Why I love... the Sega Dreamcast

Look, it’s the hardware. No, seriously, look at it. Compact, solidly built, well designed, and for its time, powerful too. Care and thought were given as to what the Dreamcast should be, how it should achieve that and how it would do so whilst being as unobtrusive as possible. Not much bigger than the disc drive itself, four controller ports (for when multiplayer meant sitting in the same room as the other players – I know, how quaint!), and a quiet, yet reassuring, fan. The whole package just works, even after more than twenty years since its release. You don’t see the neat cooling system for the processor, nor the power supply that is built into the console itself, or the modem that promised (but didn’t quite deliver) online play. Nope, the Dreamcast is surely the ultimate in 1990’s console design. It is a half way house between the toy-like Nintendo’s, Sega’s Megadrive and the original PlayStation that preceded it, and the growing bulk that epitomised the PlayStation 2 and Microsoft’s original X-Box. In the following console generations, only Nintendo continued the playful console design with the Gamecube, Wii and Wii U. For me though, the Dreamcast is style and power in a perfect design.

Of course, it’s more than just the box. There is the controller too. After the rather small PlayStation pad and the ergonomic challenge that was the N64’s pad (honestly, going back to that after twenty years revealed great muscle memory and tremendous hand cramp!), the Dreamcast's controller is ergonomically excellent. Big enough to fill your hand yet light enough not to become a nuisance over a long gaming session, the pad allows you to comfortably grip the outside edges whilst your index fingers fall neatly onto the left and right triggers. The analogue stick is balanced just about right, with less give than the PlayStation’s woeful effort (indeed, I have never enjoyed using the official PS controllers because of the feel of the sticks) and the D-pad is clicky without feeling stiff. It’s not perfect (nothing is), and without any Visual Memory Units/Memory Cards in place, it can feel too light and insubstantial. That also betrays the slightly too-cheap plastic used in the construction, with the nagging fear that the analogue stick and triggers might not stand up to too much use but I can honestly say I’ve not had a DC pad fail on me yet. The connecting cable is also a bit of a nuisance, stick out of the bottom of the pad rather that the top which would be facing the console. Finally, the era of the Dreamcast betrays the early days of 3D gaming, equipped with only one stick: first-person shooters in particularly fare poorly against the twin stick pads of the PlayStation and X-Box.

Enough about the hardware. What about the games? After all, software sells hardware, and it’s here that the Dreamcast proved itself. From the jaunty playfulness of the menu screens – so different from Sony’s and Microsoft’s more sombre experiences, to the half decent (for its time) web browser, the initial user experience is one of fun. I have fond memories of using the Dreamcast’s internet browser long before I could afford a decent PC but having said that, harking back to a 56.6k modem and a 14 inch CRT television is probably not a good thing in this day and age.

On to games then, and I’d like to focus on just three titles. Yeah, I know, there were dozens of decent, and more than a few great, titles for the Dreamcast but these three stick with me now and have the added benefit of being system exclusives, at least until the Dreamcast was retired, when two were ported to the PlayStation 2 and the third was improved in a spiritual sequel on the X-Box. They show what the Dreamcast was capable of and why it was such a generational leap ahead of the PlayStation and N64, even giving the PS2 a great run for its money.

First up, Metropolis Street Racer. “It’s not about how fast you drive. It’s about how you drive fast.” Never has a tag line described a game this perfectly. That it appears at the end of a ballsy intro sequence that mixes real world driving and in game clips shows straight away that the developers were aiming for something special. A real world racing game with some nice arcade flourishes, MSR lived and died by its Kudos system. Set in, for the time, stellar recreations of London, Tokyo and San Francisco, MSR puts you behind the wheel of dozens of real-life vehicles and inventive tracks, and dares you to have fun. Using the Dreamcast’s clock to provide real-time day/night cycles adds a touch more realism and, whilst the handling of each vehicle is mostly realistic, the game never forgets that you’re supposed to show how well you can drive. It can seem a little unforgiving to modern day gamers but then challenge was always part of the fun. True, the cityscapes are a little flat, but the sheer amount of texture work that was put into MSR is astounding and, compared to previous gen titles, looks amazing. Hell, even the PS2 struggled to offer something as visually exact. But what really does it for me is the soundtrack. Written by Richard Jacques, each track nicely takes the piss out of its respective genre and to this day, I still think of MSR whenever I hear Summertime by DJ Jazzy Jeff and The Fresh Prince – the mock song in MSR is that good. If ever a single soundtrack demonstrated a composer’s talent, MSR’s does it for Jacques, and there is more from him later on. MSR’s developer, Bizarre Creations got the template so right that once the Dreamcast was discontinued, they created Project Gotham Racing for the X-Box. Pretty much an updated MSR, it did well enough to spawn three increasingly good sequels, this time with licensed music (I discovered Spanish industrial metal band Freak XXI purely through their contribution to PGR3). Naturally, the PGR series expanded the number of cities, with Edinburgh, New York, Sydney, Las Vegas, the Nurburgring, Moscow and Quebec City being featured in later titles. One of the cool things in PGR2 was the real-world shop fronts in Edinburgh, to the point where I could stop outside the in-game Edinburgh store of my then employer and see what mobile phone deal was being advertised (in a very pixelated way, a Nokia 8310). The thing is, without MSR, that would never have happened and it’s MSR that is the star here. Demonstrating the true graphical capabilities of the Dreamcast and proving to all and sundry that the generation of the PlayStation and N64 had truly ended, MSR may have been matched but never bettered.

Headhunter received some, unwarranted in my view, comparisons to the seminal Metal Gear Solid, upon its release. With great stealth mechanics and some neat VR training missions, you may be forgiven for comparing the two titles. However, Headhunter was tonally a different beast, yet when it failed to match these preconceptions, the reception from gamers turned a little sour which is grossly unfair on Headhunter, in a similar vein to In Cold Blood on the PlayStation (a lesser known classic from Revolution Software), which was also given an MGS comparison, but that’s for another post. What you got with Headhunter was an accomplished third-person stealth action title that offered solid gun play, great game design and a polished presentation that recalls the best of Paul Verhoeven. You play Jack Wade, the titular headhunter tasked with solving the murder of his boss and unraveling a conspiracy regarding organ harvesting and betrayal. The game switches between on-foot sections and a marvelous motorbike traversal system that really warrants a game all on its own. What really lifts it though is the live action newsroom sequences delivered in a superbly mocking and cynical style, tongue firmly in cheek and knowingly winking at the audience like a signal lamp with a stutter. Topping all of that is the score, another tour-de-force by Richard Jacques. Sweeping and majestic where needed, intense and heart pounding in action sequences, Jacques gives Headhunter the cinematic polish it so richly deserves. Challenging and thoughtful in equal measure, Headhunter could not have been accomplished on any earlier hardware and only the lack of a second analogue stick makes the controls a little unwieldy. Ported to the PS2, which also received a less that stellar sequel (which in itself saw an X-Box release), I still think Headhunter stands up to this day and if you want to play it, try the Dreamcast original if you can.

