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Silicon Times Report Issue 1142
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Silicon Times Report
"STReport; The Original * Independent * OnLine Magazine"
(Since 1987)
October 20, 1995 No.1141-2
Silicon Times Report International OnLine Magazine
Post Office Box 6672
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STR Electronic Publishing Inc.
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R.F. Mariano, Editor
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10/20/95 STR 1141-2 "The Original * Independent * OnLine Magazine!"
- CPU Industry Report - Epson WEB Site - Pbell SUES Compaq
- Nightmare of Nightmares! - Reader Rabbit - ClickArt
- AWE32 PnP - Corel & Comdex - Frankie's Corner
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APPLE - TROUBLE AT THE TOP!
MEDIA VISION CEO QUITS!
IBM ANNOUNCES LAYOFFS!!
DIAMOND & US ROBOTICS EYE HAYES!
WARNER BROS./ACCLAIM JOIN FORCES!
JIM MANZI RESIGNS AS LOTUS CEO!!
PC MAKERS RATED ON SUPPORT!
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From the Editor's Desk...
What a week it was!! I am almost inclined to tell you to never, ever
do or plan to do anything on Friday the thirteenth! Truth is.. like most
every other `pute user, I tried to make my system do something it wanted
nothing to do with. Well almost.. You see, I was using Perfect Office with
the Win95 "fix". Such a fix! It took some time, but it finally reared up
and bit me in the posterior but good. It came on slowly. ever so slowly.
With notices that the registry was corrupted and to please re-boot so a
retrieval of a good copy of the registry could be achieved. After so many
times throughout the past few weeks, this time it didn't reboot. It
croaked.
I said to myself. "self, don't worry we have a tape backup" Thinking
back now. I could KILL. You see, the tape backup only works while running
under Win95. Incredible! Now I must do a quick and dirty re-install of
Win95 andf the tape backup program in order to restore my system and become
operable again. Right. and with me moving my entire installation to a new
location the very next day. What a hoot! In any case, the whole sordid
affair is described in detail in an article in this week's "double issue".
It makes for good reading and I might add, contains a few suggestions for
the numbers and code crunching whigs involved in writing TBU software for
Win95/NT. If they can read between the lines at all.
Comdex Fall'95 is next month and the news of what's new is already
trickling in. All I can say at this point is .. as far as Christmas Gift
Giving is concerned. there'll be no problem this year. Between the normal
"new" for this time of the year, there's also all the "new" for Windows 95
that's coming out in time for both Comdex and the Holiday Gift Giving
Season.
Ralph..
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STR INDUSTRY REPORT
LATE BREAKING INDUSTRY-WIDE NEWS
Computer Products Update - CPU Report
Weekly Happenings in the Computer World
Compiled by: Dana P. Jacobson
General Computer News
GRAZIANO CALLED FOR APPLE MERGER
Joseph A. Graziano's resignation this week as Apple Computer Inc.'s
chief financial officer apparently came after he failed to convince the
board and CEO Michael Spindler that the mature thing for Apple to do was to
sell or merge the company.
Writing in the Wall Street Journal this morning, reporter Bill Richards
cites industry executives close to the company as saying Graziano made "a
calm presentation to the board in a regularly scheduled meeting Tuesday,
arguing that Apple couldn't prosper as an independent company and should
look for a potential acquirer. But the board, led by chairman A.C. Markkula
Jr. and Mr. Spindler, rejected his idea."
As reported yesterday [last week], Graziano said he was stepping down,
"due to differences in opinion with the CEO." Richards comments, "For
Apple, the sudden departure of the highly regarded Mr. Graziano is only the
latest tumultuous event of the past few months. In September, Apple
disclosed that supply problems were causing it to sharply reduce its
estimates of PC shipments, revenue, and profit for the fiscal fourth quarter
ended Sept. 30. The company also acknowledged it had made errors in
forecasting demand for its computers. And it took the embarrassing step of
recalling its top-of-the-line laptop after a faulty battery caused two demo
models to burst into flames. Meanwhile, the company hasn't gained any
ground in its battle against personal computers running Microsoft Corp.
software."
The Journal says, "Little of this was directly Mr. Graziano's fault.
But he was partially responsible for the company's forecasting lapse." The
paper quoted analyst Daniel Kunstler of Morgan Stanley as saying, "If he
didn't have some responsibility for that, he should have."
SOME APPLE BUSINESS MAY BE SOLD
Apple Computer Inc.'s highest executive is hinting the computer maker
may be forced to sell part of its business in order to focus on more
competitive areas.
The New York Times this morning quotes Apple CEO Michael Spindler as
saying, "There are crucial decisions that are going to have to be made about
letting go of some parts of a business that are quite unnerving to some
people including ourselves."
Spindler discounted reports Apple is seeking to merge with another
company, acknowledging talks of alliances with IBM and other computer
companies had taken place, but said no decisions had been made. "The big
question is how we will stand together," he said.
Spindler told the paper his company has made mistakes, but that it will
become increasingly profitable. As reported, Apple earlier this year hit
production snags and underestimated demand for its Power PC line of
computers.
Said Spindler, "This has been the most difficult quarter in the history
of Apple Computer. Give us one strong quarter and all this will go away."
It has been a busy week for Apple. As reported earlier, Joseph A.
Graziano announced he is leaving as Apple Computer Inc.'s chief financial
officer by the end of the year. He is stepping down, he says, "due to
differences in opinion with the CEO." Subsequently it was reported that
Graziano's resignation apparently came after he failed to convince the board
and Spindler that the mature thing for Apple to do was to sell or merge the
company.
MEDIA VISION CEO QUITS
G. Robert Brownell is stepping down as CEO of Media Vision Technology
Inc. after leading the troubled semiconductor products company for 18
months. He will remain on the board of directors. Reporting from Fremont,
California, United Press International notes that two months ago Media
Vision announced it would halt its main business of building multimedia
upgrade kits for PC owners and focus instead on supplying audio chips to PC
makers.
Emerging last December from Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, Media
Vision also has fired about half its 200 employees. It hired investment
bankers Hambrecht & Quist in August to assist it in selling the upgrade kit
business but it has not announced a deal.
In a statement, Brownell said, "I believe we have now successfully
transitioned this company to a direction where it can take full advantage of
its technology resources. The transition has been challenging and I am
pleased to have been a part of it."
UPI says the firm is conducting a search for an individual to fill the
CEO role. In the interim, it has formed an Office of the President composed
of three senior managers, including Brendan O'Flaherty, general counsel;
David Domeier, chief financial officer; and Andy Rappaport, general manager
of semiconductor operations.
IBM ANNOUNCES LAYOFFS
In a move designed to improve its competitiveness, IBM Corp. is
planning to cut about 1,100 employees from its U.S. operations, mostly in
sales and support. IBM says the action is covered by its previous reserves
taken in July 1993 and no restructuring charge is necessary. In July 1993,
IBM took an $8.9 billion restructuring charge. According to the Reuter news
service, part of the consolidation includes merging nine sales support
locations in the Northeast into a single site in Cranford, New Jersey.
The remaining cuts will come in a variety of other areas, including
Rochester, Minnesota, where a real estate and site operations location will
be consolidated with one contractor. About 60 staffers in Rochester will be
laid off. IBM's total worldwide workforce numbers approximately 220,000,
down from about 256,000 at the end of 1993. The figures include about 5,000
new employees from IBM's $3.5 billion acquisition of Lotus Development Corp.
this summer.
DIAMOND BIDS TO BUY HAYES
A bid to merge with Hayes Microcomputer Products Inc. and bring the
modem maker out of bankruptcy has been made by Diamond Multimedia Systems
Inc., a maker of sound boards and multimedia products. Sources say $158
million is being offered for Hayes. Reporter Mark Boslet of the Dow Jones
News Service notes that only last month Diamond Multimedia bought smaller
modem maker Supra Corp. for $56 million.
In the Hayes deal, $20 million reportedly is being offered in cash,
with the remainder made up of $53 million in Diamond Multimedia stock and
$85 million to repay Hayes creditors. If accepted by Hayes and the federal
bankruptcy court in Atlanta, the purchase "would fold the well-respected
modem maker Hayes into Diamond Multimedia's recent strategy to enter the
fast-growing modem market," Boslet commented. A Hayes spokesman called the
bid as a "positive development" and a possible alternative should Hayes be
unable to remain independent.
However, right now Hayes Chairman Dennis C. Hayes is continuing his
efforts to raise money to allow Hayes to emerge from bankruptcy on its own,
and the possibilities are "good," says company attorney Kirk Watkins. But,
he added, if those efforts fail, Hayes believes a combination with Diamond
Multimedia would be a strong one.
Boslet quotes market sources as saying Hayes has raised about $20
million of the $35 million he believes that, coupled with
debtor-in-possession financing and cash on hand, the company needs.
NEC TO HIRE 250 ENGINEERS
In an effort to improve semiconductor designs, the U.S. subsidiary of
Japan's NEC Corp. says it will hire 250 engineers in the Silicon Valley.
Reporting from Mountain View, California, United Press International quotes
officials with NEC Electronics as saying the move will give it the ability
to meet customer needs in the booming semiconductor market. It already
operates a 676,000-square foot computer chip manufacturing facility in
Roseville, California.
NEC Electronics President Kunishiro Saito said, "Maintaining a high
level of growth in a competitive business environment requires an equally
high level of customer satisfaction. The last step in becoming a truly local
resource means bringing the entire design process close to the customer,
which is exactly what our new research and design team will achieve." UPI
says NEC Electronics previously depended on support from its parent NEC
Corp. in Tokyo for local engineering projects.
INTEL DENIES PENTIUM PRO DELAY
Intel Corp. CEO Andrew Grove says the company's next generation
microprocessor, the Pentium Pro, will go on sale as originally planned in
the fourth quarter, reports the Reuter news service. "We are right on
target for the Pentium Pro," says Grove, responding to a recent PC Week
report that claimed Intel would delay volume shipments of the new chip to PC
manufacturers until 1996 while work on a new, lower-cost CPU was completed.
An Intel spokeswoman confirmed to Reuters that some versions of the
chip--formerly code-named P6--were being reviewed and may be delayed, but
that the overall product launch remained on schedule. The Pentium Pro has
been criticized by some industry trade publications for reportedly
disappointing performance gains. But Grove says the new chip will be twice
as fast as the Pentium processor.
MICROSOFT CUTS SOFTWARE PRICES
Prices on its Encarta encyclopedia and other references and games in
its home software product line have been cut by as much as 45 percent by
Microsoft Corp. Reporting from Microsoft's Redmond, Wash., headquarters,
United Press International quotes analysts as saying the price-cutting was
evidence of competition in the crowded consumer multimedia field. Microsoft
has called it an effort to attract new computer users.
UPI says the publisher has dropped prices on more than 40 consumer
CD-ROM titles, including reducing the Encarta encyclopedia from $99.95 to
$54.95. Microsoft also cut prices on titles such as Golf, Magic School Bus
and Music Central. Not reduced were prices on Microsoft word-processing
programs, spreadsheets and other primarily business software.
SWISS WARN OF NET INSECURITY
The top information watchdog in the Swiss government is warning
Internet users that their data are not safe from manipulation on the global
computer network. Odilo Guntern, the Swiss data protection commissioner,
told the Reuter News Service in Zurich he was prompted to speak by the rapid
growth in Internet popularity. He said the information superhighway it opens
is like "a journey without a safety net."
Said Guntern, "There are no standard international or global rules for
protection of information that are legally binding for the Internet beyond
national borders." He noted Net users generally leave behind a data trail
when they browse through the system, allowing others to trace their
movements, set up profiles of user habits, or even manipulate financial
data, all while remaining unseen. "Generally," he said, "there are no
obstacles to copying, altering, falsifying or delaying data in the
Internet." Reuters says the commissioner advised Internet users to set up
organizational and technological safety barriers, including encoding
sensitive information or using electronic signatures to mark documents as
genuine. "Nevertheless," Guntern said, "every person who uses the Internet
should be fully aware of the ensuing dangers and risks."
REVAMPED LYCOS DEBUTS
Lycos Inc. has launched its newly redesigned Internet search and
indexing service. Lycos says its service, which allows users to find
Internet resources while online, offers an easy-to-use interface that
provides point-and-click navigational tools, a new search form and a
regularly updated listing of the sites. The revamped Lycos site also
supports Hot Java animation through Sun Microsystems' Hot Java or Netscape's
2.x browsers.
"Lycos was developed in a university setting as a powerful Internet
search and indexing engine," observes Robert J. Davis, president and CEO of
Lycos, which is based in Wilmington, Massachusetts. "Over the last several
months we've worked aggressively to bring Lycos out of an academic
environment and have significantly enhanced its performance, accessibility
and responsiveness for the millions of people who use it every week." Lycos
can be reached on the World Wide Web at http://www.lycos.com.
EPSON OPENS WEB SITE
PC and peripherals maker Epson has opened a World Wide Web site.
Epson, based in Torrance, California, says the site offers users access to
news of its products and services, upgraded drivers and software, and other
services relating to its PCs, printers, scanners, and other products. The
site features five sections: What's New, Epson Products, Epson Connects,
Press Info and Epson Contacts.
"Epson's new World Wide Web Site is designed for the user who needs
information on small business and home office solutions that are relevant to
their environments and needs," says Epson spokeswoman Kathleen Buczko. "The
Web Site is intuitive, simple to use and easy to navigate. At the same time,
the site contains multiple levels of information for the savvy electronics
shopper who knows what he or she needs and looks to Epson for solutions."
The Epson Web site is located at http://www.epson.com.
STAC BUYS INTERNET PUBLISHER
Stac Electronics Inc., best known for its Stacker data compression
software, has acquired California Software Inc., a publisher of Internet
business productivity applications, for $9 million in cash and $1 million in
Stac common stock.
As part of the purchase, Stac will also make a $2 million equity
investment in a new information services company owned by Bill Baker,
California Software's founder. Stac says California Software's flagship
product, InterAp, and its underlying technology will be the basis for Stac's
entry into the Internet application suite business. "Our new application
suite will be used by companies to conduct enterprise business over the
Internet," says Gary Clow, chairman and CEO of Stac, which is based in San
Diego.
"What caught our eye was how InterAp's intelligent agents and OLE
2-enabled applications really stand out against the competition," says
Robert Monsour, Stac's vice president of business development. He adds, "We
are impressed with California Software's technology, electronic distribution
channel and service alliance potential.
CYRIX OFFERS PENTIUM CHALLENGE
With what it is calling "the first real challenge" to Intel Corp.'s
flagship Pentium chip, rival chipmaker Cyrix Corp. has introduced its 6x86
computer chip. Reporting from the Cyrix Richardson, Texas, headquarters,
the Associated Press notes the firm changed the name of its new processor
from M1 to 6x86, "signaling that it is a sixth-generation chip, ahead of the
fifth-generation Pentium."
Noting Intel controls 85 percent of the market in microprocessors, AP
quotes analysts as saying PC makers have been seeking an alternative source
to Intel "to get some negotiating room," adding, "Intel has been making its
chips faster and aggressively shortening product life cycles to fight off
its challengers, including Cyrix, NexGen Inc., and Advanced Micro Devices
Inc., which is designing its K5 Pentium-class processor in Austin, Texas.
The delayed K5 is expected next year."
Meanwhile, a sixth-generation chip from Intel, the Pentium Pro, is
scheduled to be introduced later this year in powerful desktop workstations
for engineers and scientists and in servers. PC Magazine tests report
computers with a version of the new 6x86 ran 30 percent faster than
computers using Intel's current Pentium. Analyst Antoine Tristani of
Southcoast Capital Corp. in Austin says he expects Cyrix's sales to nearly
double to $482 million next year, compared with a projected $263 million
this year. "This is the first time that anyone has been at the high-end of
Intel in the history of microprocessors. Now that they have a product that
is compatible and with very high performance, the question is manufacturing
capacity."
IBM JAPAN OFFERS 1GB DISK
IBM Japan Corp. is set to begin shipping next month samples of a newly
developed 2.5-inch hard disk that can store one-gigabyte of data. Reporting
from Tokyo, the Reuter News Service says the hard disk, measuring 12.5 mm by
70 mm by 100 mm, weighs no more than 140 grams and may be suitable for small
notebook computers. "The DSOA hard disk was developed at IBM's Fujisawa
plant in Japan and will be produced at a factory in Thailand for worldwide
shipment," the wire service says. "Japan sample prices will range from
41,500 yen to 62,500 yen, depending upon the model."
IBM Japan also says samples of other newly developed hard disks are
available, including those that measure a larger 3.5 inches but can store as
much as two-gigabytes of data. A spokeswoman said IBM will sell the new
hard disks to computer makers on an OEM basis as well as use them in its own
computers.
AST OFFERS NEW BRAVO LC PCS
AST Research Inc. has released its fall line of Bravo LC PCs. The
Bravo LC P/75 features a 75MHz Cyrix 5x86 microprocessor, 8MB of RAM, a
420MB IDE hard disk and 1MB of graphics RAM. Also available is the Bravo LC
P/100, which uses a 100MHz Cyrix 6x86 CPU.
Both desktops come equipped with dual-installed copies of Windows 95
and Windows for Workgroups 3.11. Other features include a PCI local bus, up
to 256KB of cache and a chassis that's designed for easy access. System
prices start at $1,360. The Bravo LC systems include the AST-CommandCenter
utility package, which offers anti-virus, computer security and system
configuration information features. "We are as much as 14 percent below
leading competitors with similarly equipped systems," says Dan Sheppard,
AST's director of business desktop PCs. AST Research is headquartered in
Irvine, California.
FUJITSU FRESHENS HARD DISK LINE
Five new hard disk drive products are being unveiled by Fujitsu
Computer Products of America, a unit of Japan's Fujitsu Ltd. Reporting from
San Jose, Calif., the Dow Jones news service says that for the workstation
and file server markets, Fujitsu has introduced the 3.5-inch M293X, M294X
and M295X SCSI product lines. The company says these lines all have
7,200-revolution per minute rotation speeds, 512K cache and 10MB to 40MB per
second interface burst data rates. All three product lines are compatible
with Novell NetWare and Windows NT.
Here, from the wire service, are specifics:
C The Fujitsu M294X SCSI-2 fast and wide series will ship in the fourth
quarter with a list price for the 8.8-gigabyte drive of $1,995.
C The M295X series, which also begins shipping in the fourth quarter,
comes in 2.2- and 4.4-GB capacities. List prices for the 2.2GB M2952 and
4.4GB M2954 are $850 and $1,050, respectively.
C The M293X series of SCSI-2 fast and wide drives in 2.2GB and 4.4GB
capacities are shipping in volume now and have list prices of $795 and $995,
respectively.
C The M160X series, with SCSI-2 or ATA-2 drives for departmental server
or desktop computer use, is now shipping in a range of capacities from 540MB
to 1.08GB and features a rotational speed of 5,400 rpm. The M160X 1GB,
SCSI-2 drive has a list price of $335 and the M160X 1GB, ATA-2 drive, a list
price of $245.
Fujitsu M161X ATA-2 drives, designed for mid-range performance desktop
computer applications, have list prices for the 1GB series drive of $235.
Dow Jones says Fujitsu also unveiled a new 2.5-inch M271X ATA-2 series with
one of the lowest profiles (12.5mm) available for portable computers. List
price for the 1GB model is $495. Drives also will be available in 540MB and
810MB capacities, DJ says.
JEANS MAKER BUYS SOFTWARE FIRM
Custom Clothing Technology Corp., a software company that created
technology that allows women to custom-fit jeans at the store, has been
acquired by jeans maker Levi Strauss Associates Inc. for an undisclosed
price.
Reporting from San Francisco, United Press International notes that
Levi Strauss began marketing its Personal Pair jeans last fall under an
exclusive agreement with Custom Clothing. Its founder, Sung Park, pioneered
the technology that allows a customer -- with help from a sales clerk -- to
enter the necessary body measurements into a computerized kiosk.
Levi Strauss set up the computerized kiosks in all but one of its 16
Original Levi's Stores in the United States and expects to open 10 more in
1996, the wire service adds. Now Custom Clothing becomes a wholly-owned
subsidiary of Levi Strauss, remaining in Newton, Massachusetts, and
retaining its 11 employees.
CONTEST WINNER TO APPEAR IN CD-ROM
Software publisher Enteractive Inc. is offering kids a chance to appear
in one of its new CD-ROMs. Kids who enter the "Be an Extra Sweepstakes"
will have a chance to win a cameo appearance as a cartoon caricature in the
next edition of Enteractive's Stomped-On Fairy Tales software.
To enter the contest, kids need to return the registration card located
in the CD-ROM case of Enteractive's new PIGS software, or return a
three-by-five card with their name, address, and phone number. The contest
will run between Oct. 27, 1995, and Jan. 15, 1996. The winner will be chosen
in a random drawing on Jan. 22, 1996, and notified by certified mail. After
notification, the winner will submit one close-up snapshot and one full
length photo to Enteractive. A hand-drawn cartoon caricature will be created
based on the photos and included in the next Stomped-On Fairy Tales title.
The sweepstakes winner also will receive the caricature signed by the
artist. Enteractive is based in New York.
