June 1988 - Family Computing and K-Power Magazine Archives

CANADIAN 

$3.75 

Home-Office 

Product Reviews 

24 Software Reviews 

JUNE 1988 

VOLUME 6 

NUMBER 6 

Our Man in Moscow 

USA Computers Tour the USSR 

Free Mailing labels Program 

k. . __-^^^^_ 

Remote-Host Software: 

How to Run Your 

Computer From Afar

V^LyX^** V^t 

Some people never know where 

their next job's coming from. That's 

why there's Microsoft5 Works: 

Four stunningly simple, amazingly 

versatile software programs in one. 

At your fingertips. A microsecond 

away. On the Macintosh or PC 

nearest you. 

Word processing, for fast memos, 

detailed reports, breathtaking 

presentations. 

A super-flexible database for 

October 27,1987 

Progressive Oifice 

16011 NE38h Way 

Redmond, WA 98073 

Dear Jon; 

below: 

Copier Supplies 

Computer Supplies 

Typewriter Supplies 

Mailroom Supplies 

TOTAL SALES 

Sincerely, 

Frank Addison 

3rd Quarter Sales 

uld>«t tie «] 

S0irtMr.ll (J4.7*) 

r" 

South (18.fl«) 

west [17.9*1 

April May 

S27.10122 S24.456.65 

$36,367.26 

June 

sorting, searching, remembering. 

Jobs, clients, vendors and promises. 

A powerful spreadsheet to com- 

TOTALS 

S84,69B.B4 

$126,763.98 

$128,638.79 

S135.403.65 

tQ ^^^ yOU |n

AS.AS, TG.LF 

pute, analyze, interpret, and then 

graph anything to do with numbers. 

Finally, a communications tool 

for stock quotes,-travel reservations, 

research and bulletin boards. 

Learning Microsoft Works is a 

snap. It starts with a painless, 

step-by-step, instantly gratifying 

computer-based training program. 

to: 

Required Systems. 

Word processing: 

Spreadsheet; 

Database: 

Communications. 

import/Export. 

Help: 

IntegraUon. 

Before you know it, you know it. 

And of course, Works is a product 

from Microsoft, the preeminent 

developer of programs for personal 

computers. 

If you're in a business that won't 

let you stick to one thing, check 

out the program that can change 

jobs as fast as you do. 

Microsoft8Works, fbr everyone. 

For the name of your nearest Microsoft dcaler.call (800) 541-1261.Dept. E-28. 

Microsoft is;i registered trademark of Microsoft Corporal ion. 

Apple i-. ;i rvîsicred trademark and Macintosh is a trademark uf Apple Computer; Inc. 

HIM is a reslsieied trademark of International Business Machines Corporation. 

December 15,1987 

FredBlaine 

975 Rockside HIU 

Indianapolis. IN 46233 

(317)265-3875 

INVOICE 

Microsoft Corporation 

SfflS, Macintoshlus, Macintosh „. 

,|)5 PC, PS/2 or Compatible 

Price 

**•*•*•**** 

Fontijupgr. »..».»» 

Mailing labels *.*.*•«**** 

More than 50 functions *********** 

^ 256 by 4,096 cells »***.***•» 

At least 5 chart tyPes •***.*•**** 

Form and list views »„«.«*•**• 

Calculated database fields **»****••*• 

VT52/I00terminal emulation ,***«••••* 

Jmoc/Om support * 

other word processing files „......*.* 

"^ spreadsrieet tiles ,.....**-.* 

Other database files *,*•**•*••• 

Gontext-sensitivs hBlp *********** 

On-line tutorial . w,r,a_11_h. ***««****•* 

Multiple files open simultaneously ....,.,.,.* 

Dynamic chart linking *********** 

Cut/copy/paste between files 

.!-«»«* Easy to use.

America's best-selling mini-van? 

Your first look tells you Aerostar is a 

superbly versatile mini-van, with a style all 

its own. Its design is sleek, modern, aero 

dynamic. The wind works for it, not against 

it. With luxurious touches throughout and 

its special options, Ford Aerostar is America's 

best-selling mini-van. 

New Eddie Bauer style. 

This year there's a sporty 

model with dual front Captain's Chairs, 

special two-tone paint, unique interior 

appointments, and more. It's Aerostar with 

the good looks of the great outdoors! 

Designed to move you. 

But Aerostar's success isn't based only on 

distinctive looks. Its standard 3.0L V-6 has 

multi-port Electronic Fuel Injection for easier 

starting and smooth running. It delivers a 

spirited 145 horsepower. That's greater than 

any Chrysler mini-van. And it's powerful 

enough to tow an impressive 4900 lbs** 

Living room. 

Aerostar's advanced styling gives you loads 

of useable space. It comfortably seats up to 

7 people." Or remove both rear seats, and 

create 139 cu. ft. of cargo space. You can 

even convert Aerostar into a sleeper with the 

Nobody does it better... 

the 1988 Ford Aerostar.

folding seat-bed option.+ All this in a minivan 

that's a breeze to handle and park, prac 

tically anywhere, even inside your garage. 

6-Year/60,000-Mile Powertrain Warranty. 

Covers major powertrain 

components for 6 years/ 

60,000 miles. Restric 

tions and deductible 

apply. Also, participating dealers back their 

customer-paid work with a free Lifetime 

Service Guarantee, good for as long as you 

own your vehicle. Ask to see these limited 

warranties when you visit your Ford Dealer. 

Ford. Best-Built American Trucks...seven 

years running. 

Based on an average of owner-reported 

problems in a series of surveys of '81-'87 

models designed and built in North America. 

At Ford, "Quality is Job 1" 

"Based on manufacturer's reported model year retail deliveries through 

July 31, 1987. **When properly equipped. Towing rating is reduced by 

passenger and cargo weight in towing vehicle. fWith optional rear 

bench seat. Seal-bed Optional on XL only. 

Have you driven a Ford...lately?

Personal Faxability! 

TheCanonFaxPhone"20. 

With personal convenience and high-performance features, 

it's a great catch for any business. 

In an age when business as usual, isn't anymore, Canon presents a 

personal facsimile for everyone, 

The FaxPhone 20. An advanced facsimile thai sends and receives docu 

ments in seconds. A personal phone system with automatic access, too. 

What's more, with a transmission speed of 17seconds per page! this 

Canon FaxPhone gives you reach you never thought you had. It even 

speed-dials multiple locations- Automatically. 

And, at just over eight pounds, it's compact enough to work anywhere. 

The Canon FaxPhone 20. It's the high-performance fax for everyone's 

personal style. And that's no fish story.

JUNE 

1988 

COVER STORY 

39 BUYER'S GUIDE TO 

POPULAR COMPUTERS 

Take the confusion out of 

computer shopping. Our 

guide to 45 systems in 

cludes specifications and 

prices for models from Ap 

ple. Atari. Commodore. 

IBM. and Leading Edge. 

Tandy, and other IBM-com 

patible manufacturers. 

SPECIAL FEATURE 

51 OUR MAN IN MOSCOW 

Travel with F&HOC Con 

tributing Editor Steve Mor- 

genstern and a U.S. tech 

nology exhibit to Russia. 

where he gave many Soviet 

citizens their first exposure 

to the power of PCs. 

FINANCE 

12 SOFTWARE FOR 

SMALL-BUSINESS 

BOOKKEEPING 

Review of Info Team Turbo 

Accounting, a flexible, easyto-use. 

S99 solution to auto 

mating your books. 

TELECOMPUTING 

14 REMOTE CONTROL 

Put the files and pro 

grams on your home or of 

fice computer at your fin 

gertips—wherever you roam. 

Page 37 

PUBLISHED BY SCHOLASTIC INC. 

& HOME OFFICE 

THE OFFICE AT HOME 

10 HOME-OFFICE SHOPTALK 

This month, consultant 

Joanne Pratt advises a tele 

marketing rep; a nursing 

administrator: aspiring 

word-processing entrepre 

neurs; and a cleaning-ser 

vices contractor. 

46 BLUEPRINT FOR SUCCESS: 

WAVE TYPOGRAPHERS 

Discover how innovative 

technology, competitive 

pricing, and elbow grease 

transformed a small bcachsidc 

type shop into a bus 

tling home business. 

APPLICATIONS & 

UTILITIES 

48 MAKING FINANCIAL 

DECISIONS WITH A 

SPREADSHEET 

Put your spreadsheet's 

built-in formulas to work 

calculating buy-and-sell 

scenarios. 

PRODUCT REVIEWS 

58 HARDWARE 


The Arche Rival 286: 

the Apple MIDI Interface; 

the IBM Personal System/2 

Model 50; Ihc Toshiba 

P351SX 24-pin printer: the 

Zenith ZCM-1490 VGA 

monitor: and Phone-Mate's 

telephone answering ma 

chine. 

63 SOFTWARE 

SOFTWARE GUIDE 8. REVIEWS 

Reviews of 24 programs 

for business & productivity. 

education & creativity, and 

entertainment. 

DEPARTMENTS 

6 EDITOR'S NOTE 

8 LETTERS 

26 EDUCATION 

VOLUME 6 

NUMBER 6 

DICTIONARIES AND 

THESAURUSES 

Use electronic dictionaries 

and thesauruses to perfect 

your word-processing, 

spreadsheet, and database 

documents. 

29 ENTERTAINMENT 

HINTS AND NEWS 

Unlock unsolved games 

with the book Quest for 

Clues: help TV's ALF return 

to his home planet; get in 

on an Electronic Arts's 

"two-fer" special; and check 

out a new genre from the 

author of Wizardry. PLUS: 

Hints for The Ancient Art of 

War; Might and Magic; and 

Pirates! 

IT MACHINE SPECIFICS 

News, opinions, quotes, 

and rumors about Apple. 

Atari. Commodore. IBM, 

Tandy, and MS-DOS ma 

chines. 

54 USING HYPERCARD 

How to create a free-form 

database in HyperCard. 

71 THE PROGRAMMER 

This month's programs: 

Mailing Labels (Productivi 

ty) and Wreckless Racer 

(Fun & Games). 

85 THE CLASSIFIEDS 

88 ADVERTISER INDEX 

FAMILY a NOME-OFFICE COMPUTING I ISSN 0738- 

60791 IB publlshrd monthly by Scholastic Inc.. 

730 I)roadway. New York. NT 10003. Subscrip 

tions: tn U.S.. 12 issues for S19 97; Canadian 

and U.S. possessions add S6.00 per year For 

poslag*: Foreign residents add S8.00 per year. 

I'rlnled In U.S.A. CopyrlRht B 1988 by Scholas 

tic Inr. All rlghU reserved. 

COSTMASTEH Send addrrss chaw* and no- 

tlcr of undelivered copies lo FAMILY & IIOME- 

OFFIOE COMPUTING. P O. Box 5.1561. Uouldrr. 

CO BD312-3561. Known office of publication. 

Scholastic Inc.. 351 Carver Rd.. Uo\ 27OC. Mon 

roe. OH 4SO5O-270O. Second-class postage paid 

al Monroe, OH 45050-99UH and additional of- 

FAMILY COMPUTING is a registered trademark of 

Scholastic Inc.. and FAMILY A NOME-OFFICE 

COMPUTINO Is .i trademark of Scholastir Inc. 

COVER PHOTOGRAPH BY PAUL D1XNOCENZO. 

COMPUTERS (FROM LEFT TO R1GHTI ARE THE 

IBM PS2 MODEL 50. APPLE IICS, 

TANDY 1000 SX. A.SD MACINTOSH SE. 

JUNE 1988 5

OUTSTANDING 

SOFTWARE 

For IBM PC's and Compatibles 

Small Quantities 

$000 

DISK 

For Ten or More 

SHIPPED WITHIN 24 HOURS! 

Satisfaction Guaranteed or Money Back! 

BUSINESS 1—EZ-FORMS business form 

generalion. completion and printing program. 

CAD 3—The PC-Flow i.Ocomputer aided flow 

chart generation program Color graphics required. 

V COMM 4a,b,c,d,e—(5 asks) Join the worid of 

sysops with RBBS Bulletin Board System 14.1 D. 

2 DATABASE 1a,b—(2 disks) File Express 3 B 

menu driven general purpose database manager. 

EDUCATION 1—Interactive DOS tutorial lor new 

PC users. Makes learning DOS painless. 

2 FINANCE 1a,b—(2 disks) PC Accountant 2.0 

personal bookkeeping and finance management. 

GAMES 1—3-D Pacman, Kong, Spacewar. Janit- 

Joe. futuristic Flightmare and more. Color requited. 

GAMES 2—QuberL Pango. Centipede, dun 

geons and dragons style Zoarre. etc. Color req. 

GAMES 3—B1acK|ack with customizable rules. 

Armchair Quarterback (you call plays), and more. 

GAMES 4— Slar TreK, the Castle adventure 

game, and the original Colossal Caves Adventure. 

GAMES 5—The Hack adventure game Irom the 

universities. Like Rogue, only much richer. 

] GAMES S—Pmball. Othello, Dragons. Sopwith 

(fly a Sopwith Camel] and more. Color required. 

2: INFO 1a,b—(2 disks) Cooking recipes database 

with keyword'ingredient letneval Add your own. 

'21 MUSIC 2a,b—(2 disks) PianoMan 3.0 polyphonic 

music recording and playback program. l 

"Z\ ORGANIZER 1—DeskTeam. a S*jekit* cloi 

and the Judy personal calendar program, 

j PRINTER 1—Resident print control and font 

utility, intelligent spooler, banner maker, and more. 

~1 SIMULATION 1—Maze making program. MITs 

Life simulation, starfelds. etc. Color graphics req. 

■ UTILITIES 1—A collection of invaluable general 

purpose DOS utilities. An absolute must for all. 

' UTILITIES 2—More invaluable DOS utilities in 

cluding screen burnout, ram disk, and more. 

J UTILITIES 3—A comprehensive set ol debugging 

and diagnostic utilities lor monitoring your computer 

NEW RELEASES/UPDATES 

BUSINESS 2—Eip.-essgraph business graphics. 

Chart your data and find trends. Color graphics req 

[J] CAD 1a,b—(2 disksj Fingerprint 1.2 advanced 

painting and Aliamira object oriented design Color 

\2] CAD 2a,b— (2 disks) DanCad3d. an advanced 

2D/3D drafting program w/animatton, 640K. color 

[U COMM 2a,b—(2 disks) Procomm 2.42. an excel 

lent modem program with terminal emulation. 

] EDUCATION 3—PC-Fastype 1.20 typing tutor. 

ideal for beginners and advanced students alike, 

!2j FINANCES 3a,b—(2disks) Express Calc 3.12. 

a powerful and user friendly spreadsheet program. 

GAMES 8—Striker helicopter attack and Risk, the 

game ol world domination. Color required. 

GAMES 12—Backgammon [play the computer] 

and Wheel of Fortune based on the gameshow. 

H] GRAPHICS 1—Record and play back screen images! 

Excellent for demo. etc. Color required. 

3, GRAPHICS 2a,b,c—(3 disksi An excellent 3-D 

surface modelling and shading program. Color. 

T\ INFO 2a,b-(2 disks) Zip-Phone, national 

areacode.'prefix to zip-code cross reference. 

2J LANGUAGE 3a,b—(2disks) The AS6 3.09 

macro assembler arxl debugger for 8088'86'286s. 

T] SHELL 4a,b—(2 disks) Automenu and HDM II 

4.04 hard disk prog, lor custom lull-screen menus. 

] UTILITIES 5—Hard disk utilities tor verifying, for 

matting, parking and optimizing your disk drives. 

_] UTILITIES 6—Advanced ulilities including 

Mark/Release (remove resident progs w/o rebootl) 

UTILITIES 7—More advanced utilities Including 

Mastetkey {undeletes files from Hard disks). 

T] WORD 1a,b—(2 disks) PC Write 2.71, a powerful 

word processing system w/spell checker, laser supt. 

Most software listed is shareware or user-supported. 

MicroCom Systems Cost of items 

3673 Enochs Street Shipping 

Santa Clara, CA CA res tax 

95051 Total end. 

(408) 737-9000 

Mop'Fri 7inri-9pm, Ssf-Sun E3m 5pTi 

6 FAMILY fil HOME-OFFICE COMPUTING 

S3.00 

EDITOR'S NOTE 

IN SEARCH OF VALUE 

Nearly everyone says the same thing: 

"To people who run a small or home- 

based business, value is the most 

important consideration in making 

a buying decision." 

On March 11, we held a Home-Of 

fice Forum to which we invited lead 

ers with expertise in working from 

home and running home-based 

businesses. They emphasized that 

for many people who work from 

home, computers and home-office 

equipment are the mainstay of their 

livelihood. First of all. it is important 

that they feel confident in the quali 

ty of the equipment on which they 

are so dependent. Another major 

concern is that if and when some 

thing goes wrong, service is readily 

available. Often that means buying a 

reliable brand and knowing where 

and how to get immediate service. 

But to me value says something 

else. It's personal, based on each of 

our perceptions and needs. In con 

trast, cost is impersonal, general. 

unrelated to what you or I may need, 

and therefore an unreliable factor 

upon which to make a purchasing 

decision. This is true of any com 

modity, but as the price and need 

increase, the importance of value 

goes up and the importance of price 

alone goes down. 

Throughout the five-year history of 

our magazine we have heard from 

distressed owners of supposed bar 

gain machines, often discontinued 

models that had limited or no 

growth or upgrade potential, no 

steady stream of software available. 

We continue to warn readers to be 

ware of bargains that seem too good 

to be true. Usually that's just what 

they are. 

Another reality we all have to deal 

with, however, is what we can af 

ford. And that means that cost re 

mains a factor in determining the 

value quotient. But don't look to buy 

based on price tag alone. Remember 

SCHOLASTIC INC. CORPORATE; 

Maurice R. Robinson, founder. 1895-1982 

to take the time and care to make 

buying a computer a personal 

choice. 

This month's "Buyers Guide to 

Computers" (page 39 ) was designed 

to give you a broad view of choices. 

based on price and category. We use 

this occasion to avoid assumptions 

about the kind of computer you 

might want to buy and bring you a 

range of options and prices. 

Throughout the year we run a va 

riety of buyer's guides, some based 

on specific operating systems; others 

are devoted to a single peripheral or 

add-on, such as a laser printer or 

monitor or various boards; some 

cover fax phones or personal copiers 

or other categories of home-office 

equipment. All are meant to help 

you make informed buying deci 

sions. 

We provide buying help in numer 

ous ways: through clear and concise 

explanations of what to look for in 

an item you're considering: through 

charts that enable you to compare 

various options; and through arti 

cles in question-and-answer format 

thai raise important issues in mak 

ing decisions. Much of each issue is 

devoted to product and purchasing 

information. That's because you tell 

us that's the way you want it. 

PRESIDENT. CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER. AND CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD: Richard Robinson 

VICE-CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD EMERITUS: Jack K. Llppert 

CLAUDIA COHL 

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF 

SCHOLASTIC NATIONAL ADVISORY COUNCIL: Dr. Sidney P. Marland. Jr.. chairman, former superintendent of 

schools and U.S. Commissioner of Education • Dr. Gregory Anrifi. president. Educational Testing Service • Elaine 

Banks, past president. National Association of Elementary School Principals • Michael J. Guerra. executive director, 

secondary schools. National Catholic Educational Association • Dr. Lola Jane May. mathematics ccnsultanl. Winnetka, 

Illinois, public schools • Dr. Wilson Riles, former superintendent of public instruction. State Department of 

Education. California • Dr. Richard Ruopp. president. Bank Street College of Education. New York. New York • Patsy 

R. Scales, library and media specialist. Greenville [South Carolina] Middle School • Elaine Stelnkemejer, president. 

The National PTA

New Insights, New Laughs, 

New Adventures, New Productivity. 

Yours Every Month. From UPTIME. 

"Last Night I Shot a Round of Golf and Created a 

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Man Cannot Live by Games Alone. Nor by busi 

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Every Disk Delivers the 

Best in educational, finance 

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grams directly to you. 

Look for us in Waldenbooks, 

B. Dalton and other book and 

computer stores in your area. 

Here's an example of a typical issue of UPTIME: 

► Starship Commander ► Klondike 

^ Dupedisk Utility 

► Morse Code Instructoi 

t- RoilcaU 

UPTIME Subscribers Say: 

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UpTime. A Masterful Mix. With the younger mem 

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Available for Apple II, IBM 8c 

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6 3 

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1

LETTERS 

WEIRD PROCESSING? 

In his March article on word pro 

cessing. Rob Krumm ignored the 

fact that centering, boldfacing and 

underlining, if not part of the origi 

nal inputting, require a tedious 

Sharpen Your PC Skills and 

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ONIY $6.65! 

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Learn From the Experts 

Draw on the vast experience of our 

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master each new application with 

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Become Experienced Inexpensively 

cEJaLJ 

Without investing a fortune, our monthly software will help you to see 

why your personal computer is the most versatile and powerful tool you 

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software for it, than you would have thought possible. At S6.65 a month, 

our monthly software is the best value in software today. 

Try our Monthly Software for Three Months 

Every month your postman will bring you the latest issue of our 

monthly software, contained on two unprotected 5VV diskettes. Each 

issue is chock-full of our best software, including utilities, games, 

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now and receive a special software gift absolutely free. 

Reviewers Love Our Monthly Software! 

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going to subscribe!.. .RATING: ■■■■Value for Money" 

Family Computing 

Softdisk rating: "\ iNCmER.Ai'R. 1987 

". . ./ highly recommend Loadstar If you can afford only one 

disk service, make it Loadstar..." 

Steve Levin. Commodore Microcomputers 

BIG BLUE DISK (IBM PC version) 

Contents of Issue #17 

• Casino Craps Vegas-style dice game. 

• Puzzle 15 Slide-the-tiles puzzler. 

• Label Printer Keep your address 

book on file. Select & print labels. 

• Alfredo's Hulking Hubris Comedy 

digital animated cartoon. 

• Print Shop" Images For use with 

Br0derbund"s® popular program. 

• A Pair of Sorts Compare 2 popular 

sorting algorithms in action. 

• Diskette Cookbook Includes Cajun 

recipes. Also add your own recipes. 

" And much more! 

Apple II. C64H28.IBM PC and Print sbn/i are trademarks of'Apple ComputerInc. Commodore Business Machines Inc., International BusinessMachinesInc. 

and BrederbundSoftware, respectively. Available at Whldenbooks, B. Dalton Booksellers, andfine bookstores everywhere (coverprice $9.95). 

tne bonus gift listed below for your computer 

when you order the next three issues of our 

monthly software for your IBM PC, Apple II orC64-12& 

FREE for IBM PC - "Best of BIG BLUB DISK" when you order 

BIG BLUE DISK. Nine of the best programs from recent issues. 

FREE for Apple II - 400 Print ShopIU Graphics on two disks 

when your order SOFTDISK - Not available elsewhere. 

FREE for C-64/128 - "Best of LOADSTAR" when you order 

LOADSTAR. 14 of the best programs from recent issues. 

Your Satisfaction Guaranteed 

If you are not satisfied with your purchase for any reason, 

return your first issue for a full S19-95 refund. The free 

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p'c*ase rusn niV frcc g'ft 'i»

HOME-OFFICE SHOPTALK 

AN EXPERT'S ADVICE ON STARTING, 

RUNNING, AND EXPANDING 

A HOME-BASED BUSINESS 

BY 

JOANNE H. 

PRATT 

Q. I am a telemarketing representative 

for a manufacturing firm. My husband 

is being transferred, and we will soon 

move to another city. My employer 

would like me to keep my sales terri 

tory and operate a home-based office. 

I will need a word processor, database, 

and spreadsheet. I want a program 

that can reschedule customer call 

backs, write form letters, and figure 

price quotes on a Mac Plus. I also want 

a program that dials the phone and re 

cords the length of my calls. What 

software do you recommend? 

SARAH F. ROWLEY 

Gatesville, Texas 

A. Bravo to your enlightened employ 

er! A good telemarketing software 

choice is the powerful C.A.T. pro 

gram from Chang Labs (5300 Ste 

vens Creek Blvd.. Suite 320, San 

Jose, CA 95129; [408] 246-8020: 

S395). This full-fledged relational da 

tabase is designed for Mac people 

like yourself who need to keep track 

of contacts, activities, and time. Ver 

sion 2 of C.A.T. includes all the sales 

features you need. In addition, it 

automatically posts each of your en 

tries and allows you to quickly track 

each of your interactions in multiple 

windows on-screen. 

You may not need a separate 

spreadsheet and word processor, but 

if you do. Microsoft Excel (S395) is 

an outstanding spreadsheet with da 

tabase functions. Microsoft Word 

(S395) will perform every feat you 

need for word processing, and more. 

joannf, H. PRATT, president of Joanne H. 

Pratt Associates. Dallas. Texas, has 28 

years of experience in operating home- 

based businesses. Her business 

conducts research and consults/or 

private and government clients. 

10 FAMILY & HOME-OFFICE COMPUTING 

Q. I am in charge of a medical/surgi 

cal ward, which is staffed by 12 indi 

viduals who must provide 24-hour cov 

erage with a minimum of two 

individuals per shift. Is there a pro 

gram that covers work schedules? 

HERMON L. SANTA ANA 

Biloxi. Mississippi 

A: R OJJlce Manager (R Systems. 

10310 Markison Road. Dallas. TX 

75238: [214] 343-9188) was devel 

oped for the army, so it may offer 

more control than you need. The PC 

version (SI95) will let you schedule 

your surgical team on a daily. 

monthly, or yearly basis. Individuals 

can keep personal schedules, and 

the calendar will highlight conflicts. 

The software includes note pad. cal 

culator, and phone-book features 

that will help you organize your 

desk. 

A low-cost alternative, if you have 

the time and a spreadsheet program, 

is to set up your own scheduling 

template. {Refer to "Getting More 

from Spreadsheets and Databases." 

in the January issue. for a descrip 

tion of a nursing administrator's 

spreadsheet model for scheduling 

her staff.) 

Q. My friend and I are planning to 

start our own typing/word-processing 

service from one of our homes. Unfor 

tunately, neither of us knows where to 

begin. Any suggestions? 

DIANE OSTLUND and ROBIN EPPS 

Brooklyn. New York 

A. Equipment can be leased, but 

prices have dropped so far that leas 

ing is no longer cost-effective. Be 

cause most businesses use MS-DOS 

machines, you will do best with an 

IBM XT. AT. or clone, a laser printer, 

and WordPerfect or Microsoft Word 

software. 

Try "temping" for a few months. 

You'll learn professional standards 

for corporate clients, and. if you 

earn $18 an hour as my daughter 

does in New York City, you'll soon 

pay for your equipment. But before 

you plunge in. research your market 

and write your business plan. Check 

the ads in the Village Voice for local 

pricing. Canvass the businesses in 

your neighborhood. Before you in 

vest in a new business, be sure that 

your services arc needed. (See "How 

to Start A Word-Processing Busi 

ness" in the November 1987 issue.) 

Q. I have a service for cleaning homes 

and offices. My problem is attracting 

more business. I have tried mailings 

and fliers. Do you have any ideas? 

JACQUELINE TAYLOR 

Chicago. Illinois 

A; Mailings and fliers sell cleaning, 

not the cleaner. You need to market 

a neat, clean, and dependable per 

son, someone clients can trust to 

leave behind a sparkling home and 

all of the silver. 

Build your business on satisfied 

customers. Ask for referrals from 

your clients. You may want to offer a 

bonus—perhaps clean a few win 

dows—for each new client that old 

customers bring to you. Also, be 

come acquainted with the leasing 

agents and building managers of the 

offices your employees now clean 

and request referrals. 

Valerie Bohigian's How to Make 

Your Home-Based Business Grow 

(Signet. 1986: S3.95) can help you 

determine whether you have over 

looked any factors such as presenta 

tion, pricing, or even your own com 

mitment to your business. Many of 

her tips apply to services as well as 

products. 

SEND US YOUR 

HOME-OFFICE 

QUESTIONS! 

Let Joanne Pratt be your home-office 

consultant. Send your questions 

about telecommuting, working for a 

corporation from home, or running 

a home-based business to: Home-Of 

fice ShopTalk, family & home-office 

computing. 730 Broadway, New York. 

NY 10003. Unfortunately, we will not 

be able to acknowledge each sub 

mission. ■

When it comes 

to personal copiers, 

our competition 

really taught us 

a lesson. 

(And now, they probably wish they hadn't) 

We weren't the first to introduce a personal copier. The commitment to provide one of the most extensive serv- 

Because we wanted to be the best. ice networks in the business. Along with the exclusive phone 

So we waited to unveil the LR-1, otherwise known as the number that goes with it. 1-800-FAST-FIX. 

"Little Ricoh" until we could give you all the important little And the commitment to back up our products with impresextras 

that go with it. Like on-site sales training. RO.S. support, sive advertising, promotions, and merchandising. 

and a full rep network, to name just a few. So if you're interested in doing big business with 

This way, the LR-1 doesn't just come with a lot of big features a company that provides 

(cartridge technology, 50-sheet paper capacity, business card to total marketing support, 

8H" x 14" copying capability). It also comes with some big call John Widlicka at 

corporate commitments as well. Like the commitment to keep 1-201-882-3929. 

profit margins from shrinking in size. Copiers within reach. 

CIRCLE READER SERVICE 22 

You can see "Little Ricoh" at CES Booth 6248, Home/Office Section.

FINANCE 

SOFTWARE FOR SAAALL-BUSINESS BOOKKEEPING 

Save Time and Money with InfoTeam Turbo Accounting 

BY WENDY COLE 

If you run a small business and are 

tired of spending hours each week 

keeping books the old-fashioned 

way. it's probably time to enlist your 

computer as your bookkeeper. Info- 

Team Turbo Accounting (Info De 

signs; 1313] 334-9790). a program 

intended specifically for small opera 

tions, may be just the program you 

need to become automated. The sys 

tem is flexible, easy to use. well-doc 

umented, and affordable. 

This S99 accounting software is 

easy to learn even if you've never set 

up an accounting program. A scaled- 

down version of Info Designs's suc 

cessful $495 InfoTeam Accountant, 

Turbo Accounting is a fully integrat 

ed system that includes modules for 

a general ledger, accounts payable, 

accounts receivable, invoices, and 

checks. Info Designs was smart to 

realize that there are many comput 

er users around who run business 

es, but who are reluctant to or can't 

afford to plunk down the SI.000 or 

more that it often costs to acquire 

the full range of accounting 

functions. 

Turbo Accounting's chart of ac 

counts can be loaded automatically 

by following a series of simple on 

screen directions depending on the 

type of business you have: corpora 

tion, partnership, or sole proprietor 

ship. The built-in chart contains 85 

account descriptions, including the 

standard payables, receivables, and 

current year's profits or losses, as 

well as more obscure accounts, such 

as janitorial or cleaning services, 

freight charges, and equipment 

rental. 

And you don't have to rely on the 

standard chart provided by Turbo 

Accounting. The system also allows 

you to modify the chart or design 

one specifically to meet your compa 

ny's needs. 

ACCOUNTING MADE EASY 

The system relies on simple two- 

letter mnemonic commands to carry 

out accounting functions. In most 

cases, the commands are logically la 

beled, such as El for Enter Invoices 

and MV for Maintain Vendor. A sep- 

wendy COLE, a reporter/'researcherfor 

Time magazine, reviews software for 

FAMILY & HOME-OFFICE COMPUTING. 


Iii« 14 23 i tn'Jr |i*it*t fa Printing *(: 

in .Si) tiKont 

Ciaiir .ft b ' 

toiri: ? Skini) 

; 9 Com l Tirr Sie t 151. Tim 0. FF »,:» Uii Sit 

Mil tTt 3) [isc 9,|J TU [|.u «i . !; 

Here are two screen shots of InfoTeam 

Turbo Accounting (available for IBM PCs 

and compatibles). The top screen is taken 

from the Accounts Payable module, and the 

bottom screen is from the Invoicing module. 

arate reference guide listing all the 

system commands is included in the 

package. 

Once you become familiar with 

Turbo Accounting's range of com 

mands, they're simple to use. But in 

the event you make an error or need 

more detailed information about a 

function or command, help is easily 

available by pressing the F10 key. 

An operator's manual describes in 

detail all of the program's features 

and commands. The manual also 

provides samples of the print reports 

available through the system, in 

cluding audit reports and cash-re 

ceipt records. 

Another handy feature of the sys 

tem is its unique security mecha 

nism. This allows a manager to offer 

an employee access to the system on 

a "need-to-know" basis. For in 

stance, you might want specific 

workers to be able to call up the cus 

tomer and vendor lists only for in 

quiry and not be able to alter them. 

The system allows you to set up six 

different operator codes, each with a 

password. A caveat: Don't forget 

your operator code or password, or 

you'll have to get another through 

Info Designs's customer support de 

partment in Bloomficld Hills, 

Michigan. 

LESS FOR YOUR MONEY? 

Unlike the earlier version—which 

allowed users to maintain records 

for more than 1,000 companies or 

until disk space ran out—Turbo Ac 

counting is designed specifically to 

handle the books for a single compa 

ny with only one branch or depart 

ment. In addition, there arc limits 

on the number of accounts that can 

be recorded. The Turbo system can 

accommodate a maximum of 750 ac 

counts, including general ledger, ac 

counts payable, and accounts receiv 

able. And no more than 600 

transactions in total can be conduct 

ed per period (usually per month). 

But these limits should not affect 

most small businesses. One missing 

feature, however, which could pose a 

bigger problem, is the inability of 

the scaled-down version to calculate 

finance charges. 

If you're concerned that you may 

outgrow the basic system, the com 

pany's full range of advanced ac 

counting software makes upgrading 

a snap. If you're interested in inven 

tory control (not included in the ba 

sic package), a separate module 

called inventory/order entry is avail 

able, as is a payroll module that 

tracks wage records. (Modules cost 

S100.) 

But the program, like most ac 

counting software, won't teach you 

the fundamentals of accounting or 

bookkeeping. If you've had problems 

with record keeping manually, it is 

best to sort your files with help from 

a professional before purchasing 

Turbo Accounting. 

The job of the software is to help a 

good manual system perform much 

faster and more efficiently. And 

there's no doubt that for many 

small-business operators. Turbo Ac 

counting is a great buy and is sure 

to fit (and print) the bill. ■ 

editors note: For an overview of 

accounting software and a listing of 

other packages, see the February 

iSSUe Of FAMILY & HOME-OFFICE 

COMPUTING.

"Find out how you 

can buy and sell stocks 

on-line!" 

With The Equalizer 

investment software you can 

go on-line to research 

investments, manage your 

portfolio—and trade. 

If you're using your PC for 

investment research, you already 

know that your computer gives you 

a powerful advantage over other 

investors. 

But with The Equalizer" from 

Charles Schwab, you can do much 

more than research investments. 

You can actually buy and sell securi 

ties—on-line! 

Schwab's Equalizer software 

gives you these advantages: 

Get the same news 

and investment 

recommendations used 

by the professionals! 

With The Equalizer you get 

professional investment information. 

News and quotes from Dow Jones 

News/Retrieval." And market com 

mentary, plus stock and option 

recommendations, from Standard & 

Poor's MarketScope." 

You even get STARS-S&P's 

system for ranking stocks by their 

appreciation potential. This is the 

Charles Schwab is America's 

largest discount broker, with 

more than one million active 

customer accounts and more 

than 105 offices nationwide. 

And at Schwab your assets are 

protected for up to 52,500,000 

through the Securities Investor 

Protection Corporation (SIPC) 

and Aetna Casualty & Surety 

Company (limited to $100,000 

for cash in your account). 

Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. does not give 

investment advice or recommend or endorse any 

particular source ofinvestment advice. 

f L - ,11111 

7kEQUALIZER" 

same database that a lot of profes 

sional investors use when they make 

their own stock recommendations! 

And if you want to execute a trade, 

you can do so immediately, because 

The Equalizer lets you... 

Place your own trades 

on-line. 

You can enter your own buy and 

sell orders with The Equalizer! Your 

orders go directly into Schwab's 

computer system, and on to the 

appropriate exchange. 

Market orders or limit orders at 

the market are often confirmed 

within seconds. Subsequent confir 

mations are sent to your electronic 

mailbox .There's just no 

faster way to trade! 

Plus, when you trade 

through Schwab, America's 

largest discount broker, 

you can cut your commis 

sion costs by up to 76% of 

the rates charged by fullcommission 

brokers. 

Keep your portfolio 

right at your 

fingertips. 

With The Equalizer 

you always know the cur 

rent value of your portfolio. 

Whenever you make a 

trade through Schwab, 

either by computer or over 

the phone, your portfolio 


Charles R. Schwab, Chairman 

Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. 

is automatically updated. And you 

can price your portfolio on-line 

throughout the day... a very big 

advantage in a fast-moving market! 

Join 15,000 other 

users who enjoy 

Schwab's excellent 

customer service. 

Today more than 15,000 investors 

use The Equalizer. One reason: 

The Equalizer is fully supported by 

a highly-trained customer service 

staff that's readily available through 

a toll-free 800 number. 

Send for a FREE 

Standard & Poor's 

Stock Guide today! 

Send in for a free Equalizer 

brochure, and you'll also receive a 

free S&P Stock Guide. Just mail in 

the coupon below or call toll free 

1-800-842-8300 

□ YES! Send me free infor 

mation about The Equalizer. 

And send me a FREE S&P 

Stock Guide while supplies last! 

(Please allow 4-6 weeks for delivery.) 

Name_ 

Address. 

Please Print Cltsily 

City. .State/Zip. 

Daytime Phone (. 

Charles Schwab 

Americas Largest Discount Broker 

Member SIPC/New York Stock Exchange, Inc. 

Mail to: 101 Montgomery Street, Dept. S 

San Francisco, CA 94104

TELECOMPUTING 

REMOTE CONTROL: Doctors, Consultants, and 

Salespeople Can Access Their Home or Office Computers 

From Remote Locations 

It never fails. Somehow you always 

need or want to use a personal com 

puter that's somewhere else! 

Repeatedly you'll find that you 

really want to run some program or 

copy some file on your computer, 

and it's not where you are. Or, the 

reverse. You're at your home or of 

fice, and you absolutely, positively 

have to get to something on a co- 

worker's computer. You need infor 

mation right away or want to help 

the other person with some problem. 

Well, wise old Ma Bell came up 

with the perfect answer years ago 

when she counseled us to "Let your 

fingers do the walking." 

With a telephone—modem connec 

tion and "remote-host software"— 

which includes a calling program 

and a host program—you can dial 

up a microcomputer at a remote lo 

cation and use it just as if you were 

sitting at its keyboard. The answer 

ing computer becomes a "host" com 

puter, allowing the remote caller to 

run programs and perform system 

work on the host machine. 

A PRACTICAL TOOL 

What kind of practical advantages 

can remote-host software provide? 

First of all. there is the sheer conve 

nience of remote access to your own 

computer. Nothing beats being 

able to dial in for a quick spread 

sheet recalculation, copy an obscure 

file you forgot to bring along, check 

that draft report, or look up the ex 

act numbers in a database file. After 

all. this is the computer age! 

For instance. Dr. Marc Hamburg, 

of Smithtown. New York, uses re 

mote-host software to dial into his 

computer in one of his two home of 

fices. "Best of all." he says, "now 1 

have dial-in access to my office file of 

patient records—from home, hospi 

tal, or any other location." 

Dr. Hamburg's office manager rou 

tinely uses PC Anywhere software 

(see "Popular Remote-Host Soft 

ware") to link the computers in 

both offices. His office manager dials 

krnkst PEREZ, who helped computerize 

the library at the Chicago Sun Times. 

now works in the newspaper's 

circulation department. 

1 4 FAMILY K HOME-OmCE COMPUTING 

BY ERNEST PEREZ 

into the computer at the other office 

to update patient records, copy files, 

and even print reports or bills. 

Dr. Hamburg says, "With PC Any 

where, you can even print a report 

originating from the remote comput 

er on your local printer. So, you 

don't even have to worry about being 

at the right office." 

In addition. Dr. Hamburg enjoys 

modifying his office system and is 

constantly "tweaking" it to get just a 

bit more performance or efficiency. 

