ST Power User: 23-Sep-90 #1

From: Atari SIG (xx004@cleveland.Freenet.Edu)
Date: 04/11/94-12:23:33 PM Z


From: xx004@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Atari SIG)
Subject: ST Power User: 23-Sep-90  #1
Date: Mon Apr 11 12:23:33 1994


Article 82 of freenet.sci.comp.atari.mags:
From: aj205@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Kevin Steele)
Date: Sun, 7 Oct 90 17:36:10 GMT
                           
                           
                              ST Power User 
                             Online Magazine
                                 Issue 1

                            September 23, 1990

     The bi-monthly online magazine that shows you what's available 
     in commerical and shareware programs for the Atari ST


     Chief Editor and Publisher............Brian Hilbern
     Reviewers.............................Brian Hilbern
              .............................Chris McBride
              .............................Jay Ford
     DTP Editor............................Jay Ford
     Temp Business Editor..................Brian Hilbern

                --------------------------------- 

     If you have a shareware or commercial program you would like 
reviewed in our magazine please send the program, purchasing, 
and U.S. and Canadian pricing information to:

               ST Review
               P.O. Box 890117
               Oklahoma City, OK 73189-0117

If you would like to upload your program you may by calling
(405)691-0244 24hrs a day, 3/12/24.  Please include full 
documentation and a list of the features to be placed in the
magazine.  You may write to me in Fido Net mail at 1:147/25
and send the message to Brian Hilbern.  GEnie address L.HILBERN.

                --------------------------------- 

                      Contents this Week
                      ------------------

             o  Information about this new magazine
       
             o  Mainstream Publishing
         
             o  ST and Business
        
             o  Program Reviews
        



Programs Reviewed this Week
---------------------------
           
Program Name              Program Type   Type    Price
-----------------------------------------------------------
Second Generation BBS.......BBS...........SW.......$70
      Reviewed by: Brian Hilbern
View GIF 0.8...............Graphics.......SW.......$15
      Reviewed by: Brian Hilbern
Drakkhen.....................Game.......Comercial...$59.95
      Reviewed by: Chris McBride
Nova........................Game..........PD.......Free
      Reviewed by: Brian Hilbern
Explode.....................Game..........PD.......Free
      Reviewed by: Brian Hilbern

                ---------------------------------


Information about this magazine
-------------------------------

     This online magazine is being published to help show you 
what is available at your local computer store and what is 
available in the world of shareware.  We felt that there was 
something missing in software reviews in magazines and that is
shareware reviews.  Also we noticed that a lot of commercial
software reviews appeared in magazines sometimes months after
their release.

     It's easy at times to find out about commercial software.
You just go to your local dealer and demo the program.  But now a 
lot of dealers don't demo programs as much as they used to and 
some software dealers will only have an IBM computer to demo 
programs and that leaves out us ST users.  Or in some cases you 
don't live near anyone selling ST software and must rely on mail 
order.  It's hard to demo a program from a mail order house.
Shareware on the other hand is easy to try out.  But have you 
ever spent 30 minutes downloading a program from a service that 
charges you $10 an hour only to find that the program won't do 
you any good and you end up deleting it an hour later?

     We are here to try and fill the gap.  We will give you a 
non-biased review of the programs we review.  We will rate the 
program by different categories.  All the programs will be given 
a rating between 1 and 10.

     This magazine will also greatly benefit software authors.
People will know the price of your program, were to obtain the 
program, and where to order the program.

     Our reviewers will be many different people.  Anyone who
wants may submit a review and the program you are reviewing 
(please do not review your own program).   All DTP programs will 
be reviewed by someone who uses ST's for a publishing business,
specific use ST software will be reviewed by the person that is most 
qualified to give an objective review.

     We are now looking for a games editor and a business editor.
If you would like to apply for one of these positions just write
a column and if we like what we see you can be the editor.  Please
include you name, mailing address, phone number, net mail address 
if any, and you GEnie or CIS mailing address if any. 


                ---------------------------------

                      MAINSTREAM PUBLISHING

                           by Jay Ford

Before  we get started I'd like to invite everyone out  there  who 
puts out a newsletter on their ST's to get involved with the  STix 
Newsletter Exchange program.  How?  Simple.  Just send put STix on 
your mailing list and when we receive your publication,  we'll put 
you on ours.  I've found that this sort of an exchange program  is 
an  excellent  way  of  communicating with  other  ST  people  and 
generally fosters a little bit of 'friendly competition' that will 
improve the quality of all our newsletters. Hope to see yours!

