AtariUser25-May87.pdf

A Database Publication

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Create your own autoboot Basic tapes

Build it yourself: A versatile graT)hics stylus

doo Complete map to guide you through Planetfall

ADVENTUROUS

PEOPLE

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ROB ICO

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ROBICO SOFTWARE, 3 FAIRLAND CLOSE, LLANTRISANT, MID GLAM. Tel. (0443) 227354

Midlands: Software Express 021 328 3585

Bucks: Microdealer int. 0908 74000

Cheshire: 21st Software Ltd. 0625 528885

Devon: C&F Associates 02373 619

West Yorkshire: R&R Distribution 0977 795544

Kent: S.D.L. 01-309 0300

EILEA2,!"

From

V.V. Software

WORLD CUP MANAGER"

THE MOST EXCITING AND ABSORBING FOOTBALL TEXT GAME YET.

Can you take your team

through to the Final?

Teleprinter Text, with full commentary on all games that

you play

Day to day results - up to date group tables

Select your own team. Choose from 24 teams to

manage. Scout reports on opposing teams:

Choose tactics to combat your opponents

As seen at the Hammersmith Show

SPECIAL OFFER TO "ATARI USER' READERS

NORMAL PRICE E9.99 OFFER PRICE £7.99 + 40p P&P

OR £10.99 + 20p P&P FOR DISK VERSION

Also ova/table from Software Express and other good software houses

Send cheque or P.O. for £8.39 OR S11.19 to:

"SIN. Services & Software" 9 Chiswick Walk, Chelmsley Wood, B'Ham B37 6TA (Allow 14 days for delivery)

Note! Remember to enclose your name and address,

Contents

News

All the latest news from the ever-changing Atari world.

Calculator

Now you can have a pop-up calculator on your 8 bit Atari, just

like the one you see on the ST.

Five Liners 1 4

More of your f25-winning programs, including a great routine to

give a new use to the Console keys.

Reviews 1 9

Our Star Game this month is the long awaited Spindizzy, and we

also look at Green Beret, Space Lobsters, Master Chess, Who

Dares Wins II and Winter Games.

Vol. 3 No. 1 May 1987

Managing Editor:

Derek Meakin

Features Editor:

Andre Willey

Production Editor:

Peter Glover

Autorun 2 3

The second part of this much-requested series gives you a

routine to create your own autoboot Basic tapes.

Character Editor 2 8

Part two of Stephen Williamson's three part Advanced Character

Set Editor gives you Load and Save routines to help you use

your character sets from Basic.

Art Editor:

Heather Sheldrick

Reviews Editor:

Christopher Payne

News Editor:

Mike Cowley

Advertisement Manager:

Tony Nowell

Advertising Sales:

John Snowden

Birthday competition 3 2

Help celebrate our second birthday — and for 385 lucky readers

there's more than 13,000 in prizes!

Gadgets 3 4

Len Golding creates a graphic aid that will allow you to trace

drawings onto the computer screen.

Editorial: 061-456 8383

Administration: 061-456 8383

Advertising. 061-456 8500

Subscriptions: 061-480 0171

Telec om Gold: 72:MAG001

Telex : 265871 MONREI G

Quoting Ref, 72 MAG001

Prestel Mailbox: 614568383

Player Missiles 3 8

With this clever little machine code routine you can move your

Player Missile graphics around the screen by using simple X, Y

coordinates.

Published by:

Databas e Publications Ltd,

Europa House, 68 Chester Road,

Haz el Grove, Stockport SK7 5NY.

Mailbag 4 1

Letters galore on all aspects of Atari computing, plus more of

your own hints and tips to help other readers.

Index 4 7

A complete index of every feature from the ﬁrst two years of

Atari User.

33573 January-June. 1886

Subscription rates for

12 issues, post free:

£12 - UK

[18 — Europe

E30 — Overseas

"Atari User" welcomes program listings

and articles for publication. Material should

be typed or computer-printed, and pref-

erably double-spaced, Program listings

should be accommpanied by cassette tape

or disc. Please enclose stamped, self-

addressed envelope, otherwise the return

of material cannot be guaranteed. Contrib-

utions accepted for publication by Database

Publications Ltd will be on an all-rights

basis,

material may be reproduced in whole or in

part without writen permission While every

care is taken, the publishers cannot be held

legally responsible for any errors in articles,

lis tings , or advertisements.

"Atari User" is an independent publication

and Atari Corp (UK) Ltd are not responsible

tor any of the articles they contain or for an y

of the opinions expressed.

News trade distribution: Europress Sales

and Distribution Limited, Unit 1, Burgess

Road, Ivyhouse Lane, Hastings, East Sussex

TN35 4NR. Tel: 0424 430422.

