• ^^ -i ISSUE 15 •DECEMBER l98tmSUS0 "!> ^^z '^m INSTANT GRAPHICS MasterScan pBge scanner reviewed IV New artificial Intelligence software reviewed Stop Press DTP - exclusive preview • Pick your training course • Dr Logo - quick reference chart MASTERFILE 8000 FOR ALL AMSTRAD PCW COMPUTERS MASTERFILE 8000, the subject of so many enquiries, is now available. MASTERFILE 8000 is a totally new database product. While drawing on the best features of the CPC versions, it has been designed specifically for the PCW range. The resulting combination of control and power is a delight to use. Other products offer a choice between fast but limited -capacity RAM files, and large-capacity but cumbersome fixed-length, direct-access disc files. MASTERFILE 8000 and the PCW RAM disc combine to offer high capacity with fast access to variable-length data. File capacity is limited only by the size of your RAM disc. A MASTERFILE hallmark is the provision of multiple, user-designed display formats. This flexibility remains, but now it's even easier. With MASTERFILE 8000 you design your formats "live"; no more questionnaires, just move your format effects around the screen using the cursor keys! Record updating is even easier than before — just steer your cursor to any field on the screen and then insert/erase /alter as required. Special options are provided for handling dates and surnames, and column totals can be generated. All screen work is done graphically — and hence we offer unique panel, box, and ruled line options. Choose the line spacing at pixel resolution — you will be amazed how much clearer 9- pixel lines are than the usual 8-pixels, (Study the picture.) And all this faster than CP/M normally lets you paint the screen! PCW printer functions, under menu control, are provided. CqjtMtrr ^Uili iM Invntfi Iritish Uni&fd Frfijhk M3 Hiitirn llvnw CloucKtir ai UN Iwi<it( I Tu riint 4iaiint lt\t Hli IS!]] tSSM 1SN3 leUD: H tin ); a h) V *i Oct it 11 Oct ST M Km V M he 17 CSt.H E3K.M £133. H Cl.m.H liM.H mi* £143. SI U,2S3.N K Oct 17 K Get ST I .] (iS l-i f (cof ■! rnmiifr . Ffiiil Friiii iim\t ttitri. lt\,t [«w3, ...... - liii^rl ii*u f*.:ori... 5h(iu r*-i«t»ic«1-.. 1:H<» rjrBit in U iHtiS H )(( t> ! Uiti aith irin iiit of tntfcicff Keyed files are maintained automatically in key sequence, with never any need to sort. You can have unkeyed files too, where records can be inserted at any point in the file. Any file can make RELATIONAL references to up to EIGHT read-only keyed files, the linkage being effected purely by the use of matching file and data names. You can import/merge ASCII files (e.g. from MASTERFILE III), or export any data (e.g. to a word-processor), and merge files. For keyed files this is a true merge, not just an append operation. By virtue of export and re-import you can make a copy of a file in another key sequence. New data fields can be added at any time. File searches combine flexibility with speed. (MASTERFILE 8000 usually waits for you, not the other way around.) You can even assign subsets of a file into one or more of seven pigeon-holes for subsequent reference or further manipulation. Hegaglonerate Ltd !t1fHnrr »H% CS4U] Itrif met : H^ kU *i l4lt «riff : 11 ll«l «t ViEbi FIELD -TO-FIELD CALCULATION is available, using any mixture of terms and arithmetic operators + -*/{)■ MASTERFILE 8000 is totally menu-driven, fully machine-coded, and comes with example files and a detailed manual. We claim (modestly) that you will not find another filing system with such power, flexibility, and friendliness. MASTERFILE 8000 costs £49.95 including VAT and P&P to anywhere in Europe. Elsewhere please add 20% for air- mail service. ACCESS/ VISA/ MASTERCARD orders are welcome, written or telephoned, quoting card expiry date. Make cheques payable to "Campbell Systems". Our normal response is return of post, 1st class. CAMPBELL SYSTEMS (Dept 8PL ) 7 Station Road, EPPING, Essex CM 16 4HA, England. Tel: (0378) 77762/3 8000 PLJUS PUBLISHED BV FUTURE PUBLISHING LTD EDITOfllAL • ADVERTISING PUBLISHING 4 QUEEN SJHEET BATH- BAH EJ TEl ■ 012S 446fl34 FAX • !)22 5 446019 TetecomOoiit -84:7X71 52 SUBSCRIPTIONS SPECIAL OFFEflS THE OLD BMU SOMEFfTON S<»IERS€T.TA117Py TEL •04Sa 74011 VOUR CONTACTS EDfTOn ■ BEN TAVLDfl ASSISTANT EDfTOfl • ALEC RAE TECHNICAL EDITClfl • ROB A1N3LET ADVERTtSMG ■ MARGARET CLARKE to pnoMCtioN ' mANg tavermer ARTEDrrM-KMaALE SUElSCBPriCIHS • CAHHI«.»»IE POnTER PUBLSHEi; • CHRIS ANDERSON CO«H PHOTOORAPHV STUART BAWES PHOTOGRAPHY BATH TEL- 0225 6*313 COLOUR OniQINATKIN WESSEX HEPROOUCTIOHS 35ZA WeuS ROAD BHtSTOL-BSJOQL PRNfTRfG REDWOOD WEB OFFSET VEOMANS WAV TBOWaRlDOE ' WH.TS SEYHIOUR PRESS 334 BFU)rrON ROAD tONDON ' SW9 7AG C FimjRE PUBLISHING LTD 1 907 Mfe taf^a ^W en t» #n$i^ mr n^ w« fviM a 5 KEYWORDS Editorial rumblings and ramblings 7 NEWS PLUS The hottest gossip on the Amstrad scene 10 THE GOOD TRAINING GUIDE Training courses might solve all your problems 15 STOP PRESS: STOP PRESS A sneak preview of AMS's desktop publisher 18 ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE 25 CP/M CORNER splitting your CP/M files into Loco- like groups 29 CASE IN POINT How the PCW helps NHS dentists 32 PROTEXT Getting the most out of Protext's mail merger 36 EDUCATIONAL SOFTWARE Maths and English can be fun, even in school 40 SOFTSTRIP READER A new way to print out and read files 43 BETTER DESKTOP PUBLISHING A guide to the practicalities of newsletter production OPENING MENU AmaZing News StunninG Features II kNockout Reviews InValuableTips SiZzling Offers 46 LOGO REFERENCE CHART For Logo fans - all those commands summarised 49 DEBUGGING BASIC PROGRAMS How to get your BASIC programs going 52 FUN AND GAMES New adventures from Level 9 and Infocom 55 HARDWARE CONTROL An interface to allow the PCW tall<^to electronics 58 MASTERSCAN ON TEST 61 LANGFORD'S PRINTOUT Tales of horror for would-be novelists 63 LISTINGS PLUS A pot-pourri of cunning BASIC listings 68 PUBLIC DOMAIN Detaiis ol another great value PD program 70 TIPOFFS Hordes of brilliant ideas to improve your PC Wing 74 THE GOOD SOFTWARE GUIDE Comprehensive guide to database, educational and communications software 80 SPECIAL OFFERS Alan Sugar isn't the only one who knows how to cut costs 85 POSTSCRIPT t.ast but not least, your comments on the worid THE ULTIMATE CRDlCE FOF^ MPUTER^PB QUALITY • NO EXTRAS TO PAY • BEST PRICES COMPUTER ANTI-GLARE VDU SCREEN FILTER 3 " DISK STORAGE BOX Oesignedi specjaDy tor ihe AmsTrad PCW 8256/ 8512/ PCW 951Z also PC 1 51 2 'PC 1 640 it fixes with ilie $et of V$iCTo tabs supplied and is easily removed tor deanirtg. 0NLY£14.95 CONSTAUCTEO FROM NEW LEXAN ACRYLIC Protectroo for your eyes without damagirig your pocket, Do nai confuse tf^s product with cheap rT>esh filters or SOTTW of the overpnced gfass or acrylic: filters available. iRemember mesh filters dog and ari- difficuit to clean thus you strain your eyev^ funher.) Research has^howr^ that heoclaches anci fatigue are caused by tfie eye stnjggliny to focus CKi Iwfy cfiarecters on your VD U screen. The fuzziness is the result or arnhient light r^ftecting ffom th# surface of the screen causing the background to appear cloudy arid ifw charactef s to be poorly defii^^ Our new anti-flare filter eNrniriates tfi<is reflected light thereby improving ihe contrast between the characters ar>d the backgrourxJ. Most problen^$ associated with floppy disks are caused by poor handlir^g and storage The BBSS'" disk boK of fers a lot at a low cost. Its tough construction protects your valuable data and the hinged 3id pivots back for easy access. It h^^ 4 ad|u si able index dividers to make tX quick and easy to find the disk you need This super box holds 25 -^ 3" uncased disks n 6 casedl and comes compieie with anti-scratch rubber feet, colour identification labels and a free floppy disk pen. FREE FLOPPY DISK PEN WITH EACH BOX £10.95 3" CF2 DISKS SPECIAL PRICES maxell £24.50 for 10 £69.00 for 30 DELUXE TRAVELLING CASE I £24.95 for 10 £70.95 for 30 (BOXED SEPARATELY) BARGAIN CORNER Crafted like fine kjfgage this three oiece travel set is designed specif ica^lly tor carn,^ing your Amstrad monrior. keyboard and printer It's ideal lor personal ot busiriess use with high density fo^m inserts, [double thickness in the base! which protect your equipment Ounr>g Iransit. The case also Features a durably water resistant nylon exterior with a strong adjustable nylon shoulder strap and carrying handles. There IS also space for disks manuals etc. at the sade of the monitor Each component is individually protected and fits r>eally together in the outer case for safe arvf easv transportation CUSTOM DESIGNED FOR YOUR AMSTRAD PCW 8256.'8512 £49.39 COMPUTER LABELS SURGE PLUGS Pful** 2C00' 3000. 3 1 BO Pr-ner Cove* f 4 eS PC 151? l640FuiS*i C«,50 DWP dOGO PrmtBf Co\.ef [5,76 PCW«2&&85i2'Fu(lS« CIO 35 PCWSSUFufl^ C10.51 LQ 3SD0 Aviw 03%« Ctl.4fi Rsarvsts DMP?00Oi3000j3i6OBiiNS.t*vtan C5 52 PMP -1000 Dwk Nytv f 6. 9a PCW S?SS '65 \ 2 »xk Nytor C 3. 90 PCwaJ5 .B512Hecl<'BlL^'0t«n^.'Pur[iiff< Gi'Mfi.'erowii ^vlcm C5-57 PCW 8256951 J BI#ckC*I»ft £05 iQ 3500 High p9n«iiv Black htylpn . (5 71 PCW951?.aiaCkCartw f3,73 AU CirMf nukn aupcibKl P A DAI5.T \.VHfEi;?.*Ci« TK\\■?''^:' Awiillblt n lti« loVowmg rvpelaces COUHER 10 < PRESTIGE PICA lO RfCTA 10 * OHATOH 10 LETTER GOTHtC 10/12 » PRESTIGE EUfE 12 sovT IS ' MINI c:ot>^k: is .--■- ALL C5 60€ACH THttO C(3PV HOiDfR fSaSrel PlEASt SP«C*¥ Lff T fflGHT WCIO I SUNG PAPER 11- . 14 H* ImPs^'ftitwJ C20 37p*tMOO 11' ' 14'/]-2t]lMCRniiffi.'ni^^ r27O5Hr10ClO 'ir . ^Vr lFitGiO0sniPlan'fluMtl5 43pv^^OOO •T1' .^9V^'2p[»CnPl»m,flgl«l flS^jwrlOOO 'A4 ConiAuoift TOgimpl^i f14.DSpef lOOO 'A4 CcMnitnixxd SOgsm platn ri4^5pef 1000 Mssro pBff waned on i^ edges TbeiCBrfrrTHnvlAbtHaniithirmatkBE wKicrii.aii!Fn4de wilh'nIpfHtr M]h«&»«s gwing pijar rqteasci vakj« Comturw this ^iTh wfl* bKkmg ptiMTi snfl ihe rMulT li ino nnjhTrtiiire ol latwJB cofning tj^stuck ^id iKTiimpng viM' [irinTQi AJl our labels arfl mad« trcKri th« Itf'w&l maianalEi ^vailaUe arvi haw bflen Ainfigenrtv lesrieci on hifjh spe1^d iM^inliai't ^tthcui a h>[chi Wr ftmv to p»y 1 ttts ttt'dirtiuxn bul our iicxubliB free 0fwKJCr& olTai you, Lhc cui\(ifnBt fcliatiiJitv S6S Computvr Lab«(t4rc fiui!i0lk«a m rugid cambnard canans ta ensure thai iiwy arri^ hi fiist cias^ coni|}i|itK'< Other hns. iv»lablfc Piia» phana lor details ELIMINATE DANGEROUS VOLTAGE SURGES/SPIKES SURGE PROTECTOR I^DAPTOR £16.54 5.IC N& lo vpfrw Qtyplbetx Price p 'box i%- < 1 j.s- 1 across 1000 (7B1 3'*- r t MS- 3 icrQss 2.000 Ct2B9 4- . 1 MC 2 across 2,000 f13 18 PLUG £13.14 £17.14 ALL PRICES INCLUDE VAT AND FREE NATIONWIDE DELIVERY I POST:- PHONE:-{0273}726331 DELIVERY:- Simply list vourorder.nams and address. Our Enpress Hotline on 0273 726331 110 enclose a cheque or postal order (made Irws. 24 hour^l and ordef qLx>ttn9 v^Hjr crvdit payable to 'SBS Computer Supplies 1 or cs'd numbior. name, hid postal address sod yourcreditcarddfltailstothefulladdrBSS tiavtrne t^wne number acid the dept. number ^j^^^ on the address ImIow. SBS COMPUTER SUPPLIES LTD. NEWTOWN ROAD AH goods wM rXHmaty be despatched same day bY ^^% class post - frtm of charge. CMrnight deli>wi«s by BHranijftmeot We welrajme purchase orders from commet ■ cial. educational ar>d govemnr^eni esiablish- rTwnts and also ordvrs fri>m ovef seas. HOVE • SUSSEX • BN3 7BA KEYWORDS Just fancy that Does anyone know who the gentleman in this picture is? The one beside Alec Rae. that is? The picture comes from a press release for Rom bo Productions, whose 'Vidi PCW video digitiser won the 1987 British lulic recomputing 'Special Award', Their PR photo quite clearly shows SOOO Plus's assistant editor, Alec Rae, respectfully averting his eyes from Elvis. Rorrbo claim the pictures were taken from TV broadcasts, but unless Alec achieved tame unknown to him we're fairly sure that they have reused an image we left on their discs when we returned their digitiser after review. A PROBLEM SHARED / know very little about the machinations of the mrid of high finance, and the causal link between Ronald Reagan's tSelberations on his trade delidt and the price of my Amslrad shares puzzles me. However, i do know something about computers, and one particular post-stodtmarket ftolocausl comment caught my eye. Apparently on the tirst day of Octobers share price collapse, a couple ot hours before close of trading in l^ew York the U.S. treasury ordered the computer systems lo tm shut down. Stocldiroking firms use their computers to track the price, and should a downward trend appear the computer automatically issues an instruction to sett Tftus when the whole market dived, the computers began to instruct other computers to sell, which depressed prices further, and the whole thing got into a vicious circle and had to be abandoned. People who have never used a computer have a touchingly naive faith in them. 8000 Plus readers know better Computers are only as clever as the people using Ihem, and the downwards spiral that these automatic selling programs got into was not very clever at all. Any school computer science student would have spotted the potential trap, yet the $100,000 a year systems analysts on Wall Street didn't. One day computers will be clever enough to make judgements on whether or not to sell shares, but any system based on knee-jedt reactions lo price drops is anything but clever. Computer controlled systems are going to become more and more prevalent because they do offer such dramatic labour savings. However, for the time being it seems that human judgement is alive and kicking. Questionnaire results With great ceremony and scientific impartiality, we've picked the three lucky winners of the grand questionnaire prize draw. They are: Will Parfitt. London SE22; Rev. J.A.B. Mayne, Co. Down; Ian S. Goodhart, Stanmore. £25 vouchers good tor our special offers pages are on their way with congratulations. Thank you to the many hundreds of other readers who returned questionnaires, and we'd like to assure you that every single one was carefully read. Although many of you seem convinced there is no way we could improve further, we're sure you will see many new and interesting features in the future. The most interesting section for us was the 'What magazines do you read?' question. Among the most mentioned were Nursing Times. Marxism Today, Investors Chronicle, Rail Enthusiast and The Beano (well, once). What a cosmopolitan lot you are. Tale of two PCWs Many letters to 8000 Plus end with a plaintive P.S. along the lines of, "Stick to the 6000s - forget the 9512", or alternatively, "Move with the times, forget the BOOOs". As we've said t)efore, the fad is that the machines are virtually identical apart from a tew go-faster stripes: most product releases and most ol our general articles apply to both models ot PCW. However, there are a few packages specific to either the 8256/8512 or the 9512, usually where there is a heavy dependence on the printer. From now on all our reviews will carry an extra item in the product information line (where the price and supplier are given) which will say 'BOOOs only', '9512 only' or. most commonly, 'All PCWs'. International fame 80(X) Plus is privileged to have an international award- winning writer as a columnist. At the recent World Science Fiction Convention, David Langford scooped the awards (called 'Hugos') for Best Fan Writer' and on behalf of ttie fan magazine 'Ansible' that he edits, 'Best Fanzine*. Langford himself is too modest to mention these accolades, but nevertheless has dropped enough heavy hints to the editor to make sure that we don't forget to mention it. Well done, Dave. PLUS The January 8000 Plus will be out on Thursday December 17th. Make the New Year easy and subschbei 8000 PLUS 5 Since LocoScript 2 was launched we've been improving it and making it more versatile. Now, we've released version 2.12 together with these new products. If you haven't bought LocoScript 2 yet, now is the time to buy. Just read the magazines and reviews to see how good it is. The price is still just £19.95. a you've already bought LocoScript 2 for your 8256/ 8512, you can upgrade to the latest version for just £5 or get it free with any of tfiese new products. If you have a PCW9512, buy any one of these add-on products and get the latest LocoScript 2 free! More for your PCW with LOCOMOTIVE SOFTWARE For the 8256, 8512 and S5|^ The Printer Character Sets Disc If you use a different printer from the one built-in to your PCW, then you may need a Character Set taflored to your printer or printwheel. The Printer Chaiaaer Sets Disc helps you prepare this. Printing # to get E wiU be a thing of the past with your new Character set. (For the 9512 this disc is combined with the extra printer drivers disc) The Keyboards Disc Previously, each different national version o( LocoScript would only worlc with the equivalent national keyboard. Now, if you add the Keyboards Disc, you can mix and match the different versions of LocoScript and different keyboard layouts. You could, for example, use a French AZERTY keyboard with an English version of LocoScript 2. For the 95ir The 9512 Printwheels Disc There are many different printwheels available for the printer buUt into the PCW9512. If you want to use any one of these printwheels you'll need the matching printwheel table. Your PCW9512 comes with just two printwheel tables ; the Printwheels disc contains them alll So if you want to use an exotic printwheel (say a French wheel on an English PCW), purchase the 9512 Printwheels Disc for Locc^cr^t 2 to use the printwheel to its full extent. The 9512 Printer Drivers and Character Sets Disc The PCW9512 can be used with a variety of printers in addition to the built- in daisywheel printer, so for example you can add a fast printer for drafts. For LocoScript 2 to operate these printers conectly, you'll need some extra software called a printer driver. There are some printer drivers supphed on the LocoScript disc vrith your PCW, but this disc contains printer drivers to support a far wider range of pnnters For the 8256 The Locomotive 8256 Memory Upgrade LocoScript 2 stretches your PCW8256 almost to the limit - the more so if you use LocoSpell or LoooMail! The Locomotive Memory Upgrade is a kit of "chips" which boosts the memory of your 8256 to 512K (the same as in a PCW8512). With this fitted, you can copy discs In one go, you'll rarely run out of space on the M drive when editing and youllbe able to use the huge 78,000 word LocoSpeU dictionary in drive M. The kit comes with fuD instruaions and even a practice chip for you to make your mistakes on ! Unless you have a very early PCW, no soldering is re<iuired. To: Katy Buchan, Locomotive Systems, Allen Court, Dorldng, Surrey RH4 lYL. Phone: (0306) 887902 □ I enclose a cheoue payable to Locomotive Systems Limited Q Please charge to my Access card HUTW Please send me the following products: FOR THE PCW8256/8512 LOCOScnpt 2 (iui^uda Did LocoSpeU/LaooMail mastsr discs foe frw upatatlB) £19.95 Upgrade to version 2.12 (include oW mMm disc wUh tWi oidai) £5.00 ■PD err TTnm-aH u tn tO (0% avaitabls with Isyboaidi or Char SMi disc) iiKJinj UPgiaae to Z.IZ jindludeoldm«BtBrdiKwilhlhi«ord«rJ KeytWardSDiSCdequiiw LoooScnpl 1 vanlon 2 . 12) £14.95 Print er Character S ets Disc ( t«mirM Looosenpt z¥er«ion2.i2) £14.95 (Note that thi« pivjuci wafi previously callad tha Frlmar Constructor Disc) Locomotive 8256 Memory Upgrade £24.95 FOR THE PCW9512 _ 9512 Keyboards Disc £14,95 _ 9512 Printwheels Disc £14.95 _ 9512 Printer Drivers and Character Sets Disc £14.95 TOTAL £ . NEWS PLUS. IT'S THE PORTABLE PCW! In a move more effectively concealed than many product launches, Nabitchi Computing of Livetpool have announced a portable version of the PCW8256. At last it seems that you can take LocoScript with you into the garden or onto the train. What Nabitchi have done is to take the insides of an 8256 and rehouse them in a custom- designed case viiith a nevn pow/er supply and screen. The new display is a 4" diagonal TV tube which can show the full 90 columns by 32 rows. The portable PCW will cost E399+VAT. Also included is the 825 6's standard 3' disc drive. It will, of course, run all PCW 5ot\wate unchanged, including LocoScript. The keyboard is a standard 8256 keyboard, as is the printer. Most of the time you won't need to carry the printer around with you, but should you have to then the portable can drive that too. One neat innovation is the addition of a clock. You can arrange to turn on the power to the PCW at a set time, and if you have a suitable start-of-day disc with a PROFILE.SUB file the machine would then automatically run any software you wanted. The whole unit - screen, disc drive and printer - runs off rechargeable batteries which ate A Amsttad's new PPC portaWe coir^utsf claimed to last for up to 4 hours continuous use. tt can also be run off the mains directly, during which time the batteries recharge themselves. The unit measures up at 30 by 20 by 1 3 cm, and is said to be significantly lighter than the normal 8256. But the Nabitchi portable isn't just 3 portable. Because it is a converted 8256, when you buy it you also get the unused full-size display screen left over from the conversion. When working at home you can connect the machine up to this and ease possible eyestrain by use of the larger screen. For E199WAT Nabitchi will convert current 8256s, putting them It's obviously the month of the portable computer. Amstrad's newest product is a portable IBM PC compatible, christened the PPC. For those who know and care about the IBM PC world, here are the gory details: the basic PPC costs E399-i^VAT and has 51 2k memory, one 3V2" disc drive, a full size IBM AT enhanced keyboard and a 80x25 row LCD screen. For an extra £1 00 you can get a second disc drive or a built-in modem and full 640k memory. The top range model at £599+ VAT has twin drives and modem. into the new case and returning the portable version plus standard screen for home use. At the time of going to press we hadn't seen the Nabitchi portable in action, David Rathbone, ideas man and driving force behind Nabitchi, is very confident of its future, revealing; "We were tempted at first to try to build our own PCW clone from scratch, but of course you can't out-Amstrad Amstrad on price. This conversion process avoids all the hassles of relicensing LocoScript and CP/I^.' He expects the first deliveries of the new machine in early December, Details from Nabitchi on 051 -708 8775. Say it with LISP A PCW version of the computer language LtSP has been developed by programing specialists HiSoft (0525 718181). LISP is widely used in the area of Artificial Intelligence programming, and HiSott's version is an interpreter with program editor. HiSoft LISP is based on the Common LISP standard, but indudes extra commands to make HiSoft Lisp InlCETpreter for CP/M HiSaft best use of the PCW's features. The LISP system costs £39.95, but tf you don't already know the language you might be interested in paying £10 extra to get a tutorial book too. For £49.95, HiSoft are bundling iook/ngaff-ZSP, by Open University lecturer Tony Hassemer, which they say ties in well with their software. New BASIC manual A common complaint from PCW owners is that Mallard BASIC is not covered adequately in the manuals that come with the machine. Now help is at hand in the shape of a new manual from Locomotive software. The new version is a complete rewrite of the manual that Amstrad currently sell, it is 430 pages long, split into a reference section and a much-enlarged tutorial. New sections cover the Jetsam filing system in detail. GSX graphics and using machine code with BASIC. Locomotive are the company that wrote Mallard . BASIC, so they ought to know a thing or two about it. The new manual costs is £9.95, from Locomotive on 0306 887902. A # .<<?> Tipping the scales at six kilos, it isn't a lap-top machine. And at 43 by 23 by 10 cm you would need a pretty big briefcase. The PPC won't be available in Britain until mid- January, At the same time as launching the PPC, Alan Sugar was hinting that there might be a portable PCW on the way. Answering questions at the press conference Sugar said that the Amstrad were not considering producing a portable printer for the new machine but that they were "looking at"' a plan to produce a portable PCW which would include a printer. Light-pen wars Swansea light-pen manufacturers Trojan (0792 205491) have launched an aggressive attack on the graphics market with a PCW light-pen and graphics software for only £29.95. Trojan claim their art package has all the facilities you need for a free-hand drawing package, and a number of features which they say approach the realms of desk top publishing {doesn't everything these days?) with a wide range of type sizes. Trojan have considerable experience of the light pen mari<et being the manufacturers of the LPI ' light pen sold by Amstrad for their CPC machines. By doing their own manufacturing and programming Trojan have managed to come up with a product at a price that must cause a considerable amount of Interest 8000 PLUS 7 .NEWS PLUS 9512 Daisywheel problems PCW 9512 owners wtio want to use even the simplest foreign accents in text are having problems. The standard wheel that comes with the 951 2 has no accents on tt, but the LocoScript word processing software is actually pre-set up to support a suitable altemative wheel with all the accents. However, this 'Swiss- French' print wheel, as it is called, seems to be virtually unot>tainable. Retailers like Dixons have never heard of I Spy What is definitely the most unlikely PCW accessory has been launched by Streamside Research - a fibre optic torch which, they explain, is useful for peering into disc drives. It you can think of a reason why you should want (o look into your disc drive, you wilt have to decide whether you want this handy tool in blad^, green or yellow. Price £2.00, contact Streamside Research, 2 Rosary Drive, Bridgwater, Somerset, AWP TWI5 OfJe^ fwp them, and Amstrad are referring customer enquiries to their official daisywheel distributors, Sternstat. John Wyse, marketing manager of Sternstat, confirmed that the Swiss-French wheel was not being generally distributed to the trade. "We are only supplying the foreign character wheels singly at the moment. Dealers can order them, and there's usually a 4 to 6 week delivery time. We charge £2.50 handling, but what the dealers pass MUFFLED ROAR Nabitchi have certainly been busy this month - as well as their portable PCW, they have developed a low-cost acoustic cover tor the PCW951 2 printer. The 9512 printer has already attracted comment for the noise it makes, although daisywheel printers are never quiet. "People sell all kinds of add-ons for the PCW, like mice, copy holders or whatever," said Nabitchi' s David Rathbone. 'This printer hood isn't an add-on - frankly, I think it is a necessity," he humbly added. The cover comes as a flat-pack kit, and anybody who can knock up on to customers is obviously at their discretion " This handling charge would be in addition to the normal E5.81 retail price of the wheels Meanwhile, Locomotive, the developers of LocoScript, seem equally frustrated by the unavaila- bility of the foreign character print wheels that their software supports. Loco's Howard Fisher revealed that they were looking into the possibility of supplying the wheels directly themselves. "We'll try to keep stocks of a few of every type- style there is", he said. The Swiss-French wheel is directly usable with LocoScript as shipped with the PCW9512, but to use any of the more exotic wheels (Greek, Swedish etc.) you will need Locomotive's print wheel configurer software at £14.95. Contact Locomotive on 0306 887902. an MFI bookshelf should he able to cope. It costs E29.95, and is available from Nabitchi on 051 -708 6775. Stand and deliver Perhaps it's Christmas coming up but there has been a fair amount of activity in the computer furniture business. Am-Stax, a London based firm, have come up with an interesting solution for any PCW owner who is limited for space. The Am-Stax stand is custom designed for an 8000 series PCW, holding monitor, keytioard and printer In a unit that takes up only U* of a square metre of floor space and is no wider than the PCW keyboard. The screen slopes at 30° for easier reading, with the printer mounted above it. The keyboard is also tilted to what designer Brian Temple considers a better typing angle. Marketing manager John RIppon suggests, with a chauvin- istic smile, that the compact style will appeal to housewives who want to keep the PCW's insatiable appetite for space under control. But perhaps most interesting is the price - £29.95. Future plans include clip-on disc trays, copy holders and mouse tables, and a 9512 version. Phone 01-373 4979 for details. If you are looking for more room to spread out in you might be interested in Crompton Computer Furniture's more traditional range. The Compact Workstation is a desk with a paper tray and catcher for continuous paper, an optional printer shelf above the monitor. The prkies are also more traditional - El 19.50 or £139.50 with the overhead shelf. For details phone 0908 311544 A The Am-Stax PCW sland. QUICKIES... Epson have issued a writ of 0961) have cut their 10 megabyte Prospell from Amor (0733 now get up to 4 fonts on one disc. summons against Amstrad for unit from E445+VAT to £299+ VAT, 23901 1 } is now available in a compared to just one previously. alleged infringement of trade Comix Software (0462 special version for LocoScript 2 SuperType costs £24.95, or marks. Epson's range of printers 682989) joins the rush of users. If costs £29.95; present £1 2.50 for an upgrade for existing has such model numbers as companies to bring out a special Prospell users can upgrade for users. LQ800, LQ1000 and LQ2500, and version of their software for the El 5. Dataphone (0733 230240) have they claim that Amstrad 's new PCW9512. Card Index has been ■ Diglta (0395 45059) have released a low-cost modem at LQ3S00 24-pin printer conflicts. specially adapted to take brought their popular SuperType £79,95, Called the 'Demon 2', it is Hard disc prices are dropping advantage of the new machine. printer typeface program up to said to have all the usual features too. as ASD Peripherals (021-359 The price is £34.95, date with LocoScript 2. You can plus a few surprises. e 8000 PLUS NewStar Software presents..,, THE CATALOGUE Software for PCWs and PCs It's all in the NewStar Software Autumn Catalogue, complete with introductions and explanations to the various subject headings. Information to help you choose, presented in one complete catalogue. There isn't room in a single advert to show you the comparative merits of the various databases, accounts packages, word processors communications software, or spreadsheets. But there certainly is in 48 pages! To order your free copy of the NewStar catalogue call (0277) 220573 New Star Software Ltd., 200 North Service Road. Essex Civn4 4SG Soles Tel; (0277)232637 Telex: 995143 NEWSTAG Fox: (0277) 232637 Mon-Sat 9.00 cm to 5.30 pm TRAINING IT'S QUICKER BY Rob Ainsley investigates a few alternatives to reading tlie PCW manuals I There's no magic about computers. Sure they'll save you huge amounts of time, money and tedium in the long run, but in between unpacking your PCWs and having your computerised paperless office running at the touch of a button, there's a lot of hard work to be done. The problem Is that the training of yourself and all your staff In the intricacies of LocoScrlpt, SuperCalc, dBase and the rest, can end up taking more of your time than you'd be saving anyway. 10 8000 PLUS If you dor? Y enjoy the game o> hunting through the Amstrad manuals for hidden clues, or if you run a small business on the principle that Time equals Money, then you might find the idea of paying someone else to do the hard work for you very appealing. The answer could lie in one of the many PCW training courses around the country. The emphasis is heavily on LocoScnpt'for-businsss, with a few options such as introductions to spreadsheets or databases also available. You can usually choose between on-site training, in the comfort and privacy of your own office or home, and in- house training, done on the training company's premises. Group size is generally two to halt a dozen though individual, 'customised' training is available by negotiation from some organisations. There are all sorts of options, from haff-day intensive tutorials in the centre of London lo a leisurely few days in the Scottish countryside goKing and fishing! The advantage of the courses is that in just a day or two you or your staff can be professionally trained in all the necessary word processing techniques to be used in the office - and hopefully make up all those weeks lost in trying to figure out how to change layouts and all that time wasted setting italics via menus instead o! [+] and [-] keys. The disadvantage is that they're not cheap. You can expect to pay something like El 50 per person per day in London, while in the provincial splendour of Scunthorpe you can get the same for half the price, if you want the training to come to you 'on site', you'll be paying more, of course, and general opinion is that on site training tends to be hampered by phone calls, unexpected visitors, urgent business etc. However, the cost is really of secondary importance. An un exploited PCW is five hundred wasted pounds, and it's probably quite fair to say that the courses will pay for themselves through increased office efficiency in a few weeks. Expensive as it sounds, the hourly cost of PCW training is only on a par with driving, horse-riding or piano lessons, for example, and any course which promised to teach you enough to be able to pass a driving test in one day would be well worth a try. Of course Typical of the training courses on offer is that run by Office International in Tottenham Court Road. The day 8000 Plus visited there was a class of four trainees being shown the basics of LocoScrlpt by instructor Linda Boscic. who has over ten years' experience with various wordprocessors and seems to have an eidetic knowledge of every menu and screen in LocoScrlpt. Of the four trainees, two had been sent by their companies, and two had come off their own bat. One had bought a PCW for her retail outlet but was finding it impossible to use, and the other wanted some ability with word processing in order to get a better secretarial job. "In the early days, it was 50-50 between private individuals and people sent by their company," said Linda, "but now we're getting more company employees, I suppose as the PCW is being bought more by companies. We're already running courses on the 951 2 and I expect we'll be phasing more of those in as time goes on." Training sessions are roughly weekly at the moment, atternating between the SOOO machines and the 951 2s. Staying the course The course is brisk and businesslike - the trainees each have their own PCW and are kept working solidly on it from the nine-fifteen start to the four-thirty finish. Most of the time they're being led by the hand through the various parts of LocoScrlpt - "Press [f7], [f7], and then [f1], and you'll find yourself in the header, which is where you can change the layout of each document" - obviously only on the LocoScrlpt 1 courses - but at the end of each section there's a document using the features just practised to tte set up, typed and printed out unaided. The last part of the day consists of a test - "How do you indent text?", "How would you stop and cancel a print instruction?", and so on. The four course members seemed quite satisfied at the end of the day. "The main thing is getting some confidence." said one, "I know I can do it now". They all felt much happier with the occasionally tortuous routines for setting out documents and layouts, without which the PCW isn't much use to any business. A few incidentals on PCW practice also come up - one of the points made about direct printing was that it usually takes twice as long as on a typewriter, because everyone watches the printer churning out the line just typed before starting on the next one I Call for help As well as the day's course manual and a plastic ruler marked with 10, 12 and 1 5 pitch gradations to help you gauge your layouts, the trainees can take home the disc with all the files they've used and get plenty of very strong coffee too. in addition there's telephone support aftenwards, so that they can ring up if they run into difficulties when they get back home - which is less than you'd think, according to Linda. "Just knowing they can call for help if they need it seems to give people the confidence to try things on their own. We actually don't get thiat many calls after the courses." "I think the problem is that a lot of people run out and buy PCWs and are disappointed to find they have a lot of things to learn before they can start using it. But having said that, LocoScript is a brilliant word processor. For office use. the dot matrix printer output could be improved upon, but the 951 2's seen to that. For the money, any of the PCWs are incredible value.' HoMine support For many PCW-based small businesses, learning LocoScript may only be the beginning of the story. Where do you go for advice on how to use your PCW more effectively, on which software to buy, and who can you call when you can't get your labelling routines to work? Fortunately for frustrated small businessmen there is the SBSG - the Small Business Support Group - in deepest Worcestershire. The aim of the group is to provide complete support for businesses using ttie PCW, everything from training in Loco to supplying specially- written software. Members can use a hotline telephone support wfien thiey run into problems; SBSG are familiar with most packages you'd be likely to see in the course of business, dBase, Delta, Condor, WordStar, SuperCalc etc. Walk before you can run There ere, like most courses, two optlorts In LocoScript, Introductory and advanced. The Introductory course starts from switching on and assumes no previous knowledge at ell. h cowers the really basic sluff you would need for business letters, making letterheaiis and setting up documents ~ saving, copying, deleting and moving files, manipulating the pitch, Italic, bold commands by the [*] and [-] keys, etc., setting up templates end handling layouts. Though It's easy when you can do It, some peopte not surprtstngty find sequences like [f7]-(f7>[f1] to get In the header, cursor BCT09S to set pitch, down to set msrglns, then exit-exii-enter-exll-enter la get back to adit, contusing the first time. The aitvanced course covers phrases, headers end looters, pagination, blocks and so on, and assumes a basic knowledge roughly equal to the topics covered In the Introductory course. It is possible to do both courses but it's recommended that you allow a month or so between the h«o to let the first lot of Intonnstlon sink In. Members can also seek general advice on how to build up a system of software and hardware to suit their particular business needs. SBSG will provide anything from mundane services such as converting data discs from, say, S'/j" IBM PC to 3" PCW format, right up to high level consultancy work. They are also developing their own business software, such as some specialised 'vertical software' packs which to suit certain professions, like Estate Agencies or Dentists. These are essentially customised versions of the SBSG's own-brand Matchmaker' business handler program (something like a database-plus-lat)eller-cum-organiser). Relax Training is done on the customer's premises if required, though Jane Davis and Barry Rubin, who run the SBSG, reckon the best results are actiieved away from the trainee's office, in the rural tranquillity of the Cotswolds. There's a personal touch to everything and trainees are encouraged to bring their own PCWs, business letterheads, data discs and so on. so that they can learn what they need to know for their own business - and go away with customised programs they can use the next day. Barry and Jane find that one of the most popular areas for advice and consultancy is communications. To many small businesses, comms is a closed book, and the SBSG are keen to stiow how, for example, the process of sending telexes can be made mucti easier and simpler using a modem. Subscription to the group gives members free registration to electronic mail and telex services, wh^h would normally cost £50. Membership is £39 plus VAT (£44.85) per year and Dixon's are currently offering membership packs at that price with every Amstrad PCW they sell Unless you're quite happy figuring out how to work your PCW into your business by yourself, it could be a very valuable investment. YOU DIDN'T GET SUMMER BUT YOU STILL GET. fUMl^lRTALl CP2 DISCS For use on 6128, 8256 & top drive 85 12. Ten pack was £34.50 nOVIf k20 Code: AA10012 CF2DD DISCS High capacity for use on 8512 second drive - ten pack was £48.50 HOW ONL Y £30 c^.aaeoov DISC CASES Individual plastic cases for CF2 and CF2DD discs Ten DHL Y £S code: aawoos RIBBOHS High quality film carbon ribbons for PCW printer Single Pack £5 cod« aak«»5 Three pack of fabric printer ribbons for PCW printer HOW OHLY £9.99 MKoco. LABELS 1,000 standard one wide, white address labels - were £5.95 HOW DHL Y £5 c«i. mboo^ DUST COVERS tailored twin-set to cover monitor/keyboard and printer - was £1 1 How only £8.99 cc<i,:MDoooi LISTIHC PAPER 2,000 pack ofSOgsm plain white listing paper OHLY £12 codtiAAPooos STORAGE BOXES Lockable, anti-static disc storage boxes will hold up to 60 discs - was £15.95 HOW DHL Y£12 c«^ AAmai CLEAHIHG KIT Includes 100ml screen cleaner, 100ml cleaning fluid, 10 Safe Wipe cloths, 5 foam swabs for keyboards, 1 anti -static cloth. Was £11.50 JVOMf DHL Y£S c^.m««£_^^_ CP/iH Plus Handbook Published by Heinneman this is the official Digital Research reference book for the 6128 & 8256. Was £22.50... HOW DHL Y£i8 c^:amuooo, SOFTWARE DA DRA W The general purpose drawing package. Create and edit quality presentation charts & diagrams. Was £49.95 HOW JUST £2S! c^ as.^. CBASIC COMPILER Well known Digital Research compiler - was £49.95 A snip at £12mS0 cad^ awoooi A GRAPH Business graphing pacl<age which is easy to use producing a wide range - pie, bar, stacked, scatter & combinations, import from spreadsheets - was £49.95 How just £2S Code: A5X0002 PASCAL MT+ The best selling superset of ISO standard Pascal from Digital Research - was £34.95 Reduced to £^2.50 Code: ASP0002 For more great offers on any software in 'The Source' call Barry or Tracy on 0488 849€9/84e9€ i Pri«s are correct at time of printing and although we endeavour to keep all our prices fixed, The Software Mail Order ' Group Ltd.. does reserve the right to change prices and specificahons of the products on offer without prior notice. ORDER FORM X CODE DESCRIPTION NO OF ITEMS PRICE PER ITEM VALUE Payment method (please tick) Cheque enclosed D Credit card: Access D Visa D Sub Total Pte^ss add postage & packaging charge at the inllcrmng rates 1 Item £150. 2 Items £2 50, Ffiff P&P on S or more items No Name. GRAND TOTAL . Initials Expiry date . . Signature . Cheques and Postal Orders should be made out to: Software Mail Order Group Ltd., and sent to PC Box 10, Hungerford, Berks. RC170LT Please despatch the above items to: FREE Source subscription? Q NAME. _INITIALS_ ADDRESS. TOWN. .COUNTY. POSTCODE. .TELEPHONE. TRAINING Directory Below are a few of the PCW-specific training courses currently operating around the country, though the list is by no rreans comprehensive. There are various others (mainly in the south-east) which you might find advertised in the various PCW publications. However, things change fast and there will inevitably be many new outfits setting up. You'll often find adverts in local papers of private individuals offering help, and you can soon tell with a quick phone call wlietfier the petson is organised and affable enough to be useful. Bear in mind that there are probably dozens of computer courses not spwcific to the Amstrad in your locality: details will be available in the Yellow Pages or from the local library. There are invariably evening classes on some sort of computer or word processor in most towns. Some of these may be on the PCW, but many colleges use IBM PC compatibles which aren't of any particular help for LocoScripters. Even so. LocoScript apart, much software mrs on PCs as well as PCWs, and if you can master dBase II on a PC you'll be a long way to learning it on a PCW. If you get really stuck your best bet is to ask around and find someone who uses PCWs regularly in their office or business who could offer some help, PCW owners are generally a friendly and public-spirited bunch and would be only too glad to help. The types of course offered are listed separated by a semi -colon. All prices include VAT and are per person, per course. Most companies offering 'LocoScript' courses now offer a choice of Loco 1 or 2 tuition. ♦ Amstrad User Clubs Learning Centre Centres throughout whole of UK" Book through 20 Vine Place, Sunderland SHI 3NA. 091-510 8787/9595. Introduction: LocoScript: SuperCalc: dBase Each course £57.44 (User Club members) £63.25 (non- members) - includes take-home training pack ♦ British Teiecom Birmingham, Bristol, Ealing, Glasgow, Leeds, London, Sale Booking through 8 Quebec St, Leeds LSI 2HN. 0532 451000, Introduction to LocoScript: Advanced LocoScript: dBase: SuperCalc: Lotus; WordStar £130 per day « Office International 247-257 Euston Rd, London NW1 2HY. 01-388 9344. Introduction to LocoScript: Advanced LocoScript £11 3.85 per day ♦ PS Partnership 27a James St, London WC2E 8PA/ 50 London Rd, Sevenoaks, Kent TNI 3 IAS. 01-379 3198/0732 460003. Introduction to LocoScript; Advanced LocoScript; Sage; Delta; SuperCalc; WordStar Half day £86.25, Full day £138.00 ♦ Banna Wordprocessing 29 New Bond St, London W1Y 9HD. 01-493 3336. LocoScript: SuperCalc £172.50, or on customer's site at £143.75 + travelling ♦ Techfrlend 54 Kelvedon CI, Kingston-on-Thames, Surrey KT2 SLF, 01- 549 7313. ^mstrad lamiliarisation; Introductory and Advanced LocoScript: databases: spreadstieets On customer's site, POA but around £75 per hatt djty The reel thing If you don't fancy the idea ol a Iralnlng course, or can't make it from your cottage irtduslry on St Kilda, you might buy one ot ttw training packs there are around. 'Reel Time' Is a set ol cassette tapes and a disc which guide you from lero thrcugh all! he functions of LocoScript. The ta|)es have a running comn^ntary tetling you which key to press when and explaining what's going on. There's a suinmary chart and, on the 'electronic t>ook' disc, problenvs testing your knowledge ol the hmctlons you've learned (with answers). The disc hsetl Is ralh«r less use Ihart the cassettes, which lomi a nk» guide to your first few hours with the PCW. As such the pri<% of £34,44 Is not the biggest bargain in the wo rid, taut it you prefer the sound ol a voice leading you through LowScript to ploughing through a manual, (his is what you want It's available from Head Une Cotnmunk:atlons ol Hereiord, Tel. 0432 271S98. •«' Dynamic Training College 5 Julian CI, Woking, Sun-ey GU21 3HD. 04862 71499. LocoScript In house £1 10, On site £10 ph + 25p per mile travelling ^ Computext 58 Castle Dr, Horiey, Surrey RH6 9DE. 0293 776683, LocoScript; spreadsheets; databases POA. but generally £1 per hour private, £200 per day for companies ♦ Aztech MIcrosltll 173 Basingstoke Rd, Reading, Berkshire RG2 OHF, 0734 75S768, LocoScript One day course (Loco 1) £74.75 (Loco 2) £86.25 ♦ Small Buslrwss Support Group Kennel La, Bank BIdgs, Broadway, Worcester WR12 7DP. 0386 853610. All business software and full telephone support/consultancy; membership £44.85 per annum On site £171 .35 (members) £201.25 (non members) per day; in house £90.85 (members) £1 13.85 (non members) per day. ♦ Meg a wise Scunthorpe, 0724 863283, LocoScript: SuperCalc; Cardbox; Sage; Delta; dBase In house £85, On site £1 25, discounts for groups ♦ Computer User Training 1 Winckley St, Preston Pfl1 2AA, 0772 201346, Introduction to LocoScript 2 day course £103,50 « Gary Hall The Lodge, Sidmount Ave, Moffat (near Edinburgh) DG10 9BS. 0683 20440. LocoScript; Maslerfile 8000; Sage Accounts: Money Manager Half day £25, one day £45, two days £89; accommodation available £6 B&B Mr Hall suggests you make a fishing and golfing holiday of it! I WORD PROCESSORS i LOOOMAIL 1 EM.BS LOCOSPELL 1 EM.Bfi LOOOSCfflPT 2 (NEW) £19.95 LOCOSPELL 2 (NEW) „ ESS 95 LOCOMAIL 2 (NEW) £3S,S6 Micfowora/MicnoFiLE ess.m NEWWOR0 2 t57.B5 POCKET PfiOTEXT £34.95 POCKET WORDSTAR £37.95 POCKET WORDSTAR DELUXE £54.95 PnOSPELL £23.95 PnOTEXT CS7.95 TASMAN TASPELL SOOO £14.95 TASUMN TASPHINT 8000 £12.95 TASMAN TASWORO aooo £ie.95 ACCOUNTS MAP INTEGRATED SUfFE £138.95 MICRO SIMPLEX £89.95 MONEY MANAGER. £21.95 MONEY MANAGER PLUS £33.95 SAGE POPULAH ACCOUWTS £75.95 SAGE POP. AOCOU^fTS PLUS £114.95 SAGE ACC. SUPER COMBO EUB,95 SAGE POPULAR INVOICING ES3.9S SAGE POPULAR PAYROa £53,95 SAGE STOCK R INVacING E59.95 SAXON CASH BOCK ACCOUNTS.... E25,95 1 GRAPHICS 1 Dfl DRAW . E44.95 DR G HAPH , E44.85 EXBASIC .Ell. 45 FLEET ST. EDrrOH PLUS . E4S.95 GRAPHICS OPERATING SYS .£56 95 EiC. STUDIO FONT UBRARY a£C. STU. SNIP AFIT (1-5)/EACH MICROTflAFT .£14,45 . £14.95 .£69.95 NEWSOESK INTERNATK3NAL POLYPLOT .£35.95 .E2Z,95 POL YPBI NT , .£26,95 POLY SERIES ICOMPLETE) POLY TYPEFACE a .£48.95 .£17.95 POLY TYPEFACE 3 .£17.95 THE DESKTOP PU8USHER F34 95 i DATABASES 1 DBASE tl £94 95 CAMBASE .£44.95 CAFtDeOX . £49.95 CONDOR 1 .£75 95 DATABASE MANAGER .££8.85 DELTA 1 .25 ,£78.85 FLEXIFfLE .£45,85 MASTERFILE 8000 ,£44,85 MICROFI LE/MICROWORD ,£45,85 1 SPREADSHEETS 1 CRACKER II ,£39.95 multipijAn .£59 95 SCRATCH PAD PLUS SUPEflCALC II . £45.95 caa95 1 LANGUAGES 1 ARNOR C „ .£68.85 OR C BASIC COMPlL£n....„ £44,95 DR PASCAL MT+ £44,85 FTL MODULA-2 £49.85 HISOFTC [WPTH EDTTOFTI £33.95 H I SOFT PASCAL 80 „„ £33,85 HISOFT DEVPAC 80 (VEH 2) £33,85 NEVADA COBOL £33,85 THE KNIFE £18.85 I GENERAL & UTILITIES j AUDIO TLTTOHIALS £8.95 CAXTON TOUCH & GO £18.85 COMPANION £17,86 IAN KEY CRASH TYPING £16.95 lANKEY TWO FINGERS £19,95 LABEL PRINTER „ £22,95 MASS EASY LABELiER .„ £28.85 PLAN IT £22.85 ROTATE E 1 8.85 SAGE MAGK; FILER £54.85 THE FRENCH MISTRESS £17,96 THE GERMAN MASTER „,. £17,95 THE [TAUAN TUTOR £17,95 THE SPANISH TUTOR ,.„ £17,95 THE WELSH TUTOR £17.95 9512 GOOD REASONS WHY NABITCHI WILL ALWAYS STOCK PCW'S! COMPUTERS ] FREE secURIOOn DELIVERY:- PCW 8255 COMPUTER,,, (28S,0q| , £343,85 PCW 8512 COMPUTER,,, 1388,00) , £458,85 PCW 9512 COMPUTER,,, (489,00) , £573,86 UPGRADES PCWB25e MEMORY UPGRADE £22.00 PCW8258 a DISK DRIVE (FD2j £130.00 PCW851Z B DISK DRIVE p^D4) P.OJ^ PCWS258 MEMORY & DRIVE £150.00 I COMPUTER CARE | PCW825a;/85 1 2 PAPER GUIDE E12.B5 8268/8512/8512 SCREEN FILTER... £17. 85 CPS826e {nS232 INTERFACE) £54.85 PCW8258/8512 DUST COVER SET.,, £7,85 PCW 8512 DUST COVER SET £8,85 I CF2 3" DISKS ONLY £2,75 | I COMPUTER RODENTS I AMX MOUSE £73.95 ELEC. STUDIO UGKT PEN * £88.95 ELEC, STUDIO MOUSE • £88.95 * WTTH NEWSOESK INTERNATIONAL ELEC, STUDIO VIDEO DIGITIZER.,.. £88.95 GRAFPAD2 ....£130.00 KEMPSTON MOUSE £85.95 KEMPSTON MOUSE/FLEET ST £115.95 KEMPSTON M/WBFTE HAND MAN.. £85.95 PCW8000! PRINTER EXTN LEAD ...£18.40 I PCW PHONE HOME | AM STRAD MODEM V21/V23 £98.95 MIRACLE WS4000V21/1'23 £195.00 SAGE CHIT GHAT WTTH VIEWDATA DR E- MAiL INCLUDES MODEM £1 84.95 AS ABOVE ALLfSOFTWAHE £21 5.95 I PRINTER RIBBONS I MINIMUM ORDER TWO RIBBONS:- PCW825e;/8512 SEIKOSHA RIBBON. £4,75 PCW825S/85 1 2 MULTl-STHIKE E6,75 PCW95 12 (BLACK) £3,85 AMSTRAO DMP 2OO01/30OO , £5,75 AMSTRAO DMP 4000 „„,E7,75 PRINTERS Zl n I THE PAPER WHfTE SCREEN REDUCES EYE STRAIN AND GIVES FAR CLEARER DISPLAY ^ LARGE 51 2K RAM FITTED AS STANDARD GMNG FAST POOGRAM EXECUTION o control over the contrast and brkjHtness unuke PCW8S56 NABITCKI STOCK THE FULL range OF GENUINE AM STRAD PGW9512 PRINTER DAISYWHEELS LARGE 780K 'A" DISC DRIVE NOW MEANS SOFTWARE SUPPUERS CAN WRITE EVEN MORE POWERFULL PROGRAMS PROFFESIONAL FULL SIZED KEYBOARD MEANS NO MORE MISS-TYPING H BUILT IN CENTRONICS INTERFACE FOR CONNECTION TO OTHER PRINTERS UKE THE DMP3000 OR DMP4000 8f FAST DAJSYWHEEL PRINTER MEANS HK3H LETTER QUAUTY PRINT FINISH, NOTE: THE DAISYWHEEL PRINTER MEANS YOU GET THE COMPUTER FOR FREEI NOT FORGETTING THE FREE TRACTOR FEED UNIT FOR CONTINUOUS PAPER EVERYTHING THE 8256 SHOULD HAVE BEEN! FREE SECURICXJR DELIVERY:- AM STRAD DMP 2000,., (135.00) ....E15S55 AM STRAD DMP 3160... [1 78.00) .... £204.70 AMSTRAD DMP 40O0...(315,0O) £382.25 AMSTRAD NLO8500.