Subject: PORTABLE ADDICTION Keywords: LYNX PORTFOLIO ATARI Date: 2 Jul 91 07:50:37 GMT Sender: a15@nikhef.nl (Peter Heymens Visser) _________________________________________________________________________ PORTABLE ADDICTION ISSUE #02 THE Newsletter for Lynx and Portfolio Freaks _________________________________________________________________________ Editor - Tjerk "MegaJerk" Heymens Visser Editorial Assistant - Yiri "NeuroMancer" Kohl With special thanx to: Andre "ALU" Luyer, Mr.Doom, Decoder, BJ Gleason (for being such a great PFolio programmer), FunTronics Computer Shop (for being so slow with their imports), Robert Jung (for the extra info on fidelity chess). _________________________________________________________________________ Introduction... Aaargh! Wotta month this has been! First of all this newsletter ascii file corrupted. Then, after reconstructing it, we had our exams! And then the biggest problem arose!!! Since this is the first time we've done the newsletter on a PC, there were some problems in uploading it. We didn't have a PC near our modem, so a friend had to do it. Our *friend* then found out that his account on Internet had expired! But finally here it is! Now this issue has become a little bit lame, because of the afore men- tioned problems. Some featured had to be left out, like an interview with Stephen Landrum, and most of the stuff that our editor, MegaJerk, wrote. We'll have all these features included next month. Next month the entire Portable Addiction will have a new face, too. From then on we'll also cover the Sega Game Gear. And in two months, our Portfolio section will be gone. Sad, but true! Anyway, share and enjoy! And let us know what youƒ‚€O€χžNp„ŽŽNpðòrrrrrOÏ‚‚Ö€ŒÌÏðòrrrrrOϘ ‚€‚ÏžŽðð‡À„@ÀÏ’OƒŽˆO‚ˆ σ‚O‚O€ˆÏ„ˆ ππˆ€BO€€Ï€Oˆ‚‰ðÏÏÏÏÏππ‚ Ï€ˆO€Ï€O€OƒˆOˆÏ€€ ˆÏ€ψ„€„AÏ„O‡ˆpÏÏÏÏÏψÏ€O€€O€ŽÏ‚Oƒ‚€Np€__________ +--------------------------------+ HOT (OUCH!) NEWS AND GOSSIP... +--------------------------------+ PANTHER: It seems that there will be the possability of ComLynx with the panther console. This would mean that you could connect your Lynx with a panther for multi-player games! Sound like an original idea! PORTFOLIO: The internal RAM-expansion is now officially available. Here, in Europe it costs about $250,-. This set will upgrade your D-Ram to the astonishing amount of 640K. PORTFOLIO: Although the normal Atari modem for the Portfolio runs at the very low 1200 baud, there seems to be a 2400 baud model. We are still trying to find out more about it, so you'll hear more when we got it. W*#'¦$§&·¹20·26·¹29·³:;°¹24¹1·¶´·37ºº37¹:44¹64º:62292°¶…*42¹24¹7³34±´°¶9·³:;°¹237¹9°¶290·3´·3397¶˜:7˜'·27³:42¹²84²±²¹7³9·³:;°¹24¹092¸60±²¶²·:37¹:4224°¹<—+²“¶640»2…3:¶692»4²»¹72¼:6··:4…&,§,42¹2“¹9·¶²72»¹37¹7º¹"º¹7¸2°·92°²2¹9 º0¹4"º¹7¸2;ill N@õ124¶¸7¹:4·3:42&<·<6°¹5$¤4·:7"º¹7¸2:44¹!´94¹º6°¹)·¶²82·¸62…9°¼:40º:42¼;´¶6274º4·:426´²2627³72¼:<²°¹1:º$27º±::40º;2¹<6º±´ ¹3´…# ¦¢#¢ ©#4·0¶6<92¶2°¹²²4·"º¹7¸2*42*+ ²0¸:2¹;´¶61260º·1´2²;2¹<9···:7·— ·29´·1²:44¹:44·3¼4¹87¹:0±62–;²“¶6121·»2¹4·34º397¶72¼:6··:47·4·(7¹:0±62 ²24±º4··…&,§,(97¹¸2±º937¹:42&<·<4·"º¹7¸20¹2;2¹<3··²0º:426·¶²·:*42&<·<1·¹º97·6<6·¹2:42·:42#°¶²¡7¼—*44¹6²°·9:40º:42…&<·<;´¶69···40»20;s comments/criticisms about our newsletter and you can't write to our Use-net address, you can send them to: Tjerk Heijmens Visser Jacob van Lennepkade w.s. "Tjerk" t.o. 36 1054 ZX Amsterdam The Netherlands LETTERS!! --------- James Hague: >For example, you gave RoboSquash a 5 but the note next to the number says it's >"pathetic." Please don't write weenie reviews by always trying to come up >with something positive. And: >If something really stinks, please say so. Reaction: A game can be pathetic but it can be saved by it's music or graphics. Maybe you're happy with the Gauntlet III review. >Why a newsletter about both the Lynx and Portfolio? They have ABSOLUTELY >nothing in common except that they are portable and produced by Atari. SO WHAT! >One is a "real" computer and one is a game machine; there is no overlap >between the two user bases. Reaction: You're right but it can be interesting to read something about the Portfolio even if you don't have one. BTW have you seen PTetris?? Corey Liu: >Nice job guy's! The more I hear about the Lynx, the harder it is to resist >the temptation to get one! Reaction:Just what we need, more Lynx fanatics!!! Na Choon Piaw: >Looks interesting, but the tips section doesn't seem to cover anything >not covered already in rec.games.video Reaction: You're right but we live in Holland(do you know where that is?) and all the news(like magazines and new games)arrives later here. Thanks to everybody who replied to us about the newsletter, we are sorry we can't answer each of you personally or react to your comments in the newsletter because we had lots of reactions even from Cyber Labs!!). Special thanks to: Andre "ALU" Luyer And everybody who have spread our newsletter on the various BBS' Here follows a questionaire because we would like to know how our readers like the newsletter. 