MATT FELL RELEASED FROM HOSPITAL
His symptoms now subsiding, young Matthew Fell has been discharged from
Children's Hospital in Pittsburgh, where he has been treated for a rare
disorder that causes extreme facial pain. As reported earlier, the
9-year-old Worlaby, England, lad was brought to Pittsburgh for the operation
after his problem became known on the Internet, which is being widely
credited with providing the key connections in his case.
According to United Press International, neurosurgeons who operated on
the boy a week ago initially feared the surgery failed to relieve his pain,
but Dr. Ian Pollack now says Matthew's condition began to improve Sunday and
continued to get better each day.
"He's not perfect, but he's smiling and happy," said Pollack, who
performed the surgery with Dr. Peter Jannetta, a University of Pittsburgh
neurosurgeon and Pennsylvania's secretary of health. Fell's condition is
called trigeminal neuralgia, a chronic pain caused when blood vessels press
against a nerve that carries impulses from the face and scalp. The condition
normally develops in aging adults and rarely occurs in children. He suddenly
was stricken in January. The pain had become so intense he was unable to
stand, walk, or sit. UPI notes the boy's parents unsuccessfully sought
medical help in England, and later publicized the boy's plight on the
Internet, which led to contact with Jannetta, a leading authority on
treating the disorder.
FINE ARTS FORUM EVALUATES OFFERINGS
As the fall art season unfolds, new exhibitions abound. Earlier this
week, the New York Times featured Roberta Smith's discussion of the "Leon
Polk Smith: American Painter" retrospective at the Brooklyn Museum. Members
of CompuServe's Fine Arts Forum go further -- they suggest museums online as
well as gallery strolls in real time.
Laurent Sauerwein says, "I've been surfing the Web, folks. Here are a
few drops I gathered. It's all contemporary art, so Egyptologists should
look elsewhere. ... I hopped over to the NY Museum of Modern Art site ...
there I found a series of screens of remarkably simple design on a show
called "Mutant Materials." Fast loading, small but legible images and useful
text. A very good job. I also learned that the show was put up thanks to
Lily Auchincloss' generosity."
Leanna D. Loomer says, "If you want a true Internet experience, sign up
for OTIS for a few days ... those young artists are nothing if not vigorous,
and they periodically have worldwide art events hooking up together."
Forum member Sergio A. Pineda writes, "I'm going to be visiting NYC and
would like to get some recommendations on art galleries to visit. ... I'm
interested in contemporary artists as well as Latin American artists ...
rather than trying to visit every gallery I'd like to compile a short list
of galleries that are definitely worth visiting."
John Haber answers, "It's not my taste at all, but some galleries do
specialize in Latin American art. I know of Goya and Carib on Broadway in
Soho, and they'd surely point you to others. Nancy Hoffman on West Broadway
also handles at least one such artist, R. Ferrer." Brien Foy says, "Let me
suggest to pick up a copy of the monthly 'Art Now Gallery Guide' New York
version. It lists almost all of the galleries and museums in New York City."
Whether you're planning to hit the high spots during the busy autumn
months ahead or are just doing some armchair museum traveling, GO FINE ARTS,
Message Section 17, "Meet & Yak," "NYC art galleries," "Surfin' for art,"
"Vermeer," and other threads.
PACKARD BELL SUES COMPAQ
Packard Bell Electronics Inc. has filed a federal lawsuit against
Compaq Computer Corp. in Delaware District Court, charging unfair
competition, defamation, and violation of the federal Lanham Act, which
makes false advertising unlawful. Packard Bell is seeking punitive damages,
reimbursement for loss of income, and a court order compelling Compaq to run
corrective advertising. In its suit, Packard Bell charges that Houston-
based Compaq has falsely described its own policies regarding computers that
have been returned by consumers and has purposely misled the public in
comparing the practice of the two companies.
The suit, some details of which are sealed, alleges that in April
Compaq launched an attack against Packard Bell in an attempt to discredit
the Sacramento-based manufacturer. Packard Bell alleges Compaq made
misleading statements in news releases to the media, in letters to
government agencies and in public comments by Compaq spokesman.
Packard Bell has steadfastly maintained it enforces strict quality
assurance for returned computers. Packard Bell says it disassembles all
returned systems -- including those returned in boxes that have never been
opened -- and retests components at the factory to factory new standards
before allowing any part to be recycled in systems sold as new. The company
points to industry experts who say memory chips and other components have a
lifetime measured in decades.
The lawsuit also charges that a Compaq executive also made "racist, un-
American and morally reprehensible statements" in an attempt to injure
Packard Bell by suggesting the company's PCs are made by an inadequate work
force producing inferior product. On June 22, the Associated Press quoted
Compaq Senior Vice President Ross Cooley as saying that without Packard Bell
CEO Beny Alagem, Packard Bell would be left with nothing but "some Mexican
factories and four Chinese engineers." Packard Bell did not give a monetary
amount for the damages it seeks.
JIM MANZI RESIGNS AS LOTUS CEO
Just four months after his firm was acquired by IBM in the software
industry's biggest merger, Jim P. Manzi has resigned as CEO of Lotus
Development Corp., telling employees in a memo that he feels he no longer
fits with the company. "The attributes that I believe made me an effective
chief executive of a nearly billion-dollar independent company, aren't
necessarily the attributes required of an executive leading a division
within a much larger organization," Manzi wrote. "The challenges that
excited me previously aren't necessarily the same challenges we face today."
Business writer Evan Ramstad of The Associated Press says Manzi also
told employees he remained confident Lotus and IBM can work together,
according to a statement issued by Lotus. In a separate statement, IBM CEO
Louis Gerstner Jr. said, "I understand and respect Jim's decision. Jim has
made many important contributions to Lotus and we all wish him well." Manzi
has led Lotus since April 1986 and became a senior vice president reporting
to Gerstner of IBM after the $3.5 billion takeover earlier this year.
However, Ramstad points out that another senior vice president, John M.
Thompson, holds responsibility for IBM's overall software products and
strategies.
AP notes, "Manzi was a consultant at McKinsey & Company who was hired
by Lotus to help bring its original 1-2-3 program to market in 1982, the
year the company was started. In May 1983, Lotus hired Manzi as its director
of marketing. He was later promoted to vice president of sales and marketing
and, in November 1984, became president and chief operating officer."
LOTUS OFFERS 1-2-3 REBATE
Lotus Development Corp. is offering a $30 rebate on its Lotus 1-2-3
Release 5 for Windows 3.1 spreadsheet program. The software's current
street price is approximately $99. The rebate applies to any previous
release of Lotus 1-2-3, as well as to other qualifying spreadsheet products,
including Microsoft Excel. The IBM Corp. subsidiary also says it's working
on a new, 32-bit version of its flagship program that will take advantage of
Windows 95. The company hasn't yet announced the product's release date or
price. Lotus is based in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
PC MAKERS RATED ON SUPPORT
HomePC's Magazine's new Hardware Support Survey finds that PC makers
vary widely in the level and depth of consumer support they provide. The
survey finds that Apple Computer, Micron Electronics and Dell Computer are
clear winners with consumers, receiving high marks for overall PC-support.
Consumers said that the fewest phone calls are required to reach these
companies' tech support groups, singling out Micron as the company with the
best "Overall Staff Attitude." Apple got the highest marks for technical
knowledge and total time it takes to solve a problem, and Dell was highly
praised for how quickly it enables users to reach a problem-solver.
But respondents viewed Packard Bell, the top-selling PC manufacturer in
the U.S., in a different light. The readers placed the firm at or below 11th
place in more than ten categories, including "Tech's Ability To Solve A
Problem," "Technician's Knowledge" and "Overall Ranking." Packard Bell took
a big hit in the category "Time it Took Technician to Solve a Problem,"
where it ranked 14th out of 15 firms.
Quantex received the worst rank in several categories including
"Technician's Knowledge," "Ability to Solve a Customer Problem," "Total Time
to Solve a Problem" and "Overall Staff Attitude." Zeos
InternationalVolanded near the bottom as well, receiving low grades in
several distinctions, including "Overall Ranking."
IBM and Compaq placed 4th and 6th in overall PC support, respectively.
Compaq ranked 11th in the category "Fewest Technical Problems Encountered,"
behind Dell, Leading Edge and Tandy. IBM placed 10th for "Overall Staff
Attitude." Approximately 10,000 completed reader surveys were used in the
survey.
GROUPS TEAM FOR NET SAFETY EFFORT
Two groups devoted to protecting children from pornography and
pedophiles online have joined forces in what they term a move aimed at
creating a "child-safe Internet." In a statement from Van Nuys, California,
SafeSurf, a parents' online organization, says it has donated a site on the
Internet's World Wide Web to CyberAngels, termed "the Guardian Angels on the
Net." This site (reached at Web address http://www.safesurf.com/) will be
used to provide information to both members and new volunteers concerning
CyberAngel activities.
Gabriel Hatcher, CyberAngels' net coordinator, comments, "Together we
believe that CyberAngels and SafeSurf will form an irresistible alliance for
good on the Net." The statement says that in addition to patrolling the
Internet to prevent pedophiles from enticing children, CyberAngels will also
keep SafeSurf informed of new kid's sites they discover to become part of
SafeSurf's cyber-playground. SafeSurf President Wendy Simpson noted the
cyber-playground combines the SafeSurf rating standard with filtering
software.
COMPAQ SEES FUTURE IN NETWORKS
Computing is moving toward a more democratic world of lower-cost
networks that span from the office to home in a true networked world, says
the chief of Compaq Computer Corp. In remarks prepared for his keynote
speech at Compaq's Innovate conference today in Houston, President/CEO
Eckhard Pfeiffer foresees a new paradigm of affordable, available computing
in a world of smart networks, adding that computer servers -- which control,
manage and store the network's data -- will be everywhere, from every
office, manufacturing facility, retailers, school and home.
"As we head toward the millennium," says an outline of the speech,
covered by the Reuter News Service, "the boundaries will dissolve between
private and public networks ... between personal and corporate computing ...
between the computer and the network."
Reuters notes that at Compaq's 1993 Innovate Technology Summit,
Pfeiffer set a goal of becoming the number one PC maker in the world in
1996, a goal it achieved two years ahead of schedule, leaping past IBM.
Now, Pfeiffer said that Compaq is much more than a PC company. "We are on
the threshold of becoming a computer company ... but not a conventional
computer company," he said, adding that with partnerships such as it
announced yesterday with Tandem Computers Inc., Digital Equipment Corp., and
Microsoft Corp, Compaq will offer more elements for distributed, enterprise
computing.
Compaq has unveiled a strategy with Tandem to develop clustered
computers, a technique that enables the resources of several computers to be
linked. Microsoft will provide the cornerstone server software. Pfeiffer
said scalable, clustered servers will cover the entire corporate enterprise
network and that servers will play various roles in the corporation and, in
the future, at home.
"Servers," says Reuters, "will be used by corporations to run their
business, ranging from communications servers for telephone, voice mail,
remote data access to mail messaging servers to moving electronic mail
across the network, to Internet Web servers, to Notes servers, for tying
into or sharing data."
US ROBOTICS EYES HAYES
Modem maker US Robotics Corp. is considering a bid to buy rival Hayes
Microcomputer Products Inc. Reporting from Robotics's Skokie, Illinois,
headquarters, the Reuter News Service quotes officials as saying the firm
has filed a petition with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Atlanta to modify the
rules for bidding on bankrupt Hayes. "US Robotics said it is interested in
buying Hayes," Reuters reports, "but does not want to comply with a proposal
that requires new buyout offers to be at least $7 million more than Diamond
Multimedia System Inc.'s bid of $158 million." A US Robotics spokeswoman
told the wire service, "There's been no decision one way or the other. We
want to keep our options open."
NETSCAPE PAYS FOR BUG REPORTS
Netscape Communications Corp.'s new "Bugs Bounty" program offers cash
to anyone who finds flaws in the beta version of its new browser software
for the Internet's World Wide Web. The first person to identify a major
security bug could get $1,000. "We're trying to find out about as many bugs
as we can as fast as we can," Marketing Vice President Mike Homer told
reporter Joan E. Rigdon of The Wall Street Journal.
And Rigdon notes in the Journal this morning experts are thinking
Netscape's move "could pressure other software makers to follow suit." As
reported, Netscape was embarrassed last month when a group of computerists
on the Internet cracked a code in Netscape's browser that was supposed to
protect sensitive information, such as credit-card numbers. "After months
of touting its software as a safe way to conduct credit-card transactions
over the Internet," says Rigdon, "Netscape had to eat crow while it fixed
the flaw. One of its key customers, the online banking division of Wells
Fargo & Co., temporarily shut down its Internet banking center after the bug
came to light."
More bugs are likely to be found. "Just over the weekend," says the
Journal, "Sun Microsystems Inc. disclosed that it had found a bug in its
part of the Netscape browser, which includes software from several
companies. The Sun portion, called Java, contains a feature that is supposed
to screen out viruses. But under certain circumstances, it can allow a virus
to enter undetected and crash the Netscape program, Sun confirmed
yesterday." Sun chief technology officer Eric Schmidt said these are
precisely the type of bugs it hopes Bugs Bounty will turn up, noting that
because the Java software is in its earliest development phase, "we expect
people to find bugs."
MICROSOFT OKS NET DISTRIBUTION
Microsoft Corp. has decided to allow resellers to distribute some of
its more popular titles over the Internet, a move some say could change how
software is sold. Beginning today, several resellers, among them
CyberSource Corp. of Menlo Park, California, will begin distributing 20 to
30 Microsoft programs over the Internet, including Microsoft Word, the Excel
spreadsheet, and the Flight Simulator game.
Writing in the Wall Street Journal this morning, reporter Joan E.
Rigdon says the decision "gives a big boost to what had been a fledgling
business model." She adds, "Until now, only a few major software companies,
including Symantec Corp., Novell Inc. and Oracle Corp., have distributed
their products over the Internet. But the products they have distributed,
while popular, are mostly business and computer administration programs with
little appeal to the masses. By contrast, Microsoft is putting its crown
jewels online."
However, the online software won't be any cheaper than the software in
stores, and it could take hours to download even with a 14.4K modem.
(Microsoft estimates it will take four hours to download Excel at that baud
rate.)
The Journal notes that for Microsoft the move is a "180-degree turn
from last January, when the company said it wouldn't rush its products
online because software pirates might steal them. Microsoft also feared that
hackers could plant a virus in a product that a customer was downloading.
That could destroy a customer's or a whole business's files, depending on
whether the receiving computer is part of a network."
However, Velle Kolde, Microsoft's group manager for emerging channels,
told the paper his employer has reviewed its resellers' technology and is
relying on that to prevent these problems. "Also," says the Journal, "he
figures most people who want to steal Microsoft products can already do it
simply by copying floppies. Even worse, someone can steal the code for a
program and post it on the Internet, making it free to all comers." Look
for Microsoft to evaluate the pilot program at the end of the year to see
how well security measures are working and decide whether to continue.
INTERNET PRICE WAR PREDICTED
Wall Street analysts say a new pricing plan from CompuServe may launch
a price war among those selling Internet access. CompuServe last week
announced it will sell three hours of Internet access for $4.95 a month by
the end of the year, which is "half the current minimum subscription price
of each of the Big Three and a fraction of the $17 or more charged by
smaller access providers for unlimited Internet use," note reporters William
M. Bulkeley and Jared Sandberg of the Wall Street Journal.
The pair say the move "is widely regarded as a response to Microsoft
Corp.," which recently started selling Internet access to users of its new
Windows 95 operating system for $4.95 for the first three hours and $2.50
for each hour after that. Compuserve says it will charge only $1.95 for each
hour above three, undercutting Microsoft's price. "The price war is likely
to spark a shakeout among small Internet service providers and consternation
among Compuserve's big online competitors -- America Online Inc. and Prodigy
Services Inc.," Bulkeley and Sandberg comment.
CD-ROM SALES SOON TO TOP FLOPPIES
Market researcher IDC/LINK is forecasting that CD-ROM software sales
will pass floppy disk revenue sometime in 1996. The company, based in
New York, reports that CD-ROM revenues were $1 billion in 1994 and are
expected to grow at a compounded annual growth rate of 43 percent by the
year 2000. By contrast, floppy disk revenues were $3.6 billion in 1994 and
are expected to decline $2.7 billion within the next five years.
IDC/LINK says the CD-ROM field is being driven by expanding home PCs
market. The researcher notes that other factors spurring CD-ROM sales
include a demand for applications that combine audio, video, and text; the
influence of children on multimedia PC purchases; a diffusion in retail
channels for multimedia hardware, making PCs available in more non-computer
retail outlets; and declining price points relative to incremental increases
in performance.
NEXGEN UNVEILS NEW MICROPROCESSOR
NexGen Inc. has released details about its planned sixth generation x86
microprocessor line. The chip maker, based in Milpitas, California, says
its Nx686 CPU offers up to twice the performance of Intel's Pentium Pro on
16-bit applications and up to 33 percent higher performance on 32-bit code.
NexGen notes that the Nx686 is an x86-compatible superscalar processor
with approximately six million transistors. The initial version will run at
180MHz. The chip features a RISC architecture that decodes multiple
instructions per clock cycle into seven execution units: two integer
execution, one floating point, one multimedia, one memory load, one memory
store, and one branch execution. On-chip caches consist of a 16K instruction
cache and a 32K data cache.
NexGen says the chip's die size is projected to be smaller than Intel's
announced die size for the Pentium Pro. The Nx686 is scheduled to become
available at about the same time as the Pentium Pro. Initial Pentium Pro
shipments are set to begin later this year, with volume shipments slated to
begin in 1996.
APPLE REALIGNS SUBSIDIARIES
Apple Computer Inc. has moved its Apple USA and Apple Canada
subsidiaries into a new geographic division called Apple North America.
Apple says the new division is aimed at leveraging the proximity and market
similarities between its U.S. and Canadian regions. James J. Buckley, 45,
the former president of Apple USA, has been named president of Apple North
America. Peter Jones will remain president of Apple Canada and will report
directly to Buckley. Apple Canada, which was previously part of the Apple
Pacific region, will continue to operate as a separate and distinct
subsidiary, says Apple, and will maintain its distribution, service and
operations mandate in addition to sales and marketing. The subsidiary will
continue to be managed by its Canadian staff.
"There are numerous synergies between our two regions," says Buckley.
"Leveraging resources across the U.S. and Canada makes sound business sense.
Apple Canada has an excellent reputation and has a leadership position in
the education, business and home markets in Canada." "This move will be of
long-term benefit to Apple Canada and our customers and will enable us to
take advantage of the resources within the US organization," adds Jones. "We
expect this alignment to give us even greater capacity to fully serve the
Canadian market better."
APPLE REJECTS SWISS MAC-IBM OFFER
Word today is Apple Computer Inc. has rejected a request from Swiss
company Quix Computerware to license a version of the Apple Macintosh
software for IBM computers. The New York Times this morning says Apple
officials confirmed the decision, which also was to be reported in today's
edition of the MacWorld trade magazine. The Reuter News Service notes,
"Within a year, Apple and IBM have said they plan to debut a new platform
which will run the Macintosh operating system, IBM's OS/2, Microsoft Corp.'s
Windows NT and AIX."
APPLE CUTS PRICES; ADDS NEW MODEL
Apple Computer Inc. has cut prices on its Macintosh Performa home
computers by up to 20 percent. The company has also introduced a new
Performa model--the Performa 6300CD -- and a companion logic board upgrade.
The new prices take effect immediately and are designed to position the
computer maker for the competitive holiday selling season. System prices now
range from $1,499 to $2,899.
Apple says the new Performa 6300CD system is its most powerful all-in-
one-box product for the home market. The computer features a 100MHz PowerPC
603e microprocessor, a built-in 256K level-2 cache, a 28.8K bps internal
data/fax/voice modem, a four-speed CD-ROM drive, a 15-inch color monitor
with built-in stereo speakers, 16MB of RAM and a 1.2GB hard disk.
The Macintosh Performa 6300CD will sell for between $2,799 and $2,899.
Apple notes that availability will initially be limited. "First time buyers
and home users are some of our most demanding customers," says Keith Fox,
Apple's vice president of worldwide home markets. "They want the most
advanced technology, uncompromising customer support, and the lowest
prices."
The Power Macintosh 5300/6300 Logic Board Upgrade is designed to
provide owners of Performa 630, 5200 and 6200 systems with the power of a
Performa 6300CD computer. The dealer-installable board has a 100MHz 603e
PowerPC microprocessor, 1MB of video memory and Macintosh System 7.5.1. In
most cases, customers retain the memory and modem of their original system,
but will probably need to purchase additional memory. The upgrade will also
work with Macintosh LC 630 and Macintosh Quadra 630 systems. The Power
Macintosh 5300/6300 Logic Board Upgrade is expected to sell for
approximately $700 to $750. Shipping is scheduled to begin in early 1996.
APPLE SHIPS NEW MONITOR
Apple Computer Inc. has begun shipping the Apple Multiple Scan 1705, a
17-inch color display for PC and Macintosh systems. The $819 product offers
a 15.8-inch viewable image size, plus aVoflat-square shadow-mask picture
tube with a 0.28 mm dot pitch. A multiple scan technology lets users switch
to the resolution most appropriate for the work being done.
