Should women review games?

OVER the past couple of months I have noticed a substantial increase in the number of software reviews. I notice the review team seems to be split 50/50 male and female, and welcome as it may be to have women in the business I wonder if it gives a true reflection of the user base on the Spectrum. I have often wondered what qualifies a person to pass judgement on other people's products, particularly since so many mistakes are made.

Some reviews suffer from misinterpretation and oversights, or simply not reading the instructions properly. That is unacceptable as it may damage the sales potential of some programs.

I would also like to reply to a letter from Miles Sturt who claims to be the first person to finish Beach Head. As the co-author of this program I would like to set the record straight. The highest known score is 382,000, set by myself on the day the program was completed and it was the first recorded score on the fully debugged version of the game.

Finally, you really seem to be scraping the board with your interviews recently. Since Matthew Smith there hasn't really been anyone remotely well known. Most decent programmers still design their own graphics and very good they are too. If you really want a scoop get an interview with the people behind Ashby Computer Graphics and give us some real state of the art.

David J Anderson, Platinum Productions

So, reviewers must be male because the majority of Sinclair users are male, and women are incapable of reviewing games which will be played by men. Such a pathetic, illogical attitude deserves to be treated with contempt.

The 'mistakes' you refer to are largely a matter of opinion. Where we make genuine errors we are happy to accept the blame, and do so within the pages of the magazine.

As for our interviews, I am sure that Julian Chappell, Lee Kristofferson, David Reidy and the Automata team - all authors of best-selling games - are of interest to our readers. Perhaps you're just hurt that we haven't talked to you about your mediocre efforts. Ed.

Avalon goes walkabout

TURNING to page 68 of the March issue I read 'Richard Price investigates the introduction of arcade and animated graphics into adventures'.

Oh good, I thought, I wonder what they'll say about Avalon. I scanned the article but found no mention so I re-read it more carefully, searching diligently in case your typesetters had hidden Avalon cunningly as Avalot, Lovano or Novalon. Nothing remotely resembling the required word could I glean, nor even a passing reference to our company and its works.

Now, I know you have to demonstrate to your readers that just because I write your Helpline column every month, you are not biased in favour of our products. But Avalon is an 'adventure movie', equally as interesting and fun to play as Tir Na Nog, Lords of Midnight and the rest. So how come you missed it out?

Well, I'm a philosophical sort, but just to show there's no hard feelings, for the benefit of those readers and players who are stuck half way through the game, a detailed help sheet is available to all who send a large stamped addressed envelope to our business address.

Andrew Hewson, Hewson Consultants Ltd

Conflicting opinions

I WAS taken aback by your ridiculous review of Elite's Airwolf in your March issue.

Several people I know have the game, and they all agree that it is extremely addictive - more so than most other software on the market. There are very few programs around which have kept them glued to the screen for so long.

I see that the reviewer was Colette McDermott. She must have strange hands - she finds the keys hard to use. No one I know does.

You have a right to your opinion, but this time you seem to be in a minority.

F Thomson

AFTER I had read the review of Elite's Airwolf I was very annoyed with the person who reviewed the game.

The graphics are far from dull and after the first two screens the tasks are much more exciting and difficult. It is worth more than three out of 10 as a Gilbert Factor. The reviewer mentions at the end that it resembles Blue Thunder. The only way in which it resembles Blue Thunder is that it involves a helicopter.

Chris Muir, aged 13

And the only way which Airwolf resembles the TV series is that it involves a helicopter. Still, we do seem to be in a minority on this one. Colette - you're fired! Ed.

Skool of high standards

CONGRATULATIONS on your excellent software review of Microsphere's Skool Daze. I purchased this program and your software review was perfect in describing it. Keep up the good work, Sinclair User.

Craig Lovelace

Programs for pigs and cows

THERE are many Sinclairs in this country, but no business software available. I know of one farmer who writes his own programs, and he assures me that they are extensive, covering 2000 head of cattle, 1000 pigs, the sales data of 1100 bales of tobacco and a farm turnover of $500,000.

Do you know where I could obtain software for a 48K Spectrum, related to farming operations and in particular a wages program for about 130 workers?

H P Arnold

D J Programs has a range of software for farmers.

Give girls a chance

I BELONG to a computer club at my school, but, I seem to be the only female. Surely girls must own computers as well as boys.

I find computers very interesting and I think that more girls should give them a chance!

