• Tag Archives VIC-20

  • Personal Computer Games (October 1984)

    Posted on by Azrael Comment

    Source: Personal Computer Games – Issue Number 11 – October 1984

    Personal Computer Games is a magazine dedicated to computer games that was published in the U.K. in the 1980s. This is another magazine we didn’t really have an equivalent to in the U.S., at least in the 8-bit era. It covered computer games for multiple systems, including the Commodore 64, Spectrum, BBC/Electron, VIC-20, MSX and others. It also included type-in games. The October 1984 issue includes:

    Features

    • Commodore 64 – A review of Jeff Minter’s latest game, Ancipital; Jeff Minter gives game play tips on one of his first games, Revenge; and a type-in soccer game from Tony Crowther.
    • Spectrum – Reviews of Frank N Stein, SOS, Dartz, Mad Hatter, On the Oche, Ahhh!!!, Froot Loop, and Gremlins; a type-in game from the creator of Football Manager; and game play tips for tons of games including maps for Lords of Midnight.
    • BBC/Electron – Reviews of Drogna, Wallaby, and Mineshaft plus hints for Frak! from its programmer.
    • VIC-20/Oric – Reviews of Bricks, Starbase, Psycho Shopper, Max, Maze Gold, Squish, Minitron and Luv Bug for the VIC-20 and of Spooky Mansion for the Oric.
    • Games Competition – Win cash by submitting an idea for a game based on the theme of saving energy.
    • Football Manager – A competition to win a copy of Football Manager for the Commodore 64, BBC, Electron, Oric, Dragon, or ZX81.
    • Coin-Op Action – A look at some of the latest arcade games including Mach 3, Hyper Sports, TX-1, and Bomb Jack.
    • Autumn Mega-Games – A look at the contenders for the best game to be released leading up to the Christmas season. Some games previewed include Backpacker’s Guide to the Universe, The Great Space Race, Sherlock, Quo Vadis, Ancipital, Elite, Kokotoni Wilf, Combat Lynx, Doomdark’s Revenge, Cliff Hanger, Travel with Trashman, Underwurlde, Trollie Wallie, Poster Paster, and Seaside Special.
    • MSX Exclusive – A first look at some of the games for the new MSX computer. Games previewed include Circus Charlie, Super Cobra, Monkey Academy, Antarctic Adventure, Hyper Olympics, and others.

    Regulars

    • Notice Board – Random stuff including graphics tips for the C64, news bits, comics and more.
    • Buzz – The latest news including counterfeit cassette software, new game releases including Astrochase, Flip & Flop, Terrahawks, American Football, Battlecars, D-Day, SAS Commander, Paranoid Pete, K-Fighter, Strike Force, and lots more.
    • Byte Back – Letters from readers about liquid damage to a Spectrum, Formula 1, World Cup by Arctic, Spectrum vs. the Atari vCS, and much more.
    • Adventure World – A look at several adventure games including Eye of Bain (Spectrum), Gisburne’s Castle (BBC), Robyn Hode (Spectrum), Crusoe (Spectrum), Return of the Ring (Dragon), and Ruby Runabout (Spectrum).
    • Challenge Chamber – Two contestants face-off in Forbidden Forest for the Commodore 64.
    • The Final Conflict – The ongoing progress of a nationwide war game.

    …and more!


    📂This entry was posted in Computer Arcana Retro Games 📎and tagged

  • Compute!’s Gazette (August 1983)

    Posted on by Azrael Comment

    Source: Compute!’s Gazette – Issue Number 2 – August 1983

    Compute!’s Gazette was the Commodore 8-bit spin-off of Compute!. It covered mainly the Commodore 64 but also the VIC-20, Commodore 128, and Plus 4 / Commodore 16 depending on the time period. It was published for about 12 years in one form or another. The August 1983 issue includes:

