tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33596429551010861162024-03-28T15:03:50.621+00:00Tantobie Internet TattlerAndrew the Tekkiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01757282676248834026noreply@blogger.comBlogger312125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3359642955101086116.post-58997646672027827402024-03-23T09:51:00.000+00:002024-03-23T09:51:12.781+00:00Magazines of Yesteryear - PC Pro Issue 1 - November 1994<div>PC Pro is the only monthly general computing magazine left in the UK and as it nears its 30th birthday, I thought I would try and revisit the first issue. I was a mere month in to college life (focusing on A-level Geology - not even Russell Watson could warble about the long road from there to Software QA tester!) when this first hit the newsstands, and although I have no memory of Windows Magazine, seeing this on the shelves of Consett's biggest newsagent (back when such establishments were a thing) made it an instant purchase. This isn't that particular copy - time, house moves, and poorly organised hoarding skills have all contributed to that loss - and I did pay <i>slightly</i> more than £2.25 for this copy, but it's issue one of PC Pro! Aside from the missing Gateway 2000 insert, everything else is present and correct, even the cover CD, so what does the magazine promise?</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcCNOG1mErMOcvC7ChucodAWwBFryNwCvyQNi8pwaDVbv8ChsWnjA84NiyZH8GU69N4dt3wZ1PIKmnjGJiuTKNRzF7242Agznk0sC4BJ-_M3QcXllbsdmBMDoZhp9MfHWQB7oN4DdEI0wJ7OioNDerau5ZW9U1hxn4fzWhWwH50PtBcmAjTKW5yifz/s3873/IMG_1490.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3873" data-original-width="3009" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcCNOG1mErMOcvC7ChucodAWwBFryNwCvyQNi8pwaDVbv8ChsWnjA84NiyZH8GU69N4dt3wZ1PIKmnjGJiuTKNRzF7242Agznk0sC4BJ-_M3QcXllbsdmBMDoZhp9MfHWQB7oN4DdEI0wJ7OioNDerau5ZW9U1hxn4fzWhWwH50PtBcmAjTKW5yifz/w311-h400/IMG_1490.jpeg" width="311" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">No need to speak to your newsagent about the missing disc here.</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div>POWER 486's, and to be fair, in late 1994 a DX2/66 was the sweet spot for desktop computing - the early Pentiums were not terribly good value yet as we shall see, even if there was one reviewed here for £1,199. A four speed CD drive, Texas Instruments multimedia notebook, and a discussion on 32-bit operating systems (how quaint, and I say this as a regular RISC OS user) round off the cover stars. Oh, and a competition to win a Pentium PC-TV! I'll explain that later for the younglings amongst you. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE3pnWkCYS1t5irPksLKDhor4u-g6WCJoRSEYFZSYvOY57d-lAU6u28TF2gTkS7UpSd_rmUcdDxHLmX06_rm_afLPxMSPXoCCraB5elaKd2nXeJeQQku78VAmRKn-L7KhypkUmqvS4V_McXuF3zrv1s8MA3gIA7Ahie3clOAGtPP3dynVi0Szj7j-D/s5101/IMG_1477.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3866" data-original-width="5101" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE3pnWkCYS1t5irPksLKDhor4u-g6WCJoRSEYFZSYvOY57d-lAU6u28TF2gTkS7UpSd_rmUcdDxHLmX06_rm_afLPxMSPXoCCraB5elaKd2nXeJeQQku78VAmRKn-L7KhypkUmqvS4V_McXuF3zrv1s8MA3gIA7Ahie3clOAGtPP3dynVi0Szj7j-D/w400-h304/IMG_1477.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Much like its contemporaries, PC Pro was the bane of Posties everywhere, starting off at just over 400 pages. Most of the editorial content was in the front two thirds, with the back taken up by the ads, although there were a fair few of those dotted around in general.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVh_RqvVo71DSX7xgaZOPQRbL6NzwbOJnqxOZY46oPDP5d2YpOwlp3UmxzcuHU64g0OgFSeaisDDhJGvNvd_mCguyF0hpvZobsg6i0Ql7TRvCtToJo78r_A-Pj5pzrlvOSUB12nyZPSGVDODIl8kRrcldPzkIK52Gso3MbY4YmEThVx0U4Ry72zpYR/s5712/IMG_1478.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5712" data-original-width="2962" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVh_RqvVo71DSX7xgaZOPQRbL6NzwbOJnqxOZY46oPDP5d2YpOwlp3UmxzcuHU64g0OgFSeaisDDhJGvNvd_mCguyF0hpvZobsg6i0Ql7TRvCtToJo78r_A-Pj5pzrlvOSUB12nyZPSGVDODIl8kRrcldPzkIK52Gso3MbY4YmEThVx0U4Ry72zpYR/w208-h400/IMG_1478.jpeg" width="208" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">That's one hell of an advertisers list.</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div>Launch editor Barry Plows kicks off proceedings with a look at the forthcoming year and the continued dominance of Microsoft and Intel. Aiding them would be the focus on Plug and Play. Such simplicity was long overdue, and the combination of hardware partners and Microsoft's new Windows 95 OS would bring some degree of PnP to the market. Oaks, acorns and all that.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitFsHO-9Ox-8FyBsbIAEAcvLE170UxL4msFUw5cjPczSZZ69FqITuvbdDYCou50t6zWtOVbZmLUAmyPSb_2Tys2R0GLRCrSDmd5AUaudSYOPcF2p0JgL_rMwUgh0dY7SNG_NnPi3ZQU4kq7RqETK9wiHq-uxCny5M5h_9LUN30ytiUvq0nrMFVkRRQ/s5712/IMG_1479.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5712" data-original-width="4284" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitFsHO-9Ox-8FyBsbIAEAcvLE170UxL4msFUw5cjPczSZZ69FqITuvbdDYCou50t6zWtOVbZmLUAmyPSb_2Tys2R0GLRCrSDmd5AUaudSYOPcF2p0JgL_rMwUgh0dY7SNG_NnPi3ZQU4kq7RqETK9wiHq-uxCny5M5h_9LUN30ytiUvq0nrMFVkRRQ/w300-h400/IMG_1479.jpeg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Then...</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM0tPzsSneyzGy7t9OZLc2Flz8ItZceCJgzkXUtEiUpRjApgVAS4S8MClGMGrXHvEfwiXxFn7Tommh6l2tYsFYz9rO0FO0yCYcVjk-7EkmfhCEu65yGlzXzQBrzrwktg3md3qE22EZwlWwQwZwCqYzBU-_hLEYxdmpGw-K29KhRVKO9ectNnWinVYp/s2796/IMG_1498.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2796" data-original-width="1290" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM0tPzsSneyzGy7t9OZLc2Flz8ItZceCJgzkXUtEiUpRjApgVAS4S8MClGMGrXHvEfwiXxFn7Tommh6l2tYsFYz9rO0FO0yCYcVjk-7EkmfhCEu65yGlzXzQBrzrwktg3md3qE22EZwlWwQwZwCqYzBU-_hLEYxdmpGw-K29KhRVKO9ectNnWinVYp/w185-h400/IMG_1498.png" width="185" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And now. Some familiar names too.</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div>The news section leads with coverage of that same topic, as well as what would define 'PC '95'. As you can see, they were an advancement on what the market was then offering and would make the Windows PC even more appealing to home users. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrnEQCU_2vxnK_97H25ex78ttDwEggj89uuOZCpeXtnVRQmLkkU5vHsubj5HdFrMwGENNLrBJFRgHxNX0uXvS6GcSfhqPIgxG9Ui4cmOcNyWiob2z4AVYoYh8tQLFd686gtlz8oD5pI41GPUwpjOm5sdLMBBtS2pAwY-bKTuq5svc4b3fqL0sY3nu4/s3368/IMG_1525.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2800" data-original-width="3368" height="333" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrnEQCU_2vxnK_97H25ex78ttDwEggj89uuOZCpeXtnVRQmLkkU5vHsubj5HdFrMwGENNLrBJFRgHxNX0uXvS6GcSfhqPIgxG9Ui4cmOcNyWiob2z4AVYoYh8tQLFd686gtlz8oD5pI41GPUwpjOm5sdLMBBtS2pAwY-bKTuq5svc4b3fqL0sY3nu4/w400-h333/IMG_1525.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>HP was dropping Canon from their new colour laser offering, picking Konica for the laser printer engine in it's £5,850 Color Laserjet. There was also news of a 128-bit graphics card. With up to 8Mb of VRAM, 32Mb of DRAM and 2Mb of Mask DRAM, the Imagine-128 card was set to cost £650-ish. A professional card if ever there was one, it marked the continuation of a ramping up of specs for future graphical wonders. </div><div><br /></div><div>OS/2 version 3 was due out in October, beating Windows 95 by a decent length. Also known as Warp, it did see some traction in the UK. I'm sure Escom offered it as an option for their high-street range, and I was a semi-regular user over the following couple of years, much preferring it to Win 95, but Microsoft would prevail. </div><div><br /></div><div>It turned out there wasn't a Dr. in the house when Novell announced the discontinuation of DR-DOS. After struggling to gain even 10% market share, the forthcoming Win 95 would seal the fate of any DOS, and it didn't helped that Microsoft hadn't played fair the previous few years - demanding a licence fee from manufacturers even when their DOS wasn't supplied! They got told off for that, but it was too late for Novell, just as it would be for IBM and OS/2. </div><div><br /></div><div>Talk of an add-on CD-i card for PC's seemed to buoy fans of Philips' multimedia monster - not that anyone else cared. If you had a suitable PC for such a card, you already had access to better software than the CD-i could provide. The same would go for the Creative 3DO Blaster mentioned in the story too. </div><div><br /></div><div>A comment from the US about the seemingly lethargic advancements of the PowerPC consortium raises an eyebrow. Although it makes a good point about lacking a speed advantage over Intel's cheaper options, they did help keep the Mac afloat for a few more years. I say help, because Apple really tried its best to commit seppuku in the 90's. </div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVhZotHFAFbgXyvbe2pcj9bBvwhpNwKSgK4-c-WcaLXQFi7aN5iPZk82VJgSbtM7ozBB2eTZ3oGClZFvHLWl5rQD4yfsT2JfuXDE4d5CWRxer45F-C_67htVHYTLjK1Xp5PFs2oAqiZNVCKChN5DibJGalNidKtJV-p6AcB6ArpKO8S8XBN0nueQ4w/s5712/IMG_1480.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5712" data-original-width="4284" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVhZotHFAFbgXyvbe2pcj9bBvwhpNwKSgK4-c-WcaLXQFi7aN5iPZk82VJgSbtM7ozBB2eTZ3oGClZFvHLWl5rQD4yfsT2JfuXDE4d5CWRxer45F-C_67htVHYTLjK1Xp5PFs2oAqiZNVCKChN5DibJGalNidKtJV-p6AcB6ArpKO8S8XBN0nueQ4w/w300-h400/IMG_1480.jpeg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It was the disappointingly mediocre of times, it was the better than average of times.</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div>The big review test next and just have a look at those names! Amstrad, Apricot, Dan, Elonex, Evesham, Locland, Mitac, MJN, Panrix and Viglen - all UK brands that, at various points of the 90's offered reasonable, if not spectacular hardware. Then there were the international marques such as AST, Brother, Compaq, Dell, Gateway, IBM, NEC and Tulip. Prices ranged fro £1,249 (Mitac) to £2,305 (NEC), with most coming in between £1,400 to £1,800 ish. The round up requested 8Mb of RAM, 400Mb-ish of storage, a 15-inch monitor, a secondary cache and VESA Local Bus/PCI - integrated local bus was also permitted. Some included CD-ROM drives, and most were generally decent. Two awards were given: Panrix received one for Speed, offering a 4Mb hard drive cache, SCSI controller and Diamond Stealth graphics, all for £1,799, whilst Gateway took the Value nod, yours for £1,508. Either would have seen you well served. Honourable mentions went to Compaq, AST and IBM. </div><div><br /></div><div>Once company who <i>didn't</i> do well was Amstrad. Their 9486 suffered from slow speed, poor monitor and a terrible keyboard. That and a cost of £1,399.99 meant that it's two star score was really bad. It also served to show how far the 80's giant had fallen. Once the market leader in well-priced PC compatibles, it was now just another box shifter, costing more than some and offering less than most. </div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFLNUXKX-iTOE2QeH97O5ttHi8eY52VN2I6-U7ieACqPv8dH0LGQh9AFLGzGbZEUS-ASrRRn1uyj8VVlhd1szBvaCNOLufSzQa1GcIjCxAKwpcy0fw5RPYIjP94O-vnUaQ7FRqh_j092zcIAQgz5Y2HUk2sUAN3tQ89t-Nnp993yDqNKgkW4XPvqrC/s5523/IMG_1491.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4186" data-original-width="5523" height="304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFLNUXKX-iTOE2QeH97O5ttHi8eY52VN2I6-U7ieACqPv8dH0LGQh9AFLGzGbZEUS-ASrRRn1uyj8VVlhd1szBvaCNOLufSzQa1GcIjCxAKwpcy0fw5RPYIjP94O-vnUaQ7FRqh_j092zcIAQgz5Y2HUk2sUAN3tQ89t-Nnp993yDqNKgkW4XPvqrC/w400-h304/IMG_1491.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Winner, winner, PC-TV dinner!</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div>Competition time! Your chance to win the "The Ultimate Multimedia PC" - Peter Sissons not included. Win either an ICL Pentium or 486-based PC-TV plus the full Microsoft Office Professional and a bundle of five CD-ROMS. Ten runners up would bag the software alone, and the total giveaway was valued at £10k! Not a bad bunch of swag, and for those of you unfamiliar with the concept, the PC-TV was a fad (come on, it really was) of trying to combine, as the name suggests, your PC and television in a multimedia menagerie. It wasn't a wholly bad concept, but never quite gelled. The questions, by the way, aren't too hard, and the second has possibly the best "wrong answer" of the lot - Microsoft Office is... an anagram of "The Devil's Work." Good call, PC Pro, good call.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlTEQ4Dh0oNdjBjgrW14UqqCY7iQlIQ2IuHT966BqjLTnTIt-5c6Z_SlH1xbYQo4A-0FPyKPHUwAtKQFv_Y7NAZvPkBp7BjpObEuMgGWXmcUtBNzI65aBVNrsNbStC8b_640AHhB0LQgQY70HEKr7Qw2rbt6erSrJr7bXIJK7570fKebrz6XXwJJfo/s5210/IMG_1483.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5210" data-original-width="3368" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlTEQ4Dh0oNdjBjgrW14UqqCY7iQlIQ2IuHT966BqjLTnTIt-5c6Z_SlH1xbYQo4A-0FPyKPHUwAtKQFv_Y7NAZvPkBp7BjpObEuMgGWXmcUtBNzI65aBVNrsNbStC8b_640AHhB0LQgQY70HEKr7Qw2rbt6erSrJr7bXIJK7570fKebrz6XXwJJfo/w259-h400/IMG_1483.jpeg" width="259" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">ES(y)COM, ES(y)-go.</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div>On to the Reviews section, and the varied selection kicks off with the ESCOM Pentium P60. At £1,199 ex VAT (£1,409 inc), it's cheap for a Pentium, but with two stars out of six, not recommended. Too many corners cut (4Mb of RAM, bad monitor and keyboard, and limited expansion) led Jon Honeyball to advise that if the price was all you can afford, get a more balanced 486 system. Apricot's XEN PC LS 560 is another Pentium 60 system but arrives at £2,619 ex (£3,077 inc). Here though, the extra money delivers a system worthy of five stars out of six and demonstrates the purpose of the next generation of Intel processors. You just have to pay for the privilege.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLBN8xI_-5qFGZDoUCcnWdSNM24mtxTbkIvExmhW3_vi4eimJk1DE5C9exDTgttKInl0ajr4bT_BSOlmliZORd0UQdmSRpAWMUvVvJ1OoiHDXYHnYMiVC7TjhhfIjSe2G4xfEYLyZEO-T8fHpWthGLpOh3Nij_IkPrqPlXGZRPlBnNePbfL5FlAuEv/s5712/IMG_1536.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4284" data-original-width="5712" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLBN8xI_-5qFGZDoUCcnWdSNM24mtxTbkIvExmhW3_vi4eimJk1DE5C9exDTgttKInl0ajr4bT_BSOlmliZORd0UQdmSRpAWMUvVvJ1OoiHDXYHnYMiVC7TjhhfIjSe2G4xfEYLyZEO-T8fHpWthGLpOh3Nij_IkPrqPlXGZRPlBnNePbfL5FlAuEv/w400-h300/IMG_1536.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">ELONEX! Ah-ha, Ah-ha! Elonex is gonna rock ya! (Apologies to KLF)</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div>Elonex have a rather decent 486 workstation, whilst Dan Technology's Dantium (see what they did there) 90 lacks the oomph for such high end kit, eclipsed by the only slightly more expensive (but much faster Apricot XEN). ICL's middling MD 60V is another P60 system and defines average, scoring threes across the board, where as Texas Instruments Travelmate 4000M delivers a multimedia laptop (if you buy the docking station which includes the CD-ROM drive) for a grand total of £3,700 ex VAT (£4,344 inc). It's a 486 system with too little RAM but a respectable (for the period and the technology) three and a half hour battery life. </div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMhImhtYV1I3A9XvMcuk-CSEDgO1_hovM2LDwZ_jioNlgetRWZ7qJtEbFlqvbx77y1uuovr-0kzVpTBZjs4YdOSi6qYu6FL5CyvosDd5EiUmRM6tTu-b-EM-N6oR1r_R-eZ81otEgwcrhQhWpJGhLD7_JbsaIgPF6TBZHpvedZ8r6FtuIKUmGeR455/s5712/IMG_1534.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5712" data-original-width="4284" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMhImhtYV1I3A9XvMcuk-CSEDgO1_hovM2LDwZ_jioNlgetRWZ7qJtEbFlqvbx77y1uuovr-0kzVpTBZjs4YdOSi6qYu6FL5CyvosDd5EiUmRM6tTu-b-EM-N6oR1r_R-eZ81otEgwcrhQhWpJGhLD7_JbsaIgPF6TBZHpvedZ8r6FtuIKUmGeR455/w300-h400/IMG_1534.jpeg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I mean, it's lovely and all, but you wouldn't want to travel with it, mate.</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div>Brother and Dell rock up with 486 portables at the upper end of the price scale (£2,339 and £2,899 ex respectively), neither of which would disgrace your lap (that doesn't sound right, does it?), and Hewlett Packard's latest A3 laser printer, the Laserjet 4V delivers cracking quality and value for under £2k ex. Adaptec's ReadySCSI Plug and Play SCSI Adaptor offers a glimpse of the PnP future (but really needs Chicago - aka Windows 95) to prove what it can really do, whilst Intel's 14.4 PCMCIA Fax/Modem receives reasonable praise for offering travellers an outside connection. The cover-featured Toshiba quad-speed CD-ROM drive proves a disappointment - it's expensive (£400-ish) and hogs the CPU too much.</div><div><br /></div><div>Referring back to multimedia and PC-TV shenanigans, Miro's DC1 TV capture card offered superb quality video catpure (and a copy of Adobe's Premiere 1.1) for £799 inc - proving that such marvels could be had, but you needed to spend some serious cash first. There again, it was cheaper than many professional set ups so if you required the capability, it was a no-brainer. </div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR561h3ZrXoGkGv5QKI4ayK42gZv13SziJ6yJlL_pswQTlEDCn8VZQ3FDLr8nhRWmsxHTwl1uOh1Fv9ogUR8Fo9ofaYVsz_GKUlFcr6lhuiviSW2IADL3U5PY9cLwAWuYLbrR2gZ9lCH4r8lI66_vNT1yzMtxXX5xMgQjRSIIGTyJsDUlLjspfi2FD/s5712/IMG_1533.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5712" data-original-width="4284" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR561h3ZrXoGkGv5QKI4ayK42gZv13SziJ6yJlL_pswQTlEDCn8VZQ3FDLr8nhRWmsxHTwl1uOh1Fv9ogUR8Fo9ofaYVsz_GKUlFcr6lhuiviSW2IADL3U5PY9cLwAWuYLbrR2gZ9lCH4r8lI66_vNT1yzMtxXX5xMgQjRSIIGTyJsDUlLjspfi2FD/w300-h400/IMG_1533.jpeg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"When Ah were lad, we had reet proper databases."</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div>On the software side of things, Freehand 4 (£450 ex, £529 inc) took care of your graphics needs, Omnis 7 Version 3 could handle your database requirements for £3,995 ex(!), Sidekick for Windows had your personals organised for less than a ton, and Quickbooks 2 sorted your finances for £128 ex (£150 inc). This highlights something that many modern users won't notice - the total cost of ownership. If you were to buy a Windows or Linux PC these days, there'd be either software already installed or free open source options available for almost any requirement. The same can be said for Mac, Chromebooks and RISC OS machines. There are some (relatively) niche or professional software cases where you'd have to pay, either up front or a subscription service, but on the whole, buying today has you covered out of the box. A quick check of the likes of Evesham Micros shows that adding Works for Windows would add an extra £90 ex VAT onto your initial purchase price, so (relative) youngsters may need to understand that the hardware was only <i>part</i> of the buying process and additional packages could be very pricey, depending upon your use cases. </div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinYkskJi-KtHDo-hpThSNzfep-jPANqA5wkevj_rgHwHRQWBRJPJOaeE_FLQq2UjHqsdwVD-Ndmz-KoQY6DnA8aAkfzAxR36bJsvzzth-AMAHD062UWKLO1J4bQi8F7l8c8y2k_ZI0uzBcmz7fh9J60ZN9fEnlA2MjELOQhtZDg5S8S55ntB3idW_Z/s5625/IMG_1481.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5625" data-original-width="3576" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinYkskJi-KtHDo-hpThSNzfep-jPANqA5wkevj_rgHwHRQWBRJPJOaeE_FLQq2UjHqsdwVD-Ndmz-KoQY6DnA8aAkfzAxR36bJsvzzth-AMAHD062UWKLO1J4bQi8F7l8c8y2k_ZI0uzBcmz7fh9J60ZN9fEnlA2MjELOQhtZDg5S8S55ntB3idW_Z/w254-h400/IMG_1481.jpeg" width="254" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">32-bits? What has it ever done for us, eh?</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div>The first of the features now and a piece on 32-bit operating systems. Truly one of the things hampering the PC (as opposed to the Mac and then still extant Acorn) was the kludge that was the DOS and Windows set up. Within a year of this issue's publication date, that would cease to be such an concern (hey, 95 wasn't <i>that</i> bad - it had its "features" but on the whole, a decent first/second/third attempt...). </div><div><br /></div><div>The final two features cast their light upon Parallel port expansion and digital video. The former is rather quaint, living as we do in a USB world these days (I know, but back then you had parallel, serial, SCSI, ADB, PS/2 and other more fanciful ports, so connectivity was a tad more "involved" than it is now, and that's before we get to the config!). The latter tries to convince readers that DV on your PC is a thing - in truth it was but it also meant much gold being exchanged. Even the initial numbers for the tech needed are impressive (this is before encoding, and times have changed), as a single frame of PAL video was 768 x 576 pixels at 24-bit colour, meaning 1.3Mb <i>per frame</i>. 66Mb per second, 4Gb per minute and 248Gb per hour! Without sound. Now, of course, encoding is your friend here, and the technology was advancing at a brisk rate. The future looked bright and as costs dropped, the capabilities on offer would improve rapidly. </div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQK2C28PcA1nZNiznz_bMEVPauLb9z6zPqKXu18sxfvl1AmQy1HLhpEQes55wnrYB51n80031uoclbK9BkrlvCd9A_WMTJOAY7BQtUXoBDnJzcRyTY_we0TGd_KVSeYp4HomBrjQy1rFE9rUW7d0HiU5g8MJYvn2c6o9C3JZB7ITEkcRzLutZjLpjq/s5712/IMG_1532.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5712" data-original-width="4284" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQK2C28PcA1nZNiznz_bMEVPauLb9z6zPqKXu18sxfvl1AmQy1HLhpEQes55wnrYB51n80031uoclbK9BkrlvCd9A_WMTJOAY7BQtUXoBDnJzcRyTY_we0TGd_KVSeYp4HomBrjQy1rFE9rUW7d0HiU5g8MJYvn2c6o9C3JZB7ITEkcRzLutZjLpjq/w300-h400/IMG_1532.jpeg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You could just stare at this background for ages!</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div>Ah, Real World Computing, a selection of columns offering tips, news, advice, experiences and the like. Some of the names here are still writing for PC Pro (Messers Honeyball and Winder specifically, and I should have mentioned Mr Pountain, the current PC Pro's Editorial Fellow), although the titles of the columns have changed slightly - OS/2 being the most obvious to have departed. </div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0w2siZ1GqXeyi4P8YA-CSohVvstOwzkZfDhU-EjkIVUhRZz3T9KMKcN-VQ7_A8SmPMtX3urkqEb6aFVplEQwZkSrtce0MPWdk-6-9TqYzSDtoH7-BDifJPUSFF8z__s1tzEs1eWPU6zf-2BHakEkJ0bM5DKFuEtQSwpFcxgqOdLAXcQGjpUpQVCnE/s5712/IMG_1531.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5712" data-original-width="4284" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0w2siZ1GqXeyi4P8YA-CSohVvstOwzkZfDhU-EjkIVUhRZz3T9KMKcN-VQ7_A8SmPMtX3urkqEb6aFVplEQwZkSrtce0MPWdk-6-9TqYzSDtoH7-BDifJPUSFF8z__s1tzEs1eWPU6zf-2BHakEkJ0bM5DKFuEtQSwpFcxgqOdLAXcQGjpUpQVCnE/w300-h400/IMG_1531.jpeg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ah, the innocent days of Wing Commander. Long before whatever Star Citizen is. </td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div>It wasn't all serious stuff though, as the games section proves. There's news of Dark Forces (which has recently received the full on remaster treatment), Wing Commander Armada and Wing Commander 3. Tie Fighter rightly receives a glowing review, and there's updates on Win G (a 32-bit graphics/games shell for Chicago/Windows 4/Win 95), Harvester, DOOM II, and System Shock. A final piece on the nature of using a Pentium for gaming centres on Magic Carpet and how the new generation of Pentium processors who keep the PC well ahead of the next generation of games consoles - Sony's PSX (PlayStation), Nintendo's Project Reality (Ultra 64, later N64) and Panasonic's M2, the last of which never made it to the consumer market. </div><div><br /></div><div>The final piece of editorial content is Ctrl-Alt-Del, a humorous coda to the magazine, asking whether Windows was a virus (nope, as viruses tend to have a better update schedule that Windows, otherwise they accomplish the same things), news of receiving twenty copies of Sidekick mis-addressed to a completely different continent, and what might now be considered an off-key comment about the Rolling Stones now having an internet presence. Oh little did they know the lengths Microsoft would go to to promote the new <i>Start</i> button in Win 95...</div><div><br /></div><div>The included cover CD is a wealth of mid-90's fun. The highlight is Astound for Windows, a multimedia presentation tool for those of you who were tired of Powerpoint's old schtick. An exclusive pop video from Drake (not that one), a demo of Universal Word (a multilingual word processor) and a demo of Star Crusader almost wrap up the goodies. We mustn't forget about the selection of Windows sounds and 20 True Type fonts, either! </div><div><br /></div><div>As always, it's now time for the adverts, and I pretty much covered this period with my <a href="https://tantobieinternettattler.blogspot.com/2023/07/magazines-of-yesteryear-computer.html" target="_blank">Computer Shopper issue 80</a> look back last July, but there are still some observations to make. </div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaX32Ya6HOZG2on3CQ1xMZnQLJusJ-nt_H6l77Ht7H_BsnXVC0xLFL8waxwOZZQPIKV84mYxL9mpm3Go9Ffrb0VxuwQt9ZyXxWLrJ1buWZFROiUBdCuhACFx6-SpH7uSfc7ljn4mbr74XZNrKdqmuC149tJdYTkhkSn9LiBmAlhRBn0iVV-fwe0X3a/s5277/IMG_1482.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5277" data-original-width="3530" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaX32Ya6HOZG2on3CQ1xMZnQLJusJ-nt_H6l77Ht7H_BsnXVC0xLFL8waxwOZZQPIKV84mYxL9mpm3Go9Ffrb0VxuwQt9ZyXxWLrJ1buWZFROiUBdCuhACFx6-SpH7uSfc7ljn4mbr74XZNrKdqmuC149tJdYTkhkSn9LiBmAlhRBn0iVV-fwe0X3a/w268-h400/IMG_1482.jpeg" width="268" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Danger, Will Robinson!</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div>Escom were making themselves well known (besides the overly cheap P60) with an ad whose colours suggest the "endangered toxic frog" aesthetic. This was before they tried to establish a retail wing using former Radio Rentals stores (even Stanley had one... briefly), but their time in the sun would be short. </div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZAvxU0kY9SR0qW62p4xTkPwV9KglycMKtxqchA4wGYFsupGj-4FO7lezYu6S8ydadBS5SiQRWvxCz7uw-TYHCFt9zUKyhy_D4d_H-_KFLrsByt4LwbarqscIxpiHwQARuAnqzZOQ0gaJ4yFVAVUeRbz4ZohJd-O0afI2bjMz2DtXwDw8MFngewC3P/s5712/IMG_1484.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4284" data-original-width="5712" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZAvxU0kY9SR0qW62p4xTkPwV9KglycMKtxqchA4wGYFsupGj-4FO7lezYu6S8ydadBS5SiQRWvxCz7uw-TYHCFt9zUKyhy_D4d_H-_KFLrsByt4LwbarqscIxpiHwQARuAnqzZOQ0gaJ4yFVAVUeRbz4ZohJd-O0afI2bjMz2DtXwDw8MFngewC3P/w400-h300/IMG_1484.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Obviously the ad-line doesn't refer to upgrades.</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div>Colossus advertised a full range of desktops, starting at just £699 ex for a 25MHz 486 SX (which Crown pictured further below matched), marking the starting point for any reasonable PC spec. Memory was a pricey upgrade (£150 ex for 4Mb), and they included PC-DOS rather than MS' varient alongside Windows 3.1. Those "Portable" machines are certainly an option, but the additional costs for a TFT screen are eye-watering! There again, there is something truly magnificent about a gas plasma display. Not to use, you understand, just to bask in its retro-chic glow. </div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9oBK-XLjlVo0j37_WWx1cbYSrTYf1u34PCG9P2Fv0uDW-34iOspjbcme4PRg3rmHiraiSN6QPW_ddIiIq8SIT-E52aodqYL7ukxaz2q9euFsbXO8Vz5zohgl87HvxBIt_eLeQWgzlIhL1rzAnTC0LOT28cngCmZzkRE1_ZqM_jHMux6EXlK5PT-wx/s5712/IMG_1523.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4284" data-original-width="5712" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9oBK-XLjlVo0j37_WWx1cbYSrTYf1u34PCG9P2Fv0uDW-34iOspjbcme4PRg3rmHiraiSN6QPW_ddIiIq8SIT-E52aodqYL7ukxaz2q9euFsbXO8Vz5zohgl87HvxBIt_eLeQWgzlIhL1rzAnTC0LOT28cngCmZzkRE1_ZqM_jHMux6EXlK5PT-wx/w400-h300/IMG_1523.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div>Apricot's advert seems more appropriate to an opticians eye test, and even my basic accessibility testing skills are screaming "No!" to that colour ensemble. They were a smidge more expensive than the low end box-shifters but there is something about that low profile case that still appeals to this day. </div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVfoAqO1lNvJTm11GxiczUj05qsfODjEO1HsKjNbzfeHPJ-fzDO15tQrISEfL1b_RlUWlyXzFBoH0EEKzl-D4F1ZsoIEqkgH11KZxOx9DvI6VYlNxIiBvH-TDExSTXbheciuJfqgJo4WZ3QX5jAszuip9sNX5LY3Ydhs6WnK7UAhqhlQFvjH57TeXJ/s5712/IMG_1486.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5712" data-original-width="4284" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVfoAqO1lNvJTm11GxiczUj05qsfODjEO1HsKjNbzfeHPJ-fzDO15tQrISEfL1b_RlUWlyXzFBoH0EEKzl-D4F1ZsoIEqkgH11KZxOx9DvI6VYlNxIiBvH-TDExSTXbheciuJfqgJo4WZ3QX5jAszuip9sNX5LY3Ydhs6WnK7UAhqhlQFvjH57TeXJ/w300-h400/IMG_1486.jpeg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">That's 'king cheap from Crown.</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div>Speaking of low-end, Crown were a budget range, and their 486 SX33 is a very nicely priced offering... unless you wanted any real expansion options, but for a basic Windows machine, it did enough. </div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-sY064W0E949Jn5_cfPmOxyfoDoquruxHZVP8GC25A5p-QVQBhAku2vlNc5YnP1DZ1pIJVWnqDBtHhYj7HgWjy_0sx1E0dKTer5RQUbT5zfI9yh1km7Bm1XNnwOuw5CE97bddnZWeLLYg-z-LLHMekGlxIiS568YCLoTz5BW4_tVCpA3NPUNQNCJ-/s5349/IMG_1487.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5349" data-original-width="4099" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-sY064W0E949Jn5_cfPmOxyfoDoquruxHZVP8GC25A5p-QVQBhAku2vlNc5YnP1DZ1pIJVWnqDBtHhYj7HgWjy_0sx1E0dKTer5RQUbT5zfI9yh1km7Bm1XNnwOuw5CE97bddnZWeLLYg-z-LLHMekGlxIiS568YCLoTz5BW4_tVCpA3NPUNQNCJ-/w306-h400/IMG_1487.jpeg" width="306" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">'King cheaper, 'king no chance!</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA9nmO8iU1Tr08E0TmtFfKnVs0hUM-o_OQt6KgHUD9iYoc4UXFLbyWLxVkGwWFDYZ1p0X-6Rb2kPO0N1_elP7liKjM3agY0EVokFGXQfGtoA3ggfzWS43OoVU7B2nXyjpv9jFRBLr6knx0CE7WP3ssWAKWWL-HA-xUZ-OVfJaXkRLVZJDlxvcO7gd9/s5559/IMG_1488.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5559" data-original-width="4246" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA9nmO8iU1Tr08E0TmtFfKnVs0hUM-o_OQt6KgHUD9iYoc4UXFLbyWLxVkGwWFDYZ1p0X-6Rb2kPO0N1_elP7liKjM3agY0EVokFGXQfGtoA3ggfzWS43OoVU7B2nXyjpv9jFRBLr6knx0CE7WP3ssWAKWWL-HA-xUZ-OVfJaXkRLVZJDlxvcO7gd9/w305-h400/IMG_1488.jpeg" width="305" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Let's just say IBM had budgets of all sizes covered.</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg81xwsxpdIO92q3FfDH3RUYjqfzCCmYTPF0MJN9YCaAWc0FD2ankJSOGqxT7Bs_srzCMCATlS8_hhtdxXrbM_DuvQV9Vh2S2sIPqHBgtqxiV-S58hqKW8T9z-6dR0uWXXFankphgf-Uf43MYlo7gomgm5NPF80zCy7VFmrGRPwL5SwlVoaRErIrUQ/s5712/IMG_1530.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5712" data-original-width="4284" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg81xwsxpdIO92q3FfDH3RUYjqfzCCmYTPF0MJN9YCaAWc0FD2ankJSOGqxT7Bs_srzCMCATlS8_hhtdxXrbM_DuvQV9Vh2S2sIPqHBgtqxiV-S58hqKW8T9z-6dR0uWXXFankphgf-Uf43MYlo7gomgm5NPF80zCy7VFmrGRPwL5SwlVoaRErIrUQ/w300-h400/IMG_1530.jpeg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not doubting the quality, really doubting the value though.</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div>For the same price, you could get a Compaq Contura i386SL laptop from P&P, but to be honest, the era of 386 machines were over. And for all I like the all-in-one design ethos, that Compaq 486 for £599 was far too limited. As I navigate my mid-40's, the thought of a 14-inch CRT makes me shudder. At least they were better than Amstrad's ability to bundle their machines with 10-inch displays!</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5j3afjjo3olwpH3n-leOWw-gvKZR_joBZ_Acb8gH-e_fyjqgrd0DPScpI534AD2rAw1dLain97pKrV_DG1jisFNy_mKl4Qh0ddYP80JSrrq-wr1gZOUDAE4VqCWrMvXrz8CLKCmsWVvp0c-MGm5buvqgAnA0VslJzyeL-n3XH0b6KGr5a2H-36q6Q/s5712/IMG_1524.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4284" data-original-width="5712" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5j3afjjo3olwpH3n-leOWw-gvKZR_joBZ_Acb8gH-e_fyjqgrd0DPScpI534AD2rAw1dLain97pKrV_DG1jisFNy_mKl4Qh0ddYP80JSrrq-wr1gZOUDAE4VqCWrMvXrz8CLKCmsWVvp0c-MGm5buvqgAnA0VslJzyeL-n3XH0b6KGr5a2H-36q6Q/w400-h300/IMG_1524.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You can get these Computers, By Post!</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div>Computers By Post were a great source of big name brands, and although these weren't the cheapest of options out there, if you wanted a "name" then CBP were an obvious choice. </div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGlMO99pCdWBuuJq_LkoI3wflllTaYuj9c31CvpV1m1sdrb457XbQR8FrusG-VEWFoKEevD7GzeI4QrBSQKLIIlFdetqTJdIKC4M3f7B0sAX4HPoZ7YLxVvUv1k2GOH8xdEMKn8e_muxPS5OLGkMjVFCaA6VGNKpLM9IDYL4Va0q4S4cvtNx03TCM2/s5712/IMG_1485.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4284" data-original-width="5712" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGlMO99pCdWBuuJq_LkoI3wflllTaYuj9c31CvpV1m1sdrb457XbQR8FrusG-VEWFoKEevD7GzeI4QrBSQKLIIlFdetqTJdIKC4M3f7B0sAX4HPoZ7YLxVvUv1k2GOH8xdEMKn8e_muxPS5OLGkMjVFCaA6VGNKpLM9IDYL4Va0q4S4cvtNx03TCM2/w400-h300/IMG_1485.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What is it with RISC advertising? Acorn's in the late 80's were similarly drab.</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div>Motorola must have heard in advance about the criticisms of it's PowerPC range of processors as they have a double page spread to show off how good they could be, or at least tempt people to try a machine powered by one - aka a Mac.</div><div><br /></div><div>Finally, just because it's there, here's a reminder of the Olivetti Echos. Is it not a thing of beauty???</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9i_n48yVwo1o0Pt5Q6PAlyL-fCkZ3vUOn11nr_PBqvUHKNnJvCSxf9s11KDqksMoEvz1tN0AE6rC-BYYHEHryf3dl7hM0IBFL4omfEgKBqc-wq1K39M2RGNc04JL3rpneU00b-a28YzY0n8MO-mn7i4-E4OjV7LbtPY1cR-osQ92z7W3r3F7CJHxt/s5491/IMG_1522.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4284" data-original-width="5491" height="313" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9i_n48yVwo1o0Pt5Q6PAlyL-fCkZ3vUOn11nr_PBqvUHKNnJvCSxf9s11KDqksMoEvz1tN0AE6rC-BYYHEHryf3dl7hM0IBFL4omfEgKBqc-wq1K39M2RGNc04JL3rpneU00b-a28YzY0n8MO-mn7i4-E4OjV7LbtPY1cR-osQ92z7W3r3F7CJHxt/w400-h313/IMG_1522.jpeg" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Swoon!</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div>That's PC Pro issue one. A brilliant start to a magazine that is still going strong and which hopefully will celebrate its 30th birthday later this year. Long may it continue. As always with looking back at old computer magazines, it's partially a nostalgia trip but also a way of reminding myself (and by extension you, gentle reader), that the story of general computing in the UK is long, involved and fascinating. It has indeed been a long road, getting from there to here...</div>Andrew the Tekkiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01757282676248834026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3359642955101086116.post-54278779050659716992024-03-16T08:49:00.005+00:002024-03-16T09:50:49.962+00:00Space Battle by Jamie Lendino - Book Review<div>Jamie Lendino is back once again, and this time he's taking a look at Atari's primary competitor in the first console war - Mattel's Intellivision. And for UK readers, yes, it made it here too, just with all of the impact of a plummeting feather - the UK was far more interested in home microcomputers at the time, if they could afford one anyway... But I digress... </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR0qzK6NsA4StxSiqGtgyTQcMsYljU70xaZo7LJT94VrLkS2JQ0yHXJhVeyfbj-HIDW-HCrFtVIGdn1vLpJKRHwuImLsW66PyQ9HcpIV-v5-aqmThY7T3vY1B6mxrsNOXL3C_hLqeOtvnUJzvWjd3YDcL53eGUFHi_uuUpUG36Emh_4xpZ-i_kOGRI/s3154/IMG_1412.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3154" data-original-width="2367" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR0qzK6NsA4StxSiqGtgyTQcMsYljU70xaZo7LJT94VrLkS2JQ0yHXJhVeyfbj-HIDW-HCrFtVIGdn1vLpJKRHwuImLsW66PyQ9HcpIV-v5-aqmThY7T3vY1B6mxrsNOXL3C_hLqeOtvnUJzvWjd3YDcL53eGUFHi_uuUpUG36Emh_4xpZ-i_kOGRI/w300-h400/IMG_1412.jpeg" width="300" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>The Intellivision was a fierce competitor to Atari's VCS, and one that, as so many other tech orientated companies did, over promised but also kind of delivered. It brought a powerful console spec (for the time), a range of games that could arguably be described in many instances as genre defining, and the a concept for expansions that, well, you'll find out in this 280-odd page paperback, as Mr Lendino lays focus on the machine, its story, and its software.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvdYHNMiG6I7H1Ba9Vw6FpeXiSJZyB5KAr01v3QNWYHUsis_sr6-vxBO1Hnif03uFMQ_rjffFUfWs71fdkXR4ywZ_y7NgFFHqVORifJTiQ67VzhzwsA35olPKDhGSSmfwzPl5VD39HK4rLTPIJhF7ExuhU3RPsLOfgnS8n4-SH4l_ylUMJglbBzFtU/s2947/IMG_1411.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2947" data-original-width="2456" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvdYHNMiG6I7H1Ba9Vw6FpeXiSJZyB5KAr01v3QNWYHUsis_sr6-vxBO1Hnif03uFMQ_rjffFUfWs71fdkXR4ywZ_y7NgFFHqVORifJTiQ67VzhzwsA35olPKDhGSSmfwzPl5VD39HK4rLTPIJhF7ExuhU3RPsLOfgnS8n4-SH4l_ylUMJglbBzFtU/w334-h400/IMG_1411.jpeg" width="334" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>If you've read his previous tomes, you'll be familiar with the style of presentation. Each of the nine chapters covers a specific period of the machine's life - from the story of the company that released it to the modern day efforts at emulation, new game development and, yep, mention of <i>that</i> "homage". Cards on the table, I had a pre-order for the Amico through UK retailer Argos and, when things really started to turn sour, cancelled and got my money back. I wanted to believe it could be something different, but it turned out to be nothing much at all. Sigh. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-q29SadnHwH2OcLgiFY4Oz2VKAJf3akgTNywauBYwzjCIAWiwaUXCqD5B8UFU9GCzisn9dyWqhJSKolFBG87W4Ierm9FHsVa4l2wFA2ALdh7uMSLf4JN7JMT1R84hbrEhoCuqOwH8Re2zdMboexi4bbvs1ifVP06gDm2GYDQzGXypnftJPnWTR9Q7/s5479/IMG_1415.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5479" data-original-width="3659" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-q29SadnHwH2OcLgiFY4Oz2VKAJf3akgTNywauBYwzjCIAWiwaUXCqD5B8UFU9GCzisn9dyWqhJSKolFBG87W4Ierm9FHsVa4l2wFA2ALdh7uMSLf4JN7JMT1R84hbrEhoCuqOwH8Re2zdMboexi4bbvs1ifVP06gDm2GYDQzGXypnftJPnWTR9Q7/w268-h400/IMG_1415.jpeg" width="268" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>The book itself lacks colour aside from the cover, which is no great loss - imagery and screenshots are handled well anyway, and it is the writing that should concern us here. It's an easy read, yet packed with detail, including snippets from magazine articles and interviews providing contemporary thought on the console in its prime. </div><div><br /></div><div>And what a prime it was. Although I never experienced an Intellivision first hand, I had heard of more than a few of its major software successes - Utopia, B-17 Bomber, Astrosmash to name but three. Many more are covered within these pages and each is shown the love, care and attention they deserve. It is apparent that, like the other formats the author has covered, there is a real sense of enjoyment in experiencing these games, a celebration of the best that home gaming could offer in the early 1980's.