At last, a third way of conversing with the C64: a
language with (nearby) machine code speed and legibility
of a high-level language. One minute Forth will delight
with its flexibility and speed, the next you will be
screaming as it crashes on you.
For comparison, I will use another version, £10 more
expensive. Romik's is on cassette which presents the
problem of loading time. It appears to be a pretty standard
Fig version. Unlike the opposition (which uses RAM storage),
Romik uses normal Forth storage.
I had one or two problems loading the demo, but overall the
program performed acceptably. Tests showed it to be a little
sluggish, but still pretty nippy.
My big moan: documentation. A nice 61-page bookley
described the words, but no allowance was made for beginners.
And there was no effort to show which RAM was available for
users, e.g. hi-res graphics. The memory map was hardly
comprehensive. Please, Romik, more specific info for the
C64.
Overall, reasonable value and recommended for those
disenchanted with Basic. P.S. When can we expect a decent C64
Logo?
14th February 1984
