THAT'S WHAT IT SAYS:
How can you tell that there are a lot of
ex-Commodore people working for Atari? Easy, you just look at the
new promotional literature for the 130XE. Commodore have been saying
that about Atari for years. Makes you feel kind of weird doesn't it,
holding in your hand a magazine that was entirely keyed in on a
games machine? Maybe one day we'll have our own photo-setter but
we'll have to wait until Atari buys out Linotron or Monotype. After
all, what's the point in paying £20,000 for a machine that can't
play Pacman?
_______________
AN ORIGIN-AL VENTURE
One of the few companies still doing the PR bit in
grand style is Microprose who sent us a cracking press release
folder to announce their joint venture in the UK with Origin Systems
Inc. The press pack is full of superb posters, flyers, manuals,
company info etc. all done in grand style to ensure that they get a
good write up! I wish you could see it all!
Regular readers of PAGE 6 will know all about the
quality of Origin products from the recent review of Ultima IV and
this is one of several packages to be launched in the UK from July
onwards. Others include AutoDuel, a futuristic car combat adventure
based on the award winning Car Wars board game, and Ogre set on the
battlegrounds of the 21st century with armoured footsoldiers
fighting it out with tactical nuclear weapons! Not an arcade game
this, but a one or two player game of strategy, again based on a
successful board game. Another title planned by Origin for the Atari
is Moebius, an original fantasy role playing game with martial arts,
sword fighting and magic set in a fantasy island kingdom.
Origin products will be released on disk only at
£19.95 for the 8 bit Atari and £24.95 for the ST. Most of the titles
previously available for the Atari 8 bit will be made available on
the ST.
_______________
MIRRORSOFT CONVERT TO 8 BIT
Mirrorsoft's recent deal with American company
Mindscape (see ST News) is not limited just to the ST. 8 bit
versions of Mindscape titles, where available, will now be
distributed by Mirrorsoft and they are to undertake a certain amount
of conversion work themselves to bring other titles to the 8 bit
market.
_______________
WELCOME TO THE LOST CONTINENT
It's pleasing to see another company supporting the
Atari 8 bit market especially when they say 'there has been a great
demand from retailers for ATARI software'!
ATLANTIS software recently released two budget
titles for the Atari, each at £2.99. PANIK is 'an arcade classic'
first released on the Commodore and DEATH RACE features day and
night driving, speeds of up to 300 mph and 'great graphics'!
ATLANTIS are entering a difficult market where criticism is often
levelled at conversions from other machines, so they are anxious to
support Atari with original titles. The wider the base of software
producers for the Atari in the UK, the better so if you have any
original games to offer, why not give Carole Jones of ATLANTIS a
ring? You can get her on 01 771 8642.
_______________
AT LAST THE AFFORDABLE PRINTER BUFFER
Frontier Software of Harrogate who distribute the
Supra Hard Disk Drives in the UK have also made available, perhaps
the first really affordable printer buffer that will work with any
computer already attached to a Centronics printer.
The MicroStuffer printer buffer retails at just
£49.95 and has a full 64k of RAM to buffer any data sent to your
printer thus freeing the computer for other work. Included is a self
test and a rather unique 'Repeat' feature that allows the contents
of the buffer to be reprinted as many times as required. Ideal for
producing several copies of a document when you want to use the
computer for something else.
The Micro Stuffer will work on all Atari models
and is available from your local dealer or direct from Frontier
Software, P.O. Box 113, Harrogate, North Yorkshire, HG2 OBE.
_______________
SOFTWARE SHORTS
Recently released by Firebird on their Silver
£1.99 range is Chimera, widely respected on most other micros, a
sort of arcade space adventure in which you need to destroy the
space ship Chimera before it destroys the Earth. Also at £1.99 is
Microrhythm, a digitised drum kit which bears remarkable
similarities to DigiDrum from 2 Bit Systems which is not surprising
since it says on the label copyright 1987 2 Bit Systems!
Prism Leisure Corporation have acquired Addictive
Games from Kevin Toms and their Football Manager is now available on
the Atari for just £2.99. An ST version is promised later with
enhanced graphics and gameplay for £14.95.
Announced by US Gold from SSI are the strategy
games Colonial Conquest at £24.99 and Wargame Construction Set at
£19.99. Both are on disk only. The former is a game of world
domination for up to 6 players each controlling one of 6 countries
whilst the Wargame Construction Set is just that, make up your own
games and show how it should be done!
Also from US Gold are Broderbund's 'Electronic
Novels' Mindwheel, Essex and Brimstone. Each title comes with its
own hard bound novel which is essential reading to be able to
complete the game. Mindwheel allows you to time travel into the
minds of four deceased geniuses in a quest to retrieve the wheel of
wisdom, whilst Essex takes place aboard the colossal starship Essex
and is an adventure of intergalactic search and rescue in a bid to
save the Universe. Brimstone is more fantasy where you relive the
ancient adventures of the Albion Manuscripts in the underworld realm
of Ulro. All on disk at £24.99 each.
Billed as the first Atari 3D chess game, Colossus
4 Chess was recently released by CDS Software and includes
back-track facilities, a problem solving mode and handicapping
amongst other features. Colossus 4 is a powerful program that, early
in its career, beat 24 other programs in a series of 16 game
matches. Can it beat you? £9.95 for a cassette version or £14.95 for
disk will let you find out.
top
