CAIN Newsletter: 28-Jan-95 #0201

From: Atari SIG (xx004@cleveland.Freenet.Edu)
Date: 02/04/95-05:30:06 PM Z


From: xx004@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Atari SIG)
Subject: CAIN Newsletter: 28-Jan-95 #0201
Date: Sat Feb  4 17:30:06 1995


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                        \ Jan 28, 1995  Vol.II No.1  /
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      /____/__|__\_________     Central Atari     ______|   |________/
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     The Official Online Newsletter of the Cleveland Free-Net Atari SIG
  _________________________________________________________________________
  The Cleveland Free-Net Community Computer System is accessible worldwide!
  _________________________________________________________________________
       telnet freenet-in-{a,b,c}.cwru.edu (129.22.8.32 or 129.22.8.51)
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           WWW:  http://ace.cs.ohiou.edu/personal/mleair/cain.html
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                                  Covering:
        7800/XE/XL/800/400,FALCON030/ST/TT/ST(e),PORTFOLIO,LYNX,JAGUAR

            CAIN Online Newsletter Published and Copyright (c) 1995
                              by Cain Publishing

  Publisher/Editor
   Voting/Conferences.........Mark Leair        aa338@cleveland.freenet.edu
  Assistant Editor
   SIG Manager/Jaguar Area....Len Stys          aa399@cleveland.freenet.edu
  8-Bit Support Area..........Michael Current   aa700@cleveland.freenet.edu
  8-Bit Technical Forum.......Craig Lisowski    aa853@cleveland.freenet.edu
  16/32-Bit Support Area......Bruce D. Nelson   aa789@cleveland.freenet.edu
  16/32-Bit Support Area......Thomas Main       em129@cleveland.freenet.edu
  Atari Classic Gaming Corner/
  Portfolio Support Area......Fred Horvat       ap748@cleveland.freenet.edu
  Lynx Support Area...........Barry W. Cantin   aa852@cleveland.freenet.edu
  Atari WWW Support Area......Mark S. Smith     M.S.Smith@dl.ac.uk
  
  _________________________________________________________________________
  Cleveland Free-Net Atari SIG Internet E-Mail: xx004@cleveland.freenet.edu
  _________________________________________________________________________
  Cleveland Free-Net Atari SIG, P.O. Box 364, Mentor, OH  U.S.A. 44061-0364
  _________________________________________________________________________

                               Table of Contents

>From the Editor..........................................The CAIN Newsletter
                                                                  -Mark Leair

>From the SIG Manager............................My Fortune Teller Experience
                                                                    -Len Stys

Atari News............................Coming Attractions for the Atari Jaguar
                                        Sports Titles coming from Atari Corp.
                            Atari Jaguar, Interactive Entertainment's Big Cat
                                     Atari Corp. to Expand Jaguar Peripherals
                                                 Atari Corp. Debuts CD Player
                             Atari Announces Winning Line-Up of Jaguar Titles
                                                                 -Atari Corp.

8-Bit Computers Support Area...............................8-bit Product News
                                                        8-bit Feature Article
                                                             8-Bit Commentary
                                                             -Michael Current

16/32-Bit Computers Support Area....................16/32-bit Product Reviews
                                                                 -Thomas Main

Atari Classic Gaming Corner....................Classic Gaming Feature Article
                                                                 -Fred Horvat

Lynx Support Area...................................................Lynx News
                                                              Lynx Commentary
                                                             -Barry W. Cantin

Jaguar Support Area...............................................Jaguar News
                                                                    Game News
                                                                        Codes
                                                    Val D'Isere Skiing Review
                                                            Jaguar Commentary   
                                     
                                                                    -Len Stys

Atari WWW Support Area............................Atari Web Pages Latest News
                                                                  -Mark Smith
  
Upcoming Atari Shows......................................Atari Show Calendar
                                                                  -Mark Leair

Voting Issues and Results............Reader and User Opinion Poll Information
                                                                  -Mark Leair

General Information of Need.........................How to Contribute to CAIN
                                                             Article Requests
                                                                  -Mark Leair

>From the Editor
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Mark Leair

     What happened to the December issue?  Well, this was one busy holiday
season; not to mention the WCES during the first week of January.  Before we
could release a January issue, we needed to see what Atari has in store for us
this year.  Read all about it in the "Atari News."  At any rate, many apologies
for the late arrival.  As this magazine enters its second year, we will
continue to strive in bringing you the best in Atari news, reviews, and
features each month.  A late issue may occur. However, I can assure you that
the content will still be newsworthy for that issue.  Up until the moment I
give an issue its "approval" for release, our editors are on the "look out" for
breaking news.  One nice thing about online magazines is how easy it is to add
a "news breaking" story.

     I think you'll find some surprises in this issue, especially if you're a
Lynx owner (hint hint).  Our extensive 8-bit support continues into the new
year with loads of products and news, plus two new reviews for the ST/Falcon
line.  Finally, I am pleased to announce a new staff member.  Mark S. Smith has
joined the CAIN ranks.  He will bring us a monthly column dealing with the
growing support for Atari products on the World Wide Web.  Mark runs a very
useful Atari "Web Page" and has become a leader in the Atari "Web" community. 
Furthermore, he will contribute reviews on ST/Falcon and Jaguar products.
     CAIN is always in need of contributions to its magazine.  If you're
interested, please see the section titled "General Information of Need" at the
end of this issue.  Thank-you.

                                                            -Mark Leair
                                                             Publisher/Editor

>From the SIG Manager
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Len Stys

I would like to wish everyone a Happy 1995 new year!  This is going to be
an exciting new year for all Atari loyalists around the world.  It will
be the year that Atari succeeds or it will be the year that Atari fails.
But either way, it will be exciting.

Once in awhile, I like to visit a local fortune teller in town that looks
into her crystal ball and tells me the future of Atari.  Since I received
a lot of positive e-mail in response to my last visit to the fortune
teller article, I thought I would share with you all what she had to say.
Since fortune telling isn't always right, let's just consider what I found
out to be fictitious, but possible!

Before I could sit down, the fortune teller was already telling me things 
that she was seeing in her crystal ball.  She said that this year would be
very exciting for Atari users because all of the images she was seeing were
moving extremely fast.  She said that this was a sign that a lot of things
would be happening at once.  I then asked her about the images that she was
seeing and then she told me things that I could not believe.  This is how
the conversation took place:

"What kind of images are you seeing?" I asked.

"I am seeing a great many images in this crystal ball of mine.  Some images
are very positive, but others are negative" she said.

"What do you mean by negative?" I said in a concerned voice.

"The negative will only happen if those people at Atari continue to make
mistakes as they have in the past" replied the Fortune Teller.

I asked, "So what happens if they do not make mistakes?"

"The images are going so fast so I will just tell you what I see" she
replied.

I then quickly turned-on my trusty old tape recorder and taped what she
said.  The strange thing about all of this is that when I went home to play
the tape back, it was blank.  Really weird huh?  But I remember most of
what she said so I'll just list it here.

Jaguar
------

The Jaguar gets a new pack-in of Alien Vs. Predator.  The price of the
Jaguar with game is reduced to $229.99.

The Jaguar is sold in Fall, 1995 without any cartridge for $189.99.

The Jaguar CD-ROM player is released with Battlemorph and the built-in
Virtual Light Show at the price of $149.99.

There are 65 game cartridges available for the Jaguar by the end of 1995.

There are 15 CDs available for the Jaguar by the end of 1995.

There are 8,000 retailers (double last year) carrying the Jaguar in Fall
of 1995.

Atari includes a Jaguar catalog with screenshots of 65 game cartridges
and 15 CDs.  Most retailers are not carrying all Jaguar games because they
do not have enough room for all systems and their games.  Instead of
discontinuing the games not being sold in stores, Atari is finding that
the company can sell the games through mail-order.

Jaguar voice-modem games become VERY popular in 1995 and 1996 in the
United States.  Atari decided in early 1995 to make ALL of their games
so that they utilize the voice-modem.  The decision turned-out to be a good
one when voice-modem gives Jaguar a selling point over other systems.

Lynx
----

Atari includes a Lynx catalog with screenshots of 75 games in each Jaguar
box and Lynx box to help increase Lynx business.

Atari finds that the Lynx catalog is a successful way to increase sales
of Lynx systems and game cards so the company arranges to have the catalog
included in some major gaming magazines.

A new Lynx promotion is started in several major stores.  The promotion
includes a Lynx, pouch, six batteries, comlynx cable, California Games, and
Super Asteroids/Missile Command for $89.95.  There is also a Lynx core
package available for $59.95.  The Lynx core package is mainly sold to
replace Lynx systems that have been broken after much use.

The Lynx promotion package is successful since people are buying the
system to play their favorite Asteroids and Missile Command classic games
on the go.

The Lynx catalog includes a new Lynx game price structure.  Even though
Atari is finding that most of Lynx's games are not being sold in stores,
the company's mail-order business is profitable.

There are 85 games available for the Lynx by the end of 1995.  The Lynx's
popularity increases once Atari discovers how to market it.

Jaguar+CD
---------

Atari starts selling the "Jaguar+CD" (its official title) in limited
numbers at the end of 1995.  The unit is a Jaguar and CD-ROM together at
the price of $299.99.  The system comes with 2 CD games.

Cougar
------

Even though "Cougar" (Atari's next generation 64-bit system) is not planned
for release until late 1996, Atari sends developers units in 1995 so there
will be enough games for it when released.

The "Cougar" costs $399.99 and is comparable if not more sophisticated
than the Ultra-64 in many areas.

Virtuality Headset
------------------

The Virtuality Headset will be the first quality home Virtual Reality
system on the market.  It will, however, cost $249.99 not $199.99 as
originally planned.

One of the first games to be released for the Virtuality Headset is
DOOM II.  The game receives raving reviews.

The Virtuality Headset is released in limited quantities at the end of
1995.  It becomes very popular in 1996.

IBM Cougar PowerPC
------------------

IBM and Atari announce that IBM will be manufacturing three mid-priced
Power PCs that will use the Cougar chipset.

IBM and Atari announce that IBM will be manufacturing a low-priced
PowerPC for Atari.  The system would be TOS based but will be expandable
to other operating systems.  It will also be able to run most ST/Falcon
software and play all Cougar/Jaguar games.

Game Companies
--------------

Time Warner Interactive agrees to make a dozen games for the Jaguar
system.  The company realizes that since it owns 27% of Atari Corporation,
it would be in their favor to see the company succeed with the Jaguar.
Time Warner also sees profits in games when expanding their cable
network.

Electronic Arts will license a number of their games to Jaguar developers,
but will agree to make three games for the Jaguar this year.  All three
are sporting titles.

A few other well-known PC game makers decide to make a few of their
popular titles for the Jaguar.

The U.S. gaming market is shocked to see several small European game
companies releasing powerful games for the Jaguar.  The gaming market
forgets Atari's strong presence in Europe in the 80's which gives Jaguar
badly needed developers.

Games
-----

Mortal Kombat II is released for the Jaguar in 1995.  Mortal Kombat III
is not released for the Jaguar in 1995.  Mortal Kombat II utilizes Atari's
new Jaguar six button programmable controller.

A lot of arcade games (especially Atari Games) are being released for the
Jaguar.  Atari releases an arcade style controller with six buttons on
each side of the joystick for left and right handed game players to take
advantage of these arcade games.

Alien Vs. Predator II is released.  The game takes place in the jungle and
was made for the purpose of multi-player gaming.  Atari announces a
pay gaming network for those that want to play multi-player AvP2 in 1996.
The game also utilizes the Jaguar voice-modem.

Iron Soldier II is released.  The polygon graphics are improved and the
game utilizes the Jaguar voice-modem and multi-player network.  This game
will also e on the Atari gaming network announced in 1996.

Super Street Fighter II Turbo is not released for the Jaguar, but Super
Street Fighter III is released for the Jaguar.

End of Fortune Telling
----------------------

This was the end of my fortune telling visit.  I thought to myself if only
these things come true.  But then I thought...why not?

Have a happy new year and don't forget to write your favorite gaming
company.

-Len Stys, SIG Manager


Atari News
-=-=-=-=-=

 CONTACT:
    Atari Corporation         Ron Beltramo   408/745-8852
    Edelman Public Relations  David Harrah   415/968-4033
 
 For Immediate Release
 
 COMING ATTRACTIONS FOR THE ATARI JAGUAR
 
 SUNNYVALE, CALIF. - Jan. 6, 1995 -- Batman Forever,
 Thea Realm Fighters and Primal Rage top the list of coming
 attractions for the 64-bit Atari Jaguar Interactive
 Multimedia system in 1995. "The focus at Atari for 1995
 is great software and lots of it," said Sam Tramiel, CEO of
 Atari Corporation. "We are working with over 200 developers
 to bring a wide variety of new games to the 64-bit Atari
 Jaguar in 1995. The powerful Jaguar technology can handle
 popular arcade games like Primal Rage or provide the speed
 and graphics necessary for brand new games like Batman
 Forever and Thea Realm Fighters."
 
 Batman Forever, based on the much-anticipated Warner Bros.
 movie scheduled for release this summer, pits the caped
 crusader and his sidekick Robin against Gotham City
 villains Two-Face and the Riddler. The Atari Jaguar Batman
 Forever game will incorporate the movie's characters and
 feature the films newly-designed costumes and high-tech
 equipment.
 
