Popular Computing Weekly (October 31st, 1985)

I would have loved to have had a weekly computer publication back in the day. As far as I know though, there weren’t any widespread ones available in the U.S. in the 1980s. None I ever saw anyway. Popular Computing Weekly was a U.K. based publication and the issue from October 31st, 1985 includes:

News – Commodore releases the 1570 disk drive and 1901 monitor designed for the Commodore 128; Rumbelows retail stores discontinue sales of Sinclair Spectrum plus other retailers plans for Christmas; Amstrad’s PCW8256 in short supply for Christmas; and more.

Micro Magic – A contest in which you can win a Amstrad CPC6128.

Software Reviews – Reviews of Protext (a word processor for the Amstrad CPC), Fighting Warrior (an Egyptian themed action game for the Spectrum), One Man and His Droid (and action game for the Spectrum), Orm and Cheep: The Birthday Party (an educational game for the Commodore 64), Shadowfire Tuner (a game modification tool for Shadowfire for the C64 and Spectrum), Zyto (an arcade style game for the Commodore 64), and Mcoder III (a BASIC compiler for the Spectrum).

Hardware Reviews – Specdrum (a drum machine peripheral for the Spectrum), Turbo 50 cartridge (a utility cartridge that provides new BASIC commands for the Commodore 64), AMX Mouse (a mouse for the Amstrad CPC), and more.

Star Game – A type-in game called Bonfire Party for the Spectrum featuring Guy Fawkes.

BBC and Electron – The second of three parts of a type-in music creation program.

Commodore 64 – Building a printer interface for the Commodore 64 including the software to use it.

Amstrad – A type-in program that quizzes you on chemistry, specifically in identifying salts.

The QL Page – The final part of a type-in arcade adventure game for the Sinclair QL.

Arcade Avenue – Hacks for various Commodore 64 games (via POKE commands) including China Miner, Arabian Nights, Jungle Story, Bounty Bob Strikes Back, Suicide Express, Pyjamarama, and more.

Adventure Corner – A detailed look at The Quill which is a package of adventure writing tools for various systems. Plus a look at some games created with The Quill.

Adventure Helpline – Questions answered about Castle Quest on the BBC, Mission One on the Amstrad, The Hobbit on the BBC, Dragontorc on the Spectrum and Emerald Isle on the Amstrad.

Top Ten Charts – Top ten lists for several platforms. First place titles include Formula One Simulator (Amstrad), Chop Suey (Atari), Match Day (BBC), Who Dares Wins II (Commodore 64), and Impossible Mission (Spectrum).

Readers Chart – A top ten list of games according to readers. Coming in first this week is Way of the Exploding Fist for the Commodore 64 and Spectrum.

New Releases – A brief look at new releases including Shadow of the Unicorn (an adventure game for the Spectrum), Toolbox 2 (a music program for the Amstrad), Discs of Death (a game based on Tron for the Spectrum), 3D Grand Prix (a racing game for the Amstrad), and FX Musicwriter (a music program for the Yamaha CX5 MSX based computer).