„,|34B,00).,.,E401,35 I PCW 9512 DAISY WHEELS I COURIER 10 ES.80 FWESTK3E PK^k 10 £5.80 RECTA 10 £5.80 ORATOR 10 £5.80 LETTER GOTHIC 10/12 E5.S0 PRESTIGE ELnE12 £5.80 SCRIPT 12 £5.80 MINI GOTHIC 12... £5,80 I NABITOHI SOFTWARE | POWERFUL SOFTWARE AT BUDGET PRK:es EXBASIC £1 1 .45 mallard rasic can have gfiaphics without the pain a.p.c, september 1988 ttsbask; vol i £7,95 rrates treasure five star value VERDICT 8000 PLUS FEBRUARY 1887 rrsBASic VOL2 e7,86 A WOFnXWHILE BUY VERY GOOD VALUE FOR MONEY YOUR AMSTRAD PCW OCTOBER 1987 Nabitchi have always been known as THE PCW people. We intend to uphold this tradition for many years to come. The launch o1 the PCW9512 has again assured us all that the PCW tradition will live on. Once again Amstrad have given us a machine that caters for all tastes. It has a vast range of business software from accounts to desl<top publishing, ft has a full 51 2K RAM to accomodate the most ad- vanced programs of the future. The 3" 730K disc drive gives vast data storage on the most reliable form of magnetic media. The full size profes- sional keylward means that typing is made easy. The 15 inch daisy wheel printer gives perfect letter quality on page sizes up to A3, there is no longer a limit to the number of fonts, simply change the daisy wheel. The ever popuiar locoscript 2 with spell check- er and mail merge means that even our managing director David Rathbone can now write a letter. The paper white screen gives far clearer characters and thus reduces eye strain with contrast and brightness controls to adjust the display to your personal requirements. Nabitchi computing are the biggest PCW company and we intend to stay that way. OFFICIAL ORDERS WELCOMED FROM PLCS, GOVERNMENT AND EDUCATIONAL ESTAB- USHMENTS. EXPORT CUSTOMERS SUPPUED TAX FREE - ASK FOR GILL R06INSC»J. PCW 951 2 ACOUSTIC HOOD AVAILABLE NOW AT £29-95 + VAT ALL PRICES INCLUDE VAT POSTAGE FREE TO MAIN L^ND UK Q »f^BlTCf«l INSTANT CREOrr FACILITIES AVAILABLE MERSEYSIDE INNOVATION CENTRE 131 MOUNT PLEASANT LIVERPOOL L3 5TF TEL. 051-708-8775/051-708-0123 PLEASE MAKE CHEQUES PAYABLE TO 'NABITCHI COMPUTING' ACCESS AND VISA ORDERS WELCOME. There are obvious disadvantages in being the last company to launch a desktop publistiing package. But as AMS prepare to launch Stop Press, the last in the expected line of major DTP packages, they must also agree that there are one or two advantages. For a start they know what they are competing with. Software designers Tecnation certainly seem to have aimed at producing a program with a few differences over Its rivals. While competitors have been thinking primarily of a system to produce news sheets in proper newspaper format, Stop Press aims to take a wider view of DTP. Of course you can still produce a newspaper page on Stop Press but it is a program that gives you greater control over the graphic elements of the page than the words. For example, it offers a freehand art package and a simpte-to- use graph drawing package, as well as all the fancy fonts and text handling facilities normally associated with DTP. Getting it right Worthing within the limits of the PCW the designers admit that you can't do everything. In Stop Press there just wasn't room for a text editor. Whether this is a major disadvantage or not must depend on the user's own method of working. The theory is that you use LocoScript to get your text right and then place this text file onto the page. All the style rajmrrands, such as bold and italics will appear correctly, and you have the benefits of doing all your writing in a familiar environment. Stop Press offers a choice of 1 8 text sizes between 10 and 1 92 point, and you can infinitely alter the width ot and height of letters in each type-size. You can also adjust the 'kerning' (the space between the ietters) and the leading' (the space between the lines). This allows great opportunities to adjust the text to exactly til! the space available. There are 14 different fonts available to ring the changes with. Stop Press steals a trick from LocoScript and runs on a two level system of menus or command keys. Instead of the familiar small pull-down menus. Stop Press has a targe control panel which fills the whole screen. From this you can run any of the program's varied operations simply by pressing a couple of buttons on the mouse (coming from mouse champions AMS it naturally enough lays a strong emphasis on the use of a mouse). The panel is set out in a grid with letter and number references, and you can call up any function at any time with a couple of key-strokes just by typing in these references - once you know the system well enough to remember the references. Ail operations can be carried out by using the mouse to click on icons so there are no complicated commands to leam. Some ot the icons are very strange, and you may need a good imagination to work out what all the pictures signify! Icing on the caice stop Press has a few features that make it a bit different to the other DTP programs. You can produce graphics with all the features you would expect in a stand-alone free-hand drawing package. There are even some unusual ones such as the ability to design your own small symbols and fill patterns. If you don't have the artistic ability to create your own works of art you will still find the art editor facility useful when you want to try out some fancy design work on your pages. You can use it to touch up your headlines, for instance. Of course the program comes with a full set ot clip art examples and it will read graphics from digit! sers and the new MasterScan. PREVIEW ADVANCE STOP PRESS After a year of activity In the Desktop Publisfiing market is there room for another DTP package? Alec Rae gets a sneak preview of Stop Press, the offering from Advanced Memory Systems. Is it different enough to make up lost ground? Will ■■ ize Winning llama is£ 1 km tlutUrri t> Ui tie»»»r» till Ot tri»4-fri$ imtt •» t*» lUfti It Ikr Irtr I MS in lirt I ktoomduMk A vlln Ur tilt c It l\n i:- or}! ;• *•■ isi Hum ^mt iT ■ 111 ;t,;/i'.-'j,T(.- 'fiitifi' fl :lnir«.' ■( tl*IU" -4 Stofi Press can still produce Ihe standard news^per type lormat. The business user may find the EasiGraph section invaluable. This is designed to allow you to present information as line or bar graphs or pie charts just by typing in the data values. flR 9This preview is based on a pre-production version of the program. Stop Press is due out from AMS (0925 413501) in mid-November, price £49.99, mouse extra. We hope to present a full review next month. A Stop Press's ability to produce graphs easily eoM tte invaluable tor Ihe business Lea. Tills graptt was produced in minutes using the £aa-Graph iBCility. 8000 PLUS 15 Rational Solutions is pleased to announce the launch of AtLast Plus The new enhanced version of their best-selling database program AtLast for the Amstrad PCW computers and CPC6128, also known as The Database Manager. This Database application generator achieved its fame from its unique and unrivalled combination of exceptional versatility, speed, ease of use and low low price. But don't take our word for it - listen to what the reviewers said: "Superb value for money and hard to pick holes in" "Powerful features. . . as clever as the user makes it" "Many attractive features . . . "rts search features are particularly valuable" - 8000 Plus - Amstrad Professional Computing - Computing Witti The Amstrad PCW But some of you weren't satisfied. You wanted even more features than were already packed into the program and improvements in the manual and user interface. We listened to you and now we are proud to recognise the contributions our users have made to the design of AtLast Plus So now we thank you. All existing users of AtLast are offered AtLast Plus at half price. Send the front page of your old manual, your serial number and £19,95 to Ralionaf Solutions at the address below and we will send you AtLast Plus * FEATURES * * Data Capacity and Economy Can use all the available space on your disc up to maximum of 32,000 records or 4Mb per file. 10 files per database, 20 field arrays per record, 99 elements per field array, up to 79 characters per element. Records of 2000 characters are handled with ease. Unused data space is not saved to disc and therefore use of disc space is optimised. Typically three times as many names and addresses can be kept on a floppy as on a fixed format system. Wilt operate trappily on a single floppy machine PC or a hard disc if you have one * Semi - relational Records can be related between files so that you can switch from one record to a related record in a few key -strokes. ' Report and screen layouts All screen layouts and report forms are user-definable using a built-in mini-word-processor and you can have as many as you nice for each file. Examples are data entry screens, browsing screens, columnar listings, labels, letters. Any data item (field element) can be positioned anywhere and mixed with explanatory text as desired. Simple 'default' forms are created automatically for each file. * Reports Data can be exported via ASCII files in any layout desired (e.g. for mail-merge via virtually any word-processor that has a mail-merge ability). Listings can incorporate'head" and "tail" sections, with field totals, if desired. Listing parameters can be re-used for successive listings, changing only those that need to be changed. * Data Entry Data can be entered and individual fields edited using full on- screen control, passing up or down through fields at will. Data entry forms will scroll up or down on screen as required. All data is validated on entry according to its type. An integrated environment means that you can search to see if a record is already tfiere, using a selection filter if you wish, before adding, editing or deleting it. Index files are automati- cally updated without your even noticing. * Indexing/Sorting Up to 5 index files for any data file, each ordered on up to three levels (data items) with entries up to 30 characters. Uses state-of-the-art " B-trees" buffered for almost instan- taneous access. No tedious sorting require d. Mixed case fields give true alphabetic ordering - no need to use upper case only. Any index can be used for either listing or browsing order or for searching for individual records. * Selecting Selection conditions can be imposed on any field or combin- ation of fields when listing using Equal To, Not Equal To, Before, Equal or Before, After, Equal or After, Contains (substring) or Does not contain, Selection conditions can now be used whin browsing or searching for individual records * Field Types A versatile range of 9 field types is available. Types include date (0-9999AD), time (HH:M!vl:SS), automatic serial num- bers and pre-defined lists. * Data Security Any file can be protected from editing, adding to or deleting or any combination of these. * Data Re-organisation Data definitions can be edited without having to re-type data. In most cases, this is handled automatically. * Manual A new manual to make things easier for beginners. * Menus Menu-driven throughout, mostly requiring single key re- sponses for ease of use. No programming lanquage to learn. Computers PCW8256, PCW8512, PCW9512, and CPC6128 Price £39.95 inc VAT from all good dealers or order direct (no postage charge for UK or Europe) From: y \ RATIONAL SOLUTIONS LTD 9 Rosehill Road, London SW18 2NY. Tel: 01-874 6244 W« n«eded ev%n more space to show you all that's now In the Amstrad markotplaco -so wo'vo moved to .. The Great Hall Alexandra Palace Wood Green, London here! K- 10am - 6pm Thursday, January 28 10am - 6pm Friday, January 29 10am - 4pm Saturday, January 30 This is YOUR chance to try out for yourself the new Amstrad portable - the machine the press is raving about! it's so e^sy to ^t to the show - by cat, i^, underground or bos. Alexandra Palace has its awn British JTaiJ statioot whisking visitors to And from Kind's Cross in just itSne minti/es. And there's t free bos service shattling between ^adon and show every IG minates. If you're travelling by ro^d the show is Cioly IS minute away 6vm Junction 25 on the M25 - and all car paiMag is tree. Advance ticket order Please supply D Adult tickets at £2 (saveEl) £ .. a Under- 163 tickets at £Usave£l) £ , Total £_ D Cheque enclosed made jrayable 10 Database Pubhcaiions Ltd .COMPUTER. The Great Hall lUexandra Palace, Alexatidta Paric Wood Green, London NZZ January 2S-3D Post to: Anutiad Show Ticket, Europa Bouae, 68 Chester JHoad, Baxel Grove, Stockpert SKT SNY. I! Please debit my credit card account D Access ' Visa Name Address.. Cut the q[ueues and save £1 per head - with this advance ticket order form ..Signed . Admission at door: 13 (ndalts), £Z (aitder ISs) Advucff tlchet o^e» mutt b« received by We<tne4d4y, JanuATV Z0» 19BS PHONE ORDERS: Rinir Show Hotline: 061 -4a0 Olll PRESTEL ORDERS: KEY '89, THEN 61456B383 MICROLINK ORDERS: MAILBOX IZJARGOOl Please quote ctedil card number and full address +A212 _ Amstrad is B trade mark ofAmslisd PLC MCW ! 1/87(1) NTfLLIGENCE CAN YOUR PClfl mer note ':- those nty diveiieis ■■■jho hnoft iiille oi counitu Fjiation !or >li'ici3i insem-nation Bandi ii aSiiul m conuefsalion al , your peril Here's a scerario which many PCW users will find all too familiar You are sitting at your keyboard doing a spot of databasing when you decide to print out some of your data. You go through a long series of menus to set the printer up, and finally the program asks you to type in the name of the file to print. In your haste you type RESLUTS.DAT instead of RESULTS.DAT. Whirr, whirr, the program solemnly reports that it couldn't find a file called RESLUTS.DAT and you have to go through the whole process again from scratch. "Why," you ask not unreasonably, "couldn't the stupid program have realised what I meant? It's obvious." It is indeed obvious, and this is one reason why so many newcomers find computers impossible to deal with. Computers take everything so literally. But all that could soon change thanks to the exciting developments in the area of Artiftciat Intelligence, or 'Al' as it is called for short. Anybody who has tried to write a program in BASIC even to do something relatively simple will know that it is harder than it looks. Writing software which appears to show common sense is extraordinarily hard, mainly because humans unconsciously use a vast amount of experience and background knowledge when making a decision. To Ihe PCW, RESLUTS and RESULTS are both just collections of letters - it can't tell that RESULTS is a proper English word and therefore what you really mean. In general, the kinds of programs that Al practitioners are trying to write are ones to emulate the various human faculties. Programs to understand English (written or spoken), to recognise objects in a photograph, to plan courses of action and to learn by trial and enar are all under development. As yet, the science fiction human-like robot is still a good 25 years away. However, one area of A I that is already with us and providing tangible benefits is the so-called 'Expert System'. Expert Systems are computer programs which act as What is intelligence? One of Ihe mosl Interesting ttilngs about artificial Intelligence is lh« phi lu soph leal arxl ettilcal Implications Iwfiind It. lUany p«opl« (tspecially religious cmnntentators) argue itut It Is Impossible by definition lor a machine to be inlelligeni because it has no sout'. Tfte soul Is taken to be an Indefinable quality (hat tiumans have. There i» a Ismous yardstick cailett tlw Turlttg Test' (proposed by Ihe English mtlheiratlclan Alan Turing) to gauge whether 8 computer Is Intelligent or not. Sit someone down at a keyboard connected to something in ano^er room, and let them type questkins In and read replies on the screen. II the persort cannot tell whether II is a computer or a human thai Is responding, then the computer (If It Is in lad a computer) is intelligent In other words. It a computer a els tnlelllgently tor atl practical purposes then why not call it inlelligent? This isn't a bad approach - alter all, when you go to the doctor do you ask him whal methods he was laughl at medical school belore acc^tirtg his opinton? There are a couple of ethical points arising. How will all Ihe doctors feel about being replaced by computers? Do patients trust computers? And what happens 11 a computer makes an wrong diagnosis - do you sue Ihe computer owner, the program distributor, the originat programrrwr or the human etp%n whose opinions were used as lh« basis lor ihe program? All good stuff lor family arguments. 3 Artificial Intelligence is the buzzphrase of the moment, but can computers really think for themselves? Ben Taylor investigates two PCW Al programs and their background. advisers or experts in specific areas. One very common example is an expert system to diagnose medical complaints - tell it your symptoms and the program tells you what is wrong with you, applying the expertise of a doctor. With the release of two Expert Systems - Wise One from Swailowsoft and ExpertSB from Prospec - the potential of Al has arrived on the humble PCW. Ex|>ert Systems The first thing you have to realise is that computers are just a bunch of wires and plastic and can't think creatively on their own. The purpose of the expert system program is to allow you to tell the computer how to make sensible decisions. Properly speaking (you ought to learn a little pedantry; it makes a great put-down to bores who ask awkward questions when you casually mention your artificially intelligent computer) the two programs reviewed here are expert system 'shells'. This means that they are empty frameworks waiting for you to put knowledge into them - it isn't until you have done this and got the PCW answering questions about your tax affairs that you have an expert system as such. You can only get out of a computer what you put into it. If you yourself know nothing whatsoever about animal INTELLIGENCE husbandry you can't expect to be able to write an expert system to advise yourself on how to breed llamas. In tact, to go furttier ttian ttiat, in most circumstances an expert system vtHcb you set up yourself will be of little use to you personally because by definition you must know everything it knows. So why are expert systems useful at all? Well, the idea is that they are used by someone other than the person wtio set them up. Take an expen who knows everything there is to know about the rules for claiming sooial security benefits: suppose you ask him to explain the rules he uses when he assesses a claim and you then put those rules into an expert system. A typical rule might be something like: 'IF the ctaimant's assets are over E2,000 THEN don't allow any supplementary benefit', or 'IF the claimant wants any money THEN refuse'. What you now have, in theory, is the assessor's expertise captured in a program. You could now sell this program to various self-help organisations around the country. People who go to these agencies tor help would then run their personal details through the expert system and get a quick preliminary decision on how much benefit they can claim. In this way the assessor's knowledge - which is highly skilled and scarce - has become widely available. This is why people are getting excited about expert systems. WISE ONE £34.95 • Swallowsoft (PO Box 107, Walton- on-Thames, Surrey KT12 5PQ) • All PCWs The expert system programs just released for the PCW conveniently enough give examples ot both the deductive and inductive methods (see the 'Secret of knowledge' box). Wise One falls into the deductive category. For your money you get a spiral bound manual and a disc packed with examples. Getting an effective expert system out of Wise One falls into three stages First find an expert and type all the relevant rules he knows into text files. Then run the 'Knowledge Builder' program over this file of rules which checks them for consistency and converts them into an internal format that is more convenient for the program to work with. Once you have got this internal file (called the 'Knowledge Base' because it is a database of knowledge) you are ready to consult the oracle. Whenever you want advice on your health (or whatever area it was that you chose to write the rules about) you run Wise One's 'Consultant' section. This reads the knowledge base and applies the rules as best it can, eventually coming up with a conclusion depending on how you reply to the questions. To write the rule file you will need to have some way of creating simple ASCII files. LocoScript is not really suitable, because of the problem of switching between CP/M and LocoScript but you can get by with the PCWs RPED BASIC editor. This can only create files up to 200 lines long, and ideally you ought to use a programmer's editor such as Protext. You only need to go through the process of writing the rules and running the Knowledge Builder once. Once everything works all you need to have a consultation session is the Knowledge Base file and the Consultant program. Doctor, doctor As an example, here is how you might use Wise One to build a simple Expert System to diagnose common children's diseases - measles, chicken pox, mumps, colds and flu. All the diseases involve a high temperature. Measles has red face spots. Chicken Pox white face spots. Mumps no spots but a swollen throat. A cold and flu have no spots, but flu is accompanied by a fever (say over 100°F) whereas with a cold the temperature is from normal up to 1 00. In fact, you have to make up two separate files which Wise One uses to get its rules. One contains all the questions that need to be asked as the program runs, and the other contains the rules which work on the answers - these are called the 'element' and 'rule" files respectively (one of Wise One's faults is getting carried away giving important sounding names to everything it does). Secret of knowledge Tfwrt are two kinds of expert system. With one kiml you work out wlial rules you itse lo solve a probtent, type tltem into a file and let the experi system apply the mles In the same way you wrould. The second kind is more amblllous. Instead ot typing In the niles thai you have workeiJ oirt, you type in a set of examples. For Instance, if you happen to know that the symptoms of measies are a high temperature and red spots, and tor chicken pox are white spots (and so on), you just type in a list of tDe symptoms snd diagnoses. Tlw expen system then takes the examples and tries to work out for Itself a pattern ot what symptoms go with which disuses. These two approaches are respectively 'deduction' and 'induction'. The deductive expert system takes the di^ases it knows atwut, deduces what the symptoms ought to be and checks them against the actual symptoms until a match Is found. Ttie inductive system takes the known symptoms and tries to wortt out the diagnosis from past experience. el em colour of spots' text colour of the spots' valo red; white' ques Vhat Is the' t A An example 'elemerrt ' for Wise Ore Extracts from the two tiles are shown in the printouts. You can see that in the rule file, the English is a little stilted but the logic is pretty clear and simple to write, in the element file the language is much more complex, and unnecessarily so. Essentially t>LUSES .■ Has the necessary power lo be genuinely useful ■ Can cope wilfi elementary arltttmetic ■ You can set up screens o< help leil for the iiaef RANGE OF FEATURES EASE OF USE MINUSES ■ Unnecessarily obscure way of wrWng the rules ■ Documentation is loo dry and academic PERFORtiflANCE DOCUMENTATIOM 8000 PLUS VALUE VERDICT each chunk sets up something the system needs to know about (like the child's temperature), then defines how the user should be asked. For example, the 'colour of spots' entry makes the program print on the screen "What is the colour of the spots?" and only take red or white for an answer. Once these definitions have been checked by Wise One. you can get going with the consultation. This is stralghtf onward. The idea is that someone totally unskilled with computers can just sit down and answer a string of questions and be presented with an answer. Wise One has a range of special rules to do things like print out helpful information at strategic points, and to make sure that the questions are asked in the right order. For instance, there is no point asking what colour the spots are before asking whether there are spots there at all. You can even store screenfuls of text in files on disc and pause to display the whole file in the middle of a consultation. Wise One's rules are really a mini programming language You can arrange for simple arithmetic comparisons to be done, which is very useful. For example, if today's temperature is more than yesterday's, then do something special. The user is allowed to ask 'Why?' whenever Wise One asks a question, just as you might ask your GP why he wanted you to stand on your head. This prints out the current rule It is thinking about with details of why that rule is being used. Without doubt Wise One is a powerful expert system shell. It has a few faults. Its way of writing rules in is at times unnatural and overcomplicated; you can't include quote marks in text messages you want to display; simple mistakes can result in a frightening avalanche of error messages: the manual takes a delight in referring you to other pages {'see section 4,3.2' etc) and in introducing jargon names as often as it can. You will need to have a programmer's instinct to get the best from Wise One. EXPERT86 E23.45 • Prospec (PO Box 28, Beeston, Nottingham NG9 1PH) • All PCWs Whereas Wise One is a deductive expert system shell. Experts 6 is inductive - it tries to work out its own way of getting the answer from a set of examples, Prospec will sell you Expert86 for only £4.00 if you don't need the manual - the disc contains several large documentation files anyway. Having said which, the manual is well written and definitely worth having unless you are really confident of your abilities. This 'inductive' business sounds great, doesn't it? Just throw a load of facts at the system and it works out the rules tor itself. Of course life isn't that easy, and it has to be said that although Expert86 is much easier to use than Wise One it is ultimately not as powerful. To run the doctor example through Expert86. you need a PLUSES ■ Doesn't need explicitly written reasoning rules ■ Clear documentallon with enamples ■ Vou can an'ange tor explanations to be given in natural English RANGE OF FEATURES EASE OF USE MINUSES ■ You can'l control the order questions are asked ■ No way to handte numbers/arithmetic ■ hleed to recompile the whole system for each run PERFORf^ANCE DOCUMENTATION 8000 PLUS VALUE VERDICT different approach. Again you need to create a text file of the questions to be asked when the program wants to find out the child's temperature and so on. However, where Wise One needed a rule file, Expert86 wants a 'training set". This is a file containing as many examples of diagnoses as you can think of. For the system to be infallible you need to type in every possible example it could ever come across, which is sometimes possible in small applications. It you generalise and go for a compact training set the system will work fine in most cases, but sometimes will not be able to find an answer. In the example shown, if a child had red spots in the throat there is no known diagnosis. An asterisk in the training set means 'don't care'. This is useful if a symptom doesn't affect a particular disease. For example, you aren't bothered what temperature the child has for chicken pox because it can be high or normal depending on what stage the disease is at. The tree of wisdom When you run Expert86 it looks over your training set and works out its decision process. It composes a decision tree which it writes to a file in English form, and it is often interesting to read this. If one symptom is actually totally irrelevant in the entire diagnosis {suppose you had set up a column tor the colour of the patient's eyes) you will see that even though you religiously typed it into the training set file it doesn't appear in the decision tree. This tells you, the system designer, a lot about the problem and can clarify your own thinking. <r^^. Business CONTROLLER DIGITA INTERNATIONAL £99.95 1070 Amstrad PCW owners appreciate the time-saving, flexibility and professional results using a word-processor. Business Controller offers similar benefits to computerising your accounts. From assisting day-to- daybook-keeping,VATRetums,elc,,tocompleteEndofYearaccounts if you wish. It is designed for [he small to medium sized business, whether a sole trader, partnership or limited company. in addition to recording UNLIMITED numbers of cash and bank transactions, Business Controller meets legal requirements and will show the full financial state of your business. Furthermore Accounting Ratios are available for those users wishing to closely monitor the performance of their business. 'Accountant's Guide' is a separate booklet provided especially for users who wish to use this program in conjunction with their accountant/ financial adviser. The program is also suitable for practising Chartered Accountants, since any number of different Cash Books may be kept on a single Amstrad PCW. "Real bleisiag ... on raiy way for the imaii business to do its Bt>ok-lteeping an the PCfV" - Computing with the Amstrad PCW. ASK FOR OUR DETAILED BROCHURE, f^ ARE YOU SURE YOUR TAXMAN IS DOING HIS JOB CORRECTLY? Fully menu-driven, this UK income tax computation program will calculate your income tan liability for a given tax year (84/85, 85/86, 86/87, 87/88) and provide the pertinent facts about your tax position. Informatioti, which can be easily saved and amended, can be used to provide useful 'what iP calculations on your tax liability. Guidance notes are provided for users unfamiliar with the operation of the UK tax system and a software update service is available for changes in legislation. This program is also ideal for practislug Chartered Ac- countants, since any number of different clients may be processed on a single Amstrad PCW. "an fxcflltnt program ... I fan unhfiittltingty rtcommend PTP. " — Computing with the Amstrad PCW. PERSONAL PLANNER £24.95 106D NEW £39.95 101D DATA5TORE n Looking for fast access to stored data? What to create customised reports , mailing lists for printing labels, office and personal records with NO tecKnical knowledge? ResearcKed, developed and written cxclojively for the Amstrad PCW, l>atastore will fully utilise the facilities of yonr computer. A" Menu driven with prompts ^ Full tutorial for begitiners * Autmnatif cakuUtions on entry (useful for VAT, etc.) "if Full mathematics \-\ ^ — ^ X^ /, average) * Lightning search feature — typically under 4 seconds ^ Search iiti anv field or any combination of fields for anything •k Optional embedded ftrme and conditional search facility ^ ^2,000 records and 32 fields * 1,49B characters ptt fid d ^ Numeric, strings, date and money fields * 2 user-defitiahle printing templates * Facility to change screen byout AFTER entering your data 'A' Uses RAM dislc and 1 or 2 drives (therefore no repetitive disc swapping) "k Cra^s referencing/merging between files Extra Options with DATASTQRE II include: if Option to output to an ASCII file * Special 'recovery' utility to restore corrupt or deleted data "k Simplified search procedure * Sitnplified merging of files ". . . vtTf uier friendly » . . real valmjoi money'* — Amstrad PCW Magazine^ '\ . . Datastare II is a marked impropement on f , . . pienty of nice lauihes , » /* — 8000 Plus. NEW mMMM^n £24.95 NOW LOCOSCRIPT 2 COMPATIBLE 1 03D Porhaps the only reasonable criiicism of the Amstrad PCW might be the standard ofthe primer. Supcrtypell isaprogiani whirh willolTer jroii EIGHT new, radically difTerent typestyles. Each of them has its own distinctive, professional appeal, giving your documents an original facelift. Supertype II is unique in thai it works directly with LoeoScript/ LocoMail/LocoSpelhLocoScripi2and all of your CP/M software. It supports ail of the printer ^high quality^ modes including: enlarged^ bold, emphasised, italic, etc. The ingenious thing about the program is that once you've installed your favourite font on a disc, you won't even notice the program working. You can run your programs in the nonnal way and everything will be the same except when you print out. Now it is even possible to select fonts from within Locoscript 2. ". ..a ralKnHr adJiiigit to the PCWs laltnis . ..," — 8000 Plus. . yery simple lo tiK , . , ieami in IS minutes "tVe'vt tried it u'ltd Lo^ostripl and wr loite it" — Official Amstrad User CluK, Digitq International Ltd. 1 ^S/ S 1 Z Si 1 S W °1. Kelsey House, Barns Road, Budleigh Salterton \JOy^] HO\JOy postto; Devon EX9 6HJ, England, "••lELIGENCE ExpertS6 automatically runs the consultation session after it tias worked out its decision tree. This is a conventional question and answer session ending in some result (or the program giving up!). The user can ask 'Wtiy?' at any stage, when Experl86 parrots back some text which you defined in the question 99-100 face red ■ neasles 1004 lace red • neaeles 99-100 100+ 1 no_spots no.spots face no_spots no_spots white throat throat > auops nuaps chlcken_poK 99-100 100+ nQ_spots no.spots no .spots no .spots yes yes no.swelltng no„BHBlllng coimon.cold flu temperature position of spob akntvltf^ lltDdied nose MMlUng diagnosis A Iraining set' lor EipertB6, listing symplom and examples > hilt li tkf child't tMHrakm mil Mlk it lU diiU's tMvoitvt : ini «hiU sptts iMii iiUtrnl Uitnti if^C ' ^t* ut m )Hti. ml citgw trf U>f AA >ijenS6 can be made to seeni naluial file. This sounds unsophisticated, but if used carefully you can engineer sonne almost natural English conversations. Expertee has a good manual which explains well the basic principles and gives good examples. However, there are some problems. There is no way to do any arithmetic {eg, to say some result is true if one value is twice another one}. You can use numbers if you are crafty in the way you phrase questions: when asking the child's temperature you can't ask for a numl^er, you have to allow a range of answers like 'normal', '99-100'. '100+'. A major problem in ExpertSB is that there is no way to force a specific order of questioning. If you were writing a tax adviser you might lind yourself being asked how much your spouse earned before being asked whether you wanted to be separately assessed or not. In practice this means that Expert86 is not suitable for situations where you want to be able to follow specific lines of questioning depending on replies to earlier questions, which to be honest covers quite a lot of applications. S^SSb mms^i Bcpert System !, Do it yourself "So," you say to yourself, 'Ihat's what expert system shells are then. You tell them everything they need to know and they just do it. What's so hard about that?" A fair comment really. Expert system shells are not inherently all that complex. It's the rules you put in them that count. You might be interested in knowing a little more about the internals of how the shell works out what the rules mean and how it applies them - you can even have a go at writing your own expert system shell Many people will tell you that to write an 'artificial intelligence' program like this you need to spend a fortune on an exotic programming language. This isn't true. Even with your humble PCW BASIC you can get a long way. The first thing you should do is go out and buy a book called Build Your Own Expert System by Chris Naylor. This costs £11.95 and is published by Sigma Press -any bookshop should be able to order it for you, or you could ring Sigma on 0625 531035, tt's an excellent book which works up from explaining what expert systems are to printing complete program listings in BASIC. Ostensibly it is angled at Amstrad PC owners, but in practice all the examples will run on PCW BASIC too. Knowledge harvesting hlow wetl an experl system performs depertds on flow well thought out and correct tfte niles are What ltap()«ns H you want to wrtts an expen system to advis« attout nuclear reactor design, or some other subfecl tfial you don't know anytKing atxHil? How do you know wfwt rules to specify? You fiave 1o go and find a tame expert, twrrow a couple of hours of his time and ask him lo explain how Ine solves problems. This process is quainUy known as 'Knowledge Hanesling', It Is the nnost ifflportanf part of boitding an experl system, and a grasp of human psychology comes In very handy. The expert probably makes a lot of unspoken assumptions that aren't obvious eftl^er to you or to the computer. Yoo as the questioner have got to make sure thai absolutely every relevant pan of the reasoning process has been unearthet) and explained In a specific enough way for you lo be able to write down a simple oile tor K, It's written in a friendly and witty style that should appeal to 8000 Plus readers. ("There are two major faults possessed by most existing expert systems; that you, personally, don't understand how they work: and that you, personally, haven't got one. These faults can. In extreme cases, be quite serious."} Nevertheless there is a lot of hard fact in the book, including a quick statistics course for the keener reader. 'Real' Al For the really dedicated artificial intelligence programming fan, the pleasure ot programming in BASIC may pall after a while. Most programming examples published in the serious technical press are written in one of two programming languages, LISP or Prolog. You can in fact run these languages on the PCW. Hisoft have recently produced a PCW version of LISP selling at £49.95 which includes a LISP tutorial tiook normally selling for £13 by itself. Although a copy was not available to review Hisoft have a track record of good PCW versions of most programming languages, so it's well worth a chance. On the Prolog front, the best value-for-money package seems to tie Micro Prolog at £74.75. This is available from Logic Programming Associates (01-871 2016). Don't forget to tell them it't a PCW you are using or you are liable to get a version for some poxy foreign machine like an IBM PC. This is neither the time nor the place for an in-depth argument about the merits of BASIC vs. LISP vs. Prolog (the academic journals have been full of such articles for 10 years and there is still no consensus as to a best' language). Suff k;e it to say that you can write a perfectly adequate expert system on your PCW using BASIC. One ot Prolog's strengths is that it is almost a ready -built expert system shell, and it also has plenty of features for people who want to write programs to understand written English. As for LISP - well, it is a useful language but it is probably fair to say that if you haven't used it before (such as on a university course) and you don't know that you need it then you probably don't need it. Crackei^2 The hi-resolution graphics spreadsheet. Still Only NewStar's famous graphics spreadsheet for the PCW8256/8512/9512 is now 50% faster. Why settle for a text-only spreadsheet when the best costs less? Cracker always has been the most fully featured CPC spreadsheet of them all, but the PCW screen speed has been a drawback. The new release offers screen writing speeds Improved by 50% overall-by bypassing the CPM and writing directly to the screen as fast as the PCW will permit. And there's a smart new manual available too. Existing Cracker 2 PCW users may upgrade for just £20 inc VAT by returning their master disk to NewStar Software. NewStar Software Ltd., 200 North Service Rd., Brentwood, Essex CM14 4SG Sales Tel: (0277) 220573 Telex: 995143 NEV\/STAG Fax: (0277) 232637 M.L REGISTERED TRADEMARKS RECOGNISED • Combine screen and printer graphics and spreadsheet power in a single program. • More graphics resolution and options than Lotus® 1-2-3 release 2 has to offer! • Natural order calculation means faster calculation on large sheets, without circular reference errors. • Full use of the PCW 32 line screen. • A wide range of date and time functions for financial work. • Now with on-screen column and row divisions. • 50% faster screen handling overall, some functions are over 100% quicker! Call (0277) 220573 With Access/Visa Ask for our colour catalogue covering PCW and PC software products. ;3i mimmuA ■i» ■ « • J a " w ileJ ■fife'f •^^^v^^ '^-^ "^^ ii Available From:- j^WHSMITH ^ John Menzies OALLDERS OR direc r mail order. DEHHfMEMT STOffiS US PACK CONSISTS OF: - Quickshot 2 Joystick Helicopter Style Grip ♦ World's Best Selling Joystick * Perfectly Fitting Trigger Fire Button * Sleek Top Fire Button * Four Suction Cups for Extra Stability. POSTTO: SPECTRAVIDEO LTD 165 GARTH ROAD.MORDEN SURREY SM4 4LH PLEASE SUPPLY ME QTY. UNIT PRICE TOTAL Ram PCW Joystick Interface Superb Flush Fitting Design * Incorporates standard 9- Pin Joystick Port* Securing Points for Fail-Safe Connection * Connects Via Amstrad PCW Expansion Port. Spectacular Tomahawk Flight Simulator Real-Time Fligtit Simulator* Based on US Army Apache Advanced Attack Helicopter • Allows Flight Training before going into battle againstenemy * Full Set of Flyirjg Instructions Included. 1 AMSTRAD PCW JOYSTICK PACK 1 E29 95 POSTAGE AND PACKING £1 05 TOTAL E I enclose cheqoe/ooslal order no payabte to SPECTRAVIDEO LTD lor i he above total QB Ptease debit my VIS A/ ACCESS account liumber ^ I Signalure . Name * Expiry Dale . .TdNo. Address . Post Code SPECTRAVIDEO LTD. REG.No.1745592 ENGLAND (Piease allow ' ■ I SPECTRAVIDEO LTD. I ft WHOL IV OWMEO SUBSlDlftRv OF ASH i NEWWAN LIMITED > '^reETHHfrTn^- 165 Garth Road, Morden. Surrey SM4 4LH, England. Telephone 01-330 OlOKIOIines) Telex 28704MMH VANG Facsimile 01-337 5532 Things can get pretty conlusing wtien your disc has got 200 (iles on it, particularly if they are all called LETTER.MUM, LETTER.DAD and so on. LocoScript has a clever way of dealing with this problem by splitting the disc into 8 user groups. These are the neat columns that you use divide up your documents to make your discs really organised, each with a TEMPLATE. STD. Using these groups is second nature to all LocoScribes, but it may surprise you to learn that the same useful filing system is available in CP/M. User groups are like drawers in a filing cabinet. In CP/M you can keep files in up to 1 6 different groups on the disc (as opposed to LocoScript's mere 8) - these are rather confusingly numbered to 15. If you don't tel! CP/M otherwise everything you do goes into user group 0, so when you type dir you may have to plough through a vast directory. Double density discs (9512 discs and 8512 B' discs) store up to 256 files, so it can get pretty traumatic. Splitting your files into user groups keeps things neat and tidy. Nonnally you are in user group 0. When you first start up with CP/lifl and if you see an A> prompt this means you are in effect in group on disc drive A. Type ai :, ia:.1: or even user i and you will be mysteriously transported into user group 1 . Remember the colon after all the shorter versions or you will just get an annoying 'A1 ?' back. Try dir now and you will see 'No file'. A The quick way to find if there are files in User Groups other than Group 0. Use ;;ii' 'k i i i;:kk.s | to find out which groups have liles in them and how many are in each In this case groups to 3 have a total of 2S files in them. A moving experience The first thing to get to grips with is moving files between different user groups. To do this you have to pull out the ever faithful PIP. Just as you can use PIP to copy files to a new disc you can use it to copy the file to a new group on the same disc and then (if you want to) erase the old version. You all know (don't you?) that to copy a file from, say, disc A to disc B you use PIP B:=A:SECRET.LET Well, to copy the file from group of disc A, where you probably first created it. to group 15 of disc A you would use the command FIP A: [G15]=A:SECRET.LET(G0] Then, assuming you don't want to keep a version in group too you have to erase the letter from there (make sure you are in group by typing o : if necessary and then era CPU PLUS GROUP BEHAVIOUR Alec Rae reassures LocoScript expatriates that tiney can still organise CP/M files into groups SECRET. LET) and the operation is complete. You naturally need the file PIP.COM on your disc or M drive. In this way, once you have finished a correspondence with somebody you can shuffle those files out of the way into an obscure group number. You can get at them if you need to refer back, but they won't get in the way of your daily operations. The parallels between LocoScript's user groups and CP/M's are no coincidence, for they are in fact exactly the same thing. If, once you have started CP/M up, you put a LocoScript disc in the drive you will see what this means; type 1 : to get to user group 1, dir and all the LocoScript documents stored in LocoScript group 1 (the second group - numbering starts from don't forget) are listed. Doing tlie LocoMotion PIP'S extra speed in CP/M file handling means that it might be worthwhile using this method to sort out your LocoScript discs. You can carry out group movements of LocoScript files that you normally would do with PIP. Say you want to move all the tiles in group of a LocoScript disc into group 7. If you have got more than a few files this could take a long time in LocoScript with six or more key presses for every tile you move. But it is easy in CP/M using PIP with its 'wildcards' - those natty little symbols that allow you to copy groups of files at once. In PIP commands, an asterisk stands for any word so Where have all the files gone? What sotnellmes does worry people Is that In CP/M you can't see where all the tiles are. If you type dir all you will get shown Is the files In Ihe user group you are (n, unlike LocoScript where you can see atl groups at a glance. You can see all the tiles on a disc but it takes a little work using DIF). As it is one of the special functions of DIR you will rteed to have DIR.COM on Ihe disc or in tl>e M drive. Then type Dm [tJSSR&ou,]. The computer thinks tor a moment, prints up 'Scanning...' and 'Sorting...' and then out come all Ihe files from all the user groups complete with the size of the files and a iol of other interesting detail. II you have a lot of tiles (more than a screenful) it thoughtfully stops at the end of each screen and waits until you press [RETURN] before continuing. You can use the usual CP/M trick of pressing [AL'Tj'^P to make the screen output come out on the printer lor a permanenl hard copy ot long directory listings. If you sitnpty want to a <)uiek check on what user groups are In use It Is easier to use the SHOW command (assuming you have SK0W.COM on the disc or in M drive). By typing smxi (qsers] you get a list of atl Ihe groups thai contain files and how many files there are In each group. 8000 PLUS 25 CPMPLUS Into Limbo One ot the weirdest uses of user groups Is LocoScrlpt's Limbo files. If you edit a tile in most war($-processors it will aulomattcalty rename the old copy of tfw file as a back-up file in case you need to undo the changes - tdtting HUNCH.LET creates HUNCH.BAK tor instance. On the other hand when you edit (or erase) a file In LocoScrlpt ft seems as il tt ftas actually disappeared. In tact it is spirited away Into a semi-existence called Limbo where it can be called back under certain circumstances. Wf^at is actually happening is that wtten you edit a document the old version is moved into Umbo. Similarly erased tiies are not reatly erased but moved into Limbo. Try worthing in LocoScrtpt with the 'Show Limbo' option on and see what happens. Only eight user groups appear to be available in LocoScrlpt (0 to 7) as the other eight are used to hold Limbo tiles. User group 8 is used to iiold the Limbo flies for group 0, group 9 for group 1 and so on. As the disc tills up LocoScrlpt dumps these Limbo tiles if it needs to re-use I lie space. If you took a LocoScrlpt disc that claimed it had 100k tree and looked at tt in CP/M you might find it saying ttiat the disc was full - because of all the user groups from 8 to 15 are full of flies that LocoScrlpt treats as Limbo tiles but CP/M thinks are ImpoilanI files. Using a LocoScrlpt disc to store CP.'M tiles on will usually mean going through the user groups from 8 to 1 5 doing HA • . ' to clear the Limbo files oft. Hard decisions you n^y think Ihijvgs ate pfetty bad with 256 em ries ana double density floppy disc, but il you use a hard disc you inay be laced with 3,000 0( nwe Itles. Hard discs can slore 30 a more floppy disc-worth ol data, so you can s«« how important crpnising dies imp groups ts. PIP A: |G7]=A:*.* [GOl movBS all the files in group to group 7. Or say you want to move every tile which ends in .LET from group 1 into group 7 of your disc - just type pip A: (G7i=A:*,LET[Gl] and Off they go. In the same vi^ay, ? is the wMcard symbol for a single letter or digit, pip B: [g51=A: document. 00? will move every file from DOCUMENT.OOI to DOCUr^flENT.OOg to group 5 on your B drive and leave everything else untouched. This is not the only time that it would be worth using CP/M to viork on a LocoScrlpt disc. Anyone who has tried to erase a number of files in LocoScript knows what a time consuming exercise it is. If you happen to want to erase all files in the same user group lite is simple with CP/M. Just go Maae lytes Jtta Ittribuies Kuu tiftts Ittcs Attributes toul liHfocks = I Ik TdUl Rtcofds = IM ri (s raund = 1* < \iitiAiu Sir Entries For Ir »e t: W U Iitrectorif Far trivf ti User 1 Naiit htti Rets Attributes iShi !i(lU i iF SM'KJ s Hw Bytes Decs Attributes tii - et Tilts Fotmd - E ir Entries For »rive Ai IS/ E4 Btrectorii ror trio* A; User a Hue lytes Rees Attributes Hue Bytes Recs Attributes Press ffiTiniH to Continue | GQAtS m II Sir m A The effecl ot dividing the sheep from the goals This is what you see when you use : ■ : h I usiiHs ALL : to see all the files on your disc. Each User Group is listed out in handy screenfuls allowing you plenty of time to see what files are in v^ich group. This is what you would see if you had transferred all the files starting SHEEP to group t using wildcards. 26 8000 PLUS to the group in question {use dip to check that you've got the right one) and type in era ' . * and the job is completed in seconds. Only the files in that particular user group will be erased. You must remember however that this really does erase the files. There is no popping back into Limbo to find them - unless you have an unerase utility program. Problems? What problems? One problem lurks to trap the unwary. If you change your user group by typing user v. for instance, then the only files you have access to are those in group 7. You may have all your work files stored in group - like PIP.COM. BASIC, COM, a word processor and so on - but because they are not stored in group 7 you can't get at them without changing groups back again. So what do you do? Store PIPCOM in every user group on the disc? This would be a terrible waste of space, so fortunately there is a simple way around this. You declare that all these files that you want to be able to use from any user group are 'system files'. Now when you type a command at CP/M's prompt, this is what happens: suppose the prompt is currently (■A> and you A The basic tool for moving files from one group to another is PIP.C0I*4. Here all the files starting SHEEP are being copied from Group where they were created to Group 1 using wildcards Then all the files in Group can be erased (if you wantj to complete the transfer. type BASTc [RETURN]. CP/M looks at all the files stored in group 7 of drive A for BASIC.COM. If it doesn't find il, it would normally reply 'BASIC?' . However, CP/M will also look through all the system files on the disc too. so if BASIC.COM is a system file then it will be found and run regardless of what group it is in. You will need the file SET.COM on your working disc (it can be found on the CP/M master disc). To make the file BASIC.COM a system file just type .■SET BASIC.COM [SYS] and now whenever you type BASIC the familiar Mallard welcome pops up, no matter what group you are working in at the time. When you type DIR now BASIC won't show up, except bracketed under the obscure message "SYSTEM FILE{S) EXIST". To list the system files out, type dirsys, which will also thoughtfully tell you "NON-SYSTEM FILE{S) EXIST' in case you didn't know. To convert a system file back to a normal file you would type ,'3ET basic. com [diri , System files however have their own little problemette. As well as not showing on the normal directory, system tiles create don't behave normally when it comes to PiPping, PIP won't copy system files unless you add the option [R] as in PIP M:=A:BASIC.C0M[R1. OT PC W 8256/8512/9512 0-56 IN 13 SECONDS! The PCWHD20 will put both sides of 56 Floppy Disks on line in just 13 seconds from turning on the power! Fully Locoscrlpt II compatible. ^^SD PERIPHERALS TAKING THE PCW COMPUTERS TO THE NEXT DIMENSION PCWHD10rrp£299+VAT PCWHD20rrp£465+ VAT LOCOSCRIPTII rrp£:i9.95inc VAT TEL: 021-359 0981 TELEX: 334535 BMTEC G FAX: 021-359 0433 ASTON SCIENCE PARK, LOVE LANE, ASTON TRIANGLE, BIRMINGHAM B7 4BJ EASY LABELLER PURPOSE DESIGNED TO SOLVE ALL YOUR LABELLING NEEDS NO FtLES — NO FUSS — VERY FAST — EASY TO USE ORDERING PROGRAM FEATURES ■ Insiani automatic soning ■ Pnnls single labels ' Pfinis multiple labels ■ Prinis labels by caiegory ■ 99 numeric calegone? ■ Dilferent on line prim styles ' Up to 1000 labels on disc ■ Any sae laCiels catered for * Any iiuml^er across [he page ' Date stamping * Sertal numbering ■ Label coding ' Full ort screen editing ' Command driven ' Over fitly commands ■ Fird tent and changi ■ Find text and print I * Instant access to a ' Ort screen help ' Set all margins, gaps' ' Pause printing betwe' ■ Printouts m hsling lorrj ' Scan labels for easy ui ' Unlimiied nan print e g telepfione numbers ' Multiple data disc capability * Test prini tor setting up labels ■ Tesi patterns ■USE WITHIN MINUTES ' Plus lols more' fMORE PROGRAM FEATURES ' Siart all prirttouls from a particular label " Labels printed any number ol limes ' New disc generation Senal number formatting ■ Senal number step setliog ' Program help ir> meniory ' Program written m hi-speeM Date checking wi ' Plus mi^ WHAT THE PRESS SAID Naming a product is often a difficult task but in the case olEASY LABELLER (^pci.— .i^-s it at! 