 Market research demonstrates that over 90% of the U.S.
 population is familiar with the Batman character, so there
 will be wide appeal for the game. Batman Forever is
 scheduled for delivery to stores late in the 3rd quarter.
 
 Thea Realm Fighters combines the latest digital motion
 capture technology and nationally known martial arts
 fighters, including several used for both Mortal Kombat
 games, to create a super-realistic fighting game. Among the
 well-known martial artists used for the game are:
 
 -- Ho Sung Pak, who played Liu Kang in Mortal Kombat I &
    II, is a member of the Black Belt Hall of Fame and
    winner of the Grand Slam of Martial Arts in 1991, and
    served as technical advisor for choreography.
 
 -- Phillip Ahn, MD, is a 4th degree black belt in Tae Kwon
    Do. Dr. Ahn played Shang Tsung in Mortal Kombat II.
 
 -- Katalin Zamiar played Kitana, Mileena and Jade in Mortal
    Kombat II. Katalin is a black belt in Okinawan style
    Karate.
 
 -- Daniel Pesina, who played Johnny Cage and the ninjas in
    Mortal Kombat I & II, is a nationally ranked martial
    artist in forms and weapons.
 
 There are a total of 25-plus characters to compete against
 in Thea Realm Fighters, including twelve main characters
 and twelve other special characters. The characters can
 compete in four different modes and with more than 30
 different backgrounds, creating a wide variety of combat
 situations and scenarios. The release of Thea Realm
 Fighters is planned for the 3rd quarter.
 
 Primal Rage pits seven different prehistoric creatures --
 each with its own unique fighting style -- against each
 other in a battle for world domination. This one or two
 player game was a huge hit in the video arcade market last
 year. Time Warner Interactive plans to ship a compact disc
 version of Primal Rage in the 4th quarter.
 
 Atari Corporation markets interactive multimedia
 entertainment systems, including Jaguar, the world's first
 and only 64-bit game system, and the only video game system
 manufactured in the United States. Atari is headquartered
 at 1196 Borregas Avenue, Sunnyvale, California 94089.
 
 ---
 
 Batman and all related elements are property of D.C. Comics
 (TM) and Copyright 1994, all rights reserved. Jaguar is a
 trademark of Atari Corporation. Atari is a registered
 trademark of Atari corporation. Other products named may be
 trademarks or registered trademarks of their owning
 companies. Primal Rage (TM) and all related elements are
 property of Time Warner Interactive (TM).
 
 ###
 CONTACT:
    Atari Corporation         Ron Beltramo   408/745-8852
    Edelman Public Relations  David Harrah   415/968-4033
 
 For Immediate Release
 
 SPORTS TITLES COMING FROM ATARI CORPORATION
 
 SUNNYVALE, CALIF. - Jan. 6, 1995 -- Baseball for 1995 may
 be uncertain and the National Hockey League still is not
 playing, but there will be sports galore on the 64-bit
 Atari Jaguar this spring and summer. Atari Corporation
 today announced that a number of new sports titles will be
 released in the first half of 1995.
 
 "We're going for the gold with sports-oriented games at
 Atari this year," said Sam Tramiel, CEO of Atari
 Corporation. "Atari Jaguar owners will play hockey with
 Brett Hull, golf with Jack Nicklaus, basketball with
 Charles Barkley and all the baseball they want."
 
 Sports games currently under development include: Charles
 Barkley-Shut Up and Jam takes an in-your-face, over-the-top
 approach to America's favorite indoor sport. Players will
 encounter some of the baddest b-ball players on the streets
 as they try to rule the game's 2 on 2 streetball tournament.
 Charles Barkley-Shut Up and Jam is expected by the end of
 the second quarter.
 
 Brett Hull Hockey features super-realistic, digitized
 graphics and a real-time 3-D hockey rink. Available on CD,
 Brett Hull Hockey will provide the most realistic hockey
 video game simulation ever. Look for Brett Hull Hockey to
 arrive in stores by the end of June. 
 
 Hardball Baseball will provide a graphically and
 statistically true-to-life simulation of real baseball.
 Players will have the added option of customizing teams
 and scheduling themselves for one game, a playoff series or
 an entire season. Special software builds players'
 statistics as games New Atari Sports Titles are played
 making Hardball Baseball even more realistic. Atari plans
 to ship Hardball Baseball before the 1995 All-Star game,
 if there is one this year.
 
 Jack Nicklaus Cyber Golf, a CD title, is a photo-realistic
 golf game for the Jaguar that utilizes over 9,000 images of
 Murfield Village Golf Course. This course is the first that
 Jack Nicklaus created and is the site of the annual
 Memorial Tournament. Well-known sports presenter David
 Livingston acts as a virtual commentator to teach the
 first-time player how to play the game or provide comments
 and suggestions for the more experienced players. Up to a
 foursome can play Jack Nicklaus Cyber Golf, and the CD is
 expected to ship late this spring.
 
 Additional sport titles scheduled for the first half of
 1995 include Troy Aikman NFL Football (Williams
 Entertainment), White Men Can't Jump (TriMark), CD League
 Bowling (V Real) and Sensible Soccer (Telegames).
 
 Atari Corporation markets interactive multimedia
 entertainment systems, including Jaguar, the world's first
 and only 64-bit game system, and the only video game system
 manufactured in the United States. Atari is headquartered
 at 1196 Borregas Avenue, Sunnyvale, California 94089.
 
 ---
 
 Jaguar is a trademark of Atari Corporation. Atari is a
 registered trademark of Atari corporation. Other products
 named may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their
 owning companies.
 
 ###
 CONTACT:
    Atari Corporation         Ron Beltramo   408/745-8852
    Edelman Public Relations  David Harrah   415/968-4033
 
 For Immediate Release
 
 ATARI JAGUAR, INTERACTIVE ENTERTAINMENT'S BIG CAT
 
 SUNNYVALE, CALIF. - Jan. 6, 1995 -- Atari Jaguar, the
 biggest cat in the interactive multimedia entertainment
 industry, is earning roars of approval from enthusiastic
 owners. Gamers laud the Jaguar-the world's first and only
 64-bit interactive multimedia home entertainment system-as
 the "future of video gaming."
 
 The Jaguar's high-speed animation; realistic, textured 3D
 graphics; CD quality sound; vivid color images; sleek,
 high-tech system design; and advanced controller with
 customizable 12-button keypad has shredded the competition
 and earned consumer accolades. Delighted Jaguar enthusiasts
 praise the Jag's feline grace as "the first of its kind."
 
 Some samples of the Cat's fan mail, culled from letters and
 electronic mail received at Atari Headquarters include:
 
 -- "The future of video gaming has arrived!" Jeff Kovack
    proclaims. "The graphics are the hottest thing I've seen
    for any platform, and the gameplay is addictively
    intoxicating. The images on the screen are so vivid and
    colorful, it's nearly as much fun watching someone else
    play ...  Hats off to our friends at Atari for creating
    this incredible machine."
 
 -- "Jaguar is hot,"  Marty Mankins agrees.
 
 -- "It is the sleekest looking piece of entertainment
    hardware I have ever seen," James Thornhill Jr.
    declares.
 
 -- "From the esthetics of the console to the hardware, I
    love it!" Allen Chang writes.
 
 -- "Thank you ... Proud parent of a two pound baby
    Jaguar!!!!"
 
 -- "Jaguar, as a game machine with 64 bits, is in a class
    by itself-the first of its kind anywhere in the world,"
    Evan Mullaney says.
 
 The Jag's unprecedented system performance pummels
 competitors. Its 64-bit architecture allows the Jag to
 process more than 100 times as much data at one time than
 16-bit games and twice as much as 32-bit games. Delightd
 gamers experience the ultimate in speed, graphic
 performance and animation action. 
 
 -- "(Jaguar) definitely beats 3DO by a mile," Nathan Wong
    writes. "I've been playing with our 3DO unit for more
    than a month and a half and it doesn't even come close
    to the speed and resolution of the Jaguar! This machine
    is everything I thought it would be and more."
 
 -- "I've been out of the video game market since the
    original Nintendo system and after hearing about the
    Jaguar, I bought it sight unseen," Ed Kraft explains.
    "Being a computer technician and operator of 486 and
    Pentium-based computers, I was very impressed with the
    specs of the Jaguar. Seeing it only added to my
    excitement about the system."
 
 -- "Well, I don't know how to say this, but my mother-who
    is 46 years old-loves the Jaguar. Now, I have to tell
    you, she never liked to use the ST or the TT, no matter
    how simple the application," writes one Jaguar
    enthusiast. "But with the Jaguar she's getting top
    scores in Crescent Galaxy and that's a big plus. Most of
    the time she never looked at a video game. Now she's
    having fun!!!"
 
 Alien Vs. Predator and Doom Atari's white hot first-person
 perspective, virtual adventures, have electrified gamers
 with their high-powered weapons, fast action and immersive
 game play.
 
 -- "Just got my Alien Vs. Predator today," says Albert
    Dayes. "Was it worth the wait?  YES!"
 
 -- "Hey, this is Doom!"  E-mailed Bill Glaholt.  "It's the
    game I told myself I'd wait for to come out on the Jag
    before trying it on the PC. For myself, I would rate
    this game a 95 out of 100.  It's lightning fast and has
    that 'Wow' factor that -- let's face it -- SNES would
    fall all over themselves to try to get."
 
 -- "Alien Vs. Predator showed up Friday night at our local
    Babbages and since we had $50 between us, we couldn't
    pass it up," Brian and Dan McKenzie explain. "They had
    about eight copies of the game-all of which had been
    reserved in a three or four hour period, no less!  But
    somebody didn't show up to get theirs so they sold it to
    us. The game is great!  What a huge world!"
 
 -- "People were knocked flat. Their kids dragged them into
    the store to try it, " says Dolores Lesica. "Alien vs.
    Predator gets a 10 from me."
 
 -- "Just wanted to write a quick note to tell you that
    (Atari) has produced one great game,"  writes Robert A.
    Fleming. "(In my humble opinion, Atari Vs. Predator) is
    one of the greatest games ever. It has been well worth
    the wait."
 
 -- "The game is GREAT," Ralph Barbagallo writes of Alien
    Vs. Predator. "It's almost like getting three games in
    one.  ...  The graphics are fantastic and the game is
    very engaging."
 
 -- I just bought Doom for my Jaguar and I am very happy
    with it," writes Paul, a Proud Jaguar Owner. "It just
    blows away the Doom for the 32X. I should know. I also
    own the 32X."
 
 -- "I love this game!" Danny Miskin says. "My younger
    brother says (Alien Vs. Predator) could be the best game
    out for any system right now."
 
 Atari Corporation markets interactive multimedia
 entertainment systems, including Jaguar, the world's first
 and only 64-bit game system, and the only video game system
 manufactured in the United States. Atari is headquartered
 at 1196 Borregas Avenue, Sunnyvale, California 94089.
 
 ---
 
 Jaguar is a trademark of Atari Corporation. Atari is a
 registered trademark of Atari corporation. Other products
 named may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their
 owning companies.
 
 ###
 CONTACT:
    Atari Corporation         Ron Beltramo   408/745-8852
    Edelman Public Relations  David Harrah   415/968-4033
 
 For Immediate Release
 
 ATARI CORPORATION TO EXPAND JAGUAR PERIPHERALS
 
 SUNNYVALE, CALIF. - Jan. 6, 1995 -- New peripherals in 1995
 are a key part of the system expansion plans for the 64-bit
 Jaguar Interactive Multimedia system, Atari Corporation
 today announced. "Since Jaguar has already made the leap to
 64-bit technology, we can focus on providing even more
 value to consumers by expanding the system with new and
 innovative peripherals," said Sam Tramiel, CEO of Atari
 Corporation. "By the end of the year, players will link
 multiple systems, play each other over the phone and
 venture into new virtual reality environments with their
 Jaguar systems."
 
 Networking Jaguar systems through use of the Jag Link cable
 enables the playing of network compatible Jaguar games on
 different systems up to 100 feet away from each other. The
 Jag Link cable system can support at least two simultaneous
 game players at once, depending on the software. The system
 uses standard RJ11 phone line cable to link two Jaguar
 interactive game systems and implements reliable
 differential pair technology. The Jag Link cable is
 expected to be available for sale in the second quarter of
 1995 at a suggested retail price of $29.99.
 
 The Jaguar Voice/Data Communicator allows players to link
 to each other over the phone. The new technology, developed
 with Phylon Communications, Inc., leaders in the fax/modem/
 voice technology field, not only permits two players to
 play against each other using the phone connection, but to
 speak with each other by using a headset. By utilizing a
 "call waiting" feature, users can also pause a game to
 answer a phone call. The Jaguar Voice/Data Communicator
 comes complete with a stereo headset and is expected to be
 available by the third quarter 1995 at a suggested retail
 price of less than $150.
 
 Also planned for 1995 delivery is Atari's virtual reality
 headset, now under development with Virtuality Group plc,
 the leader in virtual reality technology and arcade games.
 The two companies officially joined forces in October to
 create the world's first immersive virtual reality games
 for the home market. The virtual reality headset should be
 available to consumers by Christmas 1995 with a targeted
 price of less than $200.
 
