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Disk 4 News
MULTIPACK 1-REVIEWED BY MARK'WOODY'WOODSTOCK
----------------------------------------------
This is the third specific SAM game released by software
orienteers ENIGMA VARIATIONS. It contains 2 titles :-
FUTUREBALL- A FOOTBALL IN THE FUTURE SIMULATION and:-
------------
SAM STRIKES OUT!-A PLATFORM TYPE GAME FEATURING SAM THE ROBOT-
------------------YES HE'S NOT CONTENT BEING THE ONLY CHARACTER
EVER DEVISED TO REPRESENT A COMPUTER -HE'S
GOT HIS OWN GAME NOW FEATURING HIM.
FUTUREBALL
------------
When I first loaded this up I thought excellent because it has
a great soundtrack and on the main title screen excellent grafx
Before you start you enter your name and then you can choose
between 4 events to play these are:- 1)CONTROL OR DIE
2)FACE TO FACE WITH FEAR
3)SKILL SHOT ALLEY
4)CIRCLE OF DEATH
1)THIS IS A PITCH EVENT WHERE YOU HAVE TO DRIBBLE THE BALL
ROUND MARKED SPHHRES. I FOUND THIS EVENT VERY TOUGH ALMOST
IMPOSSIBLE, THE SKILL NEEDED IS INCREDIBLE. I THINK YOU NEED
EITHHR A BIGGER TIME LIMIT OR FEWER SPHERES TO GO ROUND.
2)THIS EVENT TAKES PLACE ON A PITCH FULLY VISIBLE ON ONE SCREEN
ONLY. THE OBJECT IS TO TACKLE THE BALL OF A COMPUTER
CONTROLLED PLAYER WHO RUNS DOWN FROM THE TOP OF THE PITCH.
THIS EVENT I FOUND VERY EASY AND MASTERED IT IMMEDIATELY.
3)THIS EVENT TAKES PLACE ON A VERTICALLY 2 PITCH SCROLLING
BACKROUND ON WHICH YOU RUN UP THE PITCH BY WAGGLING THE
JOYSTICK (THIS IS NOT MENTIONED IN THE INSTRUCTIONS)IN ORDER
TO KICK THE BALL, WAITING FOR YOU AT THE TOP OF THE SCREEN,
INTO ONE OF THE HOLES AT THE TOP. THESE SOMETIMES FILL UP SO
YOU HAVE TO MAKE SURE YOU KICK IT INTO AN OPEN HOLE!
THIS AGAIN ONLY TAKES A FEW GOES TO MASTER.
4)THIS EVENT TAKES PLACE IN A ROOM WITH YOU ON A ROTATING
PILLAR SUROUNDED BY 8 TELEPORTS. THE IDEA IS THAT WHEN A
PLAYER TELEPORTS IN YOU KICK HIM THE BALL AND IF YOU ARE A
GOOD SHOT IT SHOULD REBOUND BACK READY FOR YOU TO KICK IT TO
THE NEXT PERSON WHO BEAMS IN .THE ACTION IS FAST AND I FOUND
THIS THE BEST AND MOST ENTERTAINING OUT OF THE FOUR EVENTS
AND IS VERY ADDICTIVE. I DO NOT THINK YOU GET ENOUGH TIME BUT
PERHAPS THAT IS MY GAME PLAYING NOT ENIGMAS FAULT.
IF YOU GET THROUGH ALL 4 EVENTS (AND I DOUBT YOU WILL,I HAVE
MANAGED TO COMPLETE 2 OUT OF THE 4 EVENTS)YOU GET THE
PRIVILEGE TO PLAY THE FINAL EVENT -TOTAL CHALLENGE- WHICH IS
A MIXTURE OF ALL 4 EVENTS.
As a game I thought some of the events could have been longer
or have more to do in them but overall it is quite a good
game. It is better thinking it as 5 mini games put together
because that is all it really is, but in my view it's worth
getting for the soundtrack and titlescreen graphics, they are
brilliant.
SAM STRIKES OUT
-----------------
This is the game that makes the multipack invaluable. It's
favourite Sam game,it is excellent .The idea is that you
guide Sam in his quest for ORANGE GLOWING BLOB THINGYS! Which
he needs to find enough of in order to escape from the
strange planet he's found himself on (HOW ON EARTH ORANGE
BLOBS ARE SUPPOSED TO HELP YOU ESCAPE FROM A PLANET IS
ANYBODY'S GUESS!)The controls are left ,right and jump-WELL
THEY COULDN'T HAVE A CUTE CHARACTER LIKE SAM WALKING ABOUT
WITH AN M-16! THATS LIKE INVITING MAGGIE THATCHER TO HOST TOP
OF THE POPS!