"But my staff pushes me off the of 

fice machine during the day," he 

says. "So, in the late evening, I dial 

into the office AST/286 from home 

and take care of system modifica 

tions. 1 can make major system and 

menu changes. Sometimes, my staff 

is pretty surprised in the morning 

when they find what I've done dur 

ing the night!" A password option 

lets users protect their files from 

vandals. 

The only real negative or practical 

limitation to remote access is mo 

dem transmission speed. A Lotus I- 

2-3 or word-processor display flashes 

up on your local computer and gives 

you the high-speed personal comput 

er screen updates to which you're 

accustomed. The 1200-baud display 

speeds for remote transmission of 

that same screen display crawl along 

in comparison. Experienced remote 

users recommend using 2400-baud 

or 9600-baud modems for heavy re 

mote access use. The 9600-baud 

speed is nearly identical to what 

you're used to seeing on your local 

computer screen. 

SAVE ON HARDWARE COSTS 

"Hardware economy" is a not-so- 

obvious feature of remote-host soft 

ware. Let's say you have a top-of-the- 

line, powerful computer at the office. 

It's an IBM PS/2 Model 50, 60, or 80 

with an attached laser printer. Put 

remote-host software on that ma 

chine, and you can use all that 

horsepower, from home, from a 

branch office, or from the road. All 

you need is an MS-DOS compatible 

and a modem. You can use bare- 

bones equipment from any location 

and still have all the advantages of 

the larger machine. The software 

supports CGA if both computers are 

graphics equipped and will even 

translate color attributes to a mono 

chrome monitor in text mode. 

"Conferencing." or long-distance 

collaboration, is another possibility. 

Linked computers simultaneously 

run the same program and display 

identical screens. It's almost as if 

you were sitting beside the person at 

the other keyboard. With a word pro 

cessor, for instance, both of you can 

simultaneously work on the same 

draft report, contract, or other docu 

ment. You can talk about changes 

on a separate voice telephone line. 

And. if you don't have another 

phone line, you can use the "chat 

window" in many remote-host pro 

grams to type comments or sugges 

tions back and forth. You can do the 

same type of collaborating using a 

spreadsheet or database program or 

some other kind of software. 

Remote collaboration lets you com 

plete a long-distance business pro 

ject in a fraction of the usual time. 

Imagine: no mimeographs of drafts, 

no mail delays or messenger ex 

penses, no lengthy telephone confer 

ences, and no barely legible notes. 

Instead, work gets done just as if 

you and your partner were talking it 

over while sitting at the same key 

board. It's easy to justify long-dis 

tance telephone expenses for the 

gain in productivity. 

With remote-host software, you 

can also offer (and maybe charge for) 

valuable remote support service—to 

your customers, clients, and col 

leagues. After you've installed the 

host software on their machines.

CompuServe's reference 

databases make you more 

productive, competitive, 

and better informed. 

Connect Your ComputerTOA 

Higher Intelligence. 

Remember the last time you tried to 

get your hands on hard-to-find facts? In 

a magazine article you read a year ago. 

In a news report you never saw. Or in a 

table of data you didn't know existed. 

Imagine those facts just a few 

keystrokes away on your personal 

computer. Through CompuServe. 

Your personal research center. 

Save hours of research by going 

straight to the reference information 

you need in seconds. 

Access thousands of sources of 

information in the areas of business, 

finance, medicine, education, 

demographics, science, law, news, 

popular entertainment, and sports. 

What you know can help you. 

Research an industry or company 

through articles, financial statements, 

and other sources. Analyze an 

investment. Assist in a job search. 

Follow market competition. Investigate 

a business opportunity. 

Check characteristics such as age, 


income, and occupation in any US. 

community For a geography report, 

a business plan, or a family move. 

All you need to access CompuServe's 

unlimited world of information is a 

modem and just about any personal 

computer. Visit your computer dealer 

today. To order direct, or for more 

information, call or write: 

CompuServe* 

Information Services. PQ Box 20212 

5000 Ariington Centre Blvd Columbus. OH 43220 

800-848-8199 

In Otiio and Canada, call 614 457-0802 

An HSR Block Company

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For all IBM PC/XT/AT and compatibles comes 

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RUNAPPLE & IBM SOFTWARE 

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APL/XT 

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This system runs the largest collection of 

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LEARN 

MASTER COMPUTERS 

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LEARN EVEN BEFORE YOU DECIDE ON A COMPUTER 

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16 FAMILY A HOME-OFFICE COMPUTING 

I 

TELECOMPUTING 

POPULAR REMOTE-HOST SOFTWARE 

To use remote-host software, you need 

two programs: a host program and a call 

ing program. (Unless otherwise noted, 

it's best to use programs from the same 

company.) 

Carbon Copy Plus, Version 4.0 

Meridian Technology. Inc. 

7 Corporate Park. Suite 100 

Irvine, CA 92714 

(714) 261-1199 

MS-DOS compatible 

S195 per program (two required) 

Primarily designed for support applica 

tions, good for collaboration use. Fast 

file transfer. 

Close-Up, Version 1.10 

Norton-Lambert Corp. 

P.O. Box 4085 

Santa Barbara. CA 93140 

(805) 964-6767 


8195 for Customer (host) program: $245 

for Support (calling) program 

Support applications emphasis, good 

for collaborations. Simple installation, 

one program for each computer. Uses 

1-2-3-style menus. Runs as memory-resi 

dent program on host machine while you 

use other programs. 

Line Plus Master, Version 2.10 

Concept Development Systems 

2778 Hargrove Road, Suite 349 

Vinings. GA 30080 

(404) 434-4813 


S200 for host and caller programs: SlOO 

for additional remote computers, with 

you can dial up their computers to 

work on system or software prob 

lems and be a silent observer when 

ever these contacts have problems. 

Then, you can debug or reconfigure 

their systems as needed. 

A remote-host program is also a 

good training aid. With the chat 

mode, or a separate voice line, you 

can coach and walk novices through 

correct operating methods. You can 

"look" over their shoulders and take 

care of problems in just a few min 

utes—from anywhere! Think of the 

resulting happy customers and inev 

itable goodwill. Think of the savings 

in telephone expenses, delays, travel 

time, and other general hassles. 

GETTING STARTED 

Remote-host software is not much 

more complicated than normal com 

munications software. But, you real 

ly should familiarize yourself with 

standard communications programs 

to get past the "required course" 

level. 

program called Line Plus Remote 

Powerful, easy-to-use remote-host soft 

ware. Near-automatic installation. Also 

works as standard communications soft 

ware, with automatic recording of tele 

phone dialing and log-on sequences. In 

cludes Line Expert, an Artificial 

Intelligence "expert system" that advises 

you on telecommunications technicalities 

and configuration of modems, hardware. 

and cables. 

PC Anywhere, Version 2.10 

Distributed by EKD Computer Sales and 

Supplies Corp. 

764 Middle Country Road 

Selden. NY 11784 

(516) 736-0500 


S99 for both host and caller programs 

A "best buy" in my book, this powerful, 

high-performance package comes at a 

bargain price. One of the best-performing 

remote-host packages for screen-display 

speeds, file transfers, and similar activi 

ties. With very sophisticated host op 

tions. PC Anywhere can be used with 

many standard communications pro 

grams (not only the vendor's own caller 

software). Includes individual log-ons 

and passwords and automatic start-up 

programs and tailored menu choices. An 

updated version. PC Anywhere II! ($145). 

adds automatic callback, voice-data 

switching, and other enhancements. PC 

MacTerm (distributed by EKD Computer 

Sales and Supplies Corp.. S99) allows a 

Macintosh user to access any PC-compat 

ible computer running PC Anywhere. 

Decide how you'll use remote-host 

software. Then, contact vendors or 

publishers carrying the packages 

that interest you. Ask for complete 

product-information packages, in 

cluding published reviews of their 

software. 

When you arrive at the final evalu 

ation stage, you'll find it worthwhile 

to spend a few bucks on long-dis 

tance calls to the publishers whose 

products you prefer. Talk with one 

of the publisher's technical-support 

representatives (be sure to get 

names), and inform that person of 

your plans for using the software. 

Verify that the software will work 

with your computer, modem, and 

other major software packages you 

want to use. You'll receive lots of free 

advice; the representatives want to 

make the sale. Ask for return privi 

leges in case of system compatibility 

problems. This small investment in 

initial telephone contact and prelim 

inary support information will really 

pay off for you. ■

MACHINE SPECIFICS 

NEWS, OPINIONS, QUOTES, AND RUMORS 

ABOUT YOUR FAVORITE COMPUTER 

APPLE 

BY CHARLES H.GAJEWAY 

MACINTOSH 

With Claris—the Apple spin-off soft 

ware company that is run as an in 

dependent—offering substantially 

improved versions of MacPaint, 

MacDraw. and MacProject and Le- 

traset's amazing Image Studio, it's 

clear that Mac graphics performance 

is being pushed to the max. 

Beautiful Mac II. On the hardware 

side, the Macintosh II is attracting 

great interest from developers. Highperformance 

monitors and big. fast, 

hard disks are coming from a variety 

of developers. 

Despite the new machine's some 

what forbidding price tag, I can un 

derstand all the Mac II hoopla be 

cause 1 have been using one steadily 

awhile. The speed, power, sound, 

and big color display are addictive. 

The amazing screen response and 

computational speed make even the 

most complex tasks seem nearly ef 

fortless: the promise of the Mac 

technology and operating system is 

realized more fully than ever. 

Mac II Software? While a popular 

topic of speculation is when the first 

Mac II-specific program will appear. I 

hope that it never does. I would pre 

fer that future Macintosh software 

be written in a fashion that will 

"hide" II-specific features on the Plus 

and SE, protecting Plus and SE 

owners from obsolescence for as long 

as possible, while giving II owners a 

little something extra for their in 

vestment. 

Suitcase Software. This month's 

software special is Suitcase (Soft 

ware Supply; $60). This nifty pro 

gram installs in your system folder 

and allows unlimited access to desk 

accessories and font files from prac 

tically any program. This enables 

you to keep your system file to a 

minimum size, yet have all your fa 

vorite desk accessories and fonts 

just a few clicks away. 

As a bonus, you get Pyro!, which 

prevents burn in and displays a ran 

dom fireworks simulation on your 

darkened screen after a preset idle 

period. The Suitcase combination— 

which includes Pyro!—is one of the 

more attractive utilities I have run 

across lately. (See review in this is 

sue's Software Guide.) 

APPLE II 

Apple software that runs on an IBM? 

Yes! AppleShare PC (Apple: S149) al 

lows MS-DOS systems equipped with 

an AppleTalk adapter card to share 

both data and application programs 

with Apple computers on the network. 

Until recently, the AppleTalk Net 

work System only supported Macin 

tosh. MS-DOS, and Digital's VAX 

computers. Now, enhanced Apple 

He's and IIgs's can be part of the 

system. Schools should take advan 

tage of the network to integrate 

Macintoshes with their army of Us. 

Apple GEOS. Berkeley Softworks is 

preparing a version of GEOS for the 

Apple II. GEOS is the popular 

mouse-driven operating system now 

available only for the Commodore 64 

and 128. A demo 1 saw ran smoothly 

on the lie, lie. and IIgs. More on Ap 

ple GEOS (S130) when 1 see the final 

product. 

SCSI Hard Drives. Despite what I 

said last month about high-capacity 

floppy drives, there is nothing like a 

hard drive for speed and conve 

nience. And while the Sider (First 

Class Peripherals) was—and still is— 

a good hard drive, Apple's new SCSI 

interface (S129, plus the cost of ca 

bles) has a lot of advantages. The in 

troduction of this fast, flexible inter 

face—which is built into Macintosh 

computers—means that Apple II 

owners can now connect up to six 

devices (hard-disk drives and tape 

backups, for instance) to only one 

slot in their computers! 

Although six units is overkill, I 

think that an Apple lie with a hard 

disk (and maybe even a CD-ROM 

drive) connected to a SCSI port 

would be a potent, reasonably-priced 

information system. 

I am very excited about this prod 

uct. A mass-storage standard for the 

Apple II has been conspicuously ab 

sent for too long, and having it 

means that the Apple II can remain 

a viable professional-level machine 

for a long time. 

charles H- gajeway can be reached on 

CompuServe (ID: 73357.3577) or on GEnie 

(ID: C GAJEWAY). 

ATARI 

BY MATTHEW STERN 

I got my first glance at Microsoft 

Write for the Atari ST, in 1986, at 

the Southern California Atari Fair. 

The preliminary copy 1 saw had most 

of the editing functions, but no mul 

tiple fonts and printing capabilities. 

At that time, Atari assured me that 

this program would be finished 

"soon." Two years later, Microsoft 

Write (S195) has finally arrived on 

dealers' shelves. Is it worth the wait? 

Write's ability to display and print 

multiple fonts will undoubtedly be 

its biggest selling point. GDOS 

fonts come in different point sizes 

and attributes, including bold, italic, 

and underline. What you see on the 

screen is indeed what is printed. If 

you have any experience with such 

programs as Easy Draw and Dollars 

and Sense, you know GDOS's excep 

tional print quality on dot-matrix 

printers. 

Microsoft Write. I was equally im 

pressed with Write's word-process ing 

features. Write is based on Microsoft 

Word 1.03, once the premiere Mac 

intosh word processor. The most no 

table features are a glossary, foot 

notes, automatic headers and 

footers. Roman and Arabic page 

numbering, an undo command, and 

a simple cut-and-paste editing system 

Write has flexible paragraph for 

matting features, a strength all Mi 

crosoft word processors share. You 

can select different line spacing, cre 

ate indents, and put blank lines be 

fore and after paragraphs. 

Unfortunately. Write brought 

along Word 1.03's quirks as well as 

its strengths. Write, for example, 

docs not have automatic pagination. 

To determine your page breaks, you 

must select the Paginate command 

from the Document menu. Write 

doesn't come with a spelling check 

er, but such programs as Thunder.' 

(Electronic Arts; S50) will serve well. 

WordPerfect. WordPerfect, the top- 

of-the-line ST word processor, has 

added some needed enhancements. 

With the January 29 update, Word 

Perfect has added a new conversion 

program to change 1st Word. Word 

Writer, and ST Writer documents 


It's like listening to Beethoven's 9th on a 

transistor radio. Or watching the Super Bowl on 

a five-inch screen. 

Sure, your Apple II probably seems great just 

the way it is. But until you boot AppleWorks" 2.0, 

you won't really know what it's capable of doing. 

AppleWorks combines three of the most pop 

ular applications in one powerful,easy-to-use pack 

age: a sophisticated word processor for swiftly 

creating dynamic marketing plans or compelling 

letters home to mom. A spreadsheet for compiling 

Some Apple II owners still 

everything from next month's sales forecast to last 

month's household expenses-then changing the 

numbers in a flash as you ask questions like "what 

if I win the lottery tomorrow?" And finally, a data 

base manager to store, sort and organize just 

about any kind of information you can think of. 

Alone, each of these programs is a potent, 

practical tool. 

But put them all together and your Apple II 

is suddenly traveling in a fast lane you didn't even 

know existed. 

© 1988, Claris Corporation. 440 Chile Ave.. Mountain We* California 94043.415-960-1500. Cfo h a trademark of Claris Corporation. Apple Works is a registered trademark of Apple Computer.

don't have AppleWorks. 

You can zip from your stock portfolio to 

your monthly budget with a few deft keystrokes. 

Cut sales projections from a spreadsheet and 

paste them into a business plan in a matter of 

seconds. Or use the mail merge function to speed 

addresses from the data base to a form letter. All 

without swapping disks or rebooting. Even the 

learning process is accelerated, since you only 

have to learn one set of commands. 

If all this isn't enough, you can choose from 

dozens of add-on programs to do things like draw 

graphs or check your spelling. Or use a RAM disk 

to take advantage of AppleWorks' extended 

memory support. 

It's no wonder over 750,000 Apple II owners 

already work with AppleWorks (which is compa 

tible with the entire Apple II family). 

For more information and the location of 

a nearby Claris dealer, call 800-334-3535, ext. 150. 

If you've got an Apple II parked 

on your desk, well get it on the 

CLAMS 

road to bigger and better things. 

Inc., licensed to Claris Corporation Apple is a registered trademark ofApple Computer, Inc. For upgrade information, call 80O-544-8SS4. In Canada, call 800-668-8948.


into WordPerfect formats. 

To check your version's date, press 

the Help key and look at the top of 

the Help screen. If the date is earlier 

than January 29, 1988, contact 

WordPerfect Customer Support 

([800] 321-5906) for an update. Be 

sure to have your registration num 

ber handy when you call. 

Double Feature. Cinemaware Corpo 

ration, a leading Amiga developer. 

has used the plots and characters of 

feature-length films to make fasci 

nating interactive games. Programs 

such as Defender of the Crown and 

S.D.I, make sitting at the computer 

almost feel as if you're sitting in a 

theater. Cinemaware's two new 

games for the ST and Commodore 

Amiga evoke the afternoon matinees 

of the 1930s. 

The first feature is The Three 

Stooges (S50). You get to act out 

The Three Stooges from Cinemaware 

some of the Stooges's most hilarious 

scenes while you try to save an or 

phanage from foreclosure. If you'd 

rather defend democracy than poke 

people in the eyes, you'll enjoy Rock 

et Ranger (S50), an interactive ac 

tion game based on the B-grade sci 

ence-fiction flicks of the thirties and 

forties. Your mission is to save Earth 

and the beautiful daughter of a fa 

mous scientist from a gang of extra 

terrestrial Nazis. 

matthew stern can be reached on 

CompuServe flD- 73547. 24201. 

BYSHAYADDAMS 

The latest versions of KickStart and 

Workbench (both 1.3) for the Amiga 

should be in stores soon. (Ignore ru 

mors about 1.2.1, which was strictly 

an in-house test version.) The new 

update package is essentially the 

same kind Commodore used to in 

troduce version 1.2 and includes a 


pair of disks and documentation. 

Kick Start/Work bench 1.3. KickStart 

1.3's key new feature enables you to 

boot from a hard drive. The new 

Workbench has a faster file-handling 

system, so it loads and saves files 

and reads directories much quicker. 

All the previous printer drivers were 

enhanced to print faster, and a vari 

ety of new ones have been added. 

More Epsons are supported, as well 

as Hewlett-Packard's color PaintJet, 

DeskJet, and LaserJet printers. 

(HP's LaserJet is significantly more 

economical than Apple's laser print 

er, but it doesn't include PostScript). 

What if you've got an Amiga 500 

or 2000 with KickStart built into 

ROM? Commodore headed off that 

potential nightmare by allowing you 

to run Workbench 1.3 with Kick- 

Start 1.2, so you can still use your 

internal KickStart. It is possible to 

upgrade either machine to KickStart 

1.3, but that means adding new 

ROMs. (If you have an Amiga 1000, 

you just load the new KickStart 1.3, 

and then Workbench.) Theoretically. 

1.2 software should run under 1.3, 

but you're bound to find some pro 

grams that won't—so hold onto your 

1.2 Workbench awhile. 

C 64 Forever! The C 64 is still kick 

ing, for the latest rumors have Com 

modore bandying about internal or 

design changes to extend the ma 

chine's longevity. But I've heard no 

specific plans. 

Amiga Desktop Publishing. There is 

finally an Amiga desktop-publishing 

program that stands up to the half- 

dozen or so Macintosh packages— 

and actually surpasses some of 

them. The latest version of Profes 

sional Page (Gold Disk; $395) offers 

scalable fonts (up to 127-point size) 

and adjustable leading and lets you 

flow text around the borders of 

graphics. You need a PostScript 

printer to most effectively take ad 

vantage of its strengths. 

shay addams. editor and publisher of 

Questbusters. an aduenture-game 

newsletter, can be reached on 

CompuServe iid: 72267.601] or on 

QuantumLink iiD; jbchalmeri. 

IBM 

BY HENRY BEECHHOLD 

Without announcing any specific 

new products. IBM, in an uncharac 

teristic move, has hinted at its gen 

eral plans for the next two years. At 

every price point, IBM's new prod 

ucts will provide a higher level of 

performance. In the computer indus 

try, such advances are to be expect 

ed. But the rate of change IBM proj 

ects is somewhat stunning. 

By the end of 1988. its entry-level 

PS/2 computers (now the Models 25 

and 30) arc expected to have 80286 

microprocessors, the same chip used 

in the current Models 50 and 60. 

and will sell for less than S2.000. 

That means that all the PS/2 com 

puters will be able to run OS/2, the 

new operating system. Since OS/2 

requires 1.5MB of memory, the new 

PS/2 computers can be expected to 

come standard with 2MB of RAM. 

And. by the end of 1989. it's expect 

ed (hat IBM will sell an entry-level 

computer with an 80386 micro 

processor, the chip used in its top- 

of-the-line Model 80. 

IBM also said it is working with 

developers to help provide 1,000 pro 

grams designed to take specific ad 

vantage of OS/2 by year's end. 

What is Micro Channel? Micro 

Channel, the most distinctive aspect 

of the PS/2 computer line, is de 

signed to support hardware multi 

tasking, so that independent proces 

sors can perform intelligent 

functions at the same time. Micro 

Channel, says IBM, will work as a 

"traffic cop on a super highway." 

In addition. Micro Channel allows 

the computer to read the expansion 

boards and adapt the system to the 

boards without requiring that the 

user set any configuration switches. 

Just take the board out of the box. 

plug it into an expansion socket, 

and Micro Channel does the rest. 

DOS 3.4. Well aware of the large 

and still growing base of computers 

incompatible with OS/2, IBM is ex 

pected to release PC-DOS 3.4 in a 

few months, according to reports in 

trade magazines. IBM. however, re 

fuses to acknowledge that such a 

product is under development. 

This hypothetical version of DOS 

is said to come with a friendly 

"shell." which lets you choose some 

commands from a menu instead of 

typing them. In addition, the new 

DOS should be able to handle large- 

capacity disk drives. The current 

DOS limit is 32MB: larger drives 

must be partitioned into two or 

more segments. ^ 

hkkkvf, riEECHHOi-D is author of The Brady 

Guide to Microcomputer Troubleshooting 

& Maintenance IBrady Books. Prentice 

Hall Press. New York).

The Duesenberg SSJ... the most legendary of all 

classic cars...the fastest, best-handling and 

most opulent of all Dueseobergs. Only two were 

ever built, and both are virtually priceless. 

Remarkable attention to detail. 

The Danbury Mint devoted over twelve months 

of painstaking research and development to 

recreate the Duesenberg SSJ in large 1:24 scale. 

All the important components—the body, 

chassis, drivetrain and engine block—are 

crafted of metal. The seats are glove leather and 

the tires are genuine rubber. 

Both the engine and the undercarriage are 

authentically recreated and. of course, the 

doors and both sides of the hood open. 

Bach componenl of this model is Individ 

ually inspected, then hand-assembled. Note the 

gleam of the model's finish. It is achieved by 

polishing each piece of metal, then hand-spray 

ing the paint finish. Finally, and perhaps most 

remarkably, each car is actually hand-waxed. 

duesenberg) SSJ 

Surprisingly modest price. 

The Duesenberg SSJ is the stuff of dreams—but 

the original issue price of this Duesenberg SSJ 

replica is only $88.50, payable In three monthly 

installments of just $29-50 each. This is an 

exclusive commission available only by direct 

subscription from the Danbury Mint; it is not 

available in any store. 

Satisfaction guaranteed. 

To reserve a Duesenberg SSJ in your name, you 

need send no money now. You will be hilled in 

three convenient monthly installments, your first 

in advance of shipment. If you prefer, you may 

charge each monthly installment to your MSA 

or MasterCard account. 

If you are not completely satisfied, for what 

ever reason, you may return your Duesenberg 

SSj within 30 days of receipt for a prompt 

refund or replacement. 

To ensure availability, return your reserva 

tion application today! 

An American classic 

magnificently crafted 

as an exactingly 

engineered die-cast 

metal replica. 

RESERVATION APPLICATION 

The Danbury Mint 

47 Richards Avenue 

Norwalk. Conn. 0685" 

Please accept my reservation application to ihe 

Duesenberg .SSJ. 1 need send no money now. I will pay 

for my Duesenberg SSJ replica as billed in three 

monthly installments of S29.50 each", the first in 

advance of shipment. 

My satisfaction is guaranteed. If I am not completely 

.satisfied with my SSJ, I may return it within 30 days of 

receipt for prompt replacement or refund, whichever I 

wish. 

'Plus $1.25 per installmentfor S& II 

Name 

Address. 

FUUL raw I U.IR11 

City/Stale _ Zip 

Check here if you want each nionlhlv installment 

charged lo your: V\ MasterCard D VISA 

Credit Card No. Expimuon Dale 

Signature 

Allow Mlo IJvrecks alter pjuncm (or shipment. F235


MS-DOS 

BY STEVE MORGENSTERN 

I recently looked at new versions of 

both Microsoft Windows and Digital 

Research GEM, the software "envi 

ronments" that bring a more or less 

Macintosh-like desktop to the MS- 

DOS world. 

When it comes to file management 

and on-screen graphic layout, GEM 

is the more Mac-like of the two. For 

exploring and manipulating disk 

files, GEM's point-and-ciick method 

is welcome. Software written specifi 

cally to run under GEM is sparse, 

but it does include GEM Draw Plus 

(a terrific graphics package) and 

Ventura Publisher, my favorite desk 

top-publishing package. And since 

you can start virtually any software 

application from the GEM desktop 

and return there when you quit, 

GEM is a friendly way for folks who 

arc DOS-phobic to manage their 

computers. 

GEM 3.0. The latest GEM release. 

Version 3. does not represent a ma 

jor change from the previous ver 

sion, though compatibility with Ven 

tura Publisher is improved. The 

most significant addition is the in 

clusion of Bitstrcam's Fontware In 

stallation Kit software with the new 

edition of GEM Draw Plus. 

Fontware lets users create high- 

quality typefaces in many sizes for 

printing on the HP LaserJet and sev 

eral dot-matrix printers. Unfortu 

nately, the Bitstream fonts are nei 

ther supported nor included with 

the new release of the GEM 1st Word 

Plus word processor. 

Windows 2.03. The big drawing 

card for Microsoft Windows is its 

ability to keep several software appli 

cations on-screen simultaneously in 

separate windows. You could, for ex 

ample, load your word-processing 

program, a telecommunications pro 

gram, and a paint program all at 

once. Then you could download a 

document by modem, format it in 

the word processor, and add a pic 

ture from the paint program, all by 

moving instantly from window to 

window. That sounds better than it 

works at this point, unfortunately. 

While both PageMaker and Micro 

soft Excel are written to run with 

Windows, they are part of a small 

number of top-notch applications 

that behave themselves when locked 

into a Windows window. It seems, 

22 FAMILY tk HOME-QUICK COMPUTING 

though, that there is momentum on 

the side of Microsoft Windows, 

thanks to a strategic alliance with 

IBM In developing the Windoujs-like 

Presentation Manager, which runs 

under OS/2. 

The Windows Version 2.03 up 

grade is significant. Most noticeable 

and welcome is the substantial 

speed improvement. The original 

version of Windows was so sluggish 

it was nearly unusable on a stan 

dard PC-class computer. The second 

big change is the ability to freely 

size, move, and overlap on-screen 

windows, which previously were lim 

ited to neat but restrictive halvings 

and quarterings of the screen. 

The GEM 3.0 package is included 

with the purchase of any GEM soft 

ware application, while Windows is 

sold separately for $99. 

STEVE morgenstern can be reached on 

CompuServe (ID: 725*5.606). 

BY STEPHEN MILLER 

I've taken a closer look at Multi-Vue 

($50) for the CoCo 3 and OS-9 Level 

II operating system. Multi-Vue is the 

new interface for OS-9 II that oper 

ates on the same graphic principle 

as the Macintosh. Tandy's 

Personal and Professional Desk- 

mate. Microsoft Windows, and 

IBM's forthcoming Presentation 

Manager. 

CoCo Multitasking. Multi-Vue pro 

vides an easy way to control OS-9's 

multitasking capability. While I still 

like what I see. there are some early 

drawbacks. 

As with any new piece of software, 

there is the inevitable lag from its 

introduction until its widespread ac 

ceptance. The original delay in ship 

ping OS-9 II caused a slowdown in 

third-party development of CoCo 3 

software that took full advantage of 

the power of OS-9. Likewise, the de 

lay in shipping Multi-Vue will cause 

a similar backlog. Also, some com 

mercial software written under OS-9 

II probably won't run through Multi- 

Vue. 

I've tried a number of OS-9 II pro 

grams, and all of them crashed 

when I attempted to load them 

through a Multi-Vue window. There 

is no problem when the programs 

are run separately. In order for soft 

ware to run through a Multi-Vue 

window without any problems, it 

must be designed to work with 

Multi-Vue. As of this writing, there 

is no software written specifically for 

Multi-Vue use. That will surely 

change in the near future. In the 

meantime, don't panic if you pur 

chase Multi-Vue and your favorite 

program doesn't load properly. 

Tandy 1400LT. The Tandy 1400LT 

portable is. in many ways, a com 

plete system that needs little en 

hancement for most users. The only 

exceptions are an internal modem 

and an internal hard disk. The mo 

dem question is answered quite 

nicely with a 1200-baud Tandy mo 

dem that fits neatly in its slot. The 

modem is the easiest option I have 

ever installed. Removing the back 

plate, inserting the modem in the 

slot, and reattaching the screws are 

all that is necessary to install the 

modem. No problems with either the 

installation or the documentation. 

Check to see if the system is set to 

recognize the modem or the RS- 

232C connector. By depressing the 

CTRL. ALT, and INS keys, you get 

the special setup program that al 

lows you to quickly configure how 

the computer interacts with its pe 

ripherals. The F4 function key deter 

mines if the machine will recognize 

either the internal or external mo 

dem. 

The other major option missing 

from the 1400LT is an internal hard 

disk. Tandy is not saying whether 

the other open internal slot is in 

tended for this purpose, but some 

third-party manufacturers have al 

ready announced plans to make a 

30MB hard-disk drive for the 

1400LT. More news as it develops. 

Stephen miller is a computer consultant 

and journalist. 

PHONE NUMBERS 

Apple Computer, Inc. (408) 973-2222 

Alari Corporation (4081 745-2000 

Berkeley Softworks (415) 644-0883 

Bilstream (617) 497-6222 

Boyan Communications 919-682-4225 (mo 

dem) 

Cinemaware Corporation (805) 495-6515 

Claris (415) 960-1500 

Commodore (215) 431-9100 

Datastorm Technologies (314) 474-8461 

Digital Research (408) 649-3896 

Electronic Arts (415)571-7171 

First Class Peripherals (702) 883-4000 

Gold Disk (416) 828-0913 

IBM Corp. (800) 447-4700 

Microsoft Corp. 1206) 882-8088 

Software Supply (408) 749-9311 

Tandy (817) 390-3011 

WordPerfect Corporation (801) 227-4020 or 

(800) 321-5906

IBM PC & Compatibles: Tandy 1000 & 3000 Computer Lsers 

Publish^! 

in less than an hour. 

Introducing PUBLISH IT! A full-featured, fully 

integrated desktop publishing powerhouse with 

word processing, page layout, and graphics. 

Even if you have no design skills or pub 

lishing experience, you can get results 

in less than an hour with PUBLISH IT! 

Forall itsstate-of-the-artability PUBLISH 

IT! is incredibly easy to learn—refreshingly 

so. PUBLISH IT! combines the familiar 

GEM User Interface, our Quick-Start 

Mini-Manual, a full complement of Help 

Screens, and the practical WYSIWYG 

(What-You-See-ls-What-You-Get)display- 

all designed to get you up and running 

in less than one hour! 

Your computer display shows you exactly 

how yourfinished documents will look. 

Use the program's built-in layout tools 

to reposition and resize elements on 

the page. Once it's perfect, just press 

a key and print out on your dot matrix 

or laser printer.* 

SPECIAL FEATURES: 

• GEM User Interface: It's fast and 

easy. Pull-down menus, icons, scroll bars 

and dialogue boxes help you learn and 

use the program quickly. Your display 

screen shows you exactly what yourfinal 

product will look like when you print— 

What-You-See-ls-What-You-Get. 

• Flexible Page Layout: With your mouse 

or joystick, and keyboard, you can 

overlap, reposition, resize, and reshape 

the text, columns, graphics. Change 

(Documents do not print out in color.) 

your layout or experiment—almost 

effortlessly! 

• Built-in Fonts: Choose from more than 

1200 possible type-style combinations! 

Opt for bold, italic, underlined, outlined, 

light, and superscript or subscript 

characters. Select your effect with ease! 

Type sizes range from 9 point to 72 point. 

• Premium Quality Printouts: 

PUBLISH IT! uses a special high density 

(120 x 144, 9 PIN; or 180 x 180, 24 PIN) 

printout format that gives you superior 

quality printouts on your dot matrix printer. 

• Built-in Word Processor: All the features 

necessary for everyday word processing, 

plus most of the sophisticated ones found 

only in more expensive programs. 

• Text Importing: Load documents 

from WORD STAR, WORD WRITER PC?* 

and other popular word processing 

programs (in standard ASCII format) 

directly into PUBLISH IT! 

• Built-in Graphic Toolbox: Draw lines, 

boxes, circles, curved corners, and 

more. Pius, choose from a wide variety 

of built-in line and fill patterns, or 

create your own. 

• Graphics Importing: Directly import 

graphics from LOTUS 1-2-3, GEM DRAW, 

GEM GRAPH, GEM SCAN, PC PAINT 

BRUSH, and PUBLISHERS PAINTBRUSH. 

Then crop and size them to fit. 

•Laser Printer requires Timeworks Accessory Pack Details inside package. ■Registered trademarks of their respective companies. 


• Special Typesetting Functions: Kerning, 

leading, and more! Add professional 

finishing touches that make your 

message stand out. 

• Automatic Text Flow and Word Wrap: 

PUBLISH IT! automatically flows text 

around graphics; and from column to 

column on the same page, or carries 

it over to subsequent pages. 

• Multiple Size Page Views: View, edit 

and layout pages at actual, double or 

half-size. Or, reduce them so the entire 

page fills the screen. 

• Over 200 Professionally Drawn Graphics 

& Illustrations: Ready-to-go art makes 

yourdocuments even more eye-catching. 

• Plus, you get worksheets, time-saving 

features, sample documents & more! 

(Includes 5IV' &3l/2" disks; supports 

hard drive.) 

Suggested Retail Price $199.95 

(Also available for Apple He, He, IIGS 

Computers $99.95.) 

At your local dealer or order direct from 

Timeworks—call: 312/948-9202 

PTvneuJO^cs 

LATINUM 

SERIES 

444 Lake Cook Rd., Deerfield, IL 60015 

312/948-9200 

©1987 Timeworks, Inc. All rights reserved.

BUY2, 

PICK1 FREE! 

We're sure that amongst all these choices, 

there's one that you'd like to pick - for free. So, go 

ahead - exercise your free choice by visiting your 

nearest retailer. Buy any two of these best-selling 

Electronic Arts products between April 1,1988 and 

June 30,1988 - and pick a third one for free! 

To redeem your free software, simply fill out 

either your retailer's coupon or the coupon in this 

ad, and mail it with proofs of purchase (see re 

quirements on coupon) along with $3 per free 

product for shipping and handling (U.S. Funds), If 

you can't find a participating retailer, order direct 

by calling 800-245-4525 throughout the U.S. and 

Canada. Just tell us which products you want to 

buy, and what you want for free. Have your 

Visa/MC numbers ready. 

• Amnesia 

• Arcticfox 

YOUR CHOICES 

• The Bard's Tale 

• The Bard's Tale II 

• Chuck Yeager's AFT 

• Deathlord 

• Demon Stalkers 

• Dragon's Laif 

• Earl Weaver Baseball 

• EOS: Earth Orbit Stations 

• Get Organized 

• GrandSlam Bridge 

• Instant Music 

• Instant Pages 

• IntelliType 

• legacy of the Ancients 

• Marble Madness 

• Patton vs. Rommel 

• PHM Pegasus 

• Return to Atlantis 

• Skate or Die 

• Skyfox II 

• Starftight 

< Strike Fleet 

• World Tour Golf 

• B/Graph 

• The Consultant 

• DEGAS Elite 

• DiskTools Plus 

• Homepak 

• IS Talk 

• Outrageous Pages 

• PaperCiip Publisher 

• PaperCiip with Spellpak 

• PaperCiip III 

• Thunder! 

• Timelink 

Product availability varies by computer format. 

Ask your retailer or call {415) 572-2787 for details.

ANDYOUR 

DELUXE CHOICES 

Choose from our Deluxe Creativity Series for your purchase products. Or, 

redeem free Deluxe software when you buy any two of these Deluxe products: 

• DeluxeMusic 

Construction Set 

• DeluxeBaint 

• DeluxePaint 

Electronic arts 

• DeluxeProductions 

• DeluxeVideo 

products are registered/trademarks of Electronic Arts. 


MAIL- IN COUPON 

Please send my free software to the fblowirtg address. I have 

enclosed the required proofs of purchase (specified below) and S3 

(check or money order payabie to Electronic Arts) for shipping and 

handing. 

Name 

Address 

City 

My free software choice. 

The computer I own 

State. 

PROOF OF PURCHASE REQUIREMENTS: Send the foitowing original items l). the 

dated cash register lope(s) or sales receipts) showing [he two products you pur 

chased, and 2) find the Command Summary Cara or the Manual (where no Com 

mand Summary Card exists) Inside each package.cul 0" lne P011 r"m^r on the 

back, lower portion ot the Crad or Manual 

MAIL TO: Electronic Arts. BUY 2. PICK 1 FREE, P.O. Box 7530. San Mateo. CA 54403. 

Only valid requests postmarked by July 15.1968 win be honored. Allow 3-4 weeks 

(of delvery. FC-6/88

EDUCATION 

DICTIONARIES AND THESAURUSES 

Programs That Perfect Your Papers 

BY LINDA WILLIAMS 

Professor Burton, the toughest, 

strictest, most feared teacher I ever 

had. was also unquestionably the 

best. It wasn't enough for him to 

^radc with the highest imaginable 

standards. He had a method for low 

ering scores by taking off a third of 

a grade for each word that was mis 

spelled, misused, or incorrectly 

typed. For example, a B- paper could 

easily, then, become a D. When stu 

dents voiced their complaints and 

excuses ("The T key on my typewrit 

er sticks," "My right hand responds 

faster than my left"), he proclaimed, 

"In the real world, typographical and 

spelling errors are not tolerated." 

Although Professor Burton may 

have exaggerated the importance of 

perfection, he had a good point. It 

lakes only a single, obvious error to 

make the best-written term paper, 

resume, or company memo lose its 

punch. Now, thanks to computers 

and the right software, it's easy to 

turn in nearly flawless work. Spell 

ing-checker and thesaurus software 

can ease the burden of proofreading 

your work and choosing the correct 

words. 

The number of electronic spelling 

checkers and thesauruses available 

is overwhelming and far too great for 

us to cover in these pages. Instead, 

we hope to guide you with the fol 

lowing considerations, so you can 

make informed choices according to 

your needs. (See "A Sampling oj 

Spelling-Checker and Thesaurus 

Programs.") 

WHAT YOU SHOULD EXPECT 

Before you go shopping for an 

electronic dictionary or thesaurus, it 

helps to understand the terminology 

and what you can expect from the 

software. Electronic spelling check 

ers work by comparing the words in 

your document to words in their on- 

disk dictionaries, which could range 

in size from 15.000 to more than 

100.000 entries. While the program 

reviews your work—as a finished 

product, a screen, or individual 

unda Williams is a reporter/'researcherfor 

Time magazine. 


words—it will mark misspelled 

words with a highlight, special sym 

bol, or sound. Often, it will then pre 

sent a list of alternatives, guessing 

at what you meant to type or spell. 

You then select the correct spelling 

and make the appropriate change. 