 Atari Corporation markets interactive mutimedia
 entertainment systems, including Jaguar, the world's first
 and only 64-bit game system, and the only video game system
 manufactured in the United States. Atari is headquartered
 at 1196 Borregas Avenue, Sunnyvale, California 94089.
 
 ---
 
 Jaguar is a trademark of Atari Corporation. Atari is a
 registered trademark of Atari Corporation. Other products
 named may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their
 owning companies.
 
 ###
 CONTACT:
    Atari Corporation         Ron Beltramo   408/745-8852
    Edelman Public Relations  David Harrah   415/968-4033
 
 For Immediate Release
 
 ATARI CORPORATION DEBUTS CD PLAYER FOR JAGUAR AT $149.99
 
 SUNNYVALE, CALIF. - Jan. 6, 1995 -- Prepare to shift your
 Jaguar into overdrive.
 
 Atari Corporation Friday announced that its new compact
 disc multimedia peripheral will be available in the first
 quarter, priced at an amazingly affordable $149.99,
 including a CD game. The CD player, which plugs into the
 top of the 64-bit Atari Jaguar Interactive Multimedia
 System, plays CD-based Jaguar video games and standard
 audio compact discs.
 
 The Jaguar CD player provides 790 megabytes of raw data
 storage to allow for the incorporation of many complex
 digitized images, full-motion video sequences and loads of
 CD-quality audio soundtracks into Jaguar games.
 
 The powerful double speed Jaguar CD player incorporates
 incredibly fast access speed for smoother game play and its
 massive data capacity provides better graphical detail,
 expanded plot lines and more characters, which all add up
 to more immersive and challenging games. The first titles
 available for the Jaguar CD player include: Battlemorph,
 Blue Lightning, Highlander, Demolition Man and Creature
 Shock, with many more to come.
 
 Atari's new CD Multimedia player includes the Virtual Light
 Machine (VLM), which creates and displays light patterns on
 the video screen in response to music played through the
 system. The result is a stunning light show. There are 81
 different pattern settings available on the VLM. The VLM is
 built into the Jaguar CD Multimedia player.
 
 "We want the Atari Jaguar to be the best value in the
 gaming market, as well as, the most advanced system
 technologically," said Sam Tramiel, CEO of Atari
 Corporation.
 
 "With the new Jaguar CD Multimedia player, Jaguar owners
 will be able to play incredible CD-based videogames, listen
 to audio discs and watch the VLM. This combination of the
 most advanced technology, great software and affordable
 pricing is what sets Jaguar apart from the competition."
 
 Atari Corporation markets interactive multimedia
 entertainment systems, including Jaguar, the world's first
 and only 64-bit game system, and the only video game system
 manufactured in the United States. Atari is headquartered
 at 1196 Borregas Avenue, Sunnyvale, Calif. 94089.
 
 --
 
 Jaguar is a trademark of Atari Corporation. Atari is a
 registered trademark of Atari Corporation. Other products
 named may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their
 owning companies. VLM is a trademark of Atari Corporation.
 
 ###
 CONTACT:
    Atari Corporation         Ron Beltramo   408/745-8852
    Edelman Public Relations  David Harrah   415/968-4033
 
 For Immediate Release
 
 ATARI ANNOUNCES WINNING LINE-UP OF JAGUAR TITLES
 
 SUNNYVALE, CALIF. - Jan. 6, 1995 -- By this summer, fans
 of the first and only 64-bit game system in the world
 will have more than 50 games to choose from, including
 dozens of brand new Jaguar game titles.
 
 "Alien vs. Predator, Wolfenstein 3D, Doom, Kasumi Ninja,
 Iron Soldier and Tempest 2000 were the top-rated Jaguar
 titles for 1994," said Sam Tramiel, president and CEO of
 Atari Corporation. "In the first half of 1995, we expect
 many hit titles, including Fight for Life, Space War 2000,
 Hover Strike, Ultra Vortex and Rayman. These and other
 titles will substantially increase the Jaguar library."
 Below are descriptions of these upcoming hits:
 
 Fight for Life: This 3-D fighting game, produced and
 published by Atari, is set in hell, with each character
 striving for the ultimate prize: the chance to gain
 redemption and live again. Players choose one fighter from
 among eight different characters. They then battle the
 remaining characters one-by-one and proceed to the final
 showdown with the end boss. As they defeat each opponent,
 players can select up to two of each character's five
 special moves, in effect creating their own truly unique
 fighting character. (Do the math: The possibilities are
 endless.)
 
 To create 3-D animation of unsurpassed fluidity and
 realism, the production team used state-of-the-art motion
 capture technology that incorporated the movements of live
 martial arts experts performing nearly 200 different moves.
 Artists then exploited the Jaguar's 64-bit system to create
 stunning 3-D graphics that bring the characters to life.
 According to Edge Magazine (December 1994), "The skyline
 background looks impressive and the moves are
 well-animated." "Atari's Fight for Life puts a floating
 camera around the 3-D fighting. Jaguar owners will soon
 have a 3-D fighting game to call their own," remarked a
 reviewer at GamePro (January 1995).
 
 Space War 2000: In their intergalactic jousts, space
 knights vie for old-fashioned glory, honor, fame and
 fortune. As they emerge victorious from each battle, they
 procure such weapons as laser shots, missiles, shields and
 cloaking devices. This first-person perspective 3-D
 adventure, produced by Atari, is fun for single players and
 spectacular as a two-player game. "First-person gaming is
 reaching a new high, and Space War 2000 is positioning to
 be a contender in that wild and crowded race," stated a
 reviewer at EGM2 (January 1995).
 
 Hover Strike: The mission: To lead the rebels in an attempt
 to vanquish the formidable Space Pirates from the planet.
 The weapon: A high speed hover tank armed with rapid fire
 cannons, powerful missiles, on board radar and protective
 shields.  This game, published by Atari, uses the Jaguar's
 64-bit technology to deliver an action-packed, fully
 texture-mapped, first-person perspective 3-D battle. Ken
 Williams of Electronic Gaming Monthly says, "The first-
 person perspective serves this game well, adding a new
 dimension to the genre."
 
 Ultra Vortex: In this game, produced by Beyond games,
 players test their fighting skills in a nether world
 tournament. They can choose among eight valiant fighters
 from different dimensions before the final battle with the
 evil entity. Amazing sounds and graphics inspired a game
 reviewer from Electronic Gaming Monthly to write, "Ultra
 Vortex will make some people stop and turn their heads."
 
 Rayman: Ten-year old Jimmy creates a stunning imaginary
 kingdom called "Hereitscool" in his computer and transforms
 himself into Rayman, a fantasy hero who combats the forces
 of evil to save his friends. Here's what DieHard GameFan
 had to say about this winning title from UBI Soft:
 "Absolutely brilliant looking. The control is perfect and
 the artwork is phenomenal." 
 
 Atari Corporation markets interactive multimedia
 entertainment systems, including Jaguar, the world's first
 and only 64-bit system, and the only video game system
 manufactured in the United States. Atari is headquartered
 at 1196 Borregas Avenue, Sunnyvale, California 94089.
 
 ---
 
 Jaguar is a trademark of Atari Corporation. Atari is a
 registered trademark of Atari Corporation. Other products
 named may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their
 owning companies. Ultra Vortex (TM) is a trademark of
 Beyond Games, Inc. Rayman (TM) is a trademark of UBI Soft.
 
  -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
  | CLEVELAND FREE-NET WILL PRESENT __FREE__ COMPLIMENTARY USAGE TIME     |
  | to the readers of:                                                    |
  |                                                                       |
  |                            CAIN Newsletter                            |
  |                                                                       |
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  | menu ("Please enter 1 or 2:"), enter "2" to log in as a visitor.  At  |
  | the next menu, enter "2" again to explore the system.  You will then  |
  | read an opening disclaimer and a login bulletin, then be sent to the  |
  | main Free-Net menu.  Once inside, type "go atari".  Follow the menus  |
  | to read Atari-related discussions, reviews, news, and information.    |
  | In order to post messages, send e-mail, vote, chat online, and sign   |
  | a user directory, you need a Free-Net account.  Apply for a Free-Net  |
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  |                                                                       |
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  | require payment for the usage of the system.                          |
  |                                                                       |
  | The Cleveland Free-Net has an Atari SIG comparable to other systems.  |
  | The Atari SIG carries _ALL_ Z*Magazine issues.  Z*Net & ST Report     |
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  |                                                                       | 
  =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=


8-Bit Computers Support Area
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Michael Current

This month, we have four news announcements, plus a close look at the
Atari XMM801 by Joe Walsh.  I hope you enjoy it! 

8-Bit Product News
------------------
CONTENTS:
Atari 8-Bit Support From Richard Gore
New 8-bit Publication (Omnibus)
Fine Tooned Update
PPP Products to the U.S. (DGS)

\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
Atari 8-Bit Support From Richard Gore

From: CHMRIG@EAST-01.NOVELL.LEEDS.AC.UK (R. GORE)
Date: 20 Dec 1994 07:48:59 -0600

                ATARI 8-BIT SUPPORT FROM RICHARD GORE
                -------------------------------------
            
ARENA         XL/XE 64K   Disk only           PRICE: #5  ($10)
-----    The full 50 level version of the excellent puzzle game that
         was a demo bonus on Page 6's issue 66 disk. You must guide
a set number of balls to the exit by strategically positioning pieces
of wall. Good graphics and very addictive.

BUBBLE ZONE   XL/XE 64K   Disk only           PRICE: #5  ($10)
-----------  A fast blast em set on a grid being invaded by expanding
             bubbles. Collect the tokens and see how far you can
             advance. Original gameplay and top notch grpahics make
this a game of high quality.
            
JAWBREAKER    16K  Disk, Tape, Rambit Turbo tape   PRICE: #4  ($8)
----------   Classic maze game based on Pac-Man, munch the sweets but
             don't forget that important dental hygiene!  Two
different mazes are supplied which were originally sold as separate
games. Double the value.

MOUSEKATTACK  48K  Disk, Tape, Rambit Turbo tape   PRICE: #4  ($8)
------------   Another classic maze game, but this one involves you
               plumbing the levels of Rat Alley. Addictive arcade
action with a simultaneous two player mode.

MAZE GAMES OFFER:  Buy both Jawbreaker and Mousekattack in one pack
                   for the bargain price of #6.95  ($14)!!!!

GTRACKER      XL/XE 64K   Disk only          PRICE: #6.50   ($14)
--------    A new sequencer program for Replay (or Parrot) compatible
            digitised sound samples. You can construct your own digi-
tunes using your own samples. Supplied with several sample tunes, a
player program, 4 page manual and a free PD demo disk showing just
what can be achieved. Now also supports stereo playback of your tunes
on a suitable upgraded machine. We will also be releasing extra tune
data disks in the future.

SUPER PRINT LAB XE    XL/XE 128K   Disk only     PRICE: #6.95  ($15)
------------------   A new monochrome design and print program
                     developed for 128k (130XE type memory) users.
Features include the usual arrary of drawing tools as well as programs
to create icons, split a screen, mix 2 screens and a mini database for
creating labels. Printer support is included for Atari 1029, Epson
compatibles and the Atari 1020 in upto 4 colours!! Yorky compatible.

YORKY 256K MEMORY UPGRADE
-------------------------
   A 256k memory upgrade that simply plugs into the PBI port of your
800XL (or internal 64k 600XL). NO soldering is required. Supplied
ready to plug in and use with all the necessary RAM chips, the manual
and a disk of support software.
 VERY FEW UNITS LEFT. THIS COULD BE YOUR LAST CHANCE TO OBTAIN ONE.

PRICE: #50 +p&p  (UK #2, EC #3.50, WORLD #5)  or  $90 complete.

I also have limited stocks of the following commercial software items.
The software items below are brand new, in their original packaging,
with English manual(s) and most are still shrink wrapped.

Halley Patrol  (disk) #4.00  ($9)
Summer Games   (disk) #5.25  ($11)
Cyborg Warrior (disk) #5.25  ($11)
Dropzone       (disk) #5.25  ($11)
Solar Star     (disk) #5.25  ($11)    also known as Sun Star!

Gato           (rom)  #6.95  ($15)
Desert Falcon  (rom)  #6.95  ($15)

All software prices include postage and packing to UK addresses,
overseas please add #2 per order. Prices in US$ include shipping but
payment must be made in US$ cash (notes only please - no coins).
UK pounds are accepted in cash, cheque (made payable to Richard Gore), 
IMO or postal order.  Contact address:-

RICHARD GORE, 79 SPROTBROUGH ROAD, SPROTBROUGH, DONCASTER, DN5 8BW,
ENGLAND

Telephone: (01302) 784642   after 7pm (GMT) weekdays
                            any reasonable time at the weekends

E-mail:  chmrig@leeds.ac.uk

Coming soon...... new software from Germany, Golf Tour 94 (maybe 95!)
and more. Updates will be posted to the Digest.


\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
New 8-bit Publication

From: d.paterson2@genie.geis.com
Date: 18 Dec 1994 13:16:52 -0600

Have you ordered your copy of The Omnibus yet?  This catalog of Atari 8-bit
 hardware and software is a great source for all users, featuring products
 from three continents.  For only $5, you'll get your own copy sent out in
 its own protective envelope.
 
So rush your order to:
 
D.A. Paterson
 Attn: Atari 8-bit Omnibus
 PO Box 342
 Cote-St-Luc, QU  H4V 2Y5
 Canada
 
Make cheques or money orders payable to D.A. Paterson
 
Volume discounts for as few as five copies!  Email for more details.
 
