product reviews
EPSON FX-85
Epson America Inc
2780 Lomita Boulevard
Torrance, CA 90505
(213) 539-9140
$499
Reviewed by Eric Clausen
Epson represents to the dot-matrix printer market what BMW and Mercedes
represent to the automobile market-quality, dependability, performance
and, of course, price! The FX-85, successor to the widely used FX-80, is
no exception.
The impressive new FX-85 offers virtually every feature
conceivable in a 9-wire dot-matrix printer. If you can think of a printer
feature, it's available for the FX-85, either built-in or as an option.
If you want substantially better performance from a dot-matrix printer,
you'll have to move up to one of the new 24-wire models-at perhaps twice
the cost. (See review of the Star SB-10 in Antic, February 1986.)
The FX-85's near letter quality mode is the finest I've
ever seen on a 9 x 9 dot-matrix printer. (See the accompanying print sample.)
Proportional printing is supported, along with all standard fonts and their
variations-pica, elite, italics, expanded, emphasized, compressed, super/subscript,
etc. Custom fonts can be downloaded to the printer in draft mode only.
One of the most useful features on the FX-85 is "SelecType," which enables
the user to switch back and forth between different fonts by simply pressing
buttons on the front panel. No more fiddling with inaccessible DIP switches
for this simple task! As far as DIP swtches are concerned, the FX-85 makes
these easily accessible beneath a panel on top of the printer. Naturally,
all printer defaults can easily be altered with these switches, including
selection of international character sets and a standard IBM character
set. Software compatibility is almost a non-issue with any Epson printer.
If a commercial program works with a printer, it works with an Epson.
The FX-85 is quite fast, considering the high quality
of its printed output. Antic tested the speed of this printer at 105 characters
per second in draft mode and 20 cps in near letter quality mode. The FX-85
also seems much quieter than many of its competitors.
The FX-85 operates bidirectionally in text mode and unidirectionally
in graphics mode. It has a standard-width carriage with pins for continuous-feed
paper, as well as friction feed for single sheets. However, if you want
to print labels, you'll need a $35 adjustable-width tractor. An automatic
single-sheet feeder costs $289.
The documentation supplied with the FX-85 is easily the
finest I've seen with any printer. Every aspect of the FX-85 is covered
thoroughly. Printer manufacturers should emulate Epson documentation, as
well as Epson printer control codes. If you do have a technical question
concerning the FX-85, I've found Epson telephone reps to be very polite,
knowledgeable and willing to help.
The FX-85 has an 8K memory buffer which can be upgraded
to 32K for $180. The printer requires a Centronics parallel interface to
work with 8-bit Ataris. An IBM-to-Centronics cable is all that's needed
for connection to the 520ST.
If I could justify the purchase of a third dot-matrix
printer, I would buy the FX-85 (with tractor) without hesitation. If you
need a top quality 9-wire dot-matrix that can do everything short of the
dinner dishes, and you can afford a premium price, give the Epson FX-85
very serious consideration.
SILENT SERVICE
MicroProse Software
120 Lakefront Drive
Hunt Valley, MD 21030
(307) 667-1151
$34.95, 48K DISK
Reviewed by Rich Moore
Sid
Meier and his team of simulation experts at MicroProse have outdone themselves
with Silent Service, a recreation of submarine operations in the
Pacific during World War II. As a U.S. fleet submarine skipper, you can
almost smell diesel oil and feel the deck rolling beneath your feet while
searching the western Pacific for Japanese shipping.
Beginners can immediately take up target practice, while
veterans can proceed to complex, historically accurate and challenging
war patrol scenarios. In between are a variety of convoy actions, good
for practicing tactics. You can gradually make things more realistic by
limiting detection capability, allowing convoys to zigzag, contending with
dud torpedoes, performing repairs only in port and taking on tougher Japanese
escorts. When you get an experienced "seaman's eye," you can elect to manually
provide "angle on the bow" for torpedo shots.
Some things are not optional, like fuel and battery consumption
or number of torpedoes remaining, as well as which tubes (bow or stern)
they're in! Exceeding the crush depth is not recommended. And your sub
can run aground in shallow water or be rammed by a ship if you're not deep
enough! Depth charges and destroyer gunfire can ruin your whole day, but
a thermal gradient in the water may save your ship. You have 80 shells
for the deck gun, which may require some range adjustment for target motion...
The graphics are superb. Master control is from the viewpoint
of the conning tower screen, which can then take you to the bridge for
a wide-angle view of the area. Maps and charts provide a bird's-eye tactical
plot and the instruments tell you what the sub is doing. Damage reports
give you a full-length view of your "boat" and the status of its major
components. The view of cargo ships and tankers through the attack periscope
is terrific, especially when it also shows the wakes of a spread of torpedoes
speeding off toward their targets. The sight of angry escorts turning toward
you will generate more than a little anxiety, particularly where the water
is shallow...