Electronic thesauruses serve an 

entirely different purpose, yet can 

prove every bit as valuable. If you are 

one of those writers who can't con 

tinue until the right word comes to 

mind or who Iazilv overuses words, 

you'll find a thesaurus a great tool. 

As you type a word, you can ask the 

program to display a list of syn 

onyms or have it review your fin 

ished text for word repetitions. 

A SAMPLING OF SPELLING-CHECKER 

AND THESAURUS PROGRAMS 

Program and 

Manufacturer 

Spolllnt The Add-In 

Spelling Chock or for Lotus 

Turner Hall Publishing 

10201 Torre Ave. 

Cupertino. CA 95014 

(408) 253-9600 

SpeffWorfcs 

Advanced Logic Systems 

Alderwood Ave. 

Sunnyvale. CA 95014 

(408)747-1988 

Thunder! 

Electronic Arts 

1820 Gateway Drive 

San Mateo. CA 94404 

(415)571-7171 

Turbo Lightning 

Borland international 

4585 Scotts Valley Drive 

Scotts Valley. CA 95066 

(408) 438-8400 

Webster's New World 

Combo 

Simon & Schuster 

One Gulf & Western Plaza 

New York. NY 10023 

(800) 624-0023 

(800) 624-0024 in NJ 

Word Finder 2.0 

Microlytics. Inc. 

Techniplex Center 

300 Main St. 

E. Rochester. NY 14445 

(716) 377-0130 

Word Writer PC, ST, & 128 

Tlmeworks, Inc. 

444 Lake Cook Road 

Deerfield. 1L 60015 

(312) 948-9200 

Hardware Re 

quirements/Price Comments 

IBM PC and compati 

bles with 120K free 

system memory; S80 

128K Apple llc/lle/llcs: 

S50 

512K Atari ST. 512K 

Macintosh; S50 

128K1BM PC and com 

patibles (256K recom 

mended). 2 floppies or 1 

floppy and a hard drive 

(requires 83K-95K free 

system memory): S100 

IBM PC and com 

patibles with 91K- 

105K free system memo 

ry: 890. Specialized dic 

tionary disks. S60-S70. 

Spelling Checker and 

Thesaurus components 

aJso soid separately. 

IBM PC and compatibles 

with 32K free system 

memory, Macintosh; S60. 

C 128. 128KIBMPC 

and compatibles; S50 

512K Atari ST; S80 

Spelling checker for Lotus 1-2-3 

and Symphony. Can check a com 

plete worksheet or just a range of 

cells. 

90,000-word spelling checker for 

AppleWorks. Can add up to 3.000 

of your own words. Checks entire 

document and lists misspelled 

words. 

50.000-word spelling checker cor 

rects words as you type them In or 

as a completed document. Automat 

ic replacement option. Works with 

anyGEM-based program. 

84.000-word real-time spelling 

checker that beeps when you mis 

spell a word. Can customize pro 

gram lo work with almost any word 

processor, database, or spread 

sheet. 

Combined spelling checker and the 

saurus with 114.000-word dictio 

nary. Specialized dictionary disks 

available with legal, medical, scien 

tific. Spanish, and French words 

and phrases. Thesaurus has 20.000 

main entries. 330,000 synonyms, 

and 1 million replacement words. 

Compatible with more than 40 

word processors, spreadsheets, and 

databases. 

Synonym finder with more than 

220.000 word alternatives. Display 

can be at the lop or bottom of the 

screen. IBM version compatible 

with more than 32 word proces 

sors, 1-2-3. Symphony, and Slde- 

Ktck. Mac works with all word pro 

cessors and HyperCard. 

An all-in-one word processor wllh 

90.000-word spelling checker. 

60.000-word thesaurus, and outllner. 

Can add up to 3.000 of your 

own words.

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EDUCATION 

WILL THE PROGRAM 

AND COMPUTER 

BE COMPATIBLE? 

One of the first poinls you need to 

consider when purchasing any soft 

ware is its compatibility with your 

system. When buying a stand-alone 

spelling checker or thesaurus, you 

have an additional concern: "Is it 

compatible with my word processor, 

database or spreadsheet?" By all 

means, make sure that your com 

puter has sufficient random access 

memory (RAM) to handle the pro- 

gram(s). Most spelling checkers and 

thesauruses work most efficiently 

when installed on a hard drive. 

From there on. the biggcsl question 

you'll have lo answer is. "Do I need 

all of those features?" Generally 

speaking, the more features, the 

higher the price. The average stand 

alone electronic dictionary costs 

about S5O. but an integrated word 

processor/spelling checker can run 

as high as S495. With software, it 

seems that price becomes less of an 

issue when the program is used fre 

quently. Expensive is that disk that 

never goes out for a whirl. 

THE BIGGER THE BETTER? 

The number of words in an elec 

tronic dictionary or thesaurus is a 

big selling point. Spelling checkers 

can contain more than 100.000 

words, although the best thesaurus 

es contain fewer actual words, but 

may list some 300.000 "synonym 

references." One way to make sense 

of the size issue is to make sure the 

program contains the words you 

need. But. some words in your vo 

cabulary will not be in the electronic 

dictionary, no matter how large it is. 

The best programs let you customize 

the dictionary, adding words and 

names you use often in your writing. 

Some programs also offer specialized 

disks with words relating to differ 

ent professions or foreign languages. 

With thesauruses. the key is 

in the number of alternatives they 

can show you. 

CAN YOU WAIT FOR 

THE BAD NEWS? 

A relatively new selling point for 

electronic spelling checkers and syn 

onym finders is their ability to check 

words as you type them. In the early 

days of these programs, you had to 

complete the document before run 

ning it through the spelling checker. 

Now. you can use a program that 

beeps even' time you misspell or 

mistype a word. You may find the 

beeps and interruptions of "real 

time" programs distracting, or you 

might find they arc the solution to 

writing block: it depends on your 

writing style. When you have made a 

simple spelling error or have trans 

posed two letters, you may not want 

to wail for the program to display all 

the possible alternatives. Some pro 

grams will simply replace the wrong 

word with the right one. without a 

long and involved process. Consider 

your habits: do you find you need a 

dictionary or thesaurus nearby as 

you write, or do you wait until you 

are finished to thumb through these 

references? Old habits die hard, so 

you should buy a program in line 

with your personal needs. 

JUDGING BY THE SOUND 

OF IT 

It's frustrating when you have 

trouble spelling a word you've heard 

and spoken all your life. And if you 

don't have the first few letters 

"write." a dictionary can be no help 

at all. Thankfully, some of the new 

programs can interpret these types 

of errors and offer suggestions for 

the intended word. For instance, if 

you type Jenomenol. the program 

will search through its 110.000- 

word dictionary and come up with 

the correct spelling, plienomenal. 

Spelling checkers are by no means 

infallible, however. If you type "Wear 

is the box?" instead of "Wliere," 

chances arc the software won't no 

tice the error. 

BEAUTY IS IN THE 

EYES OF THE USER 

As you no doubt have learned, 

looking at a computer screen can be 

tiring to the eyes, and certain pro 

grams cause more headaches than 

others. It is crucial, then, to like the 

looks of the screen. Many spelling 

checkers and thesauruses place the 

suggested word substitutions in the 

middle of the display, overlaid on the 

text. That may not bother you, but if 

you want to see the word in context, 

you might prefer a program that has 

a top- or bottom-screen display. The 

importance of this feature, like 

most, depends on your preference. 

And speaking of personal prefer 

ence, I recently heard that Professor 

Burton has retired. Who knows, 

maybe he felt that computers had 

taken the fun out of his job. ■

ENTERTAINMENT 

HINTS AND NEWS 

NEWS AND RUMORS 

* Do you burn the midnight oil play 

ing games at your computer only to 

end up tired, frustrated, and worst 

of all, stumped? Quest for Clues 

(S25). a book from Origin Systems 

and Shay Addams, a contributing 

editor for family & home-office com 

puting, provides clues and solutions 

to 50 of the most difficult adventure 

and role-playing games, including 

King's Quest III. Ultima IV, and Wiz 

ard's Crown. End those sleepless 

nights and tackle your stack of un 

solved games. You can find Quest/or 

Clues at your local software store or 

order it from Origin Systems ([603] 

644-3360). 

* ALF, the furball from outer space 

and star of the NBC television show 

"ALF." has made his way to the com 

puter screen in a multilevel, multi- 

path, maze-style game of the same 

name (64K Apple. C 64/128. 256K IBM 

PC. S15: published by Box Office Soft 

ware). ALF from Mclmac has crashed 

to earth in his spaceship, and the 

dog catcher is hot on his tail. Race 

against a clock as you help ALF get 

his paws on pizzas, cats (his favorite 

delicacy), and parts to rebuild the 

spaceship that will send him back 

home safely. 

* Enter the twenty-first century and 

the world of advanced experimental 

Alien Mind, an arcade/space adventure 

from PBI. 

science in Alien Mind, from PBI Soft 

ware ($55). You are part of a biologi 

cal research team studying new 

forms of alien life. Arriving at the 

laboratory, you find no sign of hu 

man life, and you become locked in 

the lab. The alien has taken over, 

and. in order to survive, you must 

combat more than 100 monsters 

and robots and construct a super 

weapon to neutralize the alien. Cre 

ated for the Apple lies, Alien Mind is 

an arcade-space adventure that 

showcases the brilliant graphics, 

smooth animation, and stereo-quali 

ty sound of the IIgs. 

* Buy two Electronic Arts (EA) soft 

ware titles before July 31. 1988. and 

get the third free! Choose from 42 of 

the latest entertainment, music, 

paint, video, and utility packages. 

For more details, visit your favorite 

software dealer or call (800) 245- 

4525. . . . EA has recruited hoops 

superstar Michael Jordan as a co-de- 

signer for an upcoming basketball 

game. First Larry Bird and Julius 

Erving, then Chuck Ycager. Earl 

Weaver, John Madden, and now Jor 

dan—who will be next? Jordan's 

game should be on software shelves 

later this year. . . . Karl Buiter. cre 

ator of EOS: Earth Orbit Stations, will 

bring us Futuremagic (256K IBM PC, 

S50), scheduled for release in Au 

gust. Futuremagic should appeal to 

fans of Starflight, winner of family & 

HOME-OFFICE COMPUTING'S Critics' 

Choice Award for Best Game of 

1987. 'Starflight showed that char 

acters in a fantasy game could be as 

rich as characters in a novel, and 

that's even more true in Futurema 

gic." said Bing Gordon, vice presi 

dent of the EA's Entertainment Divi 

sion. The game is set in a three- 

planet system besieged by raiders 

from an unknown source. You'll ex 

plore starships and planets, get a 

first-person view of the terrain, and 

converse with characters who will 

"remember" earlier conversa 

tions. . . . And F/A-18 Interceptor 

In F/A-18, you'll pilot your F-18 under the 

Golden Gate Bridge. 

{512K Amiga. S50), lets you pilot an 

F-18 Hornet or an F-16 Falcon in 

combat missions over the San Fran 

cisco Bay area. The three-dimension 

al graphic model of the City by the 

Bay is spectacular: the Transamcrica 

Pyramid. Golden Gate Bridge, and 

Bay Bridge cast shadows, as do the 

planes. Missions range from guard 

ing Air Force One at San Francisco 

International Airport to shooting 

down incoming cruise missiles: 

there's also a top-secret mission for 

advanced pilots. 

* Andrew Greenbery author of the 

best-selling Wizardry series and head 

of a new software company called 

Masterpltiy. is introducing a new 

genre of multiplayer game: a real 

time space adventure, for one to six 

players, with novel-like depth and 

board-game strategy that Greenbcrg 

calls "dynamic theater." Star Saga; 

One, Beyond the Boundary (64K Apple. 

128K IBM PC), four-and-one-half 

years in the making and the first of 

a planned trilogy, is ready now. 

You'll adopt one of six personae on a 

colonized planet. Three hundred 

years ago at the peak of coloniza 

tion, an alien space plague endan 

gered humanity and invaded the 

Nine Worlds. Consequently, the gov 

ernment set up a boundary encir 

cling the Nine Worlds. You are des 

tined to leave the safety of the 

boundary and begin a career of gal 

axy exploration, but you will not be 


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CIRCLE READER SERVICE 12

allowed to return. In Star Saga, the 

computer acts as a game master, 

keeping track of players' moves while 

they consult booklets, rules, and 

other board-gamc-like components 

and move tokens along the game 

map. There are no dead ends! 

* Another new software firm. First 

Row. announced its first entertain 

ment titles. Prime Time (512K Amiga. 

S12K Atari ST, 512K IBM PC. 840} is a 

satirical look at the world of TV net 

work programming. You'll play a net 

work programming executive who's 

out to get the best ratings for the 

network. Attend power lunches and 

network board meetings. There are 

Your TV network desk in Prime Time. 

even commercials that interrupt the 

play. . . . Next, First Row offers a 

space adventure. Star Empire (C 64/ 

128, 256K IBM PC. S25). Build a ga 

lactic empire, trade with other Star- 

bases, destroy aliens, and forge dan 

gerous missions on your way to 

becoming the greatest space pilot of 

all lime. . . . Finally, First Row 

worked with Michael and Mufly 

Berlyn. the creators of Tass Times in 

Tonetown and Infidel, to present Dr. 

Dumont's Wild P.A.R.T.I. (48K Apple. 

256K IBM PC, S40). Hoping to boost 

your lab grade, you volunteer to help 

Professor Dumonl with his new ex 

periment. The professor informs you 

that you'll experience life on the sub 

atomic level as the first Subonaut. 

Biolink electrodes are attached to 

your temples and your arms and 

legs, but then something goes 

wrong! The lid closes, and you find 

yourself inside a mad machine! 

GAME HINTS 

THE ANCIENT ART OF WAR (Broder- 

bund). In this strategy/tactics war 

game, you command troops against 


The Ancient Art of War, a strategy/tactics 

war gome from Broderbund. 

one of six computer opponents. The 

computer can fight your battles, or 

you can zoom in and personally 

command your troops. The final goal 

is to wipe out your opponents by 

capturing their fiag(s). Choose from 

predetermined battles or create your 

own campaigns with the generator. 

[256K IBM PC) 

* When traveling through dense for 

ests, risky waters, or mountains. 

move the cursor over the squad you 

wish to move and hit T (for informa 

tion I. Reset the squad's speed to 

'march slow.' Type 'E.' then 'M.' 

Once the squad reaches its desti 

nation, move the cursor over the 

squad, type 'M,' and barely move the 

cursor (diagonal movement is quick 

est) in the direction you wish to 

travel: then type 'M' again. Immedi 

ately increase the game speed (the 

T key). Your squad will start with a 

jerk and move closer to its preset 

destination. Return the game speed 

to slow (press the T" key once) and 

immediately repeat the process. Your 

squad will quickly cross the barrier 

with little loss of life, food, or condi 

tion (spies are the exception—they 

die easily). 

—david bailey, Forks, Washington 

MIGHT AND MAGIC (New World Com- 

puting/Activision). You start in Sorpigal. 

one of the five towns of 

V.A.R.N.. and your mission is to find 

the Inner Sanctum. You'll use 95 dif 

ferent spells and 250 magic items 

and encounter 200 monsters. Might 

and Magic is truly a mapmaker's de 

light! (64K Apple, C 64/128. 256K 

IBM PC) 

* To enter four out of the six castles, 

you'll need a Merchants Pass. If 

you don't have a Merchants Pass 

and want to enter the Castle White 

Wolf, cast the Jump spell over the 

guards. 

* When you start the game, make 

sure your characters have high 

speed. Otherwise, you won't be able 

to retreat. 

* Always have one of each class in 

your party. 

* Don't leave Sorpigal until you are 

at the third level. 

* Read all the plaques that are on 

the statues in Sorpigal. 

* There are eight statues, not seven. 

* For a head start, cast sleep on 

your opponents when you begin a 

fight. 

* Make sure your party is at least 

half female, or you'll run into trouble 

in Portsmith. 

* Always fight the biggest and bad- 

dest monster first. 

* Don't search abandoned objects 

(Merchants Cart and Decaying Ship) 

until you are at least at the fourth or 

fifth level. 

* Always donate at Temples. The 

price will go down. 

* Algary is the gateway to other 

cities. 

* Stay out of the mountain passes 

near the Glaciers: there are a lot of 

avalanches. 

* Multiple-choice questions in the 

castles can alter your alignment. 

* Get a Merchants Pass, so you 

won't be recognized as a peasant 

when entering castles. 

* Avoid the winged beasts northeast 

of Algary. You'll end up dead unless 

you are extremely powerful. 

* Beware of Paul Pead and his boys. 

* Always get smelling salts, so you 

can wake up if something or some 

one attacks you. 

* Find Arenko Guire in the Guires 

Grove. He is located at sector: d-3. 

surface: x-0, y-2 facing west.

What can you do about the drug 

problem in America? Play LA 

Crackdown. 

That's what. 

You're the vet 

eran detective. 

Your assign- 

You can bug the thugs and watch TTlpnt IS to 

the warehouse, both at Ihe same time llltlR lJ lKJ 

uncover a major ring bent on dis 

tributing an evil synthetic drug. 

You've got the highest of hightech 

surveillance vans to work 

from. You've also got a rookie to 

work with. Were talking "rookie" 

rookie. Zero experience. 

You'll need to architect his 

every move. Watch him photograph 

clues. Plant bugsTail suspects. And 

question everyone from seedy 

thugs and crooked chemists to 

slick international heavies. 

You'll also need to draw on 

every strategy brain cell available. 

LA.CRACKDOWN 

Commodore 64/128, IBM& 

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your nervous system can handle 

the surprise action and tricky men 

tal clues, there's only 

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Special Days'" Timescripts are onepage 

documents that highlight the people 

and headlines from a day gone by. They 

make excellent gifts for birthdays, anniver 

saries, graduations and other special days. 

Three different report formats are available 

spanning all the way back to 1850. 

Footprints " TimeLines are multi-page 

documents that show key events from 

one's life embedded in the fabric of history. 

You can create TimeLines that chart your 

family's, a relatives or a company's history 

from before the Civil War to modern times. 

Each program cosls only S39.95 {* S2.00 shipping] 

and runs on IBM PCs or compatibles (DOS2.1 +). 

To order or for more info, call 800-722-0054 or write 

to: SALINON. Box 31047. Dallas, Texas 75231. 

dJ 

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1 ""*""' _ MP n. 

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££S? *-&£: | 

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■"I 

.:::: 

ENTERTAINMENT 

* The abandoned Merchants Wagon 

is located at sector: c-1, surface: x-5, 

y-7. 

* Glaciers in castles are actually 

doors. 

* When your magical characters ad 

vance, the sorcerer spell Energy 

Blast and the clerical spell Power 

Cure become very potent. 

* Surrender to a group of sprites, or 

they will cast curses on you until 

you can no longer hit them. Then 

they will attack full force and wipe 

you out. Sprites are also unaffected 

by sleep spells. 

—steve malmskog. Downey, 

California 

PIRATES! (Microprose). You're a sev 

enteenth-century merchant trader, 

pirate, buccaneer, or pirate hunter 

in the thick of the action on the 

Spanish Main in the Caribbean. 

Bargain with merchants and negoti 

ate with government officials in 

more than 50 foreign ports. Chal- 

IKCQGHI70 VS. FREHCil CWTMH 

Sword fight in the Caribbean in Pirates! 

lenge your reflexes in simulated sail 

ing, sea and land battles, and sword 

fights. From romance to buried trea 

sures. Pirates! combines role-playing 

adventure with the military, politi 

cal, financial, strategy, arcade, and 

simulation genres to take you on a 

quest for power and prestige. (I28K 

Apple. C 64/128. 256K IBM PC) 

* If you want to reach a town when 

the wind is against you. you should 

sail your ship in a zigzag course to 

avoid damage. 

* You'll get more gold by taking ad 

vantage of the treasure maps than 

by attacking most towns, but your 

reputation will suffer. 

* Rescue long-lost relatives. They 

have a pleasant surprise for you. 

* Don't rush to tie the knot. You'll 

have more informers if you just 

make pleasant conversation with 

governors' daughters. 

* When you capture a pirate, don't 

ask for information about the Silver 

Train or the Treasure Fleet: hold 

him for ransom. You can get that in 

formation from an informer. 

* If you keep a pirate too long, he 

will jump ship. 

* If you're an infamous eapiain. 

don't go into hostile towns, or you'll 

have to fight governors' guards. 

* The easiest way to capture a ship 

is to damage the hull until it leaks 

and then board it. 

* Big ships aren't always better. 

* Your reputation will suffer if you 

retreat from a fencing fight. 

* If you lose a ship, you lose some of 

your gold. 

* Every time a member of the crew 

deserts, he takes his share of the 

gold. 

* In general, pirate crews arc larger 

than the English. French. Spanish, 

or Dutch crews. 

* If you're a good fencer, you can de 

feat a town, even if the town soldiers 

outnumber your crew members. 

* Don't get amnesty from a country 

you plan to attack. 

—michael turley. Golden. Colorado 

SEND US YOUR HINTS—AND 

WIN A FREE GAME! 

Don't miss the opportunity to share 

your original game hints and tips 

with other readers. Submit entries 

to: Entertainment Editor, family & 

home-office computing. 730 Broad 

way, New York. NY 10003. Include 

your name, address, telephone num 

ber, a short description of the game, 

and the brand and model of comput 

er you own. If your tips are selected 

for publication, we'll award you a 

new game for your computer. We re 

serve the right to edit submissions 

for accuracy, clarity, and length. Un 

fortunately, we won't be able to ac 

knowledge each submission. ■

WHAT'S A TAITO?..

That'sa very good question. Taitd (pronounced Tie-toe) 

is one of the oldest and biggest names in the arcade industry. 

Taito is the world's largest manufacturer and operator 

of arcade games. We've been in the business since 1953. 

And that's just the beginning. Taito practically started 

the video game industry with our classic arcade hit, Space \ 

Invaders.7" And over the years, Taito has created more than 

1,000 other great action games for arcade and home play. 

RENEGADE: This is the one and only. Don't settle for imitations. Blistering, 

fast pacedandreallifestreet-styleKarateaction.Oneofthehottest games 

in Europe. 

APKA A/0/0: 33 screens of space-age excitement. Award winning coin-op 

hit. Over 1 million sold in Japan. "One of the best ever?'—Electronic Game 

Player Magazine. 

Now Taito has something equally exciting for you to 

slip into your home computer. Taito is bringing you the same 

pioneering spirit, technical quality and excitement that made 

us the arcade leader for play on your Commodore, Amiga, 

IBM, Apple and Atari computers. 

ofpeople play our games in arcades all over the world. 

Our strength comes from the massive development 

effort we put into creating the kind of games that satisfy the 

ever-growing arcade appetite and the research gathered from 

the more than 100,000 arcade machines Taito operates in 

Japan. (The money in the coin boxes at the end of the day tells 

very quickly if you've got a good game or not.) And Taito is 

We are the arcade leader for a verygood reason. Wecon- 

sistently make great video games that bring more action and 

value to the people who play ourgames. And literally millions 

ALCQN 

ALCON: The ultimate in inter-planetary combat- Bottle aliens with lasers, 

_i /-/_/_.*/./ ■,■ - . homing missiles, bombs and shields. Fantastic vertical scrolling futurealways 

working hard to develop the most exciting new video «* /*>*«¥»* 

Taito Software Inc., 267West Esplanade North Vancouver. BC. Canada V7M1A5. Tel: 604-984-3344. Sky Shark"* and Gladiator"* are trademarks of Taito America Inc. Copyright © 1988 All 

Taito," ArkanoidJM Renegade?" AlconJ" FtastanJ'* Bubble Bobble/" Operation Wolf."* rights reserved. Amiga. Commodore, Apple, IBM and Atari are trademarks respectively of

games that push the technology to its limits.* 

Because arcade games are the benchmark for home 

video games, Taito's leadership in the arcade translates into 

more home video thrills—more mesmerizing arcade quality 

graphics, sound and above ail, action! 

That's why nobody but Taito can bring you moreofwhat 

you're looking for in home computer video games. 

You don't get to be the biggest in the arcade business by 

BUBBLE BOBBLE: Addictive action. Up to 100 levels of arcade quality play. 

One or two player action. The number one game in Europe for three 

months in a row. 

RASTArJiOneofthebiggestcoin-ophitsof7987.Stunnmggraphics.Non- 

stop, mythical super hero action with multiple weapons, enemies and 

developing and manufacturing run of the mill video games. 

When you buy Taito games, you're getting more than 

just fun. We bring you games that test your nerve and your 

strategy. Games that make you laugh andput you on the edge 

of your seat, games of adventure and excitement. Taito takes 

you on voyages to places you've never been before—to brave 

new worlds ofimagination and fantasy. After ail, isn't that what 

great video games are all about? 

And every action game we put our name on is more than just competitive confrontation. 

Taito games are all about the values ofgood triumphing over evil, ofbeing the best you can be—games 

like Arkanoid, Renegade A/con Rastan and Bubble Bobbie And we have more arcade block 

busters like Operation Wolf, Sky Shark, and Gladiator, coming soon to software formats for play 

on your home computer. Taito's home-bound hit parade of video fun has just begun. 

Who but the arcade leader could bring you so much? That's Taito! Aren't you glad you asked? 

Buy Taito products at leading computer stores everywhere. If no stores are near you, Visa/ 

MasterCard holders can order anywhere in the U.S. by calling 1-800-663-8067. 

Commodore-Amiga, Inc., Commodore Electronics, Ltd., Apple Computer Inc., International 'Ifyou think you've got the technicalandcreative ability to develop mind-blowing video games. 

Business Machinesand Atari Corporation. Advertisement by Qually&r Company Inc,/Chicago). write to Taito, Attention: Product Development, at the above address. 


Now your kids can afford to do their homework 

More and more students are learning with computers. However most parents haven't been able to 

work a computer into their budget. The Laser 128 Apple-compatible computer will let you do all those 

things that you and your family want to or have to do - homework, write 

reports, even play games for a fraction of the cost of an Apple. With 

a Laser you can work out your budget on a computer, instead of 

breaking it with one. The Laser lets you take advantage of the 

largest software library available, so your child can learn more at 

home with the same programs they learn on in school. And, you 

can do your work at home on the Laser, too. 

The Laser 128 with all its features: built-in disk drive; 

128K RAM (expandable to 1 megabyte); serial, parallel, 

modem and mouse interfaces; 80 column text mode; numeric 

keypad; and an expansion slot; makes for a pretty educated 

buy. When you do your homework on which computer to buy, 

you'll find the Laser 128 at the head of the class with value. For 

more information on the Laser 128 and the name of your nearest 

dealer, contact Video Technology Computers, Inc., 550 Main 

Street, Lake Zurich, IL 60047, or call (312) 540-8911. In Canada, 

call (604) 273-2828. 

11//LASER 128 Apple. 

Apple lie ar>d Apple lie are registered 

irademarks of Apple Computer, Inc. SH987 

Manufactured by 

VIDEO TECHNOLOGY COMPUTERS, INC. MAKING COMPUTERS AFFORDABLE 


Two roads diverged in a wood, and I 

I took the one less traveled by. 

And that has made all the difference. 

FAMILY 

ft HOME OFFICE 

MPUTI 

HOW MUCH WILL YOUR MONEY BUY? 

(Robert Frost, 'The Road Not Taken") 

Are you wondering why you're reading Frost's 

poetry in a computer magazine? Because as 

the poem suggests, when you purchase a com 

puter, you select a single road out of many possibilities 

and will be restricted to that path for as long as you own 

that computer. 

How do you decide which path to follow—or where to 

sink your money? The price versus performance trade 

offs in computer shopping arc not black and white. You 

can't simply compare technical specifications and make 

a decision. Software and hardware availability do matter. 

The warranty matters and so does the reputation of the 

manufacturer offering that warranty. 

Even more elusive, but no less important, are industry 

trends. Are there exciting new developments under way 

for a particular brand of computer, or is the manufactur 

er losing ground? Does a system represent a technologi 

cal dead end. or does it promise an easy upgrade path to 

more powerful computing if your needs demand it? This 

kind of information requires a perspective that is gener 

ally hard to find when speaking with salespeople, cous 

ins, and afficianados of particular systems, so we'll focus 

on some of these issues in the following guide. 

HOW TO USE THIS GUIDE 

While cost should never be the only factor that sways a 

computer purchase, money obviously plays a key role in 

many buying decisions. That's why we've segmented our 

short descripiions of computers into price classifica 

tions: Less than Si.000, Sl.000-S2.000. and $2,000- 

S4.500. Our price breaks are based on the cost of the 

basic system, as detailed in the accompanying chart. 

Each unit includes a monitor, two floppy-disk drives (or 

one floppy and one hard-disk drive on AT-style comput 

ers), and the basic system software required to start and 

run the machine. 

Rather than include every model from every manufac 

turer, we've chosen to give you a sampling of the newer 

or more popular models from the major manufacturers. 

In choosing machines to review, we've given precedence 

to those that are heavily advertised and widely distribut 

ed. The chart (on page 44 } includes some models not 

reviewed. 

There are several points to keep in mind when looking 

at prices. One. the manufacturers' suggested list prices, 

given here, are almost always discounted by retailers— 

Contributing editor STEVE morgenstern wrote "Solving the IBM- 

Compatibles Puzzle" in the March issue. 

up to 30 percent. You can find better prices than the 

ones in our chart. Two. we've assembled two-disk drive 

productivity systems. (If you plan on using a computer 

for education or entertainment, you can often gel by with 

one disk drive.) Three, some color systems can be used 

with a TV instead of a color monitor. Four, if you sec 

advertised prices that arc unusually low, the prices 

might not include a monitor or a keyboard or two disk 

drives. 

LESS THAN $1,01 

A number of PC-compatible MS-DOS computers fall 

into this category. The Amstrad, Blue Chip. Leading 

Edge Model D. Dell System 100. and Vendex all sell for 

less than SI.000 for complete two-drive systems. In fact, 

because MS-DOS machines have become such commod 

ities, these systems can be cheaper than Apple Us or 

Commodore 128s! 

This price category also includes a number of the old 

favorites, with plenty of software available and enough 

units sold to assure buyers of continuing support. The 

Commodore and Tandy computers, along with the Ap 

ples (though not in this price category), spurred the 

initial computer boom, and they have been updated to 

keep pace with new technology, insofar as possible. 

While these computers are not generally considered to 

JUNK 19H8 39

LESS ¥HAN $1,000 

Amstrad PC 1640 Vendex HeadStnrt Turbo 88S-XT Leading Edge Model D 

be business machines, many people find the hardware 

and software needed to conduct business operations on 

them. Nonetheless, the lack of corporate acceptance for 

these "classic" computers is a critical consideration if 

you are planning to bring disks home from the office. 

AMSTRAD PC1640 

This MS-DOS British import is similar in most re 

spects to the company's earlier PC1512. but it boosts 

system memory to 640K and adds built-in support for 

EGA and Hercules graphics standards. The price is still 

low, and the value is still high, but the computer does 

have its quirks. 

This model is designed for first-time computer users. 

from its clear, lead-you-by-the-hand manual to the inclu 

sion of the GEM point-and-elick desktop environment. 

The system is ready to run when you remove it from the 

box. complete with a mouse. However, the GEM system 

comes on three disks and can be clumsy to use without a 

hard-disk drive. Furthermore, you may encounter diffi 

culty when running some applications under GEM. 

The keys on the keyboard are too cramped for some. 

and the layout is nonstandard. And the decision to place 

the power supply inside the monitor instead of within 

the system unit is a mixed blessing. There is no need for 

a system fan with this configuration, making the ma 

chine blessedly silent, but you do have to use an Amstrad 

monitor. The Amstrad is a good monitor, but if it breaks 

down, the system goes down with it. 

BLUE CHIP pcPOPULAR MODEL 2 

The Blue Chip is a basic MS-DOS machine, but good 

value for the money. It has two speeds and comes stan 

dard with two 5.25-inch floppy drives, along with a 

mouse (a nice extra!) and color/monochrome graphics. 

Bundled software includes MS-DOS 3.2. GW BASIC, and 

a tutorial program called GO! to help newcomers get 

started without mastering the intricacies of DOS. 

The system is sold with only 512K memory, instead of 

the standard 640K. and the keyboard is not as sharp to 

the touch as those of more expensive computers. 

LASER 128EX 

The Laser 128EX is a "loaded" Apple Ile/IIc compatible 

computer that sells for significantly less than the Apple 

machines do. It resembles the Apple He with its built-in 

disk drive, but the Laser 128EX adds an RGB color 

40 FAMILY & HOME-OKFICE COMPUTING 

monitor connector and a parallel port to support a wider 

choice of printers. Like the He. the Laser has two slots for 

standard Apple He expansion cards. 

With the Laser's memory (expandable to 1MB) and 

speed (it's faster than an Apple IIgs!). programs such as 

AppleWorks. WordPerfect, and MultiScribe really bene 

fit. If you wonder whether a certain program will run, the 

manufacturer. Central Point Software, can provide a list 

of tested programs. All in all. the Laser 128EX is an 

extremely good value. 

TANDY COLOR COMPUTER 3 

While Tandy has built up a line of very respectable MS- 

DOS computers, it has not abandoned its commitment 

to the venerable Color Computer. You can easily find 

service for the CoCo line. And while the software selec 

tion is limited compared to the Apple and Commodore 

computers, you can undoubtedly find what you're look 

ing for at your local Radio Shack store. 

The CoCo 3 can use a TV set or an optional RGB 

monitor for display (the monitor lets you take advantage 

of four colors at a crisp 640-by-192 resolution). The sys 

tem's 128K memory is expandable to 5I2K. which you'll 

need if you want to use the sophisticated operating sys 

tem called OS-9 Level II (it allows multitasking). The 

CoCo's sound capabilities are marginal, and the key 

board is not designed for heavy typing. Nonetheless, 

there are some solid business programs available, in 

cluding the VIP series. 

VENDEX HEADSTART TURBO 888-XT 

The Vendcx has two floppy drives and a monochrome 

monitor and comes bundled with MS-DOS. GW-BASIC, 

spreadsheet, database, and word processor, along with 

an accompanying applications software manual. The 

company claims the Vendcx HeadStart computer system 

is easy to use, and indeed, the hardware and monitor 

work fine, the application programs included are re 

spectable, and the price is good. But like any other new 

computer owner, you'll have to spend some time learning 

how to use the computer before churning out any work. 

$1,000-12,000 

Some of the toughest buying decisions arise in this 

price range. You can go with the Apple He. its high-end 

rendition, the IIgs. or the Commodore 128D. The newer

Apple IIgs Tandy 1000 SX IBM PS/2 Model 25 

Commodore Amiga 500 and the Atari 1040ST and Mega 

ST also fall into this category; they come with a mouse 

and a point-and-click operating system. At this price you 

will have a good selection of fully loaded IBM PC compati 

bles, including the Dell System 100 and Epson Equity I 

Plus (see the chartJor more examples). And you can find 

some complete IBM PC AT-compatible systems. The chart 

includes the Blue Chip Master PC 286-12. Hyundai SU- 

PER-286C, and Leading Edge Model D2. 

Depending on your needs, of course, the best deal for 

the money is a "loaded" PC compatible. While you can 

find systems for less than SI.000. for a little more cash 

outlay you can add a hard-disk drive and often EGA color 

graphics. 

APPLE Me He 

Apple loyalists live by the slogan '"Apple II forever." and 

they may not be far off the mark. The Apple II line 

(excluding the IIgs) is now more than 10 years old. and 

its speed and graphics capabilities are showing signs of 

age. Still, there is a tremendous variety of high-quality 

software and hardware available for the system, with 

more appearing all the time. With expanded memory, 

there's plenty of word-processing and spreadsheet power. 

And thanks to Apple's commanding presence in the edu 

cational market, there is probably more educational soft 

ware available for the Apple II than for any other system. 

What is surprising about the II line is its high price, 

given its age. 

The He and lie run the same software: the primary 

differences are size and expandability. The He is sub 

stantially larger and harder to move. You have to add 

cards to install a printer port and monitor interface. 

With eight internal expansion slots, there's still plenty of 

room for memory expansion, internal modems, speech 

synthesizers, a mouse port, and other forms of system 

expansion. Since the top pops off easily, all of these 

additions can be made by the user. 

The He. on the other hand, is a closed system, though 

your dealer can open the case to add a memory expan 

sion unit. But most of the options people add to a He are 

already built into the He. including a disk drive, a mouse 

connector, and two serial ports for connecting printers 

or modems. The system also includes an RF modulator 

for using a television set as a display device. In addition. 

the lie is small and lightweight, ideal for a cramped 

office. 

APPLE IIGS 

This computer has tremendous potential, much of it 

still untapped. It can handle up to 8MB of memory, runs 

nearly three times as fast as the Apple lie. boasts a 

palette of 4.096 colors (up to 256 on-screen simulta 

neously), and includes a very sophisticated sound chip. 

Although most Apple II software runs on the GS, software 

designed specifically for the cs takes full advantage of the 

mouse-based system with pull-down menus and icons. 

Though its microprocessor is not as powerful as that of 

the Macintosh. Amiga, or Atari ST, the GS is an exciting 

creativity machine. However, the high price and the cost 

of adding the RGB monitor (to maximize the color capa 

bilities) and upgrading memory from 256K make this a 

major investment for a machine that so far has not made 

its mark for business use. 

ATARI MEGA ST 

The new heavyweight in the Atari ST lineup comes 

with either 2MB or 4MB (depending on the model) of 

RAM and a new custom ■"BUTTER" (Atari's spelling, not 

ours) chip, the long-awaited and much-promised graph 

ics that greatly enhances the system's already impressive 

animation capabilities. With Microsoft Write and Profes 

sional Publisher out for the ST—along with the Atari- 

Laser printer—Atari is currently making a push in the 

business-presentations market. The combination of 

large memory capacity, striking graphics, and low price 

makes the Mega ST a potential bargain. The drawback. 

as it has been all along, is that you won't find many other 

STs out there with which to share files. And new soft 

ware will be slower in coming than it will be for olhcr 

systems. 

COMMODORE 128/128D 

The Commodore 128 has three different modes and 

twice as much standard memory as the popular Commo 

dore 64 does. It emulates a Commodore 64 llawlcssly. It 

can also run software written for the old CP/M operating 

system, but most people probably won't ever want to do 

that. And in the 128 mode, it has improved display 

capabilities (80 columns of text versus the C 64's limited 

40-column display), a more powerful version of the BA 

SIC programming language, and access to the quicker 

Commodore 1571 disk drive. There isn't much software 

written to take advantage of the 128 mode, though. 

The GEOS operating system (a Macintosh-like icon- 

JUNE l'JBB 41

ased "environment"), along with a GEOS word proces 

sor and paint program, is included with the computer, 

and many additional GEOS software applications arc 

available. To take full advantage of GEOS. you will want 

to add a mouse (only S50 and well worth it) and consider 

the Commodore Expansion module that boosts system 

memory from 640K. In addition, a 3.5-inch disk drive is 

available from Commodore. 

The latest version of this system, the Commodore 

128D. has a built-in 1571 disk drive and a detachable 

keyboard with numeric keypad. 

EPSON APEX 

The Epson Apex, not to be confused with the Epson 

Equity line, is sold only through mass-market outlets. 

It's a neat, compact MS-DOS system, the downside being 

that it has only two expansion slots. The Apex is aimed 

at tirst-timc users and comes with pfs: First Choice soft 

ware. Thus, you can go home and start computing right 

away—without making an additional software purchase. 

If you like the Epson name and design but want more 

memory, speed, or expandability, look at the Epson 

Equity computers. 

IBM PERSONAL SYSTEM/2 MODELS 25 AND 30 

When is an IBM PS/2 computer not a PS/2 computer? 

When it's a repackaged IBM PC. like the Model 25 and 

Model 30. neither of which includes the significant de 

sign changes that differentiate the high-end PS/2 models 

(PS/2 50. 60. and 80). The two low-end machines in the 

line share in IBM's move to 3.5-inch disk drives, but lack 

the Micro Channel expansion-card architecture (MCA) 

and full Video Graphics Array (VGA) color graphics and 

will not run OS/2. 

