Amstrad Computer User (December 1988)

Source: Amstrad Computer User – December 1988

Amstrad had a major share of the computer market in the U.K. in the 1980s with the Amstrad CPC 464 and its successors which competed with the Commodore 64, Spectrum and other 8-bit computers. The Amstrad CPC is a Z80 based PC with 64K of RAM. It sold over 2 million units in Europe so was popular enough to have magazines dedicated to it. The December 1988 issue of Amstrad Computer User includes:

Regulars

News – Amstrad profits increase in 1988; Game based on The Munsters coming soon; Amstrad sets up customer support BBS running Opus Bulletin Board System; new releases in time for Christmas include The Jungle Book, Peter Pan, Freedom, Terrific, Emanuelle, By Fair Means or Foul, Dark Fusion, Ninja Warriors, Shinobi, Big Screen Hero, Sabian Island, Ancient Battles, A New Beginning, Return of the Jedi, Hyperforce, Time Scanner, Rambo III, Operation Wolf, and Dragon Ninja among others.

Letters – Letters from readers this month include topics such as BCPL, Budgetsoft, the ERASE command, loading screens, memory expansion, printing a screen to the Star LC-10 printer, and more.

Hairy Hackers – Various game hacks for Bombjack, Impact, Kung-Fu Master, Batman, Zoids, Mission Genocide, Motos, Cybernoid, and Metaplex.

Applications Advice – Questions answered about Cash Trader, printing pound signs with a daisy wheel printer, printing company logos, Personal Banking System, converting data files, and more.

Project

A drop of the hard stuff – Instructions for a do-it-yourself ROMboard that allows up to six ROM chips to be added to your Amstrad.

Cover Story

Postcards to Egypt – An interview with Incentive personnel about their latest software with an emphasis on Total Eclipse.

Programming

Knavery – A type-in program that gives you a computerized version of a popular Victorian card game.

Auntie John’s Machine Code – Some techniques (with source code) for printing the contents of registers to the screen.

Basic Tutor – All about the PRINT USING command and formatting print statements.

Reviews

Psycho Pigs UXB – Wipe out the other pigs by throwing bombs at them.

Road Blasters – Port of one of my favorite arcade games.

Thing – An odd adventure game reminiscent of Spellbound.

Joe Blade II – A sort of action/beat-em-up/adventure game.

Overlander – Kind of like Road Blasters but not as good.

Bubble Ghost – A unique arcade style game in which you must maneuver a bubble with a ghost.

Skateboard Kidz – A rather difficult skateboarding game.

Action Force – A fairly derivative action shooter.

Vixen – An action game featuring a heroine that occasionally turns into a fox.

Target Renegade – A fairly typical beat-em-up game.

The Vindicator – An action adventure game set in a world taken over by aliens.

Marauder – An addictive action game.

Metaplex – Make your way through an asteroid blasting everything in site.

Kikstart II – This doesn’t get a very good review here but I always had a blast with Kikstart and Kikstart II on the Commodore 64. A fun motorcycle stunt/racing game.