                  ST Information eXchange (STix)
                           P.O. Box 161
                  Nicoma Park, Oklahoma   73066

You  have booted in your machine the first of a hopefully  ongoing 
series  of  articles  dealing with Publishing and  the  Atari  ST. 
Dropping  'Desktop'  was  intentional- DTP implies  semi  or  non-
professional publishing. Computers have moved into every aspect of 
publishing  and no 'proffessional' service is without them  now... 
even  the hard-liners who swore that Linotype,  Stat  Cameras  and 
Pasteup  were  as  far  as typesetting  technology  could  go  and 
computers  simply didn't produce the quality that the old  methods 
did.

The second reason is that 'Publishing' encompasses every aspect of 
the  trade;  we can't just talk about the ST and  Atari's  Desktop 
Publisher package. Being submerged in just one machine would cause 
a publishing service to go broke very quickly,  and the home  user 
to  miss a lot of excellent products that CAN be used  with  their 
machine.

To  illustrate  this  point,  our first  article  deals  with  the 
foundation of electronis publishing today: PosctScript. 

                       ********************
               PostScript and the PostScript World
              Just what are we Talking about Anyway?
                       ********************

PostScript (def). an interpreted page description language.

Doesn't say much,  does it?  Like most technical definitions, it's 
short,  concise  and completely  non-informative.  PostScript  is, 
essentially,  a  programming  language purely for  output  devices 
(originally only for printers, but now there is Display PostScript 
as well). Like any programming language, it acts as an interpreter 
between the machines and users to allow easier programming in more 
'human  terms'.  In fact,  a PostScript (.PS) file bears a  strong 
resemblance to a Pascal source code file.

Few humans program in PostScript.  It's most important function is 
to  allow communication between different machines  and  software. 
For  example,  a Linotype 3400 series typesetter equipped  with  a 
PostScript interpreter can output a file whether it was created on 
an Atari ST in Timeworks Desktop Publisher,  an IBM PC in  Ventura 
Publisher, A Macintosh II with PageMaker 3.0, or a mainframe using 
Interleaf Publisher.  In fact,  PostScript is flexible enough that 
it  has  been adapted to every type (and most  brands)  of  output 
device and virtually every piece of Publishing software made.

The greatest strength of a Page Description Language (PDL) is that 
it  provides a standard format for  scalable-outline  fonts.  Even 
though there are three different Adobe PostScript Font Types, a PS 
user  can  conceivably have several thousand  different  typefaces 
available...  and dozens of customizer programs at his fingertips. 
SCALABLE  OUTLINE is the professional's way of making  a  computer 
typeface; PS uses nothing else.

Generally, a PostScript printer has a whole computer of its own to 
interpret a file sent to it.  This has it's pluses and minuses.  A 
user  can  wind up buying a whole second computer  system  in  his 
printer,  for one minus. At least two meg of ram, a fast (ususally 
32-bit) processor,  a math co-processor, and sometimes even a hard 
drive  that are used only for printing.  Sometimes the cost  of  a 
laser  printer  can be double or trebeled this way.  On  the  Plus 
side,  souping up the printer can make for very, very fast output. 
Also,  this means an old printer can be retro-fit with  PostScript 
to improve it's quality and compatibility.

Lately,  PC-based  PS  interpreters  have  popped  up,  using  the 
computer's memory and processor instead of the printer.  They  are 
the poor man's way of printing quality;  they are also very,  very 
slow (depending on the machine). In addition, the cheaper versions 
(especially  the  IBM's)  do not use  Compugraphic  standard  font 
outlines  and don't yield the quality of the real  Adobe  product. 
Happily,  the  ST's  own UltraScript is relatively quick  and  has 
wonderful font outlines with excellent overall output.

Of  coarse,  PostScript isn't the only Page  Description  Language 
around.   It  is,   however,   the  most  complete.  Like  regular 
programming languages, PDL's have their strengths, weaknesses, and 
tradeoffs.  PostScript's  winning feature is that it is  the  most 
complete;  it  isn't  fast,  but  it  will  do  EVERYTHING,  so  a 
professional publisher is 99% likely to use it over something that 
will  just  say "I can't" at  an  unexpected  time.  PosctScript's 
drawbacks are twofold:  it's slow (it's big!), and it's expensive. 
A license can add a lot of cost to a PostScript printer,  which is 
why machines like the Apple LaserWriter are so much more expensive 
than something like an SLM-804.

The industry's best art packages use Encapsulated PostScript (EPS) 
as  their  graphic  standard,  and all  major  publishers  (EXCEPT 
Calamus)  can  import this artwork...  which just  happens  to  be 
available by the CD FULL. 

For  final output,  PostScript simply looks better  than  anything 
else made.  Not even the mighty speed demon Calamus can match it's 
graphic  quality  (one of those trade-offs) and  they  are  evenly 
matched on fonts,  since both Calamus and PostScript were designed 
by the same company:  Compugraphic.  PostScript is also one of the 
few PDL's capable of color output or color seperations.

