With the best of the Japanese MSX standard to come, the UK manufacturers are moving to meet the threat. Shielded by the armour-plating of the Think Tank, a secret committee has been meeting since last September to work out Britain's response. Read about it first in PCN.

• IBM Axes Jr As Competitors Quake
• Psion Patches Up QL's Speed Problems
• UK Industry Moves To Take On Japanese
• Invaders Stumble At the First Hurdle
• In Brief
• Domino Theory Takes Another Victim
• Byte Drive Owners Get Salvation Of Sorts
• Shock Horror
• Chips Famine - Let Them Eat Wafers - Homefront
• Lynx Leaps Back Into The Computer Arena
• Specialist Side To Organiser Revealed
• Positive Charge
• Micro-Builders Go Where Eagles Dare - View From America

• Spectrum Puzzle
  Type in this listing and test your wits against this two-dimensional mind-twister.
   
• Drive Master #2
  Part two of our in-depth guide to using Microdrives with your QL. Gavin Monk leads you by the hand.
   
• Hacker's Handbook
  Now you've got your modem, software and micro, what can you do with them? Part two of our extract from The Hacker's Handbook talks about which computers will talk to yours.
   

• DEMON Demonstration
  More on modems - the cheapest model available represents outstanding value. How does the Demon (nee Unicom) shape up?
   
• O Is For Omnireader
  Teach your computer to read with a new add-on that allows direct reading from written material.
   

• Musicworks (Apple Mac)
  After Macintosh graphics comes Macintosh sound. Apple's eye-catching baby turns out to be well worth a listen.
   
• Spectrum Network
  Communications software takes your Spectrum a step up the ladder.
   
• Software Preview
  A relentless march of new software releases is heading our way.
   

More musings from our erudite readership.

• Amstrad Owners - You've Got It Lucky,
• Minority Micro User Feels Left Out,
• BT Rates Don't Fit Prestel Bill,
• Enterprise Wins Unlucky Label, and
• The Final Word On The STZ.

More problems solved by our panel of experts.

• Going On-Line With Interface 1,
• Handy Address For Commodore Tape User,
• Why Is My Program A Bad Driver?,
• Compiling A Pascal List For The C64,
• One Line Gets Bruce On The Road Again,
• Making A Connection With An Atari Printer,
• Limited Use For Amstrad Monitor, and
• Please SIR - My Osborne 1 Won't Work.

Useful hints and tips for your Amstrad, BBC and Atmos.

• Highlight Definitions On The Beeb,
• Amstrad Characters Double Up,
• Hearing An Echo On Your Atmos,
• Pokes To Put A Ping Into Atmos.

Take a trip up the Amazon on your Commodore 64, or travel through time.

The latest in destructive creativity for Spectrum, Commodore 64 and Amstrad.

• Amstrad Flight Simulation (Amstrad CPC464),
• Motocross (Commodore 64),
• Hypercircuit (Commodore 64),
• Mindshadow (Commodore 64),
• Penetrator (Commodore 64),
• Don't Press Q (Oric),
• A Day In The Life (Spectrum 48K), and
• Finders Keepers (Spectrum 48K).

Welcome to a new regular section of PCN. Now you've spent endless hours learning about software, why not learn about hardware? Beginning this week PCN will take you gently into the world of chips, circuits and soldering irons, tackling a range of useful projects along the way. We start this week with a simple power on/off switch for your Spectrum - and you can make it for less than £3!

The rise and fall of your favourite games, charted in Britain's best software charts.

A selection of second hand micros for sale.

Words of wisdom and meaningful dates for your diary. Plus Syntax Errors.

Thanks to Douglas Harris, YYY and ZZZ for sponsoring the creation of this issue