Source: Compute!’s Gazette – Issue Number 53 – November 1987

There were a few big Commodore 64 related magazines in the U.S. Compute!’s Gazette was one of them. For whatever reason, it’s not one that I saw at the stores I normally went to for such things (for me it was RUN and Commodore Magazine I saw frequently). However, Compute!’s Gazette was a long running magazine that was published well into the 1990s. The November 1987 issue would have been out near the height of the popularity of the Commodore 64. This issue includes:

Features

• Computers at Work – Examples of how people use there Commodore 64s and Commodore 128s in the real world. Examples here include publishing periodicals, monitoring log production for log homes, farm management, running an antique business, managing a thoroughbred horse boarding and training farm, customer database for a water filtration equipment company, and more.

Reviews

• Lt. Kernal Hard Disk Drives – Hard drives were expensive luxuries in for the Commodore 64/128. The Lt. Kernal was one of the more popular options and included an external 20 MB drive for $900. Hard drives on Commodore 8-bit computers seem to have been used mostly by BBS operators.

• Jeremy Silman’s Guide to Chess Openings and 50 Classic Chess Games – A computerized chess tutorial system focusing on opening moves plus an analysis of 50 chess games from the past.

• Maniac Mansion – One of the best point and click adventure games for the Commodore 64…or any system.

• Three Action Games for the 64 – Reviews of three different games including Bazooka Bill, Sanxion, and Delta Patrol.

Games

• Litterbug – A type-in game in which you must collect trash and avoid giant insects.

• The Gumball Rally – A type-in two-player game for the Commodore 128 in which you must make more money than your opponent by buying and selling gumballs.

Education / Home Applications

• Sketch Pad – A type-in drawing program for the Commodore 64.

• Computing for Families: Holding a Hi-Tech Yard Sale – Tips for selling your old computer hardware and software at a yard sale.

• Fraction Practice II – A type-in educational program that teaches fraction multiplication and division.

• Poster Printer – A type-in program to help you print posters and banners. Mostly this involved printing giant letters.

Programming

• Subprograms for the 64 – A type-in program that helps you create “subprograms” in BASIC. Basically, these are standalone BASIC programs that act as subroutines.

• SpeedScript 128 Date and Time Stamper – A type-in program in enhance the SpeedScript 128 word processor by adding date and time stamps to your documents.

• Renumber – A type-in program that will renumber your BASIC programs.

• Sprite Monitor – A type-in program that will search for sprites in memory and save them to disk.

• Barricade Buster: Accessing the 128’s 80-Column Screen – A type-in program designed to help you use the Commodore 128’s 80-column screen in your own programs. Includes an example game.

• Top Secret – A type-in program designed to encrypt your BASIC programs.

• BASIC for Beginners: The MID$ Function – Part of an ongoing BASIC tutorial series. This part focuses on the MID$ function which is used for extracting a substring from a string.

• Power BASIC: Crystal Clear – A more advanced BASIC tutorial series. This month, various ways of screen clearing are discussed along with exampels.

Departments

• The Editor’s Notes – An overview of the current issue along with the introduction of two new assistant editors.

• Gazette Feedback – Letters from readers about joysticks produced by Amiga, a calculated GOTO routine for the Commodore 128, collision detection of sprites, loading programs from within other programs, searching for prime numbers, keeping time in BASIC, and more.

• Horizons: The Beast with Two Brains – A look at using CP/M on the Commodore 128 on its second CPU which is a Z80. The primary CPU used for Commodore compatible stuff on the Commodore 128 is the 8502 (a 6502/6510 derivative).

• The GEOS Column: GeoPuzzle, Part 2 – An example of writing a GEOS applications, in this case a puzzle game.

…and more!

Source: RUN – Issue Number 23 – November 1985

RUN was one of the top Commodore 8-bit magazines, mostly covering the Commodore 64. 1985 was probably nearing the height of the Commodore 64’s popularity but it would live on for a long time to come. The November 1985 issue includes:

Features

• Commodore to the Rescue – An article about CASIE (Computer-Assisted Search Information Exchange), Commodore 64 software used by rescuers to locate missing people.

• Communications Software: A Vital Link – An overview of available terminal software, including HomePak, SkiWRiter II, The SMART 64 Terminal, Sixth Sense, and VIP XL. Prices range from $40 to $70.

• Print Screen Plus – A type-in program that can make a screen dump to a printer, including text, lo-res and hi-res graphics.

• Sprite Control in C-128 Mode – Using sprites in BASIC 7 on the Commodore 128 with type-in code examples.

• Make a Little Music – A type-in program that turns sheet music into Commodore 64 music.

• Bach to Basic – Techniques for creating music on the Commodore 64 along with code examples.

• Datafile Restructure Utility – This type-in program allows you to modify the structure of files created with Datafiles, including changing the length of a title, changing the length of a field, adding additional fields, and deleting existing fields.

• Brainstorming – Type-in software to help organize brainstorming sessions.

• Hardware Buyer’s Guide – 1985 – A look at some of the best Commodore related hardware released in 1985, including the Aprospand-64 Expander, ALD-6412 A/D Converter, Aprotek 1000 EPROM Programmer, Computereyes, 80-Column Video Board, Ramdisk, The Spartan, the Commodore 128, BCD5-25 Disk Drive, SFD-1001, Commodore 1571 Disk Drive, Enhancer 2000, Lt. Kernal, MIDI Magic, Commodore 1660 and 1670 modems, and much more.

• Easy Assembly VI – Part of a continuing series on assembly progamming. This part introduces the X and Y registers and how to print source code.

• Telecommunications…Online with QuantumLink – An introduction to QuantumLink, the new Commodore specific online service, as well as information on Delphi’s new Commodore content.

• A Cure for the Data Statement Blues – Tips for entering data statements correctly.

• CP/M and the C-128 – A guide to the CP/M operating system on the Commodore 128.

• Instant Recall – A very short type-in program to create a mini-database.

• Wedgemaker – A type-in program to help you add custom commands to BASIC.

• Block Busters – A type-in Breakout style game.

Departments

• RUNning Ruminations – Highlights of the current issue, results of a Micro-Novel contest, and more.

• Magic – Short programming tricks including several sprite demos, converting addresses to decimal, an improved INT function, and more.

• Software Gallery – Reviews of Telemessage, a customizable BBS program; Better Working Spreadsheet, Eureka!, an adventure game; Beach Head II, a World War II themed action game sequel; PlayWriter/Adventures in Space, and educational story book creation software.

• Commodore Clinic – Questions answered about cleaning keyboards, the Commodore 64 vs. the VIC-20 user ports, using a PCjr monitor with a Commodore 128, 80 columns on the Commodore 64, printing with Print Shop, using the 1541 disk drive with the Commodore 128, and much more.

• Book Gallery – Reviews of books including Graphics for the Commodore 64 Computer, 1541 Single Drive Floppy Disk Maintenance Manual, and Using & Programming the Commodore 64.

• Hardware Gallery – A look at new hardware including Reset Master (a Commodore 64 reset switch) and G-Wiz (a Commodore 64 printer interface).

• Commodore Service Network Updates – An updated list of Commodore service centers.

• Mail RUN – Letters from readers about Ham software, BASIC 4.5, Commodore 128 monitors, and more.

• New Products – A quick look at new products, including Lights! Camera! Action!, Stardos, Learning Guitar Overnight, Mr. Pixel’s Game Maker, Printmaster/S, Peace of Mind, C-128/80, Colonial Conquest, Peek A Byte 64 Version 2.0, Dr. Seuss Fix-up, 1541 Disk Manager, and more.

…and more!