Commodore's Amiga, on course for a summer launch, is attracting some heavyweight software support - but it's one of the few bright spots on Commodore's horizon at the moment.

The C16 and the Plus/4 are teetering under the weight of fierce price cuts; the LCD, on view in Las Vegas in January (issue 95) is 'on ice' for an indefinite period; and the word is that the 64 will have to give a little to make room for the 128 when it arrives.

The Amiga was the scene-stealer at 1984's Consumer Electronics Show and it is expected to give several other mid-range machines a run for their money. "At about $1,000 it can't strictly speaking be described as a consumer product," said a spokesman, adding that the system would be equipped with "excellent applications for business users". But the Amiga's main appeal could prove to be its graphics, in whatever type of applications.

Meanwhile, Commodore's latest launches, the C16 and the Plus/4, are feeling the chill wind of market forces. "The C16 is being murdered by the high street," claims Commodore in a reference to leap-frogging price cuts that have seen it come down to £70. It confirmed that it couldn't continue to support the system at that price, but the spokesman stressed: "No decision has been taken by the company to drop the C16 or the Plus/4."

The C16 has been attracting greater software support recently but there are no such compensations for the Plus/4. The 50 per cent price cut of two months ago (issue 99) hasn't build any confidence in the long-term future of the system, which at £150 is hardly a competitor for the 64.

The 64 looks due for a price cut of its own - and the retailers are gradually moving it in the right direction. If the C128 is to make any kind of a splash, Commodore has to put the 64 in the position tenaciously held by the Vic 20.