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F ASY I Afl! 11 1 H iS- avail^tJlf' irum rtiore and more fciair outlers Ujt should you flncounrer any rtffS<ti»f:eS in Obldinirig yuur tOpy Ihtjirl UkjI fr«i? tQ ortlertjirecl U you woijhcJ JiKb 10 $e(j? ihe piogram Delore yoo purciia&e Hien laKe AdvanEage of our dertionslrstion pack otft»f T hi^' ptogram js tulJy tunctionat tiut l(ie number of J«*l>eiS «S reSlf icKfJ riixf au output 15 lo [hM SLreftri A dtJfTionstrdtion pach is ^tva^F^b^Ef (d' f5 00 . v.iT •.ttfC. <^ leeni^ble against a lul' worhinayg.r£>pn.. PLEASE NOTE: EASY LABELLER is a purpose designed program arid NOT a database adaplion. I he need to deal with disc files is NOT REQUIRED. THOUSANDS of satisfied customers, both expenei lued and first time users, have found EASY LABELLER invaluable for producing MAILING LISTS, TICKETS, CONTINUOUS ENVELOPE ADDRESSING as well as a QUICK and EASY filing ^^ysteni. I.C.T. 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ALL PRICES INCLUDE VAT FILL IN THE ENQUIRY COUPON AND RETURN TO: HEAD OFFICE UNIT C2 THE SEEDBED CENTRE COLDHARBOUR ROAD PINNACLES HARLOW ESSEX CM19 5AF VISA * ACCESS * AMERICAN EXPRESS * DINERS PLEASE SEND ME MORE INFORMATION ON: From: NAME ADDRESS TEL CASE IN POINT T he first encounter witti my new PCW was traumatic. I had experimented with various home computers with the aim ot easing the burden of repetitive tasks in my dental practice. I quickly realised ttiat a proper grown up' computer was required. Unlike many people I bought a PCW tBcause I wanted a business mactiine rather than a word processor. Experiments with unsophisticated computers had not prepared me for what was to (ollow. I launched into the CP/M manual with all the enthusiasm of a man facing Ns lirst vindaloo and expecting to enjoy it. My first taste of CP/M came as a blow. I understood that to move a tile you have to use PIP, but what is a tile, why would 1 want to move it, and who's PIP anyway? I had to call for the cavalry. I am in the torljnate position of having several friends who are either enttiusiastic amateurs or professionals in the computer world and they nursed me through my technological adolescence. "You need programs to run other programs ". one explained. This was a new concept to me. but the fog began to clear and I soon found myself becoming another enthusiastic amateur discovering the delights and frustrations o( 'real' computers. When I was about to enter dental school my own dentist warred me "most of your time in dental practice is spent writing letters and filling in forms. Any work you do on people's teeth is purely incidental!" There is truth in this. We write recall letters, account letters and reminder letters; we send referral letters to consultants; we give out leaflets with instructions tor patients or messages about dental health. Having broken the LocoScript pain barrier I soon found that the prospect of LWWP (life without word processing) was intolerable. The human factor Clearly the PCW would be a valuable tool in all this administration. The dental practice project was under way. and I enlisted the help of a friend who is a computer systems project manager With a professional at work we began to discuss not how to program a computer but the concept ot a system in dental practice. FILLING GAPS In which dentist Andrew Shelley embarks on the long haul to marketing his brainwave Dental practice management systems have been around for some time now and so we had the advantage of a critical appraisal of their achievements. Comprehensive and expensive systems have not provided the panacea that many expected Dentists found their systems complex and cumbersome to use. and some abandoned their newly acquired computers to return to the tried, tested and reliabte manual methods. I know of a dental practice that uses a dental management system so complex that only the receptionist, who has responsibility for it, is capable of using it. If she is on holiday, disaster strikes. Not even the Dentist knows the ins and outs of the system. One of our goals therefore, was to develop a system that was quick to use by all staff, including the Dentist. A major feature of existing systems is dental record keeping. At first sight this seems eminently sensible. Immediate access to records and the opportunity to prepare instant statistics are convincing charms to woo the unwary. However, I had expe hence of computerised records from working at another practice and had several objections. The most notable incident was the morning when we arrived to find that the hard disc drive no longer held the records which a secretary had spent several weeks typing in. Also there were four terminals to the system which made it very expensive indeed. It could never have been cost effective. Typing records into a computer system when you have four patients in the waiting room, all with toothache requiring immediate attention, is a frustrating experience. Handwritten dental records have become refined with many 8000 PLUS 29 CASE IN POINT The good and the bad The Una I step in the production of our system was the user guide, and as I had taken a relatively minor role in the actual programming it fell to me to produce this. I fett that t)eing a non-expen was an advantage in producing a cfear, readable, and jargon free user guide. My starting point was the Amstrad PCW manual. You can learn a great deal (rom seeing something done badly. As a good example I took the SuperCalc user guide, a mode) of ctear explanalion. You don't expect this from tlie Americans - as a general rule I would expect to find 'switcti on ttie computer' roughly translated as 'As of the initial moment of titT» one should find oneself in an ongoing pressing the power button situation in order to engage the on mode'. This is not the case and it's a credit to Sorclm that they have managed to restrain themselves so admirably. I booked a week off work to write the user guide and )t took me four months, t began to sympathise with the authors of the PCW guitie. It Is a very delicate balance to provide a full explanation without over-complicating the situation and at the same time avoid patronising the reader. I was, however, very pleased with the result. It included a guide for the first time computer user, an example, a reference section and a glossary. shortfiand symbols over the years and many find tfiat manual records are much faster than their computerised counterparts. X-rays and referral letters often fomi part of a dental record, so it would therefore be necessary to keep a manual file in any case. Far better, in my view, to keep them all In one place. Those who expected that their computer would ensure they would never lose a record again have been disappointed. We all have our tales about computer cock- ups; mine concerns a well known domestic appliance manufacturer who denied our existence. What had happened was that our name had been spelt wrongly on the database and so could not be found. Dental appointment systems have been tried. The difficulty with this is that it is only possible to see a few hours of appointments at a time on a monitor. Compare this with the handwritten version where it is possible to see a whole week at once - you can assess at a glance how busy ttie forthcoming week is and where the free appointments are. Money is the root If the practical considerations of bookings and records systems in a dental practice make computerisation tricky. Dentists' fees and patients' charges are a different matter. Dentists are paid according to the items of treatment that are carried out and there are some two hundred different items of NHS treatment carrying different fees. However, it is not simply a matter of totting up the fees. For example, the fees for a combination of items can be different from their simple sum. Some fees vary according to the teeth which are involved, or maximums may apply to groups of items. Having worked that out the patient may have to pay the first E1 7 or their treatment and 40% of the remainder. However, some items are free of charge and others have their own lee which has to be added separately. In short the NHS dental system Are you a case? Has your PCW revolutionised your fife? Traumatlsed It? 'Case In Point' Is a regular feature of of 8000 Plus and we are looking tor readers with interesting enperiences to relate. It you use your PCW tor something more than just LocoScript, why no! share your thoughts with a waiting world? Try to keep things light but specific with a smatterfng of hard facts about the packages you use. II you've had a bad lime with some software don't be afraid to sound off - you could be saving other reader weeks ol agony. We are looking for articles of not more than 2000 words, for which we will pay our usual generous rates, Wriie to Case in Point, 8000 Plus, 4 Queen Stmt, Bath BAi lEJ. is full of idiosyncrasies, in addition to which the fees and charges can change twice a year. In my view this is an area where a computer can really prove invaluable. It would no longer be necessary to look up fees or perform complex arithmetic, it would simply be a matter of telling the computer what treatment had been carried out and leave the rest to the system. The National Health Service documentation is another area where a computer system could show its worth. There is a form called an FP1 7. the b§te noire of dental practice Mention FP17 to a dentist and you may observe a far away look come over him as he recalls hours of frustrating wasted time filling in and checking the dreaded form'. It is, in fact the form that your dental practice asks you to sign whenever you have treatment under the NHS. On the reverse of this form the dentist enters all the treatment which has been carried out for the patient and submits it to the powers that be for payment. This can be a mammoth task in some cases. Whilst a computer holds the patient's details it is quite possible to feed one of these forms into the printer of a PCW and watch in astonishment as it completes in seconds what was previously achieved in up to an hour. It nee<l not stop there, however, the same details can tje used to print out a range of useful documentation. For example, estimates of costs for patients, explanatory breakdowns of charges, statements, and with little extra input, recall letters and enquiries to the NHS about underpayment of fees. All this can be achieved with a single PCW computer. We reached the conclusion, therefore, that a system running in a complementary role to conventional record keeping and appointment systems would provide a truly effective and economical solution. We set about developing such a system. Writing the system in our spare time took us about 1 2 months. During that time we began to realise that we were creating a high standard professional package that would be useful to other dental practitioners and thus have commercial possibilities. The practical problems of producing the manual and packaging then came to bear. There were many screens included in the guide which added to the problems. We considered options such as renting an Apple Macintosh and a laser printer, but ultimately we used a combination of PCW, LocoScript, photo-reduction and ordinary litho printing. The whole thing was bound in a screen printed ring binder to produce a really professional result. Parting shot My staff and I have now been using our system for some months with great success. Our newly formed company, 'Practice Systems Limited', has started to market the software as Fee Manager' and the first users seem to be delighted with their new systems. We took a great deal of trouble to try to ensure that the system is easily used by all members of staff by using conventional notation and abbreviations to enter treatment details. Despite the combined computer and dental expertise of our partnership, marketing people tell us that simply building a better mousetrap does not guarantee cleaning up the mousetrap market. In other words, just because our software is the greatest thing since painless extractions it doesn't automatically lead to success. Sales and marketing are vital, and this is one of the most exciting and challenging aspects of a new business, We believe that it is no longer good enough to indiscriminately throw botched databases at dental practices and hope that they will change to accommodate them. We believe in pragmatic computing. If it doesn't save you time, money or trouble then it's not worth having 1 WW 30 8000 PLUS ^ oi3 software ) — ^ HOTSHOT 1.2 HOTSHOT •!» In rh«b«ck{|roundolyourl.oc(wcrlptwordproc*Mor ready to bt c(ll»d up at th«pr«*s of • k«y. It do««n't mtttar what you arc dolns In LocoMript, HOTSHOT la atwaya waiting lor you. Enry (itra naacM to maka your worMng Ufa affkrianl. You'rg writing a Itctar and naad a VAT prlca, uaa HOTSHOT'a aahiirlator. Yau'r« using a speadshavt and n«od to maka some noise, use HOTSHOT'a notipid. Yoj need the address of the person you're writing to. uaa HOTSHOT'a addreea book btkI unique 'COF^' tu notion, the address drops lots ta Marjnu'ra wrttinq. You ne«d lo ramind youraalf of aomathing iatar on, UM HOTShtoT'a Ibnar/ alarm olook. You naad to siza your document, uaa HOTSHCfT'ai AHheugh auoh paekagaa have baan ralaaaad bafora, HOTSHOFa strd la that K oan ba aooaaaad ham wtthbi L oooaoflpt. 24 hour titnar and itann ckick •ophiaicaied calculator •lactronlc diary lo keep track of Important evsnta ■ddraas tMok wtih alphabetic sort rwte pad tuilti unique Indax martaere locoaerlpt woid counter, klad for ajttxtrs •ncoda/decode Locoadpt IHea, paaawordpreventaunauthoriaadaocaaa Gompaifala witfi Locoacrlpt 1^ br iha PCW 8256/8512 £24.95 Not so much a LIGHTNING BASIC EXTENSION ... more a way of life 704- Iwywortte end 100% PCW eompsUbftlty, th* ulUmala PCW Basic •xtensloi!. . all functions use simple S^lc keywords, no need for Calte or Pokes , contains all the relevant functions of 'Al you ever...' plus many raw fsaturee In an ideal environment for tfie Basic programmer . tndudes Sprit* and Icon commarxJs tor brilliant graphic output . medium artd high raaolutlon graphic a - polnls, lines, circto, flits . extra editing facilties, varfabbTlat, search etc. . ful A4 screen dumps to dot matrix printar . UDQ's and new cftaracter sets . Instant acraen recall New Basic keyword* Includa: icon Craeie/ Place/ Move, Sprite Crsate/Pteca/Mova, Time Set/flaad, User, Vlitt, Window, Watt, Draw/Undraw, Piot/Unpioi, Ltne/Unline Ftash, D«ek, Ooke, Disc Save/Load, Screen Dump/Save/ Load, Cursor Anywhere, Grtt>hlcs High; Mad urn /Print. Kaya, Beep, Yodel, Getksy. Question. Word address. Jugglt char aat, Printar Condanaa/Echo/TeKt/Raaat, F^arsa video. Ivlemory US/Sove and many more, 'Lightning Basic' Is compatible with PCW 8256/85&9S12 £24.95 BRIDGE PLAYER 2000 WITH TUTOR . This is the Bridpe Player for tioth iha eiip«rt and t>eglnner, with versatile . tHddng that aeta a really high standard. maKhed by p o warfal oard play. . Generstes rartdom hande and elkma proper tNddng In Ihe ACOL aystam, using Stayman, Blackwood and a choice of HiyJmmp convention. . irvta^ Tulorlal eectkut witti 20 sat tisnds, advice and exptanatkin. . Uiishre range ol opdona and compreheneiva intormatkn dteplaya. 'Tha program is vary wall thought through amf aervea a dui^ tuncthn. Fmt otalt. it you want to mtm haw toplaf (fte/i you can do so oaeily in Tutor moda, and sacondy, if you can piay but cant find thm« otfwm lo play with than tiara'a wur cttanee lo Map ycur hand In iwfng Playar moda. Iha Tutor taxhae you Iha aam« as you playoy aneuring thai you don't maka wrong mofae. A t tn» and oltha gamayou gatatuti paga of taxt anghfsng tba wt\om gama, explaining iha bidang procosa and soquanca ol play, togalhar »iilh an analysis ol undarlying fncfct andpossitpla allarnativa ways to outflank your opponanK. In Iha Playar mode thara'a a wida rang* of raaiart and go back ona mo\/» Mthna vrnkh ensure you oan laam aomalhing naw aaoh tima. Iha display la ftrra, the tablo s/K in the middle and you play your round vdth lota of mto about the teat trick and the scora dapleyad around S>a edge of the •craen. This la a vary thoughtful way to gat tha moat out of Bridge on tita computer ... Bridge Playar 2000 Se a good ona' PC Plus 'l«rp( ani^ atmply axplalrtad Tulorlal, oaay lor beqinr)ers, could emily keep a Btidge Player occupied tor tia real of atarrvty' ■000 Pkis BrtdBePtoyer 2000 la compatiWa with PCW 8256/8512/9512 £15.95 all you ever wanted to know about GRAPHICS, THE UNIVERSE AND EVERYTHING FOR PCW ... but were afraid to ask S0+ routlMS and 100% PCW compaUblllty, Hi* ultimata PCW toolkit . create devastating graphioi using fast, vnooth spriiaa , mate diract uaa m RAM diac . create Uaar Daflnad Qraphica . modify cftaracter set, setv] UDQ's and enlafoed characters to dot matrix printer , experiment with sound routtms . directly accasa Video Ram . dtocover hitherto unpubMahed har^Mare Information, Port specfflcatlonB and Edge Connaclor disnram . eaay to use from BASIC, PASCAL, C, Assembler etc. . access to CP/M functions, full aourc* coda auppllad Routines Include: UneckcitfErsaa, Plxal Ploi/Eraaa FkxMJ Fill, Craae Sprite, Pk>t Sprhs, Move Sorita, Change Char Set UDG's, Tum Screen On/Off, Invert Screen, Sound, Sand LIDG'a and Double Height/Double Width Chars to dot matrix printar, Wait tor Frame Flyback, l>alay, Randomisar, Move Cursor anywhere. Read Joystick^ Diac Motar On/Off, Full Software Reset, Save/Load Memory from Diac or RAMdisc, Find Syatam CkKk, Swe'Load Screen and much mora I Comprahanalva manual pkia datalM docuifMiited aouroa coda. 'AN you aver ...' Is compatible with PCW 8256/M12/951Z £ 19.95 3-D CLOCK CHESS The etroTKieBt playing prograni, tfie most advaiMad 30 graohics, the posMr to play incredibly fast with sn unsurpassad range e( option*. Strortg - tf»e ultimate PCW chess program using achanced artificial intelligence tecfwiGues. Faat ^3D CLCX:K CHESS Is incredibly fait, and you can determine the level of pt«y by aatting its response time In any of four different modee to give hundreds of poaatbia tovais. ParMtratlng - 3D CLOCK CHESS has amazing power, at tournament levels It kioks ahead at le«t sevan movae deep, trying tans of moueand of lines of play. Frlandty - It cornea with every poesltila feature, keeping you fully informed about Its own Ifwught proceaaea. An Meal luK>r tor beginner and eKpert riike^ 3D Qraphio* • 3D CLOCK CHESS uaaa raalietic 3D graphica, not crude line drawings lllie other PCW cheas programa^ Opening book - 3D CLOCK CHESS plana appropriately tor eadt etaga of the game. In the opening it ia able to ctawon ita eatsneive opening library of moves. Thia Champion aays . / can cofMomfy racomtniiid > what Jon Spaalman, Qrandmaater and British Chaaa . .^,^ . .. -_ grapftha, I canborMof^ 3D CLOCK CHESS Is conpatible with PCW 8256/6512/9512 £ 15.95 7ffi Ita strong playing program and axcsllant 3D KiSD CLOCK CHESS' % fvah tm the foKoMfng titfaa for my PCW 82S6/BSW»SiZ pnOOUCT PRJCE Hotshot 12 £24.95 All you ever wanted.. £ 19.95 Lightning Basic Extension £24.95 3D Ckick Chess £15.95 Bridge Pleyer 2000 £ 15.96 Postage to Europe (per Item) £ 120 Postage ex Europe (per item) £ 2.00 UK post and packir>g Included c^ n^ Please debit my Access/Visa card: ,„^ ,^^. 1 1 1 1 1 1 lencloae a cheque/postal order to the value of: £ Name: 1 Address: Postcode: 1 StEpiature: ^ OP SOFTWARE, Stonefleld, 198 The Hill, Burford, Oxfordshire. 0X8 4HX Credit Card Hotline: 0993 82 3463 Telex: 57784 MCCL G PROTEXT LEHER OF PROTEXT Leading by example, Rob Ainsley examines how Pretext might handle a tricky mailshot problem. okwD lou» S SientUne Close aniU Rd ensingtoii ondon BAS SET Sigurdsssn Ibsnusson Olafssm Ca Uterine Jones 67 Uhit Bator Hatj Iristol Avon ISIS 7IU Ragnusson Fiimbosadottir Til (hurst The sftuation; /ou have to write letters to all the members of your Avant Garde Icelandic Music Club urging them to come to an important concert. First, you must have a file somewhere consisting of the names and addresses. Though called a 'data file' it's a normal Pretext file with one item per line - name, town, postcode etc. In addition there might be other information such as the member's title (Mr, Mrs or Ms etc, or a dash if you are on first-name terms) and a list of each member's favourite composers. To standardise the addresses, assume the format is as follows: first name, surname, title, up to four lines of address, town, county, postcode, and favourite composers. If there are less than four lines of address, then by putting exactly one blank between them and the town (which can't be blank) you can make sure Pretext knows where to find the name of the town, as described below. One blank line exactly should separate the end of one person's entry from the start of the next. Your data file will look something like the example on the left. Suppose this file is called ADDR.DAT, 'Vou can now make up your mailmerge letter on the same disc as the one with your address file. Save trees Wilt) your letter complete, you could enter the command print (or p) for draft quality and printq (or pq) for high quality, and Protext would start merrily churning out letters one after tite ottier, working througti ADDR.DAT until it could go no furtfter. However, ttw trickier the mailsttot you are doing Itie more likely it is that you've got someone's name wtierc you mean) itie street, or made some other toul-up. An astoundingly useful function of Pretext exists (or you to print the lot to the screen first ~ that way you can see each letter being made up and can check that all tlie names and addresses are In the right place, saving alt that wasted paper if there's a mistake. Just enter the command pa (print screen] and you'll se« each letter being written before yotir very eyes. If anything looks wrong you can press [STOP], go back to the address file and amend it until the letters print out OK, and you can then pq to get your hard (taut fair) copies. Before printing out anything, to screen or paper, you should uva the letter and address files. Take a letter Assume for now that the only personalising you want to do is to have each recipient's name and address on the left near the top of the letter, and have their first name after the "Dear". Set up a document called concert. ltr say with the following at the top of the file: >df addr.dat >rv name surname title >rv addl add2 add3 add4 >rv town county >irv postcode composers dummy Any line with an angled bracket on the left hand side is a 'stored command' and is treated by Pretext as an instruction, not a line to be printed. All your usual stored commands to set up the headers, footers, margins and paper types should also be in the file. For mailmerging runs, >cp on (continuous paper on) is needed to set the printer up for continuous stationery. First, df tells Pretext to look for a file called ADDR.DAT and read things from that file. The first rv' command will take the next three things it sees there ('John', 'Smith' and -') and call them name, sumame and title (rv stands for read variables). The next rv command assigns the four lines of address to 'addl ' to ■add4', and the next makes 'town' equal to London (county is blank), and so on. The dummy' is needed to make Protext skip the blank line to get to the next person's details. When Pretext comes to do this for Or Jones' record things will be a bit different. Name, surname and title will be OK but add2 is blank. When rv' sees a blank, it gives up trying to read the rest of the variables in the line, so add3 and add4 are forgotten about. Pretext moves to the next rv which assigns the town and county, then reads postcode, composers and dummy with the next You shouldn't normally have two blank lines together, so if 'composers' is blank, then you don't have another blank for the dummy. Othenwise Pretext thinks the first blank is the end -of- record marker, gets out of step and thinks the next person's name is blank. Outlook variable Now you can type the text of the letter, and if you put the name of a variable between two s. signs, Protext will substitute the current value of the variable - ie. in the first letter when it sees ^surnames, it will print 'Smith'; at spostcodes. it will print 'BA5 5ET' etc. So, continuing from the above, your letter might read something like: Avant Garde Icelandic Music Club 7 Seoul St London EC3A 5YK February 5th 1988 snantes asurnameS Saddls &add2& SaddSs &add4& a towns &count:yS Spost codes Dear SnameS, Just to tell you, . . etc. Note that in printing the address Protext smartly misses out blank lines, so that Dr Jones won't have any gaps in her address - add 2 to add4 will just be omitted. Get personal This is all very well and is a genuine mail merged letter, but merely scratches the surface o( Pretext's depths. To make ttie letter more soptiisticated, it might be nice to have some flexibility to the content. You may have realised that in the iayoLt of the example just given, if you don't know someone's first name your letter iooks very silly - an addressee 'B. Zimmerman' would be greeted as 'Dear B,* Using the same address data fiie as before, you can arrange to have people you know well addressed as "Dear Jofin" etc, but others as "Dear Dr Jones", and to include details on transport to the concert venue tor those living outside Bristol. To liandle the first point you'll need to make use of tfiat litle' variable that mysteriously never got used before. Instead of the iine "Dear &name& " in the letter, have the toHowing: >if title="-" Dear &name& >el Dear Stitlefi Ssurnamei >ei Just to tell you . . . and so on. When the condition after an i f is true. Pretext prints everything between that line and the corresponding >ei ('find if) line. Otherwise, the line following >ei ('else') is printed - so here, all names with "■" for the title have the first name printed after Dear': otherwise Pretext prints the title (Dr, Mr, Ms, Col., etc) and the surname. To get 'Dr C. Jones', etc., for the addressee's name and address, you can use the routine >if title-"-" tnameS S surnames >el >sv iriitial=name [1] £tit:le£ ^initials. &surnaroe& >ei The 'sv' command sets the value of a variable and the 'f ' in square brackets gets the first letter of the variable it's attactied to, so here a new variable called 'initial' is created Willi a value of the first letter of name'. Hence 'Catherine' becomes C followed by the full stop after iinitiali, and the whole line would read Dr 0. Jones'. Now for the transport details. At the bottom of the letter you might have: ...and I look forward to seeing you there. >if towno "Bristol" The Concert Hall is five minutes' walk north from Bristol Temple Meads station... This ensures alt those people at addresses not in Bristol get directions to the concert hall - <> is Pretext's way of saying 'not equal to'. Stay composed To get the maximum support for your concert it would be nice to personalise the letters a bit more - for example, you could mention in the letter any pieces being played by each member's favourite composers. Suppose that, in addition to Eriksson's sonata for half a piano there are also works by Leosson and Sigurdsson. So, for John Smith's letter, the first paragraph should end: ... and works by Sigurdsson. For Dr Jones, who doesn't like any of the featured composers, it should end . . . and other works. To insert this text into the middle of a paragraph by a simple stored command isn't possible, as the stored command, and hence the text following it, always has to start on a new line. You can, however, insert variables into the text anywhere 11. iDsteidt to^BwM"^ It t lHi J ff l tr.aH ilu llvfa^vvkl ii Slfimi^ 'wrki ii l»l» 114 Sl!n4)l I iHllriiE *»K CM Ttbrurv EU im Iti 1lltul-<tH[l] IHT ttltlfl llVUHt - as was done with the names and addresses - so to get round this you have to create a variable (called blurb' say) whose contents are the required composers' names (or "other works") and insert that. After the 'rv' line, a series of commands like the following will have the required effect: >sv blurb="other works" >if "Sigurdsson" in composers >sv blurb="works by Sigurdsson" >ei followed later by a paragraph in the letter reading . . . "Sonata for Half a Piano and Six Igneous Rocks", and fcblurbs . Here the sv' command makes 'blurb' equal to the text "other works'" first, but changes it to the appropriate name if it appears in the addressee's list of favourites. The routine uses the in function, which is fairly self-explanatory (notm is sometimes useful as the opposite of in.) To cope with all possibilities several statements like this will be needed. The first paragraph of the letter should then have the optimum eye-catching effect for each recipient. And don't worry about the formatting; Pretext takes care of that automatically. Once you've checked all is OK via ps, load your continuous paper, start printing properly with pq and off you go for a walk and a nice glass of Perrier water while Pretext does the hard work. The whole truth Tlwe ^s another command to read variables from a file, 'tu' rather than 'rv'. If you use 'ru'. a line from the data lile is a^gned to each variat^e whether itie line istilankornoit Tfiiscanbe uselul, particularly if you have crealed jroui data t^e from a database program Itnwill t« U t l!tlMil < d c: ^'"- .," '* "^ "-•-5 ^., ' *^ ^"^"""-^-^^ j fi^^i 7 1 *" !-X, / / '^ "'--... i f Nameist prejudice Vou irtlgltt find onc« you've used rv to read someorw's details off the data file ttiat you don't want to send tttem a letter - maytie the person Is a member of your family, all of (Whom tMlong to the club. Suppose you include the stored command yak taitiBatF^SaBaixx^lMtitt or whatever your name happens to be. The 'sk' command means the current person's tetter won't be printed ft the toltowing condition Is true, atid Proteit will move to tlw next set of variables. Naturally, Ihe 'sk' line has to go after the 'rv' commands so that Ihe correct surname is knovirn, but before the first printed line of the letter. All Bassingthwaltes will be missed off the mail merge list. If your family name is SmItI), you can'l use ttils trick so easily. 8000 PLUS 33 J! RSC Ltd g PCW HARDWARE Amstrad PCW 8256 ....,£285.00 A(nstradPCWe512 C379.0O Amslrad PCW 9512 E474.00 Amstrad RS23aCent. Interface £49.00 Amstrad FDf2 Second drivs E125.00 8256 Memory Upgrade 8512 E24.00 RSC SPECIAL OFFER FD2+ MEMORY UPGRADE El 45 RSC PCW Printer Ex tension £11,00 (pack includes power extension) MODEL RSC LI MODEL RSC L3 Spaclalty assigned by RSC - Two Kumlnaied pioducu lor lh« compulof operators ani gar>eral office use. ' Economical power corifiunplton 'Localised iiiufninatlon - less strain an ihe fiye< * Can be poised al ihe angie required. RSL L^ 124 (indudee bub) RSILSE18 (indudesbub) Replacemeni bubs ca.SQ PCW SOFTWARE - DATABASES CarriBofl Cambase Caxlon Ca/dbox Ca;(ion Condor l Camsofi Delta 1 .25 Sage Retrieve Sage Magic Filer „.. Datastore (Digiia) Superlype (Digita) Database Manager {At LSSt) . MastBrWe8000 .£33-00 .£39.00 .£63.00 .£69.00 ..£45.00 ..E45.0O ,,£28.00 ,.£17,00 ..£19.50 .,£35,00 NEW PRICE dBa»* II £69 WORDPROCESSING Micro Pro Pocket Wordstar Micro Pro Pocket Wordstar Deluxe . Tasman Tasword 6000' Taxman Tasprint 8000" Tasman Taspeil 8000" ..£31,00 ,.£51.00 ..£17.00 ..£11.00 ..£12.60 Newstar Neword II ...CS1.00 ,,.€45,00 Arrror Pocket Prote« ....£29.00 SPREADSHEETS PCW Amsoft Supercalc 2 ,..£32.60 Newstar Cracker It ,,,,£32.60 Scratcfipad Ptus ....£42.00 GRAPHICS PCW Dr Draw , Dr Graph (Goih programs together) ,. Electric Studio Mouse Set „ Electric Studio Video Oigitis ..£32.00 ..£32.00 ,.£60.00 ..£95,00 ..£80.00 AMX MOUSE PACKAGE {with Desktop) Graphic Front End-Desk Diaty Telephone Address Book-Memopad Desk Accessories afl tor £«0 243301 (24 houri) (0923) 241921 PCW DUST COVERS Very attractive set. Keep your PCW dust free VDU keyboard & Printer £8.65 (Please specify 8256, 8512 or 951 2) ALL PRICES EXCLUDE VAT Export, Government & Educational Orders Welcoma. All enquiries & payments to RSC Ltd, 75 Queens Road, Watford WD1 2QN Telex: 265871 MON REF G. REF CJJ1Z8 Tel: (0923) 243301-241921 Callers Welcome All prkae subject 1o change wIttHHil notice - all goodi iub)ecl Id availably Carriage Free Map Integrated Accounts - Sales, Purchase. Nominal Lsdgem and Stock Contiill. Com- prahensive neponing ot Deblori. Credltoil. Irvcitc^g Stale menti. V, A, T, calculalion. P rolit and Lou Account! and Balance Sheet , C99.00 PCW DESKTOP PUBLISHING Fleet Street Edrtor PIm £43.00 Electric Studio- Newsdeek Interrtalional C33.S0 The Oatabase Putillsrier (Sottware) £25.00 Oat abase Desktop Pul3lteher (with AMX Mouse) ... CSS.fXl LIGHTPEN WITH NEWSDESK £55 RSC'S SPECIALS Amsoft CF2 Double sided/Stngte Density £20 lor box of 10 Amsoft CF2 DD DfS Double Density £40 for box of 10 LOCOSCRIPT 2 -E16 DISC STORAGE BOXES AMS 20L (hokJi 21 7 disks) Perfect Storage Box Designed and made for 3' Disks £10 RSC 60 Supplied witti dividers. Index labels. Lock and 2 keys Antj-static£14 ACCOUNTS PCW Sage Popular Accounts - De&fgrved tor Inexperienoed ysers. sultat>te tor cash or credit trade. Single program ^IsK. tullf automatic sales. purchaae+rK>mlnal todger, Wi salea+purctiase accounts £65,00 Sage Popular Accounts Plus - Al Ihe taaiures ol the Accounts program, ptus ainomaic invoicktg and SioeH Reoordng - £99.00 Saga Popular Invoicing ~ For ttte busir)ess wth higher than average oixpui ol Invoices. Can t>e used on Is own or In carjunctton tinth Saga Popular Acoounis „ , £47,00 Saga Popular Payroll - Handles all UK tax coitas and N,l. tablas ..,.,£47.00 Sage Popular Combo Pack - Popular Acoounts and Payroll £99.00 Saga Super Combo Pack -^Popular Aocc4jntsand Invoking and Payroll £155.00 tiannolt Slocit Control _„ „.,.. £38.00 Camian Sales Ledger .,„„ „, £33,1X9 Camsott Purchase Ledger „ , £3S.0a Cansott Nominal Ledger , ...... £3B,IXI Camsoh Invoicing Syslem £38.00 PSPNSaies, Purchase and Nominal...... £e9.0(^ PSISStocii, involc^g and Sales „„ ,„ £69.00 PSIL.Stock, Inv, Saies, Purch S Norn £98,00 Money Manager Plus £29.00 PCW COMMUNICATIONS MODEMS Amslrad V21/V23 (manuat modem) Linnet V21/V23 - Auto dlalUne and answering - Heyes compatibility - 32 namesiNuiTtier/Store - 3 Help Menus ~ Beat value .„ WS4000 (Miracle Tech) - Auto-Hayea - standard ,..£8S.ra ,, £129.00 „£)Se,00 Sage Combo Chit-Chat Software wHh Linnet Modem £182.00 Sage Chlt-Chat SoKwara (includes E Um and ViewdalaJ E7B.0a Total package comes complete with comprehiensive 160 page user manual DIALUP COMMUNICAIIOt^S SOflWAfif Very friendly menu driven software * £65 * MOUSE MAT £S.0O Thlngl (Copy Holder) £7.00 M I Witfi l^sterScan yt>u /PPfjfil^ can reproduce any ^*^ *'^ picture on your PCW screen - and print it out as often as you like. £55 focofporate graphics into packages as The Desktop Publisher, Flee! Street Editor Plus and Newsdesk. Send Scanr^ed images via modem (O other PCWs anywhere ^Mtxr PADSTT As well as creating drawings from scratch you can toad in scanned images from Mas- terScan and manipulate them using any of Master Paint's versatile tools. Then you can remove superfluous detail, fine tune the drawings using the zoom feature, ar^d add text. £15 /lA'Miet MasterScan and MastsrPaint £60 PCW GENERAL & UTILITIES Locomail (pleas« specify tor Locoscriil 1 or?) £26.00 Locospell[plsases(»cifrfa(Loc(iscrTt tor2) £26.00 Mas Eas/ Labelter C28.00 Caictwi BraifistOfm £33.00 Roiate ....£17.00 Pianh ,..,.. C18.00 Companion £16.00 Digits Pascal/MT+ £35.00 Diflil^ C Basic Compiler , £35.00 TasSion E20.00 Cajcton T(W* W Go ..........£17,00 larikey Crash Typing E17.0O iankey Two Fingers £17.00 Pros[»ll £20.00 ArrwrC £40.00 Amor Maxam £40,00 DIGITA INTERNATIONAL Personal Tax Planner £20 Business Controller £69 DOT MATRIX PRINTERS EPSON Epson LX800 {NEW- LATEST) ,. £193.00 Epson LQ800 iaoCPS/60NLQ/eO COL £420.00 Epson LQiOOO 180 CPS/6CNLQ/132 COL ...£570.00 Epson EX800 300 CPS/50NLQ/B0 COL £374.00 Epson EX10OO 300 CPS/50NLQ/136 COL ...£499.00 Epson FX800 200 CPS/50NLQ'80 COL £294.00 Epson FXI 000 200 CPS/50NLQ/1 32 COL ... E3BS.0O Epson L02S00 1 36 COL/270CPS«0 NLO ... £690.00 Epson SQ2S00 InkJet £970.00 Panasonic PannonlcKX-PIDiSI BOcol. 120cps 4^24cpsNLQ ....£149.00 PanaMdte KX-P1592 tSScol. ISOcps * OBcps NLQ . E365.00 Panau(w:KX-PlS95 l36oal. 240cps + Blcps NLO .£485.00 ParaeoiicKX-PltJaZool. 160cps t NLO £199.00 4 WAY MAINS DISTRIBUTION SOCKET Don't trip over - Ideal tidying unitEl 2 Above unit with built in Arrester - to give protection from mainsbome spikes and surges £17 AMSTRAD DMP4000 1 36 col-200cps F/T 50 NLQ ..E27S.0O DMP3160 B0col-160cps F/T NLQ £169.00 PRINTERS FOR BUSINESS Star NL10 120cps«>nlq/80ool £189.tX) StarNX15120q>s^nlq/136col £288.00 Star NB24- 1 24pin/21 6cpsf72nlq^80col £41 4 .00 Slar NB24- 1 5 24pin/216cps/72nlq/1 36eol „. , C51 8.00 Star NB15 Same as above tut 300cps £595.00 DAISYWHEEL PRINTERS Panaaonlc KX-P3131 U 1 7CPS (reconnmended) £240.00 Mcro-P28 - 26CPS .....£225.00 Juki 6100 20CPS £257.00 Juki 8200 30CPS £417.00 Mini Office II for the Amstrad PCW This phenomenally successful package now comes to the Amstrad PCW - with many new features Mini Office II consists of FIVE separate programs ■ Wordprocessor , wk • Database (with label printer) . • Spreadsheet • Graphics • Communications and you can swap data between dilferont programs to produce powerful results BROTHER DUAL PRINTER TWIN WRITER Twin Head - Daisywheel + Dot Matrix * £875 * ACOUSTIC HOOD FOR YOUR 9512 PRINTER up to 90% noise red ucli on- Attractive linen textured finish-Maintenance free-Easy to in stall-bronze timed acrylic perspex lid with gas struts for smooth access. Available finishes-Black Ash, Magr%olia and Light Grey El 75 (Hood without trolley £125), For other primers please ring. K.D. PRINTER STAND TPS-25: K.D. Printei stand lor flO coktmn piirwsrs- Pap^r f«eda frooi undarnealh aiid tl^ dial adju&tablfl papet feed piatfl Buidas \h& psf»r onio iri« cotaaion rack tor naal tiacfckig. Sturdy Heel and ptaslic conttrudion wiiti tpaca saving design. [30.00 SO COL £37.00 133 COL EPSON GQ3500 LASER PRINTER 6 page per minute/7 res fonts Hp Laser Jet compatibility £1345 (maintenance available) Canon Laser L0P-8 Mark II £1795.00 Hewlett Packard User Jet Series (I .£1945.00 Brother HL8-8 pages per minute £1750.00 KEYBOARD STORAGE DRAWER '9 1 ' TX0Z1 : Keyboaid slwage drawer. Sleel and plaslic contatudicn. PC kfiytaoa/d k>cat« in Ihe tray and can tx lik) oul ol sigtii when not In uM, sawn spaca on your dMk and prolectt liom did and Hum. CPU and monlloi can slacif on lop C3S PRINTER PAPER 2000 Sheets 1 1x9.5 -SOgsm ((an) £15.00 2000 Sheets 1 1x9.5 - BOgsm (fan) £18.00 2000 Sheets A4 - 70gsm (fan) £22.00 1000 Sheets A4 -90gsm (fan) £15.00 2000 Sheets 1 1x14.5 Ruled (fan) £22.00 2000 Sheets 11x14.5 Plain (fan) £22.00 1000 Adhesive Labels 1 across £6.00 2000 Adhesive Labels 2 across £8.65 PCW RIBBONS (mln order 2's) QT2 £4.30 each QT5 QTiO(ormore) £3.90 each £3.50 each PCW Multistrike Ribbons E6.00 PCW Colour Ribbons (Blue, Brown, Red, Green) E6.00 Ribbons fat other Printers PCW 9512 RIBBONS QT2 QT5 OTIO(ormore) £3.35 each £3. 1 5 each £3.00 each FOR DIASYWHEEL PRINTER ONLY 1 PCW 9512 DAISYWHEELS AVAILABLE TYPE STYLES Product Code Typeface GB045 Courier 10 GB032 Prestige Pica 10 GB085 Recta 10 GB225 Oratorio GB401 Letter Gothic 10/12 GB033 Prestige Elite 12 GB608 Script 12 GB224 Mini Gothic 15 Each E4.95 COPY HOLDER f'^ What every work station j^sl ought to have .No nvjre ISz& bokjng down — or finding "» impoflant dratts.Takes very J%> smalt amount of space and can ^~7^^ be positioned at almost any angle. ' X^ TREAT YOURSELF E17.00 c SjrRSCLI RSC MOUSE MAT ■ ES.tlO • "THINOr Chaip Copy Holder ' E7.00 ■ LEISURE SOFTWARE Hitchhikers Guide to tfie Galaxy £18.00 Leather Goddesses £18.00 Suspended £18.00 Cyrus Chess £12.00 Bridge Player £15.00 Colossus 4 Cftess £14.00 Batman £11.50 Lord of the Rings £15.00 Tomahawk ..,.£14.00 Scrabble £15.00 The Pawn , £18,00 Trivial Pursuits £15.00 Graham Gooch Test Cricks! £15.00 Head over Heels £12.00 Starglider £18,00 Leaderboard .£15.00 Silicon Dreams ■. £15.00 Ballyhoo (Infocom) £17.00 The Fourth Protocol £12.00 Ace £15.00 Strike Force Harrier £15.00 Steve Davis Snooker £12.00 PSI.5 Trading Company , £15,00 ONTEST EDUCATION THE THREE Rs Stuck with the kids' homework? Keep them quiet with these maths and English programs. C^"'^^'- ' t ofiLT PIMP 5 esM4^ wp it' Market I uiiDi an, 'I'll ■ami U rtdr i ninbtr kftwn 1 ini IM. H, i llrn •ust I RuUirly it »:« ta itl IM roint latUiiKg?' Dif voice tntinuei, 'Utll imt\ lave i rimiti lot ijOiir Fri»<* Tau (Ml fou'ri Ij 1 Vuslliij Hitet, lull of crwKls. IKO ini»jtiBS tnts lit nirlk siHjUt. nut ti th( north is ttbflltd: : Ktrror Raif - mn i luiimf : Ott U kk souU rnds: GIANTKILLER £14.95 • Topologika (0733 244682) • All POWs Mathematics... if there's any subject guaranteed to bring a chorus of groans from all around, it is this. Much time and money has been invested over the years in trying to make the subject come alive, ever since the days of Frankenstein, Giantkitler' is a maths adventure' for age 1 upwards, which might just have succeeded. An adventure game based on mathematics sounds as likely as a machine code listing made into a musical. But don't let the mathematics tag frighten you off: boring topics are presented as Ingenious puzzles in the course of the game, not as abstract and disconnected questions. For example, problems such as "which of the following shapes tessellate - triangles, squares, pentagons, hexagons, octagons, decagons?" are presented in the Giantkiller game by asking you to escape from pursuers across a pool of acid. On hand you have heaps of acid-proof tiles of various shapes - triangles, squares, five-, six- and eight-sided tiles etc - and you'll soon hit on the idea of covering the pool with : f lilt thr C4lciliUr Cwt ind lin i rnmy! Mr] mt rut. tli»9M»S iMd Hit IHl i«utkll«tt. A Some ol the puules to be solved an the way to winning that magic bean them and walking across. Ah, but they've got to fit together perfectly, haven't they, or the acid will come through, which means.,, and after a bit of drawing and mucking about with shapes you'll find that triangles, squares and hexagons do that, but the others don't. You've answered the question above but done it naturally and had the fun of solving a problem for yourself which actually has a meaning and an end result. Has beans The adventure is loosely based on Jack and the Beanstalk, with the the player or players taking the role of Jack (or Jackie). As the hero you have to go to market to buy a pig for your Mum; all the pigs have been sold, but by entering a series of competitions you can multiply your groat into a magic bean. One is a mirror maze; another is a competition to see if you can put eighteen bottles in a six-by-four crate MICRO ENGLISH £24 • LCL (0491 579345) All PCWs English is a very funny language with a patently ridiculous way of spelling words. 'Hero' takes an 'e' in the plural, for example, but 'banjo' and 'solo' don't {though even one banjo solo is usually one too many), 'Hearth' and 'dearth' are pronounced! differently. Without the confusion caused by the apostrophes in its, it's, your, you're, whose and who's, the Times would have nothing to put in its letters column. I rt Scort by. L'rt ruretuttipn ints Uit lotlMing smtnuts.Us* SMi-colou iM eoUns rt psjiiklt . hu MS ust S or S -nti dog.'uU tilt un.-bit «.* leutr u)d"Jee lin in ttai.' "l«v«,'Mid Jee," Uts im-fflod." 'toDdntii *t>*Ii« ihsvttd, ls( upFtr MS» lir MMS,(.}.'llTm'. list mn m* (» iiMH,!.}. trm. [ r«d "fcitlKtli* Bfsttrdis. iou unt ii«r( (s^n/lieli/? to rtfiat fuoI? I A Nostalgia fn all readers over sixteen 36 8000 PLUS Micro English is described as a complete English language course for O-level self tuition or revision. The Idea of using your PCW as a teaching aid for your college, yourself or your clamouring offspring is an attractive one. With Micro English you can, according to the booklet, test yourself on and revise punctuation, spelling, vocabulary, figures of speech, precis, commonly confused words, irregular plurals, summary and comprehension, all in a style closely modelled on the O-level examination (as it used to be), 'Your PCW impassively quotes your mark and time taken for each exercise for you to monitor your progress without embarrassment. Micro English runs from BASIC, and after getting the familiar Ok' message you insert your program disc and type RUN "MENU: after the title screen you are given a menu with a choice of twelve areas on each side of the disc to be tested on. Also provided Is an audio cassette which links in with the programs on disc. Cloudy periods The punctuation section is a little dubious, A few basics are explained first and on subsequent screens you are given a list of sentences to punctuate - though the initial explanation contains at least one incomprehensibly punctuated sentence (it says of commas that they "are also used to separate indirect speech from direct speech, for ex am pie, the 'he sakll from what he said.") The test sentences to be punctuated are fair enough but it expects no spaces after commas, which is rather unconventional, and isn't even consistent about spaces after full stops. so thai every raw and column has an even number of bottles (trickier than you'd think). But is it a game? This is an educational game, not a professional adventure program: all the commands you type in have to bs very simple (usually just directions: N, S, E, W etc) and there's none of the 'intelligence' of. say, the Hitch Hiker's Guide to ifie Galaxy, where your commands can almost be normal English sentences. But it's fun, and the mathematical content is very good. Nol only is there plenty of chance to develop visual and spatial siiiils from the map making necessary to find your way round, but the puzzles are varied, cleverly integrated into the scenario and enjoyable, and would all serve as a starting point for further activities in a classroom, Tlie progression of the game Is virtually decided beforehand and there's only one solution' - great because it makes the thing virtually foolproof and ensures weak players get carried along and don't lose interest, though it means as an adventure it's a bit restricted. On planting the magic bean you can climb up to the Giant's castle and get the goose wfilch lays prime eggs (CK, an awful pun, but a neat way of working In some stuff about prime numbers). If you successfully negotiate Uiat there's still a lot more exploring to do, in a dungeon under your house and over a chasm down the road. Any time you want help you can call your fairy godmother for advice, a neat way of personifying a help screeni There's quite a range of subjects covered in the puzzles encountered: calculation, topology, time and space, logic, prime numbers, elementary number theory and so on, but all plausibly occurring In context. This game would be an excellent Christmas present (and a sneaky way of slipping in some mathematics practice) for any pre 0-level students who have access to a PCW, or for their parents. There's a complete worked solution in the handbook so you can keep that secretly for yourself if you want to impress your kids with your ability to solve everything. Being able to finish the game with a maximum 250 pointe may not make you much more likely to pass the GCSE but the great thing about this game is that it contributes to the demystifying of mathematics, makes the subject mean something, and can actually be tun. ONTEST EDUCATION Topology note Topology is itie brancli o! malheinate whicii proves tiiat, lor eianji^e, oniy lour oolouts are needed to shade in any map of the world so no neightKiuring i;ounlries ate ihe same colois. Mattiamatiaans didn't believe Ihis lad until Ihe 1970s. alihough ihey proved it a hundred years ago lof dougtinut-shaped planets. jr***'* PLUSES Puzzles plausibly Integrated Into scenario Progression of game Is simple and well- defined Plenty of starting points for further work Mathematics made tun I RANGE OF FEATURES EASE OF USE MINUSES ■ Program understands only extremely simple commands ■ Saving a position lakes a move, which can be fatal In hectic situations ■ Won't be of particular help for exams PERFORHflANCE DOCUMENTATION 8000 PLUS VALUE VERDICT There are two spelling sections, which use the supplied cassette tape. Words are read out on the tape (examples being 'conscious', 'flamboyant', 'bicycle', 'cupboard', etc) and you type them onto the screen; the PCW charts your running percentage score and tells you how much time you've taken {but it would have been nice to see tile time quoted in minutes rather than seconds - knowing you've done a comprehension in 1649 seconds doesn't help much. The clock seems to run a bit slow. Expletive deleted ■ One major problem is that the delete key doesn't appear to work. You might make an innocent typing error on a spelling test and get marked down because you can't correct it. try as you will. In fact, there is a way to delete: a capital D has been employed as the delete, which causes all sorts of confusion if you like to work with Shift Lock on: try to type in ADDRESS. It seems rather odd to assign the delete function to a capital letter in a spelling program when other keys are available (the one marked 'DEL', for example), and even odder to make no mention of this at all in the manual. There are also vocabulary tests, a straight word-equals- which-one-of-four-phrases [or vice versa) multiple choice. For impartial', for example, you're offered 'to become known'.'impossible to overcome', 'favouring neither side', or 'no law or order'; it appears the alternatives are chosen at random, and there seems no attempt to make them all the same part of speech - verb, noun, adjective etc - as the test word. Also, questions you've got right already keep coming back, and there's no filtering out. Summary The main plus point to this program is the facility to list and change the data files for each exercise - these files are unprotected - and insert your own examples. As well as being easy to do (and fun) it means you can personalise ^^^^ your package to suit your '^^^^^ requirements - if your son needs practice on his apostrophe's or your daughter on her speiing you can give them as many new exercises as they can handle. This is actually quite a handy little package. The design is a bit iffy and there's no excuse for not mentioning how to delete letters in the manual, but apart from that it could prove be a useful tool. A COmFn tmSH UUMUME COUBE 0^ 14 EASV TO use PnOCfWHS FDA 0C3C ID'4.