Sam also has a limited amount of BIG JUMPS-TO JUMP VERY HIGH
SHIELDS-TO PROTECT HIMSELF FROM THE S T R A N G E INHABITANTS
OF THE PLANET HE'S SO FOOLISHLY LANDED ON.
KEYS-TO OPEN LOCKED DOORS MARKED WITH A KEY
and CUSHIONS-TO LAND ON WHEN HE FALLS FROM A BIG HEIGHT.
The graphics are superb some of those aliens are W E I R D
but are excellently defined . Sam also is defined very well.
The soundtrack is designed well as to fit in well with the
planet and inhabitants- S T R A N G E and W E I R D ! But it
is still excellent.
This game is just brilliant and thoroughly recommended for
everyone.
ALTHOUGH FUTUREBALL WAS A LITTLE BIT OF A DISAPOINTMENT AND
MAY MAKE YOU THIMK TWICE ABOUT BUYING IT. YOU SHOULD ANYWAY
BECAUSE SAM STRIKES OUT! MORE THAN MAKES UP FOR IT. A TRULY
EXCELLENT COMPILATION WHICH I WOULD RECOMMEND TO ANYONE
MULTIPACK ONE - 14.99 DISK / 11.99 TAPE
12.50 DISK/ 10.00 TAPE -SAM CLUB MEMBERS
P.S. THE DISK VERSION WAS REVIEWED I WOULD RECOMMEND THAT
EVERYBODY THAT CAN AFFORD IT SHOULD PURCHASE DISKS
BECAUSE EACH 256K GAME ON TAPE TAKES AT LEAST HALF AN
HOUR TO LOAD.ALSO THE MORE DISKS THAT ARE BOUGHT THE
MORE LIKELY SOFTWARE HOUSES ARE GOING TO WRITE FOR SAM
BECAUSE HALF AN HOUR TAPES ARE NOT CHEAP. ALSO DISKS ARE
EASIER TO COPY PROTECT SO THEY MIGHT WRITE BECAUSE OF
THAT.
________________________________________________________________
THE (Ian Vaudry/Dave Tonks) ONE DRIVE COPIER
Reviewed by Dave Kingsnorth.
My first reaction when I received this program for
review was to pop it into my SAM and copy a disk. I had been
told that it would copy a whole disk in 4 swaps on a 512k
machine. Imagine my delight when I found that this meant only 2
swaps of the target disk and two of the source.
It is also very useful to have the option to FORMAT a
disk prior to copying. I have found that several of my disks are
coming up with Track/Sector errors, which I suspect is due to a
bug in the DOS. This enables me to format the disk and then copy
my back-up disk onto my working disk.
Whilst on the subject of back-up disks. I have found
that if you use an archive copier (ie like IBU Utility )which
only backs up files that have been changed, you can use this
program to copy the whole disk and it will copy the archive
bytes over as well and will not cause the archive copier to try
and copy all the files again. Unlike the normal copy command.
The only problem that I had with this program was when
trying to copy a disk that had a psuedo Track/Sector error on it
This caused the program to crash, locking up the computer and
neither the ESCAPE nor NMI button would clear it. This was a
switch off job.
Good screen presentation, easy to use, speedy operation
and a give away price make this a very attractive program.
________________________________________________________________
THE VOICEBOX (J.L.Phillips)
I first saw the Voicebox at the ALL FORMATS fair in September,
and I was not impressed by its performance. Even though it was
outputting into a ghettoblaster, from a distance of 3 feet it
could not be heard above the general noise level in the hall.
This may not, of course, have been the fault of the box.
My attention was next drawn to the device when I noticed a
sudden increase between September and October advertised
prices, from £29.99 to £39.99. I have yet to see any declared
reason or justification for this 33% increase.
So, this was hardly an unbiased background against which to try
out the device when opportunity arose. Nor was I encouraged by
the scrappy instructions provided, which I carefully read and
tried to understand, before attempting to use the Voicebox.
Nonetheless, I set out to use it in accordance with what I
could make of the sparse instructions (four half-A4 size
single-sided sheets).