    Features

    • Your First Hour With A Computer – Setting up and trying out your new (Commodore) computer.
    • Should You Join a Users Group? – A short history of user groups and what to look for if a new one is forming in your area.
    • A Guide to Commodore User Groups – A list of Commodore related user groups around the country and their contact information.
    • New Products for Commodore at Comdex/Spring – New Commodore related products introduced at the Spring 1983 COMDEX computer show include the Gorilla Banana printer from Leading Edge, the STX-80 printer from Star Micronics, the DP-8240 printer from Star Micronics, the Supermother expansion board for the VIC-20, the Super 8K and Super 16K memory expansion cartridges for the VIC-20, the VIGOR 3-slot expansion board for the VIC-20, the CC-2064 Centronics printer adapter cable for the C64 and VIC-20, the VIC/64 Switch which allows connecting one disk drive and printer to up to 8 Commodore 64s or VIC-20s, plus lots of software and much more.

    Games

    • The Viper – A type-in game for the C64 and VIC-20 in which you control a snake to eat and grow but you must avoid running into your tail.
    • Cylon Zap – A type-in game for the C64 and VIC-20 in which you must defend your space station from kamikaze spaceships.
    • Inside View: Programmer Jeff Minter – An interview with Jeff Minter, author of Gridrunner, Attack of the Mutant Camels and much more.

    Reviews

    • Vanilla Pilot – A PILOT programming implementation for the Commodore 64 and VIC-20.
    • Kickman – A conversion of the Bally/Midway arcade game of the same name by Commodore for the Commodore 64.
    • Frogger – An excellent conversion of the Sega arcade game for the Commodore 64 by Sierra On-Line.
    • VIC Music Composer – A music composition program for the VIC-20.

    Education/Home Applications

    • Computing for Kids: Build a Computer Friend – Writing a program that talks back.
    • VIC/64 Mailing List – A type-in program for the VIC-20 and Commodore 64 to store mailing list data.
    • Computing for Grownups: Revolution in the Nursery – The impact of computers in education and of kids teaching adults this new technology.
    • Wordspell – A type-in program for the Commodore 64 and VIC-20 designed to help teach spelling.
    • Global Scan – A type-in geography related program for the VIC-20 and Commodore 64 that can compute distance between two sets of latitude and longitude coordinates and give the direction in degrees from one to the other.

    Programming

    • Machine Language for Beginners: The Easy Way – Teaching machine language with an example program. The included type-in program for the VIC-20 and Commodore 64 is called RAMTest and tests your Random Access Memory.
    • Hints & Tips: VIC Title Screens – A short type-in program that creates nice title screens on the VIC-20.
    • Commodore 64 Hi-Res Graphics Made Simple – Adding commands in BASIC to access the Commodore 64’s high resolution graphics mode.
    • The Four-Speed Brake – A type-in program that allows you to control the speed of the output of the LIST command.
    • Disk Menu – A type-in program for the Commodore 64 and VIC-20 that allows you to create disk menus and load programs via the menus you create.
    • Power BASIC: Using A 1540 Disk Drive & Commodore 64 – A type-in program that will allow you to reliably use a 1540 drive with the Commodore 64. The 1540 drive was original designed for the VIC-20 whereas the 1541 was designed for the Commodore 64.
    • The Beginner’s Corner: Playing Computer Music – Creating sound and music on the VIC-20.

    Departments

    • The Editor’s Notes – An overview of this month’s issue and a look ahead and some of the new things coming out for Commodore computers.
    • Gazette Feedback – Letters from readers about Commodore 64 and VIC-20 memory locations, assigning functions to function keys, monitors for the VIC-20, using a 1540 drive with a Commodore 64, using two disk drives with the Commodore 64, using standard cassette recorders with the VIC-20 and Commodore 64, and more.
    • Compute!’s Gazette Author Guide – A guide for submitting articles and programs to Compute!’s Gazette.
    • Simple Answers to Common Questions – Questions answered about saving programs and disk errors and entering BASIC programs.
    • HOTWARE: This Month’s Best Sellers – A look at the best selling software for the Commodore 64 and VIC-20 in various categories.
    • VICreations – How to take care of you disk drives, disks, cassette recorders, and cassettes.
    • 64 Explorer – A review of the Commodore 64 Programmer’s Reference Guide plus some info about the 1541 disk drive.
    • News & Products – New products this month include Math Escape, Sea Word, Birthday Party and Sub Rescue educational games for the VIC-20; AE, a game from Broderbund for the VIC-20; Sky Blazer, a World War III arcade game for the VIC-20 from Broderbund; Choplifter by Broderbund for the Commodore 64; Serpentine by Broderbund for the Commodore 64; David’s Midnight Magic from Broderbund for the Commodore 64; Script 64, a word processor for the Commodore 64; Word Wizard, a word processor for the VIC-20; and much more.