What  does  this  mean to ST'ers?  PostScript means  that  we  can 
purchase  a package like PageStream and use professional  graphics 
and  fonts  not meant for us in the first place.  It  means  (with 
UltraScript)  we  can add something like the Spectre GCR  and  use 
excellent Mac publishing software,  but don't have to pay out  the 
Wazoo for a printer to output the results.  It means we can  print 
our documents to disk and take them to a printing service and have 
them output at 1,200-3,400 d.p.i.-- national magazine quality.  It 
means  we communicate with the Real World and needn't  worry  that 
our machine brand isn't what everyone else has.

Products Mentioned
***********************************************************
Atari ST, SLM-804- 
Atari Corp.
360 Carribean Dr. Door 4E
Sunnyvale, CA  94089
(408) 745-2367

PostScript- 
Adobe Inc.
1585 Charleston Rd.
P.O. Box 7900
Mountain View, CA   940397900

Apple Laserwriter, Macintosh, Macintosh II-
copyright Apple Computer Inc.

Timeworks Desktop Publisher- 
Timeworks Inc.
444 Lake Cook
Deer Field, IL   60015
(312) 948-9202

Ventura Publisher-
copyright Xerox Corporation

PageMaker 3.0-
copyright Aldus Systems

Interleaf Publisher-
copyright IBM 


Calamus Desktop Publisher-
I.S.D. Marketing
2651 John St. Unit #3
Markham, Ontario    Canada    L3R2WS
(416) 479-1880

UltraScript-
ImaGem Corp.
P.O. Box 58101
Santa Clara Ca.   95052

PageStream Desktop Publisher-
Soft-Logik Publishing Corp.
P.O. Box 290070
St. Loius, MO  63129
314-894-8608
800-829-8608
BBS 314-894-0057


                 --------------------------------

                        ST AND BUSINESS

                        By Brian Hilbern

     I have been using Atari ST's in business for a little over 3 
years now.  I have suffered some ridicule by my IBM using friends 
during that period of time.  Each time the ST has stood strong to any 
criticism.  This article will be an attempt to help bring the business 
side of the ST to the light.  Many ST users don't know what business 
software is out there for the ST.  I know several ST owners that use 
IBM's for business just because they didn't know about business 
software for the ST.

     The first area I will be talking about is retail programs.  There 
are several out there for the ST that have everything IBM programs 
have including cash drawer support and bar code readers.  

Sales Pro
---------

     The first products I will be talking about are the programs 
from Hi-Tech Advisors.  They are makers of high quality business 
software for ST's and IBM's.  The first program is called Sales Pro.  
Sales Pro is a retail sales program that is very expandable with the
use of add-on modules and is powerful by it's self.  

                          Sales Pro Features
                          ------------------

Process Sales and Returns, Inventory Management, Notes, Lay-away's, and
accounts receivable, Account Payable, Purchase Orders, Reports, Vendor
Files, Deposits and Credits, Floor Planning, Service Center, Back
orders and customer files, General Ledger, UPS Shipmate, and much more.

                             Accessories
                             -----------

 'Bill To', allows printing of Bill To: Ship: information on invoices
Utilities, removes bad dates, makes files dBase compatible, insert one 
vendor I.D. into all inventory records, allows price percentage 
changes to all prices.
Bar Code Accessory that allows using a bar code reader with Sales Pro

                          Optional Hardware
                          -----------------
                           Bar Code Reader
                             Cash Drawer

SBM ST
------

     Another program for the ST designed for a retail or wholesale 
environment is SBM ST from Newell Industries.  This is a point of sale 
program that can handle almost all sales functions.

                               Features
                               --------
Produces invoices, purchase orders, statements, mailing labels, price 
labels, quotes, sales and account reports, plus much more.

                          Inventory Control
                          -----------------
Each inventory record consist of item number, part number, 
description, vendor number, quantity on hand, location, reorder point, 
quantity on order, cost, sale price, quantity sold, dollar amount 
sold, and product group.

                               Accounts
                               --------
Account records consist of account number, name and address, terms, 
total purchased, total paid, last invoice date, and balance due.


     As you can see from the information on these two products either 
one would be a good point of sale program for you.  The Atari ST makes 
a great point of sale system.  With software like this available I 
don't see why more Atari dealers don't use this software.  It doesn't 
look good for an authorized Atari dealer to be using IBM's when 
software like this is available for the ST.  

     Hi-Tech Advisors also has a full line of other business software 
for retail environments.  They have programs for video stores, gas 
stations, clubs, and churches.  

     Take a look at what the ST has to offer and you might find 
yourself putting that IBM you use for business up for sale like I did.