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkLpZUN-3DszTKY4M8yAzRKYXR78LYQki8xQKX6EqY7DjlN72M37ql7-iAC0V1ZfPdNNoEzLVl3QvTnI4c0l2WEM98JIXrkmZi_9CMuhsx929SvaO1Q1YpOny50dZGf_n3TTnwVbMNRxcyX2JzfNU6QNrodoB9Ecri53LAEpnUrfzMWC7WggJ342kH/s5447/IMG_1414.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5447" data-original-width="3674" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkLpZUN-3DszTKY4M8yAzRKYXR78LYQki8xQKX6EqY7DjlN72M37ql7-iAC0V1ZfPdNNoEzLVl3QvTnI4c0l2WEM98JIXrkmZi_9CMuhsx929SvaO1Q1YpOny50dZGf_n3TTnwVbMNRxcyX2JzfNU6QNrodoB9Ecri53LAEpnUrfzMWC7WggJ342kH/w270-h400/IMG_1414.jpeg" width="270" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>There were some missteps along the journey of the Intellivision, mostly to do with the hardware - the keyboard expansion caused a great deal of pain, but there were also some triumphs. Synthesised speech was a new one for gamers at the time, and I had never heard of Playcable before, yet this early subscription-based download service was a game changer (literally) for those who used it.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilhFC3EswSgiJFY-EfmS4opUU99UP3sHdKAQ6unZSHq-eTJX5NVQsd1Z49y0W7ve3ke8XxBCrAI006jlSJJJ-rNVyD0AHbFQF9-pK0dw-9u6fd7AA49BabaIA_kKJrtElNlTEHZMYNlwb8WgzNR6XEXwF8BbhhD3IqC6123h4Z0b-Ew6lZz6etV4AZ/s5092/IMG_1413.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5092" data-original-width="3897" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilhFC3EswSgiJFY-EfmS4opUU99UP3sHdKAQ6unZSHq-eTJX5NVQsd1Z49y0W7ve3ke8XxBCrAI006jlSJJJ-rNVyD0AHbFQF9-pK0dw-9u6fd7AA49BabaIA_kKJrtElNlTEHZMYNlwb8WgzNR6XEXwF8BbhhD3IqC6123h4Z0b-Ew6lZz6etV4AZ/w306-h400/IMG_1413.jpeg" width="306" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>It's a cliche, but if you want a single volume on the Intellivision, this has to be it. Engaging, informative and yet another damn good read from Mr Lendino, it offers a history of a console that, really, saw relatively little action outside of the US, yet still has an active group of users developing new titles for it. You can pick up a copy from Amazon <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Space-Battle-Mattel-Intellivision-Console-ebook/dp/B0CRGD18H7/ref=sr_1_3?crid=2ORZX8ZP6BAOK&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.H-D7AzUpE0mMOW0T-DtE3nlrdm0xSjdI_r3yO3lFd2hVdl33rVWkepULEYkON-mDYP5jEzbqIobPDknyJChCom88EBeoCrDLcvvAmnlCvuUNCDS09hv_j0wL5mlAZKhmgEouGPDLGyuw3d4UWQZ388ZbQUiEOTLC0CT6fbSPHo7wemaPUl-OXo_SXgE5xyp4HxOB_jbebPnnE2t_D3vIeaBipobpHhxKt6JHy3NlFcE.qtKSH_GsqCMFcDBdfMRBygpdySDql4bm8_MQuYxC6Sc&dib_tag=se&keywords=space+battle&qid=1709294845&sprefix=space+battle%2Caps%2C116&sr=8-3" target="_blank">here</a> (note this is for the Kindle version, so remember to check right for other options). </div>Andrew the Tekkiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01757282676248834026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3359642955101086116.post-24340380350598276002024-03-09T09:30:00.000+00:002024-03-09T09:30:37.781+00:00Magazines of Yesteryear - Personal Computer News - Vol 1 Issue 13 - June 3-June 9 1983One of the great joys of rummaging through the history of computer magazines is that, on occasion, you'll come across one that you've never heard of before. Until an eBay listing for a CD-ROM filled with (I think) every issue, I'd never heard of PCN, and this was popular enough to be a <i>weekly</i> magazine between March 1983 and May 1985! There again, this was the time of twelvty gazillion (I exaggerate only slightly) micro formats on the UK market, so I guess that made sense, and at only 35p!<div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiv1mRW7rVFYwFjEE4qJF-aCJWFoQtkKJhSVjIjXkdaHjIs4f_PXoItfL-XNYcLaTFWygcP2eH-6TVJCsAv_wGlcwJ1EoR14K9iQkI0zt-8KkpXp8znMsnbateEG69Re82gjPo5Hk_VroEXmPFgZAr9PRYDDPa3I7w_4UiU0cuiLPA7bHEzdKWUn9a/s1237/Cover.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1237" data-original-width="862" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiv1mRW7rVFYwFjEE4qJF-aCJWFoQtkKJhSVjIjXkdaHjIs4f_PXoItfL-XNYcLaTFWygcP2eH-6TVJCsAv_wGlcwJ1EoR14K9iQkI0zt-8KkpXp8znMsnbateEG69Re82gjPo5Hk_VroEXmPFgZAr9PRYDDPa3I7w_4UiU0cuiLPA7bHEzdKWUn9a/w279-h400/Cover.png" width="279" /></a></div><div><div><br /></div><div>We'll get to the cover star in a moment, and delve into the news first. The big thing here was the forthcoming 1983 General Election. Computing was becoming a hot topic and all of the main parties had something to say about it. Whether those words would have swayed the voters of 1983 is impossible to say now (sarcasm alert), but the gist of the replies to PCN's questions are telling. The Conservative's is littered with numbers, of amounts spent or to be pledged, Labour's is all about ideas and concepts, whilst the SDP-Liberal Alliance's is rather evasive on key points. </div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirhI56iKfrlO9rawu77mhXuVxoZBMq9e3jEb8bPKQWYW35wclnBo3DVUuKSrXsrNkJSR6D9SN5K16xbrSSjR6IkH4hKoYb9_gZX-7I1ITEC9-7WvpEiIwSLUPjaLmAaRT_1fEIMCxvLBRjQyAbOAAhtJmTElcyDouXVzUDp3EZp34OoVfYXX61Q92i/s1234/Election.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1234" data-original-width="878" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirhI56iKfrlO9rawu77mhXuVxoZBMq9e3jEb8bPKQWYW35wclnBo3DVUuKSrXsrNkJSR6D9SN5K16xbrSSjR6IkH4hKoYb9_gZX-7I1ITEC9-7WvpEiIwSLUPjaLmAaRT_1fEIMCxvLBRjQyAbOAAhtJmTElcyDouXVzUDp3EZp34OoVfYXX61Q92i/w285-h400/Election.png" width="285" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">There's a pub based "Thatcher's Foot" joke here somewhere...</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div>There is more about the election in the news which focusses on the hardware ITN would use for their coverage. Peter Sissons would operate a VT80 graphics computer with "amazing colour graphics" at a resolution of 1024 pixels, 256K of memory and using 16-bit words. A VAX 11/750 with 4Mb of memory and a total of 500Mb worth of Winchester disks ran everything, a second VAX did the number crunching, and there was a third on stand by. Peter Snow of the BBC would also be using a VAX with some slightly different hardware attached. </div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh73LTKLc5fuOOh4_2Lzbi5bYUkBSsRcqegld2r2KXZWCXdM9li1Rjd0uX1Sm_Aw5ZPelHcO_Y0BmjdoaGiqNpUKOK6WGwgfQBhVhF97yZBafhKyTuBiIYd7qNFfR5x7HV41kyvXae45QI6gW_6L1ZriRp_Mz4ffC4Xc3qE8X_M2eI4znpGYDHW_Vuz/s820/Charts.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="820" data-original-width="385" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh73LTKLc5fuOOh4_2Lzbi5bYUkBSsRcqegld2r2KXZWCXdM9li1Rjd0uX1Sm_Aw5ZPelHcO_Y0BmjdoaGiqNpUKOK6WGwgfQBhVhF97yZBafhKyTuBiIYd7qNFfR5x7HV41kyvXae45QI6gW_6L1ZriRp_Mz4ffC4Xc3qE8X_M2eI4znpGYDHW_Vuz/w188-h400/Charts.png" width="188" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">How many???</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div>In other news, Kodak was promising a 10Mb 5.25" floppy at no more than double the price of a typical disk, whilst both Telesoftware and Acorn's Teletext (ah, Mr Biffo in the 90's!) adaptors had been delayed until August. And of course there was the PCN chart - the top 20 computers under £1,000, and the top 10 over that amount. As you can see, the sheer number of sub-£400 machines is mind-blowing. It's not surprising that the market slumped from around mid-1983 to the dramatic Christmas of 1984. By the spring of 1985, only Sinclair, Amstrad and Commodore would have a reasonable business chance of standing on their own feet. Sinclair would later fall foul of Clive's fascination with the C5 electric vehicle, Amstrad were sitting pretty because Alan knew how to make money, and Commodore was an international giant. Of the rest, Atari would be a different company by then, and Acorn would be under the wings of Olivetti after the Electron mis-step/fiasco. </div><div><br /></div><div>A few more observations: even at this point, the Apple II was stupidly over-priced, and it would take a hell of a loan/wage to put one in the family home. As for the over £1,000 lot, the Osborne 1 was a outlier being (semi) portable and all, the IBM PC was a niche high-cost unit, and pretty much everything else (aside from the obvious exclusions) ran C/PM. In the real world, if you were lucky, you got a Spectrum, or maybe a Dragon. If you were rich, you got a BBC, and if you were blessed with the luck of the Spartans, you got a Jupiter Ace. Oops!</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiBoLkrimrFO7wNsCPhQcZR_0-5iZZ4Fhd3O0OkSv6XUDaPJK1Oyjru471bq0Y9xxIxH_y36U_0iXDydCxd5kEOmHLdN7_o9P4OeMnR_i86cLbafpHJGSV6yDSfHhUnNOtRBoxsw0KvqPX8pTacAFDxW4HfLDfg3Z7yrY0JfeNg64H3Gly2ENNe-X1/s1231/Book%20reviews.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1231" data-original-width="810" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiBoLkrimrFO7wNsCPhQcZR_0-5iZZ4Fhd3O0OkSv6XUDaPJK1Oyjru471bq0Y9xxIxH_y36U_0iXDydCxd5kEOmHLdN7_o9P4OeMnR_i86cLbafpHJGSV6yDSfHhUnNOtRBoxsw0KvqPX8pTacAFDxW4HfLDfg3Z7yrY0JfeNg64H3Gly2ENNe-X1/w264-h400/Book%20reviews.png" width="264" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Moving on, we have a letters page, a Microwaves section (where readers submitted tips for a £5 reward), some book reviews (a goodly selection this issue), before we get to the first of the features: how to get a Tandy Color talking to a Dragon. A useful piece if you had one or the other considering their basic (and BASIC) similarities. Next is part two of a guide to making music, and other sounds, on your Oric, before we head to the graphics world and transferring programs from the Genie to the Colour Genie. </div><div><br /></div><div>The first review is for a word processor for the Dragon, the second an attempt at putting Forth on the Specturm - each to their own, I guess. The review of GPS (Graphics Processing System) for the Apple II is vaguely positive but notes that it hangs quite often although its graphics capabilities have aged well since it's long distant launch. </div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinKOrSkBkSmsgT5D5tOOQh89fkYzLUSe9jaw8FgCskmBEHXD5fbPmyIsHaE8EjbZXmyy65ppIXeP6oNMKxh3FMWRzOkaFvSOOF9c3K-pEAOf2uYmPGkys2cowQUtKHKEZXH6tdJDRKQfyH2p4Xs6zW7a-cUbI9vJ9ivvoG96qVKetMa3trwMEgI8jf/s1232/Joysticks%201.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1232" data-original-width="874" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinKOrSkBkSmsgT5D5tOOQh89fkYzLUSe9jaw8FgCskmBEHXD5fbPmyIsHaE8EjbZXmyy65ppIXeP6oNMKxh3FMWRzOkaFvSOOF9c3K-pEAOf2uYmPGkys2cowQUtKHKEZXH6tdJDRKQfyH2p4Xs6zW7a-cUbI9vJ9ivvoG96qVKetMa3trwMEgI8jf/w284-h400/Joysticks%201.png" width="284" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Two out of three ain't bad.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8c0ppthBY0zOm_-JcVTCcyCHb1zAqBnJur01IdCsdlSf4YV8rOR-xZozvWHJsqwceLG4Oz9B53kmXTGEXdh8w5NADaacgZX33cbj3LSffQW-oXeajbTTLwoa0L0SXn1PtUinNTaWx19PxUzKmH9QrYUpuiaZvxm54Y6X0PFCYSeTw91eqxNrTxKmL/s1221/Joysticks%202.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1221" data-original-width="880" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8c0ppthBY0zOm_-JcVTCcyCHb1zAqBnJur01IdCsdlSf4YV8rOR-xZozvWHJsqwceLG4Oz9B53kmXTGEXdh8w5NADaacgZX33cbj3LSffQW-oXeajbTTLwoa0L0SXn1PtUinNTaWx19PxUzKmH9QrYUpuiaZvxm54Y6X0PFCYSeTw91eqxNrTxKmL/w289-h400/Joysticks%202.png" width="289" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Putting the stick in joystick. </td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div>A joysticks round up next, pitting the Kempston Competition Pro against the Spectravision Quickshot (I owned both of these, though not at the same time), the standard Atari stick, and the BBC Joystick. There isn't an overall winner, although the BBC option does get some stick (not sorry at all) for being a pain to hold - which is literally the whole point of its existence. </div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg45R4b_H8yXzGwoEX6XaNR9UDbQipVqzqiP_wotj69XdzqNyEVLI5xvJUZWI3SbztM333mWy-OEeWJyo9RScIc1zRpYNT2ZT9Po1pHtFeJdSk_rqjkQkmRQqLKvHEVM7wzoWPmSTq3G-LseWQhMuUIEkOG_Vye2pd0WomNQIcW3A6_GWzwH0WeXV8X/s1233/Ajile.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1233" data-original-width="864" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg45R4b_H8yXzGwoEX6XaNR9UDbQipVqzqiP_wotj69XdzqNyEVLI5xvJUZWI3SbztM333mWy-OEeWJyo9RScIc1zRpYNT2ZT9Po1pHtFeJdSk_rqjkQkmRQqLKvHEVM7wzoWPmSTq3G-LseWQhMuUIEkOG_Vye2pd0WomNQIcW3A6_GWzwH0WeXV8X/w280-h400/Ajile.png" width="280" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ooohhhhh! Pretty! </td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div>And now to the cover star: the Ajile, an IBM compatible from Canada (originally the Canadian Dynalogic Infotech Hyperion - yep, I prefer Ajile!). On the plus side, it's lighter than an Osborne, rocks an 8088, 256k of RAM, two (count 'em) 320k IBM format floppy drives and a seven inch 80 x 25 amber CRT. If it's graphics you're after, high res 640 x 250 is available. The downsides include the keyboard (feels tacky and cheap), a botched software package (it includes the Multiplan spreadsheet package, a comms package and a text processor that can't print...), and the price - this would have set you back £4,100 including VAT. Wowzer!</div><div><br /></div><div>Games coverage includes Everest Ascent on the 48k Spectrum, a series of titles for the Colour Genie, Qix for the Atari 400/800, and Micro Maze for the Jupiter Ace. </div><div><br /></div><div>There's programming stuff too, with PCN ProgramCards (11 this issue), for you to cut out and keep - this month an action game called Cupid for the 48k Oric-1. Following this is a guide to user clubs around the country - and a varied lot they are too. Not just the aforementioned formats, there's also a Comal user's group. one for the Casio FX-500-P, and two (!) for the DEC PDP series. </div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgozIDr4Vl30ECBSmkeP8gxossCrcmoXxTp25jmeGNS0j6dnZgM1FGQcldWjgseQ71qYYeEb56oIS_hVPkdhOrcXacfRCEMjRKEv_J8l-bH1gqbCfSu4nMUKyw0EWIPY29TbqgamopSD0sTVbtBtjUy7_1dgFAmmMtw4MaJz03hTfXXtpl0TtxFvbX2/s1440/Databasics.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1034" data-original-width="1440" height="288" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgozIDr4Vl30ECBSmkeP8gxossCrcmoXxTp25jmeGNS0j6dnZgM1FGQcldWjgseQ71qYYeEb56oIS_hVPkdhOrcXacfRCEMjRKEv_J8l-bH1gqbCfSu4nMUKyw0EWIPY29TbqgamopSD0sTVbtBtjUy7_1dgFAmmMtw4MaJz03hTfXXtpl0TtxFvbX2/w400-h288/Databasics.png" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I feel the need, the need for telecoms speed!</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div>The back of the issue is taken up with the Databasics section - a guide to printers, monitors, disk drives, plotters, and modems (up to 1200 baud for the top of the range models). Three pages of classified ads leads the way to the Microshop small ads, before the final page offers us the usual light-hearted banter that many mags used to include. </div><div><br /></div><div>But what about the adverts? Oh boy! Buckle up, kids!</div><div><br /></div><div>An ad for computer rental is the first to catch the eye - have an Apple IIe from £4.58 per week. The Apple III could be had from £12.98 pw, whereas the IBM PC was a princely £13.98! Fittingly for the age (and younger readers should Google it if they don't know), you could contact the company (OEM - nicely done) via telephone or Telex. What communication wonders we have lost!</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy-JLTYvaxG-XJHHO4GMbLqrjEsGwkFS_UjAtuL3L9CyqEJOvoZK_XcIJxfOgyyUz3Y0U6O_IFpTzgVrRKLqe7uJw-0LVDkkjfIOIzA4-57076VsxsdUrX4h6JR7FO-J5m5NDcSydL_C36FPrpAyMcH45RPMN8SbYGnLLb1y_vMczP6Jrmx0he2GFx/s1242/Rent.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1242" data-original-width="885" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy-JLTYvaxG-XJHHO4GMbLqrjEsGwkFS_UjAtuL3L9CyqEJOvoZK_XcIJxfOgyyUz3Y0U6O_IFpTzgVrRKLqe7uJw-0LVDkkjfIOIzA4-57076VsxsdUrX4h6JR7FO-J5m5NDcSydL_C36FPrpAyMcH45RPMN8SbYGnLLb1y_vMczP6Jrmx0he2GFx/w285-h400/Rent.png" width="285" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A lost age where renting a computer could be cheaper than buying one. </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>Next is a regular for PCN, the Software Centre (see end of post), offering games for everything from the BBC Micro to VIC 20 via Atari, the ZX81 and the Dragon 32. Many start from under a fiver, but could go as high as £30 and over, especially for Atari software. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4gnoPxYMUfZFvh9leHRZOmv1qa1aF5_QNzuiZmFku_v7IQK-cguoDMXySQ-7Z_PeY5D47yaNnU8Xxixm3Oz2MS26nLUu9cfr0Y28qzD8pyZwEqxIqWa1FK0WO-TcFEkzTNJZNWGzQmSkvuYDAobDIv2EYVNQkWjdkdU-oC8VC9mQRnpRjySTGCfNj/s1237/HP1.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1237" data-original-width="875" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4gnoPxYMUfZFvh9leHRZOmv1qa1aF5_QNzuiZmFku_v7IQK-cguoDMXySQ-7Z_PeY5D47yaNnU8Xxixm3Oz2MS26nLUu9cfr0Y28qzD8pyZwEqxIqWa1FK0WO-TcFEkzTNJZNWGzQmSkvuYDAobDIv2EYVNQkWjdkdU-oC8VC9mQRnpRjySTGCfNj/s320/HP1.png" width="226" /></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipJvAZ-M4lMZJYjAsLfFSoKqpPf-C3GHoCLU078kzu_PgvCyXNKC-FN1T1bcg7xozY9gt6RcR3AGDP25zbZPeObK_M7tMYO2suRTpF-1VZqYns0OLt0BLoU1GeQXxm-7xBezBIMHoBIm5ukNSvVifYaMfa37Tj5j6W_U8aA0ZFo7KwYOVVO51ghYWw/s1237/HP2.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1237" data-original-width="882" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipJvAZ-M4lMZJYjAsLfFSoKqpPf-C3GHoCLU078kzu_PgvCyXNKC-FN1T1bcg7xozY9gt6RcR3AGDP25zbZPeObK_M7tMYO2suRTpF-1VZqYns0OLt0BLoU1GeQXxm-7xBezBIMHoBIm5ukNSvVifYaMfa37Tj5j6W_U8aA0ZFo7KwYOVVO51ghYWw/s320/HP2.png" width="228" /></a></div><br /></div><br /><div>Hewlett Packard was flogging its HP-86 with PPP (Personal Productivity Pac), although no prices were mentioned (look back up this post, it's in the over £1k category), where as CAL were trying to convince potential buyers that its machine was better than an IBM, as well as being British (see end of post). </div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTIyOQW8GhlvtIRXC0HIzYrh_yB29Gx-SvdDizgL9-Te5DRW6bUq8YVWQu6x_4SiY3CWF8Qv2rjfTy_4u0AXWR2f4opLdoHSq_rxo_agcIV6eNtRwV_ugWJUA8XYHl_2356I7pIEAnhwVAo6nAWQNPYBfG7Ie9Tow6gLkiILnMPss_Ha2DGOiuni-7/s1236/Epson.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1236" data-original-width="873" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTIyOQW8GhlvtIRXC0HIzYrh_yB29Gx-SvdDizgL9-Te5DRW6bUq8YVWQu6x_4SiY3CWF8Qv2rjfTy_4u0AXWR2f4opLdoHSq_rxo_agcIV6eNtRwV_ugWJUA8XYHl_2356I7pIEAnhwVAo6nAWQNPYBfG7Ie9Tow6gLkiILnMPss_Ha2DGOiuni-7/w283-h400/Epson.png" width="283" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some mixed messaging there between desktops and portables. </td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div>Epson had their QX-10 "Human compatible business micro" that thinks you should be impressed by the machine on your desk... if you had much of a desk left by the time that base unit was plonked on it. To be fair though, most business machines were similarly as huge. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0UcSth1IAmDIiktewTqZksAVJwxqpWU0XR5LeKl4U1zhoS53eWj1uJGw-NTkhVlZofPEqIPcPEe3_QtqHKmV8eGs1Gs-IqPaq255w-_21qP-WZMCuLTA8uXwx8WjlhqhX7Xefe-Yuif7NVcarDzWnN2LD7PDQad3Q1cILAaFQ9A0W1bGgtoWKAbkn/s1241/Ahkter.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1241" data-original-width="873" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0UcSth1IAmDIiktewTqZksAVJwxqpWU0XR5LeKl4U1zhoS53eWj1uJGw-NTkhVlZofPEqIPcPEe3_QtqHKmV8eGs1Gs-IqPaq255w-_21qP-WZMCuLTA8uXwx8WjlhqhX7Xefe-Yuif7NVcarDzWnN2LD7PDQad3Q1cILAaFQ9A0W1bGgtoWKAbkn/w281-h400/Ahkter.png" width="281" /></a></div><br /><div>Akhter Instruments Ltd were going all in on the Texas Instruments TI 99/4A, selling it for a low price of just £149.95. They had plenty of peripherals and tons of software too, so if that was to be your machine of choice, they had you covered. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNclqSjbLA-pWjAcr8CfV4hT8i_MJmOGg1u_Y3clc4CyMzeICQ9v4wdDUKrOuyL3aMz6LY51qSEYNc3PULCgEXecu_au-Rj9CWbgms3EhOBWvQocvyU9Mn-BK7ZZHbX2i1my6JRr4ZSSnE3UevdO5sIz2y5Wa0oy-Ek-J6wa56NrmG9NKZhBXlKvWZ/s1236/Silica%201.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1236" data-original-width="874" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNclqSjbLA-pWjAcr8CfV4hT8i_MJmOGg1u_Y3clc4CyMzeICQ9v4wdDUKrOuyL3aMz6LY51qSEYNc3PULCgEXecu_au-Rj9CWbgms3EhOBWvQocvyU9Mn-BK7ZZHbX2i1my6JRr4ZSSnE3UevdO5sIz2y5Wa0oy-Ek-J6wa56NrmG9NKZhBXlKvWZ/w283-h400/Silica%201.png" width="283" /></a></div><br /><div>But what's this? Could it be? Yep, it is Silica Shop (whose adverts were ever present once the 16-bit generation kicked in). Their first page is a cornucopia of retro gaming goodies: the Mattel Aquarius for just £79, the Colecovision for a fair bit more (£147), where are the Vectrex was a bargain £149 - remember, it had its own display. Those Atari 400/800 prices don't look too bad either. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPG9tscoUFR2EklBRLpxQ6y3Lw3Cksipvsv-plSPyMKFu9M2m40pObQB1NxRLnom-9AKN4AcPeZjnlijPUgW3an0IcZpj0Pp-ijuEP06Rb0AFqXD9ZMP_wUvH6fCE__WgCpJ0G2vlfgZpbksExPjFFa-StfxWM1EVRlt6DStOFCDBuDgbCFvj7hyphenhyphenRv/s1244/Silica%202.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1244" data-original-width="872" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPG9tscoUFR2EklBRLpxQ6y3Lw3Cksipvsv-plSPyMKFu9M2m40pObQB1NxRLnom-9AKN4AcPeZjnlijPUgW3an0IcZpj0Pp-ijuEP06Rb0AFqXD9ZMP_wUvH6fCE__WgCpJ0G2vlfgZpbksExPjFFa-StfxWM1EVRlt6DStOFCDBuDgbCFvj7hyphenhyphenRv/w280-h400/Silica%202.png" width="280" /></a></div><br /><div>Page two is less starry. Although that VCS price looks tempting, that's for second hand machines, and the Intellisvion seems to be forgotten even though it's quite the bargain at £98. There again, this was the time of the home micro in Britain so consoles were less of a thing. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0b1W_HuVJ_LBR04qBmzC2Vcuqx33o658GwmcTc32132KkotjF9INXH8vJJqhejJDQBe64Px2lht8r48FPXNzoPjjiNDldmMwFdoqhzXl8Af1vDbr-kX6RWi2bZsJpFFHfsy8PWEYIwlQI9_i2jujzXB6wNB9rjZygmPzmLNRV1IVXPqTUQNWWHxV2/s546/Job.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="546" data-original-width="365" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0b1W_HuVJ_LBR04qBmzC2Vcuqx33o658GwmcTc32132KkotjF9INXH8vJJqhejJDQBe64Px2lht8r48FPXNzoPjjiNDldmMwFdoqhzXl8Af1vDbr-kX6RWi2bZsJpFFHfsy8PWEYIwlQI9_i2jujzXB6wNB9rjZygmPzmLNRV1IVXPqTUQNWWHxV2/w268-h400/Job.png" width="268" /></a></div><br /><div>One last ad (and a tangent) is for a Sales Executive. Based around London and the Home Counties, this position offered a £9k basic wage, £16 on target, and a company car. Convert that to today's money, that's about £29-52k now. There again, average house prices were around £24k and interest rates were around 9.8%. Makes you think...</div><div><br /></div><div>Anyway, that's a PCN issue from 1983. Like most, if not all things past, a different country, but interesting to see how things were before DOS slowly took over the world. The question is now, which year do we go to next?</div></div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2hB_w7u3b2U5mKayyLkmgIEx9dxf0quZyjOTEeAKQeMiwGRahpkQMQcMz9ToOaaqNKk8akVsi9CSF6gmTUorVW0yjU1p2WZ8bouZUyiyQzcNU2AbJT1izbsXjnL-PIjyWiJ63_KBPg32lrHgIb-KXEqrZ7yNGW2zExMMreQXwFoEblG-mGjMrXH0t/s1238/Software%20Centre.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1238" data-original-width="871" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2hB_w7u3b2U5mKayyLkmgIEx9dxf0quZyjOTEeAKQeMiwGRahpkQMQcMz9ToOaaqNKk8akVsi9CSF6gmTUorVW0yjU1p2WZ8bouZUyiyQzcNU2AbJT1izbsXjnL-PIjyWiJ63_KBPg32lrHgIb-KXEqrZ7yNGW2zExMMreQXwFoEblG-mGjMrXH0t/w281-h400/Software%20Centre.png" width="281" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Software Centre</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTgJKmPb7WIT6aL7XgZuY9K6TIlnkctyO0qTedL9ufITv4rIvX8SlkhiGhO620Zp-14bD552U0ZzQbNvq6lFRyHm1JgugTCCpCZsaZJo9u5H1ysT3-DgOI8jTiClTb7q8p_PuG2uyFghIA8PbwG1vRURwgBKmfoBWkt8aXPgQKna5eVzHmU7q_bcnZ/s1241/CAL1.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1241" data-original-width="874" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTgJKmPb7WIT6aL7XgZuY9K6TIlnkctyO0qTedL9ufITv4rIvX8SlkhiGhO620Zp-14bD552U0ZzQbNvq6lFRyHm1JgugTCCpCZsaZJo9u5H1ysT3-DgOI8jTiClTb7q8p_PuG2uyFghIA8PbwG1vRURwgBKmfoBWkt8aXPgQKna5eVzHmU7q_bcnZ/w281-h400/CAL1.png" width="281" /></a><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmpAHUWyhJyuF5ReOFFOFKFALQ5oRHqu6ox9aMPZ9_xvwmFJ024USx_fp9KcHTS8HNINk5HQsonZkmARNTa6Ev6UMktfArkJ5bISyhZHEbFgvACbI7nMnl-9-ZDOHCApwQ0SkNjRUBOcBCotY2oy2-AxCUbONoTuJARF5TKu6vKkQWJdiTNr_V2MG-/s1244/CAL2.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1244" data-original-width="877" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmpAHUWyhJyuF5ReOFFOFKFALQ5oRHqu6ox9aMPZ9_xvwmFJ024USx_fp9KcHTS8HNINk5HQsonZkmARNTa6Ev6UMktfArkJ5bISyhZHEbFgvACbI7nMnl-9-ZDOHCApwQ0SkNjRUBOcBCotY2oy2-AxCUbONoTuJARF5TKu6vKkQWJdiTNr_V2MG-/w283-h400/CAL2.png" width="283" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">CAL</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><br /><div><br /></div>Andrew the Tekkiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01757282676248834026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3359642955101086116.post-4741016133367952862024-03-03T09:45:00.001+00:002024-03-03T09:45:36.398+00:00The History of the Adventure Video Game by Christopher Carton - Book Review<p>This is a bit of a belated review as I didn't get round to reading Mr Carton's fourth book until after Christmas, which is quite bad considering I bought it on back in September! Sorry! Anyway, I've had the time to give this a considered read and, with maybe one minor niggle, this is a very good book on a video games genre that, having peaked in the early 1990's, is now experiencing very much of a renaissance. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglSDalyVR9goXQXhkRv_8HZq-PrYL0H3t2sixbhXSJk3_4awjRyEHdmwBlrmP08dtJTxaXKyOtKafLw7CtRkhtcndZF5mTDbD8DOiCjF8OGjJhm1RucMJ8w9Bogd-7z8z8jfdaqWZRgpSpqdhbKwfZm3uzjr6uR5hG9MI7uxD9lG1upEjbRmTgsXqv/s5712/IMG_1405.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5712" data-original-width="4284" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglSDalyVR9goXQXhkRv_8HZq-PrYL0H3t2sixbhXSJk3_4awjRyEHdmwBlrmP08dtJTxaXKyOtKafLw7CtRkhtcndZF5mTDbD8DOiCjF8OGjJhm1RucMJ8w9Bogd-7z8z8jfdaqWZRgpSpqdhbKwfZm3uzjr6uR5hG9MI7uxD9lG1upEjbRmTgsXqv/w300-h400/IMG_1405.jpeg" width="300" /></a></div><p>This 150 page hardback is up to the usual high standards for a White Owl publication. Stock quality is good and the plethora of screenshots within pop off the page. The text itself is quite large, making it an easy to read tome with no chance of eye strain even for my tired old peepers - and yes, I mentioned this last week too! Separate reading glasses are inbound as I type. </p><p>There are six chapters in total, starting with the very beginning of the adventure game genre and text adventures. Colossal Cave Adventure, Zork, and The Hobbit are specifically mentioned, although there are countless more of their kind. My personal enmity is reserved for The Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy which had me stumped on the CPC back in the day, although a recent couple of RISC OS text adventures (Gateway to Karos and The Mirror of Khoronz - <a href="http://www.boulsworth.co.uk/intfict/">http://www.boulsworth.co.uk/intfict/</a>) did keep me entertained in the run up to the festive period.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU9wP0lImruSZ72xY1d2qDkA41-HszUKUoyBRCa1i3xCm_OcOY1DWOAsvQOpCJv_rwZ369yAdIKSeqkGkGiOXFw5EWQQ9zuAaS27LWglWCol5l69_ZppphYDTSGAuhxjiv-ZR_3kku4xFKdhBw6zD3zLROIYwuJfPaEw88Y-mRhB3tE2T_z0tjmLaL/s5712/IMG_1406.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5712" data-original-width="4284" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU9wP0lImruSZ72xY1d2qDkA41-HszUKUoyBRCa1i3xCm_OcOY1DWOAsvQOpCJv_rwZ369yAdIKSeqkGkGiOXFw5EWQQ9zuAaS27LWglWCol5l69_ZppphYDTSGAuhxjiv-ZR_3kku4xFKdhBw6zD3zLROIYwuJfPaEw88Y-mRhB3tE2T_z0tjmLaL/w300-h400/IMG_1406.jpeg" width="300" /></a></div><p>The second chapter moves on to the beginning of the graphical adventure and the works of Ken and Roberta Williams. Yep, Sierra On-Line were <i>the</i> name in adventure throughout the 1980's and early 90's. As well as their early titles, each of the main series (King's Quest, Space Quest, Police Quest) are covered along with Leisure Suit Larry, Gabriel Knight (a personal favourite) and the later CD-ROM adventures such as fantastic Phantasmagoria. </p><p>Next up is LucasArts, from their take on Labyrinth to their final effort, The Dig. Between those two titles are some of the most revered examples of the genre, and this chapter highlights the love and affection the author has for adventure games. It can be difficult to write about specific releases when they've already been covered to death, but Mr Carton manages to bring a freshness to the descriptions of these gaming legends. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpzBBndSqSOFr9Kava7O4T36d1IY27vLqS_7NUrlZQdAe1R5Q_bW_LUegwNNSP7cRq59ksASPWDugwLBEKUdB8_Pdp9S8TFNRqExppo1C0qqBxsAaPNKKk1JejWswSmgrLDtrw4FUgiFvt31wfzjkpyFtlHNtlWWY3Cy2cpMZou2aCyvp0LDSwsEk-/s5712/IMG_1409.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5712" data-original-width="4284" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpzBBndSqSOFr9Kava7O4T36d1IY27vLqS_7NUrlZQdAe1R5Q_bW_LUegwNNSP7cRq59ksASPWDugwLBEKUdB8_Pdp9S8TFNRqExppo1C0qqBxsAaPNKKk1JejWswSmgrLDtrw4FUgiFvt31wfzjkpyFtlHNtlWWY3Cy2cpMZou2aCyvp0LDSwsEk-/w300-h400/IMG_1409.jpeg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">That's got to be a caption competition opportunity.</td></tr></tbody></table><p>Chapter four is all about influential classics and goes through a whole menagerie of them. From The 7th Guest to Putt Putt, Broken Sword to Discworld, Simon the Sorcerer to Myst, this collection highlights the different styles and approaches to the adventure game as it developed throughout the 90's and beyond. That some series are still in active development is testament to the appeal of the adventure game, and if I could justify the expense (and accept Meta's data collection policies, which is a <i>big</i> deal), I'd be playing The 7th Guest in VR now. Modern day examples such as the Life is Strange series also get a mention. </p><p>Telltale Games is the subject of the fifth chapter, with their (mostly) licensed output, becoming a near standard in the genre as the noughties became the teens. Prolific doesn't begin to cover how many games they released, and there are some gems in there too. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-obgomh9sNqV2HCXRGauGCGRvxufIIdmn1HS3Papt3CuE5gkDrMhmsI6mDMrVmJEDRiPmTD5zOnm-Q04ReM51ZOmRAZWztMJiPHgcvEf1hfozXDRX3ORgIGYg71EI5ImXWeBTbGSq24B7lgmuZzyV4hcufa0K0Tt9OdkVe9xHHdajEl6E-A1AkHKi/s5712/IMG_1408.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5712" data-original-width="4284" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-obgomh9sNqV2HCXRGauGCGRvxufIIdmn1HS3Papt3CuE5gkDrMhmsI6mDMrVmJEDRiPmTD5zOnm-Q04ReM51ZOmRAZWztMJiPHgcvEf1hfozXDRX3ORgIGYg71EI5ImXWeBTbGSq24B7lgmuZzyV4hcufa0K0Tt9OdkVe9xHHdajEl6E-A1AkHKi/w300-h400/IMG_1408.jpeg" width="300" /></a></div><p>The final chapter details the return of the classic adventure game, with the likes of Thimbleweed Park, Broken Age and Return to Monkey Island featuring, again demonstrating the ever present love of the genre by its fans and the support they give to new releases. It is also a fine way to end the book. </p><p>However, I mentioned a niggle in the opening paragraph, and although absolutely nowhere near enough to even consider not recommending this book, it should be noted. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWuDdwZWtZ3owts0VU-3s9SGBNwfaZFlHUBHlo9NntWyEOoSsMqI-3ghRrjMdOOYoHMELfcc_36nv8EvTzpL7VOU_fUg6v4zv7rzRmJmVeQJKjy1HZaMksj7PS0ydrir8KXNwQYY3KlK2ci0gyWqAB6RGNH3OwxBvVhy5XIwjqaDElRHLoS1ipEjde/s5712/IMG_1407.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5712" data-original-width="4284" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWuDdwZWtZ3owts0VU-3s9SGBNwfaZFlHUBHlo9NntWyEOoSsMqI-3ghRrjMdOOYoHMELfcc_36nv8EvTzpL7VOU_fUg6v4zv7rzRmJmVeQJKjy1HZaMksj7PS0ydrir8KXNwQYY3KlK2ci0gyWqAB6RGNH3OwxBvVhy5XIwjqaDElRHLoS1ipEjde/w300-h400/IMG_1407.jpeg" width="300" /></a></div><p>It would have been nice to have a bit more coverage on the indie scene. These efforts have brought weird and wonderful titles to adventure game aficionados. <a href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/521560/The_Mystery_Of_Woolley_Mountain/" target="_blank">The Mystery of Woolley Mountain</a>, <a href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/761460/Lamplight_City/" target="_blank">Lamplight City</a>, <a href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/1532710/Lucy_Dreaming/" target="_blank">Lucy Dreaming</a> - just three releases from outside of the mainstream market that thrive on the likes of Steam et al (and which I have reviewed for Fusion magazine, as well as the more recently released <a href="https://store.steampowered.com/app/2174720/The_Will_of_Arthur_Flabbington/" target="_blank">The Will Of Arthur Flabbington</a>). I know this book isn't a <i>comprehensive</i> guide to the field of adventure games, but some of the best games of their type in the last few years have come from that arena. That being said, to give full due the indie adventure scene would probably need separate book all of its own. </p><p>Still, this doesn't take away from my opinion that if you want a general overview of adventure games, then this one from Christopher Carton has you covered. Easily readable and handsomely bedecked with pictures galore, it's another fine addition to the bookshelf. You can pick up a copy from the usual online/physical book retailers, as well as direct from the publisher <a href="https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/The-History-of-the-Adventure-Video-Game-Hardback/p/23650" target="_blank">here</a>. You can also follow the author on Twitter/X - search for @chriscarton89.</p>Andrew the Tekkiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01757282676248834026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3359642955101086116.post-42250205713210746012024-02-25T10:11:00.000+00:002024-02-25T10:11:02.804+00:00The Video Games Guide by Matt Fox - Book Review<p>I love a good rummage around charity shops. There is something to be said about finding old or out of print books, CD's etc, and also supporting a charity where you can. In this instance, a quick visit into the (now sadly closed) Oak Tree Animals charity shop in the Washington Galleries led me to this, a review compilation I'd never seen before, for three quid. Sold!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiBYpCRGC7V10SOlC8qabpkojGH926wn7-QJfMbgHSEN6RwAtgGGdvALDAyAw9_vqE8H7M1XdtDlV5t459qS1jOf0LJ3E9iMOebYPh0TBf2d-IcWnZXehAan2BEW7l7q6V9HNnX8bar0t1UoPSJyw-tDo_U5WJXVKDEnzT3guRUWd54hAwKU-HSKrS/s3277/IMG_1240.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3277" data-original-width="3169" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiBYpCRGC7V10SOlC8qabpkojGH926wn7-QJfMbgHSEN6RwAtgGGdvALDAyAw9_vqE8H7M1XdtDlV5t459qS1jOf0LJ3E9iMOebYPh0TBf2d-IcWnZXehAan2BEW7l7q6V9HNnX8bar0t1UoPSJyw-tDo_U5WJXVKDEnzT3guRUWd54hAwKU-HSKrS/w386-h400/IMG_1240.jpeg" width="386" /></a></div><p>Published in 2006, the guide offers to take the reader from Pong to PlayStation 3, and given that it clocks in at 550 pages, it feels like it could do decent work. Flicking through the pages shows a clean layout and decently sized text - not too large to pad the tome out, not too small to cause eyestrain to your humble scribe.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHkifuGQ5ogO3JCaE2r1TYLezkdQolhdzQelvhg5HAZNSeRYOW5Tpr8yzkenEsFlbu-bECbG6Icbmpbh0yQORLZLlGn1QJ0sPOhHeg5-pwCg-qjuMw0pKotB1NkJZXRTcwLO8r7De3gwevgBsHC3S_WgmqxzCQJEmAMtARkUhWOT3KGudHMj_o6zxs/s4005/IMG_1241.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4005" data-original-width="3779" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHkifuGQ5ogO3JCaE2r1TYLezkdQolhdzQelvhg5HAZNSeRYOW5Tpr8yzkenEsFlbu-bECbG6Icbmpbh0yQORLZLlGn1QJ0sPOhHeg5-pwCg-qjuMw0pKotB1NkJZXRTcwLO8r7De3gwevgBsHC3S_WgmqxzCQJEmAMtARkUhWOT3KGudHMj_o6zxs/w378-h400/IMG_1241.jpeg" width="378" /></a></div><p>The foreword is from Tim and Chris Stamper, whom at the point of publication were still at Rare (they would depart the company they co-founded the following year), and is a nice kick off to the contents proper - the games. </p><p>Arranged alphabetically, each title gets a star rating, details of developer, publisher, platform and year of release, then a write up by Mr Fox. Games are awarded scores out of five, with five going to a classic and one being poor. It's the in between that only kind of makes sense to me - four stars denotes excellence, three is good and two is fair. This does, in my humble opinion, weigh the scoring system to good or better titles. Given that the "comprehensive guide" wouldn't want to focus solely on bad games, and it could be argued that unless you deliberately target the crap end of the spectrum, you're going to have a predominance of three star games and above. In any case, every five star title gets a screenshot in the colour plate section in the centre of the book. The screenshots aren't huge but make a nice break from the text. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc54GUw3q0dGqFOAia71gA8_37EnyA9EATsOwzM770uS76GKRJ-r28pPoNwYfbhzIalJN4hLzpfDsKTCNPNaGIuQBQjBYBFHgPEHr_VTgFG8vrNBP5IjSTdxub_b-IFj06ANrwPMtIxz28G9XQC92cxEaO7U4Fc9waQ6k2mg5b0YWHDn6zCg5MpNDK/s5712/IMG_1245.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5712" data-original-width="4284" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc54GUw3q0dGqFOAia71gA8_37EnyA9EATsOwzM770uS76GKRJ-r28pPoNwYfbhzIalJN4hLzpfDsKTCNPNaGIuQBQjBYBFHgPEHr_VTgFG8vrNBP5IjSTdxub_b-IFj06ANrwPMtIxz28G9XQC92cxEaO7U4Fc9waQ6k2mg5b0YWHDn6zCg5MpNDK/w300-h400/IMG_1245.jpeg" width="300" /></a></div><p>Starting at A, it soon becomes clear that the author knew his stuff when he started writing this book. Commentary is fair, albeit within the bounds that these are his opinions, and yours (and mine) can and will differ. Airwolf on the ZX Spectrum, for example, isn't worth two stars any day of the week, and the two stars Headhunter for the Dreamcast gets is a travesty! I also wouldn't consider SSX or Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2003 absolute classics (best spoken in a Welsh accent), but there you go. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCmG5An-nB6WEbhp8sBnp3afyLviCX5W5RLLct8r8oUNMzlWuvu2TiDyT86OooBE4R7fx5iDDs0K0WKV1sE6y-DO4EwiL8HrZXnjai11JH-sq3j3Swji5xJXO5eDJL1xZP0U1mPEB2vNNZlaLUOO459OpwBQeCWJUgPJVbwQgxoBfBu1DyezvVyHmW/s5712/IMG_1243.