    …and more!


    📂This entry was posted in Commodore 64 Computer Arcana 📎and tagged

  • Compute! (December 1983)

    Posted on by Azrael Comment

    Source: Compute! – Issue Number 43 – December 1983

    Compute was a popular multi-format magazine published throughout the 1980s and early 1990s. It was oriented towards the home user and covered the popular computers of the day. The December 1983 issue includes:

    Features

    • The Home Office – How computers can be used to do your job at home.
    • The Christmas of the Computer? – Christmas 1983 was expected to be a huge year for the home computer industry. In 1983 Coleco introduced the Adam (which failed miserably), Atari introduced the 600XL and 800XL along with a few other models that ended up being cancelled, Commodore slashed prices on the VIC-20 and Commodore 64, the first rumors of the PCJr appear, among others.
    • Calorie Cop – A type-in program for the Apple II, VIC-20, Commodore 64, TI-99/4A and Color Computer that calculates your calorie output based on activity and other inputs.
    • Paycheck Analysis – This type-in program for the VIC-20, Commodore 64, PET, Atari 8-bit, TI-99/4A, Apple II, Color Computer and Timex/Sinclair will analyze your paycheck for accuracy and project future take-home pay based on a variety of variables including base salary, cost of living, overtime, various deductions and more.
    • Utility Bill Audit – This type-in program for the Commodore 64, VIC-20, PET, TI-99/4A, Apple II and Color Computer helps you check your electric, gas, water and phone bills for accuracy.
    • Gas Mileage – This type-in program for the Apple II, Atari, Commodore 64, and VIC-20 calculates your gas mileage, including standard deviation and more.

    Education and Recreation

    • Nightflyer – A type-in game for the Atari 8-bit and Apple II that simulates landing a plane at night.
    • Space Thief – A type-in two-player game for the Atari 8-bit and Commodore 64 in which you must smuggle energy pods from your opponent.
    • Chopperoids – A type-in game for the Atari 8-bit that is sort of a cross between Asteroids and Choplifter.
    • Get the Gold – A type-in game for the TI-99/4A that provides a 128-chamber dungeon for you to explore and find treasure in…if you come out alive.
    • 64 Mosaic Puzzle – A type-in program that produces a sliding tile game in which you must get the tiles in the correct order.

    Reviews

    • Millionaire – A stock market simulation game for the Atari 400/800, Commodore 64, Apple II and other computers.
    • The Witness – Another interactive fiction title from Infocom for a wide variety of computers, this one featuring a murder mystery.
    • MAC/64 – An improved macro assembler for Atari 8-bit computers
    • Stellar Triumph – A two-player space combat game for the Commodore 64. A bit like asteroids but with two players and without the asteroids. However, the game is very configurable with the ability to change the amount of fule, whether or not the ships have intertia, gravity, and a variety of other parameters.
    • Gamestape 1 for the Timex/Sinclair – A package of 11 games for the Timex/Sinclair that all run with only 1K of RAM.
    • Memory Expanders for the VIC-20 – The VIC-20 only has 5K of RAM so memory expansion devices were quite popular for this machine and a lot of software took advantage of them. This review covers several VIC RAM expansions including the VI-1110 (8K), VIC-1111 (16K), RAMAX (27K plus other extras), and Golden RAM (24K).
    • TI Statistics – A package of programs that performs several common statistical functions.

