
2 7 3 IF T R O L L " 1 T H E N PRINT ' "Yo 3030 PRINT '"Thats odd... I hope osed to be s e c r e t p a s s a g e s bel
u a r e D E A D !! T h e t r o l l k i l l e d y o you don't want t o eat it. Y o u ow the s c h o o l , but they ha
u!!!"i GO TO 7360 cook the fly."' ve never beenfound."'
280 GO TO 20 3060 LET o(6,2)-0 5230 RETURN
999 STOP 3490 RETURN 3300 REM Play
1010 P O K E 2 3 6 9 2 , 2 3 3 3300 REM Pour 5 3 1 0 IF i * ( L E N a t - 3 T O L E N a * > < >
1020 P R I N T TAB 6 ) " C I a s s r o o m A d v e 3 3 1 0 IF I * ( L E N A * - 3 T O L E N a * ) - " "PIAN" THEN PRINT "You cannot
n t u r e . " j A T 2 1 , 6 | O V E R Ij" ALKA" THEN PRINT "You cannot p play that!"'I RETURN
M our the alkali."'! RETURN 3 3 2 0 IF r o o m 0 8 3 T H E N P R I N T ' "T
IO30~PR7NT~~~ 3 3 2 0 IF i > ( L E N a * - 3 TO L E N a * > < > he piano is not here."'! RETURN
1030 P R I N T " It w a s t h e l a s t d "ACID" THEN PRINT '"You cannot 5 3 3 0 IF o ( 2 3 , l ) 0 0 T H E N PRINT
ay of t h e s u m m e r t e r m . In t h e p o u r t h a t !"*• R E T U R N "You are not carrying any music.
last l e s s o n . E n g l i s h , y o u fell a s 3 3 3 0 IF 0 1 4 , 1 ) 0 0 T H E N P R I N T '" " ' I RETURN
l e e p . It h a d b e e n a l o n g d a y , a n d You are not carrying the acid."* 5340 LET o(25,2)-0
for s o m e r e a s o n of h i s o w n , y i RETURN 5 3 5 0 P R I N T " A s y o u p l a y t h * pi a
our E n g l i s h t e a c h e r d e c i d e d to t 3340 PRINT '"Your pour out the a no, an amazing thing happe
each the b a s t e s of g r a m m a r . O cid."' n s . T h e m u s i c d i s a p p e a r s , and is
n the last d a y of t e r m a s well 3 3 3 0 IF r o o n < > 2 T H E N P R I N T '"No r e p l a c e d by a n o t h e r p i e c e of m a
! Anyway, when you awoke, the thing happens."'! LET o(4,l)-233 nuscript paper with writing
l i g h t s w e r e o u t . It w a s g e t t i n g i RETURN o n i t. "' i R E T U R N
dark and y o u c o u l d smell gas. Y o u 3360 LET o(4,1)-235 3400 REM Start
had to escape. You had the 3 3 7 0 P R I N T "'The a c i d m e l t s d o w n 5 4 1 0 IF r o o m < > 3 8 T H E N P R I N T *"T
whole h o l i d a y a h e a d of y o u the bars."' h e r * is n o t h i n g in h e r e t o s
, and d l d n ' t w a n t to be stuck in 3580 LET p(9,2>-0 tart."1! RETURN
school for the whole time," 3590 LET p(9,1)-255 3 4 2 0 IF i S ( L E N a » - 3 T O L E N a » ) < >
1060 P R I N T ' • " P r e s s a key t o c o n 3600 POKE 64640,1 "PROJ" THEN P R I N T '"You c a n n o t
tinue." 3990 RETURN start t h a t . " ! RETURN
1070 P A U S E 0 4 0 1 0 IF I S ( L E N A * - 3 T O L E N A * ) 0 3 4 3 0 IF 0 ( 1 8 , 1 ) 0 2 0 4 T H E N PRINT
1 U 8 0 P R I N T '•" PI rty t t n a .idvcn "POOL" THEN PRINT '"You cannot ' " T h e r e is n o f i l m in t h o
t u r e t o d e c i d e y o u r f a t e . It d i f t s w i m i n t h a t !'"> R E T U R N projector."'i RETURN
a r t f r o m m a t t j d v e n t u r e a in t h e 4 0 2 0 IF r o o m < > 7 T H E N P R I N T "*Th 3 4 4 0 P R I N T '"Th* f i l m , w h i c h is
following ways:"'" In o r d e r e it no pool y o u c a n s w i m lnhe very b o r i n g , l* a b o u t s c i * n c * . I
irr t o o p e n , c l o s e or unlncl a d re."* t RETURN t explains that acid is the op
o a r , t y p e th«» c o m m a n d a n d t h e n t 4 0 3 0 IF o ( 1 , 1 ) 0 0 T H E N P R I N T '" p o s i t * of al k a l i , a n d t h a t w h
h e d i r e c t i o n t h a t t h e d o o r i s in You drown, because you aro not •n they are m i x e d t o g e t h e r in e
. For i n s t a n c e i O P E N N O R T H ' , 'U wearing tho diving gear."'i GO T qual quantities they bee
L O S E W E S T ' or ' U N L O C K S O U T H ' . " 0 7360 o m e n e u t r a l , w h i c h is s a f e . " "
1083 P R I N T "To r e p e a t a c o m m a n d , 4040 PRINT '"You don the diving 5 4 5 0 P R I N T '"The f i l m s t o p s " "
press S Y M B O L S H I F T a n d 'I* gear, and swim across the poo 5460 RETURN
• • t 1 of w a t e r . " * 5500 REM Clean
1090 P R I N T '"Press a lt»y t o star 4050 POKE 64672,5-PEEK 64672 5 5 1 0 IF i * ( L E N a « - 3 T O L E N a * ) < >
t. " ' " 4060 POKE 64673,15-PEEK 64673 "SWOR" THEN PRINT "You cannot c
1100 P A U S E 0 4070 POKE 64678,32-PEEK 64678 lean that, I'm afraid.H'i R
1990 R E T U R N 4990 RETURN ETURN
2010 FOR a-l TO 20 5000 REM Attack 3 5 2 0 IF o ( 1 6 t l > 0 0 T H E N PRINT '
2 0 2 0 IF o ( a , l > - 0 T H E N LET o(a,l 5 0 1 0 IF l t ( L E N a * - 3 T O L E N a * ) - " "You haven't got the sword."'i R
l-roomt L E T I In-7993*-a*3i R E S T 0 R FROG" THEN P R I N T '"You c a n ' t at ETURN
E lini R E A D PRINT '"You d tack the giant frog."'i RETURN 5 5 3 0 IF o ( 1 0 , 1 ) 0 0 T H E N PRINT
rop 5 0 2 0 IF 1 9 ( L E N a « - 3 T O L E N a * ) < > " Y o u h a v e n o t h i n g t o c l e a n it
2030 NEXT a "TROL" THEN PRINT "'You cannot with.-i RETURN
2033 LET NUM-PI-PI attack that !!M"| RETURN 3340 LET o(16,1)-255
2040 RETURN 3 0 3 0 IF p ( 1 6 , 1 > < > r o o m T H E N PRIN 3330 LET o(26,l)-0
2 1 0 0 R E M T a k e all T "'The troll Is not here."'i RE 3560 LET o(10,2)-0
2110 F O R a-1 TO 26 TURN 5 5 7 0 P R I N T ""You v * c l e a n e d the
2 1 2 0 IF o ( a , 1 ) " r o o m T H E N L E T o( 5 0 4 0 IF o ( 2 6 , l ) < > 0 T H E N PRINT ' r u s t y s w o r d . It i s a c u t l a s s . " *
a,l)-0i LET 1in-7995+a»5i RESTOR "You have n o s u i t a b l e weapon, so 3580 RETURN
E lint R E A D 2 * , z * i P R I N T ' " Y o u t the troll can o a s i l y d e f e n d you 5600 REM Place
ake " | z » | " i LET NUM-NUM*1 rblow."'i RETURN 5 6 1 0 IF 1 t ( L E N a » - 3 T O L E N a » ) - "
2 1 2 3 IF n u n > 3 T H E N PRINT "'But 3 0 3 0 P R I N T '"You slay the troll CASS" THEN G O TO 5 6 5 0
you d r o p It a g a i n , b e c a u s e you with your c u t l a s s . L E T tro 5 6 2 0 IF 1 * ( L E N a « - 3 T O L E N a * ) - "
are c a r r y i n g t o o m u c h . " t L E T n u m 11-Oi L E T p ( 1 6 , l ) - 2 5 5 i L E T p ( 1 6 , FILM" THEN G O TO 3 6 7 3
•num-li LET o ( a , l ) * r o o m 2>-0 3 6 3 0 P R I N T "'You c a n n o t p l a c e th
2130 NEXT a 5060 RETURN at« " "
2490 RETURN 5100 REM Push 3640 RETURN
2300 REM Mix 5 1 1 0 IF l * (i_EN a « - 3 T O L E N a * > < > 5 6 5 0 IF o ( 9 , 1 ) < >0 T H E N P R I N T ""
2 3 1 0 IF 1 t ( L E N a » - 3 T O L E N a * > < > "CONT" THEN PRINT '"You c a n t p Y o u haven't qot th* cassette."'*
"ALKA" THEN PRINT '"You cannot u s h t h a t !"'t R E T U R N RETURN
*ix t h a t . " ' » R E T U R N 5,120 IF r o o m - 4 T H E N PRINT " * T h 5 6 5 3 IF r o o m < > 4 3 T H E N P R I N T *"Y
2 3 2 0 IF o < 5 , 1 X >0 T H E N P R I N T *" i* ( . o n t r o l H ari> n o t h e r e ! " " I R E T o u c a n n o t p l a c e t h e c a s s e t t e h
Y o u h a v e n ' t g o t t h e b o t t l e of URN ore."'i RETURN
alkali.'"! RETURN 5 1 3 0 IF p ( 3 , 2 > I tHEN PR1N1 "' 3 6 6 0 L E T o ( 9 , 1 ) - 2 0 2
2 3 3 0 IF r o o m O S T H E N P R I N T "*Yo Nothing happwns."'! RETURN 3663 PRINT ""You p l a c e the casse
u have nothing to mix the al 514<.» L E f p ( 3 , 2 ) - O i L E T p ( l 2 , 2 > « 0 t t e i n t o t h e r e c o r d e r . " ' ^
kail w i t h . " ' ] R E T U R N i POKE 64922,126 5670 RETURN W • •

