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Sinclair User - Retro Computer Resource

1. Both games MICROWARE shop in LEICESTER for SINCLAIR computer accessories OPENING SOON MICROWARE OF MANCHESTER The frst REAL shop in the North West for SINCLAIR Check with Leicester Branch for opening details Keyboards Ram Packs 1 0 Ports G Roms Light Pens Sound Boxes Games Home Business Serious Educational Programs Books and Magazines ALSO Now Stocking NEW DRAGON 32 hardware AND Books and Software for BBC and VIC 20 MICROWARE SOFTWARE for SPECTRUM ALIEN COMMAND 16K Very exciting fast amp challenging If you have tried Missile Command or Space invaders you will like this game even more Features briliant User Definable graphics amp gives REAL arcade type displays Very good sound effects colour 5 50 BACKGAMMON 16K Play against your micro in this version of the popular board game 5 50 from LEICESTER Branch SOFTWARE WRITERS Good original software required for SPECTRUM amp DRAGON Excellent royalties paid TR ADE ENQUIRIES MICROWARE WELCOME 131 ROAD Open 9 30 12 00 LEICESTER 12 30 5 30 Tol 0533 681812 1st October we are moving to 5257 PETER S LANE LEICESTER dose to Clock Tower 6 large Car Parks Easy reach of Raiway Station SAE for Catalogue amp COMPUTERS software SPECIAL lable from shops or by mail order Closed Thursday Spectrum MONITOR
2. latest montly from ECC Publications pioneers of Practical Computing WHICH COMPUTER and Computer amp Video Games Whether you bought your system Subscription Order Form yesterday old hand you are probably I wish to start a subscription to Sinclair User 1 an enthusiast for your machine ad your biggest understand that may cancel my subscription at any time problem is likely to be obtaining all the and you will refund the balance information to satisfy your interest Sinclair encios s for 12 UR User is devoted to quenching your thirst for including postage information As the name suggests the content is geared C Please charge my credit card 1 specifically to helping you the user There Name No pages of information on available hardware Address and software Our aim is to make Sinclair User invaluable and we chronicle applications signed which are of special interest Date 1 52 SINCLAIRUSER October 1982 mind games Taking the short route to success Philip Joy looks at readers chess games written saying that this page does not include sufficient details about the famous mind game chess With details from his letter and two chess games I hope to rectify this First a game sent by D Egdoll of Glasgow with details of a game in which he played against Artic Computing ZXchessII
3. crarns zwa2 wet zwaa p Mae 1 Please make cheque PO payable to Solent Software Engineering Ltd and 1 post tor SSEL Brookvale Waterworks Road Orrbourme Winchester SINCLAIRUSER October 1982 AUTOMATIC TAPE CONTROLLER 99 THE SINCLAIR 7 81 The 2X99 gives you software control of up to four tape drives two for reading two for writing allowing merging of data files This is achieved by using the remote sockets of the tape drives controlled by USR statements or commands RS232C INTERFACE The ZX99 has an RS232C output allowing connection with any such printer using the full ASCI character code you can now print on plain paper in upper or lower case and up to 132 characters per line at a variable baud rate up to 9 600 e SPECIAL FEATURES There are so many special features it is difficult to list them all for example AUTOMATIC TAPE COPY You can copy a data file regardless your memory capacity as it is processed through the Sinclair block by block TAPE BLOCK SKIP Without destroying the contents of RAM DIAGNOSTIC INFORMATION To assist in achieving the best recording settings 2 99 SOFTWARE The 2X99 contains a 2K ROM which acts as an extension to now have available Editor 99 a quality word processing the firmware in the Sinclair ROM The ZX99 s ROM contains program including ma
4. 7 00 E 35 00 ALWAYS AHEAD WITH 2 81 SPECTRUM SOFTWARE t 2225 gt rm e 48 SINCLAIRUSER October 1982 At long last someone has wr thateven AuntEmily xther than De compute That someone is none Jarrett doyen of simple English and former Managing Editor of WHICH C PUTER and Practical Computing And his book alled The Good Computing Book for Beginner If you re nota beginner d putyou off Because this book provides a wonderful opportunity learing up any grey areas of your knowledge And a glance at the chapter he may well give the impressi funto read You would be right It s the t way ot lear all here s also a complete language t Your course in computers introduction computer computer new readers start here because this is all you need to know what can it do What s avail And where d computer myths why they are being dispelled and the truth about computers What goes on inside a 2 the heavy technology avoiding 5 What to irrelevant and or difficult buy small computer ideas processors chips least how to avoid complete memory 1 0 disappointment Progammes whatmakes the computer tick or at opinions references and a least where the noise comes few personalities from system software Nov ned oj applications the pleas
5. INDEX RETRIEVAL Easily fitted Repeat facility High quality engraved keys Fully tested cased and guaranteed Long keyswitch 107 operations Tactile feel Cheques PO please to AFDEC ELECTRONICS LTD 318 Kempshott Lane Basingstoke Hants Please Supply ZX PANDA 16K Expandable RAM packs ZX PANDA 16K Expander to 32K for above 32K RAM pack Professional Keyboards Name Address October 1982 As seen BBC TV Computer Programme ZX81 amp 16K BIG EARS gt SPEECH THE TOMB OF 1 INPUT FOR ANY DRACULA BUILT TESTED A GUARANTEED 49 PLEASE STATE COMPUTER UK1O1 SUPERBOARO PET TRSSO EBON APPLE T MICRO TXSi wander thr ped 300 t et E MU PURUS MUSIC SYNTHESISER 4 5 f 16 CONTROL PORT WARNING popie oh ar 19 50 ymposer Music Program 16K 7 40 25 50 BUILT COLOUR MODULATOR 12 RGB in PALUHF out not for ZX sui 18 UK101 NASCOM COLOUR GRAPHICS 45 m 60 oe WILLIAM STUART MOVIEDROME VIDEO 19 ZXB1 Spectrum Computer Software NEW ZXBI COMPILER Ye uur ZXBI No more messing about with imply t Jl ORBITER amp ost amazing 2 5 ORBITER Fast and f y another machine ZX81 ARCADE ACTION MUNCHER Exciting pa
6. THE Reserve your copies today Complete the order form below and your order will be reserved and sent you on publication which show how to achieve pictures and even animation READ OUT PUBLISHING COMPANY LTD 8 Camp Road Farnborough Hampshire 6024 6EW Telephone 0252 510331 2 Telex 858001 GOWER 6 ee eee _ OUT PUBLISHING COMPANY LTD CAMP ROAD FARNBOROUGH HAMPSHIRE GU24 6EW 24 hour answering service Telephone 0252 510331 2 Please send me copy ies of All prices include postage Learning to Use the PET Computer 5 95 l Address rning to Use the ZX Spectrum 5 95 Learning to Use the BBC Microcomputer i 5 95 M Learning to Use the VIC 20 5 95 Make cheques payable to Read Out Publishing Please debit my Access Signed Learning to Use the ZX81 5 95 Number J TIITII 1 SINCLAIRUSER October 1982 59 New From Fuller FD System for the ZX SPECTRUM 39 95 2 50 amp p Professional Keyboard amp Case This unit has the game high standard as our 2 81 unit Tough A B S Plastic case encloses our Keyboard the Spectrum Printed Circuit Board and the Power Supply Our own Power supply is available 9 volts DC at 2 amps Mains either 110v or 240v AC at 5 95 80p p
7. 1 inspiration Early in the next century we will have made intelligent machines ending for all time the pattern of drudgery may be ary to re term alto work pe irastically f work would h That is where percent A new conce created and the pro would enter ore time to cesses of th People would have learn and so understanding of many areas of sciei e would ii We must change the pattern of expectation no longer to prepare people for a life time s work in organisations but to give them self reliance for a broader role oups prove and leadership great building a bridge over rather under the Channel Early in the next ce have intelligent ending for all time thi drudgery with them the exploration of the universe It may be that Western civilisation seeded in seventh century Ireland is only just about to flower To some m like science fiction but some cynics said that a machine like the Spectrum was not possible only last year than a tunnel ntury we will nade machines pattern of e can start Sinclair s ideas may Use your computer the case Foam rubber gives complete protection Purpose built forthe ZX system 2 81 amp Spectrum Custom Cases Turn your ZX system into a portable computing centre COMPUTEX CASES n hy Zeta software aims at SOLENT SOFTWARE E
8. UNDERSTANDING LIMITED jaa SSS See RVICES Allow 14 days delivery 100 Cricklewood Lane London NW2 208 The ultimate SINCLAIR ZX 81 16K DATABASE FILING SYSTEM by DALE HUBBARD Fed up with boring games make your ZX81 work for you The one you ve been waiting for Cassette based Clear menu operation Facilities include sort search list delete change total numeric field save and load file line print etc Complete with demonstration file and full instruction application leaflet Requires 16K Ram pack Applications Recipe file Stamp coin collections Inventory Control Employee Data Record Collections Magazine article catalogue May be used for any application where fast access is required to stored information Access accepted ONLY Send cheque or P O or credit card number to 5 95 FULLY INCLUSIVE GEMINI MARKETING LTD 9 Solartron Road Exmouth Devon EX8 2BR OR telephone with your credit card order e e au on Exmouth 03952 5832 Lacs wes DESPATCH BY RETURN SINGLAIRUSER October 1982 tape storage Mike Salem considers the problems of keeping information on cassettes Finding better ways of storing on tape HE USE of tape recorders with 1 microcomputers is fraught with difficulties can be overcome so that reliable loading and saving become routine The tape storage and retrieval systems of all mic
9. dozen assorted computing magazines Total value 130 100 Andrew Grant 01 472 6073 Evenings not Thurday or Friday ZX SPECTRUM SOFTWARE Ten Minutes to Live Air Sea Attack Monster Maze Lasered Staircase Programs incorporate sound colour and graphics On cassette 64 75 Send to B Baker 87 Murray Avenue Bromley Kent BR13DJ CTRUM 30 GRAPHICS T6K or 46K hines Spectacular plotting Under User Control of shape Size and perspective Only 6 FIGARO Powerful numeric data base gives you seasonal fore ing statistics graphs data les and much more Very friendly No statistics know ledge heeded 48K only 435 Access and Barclaycard welcome SAXON COMPUTING 3 St Catherines Drive Lacon Humberside spei iare SPECTRUM 81 SOFTWARE games educational utilities including Martian invasion O A Physics M C Handler etc Programs Wanted 60 royalties paid SAE for free list P Devsi 68 Crookston Road Eltham London SES Advertisement Index ADAPTORSELIMINATORS 26 ADDICTIVEGAMES 48 AFDEC 54 ABERSOFT 40 ALTWASSERR 12 ARTIC 46 BUFFER MICRO SHOP 10 BIPAK 39 CAMBRIDGE COMPUTER STORE COMPUTEX CASES 49 COMPUTERGUIDES CARNELLS W 9 DEAN ELECTRONICS 26 D K TRONICS 19 DATAASSETTE DOCIMODUS DIGITALINTEGRATION EDUCARE FULLER MICRO FISHER MARRIOTT GEMINI J K GREYE HARRIS LOCKYER INTERFACE KEMPSTON LINSAC MELBOURNE H
10. 5 ix 353 T THEN GOTO 1000 360 GOTO 125 1000 PRINT AGRI ty ts 1820 LET i920 IF Ok HEN GOTO 10 50 RUN ew HILDREN will love Arithmetic Race and teach themselves to add in the process It is an educational game for three children which challenges them to race against each other across the screen Each correct answer advances their asterisk one place Seasoned programmers might try the listing and perhaps a few extra graphics Sent by Janet Whittaker of Bilsborrow near Preston for the 16K ZX 81 PRINT iAMES 25 se SPEDE REBAR 55659960996 BON OM 990 f d 0000 PRINT PRINT AT PRINT 21 RETURN PRINT WELL DON T B INT 94014 5 a X B i 2 3 a ppp NEO o BRINT v 3 PRINT HT IF THEN IF INKEYS T THEN LET IF NOT X THEN LET Ir B e THEN GOTO 220 GoTo ice PRINT BT A B 238 LET B CODE 5 240 100 IF B UBL 2 3 T HEN GOSUB 498 Sie IF INKEY THEM 32 410 E ise 430 440 ase NOMP Qi 6666 64 ID YOU play Battleships at Blunt pencils gripped 8 in grubby fingers Hands BATTLE cupped around the graph paper to BER gt prev
11. 6 000 words of winemaking hints as We operating instructions programs recorded twice Protemonal ape 0 including Cheques and PO s COMPUTAWINE Dept 5 9 Laburnum Way Etwal Derby DES 6JU GOLD DIAMONDS Let your ZXB1 help you win money from the bookies The first time this programme was ever tried 20 3 82 It picked 8 winners from 8 races Send a Cheque or PO 8 for and 12 for 16K to the Butronics Co 44 Earls Court Rd London WS mail order only please ZUCKMAN Tok Bo Penn n ZX81 16K GAMES Missile mand ZX version of the arcade game Safe Breaker crack the Combination Both games recorded cassette ZX 80 OLD ROM NEW ROM 2X 81 plus 16K RAM complete with 2 80 and 2 81 training manuals software chess games business and house holdings extra manuals and books for sale all together stg 50 Perfect working order Contact Andrea daytime Monday to Friday 01 600 8651 251 SPECTRUM amp ZX81 16K SOFTWARE COSMOS patrol the galactic con Voyroutes new arcade game TABLE TUTOR QUARTET crosswords puzzles nd memory game multiplayer 3 99 TRIAD 3 new puzzles to perplex Sndtrustateeven 1346 Supledon SAE for catalogue VORTEX SOFTWARE 2 R sinclair supermart SPECTRUM SPEAKER to boost yo
12. 60 82 aT account number CENTRONCS IF 34 70 65 20 WT A complete range of ZX81 plug in penpherals Tope Packaging amp Postage 200 unit Digitising Tablet RS232 Intertace TOTAL AG AC Boya 1982 We regret we are as yet un We want to be sure you are satisfied with your Memopak so we offer a 14 day money back Guarantee on all our products Memotech Limited 3 Collins Street Oxford OX4 1XL England Tel Oxford 0865 722102 Telex 837220 Orchid G SINCLAIRUSER October 1982 9 BUFFER OPEN TUES TO SAT MICRO SHOP 10 30am to 5 30pm NEXT TO STREATHAM STATION OLDEST SOFTWARE SHOP EXCLUSIVELY FOR ZX81 PROGRAMS GAMES ADD ONS MOST OF THE MAIL ORDER ITEMS ADVERTISED IN THIS MAGAZINE AVAILABLE OVER THE COUNTER LOADING PROBLEMS TRY OUR INTERFACE BUSINESS amp TECHNICAL DATA HANDLING PROGS PROPER KEYBOARDS CONSOLES VDUS 374A STREATHAM HIGH ROAD LONDON SW16 Tel 01 769 2887 5 APPRECIATED FOR CATALOGUE New for 2 81 users 1 Emmanuel Street Cambridge 1NE Telephone 0223 358264 65334 closed 12 30 1 15 except Saturday EVEN MORE MEMORY WITH OUR BYGER BYTE 32K RAM PACK Why put aside your 16K RAM Pack when you can use it together with the new Byger Byte 32K Ram Pack to give you 48K of memory No trailing leads or wires all you need do 6 plug the existing
13. a teaching aid and was adapted for micros when home computing began to take off It is based on a West African game in volving distributing beans between seven cups Entry forms are avail able when buying the cassette Nigel Boyle Prices are set to tumble PRICES of ZX 81 software and hardware are on the way down Software cas settes for games and business applications which formerly had cost 6 of 7 may now be cheaper by up to 1 or 2 Quicksilva is one of the companies to have started the move Its software cas settes Scramble and Asteroids are down from 5 50 to 4 95 Hardware is also be coming cheaper and not only because of the drop in market demand The Quicksilva high resolution graphics board is down from 85 to 60 Quick silva says that the drop in price is to keep the ZX 81 hardware moving Data Assette has reduc ed the price of its data retrieval system the ZX 99 to 49 95 The reason said the sales manager Nigel Boyle was because Sinclair brought down prices to around 10 cheaper than the ZX 99 Boyle sees no difficulty in continuing to sell ZX 81 add ons The ZX 99 makes the computer more advanced Even if the machine is black and white it gives it data retrieval for your Spectrum m m the leaders MIN D BE in zx games Masterches forthe real player The makers of the original ZX Chess ha
14. excuse for its poor customer relations That is a reasonable comment for a company which is doing research work for other companies It is not accept able for one wishing to deal so closely with the public It is also inconsistent Clive Sinclair is scarcely an innocent where employing the media to publicise his successes is concerned The shortcomings appear once the machine has been developed and the market has been created None of that should detract from the achieve ments of the company In a very short time it has developed a dominant position in the home computer market Such success however brings its own pressures Others see the profits which can be made and in a short time methods which worked less than a year ago are no longer sufficient to ensure that the leading position is maintained Clive Sinclair is worried and probably rightly so about the threat from the Japanese It has not appeared yet The only competition has been from other British companies which seem to suffer from the same delivery problems as Sinclair Research It will not last for ever The best way to meet the threat is to have the proper product at the proper place at the proper time and the ability to meet the demand satisfactorily Sinclair scores on the product side Once it can organise its production effectively it should have no difficulty in justifying the image it has built for itself Oy ODO TER PROGRA
15. it is still mostly a one man operation Sinclair is the man who defines what he wants and lays out the time table for its development That style of operation has so far proved successful first with the ZX 80 and ZX 81 and now with the Spectrum The hundreds of firms SINCLAIRUSER October 1962 which icrocomputers would also seem to give support to Sinclair ve his point to be correct Sinclair sees the new Golden Ag me of the mind with stress put on the body and builc culture rather than labouring He at another Age nt is an abundant supply people s well as c feels t require of patrons appreciate We have a populatior Golden who car reate art well educated a society which reveres and have become a world centre for music and for the written word The reason for the swing towards ultural pursuits is marked with the stigma of a current curse on society We have potential the arts Sinclair said artists partly for the sad reason that we have three million unemployed a passing phase of but a trend which will last until the end of the century during which I expect the manufacturing industry to shed a further seven million jobs and for the proportion employed in manu facturing to decline from some 42 percent of the population to less than 10 percent This will occur as recessic INCLAIRUSER October1982 automate cally ck systems are now ra