For Macintosh users, Apple provides software that allows users to
switch between three different viewing modes: Page- Layout, for viewing two
full pages simultaneously; Publishing, which provides a 72-dot-per-inch
resolution for everyday work; and Presentation, which mimics a 14-inch color
monitor.
Maximum resolution is 1024 by 768 dots at 75Hz for Apple Macintosh
systems and 1280 by 1024 dots at 60Hz for PCs. The Apple Multiple Scan 1705
features an anti-reflection screen coating to reduce glare. Digital controls
allow adjustments for brightness, contrast, size and centering, as well as
trapezoid and pincushion for optimal viewing convenience. The monitor
complies with leading worldwide standards for power management and electric
and magnetic field emissions.
INTERNET IN A BOX FOR KIDS PLANNED
CompuServe Inc.'s Internet Division says it will partner with SurfWatch
Software Inc. of Los Altos, California, to develop Internet In A Box for
Kids, the first retail package to combine Internet access, parental control
and an online community. Based on the Internet In A Box product, the new
version will be targeted at children ages 8 to 14. Internet In A Box for
Kids includes SPRY Mosaic, SPRY Mail, low-cost Internet access, an
instructional video, a free subscription to a children's Web community
called FreeZone and a custom version of SurfWatch for CompuServe. SurfWatch
Software Inc. was the first company to ship Internet software that blocks
access to material on the Internet that parents deem inappropriate for
children.
"Giving students and teachers the software tools to freely navigate the
Internet is critical for educators who want to tightly couple computing in
their classrooms," says David Strom, a computer industry columnist and co-
chair for the Citizen's Advisory Committee on Technology and Computers for
the Port Washington Union Free School Dis
trict in New York. "I applaud
CompuServe and SurfWatch's initiative of creating software to filter
material that would be deemed 'inappropriate' by the teachers, parents and
school district. I feel Internet In A Box for Kids will more than adequately
address those concerns." The Windows version of Internet In A Box for Kids,
scheduled for a November release, will have a street price of approximately
$29.95. The Macintosh version is slated to follow a few months later.
TI CUTS NOTEBOOK PRICES
Texas Instruments Inc. has cut prices on selected TravelMate and
Extensa notebook computer models by up to 14 percent. The mid-level
TravelMate 5000, with a 75MHz Pentium microprocessor, a 10.4-inch active-
matrix color display and a 772MB hard disk now sells for $3,999, down from
$4,599. An Extensa 450T, featuring a 75MHz 486DX4 CPU, a 9.4-inch color
active-matrix color display and a 340MB hard disk, now costs $2,099, down
from $2,399. "TI will remain competitive and maintain a market
price/performance leadership position in this rapidly changing market," says
Steve Lair, vice president and manager of worldwide sales and marketing for
TI's mobile computing business.
WARNER BROS./ACCLAIM JOIN FORCES
Marking the first alliance between a major Hollywood studio and an
interactive entertainment software publisher, Warner Bros. Interactive
Entertainment and Acclaim Entertainment Inc. have joined forces in a multi-
title deal to jointly publish titles based on several Warner Bros. feature
films currently in development.
Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment, based in Burbank, California,
and Acclaim, located in Glen Cove, New York, will publish three titles
across all major platforms, including PCs, video game systems and coin-
operated arcade machines. Under the agreement, the companies will
collaborate from the film development and software storyboard stages to
project completion. Acclaim software producers will have access to such
production elements as film sets, animation cels, movie costumes and props.
Warner Bros. and Acclaim will also contribute their respective merchandising
and marketing resources, including a variety of cross-promotional and online
marketing opportunities.
FIRM OFFERS MULTIMEDIA CHIP
Chromatic Research Inc., a Silicon Valley startup firm, has developed
what it says is the first chip to carry out all a PC's multimedia tasks.
Reporting from Mountain View, California, the Associated Press says the
Mpact "media engine," developed with Toshiba and LG Semicon America, handles
video, two- and three-dimensional graphics, audio, fax, telephone and video
conference applications.
"PCs with the chip, which can replace various add-on multimedia parts,
are expected to be available in mid-1996," the wire service added. "Computer
manufacturers will be able to add an Mpact chip for less than $150, about
the same it now costs them to add a two-dimensional graphics card or fax
modem."
Chromatic Research, which was founded in 1993, has 60 employees.
Analyst Martin Reynolds with Dataquest Inc. told the wire service, "We
expect Mpact to find strong acceptance (among) system manufacturers. Three-
D graphics will be a key feature for Christmas of 1996."
As reported earlier, other companies, including Silicon Graphics Inc.
and Phillips Semiconductors, also are working on multimedia chips
incorporating various multimedia functions. And AP notes that earlier this
year Nvidia Corp. unveiled a multimedia chip improving a PC's ability to
play games.
CT's AWE32 PnP STR Infofile
Sound Blaster AWE32 PnP
Sound Blaster AWE32 PnP is the next-generation wave-table synthesis
sound card from Creative Labs. This card is turbocharged with real
instruments, sounds and digital effects processing. What's more, sound
Blaster AWE32 PnP incorporates E-mu Systems' SoundFont Technology that
allows new instruments and sounds to be added to the card. All of this
along with full Plug n Play capability and Windows '95 support makes AWE32
PnP your all in one professional audio solution.Next Generation Sound
Blaster
ú Genuine Sound Blaster with Creative's Advanced WavEffects synthesis and
SoundFont technology
ú Real instrument samples and real-time digital effects processing using
E-mu Systems EMU 8000 wave-table synthesizer.
Advanced Audio Technology
ú Features Creative's Advanced WavEffects synthesis for real-time control
of wave-table sounds and digital effects
ú Creative 3D Stereo Enhancement Technology reduces speaker crosstalk and
provides a wider, more realistic stereo image.
Upgradeable
ú E-mu System's SoundFont technology allows new instrument samples and
sounds to be added to the card.
ú Add up to 28MB of standard memory SIMMs to hold SoundFonts
ú Add optional Wave Blaster II for additional sample sounds and greater
musical flexibility
ú Connect optional Modem Blaster 28.8 DSVD to add full
telephony/communication functions to the card
Great for Music
ú E-mu 8000 wave-table synthesizer with programmable effects engine for
reverb & chorus
ú 32 not polyphony allows up to 32 notes to be played simultaneously
ú 16 voice multi-timbral capability allows 16 different simultaneous
instruments/sounds on up to 16 different MIDI channels
ú GM-compatible instruments, 10 drum kits, hundreds of sounds
Great for DOS, Windows 3.1 and Windows '95
ú Fully Plug n Play compatible for ease of installation and use
ú Includes full complement of software and utilities for Windows 95 and
DOS/Windows 3.1 systems
Great for Games
ú Gives games and multimedia applications new life with real sounds and
CD-Quality instruments
CD-ROM Ready
ú Supports industry-standard ATAPI compliant IDE CD-ROM drives
Compatible
ú Sound Blaster products enjoy more software support than any other sound
card
ú MPC level 3, General MIDI, MT-32 and GS compatible
ú Full Plug n Play/Windows 95 support
Features & Specifications
Digital Audio
ú 8 and 16-bit selectable stereo sampling and playback
ú Sample and playback rates from 5 kHz to 44.1 kHz
Advanced WavEffects Synthesis
ú Pro audio sounds from E-mu Systems
ú Uses the EMU8000 sound and effects generator
ú 16 channel, 32-note polyphony
ú 16 voice multi-timbral capability
ú Supports General MIDI, Sound Canvas, and MT-32 standards
Audio Effects
ú Creative 3D Stereo Enhancement
ú Reverb, chorus, pan
Sound Samples
ú 1 MB ROM of GM sound samples
ú 512 KB RAM for downloading samples
ú 2 SIMM sockets for user upgrade (2x1 MB SIMM, 2x4 MB SIMM, 2x16 MB
SIMM) for storing additional sound samples (28 MB max. addressable RAM)
Music Synthesis
ú 20 note, 4 operator synthesizer
ú Backward compatible for complete support of existing applications
ú Music synthesis can be enhanced with reverb & chorus
Stereo Mixer
ú DOS and Windows based mixer utilities
ú Recording sources: MIDI, CD audio, Line-in, Microphone (mono)
ú Playback mixing: Digitized audio, MIDI, CD audio, Line-in, Microphone
(mono), PC speaker
ú Bass and treble control (15 levels at 2 dB increments)
ú Digitized audio, MIDI, CD audio, Line-in, Microphone and master volume
control (32 levels at 2 dB increments) Input/Output gain select
MIDI Interface
ú Built-in 15 pin MIDI interface
ú MPU-401 UART support (General MIDI and Sound Canvas support through
software)
ú 64-byte FIFO full duplex MIDI timestamp
Joystick Port
ú MIDI interface doubles as a joystick port
ú Dual joystick and MIDI adapter cables available as options
CD-ROM Interface
ú Supports ATAPI compliant IDE CD-ROM drives
ú Supports IDE hard disk with proprietary device driver
Microphone
ú High-performance, hands-free, ergonomically designed, condenser
microphone included
Onboard Connectors
ú Line input
ú Microphone input
ú Line output
ú Amplified output (4W PMPO)
ú 15 pin MIDI/Joystick connector
ú CD-ROM interface connector
ú CD-Audio In
ú MPC 2 compliant CD Audio In
ú Wave Blaster II connector
System Requirements
ú 80386SX or higher processor
ú 4 MB RAM
ú Full-length 16-bit slot
ú DOS 5.0 or higher
ú Windows 3.1 (for Windows software) or higher
ú EGA or VGA (VGA recommended)
ú Speakers or Headphones
Warranty
Sound Blaster AWE32 is backed by a one-year limited hardware warranty
covering parts and labor.
The Kids' Computing Corner
Reader Rabbit's Reading Development Library Level 2
Hybrid CD-ROM for Windows and Macintosh
approximate retail $45
for ages 5 to 7
from The Learning Company
6493 Kaiser Drive
Fremont, CA 94555
1-800-852-2255
Program Requirements
IBM Macintosh
CPU: 386DX/33MHz CPU: Color Macintosh
RAM: 4 megs RAM: 4 megs
OS: Windows 3.1 or greater OS: System 7.0.1
Video: 256 color SVGA Video: 256 Colors
HDISK: 1 meg free HDISK: 1 meg free
CD-ROM: Double-speed CD-ROM: Double-speed
Misc.: Sound card, mouse Misc.: mouse
The Learning Company has introduced a series of interactive storybooks
which build upon the foundation Reader Rabbit's Interactive Reading Journey.
The four available programs or levels of the Reading Development Library
present children with more advanced vocabulary and sentence structure based
upon age and reading ability. Each level contains two classic children's
stories which are told from three perspectives, that of the classic story's
narrator, that of the hero and that of the villain. It is almost like
getting six stories in each program.
Level Two features the stories Jack and the Beanstalk and City Mouse,
Country Mouse. Both stories are filled with beautiful, brightly-colored
graphics. The animations are very fluid and similar to high quality
cartoon. The voice characterizations are superb. The actors portray a wide
range of emotions. The music is enchanting and the sound effects are
excellent.
The interface is very simple. The program uses a point-and-click
interface which features a row of icons below the main screen. Audible help
is available by clicking on Sam the Lion or Reader Rabbit. The question
mark icon will place text boxes near important objects or icons to explain
their functions. The text will be read aloud if it is clicked upon. The
program comes with two manuals. A small manual fits inside the CD-ROM case
and contains troubleshooting information. A larger manual contains detailed
information about the features and operation of the program.
Children can run the program two ways. They can allow the computer to
read the story to them. In this way, the stories are more like cartoons or
short movies. Or they can interact with the pages. Each illustration has
several hot spots which trigger animations when clicked upon. The Reading
Development Library is similar to Living Books and several other competing
products. The humor in this program is more subtle that those other
products, but it is still very entertaining.
The program has many excellent educational features. As the stories
are read, words are highlighted in yellow when spoken. If the child is in
"read along" mode, he can click on individual words to hear them pronounced.
A vocabulary list is presented to the child before each story is read. The
program would score higher for educational content if these words were
defined for the child as well. The three perspectives of the story will
help children to see that everyone sees events differently. This will help
them to understand the viewpoints of others in life.
Three learning activities are also available. The most interesting is
"Express It." Children can send letters to a character from the story.
They choose a character and then Sam will help them write the letter. He
will write the body of the text but he will leave part of each sentence
blank. The child must choose one of three words or phrases to fill in the
blank. The words will be depicted in an icon and in written form. The
child will then receive a customized response. This will encourage children
to write and read more frequently.
The other two learning activities are "matching" and "ordering."
"Matching" helps build vocabulary skills as children must match written
words to pictures. "Ordering" helps build logic and listening skills.
Children are asked to place pictures in the proper order in relation to the
story.
Another feature to remember is that The Learning Company Reader Rabbit
series has been carefully designed to allow children to learn progressively
and naturally. The products have been designed to advance children from one
skill level to the next as they graduate to next program in the series.
The Reading Development Library levels one through four are backed by a
thirty-day money-back guarantee. The Learning Company offers free technical
assistance via toll call. The program is priced comparably to its
competition and it delivers excellent educational content. The Reading
Development Library deserves serious consideration as a worthy addition to
your software library.
Ratings
Graphics 9.5
Sounds 9.5
Interface 9.5
Play Value 9.0
Educational Value 9.0
Bang for the Buck 9.5
Average 9.33
With Christmas rapidly approaching, it is time for many of us to design this
year's cards. The following product from T/Maker may be just the thing you
need to jazz up your season's greetings.
Celebrate This Festive Season With
ClickArt Bundle Up For The Holidays
A Software Package with Festive Images Just Right for the Holidays
T/Maker Company's ClickArt division, the worldwide leading supplier of art
content, today announced the release of its third annual holiday ClickArt
package, ClickArt Bundle Up For the Holidays. ClickArt Bundle Up For The
Holidays contains over 400 images and 20 complimentary TrueType fonts. The
package comes in CD-ROM for the Macintosh and Windows/DOS platforms and
carries a targeted street price of $19.95.
This festive ClickArt portfolio includes 200 new, never before seen in a
ClickArt product, holiday images plus 200 images from 1994's popular holiday
collection, ClickArt Holiday Seasonings. These 400 high quality ClickArt
images and 20 hand picked fonts are conveniently placed on one CD-ROM for
easy use. And the easy to use on-screen image browser quickly and easily
selects images. ClickArt Bundle Up For The Holidays is a one-time, one-
season only holiday ClickArt package.
ClickArt Bundle Up For The Holidays is an art content software package
specifically designed with the upcoming holiday season in mind. ClickArt
Bundle Up For The Holidays offers a ClickArt portfolio package that contains
unique, eye-catching graphics with new, full color and black & white images
in seasonal categories and styles. With ClickArt Bundle Up For The Holidays
novices to professional designers can trim their holiday cards or
Thanksgiving menus with just the right holiday look.
ClickArt Bundle Up For The Holidays art was created by professional artists
and contains a broad range of full color, high quality images for the
following seasons:
Christmas Hanukkah
Thanksgiving
New Year's Super Bowl Halloween
Parties And More!
ClickArt Bundle Up For The Holidays is designed to be so versatile that
virtually any format can be used. The Macintosh and PC formats come with
The ClickArt Trade Secret.
T/Maker Company provides content software for consumer and business markets.
Its products comprise the full line of ClickArt titles including Incredible
Image Pak 25,000, Art Parts, Famous Magazine Cartoons, ClickArt Studio
Series, and ClickArt Cartoons, for DOS, Windows and Macintosh. T/Maker is
also the creator of VroomBooks, children's multimedia edutainment titles and
The World's Easiest, software that makes creating custom products easy.
T/Maker distributes through all major channels, including mass merchants,
warehouse clubs, direct to consumer, superstores, and traditional resellers.
For more information on the ClickArt Bundle Up For The Holidays or any other
T/Maker product, contact T/Maker's Public Relations Manager Michelle Mecham,
T/Maker Company, 1390 Villa Street, Mountain View, California, 94041.
Telephone 415/691-7762. Fax 415/962-0201. Customers should call toll-free
(800)9-TMAKER for product information.
Western Publishing Company, Inc.
1220 Mound Avenue Racine, Wisconsin 53404 Telephone (414)633-2431
Contact: John Sutermeister
Stoller & Bard Communications
(201)444-3844
GOLDEN BOOKS INTERACTIVE
SOFTWARE
Golden Books brings its 50 years of experience in producing entertaining and
educational products for children to the software arena. Golden Books
Interactive Software introduces two new titles this fall.
New From Golden Books Interactive/Step Ahead Software
ú Monker's Science Shop - Monker's a blue, furry and friendly little
critter who loves to teach kids. Here he takes children on a personal
interactive tour of his zany science shop where experiments are always
bubbling. A great introduction to the world of science. For ages 3 to 8,
available in Windows, Macintosh and CD-ROM formats. Suggested retail price:
$19.95 to $24.95.
ú Hickory's Colors and Shapes - In a fairy-tale Alpine setting, Hickory
helps kids explore colors and shapes. Kids build with basic shapes, sizes,
colors and patterns in this multi-level interactive learning environment.
For ages 3 to 8, available in Windows, Macintosh and CD-ROM formats.
Suggested retail price: $19.95 to $24.95.
Also continuing in the line: A-B-C with Hickory and Me, 1-2-3 with Hickory
and Me, Monker's Math Factory, Monker's Spelling Submarine, A.J.'s World of
Discovery, Hickory's A-B-C and 1-2-3, and Monker's Math Factory and Spelling
Submarine (CD-ROM double programs). For ages 3 to 8, available in Windows,
Macintosh and CD-ROM formats. Suggested retail price: $19.95 to $24.95.
Suggested retail price for CD-ROM double programs: $29.95. Golden Books
Interactive/Step Ahead Software products are available nationwide at
discount and computer specialty stores.
For Immediate Release:
ClickArt Ships Handwritten Fonts
Now Computer Users Can Get Fonts that Look Like Real Handwriting!
Take Advantage of the Power of Computers Without Losing the Personal Touch
T/Maker Company's ClickArt division, the worldwide leading supplier of art
content, today announced the release of ClickArt Handwritten Fonts on CD-ROM
for the Macintosh, Windows and DOS platforms.
This unique font package contains 300 entirely new and unique fonts which
were crafted using actual handwriting samples. Letters, thank you notes,
invitations, mailing labels and more take on a whole new meaning when
they're handwritten. It's easy to write personal messages with the
efficiency of your computer. ClickArt Handwritten Fonts carry a targeted
street price of $39.95.
"ClickArt Handwritten Fonts are great for when you want to give your
computer-based writing more personality," says Heidi Roizen, T/Maker
President and CEO. "ClickArt Handwritten Fonts turns that note to your Mom
into a warm, personal letter, rather than just another word processing
document typed on your computer."
This font package allows you to use the speed and convenience of your
computer and still take advantage of the warmth and appeal of personally
written words. With 300 unique Handwritten Fonts, you're sure to find the
right font to fit any mood or message. You can even use your spell checker!
Handwritten Fonts were crafted from actual handwriting samples from people
all across the country. Their original writing was scanned, analyzed, and
converted in a special process to create authentic Handwritten Fonts. Care
was taken to ensure that each individual handwritings' quirks, uniqueness,
personality and mood was retained.
ClickArt Handwritten Fonts are TrueType format, assuring that the fonts are
compatible with virtually any computer and printer. And TrueType fonts can
be scaled to any size and still look terrific. ClickArt Handwritten Fonts
also includes a printed visual index of all 300 fonts, a ClickArt sampler
and a special offer to turn anyone's handwriting into their own personal
font.
For more information on the ClickArt Handwritten Fonts, contact Michelle
Mecham, T/Maker Company, 1390 Villa Street, Mountain View, California,
94041. Telephone 415/691-7762. Fax 415/962-0201. Customers should call
toll-free (800)9-TMAKER for product information.
The Nightmare of Nightmares! STR Spotlight Tape Backup Software
to the Rescue???
NIGHTMARE OF NIGHTMARES
by R. F. Mariano
There I stood the "so-called" Win-95 Guru... Fried, Toasted and Diced.
The error message was the dreaded "REGISTRY ERROR". You must re-boot to fix
automatically. Right! And pigs fly on the thirty first of February. I had
been effectively nailed by the registry error for as many times as I re-
booted it presented the same error time after time. The final insult came
when the system refused to reboot altogether and just went to "safe mode"
and still the registry error message jumped up to haunt me. By this time,
there was steam coming out of my ears. Here I sat with a deadline to meet
and all my faithful (until now) machine could do was barf on Win 95.
Lord knows, I exercised all the virtuous patience a mere mortal could
possibly muster. Especially after reinstalling Win95 over the "cranky"
installation. Now, instead of simply offering a registry error message that
I couldn't avoid. it now refused to cooperate at all. "DOS Page error" was
my new tune to dance to. At this point format seemed to offer the same
relief Exlax does after overindulging on good Pizza. Yet the combined
relief and joy of typing format "C" was difficult to understand as I knew
the grief that would be facing me. Ah HA! You say, "so where's your most
recent backup??" Right here! I'd be happy to show you. Every partition is
backed up and the backup is only a few days old. Any normal computerist
would say "so what's your problem?" By rights, they'd be very correct in
thinking my anger etc., was rather premature.