At the same time, you could argue that for most com 

puting needs, the Micro Channel system is a drawback, 

since the required MCA expansion cards are expensive, 

and the selection is limited. And VGA graphics can be 

added to any computer with an open slot: the PS/2 25 

and 30 are no exception. 

The PS/2 Model 25 is a compact unit, with a monitor 

built into the system unit and a separate keyboard with 

out a numeric keypad (an enhanced keyboard with key 

pad adds S45 to the price). With only two slots, expan 

sion capability is limited. Officially, the system will not 

support an internal hard disk, but many users have 

successfully added one-piece hard-disk cards—a work 

able solution, but more expensive than a standard inter 

nal hard disk. Available with monochrome or color moni 

tors, the display is first-rate and offers up to 256 colors 

(or 64 shades of gray) if you use software that supports 

this configuration. 

The Model 30 is a more traditional-looking computer, 

with the standard IBM keyboard and a separate monitor. 

It is a reliable and relatively speedy PC compatible, with 

three expansion slots and a built-in port for connecting a 

mouse. 

If you have a special fondness for the IBM logo on your 

equipment, consider these baby PS/2s. but understand 

that the logo goes for a premium price. For the same 

investment, you could move up to a loaded AT-compatiblc 

from an equally reputable manufacturer. 

TANDY 1000HX/TX 

The HX and TX are the latest models in the 1000 line 

of MS-DOS computers. The HX has a one-piece, key 

board/disk drive/CPU design. It comes standard with a 

single 3.5-inch disk drive and 256K memory expandable 

to 640K. The second disk drive must be external. MS- 


DOS 2.1 is built into ROM—handy because it lets the 

system boot up immediately when you power on, but of 

no use when using a program that requires DOS 3.0 and 

higher. There is room for three expansion boards, but 

they have to be Tandy's own. The Personal DeskMate 2 

software comes bundled with the unit. 

The TX is significantly more powerful than the HX. It's 

a hybrid—with the same 80286 microprocessor as an AT 

computer, but the internal system architecture of a stan 

dard PC. That makes it a fast PC. but not an AT. The 

system comes with 640K memory and five 10-inch inter 

nal slots, loo short for standard full-length PC expansion 

boards. A single 3.5-inch disk drive is standard: you can 

add either a 3.5-inch or 5.25-inch drive. 

$2/000-$4,500 

With a few exceptions [noted below), the battle lines 

are clearly drawn in this price category—you can buy an 

IBM PC AT compatible, or you can buy a Macintosh. 

Despite all the mudslinging, the simple fact is that any 

job you can accomplish with one. you can accomplish 

with the other. Each has its own strengths and weak 

nesses, and. of course, significant stylistic differences. 

American business is still overwhelmingly MS-DOS ori 

ented, but the Macintosh has developed substantial mo 

mentum. The graphic orientation of the Macintosh had a 

strong initial appeal to a few isolated corporate areas— 

the art department, advertising, and in-house publish 

ing operations. 

What changed the Macintosh from a back-door acqui 

sition into a respectable corporate purchase was its rela 

tive ease of use. Thafs a function of the point-and-click. 

mouse-based user interface, but also the consistency 

found among virtually all Macintosh software. If you 

know how to use one Mac program, you have an enor 

mous headstart on using anything else you boot up. This 

cuts training time, increases productivity, and generally 

makes managers and workers happy. 

Presently, the Mac Is definitely a "hot" machine. The 

Macintosh II. with its color screen and high-powered 

68020 microprocessor, has helped to generate increased 

excitement. With a price tag in the S7.000 neighborhood 

for a functionally configured system, the Mac II is beyond 

the boundaries of this category, but it has helped to 

focus third-party developers' attention on the entire Mac 

line. 

As for the MS-DOS world, it would be unfair to write 

about it without at least a glance over at OS/2, the muchtouted 

new operating system that offers multitasking 

and access to far more memory than MS-DOS does. 

While OS/2 will work with all the AT-cIass computers 

described here, it will require several megabytes of mem 

ory and a computer based on the 80386 (such as the 

Compaq Deskpro 386/20 and the IBM PS/2 Model 80) to 

really unleash its power. It will also require new software. 

and so far. no OS/2 software has emerged that begins to 

justify the substantial investment required for such 

high-powered equipment. In short, it would be the rare 

home-office setting that would demand OS/2 now. 

As it happens, you can find some 386 machines that 

cost less than the most expensive AT machines. The 

prices of 386 machines are dropping. For instance, the 

Dell System 310 costs about S3.500. significantly less 

than the IBM PS/2 Model 60 or the Compaq Deskpro 286 

Model 40. 

AMIGA 2000 

The hot topic in MS-DOS computing today is OS/2, an

Epson Equity 111 + Macintosh SE NEC APC IV Powermate 1 

operating system that allows multitasking—that's the 

ability to have the computer perform two or more jobs at 

once. The Amiga computers, introduced in 1985, have 

had multitasking from the start, and the 2000 is the first 

with enough memory to take advantage of it. Yet Amigas 

have never been able to find a niche in corporate Ameri 

ca. Amigas are best suited for special-purpose applica 

tions, such as producing desktop videos and graphic 

presentations. The Commodore Genlock device allows 

you to sync computer graphics with video images. 

The mouse-based Amiga 2000 has the same great color 

and sound as the 500. but is faster and can hold more 

memory (up to eight more megabytes). In addition, it has 

more expansion potential, thanks to its seven expansion 

slots. The optional Bridgeboard, for instance, allows you 

to run MS-DOS software (you may need an MS-DOS disk 

drive as well). 

AST PREMIUM/286 

This highly rated, very fast AT compatible features 

three operating speeds that can be selected from the 

keyboard, support for expanded memory, and superior 

documentation. Two of the seven expansion slots accom 

modate special memory expansion cards (AST calls them 

"FASTRAM" boards) that can add up to 4MB of high 

speed memory to the system. Up to four drives can be 

installed internally. Also, the AST Premium/286 accepts 

the AST Premium FASTboard/386, which turns the com 

puter into a "386" machine. 

DELL SYSTEM 220 

Should you buy a computer by mail? That depends to a 

large degree on who you are. and who the seller is. If you 

feel competent enough to do without the hand-holding 

offered by some (but not all) computer retailers, a phone 

purchase can deliver exceptional value on quality ma 

chines. And Dell Computer (formerly known as PC's Lim 

ited) has built a fine reputation for reliability and service 

for its impressive line of MS-DOS computers. Since Dell 

manufactures every computer it sells, the company de 

scribes itself as a direct-sales manufacturer. 

The spanking new Dell System 220 is—on paper at 

least—the best value in the AT marketplace. It has good 

looks, good performance, and good backup service. Its 

key selling point is speed, running at a blistering 20 

megahertz. The 220 is by far the fastest AT computer 

available and twice as fast as the IBM PS/2 Model 50. At 

the same time, the 220 is smaller than the IBM PS/2 

Model 30. 

The 220 supports two 3.5-inch disk drives and a 3.5inch 

hard-disk drive (either 40MB or 100MB). Despite 

the high-storage capability, the fan is very quiet. The 

power requirements are low because so much of the 

system is integrated onto the system board and doesn't 

require boards or cables. VGA graphics are built-in. The 

Dell System Analyzer is included with the purchase, as is 

a one-year service contract with Honeywell-Bull. Dell 

OS/2 runs on the 220. 

IBM PERSONAL SYSTEM/2 MODEL 50 

The PS/2 Model 50 is based on the same microproces 

sor (the Intel 80286) as the PC AT. but adds Micro Chan 

nel bus architecture and built-in VGA display technol 

ogy. Micro Channel, a high-speed data movement 

system, was designed to facilitate multitasking and net 

work connectivity. VGA graphics can display up to 256 

colors on-screen at once, a visual feast. 

Three expansion slots (for Micro Channel compatible 

boards only} are available, and the memory can be ex 

panded to a total of 7MB. Unfortunately, you cannot use 

any of the boards that you might have installed in an 

IBM PC. The Model 50 is fast, but not exceptionally fast 

when compared to other AT-class machines. 

A single 3.5-inch disk drive, with a capacity of 1.44MB. 

and a 20MB hard-disk drive (with an unusually slow 

access speed of 80 milliseconds) are standard. A second 

external 3.5-inch or 5.25-inch drive can be added. 

KAYPR0 286 

The Kaypro 286 is built like a battleship. The large. 

heavy system has a 40MB hard disk, with room for a 

total of four drives to be mounted internally. The com 

puter is fast, and the multipurpose video adapter can 

display everything up to EGA standard graphics. How 

ever, the green-screen monitor we tested had a disturb 

ing lingering afterimage. 

The system comes with WordStar word-processing 

software, the excellent Word Finder thesaurus, and an 

acceptable DOS shell program. 

Kaypro likes to advertise its "Non-Obsolete Design." 

but rarely explains what that means. Simply put, the 

processing hardware is built onto an expansion board 

inserted in a slot. Someday, you might be able to pull out 

this whole system board and replace it with a more 

JUNE 19tS8 43

powerful one—say, one based on the 80386 microproces 

sor—but that upgrade board doesn't exist today. Still, 

this promise of added flexibility takes nothing away from 

a solid, powerful AT compatible from a company known 

for giving value. 

LEADING EDGE MODEL D2 

Like its predecessor, the Model D (which is still avail 

able), the D2 looks good and works well. It's fast, with a 

huge 60MB hard drive and a good keyboard. (There's also 

a D2 available with a slower 30MB drive, which sells for 

about S400 less.) There are six expansion slots, but one 

is used by the hard-drive controller and one by the EGA 

graphics card, leaving four open. Leading Edge comput 

ers come with a 20-month warranty. 

MACINTOSH PLUS/SE 

The Macintosh Plus and SE both come with a mega 

byte of memory, a 9-inch black-and-white screen, and 

the now famous Macintosh mouse-based operating sys 

tem. And they both run the same software. The SE is 

moderately faster than the Plus, and it includes an ex 

pansion slot. That expansion slot can accommodate 

some interesting upgrades, such as an MS-DOS compati 

bility board or a card that lets you connect a color moni 

tor to the Mac. It can also be used to add memory. 

No matter how you look at it, the Macintosh is expen 

Manufacturer 

Modal 

Apple Computer, Inc. 

Apple lie 

Apple He 

sive. At the same time, it is a unique and appealing 

system. Some of the most exciting developments in per 

sonal computing, such as HyperCard, are Macintoshonly 

products. With the recent introduction of an inex 

pensive MIDI connector (the standard interface for 

connector synthesizers and musical keyboards), interest 

in Mac music is heating up. And, though that gap may 

be closing, the graphics tools available for the Macintosh 

are still superior to those for MS-DOS systems. 

NEC APC IV POWERMATE 1 

The NEC line of AT-compatibles is widely distributed, 

reasonably priced, and available in configurations to suit 

every need. The PowerMate 1—called a "personal busi 

ness computer" in some advertising—was recently en 

hanced by boosting the operating speed to 10MHz and 

its RAM capacity to more than 10MB. 

ZENITH Z-286LP 

This brand-new AT compatible is extraordinarily com 

pact but powerful. It comes standard with a fast 40MB 

hard disk, a 3.5-inch floppy (an external 5.25-inch drive 

is available as an option), and a megabyte of memory. 

Memory can be expanded on the system board up to 6MB 

(without using up expansion slots), a highly desirable 

feature. The video adapter supplied supports mono 

chrome, CGA. and selected VGA modes. ■ 

A SAMPLING OF 

NATIONALLY DISTRIBUTED MODELS FROM 

MAJOR MANUFACTURERS 

CLASSIC MACHINES 

Classic machines Incorporate "first-generation" computer technology, though they have been enhanced over the years. 

System 

Price1 

SI. 626 

S 1.228 

Commodore Business Machines 

Commodore 64c SI.090 

Standard 

Maximum 

Memory1 

128KB/1MB 

128KB'1MB 

Ports Included1: 

Hardware Included: ■? 

£ 

Disk Drive Monitor v # «"■ $ 

Mono 

Mono 

O o 7 

None 

Free 

ipansi 

Sloti Software Included' 

BASIC. DOS. tutorial 

BASIC. DOS. tutorial 

2 Color • • • D O • None BASIC. DOS. GEOS. CEO-Wrile. 

CEO-Patnt, QuantumLlnk 

2 Color • • m O O • None BASIC. DOS. CP/M. tutorial 

Warranty 

(Mont hi) 

Commodore 128D 

Tandy Corp. 

SI. 300 128KB 6JOK13 

Color Computer 3 

Video Technology Computer. Inc. 

8980 128KB'512KI) None BASIC 

User 128E 8917 I28KB'IMB 

KEY: EY: •• - yes: o - no: Mono - Monochrome: System price for standard configurations plus additional equipment added in order to create a system' 2 Memory that comes 

Ith the system/maximum amount of memory thai can be added lo the system with or without using an expansion card: 3 Additional ports mav be included-'4 Additional 

software may be included. 

MOUSE MACHINES 

Mouse machines are sold with a mouse, which Is used to run the computer. 


Company 

Model 

Apple Computer. Inc. 

Price1 Memory1 Plik Drive Monitor Slots Software Included3 

Apple IIGS SI.826 

BASIC, System, tutorial 

Apple Computer, Inc. 

Macintosh Plus 

Macintosh SE 

Atari Corp. 

Atari 1040ST 

Atari Mega-ST 

Commodore Business 

Amiga 500 

Amiga 2000 

82.198 

S2.898 

SI.300 

SI.995 

1MB/4MB 

IMB/4MB 

1MBMMB 

2MB/2MB 

facilities 

31.400 512KB/1MI3 

82,595 IMBrtJMU 

Mono 

Mono 

Mono 

Mono 

Color 

Color 

O N/A None 

O N/A 1 

None 

None 

Warranty 

(Monthi) 

HyperCard. MultiFinder. System, tutorial, utilities 3 

HyperCard, MultlFlnder, System, tutorial, utllilles 3 

BASIC. DOS. GEM. utilities 

BASIC. DOS. GEM. utilities 

BASIC. DOS. KickSlan utilities. Workbench 

BASIC. DOS. KickSlan utilities. Workbench 

KEY: • ■ yea; □ - no; Mono = Monochrome: MIDI = Musical Instrument Digital Interface: SCSI = Small Computer Systems Interface: ' System price for standard 

configurations plus additional equipment added In order to create a system: 2 Memory that comes with the system/maximum amount of memory (hat can be added to the 

system wlih or without using an expansion card: J Mouse is included: 4 Additional ports may be included: 5 Additional software may be Included 

44 FAMILY & HOME-OFFICE COMPUTING

Company 

M«d«l 

IBM AT COMPATIBLES (80286 MICROPROCESSORS) 


System Sy.tom 

Price' Memory3 

Floppy- 

Diik 

Drives1 

Hardware Included: 

Hard-Disk 

Drive 

Capacity/ 

AtCW Sp—d Monitor 

Ports 

Included* 

Free 

Expansion 

Slots 

Micro 

processor 

Speed 

(MHt) 

Wait 

State 

(Cycles) Software included1 

AST Research. Inc. 

AST Premlum/2S6 Model 140 S4.290 1MB/JM13 40MB.'28 ms Mono P. S. cEGA 6 AT. 1 PC 6/8/10 0 GW. DIA. DC. DOS 

Blue Chip Electronics. Inc. 

MasterPC 286-12 S1.829 1MB/1MB Mono P. S. MG/CGA 4 AT 

Dell Computer Corp. 

Dell Svslem X. S2.499 1M&SMB Mono P. S GW. DIA. DOS 

Epson America. Inc. 

Epson Equiiy II Plus 

Epson Equity III Plus 

S3.093 640KB/640KB 

S3.793 640KB/640KB 

40MB/28 ms 

40ME'28 ms 

Mono 

Mono 

P. S. MG 

P. S. MG 

3 AT. 3 PC 

7 AT. 2 PC 

&/10 

6/8/12 

GW. DIA. DOS 

GW. DIA. DOS 

Hyundai Electronics America 

SUPER-286C SI.999 6-lOKU'lMB Mono P. 2 S. eEGA 4 AT, 2 PC GW, DIA. DOS 

IBM Corp. 

IBM PS/2 Model 50-021 S3.965 1 MB/1 MB 20MB/80 ms Mono P. S. M. VGA 3MC-16B GW. DIA. DOS 

Kay pro Corp. 

KAYPRO 286 S2.995 lMU'lMIl Mono P. S. eEGA 2 AT. 3 PC GW. DOS7 

Leading Edge Hardware Products. Inc. 

Leading Edfie Model D2 81,995 64OKB/1MH 

Leading Edge Model D2 S2.495 6-10KB'IMH 

NEC Information Systems, Inc. 

NEC APC IV PowerMate 1 

NEC APC IV PowerMate 2 


Tandy 3000 

Tandy 3000 HL 

Zcnllh Data Systems 

Z-286 

186 LP 

S3,869 640KB/640KB 

S4.369 640KB/640KB 

S3.849 

S3.349 

640K&640KB 

512K&640KB 

30MB/60 ms 

60MB/28 ms 

40MB/40 ms 

40MB/40 ms 

Mono 

Mono 

Mono 

Mono 

P. S. eEGA 

P. S. eEGA 

P. S. EGA 

P. 2 S. EGA 

4 AT. 2 PC 6/8/10 

4 AT. 2 PC 6'8/10 

5AT. 1PC 8/10 

6 AT, 2 PC 8/10 

40MB/28ms Mono P. S. MG'CGA 7 AT. 2 PC 6/12 

40MB-2B ms Mono P. MG/CGA 3 AT, 4 PC 4/8 

1 GW. DIA. DOS. LE WP 

1 GW, DIA. DOS, LE WP 

] GW. DIA. DOS 

1 GW. DIA. DOS 

GW. Deskmate II. DOS 

GW. Deskmate II. DOS 

Warranty 

(Monthi) 

83.298 

53.299 

512KB512KB 

1MB/6MB 

20MB/65 ms 

40MB/28 ms 

Mono 

Mono 

P. S. cEGA 

P. 2 S. VGA 

3 AT. PC 

2 AT 

1 

0 

DIA. DOS. MS Windows 

DOS. MS Wtndows 

12 

12 

KIT-AT = 8/I6-bll expansion slot: CGA = Color Graphics Array: DC = disk caching: DIA = Diagnostics: eEGA = enhanced EGA lalso supports monochrome graphics): EGA - 

Enhanced Graphics Adapter: GW = GW-BASIC; LE WP = Leading Edge Word Processor: M = pointing device port for the new IBM Personal System/2 Mouse: MC - Micro 

Channel slot: MCGA = Multi-Color Graphics Array: MG - Monochrome Graphics I Hercules-graphics compatible): Mono = Monochrome: MS = Microsoft: ms - 

millisecond: P ■ parallel port: PC = 8-bit expansion slot; S = serial port; VGA » Video Graphics Array 

1 System price for standard configurations plus additional equipment added In order to create a system: 2 Memory that comes wllh the basic system and/or maximum amounl 

of memory that can be added lo (he motherboard without using an expansion board: J 1.2MB 5.25-lnch floppy-disk drive, except where noted: ' Additional ports may be 

included:'5 Additional software may be Included: 6 1.44MB 3.5-lnch noppy-dlsk drive: 7 Also includes WordStar Professional 4.0, Word Finder. SpeedStor. 

(loppy-disk drive. 

360KB 5.25-lnch 

Company 

Model 

IBM PC COMPATIBLES (8086/8088 MICROPROCESSORS) 

System 

Price1 


System 

Memory1 

Amsfrad 

AmslradPC1640DDM S999 640K&640KB 

Hardware Included: 

Floppy-Disk 

Drives 


5.253.5inchinch Monitor V 

Free 

Expan 

sion 

Slot* 

Micro 

processor 

Spocd 

(MHi) Software Included* 

DOS, GEM Deskwp, 

GEM Paint. GW 

Blue Chip Electronics 

Blue Chip pcPopular 1 S939 512KB6.10KU 

DOS. GW. GO! 

Commodore Business Machine 

Commodore PC 10-2 $1,348 512KB610KB MG/CGA DOS. GW, Sidekick 

Dell Computer Corp. 

Dell Svstcm 100 S1.069 640KB640KB Mono O O MG 4,77/9.54 DOS, GW 

Microsoft Works 

Epson America. Inc. 

Epson Apex 

Epson Equiiy 1 Plu3 

Sl.029 512KB'640KB 

SI.444 640KB/640KB 

Mono O O O • O CGA 

Mono O O O • • CCA 

4.77/8 DOS. DIA. GW 

pjs: First Choice 

4.77/10 DOS. DIA. GW 

Hyundai Electronics America 

Super-1ST Si.099 640KIt'G-!0KU Mono O O M&'CGA DIA. DOS, GW5 

IBM Corp. 

IBM PS/2 Model 25 

IBM PS/2 Model 30-002 

SI.640 

S2.065 

512KB/640KB 

640KB/640KB 

2 Mono 

2 Mono 

MCGA 

MCGA 

DOS. BASIC 

DOS. BASIC 

Kaypro Corp. 

KayproPC S1.595 768KB'7(iBK!) 4.77/10 DOS. GW6 

Leading Edge Products 

Leading Edge Model D S995 512KB/7BHKH 

4.77/7.16 DOS. GW. LE WP 


Tandy 1000 EX 

Tandy 1000 HX 

Tandy 1000 SX 

Tandy 1000TX8 

S1.248 256KIi'640KB 

SI .268 256KB/640KB 

S1.418 384KB/640KB 

S1.768 640KB/768KB 

Color 

Color 

Color 

Color 

O CGA 

O CGA 

O CGA 

• CGA 

2 4.77/7.16 DOS. GW. PD 

3 4,77/7.16 DOS. GW. PD 2 

5 4.77/7.16 DOS. GW. PD II 

5 4/8 DOS. GW. PD 2 

20 

20 

Warranty 

(Month)) 

Vendex 

Vendex Turbo HeadSlart 888-XT S995 512KB/768KU DOS. GW 7 

KEY- • = yes' o = no- CGA = Color Graphics Array; DIA = Diagnostics: eEGA = enhanced EGA [also supports monochrome graphics): EGA - Enhanced Graphics Adapter: 

GW = GW-BASIC; MCGA = Mulll-Color Graphics Array: MG = Monochrome Graphics IHercviles-graphics compatible): Mono = Monochrome; PD - Personal Deskmate 

1 System price for standard configurations plus additional equipment added in order to create a system: 2 Memory that comes wllh the basic system and/or maximum amount 

of memory thai can be added to the motherboard without using an expansion board: 3 Additional ports may be Included; 4 Additional software may be Included; Also Includes 

Electric Desk Alpha Software; 6 Also includes WordStar 4.0 and Word Finder; 7 Also includes database, spreadsheet, and word processor; Has 80286 microprocessor. 

MANUFACTURERS' INFORMATION 

amstrad (214) 297-4898' ast research. (714) 863-1333: apple computer, inc.. (408) 973-2222: atari Corp.. (408) 745-2000; blue chip 

electronics (602) 961-1485: commodore. (215) 431-9100: Compaq. (713) 370-0670; dell computer, inc., (512) 338-4400: EPSON. (213) 

539-9140- Hyundai (408) 986-9800: IBM CORP.. (800) 447-4700; kaypro, (619) 481-4300, (800) 4-KAYPRO; leading edge, (617) 828- 

8150. (800) USA-LEAD: NEC, (617) 264-8000; tandy. (817) 390-3700; vendex. (516) 773-3062: video technology. (312) 272-6760: 

ZENITH. (312) 699-4800. (800) 842-9000 

JUNE 198S 45

Wave Typographers 

Discover How This Typesetter Tamed Technology and 

Freed Up His Employees, Saving Money and Time 

Some people might think that 

owning a condo near a 

Southern California beach is 

success in itself. And they might be 

right. Others might think that own 

ing a typesetting business with cli 

ents in several states and gross re 

ceipts of more than a million dollars 

is surely success realized. They might 

be right, too. Just such a real-life 

scenario belongs to Pete Thomas, 

who owns and operates Wave Typog 

raphers from his beachsidc condo 

minium in Ventura. California. 

Thomas says this is only the begin 

ning. 

"I've been preparing for this for a 

long time." reflects Thomas, who was 

introduced to the typesetting indus 

try in his hometown of Dayton, Ohio. 

in 1970. "I started as an apprentice 

for the Dayton Journal Herald, right 

out of high school. That's where I 

learned the hands-on side of the 

business. At the same time. I attend 

ed college, where I earned a degree in 

marketing." 

By the time he finished college, 

Thomas knew he wanted a business 

of his own. He spent 10 years prepar 

ing. He began by managing print 

shops, then developing a multi 

million-dollar typesetting department 

for a large corporation, and, finally, 

franchising a typesetting business 

throughout Ohio. 

"I'm not some graduate straight 

out of business school who decided 

typesetting would be a good way to 

make a lot of money. I slugged it out 

in the trenches, and now I know this 

industry from every angle." 

The entrepreneurial dream.became 

a reality in 1985 with the start-up of 

Wave Typographers. Right from the 

start, innovative thinking led the 

way. The company was structured in 

a service-bureau format. 

"The service bureau concept is 

nothing new," explains Thomas, "but 

it has never been applied to the type- 

Contributing editor ufNlE akden wrote 

"Home-Based Franchises" in the May 

issue. 

46 FAMILY & HOME-OFFTCE COMPUTING 

BY LYNIE ARDEN 

Pete Thomas rides a wave of success that he hopes will carry his typography business 

across the country. 

setting industry. It makes sense. 

though, because this is an industry 

that is constantly in a state of flux. 

Employees never know how much 

work to expect, and. consequently, 

turnover is quite high. At the same 

time, employers are always fighting 

the battle of the work flow. What's 

needed is some way to smooth out 

the peaks and valleys. I thought a 

service bureau could act as that kind 

of equalizer." 

Wave Typographers hires indepen 

dent home-based typesetters who can 

use their own equipment without 

learning specialized typesetting 

codes. 

"Any experienced typesetter new to 

our network can use whatever com 

puter and software he or she owns to 

start work immediately." says Thom 

as. "Part of our strength lies in utiliz 

ing any expertise a typesetter has." 

Within the typesetting industry 

there are many vendors with differ 

ent equipment and different codes. 

An individual typesetter might be fa 

miliar with one or two systems. Ordi 

narily, if he or she moves to another 

company with a different system 

from the one used by the former com 

pany, it might take three to six 

months to get up to a good productiv 

ity level. But Wave Typographers is 

equipped with four computers, an ex 

tensive software library, plus the 

base typesetting machine, a Verityper 

VT600. A core group of four employ 

ees—well versed at using all these 

hardware and software tools—will 

take files from different systems and 

make them work in the Verityper.

PRODUCTIVITY FROM HOME 

Home-based typesetters have been 

common for many years, but they 

have generally been within driving 

distance of their employers, so they 

can pick up and return work within a 

relatively short period of time. Wave 

Typographers uses facsimile ma 

chines and modems instead of cars 

and gas. "People who want to work at 

home are different. Many want to en 

joy more of life than their urban com 

mutes. Well, now they can. no matter 

where they live. This freedom has cre 

ated an environment that maximizes 

productivity." 

Thomas also maximizes productivi 

ty by utilizing workers' talents. While 

they work, most typesetters enter 

text and embed codes; these two 

functions are separated at Wave Ty 

pographers. "Using a typesetter for 

text input is a mistake. When I get a 

multiple-page job. I put a word pro 

cessor on it, and the typesetter comes 

in later and spends a couple of min 

utes per page just dropping in codes. 

A good typesetter is a valuable com 

modity. Why waste that on simple 

typing? Instead of needing three 

typesetters, I only need one typesetter 

and two word processors. Because 

they are doing only what they do 

best, they both make more money." 

COMPETITIVE PRICING 

How does the customer fare under 

the Wave Typographers system? "The 

customer gets the benefit of extreme 

ly competitive prices. Part of this is 

due to my lack of overhead. It also 

comes from my unique pricing 

system. 

"Normally, typesetters set hourly 

rates for their work. You can go to the 

same typesetting service several 

times with the same job, and it will 

cost you different amounts each 

time. Why? Because one time a new 

operator took three hours to get it 

done, and the next time a pro of 

many years did it in half an hour. So 

one time it cost you S200. and the 

next time it was S50—for the same 

job! 1 compiled a price list based on 

dimensions. An 8.5-inch-by-l 1-inch 

piece of paper is priced the same 

whether it is full of complicated text 

or just has a few big blocks. It all 

comes out in the wash. The burden is 

on us to meet that fixed price, not on 

the customer. 

"It's fantastic that we can serve 

people on both sides of the fence at 

the same time. Our clients get good 

prices, and at the same time our op 

erators are earning S10 to S20 an 

hour. Everybody's happy, and that 

makes me happy. 

BLUEPRINT 

TOR SUCCESS 

(a la Pete Thomas) 

1. fake ihe time to learn. Learning every 

thing about your business from the 

ground up is very important. Successful 

business owners read books and trade 

publications, attend seminars, and ex 

change information with colleagues. 

2. Use technology to reduce overhead. Your 

computer is a productivity lool. Stay on 

the lookout for new software that will save 

you time and effort. 

3. Provide good service. Customers place a 

high value on service. Not even lower 

prices can lure a customer away from a 

company thai offers good service. 

4. Offer a free sample. This is a tried and 

true marketing method. It is a simple way 

to prove to a prospective customer that 

your product or service is of the quality 

that you claim it is. 

5. Look for new ways to do things. Don't let 

routine or tradition keep you from think 

ing creatively. Just because "it's always 

been done this way" doesn't mean there 

isn't a better way. 

INNOVATIVE TECHNOLOGY 

"The trick is to enslave technology 

instead of people. A lot of people are 

really scared to try something new," 

says Thomas. "Not me. I go to COM 

DEX [the large computer trade show]. 

I'm always on the lookout for new 

software to make the job easier, and I 

have programmers develop what 1 

can't find elsewhere." 

For instance, most typography 

companies have a pool of proofread 

ers assigned to each typesetter. Not 

only does it cost money to pay the 

proofreaders, but it slows down the 

process as well. "I've eliminated a tre 

mendous part of my overhead by cut 

ting down on the number of proof 

readers that I need. How? 1 found a 

piece of software called PC Typewrite 

that operates a 100.000-word dictio 

nary and capitalization checker." 

Wave Typographers is also produc 

ing original software. One of its re 

cent developments is GORESUME. 

an easy-to-use, menu-driven resume 

writer. This software is free to anyone 

who cares to download it from elec 

tronic bulletin boards. Why make it 

available to anyone who wants it for 

free? 

"My whole theory is based on hav 

ing operators everywhere cranking 

work through my typesetting equip 

ment. This is just one way of making 

that happen. What I'm doing in this 

case is encouraging individual word 

processors who do resumes to send 

their work through my equipment for 

only S5 a page. That's a fraction of 

the cost of going somewhere else. 

Plus, with GORESUME. it shouldn't 

take as much time to prepare re 

sumes in the first place." 

Giving away software is typical of 

the way Wave Typographer's services 

are marketed. A sales presentation is 

an exercise in "what you see is what 

you get." While talking to a prospec 

tive customer, Thomas takes an actu 

al one-page job order and faxes it to 

one of the typesetting operators. He 

keeps talking while the operator does 

the work and sends it to the home 

office, where it is typeset on the Veri- 

typer. It is then faxed back to Thom 

as (at the client's office) in finished 

form. "Most of the time that seals the 

deal right then and there. 

"Service combined with price is an 

unbelievable mix. I've optimized that 

as much as anyone possibly can. Not 

only do my customers get the best 

price in town, but they can have what 

I call "Same Day Executive Service." 

Same-day service is almost unheard 

of in this industry—but service is the 

name of the game. 1 must produce 

work on demand, and I can do that 

with the Wave network." 

FUTURE WAVE 

What's the wave of the future? "I 

want to have the first truly national 

typesetting company. I want hun 

dreds of typesetters all over the coun 

try working through Wave's network. 

I envision being able to take very 

large projects and distribute the work 

among 50 or 60 operators. Imagine 

having a book typeset in a single day! 

"America is in the 'I-want-it-now* 

mode. There is nothing preventing 

us from meeting that challenge. The 

traditional typesetter can't, he or 

she's not equipped. But with a whole 

group of operators set up with the 

proper equipment and telecommuni 

cations supports, a lot of time lag can 

be eliminated." 

How does Thomas gauge his suc 

cess? "Success to me is seeing a lot of 

happy people around. Workers are 

happy when they are able to realize 

their potential. They can do that by 

being in a business relationship with 

me rather than being an employee of 

mine. Customers are happy when 

they receive good service and value 

for their dollars. After that, every 

thing else comes, the money and all. 

"The condo. The beach. The 

money. It's great. But other people 

have dreams, too. They might want 

to have time to hunt and fish and 

hike and still make enough money to 

live comfortably. Treating people fair 

ly. That's what it's all about." ■ 


If you've ever shopped for a new 

home while selling your old 

home, you know how convoluted 

the process can become. Typically. 

you don't want to make an offer for a 

new place until someone has given 

you a down payment and signed a 

contract to buy your old place. In ad 

dition, you cant truly know when 

you'll close the sale until you draw up 

the sales contract, yet until you know 

that date, locking in an interest rate 

for your new mortgage becomes prob 

lematic. You often can't tell how 

much of a new mortgage you'll even 

need (or how costly a new home you 

can afford) until you see how much 

money you'll realize from selling the 

old home—which you won't know for 

certain until someone gives you a 

down payment. Considering all the 

mutually dependent factors (only 

some of which I mentioned), it's 

amazing that homes ever are bought 

and sold. 

But, of course, they are. As a finan 

cial problem becomes more elaborate, 

a worksheet model created with a 

spreadsheet can be a great tool for 

working through tough scenarios. 

The danger, however, is that the 

worksheet itself can become as elabo 

rate as the predicament. Just as a 

circular relationship is established 

between your need to sell one home 

before proceeding to buy another, so 

a circular relationship is frequently 

set up in a worksheet for figuring out 

this type of quandary. 

This month, we'll look at a circular 

relationship—more properly called a 

"circular reference"—in the light of a 

common financial situation: selling 

one home and buying a new one. 

We'll see how you can take advantage 

of a special feature called "iteration" 

Last month, ROB KRUMM demonstrated 

two ways that spreadsheets can help 

make your transactions more effective 

when borrowing and lending money. 


Making Successful 

Financial 

Decisions with a 

Spreadsheet 

BETTER WAYS TO SELL YOUR 

OLD HOME AND BUY A NEW ONE 

Plus: How to Calculate the Interest on 

Any Deposit or the Cost of Any Loan 

BY ROB KRUMM 

found in most spreadsheets to re 

solve the apparent knotty contradic 

tions set up when several conditions 

are mutually dependent. 

WHY YOU NEED TO COUNT IN 

CIRCLES 

To indicate their view of the world. 

alchemists in the Middle Ages used a 

special symbol—a serpent wound 

into a circle eating its own tail. There 

are some everyday financial problems 

that bring this tail-chasing symbol to 

mind. One problem came my way ear 

ly this year, a few months after the 

Wall Street crash when the housing 

market was very unstable. The exam 

ple required a special type of spread 

sheet calculation called an iteration, 

from the Latin word iterum. which 

means again. 

The situation involved a worksheet 

being developed by a salesperson 

named Charles P. who was moving 

his family from New York to Chicago. 

Most of the worksheet involved such 

basic arithmetic operations as addi 

tion and multiplication. Because he 

was entering into a risky new ven 

ture. Charles hoped to pay less than 

S600 each month for housing, so he 

compared the costs of three types of 

mortgages: 30-ycar fixed, 15-ycar 

fixed, and 5-year variable. The two 

main numbers Charles entered as he 

went along were the selling price of 

his old home and the buying price of 

the new one. But there was one par 

ticularly tricky section. Let's look at 

his worksheet in figure 1. 

Charles began by subtracting his 

outstanding mortgage from the sell 

ing price of his old home. This gave 

him a gross profit of S147.000 before 

taxes and various fees. Then Charles 

estimated those taxes and fees, 

which included the "points" he would 

pay a bank for his new mortgage and

the extra federal and state income tax 

he would owe because he was plan 

ning to buy a new home that cost less 

than his old home. These steps 

helped him compute how much mon 

ey he would retain from the sale of 

his place in New York—his "net prof 

it" in the worksheet—and have avail 

able as a down payment for his new 

home. 

However, Charles originally had 

difficulties with two elements. To 

compute his net profit of S106.287. 

he subtracted the points, taxes, and 

fees from his gross profit. Then, to 

judge how much he would need for a 

new place, he estimated Si50.000 as 

the buying price for a home in 

Chicago and subtracted his net profit 

from that price to arrive at a S43.713 

mortgage. 

Here's where his calculations be 

came mutually dependent. When you 

buy a new home that costs less than 

the sale price of your old home, the 

Internal Revenue Service basi 

cally says that you owe tax on no 

more than the difference between the 

price of your old and your new homes 

(minus such selling expenses as a 

realtor's fee). But Charles could not 

calculate how much income tax he 

would owe until he knew how much 

he was going to pay for a new home. 

Yet he could only estimate how much 

he would pay for his new home until 

he saw how much proiit he would net 

from selling his old home. 

Furthermore, in order to arrive at a 

$106,287 net profit, Charles had to 

estimate how much he would pay in 

points on the mortgage for his new 

home. Points, also called origination 

fees, arc calculated by percentages— 

. 1 B 

A 

13.S0( 

1.001 

1 SELLING S BUYING A HOME 

2 

3 Selllna Dries 

i Outstandina mortaaae 

5 

6 

7 

Gross fjroM 

8 Realtor's lee 

9 Fodorai/Slale income lax 

1 0 Lawyer's lee 

1 1 Closina lees 

I 2 Olher lees 

1 3 

1 4 

Points new morKjaqe (2.5) 

1 5 Net oiolli 

— 

c 

PlSptlf, "3r ----- 

B 

; c:: 

14: 

each point paid on a mortgage equals 

one percent of the amount of the 

mortgage. After speaking with several 

bankers, Charles figured on paying 

2.5 points. The formula in the 

spreadsheet for points is simple (see 

Jigure 2}\ the new mortgage multi 

plied by 2.5 percent. 

But wait a minute. In order to fig 

ure the size of the new mortgage, 

Charles needs to know his net profit. 

And in order to figure his net profit, 

he needs to know how much he'll pay 

in points. Yet in order to figure how 

much he'll pay in points, he needs to 

know the size of his new mortgage! 

The process seems to go around in a 

circle in which a value used to calcu 

late another value is itself dependent 

on the calculated value. How do you 

ever untangle that? 

Figure 2 shows how these relation 

ships can be expressed as spread 

sheet formulas. A circular relation 

ship is formed between the formulas 

for points (cell B13). net profit (B15). 

and mortgage amount (D4). Any in 

crease in the mortgage increases the 

points, which in turn decreases the 

net profit, which then increases the 

mortgage—in continual circles like 

the snake eating its tail, 

RESOLVING THE SEEMING 

CONTRADICTIONS OF 

MUTUAL DEPENDENCY 

When you enter a series of formulas 

like these into a spreadsheet, you cre 

ate a circular reference. Most pro 

grams display a warning to indicate 

that such a relationship exists. In 

Lotus 1-2-3 , the message circ ap 

pears at the bottom of the screen; in 

Microsoft Excel, a dialog box pops up. 

Figure 1 Charles P.'s worksheet contains 

such mu ually dependent factors as his net 

mortgage (04), and points paid on that 

mortgage (B13). 

.225000 

Buvina price 

.78000 

Uortaaaa amount 

30-veai tixed/month 

-B3-B4 

15-veai fixed/month 

-93*6% 

S-vear variable'monih 

-(B3-IB6-.B10*B! 1 .B 1 2]-D3!-39% Property lai 

200 0 

D'jJjîbl.; Male income m 

-1000 

-500 

Procerlv lax/month 

-D4"2.S% 

30-vear & lai/month 

15-vea; & lax^month 

-B6-SUM(BB:B131 

5-year & lax'momti 

Figure 2; Here are the ormulas behind the worksheet in figure 1. Note the circular 

relationship mentionec above: Mortgage multiplied by 2.5 percent equals points (cell 

B13). Points (and other costs) subtracted from gross profit equals net profit (BI5). Net 

profit subtracted from buying price equals mortgage (D4). 

c 

D 

-:eo::o 

D 3 ■ B 1 5 

-D4/1000'8.6 

-D4M 000*10.6 

-D4nO00*8.69 

-2000 

-3000 

-D9/12 

=D5+D11 

=D6+D11 

=D7+D11 

There are two types of circular ref 

erences: diverging and converging. 

