Compute!’s Gazette (December 1985)

Source: Compute!’s Gazette – Issue Number 30 – December 1985

Compute!’s Gazette was one of the most popular Commodore 8-bit magazines that existed in the U.S. I read Commodore Magazine and later Run myself but Gazette was easily on par with those. The December 1985 issue includes:

Features

New Approaches to Computer games: Designers with a Difference – An interview with video game designers John O’Neill, Tom Snyder, and others about the future of gaming.

Building Your Own Games – A talk with Pinball Construction Set designer Bill Budge about creating games.

Games at the Speed of Light – While it was thought for a while that laserdisc technology would have a big impact on home computers and gaming, this article also looks ahead to CD-ROM technology which would eventually become huge in another 8 years.

The Videodisc Connection – On videodisc technology and connecting your Commodore 64 or 128 to a videodisc player.

Reviews

The Epson HI-80 Plotter – A plotter for the Commodore 64 and Commodore 128 that works well in the Commodore 128’s CP/M mode.

Calc Now! – A simple to use spreadsheet program for the Commodore 64.

Charles Goren: Learning Bridge Made Easy – Software that teaches you to play Bridge. It includes various quizzes, tutorials and examples.

The Halley Project – A game with educational properties in which you explore the solar system.

Omniwriter/Omnispell – A word processor and spell checker for the C64. Yes, these were often separate products back in the day though they are packaged together here.

International Hockey – A hockey game from Artworx for the C64.

Also Worth Noting – A quick look at some other items including Charlie Brown’s ABC’s, Xper, Karate Champ, and Winter Games.

Games

Whirlybird – A type-in game that is a sort of breakout clone with the bricks being on the bottom of the screen.

Quickchange – A type-in puzzle game.

Dragon’s Den – A type-in adventure game that works on the Commodore 64, Plus/4 and Commodore 16.

Education/Home Applications

Banners – A type-in program that lets you print your own custom banners on the Commodore 64 Plus/4, Commodore 16 and VIC-20.

The Construction Set – A type-in program for the C64 that provides a sort of virtual lego set with which you can build things.

Computing for Families: Is Programming Dead? – In the earlier days of home computing, it was common for people with computers to learn at least a bit of programming. As more software became available and the computer became more of an appliance, this changed.

Programming

SpeedCheck: Word Processor Spelling Checker – A type-in spell checker that works with SpeedScript, WordPro, and PaperClip.

Power BASIC: List Pager – A short utility for the Commodore 64 and VIC-20 that allows you to divide printouts into pages, insert headers, and print page numbers.

Variable Saver – A technique for automatically saving variables with your program along with an example short program for budgeting.

Hints & Tips: Loading and Saving – All about loading and saving files and directories.

Soundpix – A demo/tutorial that gives a visual representation of waveforms and envelopes on the Commodore 64.

Disk File Archiver – A short machine language program that helps with versioning and backing up your programs.

Auto Time and Date – A program that will mark each program you save with the current time and date.

Soft Write Protector for Disks – 5.25″ disk have a notch in the side of the disk that you can cover to prevent writing to the disk. This provides away to achieve the same function in software.

Trackmouse – A program that lets you move the cursor on the Commodore 64 with a joystick or trackball.

Machine Language for Beginner’s: ML Mailbag – An intro to machine language and its representations.

BASIC Magic: A Holiday Lesson for New Computer Owners – Some examples of putting stuff on the screen and erasing it.

Departments

The Editor’s Notes – The editor writes of waiting for the soon to be released Amiga.

Gazette Feedback – Feedback from readers about strings, formatting disks, the readability of programs, scanning the keyboard, programming function keys, VIC-20 support, RELative files, hexadecimal conversions, and more.