    Columns and Departments

    • The Editor’s Notes – A look at the competition in the computer market in the upcoming year.
    • Readers’ Feedback – Letters from readers about disks, cassettes and temperature tolerances; a shortage of 1541 disk drives for the Commodore 64; viewing 1541 disk drive ROM; Atari XL features; dual joysticks on the TI-99/4A, Atari disk drive RAM requirements; and much more.
    • Computers and Society: High Tech, High Touch, and 1984 – An interesting perspective on the year 1984 and George Orwell’s 1984.
    • The Beginner’s Page: Zones of Unpredictability, Part 2 – Part two of a series on random numbers.
    • The World Inside the Computer: Winnie the Pooh’s Alphabet Adventures – A 4-year old’s adventure with a new computer. A pretty detailed look at the NEC Trek/PC-6001A computer and the Disney software available for it.
    • Learning with Computers – An overview of the book Learning with Logo.
    • On the Road with Fed D’Ignazio: The Electronic Chalkboards: The BBC and the PowerPad – A look at the BBC computer, particularly for education use. The BBC never really had success in the U.S. Also, a look at the PowerPad which was a large tablet input device that could be used as a touch pad, art tool, or even as a reconfigurable keyboard with overlays.
    • Friends of the Turtle: A Turtle Resource Update – A look at some of the books and other resources available for Logo and Turtle graphics.
    • Questions Beginners Ask – Questions answered about mailing tapes and disks and disk drive expense.
    • Machine Language: Hopping Around – Transferring control (jumping and branching) in machine language on the 6502.
    • Programming the TI: Computer Fun – Coordinating music and graphics on the TI-99/4A.
    • INSIGHT: Atari – Extended memory management on Atari 8-bit computers. Plus a bit about SmallTalk.
    • 64 Explorer – Information about printers and printer interfaces for the Commodore 64 and VIC-20.
    • News & Products – New products this month include a 4K buffered printer interface for Atari 8-bit computers, The VIC 20 Connection – a book about home automation with the VIC-20, MathWiz – educational program for the Commodore 64, Amper-Magic – a program to extend the power of BASIC on Apple II computers, Devil’s Dare – a strategy game for Atari 8-bit computers, Sprint Typer – a program to help learn typing for the VIC-20, and much more.

    The Journal

    • SuperBASIC 64 – A type-in program to add 37 new commands to the Commodore 64’s built-in BASIC.
    • List and Scroll for the VIC and 64 – A type-in utility program that formats listings of BASIC programs, e.g. makes each statement appear on a separate line, indents FOR-NEXT and IF-THEN statements, etc.
    • Commodore Files for Beginners, Part 2 – Part two of a series of articles on files for the Commodore 64. This part covers creating files programatically, checking for errors, reading files programatically, and more.
    • Art Museum – A Commodore 64 and VIC-20 type-in program that lets you create and save art created with the special graphics characters that are part of the character set and are printed on the keys.
    • Bitmap Graphics on the 64 – A tutorial on bitmap graphics for the Commodore 64, including how such graphics are mapped in memory.
    • Atari Screenbyter – A graphics utility that lets you create screen displays in a variety of graphics modes.
    • Disk Explorer for Commodore – A type-in program that allows you to display a disassembly of the 1541’s machine language instructions as well as a hex dump of the RAM and ROM.
    • The Hidden Pitfalls of Computer Arithmetic – A look at how you can get “wrong” results, including things like rounding errors.
    • TI Word Processor – A type-in word processor for the TI-99/4A.
    • Son of Lister for VIC and 64 – A tool to help convert BASIC programs between different Commodore computers.
    • Commas and Colons in Applesoft Strings: An Easy Way to Use Them – Commas and colons are special characters in Applesoft. This provides a workaround for printing them.
    • Atari Chartmaker – A type-in program that allows you to display custom charts on screen.
    • Comparing Commodore Machine Language Programs – This BASIC type-in program will allow you to do a diff between two machine language programs.
    • VIC/64 Clock – A type-in program that displays a real-time clock in the corner of the screen while you do other things.

    …and more!


    📂This entry was posted in Computer Arcana 📎and tagged