Diverging references are usually en 

tered by mistake. The most common 

case is a total that includes itself. Try 

the following example with your own 

spreadsheet. Enter the number 1 in 

cell Al. enter 2 in cell A2, and enter 3 

in cell A3. Then, using 1-2-3 or a 

compatible, enter the function 

(

CALCULATE INTEREST AND LOAN PAYMENTS 

WITH YOUR OWN FORMULAS 

Mosl of the newer spreadsheets or new versions of existing 

spreadsheets supply a full array of such financial functions as 

PMT() or monihly payment. FV() or future value, and PV{) or 

present value. In last month's article on spreadsheets, we saw 

how useful these functions are when figuring the costs and 

gains from borrowing and lending money. 

However, if your spreadsheet program does not have these 

functions built-in, you can achieve the same results by creating 

mathematical formulas of your own. The best way to see how 

these formulas work is to boot up your own spreadsheet and try 

the examples given below. 

A FORMULA FOR MONTHLY LOAN 

PAYMENTS 

As in last month's article, the PMT[) function is used lo 

calculate the monthly payment needed for a loan when you 

already know the amount of the loan (also called principal), the 

interest rate {expressed as an annual rate), and the number of 

monthly payments. You can calculate what your monthly pay 

ment would be on any loan even if you don't have a PMT() 

function by implementing the following formula: 

Principal 

(Interest/12 months) 

l-(1+lnterest/12 months) A-(Period) 

If you were to write this same formula on one line (as you 

would do in a spreadsheet cell), il would look like this: 

Principal * ((lnterest/12)/(l -{1 +lnterest/12) A- (Period))} 

Note that the value for period—which is used as an expo 

nent—is a negative value. Also note that the interest rate, which 

typically is an annual rate, is divided by 12 to get the effective 

monthly rate. This is done because the period of the loan is also 

stated in months, and ihe two items (rate and period) must 

match. Finally, when constructing this formula, don't forget to 

put in all the parentheses as indicated below. In the worksheet 

example shown in figure 3. the values for the S4.5OO loan are 

stored in the following cells: 

Principal (or amount borrowed): cell B4 

Interest rate (divided by 12 to get effective monthly rate): 

cell B5 

Period (expressed in months): cell B6 

Now let's substitute these cell references For the words in the 

one-line formula above. Here, then, is how you would write the 

formula in your own spreadsheet to calculate the monthly pay- 

Figure 3a: A spreadsheet's PMT() function 

can calculate the payments on any loan. 

The FV() function can calculate the future 

value (interest plus principal) of regular 

deposits. 

after 10 iterations your references 

should converge: if not, the formula 

Is probably written incorrectly. 

Other spreadsheets use different 

approaches to iteration. For example. 

Multiplan requires that you enter a 

formula into a cell that indicates the 

minimum change required for each 

iteration. Thus, if you enter 

deltA'.oi, Mitltiplan would stop the 

iteration when the changes with each 

calculation in your target cell become 

50 FAMILY A- HOME-OFFICE COMPUTING 

ment on a loan: 

B4 * ((B5/I2)/(I-(1+B5/12)A-B6)) 

A FORMULA FOR INTEREST GAINED ON 

DEPOSITS 

If you want to make money by depositing it inio a bank 

account, a spreadsheet's future value function, called FV(). can 

help you figure out how much youil make. As with the PMT() 

function, you need to know the principal (or how much you'll 

deposit), the interest rate you'll gain on the deposit, and the 

period of the deposit. 

Just as you would pay the bank S207.13 each month for 24 

months if you borrowed S4.500 at 9.75-percent interest, let's 

see how much you would gain by depositing the same S207.13 

each month for 24 months in a savings account that pays 6percent 

interest. Even if your spreadsheet does not offer a FV() 

function, you can substitute the following formula: 

t (1 + Interest/12 months) A Period -1 

Principal 

(Interest/12 months) 

If you were to write this same formula on one line (as you 

would do in a spreadsheet cell), it would look like this: 

Principal * {(1 + Interest/12) A Period - 1) (Interest 12) 

Note that the value for period is expressed as an exponent. 

Also note again that the interest rate, which is usually an 

annual rate, is divided by 12 to get the effective monthly'rate 

since the period of the deposit is also expressed in months, and 

the two items must match. Finally, when constructing this 

formula, don't forget to put in all the parentheses as indicated 

below. In the worksheet in figure 3. the values for the loan are 

stored in the following cells: 

Principal (or amount deposited each month): cell D4 

Interest rate (divided by 12 to get effective monthly rate): 

cell D5 

Period (expressed in months): cell D6 

Now let's substitute the cell references for the words in the 

one-line formula above. Here is how you would write the work 

sheet formula to calculate the total gain on equal monthly de 

posits into a savings account: 

D4 * ((1+D5/12) AD6-1)/(D5/12) 

By understanding how to analyze such questions as the cost 

of a loan or the gain on a deposit, you'll achieve greater control 

over vour financial life. 

t'r.r: ;,„ P_- ■; oil 

rr-crihsj Pmoa (in i 

D.poiil 

.207.13 

P.yminl, PUT luncilo ■ P'.'Tf35 -g.BS -B't Tolil min»d, FV ■ FVID5 :2.D6,-DJ) 

Figure 3b: Here are the formulas behind the worksheet in figure 3a. Note especially 

cells 8 and 10 in columns B and D. The formula in cell BIO can substitute for the 

payment function—PMT()—in B8, just as the formula in D10 can substitute for the 

future value function—FV()—in D8. 

less than .01 (one cent). This system 

is a bit more complicated, but it 

avoids guesswork at the number of 

iterations needed. 

WHY SPREADSHEETS ARE 

BETTER THAN CALCULATORS 

As with other financial calcula 

tions, Charles might have been able 

to solve this problem with a calcula 

tor. But what's significant about the 

spreadsheet is that it can build itera 

-0 06 

tive calculations into a large or com 

plex worksheet that will automatical 

ly resolve all of the circular 

references. Iteration illustrates an 

other advantage of model building 

with spreadsheets: the ability to re 

peatedly recalculate without making 

changes. When you have several ele 

ments in a financial situation that 

depend on each other, a spreadsheet 

will help you make the needed con 

nections among all the elements. ■

When (he United States In 

formation Agency (USIA) 

began to plan the "Infor 

mation USA" exhibition that is tour 

ing the USSR, they asked us to ad 

vise them on the software to include. 

We turned the assignment over to 

Steve Morgenstern. contributing edi 

tor. Steve both compiled the list of 

software and went to Moscow, the 

first stop on the 18-month tour (June 

1987 to December 1988). to teach 

the American guides how to operate 

* the computer systems. While there, 

| he also spoke with Soviet citizens 

s about computers. Here are several 

t vignettes from his experience. 

* STEVE McmoENSTERN also wrote this 

§ month's cover story, "Buyer's Guide to 

s Computers." 

I sat in the blazing sunshine of 

Moscow last June, savoring the 

creamy coldness of wonderful Rus 

sian ice cream and watching the line 

snaking around the Elcktrotekhnika 

pavilion at the Economic Achieve 

ments Exhibition park. The Soviets 

are renowned for standing in line. 

They wait with astonishing patience 

for such mundane items as bread 

and meat. 

Even by Soviet standards, though, 

this line was impressive. Excited tod 

dlers jostled against uniformed army 

men. Mothers fashioned newspaper 

hats from the morning edition of 

Pravda. and entire families crowded 

under large, black umbrellas to es 

cape the suns glare. 

What compelled thousands of Sovi 

ets to endure three-, four-, even five- 

hour waits, day after day, for more 

than a month? The Americans were 

here. After an eight-year freeze on 

cultural exchange exhibitions, the 

Americans had come to the Elektro- 

tckhnika pavilion to display their 

VCRs and satellite dish antennas, 

their music synthesizers and Univer 

sal Product Code supermarket check 

out systems, and, foremost, their 

computers. Two dozen American 

guides were also present, fluent in 

Russian and ready to demonstrate 

the equipment and to discuss what 

ever might be on a visitor's mind. A 

rare opportunity indeed, and it was 

available without admission charge 

to all willing to stand in line. So they 

stood. 

INSIDE THE "INFORMATION 

USA" EXHIBITION 

In the Office area of the main exhi 

bition. Marian Hagler. a guide from 

Washington. D.C., who earned a law 

degree from Georgetown, had set up 

an ingenious demonstration of Lotus 

1-2-3 that both stimulated discus 

sion and showed off the program's 

features. She created a spreadsheet 

model comparing income and ex 

penses for typical American and Sovi 

et citizens. The questions "What do 

you make?" and "How much do you 

spend?" were constantly fielded by all 

the Americans, but it was difficult to 

answer accurately. A meaningful 

comparison is not simply a matter of 

converting dollar figures to rubles. A 

typical Soviet might make only 200 

rubles a month (about S300). Yet by 

American standards, their necessi 

ties are very inexpensive; rent might 

be just 20 rubles (S30) a month. 

However, "luxury" items include such 

commonplace commodities as toma 

toes at 3 rubles (S5) a pound. 

Using a spreadsheet. Hagler would 

fill in typical dollar figures for items 

in an American budget and ask the 

Soviet visitors to supply typical 

amounts for the same items in ru 

bles. She then produced figures re 

vealing the percentage of income 

spent in each category and even cre 

ated charts and graphs to display the 

results. The Soviets became intensely 

involved in the give-and-take discus 

sion and finally, with the computer's 

help, grasped the real difference be 

tween currency exchange rates and 

actual spending power. 

Adding life to the computer demon 

strations didn't always require that 

much effort. A few days after we ar 

rived in Moscow, a young West Ger 

man pilot named Mathias Rust made 

headlines around the world by flying 

a small Cessna at low altitude from 

Finland right through Soviet air de- 


fenses and landing at the foot of Red 

Square. There were brief efforts to 

cover up the incident, but the truth 

quickly spread throughout Moscow. 

Linden Blue, an American guide and 

a pilot himself, incorporated the inci 

dent into his demonstration of Flight 

Simulator in the Home section. 

"Where should we go?" he would ask. 

"We could fly to San Francisco, or Los 

Angeles. ... or maybe we should try 

to land on Red Square." The crowds 

loved it. 

LIFE IN THE MEDIA CENTER 

My grandmother left Russia about 

70 years ago. preferring the Cossackfrec 

streets of New York City. I came 

back to the "old neighborhood" on a 

six-week assignment working for the 

United States Information Agency 

(USIA) as Specialist in Residence at 

the "Information USA" exhibition. 

One major responsibility was to 

meet one-on-one with Soviet "ex 

perts." The exhibit was divided into 

two sections. The large exhibit hall 

previously described was open to the 

public, but access to the smaller Me 

dia Center required a pass. Here, So 

viets who were already familiar with 

computers or had some special need 

to discuss were invited to meet with 

the Specialists and to explore a soft 

ware library of about 80 titles. 

The Media Center attracted a high 

percentage of scientists and academ 

ics. Many had IBM compatibles in 

their offices. The Macintosh was 

more of a curiosity to them—several 

had read about Macs, but few had 

actually worked with them. 

We had lively conversations about 

the relative merits of IBM versus Mac 

intosh desktop-publishing systems 

and networking and laser-printer 

technology. Optical storage media 

was another hot topic, as was the 

educational use of computers. The 

discussions were conducted at a 

much more sophisticated level than 1 

had anticipated: we were peppered 

with daunting technical questions. 

I've never felt the need to memorize 

statistics for the number of opera 

tions per second performed by an 

80286 chip versus a 68020, but the 

figures certainly would have come in 

handy in Moscow. 

Soviet busincsspeople were fre 

quent visitors, attentive to all we 

could show and tell them and sincere 

in their desire to improve their work 

by using computers. Officials from 

the telephone company, the railroad, 

the foreign trade bank, and many fac 

tories spent hours with us. Some 

were high-level executives; many oth 

ers were middle-level managers hop 

ing to come away with recommenda- 


family & home-office compuiinc contributing 

editor Steve Morgenstern (second from 

left) helps the American guides set up 

the computers for demonstrations. The 

sweatshirt on the woman ot right says 

"Harvard" in Russian. 

tions for their bosses. I demonstrated 

Q&A. Lotus 1-2-3. and Microsoft 

Windows dozens and dozens of 

times, always holding the rapt atten 

tion of my audience. 

Many had difficulty grasping the 

idea that American businesses use 

general-purpose software tools and 

adapt them to the specific needs of 

the company. For example, I met with 

the manager of a factory that makes 

rivets and razor blades. He wanted to 

see the software that would run a fac 

tory that made rivets. I showed him 

how a database can be used to con 

trol inventory, keep employee re 

cords, and capture productivity infor 

mation. I also demonstrated a 

spreadsheet for record keeping and 

planning and showed him how word 

processing could speed correspon 

dence. He nodded in agreement for 

half an hour, then asked "But 

where is the software to run a rivet 

factory?" 

SOVIET SCHOOLS AND 

COMPUTERS 

While the scientific community 

surprised me with its level of comput 

er access and expertise, I learned that 

the Soviet school system is far behind 

American standards in computer 

education. One expert from the Insti 

tute of Science and Aesthetics was 

developing "electromechanical de 

vices" to simulate the workings of a 

computer for Soviet students. He ex- 

Crowds gather in front of 

Moscow's Elektrotckhniko 

pavilion, the first stop on the 

"Information USA" tour of 

the Soviet Union. 

Long lines with up to five-hour waits did 

not faze the Soviet citizens eager to view 

American technology. 

plained that computers for schools 

are scarce, with little prospect for 

short-term improvement. Computer 

science is taught, but it is largely an 

abstract, conceptual topic; the stu 

dents lack machines to try their 

hands at programming or using soft 

ware applications. 

I had lengthy discussions with 

Ivan, an editor from a Moscow pub 

lishing house, who brought his 13- 

year-old son with him. Ivan embodied 

the all-too-common resigned accep 

tance of the fact that modern technol 

ogy is simply unavailable to everyday 

Soviets. We ran through a word-pro 

cessing demonstration and discussed 

the process of doing research using 

on-line databases. I explained the 

system I use to file stories with my 

editor: writing at home, then sending 

the file via modem to my editor 

through his electronic mailbox where 

he retrieves it, edits it, and sends it 

via modem to the typesetter. I also 

showed him PageMaker running on 

the Macintosh. Using a Cyrillic font 

and some sample text files, I put to 

gether a Russian-language publica 

tion and printed a copy in about 10 

minutes. 

Ivan pointed in the direction of his 

son, Vasily. who was busily blasting 

asteroids on an Atari ST. Through 

protracted wrangling and bureau 

cratic machinations. Ivan was able to 

get his son into a special after-school 

computer program (they use half a

dozen Yamaha MSX computers). How 

often does he go, I asked. "Officially, 

twice a week," Ivan replied. "Unoffi 

cially, eight days a week." 

And what about you, I asked. Obvi 

ously a computer would be a tremen 

dous help in your work. When do you 

think you'll get one? He shook his 

head and shrugged in a gesture 

which became familiar in my six- 

week stay. "Not in my lifetime," he 

said sadly. "Maybe for Vasily. But for 

me . . . ." 

BULGARIAN FLOPPIES AND 

BLACK-MARKET DISKETTES 

My best source of information 

about computing in the Soviet Union 

was indisputably the teenage boys 

who managed to obtain passes and 

made our Media Center their home 

away from home. 

Of course, games were the young 

visitors' top priority. Flight Simula 

tor on the Atari ST was a big hit, and 

the venerable One on One basketball 

running on a Commodore 128 was 

also well received. The language bar 

rier did pose a problem when it came 

to the illustrated text adventure 

Mindshadow, although a few brave 

souls made admirable progress on 

King's Quest. 

One question that came up with 

surprising frequency was how long 

our floppy disks lasted. I answered 

that as long as you avoid magnetic 

fields and keep it clean, a floppy 

Above, Soviet children take to 

computers as quickly as their 

American counterparts. Left, a 

diagram of the "Information 

USA" exhibition done on a 

Macintosh and then hand- 

colored. Below, a button given 

to visitors symbolizing the 

connection between our 

nations. 

should last for years. They showed 

me the Bulgarian-made 5.25-inch 

floppy disks they used and said the 

disks worked properly for about two 

months. 

In my discussions, I did not get the 

sense that there was much of a black 

market for computer systems. Floppy 

disks, however, are sold on the black 

market at incredibly high prices. 

This is especially true of 3.5-inch 

floppies, which can be used with the 

Japanese MSX computers as well as 

with Macs and Atari STs. The going 

price for a blank 3.5-inch disk, which 

might cost an American as little as 

SI. was between 20 to 50 rubles, or 

about S30 to S65 each! In fact. I was 

offered a generous supply of vodka 

and caviar by one enterprising Rus 

sian to provide him with a few of 

these little gems. I looked with new 

respect at the 10-pack box of blanks 

in my hand, but had to refuse. 

I also asked, if money was no ob 

ject, whether a Soviet citizen could 

purchase a computer. One young 

man gave me the address of a store 

on Lenin Prospekt where the pur 

chase could be made and even came 

back the next day to show me a Sovi 

et computer magazine with a listing 

of all the different models that are 

"available." The one which I was told 

could actually be purchased boasted 

64K memory, used a television set for 

a display device, and cost 500 rubles 

(about S750). Can you really just 

walk in and buy it, 1 asked, and he 

assured me you could. Subsequent 

visitors disagreed strongly, quoting 

waiting periods ranging from six 

months to a lifetime. 

PERSONAL COMPUTERS IN 

THE SOVIET FUTURE 

It seems inevitable that personal 

computers will become more wide 

spread in the Soviet Union in the 

next few years. Survival in the inter 

national economic marketplace de 

mands it. 

Manufacturing will be a major pit 

fall, though. I was told repeatedly by 

Americans and Soviets alike that 

while the level of scientific knowledge 

in the USSR is impressive, the Sovi 

ets lack the capability to manufac 

ture technically exacting equipment. 

This was borne out by their flaky 

floppy disks and also by a trip to the 

physics department at Moscow State 

University, where virtually all of the 

laboratory equipment was made in 

the West. 

The more tantalizing question 

about Soviet computerization is cul 

tural. Can you have widespread per 

sonal computer use in a country 

where information is kept under 

tight control? In the Soviet Union. 

private ownership of a photocopying 

machine is illegal. Even when you do 

find personal computers in use, there 

are virtually no printers. And the offi 

cial plans for computerizing class 

rooms call for setting up a center in 

every school with 15 interconnected 

computers each—but only a single 

disk drive, at the teachers desk. 

Even if the Soviet leaders can come 

to terms with the expansion of per 

sonal freedom entailed in the growth 

of personal computing and solve 

their manufacturing problems, wide 

spread acceptance of personal com 

puters in the home and the work 

place will be slow. In the Soviet Union 

today, the average citizen has no 

dealings with computers at all. Even 

calculators are scarce; virtually every 

store I visited totaled up bills using 

an abacus. 

For hundreds of thousands of Sovi 

et citizens, their first interaction 

with a computer will come courtesy of 

the USIA. Their "Information USA" 

exhibit is currently traveling through 

the Soviet Union, visiting major cit 

ies such as Kiev and Leningrad as 

well as more out-of-the-way locations 

including Irkutsk in Asia. At each 

exhibit site, average Soviet citizens 

are introduced to an important con 

cept in American life: the use of com 

puter technology to allow each indi 

vidual to achieve his or her personal 

potential. ■ 


USING HYPERCARD 

ORGANIZING INFORMATION WITH YOUR 

OWN FREE- FORM DATABASE BY 

o you find databases too ex 

acting? Do you become frus 

trated because each piece of 

data—such as name, street address, 

and zip code—must be entered into 

its own slot, or the program won't 

spit back the information correctly 

later? 

If so, you'll want to know about an 

other angle for organizing informa 

tion—a free-form database. Perfect 

for such tasks as taking notes during 

a project, free-form databases let you 

enter data almost randomly, as you 

come across each piece, and then 

make cross-references between items 

as needed. Entering and then linking 

data in a casual structure is one of 

HyperCard's great strengths. This 

month, you can try your hand at Hy 

perTalk scripting by typing in the 

complete stack for cross-referencing 

text listed below. 

Each card in Cross-Reference (as 

we'll call the stack) consists of two 

main parts: a text field for entering 

notes and an index field with all the 

keywords for the whole stack. While 

the text field's contents differ from 

card to card, the keywords listed in 

the index field are the same on each 

card. Whenever you want to crossreference 

a particular word in your 

notes, the stack creates a new card 

with that word as the keyword. This 

method lets you easily find your in 

formation when you need it—without 

the tedious structuring that regular 

databases require, 

Here's how you start. 

SETTING UP YOUR STACK 

t. Go to the last card of your Home 

Stack. Set User Level to Scripting. If 

menu bar isn't showing, hold down 

COMMAND key and tap the SPACE 

BAR once to make it appear. 

2. Choose "Open Stack ..." from 

File menu. Insert the Ideas disk that 

came with HyperCard, ejecting a 

disk first if necessary. Open the stack 

called "Stack Ideas." 

3. Click on small card named 

'Hand Card" in the lower-right cor 

ner of the Stack Ideas index. That 

steve drazga is the president of ART 

Incorporated, a Macintosh consulting 

and software developmentJirm, in 

Moorestown, New Jersey. 


This is a demonstration of HyperCard's 

cross-referencing capabilities on the 

Macintosh*. 

Your finished Cross-Reference stack should look like the illustration above. By simply 

clicking on any word in your text field, you create a new card that is automatically 

cross-referenced by that selected word. 

takes you to the card with the hand, 

your background graphic. 

4. Choose "New Stack ..." from 

File menu. Name this new stack 

"Cross-Reference," then click on 

"New" dialog button. 

5. When you copied the Hand card 

from the Ideas stack, you also (un 

knowingly) copied a field. So now, 

choose Field tool (top row right) from 

Tools menu; the field should appear. 

Double-click on this field to bring up 

its information box. 

6. Name this field "Textual"; set 

style to "scrolling." 

7. Then click on "Script..." to call 

the field's script editor. Type in the 

HyperTalk script from figure 1. Click 

on "OK" when done. 

8. Press COMMAND-M to bring up 

message box. Type the following in 

the box and press RETURN: set rect 

angle of field "Textual" to 

160.85.484,268 

9. Choose "Background" from Edit 

menu. Choose "New Field" from Ob 

jects menu. Double-click on field. 

Name it "Holder" and click on "OK" 

button. 

10. Highlight text in message box 

with mouse, then press DELETE or 

BACKSPACE to remove text. 

11. Now we'll make this field disap 

pear, but don't worry. Type the fol- 

owing in message box and press RE 

TURN: hide field "Holder" 

12. Choose "Background" again 

and then "New Field"; double-click on 

field. Name it "Index"; set style to 

"scrolling." Click on "Lock Text" but 

ton, putting an X there. 

13. Now click on "Script ..." and 

type in script from figure 2. Click on 

"OK." 

14. Repeat step 10. Type the follow 

ing in message box and press RE 

TURN: set rect of field -Index" to 

4.68.131.304 

15. Choose "Background" again. 

Choose "New Field" once more; dou 

ble-click on field. Name it "Title"': set 

style to "shadow." Click on "Lock 

Text" button. Click on "Font" button. 

Set text style to "Bold" and press RE 

TURN. 

16. Repeat step 10. Type the follow 

ing in the message box and press RE 

TURN: set rect of field "Title" to 

133.23.333.44 

MAKING BUTTONS WORK 

Now we'll set up the buttons that 

do some of the stack's work. 

1. First, drag the message box to 

the top of the screen, right below the 

Title field. Choose Button tool (top 

row middle) from Tools menu. 

2. While holding down SHIFT key, 

double-click on the Return button 

(lower right) copied from your Ideas

More than 

five years 

a best seller 

The Struggle to Unite Japan 

For ihe IBM PC and mosl GOmoaliOlos 

The Japan most people don't know about. The Warring States period ol 

the sixteenth century. Central government was weak and ineffective as 

feudal lords called daimyos gained power. Each daimyo ruled a single 

fief, each wanted to rule the nation. One man, Nobunaga Oda, came 

close but failed. He paid the price for failure, death. 

Nobunaga's Ambition is a military, economic and diplomatic simulation 

for one to eight that puts you in Nobunaga's place, or in the place of one 

of his rivals. You start with one fief and try to take the entire nation. A 

game of both strategy and tactics, success takes caieful planning and 

opportunism. 

Administer your fiefs during peace to increase their strength. Keep your 

peasants and army loyal or risk revolt. Use your resources effectively, not 

spending too much on either guns or butter. Negotiate with other daimyos, 

or perhaps you'd rather just send ninja. 

On the battlefield, control your troops in close tactical detail. Take advan 

tage of terrain, attack, retreat, fight a war of attrition or go directly after 

the enemy general. Just be sure your side is smarter, tougher and better 

prepared. 

Nobunaga's Ambition is fast moving and easy to play but historically ac 

curate. Characters and game events come from the reality of sixteenth 

century Japan. Maps are almost entirely accurate, both geographically 

and politically. Advanced graphics and animation help give the game a 

feel of complete reality. One to eight may play either of two scenarios and 

five different levels of difficulty. Instruction manual and historical notes 

included. 

Some comments from Japan's leading computer magazines: 

'II you own a computer you've got to By "Nobunaga's Ambition is the absolute pinthis 

gameT nacle of simulation gaming' 

OH! PC Mainictii Stiimbun 

January. 1987 Way 7. '987 

"II the user can supply intelligence and "A great hit" 

imagination. Nobunaga's Ambition will pro- Asaht Shimbun 

vide more and better entertainment than February 20.1986 

any other game on the market: ,fm gnd away )he most authentic simuta- 

EnIer lion game I've evet seen: 

August 1986 Hiroharu Seki. professor of Political Sci- 

"First leleased more than five years ago. ence ai Utiiveisity of Tokyo in an inter- 

Nobunagas Ambition is still no! just a best view witri Tokyo Newspaper. 

seller but one of me very best simulation 

games on the market: 

popcorn magazine I/SNPI ^*^\\ 

January. 1987 K.Ufc.1 L»U 

Greatest 

KOEI 

simulation game 

released in Japan 

ce of The Three Kingdoms 

Second Century China 

^ Tor the IBM PC and most compatibles 

China's second Han dynasty has collapsed. The entire nation battles with 

itself as warlords struggle for supremacy. You are a Master, one of these 

warlords determined to beat out the others and control the country. 

Manage the states under your control to increase their power and resour 

ces. Cope with disasters, both natural and otherwise, when they occur. 

Choose good subordinates and win their loyalty. Negotiate with other 

Masters, or take a less diplomatic approach, controlling your armies and 

those of your generals in great tactical detail on the battlefield. Take ad 

vantage of terrain as best you can. Choose the right kind of attack for the 

situation, or just try and trick the enemy. Do what the immediate situation 

calls for but don't fail to think ahead. 

A huge data base together with advanced graphics, animation and pro 

gramming give the game an unprecedented degree of reality. Romance 

of The Three Kingdoms is based painstakingly on the Chinese epic novel 

of the same name, but is fast moving and easy to play. Features include: 

*255 characters, each with a distinct personality 

♦ Military, economic and diplomatic simulation 

*Five different scenarios 

♦Ten levels of difficulty per scenario 

*Play by one to eight 

♦ Demonstration mode 

♦ Complete instruction manual and historical notes. 

"Our highest accolade to Koei s Romance "Romance of The Three Kingdoms is a simol 

of The Three Kingdoms: 

ulation wat game that will strengthen any 

Popcorn magazine 

businessman's ability to work through a 

Way. May. 1987 19B7 

problem, logically or intuitively: 

P. C. magazine 

"Highest award lor a simulation game" 

October. 1986 

"All around best game: 

Login 

July. 1987 

A simulation game withou! peer? 

Enter 

August. 1986 

' Romance of the Three Kingdoms is simu 

lation gaming at its absolute best: 

Tectmopolis 

July. 1986 

KOEI CORPORATION 

20,000 Mariner Avenue. Suite 100 Torrance. CA.90503 

PHONE. 213-542-6444 


"Romance of the Three Kingdoms may be 

pficey but Ihe entertainmenl it provides 

makes it a good buy at any price: 

OH'FM 

March, t987

USING HYPERCARD 

Figure 1: Script for Field'Textual" 

on mouseWiihin 

global selectedWord 

if selection is not empty then 

set cursor to 4 

put selection into selectedWord 

if space is in selection then 

click at be o! target 

exit mouseWithin 

endit 

find selectedWord in field "Index" 

if the result is empty then 

else 

visual dissolve to inverse 

visual dissolve 

go card selectedWord 

Five scripts for the 

Cross-Reference Stack 

Figure 2: Script for Field "Index" 

on mouse Down 

set lockText of me to false 

click at the clickLoc 

click at the clickLoc 

put selection into selectedWord 

set lockTexl of me to true 

if selectedWord is not empty then 

visual dissolve very fast to inverse 

visual dissolve very fas! 

go card selection 

end if 

end mouseDown 

if the resutt is not empty then 

answer "Can! find link. Create a new one?" wilh "Yes" or *No" 

if it is "Yes" then 

doMenu "New Card" 

set the name ol this card to selededWord 

put selectedWord into field "Title" 

type tab 

else click at toe of target 

end if 

answer "Do you want to create a new link?" with "Yes" or "No" 

if it is "Yes" then CreateNewLink 

else click at loc of target 

end if 

end if 

end mouseWithin 

on CreateNewLink 

global selectedWord 

set cursor to 4 

put selectedWord 8."'" into selection 

get script of field "Holder" 

put return & selectedWord after it 

set script of field "Holder to it 

doMenu "New Card" 

set the name of this card to selectedWord 

put selectedWord inlo field "Title" 

type tab 

end CreateNewLink 

stack. Delete script that's already 

there by dragging from the first word 

to the last word—highlighting the 

text—and pressing DELETE or 

BACKSPACE. 

3. Key in script from figure 3. Click 

on "OK." 

4. Choose "Background" from Edit 

menu. Choose "New Button" from 

Objects menu. Double-click for its in 

formation box. Rename it "Hide In 

dex." 

5. Bring up button's script editor. 

Between the existing "on mouseUp" 

and "end mouseUp" commands, type 

n script commands from figure 4. 

Click on "OK." 

6. Delete text from message box, as 

n step 10 above. Type the following 

n the message box and press RE 

TURN: set red of background button 

■Hide Index'' to 160,276.260.298 

7. Choose "Bkgnd Info ..." from 

Objects menu. Name it "Reference"; 

56 FAMILY & HOME-Of-TICE COMPUTING 

click on "Script ..." button. Delete 

existing script as in step 2. 

8. Key in script from figure 5. Click 

on "OK." 

TESTING, 1-2-3-4-5 

Your cross-reference stack is now 

completed and ready to roll, except 

for a few one-time setup procedures. 

1. Click on "Hide Index" button. In 

dex field on left should disappear. 

2. Repeat step 10 above to delete 

text from message box. Type the fol 

lowing in the message box and press 

RETURN: put "Intro" intofield "Title" 

3. Type the following and press RE 

TURN: set name of this card to "In 

tro" 

4. Type the following and press RE 

TURN: set script ojjieid "Holder" to 

"Intro" 

5. Click on message box's "goaway" 

box (upper-left corner). 

Now let's see how Cross-Rejerence 

works by testing the stack. 

Click in the upper left of the text 

field and write, "This is a demonstra 

tion of HyperCard's cross-referencing 

capabilities on the Macintosh." Then 

double-click on the word "Macin 

tosh. " When asked if you want to cre 

ate a new card link, answer "yes." 

An asterisk will be added after the 

word "Macintosh," and a new card 

will appear with that word as a key- 

Figure 3: Script for Button "Return" 

on mouseUp 

visual effect dissolve to inverse 

visual effect dissolve 

go back 

end mouseUp 

Figure 4: Commands for Button "Hide/Show Index1 

if the short name of me is "Show Index" Ihen 

set visible of field "Index" to true 

set name of me to "Hide Index" 

else 

set visible of field "Index" to false 

set name of me to "Show Index" 

end if 

Figure 5: Script for Background "Reference" 

on openCard 

put script of lield "HoSder" into field "Index" 

set scroll of field "Textual" to 0 --a zero 

end openCard 

on closeCard 

pul empty into lield "Index" 

end closeCard 

word. Now you can add any informa 

tion you want about the subject Mac 

intosh to the new card created by the 

stack. 

From now on. whenever you click 

on the word "Macintosh" in your text 

(whether it's asterisked or not), you'll 

go to the card that has "Macintosh" 

as a keyword. And every time you 

double-click on a word in your text 

that is not a keyword, you can create 

a new cross-referenced card. 

Now click on the "Show Index" but 

ton to bring up the Index field. It 

should hold two keywords: Intro and 

Macintosh. Click on "Intro" to take 

you to that card; click on "Macin 

tosh" to return to the new card. You'll 

be able to use the Index field to 

quickly jump to any card in the 

stack. 

FINAL THOUGHTS 

If you get an error message as you 

test the stack, first correct the typing 

error in the script. Then type the fol 

lowing into the message box and 

press RETURN: set script of Jield 

"Holder" to empty 

Now delete all cards except for the 

first one. named "Intro," by choosing 

"Cut Card" from the Edit menu. Fi 

nally, type the following into the mes 

sage box and press RETURN: set 

script ofJield "Holder" to "Intro" U

Now Your Favorite Family & Home Office Computing 

Programs Are On Floppies 

INTRODUCING OUR ALL-NEW 

Instant Programmer 

wi 

Disk Series 

lt's true. Now you can enjoy your favor 

ite programs on convenient, easy-to- 

use floppy disks for only pennies a 

program. Choose from three disks — each 

containing 10 individual programs! 

PICK YOUR PLEASURE. Each disk covers a 

separate category: FUN AND GAMES which pro 

vides your entire family with hours of lively enter 

tainment. PERSONAL PRODUCTIVITY to keep you 

organized, efficient and productive. And HOLIDAY 

PROGRAMS which include every major holiday 

from Valentine's Day to Christmas. Buy one, two 

or all three disks — there are 30 programs in all! 

, Perfect for yourself, the kids, or to give as gifts. 

START HAVING FUN RIGHT AWAY. Why spend 

time entering programs when you could be run 

ning them instead? Instant Programmer instruc 

tions are given in easy menu format so you're up 

.and running in seconds. 

'AVOID ERRORS. Put an end to long, frustrating 

searches hunting for mistakes that slipped by 

unnoticed when you entered your program. With 

Instant Programmer, you just insert your disk and 

you're "home free." That's all there is to it! 

1 ■■■■-■ ^-- 

■ -■-■-■ 

-m 

■ -a 

I 

■ 

■ Jt 

m -■ 

■ -■ 

h 

THE MORE DISKS 

YOU BUY, THE 

MORE YOU SAVE. 

Purchased indepen 

dently, each Instant 

Programmer Disk costsas 

little as S9.99. That's 

less than $1.00 per program. 

HANDY ORDER COUPON 

Please rush my Family & Home Office Computing INSTANT PROGRAMMER disk(s). 

I've indicated my selection below and the total to the right. 

SELECTION 

IBM-Productivity 

0B89597 

IBM-Games' 

0B69598 

IBM-Holiday* 

OB69599 

Apple- Productivity 

II Scries O8B960O 

Apple-Games 

IJ Series OB69601 

Apple-Holiday 

li Scries OOS96O? 

Tandy-Productivity 

CoCo OB39603 

Tandy-Games 

CdCo033960J 

QUANTITY SELECTION 

Tandy-Holiday 

CdCqOBB96Q5 

Commodore-Prod. 

H'12S(C64n


EVALUATIONS OF COMPUTERS, PERIPHERALS, 

AND OTHER HOME-OFFICE EQUIPMENT 

Apple MIDI Interface 

manufacturer: Apple Computer, Inc. 

address: 20525 Mariani Ave.. Cuper 

tino. CA 95014; (408) 996-1010 

HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS: Apple IICS Or 

Macintosh 

PRICE: S99 

If you have an interest in electronic 

music, you probably know that MIDI 

makes possible the link between 

computers and musical instru 

ments. MIDI (Musical Instrument 

Digital Interface) is a communica 

tions protocol that standardizes the 

way information is exchanged back 

and forth between computers and 

musical instruments. With the right 

software, an electronic instrument, 

and a MIDI interface, you can use 

your computer to compose, arrange, 

and play music. 

Apple Computer has recently in 

troduced its own MIDI interface for 

Apple IIgs and Macintosh owners. 

The Apple MIDI interface is a small, 

rectangular box (3-by-2-by-1.25 

inches) containing ports that con 

nect the company's computers to 

MIDI instruments. Included in the 

package are two standard MIDI ca 

bles, a cable to connect the interface 

to a lies or Macintosh, and an easyto-understand 

owner's guide. (If you 

have a 128K or 512K Macintosh, 

you'll need a different cable.) 

Compared to many other inter 

faces I've seen, the Apple MIDI inter 

face is a very simple device with no 

moving parts or confusing frills. 

There is a MIDI "IN" port (for bring 

ing information into a computer or 

instrument), a MIDI "OUT" port (for 

sending information out of a com 

puter or instrument), and a port for 

connecting the MIDI interface to a 

computer's modem or printer con 

nector. In contrast, more elaborate 

MIDI interfaces may have many 

ports, as well as switches and lights 

useful for selecting among modem, 

printer, and MIDI interfaces. 

Since the Apple interface comes 

with all the cables needed to attach 

a MIDI instrument to a computer. 

it's an ideal purchase for MIDI be 

ginners. Professional musicians, 

however, may find only one MIDI 


Apple MIDI interface 

■"IN" and "OUT" to be limiting, be 

cause professionals generally use 

many MIDI instruments simulta 

neously. If you plan to use an "or 

chestra" of synthesizers and drum 

machines with the Apple MIDI inter 

face, you should expect to add more 

MIDI hardware—such as extra ca 

bles—to your system. 

The Apple MIDI interface is easy to 

install and comes with everything 

you need for getting your MIDI setup 

off the ground . . . that is, if you al 

ready have a MIDI instrument (a 

drum machine or a keyboard, for ex 

ample) and some MIDI software. In 

next month's issue. I'll profile indi 

viduals who are putting MIDI to 

WOrk. —JOEY LATIMER 


Arche Rival 286 Computer 

manufacturer: Arche Technologies 

address: 745 High St., Westwood, 

MA 02090: (617) 422-4674 or (800) 

422-4674 

PRICE: $2,195 

Imagine my surprise when I opened 

the box containing the Arche Rival 

286 and saw that the logo of its 

manufacturer, Arche Technologies, 

resembles a McDonald's golden arch. 

My first thought was that the folks 

at Arche have either a wonderful 

sense of humor or great lawyers. 

Then the doubts began: "If they 

need this gimmick." I thought, 

"then what's wrong with the com 

puter?" I started looking for the 

slip-up. 

There was no problem with the 

slim 53-page manual. It has actual 

photographs of all the parts; they're 

clearly labeled and even show you 

what the system should look like 

when everything is connected prop 

erly. Every step toward making the 

computer operational is illustrated, 

and comprehensible text explains 

the pictures and diagrams. 

As with most current clones, there 

are options galore but the strippeddown, 

basic model comes standard 

with 1MB of RAM. The basic unit 

also includes a 1.2MB 5.25-inch 

floppy drive, an enhanced (101 keys) 

keyboard, two parallel ports, two se 

rial ports, five free expansion slots 

(eight total), a Hercules graphics 

adapter, and an outstandingly sharp 

amber monitor—all for S2,195. 

