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Issue #3 -
July/August 1984
Expandable Computer News (ECN) is published bi-monthly by
Sage Enterprises. Current subscription rates: $12.00 per year (6 issues) U.S.
and Canada; $18 foreign. All subscriptions payable to Sage Enterprises in U.S.
funds only. Send all correspondence (subscriptions, ads, reviews, orders,
articles and products) to: Sage Enterprises, Expandable Computer News, Rt. 2,
Box 211, Scrivner Rd., Russellville, MO 65074. Telephone: 314/782-3448 on
Saturdays from 9 am to noon.
Staff: Editor - Darrell R. Sage Associate - Shirley I. Sage
NOTE: The views expressed by contributors to ECN are not necessarily those of
the publisher.
Contributors:
Harry L. McDonald, 33, Charleston, IL. Temporary Instructor of Engineering
Graphics at Eastern Illinois
University. Experiences computer user and programmer.
Nick Mucciariello, 35, Somerset, NJ. Beginning programmer.
Joe Blenkle, No. Highlands, CA.
Steve Champerlain, Bloomsburg, PA.
Jason Hirsch, Stockton, CA.
Jeff Silva, Tacoma, WA.
Maureen Zable, Bradford, RI.
Kenneth Lee Peterson, staff archaeologist, University of Colorado’s Dolores
Project, Cortez, CO.
Richard Weiderman, 41, Grand Rapids, MI. Teacher and student. Beginning
computerist.
For some contributors I cannot find any other information. Either I lost it or
you did not send it in.
Ramblings From
The Ridge
by D. Sage, Editor
After you finish reading this you should
understand where the title
comes from. First of all, we are working very hard to squeeze in as
much information in each
issue as is possible. We have received a large amount of mail. I am
getting very behind in
answering personally. So unless you request a personal answer and
enclose a self-addressed,
stamped envelope, you will generally find your questions answered in
ECN. Due to the large
number of reviews that we have received for the same product, it is
necessary that we edit the
material down to a manageable level. Out of necessity we will refer to
the initial review that was
published and number the additional ones as follow-ups. In addition we
will list our contributors
on the second page along with background information and list only
their names with the reviews
themselves. We recently returned from the June Consumer Electronics
Show
(CES) in Chicago. This issue will focus on what we saw and learned
at CES. I will cover some of it here and some
of it in the specialized columns.
The trip itself deserves some mention.
Unfortunately we were
unable to get reservations in Chicago and ended up staying in Hammond,
Indiana. Somewhere on
the way to Hammond we lost a gas cap. This was on a Sunday, so I
figured there was no way we
would find a gas cap. Well, if you ever lose a gas cap on a Sunday and
you are in Hammond,
Indiana, go to Perry's Drug Store and Autoparts. They will have it and
almost anything else you
can use. After that we headed for the CES in downtown Chicago. This
year the show was
scattered over four locations--McCormick Place, McCormick Inn,
McCormick West, and the
Conrad Hilton Hotel. Needless to say we had to park some distance away
and walk. Well it
wasn't long before Shirley had her shoes off.
We spent that afternoon just trying to find
where the displays were
located that we wanted to visit on Monday. It was almost overwhelming.
I had seen McCormick
place before from the outside, but it is bigger than it looks. The
displays are on three separate
levels. A number of the computer displays were located there, but most
of them were at
McCormick West which is a smaller building located within walking
distance. It wasn't long
before I had seen enough to be convinced that the Adam was going to be
around for a while. A
number of companies were showing Adam software. Games constituted the
bulk of the
third-party displays. Coleco was showing a much wider range of
software. While Commodore 64
software dominated the show, Coleco appears to have made some gains. A
number of smaller
companies who are known to be producing software for the Adam were not
at the show.
A number of displays were featuring break
dancers. These groups
usually attracted bigger crowds than any of the displays by themselves.
The only other crowds
seemed to be collecting in the vicinity of the Penthouse and Playboy
magazine booths.
Monday was spent talking to representatives
from Coleco and the various software companies supporting the
Adam/Colecovision. We also tried to cover as much
of the other computer hardware/software companies as was possible. At
the end of the day we
loaded up all of our press kits and returned to Hammond. We were both
too tired to go anywhere
else. On Tuesday morning we headed back to Missouri so that we could
begin sorting out the
mass of information that we had acquired. Fortunately the rest of our
trip was relatively
uneventful.
While we have received a large number of
reviews, so far we have
received only a few programs from our subscribers. Come on gang get out
your Basic manuals
and start plugging away. Those of you who have already written programs
how about sharing
them with everyone else. The more support Adam users get, the longer it
will be around. After
all it is really a terrific system with a lot of flexibility and
potential built in.
This issue has a music program and next time we
hope to have
sprites. We will publish our sections on companies carrying products
and lists of products in the
next issue. We hope to have a number of new software packages for
review in the next issue. Some of these sound pretty good but everyone
seems to be running behind schedule. Return to Top
West
Hartford Happenings:
June CES-Chicago
by D. Sage, Editor
Coleco had an impressive yet somewhat subdued
display at the
June CES. We were pleased to see Coleco taking a more conservative
approach concerning the
announcement of new products. On the other hand, their commitment to
ADAM and their strong
approach to support for retailers and consumers was anything but
conservative. The theme of the display
seemed to be: ADAM is back and better than ever. A large number of
ADAMs were on display
running much of the new software that is to be available during the
remainder of the year. A
portion of the display dealt with Coleco’s promotional
 support for
retailers and distributors. Coleco has announced that persons buying ADAMs between May 8, 1984 and
September 15,
1984 will be eligible to receive a package of 32 Basic programs for the
ADAM. These programs
are the same as those published by Dilithium Press In a book of the
same title (see coupon
elsewhere). In addition Coleco is packaging a kit including an extra
data pack, print wheel and
ribbon with
some ADAMS. Coleco is also going to be giving away Cabbage Patch dolls
to purchasers of the
Colecovision Video Game System (see coupon).
The ADAM warranty has been extended to six
months as a means
for Coleco to demonstrate their faith in the reliability of ADAM. In
addition Markline, in
cooperation with Coleco, was offering ADAM on a 7 month billing without
interest through July
15. They were also including a free War Games cartridge as part of the
offer.
Coleco announced the June shipment to dealers
of a variety of
software including: SmartLogo, Smart Letters & Forms, SmartFiler,
Recipe Filer, SimpleCalc,
Electronic Flashcard Maker, Dr. Seuss Fix-Up the Mix-Up Puzzle, Brain
Strainer, ExperType,
Smurf Paint 'N Play Workshop, Telly Turtle, Bump 'N Jump, Roc 'N Rope,
Zaxxon, Tarzan,
Super Action Football, Dukes of Hazard, and Antarctic Adventure.
Additional software will
become available throughout the remainder of the year. We know that
some of this software is
now beginning to reach the consumer. How much is available now is
uncertain. We know
SmartLogo is available and from all reports it is terrific. It supports
sound and graphics in an easy
to use fashion.
 In addition to the software on display, Coleco
also had a number of
peripherals up and running. These included disk drives, a modem, 64k
expansion RAM, and a
Universal Interface which includes RS232 and Centronics ports. Coleco
has settled on a
single-sided double density disk drive that will have a storage
capacity of 160k (see picture). The
ADAM can support two such disk drives in addition to two digital data
drives. The ADAMLink
direct connect modem will also be available. The modem will operate at
300 baud and will include communications software and two free hours of
time on Compuserve. The 64k memory
expander will fit inside the ADAM. Most of these peripherals will be
available in August or
September. The universal interface will probably not be available until
November.
We talked to Tony Shepard, Technical Liaison
Marketing
Communications, Coleco, about the new products. He indicated that
Coleco was taking great
pains to insure that all now products were fully tested before
releasing them for production.
Many of the recent delays in releasing software and hardware were due
to this extended testing.
In another development, Coleco announced the elimination of their
previous third-party licensing
requirements for software developers. The new approach will make
software development
information more easily available to independent software producers.
This will result in more
software for ADAM owners in a shorter period of time. The effects of
this policy change are
already being seen in the market place.
Coleco also announced that they will be
producing versions of their
software to run on Atari computers, the Commodore 64, and the Apple Ile
and IIc.
As I indicated in RAMBLINGS, a number of
companies were
showing software for the ADAM/Colecovision. Whiz Kids Educational
Computer Centers Inc.,
23-238 Davenport Rd., Toronto, Canada M5R lJ6, indicated they would be
producing their StepOne
computer course for the ADAM. Flip Track Learning Systems, 999 Main,
Glen Ellyn, IL 60137,
was also offering a computer course for the ADAM.
 Activision was showing Decathlon and indicated
that it along with
Zenji and Pitfall II would be available in the third quarter with Space
Shuttle, Explorer,
Wonderbolt, Camp Clean-Up, and Toy Bizarre coming out in the 4th
quarter.
Fisher Price, a new entrant in the software
field, will be producing
Linking Logic, Memory Manor, and Logic Levels. These are all learning
games.