Rachel Cutts

Politics enter by the back door

I AM distressed at the amount of games of aggression but what I find equally disturbing is the adverts for Gremlin Graphics on pages 32 and 33, March issue. One refers to the 'nasties of the coal mining industry and their lackey socialist puppets'. On page 56 there is an advert for CCS where one game refers to playing against 'the computer's red forces.'

A common complaint against the left is that they introduce politics into everything. It seems to me that it is the software companies which are doing this.

Should software be politically neutral, or would anyone like to join me and write a program about a possible scenario where mad Ron and his pet poodle Maggie are leading the world to almost total nuclear destruction. Where all that are left in the bunkers are computer programmers having at last to exercise their minds on the complexities of moral issues instead of children's games?

Trevor Slack

Epson printer offline?

IN YOUR review of printers - July 1984, Sinclair User - I was surprised that you dismissed the EP44 without explanation. Now the matter has arisen again in the March 1985 issue.

I bought an EP44 in March 1984. Apart from printing the drafts of two books it has faultlessly churned out hex dumps and listings from a variety of computers as well as miscellaneous documents. The text illustration in the July 1984 review clearly showed that the EP44 produces print of excellent quality. The machine responds to typewriter and seven-bit codes as well as ASCII. That means that some useful extra characters are available.

True, it is slow - but so is a daisy wheel printer. But why the rush?

I have but two wishes as far as the EP44 is concerned: one is that it had the HR5 graphics capability; the other is that I could input Tasword text to the Spectrum from the EP44 keyboard. The EP44 will input text into other computers. I feel sure that a program alteration to allow text entry from any RS232 source must be simple. I am afraid I find the Interface 1 handbook almost totally opaque in many respects, including RS232 techniques. I would be delighted if someone would enlighten me.

P L Patient

Women make a stand

REGARDING your short news report on the Microshield VDU smock in the March edition, I found it offensive to see female computer users dismissed as being such a minor group.

No one can deny that computing is a male-dominated activity, but I should just like to make three points.

If TV radiation is harmful at all, it is not harmful only to pregnant women.

There are thousands of women in the computer industry, some of whom actually buy their own home computer - Good heavens!

A dismissive attitude that women and girls working with home computers do not matter because there aren't any to speak of, is both inaccurate and is setting a bad example to youngsters of both sexes.

Kate P Glover

In remarking that the controversy surrounding TV radiation had not been raised adequately because it seemed to affect only 'pregnant women and there are few female users', we were attempting to comment ironically on the attitude of the computer industry towards women. Unfortunately, we merely appeared to condone that attitude. For the record, we do not dismiss the female user base in any way. Ed.

Logic from confusion

THE MAYFIELD Computer Dyslexia group produces programs for the Spectrum to aid teachers and parents with dyslexic children.

All programs are in the public domain, but a small copying charge of £5.00 is made for a suite of some 20 programs, either on tape or microdrive.

There are programs to aid left/right confusion, short-term memory diagnosis, as well as spelling. A large SAE will bring further details.

Brother Henry

Software club to the rescue

ONCE again I put pen to paper in response to Iain Dale's plea for a ZX-81 Club.

There is one! Run by ourselves, the Software Farm Software Club (SFSC) - has an international following. Members are encouraged to air their views, ask questions, swap information, hints, tips and hardware through the media of the Club Newsletter. ZX-81 owners can communicate with other users around the world with anything connected to their beloved but neglected little machine.

Full details of the Club are available from Software Farm.

Julian Chappell, Software Farm

In search of the Timelord

YOU ONCE printed a review of a software adventure The Key to Time.

Can you please advise me from whom I can buy this program? Can you also tell me whether there have been any other Dr Who adventures for the Spectrum.

A J Mowat

It is now published by Sentient Software.

Pertaining to penfriends

I CONDUCT a private radio transmission named Radio Software, for Spectrum users. The transmission is put together by physicians at the Gaslini Hospital Sinclair Club.

We hope to collaborate with UK users by tape or letter.

Dr Giuseppe Marini

I AM 13 years old and would very much like a penpal in the UK. I am from London, but I'm living in Swaziland for a few years. I have a 48K Spectrum inside a Transform keyboard, two microdrives, a Star Gemini printer and a Kempston joystick. My interests are games and word-processing.

Paul Owen

Poke around for more tips

FOR THOSE who have Sabre Wulf I have a poke which enables you to go twice the normal speed and also makes all animals and amulets disappear. That means that you don't need to get all the pieces of the amulet to beat Sabre Wulf, all you need to do is get into the cave. However, if you press the fire key, everything will turn back to normal as long as you are holding the fire key down.