David A. Paterson, Editor and Publisher
 
D.Paterson2@genie.geis.com

 
\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
Fine Tooned Update

From: F Tooned <ftooned@delphi.com>
Date: Sat, 17 DEC 94 10:49:45 -0500
 
The MIO II hasn't been shipped yet.  The boards will be going into final
production this week.  The Sweet 16 boards are finished, and WILL be shipping
during the next week.  The Sweet 16 will sell for $69.95, and is a plug
in 65816 replacement for the Atari 6502C processor.  It will be bundled
with a full Atari 65816 assembler and editor, along with programming
examples, and utilities.
 
FTe will be sponsoring a 65816 programming contest through May '95,
and is offering some pretty amazing prizes. (more later)
Most of the new code development here will be based around the '816,
including plans for SpartaDOS "816".  Check out the December issue
of Atari Classics for a full review, along with a new series of
articles and projects for the '816 written by Bob Woolley.
 
It's been pretty busy around here and the phones have been down
for the past couple weeks.  A new voice mail system has been installed,
 
and things should be back to normal by the first of the year.
 
Merry Christmas everyone.  Thanks for a great year!!      Mike


\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
PPP PRODUCTS TO THE U.S.

From: dx107@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Dean Garraghty)
Date: 3 Dec 1994 05:11:08 -0600

INTERNATIONAL DISTRIBUTION OF POWER PER POST (GERMANY) PRODUCTS

We are pleased to announce that DGS are now able to sell ALL Power Per Post 
products outside of the UK.

The versions we will be supplying are the International versions, with full 
English instruction manuals, and full English prompts, etc. within the 
software itself.

The current range of products available in the International PPP range are 
shown below, along with their prices in US$ and (UK pounds): 

QUICK Programming language with support disk 1:  $37  (18.50)

Screen Aided Management (S.A.M) package with Budget
(spreadsheet) and Utils extensions disk:  $44  (22)

S.A.M Designer - high-res graphics package for use with the 
above product:  $14  (6.95)

Quick Ed character editor (doesn't need QUICK to run):  $10  (4.95)

PPP Games pack (includes: Rubber Ball, Minesweeper,
Glaggs It!, Bombi): $26  (12.95)  ** SPECIAL OFFER PRICE **

QUICK Without the support disk:  $28  (13.95)

QUICK support disk 1 separately: $10  (4.95)

Screen Aided Management:  $28  (13.95)

S.A.M. Budget separately:  $14  (6.95)

S.A.M. Util Extensions disk separately: $8  (3.95)

PPP Games separately:  $10  (4.95) EACH

I'm sure you've all seen info on most of this stuff floating around on the 
net, so you should already know all t few years has been
to own at least one of each of the hardware devices produced by Atari,
I figured if it didn't work out it wouldn't be too great of a loss.
     Anyway, presented here are all the specifications on it I could
find.  Since Brad sent me a brand new, in the box, never before opened
XMM801, I do have the manual to refer to. :)
     Essentially, what I wanted was three things out of this printer:
Something faster than the 1025; graphics capability; and the Atari brand
name (sure, I could hook up my Panasonic KXP-1124 and get some GREAT
speed, but I'd rather use an Atari device).  Those three things are
exactly what I got.  If that is all you care about, then read no further.
But, if you are like me and want to know more, read on.
 
     Atari XMM801 Printer Data:
 
Print/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

8-Bit Feature Article
---------------------

Atari XMM801 Printer Notes

From: Joe Walsh <ransom22@delphi.com>
Date: Sat, 17 DEC 94 17:11:18 -0500
 
     About three months ago, I had asked about the specifications
of the Atari XMM801 printer.  While I did get some information, I didn't
get answers to all my pesky questions. :)  I then called BEST, and
asked Brad how fast the machine was. He said, "Slow.  If you want fast,
buy a Japanese printer."  When I asked what the exact CPS was, he
said he didn't know offhand.
     Well,they were only $99.95, so I bought one without really
knowing what it could do.  Since my goal for the past few years has been
to own at least one of each of the hardware devices produced by Atari,
I figured if it didn't work out it wouldn't be too great of a loss.
     Anyway, presented here are all the specifications on it I could
find.  Since Brad sent me a brand new, in the box, never before opened
XMM801, I do have the manual to refer to. :)
     Essentially, what I wanted was three things out of this printer:
Something faster than the 1025; graphics capability; and the Atari brand
name (sure, I could hook up my Panasonic KXP-1124 and get some GREAT
speed, but I'd rather use an Atari device).  Those three things are
exactly what I got.  If that is all you care about, then read no further.
But, if you are like me and want to know more, read on.
 
     Atari XMM801 Printer Data:
 
Printing Method:  Impact Dot Matrix
Printing Speed:   80 characters per second at 10 characters per inch
Print Direction:  Bidirectional with logic-seeking capability
                  [So, even tho it is nominally only twice as fast
                   as the 1025, since it prints bi-directionally while
                   the 1025 does not, you do not lose the carriage
                   return time with the XMM801, making it even faster.]
Number of Pins:   8  [Okay, not so great, but . . . better than the
                      1025's 7 pins]
Character Matrix: 8 dots high by 9 dots wide
 
Character modes:
Noninternational: Full 96 ASCII character set
International:    91 ASCII and 36 international characters
 
Graphics:         8 dots high by 480 dots per line at normal
                  density (960 dots per line at high density);
                  dot addressable
 
Horizontal pitches:  Pica, Double Width Pica, Elite, Double Width Elite,
                     Condensed, Double Width Condensed
 
Line Spacing:     1/6 inch unless programmed otherwise
 
Line-Feed Speed:  Maximum 5 per second at 6 lines per inch
Paper-feed method: Sprocket feed or friction feed
Paper-feed direction:  Forward
Overall paper-width range:  4 to 10 inches
 
Paper thickness:   .002 to .006 inches; one original plus one copy max.
Paper types:       Fanfold pin-feed paper and single-sheets
Paper entry:       Rear
Ribbon:            Cartridge containing multi-strike carbon film ribbon
                   with life expectancy of one million characters.
Buffer Size:       80 bytes
Interface:         Atari standard serial
 
Physical characteristics:
  Height:          4-1/2 inches
  Width:           15-1/2 inches
  Depth:           11-1/8 inches
  Weight:          Approximately 10.1 lbs.
 
     Still with me?  Good. :)  the above is taken directly from
Owner's Manual.
     The following is stuff I found out in using it, or by other
research:
     It is capable of reverse-feed.  For instance, it uses this when
printing in two columns; it prints the first column all the way to the
end of the page, then reverses to the top, and prints the second column.
 
     It is capable of using all of the AtariWriter/Atariwriter+
print features and modes.  It does underline and boldface printing.
It also does superscripts and subscripts (very readable!).
     The ribbons print REALLY nicely.  While normal nylon-type
ribbons are available for it, the carbon-film ribbons give a much
nicer image,and don't dry out. :)
     Ribbons cost anywhere from $8.50 to $9.95, depending on where
you shop.
     
     Essentially, this printer is the 825 with faster printing and
graphics.
     Oh, and the descenders aren't TRUE, per se.  They do go
one pin below the bottom of the other characters.  Normal printers
go at least one more pin lower.  But, this does alleviate the "smashed"
look you get with 7 pin printers.
     Using the XMM801 Print Shop driver available from B&C Computer-
visions, I tried out the printer's graphics features.  It comes out
very nicely, if slowly.  Lines are well-formed, dark and clean.  Pictures
come out well, considering it is a printer from 1985 -- not something to
show the boss, but nothing you would be ashamed of showing to friends
and family members. :)
 
     That about covers it.  If there is anything that I didn't cover
in these notes, tell me what you want to know and I will try to find
out.
 
Thanks for reading,
 
Joe


8-Bit Commentary
----------------
To Atari 8-bit computer users everywhere,

H a p p y   N e w   Y e a r ! !

Until next month,
                 -Michael Current


16/32-bit Support Area
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Thomas Main

16/32-bit Product Reviews
-------------------------

                             Tabby Graphics Tablet
                             ---------------------
                                  Thomas Main


    In the early eighties, the first Atari computers established themselves as
excellent game machines.  This was due in large part to their superior graphics
capabilities.  During that time, most people conceded that the Apple II was the
computer to buy for productivity and the Atari for games and graphics.
As computers became more advanced, the fields of graphics and productivity
became inevitably entwined and we started to see some genuine graphics
productivity programs.  The ST line of Atari computers, although graphically
interesting, gave up the graphics high-ground to the Amiga and concentrated on
midi and productivity applications.  But today, with souped-up STs, TTs with
graphics boards, and the Falcon, Atari computers can contend in the graphics
arena with confidence once again.
    If you use your Atari for graphics applications, particularly if you draw
or paint original artwork, you will have noticed that the weak link between
your imagination and artistry and what you see on the screen is your mouse.
Enter the Tabby graphics tablet.
    The Tabby graphics tablet is an alternate input device which allows you to
substitute your mouse with a handheld stylus and drawing tablet.  The advantage
of using the stylus instead of a mouse is obvious in drawing applications--you
can manipulate a pen or pencil with greater precision than you can manipulate a
mouse.  The degree of precision enabled by using a graphics tablet is
remarkable, it is MUCH easier to draw straight lines, circles and curves for
freehand drawing and it is even possible to overlay an existing image on the
tablet and trace it--try that with a mouse!
    The Tabby graphics tablet is a nice hard/soft addition to your Atari
computer. It is compatible with a 520ST-Falcon (a degree of compatibility that
is rare, but VERY nice) and you can use the hardware with an IBM-clone machine
running Windows with the appropriate driver.  The Tabby tablet uses the serial
port to connect to your computer.  By default, the tablet comes with a 9-pin
connector, but it can easily be converted to fit a 25-pin serial port using an
adaptor. One nice feature of the Tabby tablet is that it can be used in
conjunction with your mouse.  Since your ST mouse is driven through its own
port rather than the serial port, there is no problem leaving both devices
attached. This is an especially nice feature when using a program that requires
a lot of mouse clicks, because even though the stylus has a nib that that can
be used for mouseclicks, and the software can be configured to recognize nib
clicks and keyboard combinations to emulate right mouse button activity, it's
nice to have the old standby mouse handy.
    The graphics tablet is a small device, measuring only 6.69" by 5.7", with
the active screen area being 5.03" by 3.77".  If you're considering buying this
device, draw out the active area on a piece of paper and make sure you're
comfortable drawing within it.  For freehand drawing, I haven't found the area
to be a limiting factor, but anything you might want to trace has to fit those
dimensions (access to a reducing copier can be a benefit here).  The Tabby
graphics tablet is an absolute pointing device, which simply means that the
area of the tablet matches the area of your screen on a 1:1 proportion.  The ST
mouse, being a relative pointing device, works slightly differently.  The area
of your mousepad, for instance, does not absolutely match the area of your
screen--particularly if you change resolutions.  If you're moving to the right
on your screen with your mouse and run out of room on the mousepad, you simply
pick up the mouse, move it in the opposite direction, and start moving right
again till you reach the screen edge.  With the Tabby graphics tablet, the
right edge of the screen is reached when you reach the right edge of the
graphics tablet.  This takes a little getting used to, but within thirty
minutes, you'll have complete mastery of the stylus and tablet (picking up the
mouse afterward feels very awkward--like trying to pick up an object when your
hand has been asleep when everything feels numb).
    The Tabby Tablet is attached to the computer through a thin cable, about
half the diameter of your mouse cable which gives it a very fragile feel.  I
wish the cable was a little more substantial. The stylus is similarly attached
to the tablet through another thin cable.  I thought the attached stylus would
get in my way, and although it's not as nice as a free stylus, I can't say it
has really bothered me.  The stylus has a nib at its point which acts like a
mouse button.  Only a gentle press is required for the nib, which I found much
more elegant and easy to use than I imagined--I've even gotten in the habit of
double-clicking it instead of using a keyboard key in combination with the
nib-click to double-click.
    The Tabby tablet comes with a software driver for the Atari computer that
is run through the AUTO folder and an accessory that can be used to configure
the way Tabby works.  The Tabby works through the serial port at 9600 baud,
which causes a slight annoyance to modem users as they will have to disable the
Tabby driver and reboot to use their modems, unless they happen to use 9600
baud modems. Also, Falcon and ST owners with have to share those machine's
single serial port with their modems and the Tabby, making it necessary a plug
switch. The configuration software, which runs as an accessory, is very
complete.  It allows you to set the active area of the tablet--you can set the
active area to be smaller than the total area of the tablet for greater mouse
speed.  Mostly, though, this should be set to include all the area on the
tablet (it's quite fast as it is).  The configuration software also allows you
to set the acceleration speed for optimal drawing speed and accuracy, and
finally it allows you to configure how the stylus' single nib can emulate both
the left, right, double-click, and simultaneous click that your mouse offers.
For this purpose, keyboard equivalents can be brought into play, or, if your
favorite programs already use keyboard equivalents, options to use either your
mouse or even a joystick in combination with the stylus are provided--this
level of detail ensures that you can use the Tabby with most applications.  A
couple of incompatibilities the manual warns about are Deluxe Paint and
autobooting games. Apparently, Degas Elite will register only Tabby's relative,
rather than absolute, position.  I have had no problem using Tabby with many
applications, even some games I experimented with.  However, I use Tabby
primarily with TruePaint, and find it to be a very compatible and a joy to use.
    Tabby is often advertised with another software package called Quill. Quill
is made to work with a graphics tablet, but is not necessary for the operation
or enjoyment of the Tabby tablet.  In fact, I have found this package to be
overpriced, lacking in features, and frankly, misleading in several of its
claims (particularly the claim that it is a vector-based drawing package).  I
would strongly recommend using Quill before purchasing it to see if it's for
you.  As for the Tabby graphics tablet--I give it an unqualified thumbs-up!