As suggested, I turned up the volume, and after booting,
inserted the Voicebox disc and pressed F9. A very faint sound
was audible from just one of the HiFi channels I was using. I
therefore paralleled the channels and turned up the volume. I
was eventually able to hear the demonstration message, but
unfortunately the volume had to be set so high that there was
also a considerable noise level from the amplification of the
Sam's usual background hum. This combination of hum with the
toneless, inflexionless, metallic, monotonous voice was not
something to be enjoyed nor prolonged overmuch by the novelty of
being able to type in one's own words to replace the
demonstration message. Even if the effect had been tolerable,
the novelty of virtually talking to oneself would soon pale, the
real value of the device being in the possibility of adding some
spoken effects to programmes of one's own. I moved quickly onto
investigating this possibility.
The instructions state that exiting from the demo programme may
(sic) be achieved by typing in the word 'STOP'. 'May' (sic) I
discovered was correct, but 'may or might' would be more
accurate. When I typed in 'STOP', the voice said STOP but the
programme continued! Recourse was necessary to pressing a
combination of keys plus ESC to break into the programme, and to
NEW to clear it. (There is no reference in the paperwork as to
whether or not presence of the disc-based software is necessary
when using the Voicebox for producing one's own speech
programmes - in fact it isn't).
A seven line basic programme needs to be entered for each
allophone (i.e phonetic sound) making up the word. This could
become tedious, people speak in words, not in disjointed sounds,
and, a simple looped programme would be more appropriate at this
stage. What WAS given was advice that:- "Machine Code
programmers should easily be able to convert .... ....into the
corresponding Z80 mnemonics". What about those of us who aren't
machine code programmers? And why draw attention to the presence
in the seven line programme of variables, e.g sig, busy, without
defining them in some way? Fond memories arose at this point of
how comparatively easy was use of the Spectrum CurrahSpeech! I
must confess that I was by now rapidly losing patience with the
Voicebox. Moreover, the quality of the output when eventually
achieved was not such as to revive any lingering enthusiasm. In
particular, the inability to alter the inflexion and intonation
was a major drawback. It could be that my attempts were not as
skilled as they might be, but I was using the instructions
provided and, was after all, testing the package as supplied.
I have tried to make my remarks constructive and do not consider
them to be unduly critical. My judgement of the quality of the
output is, admittedly a subjective one, but I am sure it will
be widely shared. I consider my severe criticism of the standard
of instructions supplied to be fully justified. They really are
dreadful, bearing in mind the likelihood that a large proportion
of purchasers will be attempting for the first time to use the
computer for other than loading and playing games. If the
Voicebox is not intended for such users, this should be made
very clear in the advertising. £39.99 is a lot to pay for this
standard of quality and presentation. I will be very
surprised if the software houses will be tempted to incorporate
use of the Voicebox in their productions. Moreover, the
performance of the box falls far short of that of the Coupe
itself.
________________________________________________________________
SPHERA by Enigma Variations
Previewed by D.Tonks
This is the lastest game from Enigma, and the first vertical
scrolling shoot em up for the Sam. As this is a preview copy,
the final version may have had small changes made to it.
The first thing that you are greeted with on BOOTing up, is the
word "SPHERA" moving around on a multi level, scrolling
starfield. At this point you must press either "FIRE" on the
joystick, or space on the keyboard. This actually chooses which
method of control the game uses, although this is not made clear
in the instructions.
The disc must be left in the drive whilst playing the game,
presumably because each level is loaded as required. The
graphics are clear and flicker free, and the movement smooth,
with lots going on at any one time.
The scenery is well detailed, and further on uses multi layer
scrolling to give a good feel of depth. Considering the sizes of
some of the pieces that are being moved, the pace of the game is
kept up thoughout.
If you are a fan of this type of game, then it's certainly one
of the better versions, and well worth purchasing.
________________________________________________________________
FLEXIPAGE FIRST IMPRESSION by Brian Mumford
My first impression of Flexipage, is of a very well written and
thought out program. The manual is very explanatory, it even
tells you how to switch on the computer, this is aimed at the
very young children that this program is used by in schools. I
am told by David Wornham, who wrote the program, that it is used
by a great many schools across the country, to teach children
about road safety and other important lessons about talking to
strangers. But it is equally useful for making rolling demos for
selling products, or giving information, it can also be useful
to people who have to give talks, or for writing simple
adventure games. There are three modes Automatic, Free Format,
Interactive. All three are easy to use, and the implementations
mentioned above fall easily into these categories. I can highly
recommend this package to everyone, as there are a million uses
for this program, and I am sure you can find one for it.