1) Which systems do you own? PC Atari ST/TT Amiga 500/2000/3000 Portfolio Lynx Game Boy Game Gear Famicom 2) Do you find PA: boring mmm nice megagreat 3) Do you wish PA to appear: weekly once in every 2 weeks monthly 4) Do you want PA to be: longer shorter as it is 5)What do you think of PA's reviews? I wipe my but with them, they stink too dated not enough info good mega great a15@nikhefh.nikhef.nl Yiri Kohl and Tjerk Heijmens Visser c/o Peter Heijmens Visser National Institute for Nuclear Physics and High Energy Physics ( NIKHEF-H ) Computer Department Postbox 41882 1009 DB Amsterdam - Netherlands. . other aspects of the game. The control method is a very effective and easy-to-use one. The home computer versions of Shanghai all had mouse control, but the joypad is just as convenient! The game is very user-friendly too. Everything is done using option menu's and the like! The instructions are also build in AND you'll never have to reset your Lynx, because you can restart just as easy from a menu! Great! The graphics are very well drawn, although I know people who have difficulties with reading the tiles. Everything is drawn in perfect detail, and the whole game looks very professional. There are nice pictures throughout the game to keep you happy, and everything is done in a nice eastern style. The sound, too, is very good. The game has many tunes throughout, with four selectable in-game tunes and an option for sound-fx. Conclusion; Shanghai is a MEGAGREAT game, but is only good for puzzle -freaks. +-RATINGS-----------------------------------------+ Graphics - 8.5 : Very effective and clear Sound - 8.0 : Jolly tunes throughout Playability - 9.5 : Instant appeal Lastability - 9.0 : You'll play this a LONG time! Overall - 9.0 : Great! You'll be hooked forever! +---------------------Neuromancer-----------------+ _________________________________________________________________________ M E G A - M A G A Z I N E S There were some people who were interested in the European computer magazines, so here follows a short description of the leading mags. The One - now divided in two seperate magazines (Amiga & ST). This mag is namely for games players. Includes a coverdisk. A.C.E. - a mag for real computerfreaks. Games are reviewed here, but there are more features, like on VR, programmers etc.etc. C.U. - Commodore User Amiga, a cross between The One and ACE. This mag, too, includes a coverdisk. Video - A German magazine for consoles only. Very good with the most Games recent games. ZZAP! - A really pathetic C64 magazine. For $4,- you get 50 pages!!! Raze - Formerly The Games Machine. A very good magazine for all formats. Mean - THE console mag. Extremely good mag, although they do not Machines cover the Lynx. C+VG - Or Computer & Video Games. A cheap mag in every meaning of the word, but since they cover Lynx games, I like them. Of course these are only the popular mags, and as you can see, there aren't much console mags out there! It's possible to get these mags in the US, but then you should take a subscription. This will cost you a hell of a lot more than the usual subsciption price, since the English add about $15 for their overseas readers (can you believe it!). If there is anyone interested I will send them the address where to go for the magazine. _________________________________________________________________________ PORTFOLIO... Just a little note to all the readers out there. ALL the software we test for the PortFolio is either Shareware or Public Domain, unless we state different. Thank you! This month we didn't have much to test on the PFolio, so this section is rather small. I promise, however, that next month there shall be a lot more. We'll then have an in-depth view at all commercial software currently available for our little baby. _________________________________________________________________________ PORTFOLIO Review MERLIN.COM from: BJ Gleason Well, we had to test something, didn't we? So here's MERLIN, once again a game from that BJ Gleason bloke! And this time it's a real nice game, too! In Merlin you are presented with a nice 3 X 3 grid. Some of the blanks in the grid will be inverted when you start the game. The idea is to make the entire grid blank. You can do this by using the number keys. 1,3,7 and 9 will invert four boxes in the corresponding corner. 