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5712" data-original-width="4284" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCmG5An-nB6WEbhp8sBnp3afyLviCX5W5RLLct8r8oUNMzlWuvu2TiDyT86OooBE4R7fx5iDDs0K0WKV1sE6y-DO4EwiL8HrZXnjai11JH-sq3j3Swji5xJXO5eDJL1xZP0U1mPEB2vNNZlaLUOO459OpwBQeCWJUgPJVbwQgxoBfBu1DyezvVyHmW/w300-h400/IMG_1243.jpeg" width="300" /></a></div><p>Once you've passed Z, there's a chronology of the entries, from 1962 (Spacewar, naturally) to 2006 (too many to mention), followed by the similar list for hardware (DEC PDP-1 to Sony's PlayStation 3). Programmers and Designers get their own section, with a curated selection of games awards lists falling between those and the glossary. </p><p>Covering a five decade period, of course there are going to be games that are missed out, but at the same time, there are some obscure releases that get a proper mention, so swings and roundabouts abound. If I am going to be really picky, the entry for Zarch/Virus did grate a little. The full article is under the Virus entry, with Zarch's referring the reader to that. Virus may be the name people of a certain vintage remember the mouse-threatening controls, but the original was Zarch and as it's rated a four, surely deserves to be remembered under its original and best guise? </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFuR-CDG3x28ZUL5p3Hx0agb688dDepsysN8-VmtbqSsWkpeDjzg1kVBo1gwwy5g8qpICqRRzkYz6Qm1LkUQVPJHiPLbHZH37ylFHaPMUkd_H_N1tMjvfMRAuavXY2dwasfFexwLwBP5wOzVgY25vn5EYaXiK5JmGjwm-PrOLTE3-sfF1yQ2aF6GSQ/s5712/IMG_1244.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5712" data-original-width="4284" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFuR-CDG3x28ZUL5p3Hx0agb688dDepsysN8-VmtbqSsWkpeDjzg1kVBo1gwwy5g8qpICqRRzkYz6Qm1LkUQVPJHiPLbHZH37ylFHaPMUkd_H_N1tMjvfMRAuavXY2dwasfFexwLwBP5wOzVgY25vn5EYaXiK5JmGjwm-PrOLTE3-sfF1yQ2aF6GSQ/w300-h400/IMG_1244.jpeg" width="300" /></a></div><p>To be fair, The Video Games Guide is, to most, a curio of a long gone era - 2006 was a long time ago, yet it also provides a well written, handy resource for those who wish to learn about some of the less well known gems as well as the clunkers that tend to be forgotten. Voyeur on the CDi, anyone?</p><p>I am pleased I picked this up, not only for the charitable cause but also for the different points of view it gives on a wide selection of (now very) historical games. If the history of the art form holds your attention, then you'll get much use out of this book. Secondhand copies are available (at the time of writing) on Amazon for not much more than I paid for my copy, so have at it if you wish. I know I'll be referring to my copy for years to come. </p>Andrew the Tekkiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01757282676248834026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3359642955101086116.post-10914507448913320832024-02-17T10:26:00.001+00:002024-02-17T10:26:11.129+00:00Magazines of Yesteryear - What Personal Computer? Issue 14 - September 1990<p>The last issue of What Personal Computer? I looked at carried the news of Amstrad's latest attempt to become relevant with a 286 in late 1991. That didn't work out too well for them, but what about the company that began the whole x86/DOS shenanigans in the first place? In the September 1990 issue, Big Blue provided an answer to the question: what PC do you sell to the average consumer?. Well, they thought they did, but at least it got a cover photo. And yes, kids, computers were both as beige and as downright ugly back then too. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq73zZDWw-vriWs00B0lIwJxosAvj3AoX6qVdCZLtgi7aGR0Hv52jkcbrQJhtuVq6n-na_4MGwnj-A_kIZFzPcu4z9qv_yJK0JooKa2C3a3P_HftdyAl0F8XnkfIERZuzcWy0EHWa4DV8yzy0HWbIk2qQ1qA28NWDC4H8D0Q8Op7Qw38qGKIxy7-yT/s3601/IMG_1258.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3601" data-original-width="3409" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq73zZDWw-vriWs00B0lIwJxosAvj3AoX6qVdCZLtgi7aGR0Hv52jkcbrQJhtuVq6n-na_4MGwnj-A_kIZFzPcu4z9qv_yJK0JooKa2C3a3P_HftdyAl0F8XnkfIERZuzcWy0EHWa4DV8yzy0HWbIk2qQ1qA28NWDC4H8D0Q8Op7Qw38qGKIxy7-yT/w379-h400/IMG_1258.jpeg" width="379" /></a></div><p>The main news item was rapidly decreasing PC prices. Elonex were knocking £200 off their 386V/33 (a 33MHz 386 system as if you couldn't tell, featuring the EISA (Extended Industry Standard Architecture) bus - an open competitor to IBM's more strictly controlled MCA (Micro Channel Architecture) bus), taking the headline price down to £2,295 ex VAT for the 40Mb HD mono model. Similarly, their 286 40Mb VGA colour system was down to £1,145 ex, and the 386SX equivalent comes in at a "mere £1,395." Mere, they say? Olivetti took £100 off both their PCS86 and PCS286 ranges, whilst Gandlake (1990's computing equivalent to Accrington "Who are they?" Stanley) priced their entry 286 at £899, a £96 cut.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH7XttitV6QX6tMZgjDrzqP41NPfyXuu1jJih2goHc1VkrEI4m98qdO_NImdbbRB-tc0lSTsZFSz9pv4WpMKfO6crRpR9jg6D-Z3rjsitGBqLFjdJ2Bs1yX04yi8gMNrQE5HplnwmThKh5pt_5PLoBoArHflHzMUwLnY_e7sgtcL_ZpivqET_JQv8F/s4590/IMG_1259.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2894" data-original-width="4590" height="253" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH7XttitV6QX6tMZgjDrzqP41NPfyXuu1jJih2goHc1VkrEI4m98qdO_NImdbbRB-tc0lSTsZFSz9pv4WpMKfO6crRpR9jg6D-Z3rjsitGBqLFjdJ2Bs1yX04yi8gMNrQE5HplnwmThKh5pt_5PLoBoArHflHzMUwLnY_e7sgtcL_ZpivqET_JQv8F/w400-h253/IMG_1259.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><p>In other news, DR-DOS was hitting version 5, adding additional memory management for those 640/384Kb blues, as well as a disk cacheing ability to improve disk access times. A new release of MS-DOS was rumoured but the report notes that it probably wasn't going to be called MS-DOS 5. Oh, what little faith yea had in imaginative marketing types... MS-DOS 5 would land in June 1991. Apple also gets a mention in the news - a new model rumoured to be called the Classic, which did in fact hit the market in October 1990.</p><p>The first feature we get to is the Bunch Test, this month comparing laser printers under £2,000. You may snigger at the back, but in 1990, that was budget level. The winner was the Panasonic KX-P4420, rocking a £1,395 price tag, quick performance and extra fonts. It only emulated a LaserJet (the then-defacto standard for laser printers), and was a tad chunky, but was otherwise good enough to take the crown. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkaQVff8ELNUB7lQiB33fUp04qGu73C24HwNXSOfdDvtanIR6TZIbgf66C0p_kL5t4HnWA_kfrK-OXdMOFKsdi3aOGPfypyiazBiBCEFrl0x7qN7Duis30ATHPHr8MmxfTPtFqadkojUZXz21ENC0AUyWQqpMXF7rLFFx54EdiYYCgV1xKOwtWnTiD/s4660/IMG_1264.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4660" data-original-width="3315" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkaQVff8ELNUB7lQiB33fUp04qGu73C24HwNXSOfdDvtanIR6TZIbgf66C0p_kL5t4HnWA_kfrK-OXdMOFKsdi3aOGPfypyiazBiBCEFrl0x7qN7Duis30ATHPHr8MmxfTPtFqadkojUZXz21ENC0AUyWQqpMXF7rLFFx54EdiYYCgV1xKOwtWnTiD/w285-h400/IMG_1264.jpeg" width="285" /></a></div><p>The cover star is next, and it really does look nasty. Expansion by additional slices can work (the pinnacle of which was Acorn's Risc PC in 1994), but here it just looks clunky. That second, 5.25" floppy, looks like it'd be blocked by the keyboard on smaller desks, yet the 3.5" drive, for all of its weird angular looks, defined IBM's aesthetic of the period, and I still kind of like the cut of its jib - just not the box it's attached to. As for the rest of the hardware, this home-targeted machine was merely average. A 10MHz 286, 3.5" 1.44Mb floppy, a 30Mb hard drive and VGA graphics. However, the negatives outweighed even these slight benefits. Standard RAM was 512Kb, although you could buy a board with an extra 512Kb to experience the joys of that 640/384Kb split. Two proprietary slots (IBM, proprietary? I'm shocked, I tell you, shocked!), could handle a modem and a joystick/audio card, but if you needed 16-bit ISA slots, an additional expansion box could be purchased. No tools were needed for fitting said box, but as it followed the design footprint of the base unit, full length cards were excluded. The final verdict? To quote the boxout, "If you know enough about computers to read this mag, you know enough to leave the PS/1 alone." Ouch! It didn't help that UK pricing wasn't confirmed either, and the recently launched Amstrad PC2286 could give you a larger hard drive and monitor (14" instead of 12" - back in those CRT days, the extra inches often counted), for around a grand excluding the Chancellor's cut. </p><p>A feature on the NeXT machine posits that next-gen PC's will probably look like the NeXT Cube, as well as offering a new GUI-based operating system. A complete package offered 8Mb of RAM, a 40Mb hard drive, 17" Mega Pixel (their words, not mine) display and a 230Mb capacity optical drive for £6,495. At that price, the GUI may be wondrous, but Macs were cheaper (well, some were), and Acorn had RISC OS on its £649 A3000. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYmgu0phkGQMpCqfN8nTNPFlEW4zE8UBBH0QDO9-wGxQ9erCxvFyQCBHYSt86Jd7iAEFBvhJl8RQsmp_bNNc-_O7c46rEdRkxlkqZnWo0G4E21oqBieMubEJDML1HJchxmsZgY4yxq9Tm8rtW0weSBtTUS7ESccypllCeIz1XZmVyPRa_it6MFW1Z8/s4827/IMG_1266.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2954" data-original-width="4827" height="245" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYmgu0phkGQMpCqfN8nTNPFlEW4zE8UBBH0QDO9-wGxQ9erCxvFyQCBHYSt86Jd7iAEFBvhJl8RQsmp_bNNc-_O7c46rEdRkxlkqZnWo0G4E21oqBieMubEJDML1HJchxmsZgY4yxq9Tm8rtW0weSBtTUS7ESccypllCeIz1XZmVyPRa_it6MFW1Z8/w400-h245/IMG_1266.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><p>286 workstations go head to head on page 54, with Mitac and Compaq both trying to justify why you should spend £1,399 and £1,895 respectively. They're mostly evenly specc'd - the Mitac edges out the Compaq with its 12.5MHz chip (as opposed to 12MHz), and it's extended VGA display options (800x600). It's a smidge faster than the Compaq but the latter has the option of up to 13Mb of RAM - at a price, of course - £2,730 <i>on top</i> of the base config. The reviewer does note that corporate buyers would go for the Compaq name, but as he's not a large corporation, he'd go for the Mitac, and I can't say I blame him. </p><p>CAD packages receive a round up (EasyCAD 2 for the win), before we reach the reviews section, the most notable of which is the Sygnos 68 LCD monitor. For £799, you got an 8 x 6 inch mono VGA (black on white or white on black) display. Whilst very restful on the eyes for text entry, ghosting made it marginal for anything else, but the review notes that it is recommended to pregnant women worried about CRT display radiation. Yes, that was.a thing. and it wasn't until 1992 that the Swedish Govermnent legislated for the maximum amount of radiation a person could experience at half a metre from the display - MPR II was your friend. A preview of the next issue promised a trio of 386's and a round up of accountancy packages, Woohoo, I near nobody cry.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFS14qOKZhBmjjIYQCpeD_6wU8WLzDrSwY2IubXj2E8YNQH7wj0G_kToYIBG2_yrzykc9uxPk6rvPT9gP1uaIN613w5vfrssAMElZWhU4wlmjS44PdMvSG658cE79I0GNdHt2iGQdBQejnAgZefatmq0IrUUXiYa8H-JpSCz-KFdkklDfwnUaxYeTo/s4584/IMG_1260.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4584" data-original-width="3870" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFS14qOKZhBmjjIYQCpeD_6wU8WLzDrSwY2IubXj2E8YNQH7wj0G_kToYIBG2_yrzykc9uxPk6rvPT9gP1uaIN613w5vfrssAMElZWhU4wlmjS44PdMvSG658cE79I0GNdHt2iGQdBQejnAgZefatmq0IrUUXiYa8H-JpSCz-KFdkklDfwnUaxYeTo/w338-h400/IMG_1260.jpeg" width="338" /></a></div><p>As is expected, we now come to the adverts, and it's relatively slim pickings as WPC? was not the tree destroyer that PCW or Computer Shopper were. Diamond Computers are the first major advertiser, offering A500 trade ins for Amiga 2000's. The new A3000 was also on sale, but starting at £2,499, it was a niche machine for most. Page 14 continues the Commodore interest with a double spread on their PC Starter Packs. You could save up to £300 on one - naturally, that was the most expensive PC30 model. The small print points out that the PC30 was £1,199 ex VAT (£1,378.85 inclusive) for a colour VGA 286, and the main blurb about getting sorted for less than £500 was for the 8088 powered mono dual floppy PC10 at £499 ex, (£573.85 inc). </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh14tWUgQJyCZmFpRLM1mEibzPUei86b-mtgO72cvtgdF4Oqz7IsRFDUjXNMgQLNHdevlsTJSZCqJy5q4YsYlGPc0CC852eVrRvOtfedeqeD9h_YBaS8CFnPrj3LQj1OoO5E4cH6g0ObJJ8QJ60tWOdS3XWL1xFHAJo0u29zBeSIdBP34zQce2-ouvD/s4622/IMG_1261.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2799" data-original-width="4622" height="243" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh14tWUgQJyCZmFpRLM1mEibzPUei86b-mtgO72cvtgdF4Oqz7IsRFDUjXNMgQLNHdevlsTJSZCqJy5q4YsYlGPc0CC852eVrRvOtfedeqeD9h_YBaS8CFnPrj3LQj1OoO5E4cH6g0ObJJ8QJ60tWOdS3XWL1xFHAJo0u29zBeSIdBP34zQce2-ouvD/w400-h243/IMG_1261.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><p>MBC were selling 8088-powered hard drive equipped VGA models for £845 inclusive, 286's for £995 and a 16MHz 386 for £1,245. These had tiny hard drives though, so extra money was needed to get up to 40Mb, but MBC were a rarity in advertising VAT inclusive prices. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_XUlO6bJtoqCccqNqh_5aFX1jeqNAbp6RWNB040g23c2aj4WcQieZafIb-dmi9n97A1Ga3kLfOipT7bQ6nE5U4S1b4wjH2k4JfylHjVZipOtCbHeO7A6KqqOkannWMglQdNjVb54STiKfnPfrheG3GHSepviDA9VOq94KvtA_UAQdkDN5bFxPfFGi/s4458/IMG_1262.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4458" data-original-width="3674" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_XUlO6bJtoqCccqNqh_5aFX1jeqNAbp6RWNB040g23c2aj4WcQieZafIb-dmi9n97A1Ga3kLfOipT7bQ6nE5U4S1b4wjH2k4JfylHjVZipOtCbHeO7A6KqqOkannWMglQdNjVb54STiKfnPfrheG3GHSepviDA9VOq94KvtA_UAQdkDN5bFxPfFGi/w330-h400/IMG_1262.jpeg" width="330" /></a></div><p>Time Computers were shifting Amstrads, Olivettis and Tandons. As noted above, Amstrad's 2286 was a budget wonder. The 12' High-Res VGA colour option sneaked under a grand ex VAT, and the PC1640's replacement, the 2086, could give you proper VGA colour for three figures including the Treasury's take. The pesky hard drive issue was sorted by this point, but the damage to Alan's reputation was done.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOoRDSllr78cKNExdf3jDyRBfLweMTlqYOTxo-FplML74-This0vs0urbFqNZkg8tgwROETlcv5sDx0dA2bDVpr_iOxvsqdI47d8NjLQeTnW-FroexmMgIVA9-PL794aO8ICX2JX6MDnW5eUDhTS8bsgoQROeRxcOSPADEu9D8FYV9QpOIxACNbEIj/s3835/IMG_1263.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3835" data-original-width="3184" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOoRDSllr78cKNExdf3jDyRBfLweMTlqYOTxo-FplML74-This0vs0urbFqNZkg8tgwROETlcv5sDx0dA2bDVpr_iOxvsqdI47d8NjLQeTnW-FroexmMgIVA9-PL794aO8ICX2JX6MDnW5eUDhTS8bsgoQROeRxcOSPADEu9D8FYV9QpOIxACNbEIj/w333-h400/IMG_1263.jpeg" width="333" /></a></div><p>Page 68 offered an ad from American Research Corporation of Croydon, Surrey. A 386SX laptop, it boats of "a complete business partner, ergonomically designed, weighing a slim 15.4lbs." To borrow from Senor Inigo Montoya, they kept using those words but I do not think they mean what ARC think they mean. Looking at the pic, "slim" and "ergonomic" seem to be doing as much heavy lifting as that NFL player. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFU70DvY4Dq_TWosFdVODfqL7aM3CnXc0C9jRHnN5mTCs4KYZbi0BJRZuDSCFIsu1jXhRCV2Ej3MNlbPr-X1aYIIOb3bFxocFruKVV3VFO_8qzZMm7qnOIWM6h13j5OIvyJLhcSnM30Rt9fkXhjJlZJvCbwABS1-S8TjIN2vtcyNIUGaZxP2ez4pvE/s4834/IMG_1267.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4834" data-original-width="2229" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFU70DvY4Dq_TWosFdVODfqL7aM3CnXc0C9jRHnN5mTCs4KYZbi0BJRZuDSCFIsu1jXhRCV2Ej3MNlbPr-X1aYIIOb3bFxocFruKVV3VFO_8qzZMm7qnOIWM6h13j5OIvyJLhcSnM30Rt9fkXhjJlZJvCbwABS1-S8TjIN2vtcyNIUGaZxP2ez4pvE/w185-h400/IMG_1267.jpeg" width="185" /></a></div><p>Silica make an appearance with Atari's ABC PC compatible. Sadly, the headline £899 (ex VAT) for a 30Mb and EGA toting 286 fails to point out that the EGA is mono. Colour takes the price up to £999 ex, whilst the Turbo model with SVGA adaptor, monitor and fast disk controller is a much more considerable £1,299 ex. What Atari should have been doing at this point was try to rescue the ST from its fate, but no, they pissed around with DOS compatibles and the Portfolio (Silica add on page 85 - a terrific little handheld for the price, by the way, but not really a core product for Team Tramiel) instead. The same comment could be aimed at Commodore as well.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgggxgVml6wNq25lV8NDwbdDzDf10EnIXxPFUCqW3rSPOdI05sZ9uWKpbODJNecNpQCYu04czdsI2CXw-U0r6_B1-mnF-XtmCUAfhqTOG_f5wGh_TAl-lHvd8NPgmHBKcde-vGEY9DWpvwyqBophPrk1RjKTV7g_j9vYMQpLkfGCvO8ysbwqcuWbW_5/s4173/IMG_1268.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4173" data-original-width="3198" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgggxgVml6wNq25lV8NDwbdDzDf10EnIXxPFUCqW3rSPOdI05sZ9uWKpbODJNecNpQCYu04czdsI2CXw-U0r6_B1-mnF-XtmCUAfhqTOG_f5wGh_TAl-lHvd8NPgmHBKcde-vGEY9DWpvwyqBophPrk1RjKTV7g_j9vYMQpLkfGCvO8ysbwqcuWbW_5/w306-h400/IMG_1268.jpeg" width="306" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqkwhvI6Izxzu0h114rISRj-5As9OPSf8XvVu86A3koKh_IkaNGj5HtoVeN9ff0bvTYR746Ui0EJ41j0lnj2A-y7Q-ZMoJQo5CVyiTSZ_vOplG8cuKHLSKvZUgugsvRbYe94DWDaiXjrh9w7TLkMaJ4W3i315scKDH3tNPHPQU9I4hhZ5D3RbGvKW1/s4221/IMG_1269.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4221" data-original-width="3120" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqkwhvI6Izxzu0h114rISRj-5As9OPSf8XvVu86A3koKh_IkaNGj5HtoVeN9ff0bvTYR746Ui0EJ41j0lnj2A-y7Q-ZMoJQo5CVyiTSZ_vOplG8cuKHLSKvZUgugsvRbYe94DWDaiXjrh9w7TLkMaJ4W3i315scKDH3tNPHPQU9I4hhZ5D3RbGvKW1/w296-h400/IMG_1269.jpeg" width="296" /></a></div><p>If you were really flush, however, you could grab yourself a 486. G-Com Computers offered a good selection of PC's - that 286 wasn't bad even considering the added cost of colour VGA, the 386's provided more power with the caveat that really there was nothing much yet the typical user could take advantage of, but that 486... £2,995 ex for a mono system. You were paying for the power, most surely, but it was just for bragging rights. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB2GdG-qtoD1yFSyXTHQ_YDs6E3ChHa6MEO28lL2BIa-EsX-64TTtbbI-RMFDMIwvuUIiThe0IShuklwuieffWbPqkdsE68zWuupcd1X29f1CnZ2dmqrnfqC74paTNyMw2veKaVUuo7aAGH84I0TylPFgUTRU_U1wnKIAZmiB2Zc30-pDvligyx3pV/s4030/IMG_1265.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4030" data-original-width="3410" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB2GdG-qtoD1yFSyXTHQ_YDs6E3ChHa6MEO28lL2BIa-EsX-64TTtbbI-RMFDMIwvuUIiThe0IShuklwuieffWbPqkdsE68zWuupcd1X29f1CnZ2dmqrnfqC74paTNyMw2veKaVUuo7aAGH84I0TylPFgUTRU_U1wnKIAZmiB2Zc30-pDvligyx3pV/w339-h400/IMG_1265.jpeg" width="339" /></a></div><p>What this issue demonstrates, especially when compared to the last PCW post, is that the DOS PC market was evolving. Sure, it wasn't totally out of the mid-80's business machine category just yet, but it was getting there, a point easily made by the presence of VGA graphics on machines costing way less than a grand inclusive. Hard drives and faster processors would rocket up the price, but a key element of the DOS machine - the display - was now capable of standing against the more home orientated 16-bit competition. </p><p>It would take another year before the 286 hit the mass market, and by then, a grand in cash would buy you a 286 with VGA, hard drive, and with a smidge left over for a sound card. Compare and contrast to the Amiga and ST - both were still cruising off the glory days of the 68000 and a TV. Arguments over operating systems would continue (and worthy of some consideration), but the point I am making here is that what might have seemed like a completely outclassed business only machine in 1987 was, by late 1990, developing into the supreme home computer format. Combine that progress with the frankly crazy corporate attitudes of Commodore and Atari to their homegrown formats, and it wouldn't take much for those who were looking for the best thing in computer games to gravitate towards the PC. </p><p>Next time, a journey further back into the mists of UK computing journalism, with a look at an issue of Personal Computer News, a weekly publication from the early to mid 1980's. </p>Andrew the Tekkiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01757282676248834026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3359642955101086116.post-32562376706474689442024-02-11T09:50:00.000+00:002024-02-11T09:50:49.405+00:00Tailships by John Rodgaard - Book Review<p>There has always been something about Cold War anti-submarine warfare that has fascinated me. From reading (and watching) The Hunt for Red October to devouring Red Storm Rising, playing 688 Attack Sub and Cold Waters, the subject has always had a depth (no apologies) that intrigues. And it is in the less well documented area of the Mediterranean that Helion and Co's recent release focusses its attention: Tailships - The Hunt for Soviet Submarines in the Mediterranean 1970-73.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaCtTDd-6MGZoaIG3fKXI0CX6LVYxUVIHb-CQXmfDDIdVZxJrqK_5HMlP5_72lXGvpiQDz9CsbrqVMkWbxAunACX63TBjOIgmCaGdJHOJ-XSTu3qdhyEpyMxZ0qLGdCtnsElw-LtCDueaVNjp6Pp1WyLVniFoAUUYPpB3b1qX1L9n423BZD0PG6NLU/s4956/IMG_1288.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4956" data-original-width="3796" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaCtTDd-6MGZoaIG3fKXI0CX6LVYxUVIHb-CQXmfDDIdVZxJrqK_5HMlP5_72lXGvpiQDz9CsbrqVMkWbxAunACX63TBjOIgmCaGdJHOJ-XSTu3qdhyEpyMxZ0qLGdCtnsElw-LtCDueaVNjp6Pp1WyLVniFoAUUYPpB3b1qX1L9n423BZD0PG6NLU/w306-h400/IMG_1288.jpeg" width="306" /></a></div><p>You may think that this will be a bit of a dry text considering the topic and the brevity of the period it covers. That cannot be further from the truth. What the author, a 41-year veteran of the US Navy who retired at the rank of Captain, has done is integrate not only the technical and operational aspects of the small fleet of (outdated and obsolete) converted Destroyer Escorts, but also the social aspects of their crews, the process of manning them as well as the effect their deployments had of their families. There is much more to this than just "one ping only, Vasiley." </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgznECC7vXDRGBcXRmS9Zuu-rCM_lBe1dNNRl8GYi2b7U0yop6_DjF-FOoefYq_Eadq9j2kfaScMdtCkZQEMQA9EbhBLNORlZvPHkKQtjOcbaTWC1SsaTqfI3kt6smWfa6f7jf710kIbr5o9X5er0BKx1tlXhHpHvRsXByqOhyEK4XpTtpZZb5g_oUX/s5238/IMG_1289.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5238" data-original-width="4284" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgznECC7vXDRGBcXRmS9Zuu-rCM_lBe1dNNRl8GYi2b7U0yop6_DjF-FOoefYq_Eadq9j2kfaScMdtCkZQEMQA9EbhBLNORlZvPHkKQtjOcbaTWC1SsaTqfI3kt6smWfa6f7jf710kIbr5o9X5er0BKx1tlXhHpHvRsXByqOhyEK4XpTtpZZb5g_oUX/w328-h400/IMG_1289.jpeg" width="328" /></a></div><p>The first couple of chapters set the scene - the Cold War and the importance of anti-submarine warfare. From there, we are given a guide to the theatre of operations, and how the Med was a tricky prospect for those in the ASW game due to its physical characteristics. The core details how the staging of the aging Destroyer Escorts was initiated as well as their operational deployments in-theatre. They quickly demonstrated their usefulness and became a valued capability, despite their mechanical weaknesses and rapid platform obsolescence. Would it be waspish of me to compare the situation to the current Type 23 debacle in the RN? Probably, but no less true. Where that particular organisation is at has many reasons, but running ships with 18-year design lifespans well into their fourth decade has come home to roost. I know, a discussion for another time, but the GP's are thirty plus year old and even the newest ASW ship commissioned nearly 22 years ago, and will be 33 when she reaches her planned decommissioning.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqdv3nlWFTIUqw9NXEnDFOQKXNlF2YZ25CoYl5PhFWUoQKaqTC_E2kTDndZHDEl7VFXEW32KpZblmcTz02hkDb2q2pWLhwXGhgKOObA1D7OEyQDbqUtVWMfHniOaig1xidz9iQUUr4YJ4dhpG_4TDzp14SuobjjH3C6hUe88AoG8w5oFQspOWLgc0w/s5712/IMG_1290.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5712" data-original-width="4284" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqdv3nlWFTIUqw9NXEnDFOQKXNlF2YZ25CoYl5PhFWUoQKaqTC_E2kTDndZHDEl7VFXEW32KpZblmcTz02hkDb2q2pWLhwXGhgKOObA1D7OEyQDbqUtVWMfHniOaig1xidz9iQUUr4YJ4dhpG_4TDzp14SuobjjH3C6hUe88AoG8w5oFQspOWLgc0w/w300-h400/IMG_1290.jpeg" width="300" /></a></div><p></p><p>Back to the Med, and Tailships finishes off with a "what happened next" chapter, running quickly passed the SURTASS ships and the current much needed requirements for having towed array equipped vessels in service. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2YpHSkj0aIkvzDUIFIL72HgQXvqXPwNOktW72zuiya4yUJDfa2BksSL9YS4yUBnmprlfVsEtikqBmkFykd11csAKiLxrUA1GW0Ayduvv1l1jzrgvWfYwym3yQqunlvrv7yB4TOPA3pKEEsRsUzNBoex3OKqNu-yPAckTEEeRv7RXNlW0MqFK5DtUn/s5389/IMG_1292.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4224" data-original-width="5389" height="314" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2YpHSkj0aIkvzDUIFIL72HgQXvqXPwNOktW72zuiya4yUJDfa2BksSL9YS4yUBnmprlfVsEtikqBmkFykd11csAKiLxrUA1GW0Ayduvv1l1jzrgvWfYwym3yQqunlvrv7yB4TOPA3pKEEsRsUzNBoex3OKqNu-yPAckTEEeRv7RXNlW0MqFK5DtUn/w400-h314/IMG_1292.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div><p>Throughout, there are many contemporary photographs, with diagrams and maps detailing deployments, concepts and locales, and the centre section artwork is, as always, a feast for the eyes. The author writes clearly and is as good with technical descriptions as he is with the social studies. The more than comprehensive bibliography at the back is certain to be a source of future reading too. For those looking for action packed sonar hunts, this isn't the book for you, but if you wish to learn more about how such an important capability came into being, and remains as critical today as it did then, then Tailships is the book for you. You can pick it up directly from Helion and Co <a href="https://www.helion.co.uk/military-history-books/tailships-the-hunt-for-soviet-submarines-in-the-mediterranean-1970-1973.php?sid=7024086e78f059652492bce87eaa0539" target="_blank">here</a>.</p>Andrew the Tekkiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01757282676248834026noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3359642955101086116.post-33761741291588383862024-02-03T09:56:00.000+00:002024-02-03T09:56:12.901+00:00Supercade - A Visual History of the Videogame Age 1971-1984 by Van Burnham - Book Review<p>Now this is a coffee table book and a half. First published in 2001, Supercade: A Visual History of the Videogame Age 1971-1984 (hearby just called Supercade 1, for as Yoda said, there is another), aims to address the requirement for demonstrating the aesthetic beauty of videogames as well as its evolution. Over 440+ pages, Van Burnham and a gaggle of contributors lay out the history of the art form as well as the hardware and characters between 1971 and 1984. And it is stunning.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq_LZTd0Nt4fnpvFOVL_PVa2cA0qxXKFEj8SMLIncPrh7rmicFl3nu9GYLO9RSBfONzfAApI6Go7B5dm_oOJZXxk4xi7LwpepwseC_mzLDzZR4v8W0ocLydjoyUvOOpHUterLnEVmwNhGqPlU4ru_bilPv9JihtWVSaU6ejolpPo4aFoUSJ_1-fIsC/s4288/E3D2603E-B0F8-44A3-AF73-E3450718B95A_1_201_a.heic" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4288" data-original-width="4284" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq_LZTd0Nt4fnpvFOVL_PVa2cA0qxXKFEj8SMLIncPrh7rmicFl3nu9GYLO9RSBfONzfAApI6Go7B5dm_oOJZXxk4xi7LwpepwseC_mzLDzZR4v8W0ocLydjoyUvOOpHUterLnEVmwNhGqPlU4ru_bilPv9JihtWVSaU6ejolpPo4aFoUSJ_1-fIsC/w400-h400/E3D2603E-B0F8-44A3-AF73-E3450718B95A_1_201_a.heic" width="400" /></a></div><p>Seriously, this is an art book first and foremost, with full pages dedicated to photography and screen grabs. Artwork pops off the page, and what would now be considered archaic graphical resolutions are celebrated in luxuriously high detail. Indeed, on my first read through, I pretty much ignored the text and looked at the (very) pretty pictures. But there is more to Supercade 1 than just the eye candy. Oh, much, much more...</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIr41XupJ9Ayh3AcpDCeWpWg4oKxPP7AKXyPuyPLfsXS-LhEhq5g2r1pg0bSeO-BIlQ8-O2VNf7LEguCpZWCyFpMebBH4lIDRQ3QUTVoyeYt0nQmE38j5fqXoAKbT-1Nj1vDUeAi0vOZfXKpFDRpP0683-YZv4zxzjcoJIi7eEdywkUn05gDq-Fz-5/s4352/D1ABD81F-FC35-46D7-9555-80E7662FC385_1_201_a.heic" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4352" data-original-width="4284" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIr41XupJ9Ayh3AcpDCeWpWg4oKxPP7AKXyPuyPLfsXS-LhEhq5g2r1pg0bSeO-BIlQ8-O2VNf7LEguCpZWCyFpMebBH4lIDRQ3QUTVoyeYt0nQmE38j5fqXoAKbT-1Nj1vDUeAi0vOZfXKpFDRpP0683-YZv4zxzjcoJIi7eEdywkUn05gDq-Fz-5/w394-h400/D1ABD81F-FC35-46D7-9555-80E7662FC385_1_201_a.heic" width="394" /></a></div><p>As Maria told the von Trapp children, the beginning is a very good place to start, and this they do in Supercade 1. From the foreword by the late Ralph H. Baer, the history lesson begins at Brookhaven National Labs with Tennis for Two before moving on to MIT. It is this grounding in the very early history of computer entertainment and the intertwining of imagery and historical research that makes Supercade 1 a perfect introduction to videogames, what they started out as and how they evolved in their formative years. Every entry is well researched and written in an easy style. Tear yourself away from the visual feast and you will learn stuff too.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg90f7_BK1QkpFyFrh2z6cLyYvm5motsRMGdvzlx-rQ1l102fc7aaaEkMzfhioHltPTQbss0euj4Rkz4RXsnhRtECaz7hplYWtsdtkA_T4KGk6XDLDmNLtXlV7njqzDE8nT2s5eKU7ihZFMOKpIvhXyWebxEfn6W7OhqR8_ZbbieVYggh5l2t63hjCD/s5211/F8DE32A3-8A49-4210-B0E1-613DEE479C7E_1_201_a.heic" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5211" data-original-width="4284" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg90f7_BK1QkpFyFrh2z6cLyYvm5motsRMGdvzlx-rQ1l102fc7aaaEkMzfhioHltPTQbss0euj4Rkz4RXsnhRtECaz7hplYWtsdtkA_T4KGk6XDLDmNLtXlV7njqzDE8nT2s5eKU7ihZFMOKpIvhXyWebxEfn6W7OhqR8_ZbbieVYggh5l2t63hjCD/w329-h400/F8DE32A3-8A49-4210-B0E1-613DEE479C7E_1_201_a.heic" width="329" /></a></div><p>You heard the but coming, didn't you?</p><p>Yes, but only a little one. This is a US-centric tome and, to be honest, that's understandable. Due to the coverage of arcades, there is a hefty dose of Japanese titles, but only two pieces of Japanese home hardware: Sega's SG-1000 (giving useful context to who Sega were before their 16-bit glory days) and Nintendo's Famicom because, well, obviously! But what about everyone else? You do get the ZX Spectrum. I am not going to deny its obvious importance to the UK gaming scene, and the ZX81 did see a US release as the Timex 1000, but where are the others? The Amstrad CPC? The BBC Micro?? The Grundy NewBrain??? Honestly, some people! ;-)</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpLraEvDShU-9nVcLMrcJwiYmTRtFWii8-Voypf2YNQDJqBmWNK6zb2XKbpucMHTCL9ML5r7FPBXAZMxClJ7DzbK3NiZfFi87EEC-Nl4bekv2JJEGfdxu1y1yQ_ta81YR_95Wx0ypIB3ylw0w70BqHvuR2DVcnJROYaxS0lKcMWD7dtTM2o7gH7kFm/s5126/B77321B9-B057-4913-95EC-0F72E7B358AE_1_201_a.heic" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5126" data-original-width="4284" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpLraEvDShU-9nVcLMrcJwiYmTRtFWii8-Voypf2YNQDJqBmWNK6zb2XKbpucMHTCL9ML5r7FPBXAZMxClJ7DzbK3NiZfFi87EEC-Nl4bekv2JJEGfdxu1y1yQ_ta81YR_95Wx0ypIB3ylw0w70BqHvuR2DVcnJROYaxS0lKcMWD7dtTM2o7gH7kFm/w334-h400/B77321B9-B057-4913-95EC-0F72E7B358AE_1_201_a.heic" width="334" /></a></div><p>In truth, it is rather churlish of me to complain too much - this is a visual history of videogames and the early days were heavily driven by US and Japanese companies. There is only so much you can include in a book this size (remember, it's a hefty beast at nearly 450 pages), and what it does cover, it covers extremely well. There are certainly many other resources for those who want to look from a UK/European perspective, and when all is said and done, most of the titles mentioned in Supercade are, at worst, genre classics, and at best, defining examples of the art form. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsgorfznH0b9SGgpbC4IyuKsIE2eRa49wUKy5WkXZ1_dfg3B6uUZ6AdBMdMJmisHQlx6cj1I8nyFklwnTJKahe4U6yBTHjloR2L40abybWQsdEaqEviCLeS7XTrCLxWQ0SVZAU_1Q8bEsq29R9WSZAbSObOAWkAIo10vj2V9tEA3oO3io3EbGphItw/s4936/E756B7E8-E93D-4CEF-9100-3C09A8E2DB27_1_201_a.heic" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4936" data-original-width="4284" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsgorfznH0b9SGgpbC4IyuKsIE2eRa49wUKy5WkXZ1_dfg3B6uUZ6AdBMdMJmisHQlx6cj1I8nyFklwnTJKahe4U6yBTHjloR2L40abybWQsdEaqEviCLeS7XTrCLxWQ0SVZAU_1Q8bEsq29R9WSZAbSObOAWkAIo10vj2V9tEA3oO3io3EbGphItw/w348-h400/E756B7E8-E93D-4CEF-9100-3C09A8E2DB27_1_201_a.heic" width="348" /></a></div><p>Supercade 1 is a superlative feast for the eyes (and the brain) on a subject that, although covered in various guises over the years, really deserved the coffee table treatment, and it sure has received that here. While it is currently sold out at the US-based webshop <a href="https://shop.supercade.com" target="_blank">here,</a> have a Google and you may pick it up from an online retailer for not stupid money. This is the perfect coffee table book about video games, and one that deserves to be on yours. if you don't have a coffee table, buy one or, if you must, place this book carefully on a sturdy bookshelf. </p>Andrew the Tekkiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01757282676248834026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3359642955101086116.post-88670562537256185722024-01-20T10:43:00.001+00:002024-01-20T10:50:55.499+00:00Magazines of Yesteryear - Personal Computer World Volume 10 Number 8 - August 1987<p>Regular readers may recall an August 2023 post featuring the October 1987 issue of Personal Computer World, and might be wondering why I'm returning to the same publication and the same year so soon. Well, good people, it's because of the cover star of this particular issue and the amount of time it took to get my hands on it. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhed3OVn0Rcn4Ts_ghEBMWiD9mvf5Eo_3c-c4eGYcSwsM1UFfOnA36HcyJbFdrEsNjjffGqlaQM7-EJpXG_8EZaqe42Y8JoUvbahvwgYz7EqMlHJyYfK9Vm5O68BYevPuDeDc82eXT3gTDmMCTnthiJBwgPw5KYI056mvuIA42r9tuZpak3PD7SVbtG/s5712/921B4117-25F7-4635-BBF1-2C94B8424EBD.heic" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5712" data-original-width="4284" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhed3OVn0Rcn4Ts_ghEBMWiD9mvf5Eo_3c-c4eGYcSwsM1UFfOnA36HcyJbFdrEsNjjffGqlaQM7-EJpXG_8EZaqe42Y8JoUvbahvwgYz7EqMlHJyYfK9Vm5O68BYevPuDeDc82eXT3gTDmMCTnthiJBwgPw5KYI056mvuIA42r9tuZpak3PD7SVbtG/w300-h400/921B4117-25F7-4635-BBF1-2C94B8424EBD.heic" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This, dear reader, was the dog's back in the day. </td></tr></tbody></table><p>Yes, it's the first look at the Acorn Archimedes, packing in Acorn's ARM processor for a desktop costing less than £1,000. There's other stuff too, but as a massive Acorn/RISC OS fan, I've always wanted a copy of this issue and, after several abortive eBay attempts (including one crapping out at north of £20), I managed this example for a tenner. So let's have a look a what's inside. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVuBlbECE6XCCVIhYibrk0-8N9GoGSMch6Gp-C8oSGn3gDov0IK-Fq6LkcoAsBXHoSXkp0yTyVNAytELqJUTZ0GtRtGjKSY5tO-Rp4vwU1QkEIMk_BP2OZCObjPDuDyMLf9cdZCXcyaDg5QEMPNTylkoDqQfnL6EZsjq14TenKyX9SZqU1bDf7syRL/s5712/F5833588-492C-4458-A8AB-6E788E2DA99E_1_201_a.heic" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4284" data-original-width="5712" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVuBlbECE6XCCVIhYibrk0-8N9GoGSMch6Gp-C8oSGn3gDov0IK-Fq6LkcoAsBXHoSXkp0yTyVNAytELqJUTZ0GtRtGjKSY5tO-Rp4vwU1QkEIMk_BP2OZCObjPDuDyMLf9cdZCXcyaDg5QEMPNTylkoDqQfnL6EZsjq14TenKyX9SZqU1bDf7syRL/w400-h300/F5833588-492C-4458-A8AB-6E788E2DA99E_1_201_a.heic" width="400" /></a></div><p>It's not all Acorn, by any means, and the review of Atari's PC raises more than just eyebrows, while Psion's Organiser II gets a full airing. There's software tests and the usual columns, and a very intriguing look at the Transputer. Hmmm...</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbNbYzMhZmsA7mULEnSSekg8rkUyDufqOytc_EQwuhzPQQ6K8OAiWwyg2WlPZq-FATOSDUnFKRqNxqWnKfyqfVtTumywSOLwv5-1NgiUnXujqAT5oGwVHByoZtmXDolbCON2WKlsr4-YaimuaDlW1RdcRIcXdruCrb6AkmtaonJSC93gbG1GyxiIRb/s5712/7A2BA7F5-1779-468D-9733-824667DAB262_1_201_a.heic" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4284" data-original-width="5712" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbNbYzMhZmsA7mULEnSSekg8rkUyDufqOytc_EQwuhzPQQ6K8OAiWwyg2WlPZq-FATOSDUnFKRqNxqWnKfyqfVtTumywSOLwv5-1NgiUnXujqAT5oGwVHByoZtmXDolbCON2WKlsr4-YaimuaDlW1RdcRIcXdruCrb6AkmtaonJSC93gbG1GyxiIRb/w400-h300/7A2BA7F5-1779-468D-9733-824667DAB262_1_201_a.heic" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It took a couple more years but the OS did improve. </td></tr></tbody></table><p>News was a bit slow that month so we're straight into the Acorn review. A pre-production machine, this wasn't entirely representative of the final hardware but was good enough to run some tests on, and by 'eck as like, it were fast! As Mr Pountain evangelised, "the A500 [the designation of this development system] felt like the fastest computer I have ever used, by a considerable margin." And so it was, capable of blitzing through anything you'd care to through at it (mostly synthetic benchmarks here), and all for under a grand exclusive of VAT. Yes, the base A305 (single floppy, 512k RAM) was £799, and a colour monitor added another £200. You could cheap out with a green mono monitor for just £50 but why limit this technicolour beast in such a manner? A 1MB model was £875 sans display, while the more expandable 1MB A410 (with a hard disk controller but no actual HD) took you up to £1,399. For the true power user, an fully decked out A440 (4MB RAM, 20MB HD) would take £2,299 from your wallet. Well, way more, as a monitor and VAT would see that total reach nearly £2,900! There again, an IBM AT from your average dealer was north of three grand, and a hard drive equipped Mac SE was about same price as the A440. Of course, not everything was as expensive, and it was Atari that now stepped up to the DOS wicket to see what they could offer against the value-packed Amstrad clones. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJlIKtdREykjpwOrLUYuGPN5RxsmH6QED7t5tA04YjETfRLSDRExRM4tOzVVCupdlS_ugzRask2I8gPpBUcuyD0IzQjzWbqlpfN196AMCD-8OpCLbXOmOi3sTyylkMnuDguv-182ZrLNb5CubnA5JlL3UCcrMhkupbiFvG2wAAkprS2l0DmD3ejLAL/s5712/F32E5B40-95D4-4A0A-B220-B6B730A2E1FE_1_201_a.heic" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4284" data-original-width="5712" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJlIKtdREykjpwOrLUYuGPN5RxsmH6QED7t5tA04YjETfRLSDRExRM4tOzVVCupdlS_ugzRask2I8gPpBUcuyD0IzQjzWbqlpfN196AMCD-8OpCLbXOmOi3sTyylkMnuDguv-182ZrLNb5CubnA5JlL3UCcrMhkupbiFvG2wAAkprS2l0DmD3ejLAL/w400-h300/F32E5B40-95D4-4A0A-B220-B6B730A2E1FE_1_201_a.heic" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Could this have been a go-er? No. It couldn't.