Finally, we have Fur Fighters. Cartoon animals, all out gun play and violence. A lovely mix, I am sure you’ll agree. Fur Fighters was developed by Bizarre Creations and offers a third-person shooter with a dose of on the nose humour as you take turns as one of the Fur Fighter team out to rescue your children who have been kidnapped by the evil General Viggo. Bizarre Creations were on a roll during this period of their existence and FF confirms that they were more than just a racing game studio (their later X-Box 360 title, The Club is also a forgotten gem). The cartoon nature of the game is handled well and the environments hark to the best of 3D platformers with added weapons. That impression is added to by the nonsensical nature of the character voices, a trait that Rare cornered the market with in titles such as Banjo Kazooie and Banjo Tooie. Whether you like that style is down to personal choice and I must admit that I find it more than a little tiresome after a short while. The worst I can say about the game is that the controls are a smidge clunky, once again due to the lack of a second analogue stick on the controller. Fur Fighters filled a niche on the Dreamcast and received a PS2 port which added cel-shading to the graphics and proper voice acting. These weren’t entirely successful and the title just seemed to disappear among the crowd on that platform, which is a shame. It does take a decent amount of effort to complete but once you do, you’ll have accomplished a great deal of puzzle solving and seen every animal related joke under the sun, but the main thing is you’ll have had fun doing it. This stood out on the DC and remains a great game to this day.

So there are just three of the numerous titles that show the Dreamcast for what it was, a great games console. Of course, there were many more: Shenmue 1 and 2, Wild Metal, Confidential Mission, Typing of the Dead, Quake 3, Hidden and Dangerous, Shadow Man, MDK2, and Toy Commander are just some that I owned back in the day, and each was a joy to play. I’ll be honest and admit I never used the online play facility, nor were the other three controller ports used – I was, and am to this day, a primarily solo games player, Mario Kart with my good lady being the exception.

I still have a Dreamcast. Not the original system from 1999, but a second-hand one from an excellent local games store, Games Galaxy. For a very decent price, I picked up the machine, Headhunter and Crazy Taxi and, let’s be clear, could have spent a whole lot more, especially when I saw the Neo Geo, Super Famicom and PC Engine range they offered. Having such a shop just a couple of miles away that also offers a great variety of current gen titles is a wonderful thing and if you’re ever in the north-east of England, I heartily recommend detouring to Consett and perusing their stock. Their Facebook page is here so you can see what I am talking about and if you do go, the owner will be more than happy to oblige if he can.

I’ll slowly increase my DC software collection as time and funds permit and I can certainly see quite a little collection forming as time goes by. I just need to add a VGA or HDMI adapter to improve the video quality and truly see what 640x480 should look like. Although twenty years old, there is plenty of life left in the Dreamcast and it remains one of my favourite systems to this day and that would be purely down to the games mentioned above. They were genuinely a generation ahead of previous systems and it took later rivals a while to match what Sega had achieved. Now if only Sega would get round to releasing a Dreamcast Mini...

Recent Reads - November 2019

Becoming Superman is the autobiography of J. Michael Straczynski, probably best known for creating the sci-fi show Babylon 5 in the 1990’s, but whose career is much more varied. From animated series (He-Man, She-Ra, The Real Ghostbusters), live action TV (Captain Power, Murder She Wrote, Jeremiah and Sense8), films (Thor, Changeling) and comics (Spiderman, Superman), there isn’t much that he hasn’t done – and that’s not including the “Guide to Scriptwriting” which is a go to book of its kind ever since it was published in 1982.

Buy this book. Seriously, but it now!

When this book was announced earlier in the year, I mentioned it to my good lady and she kindly offered to buy me it for my birthday. Having read it over a couple of days, I can honestly say this book made me laugh, cry, cheer and despair – and that’s just the cats!

Straczynski’s life is related with humour and a degree of honesty rarely found in most biographies. Indeed, there is little varnish here at all. Beginning with how his family made its way to the United States, and then detailing the lives of his parents, it certainly feels as if nothing has been left out. Once the set up has been completed, Mr Straczynski takes centre stage for the rest of the book.

It is not an easy read and more than once, I asked myself how exactly Straczynski ever ended up being a functioning adult. Despite the knock backs and travails, he succeeded not only at that but also brilliantly in his aim of being a writer. Along the way, you’ll find out how screwed up families can be, the pitfalls of trying to make a career out of writing and the sheer unfairness of the entertainment industry. You also, however, meet some of the colleagues and friends that have helped and nourished Mr Straczynski, and how deep the human spirit can be when you find yourself in a precarious situation. Individuals (and characters) include the late Harlan Ellison, Michael O’Hare, Jeff Conaway and Andreas Katsulas.

What Straczynski does do very well is reinforce the point that if you believe in something enough and you keep trying, there is much you can achieve. This book is evidence of that and throughout the harrowing struggles of Straczynski’s life, he never gave up. Whether it be personal issues, fighting his corner at work or hangovers from his family, his self-belief and self-awareness have carried him forward. This is a very worthy read and highly recommended.

Fiction next and “Show me a Hero” by Patrick Alexander is something a lot more cynical. Set in the then future 1980’s, (being published in the late 1970’s), it posits a Britain ruled by a far left dictatorship where personal freedoms have been crushed and a weakened resistance group are trying to bring own the government. The main character, Tom Ashman, is a high level operator with the resistance, planning a gold bullion raid to fund its ongoing operations. The primary antagonist is Colonel Julian Cunningham, chief of the Secret Police.

Alexander’s writing is terse and no-nonsense. There is little frippery and, whilst most of the characterisations suffer because of this, the two foes are defined well enough to hook you into the story. With some very on-the-mark jibes about British politics (few of which have dated at all - make of that what you will), “Show me a Hero” is an engaging tale well told. Tonally, it feels very much like those typical ‘70’s TV shows The Sweeney and The Professionals. Dated, but on the mark. There are a couple of issues though: due to the lack of smaller character development, motivations for some actions are muddled, and there is a fascination with military kit and weaponry that borders on a fetish – though not to the point of the terrible Jerry Ahern written series of post-apocalyptic novels under the Survivalist banner. It is the ending, though, that gives “Show me a Hero” its biggest punch and elevates this book above similar pulpy tomes. Truly, it ends with a wonderfully British cynicism that remains timeless.

Speaking of pulpy books, this brings me neatly to the first seven Clive Cussler-penned Dirk Pitt novels. Seven??? Well, a recent holiday to the US meant a fair bit of flying and loitering around airports so I dusted off my aged Kindle and downloaded these titles to see if, what I recall were decent stories when first read in the late 1980’s, were worthy of that recollection. As L.P. Hartley (was he J.R.’s brother???) wrote, “The past is a foreign country; they do things differently there.” and boy, is that apt here.

