At last a piece of software for Sanyo lightpen owners, though a joystick or keyboard controlled version also features on the other side of the tape. This powerful utility enables as many as 64 sprites to be designed and saved to tape for use later. Coupled with the use of an icon menu, this program makes the art of designing sprites a pleasure rather than a chore.

After the sprites have been designed on the grid, you are able to call them up in any order for further processing and they may be moved from one storage area to another for this purpose. Reversed, or "negative" images can be created automatically; even a mirror image can be made but unfortunately the program does not cater for 9O-degree rotations.

One excellent option allows you to select several sprites for animation, when trying to create effects such as a figure walking, running or jumping. To do this the sprites are displayed consecutively at the same point on the screen and the changing display can be moved around to check the total effect.

Once saved, the sprites can be reloaded into the program for further development at a later date, or loaded into your own programs with clear instructions being given on how this may be done.

The lightpen facility has a built-in calibrator at the start of the program which turns on a screen pixel. The lightpen is held against this dot and triggered to achieve the correct synchronisation with the program. The pen can then be used as normal to select the mode or to fill the square on the designer grid.

E.D.