MicroFun was showing some excellent games for
the
ADAM/Colecovision including Boulder Dash, a hit at CES, which features
a two-dimensional
scrolling maze. Other offerings will be Crisis Mountain, Short Circuit,
Miner 2049er II, and
Scraper Caper. This fall much of their MicroLearn software will be
available on data pack for the
ADAM. We hope to be receiving some software from them real soon now.
Spinnaker's Learning Adventure Series will be
available soon for
the ADAM. These include Snooper Troops I, In Search of the Most Amazing
Thing, and Trains.
Aerobics will also be available.
Sierra formerly known as Sierra-On-Line will be
releasing
WizType, Grog's Revenge, and Stunt Flyer. In addition they are
considering producing a version
of King Quest for the ADAM. This is a super 3-D graphics, text
adventure game that you would
have to see to believe. Lets hope they get this out.
Imagic was showing Tennis, Wing War, Fathom,
and Dragon Fire. Epyx had Pitstop and Summer Games on display.
Parker Bros. was showing Star Wars, Frogger II,
Mr. Do's Castle,
Gyruss, and Circus Charlie. Xonox had Motocross Racer, Artillery Duel,
Robin Hood and
Tomarc the Barbarian.
Sunrise, looking to be a strong supporter of
ADAM, had Campaign
84, Gust Buster, Quest for Quintana Roo, Rolloverture and Mountain King.
Several companies had on display equipment for
point-of-sale
downloading of software directly to cartridge and disk. These systems
will allow buyers to try out
software before purchase. They will also provide consumers with a wider
range of software without the retailer having to maintain large
inventories. This is a development that is
worth following and could easily lead to lower software prices.
I know we probably missed some companies while
we were at CES. I apologize if I did. I would also like to thank the
representatives of Coleco and the other companies who were very helpful
to us. We are looking forward to January 85 at Las
Vegas.
What
About The
Competition? - June CES - Chicago
by D. Sage, Editor
The latest news dwarfs just about anything else
we had to say. We
will get to that shortly. Originally we thought the big news was the
introduction of Atari's new
video game system, the 7800. Atari had a large display at CES with many
7800's up and running. Only a few of Atari's computers were evident.
The AtariSoft portion of the display had several
brands running, but only one Colecovision. The 7800's look pretty good,
better than the 5200
fiasco and will be priced around $150.00. One advantage of this machine
is that it is compatible
with the 2600 VCS cartridges and controllers. The system comes with
Pole Position. This system
was developed in cooperation with Phillips Electronics, developers of
Odyssey. Many analysts
expected Phillips to buy out Atari. Atari also introduced by special
invitation a partially? IBM compatible, revamped 1450XL for around
$1000. 1 doubt that this product will
ever make it to the market place without substantial redesign. Atari
also had a headband
controller called MindLink on display. It was far from impressive and
tended to fall off
regularly.
Before we return to CES let's get to the big
news. Jack Tramiel,
founder and former president of Commodore International purchased
Atari, Inc. from Warner.
Surprise, surprise. Well maybe not. It is a lot easier to acquire a
company, than it is to start from scratch. Tramiel promptly installed
his sons in management positions in the company.
Now the question is, will Tramiel's Atari do to Commodore what
Tramiel's Commodore did to
Atari and Texas Instruments in the home computer market. I suspect he
will at least give it a try
and it looks like Commodore's new management will help him succeed. If
you look at
Commodore's latest introductions you will see what I mean. The Vic-20
has been dropped and
replaced by the Commodore 16 which is not compatible with anything but
the new Plus-4. The
Plus-4 is a non-compatible revamped version of the 264 introduced in
January at the Las Vegas CES and later cancelled. I really don't
understand. If Commodore is going to introduce a
noncompatible computer, why they don't go with a faster processor. The
6502 is ok but there is a
faster compatible version of the processor and there are even faster
8-bit processors such as the
Z80B. I really feel that unless they adopt a strategy that provides for
upward compatibility they
will start hurting Commodore 64 sales and eventually be their own
undoing.
Elsewhere in the industry, IBM has cut the
price of its line of pc's including the dreaded Jr. A number of IBM
compatible companies have responded with cuts of
their own.
Returning to CES; there really was not much new
in the way of
home computers. The only introduction of any consequence was the
Sinclair QL. This machine
comes with 128K, expandable to 640K, a full-size keyboard, two
micro-drives, and two RS232c
ports. The processor is a 32-bit Motorola 68008. The QL comes with word
processor, spread
sheet, graphics and data base software built in. All of this will be
available for $499. The only problem is that the machine will be
available initially only by mail order and so far there has been no
word on an American distributor. Maybe Atari ought to look at the
possibility of distributing this product. It really looked good and the
software looks great.
The MSX computers from Japan have still not
arrived. Word is that
they won't appear here until next spring. Maybe in January at Las
Vegas. I sure don't want to miss
that show. Return to Top
Things I Have Learned
About ADAM
by Harry L. McDonald
When ADAM first appeared in the Service Merchandise catalog, I was
fascinated. I had always wanted a computer with a daisy wheel printer to
write my papers for college. I had just returned to college when ADAM
appeared.
The promised delivery date in the catalog was
October 15, 1983. On the eighteenth I called the store. Call again in
two more weeks, I was told. The two week
cycle continued until January of 1984. In the meantime I began to hear
all sorts of wonderful
things about the ADAM.
I also heard some bad things but these I
discounted. ADAM was for
me, I waited.
I have learned several things about the ADAM
from research that I
have done in the Eastern Illinois University library. Some may be true,
some may not. They are
offered here for the consideration of others. Here goes.
ADAM's printer is English, made in Northern
Ireland. I have lost
the name of the company. ADAM's operating system is Infosoft I/OS which
is CP/M
"compatible." I do know that Infosoft truly helped on the SmartWRITER
program.
Other facts: If the control key is pressed and
then the "r", when
ADAM is first turned on, then the number of your version of ROM is
displayed where
SmartKEY III should be. Any number of 79 or higher is good. Any lesser
number means there
will be bugs. If PRINT PEEK(260) is executed in SmartBASIC, then the
revision of
SmartBASIC is displayed. Again, 79 or higher is desirable. These things
can be done, they work,
but their meaning is only something I have read. For older versions of
SmartWRITER (less than
79), go to "Moving Window" mode before scrolling backwards in a file
(workspace). After
moving back, return to "Standard Format." This prevents the turning of
files to gibberish and
weird symbols. The Horizontal Margin is too long, the default values
(settings when the machine
is first turned on) print all the way to the bottom of the page when
single spacing is used. I have
read that setting the margins all the way to the edges of the paper
causes the keyboard to lock up.
I have not found this to be true. I have read that the printer must be
kept away from the rest of the
computer or lines of text will be lost. I have not found truth in that,
but adding lines or words in
Standard Format and then Moving Window causes loss of text. One book
even mentions that. I
have used Moving Window to prepare columns of numbers and it works fine.
Ordering supplies from Coleco is getting easier
all the time. It used
to take two months, it only takes about three weeks now. Contacting
Coleco on the phone is
easier now. Suppertime seems to be the best. The people on the phones
are now telling owners
things to do to fix their machines. They used to tell people to send
their machines to Connecticut. They used to offer to pay the postage.
There is an 83 and an 84 model ADAM. My man at
the store told
me that. He also told me that Coleco doesn't like to have machines
returned to them, they make
it very difficult. He also said Coleco had problems when the
ColecoVision game first came out.
His theory is that they let customers do the testing.
The prongs on the left side of the print
mechanism are wrong on
many machines. The prongs should both have the same angle, one should
not be level. The
bottom prong's angle should be the same as the angle of the top prong.
Bending them down,
however, is tricky because it increases the tension in the switch which
may then not open at all. It may be dangerous so I won't elaborate. Get
that information from Coleco.
The wire that goes from the computer to the
television needs to be
made into a couple of loops that are held with a twist tie for garbage
bags. Make the loops by
wrapping extra wire around the hand. By experimentation, I found that
the ADAM is capable of
colors that can be described only as dazzling. It is a very fine
picture.
Much of what is written about ADAM is untrue.
By monitoring
several magazines and professional publications, I found some of the
darndest rumor mongering I
had ever seen.
For the price ADAM is unbeatable.
Sometimes when ADAM's keyboard seems to be
locked up. it
really isn't. It's doing some electronic housekeeping.
Those unfortunates who joined Coleco's video
game club only
received one or two issues of the magazine for their $6.00. They were
supposed to get a free
issue of the new ADAM magazine.
Personal CP/M is ready to go. Sorcim's
SuperCalc2 ADAM
version has been abandoned by the company. Infocom has contemplated
putting their adventure
games on digital data packs but they may wait for a disk drive.
These things I have learned by owning a Coleco
ADAM. They,
again, may or may not be true. Any information that any subscriber has
would be much
appreciated. Send them along to me. In the meantime I'll try to gather
some more facts. Return to Top
Making RND(X) Random
by D. Sage
Many readers have written or called about the RND function,
wanting to know how to get truly random numbers. In most microcomputers
the RND function in
BASIC returns an illogical sequence of values. The problem is that the
sequence is not really
random. Every time you run a newly loaded program using this function
the same value will be
returned the first time the function is used. In addition each
subsequent use will follow a pattern.