The manual is extremely well done. A "quick start" section
lets you jump right in for target practice or convoy hunting. But most
people will need to "refresh" their submarine tactics before going on to
the more advanced scenarios. The manual provides everything you need to
know in several very interesting sections.
Keep in mind that submarine warfare is slow. You
must evade the convoy escorts to do any damage. To make the simulation
run faster, game rate can be accelerated to 32 times real time. Patrol
mission transit time is effectively "stepped" by driving the sub across
the patrol screen with the joystick. A submariner once told me, "You guys
are in too much of a hurry. The destroyers want to strike at 0420, the
aviators go when it's dark outside and both Mickey's hands are on the '4,'
and the submarines just attack on Tuesday." Be patient, use stealth, and
good hunting!
POWERSTAR
Pandora Software
177 Carlton Lane
North Andover, MA 01845
$34.95, 16K cartridge
Reviewed by Harvey Bernstein
Pandora Software, a new company in Massachusetts, has come up with a
unique idea-Powerstar, a graphic adventure on a cartridge. There's
no wait while your disk loads, no lengthy disk access between screens.
You can play Powerstar even if you have no disk drive and a 16K Atari.
The game has several unique features. For one thing, movement
is not accomplished with the standard "Go North" type-in command. Instead,
you use the arrow keys or joystick. A prompt on the command line tells
you which direction you are facing. You then move forward (providing there
is an exit).
As a result of this unusual approach, you are told almost
nothing about a new room. You must make a 360-degree search of the area
in order to discover any useful objects and exits. This, coupled with the
instantaneous screen updating made possible by the cartridge, adds quite
a bit to the "live" feel of the game.
The story in Powerstar is not unfamiliar. As a technician
in the ground station, you become aware that something is dangerously amiss
aboard Powerstar-the man-made satellite that is the source of all the Earth's
power. It is up to you to make your way to the station and right everything
again, while facing the usual dangers and puzzles.
Powerstar also attempts something new in the way of graphics.
Most previous graphic adventures, having been originally written for the
Apple, use Graphics + for their pictures. Powerstar is the first adventure
I know about that makes use of the unique Atari GTIA chip. The screens
are all Graphics 10, which is a mixed blessing. The colors are vivid and
some images are nice, but others are blocky and look low-res.
I applaud the folks at Pandora for providing a fine first
effort with Powerstar, despite a couple of complaints. First of all, some
of the puzzles have illogical solutions. It was only due to the hint sheet
we received that I discovered something described as a "cryogenic storage
tank" actually was a fuel tank. Cryogenics has nothing to do with fuel.
Also, there are two mazes that do not seem to be mappable,
even using the tried and true "Hansel and Gretel" technique of dropping
things. Only with luck will you find your way through, and you must make
it through both to finish the game. Worst of all, the game does not understand
the command "examine --". To a veteran adventurer, this is the ultimate
frustration.
As stated at the beginning of the review, Powerstar can
be played without a disk drive. But you still need a disk to save games
in progress. Otherwise, be prepared to start from scratch several times.
It would have been simple to include a routine for saving to cassette.
Still, Powerstar is an impressive debut overall and raises hopes for even
better things in the future from Pandora.
KARATEKA
Broderbund Software
17 Paul Drive
San Rafael, CA 94903
(415) 479-1170
$29.95, 48K disk
Review by David Plotkin
Karateka
is an action/adventure game with a karate theme. Excellent graphics and
character animation make it very enjoyable to play, despite some problems
with the joystick control.
The storyline is about the only thing that an experienced
gamer will find familiar. Your fiancee has been stolen away by the evil
warlord. It is up to you to battle with increasingly competent minions
of the warlord, so that you can gain entry to the castle and win her back.
You have no weapons and must depend entirely on your skill
in the ancient art of karate. As the game begins, you have just climbed
up onto the rock bluff where the evil warlord's castle roosts. You immediately
face your first opponent.
Various karate moves are accomplished with the joystick
and button. If you defeat the first foe (which is fairly easy), you then
begin moving closer to the castle, stopping periodically to do battle.
Each new enemy is fitted with different headgear to make him recognizable.
This is important, since each opponent has his own fighting style and weaknesses-which
you must learn in order to stay alive.
This becomes the most challenging aspect of the game-expect
to play Karateka many times before mastering the skills you need to even
enter the castle! The bottom of the screen shows both your remaining endurance
and that of your opponent. Each blow you land will reduce your opponent's
strength. Likewise, your strength will be reduced when you are hit. If
your strength drops to zero, the game is over. No multiple lives here!