ZX Computing Monthly • August 1986 83

 k. fc. fc.5675 IF 0 1 1 8 , 1 ) 0 0 THEN PRINT 6 2 3 0 IF 0 ( 2 7 , 1 ) 0 0 T H E N PRINT ' * LET num-0
"You haven't got the film."1: RE "Haven't got the p a t c h . " ' : RETUR 6 3 6 0 F O R a - 1 T O 2 7 : IF o ( « , l > < > 0
TURN N THEN N E X T ai G O T O 6 6 0 0
5 6 8 0 IF r o o n u S B T H E N P R I N T ' "Y 6 2 4 0 PRINT '"I'm sorry, but 1 ca 6370 LET lin-7995+5*a
on cannot place the film here."' n't mend that"': RETURN 6 5 7 5 R E S T O R E lin: READ bt,bt
i RETURN 6250 LET p<22,2>-0: LET p(22,l>- 6580 PRINT " "jb*
5605 LET o(IB,1>-204 255: LET qas-O: PRINT '"You've m 6585 LET num-1
5690 PRINI '"You p l a c e the film ended the holler."' 6590 NEXT a
into the projector."* 6 2 6 0 P R I N T '"But y o u ' v e t w i s t e d 6 6 0 0 IF n u m - 0 T H E N PRINT " No
5695 RETURN your ankle."': LET ank-1 thing."
5700 REM Unlock 6270 LET 0(27,11-255 6610 PRINT '"Press a key."
5 / 1 0 LET b t ^ i t ( L E N at-3) 6290 RETURN 6 6 2 0 IF I N K E Y t - " " T H E N GO TO 66
5 7 1 5 LET z - 6 3 5 6 9 + r o o m 6300 REM Wrap 20
5 7 2 0 IF P E E ! z = 0 THEN PRINT '"T 6 3 1 0 IF o ( 1 3 , 1 ) = 0 A N D o ( 1 3 , 2 ) - l 6640 RETURN
h e r e is n o t h i n g h e r e to u n l o c k . " A N D i t ( L E N a t - 3 TO L E N a t ) - " B A N D 6630 REM Drop
RETURN " THEN GO TO 6 3 5 0 6 6 6 0 L E T B t - I t ( L E N A * - 3 T O ): L E
5 7 2 3 L E T ni?w«.= (b* = " N " ) + (2 A N D b f 6 3 2 0 IF i * ( L E N « * - 3 T O L E N a t ) < > T OBJ-O
- " S " ) M 3 AND bt*"E")+(4 AND bt*" "BAND" THEN PRINT '"You can't w 6 6 6 5 IF B t ( T O 3 ) - " A L L " T H E N GO
W") rap that." ' TO 2000
5 7 2 7 IF n e w 5 » 0 T H E N PRINT '"Id 6 3 3 0 IF o ( 1 3 , l X > 0 T H E N PRINT ' 6 6 7 0 F O R a - 8 0 0 0 TO 8 1 6 0 S T E P 3
o not u n d e r s t a n d . " ' : RETURN "You haven't got the bandage."' 6 6 B 0 R E S T O R E at R E A D z t
5 7 3 0 IF d ( n e w s ) < > 3 T H E N PRINT ' 6 3 4 0 IF o ( 1 3 , 2 X > l T H E N PRINT " 6 6 9 0 IF z * - b « ( T O L E N z t ) T H E N
" ( h e r e is n o l o c k e d d o o r in that You don't need to wrap the LET obJ-<a-7993)/5
direction."' bandage anywhere."* 6700 NEXT a
5 / 4 0 IF o ( P E E K I , 1 ) < > 0 T H E N PRI 6345 RETURN 6 7 1 0 IF o b j - 0 O R O ( 0 B J , l ) < > 0 T H E
NT '"you h a v e n ' t got the r i g h t k 6350 LET o(13,1)-255: LET o(13,2 N P R I N T '"Sorry, h a v e n ' t got th
ey."'i RETURN >-Oi P R I N T '"Your a n k l e is h e a l e at !"*: R E T U R N
5750 LET d(news)"1 d. " ' 6720 LET o(obj,1)-room
5 7 6 U LET < l « g - d < l ) » 6 4 + d ( 2 ) M 6 + d ( 6360 LET ank-0 6730 RESTORE obJ»5+7995
3 ) » 4 + d ( 4 ) : P O K E m«-6,flag 6390 RETURN 6740 READ bt.bt
5799 RETURN 6400 REM Examine 6750 PRINT '"Dropped "jbt(","
5800 REM Unlight 6410 LET bt-i t ( L E N a t - 3 TO ) 6760 LET NUM-NUM-1
5 0 l O IF i t ( L E N a t - 3 T 0 L E N a t K > 642' LET o b - 0 6790 RETURN
"LAMP" THEN PRINT '"You c a n n o t 6 4 3 0 F O R a-1 TO 27: L E T l i n - 7 9 9 5 6800 REM Take
d o t h a t , I'm a f r a i d . " ' : R E T U R N +a*5 6 8 1 0 L E T b t - i * ( L E N a t - 3 T O ): L E
5 8 2 0 IF o ( 1 9 , l X > 0 T H E N PRINT * 6 4 4 0 R E S T O R E lin: R E A D z t : IF T obj-0
"You are not carrying the lamp," - b * ( T O L E N :t) T H E N LET ob-a 6 8 1 5 IF b » < T O 3 ) - " A L L " T H E N GO
•: R E T U R N 6450 NEXT a TO 2100
5 8 3 0 IF o ( 1 9 , 2 ) * 1 T H E N P R I N T *" 6 4 6 0 IF o b = 0 T H E N G O TO 6 4 9 0 6 8 2 0 FOR a - B O O O TO 9 1 3 3 S T E P 5
It i s n o t 1 1 t . " ' : R E T U R N 6 4 6 5 IF o ( o b , 1 ) < > r o o m A N D o ( q b , l 6 8 3 0 R E S T O R E a: R E A D z t
5840 PRINT '"You've blown out yo )<>0 THEN GO TO 6490 6 B 4 0 IF i t « b t ( T O L E N zt) T H E N
ur 1 a m p . " ' 6470 LET lin=7995+ob*5r RESTORE LET obJ-(a-7995)/5
5B50 LET o(19,2)B1 lint R E A D ; t , z t 6850 NEXT a
5899 RETURN 6475 PRINT "Examining "jztj"."" 6 B 6 0 IF o b j - 0 T H E N PRINT '"Sorr
5900 REM Light : R E A D zt: P R I N T zt' y, c a n ' t t a k e t h a t !"': R E T U R N
5 9 1 0 IF i t ( L E N a t - 3 T O L E N a t ) 0 6 4 8 1 IF 0 B < > 7 T H E N RETURN 6 8 7 0 IF o ( o b J , 1 ) < > r o D m T H E N PRI
"LAMP" THEN P R I N T *"You c a n n o t 6482 PRINT NT '"Object not here.'": R E T U R N
light that."'! RETURN 64B3 PLOT 0,0: DRAW 0,64: DRAW 2 6880 LET o(obj,l)-0
3 9 2 0 IF 0 ( 1 9 , 1 ) 0 0 T H E N PRINT ' 55,0: DRAW 0,-64: DRAW -255,0 6890 RESTORE obj«5+7995
"You are not carrying the lamp." 6484 PLOT 100,4: DRAW 100,0: DRA 6900 READ bt,bt
: RETURN W 0,56: DRAW -140,0: DRAW 0,-8: 6 9 1 0 P R I N T '"Got " | b » | " . "
5 9 3 0 IF 0 ( 1 9 , 2 ) 0 1 T H E N PRINT ' D R A W - 2 0 , 0 : D R A W 0 , - 2 4 : D R A W 120 6912 LET NUM-NUM+1
"It is a l r e a d y l i t . " ' : R E T U R N ,0: D R A W 0 , 1 6 : D R A W - 1 4 0 , 0 : D R A W 6 9 1 6 IF n u m > 3 T H E N PRINT "'But
5 9 4 0 PRINT '"You've lit your lam 0,-32: DRAW 60,0: DRAW 0,8: DRA y o u h a v e t o d r o p it a g a i n , beca
P."' W 20,0: DRAW 0,-16 use you are carrying too much
5950 LET o(19,2)=0 6485 PLOT 80,2B: DRAW 0,16: DRAW ,"( L E T n u m - n u m - l t L E T o ( o b J , l > -
5999 RETURN 20,0: DRAW 0,-16i DRAW 20,0: DR room
6000 REM Cross AW 0,16: POKE 20,0: DRAW 0,-16: 6920 RETURN
6 0 1 0 IF i t ( L E N a t - 3 T O L E N a t ) < > DRAW 20,0: DRAW 0,8: DRAW 20,0: 6950 REM Open
"MUD " THEN PRINT '"Can't cross DRAW -20,0: DRAW 0,8 6953 LET z#-"open"
that."'! RETURN 6486 PLOT 40,28I DRAW - 2 0 , 0 : DRA 6960 LET bt-i$(LEN at-3)
6 0 2 0 IF r o o m < > 5 6 T H E N PRINT '"T W 0,-8: DRAW 80,0: D R A W 0,-8: DR 6 9 7 0 IF D ( 1 ) - 1 A N D b * « " N " T H E N
ho mud isn't here."': RETURN AW 80,0: DRAW 0,40: DRAW -120,0: LET D(1>-2: LET Bt-"North": GO T
6 0 3 0 IF 0 ( 1 5 , 1 ) 0 0 T H E N PRINT ' DRAW 0,-B O 7200
" Y o u g o u n d e r t h e m u d , a s y o u ar 6 4 8 7 P R I N T ' "There* i s a m a p , 6 9 B 0 IF D ( 2 ) - l A N D b * - " S " T H E N
enot wearing the boots."': GO TO Press a key."' LET D(2)-2: LET bt-'South": GO T
7360 6 4 8 8 IF I N K E Y t o " " T H E N GO TO 64 O 7200
6040 POKE 65015,51-(PEEK 65015) 88 6 9 9 0 IF D ( 3 ) - 1 A N D b t « " E " T H E N
6 0 5 0 P O K E 65016,61-(PEfcH 65016) 6489 RETURN LET D(3)-2i LET b*-"East": GO TO
6090 RETURN 6490 LET OB-O: FOR a-1 TO 22: LE 7200
6100 REM Mop T 1in-8195+a»5 7 0 0 0 IF D ( 4 ) - 1 A N D b t - " W " T H E N
6 1 1 0 IF i t i L E N a t - 3 T O L E N a t ) 0 6 5 0 0 R E S T O R E l i n : R E A D zti IF zt LET D(4)-2i LET b » « " W e s t " : GO TO
"OIL " I H E N PRINT ""Sorry, can' - b t ( T O L E N z*> T H E N LET ob-a 7200
t n o p t h a t ! "* I R E T U R N 6510 NEXT a 7010 PRINT '"Sorry!"': RETURN
6 1 2 0 IF r o o m O p ( 8 , 1 ) T H E N PRINT 6 5 2 0 IF o b - 0 T H E N PRINT '"Sorry 7100 REM Close
" T h e oil i s n ' t h e r e " ' : R E T U R N " ' i RETURN 7103 LET Z*-"close"
6 1 2 5 IF o ( i l , l ) < > 0 T H E N PRINT 6 5 2 5 I F p ( o b , 1) O r o o m T H E N PRIN 7 1 1 0 LET bt-i *(LEN a»-3)
"You haven't got the mop."': RET T '"Sorry"': RETURN 7 1 2 0 IF D ( 1 ) " 2 A N D b t - " N " T H E N
URN 6 5 2 7 F O R A - 1 TO 27: IF 0 ( A , l ) - 2 0 LET D(1)-1t LET bt-"North": GO T
6 1 3 0 P R I N T '"You've m o p p e d up th O+OB THEN LET 0(A,1)-R00M 0 7200
e oi1." ' 6528 NEXT A 7 1 3 0 IF D ( 2 ) - 2 A N D b * - " S " T H E N
6140 LET p ( 8 , 1 ) * 2 5 5 6530 LET 1in-B195+ob«5: RESTORE LET D(2)-1: LET b»-"South"i GO T
6150 POKE 65060,61 lint R E A D z » , z » O 7200
6160 LET P(9,2)=0 6540 PRINT "Examining "|i*jn,'"' 7 1 4 0 IF D ( 3 ) - 2 A N D b t - " E " T H E N
6190 RETURN i R E A D zti P R I N T z » ' LET D ( 3 ) - 1 : LET b t - " E a s t " : GO TO
6200 REM Mend 6 5 4 5 IF O B - 5 A N D P ( 3 , 2 ) = l T H E N 7200
6 2 1 0 IF o ( 2 7 , 1 ) * 0 A N D r o o m = 1 0 1 A LET P(3,2)-Ot POKE 65044,66: POK 7 1 5 0 IF D ( 4 ) - 2 A N D b * = " W " T H E N
ND i * ( L E N a t - 3 TO L E N a t > - " B O I L " E 63049,34 LET D(4)-l: LET b»-"West": GO TO
THEN G O TO 6 2 5 0 6349 RETURN 7200
6 2 2 0 IF r o o m O l O l T H E N P R I N T '" 6350 REM Inventory 7 1 6 0 GO TO 7 0 1 0
I see nothing to mend."': R E T U R N 6 3 5 5 P R I N T ' " Y o u a r e c a r r y i n g :" 7200 LET flag-d(l)»64+d(2)*16+d(

84 ZX Computing Monthly • August 1986 15

3> » 4 + d < 4) » P O K E m + 6 , f l a q *: PRINT AT 21,0}"
7 2 1 0 P R I N T '"You ";z*;" the door "|AT 2 1 , 0 t : RE
to the "jb*t TURN
7240 RETURN 7 7 9 5 IF a * - C H R * 1 2 T H E N LET a*«

adventure ' •
7 2 3 0 R E M Hel p CHR* 8
7 2 6 0 L E T h e l - h e l p-»5+91 0 0 7 7 9 7 IF a * - C H R * 8 T H E N LET i-i-
7 2 7 0 R E S T O R E hel 2: G O T O 7 8 0 0
7 2 7 5 IF h e l p - 0 T H E N LET he-he+1 7 7 9 B IF a * < " " T H E N GO TO 7785
i IF h e - S T H E N LET he-1 7800 PRINT CHR* 8;CHR* B|a*;
7 2 7 7 IF hel p - 0 T H E N F O R a=l T O 7 8 1 0 IF I N K E Y * O u " T H E N BO TO 7
het R E A D z*i N E X T a: G O T O 7 2 9 0 BIO
7280 R E A D z* 7 8 1 5 IF i < 0 T H E N LET i-0 uscript paper","Has some piano m
7290 PRINT 2* 7 8 1 8 IF i > 3 0 T H E N LET i-30 usi c on it."
7300 RETURN 7820 GO TO 7770 B 1 2 5 D A T A " C U T L A S S " , " a c 1 e a n , st
7310 REM Quit 7900 PRINT CHR* 8;CHR* 8;" " rong c u t l a s s " , " N o w you've cleane
7320 PRINT '"Sure y o u want to qu 7905 LET 1*-"" d I t , t h i s i s a k i 1 l e r "'
it?" ' 7 9 1 0 F D R a=»0 T O i - 1 8130 DATA "PATCH","a metal patch
7 3 3 0 IF I N K E Y * " " N " T H E N PRINT " 7920 LET a*=SCREEN* (21,a) ","To be used to mend things."
Be careful!"i RETURN 7930 LET i*-i*+a* 8 1 3 5 DATA " S M A L L " , " a small key",
7 3 4 0 IF I N K E Y * < > " Y " T H E N GO TO 7940 NEXT a "To open a door."
7330 7950 LET I*=I*+" 8199 REM Stationary objects.
7360 PRINT '"Want to play again 7999 RETURN 8200 DATA "SPECTRUM","a ZX-Spect
8000 DATA "GEAR","some diving qe r u m " , " T h e g r e a t e s t c o m p u t e r ever
7 3 7 0 IF t N K E Y # - " N " T H E N CLS : P ar","You see the diving gear." to exist..."
RINT NO;"9 S I O P statement 7370t3 B O O S D A T A " K E Y S " , " a b u n c h of k e y 8 2 0 5 DATA "RECORDER","a tape rec
"I P A U S E Os R A N D O M I Z E U S R U a " , " Y o u s e e a b u n c h of k e y s . " o r d e r " , " F o r l o a d i n g p r o g r a m s int
7 3 7 5 IF I N K E Y * 0 " Y " T H E N G O 10 B010 DATA "GOLD","the gold key", 0 the Spectrum."
7370 "You see the gold key." 8 2 1 0 D A T A " C O N T R O L S " , " a p a n e l of
7380 PRINT ' "Want to load a g a m e 8 0 1 5 D A T A " A C I D " , " a b o t t l e of a c controls","You can use push the
?* id","Destructive." se controls to do something."
7 3 9 0 IF 1 N K E Y * - " N " T H E N RUN 8 0 2 0 D A T A " A L K A L I " , " a b o t t 1 c of a 8215 DATA "PROJECTOR","the schoo
7 4 0 0 IF I N K E Y * > > " Y " T H E N GO TO lkali","Anti-acid." I s p r o j e c t o r " , " R u n a f i l m o n it
7390 8 0 2 5 DATA "FLY","a fly specimen"
ti