£VCLJSE1.F nMTKMOAffiVlSKM Linguistic note T)» English language is a hytirid d thiee Germanic dialects (Julisii. Saxon and Anglian), superimposed on indigenous Ceic, with a lingering element nl Latin, subsequenlly inlluenced by Norse. Danisii and then Norman French; no wonder the spelling is inconsisieni It has a larger uocalwlary Itian any othw - aboul tefi 3 million words - and is tlie most widely spoken language in the woild. wilh around 400.000.000 speakers PLUSES Simple and easy to use Can adapt It to your own tequlrements Slicks to 0-level style RANGE OF FEATURES EASE OF USE MINUSES ■ Very silly «my of deteling letters, not even mentioned In the manual ■ Punctual Ion inconsistent ■ Used questions recur PERFORMANCE DOCUMENTATION 8000 PLUS VALUE VERDICT 8000 PLUS 37 TTf? JIAUuuij • Daisvwheel Printer • 512KRam • Paper white high resolution monitor • Spellchecker London's Largest Specialist Amstrad Dealer AmstradPCW9512 Wordprocessor inc Daisywheel Printer Ea^t^ W ^ VAT BULO[ Lq Kic.M^X.. ^^P ^HE FABULOUS PHONE NEW PCW 9512 FDR DETAILS USED PCW 8256 and PCW 8512 GUARANTEED FROM £199 + VAT ADD A DAISYWHEEL PRINTER TO YOUR PCW Complete Package inc m^m^ m0% Printer, Printer Cable. ^^uQ Interface, Software I VAT MASSIVE RANGE OF PCW SOFTWARE AVAILABLE OVER THE COUNTER Official orders welcomed from PLC's, government and education establishments • Export enquiries welcome. Dept. 8000, 53-59 High Street, Croydon, Surrey CRO 1QD. Tel: 01-681 3022 Mail Order + Export Hot Line Phone 01-686 6362 w^ ^^S^ ^^ '-' •-'- - DIALUP "dialup Personal is an excellent package, easy to use, perfect for the first time user'* DIALUP Personal is an easy to use comnris package, with oil the right features for the serious user. It's menu driven ond simple to send prepared letters, documents, spreadsheets etc. yju can save Prestel screens to disc and build up your own frame directory, or capture text to a file for editing in a WP package. For the technicolly minded DIALUP offers • XMODEM and KERtVlfT file transfer protocols • Telesof twore Download • EPAD Vbu can access Telecom Gold. Prestel, Microlink, Mfcronet and other popular servfces and Bulletin Boards. DIALUP Personal is only £89.95 (irx; VAT) and can be used with a wide range of modems. Pleose send me a Dl ALUP sof t wore to £89 9S (inc VAI) plus £2 95 p&D D DIAIUP with a WS4000 fnodem lor £25995 (inc VAT ) pJuS £5 50 O&O D Modem fe Micro coble tor £11 50 (inc VAt) O Further detoiisol DIALUP Persorvcil r htame. DIALUP PERSONAL I enclose o cheque tOJ £ . Phone , ___ Micro D IBM PC/Xt/AT ond compotrblesO Ajnstiod PCW n B8C B. i+. Master 128 O BBC Master Compact D RM Nimbus . poyoWe to PMS CommunicaliOfis Ltd TELECOM GOLD Alternatively telephone ACCESS deiails to js on 021-W3 7698 PMS Commuracalions Lid, Noftolli House. Sfnallbrook Queenswov. Biimingriam B5 <IL J dmvia p&h electronics Ltd 5 THE PARADE • YATELEY HAMPSHIRE TEL: 0252 877222 AMSTRAD SYSTEMS DISCOUNT WITH SERVICE PCWKSS pcwesfz 1512 so MM 1512 SO CM 1512 DO MM 1512 DO CM 1640 so MO 1640 DD MD 1640 HD MD 1640 SO CD 1640 DO CD 1640 HD CD 290C0 38500 47000 38900 52000 4e0D0 61500 475 DO seooD S40£» 61500 700DO 96000 43SD 5775 7050 5775 7800 7200 9225 7125 B4D0 12600 S22S 10500 14700 333.S0 442.76 54050 442.75 xsao 552M) 707^5 546^5 e44jca 966.00 70725 S05.00 112701 1640 ECD 164000 ECD 1640 HD ECD DMP3015 LQ3500 GPC484M CPC464C CPC612BM CPC812BC SPC 128+2 SPC 128+3 750DO 63000 112000 17393 304;35 16957 2SZ17 ^5^17 339.13 11739 16696 11250 12450 16600 2607 4565 2S43 37 S3 3763 5067 17B1 2504 862.50 954.50 1268.00 200.00 350.00 195.00 290.00 290.00 390.00 135.00 192110 BOOKS FOR PCW Advanced Amstfad aasic (Locom) Amstrad 8256?e51 2 Mihs WordprocsMkig £12.95 £9.95 AmstraU CPiM Plus El 2-95 Amstrad CommsJC PC/PC W Rang™ £8.95 Amslfact Cofnpanlofi (Mallard) Amsirad Word ProoosaintfPCW 6256 f7.9S £8.95 An Imroducsiwi CP/M plus on Arrulradi £7.95 ^ Slarted Amsliad PCW e25a'8512 E7.95 hlroduckw ArrBtiad CP/A Asb Lana Maslerina Amlrad PCW 82S»8512 PiaaicalTtaleionoa GuidaW-Pio. Aimlrad 8256 £9.95 £6.95 £5.95 Pracrioal Amstfad Woid Piocatsing £7.95 = radical Logo 00 1 ha Anwrad £6.95 Proflram Youi PCWI (MaBard) C6.fl5 Soft 971-OP Program GukJo {Dfa Rab) User Guide to Amstrad PCW 8256^512 E250Q £10.95 Usino Ills PCW 6256 Word Piocesslng Amslrad 6256 (Macillan) C9.e5 £6.95 Advanced AmsltatJ Basic £12.95 Amstrad Communkalion* CPC/PCW £6.95 Amslrad Companioo ArFistrad PCWa25a8512 Motelhan £7.95 £9.95 Programming the PCWI £6.95 Step bv Slep Guitte to LoooscrW Basic 2 Us8i GukJo £4.95 £9.95 .ocomquve Baaic 2 (or PCW £9.95 Operaling Amstfad CPM 2.2 dafltytSuidesAfiBlrad PCW EB.95 £8.95 Progiam ^oui PCW (MaJIwd; 2nd Edtlon £7A5 Programming Bta Z80 £10.95 Z80 Ha(e(enc« Guide £1Z95 280 Applcailons £15.95 ZBDAESsmbly Lang. SubnutlnM £19.95 zeo Assembly Lang. Programming 15 Hour Wordproosulng on ths MIS £19.95 £4.95 Gat Started aasic+L090 PCW £S.9S HItchhikars Guide A/l^al Irneaigsnca AMS £6.95 PocJiet Wordstar PCW £7.5C Using AmEirad OP/M BuBlnew totiware £6.95 Using DatabSMS on 1l>e Amstrad PCW Word Prooaulng on ttw Amtlrad 6256 (QIantap} £8.95 £6.95 LBSURE FOR YOUR PCW Batnian £13.00 CyruES Chess II £14.0C Lonj o( Iha Rings £}BJK Falrllohi £13.0C erstge Player Lsaher Qoddassat E16X)C £20 OC ZorKI E20.0C Enchanter E20.0C Witness E20.0C Ballyhoo £20.0C Planertall E20.0C HIichJiikereGukia E20.0C CutUlroals E20.0C French MIslrsM (TMm £1800 Sorcaer E22.0C The Lmg Dayllghls £16.00 Si«a Oauis Snoikar £13.50 GulkJofThievm £22.00 Blactelar £13.50 Soundar £12.50 SpajiishTulor (Tutorial) £1SIX) 3D OocK Chess Eiejx) Si rite Force Harrier Eieix) Scribe E17XX) -lobbll £2000 Heroes d Khan £14iX) Colo»ug4ChSBa £1700 Trhrlal Pufsul £1900 Smcon Dream E18OT Leader Board (30 GoN) E11D0 PS 1-5 Trading CorTpany (Space Advertlur*) t\SDO Head Over Heals ei3«) The Fourth Prolacd £140) Moonmisl E20iX) Stargllder £2000 Brian Cbughs Football Game* £2OB0 Classic OollBctbn (3 Games) E13XX) TauCetl £1800 PRINTER SPEQALS Amstrad DMP 30 15 £200X» Amstrad LC13500 E350XP0 Panasonic KXP 1081 £180i)0 Panasonic KXP 1082 £2501X1 Epson LX800 G75iX: Cannon PW 1080 A £27000 Tally MTBO PC+ £20000 Juki 6000 Daisywheel £20000 Juki 6100 Daisywhael £36000 ACCESSORIES UPGRADES Copy Holder Thlngy ((lis to monllor) £600 2000 ShaelB Listing Paper (P&P £3) £14jOC 4000 Labels (1 across) £17jOC 8000 Labels [2 across) t20X DlscSlorageacH(holdB30(l E12JIK Disc Slora je Ben (holds 70) £15jOC Mouse Mai by AMX ESOC Electric Siudio Lightpen ES4JXi Electric Siudto Mouse E114J0C Electric Studio Digttissr E92j00 JoystkiiConlraller E22.5C F02 Second Disc dtAie £149jOC FD2 and Memory Upgrade £170jOO 6256 memory Upgrade £25j00 RS23aCantrDniC3 Upgrade ES7JM V21/23 Amstfad Modem {SSOC 2 PCW pdntar Ribbons £900 Co«refaet(3pt9ce) £1000 Printer Lead Eitansion £1200 Blaiik3lnchDlBee(10) E30O0 Blanit 3 inch DIses DO tor and DrIvB £5000 Antiglare Screen £2400 Parallel Printer Lead £1200 AMX Mouse MKillwtihDeslaDp £7300 AMX Mouse MKIII wiiti StopPraet £8200 22/24 GUILDFORD ROAD BAGSHOT . SURREY TEL:BAGSHOT 0276 74533 ^3MINSJCT^M3_^| AMSTRAD ^ MICRO CENTRES TELEPHONE OR VISIT FASrr PHONE SEHVICE-W HOUR DESPATCH OK ITEMS IN STOCK SUPPUERSTOSCIINTIFCAND ED JCATIONAL AUTHORITIES ALLPfllCESINaUDEVAT.EXC.POPCW , ^CES ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT HOTIC§/ PCW SOFTWARE SAGE Popular Accounts £7600 Populai AccounlE Piii* £1 1 500 Popular Invoicing E55IX) Popular Payrail £55,00 Popular Combo Pack £115.00 Super Combo Pack £150.00 Super Combo pKk £15000 DalaBase £55.00 Magic FUer £55.00 Reirieve £54.00 Chitchat -Mar £55.00 Chn Chat View Data £5500 ChN Chat Combo £7600 C^HChatwtth Modem £185.00 ComtM with Modem £22500 DIGITAL RESEARCH DR Draw £45.00 DR Graph E4S.M PascalfMr* £4500 CSasKCorrpiler £4500 CAXTO+1 SOFTWARE Cardbox £50.00 Brainelorm £3900 Scratchpad Pkis £5000 Toucti 'N- Cio £20.00 Smart Key £39.00 Condor 1 £65.00 Time Keeper £4500 CAMSOFT ACCOUNTS Cambase Database £45.00 Payroll E4S.00 Siock/lnvototf Sales — Irtlegrated £85,00 Sale&rPurchase/Nomin^ -^ Irrtegraled £85.00 Slock/lnvoacs'Saies/Purcriaaeif Nominal £135.00 Abrwe modulee stand alone each £45.00 OTMEnS Superclac2 £40.00 dB»e 2 £S9.(X) Oayt>ook £47.00 Raaltl meAudkJ Tutor £9.50 Prospeil (spelling checker) £24.00 Dalai iow'Mal mow III (maiirTwrga k>co«crt>t) £47.00 Poctol Wordstar Deiux (wdh Spellstar) £5500 Roiae (Print Ulilty] £20.00 Tasword 6000 £19.50 Tasprlnl 8000 £12.50 TaspellSOOO £14.50 Protesfl £75.00 Cracker 2 PCW Spreadsheet £46.00 Micro collection Card File Database £46.00 CSTAM PCW to PC File Transfer E46.00 Neword E59O0 Locoscflpt 2 E18.5C Amor V Progranming Language £46,00 Misoft "C Programming Lar^gLraoe £37,50 Hisod Pascal £37.50 Fleet Street EdNor Plus £60,00 Fonts and Graphics PCW £ 1 800 AMX Stop Press £4600 MAIL ORDER COUPON P&H ELECTRONICS UMITED 22/24 GUILDFORD ROAD BAGSHOT SURREY GU19 5JN Please send me: (or order by letter) 1 at£ — 2 at£ 3 at£ Crvdn iKliita* htumcradrup 10 £1.000. d*po«iL 10K— UfiHA a^y PL£A3E MAKE CHEOUESrPOSTAL OROE RS PAVABLE TO: HH tUCTnOHCS UHTTED O qunB yourCirO NumMt aid Ex|>y □•tiptHH UK CARHAOE COST? — SOFTWABe « BOOKS FREE — SYSTE MS.PRINTERS — E700, AOC ESSORI ES — E2.00 OUEHSEAS ORDERS — 0VERn£.CI0SEMTVATFREEiriCLUDiHGeFF>OOnDEFtSSENTATI.rKnATE3.r>lwHmalwd pnyms^U inSfartngCiirlagt— Budu. ScTbar b. Auy — £3.00 fm tan Syflvn • — CW.OO. tJlic Di^h. Print«t— 00.00 □ P&P P&P P&P Name _ Address I enclose cheque/PO for £ Or please debit rny Access/Barclaycard/Visa* (delete as applicable) Card Number . Expiry Date Telephone 80001187! A A myS«ry MallanJ SASIC tetingmalulisi^eSotlstrip SOFTWARE STRIPPER Banish typing errors for ever! SOFTSTRIP £230 • Softstrip International {01-631 3775) • 8000s only The idea behind Softstrip is very similar to that behind those supermarket bar codes. Despite having brains the size of planets, computers are useless at reading simple price tags, and up till recently (and still in some old-fashioned shops) the assistant had to punch in the prices manually in to the till. However, now all your brown rice and fresh pasta has the price bar-coded, in a form that the tills computer can be taught to read, making life more pleasant for everyone. Softstrip can turn any file - a LocoScript document, a BASIC listing, data from your spreadsheet - into a series of strips of bar code-iike dashes. These strips can be photocopied, folded, dropped into a mug of coffee, dried out, sent by overland maii to Ulan Bator, and still be perfectly readable at the other end by someone who has a Softstrip reader, which briskly scans the strips and writes the information back on to a fiie on disc. If you have to send the same software to a lot of people and/or don't like risking discs in the post, it could be a godsend. Reading and writing There are two components to the package, a dfec with the PLUSES Strips can be folded'photocop led/posted Could tie 3 godsend lor program listings typists Good error checking on the printed strips RANGE OF FEATURES EASE OF USE MINUSES ■ It's expensive ■ Needs a large user base lo t>e viable PERFORHflANCE DOCUMENTATION 8000 PLUS VALUE VERDICT reading and printing programs, and the scanner unit itself. Making your software - say a listing from 8000 Plus - into strips is easy. With CPIM running you just insert the disc, enter submit ssm, give the drive and name of file you want to encode, insert your disc, and the strip prints out neatly on your ordinary PCW printer. There's one sthp for each 823 characters of file, and each strip takes about two minutes or so to print out. There's a blob and a bar with a number by each strip; these are lining-up marks and reference numbers for the sthp above that. If you want to read a strip you have to connect the softstrip reader up to your PCW via an RS232 interface; once done, reading a strip is reasonably easy. After typing SDBMiT SSR the screen prompts you to insert the paper in the reader and after reading the first strip asks for the filename and drive to save it to. It then prompts you as it reads second and subsequent strips until the tile is read. Each strip takes around thirty seconds to read. The reader sits flat on top of the strip sheet, which you have to manually position aligning those blobs and bars in the right place - but you don't have to worry about it tieing out of line and getting a load of gobbledegook read in; the reader can tell if something's out of place and will ask you to re-align the strip. There's a complex system of checking numbers built in to the dots too, so it's extremely unlikely that any reading errors would make it through to the final version saved on disc without being spotted and amended . Soft, strong and very long The strips themselves are pretty robust. Coffee was spilled under laboratory conditions onto a strip which was then dried out over a convector heater. The reader happily scanned the strip and wrote the file to disc error-free. Folding the paper with sharp creases didn't have any adverse effect either. Photocopied sheets are also quite acceptable, which of course is the main advantage to any club sending listings out. The copy must be quite clean and not reduced in size . Copies done on a light setting may not tie read so it's a good idea to experiment with some of the darker settings and check they read OK before running twelve thousand copies. Strip clubs? The potential for this PCW adaption of the Softstrip system is enormous. Clubs, computer user groups, or companies with the ubiquitous PCWs could send batches of software to each other through the post and even include software in mailshots; compare the cost of a thousand photocopies to a thousand discs, in theory, (onward looking magazines will pnnt their program listings pages in strip form. Some years ago owners of the BBC li^icro could buy a similar bar code reader for a significantly less than £100. The device never really caught on, and although Softstrip is technically superior (the printed codes are more compact and error -proof) it does seem at least £100 overpriced if it is to make any impact on the PCW market. ^R 40 8000 PLUS Good Value Starts Here M, tono- IS o6ta<^tto--n- . B^9. 9S Five fine progircima fi-om Sm£c>t> ComptiLin^. • DATADASK • WC>Ul> l'U(>t;i':MSOIi Willi timjj jjxea-jfB, • LABELLING ■• SPREADSHEET * FILE SECURITY applicatiozis for tho price »on-ic |>u1jli2d2\cra (tslc for jxiat onLc program. A complete meinueil wiLli TTorlceci cxfLkTiplcs 19 inr^Lticlticl to lidli> fsvcn tlie Bovice user £ot utiki^tuil. Idtiit.! rttt' ,> CLUBS SCHOOLS OFFICES CilUIiCIIES SHOPS NEW USERS "Deaervea to tnj 11 vt' in 1 1 ii i-'" Al*<,' Mil j^ti.'x.tf b>u, "Great temri . , ,^;<coJlen t. biiJtiiitLt. urr)U^/:in£ "Very good ^oikerihl ptii^pd^t^ lUTitrM t;t>j>l.i-ol I>Eidciia;c*' 0000 I'liiM MfAf^itvti tici » ^ <:ij^.nl>-<x^^ oe4 ocx&y^^^rt-^:^ G29. 95^ AccoiLiiitir>e &; VAT foi" c:ttMlh 1^1; IrJi i I4; ri4 iful<JWu^ £ 9.95 Prints spreutlsliec^tij 3k. »vi<l(; ril<^h« ^licl tsivjiy h 00 Amstrad PCW or Kpsfoii t^'pc prirkters. fiit UB et:iovd yoiLii.- lIilLjjl X'l-oirx l'{- lIlMlfU tL! Write or ptione now to order or ualc for dotaila J. X ^Arraixi Roi^U. i.t^cjronrj ulU. BEVERLEY, IIumlj£.^r*^ict t- IlUl V '?NI^ Ptioi-ie 04 fi I — r»4>rif»v i'.t'\ >i()iir'H> A MUCH BETTER DEAL - WEEK AFTER WEEK HARDWARE & PERIPHERALS RRP WAVE Amurtd CPC6 1 26 ComfHiter -4- colour mooiior ft disc drive inc TOE Joystick a ITiopgimeswofth i!l5CI+(TOT.SEF'.£5K>+t }».W Amstnd PCW85S6 CompcjierWoTil Processor + monitor $ printer 4S8.8S Amsirjd PCVifflS 1 2 Computer/Word Processor + monitors D/W primer S73.aS Airutrad PC 15 1 2 Double Drive Colour Home Office pack incl: h%nt Aliilitj and -4 US Gold games (TOT,SEP.£!043) 7«.35 Amstrad PCI 5 1 2BP lnc;PC 1 5 1 2 DouWe Drive Hoiw + DMP3000 Printer + Superok 3 + Wordstar iSI2n"0T.SEP. £977. 10) ajMS Amitnd PC 16* Double Drive Cobur „ I033J5 Upgrade Kit 2nd 3" drive & 256K FWM Upgnite - PCW8I« . 232.85 Gtaen LSPIO printer FiT MLQ parallel (Special Offer) 3li.lS Cimen S Star printers retail lest 25% + tS P&F Kempston products mouse's, interfaces etc. retail less 2Mt + O. PSP fttlion, Printer - PCWB25Wg5 1 1 „,_„ Pkt 5 24.75 Rjbbofi, Printer - PCW9S 12 _ Pitt S 19.15 PrintwheeU - PCW95 12(6 st^ avaJibtej Each 5.61 Piintwheels - PCVW5 12 „ „ Full semf 8 ^iM, SOFTWARE Advance'Rational Sol. Database Manager (At Last) - CPOPCW . Amsolt Supercalc 1 - 6 liafPCW Amor Proteit inc; Spell dwcker & nailmei^e - tlia/PCW Campbell Sjiiems Misterflie BOOO - PCW Cimsolt software retail less 30% + £3 PSP Caxton Cardbox elecuonic ord index (Database) - 6126/PCW .. Coraii software retail las 25% + CL P&P Hisoft software retail less 20% + £2 P&P Loconwtivc Locoicript 2 - PCW [+ VAT Sip) . 29.95 ^'on ....... 59.95 49.95 309.56 (AhiCl 2B4.05 [A) 44910 (A) 555,45 (AI^C) 598.50 (ANC) 809.10 (ANC) 1 17.39 (B) 17875 (A) 13.70(D) I3,3!(D) 3.79(E) 28.28(C) 18.23(D) 33.04(C) 43.48 (C) 32.58 (D) . S9.99 40.44 (0) M<tro-Sifnplei! small btsiness accounts S VAT - 61 2a/PCW . Prkle Utilitres software retail less 25% + 1 1 PSP PSS ioftvnre retail less 25% + £ I PSP Sage software retail less 30% + £2 PSP Siren software retail less 20% + £ I PSP CF2 3' Walk discs DS^br all 3" drives cased Wihisti ett 5 25' mOD 40T blank diss ..... I».»5 .., 1 14,94 16.50 (D) 57.97 (C) . Bi» 10 49.50 ...Pkt 15 - IRIO(D) 7.61 (D) AU. CURRENT CHART GAMES SOI^TWARE RETAIL LESS 30% 4- II P&P ********************************** WAVE PRICESEXCLUDE VAT ENGLAND pott ft int.: (A)U.Oa (B)£4.00 {C)C3,00 (D)£2.00 (E)tl.00 (F>50p ANC:3 day £9.D0 Next Day C 12.00. Admin. Offlcet, callm by appointntent oflly Stock itetni b)f return of post Prtces in Ms advert are ytlld for 14 olajci. W.A.V.E. (Dept. 80001287) Wainey Audio Visual & Electrical S3 Shearwater Crescent, Barrow-in-Furness Cumbria LAI43JP S 0229-44753/29 1 09 Hours : Mon-Fri 1 0.00 - S.OO THE SOLUTION TO TRANSPORTING YOUR COMPUTER Our carrier is iJesJgned specifically for Ihe fl25fi'8S1 2. tt is manufaclured lo a very high siarKlard with reinforced protective sides a/id base Heavy duty zipper openings. Extra sironQ adjusfable shouldw carry strap. • LIGHTWEIGHT airr STRONG • LEAVES BOTH HANDS FREE • FOLDS FIAT • SHOWERPROOF • INTERNALDIMEN- siONSirjtie.s'xiT SAFELY £19.95 Eacti be. VAT SPECIFICALLY DESIGNED FOR 8256/8512 NOW AVAIL FOR PC 1 51 2 (pise specify) £4.95 he VAT WIUER THE SOLUTION TO SCREEN PROBLEMS Available for a wide range c\ monitors Including 8256/8512 £39.95 Inc. VAT • Eliminate reflectiorv, blurred images and gla/B which can cause eyestrain and headaches. CROWNFILTER increases clarity, contrast and definition 100%. • CROWNFILTER absorbs 62% of radiation emitted from youf monitor. • Each Crown filter is designed and contoured to fit each individual monitor model . • Easy ID lit - simply attach by velcro pads supplied and easy to clean. CROWNnLTEBisahighqualily product manufacttifed from specially coated organic glass. Tested and guaranteed to meet our rigid standards. Please do not confuse C ROWN FILTERwiihcheaperperspex or mesh sta'eens. They simply do rot compare with CROWNF ILTER. DUST COVERS HBBONS High quaiit/ nyton — 3 poe 8256/6512 i:i1.9S IDEAL XMAS GIFTS (mirZposltree) 8256febnc £3.75 9512 El 3.95 B266 carbon £5.45 PLONKER BOX C4.93 Rod, blue, graon. Prinier covers — wide range CLEANING KIT E4.93 brtJMi £5.75 ao ooi lae.tjo »512cart»n £3.86 132 col £6,95 »12pfintwheel£5.e0 AH prices include VAT CALL NOW to order CREDIT CARD DESPATCHLINE __0_70_48?5815_ OR SEND (XPUf^N FHEEPOST TO: CROW^N COMPUTER PRODUCTS, (80OO+12) BURSCOUGti ORMSKIRK LANCS L40 4AB I wlali U) oniBr Value PAP £1 .OD friEU (Mai E3.0Q) I enctou ChequerPO I 01 cliatge my AcoeesAriw Nu.: Mydstailt Nam* Trt. No,;- Eipliy Date: r? PCW Discs AmsoftCFlper to £«.« Amsoft CF2 per S £11.95 Maxwell Cn per 10 £22.95 Maxwell CF2 per S £1 2.49 )? PCW Hardware PCW8156(iPKlocoicripi2) ... £320.00 *PCW9SI2 £47?.00 *PC 1 5 1 2 SD Mono + 20Mti . £SW 00 *PCI6« SD Col. + 20Mb .... £949.00 CPSa2S6^SI2inierfj£e £ 59.9S Serial CjWe £ I2.9S PjnItI Cable ..,„.,. £ I2.9S FD2 Second Drive PCW £142.95 Memory Upgrade Kit £ 14.95 PCW Work Suiion £1 1 1 95 rr Grapfiks DRDraw £ 39.00 DR Graph £ 39.00 E. Studio light pen £ 64.40 E. Studio nKMJie £ 106.56 AMX mouse + desktop £71,95 5ijnwri«rPCW £ 39,96 Extra (onD (or above £ S.75 95 1 2 software pKone for prices StarNLIODMP IIOCPS .... £229.85 (Which report recommended buy) Star NX 1 5 wide carriage .... £349.00 Micro P. MP36 djisywlwel . £259.75 Micro P. MP40 dais/wheel . £379.50 Parallel lead 2m .„. £ 12.95 J INTERNATIONAL r Storage ~\ AMSidL £12.95 hatds2ICF2inl«>.C9Ues PROTOeOX £ 4.95 hoMilOCFlH. lib. case) Dttslctop Pubfishing Flee: Street Editor + £49.95 Nev«de5k International £37.95 Desktop Publisher £23.95 Desktop Pub. + mouse £67.96 E. Studio snip art £13.30 E. Studio font module -. £18.40 Graphics op. i)«tem £58,95 95 1 2 software phone for prices . r Mmlmmr09 An essential tool for an/bod^ involved in direct mailshots Amsoft Locomail £29,95 Dacanow/Mailflow III £39.96 Flexilabel £27.95 Pap«r II x9.IS40GSM20QOstimu .. £14 9S* II x; IS 70 GSM 2000 sheets lll,.9S* A4 70GSM 2000 sheen a095 A4roGSM 1 000 sheets £1195 t I X I4.SM>GSM1000 sheets . ilO.K* 1000 Labels I across vfeb i 5 W 2000 Labels 2 acrass vreb I 849 * plain or music niled J Books The Amjirad CP/M plus £I2,9S Int. Ams. CP;m Assembly Lan. .. £ 9.9S Praccical Amstrad W/process -,- £ 7.9S Amstrad ComnHinications £ S,9S Program your PCW Tml Ed £ 6.95 Mastering the Amitrad PCW ... £ 8.95 Using dBase II £19,95 Users Guide to dBase II £13.95 Pocket Wordstar PCW L Get Started B ASIC/Logo £ Supercalc prompt 2nd ed £ Introduction to Pascal £1 Desktop Publishing £ Programming the 780 , £1 Uiiiig Databases PCW £ 7.S0 5.95 9.95 7.95 6.95 9.95 6,95 Over 1 500 Titles for computers and software, phone for prices RUGBY MICRO SPARES 36a ABBEY STREET, RUGBY WARWICKSHIRE ENGLAND CV21 3LH 0788 69344 Dusf Covers Keep the dust at bay with this cotton piped PVC set at the low price of £9.95 V_ Wordprocessing Amor Prcnext ..„.._....„„ £47.95 Amor Pocket Protem ...._ £34 95 Pocket Worditar £}S 6S Pocket Wordstar D^uxe _ £56,66 Newword2 _ , £59.80 Taiword 8000 £ 1 8 95 Amor ProjpeK £12.95 Amiofi Locospeil .... ............. £29 95 Tispell 6OO0 £ 1 2 85 Supertype __,„ £18.49 Tasprint 6000 ,^^ . £ I ] ,95 Locoseri pt j £ 1 9,49 9S 1 2 soFiware phone for prices Databa»9 Masterfile 8O0O £39.90 Database man, {At Last) £22.95 Caxton Cardbox £44.59 Delta 1 ,2S £74.14 dBase II £85.95 Plan It £19.95 95 1 2 software phone for prices M iscslf ancous Amor BCPL £32.95 Arnor Maxam II £39.96 Arnor'C £3996 PCW Ribbons black fabric .... £ 3 95 PCW Ribbons black carbon £ 5. SO PCW ribbons coloured £ 4.9S ^ r Bespoke Stationery Sage statements 2S0 £IZ9S 500 £23.95 1000 £39.95 Sage wage ilips 250 £14.38 500 £27,95 tOOO £49,95 Stationery available for Compact. Camsoft. Map or to your own design. A PCW SoftwarB LexhtrGotfdEsses ,_._„„ £i?,96 Mooomijt „ , £19.9* Ttfnahawli ,._^^^^,_, £(5.?4 Hitchhikers Glildt , £19.96 HiKithlktrtClueBodt . £ 6 95 StirGljder £19 95 Flirlighi £12.95 Strike FoTM Hirrier ._.. £15.96 Colcssvs bridge 4 ,,,, £12.95 Cojosius Ciiesi 4 . . £1195 $t«ve Davr«i SnoDkvr , £ 14.95 H«d Oyer Heels -.... ™..^.. £r2,9S HejEivcw Cortu-oller , , £ 1 6.9S Leadcrbaard Goif „ £15.96 SpreadsfMafs Multiplan £57.50 Supercalc 2 £39.96 Cracker 2 with gr^ph £39.20 Caxton Scratchpad .............. £44.95 Rotate (sidewa^ print) £18.95 9512 software phone for prices Communica tions Sage Chit Chat Combo £209,99 (inc modem) Sage Chit Chat Email £162,49 {inc modern) Sage Chit Chat Combo , ,, Sage Chit Chat Email ........ Sage Chit Chat V Data Mirade WS4000 rrnxJem . Pace Linnet modem £147.95 7920 55,99 55,99 79.40 ^ 95 1 2 Comms phone for prices r Accounts Camsoft Int.Acc.SISPN £f 1 1.34 Camsoft Int. Ace. SPN £ 74.12 Camsoft Invoicing £ 37.9S Camsoft Sales Ledger £ 17 95 Camsoft Purch Ledger £ 37.95 Camsoft Nom. Ledger £ 37.95 Camsoft Stock Control £ 37.95 Camsoft Payroll £ 37.95 Compact Accounts £148.46 Compact Accounts Plus £185.62 Map Int. Accounts £104.99 Sage Super Combo £ 1 6 1 .99 Sage Accounts Plus , , £104.99 Sage Combo (payroll) £104.99 Sage Popular Accounts £ 74.9S Sage Payroll £ 54.59 AdvatKed Money Mans^er . £ 22.95 Adv. Money Manager Plus „ £ 29.79 TELEX NO. 312242 MHDTLX 6 We accept Official Purchase Orders from Government and Educacionat Establishments. All discs usually dispatched SAME DAY by 4pm. Place your order using your Credit Card. Prices and Delivery subject to availability. All prices inc. VAT and Delivery Desktop publishing is the in ttitng. Impressive though it sounds, it's a rather vague term covering everything from photocopying a LocoScripted office memo for five pence a sheet to the page iayout of a money-spinning glossy magazine. To most PCW owners DTP means producing newsletters - but do you really need specialised software, and how much does the whole thing cost? Of course you don't need a PCW to produce newsletters. Your local High Street print shop will be able to lay pages out for you; you just have to supply the text, handwritten in biro if you like. This costs, though. El 5 upwards per page; so even after tvno pages you've spent more than the cost ot a PCW/ program which would enable you to do the page layout yourself - make up headlines as large as you like, juggle text around for the best arrangement, and manipulate graphics boxes with simple pictures and logos, PCW quality won't be sufficient to compete with the professionals, unless you're prepared to spend several thousand pounds on equipment; headlines and large letters lend to be jagged and 'fc>oxy' and the instant graphics {or 'clip art') supplied won't be works of art. But for DIY publications - club, community or company newsletters, notices, posters, and so on - DTP is not only an inexpensive way of producing perfectly acceptable results, it's great fun too. Lay it on me Vou can just use LocoScript to make your news sheet - you dont actually have to buy a specialist DTP program. If your publication is to be a straight newsletter composed almost solely of text it could well be adequate, and you could always use good old Letraset rub-down lettering, available for a lew pounds a sheet from your local stationer's, to make your headlines The first thing to do is decide on the paper size you are going to use for your publication. Most photocopiers use A4 paper, so that seems a sensible standard. In case the paper size conventions confuse you, the important ones are A3. A4 and AS. Quite simply, if you fold an A4 sheet in half you get an AS sheet. A3 is the size of two A4 sheets joined on their long side. This means that, given access to a photocopier which car do reduced size copies, you could reduce tour pages of M each to A5 size and they would then all fit on one double- sided sheet of A4 folded pamphlet -I ike in halt. This is a very common format, and has the extra bonuses of reducing reproduction costs, saving trees, and seeming to smooth out jagged edges in your graphics. LocoScript standard text looks fine when printed | half size, but superscript and subscript text can be hard to read at 50%, All you have to do is print out your text and, with some scissors DIY DTP Beginning a short series on giving your desktop publishing that professional touch and glue, paste it down onto a master sheet until everything fits in the right places. Then take it off to your copy shop who will do the rest for a moderately extravagant tee. Enlargements or reductions are fine as long as everything on the page is reduced or enlarged the same amount. Difficulty with printing in columns, lack of large text sizes and absence of graphics could be a problem on a more ambitious project though - which is where one of the currently available DTP packages come in. Each of them is like an electronic layout pad: you can cut OUTSIDE INSIDE ir @ ® A How ts put imir f>ages on a double-sided A4 sheet for folding WP^ one of the graphics pictures out of the supplied library, make up your headlines using the supplied large text fonts, and read in text prepared by LocoScript or some other wordprocessor into columns. You can then move these items around until the layout looks right, print out your masters (you need the benefits of the 8000 series dot matrix printer, of course) and get copies made. The cost If you have decided that simple LocoScripted text is not enough for your mega-publication then the first thing you need is obviously your DTP program, the cheapest being Database's Desktop Publisher for £30 ish. Other packages available are the Electric Studio's Newsdesk International (E40), Mirrorsoft's Fleet Street Editor (£60) and - just out - AMXs Stop Press [ESQ). Obviously the best thing to do Is to scour the advertisement pages of PCW magazines to find the best offers from mail order companies. There are three ways of duplicating /!/? Ready, set, go For around £10 per page you can gel LocoScript documenK properly types$t - you send in your disc and gel back your heaillines and teirt set out magazine style. One company providing this serace is Thameslinic, Tel. 0753 863356. 8000 PLUS 43 DTP your publication - photocopying, stencilling, or 'proper' printing done by your friendly local High Street printers. Which you choose depends on a variety of factors, mainly the number of copies you want to produce, and how much money you have at your disposal: on a basic level, if you're taiking tens or hundreds of copies a photocopier would be cheaper than printing, but printing gels much cheaper if you're thinking in thousands, and of course the quality can be much better. If you have access to a stencti duplicator, this would be the cheapest option of the three. Probably the quickest and most convenient setup is to photocopy. Typical charges for double-sided A4 copying would be something like 20 p per sheet plus VAT, and for double-sided A3 30p plus VAT, though, so if you're doing more than a few dozen copies this could prove expensive Costs at a glance SorrM rough jfgures to fwlp you decide llie tiest way of producing your publication. If you're only planning on making 30 copies, obviously photocopying wilt be cheaper than printing, and vice versa it you aim to make twenty thousand. You can also ttecide how many pages your effort can aftofd to have - a folded, double sided A3 sheet makes four M pages; folded A4, toor AS pages OUTur LocoScrlpt or The Desktop Publisher £30 Newsdesk Internatlonai £44 Fleet Street Editor £60 Stop Press £50 Video digltisereiM MasterScantTO PHOTOCOPYING Double sided A4 per sheet 23p Double sided A3 per sheet 3Sp DUPLICATING Second hand stencil duplicator £20(^-500 Paper £3,50 per 500 sheets Electronic stencil cutting £3 each PRINTING Double sided M: 50 sheets: £20 500 sheets: £40 SOOO sheets: £90 Photographs: £5+ each Folding: C3 per 500 sheets Gram masala Paper tximes in various weighls (and hence Itiicknesses) The standard ligure tor photocop/ing use woukj be BQQSm (80 grams per scpare rreirel Business letterheads tend to be on lOOgsm, which is slighDy thickef and tends lo smudge m the PCW dot matnx pnnler 44 8000 PLUS Old faithful An option not to be overlooked is the trusty old stencil duplicator, your Gestetner or Roneo; the quality of output, if done properly, can be very good. It is possible to cut stencils directly with your PCW printer - the 9512 daisywheel will cut stencils no problem, and even the trusty 8000 dot matrix will work as long as you take out the ribbon cassette before printing as normal onto the stencil; however, you could well find that your printer head gets clogged up with wax eventually, and while it's possible to clean it with a bit of WD- 40 or alcohol, general opinion seems to be that it doesn't do the print head much good. A better way of getting your material onto stencils is to print out your pages onto normal paper complete with graphics, line drawings and so on, and then get a stencil cut electronically from each page - an advantage of this is that you can reduce your masters with a photocopier first. As long as there isn't too much sofid black on the page they will reproduce the original dot matrix printed output very closely. Your local office stationer should be able to do this for around £3 per sheet The great advantage of stencil duplication is cost. If you have access to a duplicator then virtually your only outlay will be for paper - and you can get a ream (500 sheets) of A4 copier paper for around £3.50. The cost of a reasonable second-hand duplicator can be anything from a couple of hundred pounds upwards - tor large scale use a recommended model is the floneo 865, which goes for around £500; if you want a new duplicator you'd be paying around three times that amount. The disadvantage ot stencilling is that it can be tedious and messy setting up the machine, running off all the copies yourself and then folding and stapling the lot if required, but it saves you money. For large runs - many hundreds or thousands of copies - proper printers will tie able to print your publication relatively cheaply (by a process called offset lltho), with very professional looking results. Fifty copies of double-sided A4 would cost you about E20, but five hundred under £40; and five thousand would be around £90, only 2p per copy! Professional printers can offer various extra options. You could include photographs, or have a variety of ink colours for a tenner each. Either of these would make a simple newsletter look very impressive. In the picture Of course, apart from the text the next most important thing on your page will be illustrations. DTP packages all come with a variety of clip-art' - stock symbols like road signs, paper boys, aeroplanes etc. which can be added onto your page to liven ii up. These images may be of limited use, and the quality won't be sufficient to make the graphic the main point of interest on the page. Often the simplest thing is to leave a gap of the right size on the page and then glue on the picture just before you go off to the copy shop. In general, any simple drawing in black in will photocopy perfectly well, but photographs will not. This is because photos are made up of shades of grey and can't be reproduced on a printing machine which can only do black ink. The standard trick is called 'screening' - look at any newspaper photo and you will see it is made up of dots. Each dot is solid black and the shades of grey are simulated by making the dots larger or smaller. A A ptiolQ prinled wilh and witboul 'screening'. '^ouf printer can do the screening of any photos you are using for a once-off cost of around £5 each, after which the screened copy can be photocopied normally. Copies of unscreened photos always look ugly with unnaturally high contrast and large blacked-in areas. An alternative Is a 'video digitiser', which enables you to take a picture from a video recorder (hence TV pictures, or even shots you've recorded yourself if you have a video camera) and produce a version made up of dots which you can use in your publication. Digltisers will set you back about £100, but shop around for package deals. Digitised pictures give variable results - simple, high contrast pictures come out best, and complicated ones with lots of shades of grey worst. The advantage is that they'll photocopy well directly, although though the quality of proper screened photographs is so much better. If you are doing photos In a serious way it would be better to forget the digitiser. IvIasterScan (reviewed on pages 56/59 this month) Is a device which fits on to your print head, scans pictures or graphics, and stores them on disc. The results can be cut and pasted into your publication just like normal graphics. It would be good for using material from books or magazines but photographs or things on shiny paper don't come out too well. The same pros and cons apply for this as tor the digltisers. NEWSDESK INTERNATIONAL ♦ Simple to use, with on-screen selection of options ♦ Easy mixing of text & graphics ♦ Full A4 page composition ♦ Selection of typefaces and font styles in varied sizes ♦ Allows input of Loco script files NEWSDESK INTERNATIONAL SOFTWARE complete with the ELECTRIC STUDIO LIGHT PEN including Manual & User's Guide ONLY £69.95 NEWSDESK INTERNATIONAL ! SOFTWARE complete with the * ELECTRIC STUDIO MOUSE Including Manual & User's Guide A Comprehensive Desk Top Publishing and page making system with KEYBOARD CONTROLLED SOFTWARE, MANUAL & USER'S GUIDE AN UNBEATABLE , PRICE! ONLY £39.95^ ^mv Ilirifitmas ONLY £89.95 S'PECIAL C^lST'iMM O'/'f'E'Rf FREE XMAS SNIP ART DISK WITH EACH PURCHASE OF NEWSDESK, MOUSE OR LIGHT PEN (Do you ntedfutp in deciding w fiat your requirements arc? Our new shoun-oom is open for demonstrations , \,....or wfiy not attend our jirst ever 'Evening , Siminar in January? for fud details - tefephone 0462 420222 andasli to spta^to $mr Thit&ps Add these great optional extras to your NEWSDESK system for even better results' . ■■ V j.'^^j'j'jV^j'j'j'j'j'j'jVf^fj'jViVyjVXr.'-.v. VIDEO DIGITISER For newspaper-style results, this is the ultimate graphic input device! £99.95 FONT UBRARY 12 more fonts for inclusion in the Newsdesif publishing system £14.95 SNIP ART DISKS 6 disks containing digitised graphic images to brighten your publication ! 1. General 2.General S.Natura 4.Travel 5. Leisure 6.5port 1 £14.95 ea. ^r THE ELECTRIC STUDIO PRODUCTS LTD. Unit 8, The Cam Centre, Wilbury Way, Hitchin, Herts. SG4 OTW. Telephone: 0462 420222 Please rush me by return: NEWSDESK INTERNATIONAL @ £39.95 NEWSDESK WITH LIGHT PEN @E69.95 NEWSDESK WITH MOUSE @ £89.95 (Each of the above includes FREEXmas Snip Art disk) Name .... Address , VIDEO DIGITISER FONT UBRARY SNIP ART .,@ 14.95each Please indicate which Snip Art disk(s) you require. 1 2 3 4...,. 5 6 .@E99.95.. .@ E14.95., Post Ck)de , Tel. No Please debit my AccessA/isa Card No: Expiry Date Signature.... cd o 1 result, that re eg. the result a variable sue rror will occur ral, wherever a could use a v< fou had a varl ihen fd 50 anc effect. Ttw exc rackets, [ ], wh ally. uming' i Twway- igned to - or an e In gene rally you imp la, if ueofSO ntlcal in ide list b 3ted liter CO £ig^ i5l«|S §. c ^ ^ D ^ 111 =11 O o jding part to t)ie 8000 Plus 3 a list ot alt the various 3r ■prlmiMves'] that Or. 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ID « S ■.- ea CM oi 9 qj If E£ ^ ID ffi c CB O 10 O I 1 0) 0) 0) c CO ** m o 2 TJ 3 (0 S.« a ^ <U HI 'e S C S iij O -o cc S o I" "Oil Ceo 3 E CD o o e ° o u 1 fa a) » 3° t 1 ? it £.( 'c '> i H. i.' *^J L 1 ^ C it s*-<-*5 s ^ = g- i 1 ^ £ 1 o X 0) i t: CO o ' 3 Iss « >,o « oj c JS ID B Q IB o- % £ > £ .!2 g -5 5 5 TO E « X) * t^ S 10 O 3 3 T> O m n £ M 1 i 1 f i t| n s / / » 1 5- ' 1 1 ■D C (0 II 1 1 f 8 « 1 i > II S OT s <D Q iC TJ t s S ±= '- .c "e ¥ s § M 1" m 1 CIl « <D > . W D-g .c x: ^ ■- x: «« S 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 C3 i2 1 Q C3 fl5l f III a. a. e: c^_t a. ra a. ? 2 2 «9 Q.f a S.^^ THE BUSINESS CENTRE ACCOUNTS PACKAGES CompKt Accotirit CaiTHoft FuEl ^jratEFTi dmsoft Satej ,....„ . CuTHoh Stock Control . C^imoft \nvf3kini - Sage Popufv „,„^ Saigc Popular PhiS _. Sigc Combo ...„.„.-.^.w-,- Saige Super CocrtbO ... Sv>dpip«r Accounts „.^^ Hap Integrated ., Micro Simplex (9512) Mooejf f'bnager 170,00 . 11000 _.,4100 ....43.00 „., 43,00 ...7300 1 1000 . MD.OO , 17000 . r 30.00 . rrooo .,„*1.00 ...23.00 Pocket Infosur 30.00 Matchbox , 27,00 WORDPROCESSING Ta^w-Drd BCXX? ......,__.. I9.S0 TefMini eOOO _,_ _..„,... 1 2 SO Taspell „ „ ^^.. J 4 SO Protext ............^,^,»„ S7.00 Compact Pro«)« .^ .^ ,.^..„. 32.00 Pocket Wordstar ^.^ ..^.^^,^,„.^ . 36. SO Locoscnpt t ,,.,... ) B.SO New Word II -._....„_ 58,00 Loccrtpell , , 30,00 Stop Preu with htouK ^ 70.00 TKStgn „..,.„™ — „ 2S.00 Master Scan 60.00 Muter Paint .,._ „.,. I8.D0 Master Sca/i ft Master Paint 68.00 LEISURE SOFTWARE SPREADSHEETS Air f^omhu emulator .. Academ)' Annahof Rome Bridge Ptayer 20O0 B^atinan — Bounder Clawit Collectton Scmtchpod PliB .. „3800 ..36O0 -.4800 Coltoui ElrHt2«4 ,. Ce>Icwj» 4 Ches . GENERAL&UTILITIES STOCK CONTROL Camsoft .„ Compact . . 43sO0 „5S.OO Ai^gram .. „ 40.00 .70.00 CoTipanion ,..., „ (8.00 OAOrvw «..„-^«,K^,„„,„.„ J6.00 Oft Graph .^^„^^.h,^™ , 36.00 DRPMcal .™.„.„,„... ^00 DR C eaak Compiler ..„.™,.™^ 36.00 Electric Stiidip iighit Pen ..^....^..,...63.00 DiitractiofH , fiirtight -„,-,,„. FairhgM 2 , „....._. Football f onuna ^.^. frank Bruno Ek>xln| . forth Protocol . DATABASES dOasc 11 (AshtonTite) .. CardboK _ .^ Cambtte Comlor t DlUStCH^ ,.,.„ Locornijl .. [iuierfrie 8000 . 5^e l^etrieve .. 75.00 ..44.00 -.17.00 .. 70.00 -30.00 ..JO.OO -40.00 . SlOO Electric SiLidn Mouse .. Moduli 1 MinlOffKjsIt, Sam Ra^(e DESKTOP PUBLISHING lOS.OO .. 40 00 ... !6.00 .. IS 00 . . 23.S0 Graham GcMxh Crttkrt „ Guikl of TiTrtves ..........^... Head Over hlHli __ Hitdihiken Guide _. Lord q( the ftlnp . Lurkifig Horror .... Living Da)ili£hti ..... The Pawn rleet Strtei Editor rim . Newvkik InterriacBn^ ^..h..„.„..„..„ 38.00 Ncwsd&tk Irit. & Light Pen ^... 5S.0O The Desktop PuWiiher 27,00 The Dttkiop Publisher with Mouse 60.00 PSI 5 Tradii^ Company .. Silicon Dreutv „ Str&e Force Karrier ....... Siatityifali ,.-,.,. Steve Davis Snooker Scrabble Scrabble Deltiy4 .. fS.OO .. iS.OO ..3100 .. 17.00 .. 13.00 .. H.SO .. t I.CO .. is.oo .. IS.OO .. IS.OO .. 17.50 .. 14.00 .. 14.00 ..IS.OO .,17.00 .. 17.00 ,. 17.00 ..17,50 .. I4.S0 ..2J,00 .. I7.S0 ..14,00 ..1200 ., 13,00 .. 18,00 . 17,50 „ 17,00 - I7.S0 „ 31,00 . 1750 „ 17,00 1100 SnrGIMer - 20.00 Sof cerer -h........ ™™ -„ 30.00 Trivial Ptirsults 1 8 00 Twrahawfc _ _ 16,00 Tau Ceii II (Academ,) I7.S0 3D Ckxk Chen 1 7.S0 EDUCATION Touch nGo Locoscnpt Tutorial ..... Ian Key T)ipmg Tutor „ Hands On CP/M Plus . I9.S0 9.JS 23.9S „ I ».95 Handt On dBase II _ 19,95 Hands On Supefcik H.« Prograin your PCW 6,95 Step byr Step Guide to LfKoscrlpt ,.. 4.9S Anvstnd CP/M Plus _ ..__„„.. 1 3 95 Uimj the PCW 8356 „ 9.95 CP.'M Bible „ 16,50 Understanding dBaa II 22.95 dBase II for i»ie I it Tkiie uw 22 95 SoulolCPiM 16.50 Usin|CP/M _.. 5.9S liasterinj CP/M 17.95 BASIC II UsenGukle 995 PCW HARDWARE PCW 8156 315.00 PCW65 1 1 _ 435.00 PCW95I2 „ 540.00 Amstrad HS333/Ceiit™nkl 1/F 50 SO AmitradFD2 Second Drive 143.00 B15A Memory Upgrade 27 00 PCW CNjit Covers 995 1 Blank 3" Cf3 Discs 13 00 PCWJoyjtick* interface ..„ 25.50 Lt>ckable Disc Storage Box 9.^S ALL PRICES INCLUDE VAT. POST & PACKING TO UK Comtec Systems Pkiass MDd me Ihs loHoHring tan*: Ot) P/odud Piles (Inc VAT) S8a Wellingborough Road Northampton NNl 4DN Tel: (0604)24463/21763 t ALL PRICES INCLUDE VAT & POST* PACKING, SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICeI 'I wcTYPE a 1512 aeiae neeia total S We are fully authorised Amscrad Repair Centre, with 'in house' repair facilities. # Phone now for details of our service contracts and repair costs. # County Council, Local ^d Ediication Authorities. Orders Welcome. • Corporate and Export Orders Welcome. • Please phone now (or fixed price contracts and bulk orders TELEX: 2iSST I MONREF G QUOTING 72i MAG 31116 OVERSEAS ORDERS Please ^dd the faKowmg to your order and maict all paynients in su-rlin^ I ^^ama Mr/M^t/Mltl A()d™»» .Teir4a lenciose(p(eas«tici)Q ch«)u«ti.o. or. pleau •Uitaitan^^^S'KK^ DAia»s«aVtea card T\ 1 i 1 n So^ware, Books. Discs. Leeds .. Printers. Due Drives .. Computers ..£100 .£20.00 .£40.00 Coifrtcc ftf rtdTw Advantag e (EPI4) Fauconberg Lodge ■ St Georges Road Cheltenham • GLSO 3DT Tel: 0242 578801 OUR PRICES INCLUDE POSTAGE AND VAT The Advantage Policy:- t All advertised items are normally in stock + We aim to despatch all orders by the next working day * We refund payment if you are not satisfied for any reason Order by post or telephone. We accept Sterling cheques. Access & Visa. Please send a SAE with all enquiries. Remember to state which computer you are using. HIGH LEVEL LANGUAGES FOR PCW & CPC Members deduci t2 off eacfi iiem below. Overseas please add £3 per cximpiler, * MIX C COMPILER Full Kernighan-Ritchie tmplemernation arith luiorial E29.95 * MIX C SPLIT SCREEN EOrfOR Uselul companion to MIX C and any tximpiler E1 9.95 * MIX ASM LTTILrTY imegrale M-80 Assembler into your C compiler £8.95 * MIX EXAMPLES Ail fuioriai source code typed in leady lo compile £8.95 * NEVADA COBOL One step compile and mn. ANSI-1974 standard. Full manual E29.95 * NEVADA PASCAL Tloatirig poini, seqi*entiaf and random indexed liie I/O £29.95 ■ NEVADA FORTRAN Tiace facility. ANSI X3 9 1 966 Fortran IV. Will) manual £39.95 ' HISQFT C Popular compile! wilti GSX giaphios litjraty and EDflO editor £36.95 * PASCAL BO An extensive irnplementation of Jensen^Wirtfi witti ED80 editor £36.95 ' FOmn Fasi compact compiler with GSX graphics, and screen editor £1 9.95 ' ZBA5IC Advanced and powerful BASIC compiler with debugging support £64.95 ■ DEVPAC 80 V2 The lalest assembly language deyelopmeni tool Irom Hisoft £36.95 ' KNIFE PLUS Disc seclor editor, damaged disc recovery Wortis on drive 8 £1 8.95 DISC SOFTWARE FOR PCW & CPC The best ffom Public Domam. laflored lor Amsl^ad ccimpu[er$ running CP'M-* and I'uilly documeated by Advantage, each cjisc J>as MENU saiection and sorted direciory. fvtembGfs may dedud Ei off Ihe pftce. Overseas please add Ci APPLICATIONS * TEXT EPTTOR Easy to use fuK screen ^ilorwilh word- wrap, pagination, margin salting, primer conirol etc. Ideal for writing compiter source code. Generates ASCII ftles and includes cu r$0.r key cO ntrol. £7, 00 ■ DATABASE A small relational datatiase suitable for storing simple data and pr&ducing repons and (orms letters from ihe daia. Offers free lormat query Minguage with nracros arid commands pilus on-fine heilp. Disc also contains Inventory Database. E7.00 ' PCW DESK MASTER Desk-top appointments calendar^ cateulalor. memo-writer, card-file database, Disc includes label prmier, home accounts program, mortgage caiculaior. weaiher forecaster, unerase for drive M and window designer. £7 DO * COMMUNICATIOMS UKModem? lor CPC or Pcw. New Kermit. MEX and utilities. E7.00 ' VIDEO CLERK Keep track of your v«teo or LP collection. With ^ son opliOfiB and Forms Managemen t System . Includes extensive on-di sc docu rrwniation, Z7 . 00 ' PCW GRAPHICS Simple user-designed graphic drawing program; Screen font designer wiih several ready to-run font sets; Bkimorph — fascinating, graphsc demoristration ol natural selection. £7.00 * STD CODEBOOK UK codes in numeric order with corresporxJing e^tchanges. £7 00 ' COMPLEAT UntmES Newsweep— one-key erase copy rename print; SuperrapdiSC editor — e<iit l3¥ sector or tHe; Unerase efased files; DisckftA — murti-choice di^ formatter. Offers 1 73k data format Jor PCW and 51/i' second drive formattirtg; Read^rite PCW discs on CPC; Screen Dump: Password. Easy lister and more. £7.00 * TEXT PROCESSING Sideways — prints te^t; eg spreadsheet, on its side; Son any ASCII list into alphabetical order; Word Count: WSOean — remove* higher order bits; Calendar Generator; Simple Spelling Checker with starter dictionary arx] editor; Scdririg card gerierator: Banner printers. Typewriter Emulator. E7.00 * DISC ORGANISATION Catalog your disc collection and produce pnnted irKJex; Library Utilities tor archiv«r>g and saving disc Space; Date ffle dating system; Squeeze arxl Unsqueeze file compresston for savir^ up lo 40% disc Space. E7.O0 * CP/W V2.2 SELECTION For CPC^e^ users. File Manager; Compare; FirxJ; Disc Sector Editor: Key Definer; Bad SeClOr Eliminator; Grep; Full Screen Text Editor; Easy Lisler: File Transfer Ulitity; Unerase erased fries and many more. £7.00 PROGRAMMING ■ THE zeo PROG HAMMER 230 Assembten'Disassembler. zao OaOuggei. Z80 Library. 8080Diss.5se'no:ei..^SOMn30801ranslalorandassodateduiiiities. £7.00 ■ THE C PROGRAMMER The Small C Compiler by Mike Bernson. Indudes source code and 2&K ci documentation. Produces executable .COM files. £7.00 ' C TOOLBOX An assonmeni ol C source programs, with their compited versior^s, wrttten (or a variely of C compilers. E7.00 ' FORTH. STOIC ft C Interpreter. For experimeniers using these langtiages. £7.00 PROGRAMS FOR PLEASURE • GAMES COMPENDIUM Chess, Othello, Maslermind. Snake. Spellit. Awari. Lile. Goll. Polish Pong, Maze, Biorf^ylhms, Word Searcti Puzite Maker. TcTacTo. £7.00 ' ADVENTURES The jamous Colossal Cave Aijveniure plus two new games. E7.00 • AMUSEMENTS S DIVERSIONS 2S games tor PCW BASIC. Startreh, Whichword, Lander. 3D Noughts S Cosses, Merchanl. Othello. Hangman. Saseball. Chiil War. Arrerican Football. Maze, Nini, Hijrse Races, Blackjack. Spies. Crazy-B & many more. £7.00 INDEPENDENT USER GROUP Join ourGroup-8 User Group for PCW & CPC owners. Members receive monthly newsletters and obtain discounts on software offered by Advantage. Annual member-ship is t^2 [UK) Cl 5 (Europe) or £1 8 {Rest of Workj). NEVER MAKE MITSAKES If you've ever tried to run a BASIC program, you ought to be reading these pages The best way to ensure that a listing will work is to type it in right. This is not quite as simple as it seems especially with one that seems to go on for several thousand lines, but it is worthwhile trying to be as accurate as possibie while you are typing it in. The first tip is to type everything in lower case (small letters). BASIC automatically converts all command keywords (PRINT, IF, NEXT etc.) into capitals, so that means that phnf will be changed to 'PRINT when you LIST the program to the screen, but if you have made a mistake (like pirnt' for instance) it won't change. One warning though: any text in quote marks ("" or ") should be typed in as it is printed, ie. upper case if necessary, or the program may go wrong. When the listing is completed always save It by typing SAVE and an imaginative file name in inverted commas. If you don't save, the listing will be lost when you go back into CP/M. Remember that if you make any cfianges to the listing (correcting a mistake for instance) this also has to be saved using the same filename or the old mistake will stay on the disc. Getting into the habit of saving corrections can save you hours of frustration. Find the error The first time you run the program the chances are it will break down. Sometimes it won't even start and it's a "back- to-the-drawing board" plod ttirough the listing looking for mist^es. If it does go wrong the ctiances are you will gel a helpful error message, which sometimes even gives you a due as to what is wrong The most common to begin with is 'Syntax error in line ...'. This is quite a useful error message since this means As you will no doubt know there are never any mitsakes in the program listings in 8000 Plus, Well nearly never. And as also you know we always make things so clear it is almost impossible to get things wrong. And yet strangely enough virtually everyone finds themselves staring at a blank screen or an unhelpful error nrtessage the first time they try to run a BASIC program. Here are one or two tips that might just save you several hours of heartache and hair-tearing as you try to find your BASIC mistake, whether it is a program written yourself or one you've copied from a magazine. that BASIC has noticed a typing mistake in that line which it just cannot get over. Check this line carefully. What appear like little details (for instance the difference between a colon (:) and a semi-colon {;) are pretty important to BASIC and even a comma missing can really upset it. If you get a syntax error BASIC automatically puts you into 'edit mode', allowing you to move about the line using the cursor left and right keys, deleting and making your changes. When you finish press (RETURN] and re-run the program. If you get a different error message you will have to do a bit more work to track the mistake down. If your typing error is not serious enough to make the program stop as soon as it comes across it, then BASIC will struggle on until finally some gross inconsistency arises that makes it fall over. It won't report any error until it finally stops, so the iine number Follow that variable One of the most difficult mistakes to find Is a prcAlem with variables. These are words or letters often ending wilh a $ or a % that can take on a ditfetent values while the program Is running - If you type them into BASIC in lower case letters they will stay In lower case when LISTed out, as opfiosed to the main keywords which will be capilallsed. If you are writing the program yourself, especially a short program where space is not important use names tor the variables that are self-evident - anount, naiB$, totalt etc. II you are typing a listing try to work out what is supposed to be In each variable. Variables are set up might be set in a statement like line %xl or through an INPUT statement - IHPOT "Hhat is your You can check what the current value ot the variable Is at any moment by stopping the program and just typing at the 'Ok' prompt ?miiiber« or ?naiw$ Or Whatever the appropriate varlatile is {'T is Just an abbreviation tor the PRINT command). Alternatively you can temporarity add extra lines into your program to print out a lew variables at strategic points. Up will pop the value that It holds at thai time. \i it gives a value o! or just a blank line at a time when you think it should have some value you must have mistyped the name somewhere. Read through the program checking every time that variable Is mentioned. Often the mistake is many lines away. It you have a text editor program like New Word or Protext, you can use it to create and edit BASIC programs. This means that you can use the 'Find' command to look for occurrences ot a variable name, do bulk renamlngs etc. Make sure whenever you save your program Irom BASIC that you add a ,A after the rtame (eg save "FESD ", a). This saves the program in ASCII torni so that your text editor will be able to read it. 8000 PLUS 49 BASIC Errors you have loved Here aie examples of some ot the most common error messages thai BASIC can gh^e you, and hints on what lo (io to recti ty matters. ..Ux (rror in M liONT Cffilt(a7)^-E'tCHRI27)t"H Syntax Enoi - there Is a typing error In this line thai BASIC will just not accept. Vou go stralgtit Into edit mode ttecause 8ASIC t NisMleb in 3» it 30 tf mnm COTO MM Typa mimtatch - you are trying to use a numeric value where a siring value Is required or vice versa. Check for i and % being mixed up In the variable name, and for quolatian presumes you will be changing It. In this case there should be an opening bracket in the second CHR$ {27) marks being missed out around strings. Here K>rd{, which is a string, has been used where BASIC expects a number. II probably ought to be nocii - a numeric variable. Suhscrip Subscript out of range in 40 Iist:« sort'iOPDI "0',Z,"sorf Mxline^NXlinilltLDffi WNI ll.lineKiuxUne) Subscript out of rang* -this is often caused by a mistake in a DIM statement which sets the size of an array, so check tor a mistake there first. Can also be caused by a mistake fn a FOR loop which goes round more times than you OlMmed an array it uses, In this example the variable was wrongly defined in line 10 (Un? Instead of lin»$) but it didn't show up till line 60. Ihiupeirted NEXT, tSND or RETURN - BASIC can't understand why you have the command mentioned In that line. These tie up wHh the commands FOR, WHILE and GOSUB respectively so it means that these are missing or something has gone wrong trilh them. Check the lines with the FOR, WHILE and GOSUB statements in them too. VEXt or vwD missing - BASIC has found a FOR or a WHILE and can't tie it up with the suitable NEXT or WEND to end the loop. Make sure you've got as many FORsas NEXTs, as many WHILES as WENDs. 50 8000 PLUS r quoted as 'wrong' may not be where the real error is. Most of the common messages and their causes are given on the example listing show/n in the box. If its a short program just type li-St and the listing will appear on the screen. If it's a long program just pici( al>out 25 lines (about a screenful) round about the spot where the trouble is (for example, you can list out line numbers 200 to 450 by list 20o-i'^0) and look there first. If you (ind the problem in line 260 type EDIT 260 and you can edit it. When copying out listings, make sure you don't mistake lovKer case 'Is for '1 's, or capital 'O's for zeroes. A mistake of this kind won't usually cause a Syntax Error, but will make your program go wrong in quite unpredictable ways. Debugging your own programs There are about another 100 error messages that you can be hit with which sometimes make sense, so they are always worth reading carefully. If you have made a mistake you can't find immediately it is invaluable to print out your listing on paper - using the command llist. In a long program with a lot of GOTOs and GOSUBs it is easier to follow on the path of the program on continuous paper rather than finding the right bit to display on screen. Quite often your program is running but it just won't do what it's supposed to do. Remember that at any time you can press the [STOP] key - it will say 'Break in." and the | line number if you feel that things are going wrong. Have a look at the listing round about that point using the LIST command. 