• Tag Archives Apple II

  • Compute! (March 1987)

    Posted on by Azrael Comment

    Source: Compute! – Issue Number 82 – March 1987

    Compute! was, in my opinion, the best multi-format computer magazine of the 1980s. I still preferred the Commodore 64 specific magazines but if you were looking for coverage of multiple computers, this was a great magazine. The March 1987 issue includes:

    Features

    • Commodore’s New, Expandable Amiga 2000: A Hands-On Report
    • New Peripheral Technologies
      • An introduction to Hard Disk Drives
      • The New High-Quality Dot-Matrix Printers
      • The Big Picture: Advances in Screen Display
    • A Buyer’s Guide to Printers
    • Euchre

    Reviews

    • Little Computer People
    • Certificate Maker and Walt Disney Cart & Party Shop
    • Roadwar 2000

    Columns and Departments

    • The Editor’s Notes
    • Readers’ Feedback
    • Computers and Society: Demons and Events, Part 2
    • Microscope
    • Telecomputing Today: Packet-Switching Rule Changes
    • The World Inside the Computer: When Buying a Computer: Don’t Ask Me!
    • The Beginner’s Page: Getting Started with a Printer
    • ST Outlook: Who Is That Man, and Why is He Smiling?
    • AmigaView: The Sidecar Arrives
    • IBM Personal Computing: Two Winners and a Laser
    • INSIGHT: Atari – Corrected File Conversions

    The Journal

    • 3-D Surfaces for Amiga
    • Fixing Atari Revision-B BASIC
    • Custom Characters for Atari XL and XE
    • Applecoder
    • 128 File Viewer
    • Filedump for IBM PC/PCjr
    • DOS Calc
    • Diskcheck: Apple Sector Editor for DOS 3.3
    • 128 Editing Functions for Commodore 64
    • Amiga Banner Printer
    • Using PUT and GET on the PC/PCjr
    • Superplotter

    …and more!


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  • Crossword Magic (1985)

    Posted on by Azrael Comment


    USA 1985

    https://darth-azrael.tumblr.com/post/184619637574/retrocgadsusa-1985

    Today you can find any number of online apps that will let you generate your own crossword puzzles so it doesn’t seem like that big of a deal. However, if you wanted to do such a thing in the 1980s you would have had to do it by hand or use a piece of software like this which made it a whole lot easier.

    I remember using a crossword puzzle maker in English class when I was in 8th grade (1988 or 1989) but I can’t remember for sure if it was this one or not. It would have been on an Apple II.

    Anyway, it does all the basic things you would expect to be able to do to make a crossword puzzle. I suppose there is probably a limit in terms of size but unless you are trying to do something crazy it’s probably not a big deal.

    Crossword Magic was released by Mindscape and was available for the Commodore 64, Apple II, DOS and Atari 8-bit computers like the 600XL and 800XL. Other than nostalgia, there’s probably not much reason to seek this out today as there are more convenient ways to generate crossword puzzles. However, this was a neat tool to have back in the day if you wanted to do such a thing.

    The ad above is from circa 1985.



    📂This entry was posted in Apple ][ Atari 8-bit Commodore 64 Computer Arcana DOS Retro Games 📎and tagged

  • Who Framed Roger Rabbit? (Commodore 64, Apple II, Atari ST, Amiga, DOS)

    Posted on by Azrael Comment


    Source: Computer Gaming World – Issue Number 52 – October 1988



    Who Framed Roger Rabbit? is a game based on the movie of the same name. Versions of this game were released for a wide variety of platforms. There were really three different games produced by three different companies. The first was released in 1988 for various home computers including the Commodore 64, Apple II, Amiga, a and DOS. The second was produced by Rare and released by LJN for the NES in 1989. The final version was released by Capcom for the Game Boy in 1991. The ad above is for the first version of the game.

    Who Framed Roger Rabbit? is a pretty mediocre action/arcade game. Considering the fact that this is a game based on a movie license, it’s terrific. Most such games are truly abysmal and this one is at least okay. This game consists of four levels, each of which has a specific goal and is really a subgame unto itself. These roughly follow the plot of the movie. In terms of gameplay, there is not a huge difference between the various versions though the Amiga and Atari ST versions will have the best graphics.

    If you want to play this variation of the game, you will have to track down an original or resort to emulation. It has never been nor is it likely to be re-released. In order, I would chose the Amiga, Atari ST or Commodore 64 version of the game. Originals aren’t too hard to find on eBay though it’s anyone’s guess how long original disks will continue to function. Alternatively, disk images for emulators are also easily found.

    The ad above is from the October 1988 issue of Computer Gaming World. The screen shots above are from the Commodore 64 version of the game.


    📂This entry was posted in Amiga Apple ][ Atari ST Commodore 64 Computer Arcana DOS Retro Games 📎and tagged