7 4 1 0 L O A D " " C O D E f L O A D "" D A T A ,"Tasty to frogs?" 8220 DATA "PAINTING","a beautifu

D i l i L O A D "" D A T A p O i LET ank=P 8 0 3 0 DATA "BOOK","a school histo 1 painting",("You find a secret
EEK 6 5 5 3 3 : - L E T r o o m - P E E K 6 5 5 3 4 : ry b o o k " , " A h i s t o r y of t h e s c h o o p a s s a g e " A N D p ( 5 , 2 ) - 1 > + ( " T h e 'pas
LET g a s - P E E K 6 5 5 3 5 : R E T U R N 1 ." sage is still here." AND p(S,2><
7420 PRINT "Press a key."'» PAU 8035 DATA "LARGE","the large key >1)
SE 0 ","You see the largo key." 8225 DATA "FROG","a giant frog",
7430 P O K E 6 5 5 3 3 , a n k : P O K E 6 5 5 3 4 , 8040 DATA "CASSETTE","a computer ("He l o o k s h u n g r y , a n d w o n ' t let
room: P O K E 65535,gas: S A V E "Code cassette","A ZX-Spectrum proqra you past." AND p(6,2)-1)•("He
"CODE 6 4 6 3 0 , 9 0 6 m." will let y o u p a s t , a s y o u a r e h i s
7440 SAVE "Datal" DATA o O : SAVE 8 0 4 5 DATA "TOWEL","a wet towel", friend now." AND p ( 6 , 2 ) 0 1 )
"Data2" DATA p() "Appears useless." 8230 DATA "MUD","a 1arge puddle
7450 R E T U R N 8050 DATA "MOP","a ragged mop"," of m u d " , " I t l o o k s d a n g e r o u s l y d e
7500 LET z-1l LET : * " " N o r t h " : G O For m o p p i n g up t h i n g s . " ep. "
TO 7 6 0 0 8055 DATA "BLUEPRINT","a bluepri 8 2 3 5 D A T A " O I L " , " a p u d d l e of oil
75lO LET 2-2: LET 2 * - " S o u t h " : GO nt","Tho blueprint says:- "Use .'V'lt looks slippery."
TO 7 6 0 0 the c o n t r o l s to r a i s e the ladde B 2 4 0 DATA " B A R S " , " s i r o n g metal b
7520 LET z-4: LET :l='Wost"i GO r outof the pit.'" a r s " , " T h e y look a l m o s t indestruc
TO 7 6 0 0 B U 6 0 DAI A " B A N D A G E " , " a b a n d a g e " , table."
7530 LET z=3: LET ;*«"East": GO "For injur 1es." 8 2 4 5 D A T A " D E C A Y " , " a d e c a y i n g sk
TO 7 6 0 0 t)<>65 D A T A " P R O J E C T " , " a h i s t o r y p eleton",("You find something" AN
7540 LET =-5: LET 2 * = " U p " : GO TO r o i « c t " , " A p a r t of t h e p r o j e c t s D p(10,2)-l)+("You find nothing"
7700 ays1 - F r o m my r e s e a r c h about AND p (10,2)01)
7550 LET s-6: LET 2*="Down": GO this s c h o o l , I h a v e f o u n d th 8250 DATA "OLD","an old skeleton
TO 7 7 0 0 a t it h a s b e e n s a i d t h a t t h e r e i s ",("You find something" AND p(ll
7599 R E T U R N a s e c r e t p a s s a g e l e a d i n q f r o m el ,2)"l)+("You find nothing" AND p
7600 REM N/S/E/W I h e r t h e 6 t h f o r m c o m m o n r o o m Dr (11,2)< >1)
7 6 1 0 IF r ( 2 ) < > 0 A N D d ( 2 ) - 0 T H E N from theArt Gallery. 1 do not k 8255 DATA "LADER","a metal ladde
PRINT "You qo " | 2 * i LET room=r< l O w WhichIS true, however."" r " , ( " l t i s J u s t o u t of y o u r r e a c
:>: R E T U R N 8070 DATA "BOOTS","some heavy bo h . " A N D p ( 1 2 , 2 ) - l ) + < " Y o u c a n cli
7 6 2 0 IF r ( 2 >< > 0 A N D d ( 2 ) - 2 T H E N ots","You see some heavy boots." m b d o w n it n o w . " A N D p ( 1 2 , 2 > < > 1 )
L E T r o o m « r < 2 >: P R I N T " Y o u g o "; 8075 DATA "SWORD","a rusty sword 8260 DATA "PHOTOCOPIER","a photo
2*1" through a door": R E T U R N '."needs cleaninq. " copier","For copying papers."
7 6 3 0 IF r ( = ) 0 0 T H E N P R I N T "A d 80HO DATA "ARMOU", " t h e armoury I 8265 DATA "COOKER","a cooker","F
oor b l o c k s y o u r w a y " 1 2 * : R E T U R N ey","You a key." or c o o k i n g m e a l s . "
U o B S DATA " F I L M " , " a r e e l of f i l m 8270 DATA "BOOKCASE","a bookcase
7640 P R I N T "You c a n n o t g o "jz*: ","Tci b e u t , e d o n a p r o j e c t o r . " ",("You find a book" AND p(15,2)
RETURN b n 9 i i D A I A " L A M P " , " a g a s l a m p " , "I - n + ("You find n o t h i n g s p e c i a l "
7700 REM U / D I it. " • ( " n o t " A N D o ( 1 9 , 2 ) - l ) + " l A N D p ( 1 5 , 2 ) < >1>
7 7 1 0 IF r <z > < > 0 T H E N PRINT "You it." 8 2 7 5 DATA " T R O L L " , " a n ugly troll
g o ";i#i L E T r o o m - r ( z ) : RETURN 8 0 9 5 DAI A " S C H O O L " , " t h e t e y t o t " , " D o n ' t w a s t e t i m e e x a m i n i n g hi
7 7 2 0 P R I N T ( " Y o u Jump*, b u t F a i l h e s c h o o l " , " T h e m o a n s of y o u r e s m, kill h i m qu1c k."
to fly." A N D Z - 5 ) • ( " T h e r e d o e t n ' c a p e . " 8280 DATA "MOULDY","a mouldy ske
t a p p e a r t o b e a m a n h o l e o r ariyt B100 DAIA "RING","* qold ring"," 1eton",("You find something" AND
hing similar below you, so you Just a ring, nothing more..." p ( 1 7 l 2 > - l ) + < "You find nothing"
cannot go down." AND 2 - 6 ) B105 DAIA "NOTE","a crumpled not A N D p ( 1 7 , 2> O l )
7749 R E T U R N e","The note starts 1 - 8 2 B 5 DATA " T A B L E " , " a snooker tab
7750 REM Input Dear m u m , " + C H R * 13+" l e " , " I t is g r e e n a n d c o v e r e d wit
7755 P R I N T AT 21,0t I d o w t iff thi2 wi1 evva re h balls."
7760 LET i - O a c h y u u . Iff it d u z , t h e n l w o u l d 8290 DATA "POOL","an acid pool",
7 7 7 0 P R I N T A T 21 ,i j " _ "j l i k e t o s a y . . . * It J u s t s t o p s . "It looks very a c i d i c . "
7 7 8 0 IF I N K E Y * - " " T H E N GO TO 77 I• 8295 DATA "PIANO","a grand piano
BO B110 DATA "LADDER","a step 1addo ","A musical instrument."
7782 LET 1-1+1 r","You could get something norm 8 3 0 0 D A T A " P E G " , " a p e g " , ( " T h e sc
77B5 LET a * M N K E Y * a l l y o u t of y o u r r e a c h u s i n g t h i s hool ley is h a n g i n g o n it." A N D
7 7 9 0 IF a J t - C H R * 1 3 T H E N GO TO 7 1 p(21,2)«!>+("It has nothing on i
900 B U S D A T A " G L A S S " , "a m a g n i f y i n g t." A N D p 4 2 1 , 2 > O t >
7 7 9 3 IF a * - " ! " T H E N LET i*-y*t g l a s s " , " U s e l e s s to you, now." B305 DATA "BOILER","a gas boiler
LET A * « C H R * C O D E Y * : L E T 1 - L E N Y B120 DATA "MANUSCRIPT","some man ",<"lt is leaking gas." AND • •

