• Tag Archives Commodore 64

  • Compute!’s Gazette (April 1988)

    Posted on by Azrael Comment

    Compute!’s Gazette was a spin-off of Compute! and, along with RUN, was one of the most popular Commodore 64/128 magazines in the U.S. The April 1988 issue includes:

    Features

    • Report from the 1988 Winter Consumer Electronics Show – While game consoles were making a huge comeback, there was still plenty of new games for the Commodore 64 from companies like Activision, Epyx, Mindscape, Accolade, Broderbund, Cinemaware, Data East and others. Some games on display included Star Rank Boxing II, The Train, Power At Sea, Card Sharks, Rampage, Arcade Construction Kit, The Three Stooges, Rocket Ranger, The President Is Missing, NAVCOM 6: The Gulf Defense, Ikari Warriors, Victory Road, Speed Buggy, Karnov, The Hunt For Red October, Red Storm Rising, Spirit of War, Global Commander, Strike Fleet, The Games: Winter Edition, L.A. Crackdown, Sporting News Baseball, Impossible Mission II, 4×4 Offroad Racing, Death Sword, Dive Bomber, Zorkquest, Land of Legends, The Faery Tale Adventure, Fire Power, Sons of Liberty, Panzer Strike, Questron II, and lots more.
    • Close Up: The Commodore 128D – The Commodore 128D replaced the Commodore and included a detachable keyboard, built-in 1571 floppy drive, and increased video RAM.
    • Super CP/M Software for the 128, Part 2: Programmer’s Toolbox – The second and final part of a series providing a round-up of CP/M tools for the Commodore 128, including programming languages.

    Reviews

    • Paperboy and Gauntlet – Both of these arcade conversions were excellent on the Commodore 64.
    • Echelon – Other than than the dumb “LipStik” headset that came with this game that provided the ability to fire your weapon with your voice, this was an excellent space sim/mystery game.
    • Halls of Montezuma – A strategy game featuring historic battles in which the Marines were involved.
    • The Sentry – A unique sci-fi strategy game from Firebird.

    Games

    • 3-D Speedway – A type-in racing game for the Commodore 64.
    • Spy Defense – A type-in action game for the Commodore 64 in which you must rescue spies from aliens.

    Programming

      • BASIC for Beginners: Number Drills – Random numbers and string comparison.
    • Machine Language Programming: File Handling – Includes a sample machine language program for reading and writing files.
    • Power BASIC: Power POKE – A short program that alters the syntax of the POKE command to be more efficient and easier to read.
    • Key Clicker – A type-in program that can add different keyclick sounds to your Commodore 64 or 128.
    • Mirrors – A type-in program that produces a kaleidoscopic display in hi-res mode on the Commodore 64.
    • Speed File for the 64 – A type-in full-featured database program for the Commodore 64.
    • Phantom LIST – A short machine language program that lists BASIC programs from disk to screen without modifying memory.
    • DGraph: Hi-Res Commands for BASIC – A type-in BASIC extension that adds commands for generating graphs.
    • Smart VAL – A short type-in machine language program that extends the VAL command by adding the ability to evaluate complex mathematical expressions.
    • Ramdisk 128 – A type-in program for adding a ramdisk to your Commodore 128.
    • Four for the 64 – Short programs for adding enhanced machine language capabilities to BASIC programs on the C64.

    Departments

    • The Editor’s Notes – Introducing the “Letters to the Editor” column and a GEOS programming contest.
    • Letters to the Editor – Letters from readers about Commodore 128 specific software, structured vs. unstructured programming, VIC-20s for education, and more.
    • Gazette Feedback – Feedback from readers about organizing a users group, baud vs. bps, freezing BASIC programs, and more.
    • The GEOS Column: GeoPublish – A Close Look – A look at geoPublish, a desktop publishing program for GEOS. This column was even created using geoPublish.
    • Horizons: Faster and Faster – Ways to improve the speed of your BASIC programs.
    • Computing for Families: What Type of Person Likes Computers? – A look at the different reasons people like computers.