The model I reviewed had two 

ARCHE RIVAL 286 

SPECIFICATIONS 

microprocessor: Intel 80286 (8/12MHz) 

MEMORY: 1MB 

OPERATING SYSTEM: MS-DOS 3.3 

display: 14-inch amber monitor: Hercules 

graphics card 

built-in ports: Four (two parallel, two seri 

al) 

AVAILABLE EXPANSION SLOTS: Five 

disk drives: One 1.2MB 5.25-inch 

software included: MS-DOS 3.3 and GW- 

BASIC 

warranty: Two vears

5.25-inch floppy drives and a 20MB 

hard disk. (Options are available for 

using 3.5-inch floppies and for up 

grading the hard-disk storage to 

80MB or more.) The amber monitor 

that comes with the basic unit is a 

joy. The text is as sharp as can be, 

easing eye strain after extended peri 

ods of computer use. 

All the software I tried ran perfect 

ly at both 8MHz and 12MHz. I had 

to reconfigure one word-processing 

package because the cursor speed 

was boosted so much that when I 

was just a little heavy-handed with 

the cursor keys. I found myself 

three screens away from where I 

wanted to be. 

OK, so the documentation is first- 

rate, and the computer is solid, 

looks attractive, and seems to be 

built to last. But what if something 

goes wrong? Arche guarantees the 

computer for two years, as long as 

you buy from an authorized dealer. 

What are these people up to? Do 

they actually believe that building a 

good computer at competitive prices, 

providing proper support, and 

standing behind it unhesitatingly is 

going to attract customers? Indeed 

they do, thank goodness. 

All I can say is that when I fin 

ished the review and had to return 

the Rival 286 to Arche, the amused 

smile that had been on my face 

when I first removed the computer 

from its box took on a wistful quali 

ty. I can't help but end this review 

with a pun—when it comes to value, 

there are few rivals for the Rival 286. 

—STEVE MILLER 

editors note: The model reviewed 

was a preproduction model. 


IBM Personal System/2 

Model 50 

MANUFACTURER: IBM Corp. 

address: Old Orchard Road, Ar- 

monk, NY 10504; (800) 447-4700 

PRICE: S3.595 

What seemed new and exciting just 

a short while back has already lost 

its bloom—especially with IBM 

promising a steady stream of new 

computers. So. even as IBM bally- 

hoos its current Personal System/2 

line of computers, we hear of ma 

chines with increased capabilities 

and lower prices from IBM and from 

its competitors. Nevertheless, the 

1 1 

IBM PERSONAL SYSTEM/2 

MODEL 50 SPECIFICATIONS 

MICROPROCESSOR: Intel 80286 

(10MHz) 

MEMORY: 1MB 

OPERATING SYSTEM: PC-DOS Or OS/2 

(not included in basic price) 

display: VGA built into motherboard; 

no monitor included 

built-in PORTS: Three (serial, parallel, 

and pointing device} 

AVAILABLE EXPANSION SLOTS: Three 

disk drives: One 1.44MB 3.5-inch 

floppy and a 20MB hard drive 

SOFTWARE included: Model 50/60 Ref 

erence Diskette 

PS/2s are here, hoping to recapture 

some of the ground lost to PC clones 

on the one hand and the Macintosh 

on the other. 

The hot-selling PS/2 Model 50, 

while based on the same processor 

as the PC AT (the Intel 80286). has 

enough design innovation inside the 

box to warrant its claims to new 

ness. The two big differences be 

tween the older PC AT and the Model 

50 are Micro Channel bus architec 

ture and the built-in Video Graphics 

Array (VGA) display technology. Mi 

cro Channel, a high-speed data 

movement system, was designed to 

facilitate multitasking and network 

connectivity, while VGA display ca 

pability puts the Models 50. 60, and 

80 in the same game as the Macin 

tosh. 

Features. With the Model 50. 

there's no need to add this or that 

hardware to get the machine up to 

speed. Three expansion slots (for Mi 

cro Channel-compatible boards only) 

are available, and the memory can 

be expanded to a total of 7MB. In ad 

dition to the 1MB of standard, sys 

tem-board memory, the test comput 

i 

er came with 4MB of memory 

installed in two expansion slots. 

These boards are. of course, extra- 

cost options, and you cannot use 

any of the boards that you might 

have installed in an IBM PC. (The 

Model 60. incidentally, has seven 

slots and memory expansion to 

15MB.) The 80286 runs at 10MHz, a 

meaningful contrast with the PC's 

4.77MHz, but not exceptionally fast 

when compared to other AT-class 

machines. The video display is a vi 

sual feast, allowing up to 256 colors 

on the screen at once. 

A single 3.5-inch disk drive, with 

a 1.44MB capacity and a 20MB hard 

disk (with an unusually slow access 

speed of 65 milliseconds) are stan 

dard. A second external 3.5- or 5.25- 

inch drive can be added. Other fea 

tures include serial, parallel, and 

pointing-device ports: a battery- 

powered real-time clock: the usual 

high-quality IBM keyboard (en 

hanced version—the one with the 

extra set of of editing keys and 12 

function keys): and a relatively small 

footprint (16.5-by-14.1.inches) and 

light weight (23 pounds). The com 

puter we tested came with an IBM 

8513 12-inch color monitor (S685). 

Given the graphics output capability 

of the computer, this is a good 

choice. However, the IBM mono 

chrome monitor (S250) will repro 

duce color output as 64 shades 

of gray. 

Central to IBM's marketing strate 

gy is the new operating system 

called OS/2, which is designed to ex 

ploit the multitasking hardware ca 

pability of the PS/2 line (excluding 

the Models 25 and 30). You needn't 

buy OS/2 (not cheap, running about 

$325 and requiring at least 2MB), 

because these computers will run 

PC-DOS/MS-DOS. Eventually. OS/2 

should be the way to go, but, for 

now, applications software designed 

to run under OS/2 is scarce. If you 

do convert immediately to OS/2, you 

will still be able to move back and 

forth between the two systems 

through the OS/2 menu. 

Using the Model 50. The only soft 

ware supplied with the Model 50 is 

what IBM calls Model 50/60 Refer 

ence Diskette, which tests the com 

puter, shows off the display capabili 

ties, allows you to customize the 

system configuration and to make 

backups of the disk, and gives you a 

tutorial tour of the system. 

Unfortunately, you'll have to sup- 



ply DOS and software. Using DOS 

3.3 (which costs an additional 

SI20), I ran a variety of software, all 

without a hitch. The obvious im 

provements over my 8088 machine 

are in speed of operation and display 

quality. (I tested a Zenith flat-screen 

monitor on the Model 50, and, as 

impressive as IBM's own monitor 

may be, the Zenith is a new visual 

experience /see review in this sec 

tion).) 

One thing I have never liked about 

IBM machines is the interminable 

bootup time. The Model 50 contin 

ues the tradition. Any number of 

IBM compatibles do it faster. I also 

don't like the attempt to boot from 

the A drive even when the hard disk 

is bootable. Zenith, for example, al 

lows you to set the default boot drive 

with the DIP switch. This means 

that if you've locked a disk into the 

A drive, the system will not insist on 

trying to boot from it and will go 

right to the hard disk. 

Compared with a plain-folks PC 

XT. the Model 50 is a lot of comput 

er. Compared with ajazzed-up PC 

AT, it's not so much, although Micro 

Channel has a lot of potential (as yet 

unrealized, it should be noted). You 

can run OS/2 on nearly any 80286 

computer, and you can add video 

boards, extended memory, monitors 

of any quality, or even an 80386 

speed-up card (for around $1,000) to 

an AT-type of computer. But if you 

don't care to tinker—or are a begin 

ning computerist who feels that 

multitasking and other Micro Chan 

nel features can play a valuable role 

in your computer operations—then 

you should take a close look at the 

Model 50. —HENRY F. BEECHHOLD 


Phone-Mate 9750 Two-Line 

Telephone and Answering 

Machine 

manufacturer: Phone-Mate, Inc. 

address: 325 Maple Ave.. Torrance, 

CA 90503: (213) 618-9910 

PRICE: S280 

I hate to admit it, but the most criti 

cal piece of hardware in my office 

isn't my computer. It's my tele 

phone. 

Yet, I coddle my computer, spoil 

ing it—for productivity's sake, of 

course—with new software, periph 

erals, and accessories as often as I 

60 FAMILY & HOME-OF7]CE COMPUTING 

can. And. until recently. I shame 

lessly neglected my telephone sys 

tem. 

Not too long ago, my phone setup 

consisted of two standard push-but 

ton telephones, two jacks, and an 

assortment of co-workers to take 

messages. Sure, the phones clut 

tered my desk, and calls occasionally 

went unanswered: I knew my phone 

system wasn't flawless but it was 

enough for me. Or so 1 thought. It 

wasn't until I replaced my two 

phones, my desk clock, and my pink 

"While You Were Out" message pads 

Phone-Male 9750 two-line telephone/ 

answering machine 

with a feature-packed, two-line 

phone/answering machine/digital 

clock from Phone-Mate that I ex 

posed the feebleness of my original 

telephone setup. 

Phone-Mate, a well-known leader 

in the answering-machine industry, 

likes to make good things in small 

packages. The very sleek Phone-Mate 

9750 measures just 2.5-by-8.5-by- 

7.5 inches (about the size of a thick 

hardcover book). Yet. its feature-lad 

en answering machine lets you dic 

tate memos and reminders for your 

self and others in your office: record 

telephone conversations: record two 

different greetings: record messages 

on one line while you're talking on 

the other, and remotely retrieve, 

save, replay, and erase messages, re 

cord new greetings, and turn on 

your machine. 

One of the answering machine's 

best features is its nifty computer 

ized voice (it sounds just like a cor 

porate voice messaging system) that 

alerts you to new messages, tells you 

the date and time of each call, and 

gives operating instructions. 

The two-line telephone isn't nearly 

as noteworthy. There's on-hook dial 

ing (but no speakerphone) and an 

autodial feature (but for only nine 

phone numbers). And the tele 

phone's ring is too low: if I step out 

of my office, I can't hear the melodic 

hum. 

In spite of these minor criticisms, 

I haven't seen any other two-line 

phone/answering machine that's as 

small, smart-looking, and simple to 

set up and use as the Phone-Mate 

9750. And although $280 (you can 

find it for considerably less) may 

sound like a lot to spend on a tele 

phone, you're getting quite a bit of 

technology—and professional credi 

bility—for your money. 

—BERNADETTE GREY 


Toshiba P351SX Printer 

manufacturer: Toshiba America. 

Inc.. Information Systems Division 

address: 9740 Irvine Blvd.. Irvine, 

CA 92718: (714) 583-3000 

HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS: Any com- 

puter with a parallel port 

PRICE: SI.599 

The Toshiba P351SX is for small- 

business operators who want a fast 

and versatile 24-pin printer—and 

are willing to pay a premium price 

for that versatility. The wide-carriage 

printer can hum along at 360 char 

acters per second (cps) in draft mode 

or 120 cps in letter-quality mode (in 

pica type}. As for versatility, it's hard 

to know just where to begin. Built-in 

parallel and serial ports make it easy 

TOSHIBA P351SX PRINTER 


type: 24-pin dot matrix 

draft speed ipica): 360 characters per sec 

ond (cps) 

LETTER-QUALITY SPEED: 120 cps 

graphics resolution: 360-by-360 dots per 

inch 

dimensions: 23-by-15.5-by-5.5 inches 

WEIGHT: 33 pounds 

interface: Parallel port 

built-in emulation: gume. IBM Proprinter, 

and IBM Graphics printers ($149 for Ep 

son JX80 or LQ series and Diablo 630 

printers) 

paper width: 4 to 15 inches 

ports: Parallel and serial

The MonsterArcade Hi 

TMar.O = Rally Midway Mtg Co 

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Now available for Tandy 1000, 

V 

IBM PC and 100% Compatibles? 

See your retailer or call 

800-345-2888, operator 300, 

to order direct. 

includes both 5% and 3V2 inch disks 


to interface the P351SX to just 

about any computer. 

It wasn't easy for me to get the 

hang of working the LCD-based 

front panel. The two-line display, ac 

companied by six selection buttons, 

offers a nonvolatile configuration 

system that eliminates DIP switches 

and allows the user to easily reconfi 

gure the printer in seconds. It took 

me an hour or so to initially config 

ure the printer and get the feel of 

the menu structure, but once I did, 

it became almost enjoyable to 

change such standards as typeface 

and pitch. 

The P351SX has seven built-in 

fonts, which can be selected either 

through the front panel or by soft 

ware. Two slots on the lower front of 

the printer can receive credit-card- 

size ROM cards that can each hold 

two additional fonts. Alternatively. 

these cards can hold enough RAM to 

double the printer's buffer from 32K 

to 64K or even enable it to emulate 

other printers. 

The P351SX has the ability to 

print graphics at a resolution of 

360-by-360 dots per inch. It also has 

an extensive library of built-in func 

tions and capabilities such as pro 

portional spacing, boldfacing, super- 

scripting and subscripting, and 

double-size characters that allow a 

broad palette of alphanumeric possi 

bilities. 

The feature that most impressed 

me, however, was the printer's pa 

per-handling capabilities. It comes 

with a built-in tractor feed but also 

can be fed single sheets of paper 

separately. The good part is that you 

don't have to remove one to use the 

other—a great convenience when it 

is regularly being used for more 

than one task. 

Anyone who does a lot of word 

processing or mail merging will ap 

preciate the bulk-cut, sheet-feed op 

tions available. The single-sheet 

feeder (S499) will automatically load 

single sheets, while the optional 

double-sheet feeder (S699) will allow 

you to have a bin of letterhead and 

a bin of plain bond paper to write 

multipage letters automatically, for 

instance. In addition, Toshiba offers 

an envelope feeder (S699J to expedite 

mail-merge operations. 

But all of these bells and whistles 

have a price. The P351SX has a list 

price of SI.599. though you maybe 

able to find it considerably discount 

ed. Font cards are available for S79. 


Readers who are familiar only with 

traditional 9-pin dot-matrix printers 

may not be aware that the newer, 

more expensive 24-pin machines 

really do create very-near-letter-quali 

ty output. 

The P351SX is well designed for 

business use. One persons bells and 

whistles are another person's re 

quirements, and, even though it's 

expensive, some people demand that 

kind of versatility. Prospective buy 

ers who need at least 24-pin print 

quality and have business needs 

that can't be satisfied with a laser 

printer in the same price league (fill 

ing out forms or printing envelopes, 

for instance), would be well advised 

to take a long look at this one. 


—DAVID WILSON 

Zenith High-Resolution RGB 

Monitor 

manufacture!*: Zenith Data Systems 

address: 1000 Milwaukee Ave., Glen- 

view. IL 60025; (312) 699-4800 

HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS: IBM PC Or 

compatible or PS/2; VGA board 

PRICE: S999 

Once you spend a few minutes with 

a Zenith Flat Tension Mask (FTM) 

monitor, you'll have a heck of a time 

making yourself go back to your old 

monitor. 

The Flat Tension Mask makes the 

monitor's face literally fiat. Not sort 

of flat, or flatter, but ruler flat. Until 

you become accustomed to looking 

at this new visual display world, it 

will look as though the display is 

curving inward. You'll give the 

screen a poke just to make sure! But 

when your perception adjusts, the 

picture is like a wall. 

FTM technology uses much more 

electrical power than do ordinary 

monitors, and. as a result, generates 

images of unsurpassed clarity, bril 

liance, and color saturation. The col 

ors are truly delicious. Not only that, 

but the monitor can display as many 

as 256 colors at once from a palette 

of more than 261.000. 

For desktop publishing, computer- 

aided design, and other graphics/ 

text or straight graphics applica 

tions, this would seem to be an ideal 

monitor. The images are as crisp as 

fresh lettuce and arc geometrically 

accurate. You can actually take cor 

rect measurements directly from the 

screen. The machine's specifications 

ZENITH ZCM-1490 


SCREEN SIZE [DIAGONALLY]: 14 inches 

BANDWIDTH: 25MHz 

HORIZONTAL SCANNING 

FREQUENCY: 31.49KHz 

dotf'ITCH: .28 millimeters 

monitor SIZE: 12.25-by-14.75-by-15.50 

inches 

weight: 40 pounds 

price: S999 

(see box), in combination with the 

flat, no-glare screen, make for a vi 

sually smashing picture. 

The S999 monitor (you can find it 

for around S700) is compatible with 

any IBM PC, PS/2, or compatible and 

with a VGA-compatible display card. 

Zenith, understandably, pushes its 

own Z-449 VGA-Type Video Adapter, 

which handles all the current video 

modes: CGA. EGA, MDA/Hcrcules, 

and VGA. I tested the monitor with 

an IBM PS/2 Model 50. 

You can tell by now that I'm im 

pressed. Once you've seen the ZCM- 

1490 in action, you'll know why I'm 

going on and on. The black glass 

screen, glare-proofing, flat display. 

and incredibly vibrant colors make 

for the happiest CRT staring ses 

sions I've ever had. Because of a 

built-in fan, the energy-consuming 

monitor produced relatively little 

heat, even after hours of continuous 

use. And the image held as fixed as 

a photograph. I've got to believe that 

FTM is the future of the CRT type of 

display. 

I wish I could find something to 

complain about, just to give cre 

dence to my ravings, but I can't. I 

like everything about this monitor. 

Well, OK, one small complaint: it's 

difficult to wipe fingerprints off the 

Zenith monitor. Ah. and another: At 

40 pounds, it's a dog to move 

around—especially for us weaklings. 

—HENRY F. BEECHHOLD 


SOFTWARE GUIDE 

Welcome to family & home-office computing's Software Guide. The following table relates to the review charts that follow. It lists 

the various types of computers as designated under "hardware required" (and other hardware designations in this issue) and 

the models included under each designation. 

DESIGNATION 

Amiga 

Apple 

6dK Apple 

128K Apple 

Apple IIG5 

Atari 

Atari ST 

C 64/1 28 

C 128 

BM PC 

Macintosh 

Tandy CoCo 

MODELS 

500. 1000, 2000 

II, II Plus, lie, lie, IIgs 

(in lle/c mode) 

11 Plus, lie, lie. lies 

(in lle/c mode) 

lie, lie, llGs(m lle/c mode) 

IIGS only 

800. 600XL, 800XL.65XE, 1 30XE 

520ST, tOdOST, MegcST 

C 64. C 128 (in 64 mode) 

C !2Bonly 

PC. XT, AT, PS/2, 

anc compatibles 

128K, 51 2K, Plus, SE, II 

2, 3 

BUSINESS & PRODUCTIVITY 

Title 

Publisher 

Price 

BETTER WORKING 

WORDPROCESSOR 

Spinnaker Software 

One Kendall Square 

Cambridge. MA 02139 

(617) 494-1200 

S30 ©1987 

FAST FORMS 

Shana Enterprises Inc. 

9650 20th Ave.. #105 

Edmonton. Alberta 

Canada T6N 1G1 

{4031 463-3330 

S149 ©1987 

FILE RESCUE PLUS 

Three-Sixty Pacific. Inc. 

2105 S. Bascom. #290 

Campbell. CA 95008 

(408)879-9144 

$50

BUSINESS & PRODUCTIVITY 

Title 

Publisher 

Price 

PERSONAL 

NEWSLETTER 

Softsync. Inc. 

162 Madison Ave. 


(212)685-2080 

$50-660 01987 

PUBLISH IT! 

Timcworks. Inc. 

444 Lake Cook Road 

Deerfield, IL 60015 

(312) 948-9200 

S100-S 150 c 1987 

SUITCASE 

Software Supply 

599 N. Mathilda Ave.,#210 

Sunnyvale, CA 94086 

(408) 749-9311 

S60 €1987 

Brief 

description 

Quite a lot of desktop-publishing sophistica 

tion for the money. Your newsletters can be 

up to 10 columns wide and can include sev 

eral kinds of graphics and banner headlines. 

Basically easy to use, since the manual acts 

as a good guide.+ —solomon 

Much like software on the Macintosh, this 

desktop-publishing package offers pull-down 

menus, scroll bars, dialog boxes, and icons. 

While these devices make it easier to use, the 

program still requires time and patience to 

learn it completely.+ —solomon 

Lets you leave Apple's limit of 15 desk acces 

sories (DAs) and 200 fonts per System file in 

the dust. Once installed (just drag Into Sys 

tem Folder), it enables you to choose any DA 

or font that's on your disk. It's a great way to 

use the Mac more efficiently. — hallekman 

Hardware 

required 

Reviewed on 128K 

Apple (enhanced). Also 

for C 64/128 (with 

GEOS). 2nd drive 

recommended. Mouse, 

joystick (C 64). 


Apple (enhanced). Also 

for 512K IBM PC. 2nd 

drive. Mouse or joystick 

(optional IBM). 

512K Macintosh. Hard- 

disk drive optional. 

EDUCATION & CREATIVITY 

Title 

Publisher 

Brief 

Hardware 

Price 

description 

required 

CP 

FORESIGHT 

Test yourself or challenge others with this 

512 Macintosh. 

Y 

The Learning Curve 

hangman-type word game based on fads and 

P.O. Box 980576 

trivia. Improves word recognition and quick 

Houston. TX 77098 

recall, but its not remarkable. Eight built-in 

(713) 520-8545 

subjects include capital cities, books, movies. 

S50 £1987 

foreign phrases, and athletes. —solomon 

MAVIS BEACON 

Typing tutor for ages 5 through adult uses Reviewed on 256K IBM Y 

TEACHES TYPING! 

artificial intelligence and entertaining text to PC. Also for 512K Amiga. 

The Software Toolworks keep you interested. Mavis adjusts to your 48K Atari, C 64/128, 

One Toolworks Plaza 

age and skill level and suggests new activities 64K Apple. 512K 

13557 Ventura Blvd. 

when she "senses" frustration or fatigue. Ex Macintosh. CGA or 

Sherman Oaks. CA 91423 tras include a road-race game and resume- 

Hercules recommended 

(818) 907-6789 

S40-S50C1987 

writing program. Excellent.+ —summers (IBM). 

ONCE UPON A TIME 

Youngsters ages 6-12 write and illustrate 

256K IBM PC. Also for N 

Com pu-Teach 

storybooks with farm, main street, or safari 128K Apple. 

78 Olive St. 

themes. Improves reading, spelling, and vo 2nd drive. Printer 

New Haven. CT06511 

cabulary. Four sample storybooks offer excel recommended. 

(203) 777-7738 

lent starter suggestions. Comes with colored 

S40€1987 

pencils for drawing. -Anderson 

RIDDLE MAGIC 

What do you call a cow you can sit on? (A 64K Apple. 

Y 

Mindscape 

cowtch!) Intended for school use, Riddle 

3444 Dundee Road 

Magic offers hours of educational fun. Par 

Northbrook. IL 60062 

ents will find excellent teacher-aimed sugges 

(312) 480-7667 

tions and activities to try with their children. 

$50 ©1987 

Prints text and graphics. —zornberg 

TICKET TO SPAIN 

Learn Spanish as you search Spain for a 


Y 

Blue Lion Software 

missing family heirloom. To succeed, you 

IBM PC. Also for C 64/ 

90 Sherman St. 

must answer questions about Spanish histo 128, 128K Apple. 

Cambridge. MA 02140 

ry, politics, and geography, as well as per 

Hercules or CGA (IBM). 

(617)876-2500 

form everyday tasks. Play with either Span 

S30-S40 01987 

ish or English instructions and clues.* 

—F.LTCROTH 

WETPAINT. VOL. 1 & 2 An attractive collection of clip art that's great 128K Macintosh. 512K N 

Dubl-Click Software 

for brochures, iliers. and newsletters, but 

recommended for desk 

18201 GreshamSt. 

not laser printouts. Hundreds of drawings 

accessories. 

Northridge. CA 91325 

include symbols, borders, animals, arrows, 

(818) 349-2758 

foods, maps, and such common office objects 

$60 €1986-1988 

as push pins and telephones. A good deal. 

—HALI.ERMAN 

CP 

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Hi it in Sis 

D EH GQ EU 

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RATINGS KIT O Overall performance o Documentation; EH Error-Handling! OQ Graphics Quality: Ell Ease of Use: V Value for money- C Poor- * Average- ** Good 

*** Very Good: ****ExcellenL: iVA Not Applicable: E Easy: A Average: D Difficult: CP Copy Protected, yes or no: + Longer review follows chart 

64 FAMILY ft HOMK-OFFICE COMPUTING 

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ENTERTAINMENT 

Title 

Publisher 

Price 

ALIEN FIRES 

Paragon Software/ 


1820 Gateway Drive 

San Mateo. CA 94404 

(415)571-7171 

$40 ©1988 

BARBARIAN 

Psygnosis. dist. by 

Computer Software 

Services 

2150 Executive Drive 

Addison, 1L 60101 

(312)620-4444 

s.Hl ■ 1987 

FIRE POWER 

Micro Illusions 

17408 Chatsworth St. 

Granada Hills, CA 91344 

(818) 360-3715 

$25-832 ©1987 

4TH & INCHES 

Accolade, Inc. 

550 S. Winchester Blvd., 

#200 

San Jose. CA95128 

{4081 985-1700 

S30-S45 ©1987 

MINI-PUTT 

Accolade, Inc. 

550 S. Winchester Blvd.. 

#200 

San Jose. CA 95128 

(408)985-1700 

S30-S35 ©1987 

NBA 

Avalon Hill Game 

Company 

4517 Harford Road 

Baltimore. MD 21214 

(301] 254-9200 

S40 £1987 

PROJECT STEALTH 

FIGHTER 

MicroProsc Software 

180 Lakefront Drive 

Hunt Vallcv. MD 21030 

{301) 771-1151 

S40 £-1987 

SONS OF LIBERTY 

Strategic Simulations, Inc. 

1046 N. Rengstorff Ave. 

Mountain View. CA 94043 

(415) 964-1353 

S35-S40 €1987 

2400 A. D. 

Origin Systems, Inc. 

136 Harvev Road 

Londonderry. NH 03053 

(603) 644-3360 

$40 01987 

Brief 

description 

Outer space role-playing adventure that's big 

on graphics and sound effects, but small on 

vocabulary. You may not have enough pa 

tience to find the words and phrases to inter 

act with other characters and perform tasks. 

For the experienced gamer only. —delson 

As Hegor, dragon-slaying barbarian, you de 

scend into the underground world of Durgan. 

Fight off "Tin Man," "Pit Bull." and 

other gnarly monsters, as you wend your way 

to the evil wizard Necron. Difficult to master, 

but it's fun trying. Graphic details, especially 

animation, are excellent. — roskill 

Fire up your lank and show em who's boss 

in this town by capturing your opponent's 

flag and bringing it home. With three modes 

of play—including two players via modem— 

this shoot-'em-up features excellent graphics 

and sound effects. Great fun. —roston 

Fast-paced, easy-to-play football action game. 

One to two players control teams, choosing 

formations, strategic options, and plays. Us 

ing joysticks, gamers control key players. Not 

a significant sports arcade game, but fun for 

ages 10 and above. 

—DELSON 

Have some good old-fashioned fun at four of 

the best miniature goif courses around. Be 

warned, however: they're tougher than any 

minicourses I've ever putted through. {Don't 

play with your regular golfing buddies.) Cute 

graphics, but quite frustrating. —roston 

Requires no hand-eye coordination, only a 

knowledge of basketball and the ability to 

plan court action. One or two players choose 

from a rosier of famous teams and plan each 

game's play-by-play. For statisticians only— 

minimal time spent watching basketball. 

—DELSON 

The most complex flight simulator/war game 

to date. Players must master several handeve 

and strategic skills in order lo succeed in 

a group of dangerous, behind-enemy-lines 

missions simulating hypothetical cold war 

and W.W. HI scenarios.* —delson 

Simulates three famous American Revolution 

battles: Bunker Hill. Monmouth. and Sarato 

ga. Games are short, require overall plan 

ning, and give good feel for the period. Fa 

miliarity with SSI's American Civil War play 

system is helpful to get started. —delson 

In the faraway future on the planet XK-120. 

you'll interact with more than 100 characters 

as you seek and deactivate the computer that 

controls the merciless robot police force. 

Spectacular graphics, sound, and animation. 

Another winner from Chuck Bueche of Ultima 

and Car Wars fame. -donahue 

Hardware 

required 


Amiga. Also for C 64/ 

128. 256K IBM PC. 

Mouse. 2nd drive 

optional. 

Reviewed on 512K Atari 

ST. Alsofor512K 

Amiga. Color monitor. 


Amiga. Also for 512K 

Apple lies. C 64/128. 

512K IBM PC. 512K 

Macintosh. Joystick or 

mouse. 

Reviewed on C 64/128. 

Also for 512K Amiga. 

512K Apple lies. 256K 

IBM PC. 512K 

Macintosh. Joystick or 

mouse. 


Also for 512K Amiga, 

256K Apple lies, 512K 

Atari ST. 256K IBM PC. 

Joystick or mouse. 


Also for 64K Apple, 

128KIBM PC. 


Also for 256K IBM PC. 

Joystick. 

Reviewed on 48K Apple. 

Also for 48K Atari, C 

64/128. 256K IBM PC. 

64K Apple. 

CP 

N 

Y 

Y 

Y 

Y 

Y 

Y 

Y 

Y 

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D PS GQ EU 

ratings ket o Overall performance! o Documentation! PS Play System: CO Graphics Quality: cu Ease of Use-. V Value for money; O Poor: * Average: ** Good: *** 

Very Good: ****Exccllenl; MA Nol Applicable; E Easy: A Average: D Difficult: CP Copy Protected, yes or no: ' Longer review follows chart 

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SOFTWARE REVIEWS 

On the following pages, you'll find 

in-depth reviews of some of the pro 

grams listed in the Software Guide. 

Refer back to the Guide on page 

63 for information such os copy 

protection and addresses of software 

publishers. 

BUSINESS & 

PRODUCTIVITY 

Fast Forms 

HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS: 512K Macintosh 

publisher: Shana Enterprises Inc., 

(403) 463-3330 

PRICE: SI49 

overall rating: Excellent 

4 m« ion loon 

Take a look at Fast Forms for the 

Macintosh—a personal tool kit for 

creating forms, printing them, col 

lecting data, and exporting that data 

to other applications, such as data 

bases, word processors, or spread 

sheets. 

The Fast Forms box holds three 

disks that contain a drawing pro 

gram, desk accessor}' (DA), and doz 

ens of sample forms. 

You use the drawing program to 

create, modify, and print stunning 

form designs. The desk accessor}' 

lets you call these prepared forms to 

the screen whenever you need them, 

from within any application. Sup 

pose you're working on a spread 

sheet when the phone rings. By us 

ing the Fast Forms DA, your 

telephone message form pops up at 

the click of the mouse. 

The drawing environment is Fast 

Form's focal point. This collection of 

drawing tools (such as ovals, lines, 

and boxes), pattern fill options, and 

other object-oriented features make 

fancy form creation a breeze. There 

are rulers, margin makers, and oth 

er alignment aids that take the frus 

tration out of form design. 

But drawing is only part of any 

form. Fast Forms lets you create 

fields that hold and format data you 

input. You can also set up computed 


fields that show the results of other 

fields' calculations. For instance, giv 

en starting and ending odometer 

readings, Fast Forms could auto 

matically fill out a "Miles Traveled" 

blank on your expense form. 

You can control the format of 

data—for example, dollar signs, com 

mas, or text only. Using your Mac's 

system clock, the program will auto 

matically fill in the current date and 

time. It's also possible to define de 

fault entries, so that if most of your 

phone numbers arc in Chicago, for 

instance, the 312 area code would 

be entered unless you told the pro 

gram otherwise. 

With a scanner, you can scan pre 

printed forms (such as Federal Ex 

press air bills) into your computer 

and then add fields for collecting 

data. If you want, Fast Forms will 

print only the entered data and not 

the form itself. This makes it easy to 

create a template for quickly filling 

in preprinted forms. 

You can export data to a database 

program automatically or be prompt 

ed about deciding where to export 

whenever you fill out or print a 

form. Data from Fast Forms will 

work in several "foreign" programs, 

including dBase Mac and Micro 

soft's Word, Works, or Excel. 

The 142-page manual is almost 

top-notch and includes a tutorial, 

reference section, and a quick-refer 

ence section. There's also a glossary 

and a skimpy, but usable, index. 

Unfortunately, the table of contents 

is only 11 lines long and nearly use 

less. The sample forms are helpful 

examples of proper technique for de 

signing forms and can be easily 

modified for your own applications. 

You can use Fast Forms with an 

ImageWriter. but a laser printer 

really makes it shine. 

A program such as Fast Forms 

puts form creation into the hands of 

the masses. It's a keeper. I would 

have less gray hair today if I'd dis 

covered it sooner. —ron mansfield 

Lucid 3-D 

HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS: 256K IBM 

PC 

publisher: Personal Computer Sup 

port Group, (214) 351-0564 

PRICE: S 1 49 


For a new spreadsheet to climb into 

the ring with today's heavyweight 

competitors and survive, it must ei 

ther be muscular enough to outdo 

the others with greater size and 

speed or clever enough to do the un 

expected. The creators of Lucid 3-D 

have clearly chosen the latter course. 

Their new spreadsheet doesn't have 

the power features needed to deliver 

a knockout blow to such programs 

as Lotus 1-2-3 or Microsoft Excel. 

but it does make points on smarts. 

It does things the others simply 

can't do—and docs them with 

enough slickness and style to make 

it a winning choice. 

The first major departure from 

business-as-usual spreadsheet per 

formance is the fact that Lucid 3-D 

can be run as a memory-resident 

program. It wails in the background 

as you use your other software and. 

with a single key press, pops up on 

screen. What turns this from a clev 

er bit of programming into a really 

useful feature is its capability to 

freely cut and paste information 

from the spreadsheet into your other 

applications and vice versa. I can 

work in my favorite word processor, 

pop Lucid onto the screen to per 

form calculations, then cut and 

paste data (up to a screenful at a 

time) from the worksheet into my 

document. 

Despite the fact that Lucid 3-D 

consumes little memory (from 113K 

to 165K), it packs a solid range of 

features, including 51 built-in func 

tions and powerful macro capabili 

ties. All of the basic mathematical 

and financial functions are included, 

and table lookup and calendar arith 

metic arc handled exceptionally well. 

Windows for nine different work 

sheets can be open simultaneously, 

or you can display two views of dif 

ferent sections of the same work 

sheet. 

The second innovative concept in 

corporated in Lucid 3-D is the ease 

of using multiple spreadsheets in a 

three-dimensional relationship. 

Imagine worksheets stacked sand 

wich-style. Any cell in the top work 

sheet can carry over data from a cell 

in the worksheet below it. Moving 

back and forth between related 

spreadsheets is simple, and there is 

no theoretical limit to the number of 

layers you can employ. 

What purpose does this 3-D orien 

tation serve? Here's one example: If 

you are building a system to track 

company sales, your top worksheet 

could be a summary of sales figures

asy Working"1 is a fine of high quality, low cost personal productivity programs 

designed for the person who wants to spend time doing useful work, not struggling 

with complex computer commands and long manuals. Each Easy Working product is 

carefully designed to work alone or in combination with other members of the Easy- 

Working family. 

On-screen menus provide "at-a-glance" summaries of the features of the program, 

when you select a feature from the menu bar. a menu drops down to show all of the 

available options. Every command available is displayed in the drop-down menu. You 

will find that you will spend less time getting to know the program and more time on 

your projects. And since each member of the Easy Working family uses the same 

command structure, once you leam how to use one, you'll find a head start on learning 

to use the other two. But don't be fooled. Easy doesn't mean incomplete. Easy Working 

products are full-featured. 

Easy Working ^The Writer": 

Complete word processing features allow you to create your letters and reports and 

arrange them to suit your needs, includes 100,000 word spellchecker. Editing 

functions include insert, delete, cut, paste, and copy. 

Easy Working": The Filer : 

A multi-purpose program which simplifies the storage, selection, and reporting of 

information. Maintain or create mailing lists, inventories, dub memberships, and other 

types of information. 

Easy Working: The Planner: 

The Planner provides you with all of the professional features of an electronic spread 

sheet Extensive mathematical operations easily create your spreadsheet for budgeting, 

tax calculation, expense reports, financial statements, and other applications. 

A 

The Writer, The Filer, and The Planner fully 

integrate with each other. 

Available at fine software dealers or for 

orders onlv call: 

1-800-826-0706 

Others call: (617)4941200 

Apple II+, He, lie $9-95 

Commodore 64/128 $9-95 

IBM/PC/AT $9.95 

Spinnaker Software. Corp.. One Kendall Square, Cambridge, .VIA 02139 



broken down by region. Each cell 

containing a regional total could 

then "open up" to reveal a separate 

worksheet summarizing each sales 

person's performance within that re 

gion. Each cell containing a sales 

person's total on that second 

worksheet could then open up to a 

third worksheet that reveals the in 

dividual salesperson's results for 

each account. By stacking and link 

ing worksheets in this way. you can 

move quickly from scanning an over 

view of company-wide sales results 

to checking whether Joe Mahoncy in 

Cleveland finally closed the Terwil- 

linger Industries contract. And when 

the Terwillinger deal is finally inked, 

the new figures can be entered on 

the appropriate worksheet, and the 

totals in the linked sheets will be up 

dated automatically. 

Additional features abound. Mouse 

users will be pleased with the way 

they can manipulate a Lucid 3-D 

worksheet with their desktop rodent 

(there arc keyboard equivalents to 

accomplish the same tasks). My only 

complaint is the inability to scroll 

horizontally or vertically through a 

worksheet using the mouse. A text 

note can be attached to any cell in 

your worksheet. In fact, these notes 

can be up to five pages long, allow 

ing you to write and print entire 

memos or letters from within Lucid. 

One potential sticking point is Lo 

tus 1-2-3 compatibility. The program 

will not directly read 1-2-3 files. In 

stead, a utility is included to trans 

late 1-2-3 worksheets to Lucid for 

mat and vice versa. As long as your 

1-2-3 file doesn't use any of the rela 

tively obscure functions not support 

ed by Lucid, this shouldn't pose 

much of a problem, although it is an 

extra step that programs such as 

Excel handle automatically. Also, if 

graphing figures is a favorite pas 

time, you'll have to look elsewhere: 

Lucid has no graphing capabilities. 

Lucid 3-D will fit certain ap 

proaches to working better than 

more traditional spreadsheets will. 

For those who boot up their comput 

ers primarily to use spreadsheets 

and rarely leave these applications 

for others, Lucid offers the capabili 

ty to keep many worksheets on 

screen simultaneously, a handy 

built-in notepad for correspondence. 

and a system of layered worksheets 

that can improve your work's organi 

zation and structure. Those of us 

who jump between applications will 

68 FAMILY S HOME-OFFICE COMPUTING 

find Lucid particularly appealing for 

its pop-up capability and the ease of 

transfer of information between the 

spreadsheet and word-processing or 

database programs. 

Personal Newsletter 

—STEVE MORGENSTERN 

HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS: 128K Apple, 

C 64/128 

publisher: Softsync, Inc.. (212) 685- 

2080 

PRICE: S50-S60 

OVERALL RATING: Excellent 

Publish It! 

HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS: 128K Apple. 

512KIBM PC 

publisher: Timeworks. Inc.. (312) 

948-9200 

price: S100-S150 


The appropriate desktop-publishing 

software can help any small busi 

ness advertise itself and create the 

same quality product as its larger 

competitor. Two new programs give 

you the power to publish quickly, 

easily, and attractively. Both are 

contenders, but they approach the 

work of page layout with individual 

styles. How do they compare on the 

Apple II? 

Overview. Softsync's Personal 

Newsletter is easy to learn and feels 

comfortable immediately. A com 

mand line displays options as you 

choose from menus and submenus 

to design your page and add text 

and graphics. 

You use the keyboard for every 

thing. For instance, with the Apple 

II version you hold down the Solid 

Apple key and tap W to create win 

dows (these will be your columns). 

Tap A to add a column. Good mne 

monic choices. Then type in text or 

import it from any ASCII file. 

Publish It! from Timeworks has 

the look and feel of new technology. 