All I can say about that is you haven't tried to restore from tape with
Win95. It a new and different experience. Here's the "game plan" my
friend. It seems the tape backup software "conposers". (composers, some are
and some are not) are very busy scrambling to find a way to effect true,
"Disaster Recovery". It doesn't exist at this time. In days gone by, one
would boot to DOS, boot CPBackup or any favorite TBU program and proceed to
do a full restore. In a matter of minutes the system was restored, up and
running. Not any longer!!
First one must of course format.. Then install DOS 6.22 then .be
certain to have disk one of Windows 3.1 or WFWG 3.11 handy, proceed to do a
NEW Windows 95 Install. Why this dance?? Simple because the majority of
users bought the UPGRADE. Now since you've had to reformat the drive or
partition, its no longer an upgrade situation. So, Windows 95's setup
routine is going to ask you for "proof" that you own Win3.1 etc. Moving
right along.. I did all the great voodoo rituals and the system returned to
life. I then re-installed the TBU software and proceeded to restore my
system.
Time for a Priest specializing in the rituals of Exorcisms as this
sucker began giving me the same hateful registry error message after about
the first fifteen minutes of use. The machine had to be possessed! This
time. after the "format-install dance" I decided that a full clean install
of each and every one of the programs I use was in order. After roughly a
day and a half of re-installs. I was all set to fly. You guessed it the
error was STILL with me. One more time.. I went through the "dance" and
began to add programs and work them for a while in hopes of finding the
offending bugger.
Much to my painful surprise, one of my old favorites was seemingly
causing the problems. So. It had to go. Here I am, hard at it on the
second leg of this journey and all is well. Of course, the entire Report
will have been done in MS Word 7.0 for Win95. Hey!! This Word Processor
from Microsoft is really quite good and its fast. No, its real fast!
Special Notice!! STR Infofile
File format Requirements for Articles
File Format for STReport
All articles submitted to STReport for publication must be sent in the
following format. Please use the format requested. Any files received that
do not conform will not be used.
The article must be in an importable word processor format for Word 7.0..
The margins are .05" left and 1.0"
Monospaced fonts are not to be used. Please use proportional fonting only
and at eleven points.
ú No Indenting on any paragraphs
ú No underlining
ú Column Format shall be achieved through the use of tabs only. Do NOT
use the space bar.
ú No ASCII "ART".
ú There is no limits as to size, articles may be split into two if
lengthy
ú Actual Artwork should be in GIF, PCX, JPG, TIF, BMP, WMF file formats
ú Artwork (pictures, graphs, charts, etc.)should be sent along with the
article separately
ú Please use a single font only in an article. TTF CG Times 11pt. is
preferred. (Strong Hint)
If there are any questions please use either E-Mail or call.
On another note. the ASCII version of STReport is fast approaching the
"end of the line" As the major Online Services move away from ASCII.. So
shall STReport. All in the name of progress and improved readability. The
amount of reader mail expressing a preference for our Adobe PDF enhanced
issue is running approximately 15 to 1 over the ASCII edition. Besides
STReport will not be caught in the old, worn out "downward compatibility
dodge" we must move forward.
Many grateful thanks in advance for your enthusiastic co-operation.
Ralph F. Mariano, Editor
STReport International Online Magazine
OS/2 Warp STR Feature
OS/2 WARP
by Mike Restivo
Maxis, best known for their "Sim" line of entertainment software, has
announced that they will release three of their titles in native versions
for OS/2 Warp. The three titles include the wildly successful "SimCity 2000"
as well as Maxis' Software Toys for Kids products, "SimTown" and "Widget
Workshop."
These three games will take advantage of OS/2 Warp's DIVE (Direct
Interface to Video Extensions) to enhance speed and quality of video. "OS/2
Warp has drawn a loyal following because of its ease of use, performance and
features. Such loyal OS/2 customers should be supported with powerful
native applications," said Joe Scirica, vice president of product
development. "Maxis is therefore developing its most popular and up-to-date
titles for this community to select from."
"We are delighted to add these Maxis titles to our OS/2 portfolio,"
said Jim Gant, vice president of IBM's Solution Developer Operations. "OS/2
Warp's built-in multimedia features and 32-bit power make it the perfect
platform for innovative education and entertainment programs like those
offered by Maxis."
Information about Maxis and its products is available on the Internet
at http://www.maxis.com
OS/2 Warp and Warp Connect will soon have a big brother. With a broad
beta-testing program, the largest IBM Personal Software Products server beta
in history, OS/2 Warp Server is gearing up for an eventful first quarter
1996 release. OS/2 Warp Server is integrated platform as a business server
for customers ranging from small businesses to large enterprises, providing
an applications server environment as well as a complete set of traditional
file and print services. OS/2 Warp Server combines the market-proven quality
of both OS/2 Warp and LAN Server 4.0 while still adding a number of
functional enhancements in system management, printing, remote access, and
backup.
OS/2 Warp Server is a powerful server on a powerful platform for
businesses of all sizes. OS/2 Warp Server inherits from LAN Server 4.0 a
sophisticated set of network capabilities, an easy-to-use drag-and-drop
administration model, tight security which is flexible enough to be
customized for the needs of any business, a high performance file system,
and a NetWare migration utility. All of this runs on the powerful 32-bit,
pre-emptive multitasking environment of OS/2 Warp.
Systems management features, included in OS/2 Warp Server, will ensure
a high degree of performance and reliability. System administrators will be
able to remotely manage computers across the network, allowing them to
monitor or control any computer on a LAN if networking issues arise. In
addition, OS/2 Warp Server will also warn system administrators as a
preventive measure of hardware failures such as exceeding the CPU threshold
and low disk space.
IBM has implemented a comprehensive backup and recovery system in OS/2
Warp Server. Users will be able to fully or partially back up data to a
large variety of media formats including diskette, tape, and optical drives.
Also included is an advanced disaster recovery feature that will allow a
business to recover vital data even in the event of a hard disk crash.
In the area of remote access, OS/2 Warp Server features a full set of
capabilities. Remote users are able to log onto the network, upload and
download data, and print documents to other facilities. Remote users can
connect to the office as though they were sitting at their desks, and
offices will be able to quickly share information by linking their computers
to the corporate network.
OS/2 Warp Server incorporates advanced print functionality with
Postscript printer emulation. Users will be able to send Postscript
documents to non-postscript laser printers. In addition, OS/2 Warp Server is
compatible with high speed host printers in a mainframe connected
environment.
All the aforementioned features are excellent, but a OS/2 Warp Server
also supports a wide variety of network clients: OS/2 Warp Connect, DOS,
Windows 3.x, Windows NT, and Macintosh. It is compatible with previous IBM
LAN Server clients and also supports gateway functionality to NetWare and
Microsoft servers.
Between August 28 and September 15, IBM distributed 12,000 copies of
the beta version of OS/2 Warp Server, and initial customer reaction has been
enthusiastic. Those who have bet the bank on Windows NT are in for a
surprise with the impending advent of the superior OS/2 Warp Server.
More information about the OS/2 Warp family can be found on the
Internet at http://www.ibm.com
-Mike Restivo-
-Team OS/2-
As always, send any feedback to STReport's Editor, Ralph Mariano, at
rmariano@delphi.com; or, directly to me, Mike Restivo, at
mike.restivo@np.newpower.com.
Happy warping!
A T T E N T I O N-A T T E N T I O N-A T T E N T I O N
FARGO PRIMERA PRO COLOR PRINTERS - 600DPI
For a limited time only; If you wish to have a FREE sample printout sent to
you that demonstrates FARGO Primera & Primera Pro SUPERIOR QUALITY 600dpi 24
bit Photo Realistic Color Output, please send a Self Addressed Stamped
Envelope [SASE] (business sized envelope please) to:
STReport's Fargo Printout Offer
P.O. Box 6672
Jacksonville, Florida 32205-6155
Folks, the FARGO Primera Pro has GOT to be the best yet. Its far superior
to the newest of Color Laser Printers selling for more than three times as
much. Its said that ONE Picture is worth a thousand words. Send for this
sample now. Guaranteed you will be amazed at the superb quality. (please,
allow at least a one week turn-around)
A T T E N T I O N-A T T E N T I O N-A T T E N T I O N
MAC/APPLE SECTION
John Deegan, Editor
Corel & Comdex Fall'95 STR Infofile
WE'RE READY TO ROLL! COME SEE US AT COMDEX
AND ON OUR NOVEMBER ROADSHOW
See exciting previews of our new Windows `95 products! Talk to Corel's
technical representatives! We hope you'll get a chance to join us!
Our first stop will be COMDEX in Las Vegas, November 13-17, 1995. We've got
a booth at the Sands Convention Center. On Tuesday, November 14th, we invite
you to join us on the third floor of the Flamingo Hilton between 9:00 a.m.
and 11:00 a.m. where we'll demonstrate great new products including,
CorelXARA, CorelFLOW 3, and PrintHouse. Mike Cowpland, Corel President & CEO
will provide the keynote address. RSVP for the Comdex Extravaganza in Las
Vegas at 613-728-0826, ext. 85090.
Our NEW TECHNOLOGY TOUR begins November 20, 1995 and runs until December
1st. Our technical specialists are demonstrating CorelXARA, CorelFLOW3,
PrintHouse and CD Creator 2. A tips and tricks session on CorelDRAW 6 will
also be given. Just for attending the Tour events, you will receive a free
title from the Corel CD HOME line. You'll also have a chance to win free
copies of CorelXARA, PrintHouse, FLOW 3, CD Creator 2, and DRAW 6. Our tour
schedule is detailed below. If you can't come to COMDEX, we'll be in a city
near you. We hope you can make it out to see us.
NEW TECHNOLOGY TOUR STOPS AND DATES
Halifax Nov. 20 World Trade and Convention Centre, 1800 Argyle
Street, B3J 2V9
Toronto Nov. 21 Metro Convention Centre, 255 Front Street W., M5W
2W6
Winnipeg Nov. 22 Ramada Marlborough, 331 Smith Street, R3B 2G9
Calgary Nov. 23 Westin Hotel, 320-4th Avenue S.W., T2B 2S6
Vancouver Nov. 24 Westin Bayshore, 1601 W. Georgia Street, V6G
2V4
Ottawa Nov. 29 Congress Centre, 55 Colonel By Drive, K1N 9J2
Chicago Nov. 27 Inter-Continental Hotel, 505 N. Michigan Avenue,
60611
Atlanta Nov. 28 Sheraton Colony Square Hotel, 188 14th Street
N.E., 30361
Washington, D.C. Nov. 29 J.W. Marriott Hotel, 1331 Pennsylvania Avenue
N.W., 28884
Philadelphia Nov. 30 Wyndham Franklin Plaza Hotel, 17th & Race
Streets, 19103
Boston Nov. 30 Colonnade Hotel, 120 Huntington Avenue, 02116
New York Dec. 1 Society for Ethical Culture, 2 W. 64th Street,
10023
Houston Nov. 27 Hyatt Regency Hotel, 1200 Louisiana Street, 77002
Dallas Nov. 28 Grand Kempinski Hotel, 15201 Dallas Parkway,
75248
San Diego Nov. 29 Wyndham Emerald Plaza Hotel, 400 West
Broadway, 92101
Los Angeles Nov. 30 LAX Marriott Hotel, 5855 West Century Blvd.,
90045
Orange County Nov. 30 Westin South Coast Hotel, 686 Anton Blvd.,
Costa Mesa, 92626
San Francisco Dec. 1 Nob Hill Masonic Center, 1111 California
Street, 94108
All seminars will take place from 6:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., except Los Angeles
(9:30 p.m.-12:00 a.m.) and Ottawa (1:30 p.m.-3:00 p.m.). Registration or
tickets for these seminars is not required. Your voice mail RSVP at the
following numbers with be your confirmation.
RSVP for the Roadshows at 613-728-0826, ext. 85095, 85096, 85097.
Linux Line STR Feature
Linux Line
by Scott Dowdle - dowdle@mcn.net
login:
Welcome back. This installment is going to focus on the main differences
between MS-DOS and Unix in an effort to give the garden variety MS-DOS user
(one who is unfamiliar with Unix) an idea of the additional features Unix
offers.
A brief outline of what I'm going to cover follows.
Multi-tasking
Command shells
Job Control
Job Scheduling with cron
Multi-user
System Administrator - root
User accounts and logins
Home directories
User configurations
Virtual Consoles
Enhanced Filesystem
File permissions
Long filenames
Mount points for drives/partitions
Single-tasking vs. Multi-tasking?
As everyone is aware, Microsoft DOS is a single-tasking environment.
What this means that that a user does not have the ability to run more than
one program at the same time without using TSRs (Terminate and Stay
Resident) and/or interrupt driven system hacks. Unix, on the other hand, is
built for multi-tasking.
Multi-tasking with Unix is implemented for the user by the addition of
job control features in a command shell. With MS-DOS, user commands are
handled by COMMAND.COM... whereas under Unix, there are several command line
interpreters (usually referred to as a "shells") to choose from. The most
popular shell for Linux is bash (Bourne Again SHell) from the Free Software
Foundation. bash has a rather robust suite of job handling features...
which in plain English means that the user can run many programs at once and
have full control over them. I am not going to expound because I want to
keep this comparison basic.
Unix also has facilities to schedule shell script/program execution with a
system facility called cron.
Single-user vs Multi-user?
MS-DOS is a single-user system whereas Unix is a multi-user system.
What this means is that when you turn on a machine running MS-DOS, it boots
up and places the user at a command prompt automatically, without caring who
the user is. Unix, being multi-user, maintains a database of users with
login accounts and passwords... all managed by the "System Administrator"
who uses a special login account name of "root".
When Unix boots up, one is presented with a login prompt where one
enters their login name after which they are asked for a password. Unix
does care who is using the machine and is actually designed to handle many
users logged in at the same time. Now you might wonder how a single machine
might handle more than one user at a time, with the typical home computer
having only one keyboard, mouse, and monitor. How? Well, there are a few
ways for multiple users to be logged in: 1) Dial in access via modem, 2)
Dumb terminal access via a serial port, 3) Network access via a network
adaptor, and 4) Internet access via telnet, ftp, etc.
Since Unix is multi-user oriented one would expect system facilities to
serve each user. Immediately after logging in, a user is given a shell
command prompt from which to issue commands and run programs. But where are
programs stored and how does the system keep track of what files belong to
who? Good question. :) Unix has a standard directory structure where
everything is stored in a set place. User files are stored in a directory
called "home", in subdirectories that have the same name as the user. For
example, all of dowdle's files are stored in his home directory...
/home/dowdle. Inside of a home directory one finds individual user files as
well as program configuration files for all of the system programs.
Unlike a single-user system where only one user runs programs that they
have setup the way they like them, a multi-user system such as Unix needs
facilities to handle program configurations that are individualized for each
user. For example, with programs having more and more configurable options
usually stored in an external configuration file, Unix programs take that
into consideration. When a user runs a Unix program that has configurable
options, the program will look for that user's custom configuration in that
user's home directory. For example, when user dowdle runs GNU Emacs, Emacs
looks for dowdle's custom Emacs configuration in his home directory.
Linux has a special feature called VIRTUAL CONSOLES that allows the
local user to login multiple times for the ability to quickly switch between
login sessions, or user login accounts if logged in as different users. For
example, it can be handy to be logged as root (the System Administrator) and
as a regular user with the ability to switch between login sessions with a
hotkey. By default, most Linux distributions default to six VIRTUAL
CONSOLES with an additional console being reserved for for Xwindows.
Switching between virtual consoles as is easy has hitting an ALT-Function
Key combination.
While most people do not use their home computers for multi-user
access, it certainly is a viable option for Unix users, especially if they
ever get into networking or telecommunications. I personally want to
connect an extra computer I have laying around the house (an Atari STe) to a
serial port so my wife and I can both use the Internet at the same time,
over a single PPP connection to my Internet Service Provider... but I have
to get serial card because I don't have any serial ports to spare at the
present time.
Enhanced Filesystem?
"Filesystem" is a term that refers to the the method in which a
computer operating system formats an external storage media (such as a
floppy disk and hard disk) for saving, retrieving, and managing files.
The MS-DOS file system is called the FAT filesystem because it uses
something called a File Allocation Table to store and retrieve files from a
storage media. Unix uses a different kind of filesystem depending on which
flavor of Unix one is talking about. Linux can handle many types of
filesystems including MS-DOS FAT and OS/2's HPFS, but its native filesystem
is called ext2. The ext2 filesystem is a very advanced filesystem,
implementing standard Unix filesystem facilities such as file permissions
and extended filenaming. Since Unix is a multi-user operating system, files
have more attributes associated with them than MS-DOS FAT users are familiar
with. For example, files ownership is a concept that MS-DOS users might not
be familiar with. Under Unix, files are owned and have various read, write,
and execute attributes that can be applied to them. Those familiar with
Local Area Networks (LANs) probably have a good concept of file permissions
and file ownership. root has ultimate control over file permissions, but
individual users do have control over their own files.
Under MS-DOS, filenaming is limited to the "filename.ext" convention
where a filename can be no than 11 characters. Under Unix, filenames can be
up to 256 characters long including multiple periods, and they are case
sensitive as well. This gives Unix users the ability to give files more
individual and descriptive names. For example, the following are valid, and
unique filenames under Unix:
config.sys
Config.sys
config.Sys
Config.Sys
configuration.system
configuration.of.a.system.with.a.long.filename
Cool huh?
Another difference between a Unix filesystem and that of MS-DOS is how
drives and partitions are identified and referenced. Under MS-DOS,
drives/partitions are assigned letters such as A:, C:, etc. Under a Unix
filesystem, drives/partitions are mounted devices with a given mounting
point. In English, what that means is that a drives are accessed as
subdirectories. For example, I have two drives and five partitions... two
partitions being MS-DOS FAT filesystems, two being Linux ext2 filesystems,
and one being a Linux swap partition. Just ignore the swap partition
reference since I have not covered swap partitions (maybe in a later Linux
Line installment). :) Anyway, Linux has access to all of the partitions as
different directories off of the root directory. Specifically, my system
has the following directories that actually are different partitions:
/ - The root directory which is really the first
Linux partition under which everything else
exists.
/dosc - DOS drive C:
/dosd - DOS drive D:
/home - My second Linux ext2 partition
/mnt/cdrom - My CD-ROM drive which is E: under DOS
/mnt/floppy - My floppy drive which is A: under DOS
Please note that the system administrator has control over where
drives/partitions are mounted (what directory names they fall under) so that
system and user files can be distributed as one sees fit over multiple
partitions.
SYMBOLIC LINKS are also a feature of a Unix filesystem. In an effort
to keep this article as basic as possible, I am not going to go into a
complete explanation of what a symbolic link is... but basically it is a way
of creating a file reference in a given directory that points to another
file either in the same directory or elsewhere... giving one the freedom to
put files, even files expected to be in a particular place, anywhere you
want.
Parting comments:
Well, I wanted to go into Xwindows and contrast it to Microsoft Windows
but decided that that was a bit much for one article. :) I think I'll
postpone that idea and do an article next time going into more depth about
the system facilities offered by Linux/Unix.
In the mean time, check your local book store or software store for the
presence of Linux related books. At my local software chain store, they
have six Linux books all with CD-ROMs. I saw fit to picking up a copy of
UNIX FOR DUMMIES and it makes many references to Linux.
See you next time.
logout:
Scott Dowdle - Great Falls, Montana - dowdle@mcn.net
ATARI/JAG SECTION
Dana Jacobson, Editor
From the Atari Editor's Desk "Saying it like it is!"
Well, Current Notes, in its new incarnation, is close to going to
press, if it hasn't already. I'm really looking forward to seeing this
magazine again as it's been the one that I've stood by the longest. It's
also nice to know that there's at least one magazine that's been available
that subscription-holders aren't going to lose their shirts after the
magazine folded or changed hands! Current Notes has always been one of the
better magazines; and I'm sure that Howard Carson and company will maintain
that tradition. The magazine always contained a lot of information that was
of interest to a wide variety of readers. I believe that this will
continue. We'll keep you informed of the status of the magazine and an
overview of the "premier" issue when it arrives.
We're going to keep it short this week because, frankly speaking, it
continues to be quiet. I wish that there were more hours in the day to
check out programs, do more surfing on the Internet, and get more original
articles to you - but there aren't any. We're always looking for people to
write a review, an article on special interest topics, or just about
anything of interest dealing with the use of Atari computers. Interested?
Drop me a line.
Until next time...
One week later...
We're back!! Actually, we never left... It appears that our publisher,
Ralph Mariano, was kidnapped by aliens last week while putting together
issue #1141. Honest! Actually, we still don't know what happened except
for the fact the issue, in progress, was lost. It may have been Hurricane
Opal, the electric company, virus, human error, or some other strange
phenomena that seems to strike at will when least expected. Regardless, the
issue never saw the light of day (or darknessof night!). This week's issue
will, in all likelihood, be a "double" issue to make sure that you don't
miss a word. To save space and time, I'll forego my usual ravings for this
week and redouble my efforts next week.