16. lan Logan is the acknowledged leading authority on Sinclair computers In this book he gives complete overview of the way the Spectrum operates both for BASIC and machine language programming A special section on the ROM operating system will give you insight into this computer well as provide you with information how to use many of the routines present in the ROM This book is a must if you are serious about programming the Spectrum Only 7 95 After leading the way in Sinclair ZX81 software we ve produced the highest quality most exciting Spectrum software available From the three excellent books depicted above to fast action games on cassette we re providing the best choice in Sinclair Spectrum software today Whether it s for your new Spectrum or 2 81 Melbourne House has books and programs perfectly suited to your needs Send for your Spectrum or 2 81 catalogue today The BES Over the Spectrum is the book where your dreams really do come true With the full listing of over 30 programs for your Spectrum this book will show you how to use the computer s comple facilities Exciting games such Meteor Storm Eliminator and Spectrum Invaders together with utilities educational programs programming tips and hints make this the definitive book for every Spectrum user Only 6 95 Books This title speaks for itself it s everything you need to understand about Spect
17. priate keyboard letter has to be pressed The response of the children is timed At 5 75p each or 42 the set these may seem a little expensive That is not so Solent Software states in its literature that where the original pur chaser is a school or college additional copies of the programs may be made for use on other computers only within the said school college Considering that they worked well and taught specific things the set of programs would be a good addition to the softwa library of any school P ticularly as you would have to rely on only the one set of tapes the Mindseye MINDSEYE offers good value with three games on one 16K cassette for 2 95 The title game is Byte Man in which a cheerful looking monster chases you round a maze littered with food pills The aim is to score points by eating the pills before the mon ster and his brothers and sisters eat you You have three lives and the computer will enter your score so several people can play Space Fighter is a fast moving shooting battle against swarms of enemy spacecraft You will need quick wits and fingers to obtain a high score Finally Bomber a simple absorbing game in which you have 30 bombs to destroy a dam Different parts of the dam are worth continued on page 18 17 continued from page 17 Invaders are on the playsadifferenttune part cas
18. Seek the famous Creature inthe most dangerous Wumpus hunt ever the usual features are there SUPERBATS PITS TREMORS xSWAMPS MAGIC ARROWS PLUS Exciting new features EVIL GOBLINS that wal ty to sacrifice you tothe Wumpus GANT SERPENTS WUMPUS MUCK MAGIC SPRINGS tek PROGRAM RANDOM PRESET CAVE PATTERNS e YOU CONTROL THE LEVEL OF DIFFICULTY GREAT FUN FOR YOU AND YOUR FRIENDS a MOVIE MOGUL Guide your im through the often traumas of production Use your budget wasiy and you may make fortune depends on many factors end not ust uc FULL 16x PROGRAM ORDERS Plus Sop PEP or large E for Hst to CARNELLSOFTWARE DIRECTOR ASTAUNTON ROAD SLOUGH BERKS SL2 INT Vol The above are aiso avaiable from BUFFER MICROSHOP STREATHAM LONDON 7 MAESAFALLEN BOW ST DYFED SY24 5BA ZX81 amp Spectrum Games Now NEW LOW prices PROGRAM Chess 14 10 levels Adventure 1000 895 140 locations based on the originai At 10 00 well worth the money Sinclair User Issue 2 review Invaders 500 445 Fast mc arcade action Mazeman 500 445 All the features of the original arcade version 10 00 NEW 81 8 95 SPECTRUM 9 95 requires 48k Spectrum All prices are inclusive Return of post service SINCLAIRUSER October 1982 Andr wson ow ZX81 sorts out different variables HA
19. amp p The Keyboard has 42 keys with all the spectrum functions printed onto them the full travel key switches have gold plated contacts and a guaranteed life of 10 operations INSTALLATION Simply unscrew the ZX printed circuit board from its case and screw it into the FD case plug in the keyboard and that s it No technical know how or soldering required the built unit is tested and comes with a money back guarantee Spectrum Keyboard and Case Kit 33 95 Our Mother Board for the spectrum has 2 slots at 15 95 or 3 slots at 19 95 this unit also fixes inside the case p amp p 80p SPECTRUM SOUND AMPLIFIER 5 95 80 p amp p Complete with leads volume control and loud speaker in tough ABS Plastic case measuring f 5 x 3 x 1 just plugs into your spectrum MIC input First Anniversary Offer The FD System is now one year old and Fuller are celebrating with this amazing offer on the FD42 2 9 95 Professional Keyboard and ase s Makesan ideal Christmas present to expand the new low priced Sinclair ZX81 Or why not buy a new ZX81 280p amp p based system directly from us consisting of ZX81 FD42 keyboard and case with power supply and reset switch leads and manual 69 95 2 50 p amp p FD42 Keyboard and Case Kit 24 95 2 50 p amp p FD42 Keyboard kit 14 95 80p p amp p STAR TREK FOR ZX 16K SPECTRUM Play this popular adventure game on your Spectrum with ship display and sound
20. but is thinking of doing it itself Another possibility is to set up a retail outlet in the centre of London to serve the many overseas visitors At present the offices in Shroton In April 1981 sales were slightly more than 1 200 In April 1982 they were 16 000 in Britain with 3 000 in exports Although the company would like the market to grow it has to be sure thatit has sufficient capital to cover the increase in the payment period We sent 30 99s to France in April and the payment has only just been cleared We had to have sufficient to pay the bills while that money was tied up Street near Marylebone Station serve as showroom the company would like premises where it could sell a full range of hardware and software Other schemes included are an adaptation of the ZX 99 to fit the Spectrum and the development of software for the business market 51 company profile What is the best way to guarantee that you never become bored with your Sinclair computer The answer is to subscribe to Sinclair User written specifically for owners of ZX 80s ZX 81s and Spectrums Sinclair User is the Make sure you get it each month Can you continue to obtain the most from your Sinclair without reading Sinclair User every month So why not fill the subscription order form today Send it to Sinclair User ECC Publications 30 31 Islington Green London 1 8
21. even complete the sequence as an in termediate result is out side the permitted range of the argument for the next function When that test is ap plied to the ZX 81 your cor respondent states You will be amazed and aghast alternately at the results You may be amazed because the ZX 81 has a much better calculating ability than most desk calculators but you should not be aghast unless you overlook the argument and result ranges for which the func tions are valid For example sin pi 4 sin 3pi 4 and sin 9pi 4 all give the value 0 70710678 SQR 2 2 but arcsin SINCLAIRUSER October 1982 0 70710678 gives pi 4 0 78539816 because the result of arcsin must be one value and is therefore limited to the range pi 2 to pi 2 If the sin cos sequence is started with 3pi 4 it will finish with C Cuthbert Penwortha Preston Lancs Rooting for family trees I SHOULD be grateful if you would let me know if there is any software suit able for recording family trees designed for ZX 81 plus 16K RAM I may be wrong but I think there may be more to such a pro gram than a simple re corded list LGross London N12 eWe have not seen any programs for family trees but perhaps readers might be able to help Program points cleared IREADyourmagazine with interest and always try the programs in it Only about four out of every five work for instance Tim Cross ley s program for Snap contained s
22. game Weagree It s a maze game with great graphics You ll really feel you re running through the maze sword in hand 3 different variations on this one tape Great value 2 ZUCKMAN D JL 5 95 Very user friendly fast and inte ing game Sinclair User A very good version of the famous game If you re skillful your name and score are displayed in the Zuckman Hall of Fame for your friends to admire 3 30 MONSTER Greye 4 95 The graphics are incredible and the game is very good indeed ZX Computing Until you ve seen the full screen tyrannosaurus rex chase you through his 3 D maze you won t believe it either 4 30 DEFENDER K Greye 4 95 Amazing 3 D graphics effects are created as the enemy draws closer another winner Sinclair User Watch through your spacecraft windows as the alien craft attack in astonishing 3 0 detail S TRADER Pixel 10 50 The most astonishing graphics as you travel round 6 planets This is a 48K game but only needs 16k The print out alone is 64 metres long Usually starts with a 25 second Test load 6 THE ZX ARCADE PACK Control technology 4 95 A brilliant collection of fastmoving machine code arcade games Two kinds of invaders one traditional the other swooping soaring Galaxians Plus 6 more games including a great graphic Astonishing value 2 VOLCANIC DUNGEON Carnell 4 50 One of the great adventure games Rescue the princess if you can It took us 3 m
23. into the DE register pair Finally the number of bytes to be moved is put into the BC register pair and the LDIR instruc tion is invoked The following routine uses LDIR to save the display file Decimal Op Code 1264 2 40 LDHL D FILE 48117 113075 LD DE 30000 011903 LD BC 793 23 ED BO LDIR 201 Co RET With RAMTOP set at 30000 there is plenty of room to put the routine above RAMTOP at say 32000 by POKEing the decimal codes into pach location in turn as follows POKE 32000 42 POKE 32001 12 POKE 32002 64 POKE 32003 17 etc To execute the routine enter RAND USR 32000 To recover the display use this routine ex previous display routine can be used P 5 aint et RE astern vt PRT TOVA 30059 6060 2 essential to clear the screen and Decimal Op Code hence ensure that a full size display secon before recovering the 237 91 1264ED 5B OC 40 LD DE DFILE The following 01190 793 EDBO LDR co RET 9100 CLS 9110 LED D PEEK 16396 continued on page 42 41 continued from page 41 Notice that a call is made to the ROM routine which clears the screen The routine can be loaded immediately after the save routine at 32012 Keith Francis of Stamford raises an interesting question He asks the ZX 81 uses two bytes to store line numbers wh
24. its original value SINCLAIRUSER October 1982 CUT PRICE COMPANIONS Far and away the best Your Computer magazine THE ZX81 COMPANION by Bob Maunder is now available at ONLY 4 95 with a FREE SUPPLEMENT on the ZX Spectrum This offer ends on 30 September so hurry LINSAC is also producing a SPECTRUM COMPANION series and the first title The Spectrum Games companion is available from October at 5 95 The above prices include UK postage Send cheques to LINSAC SU LINSA 68 Barker Road Middlesbrough TS5 5ES ZX81 SPECTRUM A fantastic range of 16K games each complete with fully comprehensive instructions from M C LOTHLORIEN incorporating Associates and Lothlorien Computer Group 1 TYRANT OF ATHENS Can you survive long enough to turn Athens into the most feared state in the Mediterranean Train troops build airships fight battles by land and sea against hostile Greek States and the vast Persian Empire Many more features in this very addictive game Price ZX81 4 95 SPECTRUM 6 50 2 ROMAN EMPIRE Your aim is to conquer the hostile countries surrounding Rome Build armies appoint Generals and fight campaigns This challenging game takes full account of morale fighting efficiencies leadership ability etc 3 levels of play Price ZX81 5 95 Spectrum available November 3 PELOPONNESIAN WAR Set in Ancient Greece from 431 404 BC covering the Great War between Athens and Sparta
25. mands in Basic to those in machine code special concern to mem Britain Aylesbury ZX Club Ken Knight 22 Mount Street Aylesbury 5181 or 630867 Meetings first Wednesday and third Thursday of the month Doncaster and District Micro Club John Woods 60 Dundas Road Wheatley Doncaster DN2 408 0302 29357 Edinburgh ZX Users Club J Palmer 031 661 3183 or K Mitchell 031 334 8483 Meetings second Wednesday of the month at Claremont Hotel EZUG Educational ZX 80 81 Users Group Doeson Highgate School Birmingham B12 905 Glasgow ZX 80 81 Users Club lan Watt 107 Greenwood Road Clarkston Glasgow G76 7LW 041 638 1241 Meetings second and fourth monday of each month Hassocks ZX Micro User Club Sussex Paul King Hassocks 4530 Inverclyde ZX 81 Users Club Robert Watt 9 St John s Road Gourock Renfrewshire PA19 Gourock 39967 Meetings Every other week on Monday at Greenock Society of the Deaf Kelly Stroot Greenock Keighley Computer Club Colin Price Redholt Ingrow Keighley 603133 Merseyside Coop ZX Users Group Keith Driscoll 53 Melville Road Bootle Merseyside 1 20 ONE 051 922 3163 National ZX 80 and ZX81 Users Club 44 46 Earls Court Road London W8 North Hertfordshire Home Computer Club R Crutchfield 2 Durham Road Stevenage Meetings first Friday of the month at the Settlement Nevells Road Letchworth North London Hobby Computer Club ZX users
26. more Where the moves are the same in 1 2 and 3 the time taken for a move For the player to win itis a short game if the computer wins it is much longer was nine 12 and 80 seconds This might show that the game uses a different method to work out the moves on those levels He adds that to look five moves ahead at the start of the game may show many thousands of possibilities but in the end game five moves ahead might not be possible as checkmate is in two I think the computer should look ahead as much as possible until its memory can hold no more The levels should decide how long it spends doing this If you have done similar work on the version of chess you have send the results I shall leave you with a problem sent by Gross which you to can try on your version of chess for ZX 81 If your version lets the computer play itself do that otherwise let the computer play black It is black s move andit has to avoid being mated in three The position in standard chess notation is White king on hl queen el rooks e2 and 3 pawns h2 g2 f2 and a5 Black king h8 queen rooks b8 and a8 pawns c4 7 g7 and h7 ZXchessll was mated in three moves at levels 0 to 5 It escaped in level 6 but took 7 200 seconds Send your results and make them as detailed as possible One good first move for black is a6 c6 The winner of the competition in which 1 asked for the address to which a program sh
27. neat tidy and ready for use at any time by plugging in the TV leads and the power supply The cost of the case is 36 95 including VAT and postage from Custom Cases Custom House Britannia Road Waltham Cross Herts Cobra brings out interface AN RS232 interface for a printer is available from a new company specialising in ZX equipment Cobra Computer Services at a cost of 30 It works from the ZX power pack and can be used with most RS232 printers to produce graphics and text Cobra is also offering a business consultancy service for those who want to use a ZX machine on the basis of a computer system The company will be able to put together packages for users involv ing disc systems hi res graphics and printers at low cost Contact Cobra at 378 Caledonian Road London 1 1DY mail order only for a brochure enclosing a SAE Expansion for the Spectrum EAST LONDON Robotics has produced a 64K add on RAM board for a 16K Spectrum costing 50 It fits inside the Spectrum in the sockets provided for the Sinclair 32K board The RAMisin two banks of 32K and is switched over by an OUT instruction LEDs indicate which block is in use Contact East London Robotics Finlandia House 14 Darwell Close East Ham London for your 80K Spectrum Tel 01 471 3308 ESCAPE Can you find the axe to break down the exit door of the maze and ESCAPE The maze is inhabite
28. next vil rd ere san inte number ol alent pare which wil hosp you amused COMPUTER VIDEO GAMES MONSTER MAZE The Graphis Can you find yout way tough the Mate The there somewhere but then so V REX Mti cher YOU in 3O the T REX wi actly run et bator SO MONSTER MAZE i the game have for the COMPUTER b VIDEO GAMES t had choose just one programme to impress th the capbditie of 20 MONSTER MAZE wound be the one doubt x COMPUTING rant POPULAR COMPUTING WEEKLY GAMESTAPE Stor 10K SO DEFENDER The Damat Machine Code vernon of the Arcade favourite You have Mage vour home planet om the Alen your shows you the ve Out Tour lighters ctp window The backatop moves when Sl tum or fy up or down fight dvectonal just you Were rey agit But en YOU ARE The Enemy WW actualy room towards you in 30 and shoot you 4 you let them Your Prony Forward Radar and you BAKAKOUT Super Fast Ful Screen Game Your PPS estre mith tt See how much Monay fou can win and the pounds convert 1 Dolan struts Cae tor Fant Acton with 3 Soesan 2 Bat Sizes three angles Of rebound The best BREAKOUT wound d at ths pice you ca tgo wrong
29. of ZX 81 users when it intro duced the ZX 99 tape control system in April Itentered an add on market which was depressed in Britain because of the launch of the Spec trum The market for exports how ever was just beginning to expand We launched the ZX 99 when the market was reasonably mature in Britain but it was only just start ing in the rest of the world and I order with us they were also asking for other items from other com panies We are finding that people from overseas prefer to go to a single supplier in the centre of London rather than having to visit all the add on suppliers throughout the country The result is that the company now acts as an export agent in most of Western Europe and the English speaking world for a number of com panies including Kayde and Phoenix Marketing for hardware and software houses such as JRS Artic and Carnell Data Assette is the latest venture by an American Pete Wills who bought a small British mail order company which was in difficulties two and a half years ago He man aged to turn round the company initially by selling clock radio recorders aimed at Open University students who could use them to record their lectures broadcast usually at awkward hours The company then expanded into The ZX 99 entered add on market but the market for exports a depressed British was just beginning to expand think that helped us a great de says sales mana
30. one of good make which you have used successfully once or twice Keep tapes away from mag netic fields motors transfor mers magnets That holds in par ticular when travelling by train Problems rarely seem to happen in the post Airport X rays are probably not a serious problem we do not know for sure elf you cannot save and load tapes with the certain knowledge that you can load them next time you are not getting as much from your equipment as you should How to choose a tape recorder First the tape recorder must be suit able for computer use This feature can only be tested never predicted from a specification If the machine is suitable some useful features are mains operation a tape counter cue and review facility machine plays squeakily in fast for ward and re wind modes useful for locating programs analysing drop outs it should not have a tone control most better quality machines have a tone control keep it set to its maximum position Some frills found on a few fairly expensive machines are manual level control instead of or in addition to ALC a limiter circuit in addition to manual and automatic level control a recording level meter very useful mainly as a sure indicator that the signal is getting through leads and connec tors to the tape recorder variable speed playback SINCLAIRUSER October 1982 MAKE AMAZING SOUND EFFECTS WITH YOUR ZX 81 especialy desi No po
