WORLD^B VOL. 2 NO. 5 SEPT — OCT 1982 $2.75 From the Editor. . . COMPUTER GAMING WORLD, with the publication of this issue, has complete it’s first year of covering the computer gaming field. In this past year we have seen a tremendous growth in the hobby. Think back to what products were available to the computer gamer a year ago, then look at what is available today. There is quite a difference isn’t there? What is exciting is that next year should produce even greater advancements. This does not mean, however, that 1983 will see the large increase of software houses that characterized 1981 and 1982. Given increased com- petition in the computer gaming in- dustry and the state of the economy, it is increasingly more difficult to start a software house. This coupled with natural attrition in the busi- ness world means that we will see fewer companies in the next couple of years. However those companies that are around in two years will be stronger and better able to meet the demands of the marketplace. COMPUTER GAMING WORLD has come a long way in the past year as well. Each issue has added new features and will continue to do so. COMPUTER GAMING WORLD has, in the year of it’s existance become something of a voice for the hobby. Through reviews, columns such as Silicon Cerebrum, Atari Arcade, and Real World Gaming we have tried to provide you with enjoyable and in- formative information about the hobby. From your comments we know we are succe^ing. Our Reader Input Device has become one of our most popular features. Through R.I.D.your voice can be heard by the hobby and industry. CGW adds two new columns in this issue, INSIDE THE INDUSTRY, by Dana Lombardy (Associate Pub- lisher of Game Merchandising magazine) and ROUTE-8() THE ROAD TO ADVENTURE, a new TRS-80 column by Richard McGrath. Although not appearing in this issue Silicon Cerebrum will be back in November — December. VOL. 2 NO. 5 SEPT. — OCT. 1982 Features LABYRINTHINE 6 Computer Fiction SOFTWARE PIRACY 10 The Slaying of A Hydra MISSION 5 - COMPLETE 11 A Review of STARBLAZER STARWARS MEETS GALATIC GLADIATORS 12 A Scenario for SSFs New Game HEROIC FANTASY 13 An Interactive Role-Playing Game ATARI: EXPLOITING THE HUMAN CONNECTION 14 The Human Element in Computer Gaming GUADALCANAL CAMPAIGN 16 Review & Notes GALACTIC GLADIATORS 20 Individual Combat in the 28th Century ROBOTWAR TOURNAMENT 21 The Second Annual Robotwar Tournament THE ROAD TO GETTYSBURG 22 A Review of SSFs Game GET ON THE BANDWAGON 25 Computer Gaming by Cable CYTRON MASTERS 30 The View From A Play Tester STARSHIP COMMANDER 33 Designer's Notes NEW SCENARIOS FOR INVASION ORION 37 Scenarios For Epyx's Space Combat Game READER COMMENTS 43 Comments on the R.I.D. Cards Departments Inside the Industry 2 Initial Comments 3 Hobby & Industry News 5 Route 80-The Rood to Adventure 28 Real World Gaming 35 Micro Reviews 40 R.I.D 47 STAFF Editor: Russell Sipe Asst. Editor: Kirk Robinson Art and Layout: Tim Finkas Operations: Suzanne Sipe Typesetting: Comarco Inc. Printing: John McCoy Printing Cover Printing: Monarch Cover Art: Tim Finkas COMPUTER GAMING WORLD is pub- lished bi-monthly by Golden Empire Publications. Inc., 1919 E. Sycamore #203 Anaheim. CA. 92805. Second Class Postage Paid at Anaheim. CA. 92805. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Computer Gaming World, 1919 E. Sycamore #203. Anaheim, CA. 92805. COMPUTER GAMING WORLD Is avail- able at game stores, computer stores. 