Until next time...
CURRENT NOTES MAGAZINE IS ABOUT TO GO TO PRESS!
After nearly three months of re-structuring, re-building and
re-designing, we're ready to go to press. Current Notes has a new, exciting
look, the content is as great as ever (with many new contributors and three
new Editors!), we're going to have more reviews, more in-depth commentary,
and a lot of new approaches.
Look for Current Notes at your dealer, at your favorite mail order
outlet, or via Subscription. Current Notes subscribers will be receiving
their next issue shortly! All those subscribers who missed an issue will
have their subscriptions extended appropriately.
LOOK FOR THESE EXCITING NEW 'REGULARS':
Futures with Robert Boardman. Where we're headed . . .
ú TOADLINE with David Troy, of TOAD Computers. Exciting new products,
high-level telecommunications.
ú Big City Byte with Howard Carson. Watch what you buy, and from whom you
buy it. New trends . . .
ú ALT.INFO.EVERYTHING with Dan Dreibelbis. News, information, new ideas,
new developments . . .
ú 16|32|64 with Eric March. Reviews, interviews, product comparisons,
tutorials, gaming and much more . . .
ú RUNNING OUT OF RAM with David Barkin. Desktop Publishing & image
processing and walks with the dog . . .
ú Potechin on Publishing with Nathan Potechin. Mr. DMC leads us on a
professional odyssey . . .
ú POINT OF LIGHT with Errol Bruce-Knapp. Ufology and UFOs examined by a
keen mind and a cool head . . .
ú GEnieland with Wally Wilson. Find out what's happening on one of the
most comprehensive services available . . .
ú RAZOR'S EDGE with Jack 'Razor' Reikel. Opinion, to the point, direct,
no beating around the bush...ever . . .
ú MIDI with Lorant Oswald. Fascinating approaches, technical support,
lots of good music . . .
What's happening in Europe (and lots of other places), independent
opinion, reviews, new products, Atari, Jaguar, TOS/GEM, other computers
(shudder!), technical help, letters, editorials, guest editorials and
essays, and much more!
SUBSCRIPTIONS:
U.S. Subscribers - 1 year-$25 US funds 2 years-$46 US funds
Canadian Subscribers - 1 year-$35 Cdn 2 years-$65 Cdn
Foreign - 1 year-$48 US funds 2 years-$90 US funds
Make all payments by check, money order or bank draft. Payment must
accompany all subscription requests. Make all payments out to:
'Current Notes'
Please send your subscription requests to:
CURRENT NOTES
c/o Robert Boardman
559 Birchmount Rd. Unit #2
Scarborough, ON
Canada M1K 1P8
For further information, call 416-752-2744
YOU CAN ALSO CONTACT US VIA E-MAIL!!
Letters/Editorial: lianne@io.org
Articles/Reviews/etc: hcarson@io.org
News/Press Releases: d.dreibelbis@genie.com
Publisher/Commentary: redfrog@io.org
Jaguar Section
Power Drive Rally! CATnips!
Ocean! Super BurnOut!
Double Dragon V! Zoop!
Ultra Vortek Reviews! Power Drive Rally
First Look! CATnips! Pitfall!
Lynx Games Out! And Much Much More!
From the Editor's Controller - Playin' it like it is!
The wait is still on for cd games for the jaguar. I don't know about
you, but I'm getting nervous for a dynamite holiday season. The jaguar cd
has been out for a month now and we have no cd games other than the
pack-ins. Not good.
I do expect to see a few make it out this month, but surely nowhere
near where we'd all like to see atari be at this point in time. Regardless
of the speed/quantity of releases, we'll be here to provide you with reviews
of everything that we can get our joypads on. We've got a couple of reviews
in this issue: super burnout and double dragon v - with rayman, two ultra
vortek reviews, highlander (cd), and others done and on the way. We'll keep
you informed of the games you may have postponed buying, and the new ones as
they appear. Stay tuned!
Until next time...
The following week..
I have to admit that the last couple of weeks has been exciting with
regard to games arriving to review. Not only have we finally caught up to
the releases that have been out for a few weeks, we've also seen all of the
new Atari releases arrive at our door. I couldn't have planned a vacation
next week more perfectly!
Ultra Vortek and Rayman arrived a little while ago and those reviews
appear this week. Pitfall arrived a couple of days ago and the JaguarCD
pack-ins arrived yesterday. I know there are a couple of more, but I can't
recall which ones offhand. Anyway, we'll be doing some playing and
reviewing in the next few days! You're not going to want to miss anissue!
The first edition of the online magazines CatFights is winding down and
we'll be bringing you that debate shortly. The original deadline was two
weeks ago, but Mother Nature and Murphy's Law did their best to delay the
completion of the debate. We're playing catchcup; and we're almost there.
If you're a CompuServe user, we'll be publishing the debate in the Forums
and giving you an opportunity to add your opinions to the debate. It should
be a lot of fun.
We're all still waiting for those first CD games to appear. We do know
that some are in production, but it appears that the delays are what many
consider to be "typical Atari". These incessant delays can only work
against Atari. We're a month away from the traditional beginning of the
Christmas buying season; and there still doesn't appear to be a visiblepush
to get lots of new and quality games out, especially CD games. Yes, we do
know that the word out of Sunnyvale is that everyone is busy working to
achieve this goal. And, I do believe that the everyday, frontline employee
is doing just that. I just wish that everything would come together and the
dedicated Atari Jaguar enthusiasts would see a lengthyperiod of successes
something that would give the supporters and potential buyers a large degree
of faith in the company. There's no denying that the Jaguar is a quality
piece of hardware. But, the bottom line is that software "quality software"
sells a product. But, we all know that already.
Until next time...
Jaguar Catalog STR InfoFile - What's currently available, what's coming
out.
Current Available Titles
CAT # TITLE MSRP DEVELOPER/PUBLISHER
J9000 Cybermorph $59.99 Atari Corp.
J9006 Evolution:Dino Dudes $29.99 Atari Corp.
J9005 Raiden $29.99 FABTEK,
Inc/Atari Corp.
J9001 Trevor McFur/
Crescent Galaxy $29.99 Atari Corp.
J9010 Tempest 2000 $59.95
Llamasoft/Atari Corp.
J9028 Wolfenstein 3D $69.95 id/Atari
Corp.
JA100 Brutal Sports FtBall $69.95 Telegames
J9008 Alien vs. Predator $69.99
Rebellion/Atari Corp.
J9029 Doom $69.99 id/Atari
Corp.
J9036 Dragon: Bruce Lee $39.99 Atari Corp.
J9003 Club Drive $59.99 Atari Corp.
J9007 Checkered Flag $39.99 Atari Corp.
J9012 Kasumi Ninja $69.99 Atari Corp.
J9042 Zool 2 $59.99 Atari Corp
J9020 Bubsy $49.99 Atari Corp
J9026 Iron Soldier $59.99 Atari Corp
J9060 Val D'Isere Skiing $59.99 Atari Corp.
Cannon Fodder $49.99
Virgin/C-West
Syndicate $69.99 Ocean
Troy Aikman Ftball $69.99 Williams
Theme Park $69.99 Ocean
Sensible Soccer
Telegames
Double Dragon V $59.99 Williams
J9009E Hover Strike $59.99 Atari Corp.
J0144E Pinball Fantasies $59.99 C-West
J9052E Super Burnout $59.99 Atari
J9070 White Men Can't Jump $69.99 Atari
Flashback $59.99 U.S. Gold
VidGrid (CD) Atari
Corp
Blue Lightning (CD) $59.99 Atari Corp
J9040 Flip-Out $49.99 Atari Corp
J9082 Ultra Vortek $69.99 Atari Corp
C3669T Rayman $69.99 Ubi Soft
Available Soon
CAT # TITLE MSRP DEVELOPER/PUBLISHER
J9101 Pitfall $59.99 Atari
Power Drive Rally TBD TWI
Dragon's Lair TBD
Readysoft
Hover Strike CD $59.99 Atari
Demolition Man $59.99 Atari
J9061 Ruiner Pinball $59.99 Atari
J9031 Highlander I (CD) $59.99 Atari
J9069 Myst (CD) $59.99 Atari
Hardware and Peripherals
CAT # TITLE MSRP MANUFACTURER
J8001 Jaguar (no cart) 149.99 Atari Corp.
J8904 Composite Cable 19.95
J8901 Controller/Joypad 24.95 Atari Corp.
J8905 S-Video Cable 19.95
CatBox 69.95 ICD
J8800 Jaguar CD-ROM 149.99 Atari Corp.
J8908 JagLink Interface 29.95 Atari Corp.
J8910 Team Tap
(4-Player Adapter) 29.95 Atari Corp.
J8907 Jaguar ProController 29.95 Atari Corp.
J8911 Memory Track 29.95 Atari Corp.
J8909 Tempest 2000:
The Soundtrack 12.99 Atari Corp.
Lexicor World Wide Web Page! STR InfoFile! - New and Improved!
Lexicor Software's new WWW site has been improved and is available at
http://world.std.com/~Lexicor, it has special sites which link directly to
3D2 and RD1 files for any lexicor user to download.
Lexicor Software is also proud to announce that it has a very special deal
on External SCSI-II hard drives which can be hooked up and connected to your
Atari system.
Prices are as follows:
*in stock*
2.3 Gigabyte (external with casing) 549 U$D
4.0 Gigabyte (external with casing) 989 U$D
You can email: sales@lexicor.com or call (617) 437 0414
Mastercard/Visa accepted
Industry News STR Game Console NewsFile - The Latest Gaming News!
CONTACT: Patricia Kerr or Jennifer Hansen
Shandwick USA
(310) 479-4997 or (800) 444-6663
Swing, Skate and Bungee Through the Jungle With Atari's ..
Pitfall: The Mayan Adventure
Agreement with Activision
lands classic adventure title for Jaguar 64
SUNNYVALE (October 17, 1995) -- Jungle drums pound and pulses race with
the release of Atari Corporation's Pitfall: The Mayan Adventure. The jungle
adventure game is the result of Atari Corporation's licensing agreement with
Activision and is now available in stores nationwide.
Based on the original Pitfall! that debuted on the Atari 2600, Pitfall:
The Mayan Adventure takes gamers on a wild trek through the recesses of the
Mayan jungle. Players assume the role of Pitfall Harry Jr. Searching for his
kidnapped father. With pages from an old journal as their only guide, gamers
need lightning-quick reflexes and a discerning eye to make it through the
jungle to rescue Pitfall Harry.
Pitfall: The Mayan Adventure features ten challenging levels and
enhanced gameplay not found in any other version. In addition to the
challenges of the fierce jungle, there are seven letters hidden throughout
the terrain; spell out pitfall and be treated to a special secret ending.
The game also boasts an all-new Save Game feature that lets players return
to their quest where they last left off.
"Our alliance with Act
ivision has resulted in an enhanced version of
Pitfall: The Mayan Adventure specifically designed for the Atari Jaguar,"
said Ted Hoff, Atari Corporation's President of North American Operations.
Pitfall: The Mayan Adventure features incredible art and graphics - "more
than 2000 frames of Kroyer film animation has been reworked to take
advantage of the Jaguar's outstanding 64-bit capabilities."
The Pitfall: The Mayan Adventure release under the agreement with
Activision is just one of the many exciting games for the Atari Jaguar 64
library. The rapidly expanding library will also include CD titles for the
recently launched Jaguar CD peripheral which is available in stores across
the United States.
Pitfall: The Mayan Adventure is rated T (appropriate for teenagers and
older) and has a suggested retail price of $59.99.
For over 20 years, Atari Corporation has provided consumers with high-
quality, value-priced entertainment. Atari Corporation markets Jaguar, the
only American-made, advanced 64-bit entertainment system and is located in
Sunnyvale, California.
Activision and Pitfall! are registered trademarks, and Pitfall: The
MayanAdventure is a trademark of Activision Inc. All rights
reserved.Copyright 1995. Activision, Inc.
TIME WARNER INTERACTIVE'S 'POWER DRIVE RALLY(TM)' ...
MILPITAS, Calif., Oct. 9 /PRNewswire/ -- Flying gravel, spraying mud,
and squealing tires announce the arrival of Time Warner Interactive's (TWi)
"Power Drive Rally(TM)" for the Atari(R) Jaguar(TM) video-game system. This
rugged, strategic driving game utilizes the power of the Jaguar to project
graphics so detailed you'll feel the challenge of long distance racing in 38
road rally courses. Power Drive Rally is based on the official World Rally
Championships where racers jockey for competitive times, major prize money,
and powerful vehicles on the international touring circuit. "Power Drive
Rally" is available at retail stores for an estimated price of $64.95.
This is the classic road rally racing experience: a two-member-team
endurance race that makes regular speedway tracks look like a Sunday drive.
Your computerized teammate acts as co-pilot, barking out directions and
warnings as you negotiate fallen logs, snow drifts and river beds. Tracks
and terrain are vivid with details such as water pools reflecting the sky,
tires creating skid marks, late afternoon shadows, dust clouds, brake
lights, and exhaust plumes.
THE RACE IS ON
"Power Drive Rally" offers three different types of courses: road
rallies over mixed terrain including mud, gravel, and asphalt; time trials
for flat out speed challenges; and obstacle courses with cones, curves and a
sinister slalom.
You will cross the start line with a fairly basic vehicle and a small
wad of cash in your pocket. From there, you must tear across a range of
terrain, from the break of day to the dead of night, out-pacing your
opponents, winning prize money, and moving on to more challenging vehicles
and races.
You'll find that each vehicle has its own handling nuances with
differences in cornering and road holding abilities as well as in
acceleration and deceleration. You are responsible for repairing and
maintaining your cars. Fail to heed excessive damage readings and you may
be penalized with disqualification. On the other hand, as you accumulate
prize money, you can trade your car in for a higher class model and gain
automatic entry to more elite levels of competition.
"Power Drive Rally" lets you really drive -- on and off track. Head
off-road and you'll feel the tight turns of doing a donut in the dirt, or
loss of traction as you slide over ice or grass. Lose control and you might
experience a gut-wrenching barrel roll or spectacular wipe out. This is
skill-driving for those with endurance and a sense of competitive adventure.
Rest up!
Time Warner Interactive, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Time Warner
Inc. (NYSE: TWX), develops and publishes software video-game and computer
systems. All product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their
respective owners.
10/9/95 /CONTACT: Tracy Egan, Public Relations
Manager, of Time Warner Interactive, 408-232-3213/ (TWX)
CO: Time Warner Interactive Inc.; Time Warner Inc.
GTE ENTERTAINMENT TO DISTRIBUTE OCEAN OF AMERICA'S
FIRES OFF EF2000(TM) FLIGHT SIMULATOR IN FIRST ROUND OF AGGRESSIVE
SALES AND MARKETING CAMPAIGN
CARLSBAD, Calif., Oct. 12 /PRNewswire/ -- GTE Entertainment and Ocean
of America, Inc. announced today that they have entered into an agreement
under which GTE Entertainment will distribute Ocean's full line of PC CD-ROM
titles and other related products in North America. Distribution of the
company's titles for dedicated gaming systems will not be affected by the
agreement.
The first Ocean title to be distributed by GTE Entertainment under this
agreement is "EF2000J," a breakthrough flight simulator that will ship on
November 15. Other upcoming releases include "Worms," a captivating
strategic game scheduled to ship in the fourth quarter of 1995, and Ocean's
extensive line of screen savers based on well-known licenses, such as
"WaterworldJ," "Jurassic ParkJ," "The Pink PantherJ," "Where's WaldoJ" and
"The Rolling Stones."
"In keeping with the exploding growth of the multimedia PC market, we
are intensifying our PC CD-ROM publishing, marketing and distribution
efforts," stated Ocean of America president Ray Musci. "GTE Entertainment's
highly experienced sales and marketing force is known for its aggressive
distribution of multimedia titles across all channels, making them the
perfect partners for Ocean's exciting new PC CD-ROM titles."
Noting GTE Entertainment's recent sales of 250,000 units of "FX
Fighter, " an arcade action-style martial arts fighting game for the
multimedia PC, Musci continued, "We expect the expertise and enthusiasm of
GTE Entertainment's sales force to be a strong asset to Ocean in this
rapidly expanding market."
GTE Entertainment vice president of marketing and sales Dick Larkin
commented, "Ocean's long-standing reputation for publishing high-quality
interactive entertainment titles complements GTE Entertainment's commitment
to bring only top titles to market. We are excited about distributing
Ocean's innovative new titles, and believe this strategic relationship
presents a unique win-win opportunity for both companies."
Ocean of America, a leader in interactive home entertainment software,
is a wholly-owned subsidiary of United Kingdom-based Ocean International,
Ltd. Headquartered in San Jose, California, Ocean of America develops and
publishes computer entertainment software for multimedia personal computers,
as well as video games for Super Nintendo Entertainment System, Game Boy
Portable system, Sega Genesis System, Sega Saturn, Sony PlayStation and
Atari. Ocean of America is associated with many well-known licenses, such as
"WaterworldJ," "Jurassic ParkJ," "The UntouchablesJ" and the "Addams
FamilyJ" series.
GTE Entertainment is an innovative software publishing operation whose
multi-million dollar "digital media studio" in Southern California brings
together the world's leading game developers, artistic talents and system
manufacturers on development projects. The company has a growing line of
products that include action-oriented electronic entertainment and
music-related titles for teenagers and adults, and an Interactive Toys line
of fun, learning software for younger children.
GTE Entertainment was founded in 1990 as GTE Interactive Media, a unit
of GTE (NYSE: GTE). GTE is the largest U.S.-based local telephone company
and the second-largest cellular service provider in the United States. With
nearly $20 billion in revenues in 1994, the corporation is the
fourth-largest publicly owned telecommunications company in the world. The
corporation is currently involved in developing interactive television
services and plans to build a new video network that will pass seven million
homes within the next 10 years.
10/12/95 /CONTACT: Judy Green of Neale-May & Partners, 415-328-5555,
ext. 117, for GTE Entertainment; or Rik Sandoval of GTE Entertainment,
619-431-8801; or Molly C. Smith of Ocean of America, Inc., 408-289-1200
(GTE)
STReport Jaguar Game Review: Super BurnOut
SUPER BURNOUT
Available Now
Developed by: Shen/Virtual Xperience
Published by: Atari
Sugg. Retail Price: $59.95
Ease of Play: Average/Intermediate
by Marty Mankins
Behind every driver of a car is a person wanting to get onto a race
track and open it up and beat the rest of the drivers. Atari's first
attempt to satisfy this craving was not done as well as what were expecting.
Checkered Flag was ok, and had some good options, but it was simply lacking
in control over the car. While waiting for another racing game, Atari
decided to sneak Super BurnOut (known as SBO from here on) and many were
pleased. I, for one, am grateful. SBO is an amazing racing game, pitting
motorcycles against each other in a race for First Place. You will be sure
to spend many hours playing this game and taking the different tracks with
the assortment of bikes and your skills.
GAME PLAY
SBO is easy to play. You get a bike, pick a track and go. Steering is
done by the cursor pad. By default, pressing B will get you acceleration.
A push of the A button will stop you with the brakes and the C button is
used by the clutch. (for the manual transmission, if you choose to pick that
over the more convenient automatic gear box) There is some confusion in the
buttons when selecting options and starting games. C normally will start
the game, but sometimes B will get you to the next level of play and start
the game. Pushing A will exit you back a screen to change your options.
The first thing I did was went into the Option screen and changed the
controls so that A is accelerate, B is brake and C is left for the clutch.
This helped a lot, so that I could use my two fingers (middle and index) to
stay on both the gas and the brake. Then when I am racing and come to a
corner, I can leave my finger on the gas, press B for the brake at the same
time, and then let up on B once I come out of the corner. This also allows
me to tap on B a few times to slow down just a tad, making sure I don't wipe
out, but being able to take the corner without losing too much acceleration.
Two-player mode was fun, but the split screen was bothersome. It seems
to be the best way to have designed this game. What would be really nice is
for the jaguar to support two monitors with SBO. This way, each player has
their own screen, just like in the arcades with something like Virtua
Racing. Maybe a future title that works with the CatBox to support multiple
monitors. Who knows? I bet someone else in your house will be willing to
give up their TV for a few days to let you play. <g>
TRACKS AND BIKES
Amongst the many tracks to select from, there was no one favorite. You
get used to each one by playing them over and over. The tracks are America
High Speed, Australia Technical, Brazil Technical, Canada High Speed, France
Semi-Technical, Germany High Speed, Hungary High Speed, Japan Technical.
The curves are not easy to take at high speeds and all tracks have plenty of
curves. It's nice when you hit a straightway like on the France track, and
it does help you to get caught up real fast. But a curve comes a bit too
soon and you must slow down a lot or prepare to get bucked off your bike.