First off, the positive points. The seven novels: Pacific Vortex, Mayday!, Iceberg, Raise the Titanic!, Vixen 03, Night Probe!, Deep Six, demonstrate Cussler’s improved writing (note – Pacific Vortex was the sixth novel published but the first continuity-wise. It was a first attempt at a novel by Cussler and published purely as a “curio”). As each book was released, it shows Cussler becoming more adept with intricate plots and action set pieces. The familiar template of historical prologue followed by “present day” action is well established by Deep Six, as is the expansion of the Pitt universe. Characters change (smoking being the prime example here – veritable chimneys at the start, with only a couple of cigar smokers by book five) and a definitive timeline is in set up, placing the action of these novels in the then-future late 1980’s. As fantastical action thrillers, these are easy reads and decent enough time fillers.

The negatives? Sigh…

The simple stuff first: Cussler’s characterisations. Essentially, villains are two dimensional and are there to be beaten. There is never any doubt that the good guys will win. Also, Cussler’s depiction of women is, at least in these novels, dire and tone deaf. Even by the time we get to Deep Six, published in 1984, he still can’t write from a woman’s point of view without coming across as more than a little sexist. Some might say old-school gentlemanly, but a lot of female characters are there to be ogled, perused and rescued. Even supposedly strong women are no match for Pitt’s sexual magnetism. As for the other male characters, well, when one (in Iceberg) remarks of a woman “She’s too young for menopause, she must be on her period”, you know he was writing to an audience. Mayday!, however, is the one that takes the prize for the most awkward handling of a woman: Pitt’s actions, if undertaken today, would land him in court. After finding a beautiful woman still grieving her husband’s death eight years prior, he gives her a hard slap about the face and then they promptly have at it on a beach!

Then there is the representation of gay characters. Reading Iceberg again left a nasty taste in my mouth as Pitt masquerades as a gay man to fool the villain of the piece. The portrayal is offensive, all over the top camp and clothing. The language used to describer Pitt’s behaviour (“a goddammed homo act” and “he thinks I am a faggot”) are just plain nasty – though I suppose period accurate if we’re going to go there. The introduction of St. Julien Perlmutter in Deep Six starts to even out the balance but even then, upon receiving a welcoming hug, Pitt’s response is asking if Perlmutter wants a kick in the crotch. I know, as I noted before, the past is a different place but attitudes really have changed since then.

The presentation of technology in the earlier tales is very 1970’s, with computer banks and seemingly omnipotent computer decision making – very Dr Who! Cussler is, though, on more certain footing when it comes to cars and diving. 

I would like to say I’ll continue the Pitt series until the end of the solely Clive Cussler penned stories, and maybe the first he co-wrote with his son, Dirk – the humorously titled “Black Wind” - purile of me, I know! For me, I find when a co-author is added, books tend to lose that certain spark that made them decent. Then again, by that point in his career, Cussler had become so formulaic. It might not make much of a difference.

You may think I have judged these a tad harshly considering when they were published, but then again, it is useful to see where the author began and where they ended up. As you can still buy newly published (co-authored) Pitt novels today, I think it is worthwhile re-reading these and calling out where they have dated extremely poorly. Not high literature by any means, they are still worth a go if you like light-hearted thrillers. Just bear in mind that political and social attitudes have changed significantly since their first publication.

Oceans Ventured by John Lehman

John Lehman is a qualified A6 Intruder bombardier/navigator who served as Secretary to the  US Navy from 1981 to 1987. In Oceans Ventured, he relates his role in the naval build up and honing of the US Navy of the 1980's into an organisation at the peak of its capabilities. In doing so, Lehman starts by giving a potted history of the US Navy up to the late 1970's from where his account really begins, detailing the negative political and military effects of the Carter Administration. He then continues until the end of the Cold War, finishing with an epilogue detailing his thoughts on the current state of the US Navy and the geopolitical pressures it faces today.

This book had been on my wish list since publication, mostly because the late Cold War period is my thing. Having read this book over the course of a couple of days, I have to admit to being more than a little disappointed with it. It's not Lehman's writing per-se that is an issue, though his habit of jumping around with his chronology is a tad confusing. Nor is it the substance - generally there is enough detail in the vignettes to make this book worth reading. No, it's more that there are enough gaps and omissions to make you wonder what he has deliberately omitted and that makes this tome feel a little lacking.

I do have an issue with the potted history. Lehman guides us through the thinking that a strong naval force can protect and project a nation's beliefs, but when he gets to the War of 1812, his history moves onto shaky ground. Yes, the American 44's were superb fighting vessels and proved that the fledgling Navy could tackle a larger foe but Lehman is extremely disingenuous when noting the 44's record of disrupting British trade whilst ignoring the much larger Royal Navy's record in blockading US trade (and hence tax raising ability) for a much more disruptive economic effect.

There are also some factual errors. The most glaring was the Falklands War dates (2nd August to 14th June 1982!) and the comment that the Royal Navy  re-took the Islands. True, the Navy was key to the whole operation but I think there would be many who served in the RAF and Army who would add comment to their role in the conflict.

Politics rears its ugly head quite often in the book as well, with some bi-partisanship being recognised but with an overall theme of "Republican good, Democrat bad!", even to the point of commenting that some people were good at their jobs despite their political leanings. Hmmm.

Then we have the central argument. The presence of a renewed and reinforced US Navy, especially in the Atlantic and Mediterranean effectively ended the Cold War. That's not something I agree with and to be honest, once America started deficit funding it's arms build up, there was  no way the more economically constrained Soviet Union could hope to keep up. The argument about forward operation of carriers off the Kola Peninsular is also controversial and is probably better off decided on the wargaming table. I for one would not have liked to have been in CINCLANT's shoes if ordered to test out that theory. It's also here that Lehman's chronological jumping becomes the book's most confusing element, as does his habit of listing by year how many new ships the Soviets were building - ignoring the fact that ships take years to build so I am sure at one point he's added up the number of Slava-class cruisers to  way more than the four actually launched.

His treatment of the Soviet Navy hierarchy is also suspect, with quotes used to demonstrate how fearful and fawning senior Soviet Admirals were of their American counterparts and their kit. Except, as far as I know and have read, they weren't. Lehman is also being a tad disingenuous by complaining that the Soviet naval build up continued after the change in political relations, so that new ships were being commissioned into the early 1990's. This ignores the time and effort spent in constructing them in the first place and you would never expect anyone to scrap such expenditure on a whim. Finally, there is a lack of detail in some of the revelations, most notably the Kamchatka Peninsula overflight in the early 1980's. This is the second text to reference that operation but doesn't give any specifics. Even the declaration of American carrier ops in Norwegian fjords could have done with a bit more detail.

It is in the epilogue though, where Lehman climbs fully onto his soapbox and truly shows his political colours. He ponders the (in his mind) correct decision to scale down the fleet after the Cold War ended but then laments that force sizes are too small to meet the present day threats which the US Navy might face. I think Lehman is wrong here. The forces built up in the 1980's are pretty much either retired or near end of service life (with the exception of the carriers). Whilst technical advances have made individual ships more potent, they have also made them more expensive and Lehman avoids the question of how a force equivalent to the 1980's US Navy would be funded. Deficit funding back them worked as there was a period  afterwards where spending was reduced. Compare then to now, where the War on Terror has, amongst other things, left America with a debt pile that is eye watering (some $22.8 trillion!) Fiscal pressure alone would make any comparable naval build up now simply unaffordable, and that isn't including the controversial budgets for the new Ford-class carriers, the abortive Zumwalt-class destroyers and the pork-barrel that is the Littoral Combat Ship. Lehman here seems to want his cake and eat it, a  powerful naval force without considering how it could be paid for.