1 and through subscriptions. The sub- scription rate for one year (six Issues) is $11.00. Canadian subscriptions add $5.00. Outside of United States and Canada add $14.00 (Foreign air). All payments must be in U S. dollars, made by check drawn on a U S. bank. Visa Card. Master Card, or money order. Psalm 9: 1-2 We can be contacted on The Source (TCL920) Our phone number is (714) 776-4979 INSIDE THE INDUSTRY by Dana Lombardy. Associate Publisher Game Merchandising For the first feature in this new column for CGW, we conducted a survey of 150 computer software manufacturers to fnd out what their best selling titles are. Those who shared their sales figures with us appear on the chart on this page. It turned out that there’s no relationship between the number of new releases and how many sales the publisher’s top game will do. For example, Ad- venture International, which has sold primarily by mail order, in- troduced 55 new games in 1981 and their best seller is REAR GUARD (December, 1981) with 3,400 copies sold. On the other hand. Arcade Plus made only one game in 1981 — GHOST HUNTER (November, 1981) — and they’ve sold over 23,000 copies, almost all through stores. Obviously, selling through stores means more games sold — more of you have a chance to see a game and try it. If it’s good, the repeat sales push it up to the top of the chart. But many of the mail order companies have good games as well. The numbers on the chart hint at the way a company sells their software: through stores or by mail. Numbers alone cannot tell you how good a game is. One more note about the chart of best sellers: a clue to “hot” titles is their release date. CHOPLIFTER by Broderbund (May, 1982) and CANYON CLIMBER by Datasoft (June, 1982) are two examples of recent releases that could jump into the 20,0()0-plus category before the end of the year based on what they sold in just one month. Some firms that don’t release their sales figures still gave us interesting data. Atari’s best-selling program through APX is EASTERN FRONT, a wargame — and the winner of “Best Adventure Game for Home Computer, 1981” from the Academy of Adventure Gaming Arts and Design. Avalon HilTs Microcomputer division’s best- selling title is EMPIRE OF THE OVERMIND, an adventure game. Even though action/ arcade games like K-RAZY Shoot-Out (AT-Zlyfe) and RASTER BLASTER (BudgeCo) make up the majority of game software programs available, they don’t totally dominate the market. The fact that Atari’s and Avalon Hill’s best-sellers are non-arcade types, and others on the top sellers chart — ZORK I ( Infocom), TEMPLE OF APSHAI (Automated Simulations), WIZARD & THE PRINCESS (Sierra On-Line), WIZ- ARDRY (Sir-tech), CASTLE WOLF- ENSTEIN (Muse), APVENTURE TO ATLANTIS (Synergistic) are adventure games, points to how significant role-playing and war- game subjects are. But no matter what types of games you prefer, the numerous software manufacturers are going to continue producing a variety of titles that will keep this a vital, growing, and always interesting hobby. List of Top Sellers (as of 30 June 1982) 35.000 K-HAZY Shoot-Out (K-Byte. Jan. 1982) 32.000 Zork I (InffK'om, Feb. 1981) 30.000 Temple of Apshai (Auto mated Simulations, Auf(. 1979) 30.000 Flight Simulator (Sublof(ic Communications, Dec. 1979) 25,0(M) Hasten Blaster ( Rud^eC'o., April 1981) 25,0(M) Wizard & the Princess (Sierra On-Line, Aug. 1980) 25.000 Snack Attach (Datamost, Oct. 1981) 24.000 Wizardry (Sir-t€*ch Software, Sept. 1981) 23,0(M) Ghost Hunter (Arcade Plus, Nov. 1981) 23.000 Gorgon (Sirius Software, June 1981) 20.000 Ultima {California Pacific Computer Co., dune I9HI) 20,000 Super fni'aderiC reative Computing Software, Nov. 1979) 20.000 Castle Wolfenstein (Muse, Sept. 1981) 1 5.000 Apple Panic ( Broderbund Software, July 1981) 1 5,0(K) Scarfman (The Cornsoft Group, Aug. 1981) 1 5,(M)0 Pool i .5 ( 1 nnovati ve Desif^n Software, April 1981) 1 0.000 Galactic Chase (Spectrum Computers, Sept. 1981) 9.000 Choplifter ( Broderbund Soft ware. May 1982) 8,300 Canyon (Vimber (Datasoft, June 1982) 8.000 The Warp Factor (Strategic Simulations, Feb. 1981) 6.000 P/io/cir (Softape, Feb. 1982) 5.000 Pac Attack (Computerware, Sept. 1981) 5.000 Horizon V (Gebelli Software, Feb. 1982) 5,0(M) Dragonquest (The Program mer*s Guild., Jan. 1981) 5,0(K) Asy/i/m (Med Systems. Feb. 1981) 4.500 International Gran Prix (Riverbank Software, Aug. 1981) 3,600 Tax-Man (H.A.L. Labs. Oct. 1981) 3.500 Rocket Raiders (Artworx Software, Dec. 1981) 3,500 Apventure to Atlantis (Synergistic