    …and more!


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  • Compute! (September 1985)

    Posted on by Azrael Comment

    Compute! was probably the best magazine for the average computer user in the early to mid 1980s and perhaps beyond. At least if you had an interest in more than one platform. Compute! covered all of the popular home computers of the time and there were a bunch in 1985 including the Commodore 64, Apple II, Atari 8-bit, PC, TI-99/4A, the brand new Amiga and Atari ST, and probably others. The September 1985 issue includes:

    Features

    • The Amiga: An In-Depth Review – A detailed look at the new Amiga (Amiga 1000) from Commodore. It was due to be released in August.
    • The Electronic University – While it took a while for online education to really take off, it is far from new. This article tells the story of one family who is using their Commodore SX-64 to earn online degrees.
    • The Last Warrior – A type-in arcade style action game for hte PC, Commodore 64, Atari 400/800, and Apple II.

    Reviews

    • Rescue on Fractalus! and Ballblazer – Reviews of these two classic Lucasfilm games for Atari 8-bit computers.
    • Below the Root – An adventure game for the Commodore 64 based on the Green Sky Trilogy of books.
    • Companion – A word processing program for the TI-99/4A.
    • Jr-Draw for PCjr – An art program designed for the PCjr that can optionally use a light pen.

    Columns and Departments

    • The Editor’s Notes – A discussion of the Amiga, BASIC, machine language, and the C programming language.
    • Readers’ Feedback – Letters from readers about relational operators, Atari tape to disk transfer, adding beeps to key presses on the Commodore 64, unlocking IBM PC BASIC programs, and more.
    • HOTWARE: Software Best Sellers – Best selling software this month includes Flight Simulator II (Entertainment), Math Blaster! (Education), and Print Shop (Home Management).
    • The Beginner’s Page: Forget Your Algebra – It turns out you don’t need an extensive math background to program a computer.
    • Computers and Society: Compilers, Interpreters, and Flow: Conclusion – How different compilers and interpreters affect program flow and complexity.
    • Telecomputing Today – SIG Wars – Special Interest Group sysops switch between services while those services claim ownership of all messages and uploaded files in a SIG.
    • The World Inside the Computer: A Robot Toddler – A look at the Herojr personal robot.
    • IBM Personal Computing: The Mysterious Editors – A look at the editors that IBM provides with its PCs including BASIC, DEBUG, and EDLIN.
    • Programming the TI: The OPEN Statement – Some examples of using the OPEN statement on the TI-99/4A.
    • INSIGHT: Atari – Using Serial Input/Output – A look at how printing and disk access works via SIO.

    The Journal

    • Commodore 64 Memory Manager – A type-in program for the Commodore 64 that allows you to load multiple BASIC programs into memory at once and switch between them.
    • Saving Time and Memory: An Atari Variable Utility – A set of type-in utilities for the Atari 8-bit that allows you to list, rename, and abbreviate variable names in BASIC programs.
    • Commodore 64 Disk Commander – A type-in utility for the Commodore 64 that makes disk access more convenient.
    • Apple Fractals – A type-in program for generating fractals on the Apple II.
    • Chess for IBM PC & PCjr – A type-in chess program for the PC and PCjr based on an earlier published version for other machines.
    • Commodore Bootstrapping – A tutorial and demo for how to load programs that are divided into multiple parts on the Commodore 64, VIC-20, C16, PET/CBM, and Plus/4.
    • Atari Animation with P/M Graphics, Part 1 – The first part of an animation tutorial for the Atari 8-bit using Atari’s Player/Missile graphics.
    • All About IBM Batch Files, Part 1 – The first part of a tutorial for using DOS batch files.
    • Jump Search – A demonstration of binary search on the Atari 400/800, Apple II, IBM PC, Commodore 64, TI-99/4A, and Color Computer.
    • 128 Sound and Music, Part 2 – This part explores the Commodore 128’s FILTER, SOUND, and PLAY commands.
    • Easy Apple Screen Editing – A type-in screen editor for the Apple II.


    …and more!


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