So, if you ignore the above issues and take Oceans Ventured as what it purports to be, you'll probably  enjoy Lehman's book. Similarly, if your politics fit in here, it could be one for you. As for me, I expected a bit more of a history and detail so it rates as ok-ish but quite a bit of a disappointment overall.

Seven Days to the River Rhine - First Play Through

A week last Saturday saw the assemblage of a small twattery at our usual venue, The Commercial, for a first time play through of Seven Days to the River Rhine. The Cold War is my favourite historical period and these rules, in a similar vein to Team Yankee, aim to provide a suitable game for the 1980's period.The rules themselves are not that expensive and, as noted in a previous post, it's not the usual model catalogue that some companies release under the guise of a rule set.

Joining me were Andy with his modern's and Shaun with his rather significant collection of modern French and Soviet's. With his focus on Africa, this meant a ton of T-55's and BTR-60's. Before I go on, I will point out that the photographs taken of the game are not of the best quality, the lighting being of particularly poor quality and I've not had the time to play around with them in an editor.

The scenario was a return to H'irraq, our regular modern location. UN forces were watching the border between H'irraq and H'irran, securing local oil facilities and the nearby town from H'irranian backed militia and any formal attempt by H'iranian forces to annex some territory.

Hill One to the left, Two to the right.

The British were leaving their border posts, having been replaced by a company of French infantry with some armour support. The British occupied a town at the far end of the table (3 x Challengers, 3 x Warriors, 6 x infantry stands). The French held the two hills separated by a valley that was the main axis to the Oyston Oil facility in the middle of the table and the main road that led to the town. The French were split pretty evenly between the hills, a total of five AMX-10P's and eight infantry stands, whilst three AMX-10RC's covered the gap and six AMX-30S MBT's split into two three-tank units were further back. As these were mostly Shaun's toys, he got to play with them.

Skulky McSkulkface...

Andy was the opposition and started the game with one stand of militia which he placed in some handy cover behind the French front line. Unfair, I know, but the plan was to begin with an uprising and see how Shaun reacted. Once the uprising had started, then Andy would get more gear on the table in the form of 10 militia T-55's, 6 BTR-60's and 24 infantry stands to add to the initial rabble of 10 Skulking Militia. As I was the umpire, I accepted the role of being a twat and didn't tell Andy when he would get the additional troops, or Shaun that there were more British due once the word got out. Nor was Andy told when the regular H'irranian forces would arrive. The goal of the uprising was to take the oil facility and the town. Very asymmetric to begin with but I hope you can see what I was trying to do in simulating limited effective communications between forces in the heat of battle.

As you may have noticed, this was not the traditional Seven Days scenario and there was a smidge of umpire decision making throughout the game but since the first play through of a rule set is to ascertain if the mechanisms themselves are usable, that wasn't much of a problem. It did, however, mean that the tactical advantage cards were unused on this occasion.

Charge!

With everything set up, off we went with the first initiative dice roll. This went to Shaun who, with nothing much to do, handed this to Andy. The Skulking Militia opened up at the nearest group of three AMX-30S's and killed one, giving a second tank a morale marker.

Turn two saw Shaun deal with the morale issue but using up a number of command points in doing so. Returning fire on the Skulking Militia saw morale markers on two militia stands whilst a tactical withdrawal was made to get out of range of the effective RPG fire. He also reversed two AMX-10P's on Hill One and scored two more hits on the Skulking Militia.

Those 8-inch shell splash markers do come in handy...

Andy, however, having kicked off the fight, now had his militia armour to play with and a sudden charge to the base of Hill One with a total of six T-55's and three BTR-60's. Shaun failed in his reaction rolls from Hill One but supporting fire from Hill Two saw a dead T-55 and a dead BTR-60, whose infantry managed to de-bus but with maximum morale markers. Shaun also moved the British Warriors up from the town to support the engaged AMX-30 unit and the AMX-10RC unit moved towards the gap between the hills to cover any move there.

All is not well on that hill...

Turn three saw the 10RC's reach the gap and the Warriors stop to engage the now extremely Skulking Militia. It was on Hill One that most of the action happened. Andy managed to crest the hill with two T-55's whilst his infantry de-bussed from the surviving BTR's and advanced. French fire from Hill One was ineffective with no armour penetration on the T-55's from infantry LAW fire, whilst an AMX-10P was taken out by a T-55.

It was then that Andy used four of his militia T-55's to try and take out the advancing French "tanks". Note, gentle reader, that he called them tanks. It mattered not to Shaun that the three AMX-10RC's were little more than an engine wrapped in tin-foil with a 105mm gun. Nope, he was just happy they had been called tanks! Well, as the umpire, I was looking forward to see what would happen here. It would the sign of a "good game, good game" for Andy if he neutralised the French reaction force (You'll see what I mean in a minute!). The 10RC's required a 5 or more to be hit, so Andy started rolling. A 1. Next dice: higher than a 1? A 2! Next dice: higher than a 2? A 3! Final dice: higher than a 3? A 4! Much laughter ensued but as you can clearly see, Andy was not playing his cards right! Not that it mattered, as the French reply was equally as bad and some truly bum dice rolling was seen. The support fire from Hill Two was also a swing and a miss, whilst continued French fire on the Skulking Militia added another morale marker.

1, 2, 3, 4... Damn it!

Turn four saw the climax of the battle (and it was getting quite late in the afternoon). The militia finally took Hill One but not before losing a T-55 to a flank LAW shot from the retiring surviving French infantry whilst the 10RC's finally paid the ultimate price but not before killing one of the attacking T-55's. A cheeky T-55 shot from the hill even took out an AMX-30S near the oil facility! The advance elements of the H'irranian army were added to the table whilst an additional British Challenger unit also entered the town.

Les braves Chars, ils sont morts!

I called the end of the game as a draw as, whilst one of the hills had been taken, the other hill remained resolutely in French hands and there was much more support coming up. Publicly, the H'rranians were never there whilst the UN forces had been given a bloody nose. Of the game itself, it was nice to have a game where equipment wise, everyone was pretty much even. I am sure that if the Challengers had arrived, it would have been a bit more one-sided. A note on accessories. We had no markers specific to the game so some 8-inch shell splashes were used to denote hits, with dice used to show morale markers. The usual trees and buildings were kindly supplied by Andy but sadly he forgot to bring hills. The solution? Well, as we were in a pub, there were several handy bar trays that sufficed as ad-hoc terrain under the cloth. We didn't even have to pay for the hire! As always, Eric and Jean sold copious amounts of Consett Ale Works' Consett Pale Ale and the ever-beautiful Beef Butties and Chips (with peas this time, a lovely addition!).

That last T-55 was a bit cheeky!