     In the next issue I will be showing you some more of the ST 
business power.  So until then.....

Products mentioned in this article
----------------------------------

Sales-Pro $99
Church Manager $199
Fuel-Pro $199
Video/Rental-Pro $299
Super Video/Rental Pro $499
Club Manager $199
Hi-Tech Advisors
P.O. Box 7524
Winter Haven, FL 33883-7524
1-800-882-4310

SBM ST $69.95
Newell Industries
P.O. Box 253
Wylie, TX 75098
(214)442-6612 


                ---------------------------------
                        SOFTWARE REVIEWS
                ---------------------------------

Second Generation BBS
---------------------
Reviewed by: Brian Hilbern

Requires:
ST with 1 meg RAM
Hard Drive is strongly recommended
Color or Mono though color is prefered


     This is a BBS program written by Jason Strautman.  It is a 
full BBS program with file areas, message areas, online games,
and message networking through F-Net.  The program uses SIG's 
rather than combining all file and message areas.

                             Features
                             --------
     From the SG BBS Instructions
     ----------------------------
     SG can support up to 16 different SIG's (just like forums or RT's) on
each system.  SIG's can have their own SigOp(s) with SysOp-type access that is
only good on their own SIG.  Each SIG can have their own surveys (polls),
questionnaires, 64 message bases, and 64 libraries.  BBS lists are shared
throughout the system, and menus can either be placed in one directory to be
shared by all SIG's or can be created specifically for each SIG.  (Some SIG's
can even use one version of a menu and others can use their own separate
menus.)  The system setup (where the commands are placed on the menus, which
commands are accessable, etc.) can be edited for each different SIG, and there
are almost 70 commands to cover most everything imaginable.  Global commands
(those that are available system-wide) may also be defined.

Message base features: Threads of messages (an original message and any
replies are all part of the same thread) can be selected and read individually
in addition to the normal "read all new messages."   Messages with files
attached will also be supported in the full version of the software.  Also,
SysOps/SigOps can change people's access to message bases AND decide which
message bases will be active for their users (only active bases are accessed
by most commands).  There is also a reply by E-Mail option, for SysOps who do
not wish to enable private messages, and, of course, anonymous messages may be
posted if the SysOp wished to enable them.

Library features: Files may be searched on their keywords, age, description,
library, uploader, or filename.  Searches may then be expanded (where files
that were previously "found" AND those found in the last search will be
marked) or narrowed (where files must meet both sets of requirements) and any
found files may be batchmarked, listed, or browsed (full descriptions).
Naturally, batch transfers are allowed.  Additional protocols may be added
simply by editing a file and supplying an external program (like XYZ.TTP) to
make the actual transfer.  Up to 100 protocols may be in use at one time
(although finding the symbols to represent them may be more difficult).  A
reply feature is provided so that users may send the uploader of a file a
comment with little effort.  Files do not need to be in any specific folder or
partition, so you can even take files off of your own partitions on your HD
and make them available for download.

Profile features: All of the normal profile features (like upload/download
ratios, etc.) are available, although any user may have an unlimited "limit,"
such as unlimited daily uploads or unlimited messages.  Otherwise, limits must
range from 0-32767.  In addition to a download access level, 32 different
flags are available (I use these to set the user's default SIG), with an
additional 8 flags for each SIG (the SigOp's may only edit SIG flags in theConnection at local terminal on 08/15/1990 at 21:21:40.
 Jason Strautman/SG SYSOP (100001) connected.
ser or SysOp/SigOp.  Also, there is a batch edit
available where you can make specific changes on users' profiles (you can
limit the changes to users with certain access levels), which saves the
trouble of having tens of validation masks (which you would need if you have
several SIG's with SigOps.)  The batch edit options (one for general access
level and one for SigOps) will not change a user's access level unless
requested, so you could possibly change all user's upload/download ratio in
several keystrokes without altering other parts of their profile.

Assorted features: An override option is provided so that you can be prompted
(by a short tone) whenever a user does not have access to a certain feature,
and then give them "access" to that feature without changing his profile.
Function keys are provided for most functions, including entering, exiting, or
(de)activating chat mode.  Also, it is virtually impossible for a SigOp to
raise their own access level, as SigOp/SysOp shell commands are only loaded at
boot-up, preventing someone from changing the menus on-line.  Also, SigOps
cannot change anything in their general profile (only library/message access
in their SIG or SIG flags).  Support is provided for 5 graphic modes, and
graphic modes can even be passed onto SG-type doors programs (by type, such as
IGS, ASCII, VT-52, etc.).  Any menu (including action menus at message,
E-Mail, and library prompts) may have different versions for each graphic
mode, especially handy for IGS users and for making point-and-click menus).
Naturally, FoReM-type doors are supported (the DORINFO1.DAT is created - I'm
working on the FOREM.DAT file).  GEM support can be provided in the form of
dialog boxes, desk accessories, and file selector boxes (including alternate
selectors).