ZX Computing Monthly • August 1986 15

 fc. , 2 ) - 1 ) • ( " Y o u t m p a g a s b a i l o r . " 8 5 1 0 D A T A " Y Y o u ar*> i n a n e m p t y 10
AND p(22,2)<>1) c o l l . It looks very forblddln 8 6 2 5 D A T A " N Y o u a r e in t h e c o r n
8399 REM location descriptions* g.",0 dor. There is a door to the eas
help items 8313 DATA "YYou are on a stairca t.",0
8400 DATA "YYou are in a shallow *e w i t h a d o o r at t h o t o p . " , 0 8 6 3 0 D A T A " N Y o u a r e i n o n e of t h
alcove. 5hadows dance from t 8320 DATA "NYou a r e in a library o flats. T h i s flat is e m p t y . "
he light behind you.",0 . T h e * h e l v e m a r * all e m p t y , a n d n .O
8 4 0 5 D A T A " Y Y o u a r e tn a s m a l l c o o n * s i t * behind the desk.",0 8 6 3 5 D A T A " Y Y o u a r e in a d a r k c e
ave. There i s a d o u r t o t h e s o u 8 5 2 5 D A T A " N Y o u a r e in a c o m p u t e 11 w h i c h w a s o b v i o u s l y o n c e h a b i t
th.", U AND o(12,l)-2> r r o o m . Y o u * o e a c a * o f u l l of c ed. There lsa skoloton lying on
8 4 1 0 DATA "YYou a r e in an e m p t y as*ette*.",0 the floor here.",4
c a v e . It i s b a r e of e v e r y t h i n g . " 8 5 3 0 D A T A " N Y o u a r * i n a c o r n d o 8 6 4 0 D A T A " Y Y o u a r e in yet a n o t h
,0 r in t h e u p p e r p a r t of t h o s c or of t h e cells. This o n e is v
0 4 1 3 DATA "YYou a r e in a f u t u r i s hool. T h e r e is a door t o tho e a s ory dark, and a breeze blows f
t i c c o n t r o l r o o m . It l o o k s t o t a l t, w h i c h says 'Deputy Head' a rom the north.",0
ly o u t of p l a c e In t h o s e c a v e s b o v o i t . " , 0 8 6 4 5 D A T A " Y T h l s coll 1* p a r t i t i
but then w h a t d i d y o u • x p o c f 8 5 3 5 D A T A " N Y o u a r e in t h e d o p u t o n e d off from the other*, obv
,* y head's o f f i c e . T h e r e is a c l o u s l y for a special p r i s o n e r ,
8 4 2 0 D A T A "Y**-M"In t h i s c a v e t h o l u t t e r e d d e s k , t h e r e is a pil probably a m u r d e r e r . T h e r e is a
r e is a n a c i d p o o l , w h i c h l o o k o of j u n k . " , 0 n old skeleton p r o p p e d up
s very dangerous." AND 8 3 4 0 D A T A " Y Y o u a r e in t h e j a l l e a g a i n s t the wall h e r o . " , 4
o ( 5 , 2 ) - l > + ( " T h o a c i d pool h a s be r ' s room. There Is a peg, but 8 6 5 0 D A T A " Y Y o u a r o in a p a s s a g e
come p e r f e c t l y s a f e to cr t h e k e y s a r e m i * * i n g . " , 8 , leading n o r t h to south. Th*r
oss now." AND o ( 3 , 2 > 0 1 > , 3 8 3 4 5 DATA "YYou are at the end o e 1* a p r i s o n coll to the w
8 4 2 5 D A T A " N Y o u a r e in t h e janit f a l o n g underground passage. est.",0
or'* room. There are keys hangi A door say*'Jai1 or'",0 8 6 5 5 D A T A " N Y o u a r o at t h e top o
ng on pegs, high on th* wall,",4 8530 DATA "YYou ar* walking d o w n f a l a n d i n g . l t i* n o t v * r y s a f e ,
8430 DATA "Yin thi* room thor* 1 a long pa**ag*. There are c and looks vandali**d.",0
• a wry d * * p p o o l of w a t e r . " ell d o o r s all a l o n g b o t h w a l l * 8 6 6 0 D A T A " N Y o u a r * in t h e p r o j *
.5 ctor room. There is a projoctor
8 4 3 3 D A T A " N Y o u a r * i n a v * r y bl B 3 3 3 D A T A " Y Y o u a r * w a l k i n g d o w n to tho south.",0
and-looking c*r**r* library. Boo an east/ w * * t p a s s a g e . It i s 8 6 6 5 D A T A " N Y o u a r e at t h o e n d o
ks line the shelve* a r o u n d a do* very cold down h*r*.",0' f a corridorleading north. A doo
k, but t h e r e ! s n o t h i n g h e r o w h i c B 5 6 0 DATA "YTo t h e e a s t , the p a * r to the west say* Projector
h could holpyou.",0 • a g e t u r n s . T o t h o w e s t , it c o n t room' on it. T h e r e a r e d o o r s
8 4 4 0 D A T A " N Y o u a r e in a t i d y m a 1 n u e s . " , 0 to the southand east a* woll.",0
th* room. A p i l e of b o o k * , n * a 8 3 6 5 D A T A " Y Y o u a r e a t t h e b o n d 8 6 7 0 D A T A " N Y o u a r e in t h * 1 a*t
tly on a * h * l f l * all t h a t 1 * t n t h o passage. There 1* on flat. There are a few c h a i r s her
her*, but y o u i g n o r e thorn, t h o * d o o r t o tho north.",0 e, w h i c h a r o * t a c k e d n e a t l y in a
y r e m i n d youof w o r k ! " , 0 B 3 7 0 D A T A "NYou a r o in t h e libra c o r n * r . " ,0
8 4 4 5 D A T A " N Y o u a r e at t h e e n d o r y . T h e r e i s o n l y o n e b o o k c a s e c o 8 6 7 5 DATA "YAlong tho corridor,
t a corridor. To tho nor ntaining book*, th* other* ha you see a p u d d l e of m u d . " , 0
th, a door n marked, 'Janitor* ve gone.",4 8 6 8 0 D A T A " N Y o u a r o in t h e physi
room'",0 8 5 7 3 D A T A " N Y o u a r e in t h e c o m p u c* room. Books line the shelv
8 4 5 0 D A T A " N Y o u a r e in a v e r y u n t o r r o o m . There are no compute •I.",0
tidy maths r o o m . A p i l e of b o o k r s h e r e , however.",0 B 6 B 5 D A T A " N Y o u a r o In t h e p r o j e
* t o t t e r * o n t h o o d g o of a s h e l f . 8 3 8 0 D A T A " N Y o u a r o i n a l o n g c o ctor room. You can se* the proj
Tables and c h a i r * have been kno rridor. Th* door which 1* to th* ector. Why not *how a film ?",7
ckod over. It all l o o k * u n * a f o . we*t says 'Computer*', and th* 8 6 9 0 O A T A " N Y o u a r * in t h o art r
m,o eaat door i* u n m a r k e d . " , 0 o o m . P o t * of p a i n t 1 1 n * o n * s h s l f
8 4 5 5 D A T A " Y Y o u a r e in a n o t h e r d 8 3 8 3 D A T A " N Y o u a r e in t h e f l a t . . A door to th* ea*t says 'Gall*
ark, damp coll. Thi* one look* There are only a few t a b l e * an ry'.",0
a s if n o - o n o h a s u s e d it f o r d c h a i r s in h e r e . " , 0 8 6 9 5 D A T A " N Y o u a r e in t h e A r t G
several hundred years"",0 8 5 9 0 D A T A " Y Y o u a r o In a v e r y d a allery. There aro many beaut
8 4 6 0 DATA "YThi* cell c o n t a i n * a rk cell in tho dungeon*. Not a iful painting* her*. One
n old, d e c a y i n g s k e l e t o n . I b r e a t h of air can be felt hero stands out from th* r**t.",0
t i s all very spooky.",7 • ".0 8 7 0 0 D A T A " Y Y o u a r e a t a t u r n in
8465 DATA "Yin this cell, there 8 3 9 5 DATA " N T h l * coll Is b r i g h t * the p a s s a g e g o i n g north and east
is a small ledge on the n o r t h * r than most.It must h a v * been fo . It I s darker here than not
lde. You cannot be sure what r an important man who wa t pi a c e s . " , 0
1* on lt, though.",0 s i m p r i s o n e d h o r * . A l t h o u g h it is 8 7 0 5 D A T A " Y " * ( " T h o r * is a puddl
8 4 7 0 DATA "Y"*("In thi* room, th quite r o u g h , t h e r * i* a * u e of o i l blocking your pa
0
z
o r e i* a g i a n t f r o g b l o c k i n g y o n l i g h t h i g h up in t h * c o i l i n g o u th. Y o u c a n n o t cross it." AND p
ur p a t h n o r t h . H e g u l p s , a n d t h t of y o u r r o a c h . It i * s u p r l s l < 8 , 2 ) - I > + ( " T h e p a s s a g e is clear

1
on s a y s t 'You m a y n o t p a s s u n t n g t h a t n o - o n * h a * f o u n d It b*f h e r o . " A N D p (8, 2> O l > , (1 I A N D p (
11 y o u h a v e given me a good or * . • , 0 8,2>-l>
meal.'" AND p ( 6 , 2 > • 1 > + < " T h e frog 8600 DATA "YThls i* a very bleak 8710 DATA "YAt this point there
let* you pass." AND p < 6 , 2 K > l > , c e l l , w h i c h c o n t a i n * m e r e l y a le i* a door t o t h e south. "+("Looki
2 6 d g e to sit on.",0 ng through the bars, you see a
< 8473 DATA "NYou are on the top o 8605 DATA "Y"•("As you walk into
f a landing,",0 this room, you Just avoid fal1i
Stop ladder." AND o(23,1>-68>,0
8 7 1 5 DATA "YYou aro walking alon

oc 8 4 8 0 D A T A " N Y o u a r e in a c h e m i s t ng i n t o a b i g pit. You can see g a dark west to east passage

0
ry lab. B o t t l e s of c h e m i c a l * a metal ladder t o o far d o w n to .",0
lino the shelves.",0 b e r e a c h e d . It looks too modern 8 7 2 5 D A T A " Y Y o u a r o o n s o m e stai
B 4 8 5 D A T A " N Y o u a r e in a l o n g c o to belong to this place. Hayb r».",0
O rridor.•,0 e lt i s controlled by re
8 4 9 0 D A T A " N Y o u a r e at t h e top o m o t e c o n t r o l ' " A N D p ( 1 2 , 2 > - 1 > + ( "
8 7 3 0 D A T A " Y Y o u a r e in t h * a r m o u
ry room. W*apons and armour 1
tt f a high landing.",0 T h e l a d d e r in t h e p i t I S r a i s e d , in* th* wal1*.",0
8 4 9 5 D A T A " Y T h l s 1* a v e r y d a m p , a l l o w i n g y o u to g o d o w n . " A N D p( 8 7 3 5 D A T A " Y Y o u a r e in a * t o r e r
Q .
s m e l l y c o l l w h i c h l o o k * t h o u * a n d 1 2 , 2 ) O l ) ,9 o o m . L a d d e r s l e a n a g a i n s t t h o wal

2
s of y e a r s o l d . " ,0 8 6 1 0 D A T A " Y Y o u a r * in a c o r n d o 1*.",0
8 5 0 0 DATA "YYou enter a r e a s o n a b r. To t h e north, tho passage b 8 7 4 0 D A T A " N Y o u a r * in t h e R . E .
ly d r y c o l l . l t i s t o t a l l y d e v o i d e n d s , b u t s o u t h w a r d s , it e a r n room. A c u p b o a r d in t h e r o o m
of a n y s i g n * of l i f e , a n d y e s o n . " ,0 i s f u l l of b i b l e s . " , 0
ou cannot imagine anyone over 8 6 1 3 D A T A " N Y o u a r e in t h e b i o l o 8 7 4 5 D A T A " N Y o u a r e in t h e h i s t o
l i v i n g h e r o , f o r it i * t o t a l l y b o g y r o o m . There are many displ ry room. A l o n g o n e w a l l , ther
no dry.",0 ay c a s e s , and insect specimens o are some history protects abo
O 8303 DATA "YYou are in a coll. I here.",0 ut tho school.",12
8 7 5 0 D A T A " N Y o u a r * in t h e t o i l e
t s walls a r e c o v e r e d w i t h a g 8 6 2 0 D A T A " N Y o u a r e in t h e c o m p u
lowing substance, probably tor r o o m . H e r e , t h e r e is a S p e t. T h e r e is n o t h i n g s p e c i a l h e r e
phosphorous.",0 ctrum and cassette recorder.", .",0
CO

86 ZX Computing Monthly • August 1986 15

 /
i

8 7 3 5 D A T A "NYou a r e on s o m e stai 8905 DATA "NYou are at the end o

rs, leading up."fO f a corridorwhere there are two
8 7 6 0 D A T A " N Y o u a r e in t h e d e p u t doors the one to the north say
y head s office. There is a n s 'Kitchens and the other says '
e a t d e s k in t h e m i d d l e , b u t it i 1 s t ai d * . " , 0