'Vou can continue the program from where you broke into it (type cont) as long as you haven't actually edited any lines. Your program may refuse to go to a GOSUB or GOTO or it may follow a path that you hadn't expected - all shown up by the line numbers on screen. A simple mistyping in the line number of a GOSUB command could make it "crash through" (technical term there) and miss the GOSUB completely or a simple wrong line number in a GOTO could cause untold confusion. If it doesn't work as you want it is worthwhile whistling up the services of TRON - your friendly Trace On utility. All you do is type trom before you run the program and this wonderful little facility lists on the screen the numbers of all the lines as you use them You can stop TRON by typing TROFF. You can also use TROI^ within a program - if you've narrowed your problems down to a particular area, put a line with the TRON command before and another line with TROFF afterwards, and you won't get deluged with rubbish from parts of the program you aren't interested in. Stop that at once If you are worried that the instructions in a particular line seem to be being ignored another trick is to to edit the line (EDIT 2000 or whatever) to insert : stop at the end. The next time you run the program there should be an error message "Break in 2000". If there isn't, start being suspicious. And if it does stop it is a good chance to check the variables (see Follow that Variable). Don't forget that you can add in extra lines to print out diagnostic messages like "now at line 140" wherever you like. This is the whole point of the BASIC line numbers - to put a line in between line 100 and 110 just call it 105 and it will be put in at the right place. To delete it after you've found the problem, just type 1 05 and press [RETURN]. We can't promise that following these simple rules will ensure that you will get every listing to work but even trying to get it to work will greatly increase your knowledge of f^flallard Basic and it can be very satisfying when you get it to worfi. ^A ARE YOU THROWING YOUR MONEY OUT OF THE WINDOW HAVE YOUR FABRIC RIBBONS RE-INKED FOR ONLY £1 .541 Few 9&I2 dnc bufd wwd fwoccisor with n>Qfiitor sjkI daisywrfieel prtnter PCW ffiSA doc bue^ word (XDceuof with mofniof irtj printer PCW &&I1 twtn d»c drive word procissar with monitor and printer „ DMP4O00 iS- oTTTigi; print ipMd 100 chn - NLQ ipeed SO chri per sefood LQ 3500 34 pin dot matrix printer , NEW LOWPRICEiocfir DISKS surrABif fok i u ni 2nii dbivs .„„™. fW«S5 £515 15 t4*e«5 £336 65 tfW«! £43SM MWK £381 28 (IMrW £3ai 28 ONLY £24,95 PC W STARTER PACK "> *^^2 r DiSKS - 1 ams jol ^OMtiE acsx - nam shts f^APta , -- ^^ IPCWMBBON. iai7(lxJODISKtAMI.S-l<IOAODHESSl>MIJ £49.95 CONTINUOUS PAPa«0ISCLMil3 OiM-Prta KM ihwuMgm Orrt il4.)S iMslmaSOgm CiU5 iOOiiWrts ofccli UK I Ot r 3 ft- loppy <t« ^li 69 X 70 £ 1.M DISC STOHAQE BOXES *M!!Ol.hol(lj»X J'i 10^ ipare title bffltej ... 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Internal PCW8256 DS/DD Second Disc Drive n^n^ 1 1VIegabyte unformatted (720k formatted) £1 35 (New improved version, NOT old model) l^ilemory Upgrade plus Second Disc Drive El 52 Supplied with siinple. comprehensive ntting Instruc^ons. NB You will require GP/M version 1 -2, or tatet to format high density ijiscs. Amsliad will ejirfiange earliet versions free ol charge. Replacement disc drrve A (part exchange) £90 Prices INCLUDE VAT and UK post rwfmally by r^njm. Serei UK Cheques-'Money Order&'LA or Gova^nment orders to: SILICON CITY Dept. 8, Wheal Rose, Redruth, Cornwall TR16 SDR AccessA/isa orders' Telephone 0209 891141 NEW! MONEY MANAGER PLUS £39.95 For all PC compatibles, such as Amstrad PC1 51 2 Also available for Amstrad PCW computers. "^ I , r&F Financial management software For Snn all businesses Self-employed Doctors Farmers Sales Executives Jourrralists Clubs Clvarities Company Departmen Is Expense accojn is Homeaccourvls Etc. Etc. Mon«y Manager Plua is an easy-to-use yet powerful accounting system . It will enable you to record and arialyse all your financial transactions, so ttiat you know exactly where you stand and can make sensible and informed financial decisions. Check tjank statements, monitor cash How. analyse sources of irx;ome and expenditure, make twdget torecasts, prepare financial statements. Keep one step ahead of your tank manager, convince tax and VAT inspeiaors, avoid nasty surprises! Money Manager Plus is very much easier and more direct to use ttian other accounting systems costing many times more , arvj provides features that would be difficult or impoKible to profl »m using sop hsticated databasa'spreadsheet/graphics packages Indefinite telephone support is included free of charge, because even novice computer users require so tittle I To run the system you just switch on, toad Money Manager Plus, seiect a data file, make new entries in any order tfrat suits you (or amend existing entries) produce a lew reports to check the current financial situation, and then save the data for the next time you need to use it. You may have any number of data files (or sets of atwjunts) and store several on one disc. A data file contains 1 2 months of dala. wnich may be rolled forward montn by month. Up to 300 laparate transactjons may be enter ad per month. Each antry oxisists of: • Th» day 01*1 emon«i, eg. 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You may (elect otegories ol enmes atxxirdiog to account, cJass arxJ marV (eg all bank eooourn entries, or aii mototing eitpenses, or all cash acooom bosioefis eitpenses etc.) and prodtx:e reports on ttie screen or pnnter as loHows: • Detailed statements coveting any pstioa, itiQwing siKhqtjalilyingtransatilionviiiih a running balar>c4. • CXarterty VAT siaiemenis showing mput and output transactions setjarately wnh qoiumis for exempi, lero rated, VATable, VAT paKi and gross amounis, and a summary wiiti all therelevant ttstais. • TaWesshowfigltieioialamjunts tor each dasemont) by month, and lot* tor thewtviiayaar, • Tallies showng »ie totals lor each cjaii in eadi account. • Tables stiowng Ihe motrthty maximum, minimum arxl average balances, tumciw and cash fti3w mont\ by month and for ttie wtwte ya». ■ Bar graphs of any caiegoty month by month, • Pie Chans oovori nganypeiiodlDr various categories of entry (PC version only) . □ Plus r Standi ng Orders Entrtes Optionally sorted i nto date order Item search (acil rty Comprehensive Manual Two sets of realistic practice dala Indefinite free telephone support Money Manager Plug is a development of the successful Money Manager system, of wfiich over 6000 have been sold It is faster, has a greater c^ractty, and includesmanyextrafeaturessuggesiedbyexistingusers.TheoriginalMoneyManagerforAmstradCPC/PCW comp uters tsstillavailableatE2495 Send cheque or credit card number or phone for immediate despatch (Pease specify computer model) Connect Systems 3 Flanchtord Road, London W12 9ND 01- 743 9792 Sam-lOpm 7days a week VISA ONTEST GAMES SATYR SATIRE Feminist supporter Tony Flanagan enthuses over the month's new games, courtesy of Level 9 and Infocom GNOME RANGER £14^5 • Level 9 (0344 487597) • All PCWs I'm one of those rare superbeings of the male gender Ihal actually appreciates women for tfieir minds and not tfieir bodies,., honest. How refreshing then to come across an adventure in which the heroine is - without putting too fine a point on it - marvellousfy grotesque, even for a gnome. l\lot only is Ingrid Bottom low abgnomally short but her muscles make Frank Bruno's look like pickled onions. Now there's a real woman for you, eh? As for her character, it's hardly the submissive, servile, obse<^U(Ous 'yes sir, no sir' type that attracts the average male chauvinist. The fact that her parents hate the sight of her tells us much. Indeed, they hate her to such an extent that they have banished her from house and home. They haven't just kicked her out, no, they've packed her off to witch country, certain that she won't be able to make it back. Such certainty stems from the fact thai the wicked witch's cottage lies between betoved Ingrid and home sweet home. The object of the game is to drive Ingrid's parents to suicide by guiding her back. The witch is clearly not someone to be trifled with. One of her main virtues is her ability to turn people to stone by the wave of a wand, something most politicians manage just by opening their mouths. There are, of course, other dangers, notably an eagle with a brood that is rather partial to muscle- bound gnomes. The world Ingrid is banished to reveals typical fairy tale landscapes - stream, fountain, marsh and mountain, to mention just a tew. These are rather baldly described even when you switch from brief to verbose mode. The pictures - which purists might well prefer to turn oft - do aid the text in sustaining atmosphere An initially cute feature, but one which quickly becomes irritating, is the repeated insertion ot g' before every word beginning in 'n'. If this isn't gnerdish then I don't know what is I Guided centaurs Ingrid also confronts a range of weird and and not so wonderful beings, including a woodland nymph, a centaur named Cap and a llama. With varying success, such characters can be put to wodt by carrying out a variety of tasks, saving Ingrid both time and effort, A pack of dogs, for example, might help you track down the unicorn. After all, gnomes are renowned for their weak sense of smell. As Ingrid explores the countryside, there are a number of objects which she can exchange at the Centaur's shop for goods thai she might find more usetui. Indeed, Cap's shop is stocked with a whole range of goodies, including a bunch of keys, a black rod and a lamp. Cap', by the way, is obviously short for capitalist' for the Centaur demands two items for every one you give him. The game contains several time-saving commands, such as goto (taking you to your ./ destination automatically but describing the route) and T RUN TO (teeing you to your destination but omitting the ^^ description). Unlike most adventures, map- making is not A?r essential. Indeed most scenes have ihe full range of geographical exits which it would be very tedious to map out. There is something quaint about Gnome Ranger, which, despite its imperfections, makes the game attractive, li^ore importantly, its puzzles dangle plenty of carrots, most of which, frustrating ly, turn out to be inedible. This is a very addictive adventure which might just send you gnutty! PLUSES Somt good high-level commands Compelling punles Light humorous tone ATMOSPHERE INTERACTION MINUSES ■ Scer^s lack detail ■ The adion Is a little repetftlvt CHALLENGE VALUE VERDICT 52 8000 PLUS -SiUb***^ n tf 111 la Ua iW M HTM U |H> 1 RultB !■ inn id STATtONFALL £24.95 • Infocom/Acti^sion (01-431 1101/2992) • All PCWs 'And God said 'Let there be form si' and out ot the tormless void a zillion trillion forms began to manifest themselves, spiralling into the homes ot every citizen so tfiat no man was lettwithoyt, not even unto ttie day of his death." This hitherto unknown eirtrad from the Old Testament reveals that forms was part of God's original plan for the universe. The Almighty's reasoning is a little obscure but it's my suspicion that forms were sent here to make us bettei human beings - to teach us ftonesty. humility and patience... or if not that tfien to give us soaring blood pressure. But what has all this got to do with Station (all, Infocom's sequel to Planetfall, where with Floyd your rolDOtic simpleton fou rescued the planet Resida form ultimate destruction? Well, tomis are the light motif of this unusual adventure. At the start of the game you are all set to em bade on a seemingly routine exercise, to collect a supply of 24 pallets of "Request for Stellar Patrol Issue Regulation Black Form Binders Request Form Forms', forms that the DHSS would certainly be proud ot. Before you can get anywhere you must find the robot room and choose your robot by inserting one of the three lornis in your possession into the appropriate slot. With a ctioice of three rotiots, including your old friend and siinpleton Floyd, your decision could be crucial. Helen, tor example has an unusual but admirably sane habtt of eating any form she can get hold of. Unfortunately, you need a form 10 activate your spacetruck so she is a rather impractical choice. The formless void Your destination is Space Station Gamma Delta Gamma 777-G S9/59 Sector Alpha-Mu-79 which, I'm told in renftdence, is just east of Ashby-de-ta-Zouch. To get there you must key in the correct navigational data, a chart for wWcfi is on the Assignment Completion Form that comes with tfie package. What number you key in should correspond to the time shown top right hand of screen. Key in Itie wrong number and you'll be left floating in space without help. m Onoe you get to the station you find that the Station bll bcglu J U'AUcirlJit Qf 1 til Bra.: litik irJtlB STJi? ICHFllL . .SIJ[TI-]nU± IiIk™ t»t»riictl™ fictlras -- « >>c1«m:« flctltw ■tijrT CCf^lJhl tcl !M7 by lotcKam, tac. ill I riflltB rBaarvwl. EliTiaFUJ. ]c 4 t,rfld'vr:t ryt TntecoK In?. falriH W / Strjil nuA«r «T{H:94 Flg)^ tooks out nt yBU, Tit^^^ ttirougbi jan^ caqivtvr atrvvB. "St* ti>at cojiyrlskt bdici?- ^ 4^ts m ■ d«ri«nE i:Qn«. -IT ABfOQn %rtn plr^tms tbl* ami, tliv^iLt bin Tlcji 1c aruHr to.'* ^Illll^ UK PfJLDEB Thli ilipJi ddvLTfl' IM, for rwcdrdllig and l-Bdd]fi£ li3g «litrl«l. Jt iKCtudlB fl tlAf f*i liEtH, ftiid b ui^c-QtibrtitM/HpcBktr. At tba asaml, tHi la| raadvr ti all, and Uwr* 1* * ][« HJ* is \.\ >En-Ka Off UK SEADEJ l^An]lj mlCB iiDH« twnm tba liiQ tmidmi 'I13*t. 12.2.M0I}: SdK kfEpplJIfl JslUr* MV' k«*is pi]f»rJng; Lbv BlallDB'B fuKi CbIJb. Ki go QUI CD. JO^rld*!' 1 bAV4 HlddfH tlUI lUV'i fi^li up Ln Lha Itanr" i. BtntagB bin, >]Bpp«d a lm\ an tht bib, tttid dfef^OGlltdd itkt kvt Ir quia' Thirr Willi 1 b* on joyi-Ljling In aj COia&fld!" V ■«adbL:t<d vqlM' ie-am tba log tiidar itti^eH* tb< tlnslB hqM '?(arB,' jmd th* r*'! hiiiDi n iLbi f«itdcr ligbti up tftsss tss Firtttdi 'LJ7H 12 2.^]aiQ- Raprt^uetliaBi Dcricer Miumb«rt r<porta tbat i^alllAtir 2S !« ari-line lor PDUiLlH acrvict EBtLiat^B sua or t«o 4*f* 4oi^|]h- ALco, unEi^BTitKiad cr^fi 4ilt«M IB. •wfter to r«BpBDB« to tdlllRftt- Similng FlratBrMptd tg mimicmpt.* i ■BCbiB.EHdl VQEi?* tram ttal lofl rmtitr irm?Bit% tlu mlofjlB wnrd 'KarB,' anil Lb* ts^l bilUi t^ tb wma^r UghtE up. 'LL3H.1:?.3.«T30. UnldBBtlf iBd craft LdthMI tn Dbcklttj BBif 1. It I» d alVf l*-C«bl B nwvl gl UTifmU^r uLlvn otIsIti TIu cnly thia«ft nbcuFd mfB tHa rcHlu of ok Df tb*. 'iLJiH. pud B rBBturvlfu yfTVMid. ril luv* 11 tc tb* BBgbBddd; I'va got « prcbl*B OT IFPaq: • rfjiqrt thdl « UMd-B,ptCf •l? p <|B«l»ir m tbi vIUBBb DdKd Stiidl^ [llli 1* BtlLlBf ■i]|n«4 ttlroi ED oiTdB LlBEKm Uff9?<ir luvblBHitz i« lovBdclgBtias- * t Hc^ii]Z«4 VDlcf Irn* IfaB ]Dg rBfldar latcHa thf alnglB irfOfd 'KftTC,* ID^ tbt IM iMtlrrt m: tbv rBirdar i[|fatB up flfljrd aedB HI* BpfirovBl. 'fioott tdvB Printer pap^r bkpbubIvi L^sfUbt B»B<B. tat Ilia ttllO OBt,' Br« BUla a trauirrBpt of lattra^tlan vitJi CTiTLOfTHU, Biwi lo 'avi- for A Captain's log: somettiing is seriously amiss Commander, his six officers and his thirty-six crew members have all mysteriously disappeared. Even with your rather limited intelligence you can sense that something is wrong. You eventually realise that this routine mission is going to be far more exciting, and of course more dangerous, than you ever thought possible. The captain's log only confirms your suspicions. It details an increasing number ot mechanical failures and other such mysteries, coinciding with the arrival ot an alien craft containing a strange pyramid (presumably not full size). There are eight levels of the space station to explore and three sub-modules: a 'seedy village' (Ah I Ashby-de-la- Zouch!), the science department and the military department. These areas cannot be entered without the appropriate validation form, a crumpled copy of which is hidden in the space station. The space station is like a mini metropolis with its own chapel, laundry, gym, theatre, library and dormitories. To help you find your way around, those nice Infocom people have mapped out alt eight levels for you and these are included in the package. Consequently, not only is your exploration made that much easier but you don't have to keep stopping to draw your own map. To add a little tension to the game there are a nam tier of mechanical welders patrolling the space station corridors. It seems that since the alien ship arrived they have been unabte to tell tell the difference between flesh and metal. There are carnivorous grues too, who lurk in the dark areas of ships because of their aversion to light, and there's also a rather ravenous steam pressor to watch out for. Still, for company there's your old friend Floyd and another rather philosophical robot called Plato, whose metallic nose is almost always in a book. Floyd is rather pathetic as usual. While you're trying to solve the greatest mystery in the history of the universe, he's more intent on playing hide and seek. The usual Infocom goodies append, detailed maps of the various levels, three rather formidable looking forms and A Lieutenant First Class Badge which you can wear on your cap or, if you haven't a cap, then on your forehead. Stationfall is an excellent sci-fi adventure which seems to merge the best of 2001 with the best of Star Trek. From now on, forms will never fill you with the same terror... or perhaps they will. ^R I GAMES PLUSES DetailMl nriaps provided Unusual but humofovs (Misfes Inblgujng myftery ATfWIOSPHERE INTERACTION MINUSES ■ Doesn't have Kore'rmves at top rifjM hand o( screen ■ Fonm, pah! Who needs 'an! CHALLENGE VALUE VERDICT 8000 PLUS 53 Rstech nnicro5kil Training for AMSTRAD PCW's and PC's Can't understand the manual? Are they 'barmy' or is it me ? *<5Z> A If you're a first time user on f/ie Amstrad PCW series or the new PC, have a word with us and we can train you on how to use your new computer. We can help you perform the fine arts of word processing, from basic to advanced levels or to gain a knowledge of computerised accounts. If you are interested in any of these courses phone Colleen for more details. 1 73 Basingstoke Road Reading Series RG2 0HF 0734 7SS768 •DUST- L COVERS THE BBD DUST COVER COLLECTION •DUST- COVERS Tailored in nylon fabric that has been treated with an anti-static inhibitor. Attractively finished with contrasting piping. Can be washed and ironed. PCW 8256/ 85 1 2 £11 95 3 piece set in soft grey. Monitor and printer piped in green. AMSTRAD PCW hot foil printed on keyboard. PC 1512/1640 £9.00 2 piece set in ivory coloured nylon, Monitor piped in maroon. AMSTRAD PC hot foil printed on l<eyboard cover. Please state wlieiher' colour, or mono screen. PCW 95 1 2 £13.95 3 piece set in ivory. Monitor and printer piped in red. Amstrad PCW hot foil printed on keyboard cover. PRINTER COVERS TO MATCH A range of covers for over 200 printers to match any of the above covers e.g. Amstrad 2000, 3000, 3 1 60 and 4000, Brother, Canon, Citizen, Epson, Mannesmann. Star, Ricoh. Smith-Corona, etc. Prices from £5.00 Please make cheques payable to: BBD DUST COVERS The Standish Centre, Cross Street Standish, Wigan WN6 0HQ Telephone: 02S7 422968 Ext.32 Fax: 02S7 423909 W^ DBAUR BNOUIRIES WELCOME ^ *°"" * Ific ^outf,crri Hdrni^phcfc from TECH.SOFT, 334 Slirlinj Kl|liway, Cl.vcnnont 6010. Wcii AuiLrati^ Tel (t>9t 185 (aS5 STOCKMARKET THINKING OF INVESTING? STOCKMARKET enables you to practise invest menl techniques before risking your own money. Start with some money in the bank. Follow the fortunes of shares that interest you. Buy at the best prices. Watch their progress. Update the prices of your shares very simply whenever you want. See their new values calculated automatically. Sell at the right moment. See your profits. STOCKMARKET also comes complete with demonstration data including real price information so that you can plot share prices straight away. ALREADY AN INVESTOR? STOCKMARKET enables you to record details of purchases, sales and dividends of shares, unit trusts etc. with automatic calculation and display of all dealing costs. Current share prices can be entered very easily at any time for an automatic folio revaluation. Values of share prices, indexes etc. can be recorded, listed and plotted along with moving averages on a logarithmic or linear scale. As well as tracking your actual share holdings you can practise buying and selling techniques for recovery shares, penny shares, growth stocks etc. with a separate accurately modelled folio for each. See if your imuiuon is right. PORTFOLIO MANAGEMENT • Record full details of your portfolios of stocks, shares, unit trusts etc. • Practise buying and selling and acvurately record your progress, * Up 10 fifty shares per folio. As many folios as you Uke. • Buy and sell shares with automatic calculation of dealing costs, * Ten sets of dealinj! costs which you can alter as necessary. • Record dividend yields and price earnings ratios. • Update prices and automatically update yields and P/E ratios and automatically recalculate individual share and total folio values. * Record dividend payments and total dealing costs. * Keep records of your cash as you buy and sell. * List your present folio, past transactions, dividends and cash accounts. PRICE ANALYSIS * Record values of share prices, unit trusts, indexes, exchange rales etc, * Store up to 260 prices per share (equivalent to weekly prices for 5 years), * List out the prices, * Plot prices and moving averages on a logarithmic or linear scale. * Automatic scaling of graphs. * Easy to read scales for prices and dales (not just week numbers). * Complete with real weekly prices for several shares for the last few years (inc FT 30, British Telecom) as a demonstration. * Use curves as a guide to the t>est buying and selling opportunities. Comprehensive forty page manual. Complete with demonstration account and prices. AMSTRAD PC, IBM PC and compatibles £49-95 AMSTRAD PCW and CPC (disc) £29-95 MERIDIAN Prices are all inclusive worldwide. Send cheque or credit card number or telephone for immediate delivery by Ttrsl class post. 38 Balcaskie Road, London, SE9 IHQ. Tel: 01-^50 7057 PCW INTERFACE KIT E55.95 • SM Engineering (0323 766262) • All PCWs I expect most people would like to be able to put their computer to other uses other than word processing. You may think it ludicrous to suggest that your PCW could be used to control a compiex industrial process. Nothing could be further from the truth, the PCW is an excellent machine lor such applications - 1 have even heard of a PCW that is helping to keep the worlds most up-to date North Sea oil production platform afloat! The SM interface is a box of cunning electronics which I^Ligs onto the expansion slot at the back of the PCW. The idea is that you can run programs on your PCW which send and read data to and from the interlace. The interlace takes Ifie PCWs signals and converts them into clean digital pulses as required by electronic devices. The upshot of all ttiis is that if youve got any electronic devices - most likely ones you've built yourself - you can now control them from a program running on your PCW. A bag of chips What you get for your money is a strong metal enclosure housing two Z80 PIO chips, and all the necessary electronics to interface them to the PCW. The connection to the PCW is made by a 50 way edge connector on a 15 inch length ribbon cable. You can safely use it on the managing director's antique desk without the risk of getting fired as it has even thoughtfully been fitted with four rubber feet. Before you can get started you must have some sort of idea on how the Z80 PIO chips work as they are the heart of the unit. Essentially each PIO chip gives you two 8-bit ports. Each port can be configured as an input or as an output port. So, as you can see, the interface having two PIO's provides he user with 32 programmable I/O lines, A disc is provided with the interface containing example driver software for the PIO's and documentation files on how to connect up the system and programming hints for the PIO's This is one area where the package needs improvements. There is no printed manual supplied with the interface, all you get is a disc. On listing the directory t found many files but no documentation on what they were supposed to do, or on how to run them. Software to control the module can easily be written with [If : •,:-T'.*5< A The SM intertaoe arxl breakout module t)o<!ked up ta test drouit ONIESI WORLD DOMINATION Julian Sharp discovers a boon for electronics hobbyists Mallard BASIC using the commands IMP and OUT. Alternatively programs can be written in assembly language. Examples of both are given in the documentation files on the disc. The interface uses locations 00A8 to OOAF for its I/O. which are not remappable to other addresses. Drumming up enthusiasm To put the interface through its paces I resurrected a long forgotten electronic drum machine. The drum machine was connected to the interface using the Breakout module but Optional extras Addjilonal rncdules are available for use with the Interface to aid development work. They are all constructed to the same high standard as I he Interface, and connect to the interface module via a short length ol ribbon cabfe. An Input/Oulput Test Module (£39.95) which uses eight toggle switches to simulate Inputs and LEDs to Indicate the output state on any one port, so you can test your software without needing lo hook up your external hardware. A jumper plug on the module selects either port A or port 8. The test modules can t>e daisy chained to enable Iwo modules to monitor both PtO ports If required. A Breakout Module (£18.95) which takes all the lines from one of the PlOs to PCB mounted screw termtnais allowing quid( and easy connection to the circuit under test. Two other modules are planned for release soon, an d-blt Analogue to Digftal converter (E39.9S) and an S-bit Digital to Analogue converter (£29.95). could easily been wired directly to the interface. In no time at all my 50+50 watt Low-Fi burst into life with the St Louis Blues March! Only simple routines were required to control this device, in fact Mallard BASIC should be fast enough for most applications. The SM interface is a must for anyone wanting to put their PCW to work in areas other than word processing. The I/O Test Module and Breakout Module should appeal to institutions such as schools and colleges, but would be an expensive luxury for the knowledgeable hobbyist who could knock one up out of a handful of LEDs and a few switches. Remembered, however, that on its own the interface just sits there and does absolutely nothing. It's up to you to think o[a use for it. PLUSES Sturdily built units Many uses tor the imaginative constructor Easily programmed in Mallard Basic or Assembly Language RANGE OF FEATURES EASE OF USE MINUSES ■ Poor documentation, you won't have i! up and running in 5 minutes ■ Cost ol add-on units for Ihe Interlace a Iftfle pricey for (he home user PERFORIVIANCE DOCUMENTATION ^m 8000 PLUS VALUE VERDICT 8000 PLUS 55 GOODE SOFTWARE PRESENTS * * QUASAR II * * THE STATISTICAL PACKAGE FOR THE AMSTHAD PCW RANGE This package Is lutly integrated wilh ihe Afnstrad printer and allows the user to choose draft, condensed or high quality output. 1 . DATA EDITOH (Uses full screen editor or line editor). 2. ALPHABETIC/NUMERIC SORTER (ascending or descending order) 3. REGRESSION ANALYSIS (up to 1 way). Ordinal Least Squares Or insinjmensal Variables with and without an intercept. Twelve diagnostic statistics are ^so calculated. 4. MATRIX ARITHMETIC. Inversion, subtraction, addlijon, multiplication iransportalion, eigenvalues (up to order 10) 5. LINEAR PROGRAMMING and TRANSPORTATION PROGRAMMING. 6. PERCENTAGE CHANGE OVER ANY PERIOD, CROSS TABULATION (Sway). 7. DESCRIPTIVE STATISTICS (1 Sdifferent) and PERCENTILES. 8. FREQUENCY TABLES, HISTOGRAMS, SCATTERGHAMS (H-res), AND BAR CHARTS. 9. CORRELATION, MOMENT AND COVARIANCE MATRICES (up to orders). 1 0. STATISTICAL TESTS parametrio/nonparametic (22 different) Analysis of variance one and two way, ttest, Chi-squared test, Kruskal-Wallis test Mann- Wiiitney test. Huns lest, Sign test. Median test, Friedman test, Wald- Wolfowitz test, Homogenely of variance test. Trend test, Kolmogorov-Sfnlmov tests DistflbuSon fining (binominal, Poissonand Normal) Correlation [Pearson, Spearman, Kendall, Simple). 1 1 .MATHEMATICAL UTILfTIES. Solution of simultaneous equations and Quatralic equation solver. 12.0ATA TRANSFORMATIONS Single and Double file (19 different) 13.SPECIAL UTILITIES (Backup, Merge, Insert, delete and Create) lit.FORECAST Six torecast equations and 4 extrapolation methods. Fully comprehensive 70 page manual wiSi worked examples. QUASAR Is used by numerous British Universities, Colleges and Hospitals for research, as well as by people in Spain, Portugal, Sweden, (iilalta Nigeria, NetherlandsandHolland. Putting Your Aenstrad to work July 1987. Vfw Invaluable lorthoso who are inlB/eslad in or need to use staistksl packages. " STOP PRESS Amstrad PC & IBM compatible eomputer«. New product Polartt now available giving all options of Quasar II Ring for delalla. Ideal lor Sclentlflo Analysis, Education, Management or BuslnM* Studies etc. £22.95 (all inclusive} Cheques P.Oto GOODE SOFTWARE, DepI 8P1, a Uandough St, Cathaya, CARDIFF. SOUTH WALES. CF2 4AW Tel 0222 4244S ab Intra Software ■"1 WHEN YOU BECAME COMPUTER LITERATE YOU TAUGHT YOURSELF MORE THAN YOU REALISE! I-Ata Software takes your computer literacy into your daily life. Tranquillity, Influence, Health, Wealth and Success IS your Out-Print. Start using your Personal Database, Spread Sheet, and Ram - NOW - with your own personal Mouse. Make your own Wimp for Wealth. Regress your Age to your best years. START NOW by sending your cheque for £39.50 which includes VAT and P/P to: ROBERTS FRANKLIN ASSOCIATES LTD. (Founded In 1B16! Leazes Crescent, SL James's, Newcastle upon Tyne, NEl 4LN State which Amstrad PCW8256 or Amstrad PCW8512 is in I use and allow fourteen days for delivery ^F^A I WORD PROCESSING Locomail Locospell Lacoscript It Protext Pocket Pretext Prospell Tasword Tas spell Tasprint 8000 28.95 28.95 17.95 45.95 29.95 21.95 17.95 11.95 11.95 AMSTRAD PCW SOFTWARE ACCOUNTS DESK TOP PUBLISHING The Desktop Publisher Newsdesk International Fleet Street Editor Plus DATABASES Datat)ase Manager Masterlile 6000 Cam base Cardbox Condor Nucleus Plan It Datastore dBase II Dataflow 3/Mailltow 3 Sage Magic Filer Sage Ftelrieve Delta SPREADSHEETS Su percale II Scratch Pad 22.95 34.95 47.95 21.95 37.95 35.95 42.95 69.95 74.95 17.95 29.95 77,95 37.95 50.95 50.95 69.95 35 95 43.95 Cam soft Integrated Accounts Integrated Sales Modules — each Accounts Payroll Finanda) Report OthCT Modules — each 109.95 69.95 36.95 144.95 74.95 38.95 53.95 DESIGN & GRAPHICS DRDcaw PR Graph ENTERTAINMENT Sage SuperCombo 149.95 Accounts Plus 104.95 Popular Combo 104.95 Popular Accounts 73.95 Invoicing 52.95 Payroll 52.95 IMPORTANT' When comparing prices please remember that ALL OUR PRICES INCLUDE VAT & CARRIAGE Fairlight StarglkJer Pawn Batman Strike Force Harrier Sorceref Hitch Hikers Guide Enchanter Deadline Ballyhoo Tomahawk Distractions Brian Cteugh's F/ball Fortunes Moonmist Leather Godesses of Phobos 34,95 34.95 11.95 18.95 17,96 11.95 14.95 19.95 18.95 18.95 18.95 18.95 14.95 14.95 13.95 18.95 18 95 COMMUNICATIONS Sage Chit-Chat E Mail Wi^ Modem Sage Chit-chat Viewdata With Modem Saoe Chit-Chat Combo With Modern UTILITIES ETC Amor Maxam II DR C-Bastc Compiler Hisoft Devpac 80 53,95 159.95 53.95 159.95 74.95 199.95 38.95 34.95 29.95 COPY COMM SOFTWARE FREEPOST, Cupar, Fife KYI 5 4BR TELEPHONE (0334) 58309 TELEX - 76284 FAX (0334) 56306 1^^ i| 1 VISA ■ Isg i Amstrad Training - £29.95! With so many organisations trying to sell you on their training courses, you need to be seiective. And if price is important too, the choice is simple - you need Reel-Time. No other training course can offer: personal tuition; disk-l>ased tutorials; a full set of course notes on disk; and a wealth of practical extras, all for just £29.95+Va i . Best of all, your Reel-Time course is delivered to you pre-recorded on audio-cassette and disk. The whole course is yours to run on your own computer, at your own pace, and repeat whenever you like. AmslradPC(I512& 1640): • li(M/Compals (PC/XT/AT). • SuperCalc (for 3 & 4); • dBase II; - WflrdSlar(3.3)' Desktnp PuhlisliinK; BUtHWBIlt UM- Ams1radl'CW95l2(& LocimTipi 2); • Locoscripl (PCW 8256): • The I'CW Computer {for 8256): . SuperCalc 2; • dBase II; • VVordSlar Professional (3.3); NewVVord 2, Call today - Learn tomorrow! !■ () liuv 22 ii1':rkford IIR4HIIW Ask for a full list ot our courses for IBM/Amslrad computers and software. Telephone: (Orders/enquiries) (0602J 603623. LABEL PRINTER FOR THE PCW 95 I 2,85 I 2,8256 +SPEEDY DATA ENTRY *UNLIMITED CATEGORIES • LOCOSCRIPT STYLE COMMANDS *FULL ON SCREEN EDITING • VARIOUS STYLES OF TEXT * FLEXIBLE LABEL SIZING * PRINT SINGLE OR MULTIPLE COPIES *FULL SEARCH FACILITY • DEDICATED DATABASE FOR LABELS •FULL CONTROL OF PRINTER ETC. Label Printer is not a database adaption but a purpose designed program that is very easy to use. £2S,00 including VAT and P&P Aj rt'imewcrf sn thcjufy issue of 3000 Piia {please ipecrfy model) NEW!forPCW95l2 TYPEMASTER Typemaster allows your 95 1 1 to act as an electronic typewriter, •FULL CONTROL OF PRINTHEAD *WIND UP OR DOWN 'A LINE, CORRECTION WINDOW, ETC. Say goodbye to guesswork for forms, envelopes etc. £15.00 incliKJingVATandP&P MICRODRAW LTD Computer Specialists and Office Supp!ie$ HOW TO ORDER BY POST I Send letter with OKALEK ETSIQ<JII*IKS WKl^COMK BY PHONE BY POST Ring and quote Send letter with your VISA/ACCESS Cheque, P.O. or card details VISA/ACCESS ©(0622)68548! card details MICROORAW LTD SLENCREST HOUSE 3TONBRIDGEROAD MAIDSTONE KENTMEI68RL THE / COONCO COICNni u SERIES / FIRST unjE (PCW and PC versions) £29.95 A simple to use introductory database. Design your own record card on screen in minutes with up to 250 items of inlormation. Storage is disc based so it is not limited by ttie memory. A Help Panel is inclLded for new users. Records are kept in constant sorted order and are instantly accessible by name or number. Manual or automatic search opbons and facility to re-sort the file. Mailmerges with locoscript and outputs ASCII files. Reports and totals. Example uses are mail lists, stock inventories, booklists, client information and much more. C lERi Ii-ULU (PCW) £16.95 A step by step tutorial to gain a full understand ing of the LocoScript word processor. Many exercises are included to give experience and confidence. Users soon gain confidence and even create their own personalised manual! 3 I jPERt I L (PCW) £17.95 A comprehensive yet easy to learn touch typing course based on the famous Pitmans method. It has been designed to teach the correct method for the skill of last, efficient typing. The emphasis is heavily placed on rhythm and accuracy rather than tesbng by speed at an early stage. U PtPQT rni /-(PCW, cpceizs T MIS D I Lnt^L and PC versions) £29,95 A simple to use spreadsheet yet contains many facilities available on much larger systems. Full maths capabilities including average, count, max., min. and total. Calculate in both horizontal and vertical directions to an accuracy of 14 significant figures. Porhons of a sheet may be copied, printed, saved or loaded with either automatic relative or absolute reference adjustment Useful for fast and effective cashflows, home budgeting, statistics and even stocks and shares. Other Software for the Amstrad CPC 464/664/6218 Random Access Database £29.95 Powerlul, versatile, fandom access database finds records in seconds rral several minules. Mutliple pnni lormats, mu 80 & 40 characler te«t 01 bojes in desisb. Extensive calculalions including SIN, LOG. COS, etc. C[i<ii[irehensive search and sorl lacililies. 40 litlds per record. Instant Access Utilities £29.95 A lull range of utilities including random access, sector editing, error handling, etc. Simple RSX commands interface directly with ttie resident BASIC. A powerlol EXEC command allows a BASIC statement lo bf execoled Irom withm a program to evaluate calculations '^Thfs.isn^XicaT/d features »«^"' . people «*^ . - ""— :^.-^„„b«,t^'e m ■ > MINERVA SYSTEMS, 69 SIDWELL STREET, EXETER, DEVON. EX4 6PH. Tel: 0392 37756 ONTEST A TTie MaaerScan interface box showing the contrast corrtml knob. What's the point? MBasutingthesiieolte>:tin 'pdrits' is an obscure printer's Kinvenlion. One point is in lact 'In of an incfi, and the point ^ze indcalesltLehieightofltK fetters. Thus 1 2 point !eit is rougNy Vi' high. MASTER SCAN £69.95 • Database Software • 061-480 0171 • 8000s only Whenever you see an advertisement for a graphics program on the PCW. the screen always seems to be displaying an elegant photograph that would take you vi^eeks to create line-by-line for yourself. Of course, these pictures aren't created by hand but are digitised' from a photograph. What could be better than being able to take images from any drawing or illustration you have available? Up until now the only option v/as to invest £100 on a digitiser interface for the PCW, and even then you had to have a video recorder or camera which probably costs more than the PCW itself. MasterScan comes along at a very opportune time. With the sudden burst of activity in the desk top publishing market a large number of people are now looking for good quality illustrations to brighten up the pages of their newsletters or fly-sheets. Even the best of clip art' files get boring pretty quickly. MasterScan is a remarkable piece of equipment that many PCW users will find invaluable providing a low cost method of creating graphics in their PCWs. It 'scans' any pictures using an ingenious magic eye' scanning device that fits to printhead of the PCW printer. This scanning head leads into an iternterface box which fits onto the expansion port at the back of the PCW. To scan a picture then, feed the sheet to t>e scanned into the printer as though you were going to print on it, and start up the MasterScan software. The printer runs as if it was printing although the only action is to move the scanning lens along the line and incidentally martt a dot at the end of the line - it's a bad idea to use valuable original artvirork since it can get a nasty printed line down its right hand side unless you remove the printer ribbon while scanning. It is not a particularty quick job as the scanner ains along each of the 256 lines on the screen, but it can look very effective. The maximum area that can be read is about 8" by eVz", and the scanning process takes atwut 12 minutes for the whole page. If you only want to scan a small area you can interrupt the scanning once the bit you want has been recorded. The quality of the result depends very much on the type of picture that you are starting off with. MasterScan merely creates a dot-for-dot screen image of the picture you gave it. It isn't clever enough to recognise that certain patterns of dots happen to correspond to what humans recognise as words'. If you scan a page of text, don't expect a word processable text file out of MasterScan - there are devices called Optical Character Readers' which can do this, but they aren't available on the PCW. The true fax Ttie adverts for MasterScan proudly ann&unce ttial not enly can It scan pictures but In conjunction with a modem It Is an Ideal low- cost office tax machine. The Idea Is that you use MasterScan to scan a page of text anil diagrams, ttien with the aid of your communications software and mod«m transmit the page to someorw else. White ft does not detract very much from (tte product as a whole, It Is certainly overstating Ihlitgs to suggest that It could or would be used as a lax nnchirte. Anyone seriously considering lax transmissions ttas to take several tielalls Into account, tt Is not compatible with the general GT Fax system and can only send pictures to another PCW wllti ttte same software. You will also need to buy sonie communications software, a serial intertace and a modem to send pictures down phone lines, whictt all pushes the price up. However the main argument against using It as a lax Is that It does not handle text parilculariy well. Text under 20 point slie (fust sllgtitty smaller than llie headline of this box) comes out distorted and normal newsprint and book text would be completely illegible. The body text ol this page Is 6 point text. As taxes are often used for transmitting pages of tett and are seldom used lor sending Illustrations that do not have some sort ol text this Is extremely limiting. INSTANT Scanning a lew sizes oflext ▼ HBn'i iflnw tsHI Inl 4 polnb t>p« Hbtb'b Kuma IBXt In Ifi point lyp* HAFB'f sQnn« text jn ^B point type Here's some lexl In 20 potnt type Here's some text In 22 point type Here's sonne text In 24 point type Here's soniie 26 point type Here's some 30 point type A.»^ -»- " o c ,.-^i^ ^ type ype type IMAGES ONTEST ri Alec Rae puts you in the picture about a new way of getting illustrations onto your PCW Fade to grey MasterScan's main problem is that tine PCW screen displays everything in black and white (well, black and green to be exact). Shades of grey on photographs and so on therefore will be either black or white - there is a threshold at which darker shades are taken to be black and lighter shades white. The MasterScan interface box has a contrast switch to allow you to control this threshold, but it can mean that on delicate pictures you need to spend a long time getting the contrast just right for best results. The pictures that scan best are line drawings or any illustrations with strong contrasts. Photographs with a lot of grey in them can come out quite unlike the original. The other problem area is the quality of the paper that you use. Shiny surfaces do cause problems to the scanner and a lot of detail can be lost from a gloss finished photograph or magazine page. The manual suggests that you photocopy the shiniest papers. This would also be useful for any illustrations you are nof sure of as a photocopy tends to convert greys to black and white, so will give you a fair idea of how the illustration will turn out and could save you some time. The program takes account of the fact that there are a number of images that just won't reproduce properly and allows you to abort the scan at any time and asks at the end if you want to keep it or not. You can save the pictures as disc files (they each take 24k of space on the disc) and then read these files in to art programs or desktop publishing programs. What format? A great selling point with tulasterScan is that it can be used to create graphics in different formats It can be used with Fleet Street Editor. Newsdesk International. The Desktop Publisher and the brand new Stop Press from AMS. It can be used with Database's own drawing program MasterPaint where you can tidy it up, embellish it. merge it with other images or change it atiout generally. Being menu driven the program is extremely easy to use and there are no difficult commands to remember. Even operations like moving from one user group to another is no problem with MasterScan. There are some neat features like the ability to reduce the image by half or blow it up to six times normal size. Again the success of this depends very much on the individual image quality. You can also decide the width of your illustration by setting the scanner head to only go between specified column positions on the printer. Of course it is vital to have another program to export it to as you can do nothing with the pictures in MasterScan - other than sit and admire them. It will not print out the scanned picture for instance. However, it provides an invaluable source of suitable illustrations for anyone wanting to use graphics on the PGW, ^M Tale of two heads The version of MasterScan we reviewed would only wnK with pte-l 987 PCW pnnters - nemi ones have an unsurtaUe piinl tiead, as illustrated in last modtti's news pages Dataliase say tliat they have got round tliis by designing another litment lor newer prim heads allowing ihe scanner to piggyback on. We haven't seen the new unit but are assured thai it will ibe sent out as standard with all MaslerScans. PLUSES Simple mettiod of providing really suitable graphics. Suitable tor all desk top publishing programs Contrast control very uselul RANGE OF FEATURES EASE OF USE MINUSES ■ Quality of scanned text Is poor - no good lor lanes ■ Has problems with llluslralions with a lot ol grey In tt»m. PERFORMANCE DOCUMENTATION 8000 PLUS VALUE VERDICT ' 8000 PLUS 59 AMSTAT & STATMODE MODULAR STATISTICS AND MATHEMATICS PACKAGES MARKETED BY 5. C. COLEMAN LIMITED AMSTAT for PCW& CPC STATMODE for PC Compatibles AMSTAT li'STATMODE 1 mejrft.^ m. ijavi., VBfianoe, ske*. Jiurioji*, 1 nmtile, ? Hfnpte, and pafcreti t - leiii, l-Way-AOV wjth single and muli, vir\i. mituvgli, 2~wiiv -AOV.corfelrn, regrnsiofi, hijiogjjrttj, fcUdcEgnnns, IransformanwH, M^f IT&ro and foTricw, cwtEMJl (a WP F»k, rnqrual, f lomMc vjirsatries and atjieffvaHom to a ioui Ol ^00 (^ t dala tHHnK 1 13«X3 STATUODEl AMSTAT Z/^ATPK>[>E Z - 2? rtOrtpj-traniel rnc tprtv pfovidinq a "compluie Sie^el" BiFPomial, Chiiquw b1 3J , Ko4(no^Cnr~Smirrvovl2t. Rum. McNemar. S^an. VUilconOn, Walsh, flandDmiEallDnlS^ Finh-w, M«|ii»n I'eKtefuJar)), M^nn-tthtifwy. Wald -WaHdwiU, Mum, QtKhitn, FriMlmtn. Krirtltal-lMBtlhi, ConThrvncv. Sp««triun, Kcndilt. Kerrdali [va^tral, Conrf>rdanc(i, AMSTAT 3/STATHQDE 3: FORECASTING An tTfty or tiusinpH orlenled ma tlwmitMcal J|rh| iuC'slical wllware. Linear tfiij Polvrtantlal reEgrBsiian, Trend and Sencrivl VvnTion, Mullpplp ftegrmlon Afulv^'t. TramFOr mal lom. ExporwntMJ ^nootl^ing, Adapllw Filtering. Gfaphic diip^'v. 'uH printout, n^antial luited la immedlaib utr ar^d far ICKhing. 1 AddiE lanaJ pr^i^ vn Fof PC ^ AMSTAT 4f STATMODE 4: RSSOUflCE MAT4A0EMENT - LINEAR PROGRAMMINq MODULE General Puqiqw Lmfjr firwirarnmii nq + SpeciBlisod Transporittton ind AUMfiVnenl v^rr^nts Capable q1 ontlv^ii^ and sofvtrtg ^oUeira qF Kq^jencmg, li;tivclul ing, blending and alloctilan ol KVHt rMflurtn 40 ?aqf mdnuoj, 15 v^vrhTd eKamptE>s X^ ,1 m. « -, MAC i] AMSTAT 5/STATMODE G: SFANOVA Up. Ed S-kvav' anal^is q1 -jjinance Iw ctrj*l ■(*1J Siii(«. Unequal [»U ures on 1-w«v AOV. ManimLim af 20130 data poinEt J300 Ofi unwcpanded CP/M Z.3, 4000 Oft PC], IfiEwl from ASCII Filei. Output 10 Ki«!Pt Of Itxt file wilh full AOV tahlf t nuin and ■nieractiDn means and Neurnjn-K^uli oft maini eFfpLEi Manual IDIfccinlyi. AMSTAT 7/STATMODE 7: RESOURCE MANAGEMENT M - STOCK AND PRODUCTION ANALYSIS C j)3eulal iirKi oi econonrtic order quaniitic} for boiti nr^K and muUi'fllp Item* Dv'^4f"'C programm-i ng lo calculate optimum U'OduCti'&n schedules, for sirvgle liemt and COftlOi idalifln of sevetaF resulii into a n^ulll|llt iChedule. Also Panio arKl Lar«nf df>alviis " ■^ *■ Oulput IQ screen or printer- Inc4ud« Opwraikmal martual *ith mi a worked emmplM, Tbt prof^-anu Fave jpplicauom m f^urch oi all kincH, education, alti, production planmiq. wxjrfc and method' study, financial pUnmng. pccsorme!!, socuil work eic "'i wftl tertaintjf b* uwng flhem myf^if in (fce future and nt> r«ir/«vr«- can otfer a wpnTKT i'«'«nvn«ndatyor} fhJW tlllt, " tV, Pt(«r Morrii, AnrsErad Prafraianjut Co^mputing, May ( 987. Pr«ai Lot CPC PCH PC AMSIAri E25 96 E!)95 STATHODEI £2996 AMSTAT! EM.9S E39.9S STATMODE! £39 96 AMSTAT3 Eisrn tZJ.95 STATMODE 3 £39.95 AHSTATJ EZ5.96 (27 96 STflTMt}0E4 E29.SS fl«STAT6 C2S.9S £27.95 STATM00E6 £23.96 AMSTAT 7 t:25 9S E2796 STATMOOE7 £29.95 ANY 2 - 16* DISCOUNT CHEOUESANDF.O.iTO ANY 4 -3(J\ DISCOUNT PlM» enquire few S,C. COLEMAN LTD, Educst^nsj quBntily discaynli 33 LEICESTER HOAD.ASH9Y DELS ZOUCH LEtCESTERSHlFtE PT^Tg. 1 ANDPACKJ r ^ 1 ^^H UK BUTE) INCLUDE POST GINGINTHE TEL:0S30»15919 CCUOE WAT 11 Hou Annverphcie. T«hrica tnt|ui„tt tUw S.Mtm ALIVE! The LocoScript add-on software they could not destroy! Ansiblelndex and AnsibleCheck are back, fully compatible with all current versions of LocoScript. These programs are indispensable to professional writers, academics, researchers (etc), using the Amstrad PCW 8256/8512/9512: Ansiblelndex - fuWy featured extraction indexer for LocoScript text documenu. Alphabetization by letter or by word. Correct page references, Indexes WORDS, PHRASES and INVERTED PHRASES. Full editing of the index is possible, plus page-proof compati- bility. (Includes AnsibleCheck. and other useful programs.) Price: £49.50 AnsibleCheck- The only trouble-free LocoScript word counter. No special formats, no commands to learn, no esti- mates. Fast and reliable. Looks for repeated words too. Price:£l9.S0 Both packages inclutfe the notorious GREASE, which we originally wrote for fufi, but which people keep finding new uses for ... If you wish to know more about any of our programs, request our current information sheet. Our software is accompanied by an operating manual written in plain English. The price shown includes VAT, delivery anywhre in the word and full after-sales support. No hidden extras! ANSIBLE INFORMATION (Dept D8) 94 London Road Reading Berkshire, RG I 5AU, England T<|: 0672 62576 ALL OUR PRICES INCLUDE CARRIAGE & VAT HSV COMPUTER SERVICES LIMITED (8(K)(» 23, Hampstead House, Town Centre, Basingstoke, RG21 ILG Continuous Stationery . _„. . v«= T}ar( all t'dees Dust Covers CPC 6128 2pce Set =£7.30 t'CW 8256,' 85 12 3pce set =£8.95 Strong water-resistant, anti-static nykm l. Crey vvith Royal Blue piping. L} 5" X 11-60 GSM Micro-Perf all edges Labels 4,0" X 1,5" (1 across X 1.5" (2 across) X 1.5" (^ across) 250 £5.25 £7.25 500 1000 2000 £4 9S £8-* ^14.95 £13.5U £25.50 Labels 4.0" Labels 2.75" £2.95 £3.25 £3.75 2.75 4.95 £5.50 £6.50 £4.50 9.50 £10.50 11.95 £8,50 ^^^^^^^ f7 7Q 5=£12.95, 10 = £24.95 AMSOFT 3" disks 1 = £2.70, ^ Prinfpr Rihhnn<i Disk Storage Boxes ^„ Hinged Lid -lO cased ^ LockabJe AMS20 cased ^^^^EXTRASTO PAY Joxes ~ -> £5.95 £12.95 Credit Card _ I Hotline (0256) 463507 Faxline (0256) 841018 Printer Ribbons I'C W S5 12/8256 Black £3.95 f'CVV 8512/8256 Colours £4,95 PCW 9512 Black £4.95 DMP 4000 Black £6.95 DM1' 201K).'.3(XX) Black £2.95 * Colours Available are:- Red, Blue, Green, Brown, Orange, I'urple. { Acc8ss| READING FOR PROFIT ost writers are compulsive readers, hopelessly addicted to ttie solitary pleasures of the printed word, (I keep waiting for our dear government to realise tfie perils, and plaster the country with posters saying FtCTION REALLY SCREWS YOU UP, or warning of the terrible diseases you might get from sharing paperbacks.) Most writers, sooner or later, have a glorious moment of revelation when they find that one can lounge around reading books and gef paid turn... One of the reasons for my being a bit dogmatic about manuscript presentation - see several previous columns - is that when not at the keyboard, I intermittently suffer ttirough all too many grotty nianuscripts. If you want to lounge around earning ridiculously tiny sums of money, try the humble calling of "publisher's reader". Unsolicited plug Y«j can team lots about ffte pittalls of novel-writ Jng from Chrlslopfter Derrick's Reader's fteport (Gollancz, 1969) 'Wise advice from a publisher's reader wtio's seen it all. te the date Indicates, computers do not feature; ttie warnings are still horribly tnie. Try ttie library. The background is like this. Each year, far too many books appear. Those which are pubiishec" are the mere tip of the iceberg, the thinnest possible skim of cream atop the vast churning unpublishabie torrents which pour with terrible fluency from tens of thousands of Amstrad PCWs. Editors haven't time to read all the unsolicited stuff from unknown authors: they reject some at a glance for being handwritten, typed single-spaced on translucent paper with no margins on either side, or sabotaged by an inept covering letter. ("This is a totally new Sci Fi idea. Its all about a huge Meteor weighing tons of light year's which is going to smash right into Earth's orbit... OR IS IT^?!'") The odds are that, while the full-time editor gets down to the serious work of copyediting some new Jeffrey Arcfier coprolite into readable shape, the brilliant novel by unknown you will be farmed out for a freelance reader's report. The lowly reader is thus subjected to the real dregs These haggard beings gather sometimes in pubs (where, in deference to the complaints of alcohol-hating 8000 Pius subscribers, they only ever drink slimline tonic water) and swap anecdotes about legendary grot. One well-known fantasy author, for example, apparently wrote a book which has never got past the publisher's-reader stage, being called Mercycle and dealing with the exploits of mermaids on bicycles. Gorblimey. Transatlantic traumas Before you all burst into tears at the thought of my sufferings, I'll admit I'm lucky enough to report mainly on writers who are publish able - usually the book's been sold in the USA, and a British outfit wants an opinion. You see some funny things: A high-tech author whose name is synonymous with glittering computerised SF still bashes it out on an old manual typewriter, the typebars so out of alignment that you'd think the writer was using a pneumatic drill with the other hand LocoScript may have its limitations, but (after the embarrassing early bugs of Loco 1 ) there's never been any trouble with page numbers. It was an author whose word-processing software alone cost more than a ROW who turned in a script with un-numbered pages.... Anticipating the paperless office, one author sent in a disc rather than a printout. When the postman bends an ordinary manuscript, legibility is rarely harmed; when he tries to bend a 3" PCW disk, it usually puts up a successful fight; unfortunately this disk was one of the limp 5 '/*" monsters favoured by IBM and the PCI 51 2. Through brilliant computer skills I eventually recovered the file with the novel, only slightly creased.... So much for anecdotes - though my favourite computer-cum- publishing story is too good to omit despite having nothing to do with the toils of readers. Famous author X had the bright idea of arranging for the little printing firm up the road to typeset straight from his disks, thus saving the publishers staggering sums of money! Presumably the little typesetter wasn't frightfully efficient, since the unamused publishers later worked out that the book had cost them more than boring old conventional typesetting would have. This was also the author who made his alien speech authentic by cunning use of Exchange: he would write "rabbit", say, throughout the text, and when the story was finished the word processor would change every mention of rabbits to the more science-fictional sm'eerp. Please do not all imitate this technique What the poor sod of a publisher's reader hopes for is legibility (new ribbon, high quality print, and don't use 17-pitch). literacy (which lies between you, your conscience, your dictionary and Fowler's Modern Er)g!ish Usage) and liftability (a typescript weighing six kilograms must be separable into bite-size chunks for actual reading). The read-through by a conscientious editor or publisher's reader is the one time you can rely on the undivided attention of a professional at whom you are not actually pointing a gun. If the reader has had a retina detached by the attempt to follow faded text, and is also worrying about blood poisoning thanl<s to the jagged gash torn in one hand by your amateur job of stapling, he or she may not be totally impartial when reporting on your masterpiece. On the other hand, clipping £1 00 in used fivers to page 94 (which Brian Aldiss told me could help with the Booker Prize) doesn't necessarily work either. .. Tlie token Loco 2 mention A correspondent bewailed not being able to persuade Loco 2 to print a tieader or the last page of anything. Later he tiapptiy reported that a newer version of the program had fixed this. I doni know whether they've cured the points thai still bother me: (a) no screen image" prim with [EXTRA]+[f>TRl, presumably intentional since its not in the Loco 2 manual; lb) some accented characters are scrambled when files are converted 1o ASCII. You might expect the accents to be lost when the accented character isnt in the Amstrad ASCII table, but certain characters are changed to something completely wrong, {{a} was certainly fixed a while back. Locomotive will swap any old versions for new if you return your master disc tor replacement. It's free lor real bug fixes, a fiver if you just coiled upgrades - Ed.) 8000 PLUS 61 AEON COMPUTER HOUSE PCW8256 8512 PCW J SPACE SAVERS Try our professional & friendly service for all your computing requirementst ^ Full range of software & peripherals -k Computer Systems * Networked Systems -k Supplies * Repair Service k installation it Maintenance Contracts (Sample prices ex VAT:) PCW8256 285.00 PCW85 1 2 379.00 PCW95I2 cw "Locoscript II + high quality, wide carriage daisywheel printer 474.0(1 Export. Educational A Official purdtate orders welcome. Open Monday "Saturday famSpm. Teleplmta OtOers Welcome. 