                          Message Bases
                          -------------

     The message areas are somewhat complicated to use.  
Reading new messages in a SIG is not easy unless you are shown 
like I had to be.  The message base edit commands are lacking
but are functional.  The message bases need work.  This program 
has F-Net but I was not able to try that feature.

                           File Areas
                           ----------

     The file areas are one of the best features of this BBS.   
They are easy to use and have several functions not available on 
most BBS program like being able to send E-mail to the uploader 
of a file from the file area.  There are several transfer
protocols on the program including X modem, Y modem, Y batch,
and Z modem. You can limit a persons access to a particular files.

                         SysOp Commands
                         --------------

     The SysOp shell is very easy to use and validating new 
users is very easy.  There is a full range of DOS type commands, 
file area editing, message base editing, and user editing 
features.  The SysOp shell is nice.

                          Overall View
                          ------------

     Second Generation BBS is a nice program but needs a lot of 
work.  It would be confusing for first time modem users as well 
as some veteran users.  I spent an hour on the program and 
sometimes needed help and I have been using modems and calling 
bulletin boards for around 14 years.  I didn't get to view the 
documentation because all I was allowed to try was the demo.
The price for this program is $70.

                Price.........2
                Quality.......5
                Ease of Use...4
                Features......8

               Overall Rating..5
                
     Second Generation may be ordered by sending a check or money 
order for $70 to:
                    Jason Strautman
                    239 Redwood 
                    San Antonio, TX 78209

His BBS number is (512)828-8165 and his GEnie mail address is 
J.STRAUTMAN.

                ---------------------------------

View GIF 0.8
------------
Reviewed by: Brian Hilbern

Requirements: Any ST

     View GIF 0.8 is a shareware program written by Craig S. 
Buchanan.  This program is used to view graphics.

                            Features
                            --------

     This program has just about anything you can want from a 
graphics viewer.  It displays GIF, NEO, MAC, and Degas pictures.
With this program you can view large GIF pictures that before you 
couldn't view with any other ST GIF viewer.  It will convert the 
256 color GIF pictures to grey scale for easy viewing.  This 
program doesn't crunch the picture for viewing.  It uses a GEM 
window to view the picture and allows you to scroll up, down, 
left, and right.  You can clip the picture for saving to NEO or 
Degas or you can shrink the picture to save the whole thing but 
then it will be crunched.

     This program also supports overscan though I wasn't able to 
try that feature.  The program also allows you to translate 256 
color GIF to 256 color gray scale for image processing using the 
Atari Image Manager.  It will also convert to Spectrum and CP8.

                       Future Enhancements
                       -------------------

     Support for 4096 color palletes in now in the works.  
Support for the resolution of the TT is also in the future.

                          Overall View
                          ------------

     If you like GIF pictures this program is for you.  It is 
worth every penny.  There is nothing out there that can touch 
this program in features and use.  I highly recommend it to 
everyone that like GIF pictures.

                Price...........8
                Quality........10
                Ease of Use.....9
                Features.......10
                                          
                Overall Rating..9

     This program may be ordered by sending a check or money 
order for $15 to:
                    Craig S. Buchanan
                    4-319 Mackay St.
                    Ottawa, Ont.
                    K1M 2B7  Canada

This program was released in Febuary of 1990 so it is a little 
old but I felt it was a good program and needed some more 
recognition.  The $15 price is for Canada I assume so if you are 
in the United States you should probably contact the author 
before ordering.  

                ---------------------------------

Drakken
-------
                                                 Data East USA, Inc.
                                                 1850 Little Orchard Street
Licensed from Infogames                         San Jose, California 95125
Price $59.95                                     (408)386-7074
Review written by Chris McBride
_______________________________________________________________________________
Adventure / Role Playing Game

Includes:
  2 disks
    - copy protected
    - not hard drive installable
    - density unknown
  Background Storybook
  Instruction guide

Requires:
  Color Monitor
  ST w/ 512K

Features:
  Great on screen graphics
  digitized sounds
  4 separately or singly controlled characters
  a island playing area with many castles and settlements