So, about the rules. I like them. They play quite freely and there didn't seem to be anything majorly wrong with them. The initiative system, which I had my doubts about, works well enough but is far better suited to games that use smaller sized units, company size and smaller. The potential change in initiative in each turn does limit grand scale thinking, though as noted in the rules, the game is suited to a large number of players with set overall commanders and if we had the numbers, the initiative swapping could work out better. I have no doubt these will come out to play again and, given a Cold War hot scenario (I am thinking Steve's excellent 20mm collection here), the tactical advantage cards will be added to the mix. There was some discussion about how you would add troop quality to the game (aside from the cards) and minor amendments to the number of command points handed to each commander would suit that. In this game, that would have meant the militia and French each getting their assigned number of points with the French gaining a few more because of training and doctrinal advantages. How many points? Well, that would be decided by creating a table for each of the forces you can play in the game but it's something that we'll look into. Overall, I am happy with the set and pleased I picked up a copy.

Big Dumb Action Films

My good lady and I have managed a couple of cinema visits recently for a pair of action films that weren't superhero based - this can be quite difficult to avoid given Disney's hegemony, but manage it, we did.
The first film was Fast and Furious presents: Hobbs and Shaw. A spin off from the increasingly silly but ever so watchable Fast and Furious series, Hobbs and Shaw sees Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham team up to save the world in a cheese-tastic Big Dumb Action Film. Having a plot isn't really essential for this kind of flick but the basics are that Statham's on-screen sister (played by the excellently cast Vanessa Kirby) is set up as a rogue agent after her MI6 team is killed on a black-op (very Mission Impossible - 1995) to prevent a nasty virus from being stolen. In order to stop the villain (a motorcycle riding Idris Elba), she injects herself with the virus and off starts a 72 hour countdown before she infects the whole world (very Mission Impossible 2 - 2000).
Now, it is a universal truth that action film plots tend to be generic or derivative, but that has never stopped the likes of Bond or the aforementioned Mission Impossible series from achieving considerable success. Hell, the MI series, for me, dipped in quality on its second outing and has improved with each subsequent entry. Whilst Hobbs and Shaw has a cut and paste story, it is the performances that make the film. The on-screen chemistry between Johnson and Statham was obvious in the most recent  F&F film and Hobbs and Shaw takes that up to 11, with some great banter between the two, some of it literally head to head. There is a self awareness here that cuts through any misgivings you might have and the film truly wears its heart on its sleeve. There is action galore and you can see where the $170 million budget went. True, you have to suspend disbelief to the point of handing it to the Montgolfier Brothers and waving it goodbye but ever since the F&F series reinvented itself from number 6 onwards, you know pretty much what you are going to get.
So, high points of the film are Johnson, Statham and Kirby, who deserves her own action film based on her performance here. Elba is good but one dimensional which is a shame considering how great an actor he is - and to be honest, this is probably as close as he's going to get to a Bond style film - I think he is just a tad too old for the role once Daniel Craig hangs up the Walther. The action is well framed and action-y, and the overall tone is rather light, especially with the hilarious cameos from Helen Mirren and Ryan Reynolds. It is nice to see a light touch to the F&F series as the presence of the leaden and stilted Vin Diesel often kills such an approach.
Downsides? Well, the film's internal logic and treatment of time and distance are patchy at best. Elba is  wasted, as noted above, and the bit part actors are serviceable at best - even the ever reliable Eddie Marsan struggles with his Russian accent. The Reynolds cameo is a hoot but, and I say this as a fan, his Deadpool-like shtick is starting to wear thin through overuse. We're not quite at peak snark just yet but we're getting there. Then there is the issue of Statham and Kirby's age difference - no way are they siblings of a similar age!
With the set up of the inevitable sequel, Hobbs and Shaw is a bit of a change from the usual F&F template and one that has found success at the box office (over $740 million). Films like this are  never going to be high art but there is always a place for Big Dumb Action Movies.

The second film we have watched is Angel has Fallen, the third entry in the Fallen series and once again, Gerard Butler fights his way through bad guys whilst battling that most sinister of foes - the American accent.
Olympus has Fallen was a decent mid-budget action film ($70m) that offered Butler a good action role that mostly worked, slightly dubious CGI included. That success was followed up with London has Fallen, a $60m that moved production from the US to Britain and Bulgaria. Again with dubious CGI and what came across as a very nasty streak of racism, it did well enough for this latest entry to be green-lit. Following the law of diminishing returns, the budget for Angel was $40m and yet it still offers more than enough action to satiate most films buffs. Considering that Hobbs and Shaw cost over four times more than Angel, it was interesting to see the effects of the budget disparity.
First up, though, the story. Butler plays an aging and injured Mike Banning, a Secret Service agent entrusted to protect President Trumble (a returning Morgan Freeman who, despite his advancing years, peppers the scenes he's in with the usual "twinkle" in his eyes that feels like he's reveling in every detail). After catching up with a former Army colleague (Danny Huston, showing once again that men of a certain age can still give it some welly in action films) who runs a private military training firm, a drone attack on Trumble and his detail on a fishing trip sees Banning framed for the attempted assassination. Add to  that some political shenanigans with the Vice-President, a domestic angle with Piper Perabo as Banning's wife and a woefully underused Jada Pinkett Smith as an FBI agent and you have quite a bit in the mix. Oh, and Nick Nolte.
The plot of Angel has Fallen seems like it wants to be a political thriller as well as an action movie, yet the handling of the conspiracy side and the identity of the villains is ham-fisted at best. The film practically shouts out the identity of the bad guys from the first reel, subtlety be damned. However, you know all will be well with the world once the final credits roll. It's still quickly paced and the near two hour running time certainly does not feel that long.
Cast-wise and it's the usual from Butler, who is aging a bit and looks a bit more jowly than usual. His struggle with the American accent isn't as bad as some of his films and there is less speaking from the side of his mouth that has plagued other projects. He does bring a physicality to the role and a sense of humour when required - even if he is approaching Superman levels of invincibility by the film's climax. Piper Perabo isn't given much to do as Banning's wife, whilst Huston is believable and Freeman very good value - plus he has that voice! Tim Blake Nelson tries his best with the under-written role of the Vice-President and Lance Reddick is his usual cool and collected self as the head of the Secret Service (if you've seen Fringe or any of the John Wick films, you'll know what I mean). This leads me to Jada Pinkett Smith and Nick Nolte. Pinkett Smith is good enough (though she has done better) but the film builds up her character and then, well... no spoilers but there isn't much of consequence here, with off-hand explanations abound. It's very much a let down. Then there is Nolte, looking every bit of his 78 years and then some more. He plays Banning's father and is the funniest thing in the film, not only with the biting comebacks and kooky behaviour but also with a lot, and I mean, a lot of high explosives.
Filming primarily in the UK and Bulgaria, it just doesn't feel as though it was made in the US, with the look and feel just being that little bit off. That is probably me overthinking it but once you notice it, you'll not forget it. Watch this as a popcorn film and you'll probably enjoy it as much as I did. But, given the relatively meagre budget, you can see where the corners have been cut, especially with the CGI. Some of it is passable, some of it is dire! Glaring examples include Marine One, a sniper on another helicopter and the climactic roof top fight that was blatantly filmed in a studio.
For all of that, these faults can be forgiven. Angel has fallen does change the Fallen formula and is better for it. The smaller scale action is well directed and feels more more personal and visceral than the slick Hobbs and Shaw. Despite the differences in budget, both are enjoyable films for different reasons, if aimed at different audiences and, if Mr Butler wishes to tackle that accent again, my good lady and I will be there to witness it.