You use a mouse (or joystick) for 

"point and click" features. As on the 

Macintosh or with Microsoft Win 

dows on an IBM PC or compatible, 

Publish It! features pull-down 

menus, toolboxes, scroll bars, and 

dialog boxes. Don't expect the same 

power and speed as you would with 

PageMaker or any other top-level 

desktop-publishing package; but you 

can produce newsletters with Pubfish 

It! in virtually no time. 

Learning Curve. Persona/ Newslet 

ter is easier to learn, and the man 

ual, which includes several tutorials. 

is easier to follow. Ultimately. Pub 

lish It! is easier and faster to use be 

cause of the mouse and its point- 

and-click capabilities. 

Graphics. Personal Newsletter in 

cludes its own pictures and imports 

Dazzle Draw. Newsroom. Print 

Shop, or any single or double hi-res- 

olution graphics that have been con 

verted to ProDOS. To use any graph 

ics other than its own with Publish 

It!, you must first convert to ProDOS 

and then save the graphics as dou 

ble hi-res screens—a more tedious 

process. Personal Newsletter also of 

fers more sophisticated drawing 

tools, such as fat and small bits and 

horizontal and vertical flip, but Pub- 

lisli It! has a fine-tuned resizing 

ability. 

Text. Both programs let you type, 

insert, delete, cut. copy, and paste 

text. Both support WYSIWYG ("what 

you see is what you get"), word 

wrap, and the ability to flow text 

around graphics and from column to 

column. Publish It! also supports 

search-and-replace and hyphenation. 

However, when you type, be pre 

pared for a very slow response time. 

Both allow you to import text from 

other places. With Personal Newslet 

ter, you must store your file as un 

formatted ASCII text, but Publish It! 

also reads AppleWorks and Bank 

Street Writer files directly. 

Fonts. Personal Newsletter doesn't 

show you font samples in the man 

ual, so until you've tried them all, 

you're selecting without real knowl 

edge. In addition, to get large head 

lines for your articles, you type them 

in graphics mode and move them 

separately from text. Publish It! of 

fers a larger variety of fonts and 

sizes that are shown in the manual. 

For a headline, just choose a larger 

size of the current font. Personal 

Newsletter allows just one font per 

document in text mode (a limitation 

that guarantees a clean, balanced 

look), although you can add more 

fonts in graphics mode. Publish It! 

lets you mix and match all available 

fonts. 

Screen. Both programs show your 

page as you work. With Personal 

Newsletter, you see about a third at 

a time, and you use cursor keys to 

move around. Publish It! offers scroll 

bars to choose a portion of the page 

for viewing; and you can see the 

whole page at once or work in half, 

full, or double size.

Printing. Each time there is a 

change in font when printing with 

Publish It!, the correct disk must be 

in a drive or you're prompted to in 

sert it. Publish It! gives you more 

choices of page sizes—letter, legal. 

and the international A4 and B5 

sizes—than Personal Newsletter 

does. Sadly, neither package cur 

rently supports laser printers. How 

ever, Timeworks will be offering a 

utility for laser printing with Pub 

lish It! (to be sold separately), while 

the publishers of Personal Newslet 

ter plan on including laser support 

in later versions. 

For people like me, who need to 

publish newsletters, the capabilities 

we've been waiting for are finally 

here, and there's a choice. I used 

both programs to produce separate 

versions of the same document and 

found that the end results didn't 

prove one program better than the 

other. Personal Newsletter was ini 

tially easier to learn and to use, but 

Publish It! felt more comfortable 

once I practiced. Whichever you 

choose, you'll never create a newslet 

ter by hand again. —gwen solomon 

PART 

"Find Red Square" Contest! 

Find Red Square in Moscow and 

enter to win a real trip for two to 

Europe. See the SubLOGIC 

Product Chart at your dealer or 

write SubLOGIC for complete 

details and contest rules. " 

EDUCATION & CREATIVITY 

Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing! 

HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS: 512K 

Amiga, 64K Apple, 48K Atari, C 64/ 

128, 256K IBM PC, 512K Macintosh 

publisher: The Software Toolworks, 

(818) 907-6789 

PRICE: S40-S50 


b!ggo«t gun-bubble 

ever blown Mas SS inches 

-- Ths Guinness Book 

of Sorirf Records 

I'll miss my daughter, Laurel, when 

she goes to college this fall—and 

she'll miss me. I type all of her pa 

pers. She's been too busy taking col 

lege prep classes to bother with a 

business course and hates comput 

erized-typing tutors. When I coaxed 

her to try Mavis Beacon Teaches 

Typing!, she was dubious. To my 

surprise, she was still typing busily 

away an hour later. 

"What's the difference?" I asked. 

"It lets me type real words and 

phrases right away instead of non 

sense," was the prompt reply. "It 

gives me new letters faster, so I feel 

like I'm getting somewhere, and it 

doesn't just give me more exercises 

when I feel frustrated." 

Mavis Beacon may succeed in 

teaching Laurel to type where other 

programs have failed because of a 

strong dose of artificial intelligence. 

Unlike other typing programs, Mavis 

immediately recognized that Laurel 

has had some experience with the 

keyboard and quickly adjusted to the 

appropriate level. It then provided 

interesting material to type, geared 

to Laurel's age level. Instead of pre 

senting drill after drill, Mavis select 

ed from a collection of 30 lessons 

aimed at solving specific problems. 

Mauls is flexible and can generate 

new lessons if those currently in 

stock don't meet a student's needs. 

ESTERN EUROPEAN TOUR" 

Scenery Disk is so beautiful to fly, you'll 

want to make it the centerpiece of your 

Scenery Disk collection! This is part one of 

a five-part guided tour from London t< 

Moscow's Red Square. 

We start out in London by flying over' 

Parliament building. Look closely arr1 • 

can see the faces of Big Ben. 

Our next view offers a glimpse of th 

majestic Tower Bridge and Tower of 

London at dawn. Other British highligf 

elude Buckingham Palace, Westmirt 

Abbey and Stonehenge. 

Check back with us next month as we 

Paris, France. 

CIRCLE READER SERVICE 29 JUNE 1988 69


Mavis comes with all kinds of ex 

tras. A clock and metronome help 

you build speed and rhythm, and 

on-screen meters monitor your pro 

gress. Shadowy hands show you 

which finger goes where—a helpful 

feature missing from most other 

programs. Dozens of graphs show 

you exactly where you need the most 

work. Flexible options allow you to 

turn off the beep that accompanies 

wrong keystrokes and let you try the 

Dvorak instead of the QWERTY key 

board layout. The snappy manual in 

cludes typing exercises and several 

business-letter formats. As a gradua 

tion present. Mavis provides an ondisk 

resume-writing program that 

asks you questions about yourself, 

then creates and prints a resume. 

Mavis Beacon bills itself as "the 

finest typing tutor in the world." As 

usual. Mavis is right on key. 

Ticket lo Spain 

—TAN A. SUMMERS 

HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS: 128K Apple. 

C 64/128. 128K IBM PC 

publisher: Blue Lion Software. (617) 

876-2500 

PRICE: S30--S40 

overall rating: Very Good 

It was no accident that my 15-year- 

old daughter was the prime reviewer 

for this package: she's the one mem 

ber of the household presently en 

rolled in a Spanish class. We quickly 

determined that Dona's one semester 

of Spanish. A's and B's notwith 

standing, was far from sufficient for 

playing the educational game entire 

ly in Spanish. However, it did assist 

her in answering some of the Span 

ish trivia questions asked during 

play and in moving quickly through 

the phrase book when she was in 

need of a translation. 

Designed as an interesting way to 

learn a little about the country as 

well as the Spanish language. Ticket 

to Spain is a "quest" type adventure. 

The player becomes the protagonist 

70 FAMILY A HOME-OmcE COMPUTING 

in a scenario, seeking an heirloom 

left by a Spanish ancestor. In the 

course of the quest, the player must 

fulfill eight tasks, such as "buy a 

plate," "taste some codfish," or "see 

the gardens of Boabdil." Fulfilling 

tasks requires locating your destina 

tion on a map, negotiating bus and 

train schedules or the public roads, 

staying at hotels, sleeping, waiting 

for merchants to open their shops, 

and completing tasks in order. 

I played along with my daughter 

and found the program challenging. 

She patiently sought clues to her 

various tasks in the phrase book 

and the user handbook, which con 

tains a brief overview of the places to 

visit. After successfully completing 

the game in a little more than twoand-a-half 

hours. Dona's criticisms 

were few, but critical to her willing 

ness to play again. 

In order to find a city and travel to 

it, one must know where it is. An 

on-screen map is available for refer 

ence, but Dona wanted one beside 

her as she worked. Ditto the phrase 

book: she didn't find it adequate 

and wound up making many guess 

es when asked questions that re 

quired translations. History and po 

litical questions were also difficult 

for her (and me) to answer, and we 

decided a Spanish almanac would 

have been a big help. Both these ob 

jections were overcome by investing 

in a Spanish-English dictionary and 

opening the world atlas. 

Her second complaint, however, is 

one worth considering. The graph 

ics, she moaned, are BORING. Re 

petitive, not particularly striking, 

and static (my interpretation of her 

adolescent adjectives)—and not 

helped much by the use of sound, 

primarily in the form of a repetitive 

"theme" song. It's unfortunate that 

such an entertaining and education 

al program would be judged on its 

graphics, but if young adults are 

part of the intended market, that 

should be taken into consideration. 

A plus that both Dona and I liked 

was the ability to leave the program 

and save your status, returning to 

your original position when you re 

sume play. When you have complet 

ed a round successfully, the program 

saves your score and presents you 

with a different set of tasks at the 

next session. A pause option is also 

very useful, especially when you be 

come so involved in reading the alma 

nac that you forget the clock is tick 

ing away! 

—MARLENE BUMGARNER ELTGROTH 

ENTERTAINMENT 

Project Stealth Fighter 

HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS: C 64/128, 

256K IBM PC 

publisher: MicroProse Software, 

(301) 771-1151 

PRICE: S40 


Sometimes, simulations of military 

hardware, particularly flight simula 

tors, seem as complex as the real 

thing. Nowhere is this more evident 

than in MicroProsc's new flying com 

bat game, Project Stealth Fighter. 

Perhaps the most ingenious and 

certainly the most difficult flight 

simulator to date, this program, 

which simulates the ultra-secret 

American fighter plane designed to 

strike deep behind enemy lines with 

the least chance of detection, is not 

for the "just boot and play" gamer. It 

requires hours of patient practice. 

The work pays off in consistent 

edge-of-your-seat thrills. There are 

various missions in such places as 

Libya, Eastern Europe, the Persian 

Gulf, and the rough terrain of Scan 

dinavia's borders with the Soviet 

Union. You set the level of play and 

opposition, type of armament, and 

world political situation to give your 

mission a greater degree of complex 

ity and allow you to truly personalize 

the game. There's a role-playing ele 

ment at work here as well. 

The core of the simulation is your 

plane, a supersophisticated F-19 

stealth fighter. Already nearing leg 

endary status because of its ability 

to elude detection by most ground 

observers, electronic and human, 

the stealth fighter is difficult to fly 

but a joy to maneuver once you learn 

its strengths and weaknesses. 

Project Stealth Fighter is not for 

the casual gamer. It requires dedica 

tion and patience to master, but 

"zowee"—what a kick! It's sufficient 

to say this is the most sophisticated 

flying simulator I've ever encoun 

tered. —JAMES DELSON

FYI 

THE 

Page 83 

Throughout The Programmer, find news for program 

mers, information about our programs, and "Tips 

to the Typist." 

PRODUCTIVITY 

Page 72 

Handle mass mailings and much more with our Mail 

ing Labels program. 

FUN & GAMES 

Page 80 

Do you have what it takes to be a race car driver? 

Check out our Wreckless Racer program and lind out! 

Computers 

APPLE WFUJStcWGS 

COMMODORE 64/128 

[DM I"C & COMPATIBLES 

MACINTOSH 

specific models c Color monitor (tram mrniled, p Pnnlet 

ircomrjitnded. 

Mailing Wre 

label! R 

*)> 

cklesi 

KEY: * Proeiani in Ihis Issue lor Ihls computer. • See pafi 79 for 

cer 

JUNE 13HK 71

PRODUCTIVITY 

MAILING LABELS 

HANDLE MASS MAILINGS— 

AND MORE—WITH EASE 

BY PASQUALE M. CIRULLO 

Last Name: Coyote 

First Nane: Uiley 

Company: ACME Corp. 

Add. ttl: 123 Desert Plains 

Add. «2: 

City: Nowhere 

State : CA-« 

zip Code: ^^^^^ 

PhoTie Hi: 

Phone 82: 

Note 111: Super Gen ius 

Note «2: 

Choose from the following connands 

dd, ack# ompress, elete 

d i t, i 1 ter , st, ndex , 

astt, ext, r int , u. it , 

ave, Sec*ch, ox- ndelete. 

Fil »: Note M± = Super Ganiu» 

nine2 Index: Company 

editors NOTE: This month, we're featuring the IBM ver 

sion of Mailing Labels. Next month, we'll be presenting 

the Apple version. 

Whether you're a small businessperson accumulating 

1,000 names for a direct-mail campaign or the custodi 

an of your family's 50-name Christmas card list, Mailing 

Labels can make your job easier. 

Even if you already own a database program, you may 

still find our program handy for what it does best: 

printing name-and-addrcss labels in a variety of for 

mats, in any order, and from all or any part of your file. 

For example, it's easy for Mailing Labels to print la 

bels in this format: 

John Q. Public 

2345 Main Street 

Anytown. ME 02134 

ATTN: Mr. Public—Immediate Reply Requested 

or envelopes that look like this, from the same database 

file: 

The Home-Office Shop 

P.O. Box 890 

San Andreas, CA 99999 

You can print labels in alphabetical order for all of the 

names in your database ... or, say, in numerical order, 


according to zip codes, for all customers who have un 

paid balances. 

If you have no other database program, you'll find 

that Mailing Labels is flexible enough to serve other 

purposes, such as a Rolodex-type phone book or even a 

to-do list. 

To use Mailing Labels, type in the program in BASIC 

and save it. Because of its length, the program should 

be carefully typed in. When you are ready to use Mail 

ing Labels, load it into BASIC and run it. 

Give the program a trial run first. Enter a half-dozen 

names and try all the functions. This way, if you've 

made any typing errors and the program doesn't work 

properly, you won't lose anything important. 

USING MAILING LABELS 

When you run the program, a menu with three 

choices will appear on the screen: tart a new mailing 

list, se an existing mailing list, and xit the pro 

gram. You can choose any option by pressing the first 

letter of that option. 

tart a new moiling list will allow you to create a new 

mailing list on your disk. You will first be asked for a 

name for the mailing list. This name can be up to eight 

characters long and cannot contain an extension (such 

as .LST). Mailing Labels creates two files with the same 

name but with different extensions. If vou choose a

name that is already used, the computer will tell you 

and ask if you want to verwrite the file or oad the 

file. If you don't want to do either, press any other key. 

and you will return to the main menu. If you are un 

sure of what names you have already used, enter a 

question mark (?) when you're asked for the name and 

the computer will give you a directory of all the names 

on any disk you specify. If you do not want to start a 

new file, just press ENTER when asked for a file name. 

se an existing mailing list will load a file from your 

disk and allow you 10 perform any of the functions de 

scribed below. Again, if you do not remember the 

names of your files, enter the question mark (?), and 

the computer will give you a directory. If you do not 

want to load a file, just press ENTER when asked for 

the name. 

«E>xit the program will return you to BASIC. 

ENTERING NAMES 

When you choose tart a new mailing list, you will 

be at the Add screen, and the cursor will be at the Last 

Name field. Here you can type in Last Name. First 

Name, Company, a two-line street Address, City, State, 

Zip Code, two Phone numbers, and two Notes. Fill in 

the Last Name and any information you want, and then 

press ENTER to go on to the next person. (See "Using 

the Editor"Jor information on the keys you may use 

while adding names.) 

The names can be added in any order, because the 

program automatically arranges them alphabetically by 

last name; you can change the order later (see ndex 

command, below). You can only enter up to 1.000 

names into a mailing list file. 

When you have finished adding names, press ENTER 

on a blank Last Name line, and the program will bring 

you to the Command Screen. 

THE COMMAND SCREEN 

If you choose se an existing mailing list, the pro 

gram bypasses the Add Screen and brings you directly 

to the Command Screen. The Command Screen dis 

plays the current record (a single person's name and 

other information). If you've marked this record for de 

letion, there will be a message stating so. 

Below the record appears a list of all the commands 

that you may use. At the bottom of the screen is the 

name of the mailing list that you are working on and 

the field (line) on which the list is indexed, or sorted. 

Also, if you have a filter set (see below on how to set a 

Jilter), it will also be displayed. 

To choose a command, press the letter that appears 

in the angled brackets (< >). For instance, if you want to 

*A>dd. press the A key, and to Seach, press the R 

key. Here's an explanation of what each command does: 

dd. Allows you to add more names to the current 

list, in the same manner you did when you chose to 

tart a new mailing list. The only difference here is 

that the new names will be inserted into the file accord 

ing to the current index, which may not be the Last 

Name. (See "Using the Editor"Jor information on the 

keys you may use while adding names.) 

ock. Displays the previous name in the list. If you 

are already at the first name or if there are no names 

before the current one that match the filter (see Uter), 

the program beeps. 

ompress. Removes all the names that you have 

marked for deletion. This frees the space taken up by 

these names for use by others. 

(D>elete, Marks a name for deletion. If you choose this 

command, the program will display a message at the 

top of the screen saying "Marked for Deletion." How 

ever, the name isn't actually erased from the database 

until you choose ompress. Until then, you can use 

the ndelete command to restore the name. 

tE>dit. Allows you to make changes to any line in the 

current record. It is used, for instance, if a person 

moves and you want to change the information in his 

or her record. (See "Using the Editor"Jor information 

on the keys you may use while editing names.) If you 

change the information on the indexed line, the old re 

cord will be marked for deletion and a new record will 

be created. Otherwise, the changes are made to the cur 

rent record. 

< nilter. Allows you to look at or print certain names 

in the file based on a criterion that you establish. For 

instance, if you want to see only the names of people 

whose last names begin with A. B, C. D. or E. you can 

set a filter of Last Name < F. This will "filter out" all oth 

er names. 

When you select ilter, you will first be asked to ei 

ther choose one of the 12 fields or Clear Filter. Clear Fil 

ter will erase any filter that was previously set and re 

turn you to the Command Screen. 

After choosing the field, you must choose a relation 

ship. The possible relationships are: = (equal to), < > 

(not equal to), < (less than), < = (less than or equal to), > 

(greater than), and >= (greater than or equal to). After a 

relationship is chosen, type in the filler string to com 

plete the filter and press ENTER. The program will then 

print the filter at the bottom of each screen and only 

display those records that match the filter. 

For example, to set up the previous example (Last 

Name < F), we would choose 1 (Last Name) for the field, 

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PRODUCTIVITY 

string. For example, if you have the names Belushi. 

Bowman, and Brown, and you're searching for B, the 

program will display one of these names and then you 

can use ack and ext to see the others. 

ndelete lets you change your mind about deleting a 

record before you compress the list. 

REMEMBER . . . 

To minimize problems when saving or loading files, 

keep your mailing lists on a separate disk from your 

programs and from each other, and always keep" a disk 

in your disk drive when using the program. Remove the 

disk only when you have exited the program. 

When asked for a file name, don't use more than 

eight characters and don't use an extension. 

Be sure to keep a backup copy of your files to mini 

mize problems if something happens to them. 

And. always leave the program through the xit the 

program option of the initial menu, or some or all of 

your data may be lost. 

USING THE EDITOR 

Whenever you choose to tart a new mailing list, 

■A>dd. or dIt, the program enters the Editor, and 

only certain keys will work. 

The BACKSPACE key deletes a character to the left of 

the cursor. To move the cursor from one line to anoth 

er, use the UP-ARROW and DOWN-ARROW keys (not 

the ENTER key). 

If you make an error in typing, you can move back 

and forth on the line by using the LEFT-ARROW and 

RIGHT—ARROW keys. You can also switch between In 

sert mode and Overtype mode by pressing the INSERT 

key. (If you aren't familiar with these modes from word- 

processor experience, try them and you'll soon under 

stand the difference.) 

Finally, only use the ENTER key when you are fin 

ished entering the record and want to move to the next 

record. In Edit mode, pressing ENTER will redisplay the 

Command Screen. 

PRINTING LABELS 

When you choose -P>rint from the Command Screen, 

the program will go to the Print Screen. This screen is 

used to tell the computer the size of your mailing labels 

and how you want the labels printed. 

First, you will be asked to describe the labels that you 

arc using. Do this by telling the computer the number 

of Characters across, the number of Lines down, and 

the number of Labels across. 

The number of Characters across is the number of 

characters from the first character of the first label to 

the first character of the next label on the same row. 

The number of Lines down is counted from the first 

line of a label to the first line of the next label below. 

The number of Labels across is the number of labels on 

one line across the width of the paper. The program will 

not allow more than 99 Characters across. 20 Lines 

down, and 4 Labels across. If you type 0 on any of the 

lines, the program will return you to the Command 

Screen. 

For example, if you are using labels that are 20 char 

acters across. 10 lines down and only 1 label across, 

you would type the three numbers 20, 10. and 1 on the 

screen. 

Once you have entered valid numbers for the label 

size, the program enters the Template Screen. Here is 

where you tell the computer how you want the labels 

printed. On the left side of the screen is a list of all the 


data lines or fields (Last Name and First Name, for in 

stance) with numbers before them (these numbers rep 

resent these specific fields). You will use these numbers 

to lay out the label. On the right side of the screen is a 

list of letters, each one standing for one line on the la 

bel. To lay out the label, you type the number of the 

field you want printed on the appropriate line of the la 

bel. If you want to print more than one field on a single 

line of the label, the field numbers must be separated 

by a plus sign ( + ). You can also have a message or any 

other text printed on all the labels by typing that text 

on a label line. If you want a field or fields to print on 

the same line as your message, it must be separated 

from the message (and from other fields on the same 

line) by a plus sign. 

Using the labels from the above example, you could 

print a label to look like this: 

Attention: Wiley 

Wiley Coyote 

ACME Corp. 

123 Desert Plains 

Nowhere. CA 99999 

The template would be typed in as follows: 

a 

b 

c 

d 

e 

f 

g 

h 

i 

j 

Attention: +2 

2+ +1 

3 

4 

6-K + 7 + +8 

Press ENTER on any line you want to remain blank. 

Pressing ESC at any time will abort the printing and re 

turn you to the Command Screen. If you make a mis 

take on a line, you will have to retype the label again. 

You cannot edit a line of the template. 

After you type in the template, the program will show 

you how the current record will be printed and ask if it 

is correct. If it is not correct, the program will return to 

the Template screen for you to retype the label format. 

Once the label is correct, the program will ask you 

two questions: 1.) Do you want just the current name 

or all the names printed? and 2.) Do you want to start 

by printing the template? (You may want to say yes to 

this question in order to save the template for future 

reference.) 

Once these questions have been answered, put the la 

bels in your printer, and set it for the type size, style, 

and mode you want. (Depending on your printer, you 

may have to do this before running Mailing Labels; 

check your printer manual to find out how.) Press to 

begin printing. If you do not wish to print the labels at 

this time, press any other key besides the . 

CUSTOMIZING MAILING LABELS 

You can change the name and length of each data line 

to suit your particular needs very easily. Lines 16500- 

17020 are the length and label of each field. If you 

change these lines, there are a few rules that need to be 

followed: 

1. Make sure that each item in a DATA statement is 

separated from the next by a comma (.). 

2. Never remove a data item without replacing it with 

something else. 

3. Always make sure that line 16500 has 12 numbers

on it. If it doesn't, the computer will give you a "Type 

Mismatch Error." 

4. Always make sure that lines 17000-17020 contain 

12 labels. If not, the computer will give you an "Out of 

Data Error." 

5. Make sure that the length of the field plus the 

length of the label do not exceed 37. If they do, the com 

puter display will be double-spaced, and some of the in 

structions will overwrite your records. Also, the Editor 

will not work properly. 

IBM PC & compatibles Mailing Labels 

10 DEF SEG=&H40:V=(PEEK(&H10) AND 48) 

20 IF V=32 THEN WIDTH 40 

30 DEF SEG:KEY OFF:LOCATE ,,0:SCREEN 0,0 

40 DIM CO(12),H=0 

340 SN=1:1N=1;NR=0:GOSUB 10000:GOSUB 10500:GOSUB 11000 

350 IF NR=0 THEN CLOSE:GOTO 140 ELSE 450 

360 CLS:LOCATE 6,1:PRINT "Enter filename (without" 

370 INPUT "extension): ",F$:IF F$="" THEN 140 

380 IF F$="?" THEN GOSUB 9500:GOTO 360 

390 CLS:LOCATE 12,8:PRINT "Loading; please stand by." 

400 MM=0:OPEN F$+".SEQ" FOR INPUT AS «1 

410 INPUT/n,SN:INPUT#1,G:INPUT#1,IN:INPUT#1,NR 

420 FOR X=1 TO 1000:INPUT01,NI$(X,1):INPUTff1,NI$(X,2) 

430 FOR Y=1 TO 3:INPUTfli,P(X,Y):NEXT Y:N£XT X 

440 CLOSE 1:G0SUB 10000 

450 MM=0:GOSUB 4000 

460 G0SU8 10500:GOSUB 11500:LOCATE 16,1:C0L0R 2 

470 PRINT "Choose from the following commands:" 

480 PRINT "dd, ack., ompress, elete," 

490 PRINT "dit, iIter, st, ndex/" 

500 PRINT "ast, ext, rint, uit," 

510 PRINT "ave, Seach, or ndelete." 

520 COLOR 7:G0SUB 9000 

530 IF ZS$="Q" THEN GOSUB 7000:CLOSE:GOTO 140 

540 Z=INSTR("ABCDEF1ILNPSRU",ZS$) 

550 IF Z=0 THEN SOUND 400,2:GOTO 520 

560 ON Z GOSUB 1000,1500,2000,2500,3000,3500,4000,4500 

,5000,5500,6000,7000,7500,8000 

570 IF SN>NR THEN CLOSE:GOTO 320 ELSE 460 

580 CLOSE:CLS:KEY ON:ON ERROR GOTO 0:END 

999 REH —ADD A RECORD— 

1000 NF=-1:G0SUB 10500:GOSUB 11000:REC=DN 

1010 GOSUB 12000:RETURN 

1499 REM — BACK— 

1504) D=DN 

1510 Z=P(D,1):IF Z=0 THEN Y=D:GOTO 1530 

1520 IF P(Z,2)0 THEN Z=P(Z,2):GOTO 1520 ELSE 1560 

1530 Z=P(Y,3) 

1540 IF Z=0 THEN SOUND 400,2:REC=DN:GOSUB 12000:RETURN 

1550 IF P(2,1)=Y THEN Y=Z:GOT0 1530 

1560 REC=Z:GOSUB 12000:GOSUB 12500 

1570 IF FF THEN DN=Z:RETURN ELSE 0=Z:GOT0 1510 

1999 REH —COMPRESS— 

2000 GOSUB 13000:LOCATE 17,1 

2010 PRINT "Compressing; please stand by." 

2020 FOR X=1 TO NR:FOR Y=1 TO 3:P(X,Y)=0:NEXT Y:NEXT X 

2030 VT=FRE(A$):SN=1:F0R DN=1 TO NR:X=SN 

2040 IF NI$(DN,2)="*" THEN 2060 

2050 IF DN=SN THEN 2090 ELSE GOSUB 14530;GOTO 2090 

2060 IF DN=SN THEN SN=SN+1 

2070 IF G=0 THEN G=DN:GOTO 2090 

2080 P(DN,1)=G:G=DN 

2090 NEXT DN:GOSUB 4000:RETURN 

2499 REM --DELETE— 

2500 NI$(DN,2)="*":RETURN 

2999 REH —EDIT— 

3000 GOSUB 13000: IF GO0 THEN 3040 

3010 LOCATE 17,1:PRINT "There is no room to edit." 

3020 PRINT "Compress the file before editing." 


3040 ZSS=HLSUN):G0SU8 14000:IF ZS$=ML$(IN) THEN 3070 

3050 GOSUB 2500:DN=G:G=P(DN,1):GOSUB 8000 

3060 GOSUB 14500:IF NR) 

3640 CLS:GOSUB 4000:IF NOT NM THEN RETURN 

3650 LOCATE 12,6:PRINT "No records match the filter." 

3660 GOSUB 13500:NF=-1:NM=0:GOTO 3640 

3999 REM —FIRST— 

4000 D=SN 

4010 Z=P(D,1):IF ZO0 THEN D=Z:GOTO 4010 

4020 Z=D:GOSUB 5550:RETURN 

4499 REM — INDEX— 

4500 CLS:LOCATE 3,18:PRINT "INDEX" 

4510 FOR X=1 TO 10:LOCATE 5+X,13:PRINT USING "tflt. ";X; 

4520 PRINT LB$(X):NEXT X:LOCATE 17,13 

4530 INPUT "SeLect: ",Z:IF Z10 THEN RETURN 

4540 CLS:LOCATE 12,7 

4550 PRINT "Indexing; please stand by." 

4560 IN=Z:IF IN

PRODUCTIVITY 

5999 R6M —PRINT— 

6000 CLS:PRINT "Label. size:":FOR X=1 TO 3 

6010 PRINT HS$(X):NEXT X:FOR X=1 TO 3 

6020 ZS$="":LN=LEN)>12 THEN SOUND 400,2:GOTO 6200 

6300 X=X+1:IF X96)*(Z;SP$;FRS(FZ);SP$;FSS; 

10540 COLOR 7:RETURN 

10999 REM —INPUT RECORD— 

11000 LOCATE 18,1 

11010 PRINT "Leave the Last Name line blank when" 

11020 PRINT "you have no more names to add." 

11030 IF GO0 THEN 11080 ELSE CLS:LOCATE 6,1 

11040 PRINT "You have reached the limit for this" 

11050 PRINT "List. If you have more names to add," 

11060 PRINT "start a new list.":GOSUB 13500 


11080 FOR X=1 TO 12:ML$(X)=STRINGS(L(X),32):NEXT X 

11090 GOSUB 11500:GOSUB 14000 

11100 IF ML$(1)=STRINGS(20,32) THEN RETURN 

11110 DN=G:G=PCDN,1):NI$CDN,2)="":IF NRN 

11120 GOSUB 14500:REC=DN:GOSUB 15000;GOTO 11030 

11499 REM —DISPLAY RECORD— 

11500 FOR X=1 TO 12:L0CATE R0(X),1 

11510 COLOR 2:PR1NT LBS(X);": ";:COLOR 7 

11520 PRINT ML$CX);CHRS(17):NEXT X 

11530 IF NI$CDN,2)"*" THEN RETURN 

11540 LOCATE 2,1:COL0R 10 

11550 PRINT "Marked for Deletion.":COLOR 7:RETURN 

11999 REM —READ RECORD— 

12000 IF IV2 THEN GET #2,2*REC-1 :FOR Y=1 TO 5:ML$CY) 

=RF$(Y):NEXT Y 

12010 IF IVO1 THEN GET #3,2*REC:F0R Y=6 TO 12-ML$tY) = 

RF$(Y):NEXT Y

PRODUCTIVITY 

12820 RETURN 

12499 REH —HATCH FILTER— 

12500 IF NF THEN FF=-1:RETURN 

1251© ZSS=LEFT$(HL$(FI)/LENCFS$)) 

12520 IF CZSS1 AND FZ OR CZSS-FSS AND 

FS$ AND (FZ=2 OR FZ=5 

OR FZ=6)) THEN FF=-1 ELSE FF=0 

12530 RETURN 

12999 REH —CLEAR COMMAND LINE-- 

13000 FOR X=16 TO 20:LOCATE X,1:PRINT BL$:NEXT X:RETUR 

N 

13499 REH —PRESS ANY KEY— 

13500 PRINT:PRINT TAB(7);"Press any key to continue." 

13510 GOSUB 900O:RETURN 

13999 REM --EDITOR— 

14000 CY=1:HF=0:LOCATE 21,1:PRINT "MODE: ";HOS(0); 

14010 T$=HL$(CY):CX=1 

K020 LOCATE ROCCY),CO(CY)+CX:PRINT CHR$(219) 

U030 LOCATE ROCCY),CO(CY)+CX:PRINT MIDS(T$,CX,1) 

14040 K$=INKEY$:IF KS="" THEN 14020 

14050 IF LEN(K$)=1 THEN 14140 

14060 DK=INSTR("KHHPR",RIGHT$(K$,1)) 

14070 IF DK=0 THEN SOUND 400,2:GOTO 14020 

14080 ON DK GOTO 14090,14090,14100,14100,14120 

14090 DX=(DK=1)-(DK=2):IF (CX=1 AND DX=-1) OR CCX=L(CY 

) AND DX=1) THEN SOUND 400,2:GOTO H020 ELSE CX=CX+DX: 

GOTO 14020 

14100 HL$(CY)=T$:CY=CY+(DK=3)-(DK=4) 

14110 CY=(CY+11) HOD 12+1:G0TO 14010 

14120 HF=NOT HF:LOCATE 21,7 

K130 PRINT HD$CABSCHF)):GOTO 14020 

14140 IF

FUN & GAMES 

WRECKLESS RACER 

BY JOEY LATIMER 

Auto racing is a risky 

business. One minute 

you have the finish line 

in sight, and the next 

you're kissing a fence. 

With the high cost of 

auto insurance, that can 

be very expensive . . . not 

to mention what it can do 

to your face! 

If you'd like to do a lit 

tle racing of your own— 

minus the broken bones, 

of course—try Wreckless 

Racer. Just type in the 

program in BASIC, save 

it, and then run it. Follow 

the simple instructions 

displayed on the screen, 

and you'll be off and 

racing! 

Apple II series Wrocfc/oss Racer 

Use the keyboard as 

your steering wheel and 

cruise around the oval 

race track five times. If 

you manage to complete 

five laps and cross the 

finish line, your time will 

be posted and compared 

to the fastest time. Be 

sure to watch out for the 

walls, holes, and oil slicks 

on the track, or you will 

end up disqualified! 

OK. programmers, start 

your engines! 