The Game:
  Drakken is a new game that is being distributed by Data East but was
originally created by those at Infogrames in France.  Infogrames has a long
history in the ST game world of creating good games with good graphics and
good playability.  Data East unfortunately has a reputation of producing
shallow shoot-em-ups and has very few good games available for the ST market.
I had hoped upon purchasing this program that it would be Data East's final
triumph and that they would finally have a hit on their hands, because it
has long been rumoured that Data East was getting out of the ST software
world as soon as possible.  And they might succeed with Drakken because it
really is a good game with new ideas in a slightly overworked genre of
programs.
  Drakken is a world where magic is fading fast because of one erronious
Paladin that destroyed the last Dragon in the world.  Evidentially the
dragon was the embodyment of all the magic in the world, and when it was
destroyed all the magic was too.  Well the Paladin was discovered soon
after his horrible deed by the rulers of the land and put to death for his
trouble.  At about the same time that the Paladin was killing the last
dragon in the world there was a ship that was sailing the seas of Drakken,
and when the magic faded the Wind-Wizard of the ship was unable to create
the winds that would give the ship power to move forward.  Thus the ship
drifted for a week or so but finally ran a ground in some completely unknown
place hat was totally foreign to the sailors.  This foreignness of the land
became quite apparent when the sailors made their first run in with the
locals.  It seems that the locals of this new land were decended from
Dragons and looked exactly like it.  Well these Drakkens, as they came to
be called, were none to friendly and almost completely destroyed the landing
party. The Wind-Wizard and a couple of others were one of the few to make
it back.  They came back to the capital city and told their story to the
rulers who immediately sent the call out for the best adventurers in the
threatened to take over the world.
  The game play is interesting to say the least.  You control 4 characters
of your creation of the usual RPG mismash of fighters, magic users,
thieves, etc.  These four characters can either be controlled in a 'group
mode' or a in a 'character mode'.  Group mode is where you control the
whole party to move them around in the landscape.  When your in group mode
the landscape moves around you much like or better than it would in a
flight simulator (except your stuck to the ground), the screen updates are
fast the graphics are well done and the group is easy to control.  In
character mode you can control each of the characters on the screen
separately, this mode is used for fighting and exploring castles and houses.
Either the keyboard or the mouse or the joystick can be used to move your
players around.  The Magic system consists of already learned spells that
depend on your level as to whether they're available or not.  To set a
character to use spells instead of fighting you click on the sword icon on
the lower left corner of the screen and it switches to some kind of magical
script.  You can then click on the script and it will change to different
words.  Each word is a different spell, and to find out which word does
which spell you have to look in the back of the story book.  To fight you
just leave the above icon set to a sword and as soon as someone appears
they will attack.  There are also icons to talk with other characters,
closely inspect items, save the game, take objects, activate mechanisms,
and greet other characters.

The low down:
  Drakken is a good game with a potential of being a great game except for
some problems.  As I've mentioned before the graphics are really good with
a close attention to detail that you find in really good games.  The sound
is kind of sparse but I feel that there's enough of it to make an impact on
the game.  The background story book is well written and worth reading but
unfortunately it doesn't tell you how to play the game, and worse yet the
instruction guide doesn't either.  All the instruction guide does is vaguely
tell you what each object on the screen is for, and what the keystrokes are.
I didn't find one thing in the game that actually told me HOW to play it.
Maybe that's my failing and I should have been able to play the game with
the information provided, well some people may be able to do that but I
need a little more instructions especially for a game of this size.  An
example of what I mean:
  When you first appear in the game you're in the middle of a path with a
  castle like structure in front of you.  You move towards the castle with
  and intent to go inside it and find out whatis in it.  Once you get to the
  castle the game automatically puts you in character mode and you proceeded
  across the moat into the gate.  A shark that is moving around the castle in
  the moat suddenly jumps over the drawbridge and kills your character. You
  try again, same thing happens.  And within less than 3 minutes of
  starting the game for the very first time all your characters are dead and
  you have to start over.  Not good.

I still haven't made it inside that castle.  Its a great game, but entirely
too difficult to play (for me).

I think I'll wait for the hint book on this one.

               Graphics ......... 9
               Sound ............ 8
               Playability ...... 4
               Instructions ..... 5
               Value for Money .. 7
               ---------------------
               Overall Score .... 6.6


                ---------------------------------

Nova
----
Reviewed by Brian Hilbern

Requirements

512K
Colour Low Res
Use keyboard keys for movement


     Nova is a fast paced shoot-em-up space game similar to the 
arcade game Galaxian.  It is written by Arunan Thaya-Paran in 
machine code using HiSoft's Devpac.  The graphics were drawn using
Rainbird's Advanced OCP Art Studio.  

     The game starts out hard but gets a little easier as you go.
There are many stages in this game and each one is more difficult
that the later.  This is a challenging game but can be conquered
with a lot of playing.  The graphics are very nice.  One thing I
didn't like about the game was that you didn't get a free ship after
you reached a certain score.  The game is hard without that free
ship.  You'll be entertained by this game for many hours.  The game
is PD so look for it on your favorite BBS and download it as soon
as possible, you'll be glad you did.