adventure ' •
a a) 1 p a p e r - w o r t . , 0 8 9 1 0 D A T A " N Y o u a r e in t h e c o r n
8 7 6 5 DATA " N Y o u are in the h i s t o dor. To the south is the Head's
ry room. T h e r e i s n o t h i n g of office.",0
interest here."tO 8 9 1 5 D A T A " N Y o u a r e in t h e c o r n
B770 DATA "NYou are hAlf way up dor. To the n o r t h is the hall, a
some steep s t a i r s . T h e r e is not nd to the south, there is the
h i n g of interest here.",0 office.",0 p ( 1 6 , 2 > - 1 > • ( " T h e troll is n o w d
8 7 7 5 D A T A " N Y o u a r e in t h e 6 t h f 8 9 2 0 DATA "NYou are in the main ead." AND p <16,2)<>1>,0
orm common room. A snooker tabl foyer. The large double-doors 1 9099 REM Help messages
e takes up m o s t of t h e room."*,l ook promising, but they 9 1 0 0 D A T A "I r e f u s e t o h e l p y o u
3 aro locked.",0 h e r e . " , " Y o u don't n e e d MY h e l p 1 "
8780 DATA "NYou are at the end o 8 9 2 5 DATA "NYou a r r i v e at a turn ,"What, you're stuck? Ha, ha, ha
f a c o r r i d o r g o i n g to the east.", in the corridor. To the eas .","Oh grow up, you big baby."
0 t are stalrsTo the north is the 9 1 0 5 DATA "Try d i s s o l v i n g t h e ba
87B5 DATA "NVou are in the c o r n staff room.",0 rs."
dor. There are two doors from h 8 9 3 0 D A T A " N Y o u a r e on s o m e stal 9110 DATA "Push the controls and
ere.*,0 rs. These are quite short. The see what happens."
8790 DATA "NYou are in a c o r n do y lead up toa landing a b o v e . " , 0 9115 DATA "What's the opposite o
r. A d o o r t o t h e s o u t h s a y s 'Staf 8 9 3 3 D A T A " N Y o u a r o in a T.D. r o f acid?"
f room' to the north, the door o n . All of the equipment has be 9120 DATA "You noed a step ladde
says 'Toilet'",0 e n p u t a w a y in t h e d e s k at t h e b r."
8795 DATA "NVou are walking down ack.",0 9 1 2 5 DATA "Why not use diving go
a corridor.There are stairs to 8 9 4 0 DATA "NYou a r e in t h e c o r n ar?"
the n o r t h . " , 0 d o r . T o t h e e a s t , a d o o r s a y s 'P 9130 DATA "Frogs eat flies."
8 8 0 0 D A T A " N Y o u a r e in a c o r n d o hotocopier'.",0 9 1 3 5 D A T A " E x a m i n e it y o u f o o l ! "
r . T h e r e i s t h e d e p u t y h e a d ' s of 8 9 4 5 D A T A "NYou are in t h e p h o t o 9140 DATA "Find the keys to open
f tce to the n o r t h , and the geogr copier room.The photocopier lies t h e eel I s . "
aphy r o o m tothe s o u t h . " , 0 o n a t a b l e in t h e c o r n e r " , 0 9 1 4 5 DATA "The c o n t r o l s are diff
0 8 0 3 D A T A " N F r o m t h i s t u r n in t h 8 9 5 0 D A T A " N Y o u a r e in t h e f i r s t icult to get to, but they are
e corridor, a staircase leads up aid room. Bandages and rolls o n o t h e r e !"
wards.",0 f planters line o n e shelf, Ther 9150 DATA "Try loading a program
881O DATA " N Y o u a r e in the m u s i c e is a bed in t h e e o r n e r , " , 0 from a cassette."
room. A grand p i a n o sits in 8 9 5 5 D A T A " N Y o u a r e in t h e H e a d ' 9 1 5 3 D A T A "Mop it u p
one corner.",14 s office. Itis the first time yo 9160 DATA "Read one."
6 8 1 3 D A T A " N Y o u a r e in a s t o r e r u ' v e ever b e e n in h e r e . H e i* 9165 DATA "Have you read the his
oom. Everything from tenn obviously a pot-holor, as there tory project ?"
is b a l l s t o h i g h j u m p s is s t o r e d i s l o t s of e q u i p m e n t for t h i s h 9 1 7 0 D A T A "If y o u h a v e s o m e m u s i
here.",0 anging against one wall.",0 c, play it."
8825 DATA "NYou are in the hall. 8 9 6 0 D A T A " N Y o u a r o in t h e o f f i c 9 1 7 5 D A T A "Cook a meal for * n m e o
",0 e. " ,0 n e H E R E !"
8 8 3 0 D A T A " N Y o u a r e in t h e g r e e n 8965 DATA "NYou have escaped the 9180 DATA "To escape, you must g
house quad. To the south is the school, andean now go home to f et t h e front door key."
greenhouse.",0 ace the m u s i c (how are you g 9190 DATA "Patch up the boiler."
8 B 3 5 D A T A " N Y o u a r e in t h e s t a f f oinq to e x p l a i n all t h i s 7 ) " 9199 REM Initialise
r o o m . T h e r e i s a t a b l e i n t h e mi .O 9200 DIM 0(28,2)1 DIM P(22,2>
ddle with m a g a s i n e s on it. C o m 8980 DATA "NYou are in the c o r n 9202 RESTORE 9220
fy c h a i r s surround it.",0 dor. Doors line one wal!.",0 9 2 0 5 F O R a - 1 TO 28t R E A D o ( a , l ) t
8 8 4 0 D A T A " N Y o u a r e in t h e g r a s s 8 9 8 5 D A T A " N Y o u a r e at a b e n d in LET o(a,2)-11 NEXT a
q u a d . It i s a l l grass.",0 the corridor.",0 9 2 1 0 F O R a - 1 T O 22t R E A D p ( a , l > !
B 8 4 5 D A T A " N Y o u a r e in t h e g e o g r B 9 9 0 D A T A " N Y o u a r e in tho F r o n c LET p(a,2)•1i NEXT a
aphy room. Naps are plastered o h room. There are doors to t 9215 RANDOMIZE USR 63700
nto the walls, and a globe s he west and south.",0 9220 DATA 84,129,29,17,17,44,215
tands on thetoacher's d e s k . " , 0 8 9 9 5 D A T A " N Y o u a r e in t h o g e o g r , 14,26,6,6,2,111,70,84,67,125,57
B B 5 0 D A T A " N Y o u a r e in t h e c o r n aphy room. maps and globes cove ,112,221,210,253,68,217,92,255,6
dor.",0 r t h e f l o o r in a b i g m e s s . " , 0 ,1
8 8 5 5 D A T A " N Y o u a r e in t h e m u s i c 9 0 0 0 DATA "NYou are in the store 9225 DATA 45,45,4,58,60,15,56,62
practise room. Musical instru r o o m . T h e r e i s n o t h i n g m u c h of i ,2,13,50,42,110,93,33,129,48,76,
merits a n d music litter the pla n t e r e s t hereexcept a few old eng 3,B3,255,101
ce.",0 1lsh books.",0 9310 LET r o o m - 1 2 2
BB60 DATA "NYou a r e in t h e k i t c h 9 0 0 5 D A T A " N Y o u a r e in y o u r Engl 9320 LET gas-30
•n. There isa c o o k e r h e r e for sc ish room. T h e r e is n o o n e a b o u 9330 DIM r(6>
haul dinners.",15 t . " , 16 9 3 4 0 LET he-1
B B 7 0 D A T A " N Y o u a r o in t h e h a l l . 9 0 l O D A T A " N Y o u a r e in a n Engl is 9350 LET in-7750
",0 h r o o m . It is all v e r y m e s s y in 9360 LET ank-0
8 8 7 3 D A T A " N Y o u a r e in t h e g r e e n h e r e . It l o o k s a s if s o m e o n e 9370 LET y*-w
house. Plants and flowers r has vandalised this plac 9300 LET num-0
est on benches.",0 e. ",0 9390 RETURN
88B0 D A T A " N Y o u a r e in t h e s t a f f 9 0 1 5 D A T A " N Y o u a r e in a n o t h e r F 9399 REM Verbs
room. Thereis nothing special h r e n c h room. There are wine bottl 9400 DATA "INV,"HELP","UNLI","Q
ere.",0 os lined up on the w i n d o w s i 1 1 . " , U1T " , "SAVE " ,"L OAD " ,"CLE " ," UNL " , "
88B5 DATA " N Y o u are in t h e quad. 0 PLAC","LI","TA","DR","EX","M0","
It i s totally empty, excep 9 0 2 0 D A T A " Y Y o u a r e in a c a v e . S Ml","Wh","PU","ST","PL","CR","AT
t for a bench at one end,",0 ome bones l i e at your feet. Th ","CO","P0","ME","OP","CL","SW",
BB90 D A T A " N Y o u a r e in a T.D. r o ey look v e r y o l d . " , 0 "N","S","W","E","U","D"
on. D r a w i n g e q u i p m e n t c a n b e f o u 9 0 2 5 DATA " Y Y o u are in a pit. Th 9410 DATA 6550,7250,5800,7310,74
n d o n e v e r y d e s k . It h a s n o t b e e e ladder a b o v e , w h i c h y o u ral 20,5200,5500,5700,5600,3900,6000
n cleared up.",0 sed allows you to go up.",0 ,6650,6400,6100,2500,6300,5100,5
BB93 DATA "NYou are in the c o r n 9 0 3 0 D A T A " Y Y o u a r e in a t u n n e l . 400,3300,6000,3000,3000,33O0,620
dor. A door to t h e e a s t s a y s 'Bo You hear some tunnelling soun 0,6950,7100,4000,7500,7310,7520,
H e r r o o m ' " ,0 d s , but j u s t s h r u g it a w a y . " , 0 7530,7540,755f>
8900 DATA "NYou are in the b o i l e 9 0 3 5 D A T A " Y Y o u a r o in a c a v e . T 9997 STOP
r room. " + ( " T h e b o i l e r i s leak in o tho east, a door says 'Troll*. 999B CLEAR 63369i LOAD ""CODE i
g. T h e g a s is getting unbearab ".0 RUN
le" A N D p ( 2 2 , 2 > - 1 > • ( " T h e l e a k i n g 9040 DATA "Y"-M"You *re in a cav 9 9 9 9 S A V E "CLASSROOM'' L I N E 9998i

7
has stopped." AND p(22,2><>1>,1 o with a vory
ks ready to
o l d troll h e
attack you."
loo
AND
SAVE "CLASSCODE"CODE 63370,1060,
t B E E P 1,0 • ••
15
ZX Computing Monthly • August 1986
 PROGRAM 2
+
5 C L E A R X-l
10 L E T X - 0
20 LET
3 0 IF • THEN INPUT a*
# ^sgraprn^
3 3 IF A * - " 5 " O R X - 0 T H E N SAVE
"CLASSC0DE"C0DE 0,0

EN
4 0 L E T y - C O D E * * - 4 8 i IF y > 9 T H
LET y-y-7
' a d v e n t u r e *
3 0 L E T z - C O D E « * ( 2 > - 4 0 i IF z > 9
THEN LET 2-2-7
60 POKE x,16*y+z
7 0 L E T K«k«-1
90 LET a*-«S<3 TO )
90 QO TO 30

PROGRAM 3
63570 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 OO 20 20 20 00 00
63386 OO OO OO 20 20 20 OO 30 00 00 00 00 00 20 20 20
63602 00 30 OO 00 OO 00 20 20 20 OO OO 00 OO OO OO 20
63618 20 20 20 OO 00 00 OO 00 00 00 00 00 11 00 80 00
63634 OO OO 11 80 OO OO 00 OO 00 OO OO 00 OO 00 00 OO
63630 OO OO 00 OO 00 00 00 00 00 00 OO 00 00 00 00 00
63666 00 00 00 OO 00 OO 00 OO 41 OO OO 00 OO OO 00 OO
63682 OO 41 00 00 00 00 OO 00 00 OO 00 OO CI CI 00 CI
63698 CI 00 12 8E 8F 11 67 CF 10 78 30 DE 08 9C 00 00
63714 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 20 00 00 00 00 00 40 00
63730 00 OO OO 01 00 00 40 00 00 00 40 20 50 00 30 OO
63746 00 14 00 70 00 00 00 00 00 00 AO 00 00 00 00 01
63762 00 FO 00 00 OO 00 02 OO Ol 00 OO OO 00 01 OO 00
63778 AO 00 00 OO 40 60 21 BO 90 OO 00 54 00 00 00 AO
63794 OO OO 10 00 41 OO 00 OO OO 03 00 51 00 OO OO OO
63810 03 OO 61 00 00 OO 00 03 70 81 00 00 00 00 04 80
63826 91 11 OO 00 84 45 00 00 21 01 OO OO 50 AO B1 31
63842 11 00 00 to 00 00 OO 21 00 B4 00 CO El 00 00 00
63858 00 07 DO F1 OO OO OO 00 07 EO 02 00 00 OO 00 OF
63874 00 12 00 00 00 00 01 FO 22 00 00 00 00 01 01 32
63890 OO 00 OO OO 08 00 42 00 00 00 00 00 21 52 CI 00
63906 00 00 40 00 00 00 B1 00 00 10 00 00 El 00 00 00
63922 40 41 72 F1 D1 00 OO IF 51 82 02 El 00 OO OF 61
63938 92 12 F1 00 00 OF 71 00 22 02 00 00 04 81 B2 00
63954 12 OO OO OC 91 00 00 00 OO OO 00 Al 02 32 OO 00
63970 00 40 B1 E2 62 42 00 00 50 OO 00 OO 52 OO OO 10
63986 El OO 00 00 00 OO 04 F1 03 OO OO OO OO 07 02 13
64002 00 OO OO 00 07 00 OO B2 OO 00 00 40 22 33 00 A2
64018 OO OO 10 OO 43 OO OO OO OO 01 42 OO 00 00 00 OO
64034 00 52 63 F2 00 00 00 40 00 00 00 E2 00 00 10 82
64050 00 OO 00 OO OO 04 92 OO OO OO OO OO 04 OO OO 33
64066 00 00 00 40 B2 83 00 23 00 00 30 C2 93 53 00 00
64032 B6 45 00 A3 63 43 OO 00 50 E2 B3 73 53 00 00 51
64098 00 00 00 63 00 00 10 00 03 00 00 00 00 00 43 00
64114 00 00 00 00 04 53 OO 00 OO 00 OO 00 63 00 C3 00
64130 00 00 84 00 OO 00 83 00 OO 20 83 34 E3 00 00 00
64146 03 00 OO F3 OO OO OO OO OO 44 04 E3 OO OO 03 00
64162 00 00 F3 14 00 00 00 OO 00 00 24 04 OO C3 00 00
0
z
64173 00 00 14 04 03 OO OO OO OO OO 04 F3 OO 00 OO OO
64194 OO 04 OO 04 OO 00 00 OO 01 OO E4 00 00 OO OO 01
64210 OO F4 OO 00 OO OO 01 00 05 00 OO 01 00 OO 00 15
64226 00 00 00 00 01 00 25 00 00 00 00 01 00 00 00 00
1 64242
64253
31
15
25
64
00
75
00
F4
00
D4
D4
00
OO
00
00
05
OO
74
40
85
34
05
65
E4
E4
00
C4
00
OO
05
OO
84

s 64274 95 15 F4 OO OO 01 94 A5 25 05 00 00 05 A4 B5 35
< 64290
64306
15
00
B4
40
00
00
44
E5
00
65
00
45
00
OO
25
00
00
10
00
D4
20
F5
00
OO
00
55
55
00
00
OO
00
04
64322 E4 06 OO 00 00 00 04 F4 16 00 00 00 OO 04 05 16

o
64333 00 00 00 OO 04 15 00 00 00 OO 00 04 25 46 C5 OO

o
64354 00 00 40 00 OO 00 B5 OO 00 10 00 66 E5 OO OO 00
64370 41 55 OO F5 D5 OO OO io 65 86 OO E5 OO OO 01 75
64386 OO 00 00 00 OO 00 35 A6 OO 00 00 00 01 95 00 00
64402 OO OO OO OO 00 C6 OO OO OO 00 01 B5 D6 56 00 00
a
a.
64413 00 40 00 00 00 46 00 00 10 D5 F6 76 00 00 00 05
64434 00 07 36 66 OO OO 01 F3 17 96 76 00 OO 05 OO 27

• •j » *
64450 A6 86 00 00 03 16 37 B6 96 00 00 04 00 00 00 A6
64466 43 00 OO 36 57 00 OO 00 00 OA 46 67 E6 00 OO OO
S 64432
64498
40
00
00
00
00
00
00
00
06
00
00
04
00
86
20
OO
66
OO
00
00
00
00
00
00
00
04
00
00
04
00
76
00
64514 OO 00 00 00 A6 87 47 OO 00 00 01 00 97 57 37 00
64530 OO Ol C6 A7 67 47 OO OO 05 D6 B7 77 37 OO OO 41

o
64546 OO C7 OO 67 00 OO 11 37 00 OO 00 00 00 04 47 00
64562 OO OO OO OO 04 57 00 00 OO 00 OO 04 67 OO 00 OO
64573 OO 00 04 77 00 OO 00 OO 00 04 OO E7 00 00 OO 00
64594 01 D7 F7 OO OO A2 OO 04 E7 08 00 OO OO OO OO F7

a. 64610 OO 18 00 00 00 40 00 00 00 08 00 00 10 00 00 00

</»
64626 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00

68 ZX Computing Monthly • August 1986 15

 AVOID THE MONSTER RUSH FOR
THE NEW

& / &
/ & vf> &
*

\ < f V V A*
Send this form with your remittance to: 5n-S
INFONETLTD., Times House, 179 Tbe Mariou es,
, ^ o

if &J-
Hemel Hempstead, Herts. HP1 IBB. / ^

<£>
h /

# <
^ J ? ••
J 1*
<?N V
 ELITE
Inside every software
house it seems there is
a budget label waiting
to get out. Now Elite
have entered the £2.99
league with Elite
Classics.