10 DIM A(29),B(29),C(29),NC(4),NR(4) 

20 6$ = CHR$(7):F0R X = 1 TO 4:READ NC(X),NR(X):NEXT X 

30 FT = 999:FOR X = 1 TO 29;READ A(X),B(X),C(X):NEXT X 

40 Z = -16336:H0ME:G0SUB 1000:VTAB 5:HTAB 1 

50 PRINT "SET THE SPEED FACTOR BY ENTERING ANY" 

60 PRINT "NUMBER BETWEEN 1 (FASTEST) AND 7" 

70 PRINT "(SLOWt.ST).":PRINT 

80 GOSUB 2000:Sh = VALCK$>-1 

90 IF SP < 0 OR SP > 6 THEN PRINT G$:GOTO 80 

100 PRINT "DRIVE FIVE LAPS AROUND THE RACE TRACK" 

110 PRINT "AND TRY TO BEAT THE FASTEST TIME.":PRINT 

120 PRINT " THESE KEYS CONTROL THE CAR'S MOVEMENT:" 

130 PRINT:GOSUB 3000:PRINT:PRINT 

140 PRINT "PRESS TO START," 

150 PRINT TAB(7);" TO CHANGE SPEED FACTOR, OR" 

160 PRINT TAB(7);" TO QUIT.11; 

170 GOSUB 2000:IF K$ = "C" THEN 40 

180 IF K$ = "Q" THEN HOME:END 

190 IF KS CHRSC13) THEN PRINT G$:GOTO 170 

200 HOME:L = 0:INVERSE:FOR X = 1 TO 19:VTAB X:HTAB 2 

210 PRINT SPC(38):NEXT X:NORMAL:FOR X = 1 TO 29 

220 VTAB A(X):HTAB BCX):PRINT SPCCC(X)):NEXT X 

230 VTAB INT(RND(1)*2)+4:HTA8 INTCRNDC1)*20)+13 

240 PRINT "x":VTAB 6:HTAB INT(RND(1)*8)+6:PRINT "X" 

250 VTAB INT(RND(1)*8)+6:HTAB INT(RND(1)*3)+35 

260 PRINT "X";VTAB INTCRNO(1)*11)+6 

270 HTAB INT(RND(1)*3)+4;PRINT "X" 

280 VTAB INT(RND(1)*4)+15:HTA8 INT(RN0(1)*3)+1fl 

290 PRINT "OIL":FLASH:VTAB 16:HTAB 18:PRINT "*":NORMAL 

300 FOR Y = 15 TO 18 

310 VTAB Y:HTAB 19:PRINT CHRSC124):NEXT Y 

320 VTAB 20:HTA8 2;PRINT "LAP: 0";SPCC4);"TIM£: 0";SPC 


(4);"FAST TIME: ";1NTCFT):GOSUB 3000 

330 VTAB 10:HTAB 12:G0SUB 1010:POKE -16368,0 

340 VTAB 12:HTAB 13:PRINT "PRESS TO START!"; 

350 GOSUB 2000:IF K$ "L" THEN PRINT G$:GOTO 350 

360 VTAB 12:HTA8 13:INVERSE:PRINT SPC(19):NORMAL 

370 DX = 1:0Y = 0:DK = 4:TX = 18:TY = 16 

380 HX = TX:HY = TY:FI = 0 

390 VTAB HY:HTAB HX:PRINT CHRSC32) 

400 TX = TX+DX:TY = TY+DY 

410 CH = SCRNCTX-1,2*(TY-1))+16*SCRN 96)*(K < 123) 

510 IF K < 73 OR K > 76 THEN 540 

520 DK = K-72:DX = NCCDK):DY = NRCDK) 

530 IF F AND DK 4 THEN 560 

540 IF NOT F THEN 390 

550 F = 0:VTAB HY:HTAB HX:PRINT CHRS(124):GOTO 400 

560 FOR X = 1 TO 30 

570 VTAB TY:HTAB TX:PRINT CHR$(INT(RNDC1)*4)+41) 

580 62 = PEEK(Z)+PE£K(Z):NEXT X:GOSUB 1000 

590 VTAB 4:PRINT "SORRY! YOU RAN INTO SOMETHING!" 

600 PRINT "YOU HAVE BEEN DISQUALIFIED.":PRINT:GOTO 670 

610 FOR T = 1 TO 100:BZ = PEEKCZ)+PEEK(2):NEXT T 

620 HOME:PRINT 

630 PRINT "CONGRATULATIONS! YOU MADE IT!";PRINT 

640 PRINT:PRINT "YOUR TIME WAS "; INT(FI);11." 

650 IF FI < FT THEN FT = FI 

660 PRINT "THE FASTEST TIME IS ";INT(FT);".":PRINT 

670 PRINT "PRESS TO START AGAIN,":GOTO 150 

1000 HOME:VTAB 2:HTAB 9 

1010 PRINT "*—WRECKLESS RACER—*":RETURN 

2000 K = PEEK(-16384)-128:IF K < 0 THEN 2000 

2010 POKE -16368,0 

2020 K$ = CHR$(K-32*(K > 96)*CK < 123));RETURN 

3000 PRINT TABC3);"=LEFT =RIGHT =UP =DOWN" 

3010 PRINT 

3020 PRINT " DRIVE SAFELY. RUNNING INTO OIL SLICKS,"; 

3030 PRINT " HOLES, OR WALLS WILL DISQUALIFY YOU!"; 

3040 RETURN 

4000 DATA 0,-1,-1,0,0,1,1,0 

5000 DATA 2,4,14,2,27,10,3,3,16,3,26,12,4,3,36,5,3,36 

5010 DATA 6,3,36,7,3,6,7,18,10,7,35,4,8,3,5,8,19,7 

5020 DATA 8,35,4,9,3,5,9,35,4,10,3,5,10,35,4,11,3,5 

5030 DATA 11,35,4,12,3,5,12,35,4,13,3,6,13,35,4,14,3,8 

5040 DATA 14,34,5,15,3,36,16,3,35,17,4,33,18,5,31 

Commodore 64 & 128 (C 64 mode)/Wreckless Racer 

10 DIM A(29),9(29),C(29),NC(4),NR(4):PRINT CHRSC154) 

20 DN=51164:MV=49700:OV=51163:SB=1024:S=54272 

30 D$=CHR$(122):F0R X=1 TO 38:TR$=TR$+CHR$C32) 

40 SP$=SP$+CHR$(166):NEXT X 

50 FOR X=S TO S+23:P0KE X,0:NEXT X:POKE S+24,15 

60 POKE S+5,66:P0KE S+6,66:P0KE 53281,14:POKE 53280,14 

70 POKE 646,1:FOR X=1 TO 4:READ NCCX),NR(X) :NEXT X 

80 FT=999:F0R X=1 TO 29:READ A(X),BCX),C(X):NEXT X 

90 FOR X=49700 TO 49710:READ ML:POKE X,ML:NEXT X 

100 GOSUB 1O00:POKE DN,5:P0KE OV,0:SYS MV 

110 PRINT "SET THE SPEED FACTOR BY ENTERING A" 

120 PRINT "NUMBER BETWEEN 1 (FASTEST) AND 7" 

130 PRINT "(SLOWEST).";PRINT 

140 GOSUB 2000:SP=VAL(K$)-1:IF SP6 THEN 140 

170 PRINT "DRIVE FIVE LAPS AROUND THE RACE TRACK" 

180 PRINT "AND TRY TO BEAT THE FASTEST TIME.":PRINT 

190 PRINT " THESE KEYS CONTROL THE CAR'S MOVEMENT:" 

200 PRINT:GOSUB 3000:PRINT:PRINT 

210 PRINT "PRESS TO START,"

220 PRINT TAB(6);" TO CHANGE SPEED FACTOR, OR" 

230 PRINT TAB(6);" TO QUIT." 

240 POKE S+4,32;GOSUB 2000:IF K$="C" THEN 100 

250 IF K$O"Q" THEN 270 

260 PRINT CHR$C147);CHR$(154):P0KE 53280,6 

265 POKE 53281,6:POKE 6-V6,U:END 

270 IF K$OCHR$(13) THEN 240 

290 PRINT CHR$(U7);CHR$(U4);:L=0 

300 FOR X = 1 TO 19:PRINT TABC1);'SP$:NEXT X 

310 FOR X=1 TO 29:P0KE DN,ACX):POKE OV/B(X):SYS HV 

320 PRINT LEFT$(TR$,CCX)):NEXT X 

330 POKE DN,INT(RND(1)*2)+4:P0KE OV,INTCRND(1)*20)+13 

340 SYS MV:PRINT CHR$(158);D$ 

350 POKE DN,5:POKE OV,INT(RND(1)*8)+5:SYS HV:PRINT D$ 

360 POKE DN,INT(RNt>+3:SYS HV:PRIfJT 0$ 

390 POKE 0N,INT(RND(1)*4)+14:POKE 0V,INTCRND(1)*3)+9 

400 SYS HV:PRINT CHRS(159>;"OIL" 

410 POKE DN,15:POKE 0V,18:SYS HV:PRINT CHRSCS);"*" 

420 FOR Y=14 TO 17:P0KE DN,Y:POKE 0V,19:SYS MV 

430 PRINT CHRSC221):NEXT Y:POKE DN,19:P0KE 0V,2 

440 SYS HVzPRINT CHRSC5);"LAP: 0";SPCC4);"TIME: 0";SPC 

(4);"FAST TIME:";FT 

470 GOSUB 3000:POKE DN,9:POKE OV,10:SYS MV:GOSUB 1010 

480 GET KS:IF K$"" THEN 480 

490 POKE DN,11:POKE OV,11:SYS MV 

500 PRINT "PRESS TO START!" 

510 GOSUB 2000:IF K$O"L" THEN 510 

530 POKE DN,11:POKE 0V,11:SYS HV 

540 PRINT CHR$(144);LEFT$(SPS,19);CHR$(5) 

550 DX=1:DY=0:DK=4:TX=18:TY=15:HX=TX:HY=TY:SL=TI 

560 POKE DN,HY:POKE OV,HX:SYS MV:PRINT CHRSC32); 

570 TX=TX+DX:TY=TY+DY 

580 CH=PEEK(SB+TX+40*TY):IF CH=32 THEN 630 

590 IF CHO93 THEN 740 

600 IF DK4 THEN 740 

610 F=-1:L=L+1:P0KE DN,19:P0KE 0V,6:SYS HV 

620 PRINT L:1F L=6 THEN 830 

630 POKE DN,TY:POKE OV,TX:SYS HV:PRINT "*"; 

640 HX=TX:HY=TY:Fl=INT((TI-SL)/50) 

650 POKE DN,19:P0KE 0V,17:SYS HV:PRINT FI; 

660 FOR DE=0 TO 20*SP:NEXT 0E 

670 GET K$:IF K$="" THEN 710 

680 K=ASC(K$):IF K76 THEN 700 

690 DK=K-72:DX=NC(DIO:E)Y=NR

FUN & GAMES 

4010 DATA 1,3,14,1,26,10,2,2,16,2,25,12,3,2,36,4,2,36 

4020 DATA 5,2,36,6,2,6,6,17,10,6,34,4,7,2,5,7,18,7 

4030 DATA 7,34,4,8,2,5,8,34,4,9,2,5,9,34,4,10,2,5 

4040 DATA 10,34,4,11,2,5,11,34,4,12,2,6,12,34,4,13,2,4 

4050 DATA 13,33,5,14,2,36,15,2,35,16,3,33,17,4,31 

4060 DATA 174,220,199,172,219,199,24,32,240,255,96 

IBM PC & compatibles Wreck/ess Racer 

10 DEF SEG=8H40 

20 IF CPEEK(SH10) AND 485=32 THEN WIDTH 40 

30 DEF SEG:DIM A:PRINT SPACESCC(X)) 

270 NEXT X:COLOR 4 

280 LOCATE INT(RND*2)+4,INT(RND*20)+13:PRINT CHR$(4) 

290 LOCATE 6,INT(RND*8)+6:PRINT CHR$(4) 

300 LOCATE INT(RN0*8)+6,INT(RND*3H35:PRINT CHR$(4) 

310 LOCATE INT(RND*11)+6,INT(RND*3)+4:PRINT CHRSC4) 

320 COLOR 12:LOCATE INT(RND*4)+15,INT(RND*3)+10 

330 PRINT "OIL":COLOR 31:LOCATE 16,18:PRINT "*" 

340 COLOR 15:FOR Y=15 TO 18 

350 LOCATE Y,19:PRINT CHRSC179):NEXT Y 

360 COLOR 13:LOCATE 20,3:PRINT "Lap: 0" 

370 COLOR 12:LOCATE 20,13:PRINT "Time: 0" 

380 COLOR 14:L0CATE 20,25:PRINT "Fast Time:"; 

390 COLOR 15:PRINT FT:GOSUB 3000 

400 LOCATE 10,11:GOSUB 1010:COLOR 30 

410 K$=INKEY$:IF K$"" THEN 410 

420 LOCATE 12,12:PRINT "Press to start!":C0LOR 2 

430 GOSUB 2000: IF K$O"L" THEN BEEP: GOTO 430 

440 LOCATE 12,12:PRINT STRING$C19,178):COLOR 15 

450 DX=1:DY=0:DK=4:TX=18:TY=16:HX=TX:HY=TY:ST=TIMER 

460 LOCATE HY,HX:PRINT CHR$(32) 

470 TX=TX+DX:TY=TY+DY 

480 CH=SCREEN(TY,TX):IF CH=32 THEN 520 

490 IF CHO179 THEN 620 


510 F=-1:L=L+1:LOCATE 20,7:PRINT L:IF L=6 THEN 670 

520 LOCATE TY,TX:PRINT "*":HX=TX:HY=TY 

530 FI=INT(TIHER-ST):IF FK0 THEN FI=FI+86400! 

540 LOCATE 20,18:PRINT FI 

550 FOR DE=0 TO 50*SP:NEXT DE 

560 K$=INKEY$:IF KS="" THEN 600 

570 GOSUB 2010:DK=INSTR("IJKL",K$) 

580 IF DK0 THEN DX=NC(DK):DY=NR(DK) 

590 IF F AND DKO4 THEN 620 


610 F=0:LOCATE HY,HX:PRINT CHRSO79) :GOTO 470 

620 FOR X=1 TO 30:COLOR INT(RND*15)+1 

630 LOCATE TY,TX:PRINT "*":SOUND INT(RND*100)+100,.5 

640 NEXT X:COLOR 2:G0SUB 1000:COLOR 14 

650 LOCATE 4,1:PRINT "Sorry! You ran into something!" 

660 PRINT "You have been disqualified.":PRINT:GOTO 720 

82 FAMILY & HOME-OFFICE COMPLTING 

670 PLAY "L16MBO1CDEFGA6FEDC":CLS:COLOR 14:PRINT 

680 PRINT "Congratulations! You made it!":PRINT 

690 COLOR 12:PRINT:PRINT "Your time was";STR$(FI);"." 

700 COLOR 11 :IF FKFT THEN FT=FI 

710 PRINT "The fastest time is";STRS(FT);"."-.PRINT 

720 COLOR 2 

730 PRINT "Press to start again,":GOTO 190 

1000 CLS:LOCATE 2,10,0 

1010 COLOR 13:PRINT "*—Wreckless Racer—*":RETURN 

2000 KS=INKEY$:IF K$="" THEN 2000 

2010 K=ASC(K$):K$=CHR$(K-CK>96)*(K

490 IF CHO124 THEN 640 


510 F=-1:L0CATE 20,29:PRINT L:L=L+1 

520 LOCATE 20,29:PRINT L:IF L=6 THEN 700 

530 LOCATE TY,TX+23:PRIHT "*":HX=TX:HY=TY 

540 LOCATE 20,42:PRINT FI 

550 FI=TIHER-START:IF FK0 THEN FI=FI+86400! 

560 LOCATE 20,42;PRINT FI:FOR DE=0 TO 50*SP:NEXT DE 

570 K$=INKEY$:IF K$="" THEN 610 

580 GOSUB 1010:DK=INSTRC"IJKL",K$) 

590 IF DKO0 THEN DX=NC(DK) :DY=NRlt>K) 

600 IF F AND DKO4 THEN 640 


620 F=0:CALL TEXTHODE(0):LOCATE HY,HX+23 

630 PRINT CHRSC124):CALL TEXTHO0E(2):G0TO 470 

640 FOR X=1 TO 30 

650 LOCATE TY,TX+23:PRINT CHR$(INT(RND*4)+42) 

660 SOUND INT(RNO*100)+100,.5:NEXT X:CLS:LOCATE 4,24 

670 PRINT "Sorry! You ran into something!" 

680 PRINT TAB(24);"You have been disqualified." 

690 PRINT:GOTO 780 

700 CLS:PRINT:FOR X=100 TO 5.50 STEP 10 

710 SOUND X,.5;NEXT X 

720 PRINT TABC24);"CongratuLation5! You made it!" 

730 PRINT:PRINT 

740 PRINT TAB(24);"Your time was";STRSCFI);"." 

750 IF FKFT TH£N FT=FI 

760 PRINT TAB(24);"The fastest time is";STR$CFT);"." 

770 PRINT 

780 PRINT TABC24);"Press to start again," 

790 GOTO 160 

1000 K$=INKEY$:IF K$="" THEN 1000 

1010 K=ASC(K$):K$=CHR!(K-(K>96)*(K*32):RETURN 

2000 PRINTrPRINT TAB(26);"=Left =right =up =down" 

2010 PR1NT:PRINT TAB(24);"Drive safely. Running into 

oi I slicks,";" 

202© PRINT TAB(24);"holes, or walls will disqualify yo 

u!":RETURN 

3000 DATA 0,0,0,-1,-1,0,0,1,1,0 

4000 DATA 2,4,14,2,27,10,3,3,16,3,26,12,4,3,36,5,3,36 

4010 DATA 6,3,36,7,3,6,7,18,10,7,35,4,8,3,5,8,19,7 

4020 DATA 8,35,4,9,3,5,9,35,4,10,3,5,10,35,4,11,3,5 

4030 DATA 11,35,4,12,3,5,12,35,4,13,3,6,13,35,4,14,3,8 

4040 DATA 14,34,5,15,3,36,16,3,35,17,4,33,18,5,31 

THE SYSTEMS WE TEST ON 

Every family & home-office computing program is thoroughly test 

ed before publication. The exacl systems we use during the 

testing process are listed here. Although you can be sure that a 

program will work if your system matches ours, a comparable 

system configuration should also work. For example, even 

though we do nol test on the Franklin Ace. Apple programs 

should work on this system. Any exception to the following 

hardware and software configurations will be listed in (he chart 

on page 71. Systems that do not have specific printers listed 

were tested with Epson FX-80 printers when printer options 

were available. 

Apple lie in 40-column mode w/64K RAM, DOS 3.3. two disk 

drives, MPC parallel-printer interface, monochrome and color 

monitors. Apple programs should also work on Apple I1/c/P1us/gs 

and under ProDOS. Commodore 128 in C 64 mode with two 1571 

disk drives, color monitor, and Micrografix parallel graphics 

interface. Programs should also work on Commodore 64/64C/ 

128D. IBM PC W/640K RAM. Disk BASIC D2.00, IBM Mono 

chrome Display and Printer Adapter, monochrome monitor, 

IBM Color/Graphics Monitor Adapter. RGB monitor. AST Sixpack 

Plus, and IBM PC DOS 3.10. Should also work on IBM PCjr 

and IBM PS/2 Models 25 and 30. Macintosh w/512K RAM. two 

disk drives. Microsoft BASIC 2.1. and ImageWriter printer. Mac 

intosh programs should also work on 128K Mac/Mac Plus/SE/II 

and under Microsoft BASIC 2.0. 

TIPS TO 

THE 

TYPIST 

SOME GENERAL RULES 

1. Read instructions and program headings carefully. 

2. Don't let fatigue and boredom contribute to inaccu 

racy. If you're new to programming, type in a longer 

program in easy stages. sAVEing each installment as you 

go- 

3. Assume that every character in a program listing 

must be copied accurately if a program is to work. 

4. Watch out for potential trouble spots. About 90 per 

cent of all typing errors occur in data statements. 

5. Be aware that our program listings are printed 54 

characters wide. Thus, a single BASIC program "line" 

(sometimes called a "logical line") may appear as several 

lines in our listing. If you are typing along and reach the 

right margin of the printed listing, don't press RETURN 

or ENTER before checking to see if the program "line" 

you're typing really ends there. 

6. To correct an error in a BASIC program line, type 

the line in again from the beginning and press RETURN 

or ENTER to replace the old line. 

DEBUGGING HINTS 

1. Write down any error messages you receive. 

2. Look up error messages in your manual, and check 

the indicated lines for simple mistakes. Also check relat 

ed lines, such as the data statements corresponding to a 

read routine. Correct all the problems you can find, and 

save a corrected' copy of the program before typing run 

again. 

3. list the program in screen-size chunks (check your 

manual for instructions on how to list parts of a program) 

or get a printout. Compare what you've typed in—letter 

by letter—to the published program. Make sure that you 

haven't dropped or mixed up some punctuation, 

switched uppercase text for lowercase, or vice versa, or 

miscounted the characters (and/or spaces) between a pair 

of quotes. 

4. Mistakes in data statements are the single most com 

mon cause of program failures. If you can't find your 

error in the lines the computer specifies, check your data 

statements line by line, letter by letter, comma by comma. 

5. If all else fails, turn off your computer and relax. 

Then try again the next day—exhausted proofreaders are 

careless proofreaders. 

(212) 505-3703 

A HELP LINE FOR PROGRAM PROBLEMS 

Call our Program Status Line any time of the day or night to 

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■ S/H; Ribbons S3 Paper/Modem: 85 

- Min:S 15 Terms; Chc/Nel 

SILICON OUTPUT SUPPLIES 

41-11 149th Street 

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Enjoy the Best in 

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Apple, C-64, IflM/Compat. Mac. Alari Sf 

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Round Rock. TX 7BBH0. 512-255-1512 

THE HACKERS HELPER: ADAM and Z80 

a Z80 & Oper. System Tutorial 

ADAM'S Basic & EOS disassembled 

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an overview for those Interested 

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send SI.00 info.. J&J Enterprises 

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Box 23478. Dept F-6; San Diego. CA 

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homeworkcrs-computer & other skills 

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2102 Whispering. Round Rock. TX 78664 

MOONLIGHTING MADE SIMPLE 

6 easy steps for earning money with 

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Inc.. TO Box 2314, Jolitt. 1L 60434 


COMFVIER SEHVEES & CONSTULTANTS 

Break into new field today. Also 

Computer, Business & reference books. 

Enterprises BDS. 441718th Ave.. 

Suite 321F. Brooklyn. NY 11204. 

GUARANTEED BUSINESS OPP. 

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DLMW. Box li'JA. Bronxvflte, NY I070H 

COMPUTER PARTS 

APPLE SERVICE PARTS 

Genuine Apple replacement ports Tor 

all Apple computers. Most items 

below dealer cost. Purchase orders 

welcome with approval. Prc-Owned 

Electronics. B17-H91-6851. 

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LISTEN TO THE REALITY 

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10981. (91414H9-9272. SI 1.50. 

FOR FREE TO SWAP 

FREE SOFTWARE-APPLE & IBM-PC 

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stamped envelope. Alpha Company 

E62 Chapel Dr. ChurchvUle, PA 18966 

[■"REE SOFTWARE IC-ti-U Send 1 slump 

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# 562-F. VA Beach. VA 23452 

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We sell the entire Commodore line of chips 

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Ka-virj Micro Inc. 30 Murray Hill Dr. Spring 

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914-356-3131 

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Our |i>h >(jr Dl DISCOUNTS 

COMPUTERS & CELLULAR PHONKS 

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^ Toltl-inMO-UI-JUO 

HIT MBRVMflC industries inc 

3JSII KU> F-wy 

86 FAMILY & HOME-OFFICE COMPUTINU 

CLASSIFIED 

DISCOUNT SOFTWARE / HARDWARE 

Apple. Commodore, TI-99, Atari. IBH-I'C 

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Over 500 software titles. Send SI for cat. 

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multi Video services box 246 

K. AMI ERST. NY 1 -1051. Tall after S I'M 

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Sidecar $279 50 

HARDWARE SPECIALS 

NEC muluspeed laptop, B4OK. dou 

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Dlconix 150 portable printer-S420. 

Special carrying case holds 

laptop, printer, software & books. 

Specify blue, gray or black-S89. 

SPECIAL OFFER Buy both the laplop 

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Call today-offer is limited and 

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TO Box 287. Peralta, NM 87042. 

RIBBONS 

RIBBON RE-NEW 

will re-Ink 35 ribbons 

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Also Autolnker mechanical inkers. 

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2223 Rebecca. Hatfield. FA 

19440. 12151 N22-2989 

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SAVE LEGAL FEES 

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High Tech S189.95. SBtH S7.50 

1I1JG Software, inc. 

381 Old Jail Lane 

Bamstablc. MA 02630 

MC-V-AMEX i -800-628-2828 Ext 706 

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1424 SMEEI-SHEAD BAY RD. #2O2B. 

BROOKLYN. NY 11235 

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1000 ONLY $19.95. RogSS Publishing 

Dept FC. Box 36042. Indpls. IN 46236 

SOFTWARE 

STOCKMARKET INVESTORS 

STOCK SECTOR ANALYZER identifies 

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13185 Vet Mem Dr. Houston. TX 77014 

IBM PUBLIC DOMAIN PROGRAMS 

SI.99 on 5.25 — 82.99 on 3.5 Inch 

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Catalogs, free programs, sample 

magazine: $1 for 5.25 — $2 for 3.5. 

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PO Box 6203. Hollywood. KL 33081 

SUPER DISCOUNTED SOFTWARE 

All major lilies for IBM. Commodore 

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refundable with first order. 

SPECIFY COMPUTER 

RONDEL PRODUCTS 

Box 151. Burlnnsville. MD 20866 

IBM-SOFTWARE Si.99 A DISK 

No MInlmum-900 Disks Avail. 

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OUTSTANDING IBM SOFTWARE 

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only S2.75'disk for 5.25". or $4.00 

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Digital Research C1"M 2.2 manual. 

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Disk Copy Service. Catalog $ 1.00 

EniaraAssoc. P.O. Box (5922 

Los Osos. CA 93412. 805-528-5871 

Public Do mill n Software 

for C64, C128, CPM & IBM at S3 per 

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TO Box 1479. Selden. NY 11784 

TI-99/4A Software/Besl Selections 

"Free catalog" MICRO BIZ HAWAII 

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FREE APPLE AND IBM SOFTWARE 

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catalog refundable wllh order. 

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Box 29243. Memphis. TN 38127 

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BE A WINNER TODAY! 

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Over 80 low-cost original programs. 

IBM. C64, TI99. SASE for brochure. 

KIDware 

1380 156th NE. #11-2, Ikllmie. WA 98007 

FREEPROORAMSimee/AdamftillTRSeO. 

Appl. iHMpc. C'dore, Ttmx, Send stamps! 

Ezra, BOX 5222JU. San Diego. CA 92105 

IBM COMPATIBLE 

USERS GROUP 

25,000 members 

Join Us 

Newsletters, tech help + More 

Send S10 for lyr membership to 

IPCG, 2269 S. University Dr. 

#118AF, Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33324 

UNI9UE ADAM SOFTWARE 

Sena targe SASE for catalog, 

ADAMagic, [634 N. Thompson Dr. 

Bay Shore. NY 1 1706 

PREE IUM SO1-TWAKE CATALOG 

PARALLEL SYSTEMS. INC. 

CO UOX 772. TURNERSVILLE. NJ 08012 

CALL OR WRITE (30^-227-9634 

MUSIC TUTOR 

j. ff 

*• Recognize notes instantly and ' Z 

aulomatically. by pitch,letter or keyl 

Fortns new musician, ynflor or kB>board player. 

Loam the notos In vrtttton music and on t tie keyboard 

Ear-trainingpracticetutor. 

51/*nal3MOTl8MPCorCompatlbln.Toordercall 

1-a00-2*B-8133o'se(xH3*.9S + S3.00P&P 

(COD .i3.0OB*lra.)toSiockdfllBSo«wareCo 

PO Bon 2309. Halestte. NV11743 

FREE SOFTWARE 

IBM, C-B4, C-128& civm tiomputcni 

send BASE l"r Info (list computer): 

PUBLIC DOMAIN USERS GROUP 

Box 1442-FA. Orangepark. FL 32067 

Tl-99i4A Software/Hardware bargains. 

Hard to find Items, Huge selection. 

Fast service. Free catalog. DYNENT 

Box 690. Hlcksville. NX 11801 

IUM PC K JR PUBLIC DOMAIN 

Software by the disk or the program 

1'aradise Computer Works. 

RD 1 Box 273A, Newark Valley, m 13811 

C B4 AM) IfflH-PC SOFTWARE CHEAPHI 

Send for free catalog of business. 

utility, educational, home management 

and name software. Includes free 

utility program listing & It Iras on 

making money with your PC. Stamp or 

# 10 SASE appreciated, packwark. INC 

IJox 64-A. Lighthouse PL. FL 33074 

IBM PUBLIC DOMAIN SOFTWARE 

SEND STAMP FOR CATALOG ON DISK 

Gel our newest catalog lor just a 

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programs. The best P/D only S3.00 

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3.5" disk. We now accept Visa & MC. 

.JDX/F. I'O 1561. Corona. CA 91718

['RECK IBM/COMP SOFTWARE public 

domain. B&J Enterprises Software, 

po Box 485. Daleviile, XL 36322 

Food ware Integrates your recipes & 

menu plans, creates shopping lists 

in grocery store sequence with 

coupon info and home-stocked items 

Identified, searches recipes lor 

name/category/lngredlent/servtnga 

or combinations. IBM-PC 384K 

S56 U.SJS7O Cdn. Vlsa/MOChk. 

Fastrax. Box 278. Orleans Ontario 

K1C 1S7. 613-837-4089. Orders 24 hre 

A Great Addition To Your Autoexec 

Batch File. Boot up your PC with an 

Oki Testament Proverb as THK THOUGHT 

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pace thru the 366 days on each disk 

Also have QUIPS. gUOTKS & INTERESTING 

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Unique Software. 100 So. Lea 

Roswefl, NM 88201. 505-622-4621. 

*FREE* 

IBM SOFTWARE 

5"A" AND 3V2' 

FORMATS 

FREE CATALOG: 

AP-JP INC. 

BOX 1155, W. IJAHYLON. NY 11704 

PROGRAMS. IBM & compatible or APPLE 

at bargain prices less than S4.0& 

disc. Send stamp For FREE CATALOG. 

PSCa. Box 1057-C. Capitola. CA 95010 

TANDY 1000. i'rojjmms/NcvLsletter 

Send for lnlo. Soda Pop SW. 

I' O Box 653. Kenosha. Wl 5314 1 

Cheap software/IBM. PCjr., or IBM 

compatibles. For 5.25 or 3.5 disk. 

For catalog on educational, games. 

business, and etc. diskettes. 

Write: Morning Star. P.O. Box 3095 

Ann Arbor, MI 48106 

NEW ADAM SOFTWARE! 

Send SASE for info REEDY SOFTWARE 

100H5 60th Street. Alto, Ml 49302 

FREE PUBLIC DOMAIN Catalogs-Send stamp 

specify Applr II. IBM-PC.TKS-80 M3'4 

S:t-Applc II Cat. &2-GAMEDISKS [5.251 

ALADDIN. 1001 Colfax St. Danville 1L61832 

Great ADAM software. NEW SBaslC II 

program versions. Stamp or 25c 

for catalog to Practical Programs 

P.O. Box 244, Kalamazoo. Ml 49005 

APPLE PUBLIC DOMAIN SOFTWARE 

CAT. S4.00OR S5.00 CAT. & DEMO DISK 

FREE DISK WITH CAT. & DEMO DISK 

ORDER, OVER 300 DISKS. B & L 

CONSULTANTS & SALES. HOX -161 DEPT C 

WAUASII. IN 46992 1219) 563-7650 VISA 

& M.C. IliM PUBLIC DOMAIN 61.00 CAT. 

FREE IBM & APPLE SOFTWARE 

Public Domain. Over 200 Disks! 

Games. Bus.. Ed.. Utly. Free Catalog, 

Blank disks 39* each. Send stamp? 

name/address to: p.d. club 

P.O. liox 6877. Hwd.. Fl. 33081 

SS WIN SS 

wsth cu- 

SPORIS 

f g 

r Software 

IMOSOUGHflWD, HARNESS Handicapping ■ SS3 «S 

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COM M.1I8 TR5-B0 SCFTWAM EXCHANGE. Boi 

SM2-F W Bloomheld.MICHIGAN48031 Inro oraBii 

311 626-720B V1SA,MC 1 -800-52J-9467 

CLASSIFIED 

1HM I'UULIC DOMAIN SOFTWARE 

S3.00 per disk. 850 volumes. 24 hour 

delivery, Send 81 for catalog disk 

to: Windward Public Software. P.O. 

I)ox4630, Kancohe, Hawaii 96744 

FREE CATALOG 

Discount software for your 

home computer. Apple. Atari. 

Commodore. IBM... 

WMJ Dala Systems-F 

4 Butterfly Drive. 

Hauppaufie. NY 11788 

(516)543-5252. 

CLASSIC APPLE SOFTWARE 

Public Domain at its BEST, send 

S2. for catalog disk to Mlcrodata 

Software Exchange. PO Box 6765. 

Chico. CA 95927. 

FRIENDFAM GREAT GIFT IDEA 

Friends and Family Info. System 

lUM Compatible Software lets you 

update and retrieve up-coming 

birthdays, phone #s. addresses, 

Christmas cards Bent/received, and 

more. User guide included. For 

prompt delivery send S29.95 to 

CKI'ITENDEN SYSTEMS 

2151 Packerland Dr. 

Green Bay, Wl 54304 

VIDEOGAMES 

JO0"S OF TITLES AVAILABLE 

ATARI A 5200 ■ H2S 

ADAM" igM Amiga 

JOYSTICKS 

ATARI XE/XL 

FOfl* COMPLETE CtMLOG 

520T 

SEND YOUH NMIE ADDRESS tHD MACHINE TYPE 

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use by busy homeowners & small 

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Vtaa/M.C. nrcepteci. Specify Apple 1 lc, 

1 le. 11 ji», IBM IV Cor Compatible. SOF- 

TECH INDUSTRIES, INC., BOX 117A. 

HUGHESV1LLE. 1'A 17737 17171 584- 

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Inexpensive CC4.128. MS-DOS Software 

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51(i() Lake Dr.. OWOSSO, MI 48867 

FREE CATALOG!!! Over 1000 Public 

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KLEE-P.O.B 15022 Ann Arbor. Ml 48106 

TIEBREAKER SOFTWARE 

Complete MKRRIAM-WEBSTER wordlists 

mid pnffiBina [nr IHM-PCCornpatibles 

Send SI.00 for Infonnation to: 

T & C Enterprises. P.O. IJox 5928 

Texarkatia. TX 75505-592H 

FKEE CATALOG. IBM I'D Software. 

S2/dlsk. Miflh Desert Software. 

TO Box 1158! Vlctorvillc. CA 92392 

GAMES! IBM HOME 

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We have quality software specially 

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Free detailed catalog. The PC Arcade 

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C-6U28 RNEST IHIiLIC IX)M\1\ PROGRAMS 

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sample disk & catalog (refundable) 

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CALOKE INT). Bra IH477- Ranown. MO 64133 

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Sample disk— 11 programs S5.00 

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O h Ave., Cleveland. MS 38732 

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PCjr HELP 

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Best of jr Newsletter: 

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Order l>ol!i above disks S18. or one 

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Send to: jr Newsletter. Box 163-F. 

Southburv. CT 06488 

SAVE 30-38% on Software !!! 

Thousands of Popular Titles 

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CREATIVE COMPUTER RESOURCES 

Box 728. Grand Haven, Ml 49417 

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•*** FREE IBM SOFTWARE **** 

to try award-Winning education 

programs, Math. Science. History. 

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serious learning programs, many 

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412-728-7637 

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SECURITY FOR IBM PCs 

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Box 7674. Greenwich. CT 06836 

SI000 Software Library' For Under 

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SYSTEMS. Hox' 456, Wilburtim. OK 74578 

ON-DISK 

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PLUS FOUR 5HAKEWARS PROGRAMS 

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tool 

PLUS ON-DISK CATALOG of over 

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priced as low as S2.99 each 

Send SI.50 to cover 

shipping and handling, 

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Box 1257-FC05 

Secaucus, NJ 07096-1257 

ADAM & APPLE SALE! Up to 50% off. 

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.4-1 stamps lor Catalog ft Specials! 

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RT 6. Box 2460. NaCQgdoches. TX 75961 

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Free 24-Page Catalog, 

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Box 828. East Lansing, Ml 48826 

USED COMPUTERS 

WANTED 

COMPUTERS WANTED 

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30ClematisAve.. Waltham. MA02154 

617-891-6851. 

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!6O9l667-2526IVlSA'\IASTe:R-ADD$ I 

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JUNE 198H 87

■i mm ■»■ ■■ bbbi ■» m h 

CHECKING 

OUT THE HITS! 

Back issues of Family & Home Office 

Computing are now available. These 

"Oldies but Goodies" contain exclusive infor 

mation on software, shopping guides, hard 

ware reviews, original programs and tips for 

getting the most out of your computer. 

To order, see issue details and check off the 

ones you want. Send this entire ad—along 

with your check or money order—to our ad 

dress below. Supplies are limited, so please 

order today. 

CUT OUT ENTIRE AD. 

CHECK THE ISSUES YOU WANT. 

D 1/84 A Review of Coleco's Adam 

G 2/84 A Guide to Programming Languages 

□ 3/84 Buyer's Guide to Modems 

□ 4/84 Info on Computers and Careers 

□ 5/84 A Review of Apple's Macintosh 

[ | 6/84 Earning Money Using Your Compuler 

C] 7/84 Buyer's Guide to Portable Computers 

□ 8/84 Special Beginner Programs 

n 9/84 SAT Software; 

Buyer's Guide lo Disk Drives 

□ 10/84 Buyers Guide to Printers Under S600 

□ 11/84 Software to Challenge Your Children 

□ 12/84 Best-ever Shopping Guide 

L) 1/85 Putting Your Finances in Order 

□ 2/85 Computer Care and Maintenance 

□ 3/85 Telecomputing: The Great Computer-Phone 

Link 

H 4/85 Best Prices on Color Printers 

LJ 5/85 Using Spreadsheets: The New Tools for 

Decision-Making at Home 

□ fi/85 Upgrading Your Computer System 

D 7/85 Leisure Time and Your Computer 

D 8/85 Be Your Own Stockbroker! 

G 9/85 Learning at Home With Computers 

LJ 10/85 Business at Home: Guide to Computers 

□ 11/85 More Power for the Home: Guide to 

Computers 

□ 12/85 Second Annual Shopping Guide 

1-4 issues, $4.25 each 

5-10 issues, $3.50 each 

10 or more issues, S3.00 each 

Total number of issues: . 

Enclosed is my □ check 

i~l money order for S 

Postage arid handling m induiJW in pnra Paimenl must accompany 

older Peiie alia* 6-8 weeks lor delivery 

CwWPUTiNG 

BACK ISSUES 

P.O. Box 717, Cooper Station 

New York. NY 10276-0717 

L Published by M Scholastic, Inc. 

88 FAMILY fli HOMK-OFFICE COMPUTING 

MAIL 

ORDER 

MADE 

SAFE 

Ordering merchandise by mail can be a conve 

nient way lo save time, energy, and even mon 

ey. It is the best way to buy products that can 

not be found locally. We encourage mail-order 

buying. We suggest that you read the following 

to ensure that you have a successful experi 

ence. 

BEFORE TOU BUYl 

• Call the company, if possible. Check years in 

business. Ask for references. Are they listed In 

the phone book? Ask for a contact name to use 

in future dealings. 

• Read the product description. Make sure the 

product offered Is what you want. If possible, 

Investigate the seller's claim. Find out if the 

product will do what the ad says. Is consum 

er support offered if you have trouble getting 

the product to function properly? 

• Note the promised delivery or shipment 

lime. The seller must ship your order when 

promised. If no specific time is promised, the 

seller must ship no later than 30 days after 

receiving your order. 

• Find out the merchant's return policy. Does 

the company offer guarantees? If it's a thirdparty 

product, is the manufacturers warrantee 

valid? 

PLACE THE ORDER: 

• Send complete order information as in 

structed, incomplete Information may delay 

your order. The 30-day period does noi begin 

until the seller receives a properly completed 

form. 

• Keep a copy of your order and the original 

advertisement. 

• Make a note of the merchant's name, ad 

dress, and the date of your order. (If you place 

your order by telephone, note time and dale of 

your conversation and the name of the person 

with whom you speak.) 

• Keep a record of your payment (a canceled 

check or charge-card statement). 

IP TOU HAVE A PROBLEM: 

• Contact the company. If contact is made by 

phone, keep a record of the time and date of 

call and the name of person with whom you 

speak. Follow-up In writing, describing the 

problem. Include copies of the order and your 

payment records: outline any solution reached 

during any previous phone calls. 

IF TOU CANNOT RESOLVE TOUR 

PROBLEM, TOU CAN: 

• Call your local or state consumer-protection 

office. 

• Call the local or state consumer-protection 

office located nearest the company. 

• Call your local Postmaster. Ask for the name 

and address of the appropriate postal Inspec 

tor-! n-Charge. This is a federal authority who 

may be able to resolve such disputes. 

• If merchandise was paid for by credit card, 

contact credit-card company providing full in 

formation about your problem. Your credit-card 

company may be able to resolve your com 

plaint. 

• Contact the book, magazine, or newspaper 

publisher that carried, or is currently carrying. 

the advertisement. Publishers can be helpful in 

resolving complaints. 

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON "SHOPPING BY 

MAIL." WRITE THE FEDERAL TRADE COM 

MISSION. Pennsylvania Ave. and Sixth St. 

N.W.. Washington. D.C. 20580 

ADVERTISER INDEX 

JUNE 

FAMILY & HOME-OFFICE 

COMPUTING 

Advertiser 

Index 

Actlvlsion 

Alpha-One Ltd. 

Broderbund 

Canon 

Charles Schwab 

Claris 

CompuServe 

Compucrafls 

Compuler Direct 

Computer Direct 

Comwcll & Associates 

Covox 

Danbury Mini 

EMP Software Inc. 



Epyx 

F&HOC Instant Programcr 

Ford 

Gems Computers 

Great Game 

HallX Institute 

International Users Group 

Koei 

MW Ruth 

Magazines on Disk 

Menu 

Microcom 

Microsoft 

PC Enterprises 

Ricoh 

SDC 

Salinon 

Smart Luck 

Soft-Byte 

Soft world 

Spinnaker 

Sublogic 

Taito 

Taito 

Tandy 

Tenex Computer Express 

Time works 

U.S. Air Force 

USA Direct 

Video Technology 

Viking Technology 

Page 

No. 

61 

84 

27 

4 

13 

18-19 

15 

84 

74 

75 

28 

84 

21 

34 

24-25 

30-31 

33 

57 

2-3 

16 

85 

16 

84 

55 

84 

9 

79 

6 

C2-1 

85 

11 

84 

34 

81 

79 

84 

67 

69 

35 

36-37 

C4 

85 

23 

C3 

84 

39 

7

PRESENTING TECHNOLOGY THAT LETS YOU 

PROGRAM YOUR OWN DESTINY. 

Electronics and computer equipment can be 

state-of-the-art today. And ready for the garbage 

can tomorrow. 

Demand for technology is changing that fast. 

And the people who can stay on top of it can 

write their own ticket in this world. 

That's the beauty of the Air Force. 

We can put you to work with technology that 

you may not read about in magazines for years. 

We can teach you how to make sense of the 

most intimidating circuitry in existence anywhere. 

If you attend college, we'll pick up 759^ of 

your tuition. You can even earn an associate degree 

from the Community College of the Air Force. 

What does all that mean? 

It means there's no telling where technology 

is going in the future. 

But with Air Force training, you've always got 

a future to look forward to. For more information, 

call an Air Force recruiter at 1-800-423-USAE

Tandy Computers: 

Because there is 

no better value. 

The Tandy 1000 HX 

MS-DOS/Reg. TM Microsoft Corp. IBM/Rey. TM IBM Corp. 

. ■ 


The first desktop 

PC compatible with 

MS-DOS® built in. 

The Tandy 1000 HX marks a tremendous 

breakthrough in easy-operating personal com 

puting. That's because the 1000 HX is rhe 

first desktop PC with MS-DOS® built into 

memory. Just insert programs designed for the 

IBM® PC, and you're ready to go! 

And instead of cryptic codes, you'll be 

greeted by simple, plain-English phrases. It's 

the ultimate in ease o{ use for beginners, the 

ultimate in time-saving convenience for expe 

rienced users! 

This system is ready to run from day one be 

cause the HX comes with all the necessary 

adapters. A built-in 3Vz" disk drive lets 

you store up to 720K of programs and data. 

We even include our exclusive Personal 

DeskMate 2 software. 

You get seven popular applications: 

word processing, an electronic filer, 

spreadsheet analysis, telecommuni 

cations, a calendar, plus a 16-color 

Paint program and a Music program 

that lets you enter and play back songs. 

Personal DeskMate 2 is incredibly easy to use, 

with pull-down menus and dialogue boxes for 

selecting functions. You can also add a mouse 

for even easier operation—just position the 

mouse and press a button. 

Come into your nearby Radio Shack 

today—the Tandy 1000 HX is your best value 

in entry-level PC computing. (25-1053) 

/hack 

The Technology Store 

A DIVISION OF TANDY CORPORATION

June 1988 - Family Computing and K-Power Magazine Archives

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