Border Reiver 2019

Border Reiver was the first war games show I ever attended. Indeed, for many years, I had attended that show and many others around the country as part of a crew and not as a member of the general public. A move to Gateshead International Stadium several years ago was quite welcome (a shorter distance to carry the gear) but a few years back saw the show drop off my radar. Having some time off last weekend meant a trip to the most recent show was on the cards so, on Saturday morning, my good lady and I ventured into deepest, darkest Gateshead to see what Border Reiver 2019 could offer. Oh, and this was her first trip to a wargames show!

As you can see, there was lots of space.

So, first up, it's in a Sport's Hall. This means sodium lighting and hard floors. I have seen quite a few blog posts and commentators actively detest venues with such qualities through the years but let's be honest here. How many other venues have space and access for both traders and the public? Some old shows (Scarborough, for one, and the Partizan's when they were at Kelham Hall - a horrid building for access, despite the so-called "atmosphere", whatever that means) offered something different but in reality, any trade based show with a display/demo element requires space and access, and sports halls/dedicated showground facilities are the best compromise. It is generally true that the trade stands pay for the venue so there should be some give and take on both sides of the venue discussion. In any case, a couple of hours in a Sports Hall for a show is not going to be the end of the world for any member of the public.

But there were people there.

Anyway, back to Gateshead and the door charge of £3.00 was very reasonable especially when you consider the rather nice 28mm metal figure of a March Warden to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the show. Dues paid, we were quickly into the thick of it. Except, it was quite thin.
Now it wasn't the fault of the organisers that Colours had changed their show date this year to match Border Reiver and, for some traders, a choice had to be made. Unfortunately, the north-east show missed out. Some traders did, however, have the ability to attend both shows and that has to be congratulated. True, there were some rather large gaps in the hall and that could not be hidden but I was pleasantly surprised as to the names who had made it. I must also add that whilst it was pretty obvious some of the traders could only just manage a small selection of stock as their main stand was at Colours, I don't think there are many in the industry who could do a double header and it demonstrates how small (and almost cottage like) the hobby actually is. Sadly for me, there were no book stalls so whilst my heart dropped, my bank balance did not.

A small section of the lovely Napoleonic game

That brings me on to the next topic - spending at the show. I admit to not spending a farthing outside of the door charge. Why? Because there was nothing there that caught my eye and I will not buy for the sake of buying. I realise that does contradict previous posts on wargames shows about spending to support traders and the show itself - traders need to make money to continue attending - but I just couldn't see anything I needed. Is that the traders fault? No. Neither is it the show organiser's fault. It's just the way things were.

There was quite a busy Bring and Buy/Flea Stall/Games Workshop graveyard (delete as applicable) which was worth a perusal, just to see how much GW stock makes it onto such stalls, but the games put on for the show took up most of my interest. There was a strategic level Barbarossa game that I'd seen at other shows that  looked rather nice, a long, narrow 28mm Napoleonic game that had a ton of figures and really looked fantastic, and a couple of Wings of Glory games that mildly caught the interest of my good lady. The demo game that really caught my eye, and purely for eye candy, was of a piratical theme with a fantasy twist, packed with lovely little details and displayed with an irreverent sense of humour. Not to everyone's taste, I grant you, but very well done and the effort was plain to see. It also helped that the gentleman who had put the game on was very willing to talk about it and his approach to his hobby. Not something that can be said for many demo games/gamers at quite a few shows I have been to.

Pirate Demo game

So, Border Reiver 2019 - the 25th Anniversary. A good show? The clash with Colours was outside of its control and certainly hurt the number of traders and the breadth of stock for some of those who did attend. As for punters, well, we rocked up around 11-ish and there were enough people around to describe the footfall as brisk, but not packed. Even the lighting didn't seem as orange or harsh as memory recalls. It would be more than a tad harsh to judge the show from this visit alone. I was curious to see how the show had changed (if at all) after several years of non-attendance and I think the fairest thing I can say is that the jury is still out. As to whether we will attend next year, well, that's a question to be answered closer to the time. Certainly there were things that my good lady found of interest, even as a non-wargamer, so it is definitely a case of wait and see.

Naval Gazing

One thing about having someone like Andy as a friend is that he is very willing to loan me books, and usually these are war gaming related. Now sometimes my good lady despairs of this as she thinks I have too many of the damn things (note, I don’t, as this post will show later on), but at least with Andy’s loans, these are short term only and are returned quite quickly.

So, the pair of books he loaned me recently were concerned with naval war gaming and date from what you could call the First Golden Years of war gaming, the late 1970’s. First up is Naval War Games by Barry J Carter. This focuses on the World Wars One and Two and comes across as very much an introduction to the period as well as the hobby in general. The tone is straight forward and ever so slightly po-faced without over doing it. Grandfatherly might be a suitable description. There is, however, a lightness at times that not only dates the book but also the author as well.

The book has some good comparisons between scratch built ships and shop bought kit and there is, like many other similar titles of the period, an emphasis on making do with what you can get your hands on or what you can make yourself, especially considering the state of the commercial market at the time. The photographs are few and far between, but that is also in line with the period, as is their quality. The writing, however, is well worth the cost of this book and as an introduction to gaming the naval conflicts of the two periods, there is a lot to take in. Of course, some of this is now quite dated and the shop bought kit noted here would today reach a tidy sum on e-bay!

The author provides some sample rules to try out and although they are quite interesting, they use a grid based system for distances which, given today’s simpler direct measuring, feel very… gamey. Still, they would be worth trying, even if just for curiosity’s sake. Of note is the author’s recommendation of play testing the rules and making changes where ever you see fit. What a refreshing idea!

Written at the time when war gaming was arguably more niche than today but still not as niche as it had been in the 1960’s (and it is still a pretty niche hobby despite the protestations of those who would lump it into table top gaming which, for me, is far too broad a church), this tome is a useful insight as to where the hobby has been and how far it has developed.

Next up is Sea Battles in Miniature – A Guide to Naval Wargaming by Paul Hague. Published just five years later, this is a far more broad introduction to naval warfare in general. The hobby seems to have become more established by then as there are a few more manufacturers and the author is very much on a mission to educate people on the topic of naval war gaming, which he notes seems to be treat as the poor cousin of land based war gaming. The tone here is very light and the sense of enjoyment the author takes in his hobby is tangible, taking it for what it is, rather than what it might be. I do, however, think he takes the challenge for realistic representation a little too far with the insistence on scale meaning that floor level is preferred to the table top in order for it to “look right”, and I am not entirely sure he is joking when he suggests taking over the local Mecca for a proper looking playing area! There is also a detailed section on how to scratch build balsa ships and the attraction of using flats, something I have honestly never seen in the naval arena before.