______________________________________________________________
GM-BASE Reviewed by Frank Harrop
This is a Database Programme for the Sam Coupe by GM Software,
48 Main Road, Crynant, Neath. SA10 8NP, at the very reasonable
price of £4-95 inc p+p. It is supplied on disc with a detailed
leaflet covering both sides of an A4 sheet, with step by step
instructions.
It is written entirely in BASIC, so you can modify any part to
suit your own needs, and runs on the 256k model using a single
drive. The programme loads in two parts with a pause in between,
and an attractive loading screen before the first screen proper
appears with the "MAIN MENU".
This shows -
CREATE DISK EDIT PRINT
with Disc highlighted. The others can be selected using the
cursor keys. Also on screen is displayed the file name (No
File - if none in memory) and the number of records.
At this stage it is wise to make a back-up version of the
programme of your working copy - before you create your own
file. This is done by selecting the Copy option by pressing
RETURN which brings up the "FILE OPTIONS MENU" -
LOAD SAVE OTHER MENU
Select "Other" to bring up the "FILE MANIPULATION MENU" -
RENAME COPY ERASE MENU
Select Copy and follow the instructions for transferring it to a
formatted disc as your working copy file by file.
That done you are now ready to draw up your your database, so
return to the "MAIN MENU" and select "Create", enter the name of
your database - this is limited to 7 letters, as it will appear
in the disc directory with the suffix ".db" but when loading
only the name is necessary. Now, on pressing Enter you have 10
lines on which you can enter up to 10 headings (fields) for your
information so enter the name in each case followed by the
number of characters allowed, ranging from 3 to 20. "QUIT" is
entered when you have completed this to your satisfaction, you
are asked to confirm, and then to start your database you select
the EDIT function. You can now at any time call up the HELP
page by pressing the EDIT key. The help page gives you a choice
of 14 keypresses ranging from delete a record, sort records
(either alphabetical or numerical) etc. As with all database
entry you are advised to save at regular intervals.
You can also print out either individual of selected records and
the print gives you the option of free form or tabular and a
number of fonts for Epson compatible printers.
So how did I find it perform? Very well indeed, the manual is
easily understood, and the availability of the help page saves
having to refer to it for the key you need. The sort is quite
fast, and the search function very good - you can even enter
just two or three letters within a name and the response is
fast. What I personally did find restrictive was the limit of
249 records per file when you consider the memory available .
You can compare this with a file I have on Vufile ported across
from a 48k Spectrum to the Sam using Specmaker, which holds over
800 entries of the type I used in my testfile. But if your
requirement is less than that limit it is a very good database
programme.
One thing on the downside which did concern me was that if by
chance you ended up in basic, there is no way I could find of
getting back to where you were - all sorts of error reports, but
the only answer is a complete re-load.
I understand that the programme is still being developed and a
machine code version is contemplated. I commend the Basic
programme to Sam users, and I am sure the up-dated version will
also set a good standard in due course.
________________________________________________________________
oooOO N E W S OOooo
I think that the main news for this issue is that MASTERDOS is
now available from Samco.
The Supplement has a copy of this new DOS system for the Sam and
will be giving a full run down of it in the next issue. For
further details contact Samco at their normal address. There is
also a new release from Enigma, namely SPHERA, a multi level,
multi scrolling vertical shoot-em-up. This was only just ready
in time for the ALL FORMATS Show on the 15/12/90, so you will
only find a preview of it in this issue, as full playtesting had
not been possible through lack of time. Enigma also tell me that
KLAX is very near completion, and TRIVIAL PURSUITS will be close
behind that. G.M Software have released GM BASE for the Sam,
a review of which is in this issue.
Brian and myself again went to the All Formats Show on 15/12/90.
The show from a Sam point of view was very good, with a lot of
interest being shown in all the Sam related stands.
The Supplement stand had a very brisk turnover of people for
most of the day, and the membership swelled to well over 200.
Dave Wornham was there with the Sam Flexibase, as were Enigma,
Outlet, Format, PBT, Blue Alpha and of course Samco.
It was nice to meet members who came along, and to chat face to
face rather than by phone or letter. It was also nice to meet
new people who had just bought the Sam and who joined on the
day. To all those I would like to say a big welcome to the Sam
Supplement, and we hope that you enjoy what you see, and maybe
will contribute something yourself.
....
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