Software, March 1982) 3,400 Rear Guard (Adventure International, Dec. 1981) 3.000 Voyage of the Valkyrie (Advanced Operating Systems, Aug. 1981) 2.000 The Game Shoiv (Computer- Advanced Ideas, Oct. 1981) 2.000 Stone*8 Rerersal (Power- soft, Nov. 1981) 1 .000 Swordthrust nj (CE Soft- ware, May 1981) 1 ,000 Hi -Res C 'omputer Golf (Avant-Garde Oeations, Nov. 1981) 1,000 ZXSJ CVassics (Lamo- Lem Laboratories, Jan. 1982) 1 ,000 Super Stellar Trek (Rainbow ('omputing, Aug. 1981) BACK ISSUES ARE AVAILABLE Send $2.75 plus $1.00 postage and handling per copy 1.1 — The Future of Computer Wargaming; Torpedo Fire; Robotwar; B-1 Nuclear Bomber; Crush, Crumble and Chomp; President Elect; Baseball Tournament; and more. 2.1 — Napoleon’s Campaigns 1813 & 1815; The Swordthrust Series; Galaxy; Castle Wolfenstein; Tanktics; Baseball Tournament (Pt. 2); Operation Apocalypse; and more. 2.2 — Southern Command; So You Want to Write a Computer Game; Napoleon’s Campaigns Designer’s Notes; Blackjack Master; The Current State of Computer Documentation; Robotwar Tournament Winner; Tigers in the Snow; Bug Attack; David’s Midnight Magic; and more. 2.3 — Wizardry; Tactics in Eastern Front; Time Zone Interview; Voyager I; West Coast Computer Faire Photos; Long Distance Gaming; Jabbertalky; Baseball Tournament Results; Olympic Decathalon; Lunar Lander (TRS- 80); Swashbuckler; Silicon Cerebrum; Atari Arcade; Writing For CGW; and more! 2.4 — Warp Factor; Rendezvous; Economic Simulations for the Apple Controller; Graf Spee; Starship Commander; Captain 80 Adventure Book Horse Racing Classic; Knight of Diamonds; Dnieper River Line; Choplifter! Casino; and more! 2 INITIAL COMMENTS DataMost 9748 Cozycroft Ave. Chatsworth, CA 91311 BEZ 4790 Irvine Blvd., Box 19633 Irvine, CA 92714 BEZ-OFF: An arcade game in which the player moves through- out his house and the yard killing spiders, ants, and flying insects. The player controls a boot to stomp ants, uses scissors to cut spider webs or the spiders them- selves, and uses a can of in- secticide to spray flying insects in the yard. Each segment re- quires a different type of hand- eye coordination. Apple II, $32.95. * « ♦ Avant-Garde Creations P.O. Box 30160 Eugene, OR 97403 Hl-RES COMPUTER GOLF: A detailed golf simulation in which the playeRs) must not only use good strategy (e.g. where to hit the ball) but must also develop a good swing (guiding the stroke path with the keyboard).To play the game well you must learn to “read'* the greens, “play" the wind, and make difficult shots out of traps and rough. A very challenging game. Apple II, $29.95. COMPUTER GIN RUMMY: A well done version of Gin Rummy in which you play against the computer. The program also includes two other rummy games; Knock and One-Meld. Apple II, $29.95. PIG PEN: A maze - chase game in which from 1 to 8 pigs (you pick the number) attempt to slaughter you with their tusks. Instead of eating dots, your figure leaves dots behind, which help the pigs find you. The more pigs you choose to oppose, the higher your potential score. Apple II and IBM PC, $29.95. ♦ ♦ ♦ Gamma Software P.O. Box 25625 Los Angeles, CA 90025 SOCCER: A high-speed, video game for the Atari 400/800. The action is similar to their Hockey game with appropriate changes for the game of soccer. There are two four-man teams per side. One player is controlled by the joy- stick, the other three are “smart" players acting on their own. Offensive “smart" players run patterns attempting to position themselves for passes and scoring opportunities. “Smart" defensive players attempt to counter the offensive moves. $29.95. « ♦ « i Broderbund Software 1938 Fourth St. San Rafael, CA 94901 SERPENTINE: A maze - chase game in which you try to eat “evil serpents" while keeping your own giant serpent, which you ride, from being eaten. SERPEN- TINE is an interestingly different kind of maze - chase game. Apple II, $34.95. ♦ ♦ ♦ Rainbow Computing Inc. 9719 Reseda Blvd. Northridge, CA 91324 RAINBOW GRAPHICS: A