SOFTWARE APPROVAL SCHEME
Having to buy most software by
mail order means that you often have to take a chance on the quality
of the product. In order to give you some help, Atari have started
a ‘Software Approval Scheme' in which they will regularly evaluate
software and issue an 'Atari Approved Software' label for the best.
Among those software packages to have earned approval so far are
EARTHVIEWS and SPACE BASE from Antic, RESCUE FROM FRACTALUS and
BALLBLAZER from Activision, PAPERCLIP AND B-GRAPH from Batteries
Included, PRINT SHOP and BANK STREET MUSIC WRITER from Broderbund,
MICROBASE+ from Silicon Chip, ACTION! and BASIC XE by O.S.S., ZORRO
and KENNEDY APPROACH from U.S. GOLD, HITCH HIKERS GUIDE TO THE GALAXY
from Infocom, pFORTH from Bignose Software, THE FACTORY by Hesware,
SYNCALC by Synapse and, finally, PINBALL CONSTRUCTION SET and SEVEN
CITIES OF GOLD from Ariolasoft.
Most of these titles should be
available from your local dealer but if you have difficulty try
Software Express on 021 384 5080.
NEW ARIOLASOFT DEAL
Ariolasoft, who already have an
exclusive licensing deal with Electronic Arts and Broderbund to
release their products in this country, have now signed an agreement
with the Canadian firm Batteries Included, a company noted for its
support of Atari in the 'serious' field. Ariolasoft will be bringing
out Batteries Included's new range of integrated software for the
ST which includes a stock portfolio manager, word processor, combined
spreadsheet and graphics package and a database manager.
DAILY MIRROR REVOLUTIONISES NEWS!
Mirrorsoft, another of Robert Maxwell's
companies, have under development for the ST a program that could
change the face of club and society newsletters and small publications.
Entitled FLEET STREET EDITOR it is a full design and layout system
for small publications capable of driving a phototypesetter. The
package for the ST is being designed by the person responsible for
the Daily Mirror's own page make-up software and is expected to
be available early next year.
NEW HARDWARE BARGAINS
If you have missed the announcements
elsewhere, think now about buying a friend a Christmas present.
The 800XL with joystick is now £69.95 and a pack with a data recorder
sells at £99. If you want something for yourself how about upgrading
to a 130XE with 1050 disk drive and four pieces of software for
£265? Or you can get a 1027 printer thrown in for a total of £350.
The bargains keep coming!
W.E.E. HAVE GONE.
W. E. Electronics who have advertised
add-ons in past issues have advised that 'due to commitments in
other areas' it will be unable to support its computer peripheral
products and cannot take further orders. After sales support to
previous purchasers will continue.
MERCENARY!
MERCENARY - Escape from Targ needs
no further recommendation other than to say it is the successor
to ENCOUNTER one of the finest British programs of last year. A
combination of flight simulator, adventure and arcade fun it promises
to show once again that not all the top software comes from the
States.
What does it look like? See for
yourself.
DIGITISE!
We have had numerous enquiries
over the past couple of years for a means of digitising pictures
on the Atari. Now a company in the States has introduced COMPUTEREYES
which retails at £130 for the basic unit. With it you can digitise
any printed image, but you can do more. An attachment is available
for a video camera and special transfer sheets can be purchased
enabling iron-on transfers for tee-shirts to be made on an ordinary
dot-matrix printer. For further details contact Digital Vision,
14 Oak St. #2, Needham, MA 02192, U.S.A
ATARI BITS
... The ST OS ROM should be available
by now. At the time of writing the price to those who already have
an ST is said to be £12.
... There are rumours that you will
shortly be able to buy the ST in bits such as the CPU on its own.
... Attributed to Jack Tramiel - 'We'll
be having higher capacity disks (for the ST), CD ROMs will be available
in early 1986 and we'll also have higher resolution colour graphics
in the machine'.
... A 'well informed source' in the
States claims that Atari sold 50,000 (yes!) 520STs in the first
six weeks on sale, thus outselling the Macintosh.
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