There are some general war gaming comments here as well, such as those who practice gamesmanship are not welcome to the hobby (amen, Brother!) and that rules are there to be played with, home-written amendments and all. Such a far cry from the modern commercial industry (or at least some of the game designers). The last section of the book covers various periods of naval warfare and the presentation takes the form of game reports featuring Mr Hague and friend. Tongues are placed firmly in cheek (the names of the admirals alone should raise a few chuckles) and they demonstrate the included rules very well. They also provide food for thought for future rule amendments.

In a way, it is funny to compare these titles, for the first follows the Featherstonian introduction type whilst the second is more a “Here! Play this! You’ll like it!” kind of book. It aims to be a torch bearer for naval war gaming in general and opines that whilst naval war gaming might be seen as more technical compared to its land-based cousin, that only means you need to learn more and that gaining of knowledge is part of the fun of the hobby. It has always been my opinion that a greater knowledge of the period always, and I mean always, makes playing that particular period more enjoyable. If only that approach were more common today… Incidentally, Mr Hague adds a decent bibliography (that include Mr Carter’s tome) and adds to what is a lovely little package.

Overall, these are two very useful book and highly recommended to anyone who plays, or has an interest in playing, with ships on a table (or dance hall floor, if you have one close to hand!). True, the included rules are a tad basic but you are literally ordered to improve and add as you see fit. I, for one, am very grateful for the loan of these from Andy and I think anyone who reads these will take something positive away for their gaming.

Now, onto two other books. And I bought these so they’re staying in the collection and for good reason too…

The Deadly Trade by Iain Ballantyne is an all encompassing history of submarine warfare. From the earliest attempts to travel under the surface to the nuclear powered behemoths that cruise the depths today, Ballantyne has written a very readable and detailed account. The author knows his stuff and engages the reader, with knowing little asides and comments that raise a smile here and there. True, the majority of the book deals with the First and Second World Wars and by its very nature, there is not too much specific detail in places, but that is where the bibliography comes in and, my word, is it a good one! I always like it when I read through a bibliography and can state honestly that I have quite a few of the books listed in it.

As a history of the submarine, this is a worthy read and the perfect book to either break into the subject or as a starting point to find other sources of more detail. One of which, had it been published when Ballantyne’s book was written, is In Deepest Secrecy by Jaime Karremann – the story of the Royal Netherlands Navy Submarine Service during the mid to late Cold War period.

Yep, this is niche, a small force of six diesel powered subs and the limited, though vital, role they played. Part history, part explanation of how they operated, this was a book I saw upon publication but missed on its first run. Fortunately, I was able to pick up a copy and to be honest, it was worth the wait. You’re not going to get Tom Clancy levels of excitement, but neither are you going to get bored to death by nothing happening. No, this book is an excellent account of how one of the smaller Western navies performed its role in the most dangerous and difficult of circumstances. If you’re in any way intrigued by the subject, grab yourself a copy as soon as you can!

Now, with all this talk of Submarines, where did I put my DOS copy of 688 Attack Sub?

Low RISC Computing

Many, many moons ago (2017, which feels like a long, long time ago), I posted a couple of pieces about alternative operating systems, one of which was RISC OS. I noted then that I would keep an eye on the format and as time has passed, there have been several positive developments in the RISC OS world (unlike the Amiga OS world which, well, who knows what's happening there).

The major one was the announcement last year that RISC OS Developments would take on the intellectual property concerning RISC OS and that RISCOS Open Ltd would continue the development of the operating system which is also now open source. This meant that there would be stability on the OS side of things.

Other developments included new, more powerful Raspberry Pi Single Board Computers (though that does not include the recently released Pi 4 as RISC OS needs porting to it due to a change in the ARM cores from the Pi 3) as well as other SBC's that RISC OS can run on, plus the continued sale of complete systems by the likes of R-Comp, CJE Micros and RISCOSbits. Indeed, R-Comp are in the process of developing an ARMBook laptop that, when out of beta testing, might prove a good replacement for the seven year old Chromebook that languishes in the corner of a drawer somewhere.

With that in mind, and thinking that it was a good time to re-visit RISC OS, I began searching for a suitable machine. Now I have said before that it's simple enough to cobble one of these together yourself for not much money but I really wanted to see what a pre-built system would be like. As a starter machine, I didn't want to spend too much but also didn't want to skimp on the spec, so finally settled on the RISCOSbits piHARD. You may have noticed the naming convention for RISCOSbits products is a bit tongue in cheek but hey, look at the name of this blog!

Disclaimer here: This computer was bought with my own funds and RISCOSbits have had no input or overview of this post. The opinions given are my own and I have not received any compensation whatsoever.

Once settled on the machine, I spec'd it out with a Raspberry Pi 3B+ (1GB RAM, 1.4GHz CPU, usual selection of ports), a 120GB SSD for mass storage and a battery backed real time clock. For the case, I chose the Deuce case which, as you can see, is rather tidy (and definitely tells you where it came from!). Once I had submitted the request for a quote, Andy at RISCOSbits was very quick with a reply and, with my agreement to the quoted price, the order was submitted. A couple of days later came the invoice, and, after settling that via Paypal on a Thursday evening, I waited for my new computer. I didn't have to wait long as a small box containing the well packaged PiHARD arrived on the following Monday.

During the intervening period, Andy was kind enough to suggest a power supply for the PiHARD, seeing as it uses a 5v 3000mA micro USB supply. That was ordered on the Friday and delivered the following day (from a well known river-based online supplier) so I was all set when the machine itself arrived.

Shiny, shiny... and some subtle branding :-)

The case is nice, roughly 6 x 6 x 2.5 inches and shiny. It's very light and you might mistake that lightness for fragility but once it's set up, you're not likely to move it again and the case certainly feels good enough to handle day to day knocks. Be honest here. How often do you move your desktop PC? The worst thing I can say about it is that it attracts dust like nobody's business. Incidentally, one of the options (which I didn't take) was for a front mounted USB port, hence the cut out visible above to the right.

Plenty of ports: Micro USB, HMDI, audio out, 3 x USB 2 and Ethernet.

There were no instructions in the box but, to be honest, they aren't really needed. Plug in the micro USB power supply, a keyboard, a mouse (you'll need a three button model or a mouse with a clickable scroll wheel - RISC OS relies upon three buttons) and an Ethernet cable for internet access and you're all done. WiFi is possible with RISC OS but that does require additional hardware at present so cabled networking is the easiest way forward at the moment. Now, the moment of truth. After a start up screen, RISC OS 5.24 boots up in seconds and gives you this rather green desktop.

It's a bit cropped (my fault with the screenshot), but you get the idea.

As you can see, the PiHARD sits rather nicely under the monitor and outputs a rock steady 1920x1080 resolution with 16.7 million colours at 60Hz. For those wanting some help starting out, there are plenty of documents and stored web pages in the OS to get you going. These can also be found online.

