Compute!’s Gazette, July 1984

The three big magazines for the Commodore 64 in the U.S. were Run, Commodore Magazine and Compute!’s Gazette. There were others like Ahoy! but they had a somewhat smaller circulation. Only Run and Commodore Magazine seemed to be available near me at the time so I didn’t really know about Compute!’s Gazette until much later. In July 1984, neither the Amiga nor the Commodore 128 had been released yet. The VIC-20 was still hanging around but it wouldn’t have commercial support or any significant magazine coverage for too much longer. It was the Commodore 64 that was THE computer to have a the time, particularly if you were interested in games.

The July 1984 issue of Compute!’s Gazette includes:

Features

• In Touch With Your computer: Graphics Tablets And Light Pens – At the time, the mouse had not quite cemented itself as the computer control tool of choice. Things like graphics tablets and light pens were also popular, especially when it came to drawing. This article is an overview of some popular graphics tablets and light pens and how they work.

• Inside View: The Designer Behind The Gibson Light Pen – An interview with the designer of one particular light pen along with some of the software it supports.

• Ultrafont + – Software designed for creating custom fonts and character sets on the Commodore 64.

Games

• Beekeeper – Type-in game for the Commodore 64 and VIC-20. From the screen shots it looks to be significantly influenced by centipede.

• Bonking Barrels – Type-in game for the Commodore 64 and VIC-20. This one looks a bit like a simplified version of Donkey Kong. You must maneuver your way up various rows of girders while avoiding falling barrels.

• Space Patrol – Type-in game for the Commodore 64 and VIC-20. This one is reminiscent of Defender. You must prevent the alien invaders from landing.

Reviews

• Gridrunner II for the VIC-20 – Also known as Attack of the Mutant Camels, the concept is that you must use your “Gridrunner” to navigate the huge grids orbiting the Earth that provide electricity to eliminate the aliens that have landed.

• Flexidraw For The Commodore 64 – A light pen and drawing software for creating “high resolution” (320×200) drawings using your Commodore 64.

• International Soccer For The 64 – A popular and very good soccer game for the Commodore 64.

Education/Home Applications

• Computing For Families: In Search of a “Software” Michael Jackson – This article discusses creating computer “friends” and gives some examples of software that has started to do that like Alf in the Color Caves.

• Robot Math – An type-in educational math program originally written for the VIC-20 and converted here for the Commodore 64.

• Commodore’s New Speech Module: Magic or Technology – Another belief at the time was that all of our computers would be talking to us. There were various hardware add-ons to add speech capability to home computers (kind of like in Wargames). Here’s an overview of one such device by Commodore. This idea never really took off until Siri and Alexa came along.

Programming

• The Beginner’s Corner: Quilt Squares – A tutorial on how to create repeated graphical patterns. Includes a type-in program for the VIC-20 and Commodore 64.

• Machine Language For Beginners: What Is Machine Language? – An overview of what Machine Language is.

• Power BASIC: Color Chart – Techniques for displaying all possible character and background color combinations on the C64 and VIC-20. Includes type-in program.

• Hints & Tips: Rescuing Programs From Tape Load Errors – Tips on how to rescue programs that you are having difficulty loading from tape. I started with a disk drive so fortunately I never had to deal with this.

Departments

• Editor’s Notes – Some info on upcoming Commodore computer releases including the 264 and C-16. Also, results of a survey about readers like most and least about Gazette.

• Gazette Feedback – Questions answered about incomplete disk saves, moving sprites, and more.

• User Group Update – New and updated user group contact info.

• Simple Answers To Common Questions – Questions answered about memory maps.

• Horizons 64 – New hardware is discussed, featuring the portable SX-64 (also known as the Executive 64).

• Home Telecommunications: Downloading – All about downloading files which in this case mostly involved saving the text or binary data and converting as appropriate. No complicated protocols here.

• VICreations – Tips on screen space and color usage when writing your own programs for the VIC-20.

• News & Products – New products mentioned include Superbase 64 (I actually had this), Fantasy Character Generator for the VIC-20, and CCI Bottom Liner accounting package for the Commodore 64.

…and more!