31. right direction The new age would need to be triggered by an event which will startle society The trigger Sinclair explained would be something similar to the invention of writing or moving type He said of those developments reduced the cost of data transmission by a factor of 100 He saw leisure or periods of time not occupied by formal work as an opportunity to broaden the mind If the trigger occurs at the proper time individual a type of philosopher prince e g Pericles Augustus Lorenzo de Medici Elizabeth I and Louis XIV In business operations Sinclair seems to regard the personal approach best One man at the head of a company He has stressed that approach many times through Sinclair Research so that now he is as famous as his machines whereas other manufacturers remain masked by their company exteriors During his speech Sinclair referred his ideas to the present day He saw the Golden Age as being very close Some of the features which marked the Golden Ages of the past could be identified within our time That could place us on the threshold of a new Golden Age To demonstrate it Sinclair returned to the idea of a trigger Is there a trigger It so happens that another hundred fold reduc tion in the cost of data publication and transmission is about to occur A single 12in diameter optical disc being developed for use with TV I believe that our move away from t
32. seen in the listing some of the software is also available for the Spectrum The rest of this month s Star Offer is made up by the Micro Gen chess pro gram for the Spectrum known as Master Chess Again this is being offered at a discount to members of 10 percent That reduces the normal price of 9 90 to 8 90 for club 574 members As usual to permit new members to take advantage of these offers you can include an order with your application form Members can take ad vantage of the discounts until the end of October Telephone Service answers problems A NEW service is avail able for members of our popular Sinclair User Club A telephone problem answering service is now available exclusive to members The number has been announced on the cassette sent to members midway through August Members will be able to telephone the number with any problems they may have in using the Sinclair machines We started the service because we thought it important that members should have somewhere they could obtain expert advice im mediately The August cassette was the first to be sent continued on page 8 user club Usual Club Sate Tape Recorder DI 01980 MEMBERSHIP Hilderbay loading aid 5 95 5 35 FORM 1 Software for the 2 81 Du 25 22 50 Lwish to join the Sinclair User Club and enclose Payroll 25 22 50 my subs
33. step through the addresses in the EPROM and change them The device covers the whole of the 8K 16K memory space The LMK system as a kit costs 17 50 including post and VAT from Lander Micro Systems 32 Clockhouse Lane Collier Row Romford Essex RM5 30 Tel Romford 26325 Toolkit from Orme ORME ELECTRONICS has a 2K EPROM which contains a Toolkit for a ZX 81 The EPROM card which takes the EPROM can be bought separately from the EPROM at 9 25 The card contains one socket for the EPROM and an extension board to plug in other equipment like the on page d 21 continued from page 21 16K RAM pack at the back The Toolkit contains routines such as re number block delete hex to decimal conversion and vice versa READ DATA and load machine code from tape The EPROM also contains a fast version of the games of Life and Breakout All this costs 9 25 Contact Orme Electronics at 2 Barripper Road Camborne Cornwall Cornwall Custom Cases packaging CUSTOM CASES packs all your ZX 81 or Spectrum equipment into one port able briefcase 19in x 14in x 4 4in The case is filled with polyurethane foam and has cut outs for the computer printer and RAM pack and when it arrives the ZX Microdrive The foam is covered with a red nylon finish and looks very attractive as well as useful in the aluminium framed plastic covered briefcase The case is lockable and keeps the ZX system
34. the amplifier and loud speaker can make that small sound deafening All sounds produced by the loudspeaker can be re produced from the command to the click sound emitted from every key There are only two connections to make inside the Spectrum one to each of the two wires going into the video modulator and that is achieved by crocodile clips The jack plug provided is then plugged into the EAR or MIC socket and the unit is in use You can obtain the Telesound 82 from Compusound 32 Langley Close Redditch Worcs price 9 95 Haven has 16 colours HAVEN HARDWARE has produced a colour board for the ZX 81 which can provide up to 16 colours for each of the character squares The colours are POKEd into the top part of the 16K memory into 1K of on board memory which retains the colour The position in memory SINCLAIRUSER October 1982 varies with the movement display file and so must be calculated every time it is POKEd Only one internal con nection has to be made as ULA and it requires only four connections to the ZX 81 Two of those connections are made to the power supply and the other two are obtained by soldering a wire to each side of a break which is made in the video lead going into the video modulator The video signal is also made sharper on the TV Lander Micro Systems LMX EPROM programmer all the other signals are obtained from the expan sion connector More de t
35. your ZX adaptor into the socket on the Battery Pack male female are provided Then using the lead supplied connect the battery pack to your ZX Computer or Spectrum sacle Ns es p 2x80 rower 1 _ c supply PACK SPECTRUM IR e The Battery Pack then provides instant back up to the adaptor leaving you to programme without fear of crashes due to the mains Poor mains Supplies are responsible for about 90 of all programming faults The pack is housed in a smart ABS case and comes complete with full instructions No wiring required just plug it inl We urge you to protect your programmes ORDER NOW ONLY 13 95 P P PLEASE NOTE this pack is suitable for all computers using a 9v supply but you may need to change the plugs FOR TROUBLE FREE COMPUTING ORDER NOW MAIL ORDER ONLY SEND TO ADAPTORS AND ELIMINATORS LTD 14 THAMES ST LOUTH LINCOLNSHIRE PLEASE SUPPLY Qty Rechargeable Battery Packs at 13 95 1 40p p TOTAL ADDRESS _ _ ALLOW 28 DAYS FOR DELIVERY MONEY BACK GUARANTEE IF NOT ENTIRELY SATISFIED 2 SINCLAIRUSER October 1982 AROGRA 9 t mmom iinmEY Turozz r 24 vou 141 PRIN SURUIUED 142 PRINT AT 11 OM MINE FIEL 27 that we cannot tear ourselves away to write the review Ferry passes It is not a complicated routine b
36. 00K bytes using a single inter changeable microfloppy The transfer rate is 16K bytes per second with average access time of 3 5 seconds And you ll be able to connect up to BZX Microdrives to your ZX Spectrum All the BASIC commands required the Microdrives are included on the Spectrum A remarkable breakthrough at a markable price The Microdrives are available later this year for around 50 BY Barclaycard or Trustcard holders can call 01 200 0200 for personal attention 24 hours a day every day BY FREEPOST use the no stamp needed coupon below You can pay by cheque postal order Barclaycard 25232 network interface board This interface available later this will enable you to connect your Spectrum to a whole host of printers terminals and other computers The potential is enormous And the onishingly low price of only 20is possible only because the operating stems are already designed into the M Qty 16K RAM ve 48K RAM v Sinclair ZX Spectrum Sinclair ZX Spectrum Sinclair ZX Printer Printer paper pack of 5 rolls Postage and packing orders unde orders over ZX Spectrum Available only by mail order and only from Sinclair Please tickif you require a VAT receipt cheque postal order payable tc charge to my Access Bar Please delete compi as applicable aycard Signature PLEASE
37. 16K Ram Pack into the back of the new Byger Byte 32K Ram Pack and Bingo 48K of memory Uses existing power supply New 32K Ram Pack tested and guaranteed with the folowing 16K Ram Packs Byg Byte Sinclair Downswoy Also available 16K Ram Packs 22 new 32K Ram Pack 39 50 Standard 32K Ram Pack 35 64K Ram Pack 53 95 Tape loading interface for trouble free loading of program 9 50 New high quality keyboard with bleep and reset 49 96 Al prices are inclusive of VAT and free postage and packing Name Address Make cheques payable to Pheonix Marketing and enclose my cheque PO for _ Please debit Barclay Card Date Signature E E 16K Ram Pack 20 New 32K Ram Pack 3950 ttandard 32K Ram Pack 3 00 64K Ram Pack 53 95 Tape boarding interface 9 50 New high quality fully cased keyboard 49 95 Please indicate order by ticking boxes PHOENIX MARKETING OAKLANDS HOUSE SOLARTRON ROAD FARNBOROUGH HANTS TEL 09652 514990 SINCLAIRUSER October 1982 Spectrum designers use Forth in new home micro ANOTHER cheap micro has been produced for the home market The Jupiter Ace is the first computer to be designed by Richard Altwasser and Steven Vickers since they finished design work on the Spec trum The new machine which will be sold by mail order for 89 95 uses the language Forth instead of the more usual Basic used on other microcomputers Fort
38. 55 00 50p p amp p iei GUARANTEED 14 DAYS DELIVERY FROM RECEIPT OF ORDER OR CALL TO THE ZX CENTRE Mail to FULLER MICRO SYSTEMS The ZX Centre Sweeting Street Liverpool 2 England U K Please Supply Name Address FULLER FD SYSTEM SAE for more detalis Enquiries Tel 051 236 6109
39. DRESSES ONLY FOREIC PROGRAM MONSTER MAZE 5 TRADER 5 THE ZX ARCADE 7 VOLCANIC DUNGEON HANGMAN 8 THE DAMSEL AND THE BEAST ZXOTHELLO O ZX CHESS THE BOOK YOU VE BEEN WAITING FOR Programming your ZX SPECTRUM BY TIM HARTNELL AND DILWYN JONES Examines and explains every function on the ZX Spectrum Just 6 95 gt lt Interface Dept SC 44 46 Earls Court Road London WB Please send me the following Programming Your ZX Spectrum 6 95 sample issue of INTERFACE the monthly ZX magazine published by the National ZX Users Club 1 00 Getting Acquainted with your 2 81 5 95 120 Simple Electronic Projects for the 2X81 6 45 Mastering Machine Code on your 2 81 7 50 34 Amazing Games for the 1K 2 81 4 95 149 Explosive Games forthe 2X81 5 95 1 The Gateway Guide to the ZXB1 and 2 80 6 45 1 enclose total of 20 SINCLAIRUSER October 1982 Sound booster for Spectrum THE TELESOUND 82 audio modulator by Compusound can make a great dif ference to the Spectrum The Spectrum has a built in loudspeaker but the reproduction can be so faint that it cannot be heard except in a very quiet room The Telesound 82 amplifies the sound by sending it with the video signal to the TV set where
40. HARRIS amp LOCKYER ASSOCIATES Phone DEPT SU Redditch 0527 33 PEDMORE CLOSE 24452 WOODROW SOUTH REDDITCH WORCS 897 7 ENGLAND KEMPSTON Micro ELECTRONICS ZX81 Klik Keyboard This ful forty key moving keyboard which fits into the recess left peeling off the existing touc sensitive keypad Cor the following advantages Positive feedback from keys Fits onto the 2XB1 No traling wires No special case needed Elegant design with two colour legends T The fully buit keyboard requites absolutely no soldering since two flexible connectors plug ito the ZXBI sockets Alternatively the keyboard s availabe as easy buid kit at a considerable saving Now available with 41 keys the extra key can be used to give a repeat facility 222 50 kit 28 00 duit 41 key version 26 50 built 28 00 kit All prices inclusive VAT but postage must be added at 70 pence for a single item 100 ponce for 2 or more items Payment by cheque or P O KEMPSTON Micro ELECTRONICS 60 Adamson Court Hillgrounds Road Kempston Bedford MK42 802 Please allow 21 days for delivery S A E in correspondence See us at the PCW Show also ZX Microtair Your Name and Address sus Quantity Description Unit Price Amount 2 81 Klik Keyboard built 40 keys ik Keyboard kit 40 keys Postage __ 56 MAIL ORDER ADVERTISING British Code of Advertising Practice Adv
41. IK and 16K machines an introduction to Machine Language with a list of useful ROM routines hints amp tips and hardware notes including RAM and VO circuits of the greatest value ZX Computing review 4 95 MASTERING MACHINE CODE ON YOUR ZX81 By Toni Baker 180 pages of immense value to beginner and expert 6750 Ali prices include U K P amp no VAT on books Overseas customers add 1 50 carriage per order TIMEDATA Ltd Dept H 57 Swallowdale Basildon Essex 5516 5G Tol 0268 411125 Mon Fri Great games packs for 16K ZX81 PACK 1 ASTRO INVADERS Just look at these features then look at the price Superior machine code programming rli fring with explosive on screen kil effect sconng saucers 864 aliens Waccelorating attack detence shields screen count update a new dimension in ZXB1 value Astro Invaders is yours on cassette for ONLY 3 65 with FOUR BONUS GAMES ARCADE GRAND PRIX drive four levels of machine code skill PENALTY defend your goal against the sharp shooting 2 81 GOLF judge your shot strength angles bunkers plus machine code insect fun with SWAT PACK2 PLANET DEFENDER blast aliens in planet orbit uita dynam c machine code action hostile alien waves Most responsive controls ship up down thrust laser bolt and smart bomb lcomprehensive scoring explosive graphics explosive price Planet Defender come
42. Like RAM chips there are various types of EPROM chips available which differ in memory size and power requirements There are two categories of power requirements namely those requiring three vol tage supplies 12V 12V and 5V and those needing only single power supply 5V The most popular type of EPROM used is a 2K x 8 using a single 5V power supply and therefore the TI 2516 is a good choice of chip since 2K of memory is adequate for the use of most experimenters and the power supply which was part of the design specification was kept as simple as possible Also it is possi ble to obtain a 2516 EPROM for about 3 from one of the many mail order companies The heart of the design was an 8255 programmable peripheral interface which has 24 lines of input or output which can be defined by software It was regarded as an excellent choice since it is a MOS chip and places almost no DC load on the data lines and only a slight AC load on the address lines The chip is selected when the following con ditions are met Address AO 2 A3 IOREQ HHHHL L This means that machine code must be used to address the chip but that was not considered to be a dis advantage since the programmer must be familiar with machine code SINCLAIRUSER October 1962 to use the EPROM anyway Apart from that the normal ZX memory map is left free and in fact the area between where the Sinclair ROM fini
43. M SCRATCH Our guide to how to learn to use your ZX 81 Sinclair User is published monthly by ECC Publications Ltd It is not in any way connected with Sinclair Research Ltd Telephone All departments 01 359 7481 TAPE RECORDERS AND COMPUTERS Mike Salem gives hints on tape storage aswers readers questions to contribute to COMPETITION WINNER The winner of our EPROM blower competition ase send typed or d written articles or If you would like Sinclair User pl beautifully programs to Sinclair User ECC Publications 30 31 Islington Green London N1 We will pay 10 for each program printed and 50 for each article which should be approximately 1 000 words long Copyright 1982 Sinclair ser ISSN No 0262 5458 Origination by Outline Graphics Printed by Eden Fisher Southend Ltd Distributed by Spotlight Magazine Distribution Ltd 1 Benwell Road Holloway London N7 01 607 6411 53 MIND GAMES Philip Joy explores chess ono of the oldest mind games FREEINSIDE Spectrum User devoted to news about the Spectrum its uses and its problems r NEXT MONTH We assess the growing amount of software available for the business user Another look behind the scenes in Sinclair Research software for the Spectrum SINCLAIRUSER October 1982 3 ANNOUNCING Dr
44. M TAPE F Sinclair BH 8i 66 PERSONAL BUSINESS AND FINANCIAL PLANNING CALCULATIONS THREE DIMENSIONAL MAZE GAME Andegplore Orbe satiare Please send me the following programs cos of tape lus 250 postage per Tape wt n 1 Tile Constellation Football Manager Magn Mugsy 3555853555355 Postage Nightmare Par Cheque for Total Personal Banking System 1 enclose Postal Orde 88 Space intruders Space Invaders Space Rescue Star Trek S0 Os amp Xs 2X61 Chess Bumper 30 Lincoln Road Olton Birmingham B27 6PA ij England Telephone 021 707 7544 SINCLAIRUSER October 1982 sinclair business Major Savings on software for Prices of Hilderbay range are cut by 10pc OUR OFFER to club members this month has a strong bias towards people who prefer to use their Sinclair machines for serious applications The major part of the offer which as usual is exclusive to members of the Sinclair User Club is a 10 percent reduction in the price of the products of Hilderbay The company range includes a tested lape recorder and a loading aid as well as a large range of business software The price reductions listed below are a major saving and will go a long way to off setting the cost of membership All the prices quoted include VAT and postage and packing except for the tape recorder for which an extra 2 is charged As
45. MACHINE CODE DEBUG DISASSEMBLER SCREEN 1 5 70 MORE POWER TO YOUR SCREEN inall your BASIC Program P niv soo Peres A 2 ZMC GAMES MARKED INCL MACHINE CODE Prices include VAT and U K P amp P Add appropriate Postage on Foreign Orders Cheques P O s to J K GREYE SOFTWARE LTD 16 Brendon Close Oldland Common Bristol 8515 60E CREDIT CARD SALES Phone 01 930 9232 9 a m 7 FOR INSTANT DESPATCH Tr you to sea Dafora buying our range of GAMESTAPES we stocked by a folowing tores BUFFER MICROSHOP 374A Streatham High London SWE E 431 Menon Ra SCREEN SCENE Ta St Georges Cheltenham Gos Won SMITH 200 Computer Branches ZEDXTRA Lane Kraon Bournemouth Dorset TRADE EXPORT ENQUIRIES WELCOME SINCLAIRUSER October 1962 7 50 MACHINE CODE DEBUGIMONITOR COMPLETE FREEDOM FROM BASIC REMLOAD 6 95 MACHINE CODE ENTRYIDEBUG 5 CORKSCREW HILL WEST WICKHAM KENT ony der dy SAE tor more detis Cheques to PICTURESQUE 35 BEAT THIS ZX81 16K 100 PRIZE enclose cheque P O gt E to the first for 6 95 including VAT p amp p person to payable to Understanding Limited win two Name games against Address highest level of play Full details with game