This is where bike selection comes in. If you are a speed maven, you
need to pick a bike that had less grip on the road. The better the grip,
the slower top speed your bike will reach. Your choice of bikes is Super
Rabbit, which has a medium grip and a top speed of 155mph. Or you could go
a bit slower with a lot more grip by choosing the Killing Turtle. And a
slow (148mph) bike this is, when compared to the others. Reflex Z is a bit
faster, but still at 169mph, it's not going to break records. For that
purpose, pick Wheels of Terror (200mph and a low grip), Lightning Racer
(maxing out at 217 mph) or my favorite, Sliding Thunder. The grip on this
bike is very low, so you must slow to a crawl on corners, but man, will you
fly on the straight track.. With a top speed of 227 mph, is doesn't get any
faster.
Drones are the other bikes you race against. These guys just simply
are the ones to beat when playing against the computer.. You get to choose
the number of laps to race, from 2 to 7. Racing modes are where you pick
what kind of racing challenge you want to experience. Training mode is where
you get to try out your skills. This is where you learn the tracks, bikes
and road conditions. Versus Mode is for racing against another person.
Two-player mode is really fun, but make sure to watch your own screen. The
screen is split top and bottom, so it can be distracting at times.
Championship is where you race all tracks in a row. When you are finished,
it shows you want position you placed in for each track and how many points
you won and the ranking. Naturally, I hardly ever got past C (rankings are
from A for excellent to E for not so hot).
Record mode is good if you don't want to see someone else's best times
on the screen. And what's nice, there are no other bikes to get in the way.
Just you and the road. Oh, and the same curves you need to slow down for.
The drones are missed, but once your record time is on the screen, you can
go back to Trainer mode or go racing for the top spot.
In all options, drones can be set to be weak, average or strong. I've
raced with strong drones and normally come in 5th, 6th or 7th place. They
are hard to beat. The number of laps I like to race is 7. The reason for
this is that it gives me more time to catch up when I get behind. If my
thumb is hurting really bad, then I'll drop that down to 4 or 5. Two laps
is just too few, unless you are wanting just a quick trip around the track.
CONCLUSION
Super BurnOut is a racing game that deserves to be played often. It's
addicting and the exciting game play keeps you coming back for more. It's
very good at working around the lack of control that Checkered Flag had and
keeps control of the bike you are using. The graphics are nice and the
tracks are well designed. This is what makes the Jaguar worth playing.
Games like SBO need to happen more often.
Graphics: 9.0
Sound FX/Music: 8.5
Control: 8.5
Manual: 8.0
Entertainment: 9.5
Reviewer's Overall: 8.5
This is one game where graphics matter. And they do in this title. All of
the best screen rewrites are here. It's nice to see that this game does
appear to use some 64-bit technology. You couldn't do this, with the
details of the bikes, on a 16-bit system. The Sound and music is really
good, but could have added some skidding sound and maybe a few voice
enhancements for the riders (e.g. "Hey!" or "Watch it!"). The opening voice
is done well and is really nice, giving it that actual racing feel. The
manual is ok, but lacks some details like the control options and a few more
tips about playing in two player mode. The entertainment value is excellent
and is going to remain a Jaguar favorite for quite a while.
STReport Jaguar Game Review: Double Dragon V: The Shadow Falls
DOUBLE DRAGON V: THE SHADOW FALLS
Available Now
Developed by: Tradewest, Inc.
Published by: Williams Entertainment
Sugg. Retail Price: $59.95
Ease of Play: Intermediate/Difficult
by Marty Mankins
As a teenager, I used to play the original Double Dragon in the
arcades. Many quarters were spent trying to get good at this game. I
remember the different levels and the many times I had to save my girl from
the evil gang. And beating these guys up was just half the fun. Well, it
what is supposed to be the fifth sequel, Double Dragon makes it to the
Jaguar in Double Dragon V: The Shadow Falls. You have all new characters
and they are done well, but there is something lacking in this game. Maybe
it's all the time I spent in the arcade and I expected more after years of
revisions. But, not all is lost. There is some good game play and it works
very well. But it's not the best. It falls somewhere in between.
GAME PLAY
The general idea to Double Dragon V (known as DDV from here on) is to
beat all opponents until they you have gone through the different levels.
These levels are Dragon Dojo, Cody's Nutron Grill, Metro City Sewer System,
Chemical Factory, Dusty's Garage, Fusion Plant, Shadow Dojo Interior, Shadow
Dojo Exterior and Metro City Hotel. Your first game will start you at the
Metro City Hotel. From there you fight with any of the characters. You can
choose which character you would like to be. Or if you are in two player
mode, your opponent chooses which character they want to fight with.
The characters are often referred to as dossiers. The list is
impressive. You can choose from Billy Lee, Jimmy Lee, Jawbreaker, Bones,
Countdown, Dominique, Sekka, Shadow Master and Sickle. Each has their own
power weapon. For example, Sickle will often throw a lightning bolt your
way. Your job is to duck out of the way. Learning the controls is what you
need to get good at. Learning the special moves of each player is also good
to get used to. It seems that the special moves are done to take a lot of
power from the enemy. And once you learn how to do them, they really do
help.
CONTROL AND GRAPHICS
Using the cursor pad, there are 8 different moves you can make. Also
listed in the manual is a special move for each character. These special
moves are helpful when the chips are down and you need to take more life
away from your enemy. Jawbreaker's move is my favorite. He lunches forward
into a headbutt. And it's one of the easiest moves to make.
All three buttons are used. A is for a light punch. B is for a medium
punch and C is for a hard punch. Also, on the keypad, you can use 3 for a
light kick. The 6 key is for a medium kick and, the obvious 9 key is for
the hard kick. While not exciting, there are a good amount of moves to
make. And if for some reason you don't like these default key locations,
you can customize them in the Options screen.
There are statistics on each player that are good to read, as they
inform you of what kind of fighter you are up against (or playing with).
DDV has some of the better fighting characters on this type of game, when
compared to Kasumi Ninja and Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story. But, maybe there
should have been more than one special move for each character. If there
were, then you add a bit more variety to doing the same moves.
One really cool feature is being able to choose what and how many
attributes your fighter will have. You get a total of 11 attributes to use.
The more you have in one area, the better you will be in fighting with that
attribute. Strength is important and I will sometimes make that 4 or 5,
taking away from the Special attribute. Defense is important, but so is the
Reserve attribute, which you should leave at least one in. Try the
different levels of attributes for each one. It's fun and makes the game a
little more interesting. I've played a game where I try to stay back most
of the time, but have my Strength at 9, with 2 in Reserve. This can take
down your enemy really fast, but one hit and your just about dead.
OVERALL ENTERTAINMENT
DD5 is good, but not really good. The fight moves are nice and they
do have some action to them, but this game is not a 64-bit version of Double
Dragon. It's a 32-bit version living in a 64-bit game system. The screens
are nice, the fighters are detailed to a degree, but there are some game
play values missing. I find that there are other options that could have
made game play a bit nicer. Also, the fighters seem to move faster than is
needed at times.
CONCLUSION
Double Dragon V is not a bad Jaguar title. In fact, I like it. But
it's not all that good. There is room for improvement. Perhaps when Double
Dragon VI comes around, we'll see the 64-bit enhancements and have a better
chance at gaining some more gaming value for the high price it commands.
Graphics: 6.0
Sound FX/Music: 5.0
Control: 5.0
Manual 5.0
Entertainment: 5.5
Reviewer's Overall: 5.5
Graphics were the best thing about Double Dragon V. The details were
good and the fighters had some details when moving and jumping. The sound
and FX were lacking for a fighting game. Kicks and punches should have had
more definition. The control of the players is good, but nothing stellar.
Actually, the amount of moves that were possible was good, it was how to
execute these moves that needed a little work. The manual is very
interesting, as it is laid out like a comic book, telling a story of how to
play the game. It's different, but not completely welcome. Stick to a
regular manual format. And the entertainment value is good for a fighting
game, but it could have been better.
Jaguar Easter Eggs, Cheats, & Hints STR InfoFile - Solving Those Riddles!
From CompuServe's "new" JAGUAR Forum, member Larry Tipton provides us with
an Ultra Vortek "Turbo" mode, from Beyond Games:
Ultra Vortek Turbo Code!!!
Note: This code was grabbed from the Beyond Games Web Page.
At the UV (Evil Eye) title screen, hold down the number buttons 1, 5, and 9.
Now you are in Turbo mode. And you thought killer was tough! <g>
-Larry
Jaguar Online STR InfoFile Online Users Growl & Purr!
4Play Update, from Scott Le Grand <legrand@tesla.mbi.ucla.edu>
Well, to anyone without a time machine, it sure looks like we missed
our self-imposed deadline. Yep, it happened. So, if you're one of those
unstable sorts that was threatening to sell their jag if we didn't meet our
deadline, go make some money :-(, and play a round of Air Combat (yech)...
Where are we right now? We're in the middle of completing the
networking code. Unlike many previous efforts, the networking in this game
is an integral component of the gameplay, rather than a hastily added
afterthought. As a result, it has been painful to impossible to write some
of the play modes without its existence. Yes, the gameplay modes can be
played single player, but they're always going to be best with a friend or
seven...
When will we be done? We've set a do or die deadline for Xmas, a
hopeful deadline for around the end of the month and we hope to fall
somewhere in between. On the bright side, the progress of this game will
remain highly visible. Once the networking is solidly end-userized, it will
ship to the playtesters who will comment on all sorts of things, tell you
themselves how close we are to completion, and squawk about anything we've
done wrong. Our priority to is create a godly networking game, rushing
something out the door (which we COULD manage by the end of the month) would
make us AirCars on steroids, but not much more...
Finally, around the same time as the release to playtesters, there will
be a public demo of the game at the Software Etc. in the Westside Pavillion
in west Los Angeles where we will hopefully have 8 jags battling it out for
the benefit of anyone who wants to try... Flames can be directed to Tbird
and myself, we're the slowpokes who haven't delivered.
This game simply has to be completed, that's our duty. Atari's duty is
to keep the jaguar visible and in stores until that time.
Meanwhile, coding in hell continues...
Scott
ZOOP secret revealed, from Robert A. Jung <rjung@netcom.com>
Okay, for those who may have been wondering, I finally got the dope on
what the heck Viacom's ZOOP video game is...
In the center of the screen is a 4 x 4 square zone. You control a
colored cursor in the zone, and from the four sides, lines of colored pieces
advance towards the middle. If one piece enters the center, you lose and
the game ends. To defend your area, you can aim your cursor at one of the
lines, and zap them -- but only if the pieces are the same color as your
cursor. Zapping wrong-colored pieces exchanges your color and your target's
color, and more points are awarded for zapping longer lines. There are 99
levels, and each level features new powerups, faster line advancements, and
other complexities.
It's essentially a puzzler/action game, and I played it on a Sega
Genesis at the local Toys R Us today (Techno Zords are half off! Get yours
now! B-). The game won't push the Jaguar (or any other console) hardware at
all, but it can be fairly addictive to some folks -- I had to pry my brother
away from the machine with a crowbar...
Anyway, now you know. Zoopie. B-)
--R.J.
Jaguar Game Title STR Review - "Ultra Vortek"
-= Available Now =-
Ultra Vortek
by Joe Mirando
Developed by: Beyond Games
Published by: Atari Corporation
Price: $69.99
Rating : Mature (age 17+)
Genre : Fighter
# of Players : 1 or 2
Save Feature : None
It's one of the oldest stories in the video game business: Boy (or
girl) makes friends, Boy (or girl) proceeds to beat the bejeebers out of
friends or get the bejeebers beat out of him (or her).
The First mega-hit "fighter" was Mortal Kombat, a game that pitted one
player against either a computer generated opponent or a real-life player in
the martial arts beat-'em-up. The object of the game was simple: Beat your
opponent until he or she couldn't get up. This is usually accompanied by
gratuitous amounts of video blood and the sounds of punches, kicks, grunts
and shouts to rival even the finest Hong Kong Kung Fu movie.
Since the release of Mortal Kombat many companies have followed suit
and released the same type of game for every major game platform. These are
called "Me Too" games because the publisher of the software and manufacturer
of the game unit could say that they also had a fighting game or "fighter".
While Mortal Kombat has been "the game to beat", it is saddled on most
systems by the processor speed and graphics capabilities of the game system.
Programmers found new and ingenious ways of circumventing these problems,
but have now just about reached the limit of the machines' abilities.
Clearly, what is needed is a game system with a wider data bus, more
powerful processors, and better graphics and sound capabilities.
Enter Atari's Jaguar, the first 64-bit game machine. The combination
of fast, multiple processors and enhanced video and audio capabilities
provides a wonderful environment for today's virtual warriors.
While every reviewer who covers the Jaguar arena anxiously awaits
Mortal Kombat 3, due early in '96, Beyond Games and Atari have released
Ultra Vortek. Ultra Vortek is, as you may already have guessed, a "fighter"
along the lines of Mortal Kombat (See that? And they say that video games
muddle your mind). The premise of Ultra Vortek is not unique. This, in and
of itself, is not something that need detract from the game, but it does put
Ultra Vortek squarely within the "Me Too" category.
The Story:
For the last three thousand years, an evil force known as the Guardian
has been watching our little planet and, when a society has reached what the
Guardian deemed an acceptable level, they were ready for "The Time of
Testing".
The Time of Testing is a process that the Guardian uses to determine if
the society is ready to control the powers of the Ultra Vortek. First, the
finest warriors must fight each other until only one is left, he or she will
face the Guardian himself. If the Earth's best warrior can not defeat the
Guardian, the entire society will be destroyed.
It turns out that this will be the Guardian's last visit to Earth and,
if we don't defeat him this time, he will return the "essence" of our
society to the Ultra Vortek and move on to another, more interesting planet.
Now that you know the reasoning behind "the big fight", doesn't it all seem
worthwhile?
Game Play:
Anyone familiar with Mortal Kombat will immediately recognize the
object of the game: Knock the heck out of anyone who comes up against you.
As stated before, this is a "Me Too" game, so there isn't too much that is
original here. There is, however, little need for originality. From the
conquests of Attila the Hun to the war in Bosnia, inter-personal violence
has stayed pretty much the same in real life despite weapons and scenery
changes.
The standard moves are easy to master. The directional pad on the
controller works as expected: Press up and your character jumps up, press
down and your character ducks, left and right, move you, um... left and
right. The trick lies in combination moves. In some cases, combinations
merely mean using several moves in rapid succession, much as a boxer does.
In other cases though, combinations can yield amazing results such as
turning into a hawk and swooping down on your opponent or disappearing in a
burst of flame and reappearing directly behind your opponent and hitting him
with a devastating upper-cut. These are called "Annihilation". Most of
these moves are not detailed in the manual. It is left up to the player to
figure them out. This is much the way that other fighting games work and
most players (usually teenagers) seem to find the "search for secret moves"
as exhilarating as the gameplay itself. Gameplay is smooth and fast,
although not as fast "out of the box" as I thought the game should be on a
64 bit game machine.
The Players:
During the twenty first century, when all of this is supposed to take
place, the human race has grown and divided. There are three major "Gangs".
The Meathackers are un-altered humans. The PowerShifters gang is composed
of Specially Qualified-Unique Engineered Eugenic Bio units, or SQUEEBs.
These folks can change form at will. The final gang is the
Society of Machines, Androids, and Cyborgs (SMAC). The members of this
gang are sentient machines which were designed for special purposes and,
having become self-aware, have decided to kick some butt on their own.
These gang members have made the final cut and will be competing for
the chance to go up against the Guardian:
Lucius:
He's a high-up MeatHacker who can shoot plasma bolts and can turn into a
bird of prey as well as being a top-notch
martial artist.
Dreadloc:
He's big, he's Jamaican (as witnessed by the colors of the Jamaican flag
used to highlight his name), he uses a glaive-staff, a weapon consisting of
a staff with a large, pointed blade on one end, and a long, curved blade on
the other, and probably partakes of a particular Rasta sacrament (as
witnessed by one of his specialty moves).
Buzzsaw:
He's a logging robot with nothing to do since logging was outlawed. He
throws circular saw blades at opponents and is quite fast.
SkullCrusher:
Another robot, this one designed for construction work. He's got claws
instead of hands, laser-torches for eyes, and he's fast.
Volcana:
The only female of the bunch, this is a SQUEEB that doesn't rely on her
long, lean legs of flowing blond hair. She relies on the fact that she can
throw fireballs and disappear and reappear in a burst of flame.
Grok:
Another SQUEEB, this one has a thick, stony hide and is hard to hurt.
Because of his skin of rock, he seems to have a limited range of motion, but
with fists like boulders, who needs the two-step?
Mercury:
Named not for the speedy god of ancient Greece but for the liquid metal, he
can melt into a puddle or form into spikes, blades or saws. This guy _is_
his own weapon.
Each combatant has his or her own talents and special moves. While
some of these special moves are listed in the manual, most of them just lay
there waiting for you to discover them.
The one and only thing that I found even slightly irritating about
playing this game was that you have to fight yourself. In other words, if
you choose the character Lucius, you will also have to fight Lucius
somewhere along the line. This is where a good quality television or
monitor comes in quite handy. When you have to fight "yourself", one of the
two will be colored slightly differently than the other. After you get used
to this, it becomes just one more opponent.
Once you've beaten all of the human (or partially human) opponents in
their original form, you get to fight them all again as "shadows". They are
now spirits, mainly because you beat the tar out of them before (gee, you'd
think that they would've learned a lesson from that, wouldn't you?). The
first "shadow" round pits you against two of the others one at a time. Once
you have beaten them, you go through it all again but, since they are
finally getting the idea that they are dead, they don't have their full
strength any more. Most of them can be beaten with one or two punches but
this time, you fight all of them one after another.
Once you beat all seven shadows, it's time to go up against the
Guardian himself. After all the work it takes to beat the others, the
Guardian is a bit of an anticlimax. The Guardian looks like a gothic
gargoyle with a long whip-like tail. He is quite strong and very fast, so
if you don't get the first punch in and keep whacking at him, he will punch
you, bite you (yes, he'll grab you by the shoulders and gnaw on your head
for a while), and whip you with his long tail. The way to beat the Guardian
is quite easy, but I'll let you figure it out for yourself.
After you've beaten the Guardian in a 2 out of 3 match, you are
presented with a picture of the character you used to beat him, along with a
prologue which explains that the world is safe because of you. You then get
to enter your name in what passes for a High Score list. It consists of
three names (all characters in the game until you get to add your own), and
the level at which you beat the Guardian (Normal, Hard, or Killer). This,
along with the options you set at the main screen, is all that can be saved
to the cartridge. It might have been nice to be able to save your place as
in other Jaguar games, but I haven't seen "fighters" on other platforms that
allow you to do this, so it's not a big deal.
Features:
The features of Ultra Vortek are, for the most part, easy to understand and
use.
The first screen you are presented with after starting up the game
(after, of course, the standard Jaguar screens) is the "Beyond Games" logo
followed by a colorful "Ultra Vortek" logo. If you press the 1, 5, and 9
keys simultaneously at this screen, you will be able to select a turbo mode
at the next menu.
The menu that follows allows you to begin a one or two player game, set
options such as whether or not to allow you to select a new character after
each bout (best two out of three fights with the same opponent), whether or
not to show blood, Whether or not to use a time limit (60 seconds, 100
seconds, or none), whether or not to use stereo sound, and the ability to re-
configure the A, B, and C buttons to suit your own tastes.
You can also play any of the eleven techno-tunes that play during the
game. The song titles are as interesting as, and sometimes more engaging
than the tunes themselves. The listed tunes are; Mosh, Rave Me, Midevil,
Drunkicidal, Irish Thrash, Sad Future, Death Dance, Mockery, Thy Name is
Evil, and Fight It.
Also available from this menu is an option to view the credits. The
credits include the Director/Programmer, Producer, artists, animators, image
editors and a slew of other folks who put in lots of time to make this a
good game.
Upon choosing the one player game, you can choose one of four levels;
Training (no shot at the Guardian), Normal, Hard, or Killer. Ultra Vortek
seems to analyze your playing ability and adjust its strategy accordingly.
This keeps the game playable for those who have had lots of practice.
Graphics and Sound
The graphics are uniformly good, taking advantage of the Jaguar's
abilities. Even with the expanded number of colors and higher resolution,
Ultra Vortek remains fast-paced although less so without the Turbo option.
The sound effects are quite good, from the sound of striking an
opponent (as well as being struck) to the constant stereo music, to the
voice of the Guardian as he compliments whoever happens to be winning at the
time.
Control
Even when using the Turbo mode, there are times when the controls just
don't seem to react quickly enough, but this is not a system shortcoming,
it's what happens in the game (and in real life) when you get hit
repeatedly. And while the "Annihilations" are difficult moves to master, it
can be done. This is one case where age and experience can't beat youth and
quick reflexes.
Overview
Ultra Vortek is the first "fighter" I've ever been interested in for
more than an afternoon. While it's not ground-breaking, it is good
gameplay. Its speed, graphics, sound and music combine to make it worth
consideration. The background animations can be distracting, but once you
get used to the fact that a video game can actually display scenes of this
quality not as the "main event", but as background, they loose their hold on
you and you can get down to business. The sound effects and music can also
be a distraction but can be modified to suit your tastes.