46 Christchurch Ftoad, Oxton, Wfrral L43 5SF ^ Tel:0SI6S29l96/7 FREE CF2 disc Ih '■*" producls unlil Xmas PRINTER STANDS Desk Top or Monitor Mounting — E9.S0 * Monitor Mounting Tray — £15.00 ' Transportation Handle — £19,95 * Tray S Printer Stand — El 9.95 * as a pair. Use your PCW to the full UPGRADE its MEMORY £18.95 8256 SECOND DRIVE inc. all Tools Required £124.95 * CF2 DISCS Plaslkc Cased £2.40 each £1 1 .95 for 5 £23.49 for 10 Send for our FREE CATALOGUE packed with UNBEATABLE OFFERS and useful H\HTS & TIPS. Altprices include VATandP&P— U.K. MEAC Designs Dept 8p, 5a Harpton Parade, Village Way. Yateley Camberley, Surrey, GU17 7SB, 0252 879005 Anytime /f^ f^ MIDf)S SOFTWf)RE 53. BUSH HALL ROAD, B(LLERICAy, ESSEX CM 1 2 OPU ?*r0245J 461946 FREE 20 Page Colour Catalogue ific(udes software for IBM PC & Compatible machines PCW Software \ FINANCIAL MODELUNC: SUPEfiCALC I £37.95 CRACKER 2 £37.95 SCRATCHPAD PLUS £37.50 WORD PROCESSING: f\iEWWOfiD J £5). 75 POCKET WORDSTAR £29.9S LOCOMAIL or LOCOSPEli £29.95 MICRO COtiECTION [W/Piocessing. database. Spreadsheet 6. l3beliirig( £37,95 LOCOSCRIPT 2 £18.95 DAISY DISC (Pnnrs LoctKcrtpt documents on BrothK Daisy WTieel Printersl £13.50 PfiOTEXT £59,95 BRAJNSTORM ROTATE SMARTKEY FLEXILASEl. GRAPHICS: DRDRAW DfiGRVH COMMUNICATI ONS: DIAL UP CHIT CHAT E-Mail' & viewaatj' V^ £40.25 f 19.95 £29.95 £23. (Kl £37.95 £37.95 £84.95 £89.95 ACCOUNTVPAVROLL: CAM SOFT irrom £19.95) CAMSOFT INTEGRATED PSIL £ 1 1 9,95 MAP (from £49001 MAP INTEGRATED ACCOUNTS £119.95 SAGe|(rom£69 99| SAQEACCOUNTS/PAYROLl £11 5.00 TRAINING: TOUCH N' GO £19.95 I ANKEY Typing Crasn Course £19.95 lANKEY 2 Fingers Conversion £ 1 9.95 AUDIO TUTORIALS (Supercalc. Locoscript, Nevwvord or CPM & Basic] £7.95 STEP BY STEP GUIDE TO LOCOSCRIPT £4.45 DATABASE MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS: CAM BASE I £42.45 CAKDBOX £47.99 CONDOR I £79.99 OBASE II £79.95 SAGE RETRIEVE £57.50 DELTA I 25 £79.99 GAMES: 3D CLOCK CHESS £12.65 BRIDGE PLAYER 2000 E 1 5.95 r DISCS ■N 10 3- CF2 DISCS t £23.00 \ THE DESK TOP PUBLISHER [ £19.95 i POCKET WORDSTAR DELUXE ( £39.9"5 I SPELLSTAR (For Pocket WordStar) [ £9.95 \ PCW 9512 \ £573.85 Plus £50 FREE SOFTWARE VOUCHER ALL PRICES INCLUDE VAT & POSTAGE LISTINGS PLUS IHE PERSONAL TOUCH Here is a practical way to use your PCW to keep track of the rrotiey in your many bank accounts. It allows you to enter all tfiectieques or debits and any deposits (why is it there are always rrore debits?) and keeps track of tfie current balance inafile on yourdisc. When you run the program, the first thing you are asked for is the number of the account you want to look at - this means the short number 1 , 2 or 3 printed by the account at ttis top right of the screen {not the 7 digit number in your cJieqje book!) followed, as always, by [RETURN], Next the current balance and most recent entry date is shewn for that account, and you are asked whether to go on or not - type Y to make additions, or N to look at another account or exit. Follow ttie prompts by first typing in the date Next you »e asked for all debits (or cheques cashed), Type in the amount of the debit, and the program will carry on in a loop asking until you are all done. The program keeps track of the total with depressing accuracy. To indicate that youVe fmistied entering debits, just press [RETURN) without typing anything. After this you are asked if you have managed to scrape together any deposits to cover all these cheques. In the lil^ely event that there are none just press [RETURN] to go on You are only allowed one deposit per day, but if you're clever you could alter the program to have the same Bank Statement Brian F Wright continuous entry system as for debits by using the method in lines 110 and 120. You can decide on the names of the accounts you want to keep track of by adjusting the text in line 20. Remember to enter the name in quotes - "Swiss" or "Cayman Islands" and the number. The program will print these on the screen as a memory jogger for you. At the end the program prints out a statement of affairs with your ingoings and outgoings and the new balance, and you can move on to gloat over the vast amount of money you have tucked away in your deposit account. The final balances are written out to a tile for use next time you run the program - the individual debits and credits aren't recorded, but at least this way it isn't too much of a bind to keep an accurate check on your bank balances. RSI Brian F Vrtght 10 PRUT CHB»<27)+'B"+CaE»<27>+"H* 20 PHIIT TAB<60)"CnBEEIT-l-;PRIIT TAB<60>" DEPOSIT- 2* :PB IK TAB (60 > "8/800-3 " 30 OPEI ■H",l,"PlliICE-,14: FIELD 1,4 AS BAL»,10 iS DS 40 IIPOT "iCCOOrr ITJKBER "jBiL*; CBI l.BALl: 50 a=CyS<BlL«): CLOSE 60 IF CyS<BAL4)<0 THEI GOSUB 200 70 PRIIT:PRII7 "Last Dote "jD* 60 PHirr 'OTIRTIIG BiLAICE " tJSIIG ■X####.##";a 90 IIPOT "Do you want to continue 'iUSS: IF UPPER* (LEFT* (AISS, l)><>'y THEI 180 100 IIPDT "DATE " ; date* 110 llPtrr "CHEQUE/DEBIT ¥ALDB";b:IF b=0 GOTO 130 120 l>=b+c;c=b;COT0 110 130 IIFHT •DEPOSIT ";d 140 f=o-c+d 150 PRirr OSIIG -Start Bal £ ff###, f# out £»««.» dep £##*#.## bal £#<»#,##'; a, c, d, f 160 OPEI •R",1,'FIIAICE',U: FIELD 1, 4 AS BAL*. 10 AS Dt 170 LSET BALS=IIKS»<f):LEET D*=<iate»; POT 1, BAL%: CLOSE: CLEAR 180 IIPOT "Do you MOnt another account" jAISi: IF OFFER* (LEFT* (AiS», 1) )="T" GOTO 20 190 BID 200 PRIIT "YOU ARE OYERDRASI BT",TABC60) OSIIG •£####,##" ;a:RETOim 07ca 0667 1AC3 ofet 07(1 OAiF am mi \m 0390 1]3i 06FS OS ID 0307 UU OEFi 1526 1697 02CB tSES 8000 PLUS 63 LISTINGS PLUS Handwritten type 64 8000 PLUS Kelvin Stott Now this is really personalising your PCW. Have you ever felt annoyed t>y the style of ttie screen lettering, or trustrafed ttiat you can't define your own special display characters? This listing takes all the lower case letters on your PCW screen and turns them into beautifully flowing joined-up writing. Although only 15 lines, the listing is packed with a fair amount of detail. It would be wise to check the program carefully (using the 8000 Plus Basic Checker program if possible) before running as even a small mistake on ttie data lines from 70 to 1 50 could have some drastic effects on your character set. And do save the program (as described in the 'How to type in a listing' box) t>efore running it, since a mistake in lines 20-30 could make your PCW lock up. (If this happens, alt you can do is turn off and restart.) As soon as you run the program you will see the results - BASIC'S messages witi come up on the screen in handwriting, "Vou will need to run this program every time you start the PCW up, since the character set changes are not permanent and are forgotten when you turn off (and, it follows, turning off and on again is the simplest way to revert to normal characters). The new characters cannot be used for LocoScript. Unfortunately this beautiful script does not come out on the printer but it does give a whole new look to the green screen, tt you're really desperate to get a hard copy 8256/851 2 users can of course get a screen dump pressing [EXTRA] and [PTR]. You will be amazed at what a little listing will do. The upper case characters are unchanged, so when you are writing a program for yourself you can mix ordinary upper case words with pseudo-handwritten lower case comments for effect. How it all works With a little ingenuity, you can easily adapt this program to create any characters you like on your screen. If you are writing your own games programs you might set up the '2' r^r ■■■..■.■■v-:'5-!".'; A Ttie doi layout tot I tie 'handwrinen' vefsion ol the ctiaradet 'a' LISTINGS PLUS character to be a Space tnvader, for example. The essence of the program is in lines 70 to 150 - tfrese contain the magic numbers which define what pattern of dots tte PCW displays on its screen when you tell it to print a particular character from 'a' to 'z'. Each letter on the screen is n>ade up on a grid of 8 by 8 *)ts-you can see them it you look really closely. The pattern of 64 dots for each letter is stored in the PCW's memory. The numbers in the DATA statements from lines 70 to 150 are in fact 26 sets of 8 numbers, each set of 8 numbers (Wiring the dot pattern for a' to 'z' respectively. The first eighl (0, 0, 30, 1 02. 1 98. 205, 1 1 B, 0) make up the handwritten letter 'a' for example, To understand how the figures are arrived at you have to refer to the little diagram at the bottom left. Each number in Itie sot of 8 which defines a letter's shape corresponds to a row of 6 dots. The first number is the top row, the last the bottom row. Each column is given a number (1 , 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64 or 128) as labelled. Once you have drawn your character on the 8x8 grid, you work out what the code number for each row is by adding up all the column codes in that row. So if you want to put one dot in the top right hand corner you would put in a 1 tor the first row code. For a dot in the top right hand corner (1} and one in the top left hand corner (128) you would use 1 29. To fill every dot in a row you add all the y Longer programs needed!!! starting from next month, we're changing the look of Listings Plus. As well as continuing the very papular short listings we do, tfwre will be one major listing going over two pages, With notes and suggestions on how lo Improve it.This means we are looking for well written programs of 50-100 lines which we can use. Of course, since we still want shod listings loo, the longer ones will have to be reaffy special! If you can program you could earn hard cash and instant tame by having your program printed in BOOO Plus. Give instructions on an accompanying sheet tor using the program, and it there are any useful modifications that readers can make by simple edits to customise the program, mention those too. To submit a listing you must supply: 1. Aprlnloutofthellsling; 2. A disc on which it is saved; 3. A stamped, addressed padded bag for its return; 4. An explanation of what it does and how to use tt; 5. A signed statement confirming that the program Is your own work and hasn't been submitted to anybody else. Send your listings to Listings, 8000 Plus, 4 Queen Street, Bath BAl iEJ. Piease allow up to 40 days for return of your disc - the listings are assessed in a batch once a month. values together and get 255, With this knowledge and a bit of experimentation you could modify the program to adapt the character set to suit yourself. In line 40 you see that the DATA values in lines 70 to 150 are being used to redefine the screen versions of ASCII characters 97 to 1 22 (ie. 'a' to 'z'}. By changing this to 71 to 96 you could adapt your own character set for all the capital letters. Or you could leave the text as it is and redefine some lesser used graphics keys such as U2, { and } to be your Space Invaders, 10 HEIORY UEBFFE:FOR hex=AHC070 TO &HC0d8:S£AIr pk:P0O hez,pk;:IEXT hex ISiO 20 DATA 243,62,129,211,241,62,130,211,242,175,95.103,22,184,58,153,192,111,41,41 1100 30 DATA 41,25,17,154,192.235.1,8,0,237,176,62,133,211,241,62,134,211,242,251,201 HOF 40 FOR char=9r TO 122: POKE 4eC099,char 0D7fl 50 FOR rDw=l TO 8;RBA1> binary (row) : POKE MC099+row, (binary (roK) ): lEIT row 1C70 60 cl=»HC070:CALL cl:IEIT char 0fl£8 70 DATA 0,0,30,102,198,205,118,0,48,48,96,108,198,199,60,0,0,0,60,102,192,193,126,0 1108 80 DATA 6.6,12,124,204,205,118,0,0,0,124,216,240,193,126,0,15,24,24,24,252,159,48,224 126B 90 DATA 0,0,124,204,204,127,56.224,48,48,96,124,204,205,198,0,12,0.12,24,56,217,14,0 1233 100 DATA 12,0,12.28,120,153,62,240.48,48,96,124,228,217,206,0,12,28,24,48,112,153,14,0 USB 110 DATA 0,0,119,127,214,199,198.0.0.0,124,102,204,205,198,0,0,0,60,110,102,231,60,0 HAfi 120 DATA 0.0,60,102,102,239,96,192.0,0,124,204,216.247,60,112,0,0,125,102,196,195,192,0 12C2 i30 DATA 0.0,124,102.198.143,56.0,48,48,96,124,192.193,126,0.0,0.102,102,204,205,118.0 !2i3 140 DATA 0.0,102.102.110,251,48,0,0,0,99.99.214,255,108,0,0,0,119,156,24,153,110.0 1123 150 DATA 0,0,102,102,204,127.56.224,0,0,60,102,204,135,60,112 OCDD 8000 PLUS 65 LISTINGS PLUS Find/Exchange Richard Cox Being able to do simple text editing operations on a BASIC program can often be invaluable. The norma! BASIC system only allows you to make ctranges on one line at a time, which is hardly very hi-tech. You can o( course use a word processor to edit programs, but this can be inconvenient: here is a way to do it all without ever leaving BASIC by having your own Find/Exchange program. This can come in useful in a numt>er of ways. For instance if you are testing a program which has tots of LPRINT statements you can end up wasting a lot of paper and time. The best thing to do is change all the LPRINTsto PRINTS while testing, and change them back when the whole thing works. This listing is custom built for just such an occasion. First save the program you want to edit in ASCII form with the command save "filename", a. Now, Supposing you have saved this Find and Exchange listing as FINDEX.BAS, type RUN "F INDEX". The program asks you for the name of the program you just saved, so type whatever you chose for FILENAf^E earlier. You are now being asked for the string of characlers to be changed (say PRINT) and the string that you want to change it to (LPRINT). Each line of your program is printed out on screen and each time PRINT is mentioned it is highlighted with an impressive device made of up-arrows. (When you need to write an up-arrow in line 190 as you type the listing in use [EXTRA] and U.) You then have the choice I 10 E»-CHB»<27): H»=BJCH-; lfl=CBKl<10>; cbti=BifJ'! cls»=E»+"l" 20 rvl'Slfp"; OT»=i»+"q": upt=E»fI": DEFIIT i zi YIDIH 255 30 PRirr cl5l;M 40 IIPDT -Enter progr«B Haw: ".prngS: TJtlTI SO IF DPPEBi<GI0RT»(prog»,3)K>'BAS- TBSI progj-progj*" . bna- 60 nPEI *l".l,prog»; OFEI "o- ,Z, "K: te«p. Ml" to LIIE IIPUT ■ aid string: '.ai 80 Lire TIPDT * new strlDg: ".nt 00 FBirr 100 WHILE KJT BOFll) 110 LtlE ireOT ri,lDl 120 FE[IT Igt 130 pllCTKdDt.Dt): miLB pOO: GOEDB 180: WMD UO PEIIT »2.Int 150 veiD 160 CLOSE 1,2 170 LOAD •X:tetlp.%$i' ISO peiTT up*;up> 190 PKirr LHFT»aBt,p-n;lft;STBIIOiaEI«o»>."'-): PBIIT "Bichange? I/I: ■; 300 IF nFPERi<lIPnTi(l))='T" TKBI ln»=LBrrt (In*, p-ll+ii*+»ID»<lii», ptLEKoll}! p^JJtLWClil) 210 PR in upI:upI:iip»:CUF*a3): FBIIT liiS;ct>tl 220 p^ItSTBCptl, Inl.Qt] 230 EETTJBI OFll mi nil 151! XV mi nn oil) IMS MCI 0311 «m 0E3T lElt \m tm am Entrr proira* tut: tni •M >tr ng: iw sir Kg: m &mim(*j ;p4)*v/i Tm HUM £>iclung«? m: ^£^^m^mn^ (SlIiMOHDiRnT of changing that occun-ence or not. Once all the changes have been made the modified program is automatically reloaded for you, so typing run will run it You still have to save the altered program in the normal way or the edits will be lost when you leave BASIC. There are a thousand and one other possible uses of this program For instance, if you want to find every line that a variable TOTAL$ is mentioned in your program you can exchange TOTALS for TOTALS (ie. leave it unchanged!) and the exchanging program will pause at every occurrence. Your eye might not notice that you type TOTALS where you meant TOTALS but the machine won't be fooled. How to type in a listing The first ttilng to do Is to load Mallard BASIC. Turn on your PCW and put ttte copy of tlw CP/M master disc in drive A. When IIk A> prompt appears type BASIC and press [RETURN]. After a tew secorKis a message about Mallard BASIC will appear on tlie screen, ending wilti the prompt 'Ok'. Type In each line carefully, starting with ttie line numl>e» and ending with [RETURN]. The four figure number codes on tf»e extreme rtghl of each line should not be typed - this Is for checiiing purposes if you are using the 8000 Plus checker program as printed last montl). Be careful not lo mix up capital i, lower case 1 and the digit i, capital o with the digit D, colons and semicolons, commas and full stops. You should always save any listing to disc before running It. lo do this type SAVE "F»osuH~ - you can choose any name you tike up lo eight letlers in place of PROGRAM, When you've finished, type list [RETURN] and the whole program will appear on the screen. Check it, and if any lines are wrong correct them with Ihe 'line editor'. For example, If there is a mistake in line too type edit lOO {RETURN]. Use the arrow keys and the delete key to correct the line, and press [RETURN] when finished. You can delete a whole line by typing Its number and then [RETURftf]. To mn the program, simply type wm [RETURN].,. But! It's more than likely that no matter how metteulousty you typed in the listing It won't work first time. You may get an error message such as 'Syntax error In 100'. The line numtwr given In any error message may not be exactly where the error is, il Is simply witere Ihe program got stuck. You may have to took around for the mistake. Vou can list out the program to the printer (use ujsi) and check it against Ihe magazine copy. When you llnd the mistake use the line editor as descritied to correct it, re- run the program and keep going until you have got It working. Don't forget to save Ihe final working version to disci To leave BASIC and get back to CP/M type S![Sis» [RETURN], To mn the program another day, start up BASIC in the same way, put In the disc with the saved program and type RUN 'SKXSHt" (giving Ihe name you savett il under in place of PROGRAM, of course). 66 8000 PLUS MENU-MATE THE FACTS AT YOUR FINGERTIPS Never forget another com- mand with Menu-mate*^ Templates to remind you. Save time and end frustra- tion because commands and simple instructions are at your fingertips for quick and easy reference. Richman Software's Menu- Mate"^ is easier to use than books or reference cards, the facts are complete, properly organised to help you and available at a glance. The first in a range of key- board templates for popular micros and software. PATENT APPLIED Select options instantly, by- pass the menus. Why press six keys when two will do the same job? See the exact appearance of your letter as you type it . . . no more guesswork. Throw away the manual! Menu-Mate''^ gives simple in- structions on cutting, copying and pasting blocks and phrases for instant reference. Never lose work because it wasn't saved. Menu-Mate'^ acts as a constant reminder and shows you howl Shows special features of Locoscript almost unknown. <>CW li I tritfMnirk ol kmtni (iVc LOCOSCRIPT i COMPATIBLE Menu-Mate'^' is precision cut to fit the PCW Keyboard ex- actly. This allows stability and easy removal. Special introductory price of £6.99 -H p&p includes free Locoscript guide. Generous discounts available for bulk purchase. Call for quantity discounts or quotations on custom made templates to meet your spe- cial needs. ORDER NOW ON THE FORM BELOW AND KEEP THE JOY IN YOUR JOYCE! Please make Chq/P.O. payable Co: Richman Software, FREEPOST, Harlow g Essex CMIO I BR Tel: (0279) 1540 1 t Please send MenL-Mate*/sat £6.99 + E1 25 p&p to; Name: Address: Overseas add C4.CI0 p&p payable in Sterling. Allow 21 days delivery Major credii cards accepted PUBLIC DOMAIN PUBLIC INTELLIGENCE His appetite whetted by this month's Al feature, Frank Peters looks at a Public Domain LISP interpreter. Artifreial Intelligence - Al for short - is one of the most glamorous areas of computing at tfie moment. As this month's cover feature explains, a simple study of the techniques of Al will equip you to create computerised accountants, to write programs that understand English sentences, or to build your own robot. Well, to be honest these programming feats are still hot topics of debate in universities. However, there is a lot you can do for yourself given the right tools. By popular vote (ie. the Americans all use it), the programming language LISP is tfietool for artificial intelligence programming. And iucltily there is a LISP interpreter available in the Public Domain - yours for the phce of a phone call. Where to go If you want to get hotd «>f Public Domain software, there are two sources which might interest yau. The CP/U User Group pulilishes a vast software library, Ihougfi not ali of H is relevant to PCW owners. TIk sottware itself Is free, but there Is an annua) subscription and copying fee per disc. Details from The Secretary, CP/M User Group, 72 Mill Road, Hawley, Darttord, KenI DA2 TRZ- please enclose a large SAL Anottier soume is PD Softwam of WInscombe House, Beacon Road, Crowborough, East Sussex TM6 1UL (ptwne 08926 63298). Again, lltere are membership and copying charges. If you are Into the wor<d of comms, you can download software from Frank Peters' bulletin board, active 24 hours a day on 04E2 70Q644. The current PD LISP system is all due to the hard work of Lanfranco Emiliani. The library of files supplied not only includes the interpreter program itself, namely LISP.COM, but the complete source code in Pascal as well {LISP. PAS). Thus if you are unhappy with the way it has been written, or you are a born 'tweaker' you can feel free to customise the What is LISP? LfSP stands tor List ftocessing, and Is a programming language based around the idea that everything - program code, text strings and numbers - Is simply a list of characters. There ate computers dedicated to just running LISP (imaginatively cafled 'LISP machines'). If you see one of ttiese you will notice Ifiat the keys ' (' and ' ) ' are very prominent - you don't need to hold down [SHIFT! to type brackets. This Is because in LISP everything has brackets around it. Here's an example of LISP code: (CCW (SQ A B) (3BTQ C 1} (SEIQ C 2] ) Tills Is equivalent to the BASIC line: ir A>eB TSSS Cnl EL^ 0^2 "Why is USP considered a 'better' programming language than BASIC?" you may ask. One reason is that there Is no distinction between data and code In a LISP program. This can be very useful, in that you can construct a string of text as a program goes and then run It. The BASIC equivalent would be having a string variable containing "FOR 1=1 TO 1000:NEXT" and then being able Id run that text as BASIC commands. 66 8000 PLUS source however much you i ike and then re-compite it into a runnable program again. {Yes, there is even a Pascal compiler in the Public Domain too!) To run the program, simpiy type lisp from CP/M. There are two ways to enter programs into LISP: you could use a text editor to prepare a LISP program and then load this into the LISP system, or alternatively you could just type in the program directly at the LISP prompt, just as you do with Mallard BASIC. Capital letters have to be used tor all the LISP reserved words - for example, names of functions. 11 is a wise precaution, therefore, always to work with the 'Caps Lock' mode on the PCW. so that all letters come out as capitals, but ali numbers as numbers (full 'Shift Lock' makes 1 234 come out as •■*£$ and so on). To engage and disengage Caps Lock on the PCW use [ALT]+[ENTER], that is, hold down the [ALT] key and then press [ENTER]. From start to FIN Once LISP has initialised itself it wil announce itself ready for input with the prompt 'READY'. You can now type in the sequence of LISP expressions you wish to be evaluated on one or more lines. Each expression must be preceded and followed with a set of brackets to allow the LISP interpreter to isolate it as an \ expression. When you have finished command entry and you wish to see the result of your labours, press carriage return twice. If you have had enough and wish to return back to CP/M, enter FIN followed by two carriage returns. Along with LISP interpreter is an ASCII text file called INITLISP which is used to supply data to the interpreter to alter the LISP environment. What this means is that you could add your own function definitions to this file and hence effectively increase the range of commands available as you program. The INITLISP data is in fact written in LISP and so any of the commands available to LISP can be used in this file, thus making it quite possible to create a reasonably powerful LISP environment. Lanfranco has even thoughtfully inctuded an example o( how you can use the INITLISP file to customise your own LISP system. Among the commands available in this PD LISP are all the usual standards such as AND. APPEND, ATOM, CAR, CDR, COND, CONS, COPY, DEFEXP, DEFFEXP, EQ, EQUAL, EVAL, FUNCTION. LABEL, LAMBDA. LAST, LEtvJGTH, LIST, NOT, NULL, OR, PROG, PROGN. QUOTE, REMOB, REPLACEH, REPLACET, REVERSE, SET, SETQ, TRACE, UNTRACE. Functions dealing with numbers have not been supported, but then again real programmers don't use numbers anyway. Overall, this version of LISP is a nice way for you to discover whether you are going to find LISP a useful language or not. For really serious LISP hackers, the lack of more sophisticated functions may prove constraining. There are of course many fine commercial LISP implementations, but that's another story. an ^(&^A FESTIVE TEMDISC ^&^a Doubte sided CHRISTMAS Edition including 1988 Calendar, Diary, bordered labeJs etc. InatanI Tsmplatat. fotm^ and social letterheads, family tree. Invoices, Hotel Menu, shipping, venicaJ lined lists etc. Reviewers descritie TempDisc as "Exoellent . clever .* . ingenious .., instruclfve „. £14.95 PLEASi STATE FOR LOCOSCRIPT "1" OR "2" "2" Includes ttwse Christmas Charaaers ^ -^ aS =£1: ;« <^ «;^ fp» a? A F;^ l6J ^ j3i ^ E Sdiool 4 Teacher Admin Tempdisc El 6,95 Sond lor lull produa list THURSTON BROWN ASSOCIATES FREEPOST EXMOUTH DEVON EX8 2YZ Have a go at PCW programming with; FREEC a public domain floaling pomt small C compiler for )he Aimstrad PCW range for just L4.D0. (PC compatible and CPC versions available too). We also have: IhTTEGER Q — oHers many more G lacililias at U>e ej^Mnse ol floabng point numbers F0RTH-e3 — full impiemerttation PASCAL — The JBT vefsion of Pascal COBOL — the pxyputar business prograrnming langu^e - strong Qr\ file handling XLISP — symtwiic lartguage for Al progfamming PISTOL — an expenmental language based on ideas lafcen from Forth 28£ — superb machine code debugger — run-time moniior, assemiD^er, disassembi&r and mar»y more pubNc domain programs for PCWs, all ai £4.00 each, S&nd an I3p stamp for our caratogijes We publish catalogues for Arrjstr^ CPCs and PCs as w^if as PCWs so piease state which macfitne you have. POSTAGE — piease add 50p for The ftrsf dtsk and f Op per dish ihereatJsr PROSPEC Shareware, PC Box 28, Beeston, Nottingham NG9 1PH Accessories for your AMSTRAD 82S6/8S 12 PAPERTRAY £10.00 Screen Filter £17.95 -twoadjustableguides -reducesannojfingreflectkjns -replaces theexisiting lid andflickering - Properly feed in single sheet - high quality mesh - easy attachable - available in rfifferent colours - improves contrast - Full size, easy to use - unique matching frame The new version second disc drive (FD2) for PCW 8256 now available FD-2 (2nd disc -dnve for B256) £IIS.OO RAM-EXPANSION (for 82S6) £I9.S0 COMPLETE UPGRADE £139.00 for82S6[FD-2 + RAM) PRINTER RIBBON, 1 for £7.S0 Each ribbon 1 4 nitres Upgrades have comprehensive installation instructions CF2 Disks, cased, boxoHO £20,00 CF2DD Disks, cased, boKodO £10,00 NEW MACHINES PCW 8256 089 + VAT = £3J2 JS PCW eS 1 2 079 + VAT = MJS.8S PCW 9S 1 2 £«> + VAT = £539.15 All prices inc. VAT and P&P. Please enclose cheque Wfith orders and make payable to: ALFA Electronics Ltd, Maple House - 97 Ewell Road Surbiton ■ Surrey KT6 6AH. Tel: 01-390 2588 DEALER ENQUIRIES WELCOME PRINTER STAND FOR AMSTRAD 8256 AND 8512 An essential requirement for all Amstrad owners. Now you can make printing so much easier and release valuable desk space with this superb new printer stand designed specifically for the Amstrad 8256 and 8512 printers. The printer sits perfectly on top and there's plenty of space beneath to store paper, accessories and even the computer keyboard Tried and tested it is now in use in Hospitals, Universities and some of the UK's busiest office environments. Manufactured in the UK and made of sturdy 6mm steel, the stand is finished in pale grey PVC to match the computer and keyboard. Available now at a special price of just E6.95 plus £1 postage, packing & insurance. (Allow 14 days for delivery). ^_^ TRADE ENQUIRIES £> WELCOME. MONEY d^ BACK IF NOT ^^.. „ DELIGHTED. ONLY CTCLTD.,POBox4, Knebworth, HerKSG36EP TIPOFFS. TIP-OFFS The pages with more power-packed tips than a pool room Snookered in LocoScript? Baulked by your accounts package or spreadsheet? Give yourself a break with the next few pages! And If you know a trick shot or two, let us know, and you could pocket £30. Seeing the colour of our money this nr>onth is Philip Barrett of Cambridge who has hustled two-column printing out of LocoScript... Two column LocoScript Yes, it is possible: justified, two- column print from LocoScript, both columns perfectly lined up, without making ASCII files, without feeding the paper back into the printer or any other trickery! The secret is in the layouts. Create your document and set up your layouts as follows: LocoScript 2: Via ft ^Actions (Document setup) then f2=Layouts (Change stock layouts) change layouts 1 . 2 and 3 as follows: Layout 1 : left margin 5 (t1 ); right margin 85 (ft); line spacing 1 {f4): justify on (f6). Layout 2: left margin 5; right margin 43: line spacing 0: justify on. Layout 3: left margin 47: right margin 85: line spacing 0: justify on. [EXIT] back to editing the document and set up two phrases: Phrase L: space, ten hard spaces (hard spaces are [+]- space), [+1LT1, [RETURN], [+]LT2. JRETURN] iinfflliHHlllHl^^^^HNffiuflM^^^^^^^^^^^^^HHllHHli^wK^^^^Elll^^Ht n.Cr(iwk,.."In.li '•) (41^1 lOgbllKiimcil.SliaMl (-Iittli)*> a-CrMok, . ."In.liet, .it.h««ii't.. fclSilts Suwlff wtr. btniii. firi^.c«m5il'sjltiis,t(iJuiJd.i. t8).l)ii.iihH,it.ifJiiilt.i> Sinnwt iin.it. tht.RidaiMJiti.. (CEntriHOttd) muiic)FJMi».b«t.r<tr)«' Phrase R: space, ten hard spaces, t+]LT3, [RETURN] LocoScript ?. Edit the base layout to the same description as 'Layout 1 ' given above. [EXIT] several times to return to the document and set up two new layouts via the -*- ^OCAL- NEWS • ■f2=Layouts' menu: Layout 1 : as 'Layout 2' above Layout 2: as 'Layout 3' above Phrase L: space, ten hard spaces, [jLT, [RETURN], [+)LT1, [RETURN] Phrase R: space, ten tiard spaces, [+]LT2, [RETURf^] You can check the spaces in the phrases by 'showing the spaces' (f7 in Loco2, fl in Loco 1, cursor to 'Spaces' and press [+]). Soft spaces are shown as a small triangle, hard spaces by a character like the bottom quarter of a square. Using the arrangement sounds complicated but is actually quite quick and easy. First, [PASTE] L and type text in until one word wraps to tfie next line. Delete that word so you only have one line left; press [PASTE] R and then (PASTE] L and type the next line similarly. Cany on until this, your left-hand column, is as long as is required. Now move to the top of the right column - if you show the spaces as above there should be a triangle at its top left hand corner. Place the cursor on this triangle and continue typing in your text. When you get to the end of the line, a word will wrap to the line below: delete this extra word, then move the cursor down to the triangle at the start of the line below and carry on similarly. (f you use two-column print regulariy it would save time to create a template with a whole page lull of [PASTE] R [PASTE] L combinations which can then simply be filled up as required. Note that features such as bold, italic and pitch changes must tie retyped at the beginning of every new line, because the layout changes will reset them. Also you can't edit as if you change any line lengths once the document's been set up the thing goes haywire. Philip Barrett Cambridge ^ storta IS ^,^^^^J'\o build a Parish ^°""^ i\,P\he Red Lion bus ^ew lit^^^^i^.j' Jed the stop for _.-„ "Nobody's "seo^ _^^ ^^sident -^ %rsi.»- T- to -V-tt the u^Tx it is built. £20 bin when it is Pbooe box tury v.n. the jammed phone box in Meanwhile the ja»^ centre of Pig Lane has been at^tn^ ^^^^^„ 70 8000 PLUS Sorting cardbox files Cardbox is an excellent database, reasonably priced and simple to use Its one drawback is that it can't sort, but regular 8000 Plus readers will have all the tools they need not only to sort the file, but to make a neatly formatted LocoScript document of the sorted database as well, which you can even add balds and italics to. You will be using (our discs - IheCP/M and LocoScript discs, the d^ with your Cardbox database, arid a new disc onto which you tiave copied three files. PIP.COIwl. BASIC. COI^^, and one of the sorting programs which appeared on page 56 of the September issue of 8000 Plus -call this file SORT.BAS. Let's assume you have a Cardbox database of books called BOOKS. FIL you want to sort into alpfiabelical order of authors. Use a format which only shows the fields you want in the order you want them. The fields lo be sorted on strouW come first. Load up Cardbox, select Use. and toad up BOOKS.FIL. Type ro and indicate the .FI^T file you will tffi using. Type WR and [ENTER], m until the mode is WS, then type s until Beginning is displayed, then o for output file, which you can call li<:BOOKSWS. Press [nETURNMEXlT). and G for Go. Quit Cardbox and copy BOOKSWS onto the disc with PIP, BASIC etc. on it with the command PIP A: =M : BOOKSWS. With this same disc in the A drive still, type BASIC sort and give the file name to be sorted as BOOKSASC and the result file name as BOOKSORT. When "Ok' a^ars you have a sorted tile on your disc. Load LocoScript and insert your new disc. Create a new file called BOOKLIST and put in tab stops at Tfie cables between the PCW and printer are fairly short, and as the printer port on the PCW is on the right hand side as you look at it from the front, the phnter has to be on the right too. For many situations this may be inconvenient. However, if you don't mind invalidating your guarantee, you can easily modify it so it will go on the left ot your PCW. The ribbon and power cables enter the printer at the back on the left but then run inside the housing all the way to the right hand side where they join on to the Internals: so. by pulling this slack out and adding new exit slots with a tile, you can make the cable come out on the right hand side. Interesting characters There are a number of interesting characters you can print to the screen in BASIC to make boxes and various fancy shapes. They are produced via statements like PRINT CHR$(n) where n is a number between 128 and 157, and it's handy to Keep a list ot which number produces which character pinned up by your PCW. You can produce It by running the following short BASIC listing and taking a screen dump by pressing [EXTRA]+[PTR] - unfortunately this is the only way you can get them printed out; you can't use them in LPRINT. 10 PRINT TAB (10) "ASCII character symbols" : PRINT 20 FOR a%=122 to 160 STEP 3 30 PRINT TAB (10) a%; " "; CURS (a*); TAB(30) a%+l; " "; CHRS(a*+l); TAB(50)a%+Z; " '"; CHRS(a%+2) 40 PRINT: NEXT: END Barry Moody Camberley, Surrey run ASCII eharicUr syiilitls 122 I 123 < 124 1 12S ) 126 - 127 128 1 123 A 13* If 131 li 132 T 133 i 134 S 13S If 13e <l 137 a 136 = 133 ji 140 ^ 141 '•i 142 n 143 IT 144 * 14S t 146 m 147 I 148 t 149 1 m f 151 F m ■ 153 J 154 - ISS 4 ISfi 1 157 4 158 T 159 ♦ 16« a Ok each place where a field starts, to arrange the list in columns of author, title, etc. Select "Insert text" from the Actions' and choose BOOKSORT as the file lo insert. Your book list appears: use the [EXCH] command to change all ", " to tabs, and then all " to nothing. You now have a columned, sorted list, A nice feature of this method is that if the title is the second field, all the books by the same author will be sorted alphabetically by title too. You can now beef up the file with Loco's bolds and itatics and so on. Maggie Rugg Exeter • Programs are available, free to Public Domain subscribers, which will sort Cardbox tiles. One such program is S0RTV13.COM. Moving your printer First remove the six screws on the underside of the printer, gently prise off the two parts of the black plastic knob at the right, then lift off the top half of the casing. You'll see the cables running all along the back from left to right. Ease this Details of Public Domain libraries can be found in this month's PD article on page 68. Pretext page lengths If you've gone to the trouble of setting up an address list file in Pretext to do your mai (merging run, you may want to print out the names and addresses from your ADDR tile directly onto envelopes. It is probably best to do the envelopes in one batch after the main printing session. One problem is that no matter what page length you tell Pretext to use, the printer still thinks you are using 70 line A4 paper. It will therefore roll the platen round for a few seconds after each envelope, which is tedious if you've dozens of extra eight inches out (you may have to unscrew the bottom half of the casing), file new exit slots, and reassenble. Your left-handed printer is ready to go. Chris Lilley Falkirk, Scotland E *■ ■\ T PCW aooo printer wilh ihe base unscrawwi | 1 ■ ■ ^59^^^^^ File new exit slot here ' CalUe nomiaily iins aiorig he'e Old exit skit letters to do. What you have to do is use a separate command to tell the printer to change its page length too. A letter such as this: >pl 15 (blank) >0C 27,6'7,15 >sni 35 >rv name addl add2 add3 add4 &name& &addl& &add2& &add3& &add4& The 'oc' sends the 'escape codes* 27,67,15 to the printer, which tell It to treat each page as If it were 15 lines long. Whatever page length you choose, make sure that the number on the 'pi' line and the last number on the 'oC line are the same. 951 2's will feed envelopes directly through the printer, but on 8000 machines you may need to print on labels. Quick copyfiles You can copy BASIC programs from one disc to another without leaving BASIC as follows: with BASIC running, insert your first disc and LOAD lllename. Change the disc, press the left cursor key, then press the [+] set key {next to the space bar on the 8000 machines) and type SAVE then press RETURN, The file is copied onto the new disc. (This doesn't work for files which aren't BASIC programs.) Roy W Arctier Saffron Walden, Essex 8000 PLUS 71 UPOFFS The recent questionnaire showed that many 8000 Plus readers are stranded on a remote desert island with only a PCW, inexhaustible supplies of continuous paper and a 240 volt SOHz power socket. In the same situation, which eight tips would you want with you? This month's anthology Is on malting LocoScript layouts look Impressive... 1. Hard options A feature of word processors is their ability to handle hard and soft cinaracters to keep your line -breaks neat and tidy. Experienced PCW owners use them all the time and it's a good habit to get into. Things separated by hard characters can't be split at the end of a line; for example, typing D,J, Smith near the end of a line could result in the DJ. and Smith being split if you subsequently edit the text. But putting a 'hard space' between the D.J, and Smith (obtained by pressing the [+] key and then the space bar) means they'll never be split. Similarly, 'hard hyphens' ([+] and a hyphen) should be put in phrases like 'rip-off' and cock- up' to keep the two haives of the word on the same line. If you just put a normal hyphen you could find that editing later on gives you "rip-" at the end of one line and "off" at the beginning of the next, which can look strange. 2. Soft Options Soft characters only appear if a word or phrase needs to be broken over two lines - for example, the phrase "Calcutta/Mad ras/Bombay/Bangatore" is treated as one word and will be put wholly on one line. possibly leaving a huge gap on the previous line and making the layout uneven. The answer is to put soft spaces ([-] and a space) after each slash - LocoScript will then bre^ the phrase after one of the slashes if it needs to. Soft hyphens ([-] and a hyphen) should be put liberally into long words in all documents. Soft hyphens only appear when they are wanted; if the word tits onto one line they stay hidden but if the word needs to split they'll come out. So, whenever you require the services of a lengthy word, put soft hyphens in at appropriate places; deoxyhbo(soft hyphen)nucleic acid. etc. Those hyphens will only show when the word has to be split. Normal hyphens and spaces are a mixture of soft and hard: they will always appear, but words may be spilt at the space or hyphen if required. To sum up; After initials put hard spaces: I V A Richards should be l(hard space)V(hard space)A{hard space) RKhards After slashes put soft spaces: red/green/puce Should be red/(soft space)/green/{sofl space)puce In hyphenated phrases pui hard hyphens: tip-off should be tip{hard hyphenjoff In long words put soft hyphens: anthropomorphological should be anthropo(solt hyphen)morpho(soft hyphen) iogical Desert Island Tip-offs 3. Half-size type By writing text entirely as superscript seventeen pitch and selecting half line spacing you can produce a neat half-size type which is great for footnotes or the list of directors at the bottom of youf business letter templates. For footnotes, the reference number in the text is entered as [+]SR[+]B[+|P17 (which gives you the superscript and bold modes) followed by the number, then [-]SR[-]B[-]P. !n LocoScript 2 you can get superscript numbers directly from the 'symbol' mode ([SHIFT]+{ALT]+[f7j and then type the number). For the footnotes themselves enter [+]SR[+]B[+]P17[-i-]LSV2. type the number and then [-)B, follow it with the text, and finish off with [-)SR[-]P1-]LS. 4. Headers and footers A good place to experiment with LocoScript exotica is in the headers and footers of the template for your business or personal letters. In LocoScript 1 you get to the headers and footers by pressing f7=Modes (Edit header) and cursoring to the first header or footer, then f7, then f8. and select 'First page differs'. In LocoScript 2 it's f1=Actions (Document setup) followed by f5 (Header/looter options) and the first page only' option. You'll also have to select One page document; footer first page enabled' too, A suggested layout is below. The bullets on the address line are only obtainable in Loco 2 ([EXTRA]+lifl) but in Loco 1 you coukj try r>a, M/4 SI4W3 omul tlte^Xf Id L Tt>t» iw-i <tt vEclH* Hd umarfitniH ta«*(ii«» n |fpL<«l eP yfiu h-caIiIh ] DwiuJil It!,. Itoi «|H. filtad Ifl Hiilt«i \m Ibfitti* li im mlji 'lit*bii Wi !>t* Hrl«l wim tm *iiIdm11« ^afy 4'*;] Illy t« Bti kack^ip* « tb *4*- Mrk«lltif Dtf*£[(ir something like [+]SR[-^]B,(-]SR[-]B, The looter can contain your company directors and can use the small 'footnote' type described above. 5. These tfiings are centre testers For many applications (menus or concert programmes, for example) a pageful of centred lines looks very impressive. However, it can be tedious entering the centring command ([+]C in Loco 1 and [+]CE in Loco 2) at the beginning of every line. It is easier to set a centre tab' in the middle of the page - then at the beginning of each new line you just hit the tab key and everything will be centred. To set your centre tab, m^e a br^d new layout from the Layouts' menu and move the cursor to the centre of the dotted ruler line: in Loco 2, choose the relevant option from the tabs' menu (or press the [+] key three times) and your centre tab is set. In Loco 1 , press the [f5] key. Exit back to the document and off you go. 6. In reverse To clean up your screen you can set the PCW to suppress those codes - the (+ltalics) and (+Bolds) - by selecting Options {[f8] Loeo2, [fl) Loco 1) and hitting [-]. However you often find to your dismay that one of the codes to turn italics off has been missed out somewhere, making the rest of the text come out italicised too, A neat solution is to set up a phrase (under I, say) consisting of KlIWRV and one under J containing [-]i[-]RV. Whenever you want to put a phrase into italics, press [PASTE] I, and to turn it off [PASTE] J. It's just as quick as the usual method of [+]l and [-]! but makes all italic text highlighted, so you can't fail to spot any mistakes. A similar procedure could be used for setting and cancelling bold commands, 7. Underlining Using [+]UL and"[-]UL with your headings makes the underline very close to the letters: you can produce a line slightly lower down as follows. At the start of the heading text turn the codes' off on the options menu {[f8] Loco 2, [fl] Loco f ) and type [+]LS '/![+] LPS, Then type the heading, hit return, and move the cursor underneath the beginning of the heading. Enter [+]LS1[+]UL, press space until the line is as long as the heading, type [+]UL[-]LP and carry on with the main text. Instead of [+]UL, spaces, and [-]UL you can substitute [+]SB (for subscripts), then equals signs (or asterisks or any of LocoScript 2's exotic characters) and [-]SB for a variety of effects, 8. Loco 2 Layouts Owners ot LocoScript 2 have a couple of sneaky shortcuts open to them when setting up layouts. The first involves tabs. When you are editing layouts the officially approved method ot setting up tabs is to press the 'f3=Tabs' key to get a menu showing Simple, Right. Centre or Decimal tab. Then use the cursor keys and [ENTER] to pick the one you want. However, instead if using the menu at all you can just put the cursor at the column on the layout where the tab is to be and press the [+] key. Press [+] once tor a Simple tab, twice for a Right, three times for a Centre and four for a Decimal. The second is for setting the margins. Normally you would put the cursor at the position where the left or right margin is to t)e moved to and use the menus to shift the margin. Instead, put the cursor right on the current margin position and use the [+] and [-] keys. Pressing [+] moves the margin rightwards, and [-] moves it leftwards one column at a time. The margin will keep on moving as long as you keep the [+] or [-] key held down. 72 8000 PLUS a W©RLDWIDE SOFTM/v4RE' PCWLilun PCWBuainw* Lmtaa Home 19.95 DATABASBDESKTOP SliMM 19.9S Loooscrpt II 19.96 Cotossus Bridgs 11. 9S Seus ChN Chat t Modem aUx Mousot^wktop 199.95 Lrring Dayligha (007) Hilchh*«reGijideto Galaxy 11.20 65.95 19.9S Masterfile 8000 37.95 HdlfMot Hi Jim 1S.9S PlanK 19.95 lufw Gcddau (Adults only) 19.SS 5PREADHSEETS A. Combat Emulaloc (ACE) 14.95 Sipercalc 11 37.96 Aqsdemy 14.9S Mg nay Manager + G RA I^HICS/^U BU SHI NG 29.95 tMrKliciri 14.B5 Guiki of ThwVM 19.95 Mswsdssk fntsmalBnal 37.96 SltrgiOgr 59.95 MastarScan + MasterPaint 68.95 bianCkxjghFocDball 13.95 ACCOUNTSJtNVOICE awe DavB Snooker 11.20 Sage Pop Accounts 74.B5 raCF2BtankDi.k 24.95 Pop Aocounts Pius (aoo+inv( 1 10.96 FuH nng* el hLA.P. *nd S*b« MftwH* ivnllabta M4m Itrg* dtocount* jUfpnwinc/udeMT.postapAamfAaiArnginU.K. Tlw atove raprsiwits only a small prcpanjor o4 iha scttvwre aval labia ai largs discounls. PlM»«wil* or phooe Id price* dt software nol advertieeri. CtmuiH or postal otimrs made payable lo WORLDWIDE SOFTWARE. WORLDWIDE SOFTWARE, 1 Bridge Slreet, Galashiels. TD1 1SW TELt 0896 57004 AMSTRAD PCW OWNERS Transform Your Textfiles into a Valuabie Database of FrBe Text information rr>DB Is a unique program that reads textliles created wrth your favour^a wordprocessor and placfi^ mari^ Key Pttrases into a comprehensive disK index pi all liles. Then you... * Search me Index. A Key Phrase can appear In two alphabetic localions. * View any indened lexrf lie at Ihe entry — on screen or print it ' Expoil part of a tile lor inclusion in anoiher oocument. ■ List the complete index to pnnler — cataloguing the entire disk. ' Move between Index and lext at will Simple and eltsctive'... SOOO Plus ■Works ai lightning speed',., Amstrad Prolessonsi Computing 'Meets a need and carrres 11 oul to [he full',, , Computing witfi rt)g Amstrad. FT=DB costs E29.95 direct from Encyciasoft, 4 Ka/lields Grove, Audlem, Crewe CW3 OLB — or call 0270 811868 for a fact sheet. You need never be lost for wordst For the 9512 & 8256. THE BEST IN THE WEST — PLUS!!! 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Cttmuas/POspayabie to — "W.B.B.S." — Tat (OSSS) 823762 AMSTRAD PCW I 1. ill SRlJ IK EXPERT SYSTEM fltn I w w wi I I fit FOR BUSINESS, SCIENTIFIC AND EDUCATIONAL KNOWLEDGE ENGINEERING A oorrTJiel System ShaA, to capture and use Expert Skills: lor interpreting eKiiatlons, gMng advice on decisions, or guidance on procedures — with artthmelic & text file support. ' Knowledge Builder * Example Knowledge Bases * ConsuttanI 'Cotnprehenslve Tutorial Manual LocwcflpvRPED knowledge nies ' HelxEKplanalton/Dom knowWhy Ttue^alse, mjmedc, and option menu knowledge * Rule prkritiee C^ Qd Q E^ Vol i^eering, Changed answers. Interruption * Printer kjggEng X*w*T.^>/ Variable matching ' Reasoning stages ' Trading ' MuNlple goab Inc. PiP SWALLOWSOFT PUBLICATIONS (ReLA) PO BOX 107, Wallorw)nThamas, Surrey, KT12 5PQ CHECK THE REST AND BUY THE BEST MARGIN MAKER Single Sheet LOCATOR & ALIGNER for PCW Printer 'Float' paper up to 100gms/m- between arms, then release. Full width, non-incremental, move and lock arm setting. All four pitch scales marked. '.,. Very welt dasignvd, sxttwnely hwef ma(h. You fMOutd «xp«ct it to woi^ Mef, arx^ it doea.' Afimlrad PCW Uagnine Odobef 8? :.. Exetllmnt product. lilU3 is by ^thabattpfatkKteHltlund on the mar^af.** Your Aimtrad PCW Noimttmr 67 *... t hav* Mo klU3't andftMl dimw ttm pmptr at ttttml — Sleet buy I tiavs made, Sup«fbr Mr H Orury, Siiwingham £10.50 incl, VAT«,p+p REMITTANCE with self addressed sticky LABEL to:- "MARGIM MAKER" Box 121 Cresham Road, Staines, Mx, TW182AI. England. {Overaeai add £2.00] AMSTRAD PCW INTERFACES 3 ms. Discs costing you an arm and a leg Then this could be your answer te low cost storage medmfri. An Economy 5 1 M ins 60 iracH Dout>le sided. DouW& ctensrty disc dnve tor your AMSTRAD PCW. Operates as the starxJard second disc drr^e, giving a massive 706K lormarted capacity. Easy fining instructions, no interface, no cutting required IftlroOuclory offer of only t1 19,95 Inc VAT Plus £2.00 P4P RS232C & CENTRONICS INTERFACE Plugs directly onto the PCW Make that vital connection to modems lor telephone comniiink^tlons, or taking directly to other computers Allows use of high-quality pnoters (daisy wheel etc), via the serial or Cenitronic printers. Piograrr-wise it ts fully compatitjie wiih the Am$tra<i interlaces, Ttia BS output is via a standanJ Z5 way male '0' connector. The Centronics output is via a 34 way edgecard connector as used on CPC rarige of Amstrad machines. SuppliBti fully cased. Case siie:4,5ins. wide 1 1.5 ins. high 1 3 ins. deep. CHATTERBOX MODEM NOT A BITS and PIECES SYSTEM..., THIS IS A DEDICATED MODEM Rugsdirecliy onto the eipansion pon. AUTO DIAL and AUTO ANSWER, SERIAL and CENTRONICS interfaces. Used 10 connecl to olfie compuiere and printers. SOFTWARE SELECTABLE MODEM BAUD RATES. BELL 1 03, 300/300 — CCITT V,21 , 300(300 S V.23. 