46. MICHAEL ORWIN S ZX81 CASSETTES THE BEST SOFTWARE BY VARIOUS AUTHORS AT LOW PRICES QUOTES Michael Orwin s 5 Cassette Twois very good value It contains 10 stolid well designed games which work offer plenty of variety and choice and fun From the ZX Software review in Your Computer 82 issue had your Invaders React cassette delighted with this first cassette P Rubython London NW10 I have been intending to write to you for some days to say how much enjoy the games on Cassette One which you supplied me with earlier this month E H London SW4 previously bought your Cassette One and consider it to be good value for money Richard Ross Langley Managing Director of Information Ltd was CASSETTE2 Ten games in Basic for 16k ZX81 Cassette Two contains Reversi Awari Laser Bases Word Mastermind Rectangles Crash Roulette Pontoon Penny Shoot and Gun Command Cassette Two costs 5 CASSETTE 1 eleven 1k programs machine code React Invaders Phantom aliens Maze of death Planet lander Bouncing letters Bug splat Basic 1 Ching Mastermind Robots Basic Hangman PLUS Large screen versions of Invaders and Maze of Death Ready for when you get 16k Cassette One costs 3 80 CASSETTE 3 8 programs for 16k ZX81 STARSHIP TROJAN Repair your Starship before disaster strikes Hazards include asphyxiation radiation escaped biological specimens a
47. OUSE MEMOTECH ORWIN MICRO GEN MOVIEDROME ASSOCIATES MICROWARE NEWGENERATION PICTURESQUE PSS PHOENIX MARKETING READ OUT SINCLAIR SILVERSOFT SUPERMART SOLENT SOFTWARE SUPERMARKET SOFTWARE MASTERS S WFARM TIMEDATA UNDERSTANDING VENTAMATIC W STUARTSYSTEMS WATSONS W ZXSAS SINCLAIRUSER October 1982 READ OUT FOR SOFTWARE BOOKS THE FIRST IN lt lt NEW SERIES FIRST TIME USERS Learning to Use the PET Computer by user friendly approach is consistent Other titles in the series due Garry Marshall is the first title in a new throughout the text not only August September 1982 series of books which introduces program listings clearly shown but in newcomers to the most widely used cases a photograph is included micros in the marketplace to show what the program looks ikp Leerming to Use the ZX Spectrum when actually loaded and run 5 95 by Robin Brad The book assumes absolutely no incl postage Gower A Read Out LearningtoUsetheBBCMicrocomputer knowledge about computers andthe Publication byP M Dane 5 95 incl postage jenar m ee mont te VC switching on and loading ZA iy Ron Create program The book leads the reader i tral Learning to Use the ZX81 through simple programming and then EAIRIN byRobin Bradbeer 5 95 incl postage wih encase programs
48. PRINT Name Mr Mrs Miss Address Sinclair Research Ltd Stanhope Road Camberley Surrey 6015325 Camberley 0276 685311 FREEPOST nostampneeded Prices apply How to order your ZX Spectrum To Sinclair Research FREEPOST Camberley Surrey GUI5 3BR Access or Trustcard EITHER WAY please allow up to 28 days for delivery And there s a 14 day money back option of course We want you to be satisfied beyond doubt and we have no doubt that you will be Order Code MemPrice Total ersion 10 50 16 1195 100 _ 28 295 100 29 4 95 Total Sinclair Research Ltd for Trustcard account no suse toUKonly Export prices application SINCLAIRUSER October 1982 Now for the SPECTRUM 48K POOTBALL MANAGER EDUCATIONAL COMPUTING x AS MANY SEASONS AS YOL 5 PROMOTIC 4 UL 7 M IK PROGRAMMES PRIMARY Many innovative ideas Fully documented 4 95 only p amp p 2x81 gt ARCADEGAMES 7 POTENT AE CHESS E GAME FOR YOUR ZX81 OR SPECTRUM 2X CHESS LL 9 95 ZX CHESS zx BU s SH OF DOOM S ADDITIONAL us ZX 1K CHESS RAM PACKS ZXFORTH pius lire fell SPECTRUM CHESS 48K RTIC computine 396 JAMES RECKITT AVENUE HULL HUMBERSIDE
49. S Gross of Ipswich has D ZXchessll 1 3 4 cAxI7 ch 5 f3g5ch 6 7 B dixh5ch 9 157 10 185 11 1745 checkmate Another game is from P Robertson of Birmingham who played the Micro Gen version of chess at level 2 PC Micro gen white black 104 2 6 Boa d5 5 ed 5 6 7 7 98 Nb4 9 Nez 10 Nal Nds 12 d4 13 ef 4 04 15 16 965 17 Qe 18 checkmate Both games were won by the person who sent them Why do you not send a game in which the computer won Both show that you can win in few moves which should prove to people who find ZX 81 program difficult to beat that it can be done From the letters I receive it seems that for the player to win itis a short game if the computer wins or it is a SINCLAIRUSER October 1962 draw it is much longer If you send the games I would prefer you to use the first method of notation it is the more standard one and is easier to read If you have another method which you feel is just as good please send it Gross who has looked closely at Artic ZXchesslI spent many hours playing it and found some very interesting results but they did not prove how the game played He has sent a table showing what he thinks is the number of moves that looks ahead on each level no of moves looked ahead 5 7 or
50. VE selected just two letters month and answered them in detail because I feel they will be of interest to everyone I wish to transfer the whole of what is on the display area to a different area in memory say at 30000 and then recall it How can I do asks Kevin Kwantes of Swansea The first job is to move RAMTOP down from 32768 to 30000 so that the copy of the display will not inter fere with the functioning of the ZX 81 To do this enter POKE 16388 48 POKE 16389 117 CLS A full display normally consists of 33 x 24 x 1 793 characters 33 of which are the Newline character code 118 Hence a Basic routine which transfers 793 bytes from D FILE onwards to 30 000 will save the display For example 9010 LET D PEEK 16396 256 PEEK 16397 9020 FOR I 0 to 792 October 1982 CLAIRUSER 9030 POKE 30000 1 PEEK 0 1 9040 NEXT I When recovering a previous dis play a little more care must be taken because if the screen has been SCROLLed the display file will be less than the full size and so it is 256 PEEK 16397 9120 FOR I 0 to 792 9130 POKE D I PEEK 30000 I 9140 NEXT I Both these routines are slow but there is a machine code instruction called LDIR which is designed for moving blocks of data from one part of RAM to another To use LDIR the address to which the item is to be moved is put in the HL register pair Then the address to which the item is to be moved is put
51. Your goal is a final victory over the Spartans but you will need your skili in a combination of diplomacy and military force before you even stand a chance 3levels of play Price 2X81 only 5 95 4 SAMURAI WARRIOR How could you have fared as Samurai in 13th Century Japan Face challenges and bandits Are you a survivor Or will you be forced to commit ritual suicide 7 levels of play Price ZX81 5 95 Spectrum available November 5 WARLORD A challenging game of analytical skill similar to Tyrant of Athens Set in 13th Century Japan as a companion to Samurai Warrior Price ZX81 only 4 95 SPECIAL OFFER Buy 3 or more games and deduct 2 from your total order Cheques and PO s please made payable to M C LOTHORIEN 4 Granby Road Cheadle Hulme Cheadle Cheshire SK8 6LS SINCLAIRUSER October 1982 The June competition for Spectrum and printer attracted high standard of entries The prize was awarded to a design which strikes good balance between hardware and software MOS chip is used in winning EPROM blower contest T FIRST SIGHT it would seem theme for this com petition was a little out of context for a magazine such as Sinclair User On closer inspection however it becomes clear thatmore and more programmers are introducing machine code into their programs whenever Basic becomes too slow in execution If we look at the next stage a logical extension would be to keep a number routi
52. a certificate with name score and words tested on it Oxox and are simple mathematics based on noughts osses with sums d on the board ildren playing against each other to win the game by solving the problems and thus getting a row of their symbols The only trouble with the game is that you may have diffi culty getting the children using it to let someone else do so Reaction Test is a com puter familiarisation game in which letters are displayed and the Flights of fancy from SINCLAIRUSER October 1982 BUDDING AVIATORS can test their skills with the Hewson Consultants Pilot not a game but a flight simulation program There are seven modes including landing heading towards a beacon taking off and points are awarded for correct exe cution of each manoeuvre Tired pilots can choose the Autolanding mode in which the computer does everything for you Non fliers abstain The same firm also offers an above average Hewson maze game called Puck man You must imagine you are a small humanoid scouring the maze for magic strawberries which keep at bay the monsters trying to devour you There are many monsters tomake it exciting and you can work up a good speed dodging round the corners Both cassettes are on 16K costing 5 95 each and are available from Hewson Consultants 60A St Mary s Street Wallingford Oxon OX10 OEL software scene
53. achines may also produce audible hum Batteries of course gradually drop in voltage with deleterious effect on tape speed and signal level Solutions are to use reasonably fresh batteries only machines which operate reliably from the mains Machines with stereo heads should not in general be used If they must be used use single track rather than two track in parallel mono mode Stereo machines have continued on page 38 37 continued from page 37 two head gaps which should be aligned vertically If the gaps are offset by a few micrometres relative to each other the effect in mono mode is similar to a head with poor azimuth alignment As stereo head gap offset is not a figure which is specified by manu facturers itis irrelevant to stereo operation not even the best recorders be guaranteed free of this problem Head wear can be a significant problem It can even be significant in a machine used heavily for com puting only On machines much used for general purposes head wear should be watched for The symptoms occur gradually and may be missed Performance deteriorates gradually Bad head wear can be seen the working part of the head becomes visibly concave instead of Once you have a suitable tape recorder you should be able to SAVE and LOAD your tapes without trouble If you always use the same brand of tape recorder and com puter you should always be able t
54. ails can be obtained from Haven Hardware 4 Asby Road Asby Workington Cumbria CA14 4RR The cost of the colour board is 39 95 as a kit and 49 95 as a ready built unit All prices include VAT and postage Video inverter rests on VLA D FRITSCH has produced a video inverter kit for the ZX 81 which rests on the screen by the use of an amplifier instead of the usual integrated circuit gates A switch is provided with a template for cutting the hole in the back of the ZX 81 for switching between normal and inverse video as the tape LOADing and SAVEing cannot be seen so clear in inverse video The price in kit form is 4 and for 7 50 the unit will be fitted to your ZX 81 for you including VAT and postage Contact D Fritsch at 6 Stanton Road Thelwall Warrington Cheshire WA4 2HS hardware world Programmer for EPROM LANDER Micro Systems has produced an EPROM programmer for the ZX 81 called the LMX Using a printed circuit board which plugs into the back of the ZX 81 the pro grammer can be used as an EPROM card contain ing 2K of pre programmed memory ROM or to re program a 2716 type EPROM To re program an EPROM it first has to be treated with ultra violet light to clear all the bits to 18 It is then inserted into the board and a 36V supply made up from four PP3 batteries not provided applied A special keyboard overlay and program tape is provided which will allow you to
55. ant Moreno ding and unpleasant faces of f with notes programming SINCLAIRUSER October 1982 Simple English o jumbo in a glossary of te prehensive as you ll find all you ll find thi k does for iter hat Be z did for language Enrol here Please send me of the Good Computing Book for Beginners ot 1 95 each plus 50 for postage and packing D erdosechequefor made payable toECC Publications Nome Please charge my credit card the sum of of credit card Signed Now post please to ECC Publications 30 31 Islington Green London 8BJ Telephone enquiries 01 359 7481 I 1 Data Assette entered the ZX 81 market via its tape business It now sees its future tied closely to the Sinclair machine Leading the way into new export markets SMALL wooden sign on an Ac blue door in a side treet in the centre of London is the only clue that behind it is one of the fast growing companies which is taking advantage of the explosion in demand for the ZX 81 It is a company which is becoming much better known overseas than it is in this country Despite its business in Britain having grown substantially in the last year its export sales have grown even faster It answers queries regularly from and plays host to ZX 81 enthusiasts from all over the world Data Assette attracted the atten tion
56. ch are take advantage of all available to enhance their these benefits complete Sinclair machines the application form Each month we arrange today making sure that special Star Offer which you indicate which is usually available until machine you own so that the end of the month We we can send you the are also considering correct cassette Thames Valley ZX Users Club Richard Shepherd 22 Green Ley Maidenhead Berkshire SL6 7E 0628 21107 evenings and week ends Hopes to start meetings on a regular basis Worle Computer Club 5 W Rabone 18 Castle Road Worle Weston super Mare BS22 9JW Weston super Mare 513068 Meetings Woodsprings Inn Worle on alternate Mondays ZX Guaranteed G A Bobker 29 Chadderton Drive Unsworth Bury Lancashire Exchanges information and programs throughout tho country 7 807 1 Users Club PO Box 159 Kingston on Thames A postal club Overseas Belgium France gt Club Sinclair Raymond Betz 38 Chemin du Moulin 38 B 1328 Ohain Belgium 322 6537468 Belgium Netherlands Microcomputer Vereniging BZW Paul Glenisson Priester de l Ep estraat 14 B 1200 Brussels Belgium 322 7349954 Denmark Danmarks National ZX 80 81 Klub DNZK Jens Larson Skovmosevej 6 4200 Slagelese post giro 1 46 24 66 ZX Brugergruppen i Danmark Boks 44 2650 Hvidovre Gratis medlemskab og gratis blad til enhver interesseret East Netherlands Jonathon Meyer Van Spaen Straat 22 6524 H N Nijmeg
57. character CHANGE BACKGROUND CHANGE FOREGROUND INVERSE VIDEO FLASH SCREEN W CLEAR SCREEN without changing print position Supplied on tape with a 6K DEMO PROGRAM and FULL instruction booklet ONLY 595 Incl p amp p SEND m LR sorrmane EAE GOLF ONLY 375 MINERIELD aGOBBLERS PUCKMAN FOR 16K ZX81 BEAT THAT HIGH SCORE GOBBLE THOSE DOTS BEFORE THOSE MEANIES GOBBLE YOU YOUR ONLY AIDES ARE FOUR POWER PILLS WHICH MAKE THE MEANIES EDIBLE BUT NOT FOR LONG MACHINE CODED FOR FAST ACTION EXTRA GOBBLER FOR 10 000 POINTS SCREEN SCORING HIGH SCORE WITH ENTER NAME FACILITY UP TO 4 PLAYERS AN ANNOYINGLY FRUSTRATING GAME FOR ONLY 5 95 2S TeROIDSz THIS GAME IS JUST AS BAD AND ONLY 5 95 AN OFFER FOR REAL MASOCHISTS BOTH TAPES FOR 9 95 MAIL ORDER ONLY PLEASE MAKE CHEQUE PO PAYABLE 5 THE SOFTWARE FARM Sc ME cRAIGO FARM BOTANY BAY TINTERN GWENT 40 EXPLORING SPECTRUM BASIC Mike Lord s latest book takes the reader beyond the Sinclair Manual it contains a wealth of programs and explanations of Spectrum BASIC programming techniques Topics include writing games programs personal business and engineering applications and utility programs Worth far more than 6495 THE EXPLORERS GUIDE TO THE ZX81 Mike Lords acclaimed book for the 2 81 enthusiast Includes games business engineering and utility programs for both
58. cman game for the 2 81 4 95 ASTEROIDS Just the thi jerold addicts PCW Sept82 84 95 INVADERS Probably the best version of INVADERS you will get for the 2 81 PCW 82 ALIEN DROPOUT Exciting ORIGINAL arcade game ior yourZX81 3 95 STARTREK GROU ND ATTACK Survival YES you can bea starship commander 3 95 GRAPHIC GOLF 18 graphically displayed holes to test even the best 3 95 SUPERWUMPUS enthralling underground adventure ior your 7x81 3 95 GAMES PACK Fantastic value for money nearly 50K of programs on one cassette Only 3 95 zw GROUND ATTACK T ABK Spectra SINCLAIRUSER October 1982 55 SPECTRUM ZX 81 KEYBOARDS ZX80 81 KEYBOARD 24 96 illustrated 2 Shift keys Single keys for EDIT Large space key RUBOUT and FUNCTION Large Newline key Full repeat Also for above 4 single key cursor control keys extra 2X SPECTRUM 26 95 4 Shift keys one for each level more awkward finger knotting exercises keyboards are fully assembled and just plug into your 2 81 or Spectrum All keywords etc are in 3 colours 4 for Spectrum under hard wearing clear caps Proper keyswitches full size Full fitting instructions and 12 month guarantee naturally Payment Cheque Postal Orders Access or Cash on delivery Phone orders welcome Prices include postage overseas add 2 etc
59. cription of 12 Stock Control 25 22 50 Noma Optimax 40 36 00 mere Budget I and II 17 15 30 Address Time Ledger 15 13 50 Critical Path 15 513 50 Financial Pack 8 7 20 Gold 5 4 50 Program Planning Package 138 12420 Spectrum software Which computer do you own Payroll 25 22 50 5 Stock Control 25 22 50 2 81 O Spectrum Gold 8 7 20 Send your coupons to Sinclair User Club Program Planning Package 138 124 20 ECC Publications 30 31 Islington Green London N1 8BJ Cheques should be made payable to Sinclair User Club SINCLAIRUSER October 1982 The cassettes also con tain a special bomber game with versions for both the ZX 81 and the Spectrum Cassettes have been sent to all people who joined the Sinclair User Club by the second week in August Those who joined after that date will receive their first cassette at the beginning of October As well as the second article in the machine code programming series it is intended to have a pro blem page service with matters which are of continued from page 7 since we began the Sinclair User Club They were produced for both the ZX 81 and the Spectrum They contain the first in a series of articles on how to use machine code in programming The intro ductory article written for people who already know how to program in Basic compares com
60. cturers please make Cheques PO s payable to Mikro Gen and add 40p post amp packing c Sohware 24 Agar Crescent Bracknell Berks RG12 2BK Bracknell 0344 27317 12 ZX Spectrum 20 Programs 6 95 The ZX Spectrum has brought advanced computing power into your home The Cambridge Colour Collection a book of 20 programs is all you need to make it come alive No experience required Simply enter the programs from the book or load them from tape 2 95 extra and run Amazing effects All programs are fully animated using hi res graphics colour and sound wherever possible Entirely original None of these programs has ever been published before Proven Quality The author already has 30 000 satisfied purchasers of his book of 2X81 programs Hours of entertainment Lunar Landing Control the angle of descent and jet thrust to steer the lunar module to a safe landing on the moon s surface Maze Find your way out from the centre of a random maze Android Nim Play the Spectrum at the ancient game of Nim using creatures from outer space Biorhythms Plot the cycles of your Emotional Intellectual and Physical activity Some would say this is not a game at all Improve your mind Morse complete morse code training kit This program will take a complete beginner to proficiency Maths Adjustable to various levels this program is an invaluable aid t
