Disappointed that his Filofax is not compatible with his BBC micro, Sheridan Williams tries out the Cambridge Computer Z88 in the same role.

In Beebug Vol. 5 No. 10, we reviewed the Psion Organiser because of its usefulness when allied to the BBC (& Master) computer. However, being designed to fit the pocket, the Psion Organiser (even in Organiser II guise) suffers from the dual limitations of screen and keyboard size. The Z88 overcomes both of these limitations as far as is practicable in a portable computer designed to fit easily in a briefcase, though too big for the pocket. The Z88 is amazingly compatible with the BBC micro because it contains BBC Basic together with a word processor/spreadsheet/database package called Pipedream which is identical to View Professional on the BBC.

The Z88 is the size of an A4 sheet of paper but 25mm thick, and weighs just 950g. The screen shows 8 lines at full A4 width, with a maximum of 93 visible characters per line. The QWERTY keyboard has a pretty good feel to it considering the cost of the system. An audible keyclick can be turned on or off at will, and is useful in counteracting the otherwise dead feel of the keys. The whole unit can be tilted with an extendable flap under the machine, and the contrast of the screen is adjustable. Files are stored in RAM or EPROM, although there are rumours that a disc drive will be available shortly. Power is provided by four AA type batteries, although a mains power supply is also available. Depending on the number of RAM and EPROM packs installed, you have between 1 and 6 minutes to replace the batteries before losing all your files in RAM (files in EPROM are not lost).

The Z88 is switched on by pressing both the shift keys simultaneously, and the screen will show whatever you were working on last. Three keys found at the bottom left of the keyboard, marked INDEX, MENU and HELP will select all the in-built software packages, options within packages, and any help that you may require. Alternatively, all packages and options have their own individual key sequences to access them, provided you can remember what these are. Cambridge quite rightly assume that you will be using Pipedream (of which more later) most frequently, and endow the fascia with a strip between the screen and the keyboard showing the most frequently used commands. RAM and EPROM packs installed, you have between 1 and 6 minutes to replace the batteries before losing all your files in RAM (files in EPROM are not lost).

The Z88 is switched on by pressing both the SHIFT keys simultaneously, and the screen will show whatever you were working on last. Three keys found at the bottom left of the keyboard, marked INDEX, MENU and HELP will select all the in-built software packages, options within packages, and any help that you may require. Alternatively, all packages and options have their own individual key sequences to access them, provided you can remember what these are. Cambridge quite rightly assume that you will be using Pipedream (of which more later) most frequently, and endow the fascia with a strip between the screen and the keyboard showing the most frequently used commands.

Working round the machine starting from the left of the keyboard there is a wheel to adjust the screen contrast, and a socket for the mains adaptor. On the right of the keyboard is a 9-pin D-type socket: this is a serial port, and is used to communicate with the outside world (including a BBC micro). The modem, printer and connections to other computers use this port. I was confused that Cambridge Computer have a parallel printer lead on their list of peripherals when there is no parallel port to connect it to! However, having obtained one and examined it, I found that it contains a black box which converts from serial to parallel, which also helps to explain why it costs £29.95.

Continuing our tour round the machine we next encounter a removable plastic cover concealing a 20-way edge connector, presumably for connecting a disc drive when developed. Finally, on the front of the Z88 under a transparent cover, there are three empty sockets for ROM/RAM packs. Cambridge Computer lists 32k RAM, 32k ROM, 128k RAM and 128k ROM packs amongst their accessories, and as far as I can see, any combination of packs may be inserted into any of the sockets. As all storage takes place on RAM and EPROM, I took advice from an existing user, and ordered a 128k RAM pack with my Z88.

The Z88 comes with a 217 page manual. This is very well written, with a comprehensive index, and contains several good examples. It does however, leave a few questions unanswered, for example, I still have not found out how to divert output from a Basic program to the printer. It states how to LIST the program to the printer, but that's not what I want.

The Z88 is very flexible when it comes to setting up various options. Using the "Panel" you may change the following:

1. Keyclick On/Off Insert/Overtype
2. Keyboard Auto Repeat Sound Yes/No
3. Default Device Default Directory
4. Machine Timeout Map on, Map size
5. Transmit baud rate Receive Baud Rate
6. Parity Xon/Xoff
7. Date format - European/USA

One of the Panel options is Map, an ingenious, and very useful feature displayed on the right hand side of the screen. This shows, in dot form, the actual layout of the document on which you are working (remember that you are working on a maximum of 7 visible lines of text only, the other line contains the cursor's current row and column coordinates).

The Z88 could be, for many BBC and Master owners, the passport to a previously unknown freedom. They can use many of the features of their computer, but in any environment - train, lounge, car or wherever. The major features that ally the Z88 to the BBC computer are its BBC Basic and Pipedream - which is, in reality, View Professional.

Also on-board, and instantly available from within any other application, are a diary with alarm, calendar, clock, calculator, printer-driver editor, comprehensive ADFS-style filing system, terminal emulator, and an import/export facility allowing easy transfer between computer systems, especially the BBC & Master.

I found the Z88 enormously useful. For those making long journeys with time to spare, the Z88 offers superb flexibility, and in many instances would be worth purchasing for that application alone. The more I use the Z88, the more useful I find it to be; and as with any sophisticated system, I am constantly finding new features.

Pipedream is virtually identical to View Professional, and I therefore suggest that you read our review of View Professional in Beebug Vol. 6 No. 4 for a full description, suffice to say we were impressed. In a nutshell, Pipedream combines the features of a wordprocessor, spreadsheet, and database all in one, and once mastered, forms a superbly co-ordinated system.