T u r n left at Birmingham,
proceed tor twelve miles and
you reach the oflices of Elite In
Walsall where over the past few
months Steve Wilcox and co
have been hatching a new
budget label.
The aim, said Steve Wilcox, is
for Elite Classics to become "the
fourth major budget label," and
the strategy from mid July Is to
publish a title a week. Initially
these will mainly be full priced
games from other houses
reissued at £2.99 but new
budget titles will also be
introduced.
Elite Classics have ten
Spectrum titles lined up for
release, Full Throttle
(Micromega). 3D Death Chase
{Micromega). Skool Daze
(Microsphere), Valhalla (Legend),
Pool (CDS). Chess (CP Software),
3D Star Strike (Realtime), Jasper
(Micromega). 3D Tank Duel
(Realtime) and Tornado low level
(Vortex). "When we decided to
go ahead with the label we sat
down and shortlisted the games
we wanted and we've now got
about 50 signed up for the
future," said Steve.
Why did Elite who have had
some chart topping full price
games In their time want to
produce budget software? "It's
the way things seem to be
going, we do a weekly
assessment of what is
happening In the software
market a n d have noticed over
the past 12 months that the
FULLTHRDTTLE
S c u b a Dlv*
volume sale of budget games
have been growing and that we
needed to get Involved as an
extention ot our present
business."

Fierce competition
Was there a danger that budget Doathchase
software would cause full price •MM
games to disappear? "Our C.1064 M.J.ESTCOURT
feeling is that we see budget
sales as additional rather than
replacing lull price games. We
certainly wouldn't like to see
everything go budget."
With so many software houses
now opting to publish budget
software is the market becoming
too crowded? "I think after the
C16 the Spectrum has to be the
best budget market. It's fairly
buoyant and I think it's here to
stay. Our plan Is to publish high

ZX Computing Monthly • August 1986 15

CLASSICS
calibre games. We've really
been looking at the British
software catalogue of games
that are about a year to 18
months old and some games
like Valhalla have been
included to create interest as I
don't think people expected to
see it at a budget price. As for
new titles having a budget label
allows you to publish games that
are good quality but are not
perhaps all that innovative.
Full price games in the
pipeline from Elite Include
Scooby Doo and the coin op Simple competition
conversion of Paper Boy which Is Here Is your chance to capture
expected to be ready before Elite Classics first ten releases for
Christmas. Steve expects that the Spectrum and pep up your
Elite will produce fewer full price software collection. There are
g ames than In the past. "It's three prizes on offer and
iTI
kely we won't be producing as entering couldn't be simpler.
many as the higher price has to We've listed the titles of ten well
be justified." known games and all you have
Coin Op conversions have to do is ring the five games that
accounted for many of Elites were released by Elite. Entries
successful games and they must be on the coupon
currently employ about 35 to 40 provided a n d the closing date is

E rogrammers on a freelance Friday September 5th. The

asls. "There is a lot going on competition is open to all
and a lot under development readers of ZX except employees
but we are still looking for of Argus Specialist Publications,
programmers who can do Allabaster Passmore and Elite
specific jobs for us over a range Systems. The editor's decision Is
of machines." Budding final a n d no correspondence
programmers take note. can be entered into.

ZX SPECTRUM 48K
s m a * m M M P S T O N ANOCURSOfl
J O Y S T I C K COMPATIBLE

Elite Classics Competition

Ring the five games that were released by Elite
Airwoll Quazatron
Green Beret Frank Bruno's Boxing
Elite Ghosts 'n Goblins
Commando Young Ones
Biggies Bomb Jack

Name
Z
Address
O
The closing date is Friday September 5th. Send your entries to
Elite Classics Competition, ZX Computing Monthly, No 1 Golden
Square. London W1R 3AB Please write the names of the five
games on the outside of the envelope.
a
5
O
J fafr • * _ O

ZX Computing Monthly • August 1986 91

 Eric Doyle takes a look
at guides to printers
and midi and answers
the critic who thinks
computer games are
harmful.

GETTING THE MOST has to admit the enormity of his

FROM YOUR PRINTER
task and immediately cuts down
the range by saying that he is
Getting T h e
JW Penfold primarily concerned with Epson Most From Your
Bernard Babani Books compatibles. The fact that the Printer
author is a man of considerable
£2.95 writing experience shows
through in the easy matter of
lact way he tackles the range of
J W «NK>U»
^ t o m e t i m e s authors bite off
more than Ihey can chew and commands available fo Epson
I'm afraid this is true in this book. users.
Attempting to wrile a general He starts by explaining the
book for the wide range of ASCII principles as applied to
printers available is ambitious, to printers but wastes much
Iry to do this in an A5 formal valuable space by going into
book of a mere 84 pages is long explanations of the codes
bordering on the foolhardy. Add and their mnemonics such as
to this the fact that the book NULL. HT. DEL and DC2. As you
covers all the popular can see some of these
computers and the job seems mnemonics are not clear and
impossible. many are redundant, few are
Right from the start Penfold ever used in printer parlance

MIDI PROJECTS The final section of the book these days. Wilh space al a
dabbles In the circuitry required premium I'd have preferred to
JW Penfold to drive any instruments based see Ihis space given over to a
Bernard Babani Books o n the MIDI'S predecessor, t h e clear explanation of user
£2.95 CV system. defined characters which gel no
A timely book on a trendy For a home constructor bent mention whatsoever.
subjecl. MIDI Projects is a on saving a few quid this book Is The next section ol the book is
practical book principally well worth a browse. The only excellent and covers commands
concerned with interfacing qualms that I have Is that of sent to the prinler behind a
synthesisers to your computer. software compatibility. What control code (CHRS27J. Kicking
In addition to this the book good Is an Interlace link without off with Elite pitch, the text moves
considers the development of anylhing to drive It? briskly Ihrough Pica pitch and
MIDI and fills in a lot of PenfoTd's style is easy to follow on to emphasised, double strike,
background knowledge which and the book is well worth enlarged and condensed print.
confuses newcomers to this considering especially at the Then Ihe lesser used super and
recent development in the price. subscript modes are described
musical world. with a hint about using a
MIDI stands (or Muslcial smaller line spacing to use
these modes lor printing small
Instrument Digital Interlace A MIDI labels.
MIDI allows you lo program an
instrument to play by Itself Projects Afler briefly touching on
controlled by the computer. underlining and combining
The book shows how to various modes he eventually
V n
construct and modify an all- ft A R T N K X D gets to more meaty
purpose interface for a wide considerations of line spacings
range of computers including and graphics printing. In
the Spectrum, QL and humble amongst this there is a bil more
GO 2X81. The circuit Is built around wasted discussion of
wordprocessors and printers
5 a general purpose 6402 UART
chip (Universal Asynchronous which is so limited in scope as
Transmitter/Receiver). The text is to be little better than useless.
detailed but gives no comfort to On the whole this is a book
non-technical people. This Is which is strangled by its own
acceptable because the area ambitions. In his desire to
of computer interlacing of any please, the author spends far too
type should not be tackled much time on Ihe more easily
* unless you understand a little
about what you're attempting to
understood commands and
spends little time on the much
O do. Blowing your computer via
the expansion port is a short cut
more difficult areas of printer
graphics. Help for the hopeless
O to an expensive repair bill. but no hope for the helpless in
this slim volume.

92 ZX Computing Monthly • August 1986 15

 CHILDREN AT RISK he sees lurking in the shadows. warned against by the author
Sensibly he berates the but in my experience this does
David Porter practices of software piracy and not cut Ihe child off totally from
Kingsway Publications hacking as encouragement to social interaction with others
£4.95
break the law. When he goes on Parents who don't control their
to attack adventure-style games children would probably leave
he only seems to see the black them glued to a much more
magic element and I see no Influential medium, the television
Very little attention is drawn to reference to the problem solving set.
the dark side of computer and broadening effect which Christian or not the book's
games. Although this only takes these games encourage. subtext is one of caring about
up one small section of this The one question which I feei Ihe interests of the child In a
book which considers the has no answer Is whether killing world where parental guidance
pressures placed on children by in play increases the possibility seems to be going out of style I
modern society, it Is a relevant of humbing the child to real life can't say thai I enjoyed the book
expression of a concerned murder. Although my own but if certainly stimulated me to
parent and Christian. childhood was spent playing look more objectively ot my own
The fact that the view cowboys and Indians, cops and attitudes.
expressed in this book does not robbers, and soldiers, I have The scope of the book Is
concur with my own attitude matured into a fairly well much broader taking in other
does not detract from Its adjusted adulf with very positive media influences and the evils
relevance. From the dedication anti-violent tendencies. Perhaps of drugs and child abuse I
page my hackles rose, Mary the role playing of adventures would classify this as a verbal
Whitehouse, Frederic Wertham makes a child ihink more about purgative or a crie de la coeur.
and Charles Oxtey are not three what death means. Frequently Here In one book are all the
people for whom I have a lot of atlacking a creature in a game fears ot a caring parent. The
respect. Fortunately, the words of results In Immediate anihliation other side of this coin Is that If
David Porter are a lot less for the attacker. Giving you're too vehement about
provocative to me. credence to the policy of avoiding the wrongs in life, they
Whatever subject he discusses achieving your aim by take on a morbid attraction for
he tries to list any positive negotiation. the child during the rebellion of
benefits alongside the evil that Obsession with the medium is adolescence.

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This space IN donated in the interests of lii(jh standards of advertising

OR TEL: 0 6 1 * 8 3 4 2 8 0 8

ZX Computing Monthly • August 1986 15

 1000 R E M t W t t > H » » U W » » H » H
1010 REM # S T I P I A N S O F T W A R E '83*
1020 R E M I H I M M I U H < M M < M < *

1030 POKE 23639,2

1040 B O R D E R 0 : P A P E R 0 : C L S ! PR
INT P A P E R 61 INK 2| F L A S H 11 BR
TRNK: 2 WATER-LINE IOHT 1|* WATER-LINE
•! F L A S H 0
SCORE: 85 1030 P R I N T INK 7|'• You c o n t r o l
] a f r o g In a tank g r a d u a l l y ft
H/SCORE:55 lllng H i t h H i t v r . Y o u j u n p to a C O
n v e y o r b e l t a b o v e , t o o b t a In the o
LIUES : 1 b j * c t » u p o n It.*
1060 P R I N T INK 71'*Obj ec ta on t
h t C o n v e y o r b e l t . . "I P R I N T INK
4 1 * ' A L A D D E R TO A I D IN THE E S C
APE A S P O N G E TO M O P UP THE WAT
ER A B U C K E T TO A D D TO THE W A T
ER A C I D T O E A T A W A Y THE L A D D E
R'J P R I N T INK 7 | ' " C O N T R O L J U M P
BY K E Y •0'-: P R I N T INK 7|** Sc
o r e b y h o n far you get up t h e t a n
k.": PRINT INK A l 1 * tf y o u
cape a more perllouatank anatta.
.
1070 P R I N T AT 21,01 P A P E R 61 INK
11 F L A S H 1| B R I G H T II* PRESS A
REPORT:

0
NY K E Y T O C O N T I N U E . . . IF INK
GAME-OUER ANOTHER GO? (Y/N) EY*-** THEN G O T O 1070

z
1000 G O S U B 2 3 9 0
1090 L E T hI"0

1
1100 L E T 11-3: L E T 1-.2: L E T «pd
- 0 ! LET m-10

s<
UfiTER-LINE 1110 B O R D E R 0: P A P E R 0: C L S : BR
IGHT l: INK 7
1120 F O R 1-13 TO 8 S T E P - . 3
You c o n t r o l a frog in a tank t130 B E E P .03,I
g r a d u a l l y f i l l i n g w i t h w a t e r . Y o u
oc
1140 N E X T i
jump to a conveyor b e l t a b o v e , t o 1130 F O R r-1 TO 3
o b t a i n the o b j e c t s upon i t . 1160 F O R 1-14 TO 20
O O b j e c t s on the Conveyor b e l t . .
I 170 B E E P .03, I
1180 N E X T I
O 1190 N E X T r

oc R LRDDER TO
A SPONGE TO
RID IN THE
MOP UP T H E
ESCRPE
URTER
1200 DIM a*(3t
1210 DIM »(3>
CL R BUCKET TO ROD T O T H E URTER
1220 DIM c <31
1230 DIM g»(3>