                      Playability.....9
                      Instructions....8
                      Graphics........9
                      Sound...........7

                      Overall.........8

                ---------------------------------

Explode
-------
Reviewed by Brian Hilbern

Requirements: Any ST

Programing by Peter D. Hibbs

   Explode is  a  game  designed for the thinking types among you. The
first thing  you  must  do before playing Explode is to unplug that
joystick and plug  in  your brain and  prepare  yourself  for  some
serious brain busting.

   The object of the game is to turn  all  the  pieces  on the
board to your own colour. To play the game move  the  mouse pointer
to a square  and  click  the left mouse button. This  will  add one
to that square  in  your colour (you cannot select  a  square with
your opponents piece on it). Each square  has  a  critical  explode
value; The corner  squares are 2, the edge squares  are  3  and all
central squares are 4.

   When  the  number   on  a piece reaches its critical value,
the square will  explode  and the pieces with move  to the adjacent
2, 3  or  4  squares.  If  any of these adjacent squares  have your
opponent's pieces  on  them, they will change to  your  colour thus
capturing  that   square.   If  a captured   square   reaches   its
critical value,  it  will  inturn explode and  may  capture further
squares  in   a   chain  reaction across the board.

     Explode doesn't offer a lot of fancy graphics or a lot of sound.
It is a fun game none the less.  I have spent many hours playing 
this game.  It is challenging game.  It is PD so be sure to look for
it on your favorite BBS, it's worth downloading.

                                      Overall......8
                      

                ---------------------------------

  P R E S S  R E L E A S E  C E N T E R
  -------------------------------------

Quick ST II Update Information
Seurat Version 2.0 
Turbo * Blitz Verison 3.0x



Quick ST II version 2.2
=======================

       - faster!
          - new features!
             - 68030 compatible!
                - new phone numbers!
                   - newsletter for registered users!
                      - German language version in Europe!
                         - expanded credit card and shipping support!

Price: $19.95 U.S.

Branch Always Software
14150 N.E. 20th Street, Suite 302
Bellevue, WA  98007   U.S.A.

Order line: (206)-643-9697   (10am to 6pm Pacific Time)
FAX: (206)-643-3844   (24 hours)
Telephone: (206)-885-5893   (24 hours)
Compuserve: 73657,2714
GEnie: DAREKM

This is to announce that an update to our popular screen accelerator, Quick
ST II  version 2.2,  is being  released this Friday, September 14, 1990. It
will be  on sale  at the  upcoming Atari  shows in Glendale and Washington.
Quick ST  2.2 will  go on  sale at  dealers across  the U.S.  and Canada in
October. A  German version  will  also  go  on  sale  in  Europe.  Existing
registered users of Quick ST and Quick ST II can upgrade immediately.


Features:
---------

Quick ST  2.2 is  a software screen accelerator. When used on any Atari ST,
Atari STE, or Mega ST, it speeds up the text and graphics operations on the
screen. Almost  any text  or GEM  based program  runs faster  as a  result,
making  your   ST  perform   like  a   much  faster  machine.  No  hardware
modifications are  required. And  the ability  to install custom background
patterns and pictures is included!

Quick ST  2.2 is  very memory  efficient, using less than 30K of memory for
the standard  version, and  less  than  20K  for  the  2.2G  version  (also
included). An extra 32K of memory is required for background pictures.

Quick ST  2.2 is  fully compatible  with hardware accelerators, such as the
T16 accelerator  from Fast  Technologies, the  Blitter chip,  and even  the
68030 chip.  When used with a hardware accelerator, Quick ST 2.2 provides a
speed increase on top of the speed increase of the hardware accelerator.

Quick ST  2.2 has  a number  of improvements  compared to  Quick ST 2.1 and
earlier versions. Some of the new improvements include:

     Support for the ISAC graphics card (which gives a screen resolution of
     1024x768  pixels   in  16  colors).  Moniterm  monitors  and  Overscan
     modifications are  still supported, as is the MonSTEr emulator (in all
     3 screen resolutions).
     
     Blitter support  for faster  screen scrolling,  and it  now checks the
     status of the blitter chip to see if it is disabled. This allows Quick
     ST 2.2 to run on machines with defective blitter chips.
     
     GEM line drawing and rectangle fills are even faster than before.
     
     68020/68030 accelerator  board support  is available  on a second disk
     for $10 more. Quick ST 2.2 also supports the original 3 graphics modes
     on the TT. Full TT support will be available in Quick ST 3.0.
     
     The Desktop  Customizer now allows you to temporarily disable Quick ST
     2.2  from   the  menu   bar,  for  easy  "before"  and  "after"  speed
     comparisons. We  found this  feature handy  when demonstating Quick ST
     2.2 at the recent World Of Atari show in San Jose, and you will too.
     
