Compute!'s Gazette (September 1985)

about 14 hours ago

_{Cover of the September 1985 issue of Compute!'s Gazette}

Compute!'s Gazette was a spinoff of Compute! that exclusively covered Commodore 8-bit computers which primarily meant the Commodore 64. This was one of the two Commodore 64 magazines I frequently saw on store shelves back in the day, the other being RUN. The September 1985 issue of Gazette includes:

Features

The New Commodore Amiga: A Hands-On Report - While Gazette was a Commodore 64 magazine, I don't know if it had been decided whether they would cover the Amiga when it was first introduced. In any case, its release was covered ad here is a detailed look at Commodore's new Amiga or the Amiga 1000 as it would come to be known.

Amiga Software: Something for Everyone - A look at some of the early software available for the Amiga including Video Construction Set (Electronic Arts), Return to Atlantis (Electronic Arts), ProPaint (Island Graphics), and more.

The Summer Consumer Electronics Show: Beyond the Shakeout - Commodore receives 100,000 advance orders for the Commodore 128, announces the 1572 dual drive (which never made it to market as far as I know), the 1670 1200bps modem, MPS-1000 printer, a new mouse, and more. Various Commodore 128 software packages, X10 home controllers and more were also announced.

<liCES Perspective: The End of the Tap Dance - Some new products announced at CES include Alpine Encounter, The Fourth Protocol, Winter Games, Summer Games II, The Eidolon, Koronis Rift, Spy vs. Spy: The Island Caper, Carriers at War, The Goonies, Zorro, Alternate Reality, Charlie Brown's 1-2-3, Snoopy Writer, Garfield Double Dares, Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head, Peter Rabbit Reading, Jungle Book Reading, The Comic Cookbook, The Works!, MIDI Magic, Enhancer 2000 disk drive, Easy Speech 64, and much more.

Reviews

F-15 Strike Eagle - One of the best combat flight simulators of the time.

On-Court Tennis - A decent tennis sim from Gamestar.

Cave of the Word Wizard - An educational game that plays a bit like Pitfall and also teaches spelling.

B.C. II: Grog's Revenge - Make your way around various mountains on your stone wheel while collecting clams for tolls and avoiding opponents and obstacles.

Legionnaire - A real-time tactical wargame set in the time of Caesar.

Adventure Writer, Dialog and The ELF System - Software that allows you to create software without knowing how to code.

Chipwits - An educational game from Epyx that teaches the basics of programming by allowing you to teach robots.

Also Worth Noting - A brief look at other software including White Lightning, Racing Destruction Set, Six-Gun Shootout, Wishbringer, Competition Karate, Summer Games II, and Tales of Me.

_{Table of Contents from the September 1985 issue of Compute!'s Gazette}

Games

Maze-Mania - A type-in game for the Commodore 64 in which you must make it through a maze within a time limit while avoiding fast moving "cubots".

Tracker - A type-in strategy game in which you must lay track for Purple Herbie to follow to get home. The goal is to lay track in such a manner as to collect certain objects and avoid obstacles and
Friendly Alien - A type-in game for the Commodore 64 and VIC-20 designed for kids that is inspired by E.T.

Education/Home Applications

Computing for Families: In Search of the Computer Sandbox, Part 1 - Using a computer as a general problem solving tool.

Weather Prophet - A type-in program for the Commodore 64 and Plus/4 that helps you predict the weather.

Programming

BASIC Magic: Drawing Lines and Borders - A guide to drawing lines in BASIC.

Hints & Tips: Recycling Selected DATA Statements - A guide to using DATA statements efficiently in your programs.

Power BASIC: QuickScan - A type-in program for the Commodore 64 and VIC-20 that will highlight the current line in a program listing making looking through long listings easier.

Machine Language for Beginners: From Machine Language to BASIC - Transforming your ML program into BASIC data statements.

Printer Wedge - A type-in program that allows you to create, save, and print out your own custom characters on a Commodore 1525, MPS-801, or MPS-803 printer.

Zounds!, Part 3 - The final installment of a series of sound demos.

TinyTerm for the 1650 Automodem - A simple type-in terminal program for the Commodore 64 and VIC-20 that works with the Commodore 1650 modem.

VIC Emulator - A type-in program that will allow you to run VIC-20 BASIC programs on the Commodore 64.

Departments

The Editor's Notes - Musings on a new generation of computers and technology including the Amiga, Atari ST, CD-ROM tech, and more.

Gazette Feedback - Letters from readers about ASCII, Commodore 128 compatibility, BASIC manuals, and more.

Horizons: Programming the 128 - Demonstrating Commodore 128 programming with a BASIC 7.0 game called Litter Patrol.

Simple Answers to Common Questions - Questions answered about speeding up BASIC programs with a compiler and how OR and AND statements work in BASIC.