61. d makes sure we can walk before we try torun Often he is able to spot the problems before they arise and so we can take steps to reduce them Mrs Shafieian says She adds that the move into the export market was an example of the difficulties which could arise She says that Data Assette also needs to take extra care of its customers as mail order companies generally have a poor reputation for delivery We keep plenty of stock to ensure that we can satisfy orders in a reasonable time and if we are unable to meet an order immedi ately we keep customers informed of what is happening she says Although the company is wary of expanding rapidly it has plenty of plans for growth It is looking to increase the export side and the mass production of program cassettes Talks are being held with Mitsui the firm which sells the ZX 81 in the Far East to sell hardware and pro grams in Japan Singapore and Hong kong is also looking for more manufacturers in Britain for which it can act as agent Mills is at present in the States to oversee the increasing business there To cope with growth in tape dupli cation it has had a special copying m ine built which allows 50 copies to be made at a time It has opted for the slower copying system to achieve higher quality and fewer bad tapes At present the company buys high quality Agfa PE68 tape for the blank tapes it sells wholesale and has them wound by sub contractor
62. d by 5 hunting dinosaurs including TRICERATOPS who hedges and a PTERANODON down on you dau Gavaron Software PROFESSIONALLY WRITTEN amp PRODUCED SOFTWARE FOR THE HOME COMPUTER From M E Evans the author of MONSTER MAZE SDN EE For the ZX81 comes a game for the 8 has the habit of hiding behind the that soars over the maze to swoop PECTRUM Send to NEW GENERATION SOFTWARE FREEPOST Oldland Common no stamp read in UK BRISTOL 8515 6BR orfor INSTANT CREDIT CARD sales ring 01 930 9232 Mr Mrs Address PLEASE SEND ME A COPY OF ESCAPE FOR THE 16K SPECTRUM ENCLOSE CHEQUE P O FOR 4 95 PostCode ZX81 SPELLINVADERS REACTIONTEST 5 75incl VAT 42 00inci VAT ZETA TEACHING PROGRAMS A Range of Professionally Produced Programs for Junior amp Middle Schools Ages 8 12 based on the Space invaders theme this encourages children to improve their spelling improves key board familiarity ZMG GRAPHS Used as an electronic blackboard to draw bar charts level 1 S M P I ZMC DEPTHCHARGE practice in ordered triple co ordinates in 3 dimensions while hunting enemy submarines ZMC2 21601 practice ordered pair co ordinates in multiplication test 16K Please 1 for post amp packing ess Reaction Test
63. di aper thar The resulting factors of unemployment due to technological innovation and automation will leave the population with a lot of pare time present trends e If the number of yed rises re than 90 if not all of today s young people will always work for small organisations and indeed found them We must encourage people to follow this route if we are io create future employment in high technology in revival of industries Sinclair foresees a new creative must whether a class or in service endeavour People are experi encing new technology se It c relieve them of manual tasks so that they can use their minds more fully Young people were just beginning ing what it can do for them to learn about new technology According to Sinclair thi process would only be ning putting ink on to paper was only the beginning of writing cr and poetry learning cessfully Le rning the begin Learning the techniques of ative prose ommuni cate suc w technology through r such as the ZX 81 and the Spec which because of low price within the reach of body was the beginning of a process which may lead to what Sinclair believe Age Because we no longer need to devote t bulk of our time to the production of objects ee the about rning s were early every I can a Golden Age b we may plateau Certainly
64. e popular 48K version costs only 175 You may decide to begin with the 16K version If so you can still return it later for an upgrade The cost Around 60 46 M ZX Spectrum Lennon Ready to use today easy to expand tomorrow ZX Spectrum comes with a adaptor and alll the necessary leads to nnect to most casset and TVs colour or black and white Employing Sinclair BASIC now used in over 500 000 computers worldwide the ZX Spectrum comes complete with two manuals which together represent a detailed course in BASIC programming Whether you re a beginner or a comp rogrammer you ll find them both o mense help Depending on your computer experience you ll quickly be moving into the colourful world of ZX Spectrum professional level computing There s no need to stop there The c recorders ZX Printer available now is fully compatible with the ZX Spectrum And later this year there will be Microdrives for massive amounts of extra on line storage plus an RS232 network interface board Key features of the Sinclair ZX Spectrum Fullcolour 8 colours each tor foreground background and border plus flashing and brightness intensity ontroi Sound BEEP command with variable pitch and duration Massive RAM 16K or 48K erui moving key keyboard all keys at normal typewriter pitch wit repeat facility
65. en 080 223411 2 80 Club postal club contact Thomas Jenczyk Hameln Postfach 65 D 3250 Hameln Germany Indonesia Jakarta ZX 80 81 Users Club J S Wijaya Jakarta Indonesia Republic of Ireland Irish ZX 80 81 Users Club 73 Cnoc Crionain Bailo Atha Cliath 1 Singapore Sinclair Users Group Eric Mortimer 1D Wilmer Court Leonie Hill Road Singapore South Africa Johannesburg 2 80 81 Computer Users Club 5 Lucas clo Hoechst SA Pty Ltd PO Box 8692 Johannesburg Teaches Basic and machine code interest in hardware Johannesburg ZX Users Club L nn rt ER Fisher PO Box 61446 Marshallstown Johannesburg Spain Club Nacional de Usuarios del 2 81 Joseph Oriol Tomas Avda de Madrid No 203 207 10 esc Barcelona 14 Espana International ZX Spectrum Club Gabriel Indalecio Cano Sardana 4 atrico 2a San Andres de la Barca Barcelona Send international reply coupon Produces a bi monthly magazine United States Bay Area ZX 80 User Group 2660 Las Aromas Oakland CA94611 Harvard Group Bolton Road Harvard MA 01451 617 456 3967 SINCLAIRUSER October 1982 MEMOTECH Explores the Excellence of your mum MEMOPAK ICH _ EB m MEMOPAK 64K Operates HE and Memotect s MemopakBange __ All five of the currently available Memopaks are housed in elegant black anodised aluminium cases and are styled t
66. end is not at ali ke the game that inspired it Everyone that we have invited to test it says that itis much better 16K 2 1 CITY 8 ZX ASSOCIATIVE DATABASE SYSTEM A variable format database in which nothing need to pre defined It adapts to Your needs as you use i Conventional searches sorts updates merges etc become a thing of the past Our local EXPERTS SYSTEMS expertis quite 16K 2X 81 ADBS 9 ABK ZX SPECTRUM CITY 8 16 or 48K 2X SPECTRUM ADBS 14 SPECIAL OFFER You can now buy our top three ZX 8 games together for the special price of 9 96 The Planet Game Elephant and Castle plus Dominoes would normally cost 14 This offer is until December only DOCIMODUS 161 Wal Road Bury Lancashire BL SDE NEW FROM AFDEC ELECTRONICS LTD ZX PANDA EXPANDABLE 16K RAM for ZX 81 16384 bytes of extra random access memory 16K Expandable to 32K with easily fitted internal plug in module Simply plugs into rear expansion port of the ZX 81 computer No additional power supply required Led power indicator Attractive black custom made case contoured for stability Compact size 76 X 91 x 28mm approx Compatible with most expansion systems Full 1 year parts and labour guarantee Exceptionally low fully inclusive prices ZX PANDA 16K Expandable RAM pack 25 00 ZX PANDA 16K Expansion RAM module 19 95 Prices include VAT and Delivery Delivery from Stock The only ava
67. ent the other fellow from FoR cribbing We have an altogether more elegant way of doing things supplied by Michael Owen of Southport Merseyside for the 16K ZX 81 The display shows two boards yours and that of the PRINT AT ENTER cO computer Press NEWLINE and enter the co ordinates of your navy letter first When you have finished the screen will be modestly obscured while the machine lays out its own battle line Each side then takes turns at ing three shells into the midst of the opposing armada You do it by entering co ordinates as above And England expects FOR TO PRINT SUBMARINE INPUT PRINT AT COD BS RO 2 604000 a e R bm 295 5 1 8 5 5 7 5 3 LD LINT INT RND pebppE 5 u 4 41 42 e 43 2 SINCLAIRUSER October 1982 ty 158 5 ise 2 25 I 15 E 152 E PRINT ael iet 210 THEN PRIN 186 1870 1860 PRINT ec GERE 2 5 78 1899 PRINT AT CODE 10 CODE D 5 177 5 THEN PRINT AT 20 20 THEN PRINT AT 19 19 etu INT RMD HEN GOTO s b70 NEXT 522 PRINT 3852 8192 SAVE
68. ertisements in this publication are required to conform to the British Code of Advertising Practice In respect of mail order advertisements where money is paid in advance the code requires advertisers to fulfil orders within 28 days unless a longer delivery period is stated Where goods are returned un damaged within seven days the purchaser s money must be refunded Please retain proof of postage despatch as this may Mail Order Protection Scheme If you order goods from Mail Order advertisements in thi magazine and pay by post in advance of delivery Sinclair User will consider you for compensation if the Advertiser should become insolvent or bankrupt provided 1 You have not received the goods or had your money returned and 2 You write to the Publisher of Sinclair User summarizing the situation not earlier than 28 days from the day you sent your order and not later than two months from that day Please do not wait until the last moment to inform us When you do write we will tell you how to make your claim and what evidence of payment is required We guarantee to moet claims from readers in accordance with the above procedure as soon as possible after the Advertiser has been declared bankrupt or insolvent up to a limit of 4 250 per annum for any one Advertiser so affected and up to 10 000 per annum in respect of all insolvent Advertisers Claims may paid for higher amounts or when the above procedure has not been complied
69. esnips 198 8036 1 SINGLAIRUSER October 1982 33 OR ALL witches warlocks and wizards we have a quick method of calculating the day on which people were born No tongue of toad required Input the date anything from 1752 to 1999 and the computer will display the day of the week on which that date fell Calendar is the neatest program we have had on this subject submitted by William Mitchell of Welton Lincoln for the unexpanded 2 81 The programming is well worth close examination DO YOU READ THE MANU 30 INPUT Us 40 IF THEM LET C C RND 6 1 45 IF U v THEN LET 0 PRINT DO YOU BUY A SPANNER 5 INPUT O IF O amp Y THEN LET C C RND 1 THEN LET 2 THEN GOTO 150 TREBLE Y THEN LET ARE alone in your living Y room youe watch at the repairers and you discover a time bomb in the cellars You have eight minutes to defuse it You have a choice of different actions each of which will take different lengths of time and give you greater chances of survival First you can study a Bomb Disposal manual That takes one to six minutes but gives you a greater ability to narrow the choice of wires tosnip Second you can spend one to five minutes looking for a spanner You will have some advantage from that Last quickest and
70. et the machine by pulling out the power plug for a second and try tuning in again If still nothing appears check the power supply unit by shaking it If it rattles return it If it is satis factory check your system with that of a friend Once the K appears you are ready to begin learning about the ZX 81 It can save family arguments if you can afford a separate television set for your system It also makes life easier if you can find somewhere to leave your equipment set up per manently You will find that a few power sockets are needed and a four way block connector on a short length of extension cable will help to SINCLAIRUSER October 1962 tidy trailing leads The manual is written in great detail and is reasonably easy to follow Some of the chapters may not seem immediately relevant but it is worthwhile reading them as you might miss something which is important Patience is needed at that stage to learn the ways in which the computer will accept information It is tempting to try to enter programs before you are really ready but that is likely to lead to errors For example words like AND THEN and AT should not be typed in letter by letter By the time you have reached chapter 11 you should have accumulated sufficient know ledge to be able to type in other people s programs such as those in Sinclair User and Sinclair Pro grams without too much difficulty Itis important that when using the machine it is no
71. everal errors First I believe line 110 should read 110 IF INT C 2 C 2 THE LET B 18 Also if Bar is printed after the word cherry you getanew word BARRRY Inserting the lin 120 PRINT AT 0 0 8 3spaces instead of line 120 deals with the problem One of the problems for any magazine is the gen eral printing of the pro grams know that the quality of some printers is not 100 percent but 1 am sure bad lines could be printed again in clear letters Take for instance Tim Crossley s program again I could not tell what line 110 read the first ifitis a plus whichIbe lieve is very con fusing Alex Clark Lichfield Staffs Black Jack error code IN PUBLISHING my letter regarding Black Jack in the Jupe issue an error crept into lines 20 and 50 They should read LET INT RND 13 2 Penrith Cumbria Adding 16K can be easy I HAVE read that if a pro gram been SAVED bya computer with only 1K RAM and subsequently a 16K RAM has been added the 1K program could not be re loaded without removing the memory ex pansion I have found on my ZX 81 at least that is not true You simply load the program run it once break it and run it again It should work perfectly I have bought every issue of your magazine and I think it is great Andrew Smith ed 12 Harlow Essex Plea for notes on listing ILIKE your magazine very
72. eyboard truly original and absorbing game ONLY 5 95 Please make cheques and postal orders payable to Wat rvices Lid 1 Ivy Cottages Long Road West Dedham Essex CO 6EL Cheques P O s payable to Fisher Marriott Software 9c Abbey Hill Kenilworth 1LW Y Allow 14 days for delivery 6 SPECTRUM 42 50 X SPLCTRUM 48K SPECTRUM AOTH ON ONE CASSETTE FOR QNLY 8997 GRAPHICS TOOLKIT 281 16 RAM ONLY SENTIAL TOOLKIT 24 SINCLAIRUSER October 1982 starting from scratch Come to the ZX 81 with a clear mind to make the best use of your new machine A lifetime s obsession can easily be acquired UYING a ZX 81 can be the start of a lifetime obsession with home computing It is easy however to become discouraged if everything does not go to plan from the beginning For those with only a little knowledge of computers and their capabilities the best way to approach the ZX 81 is to abandon any ideas for special uses While the basic machine is ideal for learning how to use computers it is too small for any major uses It is better to become accustomed to the many facilities and then decide how you wish to use them Begin by unpacking the machine overcoming your surprise at its size and weight and following the manual set up the system If you cannot get the K on the screen check that everything is plugged into its correct socket and re s
73. followed by NEWLINE then slowly increase the volume of the recorder with the tape running until the television screen shows four or five thick horizontal black bands If you then re wind the tape the program should LOAD normally Finally a health warning Apart from any practical uses computing with your ZX 81 can be a very enter taining hobby and is almost certainly habit forming You may easily find yourself crouched over your machine red eyed in the early hours of the morning thinking that in another five minutes you will sort out the problem Try to break that habit by getting into the fresh air and meeting other Sinclair users By obtaining a ZX 81 you find that you have joined a not very exclusive club with many thousands of members many of whom would be only too happy to advise you if you have difficulties Make sure of your regular copies of Sinclair User and Sinclair Programs and you can be guaran teed many happy hours with your Sinclair machine 25 THE PROFESSIONAL ONE ZX81 THERMAL PRINTER The Computer Printer high speed matrix printer combines contemporary printer mechanism design with advanced microprocessor based VLS control electronics and distinctive functional styling Professional high performance 40 column line printer Attractively styled durable housing Total interfacing Quiet operation Graphics capability standard Uses Olivetti dot matrix the
74. ger Nigel Boyle Whereas users in this country already had many of the add ons available in the market and were buying the ZX 99 to supplement them people overseas were only just beginning to look at the add on market and when they placed an 50 the market for hi fi accessories One of the major markets was selling cassette tapes wholesale It became aware of the home computer market when it began to have a demand for short tapes on which to record pro grams Data Assette was set up to take advantage of that We now supply tapes for the full range of personal computers but the biggest proportion of them are for the Sinclair market Boyle says The company expanded later into the mass production of tapes for software houses and then develop ment of the ZX 99 Both the owner and I have Sin clairs and we soon realised that it did not do all we wanted it to do so we found someone to build what we wanted Boyle says We were talking initially about a switching unit and we went from there to something which would work under program control He adds that after developing the tape control system the company found it had some spare space in the read only memory It was decided to use it by adding an RS232C printer interface We now have a product which allows people to have all the facili ties of the Spectrum apart from sound and colour graphics just by buying a ZX 81 add on Boyle says The res
75. group meets at North London Polytechnic Holloway Road London N7 each Monday 6pm Nottingham Microcomputer Club ZX 80 81 users group G Basford 9 Holme Close The Pastures Woodborough Nottingham Orpington Computer Club Roger 23 Arundel Drive Orpington Kent Orpington 20281 Perth and District Amateur Computer Society Alastair MacPherson 154 Oakbank Road Perth PHi 29633 Meetings third Tuesday of each month at Hunters Lodge Motel Bankfoot Scunthorpe ZX Club C P Hazelton 26 Rilestone Place Bottesford Scunthorpe 0724 63466 Sheffield Andrew Moore 1 Ketton Avenue Sheffield 58 would like people interested in starting a club in the area to contact him enclosing a stamped addressed envelope for details Swindon ZX Computer Club Andrew Bartlett 47 Grosvenor Road Swindon Wilts SN1 4LT 0793 3077 Monthly meetings and software library bers more games for the offering longer term ZX 81 and Spectrum and discounts on a variety of news about the activities items in the growing of club members market for hardware add The cassette and the ons and software telephone problem line year s subscription are just two of the costs 12 and that can advantages to be gained easily be recouped by from joining the Sinclair taking advantage of the User Club It is also special discounts which possible to obtain we negotiate for our discounts on a number of members popular items whi