Some microcomputers use a built in clock, called a jiffy clock, that
allows the programmer a means of
generating truly random numbers. You simply have to read the last digit
generated by the clock
(this number is usually in seconds) and enter the value in your
randomization routine. Unfortunately the ADAM does not have a Jiffy
clock, so you must create one. A simple timing
loop will generate a sequence of numbers over and over until
interrupted. The interrupt is a
random event and takes the last value of the counter. This value is
then used in the
randomization routine.
At the end of this article is a subroutine that
uses this method. The timing loop (lines 1010-1060) is broken when a
particular value (lower case s) is entered in the
keyboard. The keyboard entry is detected by peeking the memory location
(line 1030) for the last
key pressed. A GET INPUT statement will not work because the timing
loop cannot advance
pass these statements until keyboard input is made. This routine will
return random value from 1
to 10. For larger values simply increase the value of the terminator in
line 1010. There are many
ways to accomplish this process using a PEEK of the keyboard. You could
place the RND
function in a loop called from the beginning of your program. Since RND
would be called a
random number of times the next time you used RND in your program you
would be assured of obtaining a random number.
100 REM True Random Number Generator
110 PRINT "Press s when ready"
120 GOSUB 1010
130 z=INT(x+RND(1)+.5))
140 PRINT Z
150 END
1000 REM RANDOM SEED ROUTINE
1010 FOR i=0 TO 9
1020 x=1
1030 y=PEEK(64885)
1040 IF y=115 THEN RETURN
1050 NEXT i
1060 GOTO 1010
1070 RETURN
Return to Top
Sounds Like Music?
by D. Sage
Making sound on most computers is not an easy
task. In this respect
the ADAM is no different. As most of you know figuring out how to get
to the sound chip was
the first obstacle to overcome. Another problem is that ADAM's BASIC
does not directly support
sound. Now that the various addresses for the sound and video chip are
available the first hurdle has been overcome. In this and subsequent
issues I will attempt to demonstrate how to
access the sound chip to produce music, or at least musical notes, and
sound effects. Sprites and
graphics are a great deal more complex and others in addition to myself
are developing some programming tools that will make accessing the
video chip easier. Articles on graphics and sprites will appear as soon
as they are ready.
At the end of this article is a relatively simple program
that will turn your ADAM keyboard into a piano of sorts. It really is not
as complex as it may appear. Using the sound chip requires that you direct
the appropriate data to the appropriate port in the microprocessor. The
ADAM uses port 255 ($FF hexadecimal) for the sound chip. Our program
includes a short machine language routine that transmits the data to this
port. That routine simply takes data that is poked into location 28006,
loads it into the accumulator and then outputs it to port $FF. The machine
language routine is accessed by using a CALL statement (CALL 28000). Don't
worry if this does not make any sense. You do not have to understand this
in order to use the routine or the program. The first step in the "piano"
program involves setting up an area to store the machine language routine.
This is done by setting LOMEM to 29000.
Line 195 dimensions two arrays that will store data on keys pressed and
values to generate notes.
Line 210 sets "s" equal to 28000 which is the starting point of the
machine language program.
Lines 220-250 store the DATA in line 200 in memory. This is the machine
language routine.
Line 260 contains some important values: sd=144 turns on voice 1,
qu=159 turns off voice 1.
lc=28006 is the location where the data will be stored for the machine
language routine. Lines 280-290 contain the data for the keyboard
characters that are used and
the data used to generate the notes. Lines 300-330 store the data in
the two arrays. Lines 410-455
print the instructions which explain which key to press to obtain each
note. Line 460 is where
you press a key. Lines 470-510 check to see which key was pressed. If a
key other than "x" or the
keys for the notes is pressed then the program goes back to 460 and
does nothing. If you press
"x" the program stops. If you press a note key then you will hear a
note, if you have the volume
turned up on your tv. Lines 710-780 are the ones that actually generate
the sound. In line 700
p2=n is the note and p3=128 is what might be called the base value for
voice 1. These values are
poked into location "lc" (28006) and then the machine language routine
is called. Line 760 is a
delay loop. Line 770 turns the sound off and line 780 returns the
program to get another note. It
may not look simple but it works.
The second program makes a sound effect. The
best way to use
something like this is to make it into a subroutine that can be called
using a GOSUB when you
need the sound. This program is similar to the first so I will only
explain the differences. Lines
300-380 make a whistling sound like a bomb falling. This is done with
voice 1 and involves
varying the pitch and volume of the sound. Lines 400-450 use white
noise to create the sound of
the exploding bomb.
In future issues we will try to provide you
with sufficient
information to allow you to write your own programs using music and
sound effects. We will
also explain how to use the sound chip more fully and try to provide
you with subroutines that
will simplify your efforts. We hope you enjoy these programs and will
share your efforts with
us.
5 LOMEM: 29000
10 REM PIANO
20 REM by D. Sage
195 DIM a$(8), P(8)
200 DATA 58,102,109,211,255,201
210 s=28000
220 FOR i=s TO s+5
230 READ x
240 POKE i, x
250 NEXT i
260 sd=144: qu=159: lc=28006
280 DATA "a",26.9,"s",23.9,"d",21.3,"f",20.1
290 DATA "g",17.9,"h",16.0,"j",14.2,"k",13.4
300 FOR i=1 TO 8
310 READ a$(i)
320 READ p(i)
330 NEXT i
400 REM instructions
410 HOME: PRINT "PIANO - Instructions"
420 PRINT: PRINT "Press the appropriate key"
425 PRINT "enter x to stop"
430 PRINT:PRINT
440 PRINT " KEY= a s d f g h j k"
450 PRINT "NOTE= c d e f g a b c"
460 get k$
470 FOR i=1 TO 8
475 IF k$="x" THEN END
480 IF k$<>a$(i) THEN 500
490 n=p(i): GOSUB 700: GOTO 460
500 NEXT i
510 GOTO 460
520 END
690 REM make sound
700 p2=n
720 p3=128
730 POKE lc, p3: CALL s
740 POKE lC, p2: CALL s
750 POKE lC, sd: CALL s
760 FOR j=1 TO 140: NEXT j
770 POKE lc, qu: CALL s
780 RETURN
5 LOMEM: 29000
10 REM bombs away
20 REM by D. Sage
185 PRINT: PRINT "press any key"
190 GET al$
200 DATA 58,102,109,211,255,201
210 s=28000
220 FOR i=s TO s+5
230 READ x
240 POKE i, x
250 NEXT i
260 lc=28006
300 FOR j=5 TO 17
310 FOR i=128 TO 143
320 POKE lc, i: CALL s
330 POKE lc, j: CALL s
340 POKE lc, 144: CALL s
350 FOR l=0 TO 5: NEXT l
360 NEXT i
370 NEXT j
380 POKE lc, 159: CALL s
400 POKE lc, 228: CALL s
410 FOR i=240 TO 255
420 POKE lc, i: CALL s
430 FOR l=0 TO 75: NEXT l
440 NEXT i
450 POKE lc, 255: CALL s
520 END
Return to Top
Product
Review Summary
by D. Sage
We have several cartridges for which I have not had time to write
detailed reviews. Since we have not received reviews on these products I
felt it would be better to give you a short review than nothing at all.
Hopefully, we will be able to provide more detailed reviews in the next
issue.
Rocky from Coleco - an enjoyable two-player
game that uses the
Super Action Controllers. This is fun but rough on the hands. We need
more games like this
where two players can interact.
War Games from Coleco - based on the movie.
This gets tough real
quick. Requires more than dexterity as you must make choices fast.
Takes advantage of the
keypad.
Frenzy from Coleco - the arcade game at home. I
liked it and hated
it at the same time. This was addictive for me. Much better than
Atari's Berzerk.
Sir Lancelot from Xonox - a Joust like game
with some differences.
In the alternating screen you have to save a princess from a dragon.
The graphics are good but
this game gets too difficult for me too quickly. Maybe a sign I am
getting old.
Threshold from Sierra - this has been around
for other computers
for some time. It is a well developed alternative to space invaders
games. At first I did not like it,
but as I played it more it got to be quite enjoyable for a blasting
game.
Learning with Leeper from Sierra - this is an
educational game for
younger children. How about a review from someone with small kids?
B.C.'s Quest for Tires from Sierra - I loved
it. The graphics are
superb, but the game play tends to get old rather quickly. If you don't
buy it at least you have to see it played.
Gust Buster from Sunrise - this also is for
younger children,
although I had some difficulty getting the hang of it. You have to
travel around a carnival using
your balloons and sell them to crowds. I kept overinflating my balloons
and plunging to the
ground.
Campaign 84 from Sunrise - this is an
educational game that
requires you to make some decisions and then combines game play in
determining who wins the
election.
Sorry these were brief but hope to have more
next time.