</td></tr></tbody></table><p>A chance of death, it seems, as their rather flimsy (and "relatively mediocre") machine had an unshielded and unprotected power supply. Take the hint, buyers, DO NOT open this machine. Not that you could do much with it once you have dared to take the cover off as there were neither expansion slots nor drive expansion options (despite some labelling that hinted otherwise), but you could upgrade the memory to 640k (from the base 512k), as well as add an 8087 maths co-processor. The socket for the latter was under the power supply, so perhaps not then... </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYFa1ZyjsyHCNXKJZ9jLcrPbgF9Q9Vw4qpc12D7L3QjmLC_T53cIJfQCtfhyhLYPz_2Vs1ZKwC35JdiXTPOSfcNYICZIcZDSIzbFKrOjqK9Rg_sfDjl_2ZIJn_TZqCMPUCGPRZb0GZQKuPE7HxRvDQgdK4WYGNLdQ1yH2WJYO31OEgYit9SLLs61dV/s5712/D09EE17D-D91E-4E2B-AFEA-C9E0EC65F093.heic" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5712" data-original-width="4284" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYFa1ZyjsyHCNXKJZ9jLcrPbgF9Q9Vw4qpc12D7L3QjmLC_T53cIJfQCtfhyhLYPz_2Vs1ZKwC35JdiXTPOSfcNYICZIcZDSIzbFKrOjqK9Rg_sfDjl_2ZIJn_TZqCMPUCGPRZb0GZQKuPE7HxRvDQgdK4WYGNLdQ1yH2WJYO31OEgYit9SLLs61dV/w300-h400/D09EE17D-D91E-4E2B-AFEA-C9E0EC65F093.heic" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Many <strike>Bothans</strike> PCW staff died bring us this information...</td></tr></tbody></table><p>It's not all doom and gloom for the Atari - its graphics capabilities were rather good for the time, stretching from MDA to EGA. Yep, the presence of 256kb of video RAM meant 16-colour 640x350 was just a connection away! That sounds sarky, but this machine (albeit with a mono monitor) could have been yours for £499 VAT inclusive. In other words, a cheaper headline price than Amstrad's popular PC1512. However, that had space for three expansion cards, and adding a hard drive card was relatively easy. You pays your money and all that jazz, but a single drive PC even in 1987 was just too limiting.</p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkhcS5P7e4EbN_l443iYrqfcZG7whEdEDkw1n_BsK_ZqoSpOSHDK74tS5dqPncv2riUzGtXIAKtwwAQiX6HAyPnjPQCaQn1bCkQNPz_S4niFdzV1mwOe33mGicVJ3wmybMJSAkT76fhPnDmlcm-8llBmxzEeiu-F1GJRleCtBuOQvWQ6nrOZi16Lle/s5712/36FBFDD0-D43C-49E0-A816-D890A60B913C.heic" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5712" data-original-width="4284" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkhcS5P7e4EbN_l443iYrqfcZG7whEdEDkw1n_BsK_ZqoSpOSHDK74tS5dqPncv2riUzGtXIAKtwwAQiX6HAyPnjPQCaQn1bCkQNPz_S4niFdzV1mwOe33mGicVJ3wmybMJSAkT76fhPnDmlcm-8llBmxzEeiu-F1GJRleCtBuOQvWQ6nrOZi16Lle/w300-h400/36FBFDD0-D43C-49E0-A816-D890A60B913C.heic" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Allegedly the most fun you could have one handed back in 1987...</td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p>The other big review this issue is for the Psion Organiser II, a nifty little handheld computer that I wrote about for Pixel Addict magazine in issue 8. It's a cracking little device which could do the job it needed to back in the day, albeit with a keypad that took some getting used to. It's well liked here and it was a success for Psion at the time.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkmHMsNMIqqiuWtLMGzmo9cGeKrZMb_eXMygGiyXvKeFulNLUGkble86PKrZHrqspVOBwN-ZUCDgAMFMvyQxOicsV3dP0btNfJJzg0eRlTQs-_XdatUSxOcCASFrny-XRewYM-gCsCNoA164bXM-DW8b3Rw1nrKoAV0lSQddy2zSPlur_tVc2R_Ray/s5712/15FFEDB6-E6EA-4AA2-8D93-4B2051DF2DB3.heic" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5712" data-original-width="4284" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkmHMsNMIqqiuWtLMGzmo9cGeKrZMb_eXMygGiyXvKeFulNLUGkble86PKrZHrqspVOBwN-ZUCDgAMFMvyQxOicsV3dP0btNfJJzg0eRlTQs-_XdatUSxOcCASFrny-XRewYM-gCsCNoA164bXM-DW8b3Rw1nrKoAV0lSQddy2zSPlur_tVc2R_Ray/w300-h400/15FFEDB6-E6EA-4AA2-8D93-4B2051DF2DB3.heic" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">There has to be a "What If...?" out there about this, surely? </td></tr></tbody></table><p>The feature on the Transputer is something else though. Promising a breakthrough in computing power beyond the contemporary constraints of processor technology, it offered super-computer levels of floating point power and easily scalable parallel processing shenanigans. There were issues though, primarily the lack of a mainstream operating system (and by default bugger all software), and a question of who would need such power. The author notes that a Z80 was more than enough to handle a word processor on Amstrad's PCW8256, though they go on to say that in the future, animated graphics would need the power, as well as a Hollywood director to make the game. He jests but...</p><p>GEM Desktop Publisher got the thumbs up (good enough for the asking price of £295 ex VAT), whilst a round up of dBase compilers would be of use to someone... somewhere... As will the piece on the then recently announced OS/2 from Microsoft. It was never destined to end well, but the conclusion at the end of the piece deserves its own screenshot.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6oG6nt8J6jj4_yM9XnaTFgs07dE9KXdSaifomXrf_5f5hqtfCgtdEUC7SXHR6IL6kdLgKw2nL6xNJ6b94-1D4A8guRMxSe-BsQBNFu4k2SVOGV_Xk24plzYiFJViZymFvmuv_BRnEAdUeU8iRoNNEuG4_ZdYcL11lvQYkIz4HK9noezhZtrC1bqZU/s5712/4C3BE6F7-7E9F-41E8-91E9-00B3313FDCBA.heic" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5712" data-original-width="4284" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6oG6nt8J6jj4_yM9XnaTFgs07dE9KXdSaifomXrf_5f5hqtfCgtdEUC7SXHR6IL6kdLgKw2nL6xNJ6b94-1D4A8guRMxSe-BsQBNFu4k2SVOGV_Xk24plzYiFJViZymFvmuv_BRnEAdUeU8iRoNNEuG4_ZdYcL11lvQYkIz4HK9noezhZtrC1bqZU/w300-h400/4C3BE6F7-7E9F-41E8-91E9-00B3313FDCBA.heic" width="300" /></a></div><p>OS/2 success and 640k... Indeed...</p><p>Guild of Thieves received an alright verdict in the Screentest section, and gamers were also catered for in Program File, where an Adventure Creator was detailed over 16(!) pages of code in very small text and varying degrees of contrast. It gave me a headache just glancing over it.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivAQIc_aAvrFD3KBRPaWU8TL-ldm0O8uOJikR-yUPiA16iGDhyphenhyphenGV7fE8iM0_gcJkDkBmNxHA-XIK8H1HMCzgCQyMQR_7d7LdTMc-iV-FOKJ2JvsaqtU2BMVy6QvxRA3JQOqiaj_6xRLL48YUnod0DV4ByjSNRX2-bSsmWuSXu7QcHckINyrEQAyqF_/s4822/13266436-EAC8-4F82-B961-FC91368E4A1B_1_201_a.heic" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3606" data-original-width="4822" height="299" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivAQIc_aAvrFD3KBRPaWU8TL-ldm0O8uOJikR-yUPiA16iGDhyphenhyphenGV7fE8iM0_gcJkDkBmNxHA-XIK8H1HMCzgCQyMQR_7d7LdTMc-iV-FOKJ2JvsaqtU2BMVy6QvxRA3JQOqiaj_6xRLL48YUnod0DV4ByjSNRX2-bSsmWuSXu7QcHckINyrEQAyqF_/w400-h299/13266436-EAC8-4F82-B961-FC91368E4A1B_1_201_a.heic" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And they blamed porn for blindness in the 80's...</td></tr></tbody></table><p>To the adverts now and DOS PC's were pretty much split into two camps - the XT level 8086/8088/NEC V20 machines that gave you a basic PC starting from about £450 ex VAT before heading up north of a grand. The more you paid, the better you got, with a mono hard drive offering to be had for not quite four figures including VAT. If you wanted EGA graphics though, add another £400 plus on top. The other camp was the AT spec of machines - 286 processors, high density floppy drives and EGA colour if you so desired. Hi-Voltage would sell you an SBC-branded 286 with a 30MB hard drive and an EGA colour monitor for £2,199 ex VAT! You could get cheaper, but not by much, and this pretty much explains the success of the ST and the newly introduced Amiga 500. If you wanted an actual IBM PC, Compumart had the real deal XT starting from £1,100 for a mono machine, whilst your new-fangled AT with a colour display was £3,170! At least they included a keyboard, mouse and DOS for that. Sheesh!</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCQ75VzxPiNnEe-oUI5tVg7v_qKFTiWsuTOwK2UGDNRWK0ML_QDteO8QcgkobssMN5vyApLgheaXSSk3aFD8VbfZqLDGeYk12A5A3DSu3K3lFULBQOox2O3gUEz_YZlNWb0x5II4gaG7hhk74E94o4g2k4FMowMs-zUye5pRMz3vw0cWTnksLPBjYZ/s5712/892232FC-60C2-4A86-8598-BBC9E8903B43_1_201_a.heic" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4284" data-original-width="5712" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCQ75VzxPiNnEe-oUI5tVg7v_qKFTiWsuTOwK2UGDNRWK0ML_QDteO8QcgkobssMN5vyApLgheaXSSk3aFD8VbfZqLDGeYk12A5A3DSu3K3lFULBQOox2O3gUEz_YZlNWb0x5II4gaG7hhk74E94o4g2k4FMowMs-zUye5pRMz3vw0cWTnksLPBjYZ/w400-h300/892232FC-60C2-4A86-8598-BBC9E8903B43_1_201_a.heic" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Danger! Danger! Hi-Voltage! </td></tr></tbody></table><p>"Portables" were a thing as the ad for Toshiba machines demonstrates below. Not sure if they were practical enough, but hey, you could tote around your work computer if you so wanted to (and if you had the muscles). Compaq was also an option, as were several other clone manufacturers, but most followed the luggable concept with built-in CRT displays rather than a portable as we would know it. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhguBDZj1D54mCxonSr1UChu0J6tLOg-lXV5PVjLK4-MFg5DcMyXDceR76PJZR_AN7g2hH9qt38gosCk_ZTtWk-z1dsbUIFnlQRG52FVBbJljv-Q3CDM4sBkJgWB1B9GE1elucm9Pz6d65_-NXAWjGefPIwqxpqZjfpy_nvLEuJBeFQs0-XFRdOSogx/s5712/E8C72085-837C-4B96-A2F4-BEC1F1688EFA.heic" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5712" data-original-width="4284" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhguBDZj1D54mCxonSr1UChu0J6tLOg-lXV5PVjLK4-MFg5DcMyXDceR76PJZR_AN7g2hH9qt38gosCk_ZTtWk-z1dsbUIFnlQRG52FVBbJljv-Q3CDM4sBkJgWB1B9GE1elucm9Pz6d65_-NXAWjGefPIwqxpqZjfpy_nvLEuJBeFQs0-XFRdOSogx/w300-h400/E8C72085-837C-4B96-A2F4-BEC1F1688EFA.heic" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">They could be carried... with some effort. </td></tr></tbody></table><p>As Acorn were star of the cover show, they decided to advertise their wares with what can only be described as a... marketing choice...? I get it, they went for the Greek connection, but when you have a machine that offered graphical capabilities beyond its contemporaries, a mono advert does seem kinda weird. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibmLbnAs0TXPbtc34b8Kg-MkCP7E9uIP4M9mz45D2j6NpOQXxBtN-2EUJnUJkR1RUQd3v5Xjb9sGQ-j4NvcMkcTfzllU_l8eNTNAL8rEj16jKkVUKcwgVM3b34MSOD2qJwNFPDa4XlYUErSFJ8J5Aaq4Y489QYa7poWSy_lod-EExAmrVMf1Wj1RLX/s5712/C9FFDAD5-09C3-4BFC-BA54-3612634EF6F1_1_201_a.heic" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4284" data-original-width="5712" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibmLbnAs0TXPbtc34b8Kg-MkCP7E9uIP4M9mz45D2j6NpOQXxBtN-2EUJnUJkR1RUQd3v5Xjb9sGQ-j4NvcMkcTfzllU_l8eNTNAL8rEj16jKkVUKcwgVM3b34MSOD2qJwNFPDa4XlYUErSFJ8J5Aaq4Y489QYa7poWSy_lod-EExAmrVMf1Wj1RLX/w400-h300/C9FFDAD5-09C3-4BFC-BA54-3612634EF6F1_1_201_a.heic" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Could they not even afford a colour ad? Probably not...</td></tr></tbody></table><p>Apple does something a little different, with a splash of colour for their logo if nothing else. There again, with Mac prices back then, did it really matter? ATT Peripherals Corporation had the Mac Plus at £1,550 ex VAT, a dual floppy SE for £1,875, and fully pimped out SE with 20MB hard drive for £2,450 ex. You may think pricey, yet only slightly more expensive than the monitor-less Apricot Xen 386 below it - but check out the addition of an EGA card and display. An additional £924 on top of the £2,350 for the desktop! Unlike the Mac though, the use cases for a 386 in 1987 were pretty extreme, thus balance was restored to the Mac/PC price comparison. Before we leave ATT though, have a gander at the DTP package. As a sign of how things changed between then and even the beginning of the following decade, a DOS-based DTP bundle including a 286 machine with a Canon laser printer was £4,300 ex VAT. Trick it out with colour and a 386 and you were looking at nearly seven grand! You'd have kept Nigel Lawson happy though, with VAT at 15%...</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTg0uUnpbxRVsBAjFH9bco1hFOw7WTcC-uV0vxiTVA1q9beLKyorpJ1GWa-kEX6328jdEcvoj_J37XWb4U8XeOsJtzX76CSjZ3GaK3VKrA2U-NyeuuK2vYpRAbzWgtHMSqh_ivMzKOCXxwddwFIyt8u0_I5UbGhIjCS1gVF_NbPC9AVS8lYuO5q48s/s5712/41C75896-E0FA-49B1-B5CB-24C3F747B93B_1_201_a.heic" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4284" data-original-width="5712" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTg0uUnpbxRVsBAjFH9bco1hFOw7WTcC-uV0vxiTVA1q9beLKyorpJ1GWa-kEX6328jdEcvoj_J37XWb4U8XeOsJtzX76CSjZ3GaK3VKrA2U-NyeuuK2vYpRAbzWgtHMSqh_ivMzKOCXxwddwFIyt8u0_I5UbGhIjCS1gVF_NbPC9AVS8lYuO5q48s/w400-h300/41C75896-E0FA-49B1-B5CB-24C3F747B93B_1_201_a.heic" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">For a price, you cheeky sod, for a price...</td></tr></tbody></table><p>For the next Magazines of Yesteryear, I think a change of decade (just) is in order. We shall jump forward to 1990 and a rather more slender publication. I shall leave you with some more of the ads - starting with ATT Corporation Ltd... (and a final question of Atari that I don't think shlud be asked in polite conversation...)</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjse92tgWyoSPyCJe7tIvEmrQm1UgsKoN3jOOn4S3AagE_eayupjTCI6f1AS6M1QPM3TQYKfA4gUNnBemeo1g4v1USqq9r6GYH4I2KcKcFSWFUnNRso99OKbC6O0DVJEp9qGGMOKKpNeIKkkzplRkXIwFJbGNuWKJ9n_0HpoaWfBtTOrK9aFyt66dyM/s5712/C31A7427-3D0F-4F1F-96A0-A5451ADD046E.heic" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5712" data-original-width="4284" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjse92tgWyoSPyCJe7tIvEmrQm1UgsKoN3jOOn4S3AagE_eayupjTCI6f1AS6M1QPM3TQYKfA4gUNnBemeo1g4v1USqq9r6GYH4I2KcKcFSWFUnNRso99OKbC6O0DVJEp9qGGMOKKpNeIKkkzplRkXIwFJbGNuWKJ9n_0HpoaWfBtTOrK9aFyt66dyM/w300-h400/C31A7427-3D0F-4F1F-96A0-A5451ADD046E.heic" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not AT&T, obviously.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL0zUL21CrSzxOkrJm0rb8WZDNoFyDVzl5l-AgGXvDlgy9HsjuuuRHkwWX-MDfXj9EwNNJsOu-RoF65kgN-0oZyxcEFXIb93RbTfr0YovFsmNu38E2l2cty8Eznm7N_ssdioOnjkTt1PMFqkY_gqXv4vK33M_-Nv-36lEUqr8lzD3eGEe9XNO7mA0R/s5712/50080043-6C2E-41B0-BF45-0C3114D19944.heic" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5712" data-original-width="4284" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL0zUL21CrSzxOkrJm0rb8WZDNoFyDVzl5l-AgGXvDlgy9HsjuuuRHkwWX-MDfXj9EwNNJsOu-RoF65kgN-0oZyxcEFXIb93RbTfr0YovFsmNu38E2l2cty8Eznm7N_ssdioOnjkTt1PMFqkY_gqXv4vK33M_-Nv-36lEUqr8lzD3eGEe9XNO7mA0R/w300-h400/50080043-6C2E-41B0-BF45-0C3114D19944.heic" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Other formats were available. </td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrtPlsA_krLSGALeJi2ujHqlVx0axBsYdIClj-cc0Kwgr_XX6XBblu1PaEf0VYNrPNxsonDUn_eIZwZ6EcB16Wp2mnJ-Rf5lrLYK0GWZSe3uUCK1iBpUxceof6dsgJMDsf7GFgRzvsdSNgl27xfqfwI1UI5zscFF1ECzlzyJqi1qSsCzPsn0LYNXo3/s5712/87F565AE-0A72-4078-8252-C8AFE56E5DC8.heic" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5712" data-original-width="4284" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrtPlsA_krLSGALeJi2ujHqlVx0axBsYdIClj-cc0Kwgr_XX6XBblu1PaEf0VYNrPNxsonDUn_eIZwZ6EcB16Wp2mnJ-Rf5lrLYK0GWZSe3uUCK1iBpUxceof6dsgJMDsf7GFgRzvsdSNgl27xfqfwI1UI5zscFF1ECzlzyJqi1qSsCzPsn0LYNXo3/w300-h400/87F565AE-0A72-4078-8252-C8AFE56E5DC8.heic" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Your cheapest business dot matrix printer: £444 ex VAT!</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKvxuBw7gqkdD5nzFGLfAHRRhTQNLRvoUgwX9oKoQ9-2P3d76fMJoz0d9cfbDguo3Fv1cFy_DCQvB-euzt7ViYlUH737xToK3l3fFmrdI1Gdy3eEAB7b55It8Y9GrfXLvHwjWcNkRA8bP7VF7LeyGwHsbeOhCZ9cRNYj_tUsoRLPWMJZKOvfIwROJ2/s5712/51A74674-005E-4C21-908E-DC3ADFE0AC06.heic" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5712" data-original-width="4284" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKvxuBw7gqkdD5nzFGLfAHRRhTQNLRvoUgwX9oKoQ9-2P3d76fMJoz0d9cfbDguo3Fv1cFy_DCQvB-euzt7ViYlUH737xToK3l3fFmrdI1Gdy3eEAB7b55It8Y9GrfXLvHwjWcNkRA8bP7VF7LeyGwHsbeOhCZ9cRNYj_tUsoRLPWMJZKOvfIwROJ2/w300-h400/51A74674-005E-4C21-908E-DC3ADFE0AC06.heic" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Can they be "hotlines" if there's only one?</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPd_JazdzHSI91_NIyUf2AV-L6hSSIMvL3xl4XhrCRr8eUMp_CEVMxzAoSPtBkI-SGV74o3e20nQJA1RpO3j1J_MCS57cgkk0K0GVD2T5pIfc3nSMvFKvXLaA0PPaanOjM8uI0tYJBOohm4fiGQ7A5z_6zH9XRmuPyCzQuLLkY0jNRvzeAF5VRBAsq/s5712/IMG_0960.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5712" data-original-width="4284" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPd_JazdzHSI91_NIyUf2AV-L6hSSIMvL3xl4XhrCRr8eUMp_CEVMxzAoSPtBkI-SGV74o3e20nQJA1RpO3j1J_MCS57cgkk0K0GVD2T5pIfc3nSMvFKvXLaA0PPaanOjM8uI0tYJBOohm4fiGQ7A5z_6zH9XRmuPyCzQuLLkY0jNRvzeAF5VRBAsq/w300-h400/IMG_0960.jpeg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I mean, it's a question...</td></tr></tbody></table><br />Andrew the Tekkiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01757282676248834026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3359642955101086116.post-51611475362693516632024-01-13T09:43:00.003+00:002024-01-13T09:43:58.799+00:00Every Hazard and Fatigue by Joshua Provan - Book ReviewWhen it comes to military history, I find it does me good to read a book on a subject I know next to nothing about. A cynic might suggest I should do the same in my professional life but I do know my CCFA's from my SYSTABS, and my KTYPES from my KSPAR6's... Mostly ;-). Anyway, at the Battleground show last November, I picked up a copy of Andy and Jim's book, Khalsa! (reviewed <a href="https://tantobieinternettattler.blogspot.com/2023/12/khalsa-by-andrew-copestake-and-james.html" target="_blank">here</a>) from the Helion & Co stand, as well as this little gem by Joshua Provan. Having read and thoroughly enjoyed his 2022 effort, Bullocks, Grain, and Good Madeira (reviewed <a href="https://tantobieinternettattler.blogspot.com/2022/03/bullocks-grain-and-good-madeira-by.html" target="_blank">here</a>), I had an inkling that his treatment of the Siege of Pensacola in 1781 would be worthy of perusal. I was not to be disappointed. <div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbeJSG6s4W4XO7XyR2_OjL4h7NkXn-LvS_12f6zpjQJFtoES4vMlwELjkU9tLhXEISYELNmhEQHJwn59HWTBzvX8zZIPs_iz-Dj-aNI2YfYx3UHwdy96-oYpLODuzXA2FtrFFQIwwlVajb-fJlvCw-SSq4S-a9StFtKyrSHJOql4l2PS-jPOGMdbko/s4709/30D80593-0EC5-4B6D-9704-61835D5FB444_1_201_a.heic" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4709" data-original-width="4086" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbeJSG6s4W4XO7XyR2_OjL4h7NkXn-LvS_12f6zpjQJFtoES4vMlwELjkU9tLhXEISYELNmhEQHJwn59HWTBzvX8zZIPs_iz-Dj-aNI2YfYx3UHwdy96-oYpLODuzXA2FtrFFQIwwlVajb-fJlvCw-SSq4S-a9StFtKyrSHJOql4l2PS-jPOGMdbko/w348-h400/30D80593-0EC5-4B6D-9704-61835D5FB444_1_201_a.heic" width="348" /></a></div><div><div><br /></div><div>West Florida wasn't exactly the centre of Britain's struggle in North America but it was of some importance. With Spain joining the conflict on the side of the rebellious Americans and the French, it placed additional strain on British (and their allies) resources. Over some 200 pages, Mr Provan weaves a tale worthy of your time, even if to most it is a fairly forgotten vignette amongst the many more famous events that defined the conflict.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbNUSmmP1wrqlHUfxc-ZJ-ZNyWal2BMFu7lM7UwEX5hPEbQe2e2RiSVvJ4aSk1hNHlTZSFRnazoD5Y-7sOih1AD7oIegrS2eqeY2ZGaJmuXyC5zYUUJe1CjkNbiNfMsrsRp5MU1KvabVmjybRWKu5RCN6WoMLPJjBddWxxrXGxvjJH413BuwQlB1H-/s5712/B1DD31E1-618B-4842-914F-C3002C86E8BC.heic" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5712" data-original-width="4284" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbNUSmmP1wrqlHUfxc-ZJ-ZNyWal2BMFu7lM7UwEX5hPEbQe2e2RiSVvJ4aSk1hNHlTZSFRnazoD5Y-7sOih1AD7oIegrS2eqeY2ZGaJmuXyC5zYUUJe1CjkNbiNfMsrsRp5MU1KvabVmjybRWKu5RCN6WoMLPJjBddWxxrXGxvjJH413BuwQlB1H-/w300-h400/B1DD31E1-618B-4842-914F-C3002C86E8BC.heic" width="300" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>There are twelve chapters in total, along with orders of battle for each side. The opening sections introduce us to the Spanish, British and Allied Nations, with much attention placed on the latter whose importance was both recognised and, at times, unwanted given the difference in cultures. The author takes an even approach to all, supported by numerous contemporary letters and illustrations. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwv5__58OlYcFsbjt6CXGh92vJ4hG2dNj-9gQqNpqhvTVYwVMUzmrbISHrGwbOIH0N-biWR5sgrKrJ4IwoYj79aTV9WFWU5kM5OoATfF8szHCKwSU74cYAIhWdoD88c9nHfVEFEUNlv9Ye7_JI3VPd7LwTDrIBHKnRKD0ihFEHOFVzHh6P32YsY98k/s5712/717A0889-1EC4-40F9-932A-FAD112964169_1_201_a.heic" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4284" data-original-width="5712" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwv5__58OlYcFsbjt6CXGh92vJ4hG2dNj-9gQqNpqhvTVYwVMUzmrbISHrGwbOIH0N-biWR5sgrKrJ4IwoYj79aTV9WFWU5kM5OoATfF8szHCKwSU74cYAIhWdoD88c9nHfVEFEUNlv9Ye7_JI3VPd7LwTDrIBHKnRKD0ihFEHOFVzHh6P32YsY98k/w400-h300/717A0889-1EC4-40F9-932A-FAD112964169_1_201_a.heic" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>After discussing the terrain and the locale, as well as the events that preceded the actual siege, we are then given four chapters that provide a day by day account of the struggle. Highly detailed, clearly organised, and with a pleasing narrative style, Mr Provan paints an evocative picture of siege warfare at a time when gentlemanly conduct was seen as a prerogative. It was not an easy fight, yet standards were held high even after the British surrendered, albeit not to everyone's satisfaction.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgku7Zem7sGnfH6IzUlH8ON9__N2K93nkP0mj5q-r8kDPme3sDNK44Q7H5OFlvIXMeP2MseU4_hKelT3vk5a0q4BhPD0SY8YIuYeLfb69A_weumutNFjI8arUql8UR9AlZ4cxTDrVb0mHV0I0qkwrIsc1rsqWA38nI9qVhD8Ux4GjARFBUQxoZSUMo-/s5712/859D7B2F-3404-4889-A08D-3401C219B33F_1_201_a.heic" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4284" data-original-width="5712" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgku7Zem7sGnfH6IzUlH8ON9__N2K93nkP0mj5q-r8kDPme3sDNK44Q7H5OFlvIXMeP2MseU4_hKelT3vk5a0q4BhPD0SY8YIuYeLfb69A_weumutNFjI8arUql8UR9AlZ4cxTDrVb0mHV0I0qkwrIsc1rsqWA38nI9qVhD8Ux4GjARFBUQxoZSUMo-/w400-h300/859D7B2F-3404-4889-A08D-3401C219B33F_1_201_a.heic" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>There are maps and imagery aplenty, and the central section with the colour plates will be of great use to those wishing to re-enact the struggle on a table top, as will the orders of battle. As always with Helion & Co publications, the bibliography included at the end of the book will provide a great deal of follow up reading if you're enamoured with this treatment of the siege. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5haVzUl-y76p2mkSOvnDdjT2DAQzCU39j8S5iExIIYz168PSo-JK7KWgBxN_6YfVCy-a5zjPJhUzp6zL91157sRbRFXzxKxRvb8NlKhK-oTooDRAgUPYAgPeI7Gk36nOeDaKsL36HPIE_ioVLnrZXRLrdhMj18gXHBRfYnYe0PqLUN6pgXWU3qsst/s5712/5B5828D3-1B1B-43F1-9BB3-E99F428F1E03.heic" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5712" data-original-width="4284" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5haVzUl-y76p2mkSOvnDdjT2DAQzCU39j8S5iExIIYz168PSo-JK7KWgBxN_6YfVCy-a5zjPJhUzp6zL91157sRbRFXzxKxRvb8NlKhK-oTooDRAgUPYAgPeI7Gk36nOeDaKsL36HPIE_ioVLnrZXRLrdhMj18gXHBRfYnYe0PqLUN6pgXWU3qsst/w300-h400/5B5828D3-1B1B-43F1-9BB3-E99F428F1E03.heic" width="300" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>With highly readable prose and a narrative structure that builds to a dynamic conclusion, Every Hazard and Fatigue is another great release from Helion and a fantastic effort from Mr Provan, suitable for readers no matter their level of existing knowledge. If the American War of Independence/Revolutionary War is your thing, you'll do yourself a great favour in picking up a copy from Helion & Co <a href="https://www.helion.co.uk/military-history-books/every-hazard-and-fatigue-the-siege-of-pensacola-1781.php?sid=909776f23d44971c8767658143378d9f" target="_blank">here</a>. It is also an essential purchase if you want to bring Pensacola to your wargaming table. The American War of Independence/Revolutionary War is not a period I have read much about (outside of a few more general texts), but having been spurred on by this volume, I dare say some further, more in-depth reading is required. I can give no higher praise. </div></div>Andrew the Tekkiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01757282676248834026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3359642955101086116.post-772681244104796172023-12-23T09:56:00.000+00:002023-12-23T09:56:08.280+00:00Magazines of Yesteryear - Computer Shopper Issue 73 - March 1994<p>This is more like it. Nobody wants a skinny computer magazine. They want great big back breaking telephone directory-style periodicals that not only inform and entertain, but can also be used in self-defence, either to hit someone with or to stop small calibre bullets. This, gentle reader, is the pinnacle of such publications - the one, the only, Computer Shopper (UK). </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEN7TfVJ8rmxN6eqcLVV6V0NdLf25Qpzk3Lh9E3gf3T2CXC01cdIDPK3gtTpn690slxvu31UxeFlQ5RLkWql88Dsrrnaa9GC-yAXa8DwFaNZyIWUFYB0zotgB7TuoWmjfuZFNc7MhzkU6tlILaS5RbOQXJHFZVV_d9JpmcirYsdJis9DMU7v4CJ-yu/s5712/B8AE796A-0775-48D4-97A6-817C3CE71D48.heic" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5712" data-original-width="4284" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEN7TfVJ8rmxN6eqcLVV6V0NdLf25Qpzk3Lh9E3gf3T2CXC01cdIDPK3gtTpn690slxvu31UxeFlQ5RLkWql88Dsrrnaa9GC-yAXa8DwFaNZyIWUFYB0zotgB7TuoWmjfuZFNc7MhzkU6tlILaS5RbOQXJHFZVV_d9JpmcirYsdJis9DMU7v4CJ-yu/w300-h400/B8AE796A-0775-48D4-97A6-817C3CE71D48.heic" width="300" /></a></div><p>It's early 1994 and to all intents and purposes, the 386 is dead, long live the 486! The Pentium is faltering onto the stage albeit at prices that would make your eyes water, while portables are now most definitely mainstream as evidenced by the group test advertised on the front cover, pitting 21 of the mobile(ish) wonders against each other with a starting price of £799. But what else does this fine 600 page(!) issue have in store?</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcfXueqqO69nF-UjP4gOoQy0td0lWlczyMJtmdvZiOPUZy8HZMgOG2PNg-BkZYUzo2QVMcGIhVsHeEhLnjVOKwveKnYfCA-KbSyQLczCbR1iqJSetiiQQTCqvPmuUDPAn0XHoGIuyxt7S8DODla-lM6WaR6VP_WXqdLnDo4XPbWeakawrKqX4cXxMD/s5712/B6243D1E-8E0A-4960-A05B-A7293E87315A_1_201_a.heic" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4284" data-original-width="5712" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcfXueqqO69nF-UjP4gOoQy0td0lWlczyMJtmdvZiOPUZy8HZMgOG2PNg-BkZYUzo2QVMcGIhVsHeEhLnjVOKwveKnYfCA-KbSyQLczCbR1iqJSetiiQQTCqvPmuUDPAn0XHoGIuyxt7S8DODla-lM6WaR6VP_WXqdLnDo4XPbWeakawrKqX4cXxMD/w400-h300/B6243D1E-8E0A-4960-A05B-A7293E87315A_1_201_a.heic" width="400" /></a></div><p>Quite a bit. The notebook test is front and centre but there are also group tests of presentation software and accelerator cards for Windows. Features cover music software, computers and the cops, and Super Computers. Don't get all excited though, the article merely discusses the architectural changes that were on offer and how they might affect future high performance computing. The usual departments are present and correct, as well as the format specific Shopper columns for Mac, Amiga, ST and Archimedes. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXFXHqbpzSXXpXv4KKzk5zu-V2Ux31kO-eX9S3Mz670YRg7DYiemcdXsapmTTcvx5gNOxgmAzMozo_0o6xFD_can1f28fy79dPdACS6PZ7L8ixng3G2ubKg2do9Ktsw_Z8FjU-kz2ZykC3ejv3S3QRY5ndqeDP2MMXcukk9ldBp77VB5aoJEqf444M/s5712/4D560964-088A-4956-BC3D-F42393F75A18.heic" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5712" data-original-width="4284" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXFXHqbpzSXXpXv4KKzk5zu-V2Ux31kO-eX9S3Mz670YRg7DYiemcdXsapmTTcvx5gNOxgmAzMozo_0o6xFD_can1f28fy79dPdACS6PZ7L8ixng3G2ubKg2do9Ktsw_Z8FjU-kz2ZykC3ejv3S3QRY5ndqeDP2MMXcukk9ldBp77VB5aoJEqf444M/w300-h400/4D560964-088A-4956-BC3D-F42393F75A18.heic" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I keep reading the second story as Kenco...</td></tr></tbody></table><p>The first news piece reports an autumn release for Chicago. Aka Windows 4 (and eventually Windows 95), this replacement for 3.1 and Windows for Workgroups would see the big M put on its best razzle dazzle to hammer home the point that Windows PC's were for everyone. In other news, Elonex (remember them before they became a purveyor of cheap electronic trash before finally going bust?) were getting into the NeXTStep market with workstations running NeXTStep 3.2. A bold move (with even more bold sales targets of 20,000 machines across Europe in the first twelve months), it's no spoiler to say that it wasn't the success that they thought it would be. Two years later, Apple would buy NeXT to form the basis of what would become Mac OS X.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEJL2nKSNyt4t1S6YcP1h9-ciVB4D4CrJUQYInKRtgiw8UtooImiFAfMxCl8TffVzDekCPn5pjaF1Vx5Sj6-V7YkWdh3sL4Iiyf4Dp5abi2jDwBBzr368QETWkWkU_sAToVhgQZ8dENpaiLANfSJJAx7Ww-VjisGCAZIYwr85HZ6n_pilzPUZcEjY8/s5712/AFD4B340-ECB4-4490-954A-7D3FAE563AB9.heic" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5712" data-original-width="4284" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEJL2nKSNyt4t1S6YcP1h9-ciVB4D4CrJUQYInKRtgiw8UtooImiFAfMxCl8TffVzDekCPn5pjaF1Vx5Sj6-V7YkWdh3sL4Iiyf4Dp5abi2jDwBBzr368QETWkWkU_sAToVhgQZ8dENpaiLANfSJJAx7Ww-VjisGCAZIYwr85HZ6n_pilzPUZcEjY8/w300-h400/AFD4B340-ECB4-4490-954A-7D3FAE563AB9.heic" width="300" /></a></div><p>Speaking of Apple, they were about to launch their eWorld service. A gated community back in the early days of the web, it is the pricing structure that amuses more than anything else. For $8.95 per month, Apple would give you two free hours of use, with each subsequent hour costing $4.95. The very thought of paying by the hour to use the web! The past is a different country and all that...</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihANIo6omkUZJrGioktystc1JBDvxiqjH6sM8vusZOJKd93BN3ygzCp_XS6vSlY9c4yk2AX9REqsqWtS-bM5A_QUmU9yI0m-Ldii_kwMzbZeNyNQ6tJ9Ks0DV1SSdBxopOjgocCjOrlUm998KfQAHdjsapt6nYrNDJ22nzuuINIuZ6Q0KB3W8ye8W9/s5712/6365B27E-1E94-421F-BA26-9586FD001EC2.heic" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5712" data-original-width="4284" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihANIo6omkUZJrGioktystc1JBDvxiqjH6sM8vusZOJKd93BN3ygzCp_XS6vSlY9c4yk2AX9REqsqWtS-bM5A_QUmU9yI0m-Ldii_kwMzbZeNyNQ6tJ9Ks0DV1SSdBxopOjgocCjOrlUm998KfQAHdjsapt6nYrNDJ22nzuuINIuZ6Q0KB3W8ye8W9/w300-h400/6365B27E-1E94-421F-BA26-9586FD001EC2.heic" width="300" /></a></div><p>Finally, there's news that Olivetti will become the sole European distributor of AT&T's EO 440 tablet. Larger than an Apple Newton (and that's saying something), this 10.8 x 7.1 x 0.9 inch device would set you back £1,999 then but at least offered a 7.5 inch mono display and a built in 14.4 modem. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWnkfq_WbEhh-qrNnXt5qaUzeJmbmYFR0r82rg7XtAblIrnb8qVrHNTTUfd57-Xq6UGnUm32dkqpVCx7FuP9x7LVmsg2j17AWPJvK9DRDgBKdcwdMsB0yL9fwwBIlgV6Ro4BSRZ-FwV0UuIt4gornkrp7tPc3iYeIjVF5aB5Pa3EIOhPeGYQf9wMAo/s4284/C45C80A0-43F0-4196-A1EE-30F01A2AE830_1_201_a.heic" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3622" data-original-width="4284" height="339" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWnkfq_WbEhh-qrNnXt5qaUzeJmbmYFR0r82rg7XtAblIrnb8qVrHNTTUfd57-Xq6UGnUm32dkqpVCx7FuP9x7LVmsg2j17AWPJvK9DRDgBKdcwdMsB0yL9fwwBIlgV6Ro4BSRZ-FwV0UuIt4gornkrp7tPc3iYeIjVF5aB5Pa3EIOhPeGYQf9wMAo/w400-h339/C45C80A0-43F0-4196-A1EE-30F01A2AE830_1_201_a.heic" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">EO, EO, work on the move with the built-in modem.</td></tr></tbody></table><p>To the cover group test and the rise of the truly useful portable PC. They do highlight the Amstrad alternatives (the NC200 being a handy desktop companion, although my preference was always for the NC100 as noted <a href="https://tantobieinternettattler.blogspot.com/2019/01/the-amstrad-nc100-portable-perfection.html" target="_blank">here</a>), and you didn't need to spend megabucks on mobile productivity. In this group, only two machines managed to make it under the all important psychological £1,000 ex VAT barrier - the 386XL-powered Triumph Adler Walkstation 3/25 XL at £799, and the Mitac 4020F at £999. That £200 difference is telling, as the Mitac rocks a 25MHz 486 SX, double the RAM of the TA to 4MB whilst each pack an 85MB hard drive and mono display. Indeed, the Mitac gets the best buy. Other names you might reacll from the period include Watford Electronics with their Aries Perfecta 3300NB, AST's Bravo NB Color, Canon's BN22 BJ notebook with built in printer (those were the days, my friends), and Compaq's Contura 4/25C - still a lovely looking lappy!. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKwQsM3aDuhcLL7a0YAsgNn15OxMCEv7Ofq4lLkgfFYgA07wETXw0PQArprX63Qp6rlv79bu-pMoVYnS9k7fzxR5-iz6bFLHVfPlKe4ofGvnasmDcGAxPjSIyXRKNaI6Pr85QVHNfAZ9Js7ctHoNey3J057re8EEeUDoIHnfo_Yp-fr_bkHebJ7Rg6/s5712/534F2037-1867-4055-8A78-76C97DEEF8E7_1_201_a.heic" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4284" data-original-width="5712" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKwQsM3aDuhcLL7a0YAsgNn15OxMCEv7Ofq4lLkgfFYgA07wETXw0PQArprX63Qp6rlv79bu-pMoVYnS9k7fzxR5-iz6bFLHVfPlKe4ofGvnasmDcGAxPjSIyXRKNaI6Pr85QVHNfAZ9Js7ctHoNey3J057re8EEeUDoIHnfo_Yp-fr_bkHebJ7Rg6/w400-h300/534F2037-1867-4055-8A78-76C97DEEF8E7_1_201_a.heic" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Handy company info included - and a helpful review layout. </td></tr></tbody></table><p>Hewlett Packard, Olivertti, Panasonic, IBM and Toshiba are other big names here, with big prices to match. Most of these machines include DOS (a couple don't, wanting something like £65 to £99 extra but they'll chuck in a mouse and Windows too), but even the budget TA includes DOS and Win as standard. Only four have 386 processors, the rest coming with a variety of Intel, Cyrix or Texas Instruments 486's. A couple offer 2MB of RAM, the rest provide 4MB, whilst mass storage ranges from 85MB to 200MB, the sole exception being HP's Omnibook 425 which has 10MB of flash storage. And as for colour, well, you'd need a good credit card or deep pockets - the cheapest dual-scan display is the Watford Perfecta's and that machine comes in at £1,500. Active matrix (faster refresh rate, little ghosting and far more vibrant) is epitomised by the Enta NB 6500T for £2,350, and they wanted another £99 for DOS and Windows!</p><p>The Shopper columns were always worth a read, and this issue proves no less entertaining. Amiga Shopper looks at Deluxe Music 2.0, coupled with a report on an Amiga party in Topeka Kansas, featuring the team from NewTek. If you remember Babylon 5 or seaQuest DSV, you'll know what their software could do. A Silica advert on the page opposite details the then current Amiga range and just how little you could spend to get an A600 for (if you actually wanted one). £189 for the base machine was really cheap, your bog-standard A1200 was £299 but with many more upgrade options, and the A4000 could be yours for £899, although a more usable configuration would be £999 - and then the monitor on top. You could buy a similarly spec'd Mac LC III for less. <i>That's</i> how competitive Commodore weren't by this point. Oh, and the CD32 was £289. Nice try, Commodore, but the Sony PlayStation would arrive in Japan that December and would easily demonstrate its superior technical chops. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirnNR7isQgFDvm0LeR-TtO5a0FVuzSub6qPAzNp7t-Uaks-Mh4t1Fdl_jy-6GOa0dwwmHKuoEpB4tuS7CiV-9q8EJWBnlVbxRivuZ-noOTPfs99nG3Y31ccjZcyd3lEPKJ05hlRbss07Mo_83vWhOh6FR2jthQ137nKrbwnuyTE7ktmPEffpO7T3h-/s5008/2FB6051A-33F5-4356-A15B-704A36A8AFBB_1_201_a.heic" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5008" data-original-width="3614" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirnNR7isQgFDvm0LeR-TtO5a0FVuzSub6qPAzNp7t-Uaks-Mh4t1Fdl_jy-6GOa0dwwmHKuoEpB4tuS7CiV-9q8EJWBnlVbxRivuZ-noOTPfs99nG3Y31ccjZcyd3lEPKJ05hlRbss07Mo_83vWhOh6FR2jthQ137nKrbwnuyTE7ktmPEffpO7T3h-/w289-h400/2FB6051A-33F5-4356-A15B-704A36A8AFBB_1_201_a.heic" width="289" /></a></div><p>Atari Shopper talks about the benefits of adding 8MB to an STE (more for use as a Ram disk than anything else), as well as talking about Geneva, a multi-tasking upgrade for Tos, whilst Archimedes Shopper looks at new Archie game Spheres of Chaos and a round up of news. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy0V4PkI1KYecFNN_69dbWNyGGnlr8Zp5aMpOuqkwGgm8jFyoA8IYzbOZYzj3hxcqOoG-8ri6SqhY_cj7hBc1xPN3JzfI0uXqu1lLVqx7nqQPw_bc_B1D5BP3-JhSDgBrmiCNhjvhQF5oU5QUvOnRZVUznUv00nISxikWq292vOiO4F29hyf6pIMZb/s5712/DBBFF479-142D-49EE-AE25-72FAC04CCE92_1_201_a.heic" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4284" data-original-width="5712" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy0V4PkI1KYecFNN_69dbWNyGGnlr8Zp5aMpOuqkwGgm8jFyoA8IYzbOZYzj3hxcqOoG-8ri6SqhY_cj7hBc1xPN3JzfI0uXqu1lLVqx7nqQPw_bc_B1D5BP3-JhSDgBrmiCNhjvhQF5oU5QUvOnRZVUznUv00nISxikWq292vOiO4F29hyf6pIMZb/w400-h300/DBBFF479-142D-49EE-AE25-72FAC04CCE92_1_201_a.heic" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Viglen range - they could have been Contenders... (badum tss!)</td></tr></tbody></table><p>It is, however, Macintosh Shopper that is the highlight. MacBiter casts a jaundiced eye over the announcement that Apple would move to the Power PC architecture. To say the author was a tad cynical about Apple's behaviour would be an understatement but he also had a point. No matter how much ill-will you had towards the fruity tinkers in Cupertino, you usually ended up shelling out for their kit anyway. And so it would prove...</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi07CcsSj8Er99xxV96TV0rEKVhKi46wXPp1p7-rmPlpebWuv_HPAEcdxHFUZ3rg-5XPv3wNmp-eFLxO8QjFE9V19XdwTKT2oheq6PQjyCDmCBT89blw8jJRxH20dfmVHH2H62ycTXmn3GZ2Ida8c7NR5BMlOuDbKd21FGFi_tSxWcwr5RXsZMRjeR_/s5712/D7C716DD-9978-4F81-A9C3-AFE4A7BA516D_1_201_a.heic" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4284" data-original-width="5712" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi07CcsSj8Er99xxV96TV0rEKVhKi46wXPp1p7-rmPlpebWuv_HPAEcdxHFUZ3rg-5XPv3wNmp-eFLxO8QjFE9V19XdwTKT2oheq6PQjyCDmCBT89blw8jJRxH20dfmVHH2H62ycTXmn3GZ2Ida8c7NR5BMlOuDbKd21FGFi_tSxWcwr5RXsZMRjeR_/w400-h300/D7C716DD-9978-4F81-A9C3-AFE4A7BA516D_1_201_a.heic" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Compaq Contura bottom left - a snazzy looking laptop, and the CDS to its right.</td></tr></tbody></table><p>As this is Shopper though, it is the adverts that take up most of the page count, as well as providing a handy guide to the state of the DOS/Windows market of the time. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3Eapb1uncUO3Tr8Vb0YJr60QiFtevJFm7rOJjerpQUIho2I-fqReMnj67brLqltryZeRh7VhlgUqnQvKrMMGvNjeeosqQLoQ2UXk5JhvbELEAUlkfTrcbhFsXsbNIIsw2nwQnP_E7EfQD5GxPqKotenc_XXI_G2oGhP8-BuZoQQIII8bG8ZCAUvuZ/s5712/D601214F-4F39-4132-9BA2-000D3771ABC7.heic" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5712" data-original-width="4284" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3Eapb1uncUO3Tr8Vb0YJr60QiFtevJFm7rOJjerpQUIho2I-fqReMnj67brLqltryZeRh7VhlgUqnQvKrMMGvNjeeosqQLoQ2UXk5JhvbELEAUlkfTrcbhFsXsbNIIsw2nwQnP_E7EfQD5GxPqKotenc_XXI_G2oGhP8-BuZoQQIII8bG8ZCAUvuZ/w300-h400/D601214F-4F39-4132-9BA2-000D3771ABC7.heic" width="300" /></a></div><p>As noted above, the 486 rules, with only a few hardy box sellers shipping 386 desktops (although 386 laptops are a tad more common). Reeves would happily sell you a 40MHz 386 SX with 2 meg of RAM and a 125MB hard drive for £539 ex. That doesn't include an operating system though. Watford Electronics would do you a similar 2 meg machine with a 170MB hard drive and a software budle for £735 ex. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhetQQJH0PpUB1b1jJJB35eC9qg0A1O-cmbJyGDMZ98JU7ouRHEZBZuFO1HGZQxD1CnFkEmhfiy1636sQPTIz9nXV-2Lejh4zRzg_6cF0k2Qt1l-wm3sVLix5DhbeZyPzYJcOFctQerc36l5xpT3rELvE9hakvqZXeSncZpLB5rUb10GpZi3kSNWQ9h/s5712/27B6E99A-B37B-4D1F-874F-405709B549AE_1_201_a.heic" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4284" data-original-width="5712" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhetQQJH0PpUB1b1jJJB35eC9qg0A1O-cmbJyGDMZ98JU7ouRHEZBZuFO1HGZQxD1CnFkEmhfiy1636sQPTIz9nXV-2Lejh4zRzg_6cF0k2Qt1l-wm3sVLix5DhbeZyPzYJcOFctQerc36l5xpT3rELvE9hakvqZXeSncZpLB5rUb10GpZi3kSNWQ9h/w400-h300/27B6E99A-B37B-4D1F-874F-405709B549AE_1_201_a.heic" width="400" /></a></div><p>Amstrad were still (just) in the market. Time Computer Systems offered a 486SX 25MHz model (4/214MB) for £897 ex VAT, which isn't bad but demonstrates that the once prolific budget box builder was now priced alongside almost every other clone maker out there. Hell, Time were clearing out IBM stock, with a 486 25MHz SX 2/85MB for £699 ex. Alongside IBM were the Ambra range of machines - Ambra being a consumer mail order focused spin off from IBM. Their Sprinta II range was competitively priced too - that ever so familiar 25MHz 486 with a 100MB hard drive for £799. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRfRWW5a9BK-N09HJdP8PdJv07H1tzk2roWICvjx5SmveH2ZyFyxBI58wRb-zcltAUSyh699LIQ5QFq_aLv4v6fkemZLoQQUoBcUUmSI_C7zzZmGL9PSrcQTeALYWlGGWPHacJs1Wnm6PC_f8iwhv1Hg3_qX2D5pSgb0rCPa5hNkwAJDGfNKxJPFu3/s5712/E43A881B-3B5D-4067-A57A-9CE4217A44C0.heic" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5712" data-original-width="4284" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRfRWW5a9BK-N09HJdP8PdJv07H1tzk2roWICvjx5SmveH2ZyFyxBI58wRb-zcltAUSyh699LIQ5QFq_aLv4v6fkemZLoQQUoBcUUmSI_C7zzZmGL9PSrcQTeALYWlGGWPHacJs1Wnm6PC_f8iwhv1Hg3_qX2D5pSgb0rCPa5hNkwAJDGfNKxJPFu3/w300-h400/E43A881B-3B5D-4067-A57A-9CE4217A44C0.heic" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">They look different, but they are from the same company.</td></tr></tbody></table><p>As you can tell, the 386 was your very budget option and very poor value for money considering the benefits of the 486, all the more so when you considered Multimedia! It was the future and there were numerous deals on adding CD-ROM drives. Compaq's Presario CDS625 all-in-one promised a tidy little set up (minus much in the way of expansion options) for £1,375, and it seemed to be that if you were canny enough, a CD-equipped 486 could be yours for just under a grand but really you needed to budget between £1k and 1.5K to get the most balanced set up. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgshYDOQY65uQuxcABC0UqH4c6OvHYSfylk70BNiyYGRnlzW9N65RcKz7wITXOMXAxVXeAbYd2w19SETiwNVUSE1s2Q7VR4giiGyG_x0hogrNjJyrWktlDuUjdZc_ORUvDXfl_ymT3qnr31LBglLfPsIHdAcvHz1JVOgKPQSn8sCpOfq4ml7cCuHiq5/s5712/9DA84BC7-3E0C-4FF6-9BB1-25ABAE68E188.heic" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5712" data-original-width="4284" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgshYDOQY65uQuxcABC0UqH4c6OvHYSfylk70BNiyYGRnlzW9N65RcKz7wITXOMXAxVXeAbYd2w19SETiwNVUSE1s2Q7VR4giiGyG_x0hogrNjJyrWktlDuUjdZc_ORUvDXfl_ymT3qnr31LBglLfPsIHdAcvHz1JVOgKPQSn8sCpOfq4ml7cCuHiq5/w300-h400/9DA84BC7-3E0C-4FF6-9BB1-25ABAE68E188.heic" width="300" /></a></div><p>Toshiba were still masters of the laptop market, featuring prominently with resellers, and even one or two of the latter were offering Macs - LC II's and 475's took care of the lower end of the market for £528 to £849 ex VAT from Novatech, while the more capable Quadra 610 and 650's allowed you to depart with a grand plus of your hard earned cash without a bother.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZgmgiCalCrRRFc4owmNOiArYfYnA4fvL9tGrP0ashOqZ5TcCysNp4kFufnjJpnK-r00tqcEIyQg6qPpqStPM0lPaP6diiGXfZsLsGrI6IeVr2KKCa9HOsiWWp34AFUzWp_cSteU66c4Opkerwk5GLxkyflob2R6j1lDjzl6G4RX_xyAAKvor_zmzy/s5712/4775A8BC-9F5E-41EF-AA7A-626AF73C2BAE_1_201_a.heic" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4284" data-original-width="5712" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZgmgiCalCrRRFc4owmNOiArYfYnA4fvL9tGrP0ashOqZ5TcCysNp4kFufnjJpnK-r00tqcEIyQg6qPpqStPM0lPaP6diiGXfZsLsGrI6IeVr2KKCa9HOsiWWp34AFUzWp_cSteU66c4Opkerwk5GLxkyflob2R6j1lDjzl6G4RX_xyAAKvor_zmzy/w400-h300/4775A8BC-9F5E-41EF-AA7A-626AF73C2BAE_1_201_a.heic" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At this point, Amstrad were way off their game. </td></tr></tbody></table><p>Gateway was plugging its range of machines too - base 486SX 33MHz for £899, Pentium 60 for £1,999 and their non-too shabby looking Handbook 486 for £999. It's a canny looking portable. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirjq5yfJkatbxrRGS_1YJ6eXgGr5L3rHwdrGdCsLVlq7P-qAb_p3AakkQKELIztTJYE39ET8RMGd7aExRsvteizfuJxM5OMqJa8ixa20iIQaUe3OYp6PE-1pu1v52Li8orhw_XTPD9gkPu8ExUY3P6BruPuYGoIZmwPezUI3gATNTn5lOHAKKE6Lnw/s5712/DAB2E9CB-02DE-4096-BA04-3ED47C8CF48C.heic" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5712" data-original-width="4284" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirjq5yfJkatbxrRGS_1YJ6eXgGr5L3rHwdrGdCsLVlq7P-qAb_p3AakkQKELIztTJYE39ET8RMGd7aExRsvteizfuJxM5OMqJa8ixa20iIQaUe3OYp6PE-1pu1v52Li8orhw_XTPD9gkPu8ExUY3P6BruPuYGoIZmwPezUI3gATNTn5lOHAKKE6Lnw/w300-h400/DAB2E9CB-02DE-4096-BA04-3ED47C8CF48C.heic" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another dinky little laptop there.<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizd4HVaQ98-SZ2ApQO86jykb1plfVKj4JXMn9XHPRfP4P6jd68olfc62MMpX95opbJLeBgqKfrzcdRn8mfuB4_tcI_Y1XhsLbtvInmcPOJXBLt6SVrKhaNATp8jQtefsUqpb3qJr1PrqK-WIY_1mP3xmo-cM2qLv2Zh_mCaDmOlqmKDdxgMz9Vnio3/s5712/A0B1AC9B-1721-4658-B011-29DE12A459DE_1_201_a.heic" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4284" data-original-width="5712" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizd4HVaQ98-SZ2ApQO86jykb1plfVKj4JXMn9XHPRfP4P6jd68olfc62MMpX95opbJLeBgqKfrzcdRn8mfuB4_tcI_Y1XhsLbtvInmcPOJXBLt6SVrKhaNATp8jQtefsUqpb3qJr1PrqK-WIY_1mP3xmo-cM2qLv2Zh_mCaDmOlqmKDdxgMz9Vnio3/w400-h300/A0B1AC9B-1721-4658-B011-29DE12A459DE_1_201_a.heic" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Is that a Lunar Gateway ad? NASA joke for you there, folks. </td></tr></tbody></table><p>Dabs Press were another popular reseller, and tucked away in their listing was the Amstrad Mega PC for £425 - by this point more a curio than a worthy PC/console hybrid. They did, however, offer a decent range of handhelds, and by those I mean Psions and the like. So too did Pico Direct, a retailer who made handhelds their speciality and offered a ton of difference devices. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiglE9qX8Lkg8R7qsctFz-75w7yYZLq_4RUplvAIvRpYAVmg8ZknWmby226_lLC_rouS8OmYRTsvjwYA1lik30oZLbTqIZkZpu7cuk-ifWnbnksIyhhUmOR-tKs74iPma7qn2SOFyrOCHIasNwnfOB8tw4Y8r4j3Do6Re83AdiU3nMRKn482LgPmDcP/s5712/DF26C3B6-F098-45B2-A02A-711945B60340.heic" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5712" data-original-width="4284" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiglE9qX8Lkg8R7qsctFz-75w7yYZLq_4RUplvAIvRpYAVmg8ZknWmby226_lLC_rouS8OmYRTsvjwYA1lik30oZLbTqIZkZpu7cuk-ifWnbnksIyhhUmOR-tKs74iPma7qn2SOFyrOCHIasNwnfOB8tw4Y8r4j3Do6Re83AdiU3nMRKn482LgPmDcP/w300-h400/DF26C3B6-F098-45B2-A02A-711945B60340.heic" width="300" /></a></div><p>Computer Shopper issue 73 shows the DOS/Windows PC at the pinnacle of its 486 journey. There were a growing number of resellers stocking big brands, and there were even more small box builders eager to eke out the thinnest of profit margins, yet it was also the time of decline for the traditional manufacturers too. The likes of Amstrad and IBM were slowly disengaging from the market, becoming just one of many names out there. As for the other computing formats, Atari was wasting away trying to support the Jaguar console and Acorn were making all the right noises but the wider changes to the PC market (multimedia and increasing power at decreasing prices) meant that its glory days were behind it. Apple was looking good, but the approaching launch of Windows 95 and the impression of PC superiority would hurt the company, almost as badly as the cack-handed corporate leadership and the on-going failure to modernise the OS. And as for Commodore, just three months after the publication date of this issue, ol'chicken lips would be bankrupt. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9L8IaifyDqO_f_TUjEVT81dA4qqVs1iEIwCSUh-VL4y8VP4BXYdf7oAkcOOs0KfQZPtIkNABBygWTfS86k1Rb88LenKZxLk5g6fPRhW-8RKWMa8YJUQ8mmZ87DcYh1_tBORlp3a8mNG4Gm57Eq8pqVLewzwh7gFgRHO9DAdE8ukqUQnP2nXnJo6FK/s5712/17751FA9-AA7B-48C6-BDD6-B839930AA236.heic" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5712" data-original-width="4284" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9L8IaifyDqO_f_TUjEVT81dA4qqVs1iEIwCSUh-VL4y8VP4BXYdf7oAkcOOs0KfQZPtIkNABBygWTfS86k1Rb88LenKZxLk5g6fPRhW-8RKWMa8YJUQ8mmZ87DcYh1_tBORlp3a8mNG4Gm57Eq8pqVLewzwh7gFgRHO9DAdE8ukqUQnP2nXnJo6FK/w300-h400/17751FA9-AA7B-48C6-BDD6-B839930AA236.heic" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Against Amstrad, Olivetti's machines had a certain sense of style.</td></tr></tbody></table><p>It's always interesting looking at these old magazines. When taken as a whole, they not only inform you of what was happening at the time, but also add flavour to what you learn. Issue 73 was another cracking edition of the then most popular UK computing magazine, but for the next visit to yesteryear, we'll be heading back to the time of the launch of one of my favourite computer formats...</p><p>In the meantime, have a great festive/holiday period! I shall be back with more blogging shenanigans in the new year. </p>Andrew the Tekkiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01757282676248834026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3359642955101086116.post-21432036604482426092023-12-16T10:11:00.002+00:002023-12-16T10:11:42.032+00:00Khalsa! by Andrew Copestake and James Main - Book ReviewA recent release from Helion & Co's Helion Wargames series, Khalsa! aims to guide the wargamer along the path of enlightenment to putting soldiers on the table for the Anglo-Sikh Wars of 1845-46 and 1848-49. This isn't a ruleset per se, but it does offer more than the usual "this happened here" run through (<i>essential</i> as that is for historical wargaming). Is it any good though?<div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCD3PNe_LRGivar3ThrVpewwg6xxVPWa2FMVIDuXqJ44DRP0ZBh43Rx80-mywbcLGsCc_LJ87qIoMOkLePhxZrThO1XcxS15ll0Xtkx2vwTMsM3jINAILUpzy3npBbv4CPMWnobQrKLnaDQX7UA8m9SZnFmeIgye6r6YXzTj5YOLuiTpYojvTyJ5B8/s3629/DDC2FECF-1323-4D9B-B875-D4B861BDCB31_1_201_a.heic" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3629" data-original-width="2974" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCD3PNe_LRGivar3ThrVpewwg6xxVPWa2FMVIDuXqJ44DRP0ZBh43Rx80-mywbcLGsCc_LJ87qIoMOkLePhxZrThO1XcxS15ll0Xtkx2vwTMsM3jINAILUpzy3npBbv4CPMWnobQrKLnaDQX7UA8m9SZnFmeIgye6r6YXzTj5YOLuiTpYojvTyJ5B8/s320/DDC2FECF-1323-4D9B-B875-D4B861BDCB31_1_201_a.heic" width="262" /></a></div><div><div><br /></div><div>Before we continue, cards on the table. I have known Andy for more than 25 years, Jim even longer, and I count them both as very good friends. We have laughed (The Breakfast Pasty Business, The Veggie Burger Vignette - trashy detective novels in the making there!), cried (<i>that </i>two day show on the Yorkshire Coast) and gone through other less noteworthy (but no less funny) shenanigans involving wargames, wargames shows and the odd pint or two over the years. Does this colour my review? I hope not. Neither gent has had sight of this piece before posting, nor have they had any input to it. In addition, I purchased my copy via the Helion and Co website using my own funds.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVahI9-YZ9xUaiz5kraNyx8AeI8vytSM5TmfZLsuxlknMf8VrrFbQ6TUDzlWclwHudGB3W0WXtZmweMwdhyphenhyphenexbGwYLmu76GVYPrk8b194XknKXh3scuhu497SXSH3iY3Rxs3G6ihbrSB0yDmkuxkiAg6ovuAOfBHQq-cn5xGtODKttv6tp9-SBOaXm/s3195/F1963C8D-D918-43CA-9BB0-A7EE2E768B99_1_201_a.heic" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3195" data-original-width="2351" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVahI9-YZ9xUaiz5kraNyx8AeI8vytSM5TmfZLsuxlknMf8VrrFbQ6TUDzlWclwHudGB3W0WXtZmweMwdhyphenhyphenexbGwYLmu76GVYPrk8b194XknKXh3scuhu497SXSH3iY3Rxs3G6ihbrSB0yDmkuxkiAg6ovuAOfBHQq-cn5xGtODKttv6tp9-SBOaXm/w294-h400/F1963C8D-D918-43CA-9BB0-A7EE2E768B99_1_201_a.heic" width="294" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>With that in mind, what do you get for your £29.95? Well, the usual high quality Helion publication coming in at just over 180 pages and in full colour. Aside from the introduction, acknowledgements and timeline, there are eight chapters and three appendices, all finished off with a handy glossary. </div><div><br /></div><div>Chapter One provides the reader with an introduction to the rise of the Khalsa, their geographical reach, the types of troops they used, and the composition of the forces they fielded, mercenaries and all. There is more than enough helpful guidance on how they could be portrayed on the table. As is only correct, further historical information can be found in the sources quoted in Appendix A, three pages of which cover additional reading. </div><div><br /></div><div>Chapter Two brings us the forces of the Honourable East India Company (not a Ronseal title if you've read much about the corporate entity itself). Again, units and formations are covered, as are notable personages, and how they too could be applied to a game. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7ehx2060E6VdrugVK3XXyV8gJ5FK-EYXcWw6dQd5MB-PITE3f9ZMbHi5RxRCfCKezyUVM3OzCiZpoDQgs2NPzfg16Dm8WCBRLWRAMv0oQV1_SE14_Tqff88O12-WoFS40v8dwfZcFRvFkGTbLda2-ougdsgjgUGEagTzPIwXSgqGNOtgSpBBXpwUG/s5712/F31E4EFB-D99C-40C5-97E7-1E07BCE42F35.heic" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5712" data-original-width="4284" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7ehx2060E6VdrugVK3XXyV8gJ5FK-EYXcWw6dQd5MB-PITE3f9ZMbHi5RxRCfCKezyUVM3OzCiZpoDQgs2NPzfg16Dm8WCBRLWRAMv0oQV1_SE14_Tqff88O12-WoFS40v8dwfZcFRvFkGTbLda2-ougdsgjgUGEagTzPIwXSgqGNOtgSpBBXpwUG/w300-h400/F31E4EFB-D99C-40C5-97E7-1E07BCE42F35.heic" width="300" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Chapter Three is where the real wargaming fun begins with the battles of the First Anglo-Sikh War. Each action is given maps, orders of battle, and notes on gaming them. Photography of tabletop battles abound, and there is also the occasional illustration from 19th Century sources too (not contemporaneous but suitably period).</div><div><br /></div><div>Chapter Four covers the Sieges of Multan and Herbert Edwardes' Campaign, before the fifth settles on Sir Hugh Gough's time in the sun from 1848-49. At this point, the commentary deserves a mention. There is little evidence of bias against either side, and where the British were poorly led, they paid the price accordingly. Some battles were close run things, others more accidental in nature, yet their portrayal here should give fine succour to those without even the flimsiest of prior knowledge. And again, if you'd like to know more, Appendix A is very much your friend. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8CGAgg4tFnELkl-E3XLVemkDOOmv4qNtCup4Qeoo0DvQLb96HOhmkf-mZgx3FhMNVTE2OovAi6NmjlI2jQJF9fxi0e68h-Q5jlC9jLywWWfRhDxX8plpnv8HN1p4488Dy_R04PNNvX0BmnEfQcgLOBFqiVs48KDX3wyZ_ZsBpAj0FMTjgUrhMOTO5/s5712/61F7DAB8-8236-4448-A253-562D0DA8F8C6.heic" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5712" data-original-width="4284" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8CGAgg4tFnELkl-E3XLVemkDOOmv4qNtCup4Qeoo0DvQLb96HOhmkf-mZgx3FhMNVTE2OovAi6NmjlI2jQJF9fxi0e68h-Q5jlC9jLywWWfRhDxX8plpnv8HN1p4488Dy_R04PNNvX0BmnEfQcgLOBFqiVs48KDX3wyZ_ZsBpAj0FMTjgUrhMOTO5/w300-h400/61F7DAB8-8236-4448-A253-562D0DA8F8C6.heic" width="300" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>The Sixth chapter focuses on the colours and uniforms of the various forces, handy for the seventh chapter where a painting guide details the process of putting soldiers of the period onto the table. Each step is concisely written with accompanying imagery, and even my limited painting skills could follow the clarity provided here. </div><div><br /></div><div>The final chapter is where the true wargaming potential of the period is scrutinised. Tactics and what ifs set things off, but there are suggestions for the use of umpires (big fan of that approach personally), scenarios (both historical and fictional) as well as amendments that can be applied to a selection of commonly used rulesets for the period. As a side note, when the period was put on the table as a demo game at the recent Battleground Show in Stockton, the terrain modifications listed here were a very useful addition. </div><div><br /></div><div>Of the appendices, we have talked of A (ever so useful, I cannot state that enough - if you're partaking in historical wargaming, reading up on the period is essential). B is a suggested list of figures suppliers, whilst C provides several pages of Army lists, noting types of troops and the percentage each provided to the armies of the period. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6p9hpO4_1XY_xdCK9tR2OIUmEeB_jQ_Jxn1zzHGInjGMhQ-qSvq1Qr8SK-emF0uEdLcixl6MJ-LcEt5Pga2rH_Z3UzV0Rq6yNt1Bo-NFPUWzmlrWgiH8-hebR2U7_WDO1kllUAdiNxZNZWuAde-FDoOCMw6bVMI7tHobJGlV6tjkVGsk2jMg22okR/s5712/3A0D897F-5497-49E8-BF75-0EA3525BB9D3_1_201_a.heic" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5712" data-original-width="4284" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6p9hpO4_1XY_xdCK9tR2OIUmEeB_jQ_Jxn1zzHGInjGMhQ-qSvq1Qr8SK-emF0uEdLcixl6MJ-LcEt5Pga2rH_Z3UzV0Rq6yNt1Bo-NFPUWzmlrWgiH8-hebR2U7_WDO1kllUAdiNxZNZWuAde-FDoOCMw6bVMI7tHobJGlV6tjkVGsk2jMg22okR/w300-h400/3A0D897F-5497-49E8-BF75-0EA3525BB9D3_1_201_a.heic" width="300" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>I have mentioned the imagery already but it must be said that between both authors' collections and those photographs supplied by Colin Ashton, there is more than enough lead eye candy for even the most cynical of gamers. </div><div><br /></div><div>That's it, and a fine publication it is too. There is the odd issue - mainly imagery placement. The black text over an image containing a black flag on page 37 is probably the most egregious example, and that joke on page 19 is possibly too obvious. OK, I am stretching here, but to be fair to the authors, I'd have been terribly disappointed if it hadn't have been made at some point!</div><div><br /></div><div>Overall, this is another fine Helion & Co publication and one that deserves your attention if the period appeals. Well written, highly informative and a cracking starting point for those wishing to dive into the subject with little or no knowledge (or maybe just as a refresher), you can pick up a copy direct from the publisher <a href="https://www.helion.co.uk/military-history-books/khalsa-a-guide-to-wargaming-the-anglo-sikh-wars-1845-1846-and-1848-1849.php?sid=862d6cfb4e7cffb466e35cfe966e1925" target="_blank">here</a>. As a bonus for me, next time we put this period on the table, I might actually know what's going on!</div></div>Andrew the Tekkiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01757282676248834026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3359642955101086116.post-87216506196157363452023-12-08T15:35:00.000+00:002023-12-08T15:35:45.169+00:00From Vultures to Vampires Volume Three by David John Pleasance and Trevor Dickinson - Book ReviewIt has arrived. Finally. The culmination of a Kickstarter project that successfully closed on the 19th of July 2020, From Vultures to Vampires Volume Three is not the book that backers originally pledged for. Nope, that particular tome was delivered back in October 2021. The second volume arrived in July this year, and now, after a chase up email prompted by another backer sharing a message from David Pleasance on the original Kickstarter's comments page, here we are. Was it worth the wait?<div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4ZvqTT3g6G0MDF0aYOd32Ak9gz0oTGD_7Sd9yKz4h9GtZc8xZ-pPvD8HsHh_L-_SrksLc0BBt0-b8hrBAXsWaBLhHzmBEQB8f4aPhts7KadEDYxmmykLw1pkNtNSg804YCWQXC06GR4idj18dIdBCJ06E1PC6_63xKx6zqAuvio1ZPu4R81sEqCYK/s5712/254EB08F-FACF-4769-885C-9277FEE73879.heic" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5712" data-original-width="4284" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4ZvqTT3g6G0MDF0aYOd32Ak9gz0oTGD_7Sd9yKz4h9GtZc8xZ-pPvD8HsHh_L-_SrksLc0BBt0-b8hrBAXsWaBLhHzmBEQB8f4aPhts7KadEDYxmmykLw1pkNtNSg804YCWQXC06GR4idj18dIdBCJ06E1PC6_63xKx6zqAuvio1ZPu4R81sEqCYK/w300-h400/254EB08F-FACF-4769-885C-9277FEE73879.heic" width="300" /></a></div><div><div><br /></div><div>Short answer is "mostly." For the £33 paid (including delivery), this 326 page book brings us the Amiga (and wider Commodore story, cos you've got to fill that page count somehow) story from 2010 up to 2023, completing the saga begun in those dark days of 1994. It very much follows the pattern set by the first two entries, and you still get some adverts at the back. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_2uVFs54E-sw8nh09frcHtZXH7LRxL-_8bcpfSx78TMiq-1rEvEpdvhTTca0EPXy852W_u9buX-EOEPXOrVsYlKmtA0qzGzi-aRcuMYE9YkXJdxYDdL6fAIkbxJLzYwvOLV-HjWGwUQE8m-LXxeAooixqvmIh4ISKDULkkfy5FxBm2WV62ZdqKEeq/s5712/4F283E6F-91F9-419C-B1A5-C8D8339911B5.heic" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5712" data-original-width="4284" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_2uVFs54E-sw8nh09frcHtZXH7LRxL-_8bcpfSx78TMiq-1rEvEpdvhTTca0EPXy852W_u9buX-EOEPXOrVsYlKmtA0qzGzi-aRcuMYE9YkXJdxYDdL6fAIkbxJLzYwvOLV-HjWGwUQE8m-LXxeAooixqvmIh4ISKDULkkfy5FxBm2WV62ZdqKEeq/w300-h400/4F283E6F-91F9-419C-B1A5-C8D8339911B5.heic" width="300" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>As you can see from the seven chapters, it's a pretty comprehensive coverage of the various initiatives, hardware, and developments that have featured the Amiga (whatever that name actually means now). It's well written for the most part and once again has plenty of imagery. Individuals are evenly handled (as far as I can tell), and whatever your position on the legal fights within the Amiga community, sides are not chosen either way. Basically, if you've got the first two books, the third will be an essential addition and it's an enjoyable read in its own right. But it's not flawless. And neither is the trilogy as a whole.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2xJcF3ifR343gvLhztULuqqAs7tyexnxHHzpOPn3QFsQPhOFN60WzzTXV8XWhq719DAqnlZPh1eqW1F4IkwbgZ0DQbTdgBg64CCZzhbc8E7XYGLuZhydm3GKciQmzy0I8T7IPsb0AS4gIFtOvjGRyV24zHCyzen_EITC71AaXngvj7hSSLRItX4Ed/s5712/16CBF39D-EB90-478F-A46D-BABFF298FD73_1_201_a.heic" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4284" data-original-width="5712" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2xJcF3ifR343gvLhztULuqqAs7tyexnxHHzpOPn3QFsQPhOFN60WzzTXV8XWhq719DAqnlZPh1eqW1F4IkwbgZ0DQbTdgBg64CCZzhbc8E7XYGLuZhydm3GKciQmzy0I8T7IPsb0AS4gIFtOvjGRyV24zHCyzen_EITC71AaXngvj7hSSLRItX4Ed/w400-h300/16CBF39D-EB90-478F-A46D-BABFF298FD73_1_201_a.heic" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>There is padding, and a fair bit of it. Over the trilogy, there's a ton of imagery, the inclusion of which is questionable. Three pictures of an individual when most just get one (and pictures of some who get literally a one sentence mention). David with a C64 Mini. A Philips CDi. And the focus on side products (C64 Mini, the MEGA65 and general FPGA devices) means that, since the authors announced volume two (and later the third one), it feels like a serious effort has been made to bulk things up a bit. Let us not forget the adverts at the back either. </div><div><br /></div><div>And that really is the crux of this review. This book works, but I really do question the need for a trilogy. Yeah, they started the Kickstarter saying that they were <i>planning one</i> book, but to over shoot the expected page count by two and a half times is quite the feat. If you cut out the ads, extra pictures (as noted above, and the tangents to the story - do we need to know about Penti Kouri's son, or the City of Kent Arena that wasn't even built until way after Amiga's involvement?), then I can see a way that this could, with proper planning, have been a two book set. And yes, gentle reader, this does sour my opinion of the trilogy and the authors slightly. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV2NHVcfHk7JT_MW7UGjLxhHgW_tWH4KgWi_gqztkb4hJd8IkqOMAdPmi3-TkYXZDgNB7vOYOpWwTDo93XfQyYOthFLh-nok6DeuTLYc0S0eRrT4PqkTEbY7oTT55qiVcfGSRPnjOuCKsCO8UL7imY_uIZiVZPsVAviEAlBiLyDR0er4eGOpGe4WyN/s5712/D03D281B-A377-47CA-99AE-2C3C90281BED_1_201_a.heic" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5712" data-original-width="4284" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV2NHVcfHk7JT_MW7UGjLxhHgW_tWH4KgWi_gqztkb4hJd8IkqOMAdPmi3-TkYXZDgNB7vOYOpWwTDo93XfQyYOthFLh-nok6DeuTLYc0S0eRrT4PqkTEbY7oTT55qiVcfGSRPnjOuCKsCO8UL7imY_uIZiVZPsVAviEAlBiLyDR0er4eGOpGe4WyN/w300-h400/D03D281B-A377-47CA-99AE-2C3C90281BED_1_201_a.heic" width="300" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>My original Kickstarter pledge was for £30 plus £6 p&p, which ended up totalling £93.50. If I'd known that the total price would nearly triple over three years, I probably wouldn't have pledged. But once caught up in it, I went along with the ride, and thus became one of the many enablers of the odyssey. Oh, I have three in-depth and informative books, it's just that if I'm going to pay for something, I'd really like to know upfront the total price. Maybe this was an experiment for Books As A Service? No-one tell John Riccitiello!</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvJNbN601p0O1ujGnT6ecnczxP9l8nqFO2_Uzlakp3zh-BxxVEVmNdCBHpS6xbH7mSkXqQJ1pUxDqhbfT4tY2wDV6BlZrmTAq0QPR5x0HezR48lA68P8okKtnGtJ6TXrdgVyls1bYfCi8s28bGp0OycT2ewE14BQA1UTSWh1Lpso47xzCawj2gEepZ/s5435/A209876C-E25E-4350-8DBB-A9487C2DB149_1_201_a.heic" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2738" data-original-width="5435" height="201" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvJNbN601p0O1ujGnT6ecnczxP9l8nqFO2_Uzlakp3zh-BxxVEVmNdCBHpS6xbH7mSkXqQJ1pUxDqhbfT4tY2wDV6BlZrmTAq0QPR5x0HezR48lA68P8okKtnGtJ6TXrdgVyls1bYfCi8s28bGp0OycT2ewE14BQA1UTSWh1Lpso47xzCawj2gEepZ/w400-h201/A209876C-E25E-4350-8DBB-A9487C2DB149_1_201_a.heic" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>But seriously, after a couple of years of drip fed updates, requests for extra cash outside of the initial funding process, and some downright weird behaviour (asking backers to complete a spreadsheet via Facebook was a new one for me), all three books are here, even if there had to be a final chase up at the end. Pointer for future projects David: wherever you announce updates, use the original platform too and don't rely on backers to share your communications. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvE21YlFTzT2-vCNq-rwKG6IWXx_pwbLAz5GVrJ-sScywPKfpHDAKelH8RATBUWTnkt_MxAa0xu_OgMOswK3VIPXEOh_i3FjjXX3nS3fz9mzEGVQ769_WuIUytiVnrHaBKyqn0pC2KtZyB2XiSeuIa9ySWdvvMUG1fm5NTa6_qciDwOyE-mSkRvJyS/s5477/AB5CCAE0-0EB4-4DF1-A8FE-18AA28E323C1_1_201_a.heic" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1959" data-original-width="5477" height="143" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvE21YlFTzT2-vCNq-rwKG6IWXx_pwbLAz5GVrJ-sScywPKfpHDAKelH8RATBUWTnkt_MxAa0xu_OgMOswK3VIPXEOh_i3FjjXX3nS3fz9mzEGVQ769_WuIUytiVnrHaBKyqn0pC2KtZyB2XiSeuIa9ySWdvvMUG1fm5NTa6_qciDwOyE-mSkRvJyS/w400-h143/AB5CCAE0-0EB4-4DF1-A8FE-18AA28E323C1_1_201_a.heic" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Anyway, a rant or two ago, I said that if you had the first two volumes, then this is an essential addition. But what if you're coming to this without any prior buy in? Should you? Well, that's up to you, but since each volume retails for £35 plus p&p on top (£6 per book for UK buyers, more for outside the UK), putting aside the above rants, then no, I wouldn't recommend them. £35 is at the upper end of niche, and if you choose all three, then £105 plus £18 p&p is a huge chunk of change. You could comfort yourself with the cheaper ebook option (which I know required work to design but carry <i>zero</i> on-going physical costs) which come in at £15 a piece. I'm sorry, but that's robbery. I mean, hey, your book gents, you sell it for what you want, but £45 for three ebooks frankly smells of profiteering, especially considering that their design costs for book one were covered by the Kickstarter, and the follow on books were at the very least partially funded externally of Kickstarter utilising the existing backers. Oh, and at some point, the ebooks will be the <i>only</i> buying option.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDskOz3eLIcLkU3JQOpPIkQ9izmRS2DdS04LH1IMS-bZQJP3tABnVKF6F59dLNGQrSLSFAX-K1USFGk8izMSB82stGWMWAFG1W8M7vPyMax_hWGfcHUUU8FJzD4-9OUITO0zQXX_hkRqIZ9mA_G_BA9Pxr7UMMg24K9O8APyQlEIWoWxgwGX4twniR/s5712/027D4E85-97E7-4466-AC48-CD4ED89BD4C1_1_201_a.heic" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5712" data-original-width="4284" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDskOz3eLIcLkU3JQOpPIkQ9izmRS2DdS04LH1IMS-bZQJP3tABnVKF6F59dLNGQrSLSFAX-K1USFGk8izMSB82stGWMWAFG1W8M7vPyMax_hWGfcHUUU8FJzD4-9OUITO0zQXX_hkRqIZ9mA_G_BA9Pxr7UMMg24K9O8APyQlEIWoWxgwGX4twniR/w300-h400/027D4E85-97E7-4466-AC48-CD4ED89BD4C1_1_201_a.heic" width="300" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>It took a long time, but they got there in the end, and this well-produced tome will sit next to its compatriots ready for future reference. If you're interested in getting this volume (or the whole set), David Pleasance has his own website for you to hand money over. But before you do, one final note:</div><div><br /></div><div>There was going to be a follow up post about the Kickstarter and how things escalated over the last three years, but you know what, David J Pleasance and Trevor Dickinson have finally delivered on the original premise - just over a much longer period and at much greater cost to the backers. I don't agree as to how they've done it, and I am as culpable as any other backer for feeding the money machine, but the books are here. It's been a learning experience to say the least, and I'd be <i>very</i> wary about any future projects the authors wish to crowdfund, as without doubt, out of over thirty or so successful campaigns I have backed over the last three and a half years, this has been the most poorly organised of the lot. </div></div>Andrew the Tekkiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01757282676248834026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3359642955101086116.post-73226571563945517792023-12-03T11:05:00.001+00:002023-12-03T11:05:39.773+00:00Curious Video Game Machines by Lewis Packwood - Book Review<p>Over the last decade, there has been an explosion of interest in the history of video games. This shouldn't be surprising as although the mainstream market is barely passed its fiftieth birthday, it's certainly been eventful, even if it does become a little tiresome when (mainly) US based writers/content creators et al bang on about the Great Video Game Crash of '83 - in the UK and elsewhere, that was a fart in the wind. My point is that many stories have been told about the early days of mass market video games, so is it reasonable to wonder what Lewis Packwood can bring to the discussion with this new release from the White Owl imprint of Pen and Sword Books?</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHwHiS7XBEXaTLrJyLYqE1Zh2YcnU2YC7gJVHJEIq0Ac-d1jKP2X6N2prsGQlTSjw2mXx45_5VGqDhH0kAGcTx_B7p45ZvRQTXAHpV8a_5anoPyeZ1rYyVyMrsdnyi7YSpEWFOa5PIem7W4YkxSOqDHjvtAn_Ki7ijQvJEnU10F1o2YpKqYEh-733R/s5399/C2C9C2C4-3223-4C4B-B649-396BDC846CAA_1_201_a.heic" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5399" data-original-width="3955" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHwHiS7XBEXaTLrJyLYqE1Zh2YcnU2YC7gJVHJEIq0Ac-d1jKP2X6N2prsGQlTSjw2mXx45_5VGqDhH0kAGcTx_B7p45ZvRQTXAHpV8a_5anoPyeZ1rYyVyMrsdnyi7YSpEWFOa5PIem7W4YkxSOqDHjvtAn_Ki7ijQvJEnU10F1o2YpKqYEh-733R/w293-h400/C2C9C2C4-3223-4C4B-B649-396BDC846CAA_1_201_a.heic" width="293" /></a></div><p>As you peruse the contents page below, you may be thinking, maybe not. After all, the Enterprise 8-bit micro has received a bit of historical interest (from UK retro gaming people at least) so its inclusion here might just be a rinse and repeat chapter. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjmD55oLXNjCVfXEp5VwY0Cyg-VLxoV0iUw3dL2dtpBoPewGrZflXuWGw4x8OBXhvI6msIgVUQI3UY09bE7zWznmDV-yqmkjPZ8V9-g2DrYwh5zNs-oqrVHM49SRJQ8zNKhYKohgs5WFUei5a1Hbh7GmruesxJFTxKLfShBbd8J5H51Bu7euB0eC5v/s5712/B11CD371-9585-4E98-AE30-F4B2E5F53893.heic" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5712" data-original-width="4284" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjmD55oLXNjCVfXEp5VwY0Cyg-VLxoV0iUw3dL2dtpBoPewGrZflXuWGw4x8OBXhvI6msIgVUQI3UY09bE7zWznmDV-yqmkjPZ8V9-g2DrYwh5zNs-oqrVHM49SRJQ8zNKhYKohgs5WFUei5a1Hbh7GmruesxJFTxKLfShBbd8J5H51Bu7euB0eC5v/w300-h400/B11CD371-9585-4E98-AE30-F4B2E5F53893.heic" width="300" /></a></div><p>But did you know what happened to the Enterprise <i>after</i> it bombed in the UK? Or the second life of the Amiga CD32? Or that the Casio Loopy was just the tip of the iceberg when it came to specifically targeted gaming hardware? And what fresh hell was the Avatar Machine? You'll know exactly what by the time you've finished this book. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqkl22pKQ2U7L1fGXBuK27X5N70lgYxBvinBHAEgLm9VMtk9fZvWZ0aORD7Ow6SuCy-E_HrXwvkOPAqe6rEP9mOaMEBm8HTxGKXhUjAPnPIwP-WVqfdbuaLTAAPIJ1_EEleSgZ55COeQWYXU5V1xhj1sHFwAcieKtrLtuN9ZRBJIyWit-mmRJmThkx/s5467/657A4070-E1D0-4473-8DFD-5D09ADCE2788_1_201_a.heic" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5467" data-original-width="3996" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqkl22pKQ2U7L1fGXBuK27X5N70lgYxBvinBHAEgLm9VMtk9fZvWZ0aORD7Ow6SuCy-E_HrXwvkOPAqe6rEP9mOaMEBm8HTxGKXhUjAPnPIwP-WVqfdbuaLTAAPIJ1_EEleSgZ55COeQWYXU5V1xhj1sHFwAcieKtrLtuN9ZRBJIyWit-mmRJmThkx/w293-h400/657A4070-E1D0-4473-8DFD-5D09ADCE2788_1_201_a.heic" width="293" /></a></div><p>And that's the thing, whereas the subjects covered may be familiar (to a degree) to some, the author's research expands those stories far beyond what you may have already read, seen or heard. It gets better though, as Mr Packwood covers kit that has had little to no mainstream coverage.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq1KNZBYNIKg-MqwLLTp1y2t9SpV8duvSn1Oviy7lzb35Jpo5gnwTNFl1BobgGfImXh7xREQWQw6BZyZEpsXNXQzAQdDBdvgZJOHNaFGCEnuLjw4dUDh5ZcVPaMuhzRmPzGTVDMbL8wXVYqaxxZIhjCe4S-cPQjO8SD_YcqXcEUwrlRiuzjJZvStj-/s5712/00295488-8F95-4FCE-B33A-FD89124DA6DB.heic" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5712" data-original-width="4284" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq1KNZBYNIKg-MqwLLTp1y2t9SpV8duvSn1Oviy7lzb35Jpo5gnwTNFl1BobgGfImXh7xREQWQw6BZyZEpsXNXQzAQdDBdvgZJOHNaFGCEnuLjw4dUDh5ZcVPaMuhzRmPzGTVDMbL8wXVYqaxxZIhjCe4S-cPQjO8SD_YcqXcEUwrlRiuzjJZvStj-/w300-h400/00295488-8F95-4FCE-B33A-FD89124DA6DB.heic" width="300" /></a></div><p>A prime example is the Galaksija, Yugoslavia's home built micro that still has a following to this day. Everything in that chapter was a wonder - here is a machine the story of which deserves to be told, and it is told extremely well, as are the stories of the people behind it. Another chapter features the Kimtanktics, an ingenious and highly specialised way to bring the table top war gaming into the high tech of the 1970's. Their inclusion in this book meant that this was the first time I was introduced to either machine.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQiL2FSc0Sz2HrrthYnQX5BYgnH66uwRcNkYTVsk1eC_Q7YrfXTRd87hT-Qn8Xo7nRoIqrErbwIsLCw_s4-JELlM48FIaAmqyfb2XvFDrfJBQf6-NEmZK2_KPKda00e6dAooE_O2ZNE297Ny1w1-ev_zHuU7j4EROc3cEeOf1JWPv19VYr-ZFGGg3i/s5712/0B3AD603-0684-4352-80F8-AFD8E7A42D84.heic" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5712" data-original-width="4284" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQiL2FSc0Sz2HrrthYnQX5BYgnH66uwRcNkYTVsk1eC_Q7YrfXTRd87hT-Qn8Xo7nRoIqrErbwIsLCw_s4-JELlM48FIaAmqyfb2XvFDrfJBQf6-NEmZK2_KPKda00e6dAooE_O2ZNE297Ny1w1-ev_zHuU7j4EROc3cEeOf1JWPv19VYr-ZFGGg3i/w300-h400/0B3AD603-0684-4352-80F8-AFD8E7A42D84.heic" width="300" /></a></div><p>There are some real gems in here and the author has done a fantastic job in bringing the various computers to life. There are plenty of photographs and screenshots, and yeah, I did head off to YouTube to see some of the games in action - the VHS flight games are... well, of their time... Another bonus was that the chapter on the Barcode Battler not only (belatedly) justified my decision not to ask for one for Christmas thirty years ago, and it also clearly explains the concept of the hardware and of barcodes themselves.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN6eXuxcJCgYpBppTehsnNlTqW__R5iksS0U1EoDwHC7cAR_pS33pKQGIgavuKWXxvgzDUBMCwGaoOS8ax-iJOnS-P8qiCVyWNjfPVqzUrVrtphLinfHY80hz_PzRQ40xz7St1bJnmJ-JO1Tlxh-X_dCINc7WsG5CUVTszocSBzcdT5H0h6de7bBKx/s5712/428F4FA8-7513-4070-A61D-24597104AA0E.heic" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5712" data-original-width="4284" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN6eXuxcJCgYpBppTehsnNlTqW__R5iksS0U1EoDwHC7cAR_pS33pKQGIgavuKWXxvgzDUBMCwGaoOS8ax-iJOnS-P8qiCVyWNjfPVqzUrVrtphLinfHY80hz_PzRQ40xz7St1bJnmJ-JO1Tlxh-X_dCINc7WsG5CUVTszocSBzcdT5H0h6de7bBKx/w300-h400/428F4FA8-7513-4070-A61D-24597104AA0E.heic" width="300" /></a></div><p>From the foreword provided by Time Extension's Editor-in-Cheif, , to the section on recommended reading and the nine pages of endnotes, Curious Video Game Machines is a highly entertaining read. The author has succeeded brilliantly in shining a light on some of the most obscure gaming machines from the earliest days of the hobby. Some were technical dead ends, others quick money grabs. Yet still more were simply unheard of due to either their country of origin or pure niche appeal. But here, in yet another worthy White Owl publication, you will learn about these, either for the first time or in expanding your understanding of what they achieved. Put simply, if the history of video games interests you in the slightest, you need to pick up a copy of this book.</p><p>Speaking of which you can do so directly from the publisher's <a href="https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/Curious-Video-Game-Machines-Hardback/p/24332" target="_blank">website</a>, as well as the usual physical and online bookstores. You can also follow the author on X (@LewisPackwood).</p>Andrew the Tekkiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01757282676248834026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3359642955101086116.post-83260335008567203592023-11-13T16:11:00.001+00:002023-11-13T16:11:19.529+00:00RPM - Issue One - Review<p>RPM: The Unofficial Retro PlayStation Magazine is the latest creation by Sandeep Rai, a name you might be familiar with if you're a fan of the PlayStation Vita or the PlayStation 3, as he has previously written tomes about those consoles. With RPM, however, Mr Rai has chosen to focus on the wider gaming catalogues of every Sony console from the original PlayStation to the PS3, as well as Sony's handhelds. Funded via Kickstarter, the well packaged first issue arrived in a timely manner, so let's have a look at what he's offering. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzT1OzdMrAcIkpyk_MLTEClG_UTURFdOQE0cdGPlxaUmd9W9qLT2l8lTHSPAOIc-gLAlmL1PQJ2jO6J7S0gK-HqNWRyi2JmBK-tBNFUQq7TuIFfXJVBNLUoDPVn90LtnR4pPXdqMEq9U2Pm4bOiYe5UMm04boHJ2QX4QDWtDpbR0Act-DAeghpmkHB/s5712/IMG_0858.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4284" data-original-width="5712" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzT1OzdMrAcIkpyk_MLTEClG_UTURFdOQE0cdGPlxaUmd9W9qLT2l8lTHSPAOIc-gLAlmL1PQJ2jO6J7S0gK-HqNWRyi2JmBK-tBNFUQq7TuIFfXJVBNLUoDPVn90LtnR4pPXdqMEq9U2Pm4bOiYe5UMm04boHJ2QX4QDWtDpbR0Act-DAeghpmkHB/w400-h300/IMG_0858.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p>The first feature is a round up of the launch titles for the PS1 for both North America and Europe. Each game is given space for a brief write up, a handful of screenshots, and a couple even get case art too. This is followed by a short history of Gran Turismo over the generations, with twelve pages dedicated to the racing sim. There are plenty of screenshots, and the text isn't just a puff piece - criticisms of the series are noted. </p><p>Syphon Filter gets some time in the spotlight next with an eight page interview with lead designer Richard Ham, followed by a two page review of the first title in the series as it's available on the PS+ service. The interview is really interesting and provides some great insight into not only the trials of a games developer in the 1990's, but also the hazards of developing a title in a specific genre when a bigger name is also due out. It's a series worthy of a re-master/re-make, although to be fair, the controls would probably be an area requiring improvement. But I digress. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8QTTZcJyjZovAqNIHgPyFZbhEHcQCZa3NaG7Osx3MSeb1vXpOTVYHHguSGjjDsN4TVEdOVu2cAvxcN1k-4SWudGxr8Xcf5ao7IY0aoyaVVRxxNk98aXUUkMa-CsbIGoytQIKFErUlPVmljqfq8mjwDcxxpu4c_YEaq7nFnRlMUflw2TYc3Mbooufd/s5712/DFA086AD-6524-4A2C-AD8E-F8C2ACDD0B83.heic" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5712" data-original-width="4284" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8QTTZcJyjZovAqNIHgPyFZbhEHcQCZa3NaG7Osx3MSeb1vXpOTVYHHguSGjjDsN4TVEdOVu2cAvxcN1k-4SWudGxr8Xcf5ao7IY0aoyaVVRxxNk98aXUUkMa-CsbIGoytQIKFErUlPVmljqfq8mjwDcxxpu4c_YEaq7nFnRlMUflw2TYc3Mbooufd/w300-h400/DFA086AD-6524-4A2C-AD8E-F8C2ACDD0B83.heic" width="300" /></a></div><p>There are four more PS+ reviews, covering The Legend of Dragoon, Killzone: Liberation, Rain, and God of War: Ascension. A good mix of genres and periods, each is scored out of ten. It's not all older titles though, as a Retro Revival piece brings Ratatan to the fore. A spiritual sequel to the Patapon series, this new release is due out in April 2025 following a very successful Kickstarter campaign. </p><p>The Five Times Table feature covers the most notable games from five to twenty five years ago on the various Sony platforms. Great for those who wish to reminisce, less so for those who are reminded that Metal Gear Solid hit the PlayStation 25 years ago. Pass me the Seven Seas cod liver oil and Ibuprofen!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0G7KRDO1W8By2hFy-bjNczAFk6KlaxDry476if3GK9iDz7_tXGBi3DbWNum0uOzTwEDQHRSYB8ikA3wIhZm9Dh2cU2EzgbP64v3V94CpA5zUULoddNGmoZRhxqM05g0SQJxs5JmbT0zukGv1XeTIbzDlV7o0S-16m4inz9u_Bkfyf8bKGIndLjuzv/s5712/A195EA88-DCC5-4D2B-B44B-3673A6CD2A14.heic" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5712" data-original-width="4284" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0G7KRDO1W8By2hFy-bjNczAFk6KlaxDry476if3GK9iDz7_tXGBi3DbWNum0uOzTwEDQHRSYB8ikA3wIhZm9Dh2cU2EzgbP64v3V94CpA5zUULoddNGmoZRhxqM05g0SQJxs5JmbT0zukGv1XeTIbzDlV7o0S-16m4inz9u_Bkfyf8bKGIndLjuzv/w300-h400/A195EA88-DCC5-4D2B-B44B-3673A6CD2A14.heic" width="300" /></a></div><p>A second interview takes up six pages as Nagato, one of the developers for Sony's online community Home, details the origins of the project. This is also an extremely informative interview and more than justifies its inclusion in this issue. To finish off the magazine, we have two retrospectives: Ultimate Spider-Man and Mortal Kombat vs DC Universe. </p><p>As an extra, a Photo Mode booklet was also included, twenty eight pages of rather excellent captures from Spider-Man and Spider-Man: Miles Morales. It's a nice add-on.</p><p>The physical quality of the mag is faultless and the design is spot on too - not too busy yet not leaving massive amounts of blank space either - credit to Jason Maddison for that. As for the magazine as a whole, this is a cracking first issue - varied in topics and well written. </p><p>Fans of the printed word should rejoice at RPM. I look forward to seeing what Sandeep and team have in store for future issues and I will be happily backing future Kickstarters. You can pick up your own copy of RPM from Sandeep's Etsy store <a href="https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/1595547085/rpm-the-unofficial-retro-playstation?click_key=81e119284e5a2a9024a116391c371bfac8afbc2e%3A1595547085&click_sum=2d9e0842&ref=shop_home_active_18&crt=1" target="_blank">here</a>. </p>Andrew the Tekkiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01757282676248834026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3359642955101086116.post-62683000404394197962023-11-05T10:07:00.000+00:002023-11-05T10:07:23.852+00:00Magazines of Yesteryear - MacUser Vol. 9 No. 1 - 8 Jan 1993To 1993 now and a change in format as we delve into the pages of a fortnightly publication for the Apple Mac. Yes, gentle reader, thirty years ago, the computer magazine market could handle a fortnightly title for a format that, whilst not quite niche, was still pretty small compared to the Windows/DOS market, especially n consumer circles. It wasn't until the launch of the Mac Classic in 1990 that you wouldn't need to spend four figures to join the Mac party, and with an ABC figure of 30,072 for Jan-Jun 1992), it seems that Apple's attempt at bringing the Mac to the masses had kind of worked. But how were things going in early '93?<div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMTQ4Ns8UyHYt2Gc2q6u9AtTQS5J6VRGPcqh9-LttDJSfLpU_RegMZDEhWyCtbtytgNxjZ4XR_XxWpZ_c7gytdt9GrrOAOgHQ_MH_YCj9BHJd4nG0nhBVbF7zc3Fg-D72l3_DTAvbJEFTicrtCH1eLnr9cbd9MQsCvrXs_DX9dyBrpv1KjnUoWdYW2/s5712/38754645-0CAA-4BDE-B4D2-44C381779F38.heic" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5712" data-original-width="4284" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMTQ4Ns8UyHYt2Gc2q6u9AtTQS5J6VRGPcqh9-LttDJSfLpU_RegMZDEhWyCtbtytgNxjZ4XR_XxWpZ_c7gytdt9GrrOAOgHQ_MH_YCj9BHJd4nG0nhBVbF7zc3Fg-D72l3_DTAvbJEFTicrtCH1eLnr9cbd9MQsCvrXs_DX9dyBrpv1KjnUoWdYW2/w300-h400/38754645-0CAA-4BDE-B4D2-44C381779F38.heic" width="300" /></a></div><div><div><br /></div><div>Well, this issue is a bit of a side step from the usual order of business. There's still the regular news section, and the labs feature is about the entire Mac range, but the rest of the 124 pages are pretty much dedicated to a buyers' guide for current and prospective MacUsers (couldn't resist, sorry). </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM89q4qJtgCdoRh9S3e9LKc_vKu7xQnlSl6fam3_p6l-zXD-0Kp-FlMbSG7DfbJhPvpcFq1sXeLCJpD2i21DtexdnVDoAFfRu6rgMvxLVqC6-KSpnP_BOVaBBdsvmBJt30y0C7aAlV24fJm0D01Fyi7_e6Pvs0h-_a9SRpIM-MqamNigOCoZxrXZnK/s5712/6AEA7C36-5F9F-452C-8F0B-8384371511FB_1_201_a.heic" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4284" data-original-width="5712" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM89q4qJtgCdoRh9S3e9LKc_vKu7xQnlSl6fam3_p6l-zXD-0Kp-FlMbSG7DfbJhPvpcFq1sXeLCJpD2i21DtexdnVDoAFfRu6rgMvxLVqC6-KSpnP_BOVaBBdsvmBJt30y0C7aAlV24fJm0D01Fyi7_e6Pvs0h-_a9SRpIM-MqamNigOCoZxrXZnK/w400-h300/6AEA7C36-5F9F-452C-8F0B-8384371511FB_1_201_a.heic" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>The editorial focuses on an early demo of the Newton technology and a comment that there were 60 new computer models expected that year. 60! That's an insane number, then and now. But as Apple proved in the mid-90's, when the going got tough, the tough spaffed even more cash on trying to sell kit that just confused buyers. But I digress.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkiK9B38jNxxlZamBp0Fc_BDAMH2v4YNrwQHDyvUfnx3whmKzdlAyVkTNWmQojq_LZjScWfkQJ1PRVUasZ_jvYqoPY2eNsep9PG7LfvJZ3hTmjH7UwWS1gtJ56CUELRdGUiJb4-FKiknG0pix5_PWB-BkGr1092OVKoD5K1XxIlH_KjWE5otrmrc7B/s5712/9FDA3051-786A-4156-9B05-93C5F72DE1CE.heic" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5712" data-original-width="4284" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkiK9B38jNxxlZamBp0Fc_BDAMH2v4YNrwQHDyvUfnx3whmKzdlAyVkTNWmQojq_LZjScWfkQJ1PRVUasZ_jvYqoPY2eNsep9PG7LfvJZ3hTmjH7UwWS1gtJ56CUELRdGUiJb4-FKiknG0pix5_PWB-BkGr1092OVKoD5K1XxIlH_KjWE5otrmrc7B/w300-h400/9FDA3051-786A-4156-9B05-93C5F72DE1CE.heic" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">£399 plus VAT for a Classic - still not a bargain.</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div>In the news, Apple were launching a Colour Printer for £1,995 (£1,495 to education buyers), along with a Colour OneScanner for £1,145/£845 respectively. There's a piece about a delay in deliveries, with Apple having something like a $1bn order backlog. Education purchasers benefitted from a price cut for many models, whilst the Mac Classic and LC ranges were in short supply after pre-Christmas price cuts saw the former hit just £399. A bargain (for a Mac), but as the group test will show, not a bargain in general.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgof3eJFaJSazZAqRNJh33D-t04LLg6RYYo9tYKi0FJ1parFUFyEEywZUDge3SarJelVMocNNiL6ZDwLw8E7rxmNq50A9azssKK77l66CvX7EfDvcVSyqLcUsuvDAHHP8VXu_qGDE-s8kcr0ODXrs9lY1BSNWe_kgC8_yonijw-ctN59g8O_sftOVJv/s5712/F352511B-010F-4F30-A13E-EEA4E41ED4EA.heic" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5712" data-original-width="4284" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgof3eJFaJSazZAqRNJh33D-t04LLg6RYYo9tYKi0FJ1parFUFyEEywZUDge3SarJelVMocNNiL6ZDwLw8E7rxmNq50A9azssKK77l66CvX7EfDvcVSyqLcUsuvDAHHP8VXu_qGDE-s8kcr0ODXrs9lY1BSNWe_kgC8_yonijw-ctN59g8O_sftOVJv/w300-h400/F352511B-010F-4F30-A13E-EEA4E41ED4EA.heic" width="300" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Ah, the group test - every Mac model available in the UK at that time, from the Classic to the IIvx, Quadra's 700 and 950, plus the ever-growing portable range - Powerbooks 145, 160 and 180, plus the then brand new Powerbook Duo 210 and 230. Each machine range gets a bit of a write up, there are group tests (the synthetic benchtests using the Classic as a base of 1, a feature table and a final report card. And what a report card it is.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjztWGFNS1-KdLSO2-UXNgkNz28PYzWPN9Qutcnc2DkBbGLv7kxgEe25mzaxl7BxYOAw5B_MfMMa0owc6fgo6j1AaT4O3arY7MrnZLoU6Tndeg81sydJ5waxibHNVSiqE0U34E7_d8FQprn2gtf4s0JoWbXSHuEFZpo2zxd7W7iVq3eVdb4BZ6Nwztf/s5712/1679A379-247A-4307-9BCA-B76D456B2E8E.heic" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5712" data-original-width="4284" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjztWGFNS1-KdLSO2-UXNgkNz28PYzWPN9Qutcnc2DkBbGLv7kxgEe25mzaxl7BxYOAw5B_MfMMa0owc6fgo6j1AaT4O3arY7MrnZLoU6Tndeg81sydJ5waxibHNVSiqE0U34E7_d8FQprn2gtf4s0JoWbXSHuEFZpo2zxd7W7iVq3eVdb4BZ6Nwztf/w300-h400/1679A379-247A-4307-9BCA-B76D456B2E8E.heic" width="300" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>The 68000-powered Classic was the cheapest of the desktops and for good reason. Slow, mono only and lacking expansion options, it might have had a list price of just £525 but it wasn't worth it. Just like the base Amiga A600 could be had for about the same money (but including separate colour monitor) that machine had been superseded by the 68020-toting A1200. The Classic was obsolete tech, as was arguably <i>any</i> 68000 powered desktop in 1993. If you wanted some sweet 68020 moves, the Mac LC was your only bet in the entire range, and with a price of £825 including a monitor, was worthy of consideration but for one thing - every other Mac and portable Mac were packing at least a 68030, so the base LC model was likely soon to meet its end. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlp_YJRmZoAS7ouJohcM71bpjp_wGwAWgK6skF-9g2mJiZHTfkRzv96CmGo6leregrkxKo_NCZBRUlBP_sW2nQQ9aFFz8y7QQLjOrdxKE7d04MlGRQbPjIJ5S22zpgppEdQ-Gh1HkptBtrNIKVuyUOrvQ2ahjFYcFgKjNE8cZIrGGbVkGcAqK78qbZ/s5712/2539118E-A669-4862-936D-2811F7AD4ED5_1_201_a.heic" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4284" data-original-width="5712" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlp_YJRmZoAS7ouJohcM71bpjp_wGwAWgK6skF-9g2mJiZHTfkRzv96CmGo6leregrkxKo_NCZBRUlBP_sW2nQQ9aFFz8y7QQLjOrdxKE7d04MlGRQbPjIJ5S22zpgppEdQ-Gh1HkptBtrNIKVuyUOrvQ2ahjFYcFgKjNE8cZIrGGbVkGcAqK78qbZ/w400-h300/2539118E-A669-4862-936D-2811F7AD4ED5_1_201_a.heic" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Both the Classic II and LC II rocked 16MHz 68030's, so your choice was simple - mono and no expansion with the Classic II, colour and only limited expansion with the LCII. Prices were around £700 and £925 respectively. Essentially though, these were just tasters for the poor people. What Apple really wanted you to do was get on board the Mac II range. The Mac IIsi and IIvi occupied the £1500-£2000 price point, whereas the IIci and IIvx were £2,200 plus. If money really wasn't an issue, the Quadra 700 started at just over £3,500, and the top of the range Quadra 950 was £5k plus. That's more than £10k today, adjusted for inflation!</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp7j5jrLNrzaltILMKjq3YoIz1iDvwOHwXcQJUCJjJDcCMohjpqc0dmOaqr466kaFuel3u4NnyjV52PzbfQkFmfVQpEFVZmlI6C6w5yE2DaVkKd65cf8NX1F5PgiKaoExi2Q7Bnm5lAsQ-sZIu29lAMThZ7bTvOHNDMJPbi2oPPltMy1r5V_bF-mfK/s5712/C86264BB-6F1B-4EB5-B7F2-4252360D0DAE_1_201_a.heic" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4284" data-original-width="5712" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp7j5jrLNrzaltILMKjq3YoIz1iDvwOHwXcQJUCJjJDcCMohjpqc0dmOaqr466kaFuel3u4NnyjV52PzbfQkFmfVQpEFVZmlI6C6w5yE2DaVkKd65cf8NX1F5PgiKaoExi2Q7Bnm5lAsQ-sZIu29lAMThZ7bTvOHNDMJPbi2oPPltMy1r5V_bF-mfK/w400-h300/C86264BB-6F1B-4EB5-B7F2-4252360D0DAE_1_201_a.heic" width="400" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Portables were split into two ranges - the Powerbooks 145/160/180 and the Powerbook Duo 210/230. The former were the main sellers, offering a low/mid/high mix of spec for £1395/£1695/£2645 respectively for their base configs. Colour wasn't an option yet but that would soon change. It was the Duos, however, that were really interesting. Take a subnotebook style Mac, slot it into a dock and you had a desktop Mac that was also a portable. The Duo's were priced in line with mid-tier Powerbook 160 (£1,695 and £1,925) but to partake in the technological raison d'etre, you need the accessories. The Floppy adaptor (as they contained no removable drive as standard) was £90. A MiniDock would set you back £395, whilst the full Dock was an eye-watering £845, and that didn't include a monitor, keyboard or mouse - items that were essential given the whole Duo slotted into the dock like a video cassette. Sure, the Dock offered expansion options beyond even some of the desktop models, but a Duo 210 suitably kitted out would take over £3k from your bank balance.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEliWfsPWJmegJOGdAGCyuPNzg4pAvOLEIVw2xx3NvZSx7Mop9xY_240w8pGuUYHjVRqLuoznTT0C8zXZhAFxMX3ZyzYsll-PCtotM_1MkMDjvfYzV9p1je-CX7iPVbC_Gb-RobESASGmU3GZCchfmGZDJ5IzO5Wj-Mq6Zaa9557dCBQl7-MHiJvBE/s5712/75D87258-F297-4A37-AB1E-54D23DEC994C.heic" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5712" data-original-width="4284" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEliWfsPWJmegJOGdAGCyuPNzg4pAvOLEIVw2xx3NvZSx7Mop9xY_240w8pGuUYHjVRqLuoznTT0C8zXZhAFxMX3ZyzYsll-PCtotM_1MkMDjvfYzV9p1je-CX7iPVbC_Gb-RobESASGmU3GZCchfmGZDJ5IzO5Wj-Mq6Zaa9557dCBQl7-MHiJvBE/w300-h400/75D87258-F297-4A37-AB1E-54D23DEC994C.heic" width="300" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Naturally, having a computer meant that you'd need accessories and software, and this is where some of the most dramatic changes in pricing have occurred since the early 90's are shown in the Buyer's Guide.</div><div><br /></div><div>It has to be remembered that MacUser catered not only for personal users but also for professional and semi professional bods. This explains the prices quoted for some of the kit in the Guide. For example, the cheapest black and white scanner listed comes in at £795. Want a flatbed scanner? £1000. Many options head into five figures, with the most expensive coming in at £55,450!!!</div><div><br /></div><div>Yeah...</div><div><br /></div><div>Printers didn't seem so bad, crapping out at about £18k for a top of the range specialist mono job, although most were low four figures. Want colour though? IRIS offered two 300dpi colour models in this guide: the 3024 PS for £81k and the £3047 for £112k! Again, consumer level stuff was much, much cheaper, but a high quality HP DeskWriter was still £425. The initial price barrier for these things was much higher back in '93. Storage was much the same story - hard drives per se weren't covered as there were too many options, but removable drives were: the Iomega Lasersafe erasable 650Mb drive was a couple of golden beer tokens off £4k. And yes, I am reliably informed that beer was around £1.50 a pint at our local, despite me been a couple of years shy of proper (Sorry, Eric!).</div><div><br /></div><div>Monitors were also something else - but then this was the golden age of the cathode ray tube. A "hi-res" 14-inch Apple RGB display was listed at £395 (640x480 resolution - so high it'd give you a nosebleed!), the 16-inch model was £995 (832x624 plus audio connectors), whereas the 21-inch model cost £2,695! That gave you 1152x870. Pricey, but compared to the 9-inch squint box Classic, pure nirvana. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFNaL7NjnkscZRjC1J4wDGWnz-4P5mAvb3XYWodZ4cbf9j2aB-ki32veBnzo-2sHYfN2qmrMmfw6IAQWtEM8BEvNXUBqHBs6ndJmJpaBp7N1ENXMArn3wVsA9j5M_81iVpEqo6bnRBj77-o2k2uG_bvP5L9N_4I9vwM-mOtC9M_kzVBEZpfYFOJMaS/s5712/F162ED02-E29E-4FDD-A747-7316935FE9D9.heic" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5712" data-original-width="4284" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFNaL7NjnkscZRjC1J4wDGWnz-4P5mAvb3XYWodZ4cbf9j2aB-ki32veBnzo-2sHYfN2qmrMmfw6IAQWtEM8BEvNXUBqHBs6ndJmJpaBp7N1ENXMArn3wVsA9j5M_81iVpEqo6bnRBj77-o2k2uG_bvP5L9N_4I9vwM-mOtC9M_kzVBEZpfYFOJMaS/w300-h400/F162ED02-E29E-4FDD-A747-7316935FE9D9.heic" width="300" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Of course, it is easy to jest now. technology has advanced, prices have tumbled and specifications that looked tremendous thirty years ago now seem charmingly quaint/how the fuck did we live with that (delete as applicable). </div><div><br /></div><div>Software next and this, more than anything else, demonstrates how times have changed. I am typing this on a 2020 Macbook Air M1, and with it came literally every application I could possibly want aside from games. Back in '93, you had to buy stuff, and software wasn't exactly cheap. </div><div><br /></div><div>ClarisWorks, an integrated office package had a list price of £195. Claris Office was £595. In comparison, Microsoft were running an advert for MS Works (with a free copy of MS Flight Simulator chucked in) for £145. CAD/CAM (Computer Aided Design/Computer Aided Modelling) packages were a specialist market to themselves. AutoCAD, a one time market leader, came in at £2,500, and MacDraft (an entry level drawing and drafting program, cost £295. Even good old MS Word 5.1 came in at more than half the price of a Mac Classic at £295. Some dealers bundled software though, and an advert from Micro Anvika offered an LC 4/40 with colour monitor and Claris Works for £892.77, a saving against the £825 simply for the machine listed above. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYQJfm2x18nhe0L80TOdmwgbXA3nFvEnqkUe5JrAQDzHMoXY5ylQnoMW4ubiACNFpKI0G5Jp-fof3NQ537d9dJqKJcPteOAvNOPTFexTcmA4mw22keFyBdT6mQR24kvaOH6mR94KKvw1JqOqc3pu2rt7lb81fFQlZmpZi5eGQnxJnKjap4jSEYT8-B/s5712/2E011BAB-6A0D-4E97-9E64-CE7553865670.heic" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5712" data-original-width="4284" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYQJfm2x18nhe0L80TOdmwgbXA3nFvEnqkUe5JrAQDzHMoXY5ylQnoMW4ubiACNFpKI0G5Jp-fof3NQ537d9dJqKJcPteOAvNOPTFexTcmA4mw22keFyBdT6mQR24kvaOH6mR94KKvw1JqOqc3pu2rt7lb81fFQlZmpZi5eGQnxJnKjap4jSEYT8-B/w300-h400/2E011BAB-6A0D-4E97-9E64-CE7553865670.heic" width="300" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Games were a thing on the Mac, despite appearances to the contrary, although the market was hampered by the lack of decently priced colour machines for many ports. Still you had point and click adventures like Loom (£30) and The Secret of Monkey Island ($99) mentioned. Real time strategy game Harpoon is listed in the Adventures section strangely - an "electronic submarine techno-thriller." No, MacUser, that is really not what it was. There are a few other titles mentioned, but the range is pretty limited. There again, the UK Mac leisure market was pretty small compared to contemporary PC and Amiga's. That didn't stop one reseller bundling MegaDrive's to entire potential customers...</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaOXVTvJyGkTV2Be9gjsXvkhJfCAuPKYB-rt7p0rQBuCgsXn3PWy02Zuq1ANsjb-ze_c36uNndcC7Zoq1qLZ9qmwJdVRimHCDqfhMb4nVNOUPeims7c_MffRDpssSmLiB8rvXbYKIiId-nL1iZux5z8Ihv64Cn27XcCorjgFV_PFuPSmiSvLlzwZ39/s5712/2062414B-DC3D-41C0-9663-EC4875AEA6A1.heic" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5712" data-original-width="4284" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaOXVTvJyGkTV2Be9gjsXvkhJfCAuPKYB-rt7p0rQBuCgsXn3PWy02Zuq1ANsjb-ze_c36uNndcC7Zoq1qLZ9qmwJdVRimHCDqfhMb4nVNOUPeims7c_MffRDpssSmLiB8rvXbYKIiId-nL1iZux5z8Ihv64Cn27XcCorjgFV_PFuPSmiSvLlzwZ39/w300-h400/2062414B-DC3D-41C0-9663-EC4875AEA6A1.heic" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Don't forget to add VAT to these prices at 17.5%</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div>There we have it - not an exciting issue by any means, but one that gives valuable insight to the Mac market in the UK of the time. This was before the real push into the consumer market (Argos catalogues included), clones and the near destruction of our fruity friends, and shows that the company itself was transitioning much like Commodore had from their original 8 and 16-bit machines to a 32-bit future. Unlike Commodore, Apple then were still big enough and ran just about well enough to survive the early 90's. Mid 90's Apple, well, less so. </div><div><br /></div><div>Next time, we'll check back in with a Computer Shopper issue from early 1994.</div></div>Andrew the Tekkiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01757282676248834026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3359642955101086116.post-33643920442720038532023-10-14T07:33:00.002+00:002023-10-14T07:39:33.224+00:00Legends of 16-Bit Game Development by John Harrison - Book ReviewTreasure Co are a company who, since 1992, have created some of the most finely crafted shooter experiences on any platform. You may be more familiar with their later games (Radiant Silvergun, Bangai-O, Sin and Punishment, and Ikaruga), and fine works they are too, but when I saw John Harrison's Kickstarter for a book about their earliest titles on the Mega Drive/Genesis, it was a very simple decision to back it. Little did I know. <div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4slKI4T4In0YIb2k2LcZSCYIsG-AXLaFBd03R0vFwD5oEYRsQo-RPjDh18K9QBKdiD1_h75lOXXbdUgKVmkMtRSs-fLis8q5GPiyU1toxgrJFpajnCD7kLlKkBQ609rIvZPnGj8zPDzd1fcXyLxfLMUYhDXMtGYXcqA1Bgq0Y6mCAqQkR78HDoGIM/s3950/E9958388-ECC2-47E6-944D-9FDB0779F4F9_1_201_a.heic" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2692" data-original-width="3950" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4slKI4T4In0YIb2k2LcZSCYIsG-AXLaFBd03R0vFwD5oEYRsQo-RPjDh18K9QBKdiD1_h75lOXXbdUgKVmkMtRSs-fLis8q5GPiyU1toxgrJFpajnCD7kLlKkBQ609rIvZPnGj8zPDzd1fcXyLxfLMUYhDXMtGYXcqA1Bgq0Y6mCAqQkR78HDoGIM/w400-h272/E9958388-ECC2-47E6-944D-9FDB0779F4F9_1_201_a.heic" width="400" /></a></div><div><div><br /></div><div>Like most projects begun in 2020, there were delays, and the estimated September 2021 delivery date passed by all too rapidly. Mr Harrison, however, was very timely in his updates and re-assurances as to what what going on, what he was doing next and what his longer term plans would be. Truly, this in one of the few massively delayed projects that always felt like it was still coming (cough, <a href="https://tantobieinternettattler.blogspot.com/2023/07/from-vultures-to-vampires-volume-two-by.html" target="_blank">Vultures</a>, cough - and still waiting on volume 3...). As it was, when the book was delivered, alongside its companion volume, I dropped everything else and started reading. Oh boy.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi8BF-O4icDA_2Xa9J2Uewc0CUr3L5iYNkHa1GmWkffynQRpJHc95O4EeJ3AcOvDULYx6DSQ1GGffI8OVJlvDm1VfpCmm3d58QHfOCjtX9sqCfLpvRX_aKLtv8Sv6zco8AJJ51fii2d2emAGn6mSflqvVmEPFNca6Io1120tm5wJJSZD54vdFLLP01/s4032/0E9EFAE9-74A1-4461-9D00-AA893C8C34A4.heic" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi8BF-O4icDA_2Xa9J2Uewc0CUr3L5iYNkHa1GmWkffynQRpJHc95O4EeJ3AcOvDULYx6DSQ1GGffI8OVJlvDm1VfpCmm3d58QHfOCjtX9sqCfLpvRX_aKLtv8Sv6zco8AJJ51fii2d2emAGn6mSflqvVmEPFNca6Io1120tm5wJJSZD54vdFLLP01/w300-h400/0E9EFAE9-74A1-4461-9D00-AA893C8C34A4.heic" width="300" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Legends begins with the origins of Treasure and the travails of Masato Maegawa in a) getting into the competitive Japanese software industry in the late 1980's and b) forming his own company. Through the foundation of Treasure and the support Sega heaped upon the company (as well as just pure blind luck), the author follows the ups and downs as the fledgling team try to get a first title released. That game, Gunstar Heroes, is still a fantastic shooter today, and after finishing the books, I revisited Heroes just to remind myself of its brilliance. In fact, I did the same for each of the titles covered. Emulation is definitely your friend considering the availability and cost of Treasure's 16-bit releases (although some of these were included in the region specific Mega Drive mini-consoles released last year). A quick check on CEX in the UK showed a boxed copy of Gunstar Heroes for £100 (mint condition for £180), whereas Alien Soldier is £270 and £340 respectively! Far cough! </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjk-k6REh1yDcJH5wVlK_JpcNmfHlymHVmkzj91ecMbvL_1OubKTxMS8WVl5lmC2V6xoSXV4DDGaP3aTIeHxFbpv9fprjRosQ2FEmMIpYui2tj_uC0eYbWNZc0hE6Idjzm9Yq8E3koXZijw75zEmEs86wPJXbugSfHjvzlWNPAryHAdCy-iQ5Gk1Jg/s4032/8638C9DD-753B-45CA-82C3-64AF8817ACCA.heic" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjk-k6REh1yDcJH5wVlK_JpcNmfHlymHVmkzj91ecMbvL_1OubKTxMS8WVl5lmC2V6xoSXV4DDGaP3aTIeHxFbpv9fprjRosQ2FEmMIpYui2tj_uC0eYbWNZc0hE6Idjzm9Yq8E3koXZijw75zEmEs86wPJXbugSfHjvzlWNPAryHAdCy-iQ5Gk1Jg/w300-h400/8638C9DD-753B-45CA-82C3-64AF8817ACCA.heic" width="300" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Alongside Gunstar Heroes, the author has covered McDonald's Treasure Land Adventure, Dynamite Headdy, Yu Yu Hakusho: Makyo Toitsusen, Alien Soldier and Light Crusader. Throughout each chapter, there are quotes and comments from the developers from contemporary publications, as well as in-depth appraisals of the development process for each game and what happened post-release. The are multiple box outs featuring snippets from Beep! Mega Drive magazine and copious illustrations and screenshots, all of high quality, the usual (and entirely understandable) exception being some of the period photography. </div><div><br /></div><div>This really is a hugely informative tome, and by the time I had finished it, I had a very solid understanding and appreciation of who Treasure were during the Mega Drive/Genesis years, the struggles they faced developing these titles for a machine that, whilst Japanese, also had to cater to a primarily US audience, and how they maintained their ethos. Indeed, the sections describing the fate their games suffered due to Sega of America management politics were eye-opening. It remains a truism - corporate is gonna corporate. However, it is also true that Treasure's legacy is assured, a legacy founded on these six corkers.</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZLRKeYykJHR4hm5saN2bm7EXnMWQIhhkKGmD0RuR-M-RuEtT5mt3crOxYOcix3sfwEvkZp5hicwoFhEkzSbcuxVVt98NHnj8doTa_R8jxQz4nM_6a9rnBTJojLIRfknzFWKnVKXq39BW0r2dJ7QBEsSHgMcREX8CXjkR2yf0KDiarGc0Xm-YsgTS7/s4032/2568738B-184D-4701-8222-2E02135302AA.heic" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZLRKeYykJHR4hm5saN2bm7EXnMWQIhhkKGmD0RuR-M-RuEtT5mt3crOxYOcix3sfwEvkZp5hicwoFhEkzSbcuxVVt98NHnj8doTa_R8jxQz4nM_6a9rnBTJojLIRfknzFWKnVKXq39BW0r2dJ7QBEsSHgMcREX8CXjkR2yf0KDiarGc0Xm-YsgTS7/w300-h400/2568738B-184D-4701-8222-2E02135302AA.heic" width="300" /></a></div></div><div><br /></div><div>That's not all, however. There are two appendices: the first detailing the technical side of the Mega Drive's graphics capabilities. This is clearly written and very much of interest to me. The second is a list of the developers who worked at Treasure during the period covered by this book and which games they contributed to. Finally, there is a comprehensive references section and a list of Kickstarter backers.</div><div><br /></div><div>The fun doesn't end there yet though. A companion booklet contains interviews with the development teams of five of the games featured, as well as re-prints of interviews with Mr Maegawa. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZypvEsbIDVXThaVALy759UI0U-yw1cfbyEZkeh0B4hYnRkevH1mGWrWvZ-780qOolcSOP9ruIhWH4gcCBc0wHvL3D_knBUgHzQkMxJOjBVK8HDmHx4y5mbkIr3rCO8O0CDUZofuh-k3wmOBtUzMZ9eGFfRscTTce4smR4rgC31w0OE90LEFmUMWTl/s4032/44158018-9F51-44DC-8DEF-93AF607214D7.heic" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZypvEsbIDVXThaVALy759UI0U-yw1cfbyEZkeh0B4hYnRkevH1mGWrWvZ-780qOolcSOP9ruIhWH4gcCBc0wHvL3D_knBUgHzQkMxJOjBVK8HDmHx4y5mbkIr3rCO8O0CDUZofuh-k3wmOBtUzMZ9eGFfRscTTce4smR4rgC31w0OE90LEFmUMWTl/w300-h400/44158018-9F51-44DC-8DEF-93AF607214D7.heic" width="300" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>With high quality writing and excellent production values, this duo will be of great value to anyone with a yearning to know more about Treasure and the Japanese software scene in the early 1990's. It is a credit to Mr Harrison that all of his hard work (and translation skills, for he did most of it himself) has resulted in a publication that was well worth backing and definitely a keeper. Well done, sir!</div><div><br /></div><div>If you want a copy yourself, as at the time of posting, there were some physical copies still available from Raster Scroll <a href="https://rasterscroll.com" target="_blank">here</a>. You can also follow the author on X/Twitter by searching for the username @MegaDriveShock. </div></div>Andrew the Tekkiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01757282676248834026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3359642955101086116.post-31558734107376450182023-10-08T09:06:00.001+00:002023-10-08T09:06:26.708+00:00Magazines of Yesteryear - What Personal Computer Issue 29 - December 1991<p>The tail end of 1991 and Brian Adams had finally been dethroned from his sixteen week domination of the UK singles chart. City Slickers, The Fisher King and Point Break gobbled up cash at the cinemas, whilst on the goggle box, Murder Most Horrid, Noel's House Party and the forgotten gem that was Dark Season kept those indoors entertained. Meanwhile, Amstrad was trying to make a comeback. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjhn8Ddnd3qblXN7jxCSsSYMUr5y0YKDtiUxVwssnpWWnqaOlEEmKOICDGKKLi7nh6_5oi8gXuCK5LnlGQlaVobcwAOgqVIavebpAtWfMiUfQaOoVZC1DYZhbkPY_py6QtjODCYNbry45MOMej1WIDr9UHrLkQw8dm7BbMfeV8X_hVzDK8Y8kPkDV_/s4032/85E4B471-CA27-42D3-9898-7E7ECB120E06.heic" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjhn8Ddnd3qblXN7jxCSsSYMUr5y0YKDtiUxVwssnpWWnqaOlEEmKOICDGKKLi7nh6_5oi8gXuCK5LnlGQlaVobcwAOgqVIavebpAtWfMiUfQaOoVZC1DYZhbkPY_py6QtjODCYNbry45MOMej1WIDr9UHrLkQw8dm7BbMfeV8X_hVzDK8Y8kPkDV_/w300-h400/85E4B471-CA27-42D3-9898-7E7ECB120E06.heic" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">SPOILERS!</td></tr></tbody></table><p>Hitting the shelves in mid-November, the December issue of What Personal Computer from EMAP displayed Amstrad's latest and greatest on its cover with a headline that wasn't exactly flattering. Features on DR-DOS 6, Publisher for Windows and how to PostScript your printer may have appealed, but Alan's latest baby was front and centre.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIOlKj0Ok39kSI4YqyBq9f0L0SjHW-W4upWk807cCqGznF67dhmcWzWbTKbgRzfnPHAGA0XTQtEbiD_SH_ARrRubBrTtbj1t1KOVtgHdTQnR6c5DpVWZTsQ8nv22kv4RNr4_BIO9ftlUt4H1HNKEAVI2n86BFAQo-AbCPdnzNbcv2nz00LuIGdYpDC/s4032/60865307-0869-4248-87D4-B806D858B10B_1_201_a.heic" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIOlKj0Ok39kSI4YqyBq9f0L0SjHW-W4upWk807cCqGznF67dhmcWzWbTKbgRzfnPHAGA0XTQtEbiD_SH_ARrRubBrTtbj1t1KOVtgHdTQnR6c5DpVWZTsQ8nv22kv4RNr4_BIO9ftlUt4H1HNKEAVI2n86BFAQo-AbCPdnzNbcv2nz00LuIGdYpDC/w400-h300/60865307-0869-4248-87D4-B806D858B10B_1_201_a.heic" width="400" /></a></div><p>A side note first and one of the funny things about picking up old computing magazines is that researching them is a bit hit and miss. EMAP at one point published numerous video games titles as well as more serious computer related ones, but could I hell find out much about WPC. For a title that had, as of this issue, an ABC figure of 42,318, it is a sad situation that it is almost lost in history. Sure, people remember Computer and Video Games, but mention of their serious output is surprisingly rare.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8qNXeNcjUh6v5xBXqFiedrGavTtDSS7BfnZScSEBLsmLj_qzZxs_fDBzDKfC7Pl9my4l4wq0XdcSZRWu2ztPA90l8cjP7WHGIfMREMUFXfsWcoXLnD4PW0tbgGXKkmz9NvphoQyxAex-Ry0_vrXDC8lqFhQeoZrWm1wk04eiVNRwRdh2hRe3V1u_L/s4032/5D56105F-70D8-4672-BF27-2874ADD43735.heic" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8qNXeNcjUh6v5xBXqFiedrGavTtDSS7BfnZScSEBLsmLj_qzZxs_fDBzDKfC7Pl9my4l4wq0XdcSZRWu2ztPA90l8cjP7WHGIfMREMUFXfsWcoXLnD4PW0tbgGXKkmz9NvphoQyxAex-Ry0_vrXDC8lqFhQeoZrWm1wk04eiVNRwRdh2hRe3V1u_L/w300-h400/5D56105F-70D8-4672-BF27-2874ADD43735.heic" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">£999 for a multimedia PC? A bargain! </td></tr></tbody></table><p>Anyway, onto the news, and the main piece concerned the arrival of big name word processors to Windows, this being a time that DOS still ruled. Windows 3 was making in-roads though, and this was further evidence that the times they were a-changing. Seikosha were dipping their toes into the low-cost laser market - their OP 104 was released at <i>just</i> £904, whilst Philips were launching a range of multi-media PC's - the 20MHz 386SX model at £2,499 would be available in the first half of 1992 (4MB RAM, 80MD HD and SVGA graphics), but those too impatient to wait could have a 40MB 286 model for £999 (which also included Wing Commander). Remember that price...</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc3Kb-ZTELHs3jrZb012VZO1KpVyqXt6bWNL_Z9JHDF14pHDZ6A8SpQDQlNjKLmEG5TL9Wv8mOq4jMf4QmHG7TAOQ3sYzkKWyAkhId_E-X8_WziwS1HXF9hUd444gs6HTkeXWtLnICJWNHcQqlgvouVabUCgdTZ1mEpwmXybr2OzzM8RInPfvYt4Lb/s4032/A25E915B-CC38-4C16-9AB2-7E65E1734B30.heic" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc3Kb-ZTELHs3jrZb012VZO1KpVyqXt6bWNL_Z9JHDF14pHDZ6A8SpQDQlNjKLmEG5TL9Wv8mOq4jMf4QmHG7TAOQ3sYzkKWyAkhId_E-X8_WziwS1HXF9hUd444gs6HTkeXWtLnICJWNHcQqlgvouVabUCgdTZ1mEpwmXybr2OzzM8RInPfvYt4Lb/w300-h400/A25E915B-CC38-4C16-9AB2-7E65E1734B30.heic" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Arguably yes. History says not.</td></tr></tbody></table><p>It was also the time of Comdex Fall, the report of which crowed about Apple's new Powerbooks, IBM's continued delay of OS/2 version 2 and a colour Dell 386 laptop for under £3,000! In Shop Talk, Diamond Computer Services had opened a new shop on Tottenham Court Road. Diamond were a common advertiser with their superhero themed Captain Diamond persona, and Tottenham Court Road was, at one point, <i>the</i> place to go for tech in London. It had dulled a little by the time I managed to wander down it in early '98, but back then, retail was still king.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM_xmHjBREyAUJP9GwVAJv_IOLO2ElOJvWW3jrBqXif-5HtSSS6wLzaI6Q_dx1ktckCC8GXF9xokKQ3UGfvG_on5No22ENuQf-bzO-8F-fSWzkPa-1ojgOQNTi8CKb-7c-UgFXtgsqeIws_PoxDTiOi-PuIuu1Y9HOmhh9vQJixVuhiIy1dkPXCj1E/s4032/D63E9913-71FD-4085-A473-BDE0DFB69A91.heic" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM_xmHjBREyAUJP9GwVAJv_IOLO2ElOJvWW3jrBqXif-5HtSSS6wLzaI6Q_dx1ktckCC8GXF9xokKQ3UGfvG_on5No22ENuQf-bzO-8F-fSWzkPa-1ojgOQNTi8CKb-7c-UgFXtgsqeIws_PoxDTiOi-PuIuu1Y9HOmhh9vQJixVuhiIy1dkPXCj1E/w300-h400/D63E9913-71FD-4085-A473-BDE0DFB69A91.heic" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What can I say? It was the 90's.</td></tr></tbody></table><p>A fascinating piece talks about the future of Intel. the rise of Unix, the ACE (Advanced Computing Environment) consortium - Wiki entry <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advanced_Computing_Environment" target="_blank">here</a>, and the threat posed by Sun and their SPARC chip. Ah, the 90's - if only you'd known that Wintel was unbeatable, at least for that decade. The arrival of the Internet and the changing means with which people interacted with computing technology would mess up/make things interesting as the new millennium arrived. With thirty years hindsight, little did they know...</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJsvNKfs2LtCBX6mJIX4aQ-tyLNSr6IZ30wtAG40MQ4rou6bzGd4Oj6FcXEQQp85sKLrw2S9wMrh0kaL_0MKlczxMW4kRm0gGX4sxFsCVvWovxtlBnJb6BF0tfsFgIev5FGmxWT7S2BAJNE8EcPzmB1JOqUEYJIMT7YcfHZkQFNoBjgn1n_cp-DlEC/s4032/CD343A15-3B49-44BF-9E96-E85836BC2C3C_1_201_a.heic" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJsvNKfs2LtCBX6mJIX4aQ-tyLNSr6IZ30wtAG40MQ4rou6bzGd4Oj6FcXEQQp85sKLrw2S9wMrh0kaL_0MKlczxMW4kRm0gGX4sxFsCVvWovxtlBnJb6BF0tfsFgIev5FGmxWT7S2BAJNE8EcPzmB1JOqUEYJIMT7YcfHZkQFNoBjgn1n_cp-DlEC/w400-h300/CD343A15-3B49-44BF-9E96-E85836BC2C3C_1_201_a.heic" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">As befits a December issue, "Oh, no there isn't!"</td></tr></tbody></table><p>Anyway, to the cover story and just plain Alan (he would be knighted in 2000), was trying his luck with a new range of machines to recapture the glory days of his budget PC empire. The 5000-series used a tiny case in the same style as its previous 4386 "executive" desktop, designed to be a simple unit you plugged in and never opened. Although it lacked spare drive bays, it wasn't entirely expansion free - two half-length 16-bit slots promised not very much - and if you got the 1MB model, zero free SIMM slots, but what else did you need? The 0.29 dot pitch VGA monitor could handle 800x600 rather well, and it worked, albeit a tad more slowly than other similarly specc'd 286's. The problem was the price. £999. If you recall, Philips would happily drop a multi-media equipped 286 on you for that. Amstrad was no longer cheap and cheerful. A competing machine from Chipset (who are they???) would give you Super VGA with a 1MB Trident card capable of 1024x768 for £899. Another clone manufacturer was Atomstyle, whose colour VGA option came in at just £715. It had room for two 5.25" drives, four spare SIPP memory slots and a free 16-bit card slot, as well as two 8-bit slots if you needed them. Things didn't get better for Amstrad either. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0QmT1Of_at-7qf8H8-rf6WoTEs-RPFToJmqfD0IXWtaX4hJY2jrHpPH1ZdcRwX1n0cwheHoAiz2PR7ux68HJfkEn2lr-l0o4Jb8XIGeSKR5s94hr3g7swmuR7nlypvH7FyqJKKpfKMgY2anq9vok0QyZK-kYwCR1Ohp2ayNQTCuudeDGniMTgZFbo/s4032/6DF6D2E3-BD8E-48BF-A57B-76DA4C4BB05D.heic" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0QmT1Of_at-7qf8H8-rf6WoTEs-RPFToJmqfD0IXWtaX4hJY2jrHpPH1ZdcRwX1n0cwheHoAiz2PR7ux68HJfkEn2lr-l0o4Jb8XIGeSKR5s94hr3g7swmuR7nlypvH7FyqJKKpfKMgY2anq9vok0QyZK-kYwCR1Ohp2ayNQTCuudeDGniMTgZFbo/w300-h400/6DF6D2E3-BD8E-48BF-A57B-76DA4C4BB05D.heic" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nope, you could buy better for less.</td></tr></tbody></table><p>A couple of pages on there is the 5286 Games Pack review. Taking the compact desktop as before, switching the monitor to a slightly lower quality one and packing in speakers, a joystick and three games, this was an £899 package that, as the reviewer put it, was decent for someone who couldn't be bothered but you could find better DOS-based value elsewhere. Against the Commodore Amiga upgraded to match the features included, it was decent, although not spectacular, value. It should also be considered that both the A500 and the 286 processor were rapidly approaching obsolescence. What was interesting about the software pack is that as time passed, the same bundle would be attached to other Amstrad models in a manner that suggested that they massively overestimated demand at the time. Needless to say, the 5286 Games Pack bundle was quickly discounted and would end up being something of a missed opportunity. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPzwHYFOqQAMAXfb57RZ7-nRQ-CGBvEnvw0zoGGJbSREi9gjctu_GRcHbA3avF9ohT1rnVZO-sJtgSPp-HSsF4vlZJSa15QEzUZaXMbZjA-n77A3mYAOb744kufG9Le4NRfVYXwYMnA5JkdAmp_uEJ7BBiS9GCpqfmlnJ9LbdzC-id5MihfngOJXCM/s4032/8C90EC74-65B0-4757-A061-D58BA7C2D483_1_201_a.heic" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPzwHYFOqQAMAXfb57RZ7-nRQ-CGBvEnvw0zoGGJbSREi9gjctu_GRcHbA3avF9ohT1rnVZO-sJtgSPp-HSsF4vlZJSa15QEzUZaXMbZjA-n77A3mYAOb744kufG9Le4NRfVYXwYMnA5JkdAmp_uEJ7BBiS9GCpqfmlnJ9LbdzC-id5MihfngOJXCM/w400-h300/8C90EC74-65B0-4757-A061-D58BA7C2D483_1_201_a.heic" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Moving on, we have a bench test of communications software featuring some of the best 90's tech names you've can imagine. SmartCom III, Trans-Send (see what they did there) and DynaComm (surely an evil corporation with that name?) fight it out with the more mundane Datatalk 4, WinComm and Relay Gold 5 (a 70's tribute act if ever there was one) in getting users on to bulletin boards and multi-user dungeons. Such an innocent time.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRkGyj7HX9Wkzup3TzIAi-iE8RH0UVadaRfXxsHDV59v6nj-mghZOilc6TaTvUNVdXwGCr1oW59rz9VPMpLo6CltMmsmh7v8GuVBSSf_W_Y7Twkv4gCWkFLOoacsX_zrnU9T_d2QsDd7lS0iWZxpkBvHT7ImpeUI2kqaCCOF1_cHF1y-s7sLfXRyK1/s4032/CF8C449F-D7E6-425B-A8A0-8F3927EF9E71_1_201_a.heic" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRkGyj7HX9Wkzup3TzIAi-iE8RH0UVadaRfXxsHDV59v6nj-mghZOilc6TaTvUNVdXwGCr1oW59rz9VPMpLo6CltMmsmh7v8GuVBSSf_W_Y7Twkv4gCWkFLOoacsX_zrnU9T_d2QsDd7lS0iWZxpkBvHT7ImpeUI2kqaCCOF1_cHF1y-s7sLfXRyK1/w400-h300/CF8C449F-D7E6-425B-A8A0-8F3927EF9E71_1_201_a.heic" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Por favor?</td></tr></tbody></table><p>DR-DOS 6 gets a five star review for being better than MS-DOS 5, in a repeat of how DR-DOS 5 was miles ahead of MS-DOS 4.01, although that particular Microsoft product was indeed terrible. However, questions over compatibility when running alongside Windows 3.1 remained and MS were nasty bastards/legitimate hard-headed business people - delete as applicable. It was only ever going to end one way. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhATCJrdqoz-CqXPICCRo_j2uM_zru_-6xLT2zX0ICWRisRuE1vnhqHobcawramO9oV0u6J7HC6sFaKkgmL-hHyQvGBTmimB4vXyiBnZ_dyrYEv8AdSY9hPw3vgwXt075iAYmYeQv1zrgMNj_qNNloq919BNN2_QIQJR4BHyLMN8eHpn7bJXGVseu9q/s4032/39E7F4E0-9F6A-4272-8CE8-4C667824CD62.heic" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhATCJrdqoz-CqXPICCRo_j2uM_zru_-6xLT2zX0ICWRisRuE1vnhqHobcawramO9oV0u6J7HC6sFaKkgmL-hHyQvGBTmimB4vXyiBnZ_dyrYEv8AdSY9hPw3vgwXt075iAYmYeQv1zrgMNj_qNNloq919BNN2_QIQJR4BHyLMN8eHpn7bJXGVseu9q/w300-h400/39E7F4E0-9F6A-4272-8CE8-4C667824CD62.heic" width="300" /></a></div><p>A review of the Canon Ion RC-260 digital camera is an interesting read. For £490, you got a fun little camera that could take up to fifty images and store them on tiny 2 inch floppy drives (not the same format as the 2-inch floppy's Zenith tried flogging with their laptops) that cost £5.10 each. You could preview your images on your TV, save them to your PC (using the £496 connection kit), and then re-use the storage. As a review, it lacks details on the sensor and battery life (tiny lead-acid unit, a sure sign of the times), but the reviewer really does like it. They do recommend saving the images to VHS cassette via your TV rather than on your PC as a full 50 images when de-compressed onto your hard drive would take up 60MB! Thinking of the price, the reviewer states that if you are struggling to justify the cost for professional desktop publishing purposes then knowing the kid'll love it should clinch it for you. Wait! What? £500 (that's over a grand today!) for something to hand to the kids to play with??? </p><p><i>The author remembers that children are given mobile phones that can cost a similar amount these days. Shakes fist at clouds then returns to laptop.</i></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvUErCvEy83V4G6H93MMh69-EfoSZUwZIu8k-70BIDeomAcmK2H8OO-POqehHWtOrc4gfisnZNdizFujDIzif4DhKqCQY6lTdvZ8Q5un-l7mM2l4-RdPPQnrcsPrMSoCSJeSR-f0sXiL8hnNKwb7HL63FbSOe8kEtLdt_mEw2n1IQn8biKNX1zWKL-/s4032/192CB5E6-9A96-4A49-8247-AC2B01292C89_1_201_a.heic" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvUErCvEy83V4G6H93MMh69-EfoSZUwZIu8k-70BIDeomAcmK2H8OO-POqehHWtOrc4gfisnZNdizFujDIzif4DhKqCQY6lTdvZ8Q5un-l7mM2l4-RdPPQnrcsPrMSoCSJeSR-f0sXiL8hnNKwb7HL63FbSOe8kEtLdt_mEw2n1IQn8biKNX1zWKL-/w400-h300/192CB5E6-9A96-4A49-8247-AC2B01292C89_1_201_a.heic" width="400" /></a></div><p></p><p>One final regular feature before we get to the adverts is the Consultancy section. Companies could apply for £1,000 of free consultancy regarding IT equipment and be featured in the magazine. Only the first £1,000 was free and at £100 per hour, that could get quite pricey. Still, makes an interesting read about a fabrics company that got shafted by a supplier and how a definite lack of knowledge damaged the company. Reading between the lines, it looked like the consultancy form used by the magazine was a) going to have a decent payday considering the mess they found and b) earning their pay rather well.</p><p>As for the rest of the mag, the back contains various hardware and software review directories, a yellow page small ads section and 16-page pink section devoted to shareware. Anyway, now it's onto the fun stuff - the adverts!</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmtqwTKQ1gFPlgSolZ72wCJxrfa5aql_JfOt2a3LuJrTYBCXQLwCjeka8H19H8pS-VHbOtdllO_UiwrJIEimHfGA7CB4fBGPwuv_z6VmdtzmWqWvXs-II8FE743_5q63gZ2pLTFROK_-VrNHLv6GYi65OBpjhxXz6YPGU5GMilDQdk6WPsgUaRQ0TY/s4032/DCE7F835-E1AE-410B-9932-D2DAF0BB5E03.heic" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmtqwTKQ1gFPlgSolZ72wCJxrfa5aql_JfOt2a3LuJrTYBCXQLwCjeka8H19H8pS-VHbOtdllO_UiwrJIEimHfGA7CB4fBGPwuv_z6VmdtzmWqWvXs-II8FE743_5q63gZ2pLTFROK_-VrNHLv6GYi65OBpjhxXz6YPGU5GMilDQdk6WPsgUaRQ0TY/w300-h400/DCE7F835-E1AE-410B-9932-D2DAF0BB5E03.heic" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Multiplex - but do they include an operating system?</td></tr></tbody></table><p>Amstrad have a page dedicated to their 20MHz 4386SX (4MB RAM, 80MB hard drive) - £1,699 ex VAT for the colour model, £1,499 ex VAT for the mono model. Leaving aside the minuscule 10" display and the small case, Multiplex a few pages on could sell you a 386 SX 25MHz with 4MB/115MB for ££1,099 ex. You got both 3.5" and 5.25" floppies too, but possibly not DOS or Windows (ad doesn't say and doesn't give prices either but say add on an extra £100 ex as this was the time that many companies advertised headline prices without an OS to make offers look even cheaper - and yes, it was a shitty way of doing things). The case would be much bigger, but so would the monitor at 14'. If you wanted to spend the same amount as Amstrad wanted you to, then for £1,699 ex VAT, Multiplex would give you a big box 486 DX 25MHz with 115MB of hard drive storage and 8MB of RAM. Sure, adding an OS would bump that up but it just shows how... misguided Amstrad's attempts were at this point. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMWTQ6IG7Wo_Mhjuzw9d_d6jYsqmTLrAcj52sfKSI-bXC8Cd9riZprFXPxEz8lhchNDvTZOXtEkhP9sc7a31zOtxyB5fhuvGpF-kPMqoPSj_6tSTF327I_xVGWKUy4Xq3Duo1YO_089utTUi97Uof-YANWRaz8GLSRR9RDbi46gPxqkoASu0PE6wmv/s4032/BF0D8CA8-9792-4C14-A183-E6EC73E031CB.heic" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMWTQ6IG7Wo_Mhjuzw9d_d6jYsqmTLrAcj52sfKSI-bXC8Cd9riZprFXPxEz8lhchNDvTZOXtEkhP9sc7a31zOtxyB5fhuvGpF-kPMqoPSj_6tSTF327I_xVGWKUy4Xq3Duo1YO_089utTUi97Uof-YANWRaz8GLSRR9RDbi46gPxqkoASu0PE6wmv/w300-h400/BF0D8CA8-9792-4C14-A183-E6EC73E031CB.heic" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Amstrad do include the OS but at that price, they bloody ought to!</td></tr></tbody></table><p>Commodore were still trying to flog DOS PC's, rather that focussing on what should have been their core product, the Amiga. A top tier 486 model would set you back over three grand exclusive of VAT, a 286 portable came in at £1,199, and their base 16MHz 286 cost a lowly £689. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1kJswih5BCLlxUh2KmXHg39jcIeBr2m8iBfqn5FIKBi48ecZ2IzpLuHDfhxmhf_QrQ8c87YK9t0SmpBJ8mbYup7xTRJbiW6P8UgqfYAgU_UCjgk2fWR2ZmhhgKdowPMI8ALN9Qa_xdGH5PObXSxcRgcY0wlht0R2o2A1d1VHnSw9cN51z58ZMgIhl/s4032/63CF1080-CE0B-4D9F-A324-663708183B7E_1_201_a.heic" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1kJswih5BCLlxUh2KmXHg39jcIeBr2m8iBfqn5FIKBi48ecZ2IzpLuHDfhxmhf_QrQ8c87YK9t0SmpBJ8mbYup7xTRJbiW6P8UgqfYAgU_UCjgk2fWR2ZmhhgKdowPMI8ALN9Qa_xdGH5PObXSxcRgcY0wlht0R2o2A1d1VHnSw9cN51z58ZMgIhl/w400-h300/63CF1080-CE0B-4D9F-A324-663708183B7E_1_201_a.heic" width="400" /></a></div><p>Time was a reseller of note for most of the 90's, and their business-focused advert neatly shows that the 286 was the budget processor of choice - £600-£700 ex for branded machines, whereas if you had a grand upwards, the 386 was your best bet. Portables were also a thing, and a budget Sanyo 286 for £849 wasn't bad. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKFnWeHsdYFl0IEmtnmT4qoky4z-l_YgicEVVXgLPmg2eK5hG9jBJ5czd-hYX2yB3LV23NdvyjsHj02k5YYD63ppsOJ5KhK91aV191jvVPCgZtlDCcqyZ-s-KRsLZP9jO6qP-WCDcfXc80ttIxzFU6lZouC1evdLdAazODrQfHpHouJdmY2K9QiI0P/s4032/48B14BF3-4477-45FE-A104-8808D029C15F.heic" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKFnWeHsdYFl0IEmtnmT4qoky4z-l_YgicEVVXgLPmg2eK5hG9jBJ5czd-hYX2yB3LV23NdvyjsHj02k5YYD63ppsOJ5KhK91aV191jvVPCgZtlDCcqyZ-s-KRsLZP9jO6qP-WCDcfXc80ttIxzFU6lZouC1evdLdAazODrQfHpHouJdmY2K9QiI0P/w300-h400/48B14BF3-4477-45FE-A104-8808D029C15F.heic" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Don't care if the printer is free, I still don't want it.</td></tr></tbody></table><p>Evesham Micros were venturing into their own range of desktops, but would still sell you Amstrad and Olivetti desktops. Not sure how popular a single floppy drive 12' mono monitor equipped 5086 for £399 inclusive was, but hey, you got a cheap dot matrix printer thrown in. Whether you'd want the trash that was the Amstrad DMP3160 is another question. Even for 1991, this was a terrible package. You could get discounted 2000-Series Amstrads which seemed decent, until you realised that the 086 models are obsolete and the 286/386 range come with DOS 4.01. And as for that twin drive PC1640 EGA model for £349 inclusive, well, as a retro fan, hell yeah. As a sober adult, not a chance in hell, even then. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwvNmvt5qH72s2iE1QcZ5KcS2PdG3ty4tCTPhUBpxe__Ix15cOF78tXSrv50TLms6XXDfPwu_qAL68JOkKaT7fHk0dKd7PQzkOtjcv-GPjI4dkb-Sq8o7iP7oyqQ-rp-XAJ5r1JgpHMFmUYIKqj1Ardxd3WV81n9PvXw5dQVtgIttFsv2k237SZnmO/s4032/2452AAA8-823B-42AC-8100-2F053FF39BDE_1_201_a.heic" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwvNmvt5qH72s2iE1QcZ5KcS2PdG3ty4tCTPhUBpxe__Ix15cOF78tXSrv50TLms6XXDfPwu_qAL68JOkKaT7fHk0dKd7PQzkOtjcv-GPjI4dkb-Sq8o7iP7oyqQ-rp-XAJ5r1JgpHMFmUYIKqj1Ardxd3WV81n9PvXw5dQVtgIttFsv2k237SZnmO/w400-h300/2452AAA8-823B-42AC-8100-2F053FF39BDE_1_201_a.heic" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">These are NOT the bargains you're looking for.</td></tr></tbody></table><p>Silica Systems (an almost constant presence in the ST and Amiga Format publications amongst others), had the Goldstar range on show (Lucky Goldstar is now better known as LG). They might look cheap (and to be fair, they were decent value), but those prices exclude the monitor. Still, a secondhand GT-212 model was my first DOS machine and it was a good little runner. Silica also had some portables on show, and I still like the idea of that PC XT notebook, even if adult me realises it would have been an ergonomic and practical nightmare to use. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8Hn8InSSZyfxH2o3S_yQzOvTCkqmn8QDY1-whK8mmkXH1sKPI-T_QLlKZXNDRxrN-hjnI44qQdxcDhMixhZIRSYfUf8b4Pm5GJVez-fdp4_y0pCup4xKg7XNoliaa8y33ZRCC_R46euTWdiYQl9pzLxIzhditnjiaMNktlRHx9q11QB8aW-KG56fX/s4032/2CF97ADA-68E1-4A20-B6EA-F627C24EE3A2.heic" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8Hn8InSSZyfxH2o3S_yQzOvTCkqmn8QDY1-whK8mmkXH1sKPI-T_QLlKZXNDRxrN-hjnI44qQdxcDhMixhZIRSYfUf8b4Pm5GJVez-fdp4_y0pCup4xKg7XNoliaa8y33ZRCC_R46euTWdiYQl9pzLxIzhditnjiaMNktlRHx9q11QB8aW-KG56fX/w300-h400/2CF97ADA-68E1-4A20-B6EA-F627C24EE3A2.heic" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">They may include the OS, but screens are extra.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0q8n-Z5R8mh4rPRvA9Vz2aNBlZYTkJOZ_13mEo3V8gDyM9i67fHZa4KlIC3LPewcwwXsKtrZDgCxUs6CAFCgRPur63QPtRoLx_Rh8zOMU_ZH_7k179EVM2FVo2bD-z4nPDyCF74MM7BlXHE-sWLpV557CKdQWCTOFESpxHwLWwAGr-PKqFbgpZJXK/s4032/97348133-3531-4E2E-A91B-4D1A2C9CEAB3_1_201_a.heic" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0q8n-Z5R8mh4rPRvA9Vz2aNBlZYTkJOZ_13mEo3V8gDyM9i67fHZa4KlIC3LPewcwwXsKtrZDgCxUs6CAFCgRPur63QPtRoLx_Rh8zOMU_ZH_7k179EVM2FVo2bD-z4nPDyCF74MM7BlXHE-sWLpV557CKdQWCTOFESpxHwLWwAGr-PKqFbgpZJXK/w400-h300/97348133-3531-4E2E-A91B-4D1A2C9CEAB3_1_201_a.heic" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I so wanted one of these - even if they were shite.</td></tr></tbody></table><p>So there we have What Personal Computer. An issue that's at that slightly awkward point in PC history where the 286 was just starting to fade away as the 386 muscled into the sub £1,000 market. There are still the old '086 holdovers but their days were numbered, as were those of Amstrad. It would take another five years or so before they retired their computing range (the Pentium P75-powered PV/TV combo Integra range was I think their final attempt), but the days of selling via dealers were ending. Direct was the way forward, and price conscious clone makers were leading the way. Alongside the 386, Windows was becoming the default means of interacting with your PC - DOS was still the OS, but Windows was getting there. Wherever <i>there</i> was.</p><p>But what if you didn't want the kludge that was the DOS/Windows mash up? There was always the Mac, but that's for another time. </p>Andrew the Tekkiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01757282676248834026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3359642955101086116.post-81005168470338178812023-09-30T09:23:00.001+00:002023-09-30T09:23:34.733+00:00The Best Non-Violent Video Games by James Batchelor - Book Review<p>Video games and violence, that old chestnut, eh? A favourite of tabloids and politicians throughout the last five decades or so, numerous studies have shown that there is no causal link between playing a video game and committing violent acts. There are age restrictions in place to protect children, yet every now and again, the same old tropes get wheeled out because someone who has little or no experience of playing video games thinks a five minute session in Doom will turn you both psychotic and into an expert at wielding firearms. It will do neither, but nor is gaming all about violence, and this is where James Batchelor's volume from White Owl Press comes in, highlighting The Best Non-Violent Video Games.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhphI93_LkjxmCZGivOh8mFJwhLa3Mb5rErf-jlhfyY0Xgj8DmaHxSjzoCiwDccAodHaoscD7R1sjD_mgx6Pe5I59RlxsGuIGDKF_cYJkfmbkTyjZftlmPVwk_HHdCIWUosZHcT6Watm-IS1b0ZDy-9qeEspmHBikag6Qd2YjmsThXvd948kqrQJezR/s3878/45EE461E-BD76-457C-B0C0-DA4CFF55A25F_1_201_a.heic" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3878" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhphI93_LkjxmCZGivOh8mFJwhLa3Mb5rErf-jlhfyY0Xgj8DmaHxSjzoCiwDccAodHaoscD7R1sjD_mgx6Pe5I59RlxsGuIGDKF_cYJkfmbkTyjZftlmPVwk_HHdCIWUosZHcT6Watm-IS1b0ZDy-9qeEspmHBikag6Qd2YjmsThXvd948kqrQJezR/w313-h400/45EE461E-BD76-457C-B0C0-DA4CFF55A25F_1_201_a.heic" width="313" /></a></div><p>Over 160 or so pages, Mr Batchelor (a long standing video games journalist) provides us with a guide to just a handful of the many non-violent gaming titles that are out there. I say just a handful, yet over three hundred are featured out of nearly 4000(!) suitable games (at the time of writing) that the author has collated in the research for his Non-Violent Game of the Day <a href="https://nvgotd.tumblr.com" target="_blank">blog</a> and X(Twitter) <a href="https://twitter.com/nvgotd" target="_blank">account</a>. One thing is sure - whilst you may find familiar favourites included in this volume, it's more than likely you'll think of a game he hasn't included - PS2 flight adventure sim Sky Odyssey springs to mind - but having said that, it is also certain that you'll discover more than a few new games to try from this collection.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0lOLM2xpq3HG3UQm7ioAZEbNxGn0zDNvpOR8LbSiMtKkMR050n-gZrmCiN5vF6Goybc08MiUERqggOJbe3eoDt1ByH-p6w94kb9JTGYg8WZqlMsucYDbVhZFKkkfwQd7oZ9c0Sh8pj3Dcm5k6e5h_k8kAbhJr1ZN_97lV2glb2fVqh6wD3eDvk_yH/s4032/4C0792FD-9D8D-4CCA-9444-C63ADC7DDA2F.heic" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0lOLM2xpq3HG3UQm7ioAZEbNxGn0zDNvpOR8LbSiMtKkMR050n-gZrmCiN5vF6Goybc08MiUERqggOJbe3eoDt1ByH-p6w94kb9JTGYg8WZqlMsucYDbVhZFKkkfwQd7oZ9c0Sh8pj3Dcm5k6e5h_k8kAbhJr1ZN_97lV2glb2fVqh6wD3eDvk_yH/w300-h400/4C0792FD-9D8D-4CCA-9444-C63ADC7DDA2F.heic" width="300" /></a></div><p>As befits the subject, the foreword is supplied by John Romero, indelibly linked to violent video games through his design role at id Software and the likes of Wolfenstein 3D, Doom and Quake amongst others, and raises some very fine points. There is a brief note on what qualifies as a non-violent video game before we move on to the main section and the games proper. Readers of previous White Owl publications will know the layout by now - two games per page (entry size varies but the format doesn't change), details on who developed and published the title, its year of release and its platform availability. Every entry also includes a screenshot, and the write up provides not only a description of the game but also fun snippets and details on any follow ups. Each one is interesting and written in an entertaining yet informative style. placing a lovely focus on the appreciation the author has for the genre of non-violent video games. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD6oKJ_417znwg3kVmBhB7c72ngD1AE4KqGQL9tCAp_Emd_kMO49SF6_q_WLUK40Um3_cOgaOOrxuSnMsUHctfnFwxtlSGMtGNLtN6SQ19NpBZGwEemt3WjU-6zOOHH1DYt3w4e-zO67pM7u9zIbt30lXphlkwX6GiPeuMmfYwEU2o2kpXO4gKWnh0/s4032/26610995-298B-4C1A-B22C-14DE6D5AC11D.heic" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD6oKJ_417znwg3kVmBhB7c72ngD1AE4KqGQL9tCAp_Emd_kMO49SF6_q_WLUK40Um3_cOgaOOrxuSnMsUHctfnFwxtlSGMtGNLtN6SQ19NpBZGwEemt3WjU-6zOOHH1DYt3w4e-zO67pM7u9zIbt30lXphlkwX6GiPeuMmfYwEU2o2kpXO4gKWnh0/w300-h400/26610995-298B-4C1A-B22C-14DE6D5AC11D.heic" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Everybody's Gone To The Rapture - aka Tantobie on a Sunday afternoon.</td></tr></tbody></table><p>Starting with Pong because, well, it's Pong and it's definitely non-violent, the rest of the entries are in alphabetical order. There are some familiar personal favourites: Forza Horizon, Dear Esther, Loom and PowerWash Simulator, as well as titles that I had maybe seen and thought "oh, they look good" and many that had just plain passed me by. From Townscaper to Lake, Before I Forget to Heaven's Vault, I now have a revitalised list of titles to get round to. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDfmtNq2jvq4aw3NR7bjTLn3MH-TcmiJHXQR-o8ute0lyxbMqj5qLytK4lfxDxi0mQockBbsayHfUNqCGae8Z8NcB5vnsbNFigaz8alXcM-3OFO4MSGqTZUjYajNx89JblkRpIo6bjCdAPl6clYcVwCHhnq1EYHn_AnorsZmaFTEkG8dN83zEwzp3j/s4032/350B21A2-0F7B-447C-8864-A52A3ACA4808.heic" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDfmtNq2jvq4aw3NR7bjTLn3MH-TcmiJHXQR-o8ute0lyxbMqj5qLytK4lfxDxi0mQockBbsayHfUNqCGae8Z8NcB5vnsbNFigaz8alXcM-3OFO4MSGqTZUjYajNx89JblkRpIo6bjCdAPl6clYcVwCHhnq1EYHn_AnorsZmaFTEkG8dN83zEwzp3j/w300-h400/350B21A2-0F7B-447C-8864-A52A3ACA4808.heic" width="300" /></a></div><p>Mixing big studio efforts with small scale Indie releases, VR extravaganza's with now lost mobile games, this volume is a treasure trove of information and recommendations that will not only suit interested parents but also gamers in general. The Best Non-Violent Video Games is yet another superb publication from White Owl and reinforces the concept that games do not have to be violent to be supremely enjoyable or worthwhile. </p><p>You can pick up a copy direct from the publisher <a href="https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/The-Best-Non-Violent-Video-Games-Hardback/p/23674" target="_blank">here</a>, or at the usual online and physical book shops. I got my copy from Forbidden Planet in Newcastle, who also stock a decent range to Bitmap Books titles too. </p>Andrew the Tekkiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01757282676248834026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3359642955101086116.post-25116055106307177252023-09-23T08:48:00.001+00:002023-09-23T08:48:25.087+00:00The Dreamcast Encyclopedia by Chris Scullion - Book Review<p>Much like birthdays, Mr Scullion's "Gaming Encyclopedia Emporium" (otherwise known as the White Owl imprint of Pen and Sword Books), makes its annual appearance to deposit yet more gaming history on suspecting (if they'd pre-ordered it) members of the general public. Indeed, it was on this weekend last year (well, 20th September 2022) that I posted a review of his excellent N64 volume, so for the 2023 edition of "What's Scullion been up to?", we tackle his unofficial guide to Sega's final home console: the Dreamcast.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZt50_JAuo7meyOrdq9Dmz0GtJUGZ6a1HtjvvEvCBWwZtzw5kbvMncctex7ZB6SqJeU31CuC6Vu49n2jaFuANS0jvkrmwGNVXVeApPPmgEoo-iBAX9IuNTAzTBfIgOZs7XdISWUzhsm9xoh4sXpYKYd-GCBl8Xu7MCdNuk5XL1ES3i1C_gOzkZej9I/s4032/DBAE5F1F-8AA4-445B-8F7C-2504914EB1D2.heic" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZt50_JAuo7meyOrdq9Dmz0GtJUGZ6a1HtjvvEvCBWwZtzw5kbvMncctex7ZB6SqJeU31CuC6Vu49n2jaFuANS0jvkrmwGNVXVeApPPmgEoo-iBAX9IuNTAzTBfIgOZs7XdISWUzhsm9xoh4sXpYKYd-GCBl8Xu7MCdNuk5XL1ES3i1C_gOzkZej9I/w300-h400/DBAE5F1F-8AA4-445B-8F7C-2504914EB1D2.heic" width="300" /></a></div><p>Ah, DC, you sweet little plastic and metal box of joy. Born from Sega's internal politics, killed by the very market it sought to compete in, this was a games machine that spanned the changing of the guard. Four controller ports for local multiplayer, compact design that would practically hide on a shelf (keeping one side open for that fan), yet also packing a built in modem for online play and internet connectivity, as well as the Visual Memory Unit that promised (but kinda failed to deliver) new gameplay wonders. There were, however, wonders in its gaming library - and it wasn't that huge a library either...</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglZDZIaKHMrlc7WU2SXXMcfCpthU705rcUKya0qYLvGEP9lkbZ6K3Xmqy83-PXaokTOGAntPOKBWxTCeazQu5B9s9OvofPo8a3-INmhOqLCvH3SBXcCGtvokcv2T5ngrZ0cHZ_WZDsu7Chp4w_-99Cf5wN0gn4_Jtr2zcifrGwp5RkTAaRFrWNkB8B/s4032/FD393050-FA2E-4183-8EB4-6BCFE7058ECA.heic" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglZDZIaKHMrlc7WU2SXXMcfCpthU705rcUKya0qYLvGEP9lkbZ6K3Xmqy83-PXaokTOGAntPOKBWxTCeazQu5B9s9OvofPo8a3-INmhOqLCvH3SBXcCGtvokcv2T5ngrZ0cHZ_WZDsu7Chp4w_-99Cf5wN0gn4_Jtr2zcifrGwp5RkTAaRFrWNkB8B/w300-h400/FD393050-FA2E-4183-8EB4-6BCFE7058ECA.heic" width="300" /></a></div><p>This latest book from Mr Scullion is a tad thicker than usual, taking as it does a look at the over 600 titles released for the Dreamcast. This is a worthwhile decision as it provides the reader with a one stop shop for all games Dreamcast. You might think you know about the various visual novels that Japan experienced, but Chris has had to experience all of them. You must buy this now just to help him afford the therapy! Truly, the section on Japan-only releases is... well... "interesting'... shall we say.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheqfXa8Q2f3NJQxpG5VFwGtlf6FFKmSBeEXWI3Q5VtVJ2xm7bCWK7G8JN5CsKlzEc0WUTThFSwVCQ4VnIFtVnCzbk1h4hbltVyp1IptBDHddAHPUQIfPoXYiUI17Mxvx2szAfz0LutfDIIiTSc58RqbzyUvSvhhvF9QIre2kCpJDSqg6YsZ4UXSg5C/s4032/441B7A96-08EC-4EE4-BF6B-36546B11CEE4.heic" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheqfXa8Q2f3NJQxpG5VFwGtlf6FFKmSBeEXWI3Q5VtVJ2xm7bCWK7G8JN5CsKlzEc0WUTThFSwVCQ4VnIFtVnCzbk1h4hbltVyp1IptBDHddAHPUQIfPoXYiUI17Mxvx2szAfz0LutfDIIiTSc58RqbzyUvSvhhvF9QIre2kCpJDSqg6YsZ4UXSg5C/w300-h400/441B7A96-08EC-4EE4-BF6B-36546B11CEE4.heic" width="300" /></a></div><p>Given the extra coverage, you might expect there to be fewer single page entries, but no, plenty of titles get that full page loving. From the obvious (Virtual Fighter 3TB, Jet Set Radio and Sonic Adventure(s) 1 and 2), to the more eclectic (Alone in the Dark, Ducati World Racing Challenge and The Nomad Soul), the depth and richness of the Dreamcast's library is lovingly handled by the author. The ever-present additional facts are cherries on the top. And yes, there are bad jokes too, but hey, it wouldn't the same without them!</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWYrIrnWEGHiN3Rm-2S6xtJ93BPlQ79NpE2b20qO4WWqlbDBAkEKATFmllaq6pudgqKX90ejSaZF-bSd5mdOCdQg0mXsxYXNf-5e_-HviXjze2mcTQD7fKa5QfCA9kG4bRimC8EAkARKI96Fgbn_5u1LWWG-u3av9joZEzjIMjl_ZoDC36pxR_3LpE/s4032/9C00ED3D-A257-4846-8485-19E018C52449.heic" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWYrIrnWEGHiN3Rm-2S6xtJ93BPlQ79NpE2b20qO4WWqlbDBAkEKATFmllaq6pudgqKX90ejSaZF-bSd5mdOCdQg0mXsxYXNf-5e_-HviXjze2mcTQD7fKa5QfCA9kG4bRimC8EAkARKI96Fgbn_5u1LWWG-u3av9joZEzjIMjl_ZoDC36pxR_3LpE/w300-h400/9C00ED3D-A257-4846-8485-19E018C52449.heic" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A classic in my humble opinion.</td></tr></tbody></table><p>For me, the most educational part was the Japanese-only section, and whilst I have never played a "visual novel" (cough, 'onest, Guv'nor, cough!), I feel as if its a genre that perhaps will remain outside of my in-depth experience. I'm not saying never, but, well, yeah...</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY_wiBiv4WKNhJLV9W6SMsxrOTRor1T5N2iz_4gqvcWnyno3Mtdmk7juYyM3dk-7YhdHRVWUs1Abs_kVTc_sP78J6p6i9Iyv_TBg8YTXKEeqQltaAqRrkNVbDTA-OSqNUTSBIuaxQE7BiVB4ydVAXG63gn5nXzgARBoTLM4GYcpWDjOFtep04jgaVF/s4032/68811AA7-1F58-445D-ABEF-C1040903BED0.heic" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY_wiBiv4WKNhJLV9W6SMsxrOTRor1T5N2iz_4gqvcWnyno3Mtdmk7juYyM3dk-7YhdHRVWUs1Abs_kVTc_sP78J6p6i9Iyv_TBg8YTXKEeqQltaAqRrkNVbDTA-OSqNUTSBIuaxQE7BiVB4ydVAXG63gn5nXzgARBoTLM4GYcpWDjOFtep04jgaVF/w300-h400/68811AA7-1F58-445D-ABEF-C1040903BED0.heic" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The soundtrack for this game remains immense even today</td></tr></tbody></table><p>As the Dreamcast is one of my favourite consoles of all time (both hardware and the library), flicking through these pages brought back many a memory from 20-plus years ago. The first time I got to ride the motorcycle in Headhunter, the awe at seeing London in all of its glory in Metropolis Street Racer, and the sheer amount of visual gags in Fur Fighters - good times were had, although they weren't all positive - the control malarkey with Starlancer, the not-so-simple (yet marvellously fun and addictive) joys of Toy Commander and, perhaps the ultimate achievement for me at the time, completing Shadowman for the second time but seeing it as its best, not through the fuzzy filter of the N64.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4ziJcU-QeS218CdcySfCUUsAk1Ah-M_vJLNoIUNUdvjxpVP8u9NB0pigpViWA1fDzaooyf8aMUlwMV6h6h_44TgVxc5q87OfxfmjUHdM9yILEcaHyFgeqpGHabiO3HQJIUh3pMWlFP6KRxNIhn19q5CPva23S-Dg-zH-QULTAcs--beUn9npcNuiR/s4032/2DD7CD55-530D-4EFE-A9FD-DD2754B089F3.heic" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4ziJcU-QeS218CdcySfCUUsAk1Ah-M_vJLNoIUNUdvjxpVP8u9NB0pigpViWA1fDzaooyf8aMUlwMV6h6h_44TgVxc5q87OfxfmjUHdM9yILEcaHyFgeqpGHabiO3HQJIUh3pMWlFP6KRxNIhn19q5CPva23S-Dg-zH-QULTAcs--beUn9npcNuiR/w300-h400/2DD7CD55-530D-4EFE-A9FD-DD2754B089F3.heic" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I loved/hated this game back in the day. </td></tr></tbody></table><p>However, this tome is more than just a memory-fest for those of a certain age. This is a valuable guide to how seriously good the Dreamcast's legacy is. The last of the "traditional" home consoles that begged you the gather friends for some four player Powerstone, the first of the "next-gen" home consoles that allowed you to play against friends across the world (citation needed, but that's how I see it), the Dreamcast had pretty much something for everyone. It wasn't enough at the time, but at least this excellent and informative encyclopedia allows you to experience the glory that was Sega's 128-bit swansong.</p><p>You can follow the author on X/Twitter/that old social media company that died in 2023 (@scully1888), and pick up a copy of this excellent volume direct from the publisher <a href="https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/The-Dreamcast-Encyclopedia-Hardback/p/23508" target="_blank">here</a>. It's also available from the usual online and physical bookstores too. </p>Andrew the Tekkiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01757282676248834026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3359642955101086116.post-80027500382506281232023-09-16T09:13:00.001+00:002023-09-16T09:13:59.741+00:00Worlds Beyond Time - Sci-Fi Art of the 1970's by Adam Rowe - Book Review<p>It is said that you should "Never judge a book by its cover" yet when it comes to science fiction novels, particularly those published from the 1960's to the 1980's, the cover was one of their stand out features. In this lavishly illustrated tome, Adam Rowe showcases some of the best of 1970's SF art. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCUND1AjTlpAxA8LU0FRw9EunK2FSRgU1Liwocp2VKNN-aIDPmPvgEsrCxTjDdXUeMQd_k7UbAc1YDsGe4cNVY_Ix98qdydtbHhpadaA_q17cut6h8co2_UsISEm7cdacSfE16v8bmcwqA6VwLeRFLE2cRBX0usYOEfMAmv4Kj2NqsOWFu4FY9tjES/s4032/AAC7D087-5C18-495D-8BA5-9096E44025D2.heic" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCUND1AjTlpAxA8LU0FRw9EunK2FSRgU1Liwocp2VKNN-aIDPmPvgEsrCxTjDdXUeMQd_k7UbAc1YDsGe4cNVY_Ix98qdydtbHhpadaA_q17cut6h8co2_UsISEm7cdacSfE16v8bmcwqA6VwLeRFLE2cRBX0usYOEfMAmv4Kj2NqsOWFu4FY9tjES/w300-h400/AAC7D087-5C18-495D-8BA5-9096E44025D2.heic" width="300" /></a></div><p>Over its more than 220 pages, the author takes us on a journey through the various Science Fiction sub-genres using the medium of artwork and featuring some of the most famous names to contribute to the form. Each section gets a write up, artist biography or commentary on their work, as well as well-considered criticism. A side benefit for me was relearning about the many SF authors of the period covered, then diving online to find physical (or much cheaper digital) copies of their works. Seriously, some original paperbacks go for silly money! And as for a Spacebase 2000! I lost my original copy years ago, and yet even at close to £50, I'm still tempted to pick up a second hand one... </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv5jUILeJjPOpiVz9HRg-T6CsmS3zZQ5fX88PTv5Y3sYV7Fql18zjo1ujEH45Tj6A8VjhVKMeXw8kEF6YRYM5YjcdcGik_G0S-pN6Wz337Uo9GPjAa-Px4H5qtt12sW9y7IH0P2LKy2K0b1OKsG796tzmkbbTjJ-MUGXKLGbtDe2MG72s1sJnIiEq7/s4032/DFA14B0C-DAC3-4824-8E93-A9FE33ACAF1C.heic" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv5jUILeJjPOpiVz9HRg-T6CsmS3zZQ5fX88PTv5Y3sYV7Fql18zjo1ujEH45Tj6A8VjhVKMeXw8kEF6YRYM5YjcdcGik_G0S-pN6Wz337Uo9GPjAa-Px4H5qtt12sW9y7IH0P2LKy2K0b1OKsG796tzmkbbTjJ-MUGXKLGbtDe2MG72s1sJnIiEq7/w300-h400/DFA14B0C-DAC3-4824-8E93-A9FE33ACAF1C.heic" width="300" /></a></div><p>A foreward from Vincent Di Fate (an artist of some note himself), sets the scene perfectly, that this is a scholarly work, one that draws the reader into its subject and aims to mesmerise you with the frankly stunning imagery included. From the lived-in SF of Chris Foss, to some of the more abstract work of Don Ivan Punchatz, and the disturbing visions of Philippe Caza, there really is something that will appeal to everyone, such is the variety provided by science fiction. There is great educational value here too, and I admit to having spent a considerable amount of time searching online for more work by many of the included artists. To throw out another cliche, I don't know art but I know what I like, and it turns out I like a lot more SF art that I was aware of. For that realisation, Mr Rowe, thank you.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQzqMoyLXXKZSsI2C7qx_oaZan5uBji9ph06HaOxaDuDV4B_9WdUXcZAbKwbPfGATconKGSAxRjpmzaxNfw5He00K3608HPnT5B_7L7MNNQqGptku2tOLQ9R4wRkgBaFlQC8Yn9Qh13frtCaL44CWWw3B5Kf_qDEhKNSVUFPpDG52LBA4Uhb5-Xr_a/s4032/38921219-FC40-44A2-95D3-D99B9B0383CC.heic" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQzqMoyLXXKZSsI2C7qx_oaZan5uBji9ph06HaOxaDuDV4B_9WdUXcZAbKwbPfGATconKGSAxRjpmzaxNfw5He00K3608HPnT5B_7L7MNNQqGptku2tOLQ9R4wRkgBaFlQC8Yn9Qh13frtCaL44CWWw3B5Kf_qDEhKNSVUFPpDG52LBA4Uhb5-Xr_a/w300-h400/38921219-FC40-44A2-95D3-D99B9B0383CC.heic" width="300" /></a></div><p>This is a deliberately short review, and one that will let the pictures do the talking. If art or SF is your thing, then Worlds Beyond Time needs to be on your bookshelf. I cannot find a single flaw with this volume. Check out the author's link tree <a href="https://linktr.ee/70sscifiart?fbclid=PAAaYkMtZXXlA8VuSWj1_GGtToUdg7JgKYYSKzpZGLHQA_fIYUMp5oNHkr6W8_aem_ARVaqSUOLACvnj-TbkdPPZrhxi9Il54D1c20DTzmu3nY7rCA5oBZd8Gnsnkh576lARc" target="_blank">here</a>, containing lists of where to buy this fantastic book as well as their social media presence. In the meantime, here are some pictures to whet your appetite...</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYZQFsbTUbhB5u3rmwOzCvGjAfZRfbbonDhLICDoQdGUETIr58mTw104MOPufMULLoJeQHKWl3jThm0bm0WphdCeYT5PIZe6gY3cWnSHJpbejR2UW_mgks3VRhKXqq9YGEBVUBPiqWOlnSQVlPPJxbmA6eTz49ejCbbUZdoiBjzAvC7hxUkbEsrBEx/s4032/A43F2AEF-CFFD-4821-A486-96B25170ABB5.heic" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYZQFsbTUbhB5u3rmwOzCvGjAfZRfbbonDhLICDoQdGUETIr58mTw104MOPufMULLoJeQHKWl3jThm0bm0WphdCeYT5PIZe6gY3cWnSHJpbejR2UW_mgks3VRhKXqq9YGEBVUBPiqWOlnSQVlPPJxbmA6eTz49ejCbbUZdoiBjzAvC7hxUkbEsrBEx/w300-h400/A43F2AEF-CFFD-4821-A486-96B25170ABB5.heic" width="300" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxPvjb_hMG7OZ5vc64A2GJDfYBScY4xuMjrKcVBa0nXCLx2nRrBL6NkcKcyX4u3oF4SMZerww6T2fonsR9_dJNc_HaYK-5Vz20LcCLpsGUA9tp3rhPdwWP5b2gAqu7KpuIqIzpEKxCQEwDEHNBAE0p0L9OqqW_2yDexG2eYSDsFXNCpPKlWBTpkWkv/s4032/9C65A766-CBE7-4CEB-91FE-5DFE5E0C9D80.heic" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxPvjb_hMG7OZ5vc64A2GJDfYBScY4xuMjrKcVBa0nXCLx2nRrBL6NkcKcyX4u3oF4SMZerww6T2fonsR9_dJNc_HaYK-5Vz20LcCLpsGUA9tp3rhPdwWP5b2gAqu7KpuIqIzpEKxCQEwDEHNBAE0p0L9OqqW_2yDexG2eYSDsFXNCpPKlWBTpkWkv/w300-h400/9C65A766-CBE7-4CEB-91FE-5DFE5E0C9D80.heic" width="300" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJpB07SniBB-xzHWz7qRCyzsZN2aKWJLhmxd-OddG_CmJfUXrrB2oakdmsTcTE8SEn7fJwkqhTLcvwCe2a8iHcvAZEhBVTMe1Z_-7hsVS3ob-GzV51QmkXaBZj5eqeYNmmSBuBQGIADWo6WglXomJQD_Nu7Du1FYM1M7bc164bMPhcXeLsSEeBRuoG/s4032/637381EF-01B7-4649-A548-D3061516D094_1_201_a.heic" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJpB07SniBB-xzHWz7qRCyzsZN2aKWJLhmxd-OddG_CmJfUXrrB2oakdmsTcTE8SEn7fJwkqhTLcvwCe2a8iHcvAZEhBVTMe1Z_-7hsVS3ob-GzV51QmkXaBZj5eqeYNmmSBuBQGIADWo6WglXomJQD_Nu7Du1FYM1M7bc164bMPhcXeLsSEeBRuoG/w400-h300/637381EF-01B7-4649-A548-D3061516D094_1_201_a.heic" width="400" /></a></div>Andrew the Tekkiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01757282676248834026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3359642955101086116.post-12306196155842318902023-09-03T09:18:00.003+00:002023-09-03T09:18:58.755+00:00A British Tar is a soaring soul, and a very tempting target... - TWATS meeting 26th August 2023<p>A quartet of TWATS met last Saturday for one of our semi-regular gaming sessions, which once again saw me back in the chair (two games running, Temporary Unpaid Chief TWAT! Two!) for a bit of nautical naughtiness and a return to Shipwreck, a ruleset we have used twice before. However, instead of the usual plastic snap kits (and I'd worked on the Type-054A stats especially), we were using Steve's rather tasty little collection of Soviet and Royal Navy ships. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-VRv5NXguE8MxdgAj16KsxGosKgxydKENIuhaxwfsN8dVAiyUn-dICEPkrcYnOVfxerEF_sUewj19xb8CulSOhrmWWN0AMP-tdqOijaFDb7jB_tUM9P2R9Pc3QUv8fd08RrujGNJ15XAvWIV654RCoi6-SYf94Oo3ec0gO0M8Hg5NSEoa9KVD4do9/s4032/DE8C3192-4839-4D85-8239-0C9AE3400B2C.heic" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-VRv5NXguE8MxdgAj16KsxGosKgxydKENIuhaxwfsN8dVAiyUn-dICEPkrcYnOVfxerEF_sUewj19xb8CulSOhrmWWN0AMP-tdqOijaFDb7jB_tUM9P2R9Pc3QUv8fd08RrujGNJ15XAvWIV654RCoi6-SYf94Oo3ec0gO0M8Hg5NSEoa9KVD4do9/w400-h300/DE8C3192-4839-4D85-8239-0C9AE3400B2C.heic" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In the blue corner, the Royaaallllll Naaaayyyveeeeee!</td></tr></tbody></table><p>As usual, this was an umpire-led game (a daunting task requiring much support from a Singleton or two, a tasty little malt), with Admiral Andy donning his No. 3 dress, whilst Shaun and Steve began rattling off the Soviet National Anthem in true Red October (the film) style. The aim of the game was simple. The British, comprising of the Invincible (damaged so no flight operations), a Type 42 (the Sheffield), two T22's (Broadsword and Battleaxe) and a Type 21 (Amazon), had to get to the far end of the table. To stop them, the Soviets had the Slava, a Sovremmeny and two Krivak II's. Would the plucky British get away with it, or would the Soviets find the sunrays of freedom cheering them on?