Disappointments
I have only a few complaints about Ultra Vortek.
First.. is the fact that the manual forgets to mention that there is a
Turbo mode. Unless you press the aforementioned buttons at the
aforementioned screen you have no way of knowing that a turbo mode even
exists. Making the game more playable shouldn't be one of the objects of
the game.
Second.. is that the manual doesn't mention that you can change the
volume of the sound effects and music by pausing the game and using the A or
B buttons. The C button allows you to listen to any of the tunes listed
above. It also forgets to mention that you can mute the music by hitting
the "0" key during play.
The third is that the Guardian is easier to beat than the other
players. This is quite anticlimactic, but after going at least two rounds
with each of seven opponents, I've found it a welcome rest. That's it.
Those are the only things that keep Ultra Vortek from getting an outstanding
score.
One Interesting Note
Evidently, Ultra Vortek has been designed for the future. There is also a
code that will initialize the Atari Jaguar Voice Modem. It stands to reason
then, that if the voice modem is released, we'll be able to beat the hooey
out of each other with the help of Ma Bell. Since Ultra Vortek is a fairly
new game, I'm led to wonder what other codes are imbedded within the code,
waiting for someone to discover them.
SCORING:
Graphics: 9.5 Impressive Color and Animation
Music/Sound FX: 9.5 Clear mood-setting tunes and solid FX
Control: 9.5 Sharp response and intuitive main moves
Manual: 5.5 Sets mood but leaves out important info
Overall: 8.5 Overall, a very good offering well worth consideration
if you like fighting games.
STReport Jaguar Game Review: Ultra Vortek
by Marty Mankins
No one makes a fuss when there are tons of fighting games for a game
system. Of course, when this system is the Super Nintendo and there are
over 300 games available, then 4 fighting games are not a big deal. But
when you bring into play that the Jaguar has 3 fighting games (Dragon,
Double Dragon V, Kasumi Ninja), adding a fourth game of mean dude vs. bad
guy brings people into thinking that maybe there are too many fighting
games. But, bring in Ultra Vortek and you forget about the other 3 fighting
games. In fact, you will be so busy with Ultra Vortek, you will wonder why
it took so long to come out with this game.
Never fear. Ultra Vortek (known as UV from here on) is here to stay.
It's amazing how much this game has blown me away. It has chewed up a good
40 hours of my time, and I've had it less than one week. No game since
Pacman and Dig Dug has taken this much time in a week. So enough about the
talk about how great UV is. Let's get into this game.
STORY LINE
The basic goal of UV is to fight all of the characters (and some
others) and to get pieces of the Ultra Vortek tablet along the way. Then
you must fight the guardian. This sound easy, but it's really hard. You
have four levels of play: Training, Normal, Hard and Killer. I've been
through both Training and Normal levels and have beaten the Guardian (whois
tough son of a gun). But the Hard and Killer levels are where I'll spend
the rest of my time trying to beat and get past that Guardian.
FIGHTERS
Speaking of the Guardian, he's one of the creatures you need to beat to
get to be the ruler of the Ultra Vortek. Being able to beat the Guardian
is really hard compared to fighting with the others. You get to pick which
character you want to fight with. I've chosen Volcana for this review.
She's the most popular (well, not with my wife) and has a certain "fire"
about her. Her main weapons are the ability to throw fireballs and to
dissolve into a cloud of fire and smoke to get away from the enemy.
Lucius uses a lightning blast that really hurts if you're not used to
it. He's also got a secret hawk attack that far from a tickle. Dreadloc is
a remnant from Jamaica and likes to fight near my residence (kicking and
slicing people near an older Utah site you find while playing the game).
Buzzsaw uses an actual saw to take skin off of you. Skullcrusher is
one of my favorite, not for the fact that he can use his laser eye to zap
you (and cause a shock wave in the ground that sends you to your feet), but
for the fact that he takes his head and can really give you a headache.
Grok likes to rock and roll, literally. He can make you hurt by simply
running into you or by taking his rock formation and pounding some blood out
of you. And finally, there is Mercury, who reminds me a lot of the T-1000
Terminator (from the movie Terminator 2: Judgment Day). He tends to melt
when you nail him just right.
Enough about the fighters. Let's get to fighting! As I mentioned
above, I picked Volcana. She's a fighter. And not to sound like I'm some
male he-man, but this chick can really beat the crap out of someone! She's
got moves, she spits and throws fire and she can really disappear when the
going gets tough. Then re-appear on the other side of your enemy to give
them that fatal kick or punch.
The first one I fight is Skullcrusher. I learn to duck from his laser
eye. I learn to jump when his laser eye beams the ground and causes a shock
wave that needs to be avoided. After two rounds, I fight Grok. The rock
bad guy is really not that hard to beat, but you need to make sure you keep
kicking him and knocking him down. It's hard to punch and kick him, so the
slide kick helps take him down, albeit slower.
Taking Mercury out is a bit distracting. You are in an abandoned
subway station that's closer to hell than you think. (given the 3 structure
poles with the number 6 on each of them). Occasionally a subway train will
go by, which is where one distraction comes in. The other distraction is
the deconstruction around you and getting stuck next the edge of the debris
of this subway station. Fighting Dreadloc is done in Utah, as is noticed by
an older site in the game (for the second time, I won't tell! <g>).
Avoiding his bladed-staff is not easy, but can be done by making sure you
are moving out of the way before he gets wild.
Buzzsaw is no easy task to avoid. It's amazing how much power he holds
in his hand. Just stay low and kick hard and you can take him down with
several hits and punches. And Lucius, or as I like to refer to him as
"Lightning Man", comes on strong. He'll take you down if you are not ready.
And it hurts, really bad.
"HIDDEN" FIGHTERS
Ok, so you've fought the other fighters. You feel ready to beat the
Guardian. Not so fast. It's not over quite yet. You are placed in the
round with the shadows of the previous fighters. Not only are the shadows
mad and ticked off, but they are harder to see. You really have to watch
your butt, literally. Playing Volcana was not easy and I always had to
watch out for every move. I even got to fight my own evil double in shadow
form. And just when you think you have beat them all, you need to beat
another. And you don't get a refresh of your power meter. You must last
through several shadow fighters before you can end the round.
And just when your thumb was starting to feel good, it hurts really bad
when you reach the Guardian. Beat him, and you have both a numb thumb and a
holding spot of the Ultra Vortek. To get to this spot requires a lot of
kicking to the head and getting out of the way before you die. The
Guardian is like a mini-Satan, with a tail that will whip your butt until
you are beaten. And you often don't have a chance to get out of the way.
Just keep yourself back far enough and you will be safe.
The background scenery is awesome. It's very entertaining at times,
and as the subway station shows, it's slightly distracting. But that adds
to the game play. And the action never slows down. The graphics are
incredible and the display of the characters are without flashing. Their
movements are perfect and very easy to control. I found many times of
wanting to look closer at the details than at getting myself beaten down by
Buzzsaw.
CONCLUSION
Ultra Vortek is a must buy. If there is any doubt in your mind about
whether you should plink down $70 (or less) on this game, erase it. This is
the title all Jaguar owners need to have. Even if you don't like fighting
games, you can learn to like this one. All fighting games should wish they
were this good. So what would they do for an encore? Ultra Vortek 3D. How
about it, Beyond Games and Atari?
Graphics: 10.0
Sound FX/Music: 10.0
Control: 10.0
Manual: 9.5
Entertainment: 10.0
Reviewer's Overall: 10.0
What's to say after seeing the numbers? The only exception is the manual,
which could have been slightly better at explaining the game levels.
Instead, it told the story, which was entertaining, but for game play, a
few bits of information could have helped. Not a problem, since the manual
is not really looked at after you start playing the game allthe time.
CATnips... Jaguar tidbits from Don Thomas (95.10.10)
For those who live in closets, the Jaguar Web Domain (JAGWIRE) is now
engaged. Since Friday, the number of unique IDs that have visited the site
up through 1:30PM this afternoon (Pacific Time) has been...
OVER 150,000 hits! No, that is NOT a misprint!
One of many from Prodigy...
Board: VIDEO GAMES BB
Topic: ATARI JAGUAR
Subject: JAGWIRE
To: ALL
From: DAVID ROMANSKI (BPAX64A)
Time: 10/06 5:10 PM
To All,
Check out Atari's new homepage on the www. The address is
http://www.atari.com/ It is pretty cool.
From the Internet...
Date: Mon, 09 Oct 1995 11:30:15 -0800
From: Kim Trampus
<RCOE.RCOE-DP2.KTRAMPUS@internet.rcoe.k12.ca.us>
To: 75300.1267@Compuserve.com
Subject: User Survey
...
I like what I've seen so far, and in my opinion, it is the best looking
Web Site out there.
From CompuServe...
TO: Don Thomas 75300,1267
FROM: Danny Miskin 74067,53
Hey Don,
...
I've been checking out the Atari Web Page, it's one of the nicest Console
Companies pages around that I've seen.
I just love the way the Jaguar's eye twinkles when you first get to the
page. <g> Although I did find an area I
really liked the first time I was there but now I just can't seem to find
my way back. It was where there where
AVI clips of IS2 and all kinds of other info about upcoming games, I just
don't know why I can't find it.
Well I guess I'll head over there now and try again... I want those AVI
clips darn it!
Talk to you later,
--Danny
Another Internet note...
Date: Mon, 9 Oct 1995 09:13:37
From: Sean_Aaron@corp.dialog.com (Sean Aaron)
To: 75300.1267@compuserve.com
...
The Web page looks swell. Really nicely done; the avi's were great! Do
more of those definitely! I hadn't
thought about Black Ice/White Noise too much, but after seeing the avi,
it looks pretty cool.
...
--SEAN
And another...
From: jeremyh@amcc.com (Jeremy Hansen)
To: 75300.1267@compuserve.com
Date: Mon, 9 Oct 95 9:31:19 PDT
Mr Thomas:
After checking out the "Jagwire" pages, I must say that it is a very well
done web site.
...
Jeremy Hansen <jeremyh@amcc.com>
Technology Group Applied Micro Circuits Corp.
AMCC now has a web page: http://www.amcc.com/
Correction...
Those looking for STeve's Computer and Software from Ataris' Web Domain as
a HyperLink may like to note this
correction...
Hello Don,
Just to let you know that you will need to change my address to the
follow:
http://promedia.net/~dvm/STeves/
- you must have the ST capitalized in STeves. Other than that, the domain
looks great...
--STeve
Uh, Steve, I am real sorry. I have asked them to fix it ASAP and they
assure me it will be.
BTW, I'm getting a lot of praise from gamers who buy from you. Keep up the
great service!
--Don
Congrats to Beyond Games...
Mr. Thomas,
Our web pages were just inaugurated at:
http://www.intele.net/~answers/bg/bghome.html
Clark Stacey
Beyond Games
Power Drive Rally should be in many stores by the time you read this
notice. Reliable sources in Atari's most prominent distributor confirmed
with me that Power Drive Rally was in hand and being shipped!
Those of you who liked the Road Riot type games, or most any overhead race
game for that matter, will be blown away by this game. Check it out!
Final Note...
A lot of things are cooking at Atari which is the only excuse I have for not
having a CATnips out sooner. We're going to have a fantastic Christmas and
many of the Jaguar SKUs are simply selling them as fast as we can build
them.
Thank you.
CATnips... Jaguar tidbits from Don Thomas (95.10.15)
There's a lot happening real fast at Atari Corporation and I have a lot of
ground to cover.
Atari's new World Wide Web Domain has accumulated more than 210,000 visits
from onliners as of 10 PM Pacific Time this past Friday evening sustaining a
daily average of over 30,000 hits per day. If you haven't stopped by yet,
then you may be missing something. Here's what Robert Daniels tells me from
America OnLine:
From: INTERNET:RobNHL@aol.com
TO: Donald A. Thomas, Jr. 75300,1267
DATE: 10/11/95 7:56 PM
RE: WWW Page
Mr. Thomas,
I think your page is fantastic. Hats off to Atomix for putting together a
great site, and to Atari for choosing
Atomix to represent them. The pages load quickly (even on my dialup 14.4
connection), and are easy to
read/understand. I like that some games are featured before their
releases.
I especially appreciate the AVI files. Seeing D2000 in action has made a
believer out of me. Jeff Minter is
certainly as close to deity as a human can get. I digress.
Keep up the good work, and please consider the order form idea. Thanks
for supporting the on-line Atari community.
Cordially,
Robert Daniels
Atari's JAGWIRE Domain URL is http://www.atari.com
The Jaguar Forum on CompuServe is alive with activity and has just
enjoyed Atari's naming of them as Atari's official commercial support site.
According to a story found on the United Press International on Friday,
CompuServe is about to embark on its most aggressive advertising blitz in
its history. The new campaign includes national television, print ads,
direct mail, inserts and special promotional campaigns beginning Sunday,
October 15. A new slogan will be adopted stating
"Enter CompuServe" an a new image will be part of the propaganda which
promotes CompuServe as a global information service.
A lot of people ask me if Blue Lightning is a great game or not.
Although we all know bigger, better, greater is what Atari always strives
for with each new release, here's what Gordon Glenn tells users in the
rec.games.video.atari news group on the Internet.
I finally completed Blue Lightning today thanks to my memory cart that
saves the last level completed. Overall, I am glad they packed this game. I
might never have purchased it and would have missed a very enjoyable
blastathon. The Arctic mission is pretty cool and less "flat" looking. Save
your jets because Draco escapes after the arctic mission and in a "celebrity
voice impersonated" that sounds like Jack Nicholson, he says you missed his
secret base. You then have four more flights to complete the game which is
tough if you only have one or two slow jets. Once Draco is killed there is a
short full motion animated video of you chasing Draco and blasting his jet
inside a canyon. That is the end of the game and then it starts the attract
mode.
One nice thing. Once the game is completed, if you select your pilot
that won the game, they repeat the ending video of you blasting Draco. My
final score was a bit over 764,000 points. Naturally, I did this game on the
easy level. That was plenty exciting for me. Now lets get some more CD
games SOON!
--Boojiboy
(Hiya Don.)
Jason Duncan of Video Reaction asked me to pass this news on to you. It
sounds exciting so I am very happy to do so.
The newest issue of Video Reaction is sponsoring (which should be shipping
by next Wednesday) a contest spotlighting the Atari Jaguar. The lucky winner
will receive a new copy of Defender 2000 (when available). All entries must
mailed to the following address and must include the applicant's name and
complete mailing address. All entries must be received by December 15, 1995.
The drawing will be held on December 16. The winner will receive his/her
prize by priority mail.
Send your entry to:
Video Reaction
ATTN: Jaguar Contest
423 W Vermont Canal Square, #245
Indianapolis, IN 46202-3258
<<Please note that this contest and Video Reaction is not affiliated with
Atari Corporation.>>
Power Drive Rally is hot...
Date: Fri, 13 Oct 1995 18:54:59
From: JSMcKay@gnn.com (Sean McKay)
To: Multiple recipients <jaguar@bucknell.edu>
Subject: PDR thoughts...
Well, I've played Power Drive Rally for a couple of hours, and this is what
I think...
It's pretty d@$& good...
Graphically, it's fantastic! (I particularly like the cattle carcasses
on the sides of the Arizona tracks <g>) And that's just the beginning. The
cars are rendered perfectly, and things such as shadows are well correlated
to the layout of the landscape. The shadows of the nearby cliffs, etc., pass
over your car correspondingly as well. I know I'm focusing on little things
graphically, but that's what is so good about the graphics - the detail.
The backgrounds are done very well with just the right touches here and
there....
The control is spot on dead perfect, as far as I can tell! I mean, it
is so tight that if you tap the controller at all, the car responds. And
with the way these tracks twist and turn, believe me, you'll want the
control that tight! The cars respond to conditions and movements well,
complete with fish-tailing and power slides. You couldn't ask for more.
The sounds are well done, all the squeals, squeaks, crunches, crashes,
dings, and "Dangs!" are there (of course, you provide the "Dangs!" when you
screw up...<g>). The co-pilot's voice can get annoying, but after a while,
at least for me, it was extremely helpful, since it tells you what's coming
ahead... Finally, the music is okay. I don't know what it was about it that
bugged me, it just did. Maybe because the game comes with the music up so
loud. I turned it down, just to provide background tunes (and I mean WAY
background) and now they don't bother me...
The gameplay is good. It's repetitive. H@$#, what did you expect? You
go around tracks over and over. That's what I call repetitive. However, you
have TONS of tracks, so it's not like some games we know (can you say RR,
Sony?), and in that respect it's fun. Although after a couple of laps you
understand the layout of the track, when you go to the next track, it's
"feel your way around" all over again. The ability to get new cars after a
while is good too, although I have yet to notice *too* much difference in
the way they drive...
Overall
Graphics: 9
Control: 10
Music/Sound: 7 (due primarily to music)
Gameplay: 7
Overall: 8
Please take note:
I am not a big driving game fan (hence the lower gameplay score). For
me to give a driving game an overall of 8 is unusual (gameplay usually drops
it down for me), so you driving fans out there, I imagine, can add 0.5 to
1.0 to the final score to get the equivalent of what you'd probably rate it.
As always, though, some of you will take what I say with a big grain of salt
(and you know who you are....) 8^)
Sean McKay
<JSMcKay@aol.com>
<JSMcKay@gnn.com>
The latest issue of Atari Explorer Online is out and is packed with Jaguar
coverage. For the first time in years as far as I know, Silicon Times Report
is a little late. I'm told that an untimely power outage may have forced the
Publisher to re examine the issue carefully to see what may have been
affected. I expect the newest issue will be available by the time this issue
of CATnips is released.
Please note that there are several new items shipping from Atari...
MEMORY TRACK
The first batch of Memory Tracks sold out as fast as we got them in. Check
your retailer fast if you want one, because (s)he may not have them long.
With the Memory Track for the Atari Jaguar CD, you can keep track of
important information that you want to save for Jaguar CD games. The
cartridge easily fits in the cartridge slot provided by the Jaguar CD ROM
player. Compatible CD-based games allow gamers to store high scores, game
progress, character configurations, custom level designs and more. Up to 250
Jaguar games could be stored to one Memory Track depending on the amount of
data each game requires. The MSRP is $29.95 US.
PITFALL: The Mayan Adventure
Based on the incredibly successful Pitfall! from the Atari 2600 by
Activision. This version combines the fun remembered with the eye-popping
technologies of graphics, play and sound expected. The version on the Jaguar
includes countless improved nuances not found on any other platform. The
adventure is challenging and exciting. Help Harry Jr. Save his father and
find the secret to unlocking the original version of Pitfall! hidden in the
game. The MSRP for this cartridge is $59.99. Look for it from your retailer
within the next few days.
Editor Note:
Pass this around!! Pitfall Harry Wore Khakis ..tell 76702,2215 this
factoid via E-Mail on CIS and see what happens!
JAGLINK
Now you can connect two Jaguars together to play two-player versions of Doom
and other forthcoming JagLink compatible Jaguar game titles. Use the phone
cable included with the JagLink kit, or purchase a standard phone cable of
longer lengths from any telephone retailer. The MSRP for JagLink is only
$29.95 and is licensed for connection to any Atari Jaguar game system. Look
for it in stores within the next few days.
TEAM TAP
Team Tap is in and will be shipping as a separate peripheral as soon as
Charles Barkley Basketball, NBA Jam Tournament Edition, Arena Football and
other Team Tap compatible games become available. Team Tap is currently
packed as a FREE bonus with White Men Can't Jump while quantities of that
special pack are available. After that, Team Tap's MSRP is $24.95. Team Tap
converts either Jaguar game controller port into four separate ports for use
with Team Tap compatible games.
PROCONTROLLER
Hats off to Atari's Laury Scott on this one. It's the long awaited 6-punch
button controller and it will be shipping this week. The slick new Joypad
design integrates the proven ergonomic appeal of the original Jaguar joypad
with 5 extra buttons. Now there's a total of 6-punch buttons instead of the
original three PLUS there are two "shift buttons for the index fingers along
the top of the controller. Designed with features suggested by actual Jaguar
gamers, the added control increases
the flexibility of multiple button control and versatility to any
ProController compatible game. The ProController is also 100% compatible
with all existing Jaguar software. The ProController's MSRP is only $29.95.
Make certain you ask your retailer for these and other Jaguar gaming
products between now and Christmas.
In the October 16 issue of Adweek magazine, Atari's new TV commercial will
be featured as one of Adweek's hot spot of the month for September. Adweek
is the trade weekly news magazine in the advertising industry. Atari's new
commercial features a young adult male who is has numerous light bulbs
attached to his scalp. An off-camera female scientist
demonstrates various impulses sent to the patient's brain to indicate which
parts are responsible for basic human responses. With regard to the one
related to reason, the patient is compelled to ask himself why he might
spend so much money on other video game systems when he can get a 64-bit
Jaguar for only $150. The new Jaguar spot is running now through
Christmas in an aggressive campaign including the mo
st watched cable
television programs. Check out the latest issues of Atari Explorer Online
and Silicon Times Report for more information.