2,4, 6 and 8 will invert the corresponding 3-in-a-row along the side, and 5 will invert a cross. Merlin is the first game on the PortFolio that keeps my interest. While it's very simple you can just boot it up for a quick go. The sound of the PortFolio is used quite nicely, although it must drain on your batteries! Merlin.Com is so small that you won't have any troubles with your disk space. Nice program, BJ! _________________________________________________________________________ PORTFOLIO... Warning: it seems that the Portfolio Toolkit 2.0, described in an earlier issue of PA, causes programs on your RAM-disk to corrupt slightly. This makes your system crash more often! _________________________________________________________________________ SWAPPING SERVICE Our swapping service has returned! For sale - Road Blasters Trade for - Shanghai Or sell for - $25,- or best offer Address - a15@nikhefh.nikhef.nl _________________________________________________________________________ P O R T A B L E A D D I C T E D M E G A P L A Y E R S +-----------+ HI - SCORES +-----------+ +----------------------------------------------+ Game Score Name +----------------------------------------------+ BMX 1175 MegaJerk Rygar 1590340 Neuromancer Surfing 10980 MegaJerk Zarlor M. 3.500.000 MegaJerk +----------------------------------------------+ Well, these were the only scores worth mentioning! So get your scores coming in! We want MEGAPLAYERS!!!! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yeaaah! _________________________________________________________________________ LYNX Preview Strider II from: US Gold/Atari It's nice to see more and more companies supporting the Lynx. Now US Gold has joined as well. If this game will remain under the US Gold label is yet unknown, as US Gold may yet sell the game to Atari. Strider II follows the same plot as the desk top versions. The female world leader has been kidnapped and take to a secret location. It is the usual "You're the only one who can save the day" story from here on, so you set out to rescue her. This takes you through five levels: a forest, the planet's outer defences, underground caverns, the generating station and the kidnappers' space craft. The graphics look terrific and are a GREAT leap forward for the Lynx. In fact the whole game looks better than, say, the Amiga version! MEGA! >From what we've seen it should be a very playable, if a little small, game. However, a lot can change during development of games so we hold our breath and hope for a good game. But then again, this game would be worth buying anyway, if only it was for the graphics! _________________________________________________________________________ T H E L Y N X S O F T W A R E T O P 1 O This is our very own Lynx top 1O. Independant of all the other charts, We don't look at sales figures (a bad game can still be popular thanks to good marketing!). We wish to know what our readers think! So send your very own top 5 or top 1O to us, now! _________________________________________________________________________ +-------------------------------------+ S C R E E N S C E N E E U R O P E or: How Could Nintendo fail like this +-------------------------------------+ Nintendo, now a powerfull force in the world of consoles. But how did they get there? Well, the answer is simple: good marketing! They took the world by storm with their NES, and now they're doing the same with the Super Famicom. Or are they? Here in Europe we know about the NES for a long time, but it's only One stinkin' year ago since Nintendo launched it officially here! Why? Well, they've tried to launch the thing before, but it just didn't work! Why??? Here, the answer isn't simple. Sega had just launched their Master System when Nintendo first tried to take over Europe. This was bad timing from Nintendo. They didn't stand a chance against the vast Sega-user base. That was four years ago! Then there was an attempt about two years ago. At then, a lot of people were just turning to Amiga's and ST's. There were also a lot of smart people waiting for the Sega Megadrive/Genesis. Again, very bad timing! One year ago, however, a miracle happened. Des