graphics package for the Apple II using a joystick with two push- buttons. The package has every- thing needed to create “quality" pictures in freehand, but also allows design of modular style drawings. THE POOR MAN’S GRAPH- ICS TABLET: An assembly lan- guage graphics editor based on the Applesoft Internal hi-res subroutines. Shape table editing features are included. Black and white pictures prepared 3 by the editor can be colored by a color editor featuring an almost unlimited number of hi-res colors. Most commands require only a single keystroke. Through the use of a keyboard hi-res cursor the monitor can be used as a sort of graphics tablet. ♦ ♦ ♦ Avalon Hill Game Co. 4517 Harford Rd. Baltimore, MD 21214 VC: A simulation of political/ military warfare between guerilla forces (commanded by the computer), and pacification forces controlled by the player. The player controls ten ARVN units, a U.S. Airmobile Infantry Bat- talion, and a U.S. Artillery Battalion. The computer controls NVA and Viet Cong units. Both sides try to win the loyalty of neutral civilian population groups.The game runs on TRS-80 and Apple II computers. ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ABCDEFCHIJKLNN Y 9|( 3(C * Reston Publishing Company Reston, Virginia THE VISICALC BOOK (Apple Edition): THE VISICALC BOOK (Atari Edition): Two good looking introductions to VisiCalc. Along with predictable chapters on subjects such as the Capabilities of a VisiCalc System; Commands; Labels, Numbers, and Formulas; you will find less predictable but more unique chapters on Recog- nizing, Preventing, and Correct- ing Errors; Creating Templates; and What Our Client, Secretary, or Supervisor Needs to Know: How Others Use our Templates Successfully. Hardback and Paperback. ♦ * ♦ Hayden Book Co. 50 Essex St. Rochelle Park, NJ 07662 ALIBI: A detective game in which the player trys to determine who the murderer is, and where the murder was commited (the body was moved you see). You can question suspects, compile a notebook, and cross reference “stories” to reach your conclusion. MATHEMATICAL RECREA- TIONS FOR THE PROGRAM- MABLE CALCULATOR: A 322 page book containing a collection of recreational pro- blems for programmable hand- held calculators. The problems are grouped in three chapters. Chapter One is devoted to tech- nique, developing methods useful in solving problems and building programming skills. Chapter Two explains numerical recre- ations and Chapter Three deals with mathematical games. $14.95. ♦ ♦ ♦ Piccadilly Software Inc. 89 Summit Ave. Summit, NJ 07901 FALCONS: An arcade game similar to the coin-op game Phoenix. Players must eliminate five types of enemy forces. Direct hits will destroy an enemy unit. A “wing” hit will only cause them to regenerate. The object is to break through to the Mother Ship and destroy the alien commander. Apple II. Zeta Systems Inc. 1725 Adelaide Blvd. Akron, OH 44305 TRAILBLAZER: The authorized computer version of Metagaming's Trailblazer board game. A multi- player game of economic specu- lation in space. * United Microwave Industries, Inc. P.O. Box 7336 Van Nuys, CA 91409 RENAISSANCE: UMPs version of the popular board game Othello (Gabriel Industries). Though the game can be played with one player against another, it is designed as a one player game against the computer. There are eight skill levels and a number of useful utilities. For example, a player can change sides in the middle of a game. He can take back a move, or set up special situations. The current position of the game, which runs on the VIC-20, can be saved on tape. AMOK: Similar to the popular coin-op game Bezerk. Runs on the VIC-20 (cartridge). ♦ ♦ * MISSING NAME Our last issue contained a letter under the heading “More Strategy for Eastern Front”. The letter was written by David Myers of Austin, Texas. Sorry for the error David. 