2
R C I D TO ERT RURY T H E LRDDER 1240 L E T g* <1> - *
L E T cllt - 3
1230 L E T g » ( 2 ) - s L E T C 12) - 6
CONTROL JUMP BY KEY ' 0 ' 1260 L E T g » < 3 > - •a* I L E T c 131 - 4
D 1270 L E T g * < 4 > - : L E T c (41 - 3
CL Score by how far you get up the 1280 L E T g » ( 3 > - • • j L E T c (31 - 0
tanK. 1290 F O R 1-1 TO 3
1300 L E T a * t 1 1 _ g a ( I )
O I f you escape a more p e r i l o u s 1310 L E T • ( 1 l - C ( I I
1320 N E X T 1
tank a w a i t s
CL PRESS ANY KEY TO CONTINUE...
2 0 0 0 REM M H < K I < I M I M I H < I I I *
2010 REM Screen Routine
00

94 ZX Computing Monthly • August 1986

Save the frog from a up to gain the objects it needs to water.
survive. As long as the jumps are timed
watery grave in this Overhead passes a conveyor to perfection the correct objects
belt on which is a selection of can be collected. And when you
amphibian a r c a d e objects, parts of a ladder which finally get free what reward do you
when collected will let me outa get? Yes, another tank which is
game. here, sponges which will mop up even more difficult to escape from.
some of the water, acid which
A frog has fallen into a tank and destroys part of the ladder and by Ian Humphries
its only chance of survival is to leap buckets which will a d d to the and Pip Wright

2020 REM 2 4 4 0 GO TO 2 3 9 0 3140 RETURN

2030 LET d - 3 3 : LET h-16: LET x-l 2 4 5 0 L E T I B * - a * ( 3 > : L E T t-i»<3) 3 1 5 0 LET r - I N T IRND#4I
6 2 4 6 0 L E T a % { 31 — " *: L E T m < 3 > - 0 3160 PRINT P A P E R 31 INK 4 J A T *,
2040 C L S : BRIGHT 1 2470 PRINT INK 11 A T x-l , 1 0 j n t 101-flAT »*I,l0|-f
?030 P L O T 1,175: D R A W 150,0: DRA 2480 PRINT AT x , 1 0 f • I AT **1,10 3170 PRINT INK 7 » A T 2 1 , I t - M O P P E
W 0,-135: DRAW >150,0: DRAW 0,15 S• * I A T x - l , 101 • • D U P • Ir|• m m / W A T E R *
5 2490 LET x-x+1 3 1 8 0 P L O T 103,d: DRAW OVER 1 I-3
2 0 6 0 INK 2 2 3 0 0 IF x-t»+l O R x - h T H E N LET X 9,0
2 0 7 0 P R I N T AT 7 , 4 f 6 0 < L t £ E U L ' • h : G O TO 2 5 4 0 3 1 9 0 IF d - r < — 3 3 T H E N LET d-d*r:
2080 L E T c m I - 5 5 2310 PRINT P A P E R 0( INK 4 I A T X, GO TO 3210
2 0 9 0 F O R i - B T O 17 1 0 1 ' 1 ' I A T x* 1 , 101 "j.m 3200 LET d-d-r
2100 P R I N T INK 6 I A T I,4||C*I|M 2 5 2 0 G O T O 24 7 0 3210 PLOT 103,d: DRAW OVER l|-3
"I INK Z l ' k £* 2530 LET x-h: PRINT | P A P E R 3| I 9,0
2110 L E T C A l - C A l - 5 NK 4!A T x , 1 0 | * t * | A T x M , 1 0 | * £ * 3 2 2 0 G O TO 2 2 3 0
2120 N E X T 1 2 3 4 0 IF t - 5 T H E N G O TO 3 4 3 0 3230 PRINT INK 21 A T 2 1 , 1 I * A A A R R
2 1 3 0 P R I N T A T IB, 7: "i-CBEBBI)' 2 3 5 0 IF t » 6 T H E N GO TO 3 1 3 0 G G H ' 1 ' * ! INK 7 J • D R O W N E D IN * | * T
2140 P R I N T INK At A T 8 , 1 2 J * X * 2 5 6 0 IF t - 3 T H E N LET O - - 1 : LET ANK * I I*5t"
2150 INK 7 » - « * 3 : GO TO 3 3 6 0 3 2 4 0 F O R 1 - 2 0 TO 0 S T E P -1
2160 P L O T 9 5 , 1 0 5 : D R A W INK 3 | - 2 3 2 3 0 B E E P .1,1
2 5 7 0 IF t-4 A N D h < 1 6 T H E N LET a
,-71 3260 NEXT I
• • I : LET 9 » « ~ 3 : GO TO 3 3 4 0
2170 P L O T 1 5 7 , 1 7 5 : D R A W 9 4 , 0 t DR 3 2 7 0 L E T I 1 - 1 l - I J IF I 1 - 0 T H E N
2 3 8 0 GO TO 2 2 8 0
AW 0 , - 1 3 3 : D R A W - 9 4 , 0 : D R A W 0 , 1 3 GO TO 3290
2 3 9 0 F O R I•1 TO 10: R E A D p » : F O R
5 3 2 8 0 GO TO 1110
n - 0 T O 7: R E A D • : P O K E U S R p » * n
2180 P R I N T AT t , I I * TANK 1 "ll*3| 3 2 9 0 IF « > h i T H E N L E T h l - »
N E X T n: N E X T i
INK 3 | A T 1 , 2 0 t ' W A T E R - L I N E * 3300 PRINT INK 61 AT 2 1 , i | ' G A M E -
2600 DATA - b - , 1 2 6 , 2 5 5 , 2 5 5 , 2 5 3 , 1 2
O V E R * t INK 41 F L A S H I f ANOTHER
2190 PRINT INK 41 A T 3 , 2 0 | * H / S C O 6,0,0,0
H E : ' I Ml G O 7 <Y/N) *
2610 DATA ••-,102,66,153,189,189
2200 P R I N T INK 4 | A T 7 , 2 0 1 ' L I V E S ,235,126,126 3 3 1 0 IF I N K E Y » - * y ' O R I N K E Y « - * Y *
: *t II 2 6 2 0 D A T A *9*, t 2 6 , 6 0 , 9 0 , I 29, 129, THEN G O TO 1 1 0 0
2 2• 1 0 P R I N T INK 3 | A T 10, 201 • K E Y 66,36,102 3 3 2 0 IF I N K E Y « - * n * O R INKEY*=>*N'
2630 DATA - I•,14,31,31,31,223,31 THEN STOP
2 2 2 0 INK 3 ,31,14 3 3 3 0 G O TO 33 10
2230 P R I N T INK 61 AT 12. 21 I • y i 2640 DATA -r*,I 12,248,248,248,24 3340 PRINT INK 7 ; A T 2 1 , I t ' A C I D :
INK 7 | ' - S P O N G E * 8,248,248,112 -LADDER LENGTH DECREASES'
2240 PRINT INK 31 AT 14, 211 2 6 5 0 D A T A * t * , 1 4 , 4 , 4 , 1 2 4 , 2 5 4 , 194 3 3 5 0 G O TO 3 3 7 0
INK 7 | ' - B U C K E T * ,195,0 3360 PRINT INK 7 ! A T 2 I , 1t * L A D D E
2230 P R I N T INK 3| A T 16, 211 • f l 2660 DATA • « * , 0 , 3 0 , 6 3 , 1 2 7 , t 2 6 , 2 5 R LENGTH INCREASES CO
INK 7 | * - L A D D E R *
2260 P R I N T INK 4| A T 18, 21 1 •9*1
2 , 2 4 8 , I 12
2670 DATA • p • , 1 2 6 , 6 6 , 2 5 5 , 2 3 3 , 2 3 3
3 3 7 0 L E T h - h *o: P R I N T
h , 1 0 1 ' ': L E T x - h
INK 3 | A T
-o
INK 71 * - A C I D * 3 3 8 0 IF h < > 5 T H E N G O TO 2 2 H H m
,126,126,126
2 2 7 0 P R I N T AT 2 0 , I I • R E P O R T : •
2280 PRINT P A P E R 31 INK 4 t A T x,
2680 DATA *«',24,24,24,126,255,2
55,235,233
3390 PRINT INK 7 » A T 2 1 , M ' Y O U H
AVE E S C A P E D FROM TANK 1*10/21* O
101*»•(AT ,10|'i* 2 6 9 0 D A T A '«•', 193, 2 3 3 , 1 9 3 , 195, 19 •: L E T l - l * . 2
2290 PRINT INK 6 I A I 3 , 2 0 ( " S C O R E 3,195,233,195 3 4 0 0 IF « > h i T H E N LET h I-»
2700 RESTORE 3 4 1 0 F O P 1-1 TO 2 5 0 : N E X T t
2300 P L O T 103, d: D R A W O V E R II-3 2710 RETURN 3 4 2 0 G O TO 1 1 1 0

2
9,0 1000 REN 3430 LET r-INT (RNDtBI
2 3 1 0 L E T d - d •I 3010 REM Conveyor 3440 PRINT P A P F R 31 INK 4 i A T *,
2 3 7 0 L E T r d - 2 1 - I N T <d/8> 3070 REM ««l«*#*l«t< lfll"."|AT x * l , 1 0 | ' v *
2330 BEEP . 0 1 , 4 - 6 0 : P L O T 103,d: 3030 LET «pd°ipd*l 3450 PRINT INK 71 AT 2 1 , I I ' T A N K TJ
90
o
DRAW INK 5 | O V E R 1 1 - 3 9 , 0 3 0 4 0 IF a p d < 1 T H E N G O T O 3141) F I L L S W I T H • I r I * —m / WA TER*
23.10 IF rd< h T H E N G O TO 3 2 3 0 3050 LET 3460 PIOT 103,d: DRAW OVER l|-3
2350 G O SUB 3 0 1 « 3 0 6 0 F O R 1-1 TO 4 9,0
2 3 6 0 IF I N K E Y » - * P ' T H E N G O TO 2 3070 LET n*(tI-«*<|•1) 3470 I ET d - d * r
380 3080 LET m I I)-•<I•1 J 34HH
NK 31
P L O T 10.1, d: D R A W
- 39 , 0
OVER 1t I O
2370 G O TO 2 3 0 0 3090 NEXT I
1490 G O TO 7 2 1 0 73

tiff*
23B0 P R I N T INK 3 | A I h , 1 0 ( * *| I 3100 LET t-INT ( R N D I 4 1 M >
NK 31 AT h « l , l 0 | * L * i L E T n - x - 2 ! 0 3110 LET A * < 3 ) - 9 « ( t > : LET m<3)-c
(1 in 74 10 It)
2190 L E I K-jt-2 3120 LET ,i«(II»a*(Si: LET n l l l M
?4fl<1 P R I N T AT n * 2 , I H | " *|A1 K » 3 , <3»
I0| " * 3130 PRINT INK 2 | A T 4 , 6 | ' 1 ' | IN 2
z
24 I« D E E P . 0 1 . 5 : P R I N T INK 4 ) A T K 7 | * 'I INK n l 2 l t « * < 2 > : INK 7 | "
x, 101 " £,* 1 INK 4 I A T x O . 1 0 1 ' 2 * I INK « < 3 l | a * < 3 > | INK 7t "_* I I

o
2 4 2 0 IF x < - 4 T H E N GO TO 2 4 3 0 N K •) < 4 ) | a * < 4 ) | INK 7 | * _ * | INK m (
2 4 3 0 G O SOI) 3 0 3 0 I) I A * I 1 I I INK 21 * I •

ZX Computing Monthly • August 1986 15

 ZX COMPUTING
FULL CREDIT FACILITIES FOR ACCESS AND BARCLAYCARD.
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Upgrade 16K to 46K
interface 1
£25.00
£17.50
REVIEW FROM THE special missions, even cloaking devtce
and E C M Jammer AJlor every feature lor
only t i »
133 London Road South,
Lowestoft. Suffolk.
Spectrum • Dustcover ....£1.95
OL Dustcover £2.95
OCTOBER ISSUE ASTROCAOE Coii-< i S<< U ' C games
ol arcade and advenlurp Your Sinclair
T t l : (0502) 66289. Prices includes parts. P&P
Send Unit 4 Choque/PO to: ONWARDS. (JULY) gave M 8 10 playatiiiity and 8 10
Value ior money Now less t i u n halt price,
P E A K . ELECTRONICS only £1 99 • 40p PAP
222 York Road. Hartlepool. PROGRAMS w.inted 10 cipand our
Cleveland TS26 9QN. popular r,vige of budgel ftottware We will

