Personal Computer News
28th January 1984Categories: Description: Game
Published in Personal Computer News #046
Software Round-up
PCN rounds up the software releases
Spectrum/BBC:
Well someone had to do it - a game based on the activities of the peace women of Greenham Common. Called Base Invaders, it involves avoiding policemen and cutting down the fences of the base. Appropriately, the game comes from an all-women company called 'Maginations. Some of the proceeds from sales will be donated to the Greenham Common Fund. 'Maginations is on 0632 653224.
Commodore 64:
Audiogenic (0743 595647) is continuing its departure from traditional shoot-'em-up games with R Nest. You get a workman to jump around a large pyramid made of three dimensional cubes. Whenever he hands on a cube it changes colour. The objective is to change all the cubes to one colour.
Apple/IBM:
Two more Infocom adventures from Pete & Pam (0706 212321). In Infidel you are a small-time explorer searching for a great lost pyramid in the heard of the smouldering Egyptian desert. Planetfall is a science fiction adventure: escaping from an exploding space ship you land in a mysterious and desolate world plagued by floods, pestilence and a mutant wild kingdom. Here you meet Floyd, "a mischievous multi-purpose robot with the mentality of an encyclopaedia and the maturity of a nine year-old". You get Infocom's usual high standard of packaging and extra little goodies included in the £33.95 (plus VAT) price.
Business
Future:
Torpak and Flightpak are two specialised packages for small to medium-sized tour operators. They will handle all aspects of organising package holidays and flight-only travel, claims Alexander Systems Limited (0483 34444).
Unix:
Sphinx, the Unix specialist, now offers XED, the word processing system. Multi-level menu prompts, three levels of onscreen help, wide screen editing and spelling checker are some of the features. Sphinx is on 01-734 2907.
IBM:
R-base is claimed to be a new generation of relational database software, allowing the creation of 40 files and 10 billion records. It is fully compatible with Multiplan and costs £345 from Softsel (01-844 2040) dealers.
IBM/MSDOS/CP/M:
Also from Softsel comes a database for users with no programming knowledge. It comes in three levels of complexity. MAG/base is a simple filing system for mailing lists and customised from letters. MAG/base2 adds an information system to create a relational database. MAG/base3 includes menu definition, password protection, screen management function, a data management language and multi-keyed file management systems. Prices are £205, £345, £555 respectively.
Hewlett-Packard:
BAI Pert is a project management system for the HP 9845 and Series 200 computers. Starting with a simple network description you can produce Pert diagrams showing critical path, Gantt charts and calendar schedules. It is distributed in the UK by Protek Electronics (01-834 3602).
DEC Professional:
Calling all GPs. DEC GP is based on the Exeter Community Health Project set up in the early seventies to explore the impact of computer technology in the administration of patient care. The program has eight modules that allows you to record patient details, repeat prescriptions, items of service and recalls as well as providing word processing and data archiving facilities. Further details can be obtained from DEC on 0734 868711.