Just a reminder that many of our reviews are
second and third
opinions of a product reviewed in an earlier issue. If the review has a
number such as (1-3), this
means the first review appeared in issue 1 and this is the third review
of the product. Return to Top
 Product Review - Bounty Hunter
by D. Sage
Product: Bounty Hunter game
Manufacturer: Victory Software, distributed by Star-Byte, 2564
Industry Lane,
Norristown, PA 19401
Requirements: ADAM
Media: Digital Data Pack
Warranty: 30 days
Price: $24.95
Bounty Hunter is one of four text adventure
game available from
Victory Software. The game was written by Bruce Robinson and Dr. Alan
Stankiewicz. This
game is a nice change of pace from the dungeons and dragons type of
text adventure. You are the
"Bounty Hunter" and your Job is to find and arrest all of the members
of the "Oil" gang. The
game starts out fairly easy and becomes more complex as you proceed.
The programmers have
also hidden a surprise inside the adventure. I won't tell you what it
is. I enjoy text adventures, but
they can eat up a lot of time. My only complaint about the game is that
you cannot readily make a
backup copy. On the whole I would rate "Bounty Hunter" a 7. It is
enjoyable and worth owning at
this price. Return to Top
 Product Review
- Oil's Well
by Nick Mucciariello
Product: Oil's Well game cartridge
Manufacturer: Sierra, Sierra On-Line Bldg., Coarsegold, CA 93614
Requirements: ColecoVision/ADAM, joysticks
Media: Cartridge
Warranty: 90 days
Oil's Well is a one or two player game with
various degrees of play
(regular, unleaded and premium). It has the overtones of PacMan and is
a gas to play (Editor's
note: we are not responsible for the quality of puns used by
reviewers). You are drilling an oil
well which consists of an underground maze. You control a drill bit
through the maze and as you
move you leave a trail of pipe. Oozies attack your pipe causing you the
loss of a drill bit if one
touches your pipe. You can eat the Oozies with a drill bit. You can
also retract the drill bit as far
as you want by pushing the side button, doing away with any existing
pipe. If your drill bit touches a land mine-while extracting the oil
pellets (similar to the dots in Pac-Man)
a drill bit is lost. There is a Petromin (power pill) in each maze.
This special oil nugget slows
down the Oozies. Also goblets of super-rich deposits float through the
maze. If your drill bit can
touch one of the goblets, you earn bonus points. You start with 3 drill
bits and earn another for
every 10,000 points. There are 8 mazes, and after completing them, you
start with the first maze
again at a faster pace. The scenery and layouts of the maze changes
with each new maze getting
more difficult as you progress to the next level. I've had this game
for a month now and still
have not tired of it. It has lasting play value and I would rate it a
10. Return to
Top
 Product Review - Squish 'Em
by Nick Mucciariello
Product: Squish 'Em game cartridge
Manufacturer: Interphase Technologies
Requirements: ColecoVision/ADAM, joysticks
Media: Cartridge
Warranty: 90 days
Squish 'Em is not that exciting graphically,
but it is the first game
I've purchased with VOICE. Sam must climb a 48 story building to
collect a suitcase full of
money. There are creatures on each story who are determined to knock
him off the building.
Falling objects make the climb even more difficult. You score points by
climbing to the top of the building and squashing the creatures or
jumping over them. Sam shouts "squish 'em" when
he stomps a creature, "money, money, money" when he reaches the
suitcase. If he is knocked off
the building he says "whoops", and if a creature touches him he says
"ouch." Once you stomp a creature, in a few moments he will turn white
and get up. You can jump over a white creature but
can't squish him. After stomping a creature your best bet is to head
for the next floor. If Sam is
hit by one of the 5 different falling objects, he falls off the
building and starts at the beginning of
that level again. There is one prize per screen, and if Sam touches it
he earns an extra life. The
game is fun, but easy at beginning levels. The voice is the novelty in
this game since you don't
need any additional hardware. As the levels progress the creatures
become larger and faster,
making it harder to jump them. I rate this game a 7.
Return to Top
 Product Review
- Destructor
by Joe Blenkle
Product: Destructor game cartridge
Manufacturer: Coleco
Requirements: ColecoVision/ADAM, driving module
Media: Cartridge
Warranty: 90 days
Price: $4.95 at J.C. Penney closeout, $29.95 elsewhere
Finally, another cartridge for Coleco's Driving
Module (Expansion
Module 02). Destructor is the first game released by Coleco since Turbo
to use the driving
module and it's long overdue (Editor's note: Destructor was available
in some areas as early as last November.) While Destructor is far from
being a classic, there is something about
the game that keeps you playing it over and over.
The object of the game is to guide your Ram-car
through the city of
Araknid on a distant and hostile planet, collecting power crystals for
your starcruiser. Along the
way you must avoid the evil Destructor and deadly Insektoids. The game
is fun in that there is a
sense of urgency while playing. You know that you must collect a
certain number of crystals
(creatures called Krystaloids until you touch them) before moving to
the next round. You also
know that all the while Destructor and the Insektoids are pursuing you.
The fact that the
Krystaloids are moving adds to the difficulty of the game. The city
streets change in each round
as does the location of a remote teleporter which allows you to return
instantly to your ship. This
becomes a very handy device for escaping Insektoids in a hurry. Your
Ram-car is aptly named as
it can ram through crystals blocking your path. Once during the game I
accidentally blocked my
own path with crystals and was delighted to learn that after several
attempts I rammed right
through them. I won't say what happens when an Insektoid catches you,
but it involves a
crunch-crunch sound not unlike that heard on one of those
science-fiction movies when the giant
bug catches you. I played Destructor for several hours straight to see
if I'd tire of it. I didn't, but
the game still lacks something that would make it a real winner.
However, it is a lot of fun and
probably rates a 7. Return to Top
 Product Review - Miner 2049er
by Joe Blenkle
Product: Miner 2049er game cartridge
Manufacturer: Micro Fun, 2699 Skokie Valley Rd., Highland Park,
IL 60035
Requirements: ColecoVision/ADAM, joystick
Media: Cartridge
Price: $39.95
Rating: 9
Count-em! Miner 2049er has 11 screens,
something almost unheard
of in the world of cartridge based video games. This awesome
accomplishment is only a
preview of things to come. The object of Miner 2049er is to guide
Bounty Bob through the 11
levels of a mine. The legend has it that Bob is searching for an
escaped criminal, but somehow
this criminal must have got clean away as he never puts in an
appearance or is even mentioned in
this version's instructions. Instead, Bob is in search of the uranium
to be found in the eleventh
level of the mine. Let me tell you...it's no easy task. Miner 2049er is
a very difficult game until
you learn how to master it. One mistake can cost you your life, making
you repeat that level over.
Often you are given only enough time for one clean sweep through a
level. One mistake
anywhere along the way will cause you to run out of time and you'll
wind up dying only steps
away from completing the level. Bob encounters killer mutants along the
way which he can
render harmless by collecting one of the miner's tools scattered
throughout the game, then
running over the creature for extra points.
Miner 2049er is a masterpiece. Each level is
totally different than
any of the others. Along the way you must navigate ladders, elevators,
radioactive pools and
stompers. You'll even get to fire yourself from a cannon if you make it
to level 10! Full use of the
keypad on your joystick comes into play in this game as you punch
different numbers for floor
levels on the elevators. The game's only real drawback is its degree of
difficulty and skimpy
instructions. Different difficulty levels and some hints on how to get
through the levels would be
useful and perhaps a feature that would enable you to start the game at
any level of the mine. The first three levels are fairly easy, but the
fourth level on are very difficult. Some apparently
have only one way to get through them and any mistakes in the process
can cost you dearly.
Miner 2049er is a game you will keep coming back to. Even after you
have successfully
completed all 11 levels, you will want to see if you can make it
through again. I've made it to
level 11 for the second time, but have failed to get past that to start
the game for a third round. If
anyone out there is having difficulty at a particular level I will be
glad to help. Just send a
self-addressed stamped envelope to me, Joe Blenkle, 6229 Channing Dr.,
No. Highlands, CA
95660, and I'll pass on some tips for whatever level you want. Return to
Top
 Product Review - Q*Bert
by Joe Blenkle
Product: Q*Bert game cartridge
Manufacturer: Parker Bros., Beverly, MA 01915
Requirements: ColecoVision/ADAM, joystick
Media: Cartridge
Price: $36.95
Rating: 6
Lovable and cuddly Q*Bert comes to the home
video arcade in this
cartridge game from Parker Brothers. Q*Bert is one of the best arcade
to home adaptations I have
ever seen. The Coleco version is superior to almost all the other
versions I have seen. The object
of the game is to hop Q*Bert from cube to cube on a pyramid shaped
structure, changing the color of each cube as Q*Bert touches it. There
are four rounds to each of the nine
levels, with variations on how the color of the cube is changed on each
one. After the ninth level
the game repeats that level until you run out of lives. Q*Bert must
contend with a variety of
enemies along the way, the most prominent of which is Coily the snake,
who first appears as an
egg hopping from the top cube to the bottom before hatching into his
adult self. Q*Bert must
lure Coily off the edge of the pyramid and then reach safety by jumping
on one of the
multi-colored discs at the edge of the screen, which transports him
back to the top of the
pyramid. Q*Bert must also contend with Coily and Ugg who criss-cross
the screen at crazy
angles, Slick who changes the cube colors back to their original
colors, and bouncing red balls
which can squash Q*Bert on contact. Poor Q*Bert's only rest comes if he
can catch the bouncing
green ball which freezes all other objects on the screen for a few
seconds. The graphics, sound and color in Q*Bert are splendid, but the
game becomes tedious after playing it for
awhile. It's a good choice for your game library if you don't mind
giving it frequent rests. It's a
nice game to come back to after playing your other ones.