UTILITIES Tel: (0429) 233199

Overseas please * d d C3 SO p&p
FOR SALE pay casti lor your games send lo
Send to- D.D.S, 49 Beaumont
Road. Halosowen. Wost
N E W S T O C K ! Sinclair 16K Midlands. B62 9HD
BRICKWORKER
r a m p a c k s for ZX81. C6 including
m ^ r — m postage Halsat. Unit t Burywalk.
A program for the DlY person l o calculate
the qty s 0< materials lor small brickwork & SPECTRUM REPAIRS Bedford MK41. 7BW
concreting protects
• lllUS?f>ATiOHS Of BOHDINO • £ 14.9S inclusive of labour pans and p&p.
fOUNDATIONS " 8WCKWORK CALCU Fast, reliable service by qualified ongs L I S T I N G P A P E R . 1 I inches x F R E E Z X 8 1 G A M E with Poolers
14 rofl • MOW TAR MIXES • POINTING 1 average repair 24hr* 3 months guaran- 2 4 1 m m , 6 0 g r a m s - E2.40 tor 150 c a t a l o g u e ' Send SAE lor free
DtCOM nvt finishes tee For help or advice ring sheets (incl p&p). C h e q u e s a n d listing a n d soMwaro c a i a i o g u e
FOR THE 48K SPECTRUM £3 95 me P&P H. S. Computer Services, Unit 2,
Send cheque lo Poslal O r d e r s to J. Breed. 6 containing special oilers Footer
The Orchard, Warton. Preston,
KONKRETE SOFTWARE H o m e l i e l d Road, H e m e l H e m p - G a m e s , 24 Parsloes Avenue,
fc WiHowcourl Ave. Kenton. Harrow. Mlddi Lancashire PR4 1 BE. Tel: (0772) 632686.
stead. Herts HP2 4 D A D a g e n h a m RM9 5NX

TO ADVERTISE YOUR REPAIRS AND

SPARES SERVICE PHONE
01-437 0699
96 ZX C O M P U T I N G A U G U S T 1986
 WARNING NOTICE
A d v e r t i s e m e n t s placed in this m a g a z i n e are to be in strict c o m p l i a n c e w i t h our s t a n d a r d c o n d i t i o n s (copies of w h i c h
c o n d i t i o n s are available o n request) and o n the clear u n d e r s t a n d i n g that the advertiser warrants that his
a d v e r t i s e m e n t ( s ) does not i n f r i n g e any c o p y r i g h t or c o n d i t i o n of sale of any interested party in the advertised
product.
Further, the advertiser i n d e m n i f i e s the p r o p r i e t o r s of this m a g a z i n e in respect of costs, damages, or any o t h e r claims
b r o u g h t against t h e m as a result of legal a c t i o n a r i s i n g f r o m the p u b l i c a t i o n of the advertisement.
Any b r e a c h of these terms or the said c o n d i t i o n s may result in p r o s e c u t i o n of Ihe advertiser by the p r o p r i e t o r s

SOFTWARE
POOLS WD Software 2X SPECTRUM UTILITIES
lASWORO two [ | ? M lASPRINt C» 90
FOR THE QL: IASC0PV fS 90 fltXlfUEA CJ 94
POOLS PREDICTION JOSS base £13 GflAPWUAU ftii lirw A P* cMrts
« DRIVE COStTSOUtR 1 try (onuiumji
.. C5 »
£S «
Perfected over 6 l o . u o n j OulPuts b o i l Forget thai tedious lime c o n s u m i n g s y n t a i ' J u s t move Ihe cursor and press SPACE lor all MAILIHG USI mtfi UbH ft rtn [595
draws. homos £ a way 3 Hold!, form your lite c o m m a n d s Cursor keys or your |oyst>ck allow y o u lo access microdnves (up 106)
c o m p a n i o n graphs Analyses A g r a p h * .ind (loppy <Mcs (as many as our interlace allows) with u p lo ISO hies o n each 1 Scroll and
Houteuoat csoo BANK Account csoo
r e m i t s Takes lull account o l m i d week p r m l directories COPY DELETE or PRINT any lite, select TV or Monitor mode belore
10 rtsr CSOO SPfEOnOAD C3M
games & C u p matches between m a i n U(1, ,|.,| -fJt SAftRClMtkyur
L O A D m g or R U N n m g any p r o g r a m You only uso Ihc keyboard to set Ihe DATE ot label a UK P P FRCE A H CI pn tape lASrajd)
l o a g u e toams P r o m o t i o n - r e g u l a t i o n device w h e n f O R M A T l i n g Easy l o use with Psion and olher software N o silly icons lo
o p t i o n (can be used I r o m season t o l o a m JOSS will TELL y o u what it's g o i n g to do 1 Programmer's toolkit and m i s s copying/ SO MICROSYSTEMS (OEPT ZX]
season ) Easy lo use. even lor beginners printing utilities also supplied Specify microilrive-only. Microperipheral or CST-
57 wins (316 dividends) received by author compaiible disc versions
P.O. BOX 24. KITCHIN HERTS UK
so tar
The best and most scieniilic o l any Ref QL7 base £7
p r o g r a m I have seen M i R A P Secretary 1300 uselul OL references w i t h ARCHIVE 2 search p t m i p r o g r a m Too long (or |usi one
O r p i n g t o n Computer C l u b Once again, cartridge, so i l y o u have RefQLS iusl pay 2 and e i l r a media cost l o update
lh.mil y o u lor o n e o l Ihe bosl investments 1 Mdv Extension Cable £5.50
nave made" • M ' D L B Fellham I w o u l d
Eight inches long, allows addition o l e i l r a mtcrodrives l o y o u r OL T wist i l l o put Iheir slots
tike 10 congratulate y o u o n your e * c e l l e n i
service II is a tare Ihing those days Mr lacing y o u
L G P Shrewsbury 'I f o u n d your p r o g r a m FOR THE QL: SPECTRUM; BBC; ELECTRON
very professional and usor Inendly. I am WO Morse Tutor base £4
very satisfied w i t h it Mr 0 D Spalding
Ask lor British Pools C11.9S Written l o teach amateurs, n o w used by professionals IOO' Absolute boginner. or
stretching your speed l o 18 w p m , y o u won't t m d a n y I h i n g w i l h m o r e h e l p f u l fenturos What
Australian Pools £11 95
Allow 7 days lor delivery Cheques. POs
payable l o ROMBEST or q u o t e A C C E S S
elso can olfer 100 t a n d o m sentences as well as all the b a s i c s ' Disc version unsuitable lor
BBC 8 * TERMS
card number FOR THE SPECTRUM:
R O M B E S T OEPT ZX WorDllnder (Mlcrodrlve/dltc only) base £6
2 Wolland C r o n . Bicester. O«on For C H E A T I N G a l Crosswords Finds m-ss-rvg letters, solves, anagrms 13000 w o r d
OX6 SOD Tel: (0689) 248002 CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING
vocabulary, t o l o o long to share a cartridge 10-leller w o r d ending in ATE? N o problem
Available lor 48K SPECTRUM A
Tradewlnd base £3 TERMS & CONDITIONS
C O M M O D O R E 64 A d d C2 lor Sinclair
microdrive o r 1541 disk Sailing/trading strategy game w i t h graphic surprises O u r t t r m i lor n o w advertisers (semi-
d i s p l a y a n d l i n e a g e ) aro t t r l c l l y p r o -
Jersey Quest base £3 lorma p a y m e n t s until satisfactory
T o i l adventure <n l i m e B a c k g r o u n d o l Jersey l o i n o r e from Si one A g e t o Bergerac r o l o r o n c o c a n bo t a k e n u p ( o i c l u d l n g
For export:

CABLES
recognised advertising agonclos).
OL hardwaro and software f r o m many sources Ask lor h s t ' q u o l a t i o n C h e q u e s P O ' s s h o u l d be c r o s s e d and
m a d e p a y a b l e lo:
O R D E R I N G A D D C O S T O F M E D I U M . P O S T A G E £1 O U T S I D E E U R O P E .
M d v o r 5.25" f l o p p y £3 3 5" f l o p p y £4 C a s s e t t e £0 ARGUS SPECIALIST
Amslrad Printer Cable . . £9.00
Amslrad Momlor Cable Payment P U B L I C A T I O N S LTD.,
OL Serial Cablo ....£750 By A C C E S S / E u r o c a r d ' M a s t o r C a r d o r STERLING (UK bank cheques. Eurocheques, dralls a n d s e n d l o g o l h o r w i i n tno
OL Joystick Adaptors . £4.50 or International G I R O ) To a d v e r t i s e m e n t lo:
OL Monitor Cables WD Software (ZX). Hilltop, St. Mary, Jorsery, C.I. let: (0534) 81392 THE CLASSIFIED DEPT.. U H ,
ZX Serial Cable . . . . £9.00 NO: 1 G O L D E N SOUAflE, L O N D O N
ZX M.crodrrvo Cabto £5.00 W I R SAB.
BBC Printer Cable £$-50
GRAPH PROGRAM for Ihe 48K T h e r e are n o r o l m b u r e s m o n l i f o r
CABLES MADE TO ORDER" CHEZRON SOFTWARE Spectrum C6 39 SAE for details
cancellation*. Advertisement* arriving
l o o l a l o lor a p a r t i c u l a r l i s u o w i l l be
OL Joysticks £9.50
Ouickshol II . . . . CB.S0 (Depl. 308). SOS L O U G H B O R O U G H RD Delta Software. 11 Carr Bank I n s e r t e d i n f h o f o l l o w i n g Issue u n l e t s
BIRSTALL. LEICESTER LE4 4NJ Avenue. Ramsbottom. Lancashire a c c o m p a n i e d by I n i t r u c l l o n * fo the
£3.50 each contrary.
INTERFACES
OL Centronics Printer Interlace £29.00 PROGS-FILE Records
BLO 9DW AM a d v e r t i s i n g sales are * u b ) o c l t o
ZX C e n t r o n i c s Printer interlace £19 00 CATLOADER Microdrive Utility Government regulation* concerning
Apple ?C Centronics Printer PRO-MAT Printer C o n t r o l V A T . A d v e r t l i e r i aro r o i p o n s l b l * l o r
Inlorlaco .. £29 00 SUPERPRINT Smart. Now double- c o m p l y i n g w i t h Ihe v a r i o u s legal
512K L . p a n d e r RAM tor OL £125.00
D o u b l o - h o i g h ch,tractor sol (16-16
width
FOR ADVERTISING r e q u i r e m e n t s In l o r c o eg: T h o Trade
Description Act, S e i Discrimination
T E C H L I N K . 3 1 S a l i s b u r y Rd, S i A n n e * .
DETAILS PHONE
pixels) * INPUT nnywhero routine. A c l & The B u s i n e s s A d v o r l l s o m o n l s
Bristol, BS4 4EL. RENUMBER. « SCOPY m/c screen ( D i s c l o s u r e ) O r d e r 1977.
T o l ( 0 2 7 2 ) 715370 2 4 h r S e r v i c e d u m p l o r I / F a c e 1. FULL TERMS A CONDITIONS OF
N o Quibble' refund II d l s u l l s f l t d SAE
brings program details.
01-437-0626 ADVERTISING
REQUEST
AVAILABLE OH

ZX COMPUTING CLASSIFIED ORDER FORM

Please play my advert in ZX lor issues
1 2 3 commencing as soon as possible. I am enclosing
my cheque/P.O. tor £ (made payable to
4 5. 6 A.S.P. L T D ) ( 4 6 p p « r w o r d VAT I N C L U S I V E . )
7 6 9 Nam*

10 11 12. Address
13. 14 15
16. 17. 18.
19. 20. 21.
Phona No.
22. 23. 24.
25. 26. 27. Slgnatura Data.

x
S E N D T O : D U N C A N N E I L S O N , ASP L T D
1 G O L D E N S Q U A R E . L O N D O N W1R

ZX COMPUTING AUGUST 1986 97

WIN THE WEST...THE WILD WAY
Join the now famous CUFF HANGER in pursuit of that sharp-shootm' varmint. This multi-screened
arcade game is available for the Commodore 64 and NOW for the Spectrum 48/128

Name
Address

Spectrum 48/128 Cassette • Commodore 64 Cassette •

Both versions of Cliff Hanger cost £7.95. Please make cheques and postal orders to
Virgin Games Limited and post to the address below. Please do not post money.
Virgin Games Ltd, 2/4 Vernon Yard, 119 Portobello Road, London W11 2DX
 * ,

A \ \' \
-7 i ' » ^ \ \

GRAPHIC TH<5

ADVG r r r u R<E
The amazing, combined text and graphics adventure generator enables l~Please rush me, for my Spectrum 1
you toproduce fast, compact adventure games with the minimum of effortand * Computer THE GRAPHIC ADVENTURE j
the maximum of creativity. Stunning graphics can be created quickly and easily CREATOR i " i jfi i
with the powerful picture generator that has many features i n c l u d i n g d o t ,
tirde, elastic line, ellipse, fast fill, shading, step by step review, easy editing and • Cassette £22.95 a VKA I

I
the ability to merge pictures. I enclose Cheque/PO for £.
The comprehensive, intelligent command interpreter can handle complex or please debit my Credit Card
sentences and multiple input commands. There is also an extensive text com-
No
pression facility that allows you to produce far more detailed and numerous

I
location descriptions. Plus a full function editor, automatic word formatting, a | Name,
logical command interpreter and an abbreviated input acceptance facility. Address
So unleash the power of your imagination now with The Graphic
Adventure Creator, for your Spectrum computer. Available from all leading
retailers or direct from Incentive on 0734 591678.
INCENTIVE SOFTWARE LTD. 54 London Street Reading RG14SQ. L J
 * •
« «
' 0

• *

CLASSIC TITLES AT
£2-99 from
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sv m ' A

CD ®

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weekly releases of
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quoting your credit card number,
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T P t i
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