4 HOBBY & INDUSTRY NEWS Infocom will be releasing a new sci-fi adventure game by Dave Lebling sometime in October or November. The game will be called STARCROSS. ZORK III is sche^ duled for a late September release. Game Designer’s Workshop (P.O. Box 1646, Bloomington, IL 61701) has announced the formation of GameSoft, their new computer game division. The initial releases will include a computer version of their popular sci-fi role-playing sys- tem, TRAVELLF]R; computer ver- sions of existing GDW games; and new games designed specifically for computers. First releases will run on the Apple II with later versions for the Atari and other computers. SSI’s COSMIC BALANCE is now out for the Apple II and the Atari version should be out by the end of September. Look for Atari versions of CYTRON MASTERS and GALACTIC GLADIATORS in October and November respec- tively. An Atari version of their popular COMPUTER BASEBALL may be out by Christmas. BATTLE OF NORMANDY, a new division/regiment level game by SSI will be out in September. BON, by the authors of TIGERS IN THE SNOW and BATTLE OF SHILOH, will have scrolling gra- phics in the Atari and Apple ver- sions. There will also be a TRS-8() version out about the same time. SSI is presently play-testing Gary Grigsby’s new game MALTA which is based on his outstanding GUA- DALCANAL CAMPAIGN sys tern. The game may be released in November. Gary’s third game will be NORTH ATLANTIC MOD- ERN SEA COMBAT, a combined land, sea, and air game based on a fictional Russian overrun of the European Continent and Scanda- navia. Roger Keating (SOUTHERN COMMAND) is working on a new series of games for SSI entitled When Super Powers Collide. The first title will be GERMANY 1985. Other games in the series will appear at three month intervals. They are: RDF (Rapid Deployment Force); NORWAY 1985; and BAL- TIC 1985. Joel Billings of SSI des- cribes the games as “similar to •Southern Command but better”. AVANT-GARDE CREATIONS has appointed Robert M. Tappan as their Sales and Marketing Director and Steven D. Hanson as their National Sales Manager. Avant-Garde Creations (P.O. Box 30160 Eugene, OR 97403) has an- nounced a number of new utility programs. HI-RES SECRETS GRAPHICS APPLICATIONS SYSTEM ($75.00) by Don Fudge can be used alone or in connection with two other releases, HI-RES ELECTRONIC DESIGN ($29.95) and HI-RES ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN ($29.95). They have also released a program entitled SUPER QUALITY EPSON HI-RES DUMP ($25.00). All run on the Apple. Broderbund Software has a new game designing utility program on the market entitle THE ARCADE MACHINE. TAM guides the user step by step though the process of designing his own computer arcade game (Apple, $59.95). Hayden Software has added two new games to their list of Apple II games: STAR TRADERS ($19.95) and KING CRIBBAGE ($24.95). Star Traders is a game of inter- galactic trade and King Cribbage is a computerized version of the old English card game. Alpine Software (2120 Academy Circle, Suite E; Colorado Springs, CO 80909) has introduced LOV- ERS OR STRANGERS, a game that is also a compatibility evalua- tor. The game/evaluator tells two people how “right” they are for each other, and how likely they are to have a successful relationship (Apple, $29.95). [Ed. Note - what do you do if you play the game with your spouse and the program tells you that you are not “right” for each other? 1 Edu-Ware has announced the release of PRISONER 2, a new “state-of-the-art” version of their earlier PRISONER game. The game features hi-res graphics, ani- mation, and sound effects (Apple, $32.95). Sentient Software (1280 Ute Ave., Aspen, CO 81611) has announced a September release for the IBM PC version of their CYBORG sci-fi text adventure. EPYX/AUTOMATED SIMU- LATIONS has moved to a new location, 1043 Kiel Court, Sunny- vale, CA 94086. Computerware (Box 668, Man- chester Ave., Suite 102, Encinitas, CA 92024) has released EL DIA- BLERO for the Radio Shack Color Computer and the TDP System 100. The adventure game is available on cassette ($19.95) or Disk ($29.95). SILICON CEREBRUM ON VACATION Silicon Cerebrum, Bruce Webster’s popular column on artifical intelligence, is taking a brief vacation during this issue. SC will be back on it’s regular schedule with our November — December issue. 