                          Stello 2 by Claus J. Pedersen
                          -----------------------------

Review by Mark Stephen Smith (msh@dl.ac.uk)


Stello 2 is the latest version of the Othello program by Claus J. Pedersen.  It
contains several improvements over it's earlier incarnation.  The program 
utilises a GEM interface and is well constructed.  The program is shareware
and as such has a few options missing from the unregistered version.  The game
is in no way crippled and is still very playable without the complete set of
options.

This review is based upon the complete registered version as kindly donated by
Claus.  Using GEM it manages to maintain high compatibilty across Atari
platforms and this review is based on it's use on both my ST and Falcon.

Some Background.

As I said earlier the game Stello is based upon the game Othello.  The game 
Othello is an old board game set on an eight by eight grid.  The pieces consist
of two types of counter, black and white.  The game is two player with one 
player choosing white and the other vice versa.  At the start of the game the 
board is set out with four counters in a square in the middle of the board, two
white and two black.  Colours which are the same are at diagonals to each other
in this two by two square of counters.

Movement is in any direction and the players take turns.  Movement however is 
only possible by placing a counter of your colour on the other side of an
opponents, therefore making all your opponents counters between your first
and last counter into your own colour.  If it is not possible to place your
counter within a straight line in any direction across your opponents from any
of your counters then you can not move and have to miss that turn.

The player with the most counters on the board when the board is full is the
winner.  If the number is equal it is a draw.

Stello

Stello runs in any resolution with at least 640 pixels across and will use up
to 16 colours.  The board is presented in a window which doesn't take up much 
desktop space, using higher resolutions just gives you more space but doesn't 
increase the size of the board which is fixed.  The board can be moved around 
by dragging the window and is represented as a series of lines forming a grid
and circles in either black or white for the counters.

To improve the appearance it is possible to load a background picture into the
board.  Several are provided and can be chosen in 2, 4 and 16 colours.  It is 
also possible to add chess like notation at the sides of the board to work out
the position for moves.

There are several options available from the menu bar at the top of the screen.
Using these options you are able to save and load your game (there are some
pre-saved games for you to try).  You can choose to play against the computer,
a human opponent, or even watch while the computer plays itself.

The computer plays a very strong game and as such you have several options to 
help adjust the computers strength.  You can set the maximum time the computer
has to make a single move, the maximum time the computer has to think in the
entire game, and the number of consecutive moves the computer will think ahead.

Other options allow you to keep a log of all moves made via a table or a 
visual representation on a second board.  These are very nice features.  You 
can also force the computer to move, swap sides during a game, go back a move,
ask for the best move available to you and set up the board for a particular 
set of positions.

The program is both GDOS and MultiTos compatible and works well with both of
these.  The program is very stable and in the several hours I played with it I
never encountered a single error.  There are also facilities to print the
record f moves.  All this leads to just about all the features you could ask
for in a version of Othello for a computer.  Several of the menubar options
are also supported with keystroke equivalents.

Help is also provided with the aid of Hypertext, full documentation is in this
format and all the options are described using Hypertext.

Conclusion

Visually the program is tidy and with background graphics the display would
have to be considered a little better than functional.  However for this type
of game this is more than good enough.  Sound is non-existent, but again this
game does not need any sound.

Gamewise this plays a very good game of Othello, and when I say this I mean
very good!  This can be one of the programs weakest points however when playing
the computer.  Even with the moves ahead set to one, and the time to think set
to a minimum you'll still if a novice need a lot of practice to beat the
computer.  I have managed to beat it a few times on the odd occasion but you do
have to concentrate on the possible outcomes of everymove available to you.

Most fun can be derived in two player mode, and this is where I found the game
more entertaining, battling against a human opponent.  Other than to see how
the computers thinks and for a demo of the game, computer versus computer
serves little purpose and isn't very entertaining.

The option to save is good if you are taking your time and battling it out
against the computer on a harder level.  The game was designed to play the
strongest game it could and this is the only problem with the current version.
There is no adjustable level of skill as such for the computer, or no beginner
level.

Overall

If your looking for a game of Othello you could do a lot worse than to look at
Stello v2, although a little hard, in two player it can be fun.  I'd recommend
this and look out for the future versions.

Rating 83%

Future

As I write this the finishing touches should have been done to the next
version.

The next version makes all options available from the keyboard and will have
levels of difficulty introduced making it easier for the novice.  Keep an eye
out for this available at various FTP sites.


Atari Classic Gaming Corner
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Fred Horvat

Classic Gaming Feature Article
------------------------------

     Here's a text file I found on usenet a while back.  This should
help those looking for Atari 7800 controllers or wanting different
controllers for their 2600/7800:

CONVERTING JOYSTICKS/JOYPADS TO WORK WITH THE ATARI 7800
Version 1 (C) Copyright 1993, Grover P. Thomas 
grover@emunix.emich.edu -or- bp664@Cleveland.Freenet.edu

____________________________________________________________________________
Disclaimers:
You may distribute and/or archive this document reely, but only in its
entirety. You may not charge any money or fee for it.  All ideas contained
within remain the exclusive property of the author. Do not modify the content
in any way without consulting me first.  I take no responsibility for any
damage to any controller, equipment, or person as a result of anyone
performing this modification.  This information is provided as-is, and is
not guaranteed to work for everybody;  Nor is it in any way endorsed or
approved by any of the manufacturers mentioned.
____________________________________________________________________________

Parts Used                                    Tools Used
470 ohm 1/4 watt resistors                    Phillips screwdriver
Female Crimp-Type Connector with pins         Soldering iron
wire                                          Solder Sucker or desoldering mesh
D-9 Female connector (optional)
Hood for D-9 connector (optional)
Sega Master System joypad or compatible

The main focus of this article will be converting old Sega Master System
joypads to work on the Atari 7800.  These are the most convenient, since
they already have two buttons, but the same concepts can be used to
modify any standard Atari 2600-compatible joystick or pad.

The essence of the conversion is pretty simple, really.  The 7800 and
2600 joysticks are virtually similar (internally) with the exception
of the 7800 controller having 2 extra wires, and of course the extra
button.  Remember that the D-9 connector on the controller is female,
so it is wired as follows (note that colors are 'real' Atari joystick
wiring colors, and may be different on generic joysticks):

_________________
\ o5 o4 o3 o2 o1/
 \ o9 o8 o7 o6 /
  \___________/

pin #  2600 control     7800 control
  1    WHT- Up          WHT- Up
  2    BLU- Down        BLU- Down
  3    GRN- Left        GRN- Left
  4    BRN- Right       BRN- Right
  5    unused           RED- Button (R)ight (-)
  6    ORG- Button      ORG- Both buttons (+)
  7    unused           unused
  8    BLK- Ground(-)   BLK- Ground(-)
  9    unused           YLW- Button (L)eft  (-)


2600 control (button)

pin 6 ORG(+) --------------()------------BLK(-) pin 8
                      Button

7800 control (buttons)

                                       /----------YLW(-) pin 9
                            Button L  / 
                      /---------()---| YLW splits
                     /                \----/\/\/-----\ 
pin 6 ORG(+) -------| ORG splits           520 ohm    |---BLK(-) pin 8
                     \                /----/\/\/-----/
                      \---------()---|     520 ohm
                           Button R   \ RED splits
                                       \----------RED(-) pin 


Notice that on the 7800 controller, pins 5 and 9 are also used, which
can make it difficult to add the necessary wiring.  There are several
options at this point.  The easiest thing may be getting an old cord
from a broken 7800 controller.  If this is impractical for you, you
can lob off the D-9 from the Sega Master System (SMS) controller, and
rewire it to a replacement D-9 female (Radio Shack Cat. No. 276-1538).
If you do this, be sure to get the proper hood for it, too.

I tried a slightly more elegant (and difficult) approach.  First buy
one of those crimp-type connectors (Radio Shack Cat. No. 276-1428) for
the little crimp pins.  Next, dig up an electric drill with a thin
drill-bit (1/16 should be good).  You will need to drill the hole
for pin #5 all the way through.  On the SMS controller, pin 9 is
already wired, so no other drilling should be necessary.  Once the
little hole is bored all the way to through the back of the connector,
fit a long wire through the back of the connector and out through
the hole for pin #5.  This wire should be about the same gauge as
the ones already inside the control, and long enough to run all
the way up alongside the controller's cord (with some extra slack).
Now that the wire is threaded through the hole, strip some of the
insulation off the end, and put it in one of the crimp-pins and
crimp it all together.  Finally, gently force the pin into the
hole.  This make take several attempts (and several crimp-pins),
but you should be able to make it work eventually.  Needle-nose
pliers will help, just be sure not to totally bend or destroy
the crimp-pin, or you'll have to start over again.  If you continue
to have troubles, you may need to drill the hole a little, teeny
bit bigger.  Once you get the pin in the hole, check for continuity
to make sure power goes all the way up the wire.  You can use a meter
or just a battery and small lamp-bulb.  If it all works, you now have
a pin #5, and all the necessary wiring to make your 7800 controller.

[Note: the colors of wires in the SMS controllers do not correspond
to the colors in the Atari controllers.]

Take the circuit board(s) out of the SMS controller case.  You should be
able to see a White wire connected to the right button, and a Blue wire
connected to the left button.  These, and the direction controls, are
all grounded to the Black wire.  Disconnect the stiff wire between the
two circusolder the Blue and White wires from the button
controls.  On the SMS, the Blue wire (BLU) is pin 6, and the White
wire (WHT) is pin 9.  Solder the Blue wire to the contact that used
to be Ground for the two buttons (where the Black wire used to be).
[I was unable to find 520 ohm resistors at Radio Shack, but 470 ohm
resistors (Cat. No. 271-1317) seem to work fine.]  Solder a 1/4 watt
resistor where the Blue wire used to be, and another resistor where the
White wire used to be.  You need to leave enough of a lead on the
resistor to attach another wire, but not so much as to make fitting it
all back in the case too difficult.  Also solder the WHT wire where the
BLU wire used to be; This can be tricky, since you now have a resistor
soldered there too.  Next, solder your new wire, the one you had to
drill the hole for at pin 5, to the contact where the WHT wire used to
be.  Take the open leads of the two resistors, and solder them both to
the Black wire.  To illustrate, see below.  Cram everything back into
the case, screw it back together, and you should now have a working
7800 compatible joypad.

Sega Master System control (before)

  _____________ORG
 |                      WHT_________________
 |   ()-------BRN                           |
 |   |                  BLU____________     |
 ()--+--()----YLW                      |    |
     |                  BLK___         ()   ()
     ()-------RED             \         |    |
     |_______________/---------\________|____|
                      stiff wire

Converted SMS control (after)

                       __________________________________
  ____________ORG     /                                  |
 |                   | pin5______________________        |
 |   ()-------BRN     \_________________   |     |       |
 |   |                  WHT_____________|  |     |       |
 ()--+--()----YLW                     |    |     \       \
     |                  BLU__         ()   ()    /       /
     ()-------RED            \         |    |    \520ohm \ 520ohm
     |____________BLK         \________|____|    /       /
                  |______________________________|_______|


I have also performed this converison on a generic SMS controller (this
particular one is called Doc's "Replace-A-Pad" for Sega Master System)
but it has a single circuit board.  To make this modification, use a
sharp razor blade or knife to cut a chunk from the Ground lead for
the two buttons.  This way, the directional controls should still be
grounded to the Black wire, but the buttons aren't.  Scrape away some
of the green varnish, and solder the BLU wire directly to the exposed
lead.  Now you can perform the rest of the conversion.
__________________________________________________________________________
Master System is a registered trademark of Sega of America.
Atari 2600 and Atari 7800 are trademarks of Atari


Lynx Support Area
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Barry Cantin

Lynx News
---------

The following Lynx titles were shown at the Winter Consumer Electronics Show. 
It has been rumored, but not yet confirmed as of 1/19/95, that these titles are
now being manufactured by Atari Corp.  The fact that they were shown at the
WCES is a great sign for Lynx owners.

Eye of the Beholder
Fat Bobby
Super Asteroids/Missile Command (double-pack)
BattleZone 2000

Some other things to note:  Eye of the Beholder does have battery backup.
BattleZone 2000 was done by HandMade Software, Ltd. (HMS).  HMS is the same
company that brought us Awesome Golf, Jimmy Connors Tennis, Dracula:  The
Undead, and others.


Lynx Commentary
---------------

Not much to say right now, except that I've read somewhere on one of the pay
services that Atari claimed that Lynx sales skyrocketed for Xmas 1994.  Well,
this is great news -- but where are the new titles?  Atari seems on the verge
of letting the Lynx die -- in fact so many people are saying that right now I
am almost ready to believe it (see below) -- but resuscitate interest with
these great package deals.  But -- where are the new games?  There is a
handful of titles that are *complete* -  programmed, tested, debugged, and
finished.  Let's see those titles, Atari!  You will sell MANY, MANY copies of
Eye of the Beholder (one of those titles) if you just PRODUCE THE CARTS!