Return to
Top
 Product Review
- Quest For Quintana Roo
by Steve Chamberlain
Product: Quest For Quintana Roo
Manufacturer: Sunrise Software, Inc., 2829 W. Northwest Hwy,
Suite 904, Dallas, TX
75220
Requirements: ColecoVision/ADAM, joystick
Media: Cartridge
90 day
Rating: 10
In this game your task as Yucatan Sam is to
explore the many
chambers of Quintana Roo temple. Guarding the chambers of the temple
are spiders, snakes, and
mummies that you have to avoid or kill with your acid or gun. Inside of
each chamber is a vault (inside of one chamber is the map vault) which
you open by using your chisel or by throwing
acid. Inside of the vaults you can find treasures, acid (to restock
your supply), or mapstones. You
must find five mapstones and place them (in the correct order) in front
of the map vault to go on
to the next level. When you make it to the second level you are given a
code which you can save
and type in at the beginning of the game to go directly to the second
level. You get a similar code
if you make it to the third level. This is the first real adventure
game that I know of for the
Colecovision and I recommend it highly. If you like adventure games I'm
sure you'll love this
one. I bought my copy of this game from Video Take-Out (phone
800-22VIDEO). Return to Top
 Product Review - Gateway To Asphai
by Jason Hirsch
Product: Gateway To Asphai game cartridge
Manufacturer: Epyx, 1043 Kiel Court, Sunnyvale, CA 94089
Requirements: ColecoVision/ADAM, joystick
Media: Cartridge
Warranty: 1 year
Rating: 10
This is the Coleco version of the popular
computer game and is the
first adventure style game for Adam. And it's a good one at that.
Epyx's slogan is "strategy games
for the action game player." They rate this game two parts strategy and
one part action. I
agree.
First you are shown your status and equipment.
You start out with a
dagger and leather armor. Then you are asked to choose a dungeon level
from 1-99. After this
play really begins. You are represented by a human-like figure. He
begins in a room but cannot
see the rooms around him. On the bottom third of the screen is a
message area which will display
vital information throughout the game. To see a room, he must first
enter it. There may be
monsters, treasure, weapons, spells, traps or any combination of these
in the room. If there is a
monster you may choose to fight, cast a spell or run. Using the
joystick and keypad you are able
to control these functions. You have many options such as searching for
secret doors, unlocking
doors, searching for traps, checking your status, weapons or equipment,
dropping an item or
moving to the next level. You have five lives and approximately 7
minutes to explore each
dungeon. The instruction manual is good but you will probably not
understand all of the
intricacies of the game without extensive play. Gateway to Apshai is an
excellent game. The
graphics are eye pleasing. The animation and sword-play are especially
nice. A lot of memory
was apparently needed for other features. The variety of monsters,
equipment, spells and dungeons is incredible. As you progress to deeper
levels (there are eight) you receive more
powerful weapons and spells, which you will need because the enemies
become more dangerous.
I have used the cartridge for about three weeks. I bought this game
because I wanted to try an
adventure and I think this was the perfect choice. There really are no
negative comments to
make. This is the closest thing to the perfect game I have ever played.
Return
to Top
 Product Review
- Moonsweeper
by Joe Blenkle
Product: Moonsweeper game cartridge
Manufacturer: Imagic
Requirements: ColecoVision/ADAM, joystick
Media: Cartridge
Warranty: 90 day
My first impression of Moonsweeper was, "Oh no,
not another
space shoot-em-up." But, upon playing Moonsweeper for a couple of hours
I found that the game
is anything but another one of those space games. The object is to
guide the U.S.S. Moonsweeper
on a rescue mission to the moons of the four galaxies of Quadrant
Jupiter. To start the game, you
must choose one of four galaxies, each of which is worth more points
and exhibits more challenging obstacles. You then find yourself in
orbit around a planet (oddly it resembles Saturn)
and you must find one of four colored moons to land on. In your way are
comets, space debris,
meteors and alien vessels. Upon reaching the moon, you must pick up
five stranded miners,
avoid deadly towers, orbital launchers and surface destroyers. You then
make your way through
acceleration rings to build up enough speed to leave the moon and
continue on your mission. The
graphics in Moonsweeper are superb, all the way from the 3-D effect of
the comets, space debris,
etc., to orbiting the planet and to the scrolling of the surface of the
moon. The game's only
drawback is that you are restricted to flying in only the lower portion
of the screen. The game
requires total concentration. Any slip and your ship is gone. This game
could use a pause feature.
If you like non-stop action then you will like this game. Return to
Top
 Product Review - Super Donkey Kong
by Jeff Silva
Product: Donkey Kong super game
Manufacturer: Coleco
Requirements: ADAM, joystick
Media: Digital Data Pack
Warranty: 90 day
Price: $34.95 at Toys R Us
Rating: 9
This is one of the first games Coleco has made
specifically for the
Adam and if this game is any indication, Adam owners will soon be
treated to some of the best
video computer games ever made. You turn on your Adam, pop in the data
pack and hit the reset
button. First you see a very nice Adam title screen, then an equally
nice Donkey Kong title
screen. When the data pack stops loading you select the player options,
skill level and number of
players. Then there is a brief delay before you are treated to a
virtual replica of the arcade game
from the opening, where Donkey Kong stomps the girders and grimaces, to
the how high can you
get screen, to the ramps, rivets, elevators and even the conveyor
screen. The graphics are more
detailed than the Colecovision cartridge version and the music and
sound effects are also
enhanced. There is a pause feature and pauses are accompanied by a very
nice little melody. The
game plays harder than the cartridge and Mario moves a little faster as
well. Kong also thumps
his chest periodically as he throws and rolls barrels, adding to the
fun. At the end of the game the
high score screen comes up and the arrow pointer you control is a Mario
figure. This is
accompanied with a carnival-like melody.
The only negative comments I have about this
game are the slight
delay between screens as the tape loads and the constant noise of the
tape drive loading and
rewinding the tape. A disk version would be faster and quieter but
Donkey Kong is a great game
overall and is very close to the arcade version. It is a lot better
than the already good cartridge
version. Donkey Kong has excellent playability and only the slow, noisy
tape stops it from being
a perfect game. Return to Top
 Product Review - Super Donkey
Kong (3-2)
by Steve Chamberlain
Product: Donkey Kong super game
Manufacturer: Coleco
Requirements: ADAM, joystick
Media: Digital Data Pack
Rating: 10
This version includes many things that were
missing from the
cartridge such as the girl yelling "Help!", Mario spinning around when
he dies, the springs in the
elevator screen, and Donkey Kong grabbing Pauline. Even if you have the
original, this one is
still worth buying. Return to Top
 Product Review - Super Donkey
Kong (3-3)
by Joe Blenkle
Product: Donkey Kong super game
Manufacturer: Coleco
Requirements: ADAM, joystick
Media: Digital Data Pack
Rating: 8
While Super DK is an improvement it does have
some drawbacks
that could stand to be ironed out. The game does handle much better
than the cartridge version. I
was disappointed to find that the game does NOT contain the original
"fifth" screen that was so
often mentioned in some of the game magazines and Coleco literature
prior to release. In all the
game plays very well. Return to Top
 Product Review - Super Donkey Kong Jr.
by Jason Hirsch
Product: Donkey Kong Jr. super game
Manufacturer: Coleco
Requirements: ADAM, joystick
Media: Digital Data Pack
Price: $36
Warranty: 90 day
Rating: 8
This is the "super game" version of Donkey Kong
Jr. It has four
screens including Mario's hideout and all intermissions which were
absent from the earlier
versions. Screen one is a jungle scene; screen two is the chains scene;
screen three is the
jumpboard screen. These first three screens look and play exactly like
the cartridge version. The fourth screen looks better than the first
three, unfortunately it is very hard to reach. DK Jr. loads faster
than Buck Rogers. The game can keep permanent record of up to eight
high scores. It has a
pause feature and you can print out the Hall of Fame screen. There are
three cartoon
intermissions including the famous opening sequence.
A very good cartridge version of DK Jr. is
already available and is
selling for as little as $15. You should decide if the extra features
in Super DK Jr. are worth the
extra money before buying. The buyer should certainly consider the
cartridge to be an attractive
alternative. Return to Top
 Product Review
- Super Donkey Kong Jr. (3-2)
by Jeff Silva
Product: Donkey Kong Jr. super game
Manufacturer: Coleco
Requirements: ADAM, joystick
Media: Digital Data Pack
Price: $34.95 at Toys R Us
Rating: 8
While Super Donkey Kong is a better game,
Junior may still be
worth having around, especially if you don't own the cartridge version.