5 LABYRINTHINE Steve Rasnic Tern Mark sat at his computer in a daze, half-asleep and illshaven. having been in the offices most of the night. His stomach growled loudly as he reached into the bag by his chair for another donut. The thought that he was beginning to go to fat; that he hadn’t been out of his chair for several hours, tickled his brain then slipped silently away, leaving not a ripple of echo. He enjoyed his work: programming was the first job he’d actually been able to stick with. He supposed he was most attracted by the raw power of the small machine; the complexity, the incredible number of different operations it could perform. As if the machine were the most interesting human being to which he could possibly talk. All at his fingertips! Pressing the keys allowed him to communicate with all that power. Actually, it sometimes seemed his computer was the only thing with which he could really communicate. He stared at the screen. Something strange seemed to be happening.. .lines forming where they had no right to be. He rubbed his eyes. This sort of thing often happened, he knew, after a long stretch before the monitor. The eyesight started to go. He really should try those eye exercises Ellen had recommended. He just hadn’t yet been able to get around to it. He’d been working on this particular section of the project fourteen hours straight. He really should get across town and visit his parents.. .really should. But he hadn’t the time. Anyway, it wasn’t safe out on the streets. It seemed that every time Mark went out, he was struck by something different the streets full of broken pavements and potholes, the kids on the corners with their blaring radios and faces full of hatred, the barred store-front windows, the bottles and rocks flying past people’s cars, and, a few weeks ago, being lost downtown because he’d been thinking about his project at work and, as if sleep-walking, had gotten off at the wrong stop.. .those two kids chasing him for blocks until he’d jumped onto another bus. They’d beaten on the bus doors and screamed with narrow, twisted mouths. He’d never seen anything like it. “You have to be on your toes, Mark,” Ellen was always warning him. She had this way of looking out for him. “The city will get to you if you aren’t.” He tried to follow her advice, tried to concentrate on his surroundings when he was out there in the streets, but he was always lapsing into inattention. He had too much on his mind. ..he had the project on his mind. ..always. The lines on his monitor thickened. Mark rubbed his eyes once again. They crossed, forming boxes, lanes. Impossible. Impossible... “Ellen, could you come over here a second?” Mark looked plaintively up from his computer monitor. Ellen walked over and glanced across his shoulder. She frowned. “How’d you get that?” “I don’t know. I was loading the text of the financial report’s introduction for editing and I got this garbage.” 6 A regular arrangement of horizontal and vertical gray bars of varying lengths broke up a yellow background. Ellen hummed softly in thought. “Well, it’s not exactly garbage, but it shouldn’t be there. Looks like part of a game.” She chuckled and patted his arm. “Mark, are you sure that you loaded the piece, and didn’t type something else?” “Positive.. .and there’s no game on this disk.” “Maybe you got the wrong disk out of the files. Let’s see if we can’t get a catalog.” Ellen reached over the keyboard and tried punching keys, but the labyrinth stayed up on the screen. “I can’t get it back to the menu,” she said. Mark gazed intently at the monitor. His eyes burned. He couldn’t remember ever feeling quite so exhausted. But then, the small business financial package had kept him working overtime for weeks, and he hadn’t gotten much