76. h was chosen because of its combination of speed versa of programming The computer looks rather like a cross bet ween a ZX 80 and a Spec trum It has a full size moving key keyboard although one thing it does not have is the one key en Colour Genie launch THE COLOUR Genie is another computer to be unveiled at the Personal Computer World Show The machine has been pro duced by Lowe Electronics of Matlock Derbyshire and will cost 199 The new computer will have 16K Basic ROM and 16K of user RAM The typewriter style keyboard is similar to previous Genies The machine can use up to 16 colours on the screen with a resolution of 160 x 96 for gra phics characters There are 128 programmable graphics characters and 64 present charac ters There will be a range of optional accessories in cluding a printer interface cable printer two joy sticks a position detecting light pen and a cassette recorder A full range of software is due to be laun ched after the launch of the machine Lowe now has eight Genie models in its range of computers including the new Genie III Business System which was also due to appear ot the PCW Show try system for which the Sinclair machines have become famous As with the Sinclair machines the Ace can be used with a domestic tele vision set and uses an or dinary cassette recorder for back up memory The basic unit has only 3K RAM The scree
77. have an automatic level control circuit That circuit sets the recording level to give a reasonable output level for a very wide range of inputs If you record a concert from near the back seat the sound of the orchestra will be almost as loud as if you were at the front without you making any adjustments back ground noise will be more notice able ALC circuits are designed for voice and music some ALC circuits never have the recording level abso lutely correct and fiddle with it all the time when computer signals are used Technically the ALC control loop hunts That produces a tape with fluctuating volume which may be difficult or impossible to load You cannot blame the manufacturer of either the tape recorder or the computer they are not com patible That kind of behaviour is not cor related with price or quality the problem cannot be solved use a different recorder Detection is not easy an oscilloscope can be used by the technically minded other wise use a recorder known to be suitable Dirty heads can be a problem Various cleaning tapes and fluids are marketed Rather shame facedly we must confess to doing no more than giving heads an occasional wipe with a dry handker chief before they become caked Some machines will work with The systems are designed with mono portable cassette recorders in mind batteries but not SAVE loadable programs when running from mains Those m
78. he industrial type of organisation will restore the potential of the individual and the Golden Age arrives the body of men arises which can turn its attention to matters other than necessities Thus wealthy patrons produce the great flowerings of arts which are a feature of the Golden Ages Equally the Golden Ages are often marked by one great 14 can remarkably enough contain the information of 10 000 books and that disc will cost not much more than a few books almost in fact thousand fold reduction in costs The reduction in costs and the innovations in mass marketing are compared to what Sinclair calls the potential of the individual Until now society has accepted that people will work together in large groups People work in large com panies they commute into towns and cities every working day That massing of the working population is the motive force behind the present state of the economy Sinclair said We have for some time been passing through a great industrial age in which the economic basis of society has demanded the bringing together of people in great numbers many thousands per factory many millions per city I believe that our move away from this type of organisation will restore the potential of the individual Individual human potential is something Sinclair seems largely to favour While Sinclair Research is a company like many others where everyone pulls together
79. he rerun aan ts New m e once Shots sensor screen dm TABLE TUTOR A compie menu drven the under 10 os QUARTET A compendium of tm TRIAD Thee new puzzies to perplex et eee taba poed on cassette SAE for catalogue VORTEX SOFTWARE 2 Crawiord Rond Hatfield Hertfordshire ALIO OPG 2X81 16K FOOTBALL POOLS PROGRAM TIRED OF HIGH PRICES For may sorsam ssc ve 16 mest wey bacollent IK and 16K software send romes amma nd omar SAE to PS 11 Sidegate Hadding epe IEEE pod sepes HARTLAND SOFTWARE Dept S 8 PENZANCE PLACE LONDON w11 4PA East Lothian EHA1 482 they oach fit Counting Keytest Sketchpad Match ft Gobbler How many Cassette and instruction booklet oniy 3 45 inc from SPECTRUM GRAPHIC GAMES Set one five great games Prolog Home Software including Breakout 5 00 inc Z Recor Brive inst class Others available SAE details Mike O Neill 5 Castlefields Rd Cheitenham Glos GLS2 6YW Bristol BS19 4HF Sell your used computer or peripherals through Sinclair Supermart at low cost up to words for only 5 86 000 users ofthe Sunciaw ZX systen Sinclaw Supermart and reach a Have you included the fee of 5 58 16K ZX 81 Sinclair built manual leads adaptor two books Monster Maze game
80. il merge supplied on cassette for 29 95 the tape drive operating system and the conversion to ASCII Also following soon for the RS232C output Stock Control October There is an extension board on the rear to plugin your Sales Ledger November Debtors Ledger pack larger than 16K if required The unit is supplied with Business Accounts Tax Accounting one special tape drive id more are available at 1 each Dept SU6 Data Assette 44 Shroton Stree London NW1 606 01 258 0409 FERGUSON CASSETTE RECORDER 28 inc p amp p ed with 2 81 Acorn BBC Dragon etc etc Mic and Remote sockets Control Built in Mic Recommended by BBC computer data aettes London WT 01 258 0409 STAR DP8480 RS232C SERIAL 285 plus 6 Securicor delivery CENTRONICS PARALLEL 265 plus 6 Securicor delivery This professional printer works with almost any computer with very good upper and lower case typeface 2 000 SHEETS Trantor or Prenon feed PRINTER PAPER 30 chrs per second 19 50 plus 3 50 p amp p 690 REVOLVING CASSETTE RACK Single 2 99 holds 32 tapes or 20 in cases Double 5 99 holds 64 tapes or 40 in cases Treble 8 99 holds 96 tapes or 60 in cases Quad 11 99 holds 128 tapes or 80 in cases BBC CASSETTE LEAD 7 pin plug to two 3 5mm plugs and o
81. ilable 16K RAM pack thatis directly expandable to 32K using a plug in module that fits neatly inside the original RAM pack case AFDEC ELECTRONICS LTD 318 Kempshott Lane Basingstoke Hants 54 4 ZX sas Serious Application Software for your 16K ZX 81 SPECTRUM Please INCOME TAX Checks PAYE coding by offering you all likely allowances displays and prints your coding and its make up then powerful facilities automatically calculate NI and PAYE deductions to five years net pay for next week or month Options for overtime salary increases etc Plan your income for 6 50 BRIDGE Ideal for all bridge players Enter contract bid and made BRIDGE does the rest for you All over trick slam doubled points etc Displays and prints scorecard totals for 5 rubbers and all hands played A high class program excellent value at 6 50 SALES LEDGER Excellent small business system prints cash received sales day books on monthly basis maintains ledger for 50 accounts prints statements names and addresses etc Only 10 Also RETAIL ACCOUNTING 68 SYSTEM 6 50 2 off any 2 5 off any 4 Tailor made software developed please contact us for a prompt quotation ZX SAS 42 45 New Broad St London EC2M 10Y sae for more details ELECTRONICS LTD professional quality Keyboard for your 2 81 Only 25 00 built tested cased Incl VAT and delivery
82. l Orwin 26 Brownlow Rd Willesden London NW10 9QL mail order only please Editor Nigel Clark Consultant editor Mike Johnston Production editor pase 37 page 50 Harold Mayes MBE 5 SINCLAIRVOYANCE Clive Sinclair makes his excuses for delays in Spectrum Staff write delivery The product may be good but production could be better John Gilbert Design 7 SINCLAIR USER CLUB More news on the club scene William Scolding 11 NEWS ZX 81 Software and hardware prices start to fall the designers of the Editorial director John Sterlicchi Spectrum branch out on the Advertisement director Simon Horgan Advert John Re Editorial production assistant Margaret Hawkins 13 YOUR LETTERS You give us your views on the world of Sinclair compu mont menager 14 GOLDEN AGES Clive Sinclair gives his views on the future lers are let loose on the Spectrum and the mysteries away are pi 17 SOFTWARESCENE T of the Sinclair Horizons giv naging direc y Cartwrigl 21 HARDWARE WORLD Stephen Adams looks at the latest add ons for Sinclair computers 25 27 PROGRAM PRINTOUT Eight more pages of our popular programs 37 41 HELPLINE Andrew Hewson 44 50 COMPANY PROFILE Data Assette entered the ZX 81 market via its tape business It now sees its future tied closely to the machine Chairman Richard Hease STARTING FRO
83. least useful you can try a treble gin An interesting idea though it suffers from the limitations of all purely random games Perhaps our readers can introduce a little skill into the routine Submitted by Tim Grubb of Leicestershire for the 1 ZX 81 THEN LET T 15 TREMBLER SUI IT 1 HEN PRINT AT 10 10 THEN PRINT AT 10 4 4 R Se IF C 5 THEN PRINT AT 19 5 ME 15 SARE ROME DISPOSAL SINCLAIRUSER October 1982 J K GREYE SOFTWARE LTD THE NEU GENERATION SOFTWARE HOUSE Without question the finest machine code games available today J N ROWLAND Product Manager for W H SMITH GAMESTAPETforK 08 inch ASTEROIDS UFO CODE BOMBER GURLOTINE KALEIDESCOPE otc PROBABLY THE BEST VALUE k TAPE AVAILABLE agure 18 to do games which some of our compat GAMESTAPE 2 for MK _______ SQUAMMONTER Supe machine code Space Set of A stn you can it the enemy PYRAMID Can you move the Pyramid Make mistake and Tani cole game ARTIST The utmate Graphic Designers ad 8 Dwections 10 Memores SAVE COPY RUBOUT CLS ec GAMESTAPE for ony 4 96 S ATACOMBS X Mu Graphics Adventure Each level can contain uo 9 Rooms B Passages 7 Monsters Fou Gols Traps Phantoms an the
84. lly light coloured pressure pads What you may gain on the swings you lose on the roundabouts Of course felt pressure pads wear heads faster than foam ones Nonetheless we prefer felt 38 it back the way it should be A final trick which has been known to work with tapes with good deal of hum is to use a machine with a poor bass response The cheaper machines are better at that Standard audio tape of good quality is satisfactory Only uni formity and adherence of coating matter noise frequency response are unimportant The shorter the better all else being equal TDK D C46 is good few comments on the use of tape recorders and tape If you can save and load your own tapes but cannot load any one else s your recorder is prob ably of a satisfactory type but is in need of azimuth adjustment If you can load other people s tapes but not your own your recorder is probably unsuitable If the volume setting is exceed ingly critical you might find it worth trying another recorder A loading aid will be very useful elf performance deteriorates or is not so good as you know your make of recorder to be capable of the head may be worn e Always re wind tapes to keep the fragile magnetic coating out of harm s way Do not use the first and last 10 seconds of the magnetised part of each tape It is far less reliable than the rest of the tape The best tape for critical appli cations is
85. much find it very helpful There is still a great deal which I find very baffling but that is probably my fault I have tried some of your programs but the clarity is not very good Ina program there must be notes on what the lines do so if there are vari ables which can be changed to alter speed and numbers I can do so It helps if 1 could be told whether 10 make them smaller or larger I find that an easier way of learning programing than wading through hand books and their useless examples Michael Jones Delivery difficulties 1 SOMETIMES have prob lems obtaining Sinclair User Could you inform me where I can buy it John Durant Lowestoft Suffolk The best way is to take an annual subscription Alternatively you can order it from your news agent quoting our ISSN number 0262 5458 13 Clive Sinclair gives his views on the future of the Western civilised world to a British Mensa symposium in Cambridge Computers will bring a new Golden Age WELL as being head of s Research Clive Sinclair is chairman of British Mensa an exclusive club whose members have IQs which reach the genius level In a speech at the Mensa Golden Ages symposium at Cambridge Sinclair outlined his ideas for the future not of his range of personal computers but of the Western civilised world said I intend arguing that the most Golden Age of man s history may well lie before us if we can only move in the
86. n is memory mapped with a 24x32 character flicker free display and user definable high resolution graphics The cassette interface performs at 1 500 baud and has a Verify com mand It also has a program mable sound generator We hope it will be louder than that of the Spectrum said Vickers The Ace will be manu factured by TW Elec tronics It has an expan sion socket at the rear which the designers hope to use for peripherals RAM expansion and a col our board The machine was due for unveiling at the Personal Computer World Show in September 100 is offered to beat ZX 81 A SOFTWARE company is confident that it has pro duced one of the most diffi cult games for the ZX 81 that it is offering a prize of 100 to anyone who can beat the computer The game Awari is pro duced by Understanding of London It is in three levels of difficulty rabbit beast and monster The prize is being offered to the first person to send a solu SINCLAIRUSER October 1982 tion to beat the computer at the monster level play ing both first and second A deadline in early January has been set because of fears that it may not be possible If no one has provided a solu tion by then the prize will go to the person nearest to winning Staff at Understanding have managed to win only playing first at the mon ster level and the person who wrote the program has not passed the beast Awari was developed as
87. nd plunging into a Supernova STARTREK This version of the well known space adventure game features variable Klingon mobillity and graphic photon torpedo tracking PRINCESS OF KRAAL An adventure game BATTLE Strategy game for 1 to 4 players KALABRIASZ World s silliest card game full of pointless complicated rules CUBE Rubik Cube simulator with lots of functions including Backstep SECRET MESSAGES This message coding program is very txlp MARTIAN CRICKET A simple but addictive game totally unlike Earth cricket in machine code The speed is variable and its top speed is very fast Cassette 3 costs 5 CASSETTE 4 ZX SCRAMBLE machine code with 3 stage Bomb and shoot your way through the fortified caves 8 games for 16k 2 81 GUNFIGHT machine code INVADERS machine code GALAXY INVADERS machine code Fleets of swooping and diving alien craft to fight off SNAKEBITE machine code Eat the snake before it eats you Variable speed very fast at top speed LIFE machine code A ZX81 version of the well known game 3D TIC TAC TOE Basic Played on a 4 x 4 x 4 board this is game for the brain it is very hard to beat the computer at it 7 of the 8 games are in machine code because this of these games were previously av much faster than Basic Some ilable from J Steadman Cassette 4 costs 5 Recorded on quality cassettes sent by first class post from Michae
88. ne 2 5mm plug All plus 1 p amp p eee SON ORDER FORM DeptSU6 Data Asette 44 Shroton Street Other leads available please telephone London NW1 606 01 258 0409 No Pre i Total COMPUTER CASSETTES ssembled cassettes supplied Dray bon Any Regis mali C5 35p 10 37 C12 38p C15 39p C20 41p 25 43 C30 44 PAP 10 min cherge Y I p EX ec 1 23 SINCLAIRUSER October 1962 STAR SOCCER AN EXCITING NEW GAME FOR THE ZX81 16K ALL THE ACTION OF REAL FOOTBALL PASS SHOOT DRIBBLE TACKLE CORNERS FREE KICKS THROW INS YOU PLAN THE MOVES SEE THE PLAY IN HIGH SPEED GRAPHICS MATCHES BETWEEN 12 TOP CLUB SIDES AND 12 STAR WORLD CUP SQUADS GIVE YOUR CHILD A CHANCE with your Sinclair ZX81 and our programs award winning software from David Fisher and Richard Marriott BOMBER 6 00 They have fun learn their tables and come back for more Sinclair Educational Award Winner 1982 MORE THAN AN ARCADE GAME BIGSPELL 26 00 MORE THAN A SIMULATION The nearest a dumb micro can come to teaching you to spell Sinclair Educational Award Winner 1982 ALPHA 6 00 They can enjoy learning their alphabet all in big chunky Sinclair graphics ALPHA will teach them to match capital and small letters and show them how to use QWERTY k
89. ne or perhaps that fast screen display which can be called up in a Basic program and executed almost immediately Any program routine written in main memory or RAM is lost whenever the computer is switched off To keep a permanent copy of a program we can either record it on cassette or backing store or we can copy it into a memory chip which keeps its contents intact even permanent copy of that useful re 100 PRINT WHET PROM INPUT Y 3 MSB NI LET 4575 16534 16515 LET 5 058 TF PEER PEE LET 288 POKE 16514 290 POKE 16515 See NEXT 318 PRINT JOB oRS 329 PRI HORE 338 INPUT 2 340 24 7 55e STOP PRINT 1010 LET ieze PRINT RINT Sear zon STO aY DD YOU REQUIRE TO Inv THEN GOTO 100 ERROR HAS OCCURRED ERROR OCCURRED fess after power has been removed 1 ADDRESS IN THE TO LOGI 44 256 1NT Y 256 INT ER No BYTES iesis 16517 THEN GOT Y 255 1INT Y 7256 INT FINISHED ERR enu 44 That type of memory chip is called ROM which stands for read only memory An 8K ROM is used in a ZX 81 to store the Basic interpreter and operating system A disadvantage so far as the experimenter is concerned with a ROM is that once it ha
