Mirrorsoft has recently signed an
agreement with Cinemaware Corporation to distribute the next six
titles in the Cinemaware `interactive fiction' line. The first four
titles from Cinemaware are also distributed by Mirrorsoft and
include the best-selling DEFENDER OF THE CROWN as well as SDI, THE
KING OF CHICAGO AND SINBAD AND THE THRONE OF THE FALCON. New titles
to be released under the agreement include THE THREE STOOGES,
a comedy classic with arcade action and a laugh-a-minute storyline,
and ROCKET RANGER based on an American TV serial to bring
action, romance, thrills and spills to your computer. Cinemaware
claim "there is nothing quite like it, graphically or artistically,
in the industry today".
Activision's recent releases include
PREDATOR based on the successful Arnold Schwarzeneggar film in
which you play the part of the film's hero, alone in a treacherous
jungle needing every ounce of cunning to stay alive. Although
starting out with plenty of firepower in the form of automatic
machine guns, grenade launchers and the deadly Mini-gun, you have to
survive at the end with just your own physical strength and
lightning reactions. Activision claim 'state of the art graphics,
dual speed sideways scrolling and endless screens of pure arcade
action'. You can see for yourself for £19.95!
Atari has finally got its Desktop
Publishing act together, after months of speculation, by
choosing Mirrossoft's Fleet Street Publisher as the software for its
Desktop Publishing system. The system, now available from Atari
dealers includes a Mega ST2 or 4, monochrome monitor, 10 or 20 Mb
hard drive, Atari laser printer, Fleet Street Publisher and 1st
Word. The entire system will cost between £2000 and £3000 depending
on the configuration chosen and undercuts the Macintosh by a
substantial amount. An Apple Laserwriter alone will cost more than
the entire Atari system!
Jeff Minter of Llamasoft looks to have finally
stopped playing with Colourspace II and got down to finishing the
program which is due for imminent release under the new title
TRIP-A-TRON. Originally intended as an upgraded version of
Colourspace 1, the program has now been completely rewritten from
scratch with the result that it is almost a new concept in
interactive computer graphics. Jeff Minter claims that TRIP-A-TRON
is as far away from Colourspace 1 as the ST is from the ZX81! All
you need to enjoy the ultimate light synthesiser experience is a
520ST and around £40 but if you just happen to have FIVE MEGA ST's
you can also join in the fun! The specification runs to a full A4
page so we don't have enough room to bring it all to you but if you
would like to get in touch with Llamasoft on 07356 4478 we are sure
they will give you more information.
Infocom's latest for the ST is SHERLOCK:THE
RIDDLE OF THE CROWN JEWELS which, as you might have guessed is a
detective story. Do you fancy playing Sherlock Holmes? Well, hard
luck, for in this one you play Watson who has to solve the mystery
of the theft of the Crown Jewels two days before the Queens Jubilee
celebrations. You must pit your wits against a clever thief with
only a trail of infuriating riddles left behind to aid in your
search. One such riddle is why the game is called SHERLOCK ... ? If
you play Watson, what is Holmes doing? Playing the fiddle? Or maybe
he has just had a heavy night smoking those naughty substances that
rumour has it he enjoys!
Precision Software have released the upgraded
version of its successful database Superbase Personal. SUPERBASE
PROFESSIONAL includes all of the features of its predecessor but
includes full programming facilities to enable users to produce
databases specifically suited to their needs. A unique forms editor
is included which allows the creation of multi-page forms combining
colour, lines, boxes and fields from any file for custom
applications. The inbuilt Database Management Language allows even
the non-programmer to create custom routines and even pull-down
menus and personalised pop-up selection panels are available.
SUPERBASE PROFESSIONAL retails at £249.95 and is available from your
usual supplier.
Microdeal are taking a little more time nowadays with
their releases. Tanglewood has set a standard which will hard to
match and it seems that their programmers keep wanting to improve
the games so that titles like LEATHERNECK and INTERNATIONAL SOCCER
shown at last November's Atari Show are still awaited in '88. Other
releases planned include SLAYGON which features the most
sophisticated robot ever created. Slaygon has the strength of a
hundred men, the armour and weapons of a small tank and the
intelligence of ... you! OMEGA RUN is a strategy game of
which nothing more is known at present and there is also FRIGHT
NIGHT, an 'Adult Only' game based on the film. This one could
frighten you off the ST forever!
And the rest ...
System 3 have re-released INTERNATIONAL
KARATE at a new lower price of £14.99. Origin Systems,
via Microprose, also have a martial arts game, MOEBIUS, at
£24.95 where fighting skills are combined with cunning, ingenuity
and a knowledge of magic to achieve the objective of retrieving the
`celestial orb of harmony'. Prospero Software have Version
2.1 of PROSPERO FORTRAN for GEM now available with three
superb manuals and many enhancements at £113 plus VAT. Mirrorsoft
have a new game called TETRIS (actually the R is the
other way round but do you know how difficult that is to explain to
a typesetter?) which sounds rather weird. All about matching shapes.
If you get really good, you might even get to win the competition in
the pack and get sent to Russia! Epyx games freaks might like to
enjoy one of the current bargains on the ST entitled EPYX ON ST
- 6 disks for £29.99 containing four games, Championship Wrestling,
World Games, Winter Games and Super Cycle. A new label from
Ariolasoft is MAGIC BYTES whose first release is PARANOIA
where you are in a world controlled completely by computer,
reminiscent of Orwell's 1984. Also due is VAMPIRES EMPIRE a
fast and furious arcade/strategy game set in the world of Count
Dracula.
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