1 200/75 75/1 200 Complele with Software on discs, scrolling screen & viewdata display. SeH-coniaineiJ unit in attraclive casing. Siie: 6.5" « 3.5" k i .5" •" ALL THIS AT A PRICE OF £160.00 plus VAT. •" 5. 1/4 SILLY PRICED FLOPPY DISCS 5.1/4 Yes for ONLY £9.99 Inc V.A.T. you will receive 2i (40 track DouWe sided) disc for your PC, Pnce includes sleeves arxl lat)ete, ■" COMING SOON HARD DISC DftlVG '" K.D.S. Electronics. Dept 8, 15 Hill St, Hunstanton, Norfolk. PE36 5BS Tel: (04853) 2076 These pages provide a comprehensive guide to the Amstrad PCW soflware. Published in three monthly parts, this time it's the turn of Databases, Education, Communications and Programming packages to (ace the ultimate test. Weve set out to cover every important piece of software we could lay our hands on, and to give you enough information to decide whether they are suitable for you. The software listed here represents what we consider to be the best of the many programs available. As well as a brief summary of what they do, the main Plus and Minus points for each program are listed - Pluses have a n by them, and Minuses a si . Those we think are particularly noteworthy have an corner flash on them. To the best of our knowledge, all the programs here should run on both 8000 series machines and the 9512, DATABASES There are broadly two different types of database, and whicti suits you best depends, of course, on wtiat you want it for. Firstly there's ttie simple card index substitute. For many home users, ttiis will be the kind of thing you want - all it does is store your address book or stock items so that you can easily look them up. A more sophisticated option is the programmable database. With these, in addition to allowing simple card index retrieval there is a command language which allows you to analyse the data on the cards. For example, you could automatically add up the money owed to you by a If your customers from Yorkshire, To make best use of this kind of facility, you will reed to be able to understand a little programming, although it's not too hard really. A bit of jargon now. A database is said to consist of records - this is just like a card in a conventional card file, with all someone's details on it. Each record is composed of fields - a field is a single entry on a card, like someone's name, or age, or postcode. The thing that makes a database special is an index. You might be able to hold your address book as a simple list in a word processor document, but i( it gets large then this becomes unwieldy. An index means that the database has worked out which order records should be in, so it can go straight to the one you want without looking at lots of others first. The field that you use as your index (e.g. someone's surname) is said to be a key field, and can be looked up very fast compared to "non-key" fields. A good database will allow multiple keys, meaning that it can look up data just as fast for a variety of types of information. Masterfile 8000 _ £49,95 • Campbell Systems ■ 0378 77762'3 A Specially wrinan PCW iiersion ol the successful database sold on other Amstrad compuiers. It is fully menu contrallBd. and makes good use ol the PCWs special screen and Iteys. It can deal wilh up to a separate data files al once, so can cope with relational d3tal:ia$&s. Scteen (but nol printed output) can tie elat)otately laid out with tjoxes, lines etc. PLUSES - MINUSES [: Wortislasi D Wide fange ot Lsyoui options D Handles 'rslatiortal' files O Planty ot good example tiles D Can do arithmetic calculations wiihin Its records s Capacity limited by siie ol M drive - best on an S512 s Takes a while to learn all the leaiures Condor 1 £99.99 . Caxton Software Ltd ■ 01-251 9494 Condor is firmly pitched at the dBase II markei. Lilte dBase, 11 is nol only a filing system txjt also a programmtng larjguage Itjat allows command procedures lor complex data operatiorK. It can handle very big records — \2? fields — handy for some things IHie queslionr^aire processing. The user irtteriace is slighlly ragged, and it fsc*s XBase's ability to indei tiles lor last access. PLUSES • MINUSES '2 Very Mexible record structuring and searching a Better control than dBase over the screen lomal n CommarW language lor creating data prcx:essing pregrams a Can handle big databases — up to 1 27 fiekfs per record u The rnanual is large, well written and urKlerstandabie s No pfov^ion tor last data access try indexes s The on-screen prompling information is weak Database Manager (AtLast)__„ £29.95 ■ Rational Solutions ■ 01-874 412441 R&C&nity re -whasdd with a n&w mifnoaf and a new price, A t Last is a futl-feaiur^d database that is exceSSenf v3iu& far moneyr it does wfjat Cardbox can. with much better reporting facitfti&S, and can sorj too. You can do simpis totsHing ol coiumns, but not general arithmetic on fields in a record. tt$ da/ms to be a true raiaijonai' database like dBase it are a me grarxiiosa. but a good ganeral purpose database - racommended. PLUSES - MHUSES D The basic iotm Layouts are gsr^eraisd automatically D The daia can be ir>daH^ on more than one itsm D Good screen editing ractliti«$ a Printed reports can indude totals O Subsets ot records can b« selected using sophistlcaifld njtes « Manual sofTvetinnes Lapses into compuiefese » Page dimensions have lo tie specified every tirrw you want to list thJrigs, even to ttie screen « Can't do general arithmetic within Fields Cam base £49.95 -Camsoft- 0766 831878 Cam&ase is very stror}g or: data sacurity - you can define passwords to pfotact sensitive daiatiases. ft is drivers by quite an intricate set of menus, and you'll have to plan )^ur appiicaHon carafully since the database format can'i be changed once set up. Generally good for wntir}g applications with. PLUSES * IHHUSES a Sensitive data can be protocied by a password system i a Record structure can be conditional - &„g. "onJy have a 'Spouse' Held if status is 'marrted" a "Processes" provide for some simple automatic calculations » Over-protective user Int^riacen which asks for coiilinnation of almost every command « Database main attributes are fixed after Initialisation and can't be changed. a Doesni have full screen editing of records » Manual needs an index, and is weak on eicplainrng advanced topics 8 The (single) key field has to be entered separately to the record data proper riN^lMJij»^»nNrMj dBase II £99.00 • Ashlon Tate First Soflware - 07357 5244 Tne WordStar of database packages, flecently licensed 'cheaply' for Amslrad machines, dBase II is a madiet leader in 74 8000 PLUS busin&ss cornputing. As yov msuid expect, this means it is very powerful bui very compiex. It has a procedure language to afiow yov to write programs lo manipuSaie ifre data, and you car: constrvct index (ties tor flatly fast access to Sarge databases, tf fOi can make the effort to loam it. Hit serve you well. PLUSES ' MINUSES D Powerfut command language lorcustoniised programis □ Indexing facility makes large databases fast lo handle D Can handle vsrv big databa&es D "nva data can be lairly easily altered alter il$ entiv t Manual is daunting {but there are plenty ol independent books on the maf^el} B Can'l easily alter Ihe screen record layout i For an expensive package, you stilt only get 32 fields per record ■ GanefaHy untriervjty unless you have same prograi^rning skills Delta Wg.gg-Compsoft- 04858 25925 Delia is another oi the itmavyweights. iifte dBase II and Condor, bt^S untike them is fulfy menu driven. Although the screen layouts are fuliy fiexit^e, there is a default "quick' layout so you don'Jhave to sweai at defining your own. It coiitd use better record indexir)g tscilities, Parttculady goad tor writirig spplicationSr once you have ploughed through the large manual PIUSES * MINUSES D Records can contain up lo 90 liek^. plus groups ot fields thai may be repealed D Screen tayout can be user defined, or "Quick" mode used D Single-page letter writer provides detailed mail-merge G Pfoces-Ses can be delined, and run Imm user defined menus, tOf ease of use by others D Very full and quite readable, manual ft Only one IJeld may be used for indaiting « Very big program - a PCW6256 would be hard pushed ■ Some ot the menu operations are unforgivir^ to errors Pocket InfoStar £69.50 • MicroPro DR A • 0386 841131 Consists ol h¥o large programs, DalaStar and RepoitSlai (both avail^s indspefidanliy}. DataSlar is a conventionat datatiase. Witt! screen card layout and irvlexing. RaportSlar than ga^iaras the printed output, either Irom DataSlar or CalcStar liles. PowertuI il you can use them, but (he sulfa is horrHically oifsrixmplicalad, and the documentation just (/KompreftensiWe. Kuses • MINUSES D DaiaStar is a quite good database with Indexrng and calculated fields. Transaction piocessing' leature allows cross-referencing of data files. □ Can be jntegrated with other l^ocXet pfoducts. eg WordStar. □ Can take up to 255 fields per record i Two-voiume manual set is ve^ badi^ organised. ■ There are separate programs to mn lor form design, data ontiy and reporting. ■ Operation is all by obscure command ireys. A ia WordStar. Cardbox t:59.99 • Caxton Software Limited ■ 01-251 9494 As tfle name suggests, this database sets out to be a straight tepiacement for a conventional card index system, tt doesn't fxavide any faciStties for totalling up fields in different records, ixil does provide comprehensive ways of searching records. Very flexit?le screen layout, set up try a screen editor. Although a w&ii established pf!3duci, it is hard to see who would want a daiatiase which cant sort its data into orderl PLUSES « MINUSES D Good control over the screen layout of eac^ record (or "cardl D Can pui any me or prompt text anywhere you ifke on ttie card □ The documentation mattes Cardbox very simple to use D Wide range of data pattems chat can be searched for D Elaborate inde:(es can provide efficient access to data ■ No way to sort the data into alphabetical ordar i No control language or field totaiiing ladlity i Skiw to access unindexQid daui Cardt>ox-Plus [99 95 . Business Simulations • 0892 8631 05 BiisineiS Simulations are Ihe company who aclually wrote the sticcessfui <2ardtxix database, and they are the sole distributors of their entranced version Cardbox- Plus. Disappointingly, still no fieSd totalUng tacifi^es, but si does toast saning, index listing. (Jsc rrjanagemant and an autosave feature as extras to Csfdbox. The ultimate straight card index, if you have the rjior\ey. PLl^SES' MINUSES All the facititios of the very successful Cardbox □ Cards can be sorted into order for browsing and p>rin|jng D 'Autosave" will reguEarly store the data to disc in case of rnishiap a Rles created by Qardbox can be read n FuU and good manual, a^thot>gti the tutorial is at the end n Still no way ol perform irig numeric calculations n A lot to pay for a Tew frills lo the biasic Cardbox Smartcard £59.95 • Focus Computer Sys. • 0272 420109 A conventional card index database which ioears a superficial resemblance to Cardbox. As ever, you have to defirte your record format before you can enter any data. Small and fast, you can son the records, index on up to 3 fields, and do simp^ arithmetic in fields. Can't put background text (eg. lilies} on records or printouts. PLUSES - MINUSES D Good dear screens □ Plenty of on-screen help n Fast and high capacity D Easy to use » Can't put background text on prfnted reports ft No way ol exporting data for mailmerge IVticrofile (Sold in The Micfo Colleclion) C49.95 • Saxon Computing • 0401 50697 fiAicrofile is a well implemented simple database, dnven by plenty at menus and on-screen prompts. It's fast and has good screen control, although it has some si^e resirictions. Microtiie comes as pan ot a software suite. The Micro CoHectiorr', which is goad value {Microtiie, Microwrite. MicroSpread, Ftexilabel and Lock-It} PLUSES -MINUSES G The price includes competent word processing, spreadsheet, tabeiiing and encryption programs n Plenty of menus and on-$creenpn3mpting D Very llexiblo formatting for screen layout and printing Q Numeric fields can be expressions to be calculated !~ Indexing ts fast and can be on several fields s Maximum number ol fields per cecofd is only £0 j£ Lrnrtited faciiilies for totalling up fields in a database DataStore 11 £39.95 • Digita International • 0395 45059 A simple card index type of database written in Mallard Basic. Although it IS quite slotn in some areas, il does use index liles which makes relhevat ot individual records quite quick. It allows calculations on numeric lields and can print out totals anti averages trom your data tiles. Version II has data export and is much taster ttjan its predecessor PLUSES • MINUSES n Adequate performance on simple files a Tba manual has a good introduction on enplaining database Ja/Qon G Mumeric fields can be calculations, iiKe in spreadsheets D Good varistir ol printout formats ■ Compieji searches tatte a long time » No data imporveipon facii ity Chibase E49.9S • Ctiiasma ■ 06333 60996 A tree tormat datatiase. whtch means you dont have to go through the usual rigmarole ot defining your recorri tormat before you can enter your data. Instead, you just type text into Chibase. mark the words to tx indened. and it can then treat that tile as a database. PLUSES ■ MINUSES 1 1 Doesn't require you to sei up a preset record' card D Searches through your data very quicl<ly □ Allows you 10 select up to 50 Keirs for each page of text a Allows editing of te« without a word processor « No sample file for you to learn on Slmf^Mimtiemm FTzDB £29.95. Enqclasoft- 0270 81 1868 A free form datat}ase Ike Chibase, but irjstead of typing your text into the database itself, you create it on a wotx^processor first of alt. Once done and edited to your tikiryg. you mark all Ihe word you wan/ to be used as keywords (still in your wordprocessof} arxi then read it into FT'=DB. Wow you can treat it as a database., compile indexes, search tor phrases and so on. ait quite efficiently. PLUSES * MINUSES D Easy 10 use D Versatile retrieval system over severai text Hies D Inexpensive D Can move between index and text at will » No edrttng facilities within FT=OB First Base E29.95 • Minerva • 0392 37756 Billed as a simple database for the first lime user. First Base is quite a competent cheap card index. Ttte manuai is computer pnnled, arKi weak an diagrams which doesn't help things. One weakness is getting printed results out of Ftrst Base - either you settle for crude lists, or you have to create a lempiate in iocoScripi wtitch is awkward to do. But overall, for simple applications arwi beginr}ers. it's pretty good value tor money. PLUSES 'MINUSES D Can alter the index field at any time D Simple to use screen editing make data entry easy a Good value as a simple card index lookup system p Can easily browse itirough the datatjase picking out a set by hand s Manual is badly laid out and generally diffiajlt m PnxJucing pri nted output is awkward Magic Filer E69.95 ■ Sagesolt ■ 091 284 7077 Magtc Fifer is not a true database, tut is a stmctured filing system. Information is ^lit into a hierarchy of categories, and tagged with a keyword which is not stored as part of the data You can browse through the data. I>ut it will get ledkius tf you firxi it needs updatiryg regularly. Many applications will firvi Magic Filer restrictive PLUSES - MINUSES . ; Good for browsing through data when you don't really know what's there c: Data can be declared "read only' 10 protect it Irom alteration t>y other browsers a The basic liitng system is weind but not wonderful a Editing data once in Magic Fflef is awkward s The documentalion is far too brief w You can only have oris database per disc Datafile One £30.00- Dalargn. 0332 81 0789 T^i^s datat}ase is both a low cost card index system and a mail merge utility specifically designed to work wittt LocoScript 1. As a card irxiex. it's quite good for personal use. arxi the mail merge is simple tyul effective. Goad value far money. The documentatkjn is m the form of a database on the delivery disc. PLUSES < MINUSES D Data can be range checked as it is entered D Complex masks can be used for searching the database G Quite fast record access for a low cost package n Report section (the mail merge) uses LocoScript documents for templates U LocoScript text styles (bold, italic, etc) can be used « The screen editor for designing layouts is a bit too simple to be effective » No conditional processing in the mail merge section » The on-disc documentation is a nice idean tnit cumbersome in practicer Needs a proper manual. File Manager £99.95 • Sandpiper Software • 0978 355333 A datal:ias0 with the power to handle full reiatkjnal appl!r:ations. Unfanunatety the manual is so badty written that the power is fta/tf fo gat to. For the money, there are bener systems around. PLUSES ■ MINUSES c; Potentially a powertui and flexible system a 'RAPID' generaiot can produce sinij^e flies quickly s Appalling rrrant^i » Poorly customised lor PCW use ■ The lull systenn is very ix>mpiei to use Matctibox £29.95 • Quest Internationaf ■ 04215 66488 A cheap, nafnlls card index type database. The manual is onfy 1 3 pages tang, so you had better know you to use a database before you buy this. You can't customise screen layouts, tyul you can print labels. Would suit a stmpie booklist or atAiress list, if you really can't afford better. PLUSES -MINUSES O Clear on-screen menus guide you through the program D Can search for fragments of words m a record m No controi over screen layout m Skimpy manual [13 pages) has ainrtosi no examples s All characters tiave to be upper case * Only a single index fieU is flowed M If you type fast, you will lose characters 8000 PLUS 75 Amstrad PCW 9512 (original) ribbons Having difficulty getting a ribbon for your new PCW 951 2? We have tliem ready to send now. 3 (min) for ONL Y £i1.50 12 for ONLY £39.93 (both prices Inc VAT & P&P MANNESMAN TALLY MT80 PC+ PRINTERS Available for Immediate Despatch Our price:- £228.85 (inc VAT — Securicor Delivery) Phone:- 0279 506491 Access or Barclaycard welcome or send your order to:- WILUS COMPUTER SUPPLIES LTD PO BOX 10, SOUTHMILL ROAD, BISHOPS STORTFORD, HERTS. CM23 3DN DOUBLE-JAY Software CHRISTMAS GIFTS . STOCKING FILUBS • CHRISTMAS GIFTS • STOCKING FILLERS CASH BOOK The EledDTonic Culi AnBljnii on th« AMSTRAD CPC AtlA and >ll PCW computer { "... reffsshtfigt/ i^er-fncndfy jjnrfan effective frviw ofkecpipg obi on exptn^turc^ for ^orft home antS vniffbuvneSiUSef7''OlirtAJf<:WHmwmbtrinii ( "... has iomt: gixxt fiipttittes fur k/ndUng standing or^fj ttvt woufd setm «fc*' for keeping irack ofi perzofvf ifXOttnt " MM PLUS Kovembcr I tST > Complete cash anatysis and bitKJget control. Quick postings, easy updacet. automatic date sort and balaf>ce calculations. Full and partial statements ^ Summaries, Ideal for keeping track of all income and eKpenditure, £l2.95p CASH BOOK-youMI wonder how you ever miinased wittwut itl Soiewarc supplied on l" disc snd wiih a coniprehensive manual. Prices include postage and pKtthg. Overseas orders add £ I . Despatch is usuall]^ widiin A& houni and by First Class mail. CHRIS TMASGIFTS* STOCKING FILLERS ' CHRISTMAS GIFTS . STOCKING FILLERS Cheques mnd PoMat Orderw to DOUBLE -J AY Software and Services P .O . Box 5 , Red ruth , Com waH T R 1 6 4J j PIlEASE state COKPUTtR TTPf WHEN OnE>EAllVG SIGNWRITER/ instant display lettering from a dot-matrix printer £49.95 (PCW version) * Signs printed across or down the page * Sharp characters . any size - the bigger the better * Sign revision and powerful formatting capabilities * Computer-aided design of logos, symbols * 20 extra fonts <£5.75 each plus disk): Fair ,^«y Shop S^i etc. From the ptiilsher PHIlll. WIGHT SCIENTIFIC XMRSFDKT- ^ 44 Roai StfML London SEIO 91T ^^rti, bSii ion 658 2699 TNi advcnlunMnt prInMd «4-iIzb wIIK Xh'bn SIGNWRITEB CADMASTER THE ULTIMATE GRAPfflCS PACK SUPERB GRAPHICS SOFTWARE PLUS A QUALITY LIGHT PEN Discover the eicihng worid of creeling your own graphics on screen AT LAST IT'S HEEE TROJAN'S CADMASTER PACK FOR THE AMSTRAD PCW rtiofoUPCW Dwnen '- ihii pock mcludea all (hat 1* isqutichd lor ljj» ai a vary reaAOamble puce LOOK AT THE OPTIONS AVAILABLE: Smtdtei L1h<4 Ai^ Bo^ nriiDiB^ dnt*. Ei^p9*. Cub*. Paiof. *TEXT. 54 .Itfe^. Plaui w EnwapiB IWa ilvcwh ^ ' EBCl' oi oCOinf. X w y du*clK4t> or w l^rffa dirMcbaiuP PIdeii ac IqYYib* C0pi«* «in b* f lodu^ad X iBpaCDlB lilt p<]1lami p]u> lji« [nvw tM ta^ - llZinail Vbumnr DJia producfl ygu i ow n bl VUK} Iht CADMASTER nwibod nU cLny wkclniact aimet iw frZOOM, Zoom palK^titd ai*fl lo X4 - nuigaijbcaluui ^iquul IIH ima^ II I^KFirn ut knthnn th* "Zoom" IIYKiga Ehnw a G»d 0I any ikut on lrr*«i, Grtd Linii COB b* DitKvw!! an vcr^vn IQ Evqutrtd wid:l]ni in hotliaiilai ot vifcUoat Ortd CQn b« djvm u OBf ol Um a ERASE. £(□»• 'tm ln>1 ilmai diQwn. Sc:»*p con alio b* dwiKd id CvtMifi □[ BlaA cri a er FREEHAND DRAW. Dnnr Ft ■ ■twin H 414V f CTfi^n Mut graiplue^i and tfrii aa il ICl>TltMKIld U lUll li #rc«pi in itHi inpul AL dlllBl «pbDiu aiw m at* «i U* *£rtaD. ONLY £29.95 ftlNVEBSE. [Ri^«lla th* irbcia iJtrRtHT, Hifpli 4H Low C^JkElly HonHMiKEJ m Wikts] NciEniai Ol Smnti pruJ-n>i TulJ gr Pari SciM«n - aay PoJI S«E«an ran ba ■•fHodacvfl to inn pwt ol Um pQp«t Ifl ih* piulln Thii powsiful PROGRAM + a QUALITY UGHT PEN and cm INSTRUCTION BOOKLET m one raaAono^Ly priced package'. Easy to lua by oU ages for crvating cdIdutEuI pic1ur»s or ttickoical drETwiAgg^ FuH back-up sfrrvicti from the monufacturerB. TROJAN ASTROLOGY for beginners Teach yourself astrology using your Amstrad A Starter Pack comprising a simplB pfogfara to calculate a horosct^, an introduclory txxiklet and 2 sel (-teaching pfograms (how to interpfet the horoscope) £11.50 cassette £15.50 disc (£13.50 for 1512) No previous knowledge required Also many other programs for more experienced astrologers Please send the Astrology Starter Pack for my Amstrad 464/6M/6ia8/8256/1512. 1 enclose a cheque/PO, UK. for £1 1 .5K15.50iC13.50 (Inc p&p). Outside UK add 50p: or, I enclose a large saa for free caiBtoguB. Name Address ASTROCALC (Depi S) (J Paxrolt Road Heircl Hempstead. Herti HP3 BER Tel: 0442 S ta09 Terrific Utilities for the Amstrad PCWs from BRADWAY SOFTWARE ^ Lena Head Plus (PCW8256.8512) £1750 "^ Greats business i personal stationery, letterheads, tabels, posters, elc using powerful on- screen graphics and over 20 different character fonts. Select the required output formal S punt all the copies you need I LsPrinl (PCW8256,e51!) £»950 Pnnt LocoSctipt 1 documems on any dalsywheel, majniaining ALL Locoscnpt features. More powerful Ihar^ locoscript ?. WordRndflf (PCWa256.e(BS12 CPC612B PCt S12 BBC) E1 J50 At last — rescue tor Ihe crossword & word game enthusiast I Instani access to 24000 unique words {nolderivaiives), names & anagrams. Add your own words to the dictiorvary. For lunher deiaifs pisasa sarxf lor a lull csHk/gue. To order, please aM SOp UK and Burope. £2 00 worldwide aimiail PiP per program. BRADWAY SOFTWARE (8P) 33 CONALAN AVENUE, SHEFFIELD, S17 4PG Troion Products. 166. Deilwyn, Dunrani, Swarisea SA2 7PF. Tel; (0792) 205491 THE GOOD SOFTWARE FILE DATABASES -EDUCATIONAL Ci00d vatrn] Cornix Card-Index e34.95 ■ Cornix Software • 0462 682989 A goal slaixlaid cartitxx m/ith soiling on any liald and a neat Ittitiife where namas can be antered as Smith IJphnJ hf anecl indexing but wili print out as John Smith. Selection can be done in any combination ol lipids on a basis ol words or tragments of words appearing in records. There are no numeric tuiKiions and numerals are treated as strirjgs, so for exsmpta 09^56 I9wiltl}a sorted Ixtore £9 and 3-9-87 belore 6 1-86. fou can prim out any selection of the fields in reports, though We fonrjal is restricted to one ti&fd lo a iine. PLUSES ' MINUSES C Sots on any field D Names printed in given name-sumanie order C Selection over combined lields D Simpie but effecErve • No imporVeiipon 0) data ■ No numeric c3lculatiori$ • Datas, numbers must be entere<^ carefufly to be sorted corrBOtly ■ Only one dala tile can be put on each disc Sagesoft Retrieve no -Sagesofl. 091-284 7077 .4 tjigh-powsr pacHsge that is retativ&fy ossy to us& with password s&curity if d&&if&d. caSculatkrns. aotomstic counting ord&i$Jion of sets of records satisfying giv&n corwlitions, sopf\islic3lod son and seiect commands, and the atjftity to change ftje stnjcture of an existing dsrat>9se Ail this is done by s $et of commands rattJ&r tike a programmirtg ianguage. Printed formats are rattier iimited tfiougfi and it^e program ir^ts on usir)g txitt^ drives, making us& on a 6256 ifr\practicat. ailS£S* MINUSES D Easy 10 us« lor a powerful padcage D Advanced sDnjr>g and selection GDnnrnar^s D Subsets can be written lo fites □ Can Hjuni or delate subsals with on© command D Labeliin^'maiEmefging, Toolines included Can change structure ol exisiinig database i Impossibly b\g program lor 8256 i Primed outpui limited - musi use mailmefge l^il Filen'tlnd £9.95 • Lenlronic • 48 Efmete Mount, Leeds LS8 A t^idgei database wtjicti aims to provide a simple no-friits sSfVtce. Programmed in Maiiard BASiC it looks a bit ragged, buf works taitiy swiftly. If alt you want to do is catalogue a coltBciion, it couid t>e an extraordinary bargain. PLUSES • MtNUSES U ll's very cheap H^ all the r>ecessary features lor simpie invenrories a A potential saurce of programming ti^ for Jet&am prograiTiiTiers R Amateur and unfriendly way ot vrorking ■ MaKlmuin 8 fields per recort^ K Unhelpful manual full of pcogramming jargon i CumlQerscKre retrieval and sditing laciltlies Homeview E195,44 . Cavalier Load & Run - 0322 721 16 A spedatist database for ttte Estate Agenting business. Costs a (of, but tt}en an you estate agents stiould be able to afford it frtum your outrageous commission fees (yes, ttie BtXfO Plus si3ft nave an recently moved house). You specify required area, no of bedrooms etc, and g&t aHstof suHabte vendors or buxers. Works well. PLUSES ' MNUSES n Once set up, simple enough lor non-computerate staff n Makes up matlstiols Irom LocoScrrpt G Can ad|ust property cat&gort&s to suit Impresses your cusEomers! i Tfiere will always be clierrts whi^se requirements don'i U{ yoi>r system * Very expensive EDUCATIONAL a^Bt basfc course \ lankey Crash Course E24.95-lansyst- 01-607 0187 A faidy traditional typing tutor, taking you through basic keyboard exercises. There's a iot of explanatory text, whict^gets in ttie way second time around. Definitely competent,^ tiut a tjit boring. PLUSES -MtHUSES n Mostly avoids boring letter drills D Very lull on-screen infonrtation guides you along n fast' option cuts out some text if il gets repetitive SI Not particularly imaginati^^ use of graphics » It doesn't always ensure that the cursor is properly aligned with the exercise text :^j^ipv9Fa'p&^ \ 2 FingersTouch Typing £24,95 -lansyst- 01-607 0187 Despite its provocative name, a useful typing tutor in ttiat H specificafty caters far people who can already get by on keyboards with two fingers. You are gradually introduced to touch typiryg. so your speed doesn't drop while you learn. Filis a necessary slot in Jhe Typirig Tutor rnarkel. PLUSES - MINUSES :." Suitable for improvii^ Fwo-finger typists wittiout much drop in D FuH on-screen instructions D Exercise text is interesting paragraphs, not letter drills fi Explanation text is annoyirigty verbo^ in some E&ssons m \i doesn t always ensure that the cursor is properly aligned w^th the exercise tevi Touch "n* Go £24.95 ■ Caxton Software • 01-251 9494 A very traditional typing tutor, with no attempt at interesting screen presentation Letter dnils are rigorously pursued, making for good typirig practice if you can stick to it. A iso tias numt^er keypad tuition for data entry operations. PLUSES ' MINUSES :: Methodical letter drills enforce good pract^^. ; Provides number keypad tuition as well as letters. ; Instruction screens are optional, so can be cut out for speed. ^ Gives a flattering error rate, since it allows you unlimited use ol the delete key. m Doesn't lelt you tiow to make the number keypad actually work en ttie PCW1 ts Bohng use of the screen. Vou need to real^ want to f^m. Animal Vegetable Mineral • World Wise £14.95 each ■ Bourne Educational • 0794 523301 Aimed al the younger market. 7- f 5 year oids. Both these programs work by learning as the cfJild uses them. Think of an otjject and ttie computer tries to guess it. If it is wrong, the child is asked for a question which wouid aUow the PCW to be right next time, and it learns. PLUSES > MINUSES rj Can be used as many times as ihe child's imaginaition holds out G Performance can t>e analysed by a teacher alter a session Q As you buikl up a base ol objects and questtons. they can be saved for reuse w It needs a lot of typing, her>ce a lot of supervision « The PCW starts wiih only two olDfects known . so il takes time to get going « DocumentatkjR has hardly been altered from cassette- t^sed versions s Since it is (or young chiWfen, mofe imaginative use of the screen would be nboe Better Spelling £12.95 • School Software Ltd • 010 353 61 27994 This is a spelling course aimed at the 3 to adult age group. It consists of a series of well organised, short iessans each dealiryg with one topic, like plurals or which version of there/lheir/lhey're to use m a sentence. The use of the PCW screen is rather untmaginative. arxi doesn't hold your attenthn. PLUSES < MINUSES G Well thought out lessons to emphasise particular points G Teaches words in a sentence context as well as in isolalion [ ] Lessons can be picked in any order from a menu n Seems to be proof against mischievous key pressing » BortrtQ use of the screen doesn't grab interest m No insimctions corrve as to how lo use the program. Chemistry • Biology £12.95 • School Software • 010 353 61 27994 TTrese two are faidy trat^tionaf question-and-answer tests. You are faced with a choice of 10 topics, and then asked fO or so questions each, where you have fo fill in the blarik tn a statement. There are preamble notes beforehartd, arxi tf you get ft wrong you are given a due. Aimed at 12-1$ year okis. PLUSES • MINUSES D Questions woukj challenge a GCSE pupil well G Preanrble notes introduce topics HE The fill-in-ihe blank questionir^ styte has liitke Hexibility for different answers s No option to add questions for a specialised syllabus ^ Some careless errors, like incorrect tacts and hard to decipher chemicaE fonrtulae Micro Matlis £24,95 • LCL • 0491 579345 ir i l l l i >II H. i m j^W^W^WW^WWWt Supposedly covering d to adult ages, this seems an 0-level type program. coverJr}g topics from caculus to tat>Ses. A good srT}plementation on 1i^ PCW with proper use of the screen. Questions are picked ai random from a pool, so may repeat tjut never run out f^eplies lo gues^ns are typed in ma^emasical notation, like X''2+3 PLUSES ' MINUSES G Vou can pause to use BASIC as a calculator whiter you think D 'Unlimited' question set D Comes with a 'tree' book ol AE8 Olevet questions D Good hints and explanations when you get an answer wrong « Questions tn a topic repeat occastonalty ^ Some IriliSp like the dock and beeper, are annoyirtg » No flexibility to add questions lor a particular syllabus Amstat 1,2,3 and 4 £30-isti ■ Coleman • Ashby-de-la-Zouch LE6 5DA A sutte of four slatistfcal rouUnes including a business analysis program, forecasting arrd resource management fndivkiual prices range tram £27.95 to £39.95. ail four cost £99 95 Sophisticated but perhaps awkward for t>eginners. PLUSES -MINUSES G Good range of statistical functions G Good manual G Can produce fair quality graphical results e Some editing procedures very lo^-wirK^ ^ Needs some expertise to use properly » Weak on checking that input data is reasonabler Oxstat E113.85.MedstatLld-0602 411120 This is a ^>ecialised statistical analysis package for the PCW. Functions from calculations of means lo multiple tirmar regression are covered, arxi il can do some rudimentary graphics far results. You can read data from spreadsheets or external devices. PLUSES ' MINUS€S G Comprehensive range of statistical functions implemented G Good screen editing (aciiities (or entry ol data o Ttte speed seems acceptabie. even though it is wntten in BASIC G Even mmplex analyses are easily entered by simple menus s! Weak on gra^^ical presentation of results Yes Chancellor! £14.95 -Topologika- 0733 244682 Wait^ Don't ship over Yes Ci^anceltor' tiecause it calls itself an 'economic simulation' program. Instructive and fun to use. you type in your annual budgets {tax rates, putntic spending etc.} and see your popularity plunge arvt the economy crash. Great tor economics classes, afso an amusing game in itself PLUSES ' MINUSES r' Sample bm effective model of the economy l; Comes with booklet explaining economic principles O Great for teaching economic and political pragmatisml « Can get boring as a game » You can't adjust Ihe model of the economy, so it can be loo simple 8000 PLUS 77 THE GOOD SOFTWARE FILE PROGRAMMING • COMMUNICATIONS PROGRAMMING HiSoft C £39.95 ■ HiSott • 0S2S 718181 A very good C comptier. fast, produces good compscf code. PLUSES ' Mir<USES O Comphles program into ordinaFy CPM GOM lile D Produces compact code D Fast and inexpensive m Mo floating poini anttirmetic Arnor C £49.95- Arnor. 0733 239011 Good compiler with floating pom! arithmsttc. but not as fS5f or as cheap as HiSott C PLUSES < MINUSES L! Excellent integrated text edilor P Flcatir>g point ariThmeHc ■ Curnbdrsome Eo produce .COM files, n&e<£3 special run tfme support pfogram Q HiSott C is faster and cheaper MIXC £29.95 • Advantage • 0844 52075 American C compiler. You can buy a full screen edllar mlh it for £19.95 BJtfra. Also machine axie assembler i examples tor £8 95 each, PLUSES • MINUSES D Features a C tutorial D Comprehensive impjerrentation and massive manual * Nol (or Ihe newcomer Itj programming Pascal £39,95. Hisoft. 0525 718181 fl SJanoafQ tun rascat cofnptt&r PLUSES ^MINUSES I ;. Won I ntog rallied texi editor - when you hit a compilalion error /ou are returned 10 the correct point to edit it D Short compHation time, ecorKjmical on memory s Manual makes no attempt to teach you Pascal Forth £19.95-Hisoft.0525 718181 Forth is an unususi tanguage. somewhere tyetween assembler arwt C. This is ana ot the tew comf^tiers avaitable for Itie PCW PLUSES -MINUSES n Comes wim a Forth ediioi D Quid/, and eflicieni implemematlon > Manual doesn't taac^ you Fonti lUfodufa 2 E4S.00 ■ FTL Grey Matter • 0364 53499 A compifer Modola-^ is the si/ccessof to PascaK good for large programs requiring separata compilsHor}, PLUSES * MINUSES a Full imptemeniation with extensions, n Includes libraries of prsdefirred modules D WonJStar-type streen editor included m Compilation process is longwinded and not for beginners ZBASIC £75.00 • Zedcor Grey Matter • 0364 53499 Compiler PLUSES ■ MINUSES D 400 Paga manual, not badly wnnen G Conipatme witti Microsoft BASIC, henoe simple Mallard prograirs (not Jelsam) D Extensions like oMencted IFs, REPEAT .. UNTIL at No difect access to GP'M Iram ZBASIC » Sfiems to reject some slatements as "too compter'. The VICAR £29.95. iansyst- 01 -607 5844 A ptvgrammfng loot tor serious programm&rs- tf yOu ftave a sev&rai-huridf&d (ine prograrn tjakf in several files on a disc, you can lose track of wt^ich vsriat>ies are used where. The VICAR produces a concordance listirjg and other diagnostics, to help yosj find bugs and maintain the program. PLUSES • MINUSES - Easy to use but siill flexible through use ol options Amsirad versions all at a special low price ; Good manual * Only o1 value on targe programs 143 Limited value to most PCW users (except BASIC buffs) m^mmm Goodvatii» it's BASIC {Vols 1 and 2) £7.95 each • Nabitchi . 051-708 8775 0123 uames witn a mor& senous intent, these discs provide 20 simple garr^es and applications each, and allow programmers to look at the BASIC to see how it's dorm and to adapt it tor their cwn programs. You can play music on your CP/M and create your own Space invader figures. PLUSES - MINUSES [ J Twer>ty programs at rock bottom price. n Invaluable tips for programmers. D Costs IfttFe more than a Uank disc- Ub No tutorial guidance. COMMUNICATIONS Communications is one ot tfie glittering areas of computing, gurus would tiave you believe. It can provide a fascinating tiobby for 'hacl^ers', but more importantly it is a valuable business tool. Electronic mail' is just wtiat it says: you use your PCW to send messages, whicti can be documents tfiou sands ot words long, to others on the electronic mail system. The best known system of this kind is Telecom Gold, whicti also allows you to send telexes. Another major system is Prestel, which is more of an information provider - you can read share prices, weather information and other news direct from your phone line. For any professional service, you pay a registration tee, plus a connection charge - typically around lOp per minute you use the system. Of course, your phone bills are extra. For hobbyists there are also ■Bulletin boards', which are effectively a Itind of private electronic mail system run by a system operator (a 'sysop' to those in the know). 78 8000 PLUS To use any service, you will need to buy a modem and an interface. A modem allows you to send computer signals down a phone line, and the interface gets the signals from your PCW to your modem. The pair will set you back £200 or more. Once done, you need some software to allow you to send and receive data, and it is this software reviewed below. Electronic mail services just send strings of characters to and fro, whereas Prestel is a Viewdata' system, meaning it sends pictures and graphics too. Software needs to do more to receive Viewdata graphics, so if you want to use Prestel make sure your software is up to it. PuMh aotmtln 8256UKM7,COM Public domain (ie. free!) P.O. software documentation is often poor bat this progrsm has an above average document tile. UKM7 was written to support ASCII file transfers using error correction ^nd as a dumb terminal either tor use over the phone or between two Amsiraids. Between two PCWs file transfer is possible at a staggering 31.250 baud which is even faster than PIP? Easy to use for beglnrjers and better than K£RMiT. UKM7 provides a cheap and excellent way to communications after you've got ted up with ttte PCWs MAILS3S. 325SUKM7 is available from the Public Domain Special Interest Group, or rnosl bulletin boards supporting the PCW machines. PLUSES * MINUSES :.; Cheap! (ihe price oi a ptiono call) r Easy to usei and iialpful menus :.: Etoih CRC and Xmodem protocols supported zi' Single file and Batch Mode transfers D "Quiet" mode for si^hily faster Translets (on-line transfer progress report disabled) e Only ASCH, no Viewdata fl You need to find a PD soHware source (eg. use a mo<^m and MAIL23? softvvare) CHITCHAT E-MAIL/VIEW/DATA,' COMBO Sagesoft • £69.99 £69.99 £99.99 • 091 284 7077 Two communications programs lor the SOOO series machines that have bean around lor a good lime now. Most ol the teatures you wili need are here: message text editor, preprogramming unatterjded tasHsi it you use a suitable "intalligent" modem), directory of stored numbers, copy to printer, and a very useful conriect time dock so you can watch yourptione bill dimb! E- mail i$ used for sim^e texlphorm links like Telecom Gold, whereas you'll need Viewdata if you want K) use Prestel The Comtx> pack contains both E-mail and Viewdata. PLUSES - MINUSES O Good, Clear documentation p Easy for first timers lo use □ Bu^t m text editof lor pfe-sending message preparaiFon : Pre-definal^le tasks execulatjfe at any preset time if unattended. s No eror corrected file transfer (i.e. Xmodem or CRC) Dialup £89.99 . RMS Communications • 021-643 7688 utters tx}th E-mail antj Vtewaala opef3ticns. Very easy to ijse, ami offers an XMODEM transfer protocol uolilte Sage ChiiChai. If you are trying a motlem loo there are some ajt-price bundleil deals to be had, eg. the Miracle Technology WS4000 modem. PLUSES • MINUSES D Simple to use □ Comprehensiue (He transPer commands, including XMODEI^ and the increasingly popular KERMIT Q Ftirns from ine M drive EE Manual is not PCW specilic, and Itio references to 5.25" discs are todious Pow6rtul& versatiie COMM+ £86.25 • NewStar . 0277 220573 This single package combines both ASCII and lull Viewdata btock graphics and Teiesottwara downk^ading. A very powerful cohimand language a/tows you to look tor particutar messages coming in and take actions, even white doing other things. Its use is only limited by your programmtng ability. PLUSES " MINUSES D Very comprehensive and well tndeKed ring bound manual □ High quality Viewdata graphics n WeH presented on-line halp menus for use by beginners I Autod»aNer program works witli most manual modems I ; Telesoftware ijowtiioading facility, with CRC/Xmodem ciTieCktng G Very powerful command language, do&sn'l need much programming skill to learn &f Not recomrnended for absolute beginners to corrKnunications NEXT MONTH The guide continues next month with the categories of SPREADSHEETS. GRAPHICS and GAINES The month after that will cover WORDPROCESSORS. ACCOUNTS PAYROLL. UTILITY and DTP software, and Ihe month after that it's back to this month's topics. Our intention is to keep putilishing the three parts of the guide in rotation, updating it each month to include all new products II you would like lo see other sections of the guide, back issues ol 8000 Plus are available at CI 75 each l^eanwhile. if you are aware ot any significant omissions or errors in the File as published, please let us know. We intend to maintain it as THE authontative guide to PCW software. COLOURED RIBBONS Coloured compatible ribbons available for most printers including PCW8256 details from Pearldeck Trading Ltd FREE POST Billingford Diss Norfolk IP2I 4BR Create on 2\d tke this ujth MeujsdesK International and COMPLIEMIENir. \ (BHPtEllEHT 19 »aw»r* (kssiflflfO Tor uh gith flHtric Stutfio'i NfuSOetK iNteflNfttlOrtit Owfctop Poti1iaMt>j arc ART GrgphbnjMcksgpsK Thijwiwrt fs using ii*ttrisUro«triffiJiK*iifiiich 19 ijtwra for onlg^ j*inr-n ' 'jyt do uPv^t fgr trw •(««» Lffn-M« .m„*_iu^u L ^iC ciKiEiins lose r>» -orts dnclixFing RrC D«o dnd Art Houw^^. and two wt* i0H9»<h». Tgxtur? fonts (uh-E^ Kt hk* tgp&'iri fills fft- l^-flsr p4ti«n»> vid BorMrg (kits of Mi&-arC tiwt «»itiiti to tiM yofftHion*': Mi'tlfrs for i;3ur pspfg or adwrtsJ, Tntir* Poflts 9Pt \tr^ 90k32 pikdl pottfrfta thflt e*n bt u«<t to fill *"f» mt^ t«j<turM othfr than trw 55 Mjlalff ifl tr» OTP pachWH Ttwf srt tnrw on tr» dlK.SurrKSS (Bncii, Stow^ TIIOkUooO, «c.\ Cflrtaprflpnu i^kjnn, ttgrsh, UwJo. floats stc.> »nd Patt«rna ^Ti9h«e9lc Drops^ Cubic, UfMVj etc.) uibh raos for uou lo jicU iy( if (jHirKL TUf [tor^srs coroist of Corjw5-(tert l ricPC^jHaniontsh, ycrtitsTa, indiwduflTEtofnentsanci, for tfwftrtttecD mi] Qrt Koijijrsuhitfl, ii^ri'DUfl Enita ilanainlw'izDrtfll and uert^i^al). By «9Hl}Eirig tl^ SBCtiCini of »rii(t-drt gll\i Cdn r^iidl^ Qiw your artuarK or paig^'m 'Htgt'AtiDwthsr'Cst. ■ ^ disc aha CDoCflins A ucosi^ipt fr« of hiriti Aid tip9. c^^rw ^fsu^ iLch U9ir of Uw fiKktgfl^ « ue11 m clev tnotmctians hi ^ ta u» tAO T vnturt Font« and BordvrSi trw dliK <irKludir>D RycordiMf Detiuv^pQst^ in UK>> ia obt^lMbto fnrti Dragorf^ly Designs Se. Thff ShryelftPpds, HoTiforfl, Hor«!di.r*Drro>f.nfl1i33eL INFORMATION EDUCATION WITH COMPUTER POWER "Viewbooks form the ideal course companion for ar^y student' ' VburAmstfsdPCMfOct J987 ' ToiheleachetaTdpjpJsttcouWoftef oneof ihe greatest revolutKonssince the photocopier". The Teacher, 22ndJijne 1987 ■ Think of it as a large database already packed lull ot irtformatior .. you can print out any number of pages or iiansferafilewiihchosenpagestoihp M-dtivesothatyoucanworkontheiext in a word -processor - in other words instant essays". 3000 Plus. SepKmber )SS7 A SELECTtON OF VIEWBOOKS AVAILABLE FOR nrfif -A' AND DEGREE LEVEL STUDY_ QENERAt STUDIES Sciffnc^ in Society Cinema m View GEOGRAPHY Dissppesring Forests Atmospheric f^iHution Oa^Albury Keynes: An Introduction Jos Schwarti 7"^ Hidden Economy Vincent Porter t^gjx; An Introduction Perer Howells Philip Maitera John Ure Nigel Dudley Ste^« Elsworth Mens Work. Women's Wcrii. Tony Chapman Hesfrh. MedKine andSoctm Li sley Doval Pvnishing Poverty: A Study ot the New Poor Lsw pruBChemberlavne The Factory Acts: . f c- . i„ Uisseifaire Interrupted Usl»y Fo* le' IfKfustrrai Relations 1780 1930: AOacumentary History Keith Burjess f.tr:r^f,TflW OF^- " r.%T.r...K^. 10782, 281643 ¥ iewbook To order send Chequa/P.O. to: information Education Ltd Freepost, STOke-on Trent STI 4BR MONEY FROM YOUR AMSTRAD Got z PCW! Or just thiniting of buying one? Either vyay you can't go wrong, tfie PCW is the perfect snnali business computer. Did you realize. though, just how many ways there are of making money with one? I tjon't mean running your own business, but carrying out simple tasks for other people. Tasks which are well paid. Experienced user or beginner, we can show you haw to make real mortey, full or part time, providing straightforward computer services. No programming, no hard selling, no hassling, and you operate at home. Companies spend nnore every year on computer sevices. Don't miss your oportunity in this exciting and growing field! Write orphans for free details of this complete business plan specifically for the Amstrtid PCW owrjer. POINT ONE PUBLISHING BOX 30, ST BEES, CUMBRIA CA27 OBN Tel: 0946 822 242 CARD FILE IN A MUDDLE? Let CHIBASE help sort It out! Hardsoft V international I a The Square, Sawbridgeworth, Herts 0279 726488/406 LEASE AN AMSTRAD PC 1 640 DOMD + EPSON PRINTER + WORDPROCESSOR + SPREADSHEET ... FOR UNDER £7.00 PER WEEK We offer all the Amstrad machines, various printers and software for sale, lease purchase or lease-rental. Short term hire available. PCW81S6-£289+VAT PCW 85 1 2 - £389 + VAT PCW 95 (2 -£484+ VAT ALL WITH FREE MAINTENANCE CONTRACT WORTH £7S Software also available at up to 'A normal prices * NATIONWIDE NEXT DAY DEUVERY * CONSUMABLES * FREE TAX & FINANCIAL GUIDANCE * CONTINUOUS STATIONERY * * lA hr MAINTENANCE * CHIBASE i^lipcCi,^IEif dL'iigri<rd,lud wiiutn forihr Putcmg your notes or abscraccs on Chibase is really easy, and Chibse helps ^ou to find [lust the ones you need by means of keywords. Thif IS l>ow Chlluse could work for you: # You can use Chibase eo replace an irKlexed cardfile or notebook. A Chibue record corresponds to a card in the card In the cardfile or a page in the notebook # Chiba$e includes i. simple text editor which enabk$ you to enter and amend your record text on the screen. As you type in o^- amend your record text, you can nofnmate one or more words as ke]i'v/ords- A single key command nomjnats the word at the cursor as a keyword, and the word becomes highlighted, 9 A singk key command causes the edited text eo be stored as a record on the datable- The keywords will be stored in an index. The software uses the index to find records. V You can selectively retrieve records by means of an enquiry which is )ust a list ot keywords. Those records which ifHrlude the listed keywords will be retrieved, You can also retrieve only those records whose keywords include sonw mtnifnum number of the keywords in the listr Some features of Chiibase # Fast and easy to use : No complicated syntax lo learn. 9 Free format tesct up to 23 lines of 80 characters per record. # Kejovords up to 1 5 characters. Up to SO keywords per record. # An lnd«x of keywords is automatically maintained by the software. You can raw or print the index. The index can distinguish between upper and lower case characters tf required. # Form facility, if required, hefps you to position text within the records. Move between parts of the fomn by pressirtg the TAB key. # Export/Import facility enables you to move English text to or from your word processor, # Am end/Delete fac il ities. # Sort^jlity. (Needs SI 2K RAM). # High cjipadty achieved by automatic text compresion and tn^ v^ni^k length records. % Compreitihensive Indexed Manual with tutorial introduction. SPECIAL OFFER PRICE £39,95 fnc(d<rtei Dec. 31) CWMBRAN COMPUTER CENTRE Jtpt. EP). 3-4 Ve«il..or Roiid, Old CwfnbrLM>, Oven Phons; (0*33 3) 60n» or 1 -3»? 9758 ( M houn) Open: Mon-fri 9,00 -7.00. Sun 10.00- 1.00 ACCESS VISA HOTLINE ■s 0458 74011 !■■■■■! ORDER FORM No 15 Use this form to order either a subscription or special offers by tidfmg the items you require. All speclai offer goods are sent by 1st class post, normally within five days of receipt of order. But please allow 28 days in case of temporary shortages Name AtUress Postcode □ SUBSCRIFnON £17.95 {Inc (re« gill pact;. ) II you are an existing subscriber wishing to extend your sutyscription, please tick here: U UQOOO PLUS GIFT PACK £8.95 (Existing subscriljers only) □ THINGI [left ol screen) £5.95 U THINGI (right of screen) £5.95 ... Pkt(s) DISK LABELS £1 .00 ea (Errter number required) UDUST COVERS 8256/8512 £10.95 □ DUST COVERS 9512 £1 1 .95 Q BINDER £4.95 □ 3 HIGHUGHTER PENS £1.50 QSCRABBLE £1295 Q BASIC MANUAL {+ pens) £9.95 TOP SJX GAMES ClTHEPAWN £19.95 □ HEADOVER HEELS £9.95 □ HITCHHIKERSE19.95 □ STATIONFALL £19,95 □ LEADERBOARD £19.95 □ STARGLIDER £19.95 BACK ISSUES □ issues £1.50 U Issue 8 £1 .50 □ issue 10 £1.75 □ fssue12£1.75 □ issue 14 El .75 □ issue7£1.50 Q Issue 9 £1 .75 ul Issue 1 1 £1 75 □ issue 13 £1.75 PAYMENT DETAIU Value of total order (min order £S 00) COMPUTER SCRABBLE Only £12.95 -save £7!! ■ Anyone wfio enjoys playing with words will find i1 hard to resist this superb version of the classic word -game. ■ Scrabble on the PCW, supplied by Leisure Genius, presents you witfi a unique challenge: Can you beat your word processor at word processing? ■ Be warned. The program, backed up by a huge built- in dictionary, plays a very mean game. It knows all the rules and will use every trick in the book to build up mind- boggling scores. ■ The full Scrabble board is displayed on the screen with all the squares in their usual places. More than one player can take on the computer simultaneously, and you can set the program's level from super-fast to super-smart. There are other options, including the facility to see the computer trying out various words. ■ The program also checks your words against its dictionary and will query any it doesn't recognise - but yes, you can overrule it. Much friendlier than a human opponent in that regard. ■ It's just as well, because you'll need all the help you can get if you're to beat the machine. ■ A fantastic program at an amazing bargain price Payment is by (please circle) Cheque • PO • Access • Visa ri^ake payable to FUTURE PUBLISHING LTD. Your credit card numlwr Is Expiry date 8000 PLUS BACK ISSUES We have limited quantities of the back issues listed below. The prices include a nominal 25p postage. All issues contain excellent TipOff sections and a selection of BASIC listings, plus the other regulars. Don't miss the chance to expand your collection. issues 1-4. SOLD OUT! issue 5. £1 ,50 Printer sun/ey. Reviews of Pretext, Trivial Pursuit. Strike Force Hamer. Business letters layout. SETSIO and DEVICE commands explained. Issue 6 SOLDOUTI Issue 7 £1 .50 Spreadsheets special. LocoScript troubleshooting. Reviews of Cavalier accounts, Personal Tax Pianner, Stockmarttet packages, Adrian Mole. issue 8 £1 .50 LocoScript 2 in depth review. Comms packages compared. AMX Desktop reviewed, plus Starglider, Southern Belle, Steve Davis Snooker, File Manager. Issue 9 £175 Free packet of disc labels. Fleet St Editor Plus. Expanding your memory. Using LocoMail. CPM's SID utility. Reviev^ of Head Over Heels, home finance programs, Accounts made easy. Issue 10 £1.75 Graphics packages compared, £10 database. More on LocoJutail. LocoScript templates. Hotshot reviewed. Teach yourself Logo. Issue 11 £1.75 How to recover lost disc data. Installing a second drive. The SUBMJT command. Reviews of Desktop Publisher, Red Boxes, Leaderboard. Issue 12 £1.75 Databases compared. Using ^Jetsam. Getting into LocoScript 2. Index to first 12 issues. Reviews of Amor's C, Bridge programs. Issue 13 £1.75 Linking to portables. PIP revealed. Genealogy software. Pretext and Hitch-hiker's tips. Anagram accounts. Datastore. Fleet Street Editor fonts. = ^ Issue 14 El .75 Full review of the PCW 9512. Connecting to a synthesizer. LocoScript 2 wallchart. Reviews of Poolswinner, low-cost business software, battery backups. Send this form plus payment to SPECIAL OFFERS • 8000 PLUS SOMERTON • SOMERSET ■ TA11 7PY (valid until Dec 3 1 si, 1987) I OFFICIAL BASIC MANUAL Only £9.95 -with FREE pack of highlighter pens! Your PCW system disc includes Mallard BASIC, the excellent version of the programming language BASIC written by Locomotive Software. The only trouble is there's no proper documentation for it with the machine (unless you were a very early purchaser of the 8256), But now you can develop your programming ability with the aid ol the latest version of the official Locomotive manual, an excellent, well-presented book running to over 400 pages. It covers all commands available in Mallard BASIC in full detail, backed up with numerous examples and sample listings. Any differences relevant to the different PCW mo<Jels are pointed out in the text. The new version also includes a much expanded lutorial section intended to teach BASIC programming from scratch. There is also full coverage given to the GSX graphics commands and the Jetsam tile storage system. If you want to use your PCW for more than just word- processing, this book can open the door. Oh, and because there will be numerous bits you'll want to return to quickly, we're throwing in a free set of 8000 Plus highlighter p«ns so that you can mark key passages! An excellent buy. CHRISTMAS GAMES SPECIAL Save £5 on each of the year's Top Six PCW entertainment programs! ■ HEAD OVER HEELS The incredibly-animated program from Ocean in which you control TWO separate characters, using their different abilities to solve some mind-bending puzzles. Huge playing area and probably the best graphics on the PCW. Plus totally absorbing gameplay. Only £9.95! (RRP £14.95) ■ LEADERBOARD This is the famous golfing simulation which brings the challenge of a round of championship golf onto your computer. Numerous variables have to be taken into account as you plan each shot. Excellent graphics add to the atmosphere. Only £14.951 (RRP £19.99) HITCH-HIKER'S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY The hilarious adventure from Infocom based on the Douglas Adams book. Combines ingenious puzzles with the wackiest humour of any computer game. Solve it inside two months and you're a genius. Only £19.95! (RRP £24,95) ■ THE PAWN Rainbird's graphic adventure game set in a mysterious kingdom of ice towers, golden palaces and dangerous forests. The game combines gorgeous pictures with effective text descriptions and strong character interaction. Only £19.95! {RRP £24,95) 1 STAT10NFALL Another outstanding Infocom game from Steve Meretzky, co-author of Hitch- hiker's. You have to rescue a space station from impending doom. Excellent atmosphere, great humour. The superb packaging includes detailed game maps. Only £19.95! (RRPE24.95) ■ STARGLIDER Don't like adverttures? How about a shoot-'em-up? The famous Starglider from Rainbird features fast 3D graphics, plenty of excitement and a strong strategy element. The price includes a mini-novel to set the scene! Only £19.95! (RRP £24.95) HOW TO ORDER Just fill in the order torm on the left of this page. Or use our Access Visa hotline on 0458 7401 1 . MAGAZINE BINDERS Store up to 12 issues for just £4.95 8000 Plus, we humbly suggest, is a magazine worth collecting. Our styrdy, custom-built binders provide the best way pt keeping your copies tidy, in good condrtion and instantly available. Each one is designed to hold 12 copies ofSOOO Plus and preserve them tor posterity - and easy future reference. Individual magazines are held in place by one of 12 wires. And the binders look good too. They're coloured a rich green with the magazine logo printed in blocked Newvap Gold on the spine and front. Buy one and watch your 8000 Plus collection grow into a comrehensive libraiy ol PCW info. 8000 PLUS LABELS Packet of 20 for £1 , (when ordered with another product) Ore of the most annoying things about 3" discs is that they arent normally supplied v^ith spare labels. That's why we designed our own (and gave away over 300,000 with the June issue of SOOO plus). Pf you want some spares, we have them in packets of 20, 4 different colours, 5 of each colour. They're £1 a packet, provided you order something else at ttie same time. [You could simply buy an extra packet I) A neat way of keeping ^^iffij^ your discs organised. 