The graphics are more
detailed, the tunes more tuneful, and the animated intermissions are
cute, but in my opinion it
just is not different enough. There is a notice packed with this game
that on-screen garbage may
appear during game play which can be eliminated by hitting the reset
button. This to me is
another indication of Data Pack Drive problems and I for one will be
anxiously awaiting the disk
drive. If you already have the cartridge I rate this a 6. Return to Top
 Product Review - Super Donkey Kong Jr.
(3-3)
by Joe Blenkle
Product: Donkey Kong Jr. super game
Manufacturer: Coleco
Requirements: ADAM, joystick
Media: Digital Data Pack
Rating: 9
Super DK Jr. is another case of the missing
"fifth" screen. This was
to feature a crane and girder sequence with tar-men and a lunch
whistle. So where are the fifth
screens? A call to Coleco produced no answers except that perhaps the
designers found that they
could not add them. Are Adam's Super Games pooping out already? Faults
aside, the Super game
is faithful to the arcade version. Its only shortcomings being that it
falls short of pre-release hype.
Return to Top
 Product Review
- Defender
by Jeff Silva
Product: Defender game cartridge
Manufacturer: Atari Inc., 1312 Crossman Rd., Sunnyvale, CA 94086
Requirements: ColecoVision/ADAM, joystick
Media: Cartridge
Price: $34.95 at Toys R Us
Rating: 8
This is one of the first games Atari has made
for
Colecovision/Adam and graphically it's a beauty, capturing virtually
all of the fun of the original
arcade game. This version is definitely better looking than the Atari
400/800 computer version.
You use your Colecovision controller to destroy a variety of aliens
before they can kidnap your
humanoids and change them into aggressive killer mutants out to destroy
you. First you use the
control stick to steer your ship up, down, left or right through space.
The left controller button fires the missiles, while the right fire
button unleashes one of a limited number of smart bombs
which destroy everything on the screen. Additionally, you press the "0"
button on the keypad to
go into Hyper-space (this feature does not work with the super-action
controllers). This cartridge
is one of the first for Colecovision to fit the definition of a "fast
action" game like Atari is famous
for. The graphics are first rate and the play action is frantic. My
14-year-old brother, who has
been dying for a fast action game for Coleco was not disappointed. He
did, however, turn the
game over within three days of frantic playing, after which he lost
interest. I have yet to make it
past the sixth wave. For some reason, when my brother played, it never
got hard enough to
abduct all his humanoids which starts the mutant wave. He kills all his
humanoids first to do this
so there must be a flaw in the program. The control of your ship is
hard and the overall speed is
pretty slow. Overall, it's a very good start for Atari and I can't wait
to see what games will come
next. Let's hope Atari games for Coleco sell well so that Atari will
continue to support our game
and computer systems. If you are looking for a fast action arcade game
this is it. Return to Top
 Product Review
- War Room
by Steve Chamberlain
Product: War Room game cartridge
Requirements: ColecoVision/ADAM, joystick
Media: Cartridge
Rating: 9
The instructions included do a very good job of
explaining the
game and there is also a map and chart included to help you learn the
attack regions of enemy
satellites. There are enough levels of play to keep just about anyone
on their toes. As you begin to
develop strategies your games will become longer and your scores
higher. The graphics are done
very well and the gameplay is excellent. This is one game that will not
sit in the back of your
closet. Return to Top
 Product
Review - ADAM
Accessory Kit
by Joe Blenkle
Product: Accessory Kit
Requirements: ADAM
Price: $39.95
Now you can have the cleanest ADAM in town with
Coleco's new
ADAM Accessory Kit, including a tape head cleaner kit complete with
cleaner and swabs, a
blank digital data pack, a printer ribbon and three daisy wheel print
wheels - Pica 10, Courier 72
and Emphasis.
The kit, while functional is somewhat of a
question mark in my
mind. There is nothing contained in it that you couldn't obtain from
another source separately
and there is some question as to whether it might actually be less
expensive to buy the
components rather than the kit. While Coleco's individual price list on
the back of the
instructions adds up to slightly under $35.00 and the complete kit
sells for $33.95 from Coleco, I
paid $39.95 for my kit from the store. Still, it's nice to have all the
pieces in one place and
perhaps more convenient as a kit than having to buy them individually.
At least Coleco is putting
forth the effort to support ADAM and I can see no part of the kit that
might go to waste, although
I don't plan on doing a lot of print wheel changing.
The ADAM Accessory Kit is available in local
stores or from
Coleco Industries, Inc., 23 Chelton Ave., West Hartford, CT 06110
(ATTN: Order Processing).
The mail order price is $33.95 plus $2.00 shipping (Connecticut, New
York, Illinois, California
and Massachusetts residents must add sales tax).
Return to Top
 Product Review - Loran
Digital Data Pack
by Joe Blenkle
Manufacturer: Loranger Manufacturing Corp.
Requirements: ADAM
Price: $7.98
Quick to jump on the Adam bandwagon, the
Loranger
Manufacturing Corp. has come out with its version of the Digital Data
Pack for the Adam
Computer System. (Editor's Note: It is our understanding that Loranger
is the primary
manufacturer of the data packs distributed by Coleco.)
There is no apparent difference in the quality
of the Loran Digital
Data Pack as compared to Coleco's own version. The DDP saves and loads
with equal ease and
its only handicap appears to be an annoying tendency to hang up in the
data drive when the user
tries to eject it. The packaging is both attractive and informative,
with precise instructions on the
DDP's use both on the package and inside the cassette case. The retail
price of $7.98 does seem a
bit high. After some tendency for companies to wait and see how initial
Adam sales went, it
appears that there will now be lots of support for the system from
other manufacturers. The
Loran tape has even beaten Coleco's own DDP into the stores on the West
Coast. Return to Top
Product Review - Data
Backup Digital Data Cassette
by D. Sage
Manufacturer: Data Backup, Box 335, Iona, ID 83427
Requirements: ADAM
Price: $4.95 each plus $1.50 shipping or $3.95 each in
quantities of 10 or more plus
$2.00 shipping for each lot of ten.
There is now a source of data packs available
at a reasonable price.
We have been using these data packs since our last issue and have
experienced no reliability
problems. The manufacturer deals directly by mail order and offers
prompt shipment. Our only
problem has been that the data pack occasionally will not eject
completely and has to be pulled
from the drive. You can get ten of these for the price of three from
Sears or Wards. If you should
experience any problems with these data packs let us know. I must
acknowledge that this
company has advertised in our newsletter but we would like their
product even if they did not
advertise with us. Return to Top
 Product Review - Wico
Command Control Joystick (1-2)
by Maureen Zabel
We purchased ours (we call it the "Wacky")
because the fire buttons
on one of the Adam controllers were becoming more and more inoperable.
Poor Time Pilot
would get in a tight situation and couldn't fire. My husband (6'3" with
hands to match) has little difficulty with the Wico but our two sons
(ages 9 and 5) and I experience all the same problems mentioned in the
first review. It seems that the smaller the hand, the less the control.
The response problem may be due to a defect in the controller. We ran
the paddle program in the
Adam manual and our Wico worked smoothly until the joystick was rotated
to about the 10
o'clock position. The screen went berserk with unplotted spatterings of
color and lines of
numbers, letters and symbols. We shipped ours back with the $3.00
postage and handling
required. To have to pay for warranty service irritated me. It took two
months for Wico to return the
controller. The Wico seems to be repaired and working fine, for now.
Before our Wico was
returned our other Adam controller was giving us trouble so we bought
another Wico. The
second one did not hesitate or hang up and does not foul the Adam
paddle program. However,
the side firebuttons seem stiffer and even my husband complains of
sore, crampy hands after a
few rounds of Time Pilot. In general the four of us agree that Wico for
Coleco is Wico for the
birds. Return to Top
 Product Review - Amiga
Power-Stick (2-2)
by Jeff Silva
Here is another ColecoVision compatible
Joystick/keypad that is supposed to be an improvement over the
sometimes awkward Coleco controllers. Like any other
Joystick you just plug it in and you are ready to blast away. The
keypad is on the top with the
Joystick nearest to you. The power-stick also has two sets of fire
buttons. On the bottom of the
keypad section are two little plastic push-in type buttons, which serve
as the right fire buttons. On
both sides of the control stick are two lever push-in type buttons
which are the left fire buttons
and allow for rapid fire. While the lever type buttons work good for
rapid fire on games like
Zaxxon or Carnival, it is more awkward in games like Buck Rogers and
Cosmic Avenger, where
both buttons are needed. This is very awkward on Buck Rogers, where the
little white
hard-to-push buttons are the fire buttons, while the easy buttons are
your speed. If you could
switch these buttons it would help. The keypad works fine, and the
control stick offers the
smoothest most fluid and least strenuous control yet. My other
complaint is that these controllers
are too small for adult hands. Yet this Joystick is an improvement in
some respects. If you are
looking for the perfect Colecovision controller, this isn't it. It has
not been made yet. If the
Power-Stik were bigger and its good fire buttons were for both left and
right, I would recommend
it. As it is, it's better than the Wico, but not better than Coleco's
Super Action Controllers. Return to Top
Product
Review - How To
Use The Coleco ADAM
by Kenneth Lee Petersen
Title: How To Use The Coleco ADAM
Author: Jerry Willis
Publisher: Dilithium Press, Beaverton, Oregon
Length: 121 pages
Price: Soft cover - $5.95
This is the first book I have seen out on the
Coleco Adam. It is well written in an easy-to-follow style. In fact,
Jerry Willis now has a new fan. He has some sixteen
books under his belt for Dilithium Press and a goodly number are in the
"How to Use..." series
including several on other home computers. With this experience, Willis
has done an
outstanding job in introducing the Adam to potential buyers or now
users. This book could well
have been used as the introduction material that Coleco includes with
the Adam. I have not
looked at many computer manuals, but the first one that Coleco supplied
with the Adam must
have been rushed into production. In contrast, this book is
professionally layed out, closely
proofed and edited, and logically put together.