Graphics and animation are where Karateka really shines.
The details are cartoon-quality and the karate moves are amazingly realistic,
right down to the swishing of the robes as you throw a kick or a punch.
You may even bow to your opponent. (Be sure to assume the fighting position
before he moves to attack or it will be a very fast game.)
The highly detailed backround scrolls smoothly and realistically.
Graphic intermissions showing various scenes in the warlord's chambers
while you approach the castle are true works of art. Karateka does have
some problems, notably in the joystick-based control system.
The Atari joystick has only one button, and you must control
both kicking and punching with it. As in Choplifter, you press the
button slowly to kick, and quickly to punch. But in the heat of battle
you will often find yourself executing the wrong move, sometimes with fatal
results.
This problem is compounded by the fact that response to
your joystick commands is often slow, and sometimes your input is ignored
altogether. This can be extremely frustrating until you practice enough
to become accustomed to the control system. There is also not tremendous
variety in Karateka. Beyond the differences in fighting styles, you are
basically just fighting one opponent after another, until you either die
(very likely) or win.
All in all, Karateka is fun and extremely addicting. Loss
of a game is almost always attributable to a poor choice of strategy. So
it is very tempting to play "one more time" (sometimes until 2 a.m.) in
order to correct your error.
PASTFINDER
Activision
P.O. Box 7287
Mountain View, CA 94039
(415) 940-6044
$24.95, 16K cartridge
Reviewed by Dave Plotkin
In
Pastfinder,
you are a stellar explorer navigating your surface vehicle across a scrolling
landscape littered with all manner of obstacles.
The object is to pick up historical artifacts (which look
something like dinner plates) and deliver them to bases scattered across
the planet. Two major barriers oppose the completion of your mission. The
first is the land itself, large portions of which are intensely radioactive.
Fortunately, you have a radiation gauge and alarm, as well as anti-radiation
devices.
Also formidable is the planet's automated defense system,
with a multitude of hovering barriers, opening and closing doors, rising
and falling columns, fixed obstacles, and a rather nasty drone ship which
zeroes in on you unerringly. Some of the defenses can be destroyed by your
shots, others simply avoided or leapt over. Oh yes, pushing the joystick
forward causes you to hop into the air, which is awfully handy.
As you start the game, you are presented with a screen
showing a very small portion of the overall planet map. As you explore,
more of the map can be seen. You will return to the map screen after every
sector. You choose a direction by using your joystick to move an indicator
line across the map. The degree of radioactivity is indicated by the map
colors-watch out for red!
After choosing a direction, you move to the weapons screen
and choose your equipment. Some, like the beam shield and heavy metal,
remain active until you lose a ship. But the deradiator can only be used
once. To replenish your supplies, you can pick up spares which are scattered
about the landscape.
Now you are ready to fight your way to the end of a sector.
The speed and direction of your vehicle is controlled by your joystick.
Some experimentation will quickly show you what you can and can't get away
with. Particularly tough are the lines of moving columns, which march across
the landscape in your path. Try to shoot the floating crystals, as this
removes radiation.
For both playability and graphics, Pastfinder is excellent.
The smooth, colorful animation of the screen obstacles is very well done.
The scrolling effect is superb and the perspective is extremely realistic.
The obstacles even cast shadows on the landscape. I just wish that the
instructions provided diagrams to illustrate the items you are searching
for, such as bases. Furthermore, I have some doubts about the arrows which
are supposed to indicate the direction to a spare ship. I have found extra
ships pretty much by luck. Still, this is all minor and I must say that
I immensely enjoy playing Pastfinder.
MASTER OF THE LAMPS
Activision, Inc.
P.O. Box 7287
Mountain View, CA. 94039
(415) 960-0410
$24.95, 48K disk
Reviewed by Brad Kershaw
Master of the Lamps is an offbeat game program with a number
of unique elements.
The storyline is as follows: when the King died, his four
genies escaped from their lamps and took over the kingdom. You must aid
the young prince by helping him fly his magic carpet through the tunnels
into the genies' dens. There you must answer their riddles. If you are
successful, they will return to their lamps.
When you start the game you are confronted with three
joystick options-Seven Trials (easiest), Throne Quest (more difficult)
and Magic Carpet (practice flying through all 21 tunnels).
When playing at the Seven Trials level, you must walk
the little prince over to the magic carpet in order to begin flying through
space. You see little diamond-shaped figures in the far distance, which
begin to grow larger as you fly towards them. These diamonds are the tunnels.
They will bob and weave in all directions. You must align your flying carpet
with the tunnel centers to make it through to the genie's den.