Adventuring 5 1

Brillig previews a couple of exciting new games, and lends a

helping hand to those who can't ﬁnd their way through the

futuristic adventure, Planetfall.

FULL and part-time writers are urgently needed by Database

Publications, publishers of Atari User and its companion, Atari ST

User. If YOU know the Atari or Atari ST inside out, can express

your ideas on paper — and want to become part of the exciting

future that lies ahead for Atari machines, then write now to: The

Managing Editor, 68 Chester Road, Hazel Grove, Stockport SK7

5NY. Please include your phone number.

May 1987 ATARI USER 3

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AT 5

News

Atari is wooing

Business

package

software houses

hits the

chart

ATARI's new good neigh-

bours policy towards support

companies is already paying

dividends. Software house

representatives are now

visiting Atari UK head-

quarters at the rate of two or

three a day.

And the result, says man-

ager of software marketing

Roland Whitehouse, is great

cooperation.

"We are showing that we

want to keep up with new

releases", he said.

He is receiving assurances

that there will be plenty of

software for the 8 bit and

especially for the 65XE games

machine.

"What is really encour-

aging is that there is an

increasing number of ﬁ rms

committing themselves to

producing cartidges for the

new games machine", said

Whitehouse.

The software house

response conﬁrms the com-

pany's belief that a major

revival in the video console

sector will happen this year.

A company spokesman told

Atari User: "We believe the

average age of prospective

buyers is getting younger.

"This means there are a lot

of under-tens out there who

aren't really ready for a

proper micro but are keen to

get their hands on a games

machine.

"And it doesn't hurt Atari's

prospects that we already

have a games software range

that it second to none."

Atari originally estimated it

would sell 150,000 8 bit com-

puters and games consoles in

1987.

But this ﬁ gure had to be

revised when advance orders

for 70,000 units were placed

within the ﬁrst few weeks of

the year.

Now the company is talking

about selling at least 200,000

— and possible a quarter of a

million — games machines in

1987_

A BUSINESS software pack-

age has achieved a world ﬁrst

by storming its way into the

all-important Gallup Top 40

chart on the eve of its launch

for the Atari 8 bit range.

Mini Ofﬁ ce II, the award

winning title from Database

Software (061-429 8008),

entered the best-selling list at

number 25.

The chart is considered the

most signiﬁcant of all on the

UK software scene because it

includes all machine formats.

And what is even more

surprising about Mini Ofﬁce

ll's most recent success is

that it had to compete against

games costing as little as

£1.99.

Not that this is the ﬁrst dis-

tinction to be achieved by the

package. Far from it.

Launched in October, 1984,

the original Mini Ofﬁce was

the ﬁ nalist in two categories

of the British Microcomputing

Awards — the Oscars of the

industry.

The ﬁ rst version for the

BBC Micro also displaced

games to reach the Top Ten

for that machine.

Mini Ofﬁ ce version one

went on to win national

acclaim for being ahead of its

time in that it was the ﬁ rst

professionally written low-

cost business package. At just

£5.95 on cassette for the BBC

Micro, the price tag was con-

sidered revolutionary as its

nearest competitor cost

several hundred pounds.

Its much enhanced

successor, Mini Ofﬁce II, took

26 man years programming

and contains six modules —

word processor, database,

spreadsheet, graphics, label

printer and communications.

Mini Ofﬁ ce II is priced at

£19.95 on disc for the Atari 8

bit range.

Losing its

magic

. .

MAGIC is old hat says text

adventure specialist Robico.

The company is looking for

new writers on the Atari 8 bit

but, says software manager

Rob O'Leary: "We are not too

keen on magic adventures

any more — unless they are

really original".

He explained that the ﬁ rm

has a very good freelance

programmer doing conver-

sions to the Atari, so that only

originals were needed.

"What we are looking for is

ﬁnished or part ﬁnished pro-

grams which we will market,

We would evaluate them and

even if the programming is

not brilliant we can work on

them."

He said most Robico (0443

227354) adventures had more

than 200 locations, which was

why graphics had never fea-

tured highly, though they

were not out of the question.

O'Leary said that they were

hoping to get more disc-

based adventures for the

Atari.

A Mole in the micro

THE latest Adrian Mole series

on Thames Television forms

the basis of a new Virgin

Games release for the Atari 8

bit machines.

It is the sequel to The

Secret Diary of Adrian Mole

which was produced by Level

9 and Mosaic Publishing.

The Growing Pains of

Adrian Mole comes from the

same joint source, but is

being marketed by Virgin.

Cassette price £9.95.

May 1987 ATARI USER 5

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