Willis' book introduces you to the basic ADAM
components and
how they work together. It gives step-by-step instructions on how to
set up and run the Adam, it
tells how to load and save programs on the standard Adam cassette (data
drive) system; and how
to use the Adam printer. Although not designed for the advanced user,
the introduction to
SmartBASIC answered some questions I still had after reading through
the revised SmartBasic
manual supplied with my second ADAM. Have you wondered how to access
the hearts, music
clefts, diamonds, etc. that occasionally appear when you type an
illegal Basic Command? Willis
tells you how. Willis covers some of the same problems mentioned in
BYTE (April 84) but does
so in a much more positive manner. The machine has had some start up
problems, but despite
these I am impressed with ADAM's potential. I am willing to get along
with the current
inconveniences (software shortage, SmartBASIC on a data pack that can
easily be erased,
dropped spaces in the screen display, etc.) because it fulfills some of
my specific needs right now
and has promise of being even more useful in the future. I find that
Willis shares my opinion of
the machine.
I was delighted with Willis' history of the
ADAM's development
because it encapsulized the events I had to glean from news accounts,
industry watchers, the
Wallstreet, and local newspapers.
Apparently the book was largely written in
December 1983 so many
of the facts are based on an early production model. However, Willis
does an admirable job of
forecasting further developments and his book should be up to date for
sometime to come. I can
highly recommend this book for anyone considering buying an ADAM
because it even weight
the pros and cons of the machine. It will also be a welcome addition to
the library of ADAM
owners who are trying to find out everything they can about the ADAM
from any source. Return to Top
Product Review - The First
Book Of ADAM - Using And Programming The Coleco ADAM
by Harry L. McDonald
Author: Pamela J. Roth
Publisher: QUE Press
Length: 223 pages
Price: Soft cover - $12.95
One of the first books on the Coleco ADAM
computer, this book
suffers from many shortcomings. The author is not mentioned on the
cover. She has also written
a companion volume called -- The Second..." which covers the use of
SmartWRITER.
The author evidently has an inside contact by
way of a relative and
she may have used a preproduction version of ADAM. Many of the details
about the computer
are incorrect. There is a mention of not removing a tape while the red
light on the memory
console is "on." This type of mistake is easily detected by the reader
and is of little or no consequence. Of particular interest is the
mention of the many items of both hard and software
available "now" for ADAM. The author has been fooled by the sweet tones
of the Connecticut
company.
The book is, however, a good introduction to
programming in
SmartBASIC. Some of the functions that are available are not discussed,
while on the other
hand, some that are not mentioned by Coleco are included. No one yet,
neither Coleco or the
author, has mentioned the FLASH command that my version has. The book
suffers from the lag
time from authorship to print. This book makes a very good replacement
for the manuals
supplied by Coleco, because it has appendices and an index. I would
recommend it. It has programming
examples that teach SmartBASIC features and functions. Some of it is
quite a bit of fun. I would
rate it a 7. Return to Top
Product Review - Coleco
ADAM User's Handbook
by Harry L. McDonald
Author: WSI Staff
Publisher: Weber Systems Inc.
Price: $9.95
This book is the best of the ADAM books that I
have encountered
so far. While it too has a few omissions (of Bload, Bsave and other
less used commands), the
User's Handbook is more complete than the other books. Its price makes
it a good value. The
back of the book has an Appendix that contains SmartBASIC function
descriptions and
examples. Anyone who has ever tried to locate something in the ADAM's
own manual would
appreciate the alphabetical listing in this book. It is quite thorough.
This book is the one I use
more than any other manual. SmartWRITE(ing) is completely demonstrated
as is troubleshooting
and equipment hook-up. I would rate this book an 8. I bought it to see
what it contained. I have
discovered that every book has a few new tidbits available nowhere
else. I was quite surprised to
find an ADAM book at a small local bookstore. I usually have to travel
50 miles to find offbeat
books. Return to Top
Product Review - ADAM's
Companion
by Richard Weiderman
Author: Ramsey J. Benson and Jack B. Rochester
Publisher: Avon, New York
Length: 394 pages
Price: $9.95
This book could well be called a compendium of
information on
ADAM. The most tantalizing is about ADAM's future which details
software innovations in the
Family Learning Software series. Included here are programs like Smurf
Paint 'N Play Theatre
that allows users to create their own skits using Smurfs. Also soon to
be on line are programs for SmartWRITER, the heart of ADAM. In
addition, ADAM will be polyglot, thanks to new
language programs like SmartLOGO and SmartBASIC II, which supports
sprite graphics.
ADAM will communicate with the world through ADAMLink.
Benson and Rochester tell the reader everything
about the ADAM.
Each chapter discusses an aspect of ADAM in great detail to help the
reader use the computer
correctly to its fullest potential. This potential is realized in part
through several lists of addresses throughout the book for computer
equipment. Further help comes from the excellent annotated bibliography
at the end and throughout the text listing practical books and
articles. In the latter category is one describing how to build a
printer muffler to dampen the noise of
the SmartWRITER. The authors are practical throughout. The reader never
suffers from tedious
discussions of theory that can interest only an engineer or from inane
exercises in BASIC.
Instead, each chapter helps the reader use ADAM to perform tasks like
writing a letter in six easy
steps, turning ADAM into a pocket calculator, singing "Happy Birthday,"
drawing pictures and
designing and playing BASIC games. With the exception of letter
writing, all the tasks just
mentioned are used to introduce the reader to ADAM's potential as a
computer in BASIC. For the more advanced programmer there is a mailing
list program that takes more than 30 hours to type
in. The latter can be modified to fit the user's needs. Also of use to
programmers are the
encyclopedic appendixes A and B, "Description of ASCII Character Code"
and "SmartBASIC
Command and Function Summary" respectively. The latter alone at 103
pages is a treasure
worth the price of the book.
Not so valuable is the book's tone. The authors
attempt to write
simply and clearly. They succeed most of the time. Computer experts
rather than writers, Benson and Rochester attempt to explain the
mysteries of hardware and software to the
uninitiated. They frequently lapse into condescension, giving their
book a needless carping tone
that grates on the reader's sensibilities. Take, for example, this
caution on page 26: "This is not to
say it won't take you some time to become accustomed to ADAM, or that
you way not spend a
lot of time with your ADAM, for you probably will. In fact, computer
addiction is a serious
subject to psychologists and sociologists. Some people become so
involved with their computers
that they neglect their friends, families, and jobs. If you find anyone
in your family displaying
obsessive interest in ADAM, you may want to put limits on the amount of
time you permit its
use."
Written in cooperation with Coleco Industries,
the book is a soft
sell and a hype for Coleco products. In the chapter on games, for
example, only Coleco games are
reviewed. Completely ignored are the fine carts from Parker, Epyx and
Sierra.
Despite its hype and condescension ADAM's
COMPANION
succeeds where similar books fail. Its completeness in covering all
aspects of ADAM from word
processing through introductory BASIC to advanced programming along
with sound and
graphics makes it a must for all ADAM users. It is the most thorough
and multi-dimensional
book available for the ADAM. It is truly a companion, something as
essential to ADAM as
electricity, a helpmate meet for this computer. Return
to Top
Product Review - The First
Book Of ADAM The Computer
by Joe Blenkle
Author: Arthur Dent
Publisher: TAB Books
Length: 202 pages
Price: $9.95 softcover
After reading the 200 pages of text within the
book, one has got to
believe that Coleco's best move would be to buy the rights to the book
outright and throw it in the box along with ADAM's own instruction
manual. The book is a pleasure to read, explaining
all of ADAM's functions in detail and providing a number of test
programs for the machine. Divided into five chapters, the book covers
ADAM completely, from the early days of Coleco
right up to the present and future prospects for the machine. It covers
complete details on how to set up your ADAM, as well as what each piece
of ADAM does in relation to the rest of the
computer.
Chapter three introduces you to ADAM's
capabilities as a word
processor and even gives you an opportunity to determine what "edition"
of SmartWRITER you
have by using Control-R in the Electric Typewriter Mode.