In the genie's den you will be standing with a mallet,
in front of eight different colored gongs. The prince must call the genie
by hitting any one of the gongs three times. The genie will appear in the
upper left corner of the screen and begin blowing smoke rings. Each ring
will become a different colored note, with accompanying sound. You must
hit the colored gong that matches the note blown by the genie in the sequence
given.
If you are successful, the genie will give you one of
the seven pieces of the the magic lamp. You must then fly again through
the tunnels to the next den. Each time a genie appears, he will offer one
more smoke ring than the previous den. When you possess all seven pieces,
the genie is imprisioned.
At the higher level, Throne Quest, there are three genies
with seven dens each. The tunnels also move more quickly and are harder
to navigate. The first genie will blow smoke rings as before. But the color
of the note fades quickly, so you must remember the colors. After this
genie is imprisoned, you go after the second genie, whose smoke rings give
only color, without sound. The last genie is the hardest because you must
respond to smoke rings which are sound only, minus color clues.
I enjoyed playing Master of the Lamps although it does
become a little monotonous after awhile, flying to the den and hitting
the gongs, flying to the next den, etc. . .. However, it is a nice change
to see a non-violent game these days.
OPERATION MARKET GARDEN
Strategic Simulations, Inc
883 Stierlin Road, Bldg. A-200
Mountain View, CA 94043
(415) 964-1353
$49.95, 48K disk
Reviewed by Rich Moore
Operation Market Garden is a fairly complex war game for one
or two players-who should already be familiar with World War II army operations
in Europe. It has both intermediate and advanced game options as well as
four levels of handicaps for Allied forces. The player can choose to see
all enemy forces, or only those units which become adjacent to his own.
"What if" gainers can change the historical Allied starting
positions and pick either historical or random weather-with the subsequent
effect on airpower. It's a little expensive at $49.95, but devout wargamers
may enjoy trying their hands at making Field Marshall Montgomery's overly
bold plan succeed.
Gameplay itself is not particularly hard. Some of the
"advanced" features actually make it easier. On the other hand, some requirements
of the advanced game will require constant attention to detail. The most
difficult aspect of the game is its assumption that the player is very
familiar with the forces and terminology of the period-which will certainly
limit the number of people who can play. Just a little more effort in the
manual would open it up to a much wider audience of wargamers.
Players actually have several roles. Decisions must be
made by the overall commander as well as at divisional, regimental and
battalion levels. Since play proceeds by turns, there is plenty of "real
time" to analyze situations and carefully take action-hasty keystrokes
can be extremely costly Liberal use of the SAVE GAME feature permits recovery
from accidents of all sorts. The keyboard-only input is fine except for
cursor movement, which is somewhat awkward and a common cause of accidents
in the advanced game.
The game includes two large plastic-coated cards with
maps and parameter lists. These are invaluable for getting the big picture
and planning overall movements. The redefined character set in the scrolling
Graphics 2 screen takes some getting used to. But it is good for locating
units and setting up lower echelon actions.
A word of caution for gainers whose Ataris have hardware
modifications. The program will not work properly on machines which "see"
more then 48K of RAM. When SSI specifies 48K systems, they really mean
it. The problem can be fixed with an extra four bytes of code, but you
need to know exactly what you're doing to the protected disk.
Operation Market Garden is not for everyone, but it should
appeal to wargamers whose special interest is World War II. Persistence,
imagination and prudent use of forces can pay off-with you actually taking
that "one bridge too far!"
BLUE MAX 2001
Broderbund/Synapse Software
17 Paul Drive
San Rafael, CA 94903
(415) 479-1170
$29.95, 48K disk
Reviewed by Scott Lewis
Like
the original Blue Max, Blue Max 2001 is a 3D shoot-em-up arcade
game featuring fairly good graphics and some interesting touches. Your
basic mission is a combination of downing enemy aircraft and bombing ground
targets. Landing fields appear at regular intervals. By successfully landing
you can replenish your supplies and have your aircraft repaired.
The main difference between the old and the new games
lies in the type of aircraft used. Instead of a World War I biplane, the
player pilots a hovercraft in Blue Max 2001. Airspeed is unimportant and
landing much easier. Crashing into other aircraft is not usually fatal-in
fact, it is the preferred method of elimination, as the hovercraft's guns
fire in a completely erratic pattern, making aiming a matter of pure chance.
It is even possible to use the Buck Rogers method- flying wildly about,
shooting at random and trusting in the gods of Irrational Numbers-and still
rack up a passable score.
Various player options and levels of difficulty can be
selected. The documentation, unfortunately, appears to have been written
in some other language and translated three or four times by volunteers.
This means that the first half hour of play can be quite frustrating as
you try to figure out exactly what is going on. In the end, though, it
is well worth the effort.