8000 PLUS DUST COVERS 3-piece set for 8256/8512 only £10.95 3-piece set for 9512 only £1 1.95 Let's face it, computers don't like dust. Over a period of time it can make them very ill indeed; keyboards stk^k, disk drives become fess reliable, printer mechanisms clog up. A set of dust covers for the three parts of your system provides a neat solution. And there's the added bonus of smartening up the hardware's appearance when It's not in use. The specially -com missioned 8000 Plus covers are made from high-quality, anti-static nylon fabric. The sets for the 8000 series machines are coloured a soft grey with smart red piping for the monitor ^id printer covers. For the 9512, the covers are ivory piped with brown. Both sets include the 8000 Plus logo printed on the keyboard cover. It all adds up to a good argument for a cover up. THE THINGI Only £5.95 - save £2! Whafs white, dangles paper next to your computer screen, and costs two pounds less than in the shops? Yes, a Thingi bought through 8000 Plus. This remarkable computer accessory ~ an idea so simple it's ingenious - could dramatically ease your hours at the keyboard. It's basically a cleverly-shaped piece of plastic that attaches via Velcro to the top of your micro. But with a Thingi on your PCW you can have documents, letters or program listings clipped right next to the screen in perfect reading position. Any task involving copying off paper is thereby made much easier and faster. In fact, the coloured clip supplied is sturdy enough to support an issue of 8000 Plus open, say, at the Listings section. The Thingi comes in two versions one for positioning to the left of the screen, the other to the right - the Vetcro attachment allows easy readjustment or temporary removal, A sensible, cost-effective add-on for your PCW. HOW TO ORDER Just turn back one page and lill in the order lorm. Or use our Access Visa holMne on 0458 74011, I I I HIGHLIGHTER PENS Three for £1.50 Anyone who uses computers a lot, can make use of highlighter pens. For marking the important lines in a document or printout or program listing. For ensuring a key sentence in a manuai isn't forgotten. Or just for trlghlighttng the main points in an 8000 Plus article. We're offering a set of three different-coloured 8000 PI us- stamped pens in a clear piastic wallet for just £1 .50. They're high-quality and long-lasting. A good way of focussing attention on things that matter. Subscribe to the leading Amstrad PCW magazine and we'll send you free goods worth over £12! i THE 8000 PLUS GIFT PACK ■ THREE blank Amstrad 3-inch disks (suitable for any PCW, drive A or B). ■ TWO packets of colour-coded disk labels (40 in total). ■ ONE set of three highlighter pens. HOW TO ORDER Just turn back one page and fill in the order form. Or use our ftccess Visa hotline on 0458 7401 T. llNTERESTING FACT. 8000 Plus has one of Ihe highest ' percer>tages of postal subscribers of any magazine in ttie UK. ,' Most PCW users would appear to be incredibly enthusiastic about their machines and rely on the magazine for a regular source of lips, reviews and general advice. Ifs the only way of keeping properly in touch with the bubbling, constantly-changing PCW scene. Paying £1 7.95 for a year's subscription won't save you much on newsstand prices. But it does mean you'll get a cxtpy every month delivered hot off the press direct to your door. No more frustrating searches through newsagents who've already sold out. The current success of the magazine means we're also able to offer new subscribers a special gift-pack containing goods worth £12.47 at recommended retail prices. NOW have we persuaded you...? ^Subscribe already? [If you'd like a gift pack, but already have a subscription to 8000 Plus, you |can buy the pack at a special discount price of £8.95. Just tick the relevant KOpUon on the form. (This offer is open only to existing sut>scribers> Breimtwooo Office Supplies Scacionery Printing ■ Office Eauicment Compucer Products _r49A HIGH STREET, BRENTWOOD. ESSEX CM14 4SA " TEL: CaS77] 554099 ^ST HARDWARE PCW8256 , £343.85 PCW8512 458.85 MEW PCW 9512 573.85 PC l512Compulers P.OA PC 1640 Compulers P.OA. (£20 SOI=TW«(E or MAIffTENAIiCE ALLOWANCE WITH ABOVE COMPtmRS) CPQ 454 Colour Monitor includes Free Games Pack. .299,95 CPC 6 1 28 Cobur Monitor 399.95 OMSrTE WAINTEIWICE ACREEMBfTS PCW8256 41.40 PCW85t2 51 75 PCW9512 56.35 PCW SOFTWARE MEW Locoscripl 2 19.95 Fleet Street Editor 65.00 Supercalc 2 45.00 Locomail or Locospell 35.00 Protol 72.50 dBase It 105.05 CardlxjK 5350 DR Graph 45.00 DRDraw 45,00 Database Manager (At last) 27.50 3D Clock Chess 13.95 Colossus Chess 13.95 Bridge Player (latest version) .... 1 6.95 Trivial Pursuit 18.50 Full PCW Business & Games list on request. ( Rease write endoang S.A.E) PC 1512 SOFTWARE Wordstar 1512 .62.55 New Word 2 87.50 Cracker 3 , 62.50 Supercalc 3. 62.55 Sidekick £27.50 NEW ABC Business Package. 139,50 net/ Superwriter 69.50 Cardbox 52 50 Retrieve 97.55 MAP Accounts Programs P.OA Sagesoft Accounts Programs . P.OA, Cem FVograms P.OA. Digital Research Progranns P.OA Fleet Street Editor 132.50 Open Access 1 32.50 NEW Superwriter 67.95 VoiksOTiter de Luxe 39,50 l*IANY OTHER TITLES AVAILABLE - ALL AT DISCCKINT PRICES PC 1512 Games now in stock CPC Games Latest titles available SaNDRlES PCW 8256 1 Metre Ribbons 4.75 PCW 8256 2 Metre Ribbons 6.25 NEW PCW Colour Ribbons 5.95 Ofange/Red/Gteen/Putple/BrDwn or Blue PCW 8256 Joystick Interface .... 1 3.95 PCW 8256 Printer Ext. Lead 1 0.95 PCW 8256/85 1 2 Dust Covers ... 9.95 NEW PCW 9512 Dust Covers ... 12.50 AMX Mouse (Cassette & Disc). . . 64.50 Mouse Mat 4,95 We also stock- Listing Paper: (Micro Perf) 60 gsm 1 1 x 9'kpQ, 80 & 90 gsm A4, Computer Printer Labels and General Stationery All at competitive prices. Personal callers Please teleptione for availability. Access and Visa accepted. Postage & Packing: Computers: P.OA. All other priced items £ I Prices inclusive of VAT. Offers end3!stDECEMBER1987 PROFESSIONAL BUILDERS ESTIMATING SYSTEM Automatically calculates neat printouts of costs, material quantities, and times. Incredibly easy to use. Superfast intelligent input routines save hours of estimating time. Specially designed for the smaller firm. No data to install — ready to go. For factsheet and pcW VersiOD sample printout ring (0387) 88612 Tony Moseley or (0387} 54547 John Donnelly Anytime M^^I^JK^ ROBOTICS • PLANT MONITOmNG CONTROL ' SECURITY DATA LOGGING ■ CENTRAL HEATING * ETC WtieHiBf you are an inctustnal engineer. Btaclronics tiobbyist. siLXJsnl or home user, ttiis Parallel trO Iniartace enables ail AMSTRAD PCW users to dewaloj) micfoprocessor comrol applications An eicsiieni educaCona) tool. Iliis hardware is very eas^ to program in MALLARD BASIC and a nuint»r ol olhw languages. The 32 I/O lines provided can be (urttief entianoed Ijy a range ol add-on modules. Ready to use — fits onto PCWs expansion connactof. Full instructions and a disc containing sample programs are included. PARALLEL I/O INTERFACE £55.95 I/O Test Module £39.96 Breakout Module E18.9S 8 channel A to D Module £39. 9S D to A Module £29.95 { !(?% f^uctTon on module pflces il puictiaseti with tnterlace) All prices indulge postage and packing SAE/phane for more details — Send cheque/PO with order to:- SM ENGINEERING Telephone 0323-766262 'SI Georges' Lion Hill Stone Cross Pevensey East Sussex BN24 5E0 The OfficeSet PCW Lutterworth Software's Microfile provides you with an easy to use Card Index type filing system. It includes search, sort, print formatting and mail merge. Lutterworth Software's Ultimate Diary provides you with an extensive diary and appointment system. It automatically deals with repeated appointments and periodic events, such as every third Friday. The two programs have been converted to the PCW by Interspike and are now available as on one disk for £19.95 post paid, mclusive of VAT, from: Dept 8p I , INTERSPIKE Ltd., 1 08 Margaret Street. Coaville. LE6 2LX DIAMOND DATA-BASE • Up to 5 search levels • 20 fields per record • 30 characters per field • Menu driven - Versatile and easy to use ONLY £14.95 Inc p&p HOWARD COMPUTER SERVICES 32, HOLMER DOWN WOOLWELL PLYMOUTH PL6 7QW (0752) 790250 1 AT LAST! RIBBON RESTORATION THAT REALLY WORKS! Unique NEW process pioneered by us Much more than mere re-inking... Restoned ribbon sic tu a My lubricates print -strike mechanism as it goes! • Print quality like new • Longer ribbon life • Smooth running of ribbon and print head SAVES fffffSi £1.95 inc. or £8.50 for 5 FREEPOST us your faded ribbon [please package carefully!) Payment with order, please. Allow 2t days for return. per ribbon VAT CASPELL COMPUTER SERVICES Dept. BK, FREEPOST, Poole, Dorsec BH15 1BR POSTSCRIPT POSTSCRIPT Droves of diverse dispatches dissected and displayed by a clogged Ed. Ripptng yarn I am very concerned about the ({uality of ribbons now supplied by Amstrad for ttie PCW 8526/851 2 printer. Over the past few weel^s I tiave tiad to purchase a replacement, having found ttiat re-inking of the original ribbon by a v^^eil known supplier failed to give me a good job in that all I got was over-inked ribbons which smudged the paper and blurred the print. The new ribbon appeared to be a very thin plastic backed strip. It began to jam in the case and suddenly a double or triple loop of ribbon would appear and the whole lot would drop into the printer, so tt)at I had to stop and rewind it into the case before I could recommence printing. I returned the ribbon as faulty to DiKons, my local supplier, who replaced it with another one. The same happened to this ribbon and after a week I again returned it for replacement. The same happened with the third ribbon. Later in the week while again printing a long file (I am printing a book of 250 pages, in chapters of approximately six to eight pages) I left the printer to print by itself. On my return I found that this tirre there was nothing printed because the ribbon had broken in half apparently after jamming just at ttiejoin. I am pleased to say that again Oixons replaced the faulty ribbon, but suggested that I also complain to Amstrad, who supplied the ribbons, to see if this was a general complaint, and ask what could be done about it. This I have done and am now awaiting a reply. Might I add that I had no problems with the old type ribbons supplied and which gave exceptionally good service. Edward Bedingfeld Maidenhead, Berks %Atew months ago Amstrad introduced a The 9512 revolution is starting to pick up now, although tiie majority of Ihe 8000 Plus postbag is still merrily dot- matrixed, Thiis months topics range from black marketeering to alcohol abuse - wlio says tliat computer magazines don't debate the w/ider issues of modern society? If you feel moved to put finger to keyboard, send your thoughts on life to PostScript. 8000 Plus, 4 Queen Street, BathBAI 1BJ. 'cartKin film'ribbort as an atiemative to (he traditional inked fabric variety. You obviousty have one of these ca(t)on film ones, which in theory gives crisper print. Presumably Ihe carbon film ones have tieen a success, since Amstrad have now stopped supplying the fabric type altogether, which is why Dixons no longer stock them. It you dont like the carbon film type, all is not lost since there are third parly (ie. non-Amstrad branded) fabric riljbons available for the PCW. Pelikan are one of the biggest European ribbon manufacturers, and they make a suitable one. Ribbons lor the PCW carry the standard international group number 2741 FN. Any good stationer will be able to get Pelikan ribbons lor you. Alictear 73's in amateur radio parlance means 'Good wishes', and 'es gud dx' means means Hope you have many long distance radio contacts'. I know because I too am an amateur radio fan, class *A' like your other correspondent, M.J. Pratt. Charles Winston Congteton, Cheshire m Well then. 73's 2UB Double trouble "Trouble at t'shops" there may be (Keywords. Novemtier). but 1 think you've got Trouble in tpost. As a long-standing subscriber I am continually aggrieved to find the issue on sale in shops several days before mine an'ives in the post. The problem is that BOOO Plus is so good that I usually have to buy a copy when I see it so end up spending twice as much as I need to! Please can you get the copies in the post sooner? Alec Veer Glasgow • Because we have so many subscribers (over $,000} we don't actually post the magazines ourselves but contract it mil Briefly, the timings are these: the subscribers' copies are delivered to the mailing company (in Bristol) on a Thursday. These are posted out the next day. The issue does not go on sale unlit the foilowing Thursday, which allows six days for the Post Office to do its stuff. In some areas the issue may appear in shops a day or two early, but that is a kicat distribution matter. We can't post copies out lirst class because the Post Office won't take lirst class bulk mailings - each month's 8000 Plus batch weighs almost Vh tonnes! Statistically, out of S.OOO copies posted some are bound to get delayed each month. II your copy is regularly late then it is probably your local sorting office at fault ICpmein,Z88 On the strength of your review of the Sinclair (oops) Cambridge Z88 I rushed to my local Dixons and bought their one and only model together with a comms lead and 1 28K RAM. I use it principally for library work and writing away from my PCW and find that so far it lives up to my expectations and your review and I forecast a good future for this machine. I have transferred a large number of files from the Z88 to the PCW without any loss of data. There is however one problem that I am experiencing which is at the PCW end of the operation. Despite the fact that there is over 100K of space on the disc I frequently get a disc error message "NO DATA BLOCK" and have to transfer files to LocoScript to enable the CP/M disc to accept more transferred files. This error message occurs whether the file is 1 k or 8k; there seems to be no reason for it and I am finding it somewhat frustrating having to change disc several times to transfer relatively little information. What I am I doing wrong? This letter was written on the Z88 and transferred successfully!! A Adams Mannlngtree, Essex • /( sounds as though you could be trying to store your transferred files on a disc that you have also used lor LocoScript documents. When you say there is '100k free', presumably you mean that LocoScript tells you there is tOOk free. It is lying to you! Because of the way LocoScript stores its Limbo files, CP/M may think that the disc is lull (this month's CP/M article on pages 25/26 explains why). The simplest solution Is to format a new disc specialty for use with CP/M and tile transfers, and don't try to mix LocoScript and CP/M tiles on the same disc. ' I TMifJK I PpfcF&pp.e-p two's company I gazed longingly at the PCW 9512 in Dixons the other day. "Can I?" I said to my wife, mentally deciding there and then I would, anyway. 8000 PLUS 85 POSTSCRIPT Wheel of fortune Could I be the first PCW 951 2 owner out of your postbag? Having patiently waited several months tor the launch of ttie PCW 951 2. to my <Jeligh) I was able to make my purchase on 23/9/87 thanks to Dixons in Bridgwater. Very impressed I was too, although hours after setting up the machine I decided that the manual supplied was completely useless in its book form and promptly tore out ail the pages {one by one!) and divided it between three ring binders. The enct result is definitely easier to work with. That over and done with I wasted the next day trying to operate the phnter. In sheer desperation I referred to the manual (I could have saved myselt a great deal oi embarrassment if I had read it first!) to discover that I hadn't set it up to use continuous paper. Thai rectified, it wasn't too long Ijefore everything fed in its place. I am well pleased with my purchase and get a real buzz when the printer is in operation, the print quality is marvellous and at the moment I can do nothing but praise the mactiine. Who knows as a regular reader of 8000 Pius this could be the first of many tetters of correspondence to yourselves. Liz Davidge Bridgwater • You weren't Ihe first 9512 owner out oi the postbag. but since you were (he first to adhere to the letter ot the challer)ge and provide a photo, you wif\ the extravagant tuwry of some spare daisywheels. Oh, but it you do write again, please don't use the Scnpt 12 wheel we sent - it's a horrible typefacel 'You've got one already, you don't need another one " she said, and dragged me off to Tesco's She's right, of course, but I wanf one. And when I get it, can I: 1) In any way use the printer of my existing (upgraded, 2 drives, etc.) 8256 in addition to the nice Oaisywheel supplied, or do I have to buy a separate dot-matrix for graptiics? 2} Take the "B" drive out of my current machine, and install it in the 9512 - I know that the colour is black, and aesthietically it'll look silly, but will it work? if I hide the 8256 and put the new one in its place, do you think my wife*!! notice? Just lor the record, she's got two irons, but I don't press the point. Chris Kaley West Drayton, Middlesex • you cam physically conr\ect the 8000- type dot matrix printer to the 9512, although since the 8-drive on the 8000 machines is the same disc type as the 9512 disc drives you can simply pop your 9512 disc into the 86 8000 PLUS 35 12 B-dfm and print &te files on the 8512. Although I haveni actually looked inside the 9512, I'm assured that the wiring for the B-drive is all there, so you can re- instal your 8512 B-drive in the 9512. This does mean that you won't be able to read 951! discs on your remaining 8000 A-drive though, so you the answer to your first question becomes W. Swings and roundabouts, I'm afraid. Of earn of database |S0UP Whilst you are all having your 10 o'clock break for coffee and fruit and nut chocolate, may I take up a little of your time to mention one of your advertisers. t recently rang Campbell Systems to enquire if Mastertile 8000 would do the tiling, invoice records and cross referencing I require. I found them most helpful and, having ordered the product, I received it within 3 days. Although computers are not second nature to me, I found the manual very helpful and the product excellent. Full mar1«!l J. Walker Nottingham Pilate hunter 1 am seeking a program which will make it impossible to copy discs - have you published such a listing, or would you think it possible for a reader adept at programming to devise one? Peter Ho u chin Bridgwater, Somerset • The uncopyable disc' is one ol those dreams like perpetual nxtion -you can get pretty close, but never quite there If any of our readers have any ideas, we 'd be pleased to publish them. Mind you, a really unbreakable copy protection system would be worth a torlune commercially. In Ihe meantime, you can protect BASIC programs by saving them with the command sa <.'e "fiie.iame", p. Alter this, they can be copied and nm normally but not altered, so any copyright notice could not be removed freal hackers know ways round this though). Don't forget to keep an unprotected working copy ot the program tor yourself! {STOP] and go ■ Having been given an Amstrad 851 2 by my family last Chnstmas I set about learning BASIC and grappling with 'Jetsam'. Eventually, I arrived at a very worthwhile program to quote for Fitted Kitchens in our shop. However, we sometimes accidentally hit the [STOP] key when striking the No. 1 key. The computer then leaps out of the program into the listing, thus all our totals and variables are lost and upon returning to the program we have to start again from the beginning. Do you or any of your readers know ot a way to disable the [STOP] key, or make it work only in conjunction with another? Amstrad have been unable to help me. Jacic Burt>age Tavlstocit Kitchens, Maidenhead • II you do accidentally breafc out of a program, t^ing ccnt will allow you to continue again. Alternatively, if you include a line at the start ot the program saying OPTION BiM then the [STOP} key will be disi^ted, Wrdng address? About the dreaded missing address mark. Your reply in Issue 1 3 to Geoffrey C. Bland - and to other sufferers in the past - makes me wonder whether you have ever actually used an 8512. The problem only occurs outside LocoScript (whidi has inbuilt remedial measures) when Double Density discs are mixed with Single Density discs. If you slick an SD disc into drive B immediately after using a DD, you will get the 'Track 1 , sector missing address mark" message. If you do the opposite [use a DD immediately after an SD), the bottom line of the screen will scream 'Track 1 , sector no data". When using application programs, this crude system message is usually translated, e.g. as "disc fail" or "disc missing" or "No data". The reason is nothing to do with faulty discs as you told Mr Bland, nor is it necessary to use a disc repair program to overcome the difficulty. It is simply because CP/M needs resetting on each disc change. It can do without resetting when discs of the same format are used, Ijut not when formats are mixed. To reset, you bash the [STOP] key (in most programs) or [ALT)+C. However, if you forget to reset after a disc change and get the "Retry- Ignore-Cancel" message or some translation of it, type "!" tor "Ignore" and the disc will normally be accepted and the directory will amazingly reveal its contents, Roger Greaves Paris tt There is something in what you say. although this situation was only one of the many that Mr. Bland saki he had disc trouble with, '^our [STOPj key solution is certainly the first thing to try when a disc seems troublesome although advising people to press {STOPj In the middle of programs seems an unwise step, since in many cases It will do just this - stop the program. Vicarious Sins I find opposition to honest education about alcohol by (a) those who do not want their comfortable social drinking conventions disturtted, (b) by vested Interests, and (c) by some radio and television producers and those magazines and newspapers which have an irresponsible attitude, suggesting that it is clever or funny to drink. It should be said plainly and frequently that alcohol is a drug. A drug which has immediate effects. In the short term inducing irresponsibility and reducing skills, judgments and reaction time; in the long (erm of course ill health. Of recent years the press have adopted the phrase "drunken dnving" in reporting all drink drive cases. This suggests a driver visibly intoxicated: the truth is that a driver who has taken any alcohol whatsoever is unfit to drive. \- POSTSCRIPTn Artolher phrase now being encouraged is "alcohol abuse" suggesting that moderate drinking is safe. Alcohol is a dangerous addictive drug, a brain anaesthetic, in the smallest doses immediateiy attecting skills, reaction time, physical and moral judgments; Mucing Irresponsibility, resulting in depression: and progressively damaging heart, liver, brain, pancreas and fat tissue leading to strokes, high blood pressure, infertility and loss of sexuality, general illness and premature death. There is not a single system of liie body that is immune to the effects of alcohol. The only abuse of alcohol is drinking it. Please be more responsible in yQjr articles. Rev. R.W. Clements Gorey, Jersey t Using computers is a pmtty addictive tobfiy, and now that you mention it many ot the symptoms sound similar too! Off t!>e wall The LocoScript 2 wallchart is a disaster! The only option open to you is to make abject and grovelling apology and reprint it legibly. I am a regular subscriber and arr in general well pleased with the magazine. In particular I found the LocoScript 1 wallchart very useful and legible, and had been looking forward to the inevitable publication of a LocoScript 2 wallchart. The type size is at least half of the previous and much of the text is totally unreadable. It really is so incredibly bad, in a magazine of normally good quality, that I find it almost unbelievable. Roger T, Beeby Leicester • // IS tme that the print was much smaller than on our previous chart, mainiy because LocoScript 2 has many more menus ttiat Locol. The printing on some copies seems worse than others, so maybe you were particularly untortwnate. Our apologies - you could try taking the pages to a photocopy shop and having them enlarged. We do have plans to reprint the chart as a M-size poster in the near lutuw. Struck me as being about time I wrong to your esteemed journal, not to say assorted nice things about it but put in an important request. Although as a rule I agree with innovations and the forward march of progress there is a certainty development in the world of magazines which is causing a great deal of concern amongst a number of us. Now, in all fairness your organ is not guilty of this crime - yet - but as with the rise of the likes of McDonalds and the Blessed Margaret it it quite possible that this insidious, creeping canker upon the fabric of society will in time make its way to the West Country. Thus it is my solemn duty to warn you of this danger and humbly request that you and your staff do everything possible to prevent this plague from overwhelming 8000 Plus. I am of course talking about the march of the dreaded gunge binding machines on so many mags around today. You know the thing, glossy news- print stuck into a spine which falls to pieces after one read. Not very good if you want to keep the things to refer back to. So now my plea from the heart: PLEASE CONTINUE USING STAPLES!!! N.K. Bell Milton Keynes { In the BASIC corner I have just read the Basic Corner in TipOffs of your Novernber issue. Tip 1 is good advice. Use integers wherever possible. Furthermore, avoid double length arithmetic where single length will do! Tip 2 is potentially misleading. There is a tiny difference between processing a variable and processing a constant, but nowhere near that in the example given. The example is: ID FOR i*=l TO 1000:a=3.1415 926535*3. 14 15926535 :NEXT compared to: 10 b=3. 1415926535 20 FOR i%=l TO 1000:a=b*b: NEXT The second runs more than three times as fast as the first. The reason for this not that in the first the values in the multiplication are constants, while in the second they are variables. The reason is that in the first Mallard is doing double length arithmetic, while in the second it is doing single length arithmetic. This is because Mallard treats any constant which is quoted to more than seven significant digits are double length. The assignment to b takes the double length value and rounds it down to single length. If you type in the first program and LIST it out you wilt see: 10 FOR i=l TO 1000 :a=3. 14159 26535#*3.141592e535#:NEXT where the # indicates the value is double length. Where constants have seven or less digits there ts very, very little difference in speed. 10 FOR i% TO 1000:a=3. 14159* 3.14159:NEXT will run in much the same time as the loop with b'b (but not as accurately). Tips 3 and 4 may produce faster programs, but I am not convinced that the difference is measurable. Some BASIC implementations perform a search of the symbol table tor each variable each time it is used, so that arranging for the commonly used symbols to appear early in the symbol table will help. Some implementations search for Seeing the light up until this summer 1 had been churning out political and hobby magazines on a rapidly deteriorating electric typewriter which I would then laboriously, after typing out various drafts, retype into narrow columns, photo reduce on a copier and paste up with photos etc for a master for an offset litho. Well, after the nth breakdown of the typewriter I was persuaded to get an Amstrad. I had already thought about this but the dot matrix printer had always dissuaded me. When I heard about the 9512 I thought this was great and started buying all the magazines I could find so that when it came out I would be as clued up as possible. I also started a levy on contributors to help pay for the thing. Like no doubt many others of your correspondents I have to say I know nothing about computers, nor, really, do I want to know. No matter, your review answered some questions that ttie two other 'reviews' I had seen hadn't even thought of asking. Now a couple of comments. As I have said I have read all four now of the PCW magazines and yours is by far. and I mean far, and away the best of them. Your biggest immediate bonus is the Good Software File. This is worth the cost of the magazine alone. I'm astonished that none of your rivals has yet realised this and copied it. Hopefully you will now be Indicating in each review whether the package is useable on the 951 2 so as to attract the many new users to 8000 Plus. Whatever else was in this issue the middle page was stupendous. Having just spent hours going through the 9512 manual to find out whether the 'total pages' i had incorrectly entered last night in a document might be found and amended, so as to stop giving me page 3 of 4 in what was a five page document and, of course the ultimate page 5 of 4, your plan was just what I had been saying to myself was needed as part of the manual/tutorial. Can you explain why one salesman said that I had to use DD2 discs while the other said that CF2s would work but would collapse more often? At another shop I was told that CF2s are DD2s which have failed the test, whatever that is. Kenneth Clark Aberdeen # Flattery will you everywhere. Amstrad used to sell tm types of disc: CF-2 and CF-2DD, the DD version supposedly being a higher quality version tor the 8512 double density (DD) B-dhve, hence the 9512 disc drives. In fact. Amstrad admitted viay back in mid-198S that the two types were identical apart from the colour ot the label put on them, and they dropped the costlier DD type altogether Therelore, on ofticial approval, the CF2s will work fine with your 9512 Any DD discs still on sale are either not Amsolt-branded discs or old stock. Buy them il it makes you feel happier, but it makes no difterence. HAH<> op TMe ppiHTep. "^er, THOUGH" 8000 PLUS 87 POSTSCRIPT line numbers each time they are used, and some search from the beginriing ot the program every time. None of this is true of Mallard BASIC, When Mallard first comes upon a reference to a variable or a line number it does perform a search, but leaves enough information so that the next execution of that reference can avoid the search. In the case of variables Mallard has a modes! indexing system to improve the performance of the initial search. In the case of line numbers Mallard will search from the beginning of the program if the destination lies before the current line, otherwise it searches forwards from the current line. I will sell you a complete LocoScript 2 for £19.95. II you paid £30 for these tips I would say you were overcharged! G.M.C. Hall Locomotive Software, Dorking • Thanks iof the clarifications: obvioijsly Mallard is more sophisHcated that we thought, suit, any feaders who have to live with BASIC on vastly interior computers can still benetit from the tips. We'll gladly pay £19.95 for LocoScript 2 - provided ot course that includes the publication rights, I am sure we could license the rights back to you lor a modestly huge sum. jlCW upgrades? AERE Harwell have just installed their new CRAY-2 supercomputer. The RAM has a two billion byte capacity and the computer can perform 1 ,700 million calculations each second. There are 240.000 integrated circuits involved and the waste heat generated by all this high speed work is. wait for it, 195 kilowatts. No they don't open the windows to keep cool, they pump 200 gallons of fluorocarbon through the circuits and thence to two 1 00k W heat exchangers. The installation is valued at £13,000,000. Now if Alan Sugar could only make enough of them...f Jim French Fainfouth, Cornwall G^rieaite^gy in action I was very interested to read David Hawgood's Planting the Family Tree in October's Issue. I find PAF to be a very useful and powerful series of integral programs. Its manual must t>e one of the very i>est to be found for any type of program for use with the PCW - both in clarity and quality. To criticise PAF for not being able to produce family trees is unreasonable; in my experience, whilst a family tree may look frightfully impressive, I have yet to see one which is even slightly comprehensible to anyone's Great Aunt Maud. PAF, however, is far from l>eing ideal when entering large numbers of individuals at any one time. The reason (or this is that the serious user needs to make time- consuming switches between its Personal Researcher (names, relationships and dates etc).. Notes (occupations etc). Research Data Filer (as-yet unrelated people etc) and back to Personal Researcher. This switching about has to take place with every individual entered and it is both boring and time consuming. I therefore use PAF in addition to Sagesoft's Retrieve database program. For the latter, I have designed each record to hold 31 fields which allows for all the necessary genealogical information to be entered in full - without having to resort to any non- standard abbreviations. Judging by the letters which I Free market economy Having recently returned from Seville, I'm just dropping in a note to say there is a very colourful story to be had there. Each Sunday a market day is held and anything from burnt out valves to Nazi daggers and authentic Roman coins dug out from (he major monuments can be bought. But outstanding are the stalls set out alongside the lemon and garlic vendors where pirate copies of all ttie latest programs can be bought from 7-12 year old gypsy boys who are apparently fully briefed on such items as LocoScript 2, Hitch Hikers etc. Amstrad are particularly popular in Spain. The programs are sold with photocopied manuals, and the price comes to around £1 5 to £20. or less for regulars. I myself saw at least seven stalls set up selling programmes for Amstrad and Spectrum. All this is apparently of no interest to ' Me-UL , weve &crr To s-rMfoKf the police who equally ignore the drugs and prostitution which feature in this bizarre market Dominique Jan Searle Gibraltar receive almost daily from people using other programs, there does not appear to be a better combination of tools for use with the PCW8512 than PAF, Retrieve and LocoScript 2. J. Ian Todd Lei ant, Cornwall As an enthusiastic family historian it was marvellous to see the popularity of the hobby recognised by the article Planting t!^e Family Tree in the October issue. Though I haven't used Personal Ancestral File. I do have the other genealogical program mentioned. Genny from DCS Software, and suggest that this deserved more than the passing reference it received. As the writer said, this is very simple to use, and does not involve disc swapping. It has lots of facilities, such as browsing through the records, displaying any person (even multiple matches if you give imprecise information), searching for places, occupations etc.. alphabetical listout, family group displays, descent and birth brief charts, maledemale line trace back to the earliest known ancestor etc. "soundlike" people or places. J. Hewson Nottingham uuRcncom COHPUTEH HARDWARE & CONSUMER ELECTRONIC PRODUCTS BYMAILORDEK HARDWARt PCWWII PCW ei54 £S73.8S PCW Sill _„ £438 eS PC 1 S 11 M5S 85 PC tMO --.^ £S?3S5 CPC'»A4Gf( _ _ eiinati Amttrid PrJnbn from CUa.15 PiRIPHERALS PCW/PC RAM Upgrjdra ChnChjt»Moc»i!™ PCW Ribbom {2'j) ......... (2150 £1150 Tttngr Monitor HoWtr ,.„ a.ff riouM Mk tiS9 CRDstelOi CflOotaS-s £MJO Kl.M Out Top Publshtr C2S.K Poputv AccounB ..... ............h...... ...„ C7S.9S Populir AceouTO + £1 I4.»S Piyroll £SJ.»S M*S« fil' £SSM Urgu^eTucon ....... CI 9,95 ALL PRICES It^CLUDE VAT&DELIVERY *Many other products available S0I-698 597S/3S76 WREt^COM, 356 VERDANT LANE. CATFORD SE6 ITP n FABRIC RIBBON CASSETTE RE-INKING Trial Offer: £1 per ribbon Post used cassette! s) with payment to: ALADDINK (Dept 80}, 4 Hurltur Crescent, Eyemouth, Berwicl<shire, TD14 BAP Tel; 08907 50965 88 8000 PLUS 8000 PLUS SMALL ADS! I For^OESKTOP PUBUSHER"i»enL A comptate pit6t to deti£nifi£ and producing hit£H.^i]>(y rwwil«[xen. Suppled on disc. For detflh, ivnd SAE to }ohn tvsnj. 30 Qros^nor Pljte. B»(K BA I 6AX CASH VAT Kcplact» j^our p«tt>%aiK booh. T)rpr«d TKOrdf spJiE into VATiblc uid none VAT iicrni AHocatel expcndilurc ints cuh and thrtf credit canfe. £ 1 5-95 pwi. VAT paid PnciKzl Software, Viieford, SFCAKEAST 1. 1 DATABASE UnkKk ictum pcwf r - [he PCW'j txiilE-ifi (^Li^Kf - with Speakeasy 1. 1 mcni driviKi iitt«r^icfr, fuN >hcJp. unique nitural Unf Lme q^H'iet ^1?.^^ chH^uei, P.O.'i: PRILUDE, 1 12 Tnmrny Cko4e. <K«ignve, IpiwKh, Suffolk WELUKGBOROUGH - lntermittcn.t cipportijnrtr to mat inming centre working i fpd ividu-^ ly wiiii trj^we-j on Wor-dttar, Sagt Popular Actot^U Plwi. Supeixik. Da^ or evcfitng ft Wei ling tjoroofti 2^2400 PCWi3Mplu}»f»rve£KK>ono9 0AI 463 7C>SF NEWSROONO 2000 newufcmi PCW syslBTr, IO,WXJ deliwered iwnw en lOOO p*ge. round jJieei^ afcoulti. rccGipU, MJtomitit refnindciT piui mor* £&%. Deutli ^E A4 id Souchem Sattware, 44 Pr-KMTwfK*. B^ighcoti BN J 5jS - ESTtMATlNC/SUnVEYING r;iau'n for PCW, large rvtge offKl^l^iCS Intlydinj uLtabOH prkin^ vajknttom, Bar-Qiarti, E>a]rwt)rki. iA£ CO AC-M (Connnfctwi * Conniklfig), 8 locH Place, S«n^ QwvfUferry, Loth«vi, EHIO WG WOfiD COUNT DISC for LocoHripi ££.?5 Complew gLudt to Locownpi i2,95. Poiuje uvSudwd Money - tuck {uarvftBe. ^^th, 27 Wocxbtock Dnve, UKhrKig*. Mid<tte« J. U^ 1 8EG, W 0fl9 5 &7ef? 1 6 GRAPHICS on yOur PCW uivi} C N( yOu wOuW itkc Co wriM yoyr own |nph*a projrwn* In C write to: Taktofu 7 CyprcM Wjik. Hazelmef*, Bucks. HPlS7Ftf S(04»4atf&$&4 LOCOSCFUPT 3 keybovd re^^nitnn UEllliy. Sct chumerr wnh or wittiout iccenCi to ke^ of your cho<4 tor UM with* LoccHcrlpt 1 Tekj^. 7 Cypr*H Wilk. Huelmere. Butki. HP I S 7 RF ft (04^49 1 ) t^SM WAKTED - Buddtnt Rupen Murdoch jeeb as 1 2 Md p*-inur with or without Dcdttop Publittwi^ SpfCwve. Bob hli^K, 31 Gr^wra H<l( StrHt. Al>rdne, ML6 TEN tt 02^ &«?a3 PROFESSIONAL CP/M BUSINESS SOFTWAIU Oesttop Hanagert Utilitie* »nd Databases. All ^il|y documented. For mane Infomiaiion telephone Digiul Software {OS) Systems on Gre*t Hkr-vood 9 (02S4J SBB 1 07 Mortday, WcdAtidiy or FrHlay iftemooni. DISCS DAMAGEDr DATA LOST7 rtpvrit&^Kt service for all Y disc profaleim. MO ChlA RGE. but {tonitiOA} lO CANCEft Charrty, BACUP inviwd. Send duff due + bbnh diK -ii- return poii:a£« to E>avid S^iih 4 1 TLTtiham Way, Paddock Wood, Kent, TN 1 3 AUA S (09928^ &S74) SECRETS OF GHOSTWRfTING Succeuful uehor RKhard Wetniter revejih how to earn fjbuloMi tncame In 39-p4ge, I^.OOO-word booldCL £5 poat-frw: Marun Sreeu, I &4 Keralngton ParV Road, London, wii Ibr USE YOUR PCW tocarn yourself big TPOttCy, ghoitwntM^g )uto&iO£raf>hn for wealthy and busy dienu. See our ad in this sectHSn (of "SECRFTSOF GHOSrWR.rTll4G- at £S pon-free! GHOSTWRITE JUST ONE AUTOBIOGRAPHY md youVe earned younelf a yMT s LrtcoiT* SECRETS OF GHOSTWRJTING" at £S post-free, provides step by step guide to SuCCV-si. Se« id in ch a section. PCW F ILE - Bi-mont hly ntwtktur For uMn interested In Publk Domain, uticlesctc. €7 for Six OSuoSOrtl.WrorUfTipJt, Chen Brywtt 1 1 Ftiwefwww Rcud, SeiLon, Devon EX 1 2 2PF « 0397 2045^ DAMAGED CHSCSt drwe A; datl recovery to new CF3 disc send ^ +discorEsae for detajit to WD Alkin, 2B Whijtter Ck«. Blackdim. Bas^r^stoke. RG3I 3HN LOCOSCRJPT TUmON Manchester u^ea. Pnvate O* group wO<TJpr««lirig tuition templua etc Plw other si?ftware lessons. Reasonable r^tes. Mrs l^nley a (« I ) W3 5677 ARE YOU LEARNING BASIC but puiil*d by JetSVTT? Our UKrIul »nd tutorial unpro(e<t«l prograins W3ll help: disc mannuil: £?.S0 M.C S. 4? Cogate RAld, Pvtdock Wood, Kent, TN t2 6UD S {06928 3) 30Sl& TAXI/PRIVATE HIRE OPERATORS duabae bamsbes searches through okl diaries for pnCcs.. mikKgeL iquounom etc effective. Due manialr £9.50 M-CS. 4? CDfit* Roid. PKldCKk V^'ood, Kent TNH &UD « {0893S3) 30S& LOGOS. ARTWORK DESIC MED/MOD IFIED; PCW printable via Masie^M-int, DTP, htew»d*lk. FtwutiteL Otheir products: LocoKJ'ipt i keyboard gukte: i.lM- Fibre optu torth £100. Sircimsid* Aeievdv 2 Ro^y Drive, Bndgewater, SooiCf^t TA6 7j5 DATA TRANSFERRED becween PCW i" d»u and □vw HKly difltrtrtt S'/i' *iC formitJ. Aliohjrd copy griphics, drawMigs. etc . TransferreJ onto PCW 3", Sef>dS,AE. ToCrihjinfeTP). M Broadstalrs Court, Sunderland, SR4 BNP BUILDERS - ESTIM ATING^SURVE YING SYSTEN for PCW, Larx« rvi£e of bcilitlei mcludirv database pricing valLatnns, bar charts, daywoHd. SAE to A,C M, (Constnifction and CorsuitingJ, S Loch Place. South Queeraferry, Lothiaft. EHJO 9NG AMSTRAD PCW INTRODUCTION AND APPUCATIONS TRAINING: Wortfpfocessing. spreadsheet!, database, accounts. payroH. Dln'ublisbir>g, iljo full office services. Flexible arnngements. competitive rat«l. EnOuines "^^kOfTKd to BD Training on Bristol ft (0272) TI743S PCW «£« wrth SUK RAM Intk used £300 including 30 spare dtsks, books etc. Ring Mr. Hill. « 073081 4799 ^W-Simeit) Kiwr 7pm LOCOSCRIPT I B 3 trvimg it bot^c (or office) Ssve x,lme md ai^ the experts. 3S year^ in commercul trainini FREE THAtNING Wrth PCWyPC pwthaje, Call DYNAMIC TRAlMINO on WOKING ft (04863) 714*9 AMSTRAD PCW BS 1 2 for sale includes diiCS, p3pet\ softwir«. ipedlchecker. duK covcrv; & new «nd boxed CISQ ONO John Hink^ Wotvvrhamptoil PITCW J7 AND OTHER MUSICAL PARADOXES (A prxticxi guiiJe to natur^ microtonalfty). Complete rrtiih* of n«JJK on PCW dlJC Lucy Scale Developments. 96DA f ulhom Road, Lottdon SW6 &|] £30 S 1 73«50l7 MIRA PCW USER GROUP are boking fo< rrtw member) free membership during Dec-}an S^A.E. for details MIRA Gn>up, S77 Huddefffidd Roil DeiwiUHvy WF I 3 3JW. Discounts on soFtvnre through mcmbenhip <na £roup, FOR SALE PCWa3S6 with discs, manuals etc i»KM"flg B4tmvi 3nd Tomsh^n^k , Atnolgce ly as new trder warranty till Manh 1 9Se I27i. Mnt Camr 7t {054 J) 360^2 evenings and nveekenck SCREENVtSION £30, ESP Lghf Ptn £20, Grifp^d H £40. Mri-]«c knuer III Hi. C»1L0933 BSSt^ after fp^OOpm uk for Stuin. B000+ ts a great m^aiine make full use of irOuT back issues witb a confl^temed index. £6,SDor SAE (for Informatian) toJUKEN ENTERPRISES. 4 BB»lt Wood Oriv*. Southampton 503 3PT HOME ACCOUNTS Why piy [*■ more than you need : Bank. Budget, Cre-drt. Revenue and Capital AcGounti ■ Staf^nng oftitn . Selective Printouts: Instant Balances : l^nuai : £ 1 S or 6eas\i I VKdatl, 30 Repior^ Wa^, Rickmanjwonh, ED J JPW RECIPES ^Stores recipes eitb*r in detail or by boo^c reference . Indexed to four levels . 1 1 delkioui reclps provided : Miiiuat ! £ I S Of detu^i ' Vic^^na. 30 Repton Way, Rkhmansworth, WD J JPW PROGRAMMER . Teaches you to set up your owm databases usmg thcjeuamfilmgijmem. Includes progrvn lor label printing : Perpetuaf calendar : Subroutine 1 ibrary : £ I S OT deuils ; Vicdltl. 3i) Repton Way. Rickmaraworth, WD3 3PW GOLF CLUB MANAGER : Memnership details and lists, competitions, results 1af n^, automatic hafidicap bdrUftn^efitS and listing), annual subscription tslculaEkm and Invotclng. address 1ab<Hlin£, locker listmg Oettih . VKdauu 30 Repton Way, Rlckmmswonh. WO ■! IPW FOR SALE ; AMSTRAD PCI 5 1 2HD30 with cokxjr monitor and mouse : Still inder iiarr^tce : Son>e toltwar* : Dhion's b*ii price £ 103385 : My prtce £925 : ft 093 3 77%70 : Watford arm ON-SITE TRAINING wrthin 1 00 miles of Bournemouth at roaUtiK rat«j. PCW md SSM compats. Wide range of programs Vek^ Training, I Landiter Road, WesTbocne, acMjmemoMth, Dorset. ft 0202 762401 (34hrs) SPEAKEASY 2, 1 DATABASE Unkxk jetsam power - the PCW's built in databst - ■mlh SPEAKEASY 1. 1 , Mervg driven interface Full Help Unlflue natural Unguage queneV £ 1 9.9S. Cheques, P.O V f*RELUDt. 1 13 Trinity Close, Kesgrawv, IpiwiCh, Suffo^ PCW «5 12 FOR SALE All discs irwduded Real«tic oftars over £ 350,00, ft 04S4 (Tate, Avon) 323S4S Ask to apeak ta Andrew or iHvfi mcuagton imwering mKhine. 7>iis new section of the magazine offers you ihe ch^ce to spsak directly to the huge y^iting world of PCW owners. You can place an ad of up to 30 words Jor just £7.50. So you could use it to sell d. or launch a user group or publicise a piece of software you've written. One thing you CANT advertise is the sale or swap of softw^are you've purchased. Such ads can be misused by software pirates. To place an adt just fill in this application fofm and send it to us together with payment. We'll then place the ad in the nesct available issue (published 2-7 weeks after we receive your order). Send this form to: 8000 PLUS SmalfAds, Future Publishing Ltd, 4 Queen Street, B^th, Avon &A I lEJ ORDER FORM Nvna Address Please place the following advertisement in the next available issue of 8000 PLUS , I endose payment of £7.50 by Cheque / P.O. / Access / Vba. Credit card numtMr Credit card expiry date Talephione Please make cheques and POs payable to Future Publishing Ltd Write your advertisement here, arte word per box. Include your name arxi phorie no. if you want them printed SEND NOW FOR OUR CHRISTMAS CATALOGUE! DATA SWITCH BOX: Provides easy switching of data from PCW to 2 outlets: Printer/Micros/Modems No more constaflt plugging & unplugging. Special kit for PCW users includes cables. BOX: £26.95 KIT: £29.95 j SEAL'n TYPE: Protective keyboard cover through which f -, I you can type freely and easily. 24 hour spill/dust cover. f" 1 Removable, washable. re-Lsable. £10.15 TILT'n TYPE; PCW keyboard feet for I optimumoperating angle. £3.45 ^ -"••^A All prices are totally inclusive. Send cheque/PO payable to: KADOR P.O. Box 20, Ashford, Middx. TW 1 5 3QE a LOOK & SAVE ££ Micro Simplex Accounts ... 90.95 Sage Popular Accounts 74.9S Sage Popular Accounts+ . 1 04.95 Camsoft PSIL 1 1 1 .95 MAP Int. Accounts I04.9S Cash Trader cw Analys ... 119.95 Money Manager 21.95 Money Manager Plus 29.95 Sage Payroll ., 60.9S Map Payroll (NEW) 51.95 Sage Chit Chat Combo 78.95 dBase II 79.95 Delta I.2S 81.95 Cambase 48.95 Maxterfile SOOO 37.95 Database MngrAtLast 21.95 Fleet Street Editor Plus .... 39.95 Pretext 44.95 Pocket Pretext 32.95 LocoMaM 30.95 LocoSpell 30.95 LocoScript2 19.95 Scratchpad Plus 44.95 Cracker 2 38.95 Su percale 2 ,., 38.95 DRDraw 38.95 DR Graph 38.95 Desktop Pub. + Moute 66.95 Head Over Heels 12,95 Cyrti$2Chess 13.95 Tomahawk 17.95 BridgePlayer2000 17.95 ♦ *XMAS SPECIAL •• DESKTOP PUBLISHER £19.95 PERSONAL ANCESTRAL FILE The ultimate In Genealogy Software .. KINTECH PUBUCAN ... Stock control (or Pubs, Hotels & Clubs .. S9.l» IM.00 PLUS MANY MORE, PLEASE PHONE - ALL PRICES INCL UDE VAT. Isl CLASS P&P FREE ADVICE AND USER SUPPORT . — WECARE — TELEPHONE 0208 8501 76 cx^que^-Fo to . Kl NTEC H COM PUTE RS St Tudy Bodmin Cornwall PL30 3NH LINEREADER LINEREADER LINEREADER This rrew low priced lirtie gizmo will pfOveinvaruablewhere line by line accuracy is needed or ver^ small print isdifficuFt to read. ■ CLEARER LISTINGS LINE BYLINE ■LESS TIRING, REDUCE KEYING IN MISTAKES ' SEE CLEARLY WHETHER ITS : : I or 1 etc. ■KEEPS YOUR PUCE ON A LONG LISTING • DOUBLES AS A TELEPHONE DIRECTORY LINE READER £4.75 inclusive Cheque or Postal Order lo:- Philpar Ltd, Manufacturing Opticians, 15B The Avenue, Minehead, Somerset TA24 SAY Teleplione 0643 6891 ADVERTISER'S INDEX ASO Advamafe Aewi SBO Dun Coven. SnfliwDodOfTictS^ ^,. CPScrfwnre _...., Cspca Double ti)r .- Enqrtluoft .. GoodeSchwan .. HW .-..„.- ►fediott _ MiVolO|s CT... ■nfonntfon EAcuifin _ Chttsffa ^ OissiMMs..,. OihonTradJnj- QjIwaiSC ...... CompmjFi Cofflsofl ^ Comnec .. . IK IntcnpHiE .. „M KDS . Kador ErTterpnsa Kjnwch Cornfuitrj „ UadFVi.. CiyviKiSyiwni Copy Cornn ...__......... Croiffl . „. CwTTifcrviConip. Ccnm .. Dauinu „„_ Oigrta InlemKicnjI -IK _SI ..SI _. Si _?! ,.. 17 „2I Loccmoun S)ntam .. MAfi_ NibitclH ConfRun . PlHEbctronia. tV& .ri3 _. 39 -.38 MC -.„. EtichdiinSoftira^ .. Ftolieni FnfiWIn . RurbiirMicrcSprs -. sal Dm 7) _M ,}t-3S . li SiiieonOty _^_.- SpKtnVKko. ^.. Trojan.. wli)uSd«nt*t . WWiC WoiMwide- WrBicom . . 47 % ...._.. 42 .oec4 ....._. M 51 ........ M li 73 ........ « H ....... M .n .76 .7* .73 U Af£ll^ LOWER PRICES AND„. EVEN BETTER SERVICE! Now ALL Goods Despatched SAME DAY by ist CLASS POST- FREE! ' / / / / I \ \ \ \ \ X 3'OISKS V PRINTER RIBBONS Genuine AMSTRAD Printer Ribbons... Better Quality-Lower Price! •NEW PCW CARBON ES.95 •STANDARD PCW E4.95 •DMP 2000/3000 t4.95 All Ribbons-POST FREE! Please Specify Printer when Ordering PAPER • High Quality }Y'x 9W • 60gsm Weight • Micro-Perf all Round • 2000 Sheets - ONLY £14.95 PCW SOFTWARE SPECIALS • LOCOMAIL (Amsoft) THE MAIL MERGE PROGRAM. • LOCOSPELL (Amsoft) THE SPELLING CHECKER • NEWSDESK [NTERNATIOIMAL {The Electric Studio) f*ji ji THE DESKTOP PUBLISHING SYSTEM— l.***t • SUPERCALC 2 (Amsoft) f» Jl Jl THE SPREADSHEET _. t*l4 • f^ASTERFtLE 8000 (Campbell Systems) THE DATABASE FREE! Blank Disk wittr each of me above Software Specials. PCW STARTER PAK •10 CF2 Disks •1 AMS 2DL Box •2000 Sheets of Paper •1 PCW Carbon Ribbon High Quality PVC Dust Cover Sel (for pcw) How to Order... •We welcoiw cittal vrinen |Micha» orilers ttorn pic's. 90wnm«nt iwl Mucatiofial esiatiJishrnsnts elc. Goods ■ill tx despticliod on leoeipl ol tudei. 28 da/ inm« wW Fclkiw •Overaess orto^' tili^ Heducl VAT |l$%) Dm M li% lor sir miil gnd Insunneo. {All psymMs In t sterling) •All prices (iMiiirfe VAT Prices ai« delirery ^ea to £49.95 SAVE ALMOST £ 9 ! Post Free! NEW IN STOCK £9.95 ^Simply lisl yow Order, name and full addr^ wilh a cheqiie or p^l ordsr [rTiad& payaN^ to Co^pufnaitl ^rid po&l to our a{[c[f ess opposite or - •Ptioiie any o) our 3 £>rdet lines [24 hours) anct onje; inJiHf your aedil ard. PlEase give ycKif full nams and atMress. daytime Phone numter. detalia di your order and Ihe name of the nugazine you are ofdering Irofn. 9AII goods ars irsudSly despatched ^anne day— 1^ class post- FR£E OF CHARGE' •For SPEEDir GUAHAKTEED NEXT DAY DELIVERY by SECURICOR, Please add iUST ^ to goods total 1 A GREAT DEAL mORE-FOR A GOOD DEAL LESS! COMPUMART'DeptBO'¥- Unit B'Faicon Street Louglttorougn ■ Leics - LEIJ lEH a? 0509-262259/233893/266322 COMl'l I I'M m SI VY' [A lis KEEP A ' CLEAR-HEAD' AND IMPROVE YOUR COMPUTERS PERFORMANCE rOlU Um HEAD CLEANING Kir Only t 9 ■ 9 D Dealers enquiries welcome Please send A4 SAE for Dealer Pack and Sample. Strictly written enquiries only. HOW TO ORDER 13 I ALL PRICES INCLUDE VAT AND FREE NATIONWIDE DELIVERY I POST- PHONE:-(0273)726331 DEUVERY:- Simp»y list your orctet, nameandaddmss, CXir Express Hotline on027372633in0 All goods wM nofmaltv twdespaichedsame enclose a cheque of postal order (made Sr»s, 24 htmral and <xdof quoting yow orodit (fay by Isi class post - fr™ of chafse payable to 'SBS Computef Supplies') or '^"' numtwi. name. fuH postal address and Ovemighi deliuBfies by arrsngefneni your credit card detafls to ttw full address dayi»tiejjhqne™jn*«andtt»[tept.numb« Wte welcome purchase ontetshomcommw ■ I VISA below. on the address below. cial. educational and government establish- ments and also orxJers from overseas. DEPT 312 SBS COMPUTER SUPPLIES LTD. NEWTOWN ROAD HOVE SUSSEX BN3 7BA