First type in MERGE enter, and start your tape as if loading normally. When the header has loaded type in POKE 23756,1. Then press the edit key. Move the cursor to just before the PRINT USR command. Type in POKE 44876,0: then enter. Type in RUN. Then restart the tape. Sometimes the program crashes but that is rare.

And if there are still Jet Set Willy fanatics out there I have some useful pokes. For any of the pokes type in CLEAR 30000: LOAD "" CODE: (put all pokes here separated by colons) : RANDOMISE USR 33792 (ENTER). Start your tape player.

The pokes are: POKE 36353,44 - allows you to be sucked up a left hand wall; POKE 35899,0 - infinite lives; POKE 34795,x - type x as the number of the starting room, 0 to 60; POKE 36477,1 - stops you dying when you fall from a height; POKE 59900,255 - an anti-attic poke; POKE 41983,255 - get the tap from the bathroom, jump on your bed and see what happens; POKE 34275,10 - access to any room by pressing nine and another number key; POKE 36358,0 - jump higher than normal; POKE 35123,0 - deletes all baddies which move and removes ropes.

Ian Comerford

Ultimate brain damage

I FINISHED Sabre Wulf three months before it was conceived by Ultimate, and at the time I had two broken arms and was playing with my tongue. I finished half an hour before I'd started playing and blew a chip on my machine because it couldn't hold my score. My percentage was 329.

For anyone who didn't know already, when you get to a score of 17 7 the screen flashes and a message appears proclaiming you the "Hyper-intelligent astrally tantric mega-ultra Sabre Wulf lord". So there!!!

I've done Knight Lore about eight times - really. I completed it on January 25 with 82 percent - (Adventurer).

Please, please, no more Sabre Wulf letters!

Hyper-intelligent, etc.

Quasimodo at the top

IN REPLY to Miles Sturt's letter - March, Sinclair User. I have scored 3,401,627 in Hunchback and rescued Esmerelda nine times.

Paul Sweeney

Bug invades the pitch

I HAVE bought Ocean's Match Day and I seem to have found a bug.

I was playing in the FA cup quarter finals and winning eight-nil. As the clock ticked to 90 I scored. The clock carried on and the circular timer was a graphical mess.

When the clock passed 100 the timer started again and carried on for 45 minutes. The final score was 14-1.

Paul Blewett

Barricading the base

THE HIGHEST score I have achieved in Combat Lynx is 93,950.

It is essential that you protect Base 0 as this is your only supply of troops, fuel and weapons, you should lay mines around it. The minefields can be breached by enemy tanks and lorries.

Colin Reekie

Fly through trouble

A FEW tips on Underwurlde. To get past the guardians without the weapon you can swing on the rope next to the room where the guardian is and then press CAPS SHIFT. You should then fly past the guardian if not, try, try again.

K Harvey

Moonlighting mothers

I AM a member of that horrifying species known as Spectraholic Mums Anonymous. We're the ones who sneak offspring's Spectrums out of their rooms in order to have a bash at Eureka's £25,000.

Can someone enlighten me as to where Technician Ted's diffusion furnace is and how to get there? The situation is fraught; burnt dinners are a daily occurrence.

All help will be gratefully received.

Diffused-up mum

Spectral bust-ups

I FINISHED Ghostbusters on December 14 and my bank account stands at $112,100; my account number is 10242021 and my code name is Peter Smith - entered Smith Peter. I claim to be a professional Ghostbuster - "Who ya gonna call?"

Frazer Smith

Slimed from behind

IN REPLY to Miles Sturt - letters, March, my friend Paul Humphries and I finished Ghostbusters on December 19 with a score of $18,000.

Since then our top score is $100,400; the account number is 02062420.

When the ghost hits you, if you failed to trap it, the man says 'It slimed me' not 'behind you' as John Gilbert thinks.

David Jenkins

Record break for jailbird

I HAVE completed Monty is Innocent in two minutes 20 seconds, on February 24.

Stephen Forbes

Scrambled letters

I AM a Scrabble enthusiast. When I am losing, and on the last seven tiles, I find if those are fed in at random using an already accepted word as a basis the rubbish will be accepted by the computer.

TWEED had already been accepted to which I added my remaining tiles making TWEEDQKYTT. This was accepted by the computer.

T S Paterson