And as for letting the Lynx die, well... what really constitutes a "dead"
system?  If you're reading this, it's probably because  you still have an
active interest in your Lynx.  I certainly do.  I also own a TurboGrafx-16/CD
unit (I can pick 'em, eh?) but still play THAT system, as well as my Lynx,
all the time.  I can still get titles for both systems very easily
(mail-order only).  Do I think my Lynx is dead?  Not to me, it most certainly
is NOT.  Atari personnel are very insistent that they are not dropping the
Lynx, although it may appear that these recent package deals are "warehouse
cleaners" and that they want to eliminate their stock.

Time will tell if that's the case here.  But as far as the Lynx being "dead",
it depends on your definition.  If you think a system dies when the big
stores no longer carry its games or when the videogame rags drop their
coverage of it, then it would certainly appear that the Lynx has shuffled off
this mortal coil.  If, however, you still play and enjoy your Lynx games,
then who's to say you have a "dead system"?  I still play my Lynx all the
time.  I just got Bubble Trouble, and LOVE it.  It's a fresh new title.  I
also play the older ones, regularly; I finally beat all the levels of Chip's
Challenge in October, started playing Xenophobe again, and Shanghai is a
daily ritual for me.

So, I don't think it's dead.  Wouldn't it be nice if Atari released those
games they're sitting on, and let all these new Lynx owners know about it?
 Breathing a little life into this fantastic handheld would remind some Lynx
owners out there that they've got a very powerful machine which still has
some kick left...

---------

Lynx Games Sorted by Category

There is plenty of Lynx information out on the 'net, but one useful item that
hasn't yet been produced is a list of Lynx titles by category.  This should
give new Lynx owners (or anybody not familiar with some of the games) an
easy-to-use reference as to the general subject of the 70 Lynx titles released.

This is a first-cut attempt.  It wasn't easy to categorize some games with
one *specific* category, and in those cases they were placed under  the most
obvious category and other possible categories are listed after the title.
"Arcade" indicates a conversion from an arcade machine game.

This list includes all 70 Lynx titles released as of January 1, 1995.


Action/Arcade:  (20)

   A.P.B.  (Arcade, shooter)
   BattleWheels  (shooter)
   Bubble Trouble  (shooter)
   Gauntlet 3
   Hydra  (shooter)
   Joust  (Arcade)
   Klax  (puzzle)
   Ms. Pac Man
   Paperboy  (Arcade)
   Pinball Jam  (Arcade, pinball to video conversions)
   Qix  (Arcade)
   Rampage  (Arcade)
   Rampart  (puzzle)
   Robo Squash  (sports)
   Robotron 2084  (Arcade)
   S.T.U.N. Runner  (Arcade, driving)
   Super Skweek
   Turbo Sub
   Xenophobe  (Arcade, platform)
   Xybots  (Arcade, platform)

Adventure:   (2)

   Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure
   Dracula: The Undead

Driving:  (4)

   Checkered Flag
   Hard Drivin'
   Roadblasters  (shooter)
   Super Off-Road  (Arcade)

Fighting:  (2)

   Double Dragon  (Arcade)
   Pit Fighter  (Arcade)

Military Combat (i.e. 3-D perspective with specific missions):  (3)

   Desert Strike
   Steel Talons  (Arcade)
   Warbirds

Platform:  (16)

   Batman Returns
   Dirty Larry
   Electrocop
   Gordo 106
   Kung Food
   Ninja Gaiden
   Ninja Gaiden III: Ancient Ship of Doom
   Pac-Land  (Arcade)
   Power Factor
   Rygar  (Arcade)
   Scrapyard Dog
   Shadow of the Beast
   Slime World
   Switchblade 2
   Toki
   Viking Child

Puzzle:  (8)

   Blockout
   Chip's Challenge
   Crystal Mines 2
   Dinolympics
   Fidelity Ultimate Chess Challenge
   Ishido
   Lemmings
   Shanghai

Shooters:  (3)

   Blue Lightning
   Gates of Zendocon
   Zarlor Mercenary

Sports:  (12)

   Awesome Golf
   Baseball Heroes
   Basketbrawl 
   California Games
   European Soccer Challenge
   Hockey
   Jimmy Connors Tennis
   Lynx Casino
   Malibu Bikini Volleyball
   NFL Football
   Tournament Cyberball  (Arcade)
   World Class Soccer



Jaguar Support Area
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Len Stys

Jaguar News

-----------



Laury Scott, VP of Manufacturing has been considering ideas for new Jaguar
controllers.  It is good that he is doing so because the Jaguar could use
a few extra fire buttons.

The games close to being on store shelves are: Cannon Fodder,
Theme Park, Flashback, Syndicate, Battlemorph, Blue Lightning,
Demolition Man, Dragon's Lair, Air Cars, and Ultra Vortex.  

Troy Aikman was pushed back until March in order to improve it over other
versions of the game.

A commercial for Iron Soldier is now on cable.

Game News
---------

From: Mark Santora <santora@delphi.com>

Subject: __RAYMAN NEWS__

Date: Tue Jan 17 23:08:36 1995

I am posting this here as requested, from the Definitive Source for Rayman
information, UbiSoft France. (Accept no substitutes.)

   Rayman is NOT out yet, we are sorry to say, on any format in any country.
   That was the bad news.

   The good news is Rayman is coming soon to a Jaguar near you - - before it
   comes to any other system. Expect to be playing one of the most graphically
   eye-popping, amazingly fun and challenging platform games ever made by
   June.

   Rayman is also being developed for other next-generation systems including
   the PSX and the Saturn, for a summer 1995 release in Japan and release in
   the rest of the world as soon as those systems become available outside of
   the land of the rising sun.

   There is a PSX demo version out in Japan right now, perhaps this is where

   some of the confusion came from.

   Hope this clears things up some.
   Frank Slater
   Ubi Soft France


From: pelliott@brookes.ac.uk (Peter Elliott)
Date: Tue Jan 17 03:56:38 1995

According to HMV's list of the week, cannon Fodder for The Jag will be released
on Saturday (23rd) January.

From: iagaw@cluster1.urz.uni-halle.de
Date: Wed Jan 18 09:46:21 1995

Here are some interesting news:

-Core Design is developing now for the Jaguar; they will do Thunderhawk and
some other games
-in the latest issue of the german mag "Megafun" is an article about the
Jaguar. They are saying, that 350000 Jaguars were sold in the USA and
50000 in Europe.


>Newsgroups: rec.games.video.atari
From: kchiu@atlantis.actrix.gen.nz (Ken Chiu)
Date: Sat Jan 21 04:11:34 1995

According to ICD, the Catbox will miss the end of January delivery date.  
The boards are done, but the cases are still not available.  As they are 
soon to go on holiday, and will not be back until the Feb 8th, they do 
not expect to ship until after that date.


Iron Soldier Codes
------------------

If you press 6824 in the Options menu of Iron Soldier, you will be able to
select a Difficulty Level of "Insane" in the game.


Val D'Isere Skiing and Snowboarding Internet Review
---------------------------------------------------
By: Alan Caruana <icefreezr@delphi.com>

Forgive me for the title, but this game is a must-buy if
you are into high speed games. You have the ground under you
texture mapped flying along at 30 frames per second, faster than
any Jag or 3DO game to date. Everything happens so fast and the
game is VERY addicting and fun.

It is more of a 32-bit than a 64-bit game. It is definitely not a
"just above SNES" game like some idiots have been saying. It goes way
too fast, smooth and looks just too good to be done on a SNES. Here
is some of my opinions about parts of the game:

SOUND EFFECTS: Could have been better, but they are good enough. They
               sound like your average SNES sounds effects.
 
MUSIC: Very good. Clear CD quality samples You wont be disappointed here.

GRAPHICS: The snow and ice is amazing..Texture mapped at 30 fps, the SNES
          could never do that. The hills and everything are great too...
          very smooth. The objects moving around aren't very impressive
          because they are just scaled sprites - but they do NOT pixellize
          when you get close to them. The mountains in the background are
          very impressive too..Again the SNES would not be able to handle
          those as good.

CONTROL: No problems here, the control is good.

CHALLENGE: The game is really challenging, but it is easy to beat.

REPLAY VALUE: I think I will go back to this game as much as I would
              go back to Doom after I beat it. It is a very fun game
              and you have the urge to keep playing it until you beat
              it.

Overall, this game isn't as bad as everybody has been making it out to
be. It is a really fast fun game. Well worth the $60 I paid for it in
my opinion.

I am just glad I didn't listen to all the stupid reviews (especially
that one in AEO) which would have convinced me NOT to buy the game.

Alan Caruana
Icefreezr@delphi.com

Jaguar Commentary
-----------------
Len Stys

The second generation Jaguar is on the way and Atari representatives have
said time and time again that it will be able to play all older Jaguar
games.  This is great news.  But what is Atari to name this new system?
Super Jaguar?  Jaguar II?  Jaguar Plus?  I don't think so.  I suggest the
second generation Jaguar be called: "Cougar" and I will explain why.

All of Atari's recent game systems are named after cats.  If the second
generation Jaguar will be able to play all of the older Jaguar games,
the logical thing to do would be to name it after a cat as well.  The
problem is that jaguar is already one big cat.  If the second generation
Jaguar is called "Panther" then it would be naming a more powerful system
after a weaker cat.  And there aren't too many cats bigger than a jaguar
except for the cougar.

Here is a small description of the cougar.  The cougar is the largest of
the "big cats" in the Americas except for the jaguar.  Cougars are six
to eight feet long and weigh about 160 pounds.  They are very strong and
can drag about five times their own weight.  The cougar has a small head,
a long, heavy tail, and is gray or sand-colored like the rocks and caves
where it lives.  The cougar hunts deer and farmers' livestock, such as 
cattle, horses, sheep, 3DO, Saturn, PSX, U-64, and pigs.  Cougars sleep
during the day and prowl at night, springing silently on their prey.  They
can leap twenty feet in one bound, and sometimes jump from sixty feet
above the ground.  If the cougars do not eat all of their kill in one
night, they cover the rest with brush and returns to it at a later time.
Cougars have a terrifying shriek.  They do not attack man, but man often
hunts the cougar for sport and to protect other animals.

So what do you think? 

The one thing that Jaguar needs more than anything right now is more games.
And more big name game companies need to start making games for the Jaguar
real soon.  The best way to convince them to do so is to write them a
letter.  I wrote Electronic Arts and even though the company said that it
still has no plans to make games for the Jaguar, it is considering licensing
their games to Jaguar developers.  This is good news, but it isn't the news
that I was hoping for.  But I still think that Electronic Arts may make
games for the Jaguar if enough letters are sent to them.  So I encourage
you to write Electronic Arts.  Here is all the information that you need:

  >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Electronic Arts Inc. <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
  --------------------------------------------------------------------

Electronic Arts is the publisher of some incredible games such as:
NBA Showdown, FIFA International Soccer, PGA European Tour Golf,
NHL Hockey '94, Wing Commander, Super Wing Commander, John Madden NFL
Football, Escape from Monster Manner, Twisted, Mario Andretti Racing,
MLBPA Baseball, and many more!  Electronic Arts also owns several other
software companies that they may give the OK to develop the Jaguar for if
they see there is a demand for Jaguar games.

The mailing address for Electronic Arts Inc. is:

Lawrence F. Probst III, President
Electronic Arts Inc.
1450 Fashion Isle. Blv.
San Mateo, CA 94404

The following is a list of things in which you may want to say in your
letter to Electronic Arts:

Dear Mr. Probst,

 1) How much you enjoy Electronic Arts games.
 2) How you have been buying Electronic Arts games for your computers
    since the company was started (if this is true).
 3) How much you enjoy your Atari Jaguar.
 4) How you feel that the Jaguar will be the video game system of the
    future due to its high-performance/low-price.
 5) The games that you would love to slee on the Jaguar (choose two or
    three Electronic Arts games--I'm choosing John Madden NFL Football,
    NHL Hockey, and FIFA International Soccer!).
 6) How you believe Electronic Arts games will be unbelievable when
    using the graphics and sound capabilities of the Jaguar.
 7) How you will run out and buy Electronic Arts' games when they are
    produced for the Jaguar.
 8) Thank you to Mr. Probst for reading your letter and a thank you for
    considering producing games for the Jaguar.

If you feel up to it, you are encouraged to write another person at
Electronic Arts to encourage her to license EA games to Jaguar developers.
Here is the information:

Ann McGowan
Director, International Licensing
ELECTRONIC ARTS
1450 Fashion Island Blvd.
San Mateo, CA 94404


Atari WWW Support Area
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Mark S. Smith

Editor's Note:  Below describes Mark Smith's Atari web pages.  Mark's
                use of the title "Atari Web Pages" does not imply an
                affiliation with Atari Corp.  Don't forget to visit
                CAIN's WWW page!
                http://ace.cs.ohiou.edu/personal/mleair/cain.html  -ML



               Atari Web Pages Latest News
               ~~~~~ ~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~~ ~~~~

                      Version 1.0
                      ~~~~~~~ ~~~

                     Date  27/1/95
                     ~~~~  ~~~~~~~


                        by


                   Mark Stephen Smith
                   ~~~~ ~~~~~~~ ~~~~~


                    3rd Update
                    ~~~ ~~~~~~


===============================================================================
=

                     Foreword
                     ~~~~~~~~


Hello and welcome to the news item on the Atari Web pages.  This document
will describe the Atari Web pages as provided by Mark Stephen Smith and will 
inlcude a list of the latest updates for the month.  Each month I hope to
update
this text with the very latest additions and news on the Atari Web pages.  