</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYUrPzZKs_rwR94VmCS2nEwc8QsS1Xe85GREKTyww_SZTFuCPjW9_KWZJLVX6wmRCS0PFR9r4B6QKDo3e0E-IXUxCcmO3KwE3Qbz1IA1Pf82cDZyPi17zMVZLOXyUVpBTSnCi9DSUgcV7xeZhIbsrW9F7hNV5qoZP5bE0CsH0sKkxk0KQJMItfJ-QL/s4032/8736A5C5-867E-4113-A161-6A9C74B6BFA1.heic" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYUrPzZKs_rwR94VmCS2nEwc8QsS1Xe85GREKTyww_SZTFuCPjW9_KWZJLVX6wmRCS0PFR9r4B6QKDo3e0E-IXUxCcmO3KwE3Qbz1IA1Pf82cDZyPi17zMVZLOXyUVpBTSnCi9DSUgcV7xeZhIbsrW9F7hNV5qoZP5bE0CsH0sKkxk0KQJMItfJ-QL/w400-h300/8736A5C5-867E-4113-A161-6A9C74B6BFA1.heic" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In a different blue corner, the Soviet Military Maritime Fleeeeeet!</td></tr></tbody></table><p>Steve and Shaun decided from the get go to split their forces, Steve taking the Sov and a Krivak II, Shaun the Slava and the other Krivak. Aiming for a pincer movement, Steve decided to approach with radars on but, as was apparent by the distance on the table, nothing was detected. A couple of movement turns saw the opposing forces approach each other, and it during movement turn 4 that Andy detected the Sov. A double movement turn (with the agreement of the players) saw the second ship of Steve's flotilla detected by the British. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsh68iCjn70cyKLczTgFL5263UPz0u8xLWODXUK-ydNlwetm_EoqvMq5HKXrzjoH6EKK86ig3I9dkHu670pqjKEciMUFEapmQ9cjZ6mfS_cSj4aFGkLRdSYWEXiPkFzmIHeanqdlN17qabCMcEhe9ndlTglxsBg9f3njZm9QkE8d01QMPlOBALAGkD/s4032/60482AE8-4B16-4207-B04D-29972B282571_1_201_a.heic" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsh68iCjn70cyKLczTgFL5263UPz0u8xLWODXUK-ydNlwetm_EoqvMq5HKXrzjoH6EKK86ig3I9dkHu670pqjKEciMUFEapmQ9cjZ6mfS_cSj4aFGkLRdSYWEXiPkFzmIHeanqdlN17qabCMcEhe9ndlTglxsBg9f3njZm9QkE8d01QMPlOBALAGkD/w400-h300/60482AE8-4B16-4207-B04D-29972B282571_1_201_a.heic" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A naval Rorke's Drift: them horns look dangerous...</td></tr></tbody></table><p>It was only during movement turn 6 that Steve's group detected the Sheffield and Battleaxe. Being a cautious type, Steve launched two SS-N-22 Sunburns at the Sheffield, a sensible choice given the Sea Dart present. Now we were into combat turns.</p><p>Andy went loud with his radars and Steve's ships were painted. Battleaxe launched a pair of Exocets at the Krivak, whilst Broadsword had two at the Sov. The second combat turn saw the Sheffield down one of the Sunburns, yet it wasn't all one way as three of the Exocets were shot down by the Soviets. Combat turn three saw a brace of Sea Darts deal with the errant Sunburn, whilst a trio of SA-N-7's handled the final Exocet.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaTI6iHOboJFmRLZVdU81QnKTG5uV0EFih3AsQ606km5GV9P90-3egqoBZC2RhAcqUwX6DnVySL3xu83QRIydTdkXmYS2aR4RMAu5zAA-IbWnqg0BvGGI1W44vKpYBFuPyWI4iC2MvpFRsgrGtldF329b3i3xH7enqB9DyXvop1J1P3RcHSnBzQHSV/s4032/08A5F05C-CC9F-4451-9BB7-D6D52474D2B0.heic" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaTI6iHOboJFmRLZVdU81QnKTG5uV0EFih3AsQ606km5GV9P90-3egqoBZC2RhAcqUwX6DnVySL3xu83QRIydTdkXmYS2aR4RMAu5zAA-IbWnqg0BvGGI1W44vKpYBFuPyWI4iC2MvpFRsgrGtldF329b3i3xH7enqB9DyXvop1J1P3RcHSnBzQHSV/w300-h400/08A5F05C-CC9F-4451-9BB7-D6D52474D2B0.heic" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Vampires, Vampires, Vampires!</td></tr></tbody></table><p>Back to movement now and it was it was radars-a-go-go with everyone detecting each other. Steve decided more shots were in order so launched all four SS-N-14's from the Krivak II against the Invincible as the Sov lofted four Sunburn's at the Sheffield. Shaun, on the other hand, decided that he was sick of the top weight on the Slava. He fired all sixteen SS-N-12's at the Invincible. It was almost an afterthought for his Krivak II to shoot two '14's at Battleaxe and two at Amazon. Andy's response was to fire his remaining Exocets, a pair at each of the enemy vessels. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWo2St8YOppRUVEJBceMwuAsYR7FYZsTdfM4U6ONRLvbUTAlzg04mimp6Vjltuk1-_kbuWkkLx4dQh-5zcnzG2v6SIzH2VSJILjGV9_bthUkO0v2rz1nlBoUTTmHzHAPjmUR_Ldq0LhpYUfkoKahykQpoK65jj1iMRmDV9Xlt_DQy7HRCO0f_GYBuB/s4032/7DC9D7AF-4AE3-450C-A73F-587EC0ECE976.heic" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWo2St8YOppRUVEJBceMwuAsYR7FYZsTdfM4U6ONRLvbUTAlzg04mimp6Vjltuk1-_kbuWkkLx4dQh-5zcnzG2v6SIzH2VSJILjGV9_bthUkO0v2rz1nlBoUTTmHzHAPjmUR_Ldq0LhpYUfkoKahykQpoK65jj1iMRmDV9Xlt_DQy7HRCO0f_GYBuB/w400-h300/7DC9D7AF-4AE3-450C-A73F-587EC0ECE976.heic" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shaun turning to engage the British</td></tr></tbody></table><p>Needless to say, the following few minutes of play decided the afternoon. </p><p>Invincible and Sheffield engaged the incoming from Steve, shooting down one from each missile group. To the south, the Slava tackled the incoming Exocets and downed three out of four.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrF8re_Q6m_tZ1mJ8tOmBYITPmQeezeTHg3leRt7oiAe0I2Sub_4MuFBqbWmDyfyvixmoeRRsYzN7yTrNd754O2TRwk0vFGkcjB12IvHJ5ck2CaWjuF-KgkTAcQR7SR47zLxbUX0YzeQj4vSNKotFt5SzOJPbBOrfTPkf8aHVYL9AJwRXmyMcxCXSy/s4032/8B12C693-56E5-434D-8177-A1B968291401_1_201_a.heic" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrF8re_Q6m_tZ1mJ8tOmBYITPmQeezeTHg3leRt7oiAe0I2Sub_4MuFBqbWmDyfyvixmoeRRsYzN7yTrNd754O2TRwk0vFGkcjB12IvHJ5ck2CaWjuF-KgkTAcQR7SR47zLxbUX0YzeQj4vSNKotFt5SzOJPbBOrfTPkf8aHVYL9AJwRXmyMcxCXSy/w400-h300/8B12C693-56E5-434D-8177-A1B968291401_1_201_a.heic" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Are 16(!) SS-N-12's overkill?</td></tr></tbody></table><p>The next round of fire took out the last of the Exocets targeting Shaun's duo, whilst Steve managed to shoot down three of his incoming. As for the British defence, Sea Darts accounted for another two of Steve's missiles, leaving Sheffield and the Invincible to face off against a pair of missiles each. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLkD8PojZEx57q9cLOnxGf8Tv516BipB7Gr2lwZVPbXfoQ8A29HbzqSbF_JZN5C-6x-SIGF8GTmQN7TSy4G9Qmt_swW38qzmJUDGywKz_Zf1BwcorqML-5CLNpmaqEd0oX6IpfkD2S1lHJ__rpeMxTyfD0_GX-VuuX7uYuy5JU17QB_EUbud_kWUMB/s4032/CBD2C77D-368E-4BB2-81ED-53BA624BAE1D.heic" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLkD8PojZEx57q9cLOnxGf8Tv516BipB7Gr2lwZVPbXfoQ8A29HbzqSbF_JZN5C-6x-SIGF8GTmQN7TSy4G9Qmt_swW38qzmJUDGywKz_Zf1BwcorqML-5CLNpmaqEd0oX6IpfkD2S1lHJ__rpeMxTyfD0_GX-VuuX7uYuy5JU17QB_EUbud_kWUMB/w300-h400/CBD2C77D-368E-4BB2-81ED-53BA624BAE1D.heic" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One or two may have slipped through the defensive screen... eek!</td></tr></tbody></table><p>With the incoming down to very short range, and a single Exocet that didn't bother the Soviet defences too much (CIWS shot), it was all on the British to survive the onslaught. Amazon was targeted by two missiles, and shot one down with Sea Wolf before handily avoiding the final one via its EW capabilities. Sheffield was less lucky, taking a direct hit and receiving heavy damage. The two Type-22's were untouched, which was handy as they would have to deal with the after effects of the barrage against Invincible. Of the final 13 missiles, two were hit by Phalanx fire, three were decoyed by chaff, and six succumbed to EW. Even then, of the two that hit, the first impact only caused light damage. Could the pride of the Royal Navy survive to fight another turn? Shaun's dice rolling said no. The final hit was catastrophic, sinking the carrier and effectively ending the game. With more SAM's and bigger guns, the Soviets ruled the table and it was time to retire to the bar and sample that Singleton (again). </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKXdpVgqufIagzqQHf6XL177CovwCn9_hXKi2HSwpSe5rFVyXaQeFCHo07bdKkm-8ypRCSegRN_ew5jACd6kF-IvD9zhSgqximeMrzvspUAs4Y-dg_FSE-d6bihEq2Q4x_sPvgLW4uX2XePLGd0crMfQ8cEImgJTBWBxUWbCLGDTo-TM-HI6FK-d5F/s4032/4A4F5690-F03B-4BEB-8CB6-521CC8BDF75E.heic" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKXdpVgqufIagzqQHf6XL177CovwCn9_hXKi2HSwpSe5rFVyXaQeFCHo07bdKkm-8ypRCSegRN_ew5jACd6kF-IvD9zhSgqximeMrzvspUAs4Y-dg_FSE-d6bihEq2Q4x_sPvgLW4uX2XePLGd0crMfQ8cEImgJTBWBxUWbCLGDTo-TM-HI6FK-d5F/w400-h300/4A4F5690-F03B-4BEB-8CB6-521CC8BDF75E.heic" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I'm not saying it was an inadequate reply but...</td></tr></tbody></table><p>This was a fun game and it was enjoyed by all, despite two of the players knowing very little about floaty boats of this period. The North Atlantic setting was a nice change and, given the end result, demonstrated that quantity (of big SSM's) has a quality all of its own. I mean, sure, you'd not shoot off everything from a Slava in real life (especially the one or two missiles with added buckets of sunshine), but it was a good example of how under-gunned so to speak an RN surface action group could against a Slava. If that hadn't of been there, they would have had a better chance. Maybe a thought for a future play through when we return to Shipwreck some day. </p><p>Once again, many thanks to Stanley Masonic for the use of the bar. Sadly, our regular victualler was on holiday (the very cheek!) so samples of Cooplands finest was our back up. </p>Andrew the Tekkiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01757282676248834026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3359642955101086116.post-29596134043678465222023-08-27T08:18:00.001+00:002023-08-27T08:18:30.643+00:00Magazines of Yesteryear - Personal Computer World Volume 10, Number 10 - October 1987<p>Cast your mind back thirty six years (if you are old enough to do so). What do you remember about the autumn of '87? Michael Jackson's Bad album sitting on top of the charts? Rick Astley delivering both a perfect election manifesto and the best philosophical paradox ever? Were you watching Lethal Weapon and The Living Daylights at the cinema? Or were you doing what I was and reading the latest issue of Britain's biggest microcomputer (that dates things) magazine, Personal Computer World?</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg12rb1f7fxeGuOEtHjCvRJxcZepLoeesMY8ccEmZgUI3LoZM4eIZjiWWkj5umq8xN3d-uEoCU9aJ5qvsmu-q_N9SSPqItWuEWQbJGiTmbZ9fiOvmcWxv7jCbzMzzVRWzcL2jiWleio-yOCVGJrrYASbPMbPUaj5Ame7UyybXOTclOx182XrTuWK9oC/s4032/0B8988C6-5EA8-45BB-83ED-A481E48B014C.heic" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg12rb1f7fxeGuOEtHjCvRJxcZepLoeesMY8ccEmZgUI3LoZM4eIZjiWWkj5umq8xN3d-uEoCU9aJ5qvsmu-q_N9SSPqItWuEWQbJGiTmbZ9fiOvmcWxv7jCbzMzzVRWzcL2jiWleio-yOCVGJrrYASbPMbPUaj5Ame7UyybXOTclOx182XrTuWK9oC/w300-h400/0B8988C6-5EA8-45BB-83ED-A481E48B014C.heic" width="300" /></a></div><p>1987 was smack bang in the middle of Amstrad's dominance of the UK computer market. For "home" users, the CPC range had you sorted. "Serious" users could rely on the very cheap PC1512/1640 combo (their portable PPC512/640 brethren were a few months out yet). For those "serious home" (a category that Acorn would continue to trot out to justify the pricing of their Archimedes range for years) users, the PCW was the one for you, and it was the latest in that range that PCW (confusing, isn't it?) placed on their cover. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUmVU26JeRbHr2I92EM0Bn6OOFmfftXd1bNB7dTkOUt0OhL2pFWJKqhvkDoUY-THrBKdou13SMvAVkYbHrwRWMUg8fuHs7n5EZXaGFdjFdHxpfvmXXW5A9Go6en_MEh96890xSSoJKHULlGHJLivGpslsIlvq1-lQcrZuBJ1RVeqIQh7uMj1SBnrn7/s4032/EF3F0CF4-0096-4D4D-8532-54383894C256_1_201_a.heic" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUmVU26JeRbHr2I92EM0Bn6OOFmfftXd1bNB7dTkOUt0OhL2pFWJKqhvkDoUY-THrBKdou13SMvAVkYbHrwRWMUg8fuHs7n5EZXaGFdjFdHxpfvmXXW5A9Go6en_MEh96890xSSoJKHULlGHJLivGpslsIlvq1-lQcrZuBJ1RVeqIQh7uMj1SBnrn7/w400-h300/EF3F0CF4-0096-4D4D-8532-54383894C256_1_201_a.heic" width="400" /></a></div><p>At just under 300 pages, this isn't yet the chunky behemoth that the 1990's would witness, but neither is it a small magazine either. Colour is limited throughout, with editorial making the most of it and adverts in either mono or just a couple of colours. </p><p>Newsprint begins on page 56 with the announcement that Atari is developing a Transputer system. For those not in the know, Transputer was a parallel processing based system that was supposed to herald the next generation in processor architecture. It didn't quite work out like that and, although Atari did release the Atari Transputer Workstation, only around 250-300 were actually made and the architecture itself disappeared in the early 1990's. Other than that, it seemed a pretty quiet month.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIbyQJyu9hfU3U2siFO6fVLD9FokvN1NzleyPKPKLVxj4LSybXwozzHos3HLFTFq0UwK9_MPhfliSuNFwocGGxYou8iBFWkEZeNen62MYf46cdy5ua42VwOz2R_k4tUmUuJCwyB3O5zGpNznufT5HFpAUBQcjnFiZMPubHLCMpy8IIQkTziho9moah/s4032/65D31A56-F368-4F47-8E73-D09DBF62A267.heic" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIbyQJyu9hfU3U2siFO6fVLD9FokvN1NzleyPKPKLVxj4LSybXwozzHos3HLFTFq0UwK9_MPhfliSuNFwocGGxYou8iBFWkEZeNen62MYf46cdy5ua42VwOz2R_k4tUmUuJCwyB3O5zGpNznufT5HFpAUBQcjnFiZMPubHLCMpy8IIQkTziho9moah/w300-h400/65D31A56-F368-4F47-8E73-D09DBF62A267.heic" width="300" /></a></div><p>The review of Amstrad's latest is given four pages and the overall conclusion is that the company had done an excellent job of improving the 8000-series and the extra cost (£499) was worth it. To be fair, it was a seriously nifty little machine and if you didn't want the complexity (or cost of a DOS-powered machine) but you did want a printer, then the package was very much cracking value for money.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirgflsEyujUmJm0OfU4GUWRplEKF8PQLtV_bRSIYfVxUbF-MYuMGJ_v4SAK0hKjQkEP5Sx2mh9m0H-okgmVlSh7JLhJNiEtsC5Todfbz-i-Bm_gcI7HS9o3tEI6gCKqJDWqtNoMvjNsbekmjuFPdIiO82B9IsoZgXg66s41jG7LiIxYwNKobnSHPCo/s4032/08BE321A-E02C-4DE3-A52A-26D29B597D62_1_201_a.heic" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirgflsEyujUmJm0OfU4GUWRplEKF8PQLtV_bRSIYfVxUbF-MYuMGJ_v4SAK0hKjQkEP5Sx2mh9m0H-okgmVlSh7JLhJNiEtsC5Todfbz-i-Bm_gcI7HS9o3tEI6gCKqJDWqtNoMvjNsbekmjuFPdIiO82B9IsoZgXg66s41jG7LiIxYwNKobnSHPCo/w400-h300/08BE321A-E02C-4DE3-A52A-26D29B597D62_1_201_a.heic" width="400" /></a></div><p>Next up comes a double review of 386-powered desktops, and these were pretty impressive beasts for the time. The Mission 386 faced off against the Tulip 386 AT, and in the specs race, both featured a 16MHz chip (note, this was before the1988 SX/DX split, so these were full 32-bit data bus specimens, or DX's under later nomenclature). The Mission rocked 2MB of RAM, a 40MB hard drive and a single 1.2MB 5.25 floppy in a case weighing 47lbs (WTAF?) which measured 20ins x17ins x 7ins. Tulip supplied their competitor with 1,640kb of RAM but the same storage abilities. Its case measured only 15ins x 17ins but is described as <i>very</i> heavy. What, heavier than 47lbs??? Both came with MS-DOS 3.2 for the review, and both were considered decent, even considering their individual foibles. As for the pricing, well, the Mission as supplied and with a mono monitor would set you back £3290. And that's without VAT. Bump the hard drive to 80MB and you'd pay £3,990, whilst 130MB would take the cost to a whopping £5,990! EGA pricing options were yet to be decided. Tulip would give you a 386 AT for 4,225 golden beer tokens if you wanted a Hercules mono monitor, four colour CGA (mostly purple) would take that to 4,560 tokens, and the technicolour joys of EGA graphics would set you back 5,095 of Her Majesty's doubloons. Crikey. And if you wanted a Microsoft-compatible mouse? £96. Ninety-Six Quid! Ok, not that much when you're dropping six grand plus Nigel's share on the main event, but fookin' 'ell!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQgiLJ4ZPyFtTEl1o1hYcH7jaw5TPdmpIvc1tP-k0Jx4dnXozNgxS7u8RZGECeiZeVlGlw7tOBD63oOhgnaJh_Lexotqx5Y766sFwbPIUKud-hHolSDf2TVl6WJe9AMDstrcEYvzPDpBF96ihG_eu7ny5jFr76K7U5xr_tbDP8bDbR2ISNEJYADBnN/s4032/48CE47BD-C4C9-4437-87E2-AEFA80BEE60E.heic" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQgiLJ4ZPyFtTEl1o1hYcH7jaw5TPdmpIvc1tP-k0Jx4dnXozNgxS7u8RZGECeiZeVlGlw7tOBD63oOhgnaJh_Lexotqx5Y766sFwbPIUKud-hHolSDf2TVl6WJe9AMDstrcEYvzPDpBF96ihG_eu7ny5jFr76K7U5xr_tbDP8bDbR2ISNEJYADBnN/w300-h400/48CE47BD-C4C9-4437-87E2-AEFA80BEE60E.heic" width="300" /></a></div><p>At least sense was restored with the next piece, a look at... oh, nope, no it wasn't. Mac upgrades, and the challenges of making a Mac Plus into something useful - hey, don't hate me, the Plus was a very limited machine. Less so than the original Mac, but only just. RAM upgrades were cheaper from third party providers, but the key thing here was the cost of the actual memory chips, the cheapest price quoted was £500 per pair of 1MB SIMMS. Expansion boards to make you Plus go faster were also an option, but fitting a 68020 add-on would be around £3,000. A faster 68000 could be had for about £1,200. The final upgrade was for the screen, and yet here again, prices got silly, mostly because monitors were pricey buggers. One product mentioned uses a 21-inch screen, and a quick perusal of the ads shows that a similar sized monitor alone (19-inch Taxan Viking with a resolution of 1280x960) would have cost £2,150 ex VAT.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-gVLEtQVifZw4SkIlHRMh3lfLqUDlGzheoNl4s-RfCcYSTE0bI92dga0i1NZ7iidEzlTGHJv5KBTuSJU24pmvlzeMHHbbbk7yaNGwl_KXcW5QPnkRADX3Xzv9PK8V6WAjfqlkBQydnuCNhi_LcYQzT-wuVMjLTboPoY8uTNGLSr3Yah4M9UpCm8IN/s4032/EE34FA6E-1280-4152-9B90-4BA5FB762676_1_201_a.heic" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-gVLEtQVifZw4SkIlHRMh3lfLqUDlGzheoNl4s-RfCcYSTE0bI92dga0i1NZ7iidEzlTGHJv5KBTuSJU24pmvlzeMHHbbbk7yaNGwl_KXcW5QPnkRADX3Xzv9PK8V6WAjfqlkBQydnuCNhi_LcYQzT-wuVMjLTboPoY8uTNGLSr3Yah4M9UpCm8IN/w400-h300/EE34FA6E-1280-4152-9B90-4BA5FB762676_1_201_a.heic" width="400" /></a></div><p>It wasn't all seriously expensive tech as PCW also covered the latest in games consoles. Yep, it was Nintendo vs Sega vs Atari, with their NES, Master System and 65XE Computer Games System respectively. Pricing was varied (NES = £159.95 with R.O.B., £99.95 Standard pack, Sega MS at £99,95 and the XE65 hitting £199,95 for the kit and caboodle). The group is described as "gamester's dreams", with the XE being probably the best all round package but with the other two being very singular solutions meriting a closer look. Oh well, can't get it right all of the time... </p><p>WordPerfect fans were catered for with a review of the Amiga version, although with some personal gripes expressed and a very apt question as to who the package was for. Costing £250 (and this on top of a £500 single drive A500, where as an A2000 with a hard drive would be better), the reviewer felt that any potential users might actually be better off with the DOS version (and associated hardware) anyway. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWORKyBfGmiiq6HTyfZEgmA7u6ROjaJpRCKGsz4Q0m8sGWGI4jct60PUqJe7-LKYvWFd6caNucUHDMXfdVKNvIABTX-XgqqvVGLUjsCqmRgMHNrPMIMheH7hfLFwuUx2kG5H7I4rf8q0mvsqka50r0jMht1dB-l74mdtbQ506PkvFw2CFGP8jSkrbv/s4032/4DE97667-496E-473D-8039-FF19A953962F.heic" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWORKyBfGmiiq6HTyfZEgmA7u6ROjaJpRCKGsz4Q0m8sGWGI4jct60PUqJe7-LKYvWFd6caNucUHDMXfdVKNvIABTX-XgqqvVGLUjsCqmRgMHNrPMIMheH7hfLFwuUx2kG5H7I4rf8q0mvsqka50r0jMht1dB-l74mdtbQ506PkvFw2CFGP8jSkrbv/w300-h400/4DE97667-496E-473D-8039-FF19A953962F.heic" width="300" /></a></div><p>We now move to the adverts and, given the publication's vintage, it very much has that period look. Thoughts and Crosses on page 56 has a wide range of stock, also quoting prices VAT inclusive, a rarity at the time. Your basic PC1512 single drive mono display was £516, and the top of the range colour and hard drive equipped model was £1,229. An Atari 520 STFM would set you back £299 (power without the price indeed), with the competing Amiga A500 coming in at £545. 8-bit fans could be happy with a Speccy Plus 2 (£149), BBC Master (£425) or a Colour CPC for £299. Acorn's Archimedes was so new that prices were on application only. </p><p>Acorn were at least advertising the Archie, although the seriously grey classical look didn't do it any favours. Arthur, the OS, didn't either, so perhaps for the best. RISC OS was still a couple of years out. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSg1mR1Iz2OF3QVFAE9OjCrvr05KdUoBAG27oC0BUcQzxqm_gaQE2eYrVFLVrBKiL88jpMGz5PYK98-Cft6Iy-L8uuWSDzID2MzjIw8oxC4pnOqsKD-RAFOwq9QYHxGFfMDUX_oDfsjMeZztaTG-TbSGE-Vn02TdHPTecoIQBypVW0cIFAK_APh-0X/s4032/76BAFE55-AA9C-428A-9321-4963A4D0488E_1_201_a.heic" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSg1mR1Iz2OF3QVFAE9OjCrvr05KdUoBAG27oC0BUcQzxqm_gaQE2eYrVFLVrBKiL88jpMGz5PYK98-Cft6Iy-L8uuWSDzID2MzjIw8oxC4pnOqsKD-RAFOwq9QYHxGFfMDUX_oDfsjMeZztaTG-TbSGE-Vn02TdHPTecoIQBypVW0cIFAK_APh-0X/w400-h300/76BAFE55-AA9C-428A-9321-4963A4D0488E_1_201_a.heic" width="400" /></a></div><p>Viglen were stretching their legs with a good range of machines, and comparatively high prices to match. And those cases, darling, they'll just never do! When you consider Amstrad was busy trying to upsell the PC1640, those prices need looking at though as Viglen advertised adding an actual EGA monitor to a 286 would mean an extra £359 ex VAT, with a package including the associated display card costing £449 ex VAT.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXuBCPdRgb3tI3jy0Zv-V2SYmuUAFG2YIv12NINB-uSCFkOIVpAQEzX0QTMlwuz5dfPgGyE0CbpH-qHtlrxk2T5NGsw9SI4Q0w9cHhReR5ZrzMLtBxeP9SEmrYL_Acv8ENoHiW2Fkt654zu773bNoSgY_uSCydXusWd2FheQExyVc9HSIZ4uPGqqjO/s4032/056F34E4-9722-4FF3-BDC5-AB8415AB3900_1_201_a.heic" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXuBCPdRgb3tI3jy0Zv-V2SYmuUAFG2YIv12NINB-uSCFkOIVpAQEzX0QTMlwuz5dfPgGyE0CbpH-qHtlrxk2T5NGsw9SI4Q0w9cHhReR5ZrzMLtBxeP9SEmrYL_Acv8ENoHiW2Fkt654zu773bNoSgY_uSCydXusWd2FheQExyVc9HSIZ4uPGqqjO/w400-h300/056F34E4-9722-4FF3-BDC5-AB8415AB3900_1_201_a.heic" width="400" /></a></div><p>It is pleasing, however, to see Morgan Computers present, and that Epson HX20 for £195? Absolute bargain! Also a bargain was shareware, and two vendors went page to page to share their wares... (I don't apologise at all, but also check out Richard Moss' excellent tome on the topic <a href="https://tantobieinternettattler.blogspot.com/2022/09/shareware-heroes-by-richard-moss-book.html" target="_blank">here</a>!).</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisNyHx-4icIK9BZ2zlQE-wiV2qxonn2qmtcMHf2SukMF8MsepUbkokZAFFKAah_3UxXGgWWQEw2XZL3DKjxxi8J2C7TMu6aUMTO6RS7OjyisPYie9w0yXgcvA6D8SsHbFKyqPuUIXFJemcq-QnSycCnPa_KZn9huAHI4GrdBx9mtvJ9OjOJTmZOT2T/s4032/DD5B62F0-6696-42AE-BDDC-83D8FE5E26C1_1_201_a.heic" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisNyHx-4icIK9BZ2zlQE-wiV2qxonn2qmtcMHf2SukMF8MsepUbkokZAFFKAah_3UxXGgWWQEw2XZL3DKjxxi8J2C7TMu6aUMTO6RS7OjyisPYie9w0yXgcvA6D8SsHbFKyqPuUIXFJemcq-QnSycCnPa_KZn9huAHI4GrdBx9mtvJ9OjOJTmZOT2T/w400-h300/DD5B62F0-6696-42AE-BDDC-83D8FE5E26C1_1_201_a.heic" width="400" /></a></div><p>This issue of Personal Computer World harks back to the time when <i>serious</i> computing magazines abounded. As the genre developed, you still got news and reviews, but the idea of listings disappeared as the readership also changed. The rise of the consumer, not the tinkerer, meant that this publication's approach to the its audience changed, as did the content. Next time, we'll see what the 1990's brought to PCW, but in the meantime, I shall leave you this final advert for a range of productivity software for the Psion Organiser II - including the handy note on the right that "Fingering is that advocated by Harvester's Finger Organiser Typing Method," I don't care what fancy fingering method you used, the Organiser II was in no shape to act as a word processor!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik9lh0tRwTWSHGyIQWO_OcrkWCnhepiUPCu_3n7DYVuOlN4ADNKBzWdSBPkTF4CYQfrcphhJgBcvWA5e2F1qzdqmA-tnSO14myoYxlQzYgDzfQKPWm1kdO0vQ_0f1RQ_30CjAOq-gLx7_NJwwihhUcm857qnRSDp2rxi0-t2xoB6S43oAbZ6dOIOdh/s4032/6F014FB1-1B10-476C-8C71-327FE116DED2.heic" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik9lh0tRwTWSHGyIQWO_OcrkWCnhepiUPCu_3n7DYVuOlN4ADNKBzWdSBPkTF4CYQfrcphhJgBcvWA5e2F1qzdqmA-tnSO14myoYxlQzYgDzfQKPWm1kdO0vQ_0f1RQ_30CjAOq-gLx7_NJwwihhUcm857qnRSDp2rxi0-t2xoB6S43oAbZ6dOIOdh/w300-h400/6F014FB1-1B10-476C-8C71-327FE116DED2.heic" width="300" /></a></div>Andrew the Tekkiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01757282676248834026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3359642955101086116.post-24530052532570956922023-08-19T09:21:00.000+00:002023-08-19T09:21:23.220+00:00The 100 Greatest Console Video Games 1988-1998 by Brett Weiss - Book Review<p>Top 100 lists, and indeed lists of any length, are always subjective, and when it comes to console games, it pretty much depends on your favourite genres as to what games to include within any defined limit. If you, however, ignore the genre bias then it can be quite easy to come up with a number of titles that, in no particular order, would find themselves in a Top 100. Except Rock N' Roll Racing. What the fuck even is that???</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggG9cSCKDJrST020mbM5cXHJufduO_4_b2WjMvQS8b9h31CSqaNuFFRvScnG-XG7z6xfndR6xo46qf28kNZicAxiCZ9f3p68TLI8Wb4WRX_L6kuPdPCtCj3VtAhoxr6WxWXfyPDWygo22SCKFcYqp0txKjnn0zevlDpTjnnudr9K96Yioqr48IqN5H/s4032/BD2F2F68-75EC-4939-81B1-8B76B0CE36F6.heic" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggG9cSCKDJrST020mbM5cXHJufduO_4_b2WjMvQS8b9h31CSqaNuFFRvScnG-XG7z6xfndR6xo46qf28kNZicAxiCZ9f3p68TLI8Wb4WRX_L6kuPdPCtCj3VtAhoxr6WxWXfyPDWygo22SCKFcYqp0txKjnn0zevlDpTjnnudr9K96Yioqr48IqN5H/w300-h400/BD2F2F68-75EC-4939-81B1-8B76B0CE36F6.heic" width="300" /></a></div><p>Following on from an earlier volume (1977-1987 not surprisingly, and one that I will get my hands on at some point), 1988-1998 covers a period in console gaming that was very different in tone to its predecessor. Put simply, whereas the first decade was the time of Atari, with competition from Coleco, MB and others, 1987 saw Nintendo as the dominant factor in the US market while NEC and Sega were warming up their console offerings. The PC Engine was a superb little machine that straddled what would later become the 8-bit and 16-bit generations, and Sega were learning from their Master System experiences and heading towards the behemoth that would be the Mega Drive/Genesis. By the end of the following decade, NEC had long dropped out, Sega were bruised and hoping for salvation with the Dreamcast, and Nintendo had been handed their arse by the now established Sony. The range of games in this volume amply testifies to those tumultuous times. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje-FQe4BaubxbB3pnAtG5xeUa_KWh1X2IIcdudzFW0ZOcqlxJ6a34bnsoUsPkXt9gIxh9ZA2TLN0VLJHjtF4wJFrhgB9TRWPeO6931esd61mAZZHYnMBcWydoVa2ryf5GHp0GncYg19VM9ZOcJEz-W5nTgfBrLzSQOOs6LSJI78PXYwonbiYRfF2IW/s4032/C3291659-3D18-484D-986C-8D469431BED2.heic" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje-FQe4BaubxbB3pnAtG5xeUa_KWh1X2IIcdudzFW0ZOcqlxJ6a34bnsoUsPkXt9gIxh9ZA2TLN0VLJHjtF4wJFrhgB9TRWPeO6931esd61mAZZHYnMBcWydoVa2ryf5GHp0GncYg19VM9ZOcJEz-W5nTgfBrLzSQOOs6LSJI78PXYwonbiYRfF2IW/w300-h400/C3291659-3D18-484D-986C-8D469431BED2.heic" width="300" /></a></div><p>The author states from the beginning that this is a US-centric book, and that isn't as bad as you'd think. This ten year stretch saw console gaming become an established globally, and titles were often released in multiple territories (kinda excluding the PC Engine itself in Europe - long story), and taking into account the unexpected bonus PAL territories received <i>if (not when)</i> the developers optimised titles for differing TV standards. The youth of today know nothing of the 50/60Hz issue, nor the significance of having a game run slower because of it. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGZLatw-jzIxG5mMyWVjPi3xrbDQnNY1SIioykFAdoGcCwOBa_-vR2FQyCoD74eDtXVajfuVneJEOtCnzabeKkC7N5fEL0NMuiOYrRtUv4j_dJidTbOtHYE9zBcYpbgoSGFVcIfSxZ2ovZ1CQ_CuJAs8LX7dlX8Ce-7MbZXMbuEnPHslfYpY4W5fT_/s4032/FD8CDC01-F589-4715-89CE-B92AADCE8436.heic" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGZLatw-jzIxG5mMyWVjPi3xrbDQnNY1SIioykFAdoGcCwOBa_-vR2FQyCoD74eDtXVajfuVneJEOtCnzabeKkC7N5fEL0NMuiOYrRtUv4j_dJidTbOtHYE9zBcYpbgoSGFVcIfSxZ2ovZ1CQ_CuJAs8LX7dlX8Ce-7MbZXMbuEnPHslfYpY4W5fT_/w300-h400/FD8CDC01-F589-4715-89CE-B92AADCE8436.heic" width="300" /></a></div><p>The 100 games featured here are presented in alphabetical order and each gets two or three pages. Box art is included as well as a handful of screenshots, a fun fact, and an explanation as to why the title appears on this list. Ah, so that explains Rock N' Roll Racing. Mr Weiss contributes over a dozen entries, with the rest coming from a variety of writers and industry names. It's a good mix and each game is treat with respect and love - and given the range of titles released during the highlighted period, there are some absolute corkers here. Indeed, regardless of whether you agree or not with a specific inclusion, the justifications provided are well argued. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiitjRPghoqagNqhj4N0JgcZl0tO2Qj1SnAqpzYSfTtgYtHCx8_zzVtw0jI8T-IQaRAsIGWwYiQ11eb6N5VBp5Xx7XFB67g8ipZsNAsMg4BRnWuZm9FApm_riOxAQOD6ZSm1NVhaIAILJFqLcQM5CKRjRtjuquRmbCrRs10fownFIk1EDPiBgEr4VbR/s4032/3542D244-F19F-42AB-AB8D-6122A280CFB9.heic" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiitjRPghoqagNqhj4N0JgcZl0tO2Qj1SnAqpzYSfTtgYtHCx8_zzVtw0jI8T-IQaRAsIGWwYiQ11eb6N5VBp5Xx7XFB67g8ipZsNAsMg4BRnWuZm9FApm_riOxAQOD6ZSm1NVhaIAILJFqLcQM5CKRjRtjuquRmbCrRs10fownFIk1EDPiBgEr4VbR/w300-h400/3542D244-F19F-42AB-AB8D-6122A280CFB9.heic" width="300" /></a></div><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio-OtQ7n3flDtd6I4imr4iLgD467nYRyF5v1BsjHYHsOcZQ8dfIyo4hgjyV2s4AVdL-KenyQWXpwzqfDEfcigj2zASi0of8dsI7y3LuvczgkAEbyoQjfzeOzSNEu0BS-h8EhuniIg415M38AtRlaDIT6zBBpMtwqYveQ43CRrJqcZPSMSiIypD9KjT/s4032/CD53A98C-578B-4DB5-BF81-23451AC16A14.heic" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio-OtQ7n3flDtd6I4imr4iLgD467nYRyF5v1BsjHYHsOcZQ8dfIyo4hgjyV2s4AVdL-KenyQWXpwzqfDEfcigj2zASi0of8dsI7y3LuvczgkAEbyoQjfzeOzSNEu0BS-h8EhuniIg415M38AtRlaDIT6zBBpMtwqYveQ43CRrJqcZPSMSiIypD9KjT/w300-h400/CD53A98C-578B-4DB5-BF81-23451AC16A14.heic" width="300" /></a></div><p>Truth be told, I cannot criticise this tome for what it provides. You get a comprehensive set of well written essays on games that truly defined the period, and the one potential issue (the US-centric approach) is addressed at the very beginning. As a one stop volume on the period, it is very much worth your time.</p><p>You can pick up a copy from Amazon <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/100-Greatest-Console-Video-Games/dp/0764364324" target="_blank">here</a>, and you can follow the author on X/Twitter/AnalMusk's site <a href="https://twitter.com/i/flow/login?redirect_after_login=%2FBrettWeissCHVG" target="_blank">here</a>. </p><p>PS - Having played Rock N' Roll Racing, yeah, I get it now. Good call!</p>Andrew the Tekkiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01757282676248834026noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3359642955101086116.post-14919508234130416572023-08-12T08:21:00.000+00:002023-08-12T08:21:12.798+00:00A Guide to Movie Based Video Games 1982 - 2000 by Christopher Carton - Book Review<div>After a fantastic first book, <a href="https://tantobieinternettattler.blogspot.com/2022/02/a-guide-to-video-games-movies-by.html" target="_blank">A Guide to Video Game Movies</a>, Christopher Carton's latest games-related tome takes the opposite approach: games based on movies. Given the much meatier subject (there are far more games of movies than movies of games), the author has chosen to split the subject into two volumes, the first of which takes the reader through the period 1982 to 2000. In order to get the contractually obliged crap reference out of the way, will this tome be a box-office smash or an Indy 5 sized flop (topical yet also naff)?</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0NPlWbPL5FFcf0TcG36WboLh3TNsS90KxOZNTB6A97UHG33WPqQSx5g3EVjvomTy-_K0uAZiO4-grGFxlV77ZyIiRDfx-0hVrvYooroQOjTnwMWc9ZrMqvppoMM49qHY-hTqSWCaD-TBnhGdXxF4ejlG5gU8vI6cS1aZmlvrfpPvmWmhjNqlBP6Ry/s4032/C708414B-4A8E-4F46-B802-6FB8C49074C8_1_201_a.heic" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0NPlWbPL5FFcf0TcG36WboLh3TNsS90KxOZNTB6A97UHG33WPqQSx5g3EVjvomTy-_K0uAZiO4-grGFxlV77ZyIiRDfx-0hVrvYooroQOjTnwMWc9ZrMqvppoMM49qHY-hTqSWCaD-TBnhGdXxF4ejlG5gU8vI6cS1aZmlvrfpPvmWmhjNqlBP6Ry/w300-h400/C708414B-4A8E-4F46-B802-6FB8C49074C8_1_201_a.heic" width="300" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>As with every other White Owl publication, it's a well made tome and has the usual high production standards. With 200 plus pages, the layout is pretty straightforward. Each game gets a write up including details of the developer, publisher, years of release and the formats it came out on. Most get a screenshot (some get two), and entries range in size from a third of a page to a full page (Goldeneye 007, Aladdin and Hook are amongst those receive that treatment). </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH8G4SXbLyLvJLrD2bMzecd7C1k-qvNA8Irwx4WYJDMhTRwHDRjOm5CvaF7JpLytKp7J-qQpQL6QtwMDGvle0XSqMxZXqYV3eewqSJ9G57UYK3iDXccqJPXkg2WhBSzqXtDOPO7fx1284mDtqU3kpZqUVFJn854RnNhytxHIXLfU6xvw4yZ060pJmg/s4032/2645E9D7-FCDD-43A8-8862-5E922911D9A8_1_201_a.heic" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH8G4SXbLyLvJLrD2bMzecd7C1k-qvNA8Irwx4WYJDMhTRwHDRjOm5CvaF7JpLytKp7J-qQpQL6QtwMDGvle0XSqMxZXqYV3eewqSJ9G57UYK3iDXccqJPXkg2WhBSzqXtDOPO7fx1284mDtqU3kpZqUVFJn854RnNhytxHIXLfU6xvw4yZ060pJmg/w300-h400/2645E9D7-FCDD-43A8-8862-5E922911D9A8_1_201_a.heic" width="300" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Speaking of the aforementioned Bond classic, the foreword is supplied by non other than Dr David Doak, formerly of Rare and one time supplier of dodgy door decoders. The games themselves are organised in to a variety of subjects/genres.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKsfJzueyrLrHyn-jsMN_ZjKaDtYEEPZtvceHApJR-Tnn68epXo1ngGrZhpxmmlT5-bpvtO4g2-lY7QiZ2vjBqdnkd9ZwF7cDFrnsZC4IUaK9oT0oY0tQ1fBmJJGPw_8YLkKmKTF6kHg4usWdCH-eAWfzUn3RbY4nheaM1hWjolEdaQT2S9FEmakFK/s4032/2497A861-C261-4EBF-93A8-4BB26CA6F6BA.heic" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKsfJzueyrLrHyn-jsMN_ZjKaDtYEEPZtvceHApJR-Tnn68epXo1ngGrZhpxmmlT5-bpvtO4g2-lY7QiZ2vjBqdnkd9ZwF7cDFrnsZC4IUaK9oT0oY0tQ1fBmJJGPw_8YLkKmKTF6kHg4usWdCH-eAWfzUn3RbY4nheaM1hWjolEdaQT2S9FEmakFK/w300-h400/2497A861-C261-4EBF-93A8-4BB26CA6F6BA.heic" width="300" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>The coverage for each game is relaxed yet informative, and you'll learn about both the games and the films that inspired them. I for one did not know that Top Gun had been so comprehensively covered - and yet none of those titles had the volleyball scene in them. A missed opportunity for a flight sim/Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball crossover, I feel. Similarly, the author has missed a chance to warn humanity that 007 Racing is dire. Not a "one for the fans", it's just terrible, Muriel! (Why was there never a dating sim based on that Australian classic? A travesty, I tell you, a travesty!)</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwMwPG41Vfscu7V7wmxyHNT3s5Bfq3dr_MHj8eASUfiA50CyLH0bJNESGxOULRiRWDfLXrRPZv-7moUKfQvJ_ID6Sbff8-k9NJuF2bWhVKrq8qk639C4UZl91_yxUZnUkSzj1mZGqnX9DmKFDm0rIOS9ypuqS0on-BAGnm6EfoO0IDNvG6t0IjOIpH/s4032/63B255CC-AB44-4B04-B599-6DDFF1FB0A55_1_201_a.heic" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwMwPG41Vfscu7V7wmxyHNT3s5Bfq3dr_MHj8eASUfiA50CyLH0bJNESGxOULRiRWDfLXrRPZv-7moUKfQvJ_ID6Sbff8-k9NJuF2bWhVKrq8qk639C4UZl91_yxUZnUkSzj1mZGqnX9DmKFDm0rIOS9ypuqS0on-BAGnm6EfoO0IDNvG6t0IjOIpH/w300-h400/63B255CC-AB44-4B04-B599-6DDFF1FB0A55_1_201_a.heic" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The James Corden of Bond video games.</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div>With over 300 titles given their moment in the sun, this book is also a chance to lay to rest the "movie tie-ins are always crap" myth (although 007 Racing really, <i>really</i> is!). Sure, lazy 8-bit efforts provide a grain of truth to it, just as Goldeneye 007 was a big middle finger to the lie, but on the whole, there are actually some very accomplished gaming experiences featured here and it has inspired me to try and locate some to experience them myself. Got to love Retroarch!</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZlKlly6geeC2r8kYS8uWEgoDhr3Eu9n4VFbCh7rJ1l1Abbn7IX4t29RTUwo6_VostTamBE9kkxK3e9aTwIGt-pxSWmXuLm5GyizUyc4BC5NUs7LOdKF08vj_gW-Pf4XPuRZoSWkgoN09THamBb1fch0Uq5IVnrdxv88rbkUDutWdTyp4y2KmltzFt/s3522/C9731F4E-1D07-4F6D-91AF-6F02D5BC2C2E_1_201_a.heic" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3522" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZlKlly6geeC2r8kYS8uWEgoDhr3Eu9n4VFbCh7rJ1l1Abbn7IX4t29RTUwo6_VostTamBE9kkxK3e9aTwIGt-pxSWmXuLm5GyizUyc4BC5NUs7LOdKF08vj_gW-Pf4XPuRZoSWkgoN09THamBb1fch0Uq5IVnrdxv88rbkUDutWdTyp4y2KmltzFt/w344-h400/C9731F4E-1D07-4F6D-91AF-6F02D5BC2C2E_1_201_a.heic" width="344" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Mr Carton has done it again in writing a cracking walkthrough of a video game genre up to the turn of the century. It will join his other book (as well as a growing range of White Owl publications) on the shelves to await the second volume next year. In the meantime, I'm also preordering his next book, The History of the Adventure Video Game, which is due out next month. </div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBi9wYqv6XBPbTL_ONPVO_miYsPYovyHZPcX0qYPcm6IaV-z_SHijGRIQtno6Gi4SloU-g_0AM4iwryIlWITWCFKSxEc9QrTJ3VGM4nOnJMP5cEoOyzjkHplKAhGjlWiGykck8jvB_-SFih0QtzYZM62ohENhOdXQi0SOme1mjUYUQ7IorA-psnSM7/s2828/8E47F89B-9115-43BA-9149-2201F8851239_1_201_a.heic" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2502" data-original-width="2828" height="354" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBi9wYqv6XBPbTL_ONPVO_miYsPYovyHZPcX0qYPcm6IaV-z_SHijGRIQtno6Gi4SloU-g_0AM4iwryIlWITWCFKSxEc9QrTJ3VGM4nOnJMP5cEoOyzjkHplKAhGjlWiGykck8jvB_-SFih0QtzYZM62ohENhOdXQi0SOme1mjUYUQ7IorA-psnSM7/w400-h354/8E47F89B-9115-43BA-9149-2201F8851239_1_201_a.heic" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It's a collection, <i>not</i> a shrine!</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div>If you want to purchse a copy of A Guide to Movie Based Video Games 1982-2000, you can do so directly from the publishers website <a href="https://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk/Christopher-Carton/a/4303" target="_blank">here</a>, as well as pick up the author's other books and check out White Owl's growing range of gaming titles. You can also pick it up from the usual physical and online bookstores, and can follow the author on X (fucking stupid name, should have just kept it Twitter) <a href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwiE4bjettSAAxUUVUEAHZkcBcYQ6F56BAgPEAE&url=https%3A%2F%2Ftwitter.com%2Fchriscarton89%3Fref_src%3Dtwsrc%255Egoogle%257Ctwcamp%255Eserp%257Ctwgr%255Eauthor&usg=AOvVaw3Fmomsv9gvkka1zZq3GqxJ&opi=89978449" target="_blank">here</a>. </div>Andrew the Tekkiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01757282676248834026noreply@blogger.com0