RUN: The Commodore 64/128 User's Guide (January/February 1992)

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(Edited)


Cover of the January/February 1992 issue of RUN

RUN was the last surviving major Commodore 64 magazine in the U.S. Compute!'s Gazette lasted a little longer as an insert and then as a disk only magazine. 1992 was very late in the life of the Commodore 64 and it was pretty clear that the writing was on the wall for that machine. The January/February 1992 issue of RUN only had about 64 pages and it started shrinking significantly after that. The contents includes:

Features

  • Hardware RAMpage - An overview of the powerful expansions available for the Commodore 64. These include the RAMLink which was a device that let you use older Commodore 64 memory expansions (REUs) or the newer RAMdrive as a RAM drive. The RAMdrive could be used with the RAMLink or by itself. Both the RAMDrive and RAMLink were about $200 each (before adding RAM). The RAMDrive could hold up to 2 MB.

  • Mah Jongg - Type-in game but unfortunately this is the tile matching variety as opposed to the actual game of Mahjong.

  • Past, Present and Future - A type-in calendar/planner/memo book. It also came with the ability to use a mouse which couldn't be taken for granted with the C64.

  • Hip Hop - A type-in game that is a bit reminiscent of Q*Bert.


Table of Contents from the January/February 1992 issue of RUN

Departments

  • RUNning Ruminations - The Commodore 64 survives another year with a new CEO at Commodore, actually increased support for the C64 from Commodore and a new trade-in program. Also, Ultima VI and a new version of Word Writer were a couple of big 1991 releases and there were even rumors of an accelerator chip for the Commodore 128.

  • Magic - Short programs to create buzzword phrases, fake a reset of the Commodore 64, hide files in GEOS, create a 2nd screen that can be toggled to, and more.

  • News and New Products - New products include a new AD&D Gold Box game, Gateway to the Savage Frontier; Elvira: Mistress of the Dark; Dr. Evil Laboratories (provides support for CMD among other things) announces that it will cease all operations; Hangman's Hazard; Tie Break Tennis; M1 Librarian (MIDI library package); Calc II (spreadsheet); Chip's Challenge (a puzzle game from Epyx). Also, according to the SPA, at this time the Commodore 64 was the 3rd largest platform for computer games behind the IBM (DOS) and Amiga. This means it beats out the Atari ST, Macintosh, Apple II, Apple IIgs and Atari 8-bit.

  • Mail RUN - Letters from readers about finding Commodore 64 software, word processors on cartridge, converting graphics files, and the future of Commodore among other topics.

  • Software Gallery
    • Iron Lord - A fantasy RPG/action/strategy hybrid game from Europe.
    • Golden Axe - A pretty good conversion of the arcade classic.
    • SEC Check Register 128 - A checking account manager that includes check printing and tracking loans and investments.

  • geoWatch - How to automate actions in GEOS during startup.

  • 128 Mode - A rewrite of the 1351 mouse driver for the Commodore 128 in 40-column mode that lets you actually move the cursor.

  • Commodore Clinic - Questions answered about the Star NX1000C printer and GEOS, the Commodore 1526 printer and graphics, CP/M cartridges for the Commodore 64, and using an AT&T 4000 modem with a Commodore 128.


  • Back cover of the January/February 1992 issue of RUN

    Read more: https://www.megalextoria.com/wordpress/index.php/2017/06/08/run-januaryfebruary-1992/



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11 comments
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Can't believe I had a spectrum and not c64.

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The Commodore 64 was the best Christmas present I ever got.

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It was ahead of its time. I jumped to the Amiga 500+ after my spectrum days.

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I went from the Commodore 64 to a PC in 1993. I seriously considered an Amiga at the time (it probably would have been an Amiga 4000) but it was already clear at the time that Commodore (and likely the Amiga) weren't going to be commercially viable for much longer. I was headed off to college and buying an Amiga didn't seem like the right thing to do. No regrets as I had a pretty awesome PC for the time (486 DX2-66 with 16MB RAM!).

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Oh i remember the old 386 and 486s. But I was listening to MOD music and the graphics and games were better on the amiga back then. I later upgraded to A1200. But like you said, the writing was already on the wall. :(

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I think by the time of the 486 the PC has mostly surpassed the Amiga in terms of graphics and sound (at least if you had a sound card and decent VGA card). They could definitely play back MODs (and even MP3s). I guess it depended on the game though. The big thing was at that time fewer and fewer games new games were being released on the Amiga. I really wanted an Amiga for a long time but by the time I had the money to upgrade it was really too late.

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yes, the 486 was starting to come of its own. although it was also the more friendlier workbench and multitasking that gave it an edge. I moved to a PC after my A1200.

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Mine too though it took me a while to assemble a complete system. Computer the first year, disk drive the second, then a monitor, finally a printer and modem...

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5 years this has been happening to me, it started here, around people that are still here. Homeland security has done nothing at all, they are not here to protect us. Dont we pay them to stop shit like this? The NSA, CIA, FBI, Police and our Government has done nothing. Just like they did with the Havana Syndrome, nothing. Patriot Act my ass. The American government is completely incompetent. The NSA should be taken over by the military and contained Immediately for investigation. I bet we can get to the sources of V2K and RNM then. https://peakd.com/gangstalking/@acousticpulses/electronic-terrorism-and-gaslighting--if-you-downvote-this-post-you-are-part-of-the-problem

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