Hopefully these pages will provide an invaluable service to their users, but
they are still at an early stage and developing all the time.  As such any 
feedback and support you may have for these pages is more than welcome, it is 
infact encouraged.  The more input I get from its users the better, as then I
will know what is good and bad about these pages and can change them
approproately in the hope of increasing their value to their readers.

Now on with the show.

===============================================================================
News and Changes
~~~~ ~~~ ~~~~~~~

Well since the original description a lot has happened.  I'm now involved in
several projects, and submit work to several Internet and diskmag sources for
inclusion.  I have also officially took over the maintenance of the Atari FTP 
list from Hallvard Tangeraas of which there have been a couple of updates.

New items in this document since the last copy will be marked with **, updates 
will be marked with a U.  All new items are also listed below according to the
date they were added.

The new items this month are:

25/1/95 -- Alien vs Predator Review for Jaguar</A>
25/1/95 -- Trevor McFur in Cresent Galaxy Review for Jaguar</A>
25/1/95 -- Brutal Sports Football Review for Jaguar</A>
25/1/95 -- Dragon : The Bruce Lee Story Review for Jaguar</A>
25/1/95 -- Wolfenstein 3D Review for Jaguar</A>
25/1/95 -- Checkered Flag Review for Jaguar</A>
25/1/95 -- Storm Tracker Review by Andy Curtis</a>
24/1/95 -- Super Bomber Man game added in Falcon section</A>
24/1/95 -- Quesion 15 added on texture mapping</A>
24/1/95 -- Atari CD FAQ updated</A>
24/1/95 -- 8 Bit Atari Page by Ivo van Poorten link update</A>
23/1/95 -- HENSA Atari MiNT Newsletter Volume 8. No.1</A>
20/1/95 -- HENSA Atari TOS Newsletter Volume 8. No.2</A>
19/1/95 -- Denesh information updated</A>
19/1/95 -- Sportster Modem Review by Frank Charlton</A>
18/1/95 -- Malibu Bikini Volleyball Review for Lynx</A>
18/1/95 -- Ms. Pac-Man Review for Lynx</A>
18/1/95 -- NFL Football Review for Lynx</A>
18/1/95 -- Ninja Gaiden Review for Lynx</A>
18/1/95 -- Ninja Gaiden III: The Ancient Shop of Doom Review for Lynx</A>
17/1/95 -- GDOS FAQ updated to version 2.3</A>
17/1/95 -- HENSA Atari Falcon Newsletter Volume 8. No.1</A>
17/1/95 -- AEO Newsletter Volume 4. Issue.1 in text and ZIP format</A>
16/1/95 -- Toad Computers Page link added</A>
16/1/95 -- ST Format Page link added</A>
12/1/95 -- plaympeg070.zip  --  Fast MPEG player (shareware)</A>
10/1/95 -- Atari Newsgroups</A>
10/1/95 -- HENSA Atari TOS Newsletter Volume 8. No.1</A>
9/1/95 -- Stello version 2 Review by Mark Stephen Smith</A>
5/1/95 -- MagiC Review by Andy Curtis</A>
5/1/95 -- Jaguar  Coming Soon Updated</A>
5/1/95 -- Jaguar CD Specifications</A>
5/1/95 -- Atari Jaguar Homepage by Christian Svensson (replaces Nils pages)</A>
3/1/95 -- Lynx FAQ updated</A>
3/1/95 -- Jaquar FAQ updated

===============================================================================
What are the Atari Web pages?
~~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~ ~~~~~

These are a collection of pages covering all formats of the Atari.  In these
pages may be found the latest news, reviews, software for downloading, and
various other information and links to other places of interest to Atari users.

I have tried to make the structure of these pages easy to follow and as
intuitive as possible but there is still a lot of work to be done yet.

===============================================================================
How do I access them and what is the Web?
~~~ ~~ ~ ~~~~~~ ~~~~ ~~~ ~~~~ ~~ ~~~ ~~~

First of all I shall look at what the Web is or to use its full name the World 
Wide Web.  The Web is new way of accessing the Internet, unlike previous
methods
where you were required to enter commands into the program you were using the 
Web uses a more user driven method of getting around the Internet.  This method

is much more graphical than former methods and as such is much easier to get to
grips with.

When using a Web browser (the name given to a program used to access Web pages)
the control method usually consists of a point and click operation.  A Web page
will consist of text and graphics which are sometimes highlighted in some way
to indicate that they are selectable and link to more information or a
particular piece of data.

Such a link is reffered to as a hyperlink.  In fact the whole system is a 
variation on hypertext and uses a script to create each page.  Each script is
written to a HTML (HyperText Markup Language) standard which contains the main 
body of text in the page and a few command tags for the browser as to how to 
format the page and what to do with links, etc.
Web pages may contain text, graphics, sounds, and animations, although the
later two are normally supported through external software.  It is also
possible using the Web to gain access to newsgroups, ftp sites, and gopher
services all through the one program.  As such this makes this a very powerful
tool for Internet access, and coupled with its ease of use this has suddenly
became the big thing in the recent Internet explosion into the media.
Browsers can handle all properly written HTML scripts but may vary in operation
when scripts are incorrect or contain mistakes.  Browsers can be divided into
to distinct types, graphical and text only.  Popular graphical browsers include
NCSA's Mosaic and the recent new browser NetScape.  On the text side Lynx is 
the most popular textual browser (NOTE: text browsers don't show any form of 
graphics).
To access the Web you must either use one of the above mentioned browsers on a
machine such as a Sun, PC or Mactintosh, or if you want to access it via your
Atari you will need a copy of the Lynx browser as unfortunately there aren't
any graphical browsers YET for the Atari.
Next month I will give full details on how to access the Web using the Atari.
===============================================================================
Where do I find the Atari Web page?
~~~~~ ~~ ~ ~~~~ ~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~ ~~~~

>From your Web browser choose to open URL and enter the following address:

          http://www.dl.ac.uk/MISC/ATARI/atari.html

If you can store a hotlist of addresses or something similar on your browser 
then it may be worth including this address for quick access in the future.

Once you've done that you should see my main page so I hope you enjoy it, and 
don't forget to write with your thoughts.

===============================================================================

What you will find in the Web pages every month.
~~~~ ~~~ ~~~~ ~~~~ ~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~

>From the main menu you have several links available to you, some under 
miscellaneous and others specific to a particular machine, or collection of 
machines.  First I will look at what will be in the Miscellaneous section.

               *************************

Atari Related links, Documents, FAQ's and Newsletters
~~~~~ ~~~~~~~ ~~~~~  ~~~~~~~~~  ~~~~~ ~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~

First in the list are "Atari Related Links", these links are to other sources
of Atari information or data (such as files, etc.).  

There is a link to many of the major Atari holding FTP sites on the Internet.
Links to several Web pages by different people on the Atari.  This will grow as
worthwhile sites come up.  At the moment you can visit:

- HENSA to download Atari files (Moderated by Denesh Bhabuta)
- ZFC's Atari Pages by Annius V. Groenink.  This has links to various Atari
  related places, along with talk of his own work on Edith and his new Drive U
  Project.  Annius is also working on a version of the Mosaic browser for the 
  Atari and the best of luck goes to him on that.
- Christer Gustavsson's Atari Gem Programmers Page.  Very useful information
  for programmers grapling with Gem and the operating system.  Also offers help 
  via his questions answers page.  Some links can be found to Atari related     
  places.
- CAIN Atari Pages.  CAIN is the Central Atari Information Network and they 
  create a newsletter which is updately monthly on all things new to do with 
  the Atari.  There are also links available here.
- Martin Maisey's Atari Pages.  Contains information (downloadable) on programs
  written by himself for the Atari.  Again there are links to other Atari 
  places.
**Toad Computers Pages.  Stockiest and retailer of many Atari goods.
**ST Format Pages.  Information and previews of ST Format issues.

This section has one or two more candidates for the near future when more work 
has been done on the owners pages.

Documents
~~~~~~~~~

Useful documents will appear in here.  At the moment there is:

- Atari FTP List by Mark Stephen Smith (essential for the latest news on who
  provides Atari FTP sites).
- Atari TOS Desktop Survival Kit by Thomas J Hopper.  An essential guide to 
  getting the most out of your DESKTOP.INF and NEWSDESK.INF files.
- Recommended list of software for the Atari by Denesh Bhabuta.  List compiled
  by Denesh for me of his best software for the Atari (updates coming soon).
  Mostly PD and Shareware, this list contains links to download most of the 
  software mentioned.
- Information on picture formats by Dave Bagget.  Lots of information on the
  format of different picture files for the Atari.

FAQ's (Frequently Asked Questions)
~~~~~  ~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~

Useful FAQ's will appear here.  At the moment there is:

- Atari ST SLIP FAQ.  This is a guide to connecting your Atari to a network.
  All you want to know about networks and the Atari.
U Atari CD FAQ.  Information on getting and using CD's on the Atari.  Regular
  updates to this can be found in my pages.
U GDOS FAQ by Gerd Castan.  Got a question on GDOS then this is the place to 
  look.
- MiNTNet FAQ by Christer Gustavsson.  Everything you wanted to know about 
  MiNTNet.

Newsletters
~~~~~~~~~~~

Although there may be more to come the following newsletters are updated 
promptly as I receive them.  These have been reorganized to make it easier to
keep track of.  At the moment there is:

- CAIN Newsletter containing the latest Atari news.
U HENSA Newsletter containing the latest updates to the HENSA Atari archive.
U AEO Newsletter containing the latest Atari news.

**Newsgroups
  ~~~~~~~~~~

Atari related newsgroups.  Send updates.  The currently supported news are:

**comp.binaries.atari.st
**comp.sys.atari.advocacy
**comp.sys.atari.announce
**comp.sys.atari.st
**comp.sys.atari.st.tech
**comp.sys.atari.programmer
**rec.games.video.atari
**alt.games.lynx


               *************************

UQuestions and Answers
 ~~~~~~~~~ ~~~ ~~~~~~~

Submit your questions to here and get them included in this page.  Answers are 
open to anyone who has something valid to say, and help is provided to me on 
Programming and Music questions by several knowledgeable sources.  Please 
support this section, only by your interaction and questions will it survive.  
All answers are included in this page for anyone else with the same question
and answers are also sent back to the person who submitted the question for
those without Web access.

If you feel you have an expertise in a particular area concerning the Atari and
would be willing to answer questions on that area when and if I submitted them 
to you, then please let me know and you can join the team.  Programming and 
Music are fairly well covered and I can cover Graphics programs, help with 
Technical questions would be appreciated.

               **************************

Reviews
~~~~~~~

Here I hope to include reviews of Atari products both new an old.  So far I
have the following reviews:

- Kobold review by Andy Curtis (ST Format)
- Flash 2 review by Frank Charlton (ST Format)
- Edith Professional review by Frank Charlton (ST Format)
**MagiC review by Andy Curtis (ST Format)
**Stello v2 review by Mark Stephen Smith (Myself)
**Sportster Modem review by Frank Charlton (ST Format)
**Storm Tracker review by Andy Curtis (ST Format)

There are several reviews on the way by the above mentioned people aswell as 
some by myself (finishing review of Apex Media for the Falcon). This section
is now growing well.

Again if you feel you would like to submit reviews for inclusion then please 
write to me.  Please note these pages don't include Lynx and Jaguar Reviews, as
they are contained within their own pages.

               **************************

Updates and Information on these Web Pages
~~~~~~~ ~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~ ~~~~~ ~~~ ~~~~~

All updates and news on the Atari Web pages goes in here.  Previews of whats 
to come soon are included and new items or updates to the pages are listed 
according to date with the most recent being first.  Most updates contain links
to the new material for instant access.

Other things to be found in here are the number of accesses to the Atari pages.
At the moment this is out of date, but I hope soon to have this updated on 
either a monthly or even weekly basis.

               ***************************

This now concludes the Miscellaneous section.  Now onto the Other Pages.  These
pages are specific to a particular machine, or collection of machines.  These 
are going to go through some major changes and you can expect a fair number of 
changes to be made to these in the next month or so.

               ***************************

Falcon Page
~~~~~~ ~~~~

This will contain information and files relevant to the Atari Falcon, currently
this page is divided into the following areas:

News and Previews
~~~~ ~~~ ~~~~~~~~

In here expect to see any news or previews that come my way, whether they be 
small descriptions or full features with pictures.  At the moment there is:

- Apex News.  This contains some information I got on Apex Media for the Falcon
  when I spoke to Douglas Little on the phone a few weeks back.  Not very 
  detailed unfortunately, but I'm waiting on my copy of Apex to give a full 
  review so expect that to be rectified soon.
- Dextrous News.  Small description of some of the features of Dextrous with a 
  picture.  Only at an early stage of development, if I hear more it will go in
  here.
- Towers II : Plight of the Stargazer.  Pictures and description of this great 
  looking Falcon only sequel to Towers.  Expect the demo soon.
U Newsletters from HENSA on Falcon section of archive.