90. ngineering Ltd of Brookvale Waterworks Road Otterbourne Win chester S02 2DP produces the Zeta range of edu cational software which Solent states has been fully tested and developed by middle school teachers in Hampshire Eight titles were provided for review on high quality cassettes which ensured first time loads 16K RAM is required Each program is liter ature supported with comprehensive operating instructions a description of the game how it works what it does and how to re start it after a break Full marks for such a good documentation Graphs draws bar charts of the class birth days It ran well and like schools all the other Zeta programs is very robust I would however have liked to see a more general graph drawing program with provision for copying the results to a printer Depth Charge and Zilog are ordered triple X Y Z and ordered pair X Y co ordinate games In Depth Charge a submarine has to be hunted while in Zilog an incoming space ship must be destroyed The games are good but the graphics displays could have been a little larger Spell Invaders tests words set by a teacher up to a limit of 10 word is displayed then blanked out the child has to spell it by shooting letters of the alphabet Space Invaders style Three incorect letters only are allowed It is a very good game which would have been even better with some means of printing out
91. o work at the same volume control setting when loading volume control setting is ignored by all tape recorders with ALC when SAVEing Loading other people s tapes is more of a problem due to differing recording levels quality of machines and azimuth alignment The level setting problem is easily solved by using a suitable monitoring device An ordinary AC voltmeter can be used but is not ideal A purpose designed loading aid is available from Hilderbay Ltd If it is desperately important to load a tape it is possible to mis align your head azimuth temporarily to match the bad tape but do not forget to put Loading other people s tapes is more of a problem due to differing recording levels machine quality and azimuth alignment following the convex curvature of the rest of the head In some cases ZX 81 in par ticular program corruption may occur that is worse than straight forward failure to load as it may be missed and corrupted versions of the programs and data can gradually replace out of date but correct versions Ifyou are technically minded you may be able to buy for about 3 a replacement head Otherwise it may be more cost effective to buy a new recorder Keep it for computing only which will prolong head life It is worth noting that head wear shows on cassettes with foam rubber usually dark pressure pads long before it affects the use of cassettes with felt usua
92. o anyone trying to improve their arithmetic Run your life more efficiently Home Accounts Keeping track of your finances with this easy to use program will enable you to see at a glance where the money goes and plan your spending more effectively Telephone Address Pad Instant access to many pages of information Calendar Displays 3 month calendar past or future ideal for planning or tracing past events ORDER FORM Send Cheque or P O with order to Dept D Richard Francis Altwasser 22 Foxhollow Bar Hill Cambridge CB3 Please send me Copies Cambridge Colour Collection Book only 6 95 each Copies Cambridge Colour Collection Book amp Cassette 9 90 each Name Address SINCLAIRUSER October 1982 Cm Doubt over accuracy test IN HIS letter in the August issue M P Campbell refers to the consecutive applica tion of sin cos tan arctan arccos and arcsin to get back to the original value as a check for the accuracy of a calculator in handling trigonometric functions That artificial test is not a good one as it can give poor results with calculators which are satisfactory for handling complex trigonometric functions in real problems Campbell quotes a half percent error on Casio calculators and 33 per cent error on Sinclair calculators Using a star ting value of pi 4 45 deg my 100 step program mable Novus calculator does not
93. o tit wobble tree onto the back of the 2 8 allowing more add ons from Memotech or Sinclair to be connected MEMOPAK 64K MEMORY EXTENSION The 64K Memopak extends the memory of the 2X81 by 56K and with the 2X81 gives 64K which is neither switched nor paged and is directly addressable The unit is user transparent and accepts commands such as 10 DIM A 9000 Breakdown of memory areas 0 8K Sinclair ROM 8 16K This area can be used to hold machine code for communication between programmes or peripherals 16 64K A straight 48K for normal Basic use MEMOPAK 32K and 16K MEMORY EXTENSIONS These two packs extend and complete the Memotech RAM range for the time being A notable feature of the 32K pack is that it will run in tandem with the Sinclair 16K memory extension to give 48K RAM total MEMOPAK HIGH RES GRAPHICS PACK HRG Main Features Fully programmable Hi Res 192 x 248 pixels Video page is both memory and bit mapped and can be located anywhere in RAM Number of Video pages is limited only by RAM size each takes about 6 5K RAM Instant inverse video on off gives flashing characters Video pages can be superimposed video page access is similar to Basic plot unplot commands Contains 2K EPROM monitor with full range of graphics subroutines controlled by machine code or USR function 70 MEMOPAK CENTRONICS TYPE PARALLEL PRINTER INTERFACE 9
94. on each key 6 dot High resolutior horizontally x 192 vertically individually address resolution graphics ASCII characters lower ach able for true h nigh et with upper and ase character Teletext compatible user software can generate 40 characters per line orothersettings High speed LOAD amp SAVE 16K in 10C seconds via cassette with VERIFY amp MERGE for programs and separate a files Sinclair 16K extended BASIC incorporating unique one touch keyword entry syntax check and report code SINCLAIRUSER October1982 The ZX Printer available now Designed exclusively for use with the Sinclair ZX range of computers the printer offers ZX Spectrum owners the full ASCII character set including lower case characters and high resolution graphics Aspecial feature is COPY which prints out exactly what is on the whole TV screen without the need for further instructions Printing speed is 50 charac ters per second with 32 characters per line and 9 lines per vertical inch The ZX Printer connects to the rear of your ZX Spectrum roll of paper 65ft and 4in wide is supplied along with full instructions Further supplies of paper are available in packs of five rolls The ZX Microdrive coming soon The new Microdrives designed especially for the ZX Spectrum are se ange the face of personal computing Each Microdrive is capable of holding up to 1
95. onths and We never got bored Fast single key entry map included PLUS good graphic HANGMAN game 400 word vocabulary or enter your own words Our children s favourit 8 THE DAMSEL AND THE BEAST Bug Byte 6 50 Another exciting adventure Find the damsel then kill the beast club and torches provided lead the damsel out before she starves But wait until she screams 3 game variations 9 ZX OTHELLO TM Mol 6 95 Recommended without reserve itis a superb opponent Your Computer The classic board game in its very best computer form You ll see plenty of Reversi listings but this program makes it as challenging as chess XX 1L Artic 9 95 The seemingly impossible has happened you can play high resolution chess on a Sinclair Card VG The strongest ZXB1 Chess Game around All legal moves 32 opening moves 7 play levels 4 within competition time limits Full Board Graphics available with Quicksilva CHR Board To order these games please complete the coupon ADDRESSES ABROAD please add 20 for extra p amp p PROGRAMMERS If you would like us to evaluate your software for possible future inclusion please send cassette price list TO SOFTWARE SUPERMARKET 87 Howard s Lane London have a 16K 281 Please send me the programs indicated below etl oraer valuri made pte Software Supermarket Name IMr Mrs Miss dress UK AD
96. ould jump to give the amount of free memory was Colin Norris of Stanford le Hope Essex Congratulations and if he sends a blank tape with at least 20 minutes each side I will record a copy of my Adventure The answer was 61 So to find the amount of spare memory print the line PRINT USR 61 Anyone wishing to write to me about items in this column or other Mind Games can contact me at 130 Rush Green Road Romford Essex If you send tapes or other information which you would like returned please enclose a stamped addressed envelope ZX SPECTRUM CITY Within a few weeks of getting our first ZX 81 we had a good working version ot MONOPOLY We did not think it would sell so we scrapped it We have been kicking one another ever since However it was developed in parallel to a mainframe game called CITY which was an enhanced version of MONOPOLY played on a street map of London rather than the standard board The street map took up a few hundred kilobytes and thus was not easily putinto the 2X 81 The basic mechanics of the game are available for the ZX 81 but the game is played on a blank map The streets are constructed with the buildings Now along came the SPECTRUM with 48K of RAM andin went the street map not London but an imaginary town The colour facilities made the program simpler than the mainframe version because much more information be displayed to the player on one screen In the
97. ponse has been pheno menal We are receiving about 20 enquiries a day about it Werealised the market was big but we did not SINCLAIRUSER October 1982 Gwen Shafieian and Nigel Boyle study their new copying machine realise how big Company growth can be seen from the turnover figures In April 1981 sales were slightly more than 1 200 In April 1982 they were 16 000 in Britain with another 3 000 in exports By June export sales had risen to 9 000 but sales in Britain had fallen to 6 000 Sales are varying between 15 000 and 20 000 a month and we are aiming for profit on that of about 30 percent says Mrs Gwen Shafieian She adds that although the company still sells goods in the old markets by far the largest part of its turnover is in the Sinclair market As the company is growing so quickly all the profit is ploughed back for further development and keeping Data Assette working from day to day In common with all small rapidly expanding businesses Data Assette has to be careful that it keeps tight control on its financial position Cash flow always has to be watched carefully to make sure there is sufficient to pay bills when they arrive Suppliers usually are SINCLAIRUSER October 1982 wary of new small companies in the volatile mail order home computer market and can be unwilling to give extended credit facilities Luckily the owner has a good deal of business experience an
98. rmal print mechanism Low cost thermal paper supply Price includes ZX interface and one roll of paper 94 50 nclusive of ZX interface and one roll of paper COMPUTER PRINTER DIVISION Please add 16 47 to cover postage packing and DEAN ELECTRONICS LIMITED VAT total 110 97 Glendale Park Fernbank Road Ascot Berkshire England Please allow maximum of 28 days for delivery Telephone 0344 885661 Telex 849242 TROUBLE FREE PROGRAMMING FOR ONLY 13 95 140 p p WITH THIS BACK UP RECHARGEABLE BATTERY PACK AND MAINS FILTER NO MORE PROGRAMME CRASHES DUE TO MAINS FLUCTUATIONS AND TRANSIENTS M you use or programme computers you know the frustration and problems caused by sudden drops in the mains supply or high voltage transients Hours of tedious programming can be lost in a fraction of a second Here at Adaptors and Eliminators who are one of the largest suppliers of mains adaptors to the computer industry we have developed this Rechargable Battery Pack and mains filter No more programme crashes due to mains fluctuations in the event of a power cut your computer will run for up to 30 mins allowing you to record your programme on a battery cassette or print hard copy on your printer The Battery Pack is also a useful source of 9v power for use on radios tape recorders etc Use your adaptor to charge overnight Operation could not be simpler Pug the lead from
99. rocomputers are designed with mono portable cassette recorders in mind What are the problems why do they occur and how can they be solved The metal head of a tape recorder has an almost invisible vertical gap in its structure The gap is what magnetises the tape when record ing and picks up the signal when playing back The gap should be truly vertical to allow interchange ability of tapes If tapes were always to be played back on the recorder on which they were made it would be necessary only for the gap to be in the same orientation for both recording and playback This would always be soif the head was never re aligned That is why many people can load their SINCLAIRUSER October 1982 own programs but not anyone else s To use a tape recorder with pro grams from different sources it is imperative that the gap be very close to true vertical This problem can be solved by having the head gap angle adjusted correctly The way toset up gap is to measure the output from a special test tape with audio voltmeter adjusting the head for best output That is called azimuth alignment Many tape re corders including surprisingly some very expensive hi fi machines have poorly aligned heads That will cause some loss of treble which may not be noticed on a machine with a cheap loudspeaker with audio signals it may cause a com puter signal to fail to load entirely Almost all cheap mono portables
100. roduce a working proto type in the time allowed but it has been proved possible Now what can be done for the Spectrum DIODE and GATE 74 BARS m 45 Sinclair ZX Spect 16K or 48K RA full size moving key keyboard colour and sound high resolution graphics From only 125 First there was the world beating Sinclair 2X80 The first personal computer forunder 100 Then the 281 With up to 16K RAM available and the ZX Printer Giving more power and more flexibility Tog they ve sold over 500 000 Sinclair world leaders in pers computing And the 2 81 remains the ideal low cost introduction to com Now there s the ZX Spectrum With up to 48K of RAM A full size moving key keyboard Vivid colour and sound High resolution graphics And a low price that s Professional power personal computer price The ZX Spectrum the proven features new 16K BASIC ROM dramatic comput rates BI But ly power ess to a range of 8 You have colours for foreground background and rder together with a sound generator nd high resolution graphics You have the facility to support separate data files u have a choice ge c s governed by the amount of RAM 16K of RAM which you can uprate later to 48K of RAM or a massive 48K of RAM Yet the price of the Spectrum 16K an amazing 125 Even th
101. rum Machine Language when you re just starting off must for all new Spectrum owners Only 6 95 Melbourne House Publishers 131 Trafalgar Road Greenwich London 5 10 Correspondence to Glebe Cottage Station Cheddington Leighton Buzzard BEDS LU7 7NA Please send me your Spectrum ZX8 catalogue please Sus Road Please send me pack amp V A T please add 80p for post Address Post Code 1 MELBOURNE HOUSE PUBLISHERS SINCLAIRUSER October1982 sinclairvoyance Spectrum excuses run out INCLAIR RESEARCH announced the ina blaze of publicity in April At the time the company was stating that the machine was ready to be despatched and that production was ready to meet the expected demand The confidence of the company was matched by the enthusiasm with which people placed their orders Since then nothing seems to have gone right and the disillusion of customers throughout the country has grown Sinclair User has been flooded with telephone calls and letters from people expressing their dissatisfaction with the way they have been treated The level of the anger has filtered through to Sinclear Research and Clive Sinclair considered the situation to be so bad that he wrote to the maga zine explaining the problems It is printed in Spectrum User A voucher for 10 and a promise that the backlog should be cleared by the end of Sep
102. s been pro grammed it is impossible to change There is also available an erasable programmable read only memory or EPROM which caters for such needs That was the idea of the tition to design an EPROM blower which could be produced cheaply work on a ZX 81 and allow the other Sinclair peripherals such as the 16K memory and printer to be used with it The response was very favour able and illustrated the wide variety of backgrounds of readers It was most encouraging to see entries from school pupils with limited resources but nevertheless original ideas The winner of the competition was Stephen Churchman of Blandford Camp Dorset who designed and built a prototype which performed very well His design struck a good balance between the hardware used and the driving software The documen tation contained good clear dia grams the main one of which is shown and which should be possible to follow by an amateur The text accompanying the entry was well written and included a Basic listing shown which not only programmed the EPROM but also checked the contents of each memory location after programm ing If the memory contents of the SINCLAIRUSER October 1982 EPROM differ from those sent to it an error message is issued giving the exact memory location of the error The design catered for the Texas Instruments 2516 EPROM as well as the 2532 A word of explanation is needed on EPROM specification
103. s on cassettes for ONLY 3 65 with machine code STORM FIGHTERS combat 5 fleets of swooping aliens as you blast Through space BREAKOUT machine code race against the clock plus GRAPHIC HANGMAN 16K ZXB1 cassette packs 1 and 2 a despatch trom 3 65 each post free in Fast John Prince 29 Brook Avenue Levenshulme 2X1 ADVENTURE SPECIALISTS C2 VOLCANIC DUNGEON HANGMAN 4 50 VOLCANIC DUNGEON Rescue you can the Eiin Princess Mythical moneten plu ley caverna strength and este maha your quest any hing FULL PROGRAM SAVE GAME ROUTINE oe SINGLE KEY ENTRY Dungeon trie vue ad im Mrs Thomas Cornwall Deo verion or te am gama Pay agua on ponent or the computers 400 word vocabulary Good graphics C3 ALIEN INTR DER HIEROGLYPHICS 1500 ALIEN INTRUDER You find you are the oniy survivor on he Explorer 3 Starship Can you escape before you f victim the Allon monstrosity thst devoured the crea There are many ways t tnd this adventure but only one way to survive PULL 18k PROGRAM e INTERACTIVE GRAPHICS We a SAVE GAME ROUTINE HEIROGLYPHICS Decode the ancient 39 symbdlsiphabet in time to fave the famous explorer Walte Makeit a sandy grave FULL TOK PROGRAM 4ANIMATED GRAPHIC DISPLAY RANDOM CODE C4 WUMPUS ADVENTURE MOVIE MOGUL 5 00 A WUMPUS ADVENTURE FOR 1 TO 4 PLAYERS
104. se in that machine the variables area follows immediately after the program area and soa device which knows from the contents of the byte that the end of the program has been reached serves some purpose If any reader has a more credible explanation 1 should be interested to hear it It is worth noting that while the ZX 81 prevents you entering line numbers greater than 9999 from the keyboard if you manipulate the line numbers by POKEing the appropriate locations your program will still run provided the line numbers do not exceed 16383 as the follawing routine demonstrates 10 LET I 10000 20 SCROLL 30 PRINT I 40 POKE 16634 INT 1 256 50 16635 1 256 INT 1256 60 LETI 1 1 9999 20 Line numbers 40 and 50 POKE the current value of I into the locations originally occupied by 9999 If you run the program for a few cycles and then BREAK it you will see that 9999 has been updated to say AO29 for 1 10029 Clearly the ZX 81 does not decode line numbers greater than 9999 correctly but the result is comprehensible if you remember A follows 9 in the sequence of character codes If you leave the program running for long enough it will stop when 6384 and a LISTing will then omit the final line because the LIST command does not recognise it as a line You can use this quirk to make programs disappear by POKE 16509 64 Such visible programs can be SAVEd and LOADed as usual and will RUN if 16509 is reset to