As for downsides, well, it's pretty much the lack of expansion. The issue here is the use of Single Board Computers as a basis of RISC OS machines. By their very nature, they are not expandable in the traditional PC sense, so what you get is, well, what you get. However, this is not the handicap you may think it is, as RISC OS runs extremely well on a Pi 3B+ and if extra storage is required, then you have plenty of USB ports to hang stuff off. Certainly, this issue cannot be laid at the feet of any of the hardware vendors. If there were to be new, dedicated motherboards for RISC OS, then maybe the situation would be similar to the Amiga OS market where the only new dedicated hardware readily available is £1,800.00! One niggle about the USB ports. They are all in a row and quite close together, so if you attach a USB stick directly to the computer, chances are that unless it is a slim design, you'll interfere with access to the remaining ports. The solution here is to use a USB hub and they are cheap enough. This isn't an issue that RISCOSbits are in control of and in no way is it a deal breaker.

Cable management to be sorted out later...

I'm not going to delve into using RISC OS in this post. Nor, in future, will I be delving into how-to guides either as there are plenty of those about. No, what I will be doing is an occasional series on how I find using RISC OS on a regular basis, how it can fulfill most general computing needs and basically how much fun computing can be outside of the usual Windows/Mac/Linux arenas. This first post though, is purely about the hardware and I must say I am very impressed, not only with the price paid but also the build quality, the speed  of delivery and the communication from RISCOSbits. If you ever do feel like dipping into the world of RISC OS, I wholeheartedly recommend them. I am happy with my PiHARD and the initial steps into RISC OS after 25 years (and RISC OS 3). I'll keep you updated as to how things go but from initial impressions, that ARMBook is looking more and more tempting by the day...

Hewlett Packard HP 620LX

Technological improvement occurred rapidly during the late 1990's with regards to portable computing and the Hewlett Packard HP 620LX is a fine example of this (with some caveats). The 620LX was the follow up to the HP 300 series, one of which I reviewed here. Released in 1998, the 620 took the basic premise of the 360 and added new bells and whistles to make it the then go-to model. These included a new version of Windows CE (v2.11 compared to 2.00), a faster SH3 processor (75MHz instead of 60MHz), double the memory (16Mb), more ROM (10Mb) and most obvious of all, a colour screen. Now before anyone gets too excited, when I say colour, I mean 256 colour CSTN with the same 640x240 half VGA resolution as the 360, so nothing special even compared to the laptops of the time. However, colour was something new and it was a useful feature to add, certainly making the built-in Internet Explorer somewhat more user friendly. All this for a launch price of £699 ($899). In today's money, that's north of £1,200.00!!!

That's the extended battery right there. The case is nifty too.

First up, that new tech meant a bigger device, and, as you can see from the picture below, it’s a fair bit larger than the 360LX and the much older Psion Series 3. The card is for scale. That extra space didn’t entirely go to waste as the keyboard, whilst keeping the calculator style of the 360LX, has slightly larger keys and they are more widely spaced. This does mean that it is easier to type on and I got up to a decent, accurate speed with it. It's still not in the same league as the follow up Jornada series or the Psion 5's (yet to be beaten) exemplary keyboard. There are also some application softkey shortcuts above the keyboard and four to the right of the screen.

Yes, I still buy books from a high street shop! What's your problem??? ;-)

It certainly looks the business.

As the device has a colour screen, the keyboard and symbols have a splash of colour themselves and the unit itself is a rather tasteful black rather than the dark grey of previous models. Think Psi-Corps compared to the dull Earthforce Security...

Also doubles as a make up mirror. So I am told...

A note on that screen. It is very readable but uses that popular tech of the time, the resistive touchscreen. This means that you really need the included stylus to get any real use out of it and it’s reflective as hell, as you may have noticed from the pictures. Being CSTN, it does appear rather washed out but you can change to contrast to help out with that.

That reflection is me taking the picture. Told you it was reflective...

That extra bulk (1.29 lbs vs 1.01 lbs of the 360LX) meant that the newer machine was no longer a jacket pocket “whip it out when required” (oohhh-errr, missus!) device. Nope, the 620LX was just too damn big and that was with the smaller battery. The picture with the carry case also shows the extended battery that adds a smidge more weight and sticks out of the back of the device. That said, the extended battery does mean you can make it through a full working day with extra to spare, not something that could be said of the standard power pack.

As per the 360LX, the software is the usual Windows CE mix of office applications and utilities, with just what seems minor enhancements. There is the expected compact flash card slot for additional memory and a PCMCIA Type 2 slot for network, modem and VGA adapters (amongst other things). A word of caution here though: any use of the PC card slot means a dive in battery life, and the extended battery isn’t much help here.

What makes it useful to this day, removable storage.

You can also get a very fragile docking cradle that acts as a syncing aid, but in reality, is neither use nor ornament and its true purpose was to take up desk space at home when you weren’t being an always connected on the road net-warrior (how '90's!).

Even with two rather suspect batteries, the 620LX is still very usable today and, if using a rucksack or other large bag, would be the go-to device if I couldn’t carry the Alphasmart. That would also include a mains adapter as twenty year old battery cells are unpredictable, as well as a spare back-up battery as those coin cells get chewed up pretty badly when the main battery goes. And that pretty much sums up the caveats with this device. It's a bit too large as a handheld and the move to a colour screen meant ditching the ubiquitous AA battery for a lithium-ion pack that also meant carrying the mains adapter around for when the pack inevitably died. 

620LX, 360LX and Series 3 - at least the screens got bigger.

Upon its release, the 620LX was described as a laptop killer. Bigger and of more use than a PDA, smaller and more portable than any laptop at the time, it seemed to be the perfect middle ground. Yet, as time was to prove, it wasn’t. Practical use was hampered by the form factor (the keyboard too small for real touch typing, the screen too small for more than one person to view at a time) and the abomination that was Windows CE/Handheld PC – an operating system that never truly knew what it was supposed to be. Tech also improved with laptops and when you’re paying seven hundred quid for something, you want it to work well. Ultimately, business users (for that was who HP were aiming for with the 620LX) didn’t jump ship to the product and by the time the Jornada 720 was released in 2000, the writing was on the wall for the device format.

Pretty similar but the bigger keys do it for me.

That is not to say that some silly fools continue to try to get some use out of these devices and as I said above, it’s a handy machine and a good back up.

This will be the last of the retro tech pieces I’ll be doing for a while, the main reason being that I have pretty much bought the machines I wanted to and these cover pretty much everything I need (and there is no way I am paying that much for an Apple eMate 300!). You could say I am a fool for using this old tech but to be honest, it works for me. I am not a fan of touchscreen keyboards, adding a keyboard to a tablet is akin to adding a chocolate handle to a frying pan and modern day small keyboard devices are rather expensive. So with that, if you’ve missed any of my previous pieces, the links below will take you to them and below that, a picture of the collection:

SonyPEG-UX50

AsusEEE-PC 904HD (Catchy name, that)

AmstradNC100

OregonScientific Osiris

HandspringVisor

PsionSeries 3

Alphasmart3000
HP 360LX
Zodiac Tapwave