Misc
~~~~

Miscellaneous information on the Falcon, including:

- Falcon Demo FAQ.  List of Demos for the Falcon, including some form of
  information on each.
- Compatibility list of games with Falcon.
- Compatibility list of applications with Falcon.
**Falcon Specifications and Information compiled by Rod McCall.


New Software
~~~ ~~~~~~~~

The latest Falcon/enhanced software available for download.  Major revisions to
be done with updates here.  At the moment the following software is included,
with more to come:

**Super Bomber Man (freeware)
U Play MPEG v0.70 by M.D.Griffths (shareware)
- Speed of Light v3.5 (shareware picture viewer)
- Scape a planetary landsacpe generator.
- Digital Tracker demo of commercial version.
- Obsession 1 level demo.
- FOG issue 7 diskmagazine for Falcon.


Other software worth having
~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~~

Software worth using on the Falcon.

- Backward v2.52.  For compatibility with the ST.  Please send any versions
  which are newer than this.
- MultiBlow.  Configurable overscan utility.
- Starball.  Excellent pinball game (Falcon enhanced).
- Berzerk.  Excellent version of Berzerk (Faster on Falcon).
- FOG issue 6 diskmagazine for Falcon.

                ****************************

Atari ST/STE/TT/Mega STE Page
~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~

This will contain information and files relevant to all the above mentioned 
Atari formats, currently this page is divided into the following areas:

News
~~~~

In here expect to see any news or previews that come my way, whether they are
small descriptions or full features with pictures.  At the moment there is:

U Newsletters from HENSA on TOS section of archive.


New Software
~~~ ~~~~~~~~

The latest (most recent versions) software available for download.  Major
revisions to be done with updates.  At the moment the following software is
included, with lots more to come:

- Speed of Light v3.5 (shareware picture viewer).
- ST Zip v2.6.  Latest version of ST Zip.
- Obsession demo.  1 level of this great pinball game.


Other Software worth having
~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~~

Software worth having on the Atari.

- Ozone.  Good platform/puzzler.
- Starball.  Excellent pinball game.
- Berzerk.  Excellent version of Berzerk.

               ****************************

Lynx Page
~~~~ ~~~~

All the latest news and reviews on the lynx, along with cheats, etc.  This page
is divided in to the following areas:

News
~~~~

News on the Lynx and related material.  At the moment there is:

- Lynx Summer Steal Deal Extended to the Fall.  News of price reductions for a
  limited period.


Reviews
~~~~~~~

Reviews for just about every Lynx game ever released will appear in here.  All 
reviews are by Robert Jung.  At the moment the following reviews are included:

     APB                 Awesome Golf        Baseball Heroes
     Batman Returns      Basket Brawl        Bill and Ted's
     BlockOut            BattleWheels        Blue Lightning
     California Games    Checkered Flag      Chip's Challenge
     Crystal Mines II    Dino Olympics       Dirty Larry:Renegade Cop
     Dracula the Undead  Double Dragon       Desert Strike
     Electro Cop         European Soccer     Ultimate Chess Chal.
     Gauntlet            Gordo 106           Hard Driven'
     Hockey              Hydra               Ishido : Way of Stones
     J Conners' Tennis   Joust               Klax
     Kungfood            Lemmings            Lynx Casino

New reviews are:

     Malibu Bikini Volleyball           Ms.Pac-Man
     NFL Football                       Ninja Gaiden
     Ninja Gaiden III : The Ancient Shop of Doom            


Other Lynx Stuff
~~~~~ ~~~~ ~~~~~

Other items of interest to Lynx owners.  At the moment there is the following:

U Lynx FAQ
- Lynx Tips and Tricks


New Software Anouncement
~~~ ~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~

Currently empty.

               ****************************

Jaguar Page
~~~~~~ ~~~~

All the latest news and reviews on the lynx, along with cheats, etc.  This page
is divided in to the following areas:


News and Previews
~~~~ ~~~ ~~~~~~~~

All the latest news and preview information I can find related to the Jaguar.

**Jaguar cD Specifications
- Rebellion Development News
- Sinister Developments News
- Sensible Soccer News
U Coming Soon!
- Hand Made Software News


Reviews
~~~~~~~

A collection of reviews from different sources, hopefully I will be
contributing
more to this section myself.  Reviews so far include:

     Aliens versus Predator        Raiden         Tempest 2000
     Cybermorph

New reviews are:

     Aliens vs Predator       Trevor McFur in Cresent Galaxy
     Brutal Sports Football        Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story
     Wolfenstein 3D           Checkered Flag

There are many more reviews to come.


Other Jaguar Stuff
~~~~~ ~~~~~~ ~~~~~

Miscellaneous information on the Jaguar.  Information included presently is:

U Jaguar FAQ
- Raiden Tips
- Jaguar Game Cheats
- Kasumi Ninja FAQ
- Ultra Vortex FAQ update for Jaguar


Other Jaguar Pages
~~~~~ ~~~~~~ ~~~~~

Other pages specific to the Jaguar included in here.  Currently there is:

U Atari Jaguar Homepage by Christian Svensson

There are others that will be included, some containing more recent news, but 
the one above is the most organised and intuitive one I've came across.

               ****************************

U8 Bit Atari Page by Ivo van Poorten
 ~ ~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~ ~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~~~~~

Not maintained by me these pages cover the 8 bit formats of Atari machines and
are very comprehensive.  Nearly everything you could hope to find is contained
within these pages.

               ****************************

What to expect in the future
~~~~ ~~ ~~~~~~ ~~ ~~~ ~~~~~~

Some structural changes are likely to appear in the next months.  I will be 
introducing an announcements page where you can tell the World of anything you
have to announce.  Please send news of updates to your programs, Atari stuff 
for sale, and any other Atari announcements here (NOTE : Commercial companies
should send information on products to be included in here and in the news 
sections).

Also coming soon will be a monthly editorial.  In this I will try and sum up
the month past and to give my opinions on how I saw things for Atari at that
time.  Hopefully I will be able to look back over many good developments in my
pages and summarise them as they happened.

There is an outside possibility of starting a programmers and MIDI section in
these pages but this is as yet undecided.  I will judge whether or not to do
this based on the kind of response I have.  I do not want to repeat any of the 
good work done in these fields however by other Web page writers such as 
Christer Gustavsson.

More support is needed for the questions and answers pages, although initially 
successfull people just stopped posting their questions.  Although the odd one
is still coming and answers are still forthcoming.  Please support this, it is
of benefit to anyone who uses it.

The Jaguar section should have a lot more news, pictures and reviews in the 
future.  I have tracked down a fair bit of news and am in contact with a few
companies now and hope to get news from them on there products.

Extra pictures will appear due to my recent access to a colour scanner,
enabling me to scan the latest pictures before the exist elsewhere on the
Internet.  I also hope to slowly get all the maps for AvP into these pages some
how?

Both the ST and Falcon sections should contain much more news in the future, 
along with more of the best PD/Shareware, and PD/Shareware reviews.  I should
have several demos hopefully in the near future for games coming out on these
formats.

The Lynx section is to continue to get reviews and I will update the news as
and when I get it.

Expect more links to Atari related pages in the futur.  There will be more
newsletters, documents, updates to the FAQ's.

Expect further reviews from Andy and Frank, along with myself (watch out for 
the Apex Media review).  Hopefully I can include more screenshots, and do a few
program tutorials.  Also Claus J. Pedersen (Stello author), Bob Brodie (former 
Atari employee) and Steven Davies have all offered to support these pages with
contributions in the future.

Please write with your ideas, critisms, comments, submissions (software, news,
reviews, questions, etc), to me and don't forget that I am now the official
maintainer of the Atari FTP list originally by Hallvard Tangeraas.  All updates
to this list should now be sent  to me.

Thank you and see you with the updates to these pages next month!

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
+                                                                             +
+ Mark Stephen Smith : msh@dl.ac.uk                                           +
+ Atari Web Pages    : http://www.dl.ac.uk/MISC/ATARI/atari.html              +
+                                                                             +
+==============================================================================
+
+ Atari FTP List maintainer, Atari Web Page creater and maintainer.          +
+ Atari 1040STF, 4Mb Falcon 127Mb HD, Atari Jaguar, Atari Lynx               +
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++




                           <<   Computer Shows  >> 
 
                              Updated: 01/28/95 
 
 
To include shows (preferably shows that include Atari products), 
for the Cleveland Free-Net Atari SIG's Show list and the CAIN newsletter, 
send the show's name, date, location, and any additional information to 
xx004@po.cwru.edu.  Please address the e-mail with the subject 
"Computer Show".  The following information is correct to the best of our 
knowledge.  However, we cannot guarentee its accuracy.  Corrections and 
cancellations are therefore requested. 


+-----------------+
|Shows at a Glance|
+-----------------+--------------+--------------------------+----------+
|        Name                    |     Location             |  Date    |
|--------------------------------+--------------------------+----------| 
|1. Atari Canadian Exhibition '95|Toronto, ONT Canada       |04/01/95  |
|2. MIST Atari Fest VII          |Indianapolis, IND         |07/29/95  |
+----------------------------------------------------------------------+   


For more information on these shows, please consult the Atari SIG on the
Cleveland Free-Net (telnet to freenet-in-a.cwru.edu or Nextsun.ins.cwru.edu)
Once connected to the Free-Net type 'Go Atari' to get to the Atari SIG.

In addition to show information, the CAIN newsletter would like to print
any reports, summaries, or reviews of these and other recent shows.  Please
send any of these articles to 'aa338@po.cwru.edu'
Thank-you...


Vote Issues and Results
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
                               << Voting Booth >>

One exciting feature of the Atari SIG is its voting booth.  Here, users can
create their own opinion polls.  The voting booth is accessible from the main
menu of the Atari SIG on the Cleveland Free-net (CFN).  Select option '11'
from this main menu to enter the voting booth.


General Information of Need
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

How to Contribute to CAIN
-------------------------

For full details on contributing to CAIN, please check out the "CAIN Online
Newsroom," option 13 from the Atari SIG's main menu.  In summary, we can
use articles, tutorials, and reviews on Atari products.  The format is simple
--ASCII format with 80 characters per line.  The text should be sent via
internet electronic mail to "xx004@freenet.cleveland.edu".  All submissions
to CAIN become the property of CAIN, unless otherwise agreed upon.

Article Requests
----------------

Below are some suggestions of articles we would like to see in future
issues of CAIN.  For a complete list of newsletter needs, please consult the
discussion board under the CAIN Online Newsroom (option 13 from the Atari
SIG's main menu).

                              Newsletter Needs
                              ----------------

Communications:  Any articles that fits into the area of communications (ie:
reviews, summaries, articles, tutorials on BBS systems, term or BBS
software, services, etc for any Atari computer) may be submitted to this
section.  When submitting to this section, please address this article with
the subject "Communications."

File Archives:  Any type of summary, review, or list of new files that
are on any Atari ftp archive will benefit our readers.  Please address this
article with the subject "ftp archives."

Tutorials:  CAIN is actively seeking any project, "how-to," and tutorial
articles for future issues of CAIN.  These articles can be for any type of
Atari product.  Please address this article with the subject "Tutorial
Submission."

Atari Shows:  Not only can we use information on upcoming Atari Shows, but we
also can use reviews and summaries of recent Atari shows.  Please address this
article with the subject "Atari Show Information."

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
THOUGHT OF THE MONTH: Lynx sold well last Xmas?  Told you it would, Atari!     
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
   [C]entral [A]tari [I]nformation [N]etwork Newsletter  Jan 28, 1995
   Copyright (c) 1995 All Rights Reserved                No.009
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Central Atari Information Network (CAIN) Newsletter is produced by Cain
Publishing and is no way affiliated with Atari Corporation.  Cain Publishing
is made up of the Cleveland Free-Net Atari SIGOps.  CAIN Newsletter
editors/staff produce this publication on a volunteer basis strictly to
benefit users of Atari products.  Views, and opinions expressed herein are
those of the article's author(s) and not necessarily those of the editors/
staff of CAIN Newsletter, the Cleveland Free-Net Atari SIG, or its
affiliates.  Permission to reprint articles is hereby granted, unless
otherwise noted.  Reprints must include: Name of article, author's name, name
of publication, date, and issue number.  CAIN Newsletter may not be edited
in any way without prior written permission.  CAIN Newsletter is believed
to be reasonably accurate.  If any inaccurate information is found within,
please contact the editor of CAIN Newsletter and a correction will be made in
the next issue.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Atari, ST, Mega ST, STE, Mega STE, TT030, Atari Falcon030, TOS, MultiTOS,
NewDesk, BLiTTER, Atari Lynx, ComLynx, Atari Jaguar, Atari Portfolio,
Atari 400, 800, XL series, XE series, and the Atari Fuji Symbol are all
trademarks or registered trademarks of Atari Corporation.  The "Free-Net"
name is a Servicemark (SM) of the National Public Telecomputing Network
(NPTN).  The Free-Net "FreePort" software is copyrighted by Case Western
Reserve University.  FreePort is a registered trademark of Case Western
Reserve University.  All other trademarks and identifying marks mentioned
in this issue belong to their respective owners.
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