sleep because he’d wake up every few hours and feel compelled to write down something. He had been outside the office or his home for all that time. He had hardly been aware of the changing seasons until the day before when the first snow fell. Ellen was always warning him he would ruin his health that way. He wasn’t even sure why he didn’t listen to her. He tapped several keys with luck similar to Ellen’s, then said, “What if we turn the machine off and reboot?” Ellen flipped the switch at the back of the machine. The screen went dead. Then she flipped it back on. The gray labyrinth blossomed into life, but more complicated this time, and a small dot seemed to be moving down one of the corridors. Mark tapped the side of the monitor with his palm. The labyrinth jiggled; the small dot ran straight into a wall and disappeared. The screen suddenly went a bright red. ONE MOMENT PLEASE!!! flashed across the screen. Ellen stared at the screen, her lips pursed. “What the hell...” The menu appeared on the screen, with its normal list of choices. Ellen reached over excitedly and typed out the command for a catalog. “Only the normal utility programs. ..’’Mark said, leaning closer into the screen. He thought about taking a walk; he hadn’t just strolled for relaxation in some time. He knew that he was out of touch with the city, and the realization made him suddenly nervous. What would happen if he went out now, so out of practice? Perhaps the city would eat him alive. The labyrinth reappeared several times during the following days, within many different programs, even on different disks. The only constant seemed to be Mark and his computer. It would not appear on another computer, even with Mark as operator, and it wouldn’t appear on Mark’s computer unless he was at the keyboard. The firm brought in several specialists; the computer was taken apart and rebuilt piece by piece, but no one was able to find anything wrong with the machine. The final consensus was “Freakish Interference.” Mark got his computer back, and continued working on the financial analysis package he’d been hired to do. But he noticed that each time his concentration lagged, or he lapsed into the slightest daydream, the labyrinth was back, more convoluted with each new appearance. “You know, it looks like a city to me, Ellen,” Mark commented one day. “How so. . .” she replied distractedly. “The labyrinth. It looks a lot like the aerial view of some city. And that’s a person moving around down there.” Ellen turned to him with a tired expression. “It’s just a bug in the system, Mark. A weird one, I admit. But don’t make too much of it. I. . .well, you’ve been putting a lot of time into that financial package. Don’t take this the wrong way, but maybe you need to break for awhile.” She reached over and stroked his hair. “I get worried about you. Y ou know I enjoy this work, and sometimes I can get pretty obsessed with my job- enough that it’s a little scary sometimes. But you’re taking all this to a really unhealthy level.” Mark nodded his head slowly, hearing Ellen’s words, though actually hardly aware of her presence. He’d wanted a vacation for some time now, but had never bothered to ask. Now he wasn’t even sure he could let himself ask. He was too wrapped up in his work. Mark stared back at the screen. He pressed closer, trying to make out any detail on the dot moving through the maze. He blinked his eyes, which made it look as if the dot had moving appendages. appiG’compatibiG applG*compatiblG SELECT-A-PORT Provides switch setecuM* sockets to eiiend the fleiibility ol the APPLCVgame port. e eiwgi ewKlIy mio tSw tarn* tochtt e Afiractnrt caw matchai iha color and laalura of lha Appla* e May Ivans conyanionlly on aittiar uda of iKa Appl/or lal flat on non tkid iul*ar faat o 3 iuntdt wlactabla mcMii tiolaiad by dwdat to miwra afatmf davtca to dovwa miarf aranca o I fwitcfi tatacubia locliat aMlomatically modiliat iNa JovMrch or paddlat to oparata at ttia lacond oml in dual