From CompuServe's Jaguar Forum, a mini-review of Power Drive Rally:
Game Title: Power Drive Rally
Publisher: Time Warner Interactive
Developer: Rage
Format: Cartridge
System: Jaguar 64
Review By: Larry Tipton
A friend of mine for several years now has been telling me how fun
Rally/Sprint racing is. He used to race competitively several years ago
while stationed in England. He used to talk about the fast 3 cylinder cars,
the tracks, the "hand break" turns and power slides. On one occasion, much
to my surprise, he demonstrated the "hand break" turn on a two lane city
street, turning 180 degrees at 40 mph in one of those little Ford Fiestas.
YEOW! This is FUN?!? Now comes along a racing game that allows me to
experience the fun and challenge that my friend Bill spoke of. I now
understand to some degree how much fun this kind of racing can be .... on my
Jaguar 64!
This game is a great addition to the Jaguar 64 family of games. The
game view is from above, it has a slightly tilted top-down look. It has a
definite quarter-munching arcade game feel to it. The graphics are
incredible to behold. The game-screen pans smoothly. The cars animate
perfectly. The front wheels turn! When you slide, it looks like a slide.
You can even do complete 360s .... DONUTS anyone? The cars leave their
tracks in the road. The sound effects and music are both good. The control
is tight. The weather effects are cool. The night driving is
challenging....In fact the whole game is challenging! Fortunately, there is
a save game feature (three slots).
Be careful out there. Your car does take on damage. Specifically, the
cars engine, suspension, tires, brakes and lights (you need lights for night
driving!) . These items can be repaired between rounds, but it will cost
you $$$. It costs $1000 to enter an event. SPEND and REPAIR wisely. You
have an onboard navigator with you at all times. Listen to his instructions
or be prepared to miss a critical turn... and lose the race.
Game Details:
Power Drive Rally (PDR) offers several game modes...
PRACTICE allows you to get the feel of the car. You can experiment with the
various techniques required to win. This type of racing requires a
skillful driver, speed alone will not suffice.
SINGLE PLAYER RACE requires that you first qualify, then race in several
different events: SPECIAL STAGE - you against the clock---avoid hitting
stuff, RALLY CROSS - You against another driver and the clock, SKILL TEST -
challenges you ability to quickly start, stop, turn, avoid obstacles, back
up, etc.
MULTI-PLAYER RACE allows you to race against other human players, one at a
time. You do not have to qualify to advance to the next level.
The Race Circuits...
England: Asphalt tracks. The terrain is rocky. The climate is mainly dry,
with some thunderstorm activity.
Arizona: Sand-Gravel-Cactus-ROAD KILL tracks. Desert terrain. Hot climate.
Italy: Snow-covered Asphalt tracks. Resort town surroundings. The climate
is cold with snow.
Finland: Asphalt track. Forest and lakes. Ice and Snow.
Kenya: Sand-Gravel-Oasis tracks. The terrain contains bush and forest. The
climate is hot and humid.
France: Asphalt tracks. Rocky mountain road. Climate is dry to rainy with
flash-floods.
Corsica: Asphalt tracks. "Specialized" terrain. Dry climate.
Sweden: Gravel tracks. Forest trail terrain, Cold, wet and Icy.
Other Game Items of Interest:
You can pull off several racing maneuvers such as the PENDULUM TURN,
HANDBRAKE TURN, and POWERSLIDE.
There are POWER UPS in the game including $$$, power boosts and "Stop
Time."
There are several car types in the game: Mini Cooper S, Fiat Cinquecento
Turbo, Bauxhall Astra 16V GTI, Renault Clio Turbo, Ford RS Cosworth and the
Toyota Celica CT-4.
OK, Game Rating on a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being the highest obtainable
score:
Graphics 9
Control 8.5
Sound F/X 8
Music 7
Fun Factor 9
Replay 8.5
Value $$$ 8
Overall Score 8.5
I highly recommend this game to anyone who enjoys racing games with and
arcade feel. You can't go wrong with Power Drive Racing. What's with the
car horn?
Thats all for now,
Larry Tipton
Lynx Games! STR Update! Remember the Lynx? New Games Out Soon!
From Atari's Don Thomas:
Just a quickie note...
Battlezone 2000 for the Lynx is shipping now! This is a great classic update
to the popular Battlezone arcade hit. The suggested selling price is $39.99.
Please help spread the word to Lynx owners that this game is available and
ask your retailer to stock it for you.
Also due to arrive any day is a combo game for the Lynx.... Super
Asteroids/Missile Command. This title is also just $39.99 and promises to
capture the challenge of the original classics for hours on end. Ask your
retailers to place their orders now so they have them as soon as they come
in.
--Don Thomas
Atari Corporation
Pitfall, The Mayan Adventure!
Activision's Pitfall Harry Contest!
Seeking a resourceful, brave adventurer to explore the (electronic) jungle
in search of a hidden phrase that will reveal Atari 2600 Pitfall Harry's
true nature. You will provide crucial information which will help Harry,
Jr. in his perilous attempt to save his father from the spirit of an evil
Mayan warrior. In Activision's blockbuster game Pitfall: The Mayan Adventure
for Windows 95, Harry, Jr. embarks on a thrilling jungle expedition as he
runs, crocodile-dodges, boomerangs and bungee-jumps through 13 action-packed
levels of pit-hopping adventure.
If you choose to accept the challenge, you must read on...
Instructions for Activision's Pitfall: The Mayan Adventure Contest
1. This skill-based contest involves three downloadable GIF images from
Pitfall: The Mayan Adventure. Each of these screenshots, when viewed on
your PC contain part of a jumbled phrase that you need to unscramble. After
unscrambling the word or words in each GIF picture, you will need to combine
the words in the correct sequence to form the secret phrase. In the event
of multiple winners, a random drawing of all correct entries will be held at
Activision headquarters to determine the various prize winners.
2. You will need to visit three online sites to obtain the screenshots
necessary for you to unscramble the puzzle and determine the winning phrase.
The location and file names of these files are:
ú The Video Game Publishers Forum on CompuServe. GO VIDPUB and look in
the Activision library for the file named PITFALL1.GIF.
ú The Atari Gaming Forum on CompuServe. GO ATARIGAM and look in the
Miscellaneous library for the file named PITFALL2.GIF.
ú The Modem Games Forum on CompuServe. GO MODEMGAMES and look in
Action/Arcade Games library for the file named PITFALL3.GIF.
3. Downloading instructions for the CompuServe Forums. You can use WinCIM
or any popular telecommunications package to access the CompuServe
Information Service and the above mentioned forums. There are no extra
charges except for the regular CompuServe connect charges to access these
areas. You will have to become a member of these forums to download the
files, but there is no extra charge for membership. Just select "Join" from
the WinCIM menu or type "Join" at the forum entry prompt or menu. Download
the file from the library indicated above.
4. If you have any difficulty downloading any of the three files, please
post a message to SYSOP in the Activision section of the Video Game
Publisher's Forum (GO VIDPUB).
5. Once you have downloaded all three files and unscrambled the jumbled
words to assemble the secret phrase, you should submit your entry to
Activision through CompuServe Mail at address: 76702,2215. Submissions must
be e-mailed no later than midnight EDT on October 31, 1995. Your contest
submission should contain your name, address, phone number,CompuServe User
ID, and of course, the unscrambled phrase. (Here's a hint: one picture
contains two words in the phrase).
6. Activision will award 10 copies of Pitfall: The Mayan Adventure as first
prizes, and up to 140 secondary prizes (70 Pitfall T-shirts and 70 Pitfall
hats) to correct entries. In the case of multiple correct entries, winners
will be randomly selected by Activision to determine first and secondary
prizes. Limit, one winning entry per CompuServe UserID.
7. Employees of Activision, CompuServe or the staff of the Video Game
Publishers forum and the Atari Gaming forum are not eligible to participate
in this contest. Activision shall be the sole judge of correct and winning
entries. This contest is void where prohibited by law.
8. Winners names will be posted in a file in the Activision library in the
Video Game Publishers Forum during the first week of November.
Visit Activision on the World Wide Web!
As a CompuServe member, you automatically have access to the World Wide Web
and Activision's home page. Use Netlauncher and the software provided by
CompuServe and type in the address of Activision's home
page,HTTP://WWW.ACTIVISION.COM.
If you have not yet accessed the World Wide Web with CompuServe software,
type GO NETLAUNCHER and follow the online instructions. If you haven't
visited the WWW, we hope you will use this contest as an opportunity to test
out the hottest sites in cyberspace.
ONLINE WEEKLY STReport OnLine The wires are a hummin'!
PEOPLE... ARE TALKING
On CompuServe
compiled by
Joe Mirando
CIS ID: 73637,2262
Hidi ho friends and neighbors. Boy, what a week! Busy, busy, busy.
First of all, there's this column to work on. Second, I'm working on the
first installment of that new technology column that I told you about last
week (heck, it's tough trying to put something like the Internet in a couple
of pages). Then I get a package in the mail from our friendly neighborhood
Atari editor with a Jaguar game inside. I won't tell you which one, but
it's probably the best fighting game available for the Jaguar if not for any
game machine. Although I've only had it for a day, I must say that I'm
quite impressed with the graphics and audio. I've never liked "fighters"
much... they seem to require reflexes and hand/eye coordination that I don't
possess. The nice thing about this game is that it seems to require a bit
more than reflexes. Tactics are also important. Hmmm, just like real life.
<grin>
Anyway, look for both the game review and the new column next week.
Oh, and by the way, if you have a good idea for a title for the new
column, drop me a line at 73637.2262@compuserve.com (I hope to soon have an
address on our Web page, http://www.streport.com soon) and let me know.
I've thought about something like "TECH TALK", "TECHNICALLY SPEAKING", and
"TECHNOLOGY TODAY", but those titles seem to lead in the wrong direction.
This is not going to be some dry diatribe on the process of doping
crystalline silicon with gallium arsenide, it's about cutting these new
things down to a size that enable folks like you and me to understand it
all. Knowledge is power, after all. The first installment I'll be doing
solo, but I plan on going straight to the horses' mouths for many subjects
that are just over my head. We're not going to turn this into a "name the
column" contest or anything, but we _do_ want to hear your opinions,
thoughts, gripes, and humor. So drop me a line!
Well, let's get on with the reason for this column... all the great
news, hints, tips, and other info available every week right here on
CompuServe.
From the Atari Computing Forums
Can you imagine someone who's never used an Atari computer before?
Heck, that's downright.... wrong! <grin>
Dan Hufnagel tells us:
"This is my first experience with the Atari. I am attempting to
resolve a problem for a friend. Their word processing program will no
longer execute. When I double-click on the wwriter.prg icon, it looks
like its executing but we get a "fatal error. resource file not
found". There looks to be a wwriter.rsc file in the same folder but,
obviously corrupted.
Can someone give me the basics with the Atari? I can move around
pretty well on most computing systems and networks but, I don't want to
screw something up.
My friend says this may be an extremely old program. The system is an
Atari 520ST. She was suggested to buy "That's Write", Multiwriter, or
First Word Plus as an alternative. I don't want them to spend money on
a new program if their existing one can be recovered."
Helpful (and knowledgeable) as ever, Albert Dayes of Atari Explorer
Online Magazine tells Dan:
"You might reinstall the program Word Writer or at least copy the a
new copy of the resource file from the original disk. I assume you are
using a hard drive?"
Sysop Bob Retelle adds:
"You may be right about the resource file being corrupted.. if you
have the original disks, re-installing the program may work, as Albert
suggested.
Another possibility would be to try another wordprocessor. We have a
very nice Public Domain program in our software library here, called
STWriter.
Fortunately the Atari ST shares the same floppy disk file format with
the IBM PC, so you could download the program for your friend and copy
it onto a floppy for her.
The trick to making it work is to format the floppy on the PC, being
sure to format it as a 720K disk.
Keep us posted on how you're coming with the problem..."
Jon Sanford tells Dan:
"I will assume they don't have a hard drive or a backup copy. in that
case... watch the stuff forsale here ATARIST software is not expensive.
For a 520 some of the new programs may be to big.
do a keyword search for "word" in the libraries here. there are free &
shareware wordProcessors . STWRITER comes to mind. I have been playing
with it recently, very simple, very complicated also."
That may sound like a contradiction folks but, trust me, it's very true.
This must be the week for newbies, because Stewart Murrell posts:
"Here's a beginner's question, I think. I've been trying to install a
printer to the serial port of someone's ST, but I know next to nothing
about them. (I'm all IBM-compatible here.)
Don't know exactly what sort of ST it is, or what version of TOS, but
it's the one with the system ROM bug where it stores the screen
resolution the wrong way round and you have to run a utility after
saving the settings to swap the resolution setting around -- if this
makes any sense.
Anyway, I installed the printer on the serial port, but the printer
needed 1200 baud, but the default setting for the Atari port was 2400
baud (from memory). I think I found that to be able to alter the serial
baud rate, I had to install the VT-52 emulator first. Does this sound
right?
After doing this, I managed to get the Desktop to load on boot-up, the
VT-52 was also loaded, and the serial port was at 1200 baud. I could
then load up ProText, and it would print okay to the serial port.
However, before all this, on powering up the system would boot and
automatically start ProText. Now it just gives the desktop. What needs
to be changed so that it goes straight into ProText again? I've tried
the 'Save Desktop' option, but it doesn't seem to do anything."
That Albert Dayes guy comes to the rescue again (boy, I wish he wrote
for us <grin>):
"You need to place Protext in the auto folder. This is similar to the
autoexec.bat on the PC."
Sysop Bob Retelle adds his own thoughts:
"Saving the desktop only saves the appearance and preferences (like the
serial port baud rate), it won't autoboot programs.
Unfortunately, applications with a filename extension of .PRG will
not work directly from the AUTO folder. This is because the system is
not fully initialized when the AUTO folder programs are run.
I'm not sure exactly which version of TOS you were describing (I do
recognize the problem of not booting up in the saved resolution, but I
don't remember which version it was that had that particular bug), but
later versions had a selection on the desktop menu bar to allow
autostarting a program...
Earlier systems can do the same thing by using a small utility called
STARTGEM which essentially runs a selected program after the system is
fully initialized. We should have that utility in our software library
here."
Sheldon Tucker asks about using his newly acquired Atari 800 computer:
"I just obtained an Atari 800XL. Is there anywhere I could find the
cables neccessary to hook up to a monitor??(not a TV please). I have
two monitors (one a Commodore), both need two or three wire
inputs(ie:1-sound, 2 picture). I believe I have all other cables and
some software>
P.S. Are there any magazines you would recommend where I can review
available hardware and software??)"
Albert Dayes of Atari Explorer Online Magazine gives Sheldon the first
three names that popped into my head (See? Great minds think alike!):
"There is:
Best Electronics - (408)-243-6950,
B&C - (408) 986-9960, and
Toad Computers - (800) 448-8623.
There are some 8-bit magazines available by subscription. One is
called Atari Classics I believe."
Jim Wellington tells Sheldon:
"If you have a 1701, 1702, or something similar for a monitor, it will
serve you well. I have used this set-up for some time. You'll find
that the 3 wire connection in the rear will give you the most readable
image and will probably use it most of the time.
Have fun. I think Commodore used the same DIN plug configuration from
its unit also."
Alvin Baligad asks for help from...
"Anybody who knows: I'm looking for an archiver for my Falcon 030
that'll let me get to all those programs/files online. Seems kinda
funny to me that all the archiver files are in a format you have to
de-ARC or that are LZHed or ZIPped or whatever. Thanks for the help."
Sysop Bob Retelle tells Alvin:
"Look for a file called ARCLZH in the libraries.. it contains both
the ARC and LZH utilities, along with a ShareWare shell program to make
it easier to use both of them.
The file is self-extracting.. all you need to do is just double-click
on it."
Alvin replies:
"I'll try it...How come, Mr Sysop, you need to extract the extracting
files? Its like you need an extracter to extract the extracters? ;>
Sysop Bob tells Alvin:
"Ah yes.. the old "Catch-22"...
Actually, we do prefer to have the extractor programs uploaded as
"self-extracting" files.. (the kind where you just click on them and
they uncompress themselves), but some of the authors of the programs
seem to feel that everyone has the old version anyway, so no one will
have any problem uncompressing the new version if they upload it in a
compressed format.
That ARCLZH.PRG file is the one I usually recommend, since you don't
need anything else to get it going..."
Cort Sauerwein asks Tom Harker of ICD (Incredibly Cool Devices) about is
AdSpeed accelerator:
"I am using an 1040STf with TOS 1.04 and the ICD AdSpeed ST. I have
found that the drive will not format a disk when the CPU is set to
16Mhz; only when I set it to 8 will it format. This problem occurred
with the old TOS chips as well. Is this normal?"
Tom asks Cort:
"What does "format" mean in this message? Are you talking about
formatting floppy disks or your hard drive?
This is not normal with any formatting that we know of but could
be if you are using a formatting program that we are not aware of."
Cort tells Tom:
"Sorry, specifically I meant formatting floppies from the desktop, or
within an appl an application. I always get an error message unless I
switch to 8 Mhz."
Tom tells Cort that this is...
"Definitely NOT normal. Try turning off the blitter. It sounds like
something is flakey in your system and choking."
Meanwhile, on the subject of Iomega's ZipDrive vs. SyQuest's EZY, Jon
Sanford tells us:
"I just got a EZY 135 because it will work on the Mac & Atari. I have
the Mac side working with MagiCMac installed so far. I expect to get
the ATARI hooked up RSN (Real Soon Now).
With one disk formated for ATARI & one Mac this should be fantastic."
Albert Dayes tells Jon:
"The EZY 135 does sound very promising from everything people
(including yourself) have stated."
For you folks who haven't heard about either of these products, I'll
explain:
The Iomega ZipDrive is a removable hard drive that holds 100 megabytes
of data and looks like a thick 3.5 inch disk.
The SyQuest EZY 135 is a removable hard drive that holds (can you
guess?) 135 megabytes of data and is encased in a hard plastic shell,
much like other SyQuest removables.
There has been some talk about reliability problems with the ZipDrive,
but since I don't have one, I don't know for sure.
On the subject of upgrading or jumping platforms, Jerry Lok posts:
"I... realise that I am working with an 6 year old system, it is maybe
time to upgrade my 1040 ST (2.5Mb) or switch to an other system.
(Bhooooo)"
John Trautschold at Missionware software tells Jerry:
"You certainly may want to upgrade, but you don't necessarily have to
upgrade to something non-Atari. There are still new Falcons and TT030s
available and there are a number of these for sale used as well. I'm
still using my TT and absolutely love it. It's an excellent system
that does everything I need it to do."
Jon Sanford chimes in and tells John:
"I have a Mac PowerBook 165c besides the Atari STE16Mega for BBSing.
FlashII on the Atari is way better than Aladin SitComm Or Zterm on the
Mac...
While I have your attention. <grin>
I also am annoyed by having to scroll up the window to see where I am
in an online session.
I didn't understand your suggestion to the other person who asked
about it.
I get the feeling that there are features not covered in the update
manual. It may mention them but not how to use them.
If you were to write up hints & tips here I believe it would help keep
some action going."
John explains to Jon:
"Because the terminal screen is now inside of a window, it's possible
that you may not be able to view a full, standard, 80 columns by 24 row
online screen. We provide a number of ways to get around this problem.
1) You can scroll the screen up and down, like you are now, to see
everything.
2) You can use a different font called the "Small Font" in Terminal
Options. Using this font permits you to get an 80 x 24 screen at
the minimum (that's *with* all of the other window elements turned
on).
3) Turn off various window elements. You can turn off the status
line and the window borders. These are also controlled in the
Terminal Options dialog.
What you need to do is experiment with the three different window
element controls including Small Font, Window Borders and Status. You
can also try changing the number of Rows that F2 displays in that same
dialog."
On the subject of postscript files, Denis Postle posts:
"I occasionally have a problem with postscript output files. The file
is at a remote laser printer and the page orientation is coming out
wrong. Like, a landscape layout is trying to print across the top of a
portrait sheet. (I _have_ set the PS printer driver orientation for
landscape, Atari 2.2)
Is there an accessible bit of code in the postscript file that i could
edit to shift the orientation?
Oh and pagestream for Mac, (I don't see this forum much now you've
dropped Atari) what are it's system/ memory requirements?"
Albert Dayes of... well, you know, tells Denis:
"You can use the postscript commands translate and rotate to achieve a
landscape orientation. Assuming an 8.5 x 11 inch page ...
612 0 translate
90 rotate
That will change a page from a portrait orientation to a landscape
orientation."
Mike Loader at Soft-Logik Publishing tells Denis:
"You need to use the 2.2.99 driver if you're having that problem with
PostScript output. The centering code in the 2.2.11 driver isn't
compatible with all PS devices.
PageStream3 for Macintosh requires an 030 or better and 8MB of memory
(subject to change, but unlikely to change) with at least System 7.1.
The PowerMac version requires any PowerMac with at least 8MB of
memory, subject to change too of course."
Well folks, on that note we'll stop and think for a moment... about whatever
you want to think about. I'm off to do some more research on the 'Net, so
I'll see you next week, same time, same station, and be ready to listen to
what they are saying when...
PEOPLE ARE TALKING
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