In chapter four, programming the ADAM is
covered with lots of
test programs and suggestions for writing your own programs. This
chapter also explains in detail
all the SmartBASIC functions and is superior in this respect to
Coleco's manual. Of interest is the
section on graphics, which explains how to draw pictures an the
computer screen using the
DRAW statement. It even gives you a graph to plot low resolution
graphics on, and prompted me
to go buy some graph paper to work out my own hi-res graph. With 256
columns. and 192 rows
you can create pictures on the screen.
The final chapter in the book talks of some of
the planned software
- for ADAM as well as what is already available. This book is well
worth the $9.95 selling price. Many comparable books sell for twice
that and, in fact, don't tell you anything you didn't already
know. This book is a must addition for every ADAM owner's library. The
final paragraph of the
book indicates more ADAM books are on the way, filled with programs for
the ADAM. If they
are as well written as this book they are definitely worth waiting for.
EDITOR'S NOTE: While I like this book I
do have one
major complaint. The Computer Book Club, Blue Ridge Summit, PA,
originally advertised this
book as including: "the chapter on advanced topics which includes using
machine language
programming, hardware interfacing, ADAM's memory map...the list goes
on". This book does
not contain a memory map and makes only brief reference to machine
language programming.
These claims are repeated on the back of the softcover version of this
book, even though no such
chapter exists. Page 106 in the text even makes reference to the
chapter (chapter 5) on machine
language programming. I am extremely disappointed in TAB Books and
Arthur Dent for
allowing a book to go to print while still containing such misleading
and incorrect references. I
have always considered TAB to be reasonably consumer oriented, but now
have serious doubts
and will approach any of their claims with skepticism.
Return to Top
Glitches,
Bugs, Errata,
Etc.
 Line 111 in GREETING2 should read:
111 IF i=42 THEN GOTO 125
(NOTE: This has been corrected in Issue #2)
There is no easy way to translate
Apple
programs that use pokes
and peeks to run on the ADAM. As detailed memory map information
becomes available maybe
someone would like to try to tackle this problem.
Joseph Shepard went through seven
ADAMs and
still has
problems with his printer in SmartWRITER. The printer tends to start
the first line without
moving over for the one inch margin and overstrikes the first line.
This problem only occurs the
first time printing is done after ADAM is turned on. After that it
works fine. He also lost a file
once by plugging in a joystick while saving a file. This is something
that should never be done. When you save files, do nothing until the
process is complete. This applies to ALL computers
and not just ADAM.
Joe Blenkle's ADAM will lock up in
SmartWRITER if a tab is
executed with the cursor to the right of a return symbol.
Some printer tips from Coleco via
Nick
Mucciariello: if your print
wheel sits in one place and turns, remove the print wheel. There are
two sensors behind the
wheel. Just blow them clean. Canned air is great for blasting dust out
of areas like this.
You should not use any of the
SmartBASIC
key words as variable
names in a program. It is also wise to avoid using them to name
programs and files.
Many manuals can be ordered
directly from
Coleco. Write them for
a price list.
Another printer problem. The IC's
(integrated circuits) chips can
come loose causing printer failure. However, never poke around in the
printer unless it is
unplugged.
In reference to our Table of Shape
Table
Values in the last issue,
the effect you get from a particular value may depend in part on the
direction last plotted.
Experiment with values if you don't get what you want.
Ken Petersen has had problems with
his
video breaking up if he
closes the data drive too hard. Sounds like a loose IC or connection.
If this problem develops
your ADAM may need a quick trip to the repair shop.
Any variable name followed by a %
(a%) will
be treated as an
integer variable. Also our monitor program output had values preceded
by a $. The dollar sign is
usually used to designate a hexadecimal value (base sixteen). If you
got into programming in
assembly language you will have to get used to using hexadecimal values.
We have a solution to the RND
problem of
generating predictable
values elsewhere in this issue.
Failure to CLOSE files on a data
pack or
DELETEing open files
will result in "NO ROOM" errors. If this happens you will have to copy
your remaining programs
and files on to a new data pack and use INIT on the data pack with "NO
ROOM" errors. Return to Top
User's Bulletin Board
Lane Moore is looking for a
program that
teaches typing skills. If
you have one let us know and we will pass the info on to Lane.
We have two people who are trying
to find
the Power Lords
cartridge from Probe. If anyone can help contact:
Chris Braun
2 Pearl-St., Apt 102
Woburn, MA 01801
and
Steve Chamberlain
120 E. 4th St.
Bloomsburg, PA 17815
Joe Blenkle thinks someone should
develop
an alternate power
supply that will let you run your ADAM if the printer dies. How about
it. Anyone out there an
electronics wizard?
Steve Orr asks why we don't print
our
subscribers addresses. Well
Steve, not everyone out there likes to get as much mail as I do. If
anyone wants to have their
address published. we will put it in this column. Better yet if you
want to start a local user's group
we will print the info in our user's group column.
Mike Elsila has asked about back
issues.
Right now we are out of
the first issue. If we decide to reprint we will publish a rate
schedule in a later issue. If any
current subscribers are interested let us know. The more we print the
cheaper it will be.
Joe Blenkle, 6229 Channing Drive,
North
Highlands, CA 95660,
has volunteered to compile a high score column for Coledo/Adam
compatible games. We are
willing to give this a try. If you have a really great score on a game,
send it to Joe along with the
game level and variation. Pictures are not necessary. We will trust
everyone to be
honest.
Philip Teders wants to know if
anyone knows
of an adapter that
will alllow you to use other roller-controllers (trac-ball type) with
the Adam/Colecovision.
Non-Coleco controllers would have to have an external power source that
would be compatible. Return to Top
Public Domain Software -
ECN Program Library
The first Program Library data pack is now
complete. We
apologize for the delay. We have delayed a general announcement because
of problems in
maintaining an adequate inventory of data packs. For those of you who
order our data packs we
hope you will be patient. We are making every effort to maintain an
adequate inventory but from
time to time, because of shipping delays, we may run short causing
delays of two weeks or more.
An order form is included as part of this issue of ECN.
The title for this column is being changed to
ECN Program Library.
In order to prevent unscrupulous persons from duplicating our data
packs and selling our
programs, we have been forced to copyright them. We are not trying to
discourage the
distribution of this software. You may copy it and give it away, but
you cannot charge for
copying it. From my own experience I have seen companies take a public
domain program and
offer it for sale for as much as $30.00. We also ask that if you modify
the programs that you
include the original author's name in the program and indicate that it
is a modification.
We are experiencing another problem. Some of
you have sent us
programs from other publications. We cannot use these programs. By
virtue of their being printed
in a copyrighted publication, the programs are also copyrighted. Others
have offered to send us
copies of copyrighted programs. We will not accept any such copies.
This constitutes piracy and
Is illegal. If someone wants to loan us an original program for
evaluation and subsequent return
that is fine. Normally we would prefer to purchase all software we
evaluate, except when a
company sees fit to provide us with a review copy. Start writing some
programs and if you are interested in sharing them, send the program on
a data pack. We will either present it in an
article or add it to the program library if you wish. Data packs are
returned within two days of
receipt and usually are in the mail by the next day after receipt. Return to
Top
User Group News
We are glad to see the list of ADAM user groups
growing. On the
other hand we really would like to see more local groups develop. There
is a function that large
national groups can perform. In many cases you will find them to be
quite helpful. We do urge
that before you join a national group that you find out what the group
has to offer before you pay
your membership fee. In addition if you should have a bad experience
with a group pass it on to
us and we will let everyone else know.
Again I would like to urge those of you who
have the time to start a
group. There are many of you out there who live in the same cities. A
user group can really make
the process of learning about computers enjoyable.
Al Gerson has been in touch with me about the
Adam User's Group.
Al started the national Kaypro User's Group and is well experienced in
this area. His group has
reached an agreement with Coleco to serve as a beta test site. This
means that Coleco will supply
them with new products for testing before final release. In addition
Coleco will be supplying
information and articles for the groups newsletter. Their first
newsletter should be out by
October. They plan to establish a public domain library for members and
will also provide
support to local user groups. This will include a newsletter
specifically for such groups in
addition to the one for members. Anyone interested in starting a local
group should contact Al
at the address below.
If you are a British subscriber you will find a
group listed below.
They support a variety of computers and are planning on writing a
version of Forth for the
Adam.
Those of you who have groups started write us
and let us know
what you have been doing. We will continue to provide a free listing of
such groups.
|
LOCAL
GROUPS
Norman Castro
809 West 33rd Ave.
Bellevue, NE 68005
(402) 291-4405
Harry L. McDonald
1222 Division St.
Charleston, IL 61920
Robert R. Marentes
9425 N. 38th Ave.
Phoenix, AZ 85021
Metro Adam User's Group
414 W. 149th St.
New York, NY
10031
(212) 208-0645
(9am-5pm M-F)
|
NATIONAL GROUPS
Taylor Barcroft
Adam User's of America
P.O. Box 6307
Huntington Beach, CA 92615
(714) 841-1771
Adam User's Group
P.O. Box P
Lynbrook, NY 11563
(516) 746-0066
Raymond So
71-11 Ingram Street
Forest Hills, NY 11375
Towcester Micro User's
P.O. Box 9
Towcester, Northhamptonshire
England NN12 70G
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