JoyMicii fomat or lour tama paddia famai $5995 o Larpa putMiultoni o Hishatt mduiirval eualtiy componanit ihrouehoul 0 Eatra Ions 60 mcA cordi $3995 GAME CONTROLLERS e Eatarnal trim adtuttmanit to parfactly match il to your apphcation and cemputar o Satl^aniarmson bothaaat (may badnaWadl e Two larpa puthbuitont $5995 JOYSTICK Available at your dealer or order direct Allow 2 weeks tor shipment All meil orders add $2.00 / The way, however, to kill the hydra .. is to strj^ at it’s heart, not' it ’^8 effect th^t alj^his effort heads. WHen all the smoke^nd Emphasis ha^ prices is of the a^ruments on both sides are'^, n the^'RedlVlenace” of Aa 4 ^ 5 D’s. This corporate ^raipoiaQs reflected in the wayfe after wave’'"^f new copy scheites ift ^ke last two striped af^ay, the core of 1 remains-' the price leprt^i icture/ t indivi^i^ls who br^k bqth th< own nforal codes (a^inst^staali and the] legal codfs (agains right ^^tions), primarily do so as a rebellion^o wli^t they pereeivs as price gou publishei feeling am^ owners, of software is e the aoftwai^ ^d^ipread^ re is a , pirson^J^computer 1 hrani^; that the ^rmously ov 0 rp|iced. Not unnaturally; th^teftwarfe pub- lishers prote.*^ that they Ore just trying to cover co^s. (It is interesting to note that raVely does a ijublisher say they are just bkrely ekwkg out a profit from a shcc^sful game or program.) The reati# of the matter are l^tually of high prices the publisher , and 1 f the hydra is iiyfe^a black, l ; / threat to the software otih the^ndividpals buHn the pr(]i!fes- iz^copiers ^/the b dppndated for®pofit..^ I ^^icate ^ho yiiisra, the ' and" the dpfcUli^ehi^ion. ell to ^ wei^ tl^ini^ a about^tHi#^W<^l ne of the major studms around forty percent (0f authorized returns from (fie ere counterfeit. Whisn pminent record stoiiis. country were raide^iu s of their inventori^ to be counterfeit. The- ' (try has hardly wasted a\ ij k^i^ing if you are taking feme and taping it over i0ridi,1lheir worries are much, fecehtjy in the booming video Jifiis^same cancer has been L This industry has tried hlfection, and basically has on non-commercial coping, j devoting all their efforts, ^nd the assisting efforts of the n any person or company onterfeit tapes. A really ive solution has recently to combat this problem. A Roe R. Adams, comparty has found a way of making very thin'plastic optical disks, that bear (so they hope) an uncopyable logo, much like a bank note. These disks areaffixed to each package by the manufacturer and are not trans- ferable from package to package- Thus the bonsUffiep; cab r^a^ly identify that the£rare^ b trying an> authorized pfbduet. ^ ^The real heart of the hyd^ra is the facTlRat for a two ddTIar di^k, and five to ten dollars worth^af bjjst, a two to five hundred dollar Cin be duplicated and resold. That is a treme ndous margin^Aat willdraw ^^nosesame dupli&tors into computer software, as it did into reooids and video. Several farsighted firms are taking steps to combat what will be the REAL problem of the next five years. Several of them are putting onto each diskserial numbers, to aid the F.B.L,^in tracking down the software "pipeline. Infocom (Zork, Deadline, Starcross) has tackled it from a different angle. Their are using extensive supplemental merchandising" and packaging to pir^y. Their approach is to ^ the extra ^‘goodies” so at- that pedple will want to buy thett get them, even when tfie^i^pB^btain a “free” copy. In a Avalon Hill and S^g^gic Simulations have been puttn% playing boards and counters ip their disks. Hi^i^cally though, in the final anal>®^ Jt will be through the deportafto^ o.Csi^ that the compan^V^^Tt finafify be able to protect^ems^yee:froni - thje4>rofes- sion^^ 'Byi nbfrs^^ing, so muqJi,#i,thtSt,f‘t 4 rhb, fcalfehfc afid dol^i^on^phqmiibnjJ ihefiqftiv^e bf their kditt^ar^. more the|pi7j^b0mek4u^%4 ^^the mtefest in the softwar^y thlfehro^ssional girates.’^TJii^ is illustTaied'^n the September (| i^sue of InfoWhi-ld where Dick Brass, president of Di