105. sette along with Life of a tune or sound effect 3D Tic Tac Toe Funga The sound effects loids a moving graphics mainly space or laser gun bombing game and type noises and the tunes your score The Byte Man Snakebite an original range from a bit of cassette is obtainable graphics chase game Beethoven to Star Wars from Mindseye 12 North Guns is a marvellous which can be tailored by The sound quality is simi Grove Drive Leeds W movinggraphicsversionof the player lar to that of a Casio tone Yorkshire 1 58 2NJ the Gunshooter game for _ Cassette 4 costs 5 from organ one or two players Bullet Michael Orwin 26 It is also possible to speedandskilllevelcanbe Brownlow Road Willesden make keys play a tune of varying numbers of points so some careful planning as well as accurate bomb ing is needed to improve entered and each London NW10 9QL your own composition Episode 4by gunslinger has six shots and if you decide the round In the one second note of Sailors Michael Orwin foyer came thecomputer Roll over Hornpipe should be F MICHAEL ORWIN has would give Clint Eastwood sharp it is possible to built a reputation for run for his money Beethoven change it value for money software ZX Scramble is another V HAYNET of Streatham This machine code pro and his Cassette 4 offers arcade game you try to produced an entertaining gram which loads first quantity as wellasquality manoeuvre
106. shes 8K and where free RAM starts 16K was chosen which could well be used to hold routines to enhance Sinclair Basic The address was not fully decoded but some readers will notice that the chip select con ditions mean that other ports used by ZX 81 are not affected e g the printer The designer used a two tier approach to accommodate the two PCBs inside a plastic box Con sidering the short time allowed to complete the design the final hardware was considered to be well competition winner made since the unit was completely self contained including the power supply There is no doubt that the biggest impact that computers will have in the future is in the area of process control There is therefore a need to design small systems capable of exe cuting a given sequence of instruc tions without further attention from human operators The set of instructions must of course be tested thoroughly to account for every likely event but once that has been done the program needs to be stored in some convenient package which is both reliable and cheap An EPROM fits those require ments and the fact that a hobbyist can experiment with work of this nature on an inexpensive ZX 81 is a very positive recommendation to the further development of this work The range of entries received has proved that there is a great deal enthusiasm and dedication among readers of Sinclair User It was a tall order to p
107. t jolted Some of the connections can easily work loose and everything which has been put in will be lost The manual is not to everyone s taste and if you find it difficult to follow a number of books on the market can help you Find the one which suits you best As a way of relaxing you can buy some of the growing range of commercially produced software That can be loaded directly from cassette but make sure that your machine is big enough to take the tapes you buy There are some programs for the unexpanded 1K machine but most of them require a 16K RAM pack The tapes vary in quality It is advisable to read the reviews in Sinclair User and use your judgment to find the best An alternative method to learn about the ZX 81 is to plunge in at the deep end and see what the computer will do Refer to the manual when you have difficulties You can ignore the functions and calculations initially and experiment with PRINT statements to obtain the feel of the machine You may have heard already about the problem involved in SAVEing and LOADing your own cassettes The manual again gives detailed instructions but many of the early machines would not accept tapes from some recorders That problem is said to have been overcome but there can still be diffi culties They usually occur when LOADing tapes recorded by other people One simple method to over come this is to wind the tape to the middle of the program and type LOAD
108. tember is being offered to customers some of whom have been waiting for three months The most unfortunate feature is that it could easily have been avoided Sinclair Research makes great play of the fact that it can work to strict dead lines It is an ability of which to be proud if can be achieved There is no reputation to be gained from making claims which cannot be justified The company can advance any number of excuses but the fact remains that it has not been able to substantiate the claims it made at the time of the launch Problems in gearing up to full pro duction obscure faults discovered after production began and unexpected demand are all acceptable in companies new to the market but Sinclair Research has had the experience of two previous machines yet still seems unable to profit from experience SINCLAIRUSER October 1982 The only excuse for not making sure that the Spectrum was ready to go ahead as soon as it was announced with a suitable stock to ensure that unexpected demand could be met was that it had to rush to market a machine to beat the opposition That does not apply in this case It would have made no difference to the competitive position of Sinclair if the machine had not been announced until September It would however have made a great difference to its position with its customers It has been said that Sinclair Research is a company with a technology bias That is used as an
109. the ZX 81 uses them to distinguish be tween the different types of variable subtracting 20h or 32 in decimal from the letter code in three of the six cases Three bits can be set in 2 or 8 different ways The table lists the eight ways and their interpretation Bit pattern Interpretation 000 Line number less than 8192 001 Line number between 8192 and 9999 010 String on Number with single character name because 39 256 15 9999 The bitpattern of the first byte obtained by converting 39 to binary is 00100111 Notice that the three most significant bits bit numbers 7 6 and 5 are set to 0 0 and 1 for this the largest permitted line number Hence bit numbers 7 6 and 5 of the first byte of all permitted line numbers will be set to0 0 and 1 or in the case of line numbers less than 8192 they will be set to 0 0 0 42 100 Array of numbers 101 Number with multiple character name 110 Character array 111 Control variable for FOR NEXT loop Ido not know why Sinclair should take such elaborate precautions to distinguish a line number from a variable because the same purpose could be served by comparing the address of the byte in question to the D FILE or VARS pointers It allows the ZX 81 to use the same routine at 2546 to 2576 to step through memory to the next line or the next variable but that seems a small advantage Perhaps it is merely a hangover from the ZX 80 becau
110. the widest range of high quality software for the 2 87 available anywhere Whatever your needs we have the program for You From a superb version of Puckman to a compiler of a complete Word Processor package you need look no further than PSS In Yddition all of our software is available through the ZX Software Library For a once only payment of 5 50 you can have any five of our packages 10 for ten You take one tape at a time and make your own copies save yourself on list prices Send 2first class stamps a fully detailed catalogue of all our products 18 SINCLAIRUSER October 1982 1339 uossauon D 0 3 uy ped pose Suusprsousaambey O1 Ayddns amod aui pue fwnn2ads 20 18 jainduxoo aui abire ase m BH duvos 3w xz REMUS 12 08 SON TOI SINCLAIRUSER October 1982 YOUR ONE STOP POSTAL SHOP FOR ALL THE BEST ZX81 PROGRAMS FROM 4 50 Now you can order the very best 2 81 programs with just one postage stamp started SOFTWARE SUPERMARKET to make easy for you to buy more programs And to help you choose weve selected the games enjoyed most games that give lasting pleasure games that stretch the 2 8 Al need a ZX81 with 16K Ram 1 MAZOGS Bug Byte 9 95 Great said Popular Computing Weekly a grossly addictive
111. uires 16K RAM only Super value at 4 45 All prices inclusive Overseas add 0 55 per tape 2 00 for board oducts guaranteed refund if not sati Highly addictive 4 95 DIGITAL INTEGRATION Dept SU MAIL ORDER ONLY 22 Church Road Ash Aldershot Hants 6LX SINCLAIRUSER October 1982 SPECTRUM NEW GAME 2 PLAYERS LAND ON PLANETS PHASORS SEND IN ASSAULT TROOPS WARP b SUB SPEED COLOUR SOUND CARNAGE SPECRUM ON ITS WAY Mave tna SUPER NEW GAME ready an led 975 ne poste TRICODER CAMBRIDGE CAR LOG Anew USEFUL suito of professional pro rar tor the 2581 16K amp Spectrum 1 Very simple to use with full 2 Complete cassette record of mileage and itemiaed expenses 3 All conceivable ratios totals and projections computed CAR LOG is suitable for your car your dad s car or your whole leet of trucks Only 8 95 NIMROD SOFTWARE 4 Stanley Rd London 59 14 702 FOR SALE Spectrum barely used 15 more for immediate use Also printer Smallwood Treffsome 043757 644 SINCLAIRUSER October 1982 MAKE BETTER WINES WITH YOUR 16K ZX81 Enjoy wines of commercia Quality from readily available Based on wear of practical making Drow programs tenable you to design your own recipes for dry and medium wanes wath cor Woled pH toti acidity body and content 60 minute program
112. ur beep with volume control Cased complete ready to use 5 50 inc p amp p J Hunter 11 Nettleton Close Canford Heath Poole Dorset BH17 7PL SINC Built ZX81 RAM plus leads Manual P S U still boxed with QS mother board 60 Daren Fitchew 25 Woodleigh Ave Leigh on Sca Essex 559 4JA Southend 712632 2 81 32K RAM with many tapes of games advent toolkits plus books Bargain 115 Andrew Nesbitt Hampton Middx Tel Day 01 242 6844 eve 01 979 4258 SPECTRUM ASSEMBLER anzao opcode labels for addresses after JP tb BACKGAMMON uses machine code high speed 48K only GAMES TAPE 1 versions of whips 3D 0 CALL and pep Cheque PO t Pi Software 18 Pilgrim s L London SN A to Z SOFTWARE 2x81 P Adshaad 2 Waterworks Longedon perl Trent 819908 ZX SPECTRUM TAPES A Fruit Machine Wall Street Crash Reac tor Logic B Hangman Alien Escape Sweeper Trap Each tape 3 95 Cheques to J Brown Dept 29 Curtis Rd Newcastle SPECTRUM SOFTWARE Dis assembler 280 nmemonics handler For 16K or 48K model Recorded on quality C5 cassette 64 00 50 p amp p John O Harrow Drumfork Rd Helens burgh Dunbartonshire G84 7TN SPECTRUM 0 2X1 SOFTWARE COSMOS Save your fees trom t
113. ut the cursor keys produce such an instantaneous reaction that the game has a strange hypnotic fascination of its own The display shows one port at the top and three at the bottom One point is awarded for each round trip and an extra ship once all the cargo 12 loads is transported suc cessfully Control the ferry with keys 5 and8 and do not go back to an emptied quay Sent by Michael Simmonds for the 16K ZX 81 Graphics notes 80 Graphic 4 135 Graphic 8 inverse space I F THE TEST of a good program is qe 409006000666 13 185 555 C 0 AND D 0 AND Lis PRINT TAG 14 NV T 140 PRINT 2 155 E i GT 30 5 SAT 20 19 FRAT 20 25 78 iso PRINT IO giam ear 21 25 D TO 165 LET E INT 1 179 FOR 2 40 TO STEP 180 IF INK Y 5 THEM LET IF INKEY amp 6 THEN LET PLOT E Z 210 NEXT 2 230 IF 6 THEN LET G 6 1 540 IF E 26 THEN LET C C 1 dr Te n GOTO 525 260 OR E 26 OR E 46 THEN 262 GOTO 330 PAA LET 3 265 FOR 2 TO 49 978 IF IMMEv zss THEM LET IF INKEY 2 5 THEN LET G G 290 PLOT G Y 295 NEXT Y IF G 59 THEN GOTO 515 310 coro 358 315 L 520 341 LET T T 2 345 FOR 1 59 NEXT 46 IF THEN CLS 351 IF T 0 THEN PRINT GAME END
114. ve now produced the most adventurous and enjoyable chess program you can buy for your Spectrum Ten levels of play graphic display of board can change sides or level in midgame set board to any position scrolling history of moves copy display amp history to printer at any time save game at any point displays your moves and the computer s PLUS tournament style Chess Clock on reverse 3 one most Powearut ONLY Corel T RET Other great ZX games and add ons from Mikro Gen A D Converter Board Space Invaders Lets you connect analogue the best you can get with joysticks to the 2X81 digital ever increasing rate of play inputs Suitable for many other applications easy to connect Breakout and itimproves RAM pack with seven batanglestomake stability it really difficult ONLY 18 50 Bomber Joysticks positively addictive Connect via our A D Board Scrambi makes your 2X81 a true programmable games thetastest arcadetypegame machine available ONLY 9 50 EACH Sorcerer s Castle Disassembler Monitor takes you into a world of magical adventure An absolute must when learning machine code lets you enter and run your Above games li supgied on cassette m rary case own code 3 95 each ONLY 3 95 Write for full details of the Mikro Gen range of programs and add ons Wualable trom local stockists or direct from the manufa
115. wer pack boreri loudspeaker Standard 2 81 16K Romp ZON XBY Huge range o po NEW EXPLOSIVE ZX81 peq PROGRAMS AS SEEN IN THE 4TH X MICROFAIR 3D SPACE BATTLE Superior Ma gramming Incredible super fast and complex 3D graphi Spaceships Expiosi aser beams Destroy as many Alien Spaceships as you avoid their laser beams while you have energy 8 directi control with j oys unlimited Univer laser beams come to you ORCHESTRA The 2 81 plays v add ons You don t need to know playing a sequence of note names and di melodies on cassette Full speaker or an amplifier connec Only 4 96 each including airmail S order Payable to Josep Oriol Tomas Access Barclaycard number Please allow up tc delivery Coming soon Fast and complex true 16K ZX81 machine code arcade games Spectrum versions SAE fo ATTENTION ZX SUPPLIERS We terested in acquiring licensing rights to translate and market your ZX software in is is also the best way to protect your copyright we are also ted in distributing ZX hardware and books Samples VENTAMATIC MICRO INFORMATICA 1 0 Tomas Director Avda de Rhode No 253 Rosas G erona Spain SINCLAIRUSER October 1982 THE PROGRAM ENHANCEMENT PACKAGE FOR THE 2X81 16K A suite of easy to use machine code routines designed to transform your Basic programs W DEFINED SCROLL REGION 1 line to whole screen SCROLL up or down FILL SCREEN any
116. with at the discretion of Sinclair User but we do not guarantee to do in view of the need to set some limit lo this Commitment and to learn quickly of readers difficulties This guarantee covers only advance payment sent in direct response to an advertisement in this magazine not for example payment made in response to catalogues etc received as a result of answering such advertisements Classified advertisements le 256 by 192 pixel resolution ommands for USER DEFINABLE GRAPHICS M with graphics routines including PLOT PRINT PAGE CLS COPY Simple to generate your own exciting displays Siyish case which fits between ZXB1 and RAM pack 9 No additonal power supply or soldering necessary Fulmstructons provided fully quarantood NIGHT GUNNER Enemy aircraft approaching BATTLE STATIONS Survival depends upon your skill to shoot down the enemy fighters as they move in forthe attack Beware the going gets fast and furious as you survive each mission in this entertaining and challenging machine code game with excellent graphics Requires 16K RAM only FIGHTER PILOT 1Sfeet feet TOUCHDOWN Instrument landings are not always as easy as this You arein fuli control from take off to landing during this real time fight simulation of a jet fighter Written by plots tested by pilots for you to fiy pilot An excellent program Capt Senior British Airways pilot Req
117. y is 9999 the largest line number permitted The question is very sensible Each byte contains eight bits and each bit can take two values giving 2 65536 arrangements of the 16 bits in the two bytes Hence the two bytes could be used to represent any positive integer between 0 and 65535 inclusive Why limit line numbers to 9999 The reason is that by limiting in this way and by manipulating the numeric codes for variables the 2 81 has a device for distinguish ing lines in the program area from variables in the variables area To understand the mechanism at work consider the representation of 9999 Line numbers are held with their most significant byte first contrary to the usual 2 80 convention so that line number 9999 is held as a byte containing 39 followed by a byte containing 15 Now look at pages 172 to 174 of the ZX 81 Basic Programming manual and you will see illustrations of the different types of variables as they are represented in the variables area In each case the first byte contains a numeric code related to the code of the letter in the case of a number whose name is longer than one letter the first letter which identifies the variable The largest possible letter code is 63 the code for Z which is 00111111 in binary and the smallest is 38 the code for A which 13001001101 binary Clearly bits 7 and 6 are not needed when distin guishing between letter codes and bit 5 is always set to one so
118. your ship program called the Multi time compares favourably There are eight games on through a cave while sequencer It has one to other similar programs the cassette seven of bombing the enemy and major disadvangage its the market It is avail which areinmachinecode shooting their defending almost incomprehensible able from V Haynet 10 and six of them are fighters Ever popular instructions Ashlake Road Streatham arcade type games Invaders and Galaxy loaded each key London SW16 PSS PERSONAL SOFTWARE SERVICES 112 OLIVER STREET COVENTRY CV6 FE ZX 81 OWNERS YOU CAN NOW LOAD SAVE 16K IN 29 SECS WITH THE INCREDIBLE QSAVE PACKAGE FROM PSS Verify successful saving of programs Compatible with your existing recorder No hardware modifications needed No extra power supply necessary NO MORE WASTED TIME WAITING FOR PROGRAMS TO LOAD OR SAVE TOSAVE comes in two parts A HARDWARE _ simply plug the QSave amplifier fiter between your existing tape recorder and the ZX 8 all leads supplied BSOFTWARE the QSave cassette before you load a tape or key in a program You can then save and reload a tull 16K including RAMTOP in only 26 seconds I E A data transfer rate of 4000 BAUD compared with only 250 on the standard 281 Save also gives your ZX 81 a verify function just like the Spectrum which allows you to check that your programs have saved properly REVOLUTIONISE YOUR PROGRA We also have

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