• Tag Archives Atari ST

  • Compute! (September 1988)

    Posted on by Azrael Comment

    compute_issue_100_1988_sep-01

    Source: Compute! – Issue Number 100 – September 1988

    Compute! was one of the most popular computer magazines for many years. It covered a wide variety of systems throughout its life including the Commodore 64, Apple II, Amiga, Atari ST, and of course PCs among others. The 10th anniversary issue (issue number 100) from September 1988 includes the following:

    Features

    • Years Gone By – We chart the history of home computing by offering up covers and articles fro the last nine years of COMPUTE! magazine.
    • That Was Then, This Is Now – What were 15 movers and shakers in the computer industry doing nine years ago, and what are they doing now?
    • Milestones in Computer History – Our birthday present to you – the most important computer hardware, software, and publications on a collector’s edition poster.
    • Conversations – Epyx Grows with David Morse – Epyx’s CEO spells out what it takes to move an entertainment publisher past the $100-million mark.
    • Buyer’s Guide – Classic Software – Browse through these 70 classic programs from personal computing’s history.

    Reviews

    • The Three Stooges
    • The Graphics Studio
    • Ultima V
    • Wordbench
    • Stealth Mission
    • Twilight’s Ransom
    • Read ‘n Roll

    Compute! Specific

    • MS-DOS
    • 64 & 128
    • Apple II
    • Amiga
    • Macintosh
    • Atari ST
    • Hints & Tips

    Columns

    • Editorial License – Throughout its first 100 issues, COMPUTE! has been the magazine that always speaks first and clearest to the home user.
    • News & Notes – CES wears many guises, Nintendo faces great DRAM drought, and GEOS gets to two.
    • Gameplay – Comics on computers take on the columnist, and win.
    • Impact – The first 100 issues of COMPUTE! have seen the magic of a revolution’s first decade.
    • Discoveries – Writing, the key to success in school, can be fun and fruitful with a word processor.
    • Levitations – The Consumer Electronics Show sure isn’t what it used to be.
    • Letters – COMPUTE! helps take a bite out of crime!
    • New Products! – Zak saves everyone’s IQ, PC gets palm-sized, sports explode from Accolade, and more new products.

    …and more!


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

  • Antic (December 1985)

    Posted on by Azrael Comment

    antic_vol_4-08_1985-12_shoppers_guide_page_0001

    Source: Antic – December 1985

    Antic was one of two popular magazines in the U.S. dedicated to the Atari 8-bit line of computers (the other being ANALOG). Antic also had some coverage of the Atari ST at various times. The December 1985 issue includes the following:

    Features

    • Video Star Atari – This article covers software and hardware to digitize images from video cameras or other anaglog sources. The emphasis is on Computereyes though other products are mentioned.
    • Behind the Scenes at Lucasfilm – Antic goes behind the scenes at Lucasfilm Games to, among other things, get previews of The Eidolon and Koronis Rift.
    • DiskIO Plus – A type-in utility program that provides keyboard shortcuts for almost all DOS functions and works with most software.
    • 4th Annual Shoppers Guide – A holiday shopping guide for those interested in Atari hardare and software. Products include the Atari 130XE, Atari 800XL, Atari 520ST, Atari 1050 disk drive, Indus GT disk drive, various printers, the Commodore 1702 monitor, Atari 850 interface module (mostly for printers), Atari 1030 modem, Ballblazer, Rescue on Fractalus, M.U.L.E., Spy vs. Spy, Great Cross Country Road Race, F-15 Strike Eagle, Wiztype, Halley Patrol, Homepak, BBS Construction Set, BASIC XE, Mac/65 Assembler Editor, Paper Clip, and much more.
    • Proburner Review – Antic calls this EPROM burner from Thompson Electronics the best one on the market.
    • Antic Catalog Goes to U.K. – Antic makes the magazine and their catalog of softare available to U.K. users.

    ST Section

    • 1st Annual ST Shoppers Guide – Another holiday shopping guide, this one specific to the Atari ST. Items listed include the Atari CD-ROM drive, SF354 Single-side disk drive, SF314 Double-sided disk drive, the SM124 Monochrome Monitor, the SC1224 RGB Color Monitor, 4xForth Programming Language, Easy-Draw, VIP Professional, Chat (terminal program), A Mind Forever Voyaging, and much more.
    • 4XForth Review – A review of this FORTH programming language implementation for the Atari ST.
    • Introducing 520ST Assembly Language – Primarily this means 68000 assembly language. I never programmed much in assembly but I did do a little 68000 assembly in college.
    • ST Logo Exploration – Logo was the only programming language initially included with the Atari ST. This type-in program and tutorial hepls you to map memory.

    Departments

    • BBS Crashbuster – This type-in program helps to prevent BBS crashes by stripping out non-standard ATASCII characters from input strings. In other words, it prevents users from crashing your BBS with bad input.
    • Build Your Own EPROM Burner – Parts list and instructions for buildin an EPROM burner for $30.
    • Box-In – In this type-in strategy/arcade game, you must move boxes around to trap the monster before he gets you.
    • I/O Board – Letters from readers about Atari 800 problems, BBS lists, Trip Hawkins and Atari, Blue Max and the 130XE, Print Shop, and more.
    • Help – Help with downloading large files with ProTerm, Supra contact info, and a correction for ST Sound, a previous type-in program for the Atari ST.
    • Antic Online – Not on the web but on Compuserve.

    …and more!


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  • RoboCop (Commodore 64)

    Posted on by Azrael Comment

    ‘RoboCop’

    [C64 / PC / ST] [USA] [MAGAZINE] [1989]

    • Video Games & Computer Entertainment, April 1989 (#03)
    • Uploaded by Sketch the Cow, via The Internet Archive

    http://darth-azrael.tumblr.com/post/166910109688/vgprintads-robocop-c64-pc-st-usa

    It’s hard to believe that in 1988-1989 they were still publishing games on the Commodore 64 before other platforms. 1989 was probably the last big year for the Commodore 64. After that, the number of games published for the C64 fell off a cliff while 16-bit platforms like the Atari ST and Amiga limped along for several more years. Meanwhile, DOS based games were skyrocketing. But in 1988, RoboCop was published for the Commodore 64 before those other platforms.

    The version of this game I remember most is actually the original arcade game that was published the previous year. For a while, this was one of two arcade games at a store within bike riding distance from my house. I put a number of quarters into that thing but it never seemed like I really made it very far.

    RoboCop was a fairly typical side scrolling shoot-em-up but it was pretty well done and did a fair job of following the plot of the movie from what I recall. As far as movie licenses go, RoboCop was one of the rare ones that was pretty good, at least as an arcade game. Unfortunately, this didn’t carry over as well to the Commodore 64 version. The graphics weren’t bad but as hard as the arcade version was, the Commodore 64 version was even harder. On top of that, you can tell that this port was rushed because it becomes glitchy in later levels. It’s not a terrible game on the C64 but it isn’t the best example of the quality it was capable of either.

    RoboCop was also released on DOS based PCs, the Atari ST, and Amiga, as well as a few other computers and the NES. The DOS and NES versions weren’t really any better than the Commodore 64 version overall. If you are looking for a home version to play, your best bet is probably the Atari ST or Amiga versions. Those look and play a lot more like the original arcade. Of course, if you are using emulation to play then you might as well go to the arcade source.

    Screens above are from the Commodore 64 verion.




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