     Several bugs  have been  fixed  with  Word  Up  3.0,  Laser  C,  Opus,
     Wordflair, GFA Basic 3.0, and other programs. Two bugs relaeted to the
     fast GDOS font drawing are fixed. First, a bug that caused Word Up 3.0
     to occasionally  display garbled  text when  scrolling is  fixed.  And
     outlined GDOS fonts now get drawn correctly on a color monitor.

The Quick  ST 2.2 package also includes the MonSTEr high resolution monitor
emulator, the Quick Index benchmark utility, Quick View, and of course, the
Quick ST II Desktop Customizer.

Starting in  November, all  registered users of Quick ST II and Quick Tools
will receive  a periodic  newsletter which  gives information about updates
(such as  Quick ST  III), tips  for using the software, answers to commonly
asked questions, and other information. To receive the newsletter, you MUST
fill out  and send in the registration card that came with your Quick ST II
or Quick Tools software.


How to order Quick ST 2.2:
--------------------------

Quick ST  2.2 can be ordered directly by credit card (VISA, Mastercard, and
Discover)  through   Xanth  Corporation.   Various  shipping   methods  are
available, including UPS, DHL, Express Mail, and First Class Mail. Call the
order line  between 10am  and 6pm,  Monday to  Friday. Most orders received
before noon  will be shipped out the same day. Shipping charges will depend
on the shipping method chosen and the country being shipped to.

If ordering  by mail, send a check or money order for $19.95 + shipping ($3
in Canada and the U.S., $5 elsewhere) in U.S. funds and allow 3-4 weeks for
delivery. Make all checks payable to Branch Always Software. No C.O.D's.


How to upgrade to Quick ST 2.2:
-------------------------------

To upgrade  to Quick  ST 2.2  from an  earlier version we MUST already have
your registration  card. Take  your original  Quick ST or Quick ST II disk,
include the appropriate update fee, and mail it to Branch Always Software.

Please note the new upgrade prices:

$3 -  If you  purchased Quick  ST 2.1 after August 31, 1990. If you did not
     purchase it  directly from  us, include  a copy of the receipt showing
     the date and dealer name it was purchased from.

$5 -  If you  are upgrading  from Quick  ST version  2.0 or 2.1 and live in
     Canada or the United States.

$10 -  If you  do not live in Canada or the U.S., if you are upgrading from
     Quick ST  version 1.8  or earlier,  if you  lost the original Quick ST
     disk, or if it is inconvenient to send the original disk.

Sorry, if  we do  not have  your registration card, we don't know about you
and you  cannot upgrade  and you will not receive the newsletter. So dig up
those Quick ST packages and mail in the registration cards folks!

NOTE: $5  off discount  coupons which  appered this  summer in  various  ST
magazines we  valid for purchasing Quick ST 2.1 only, and cannot be used to
purchase Quick ST 2.2.


Quick ST III
------------

Rumors of Quick ST III (a.k.a. Quick TT) have been circulating for a while.
It was  our  original  intention  to  write  a  new  TT  compatible  screen
accelerator to  take advantage  of the  68030 chip  and the new TT graphics
modes and  have it released at around this time. That was based on original
estimates on  the release  date of  the TT in North America, which have now
come and gone. So a decision was made to take some of the features of Quick
ST III  and some  badly needed  bug fixes and make the Quick ST 2.2 release
for the ST computer. Quick ST III also runs on any standard ST, although it
has much  higher memory  requirements and a hard disk is recommended. Until
we have  a better idea of when the TT will be available, what the ST market
will be  like a  few months  from now,  what sort  of  new  hardware  (i.e.
accelerator boards  or new  ST models) will be available, consider Quick ST
III to be vaporware. Please do not phone us asking when it will ship or for
more information  about it.  When we  decide on  a release date, which will
probably not  be until  at least the end of the year, that information will
be sent  out in  a newsletter to all registered Quick ST II users. For now,
enjoy Quick ST 2.2!




----------------------------------------------------------------- 
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credit is given to the person who wrote the article and the issue
number and name of the magazine is included.  H&H Enterprises accepts
no liability.  The reviews are those of the authors and not of this
publication.  Advertising information my be obtained by writing to 
the address below or calling the BBS at (405)691-0244.  All 
materials submited become the property of the magazine and may
be edited.  All programs submited become the property of H&H 
Enterprises in exchange for the advertising.  (c) 1990, H&H 
Enterprises. When sending programs please include Canada and U.S. prices.
Product names shown in this publication are the registered trademarks
of the manufactures of the products.
                         H&H Enterprises
                         P.O. Box 890117
                  Oklahoma City, OK 73189-0117
-----------------------------------------------------------------

Kevin Steele (aj205.Cleveland.Freenet.Edu)


-----------------------------------------
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