Because of the compatibility between Pipedream on the Z88, and View Professional on the BBC, the transfer of documents could not be simpler. It is a shame (and a distinct disadvantage) therefore, that the commands in Pipedream and View Professional are so different. For example, to re-format a paragraph in Pipedream you give the command R, whereas in View Professional you use FP. Virtually no commands are the same, so you need to learn two sets. Remember though, that all commands are available in Pipedream from a menu should you forget them, but this is not as fast and convenient as giving the commands directly. Considering that both packages were written by Colton Software I find this incompatibility difficult to comprehend. Despite this, Pipedream makes the Z88 worth buying for this feature alone, whether you are a BBC micro user or not.

The Z88 should not be dismissed as being a machine only capable of handling a small amount of text. The basic Z88, together with a single 128k RAM pack, (which I suggest to be a working minimum configuration) will hold over 21,000 words, and Pipedream has facilities for linking many files to form a larger document. Assuming that you have equipped the machine with three 128k RAMs, then together with its internal 32k memory, the Z88 will allow the storage of around 70,000 words!

To test Pipedream's performance when sorting, I created a 7 field database with 128 name and address records. The time to sort the file was 16 minutes, which is not very good. However, when adding records into a name and address file you would be better advised to insert them in the correct position, avoiding the need for a re-sort on every insertion.

This review was written on the Z88, and contains around 2,300 words. Towards completion of the article the speed of key entry began to be impaired during insertion of text. However, simple addition of text at the end of the article was not affected, even though I had the map switched on. The manual says that switching off the map results in an increase in the speed of response.

Any style of which your printer is capable, can be used during the printing of Pipedream documents. For example underline, bold, italics, superscripts, subscripts, proportional spacing, condensed etc. In the first three instances Pipedream will actually show the effect on the screen.

The Z88 comes with a built-in printer driver which interfaces with the Epson (and Epson compatible) series of printers. The Printer Editor allows you to create your own printer driver definition, and store any number of such definitions. The Printer Editor is superbly flexible and easy to use, and I cannot think of a printer for which a driver could not be created. Even backspace to underline is easy to implement.

Yes, it is truly BBC Basic, and as far as I can tell it appears to be BASIC 1V, because the LIST IF command is implemented (although LIST IF is not mentioned in the manual). It was written by Richard Russell who wrote Z80 Basic for the BBC micro. All the BBC Basic commands and features that are appropriate to a small screen system are supported. Those that are not are the graphics and sound command sets. Also, although star commands are not supported OSCLI is, although I could not get it to operate.

I had no problem in transferring any of my non-graphics programs across from the BBC, and all worked first time. Transfer is not a direct process, but requires a spool file to be created and sent to the Z88. Once in the Z88 you can use Pipedream to edit in some leading commands and then execute it into Basic (the filing system has an execute option that operates like *EXEC on the Beeb). Quite straightforward once you are used to the process.

BBC Basic on the Z88 is not as fast as on the BBC micro, but it compares reasonably well with other micros, and I never found it to be too slow in actual practice. For applications requiring the manipulation of files however, the Z88 is a good deal faster than the BBC micro. This is because the Z88's file storage is solid state, whereas the Beeb's file storage is on floppy disc. One disappointing omission is that of a line editor, even to the extent of their being no cursor copying either. If you mis-type a Basic line you will have to re-type the entire line to correct it (GROAN), thus you soon learn to steer clear of multi-statement lines.

This option allows the transfer of files to and from the Z88. The manual describes the pin connections for the Z88 serial connector, and the protocol for file transfer. According to the manual, software is available for file transfer between the Z88 and the BBC micro, or IBM PC. However, with the details on connections and protocol provided in the manual, the software for handling the transfer at the BBC end can be easily written entirely in BBC Basic. The lead for the transfer can also be made by anyone competent at soldering. However, you should note that the manual is not too clear here, and you need to make a link between pins 8 and 9 in order to receive data.

To test the speed of transfer to a BBC micro I used the name and address file mentioned earlier containing 128 records. I found the maximum usable baud rate was 9600 (probably limited by Basic at the receiving end, so not the fault of the Z88). This resulted in a transfer time of 50 seconds, which considering the file contained some 19,000 characters is acceptable though it could hardly be called fast.

The Terminal application provides a widely used VT52 protocol for communicating between the Z88 and another computer, or between two Z88 computers, over the RS232 serial line.

I found that with the basic system (with no additional RAM), the memory is too limited, and I would therefore recommend that you skip the 32k RAM pack and purchase the 128k RAM. Also useful are either two sets of four rechargeable AA type batteries, or a mains power pack. The batteries last for about 20 hours actual use (over one year in a power off state). You can either make yourself a Z88 to BBC lead or buy the same. You will also have to decide whether you will be keeping backups of files by copying them via a BBC micro onto a floppy (the approach I take) or using an EPROM pack (you'll need two, plus an eraser for the maximum security), but the price is starting to soar. Prices of add-ons are given elsewhere in this review.

The Z88 goes a good step further than the Psion Organiser for those requiring briefcase portability. Its superb compatibility with the BBC micro and Master make it the obvious choice if you are in the market for such a machine. The Z88 needn't just be thought of for simply extending your Beeb, although it fulfils this role admirably. It should be thought of as a truly stand-alone system, capable of holding its own against the (albeit limited) opposition. I thoroughly recommend it.

Z88 Computer £287.50
Mains Adaptor £9.95
32k RAM Pack £19.95
128k RAM Pack £49.95
32k EPROM Pack £19.95
128k EPROM Pack £49.95
EPROM Eraser £39.95
Z88 to PC Link £24.95
288 to BBC Link £24.95
Serial Printer Cable £9.95
Parallel Printer Cable £29.95