QL Bounder

ZX Computing

QL SOFTWARE A round up of all that's new for the QL on the games, graphics and utilities scene. Two years after the launch of the QL much of the games software for the machine is still getting indifferent reviews. Not surprisingly, since, with one or two exceptions, none of it is much more sophisticated than the sort of games that were available on the Spectrum two years ago. Of course the problem is that few companies are likely to produce megagames for the QL until the size of the user-base justifies the development costs. Even so, there have been a few programs emerging just recently that are worth a second look. CHIPS IN SPACE Cuthbert in Space by Microdeal doesn't do much to push back the frontiers of QL programming, but it is a fairly enjoyable zap game in which you fly a space shuttle around the screen, collecting treasure and blasting the intergalactic Police Force. It's a pity that the game costs £14.95. Realtime Software's Knight Flight is a version of the arcade game, Joust. I've always had a soft spot for Joust ever since I first played the original arcade game and this is a very good version, with colourful graphics, smooth animation and a two player option which is great fun. Once again though the £14.95 price tag is a bit steep. OWN BRAND SOFTWARE The main supporter of the QL has always been Sinclair Research themselves and they've produced a mixed bag of programs of late. QL Jabber is a mediocre zap game that's little improvement on Space invaders, whilst QL Quboids is a colourful version of Digger. Here you face 20 screens full of platforms and hostile germs that you have to destroy by first drilling holes in the platforms for them to fall into, then you sneak up on them and drill holes in their heads it's reasonably enjoyable for a while, but still not much more advanced than many Spectrum budget titles. QL Bounder is a bit better, being a Jet Set Willy type game in which you guide a character called Quentin Jump through nearly 60 screens' worth of all the usual platform game lunacy. It's not a brilliant piece of programming, but a good platform game is always good for a few weeks' worth of fun, and the screens are varied enough to make this possibly the best of the current crop of arcade games for the QL. Like all of the Sinclair programs mentioned so far QL Bounder costs £9.95. QL GRAPICS The QL is much better served by its utilities than by its games software, and in particular there are a number of good graphics utilities available. Psion have produced some of the best QL software, and their QL Draw (£14.95) is based on the utility that they used in developing the graphics for their excellent Matchpoint games, which should give you an idea of what it's capable of. The program concentrates on colour handling rather than lots of shape-drawing options, but there is a facility for defining shapes which can then be manipulated in a variety of ways. Also at £14.95 is Paint Master from Shadow Games. This program isn't as easy to use as the Psion package, but it does have more commands for drawing shapes and also includes a short demonstration program showing how its screen displays can be incorporated into graphic adventures. This feature is particularly useful and makes me wonder why no one has yet produced a graphic adventure for the QL. UTILITIES Two major complaints about the Sinclair QL soon after its launch were the slow operating speed of SuperBASIC (no better than the 8-bit BBC micro) and the failure to meet the pre-launch promise to allow SuperBASIC programs to multitask (more than one program operating at one time). A new software package aptly named 'Supercharge' sets out to rectify both faults. Supercharge from Digital Precision, is a BASIC compiler; this converts SuperBASIC programs into machine code. As such, the programs run much faster, they can multitask, and, in general, they take up less RAM. The Supercharge package contains a 100 page A4 loose leaf manual, which can be bound in the User Guide, a single cartridge containing the software, and a security device called the 'Lenslok'. The version of Supercharge used in this review was v1.06; at the time of writing, the most recent version. Using the compiler is simplicity itself. First load the SuperBASIC program to be compiled then load the compiler. Once into Supercharge, the operator merely has to select a name for the compiled code, and whether or not a compilation listing is required, and a compilation report. Then away it goes. In four passes the code is generated (stored temporarily on the display file) in a matter of minutes, stored on disc or cartridge. The compilation report listing can be viewed on screen, or sent to a microdrive or printer. One of the attractions of the system are the well documented reports. The type of machine code produced is called 'threaded' code. This is not as fast as code produced with an assembler, but it should be fast enough for most applications. In tests, the claimed speed increase over SuperBASIC of 30 to 1000 times was substantiated, although this applied more to loops and mathematical expressions. The largest gains are made with long programs; SuperBASIC slows down as the program length increases but the speed of Supercharge coded programme is independent of length. The speed increase of the graphics commands was far more modest. Unlike 'pure' machine code. Supercharge threaded code has the advantage of producing error messages if runtime errors are encountered, rather than crashing! Supercharge requires 60K of RAM to operate, leaving only 28K as a maximum for SuperBASIC programs (about 250-1000 lines) in the unexpanded QL. However the code produced is more compact than SuperBASIC and, particularly with long programs, loads far faster with EXEC or EXEC W. The price for this product is rather high (£59.95), so is likely to appeal to the specialist user only, But the extensive claims for the product could not be faulted, and Supercharge will provide an easier alternative to assembly language, or other compiled languages, for those wanting extra speed and multitasking on the QL JOSS is a new low-price utility for the QL from WD Software which is aimed at the user who is all fingers and thumbs. If you get very annoyed at your QL when, at the slightest mistake, the machine makes you type again a 'load' or 'copy' command line, then help could be at hand. JOSS stands for Joystick Operated Software System'. Using a joystick connected to CTL1 (or the cursor keys), the user can move a cursor around a screen, pressing fire (or space) to select a number of options. Unlike 'GEMMike systems, words are used instead of icons. By going against the current fashion for symbols, the author of JOSS has created a system which is easier to master. A six page booklet is provided which takes you on a 'guided tour' of the available facilities. By first selecting a default microdrive, or floppy disc drive, the user can then obtain a directory, load or run any BASIC file (pre-selecting monitor or TV mode), or copy the file to another device - all without touching the keyboard. Other facilities include setting the QL's clock, setting the baud rate to any output device, sending or listing files on the printer, and formatting cartridges the recommended six times. Using Mode 4, JOSS has a colourful screen display, using colours to highlight commands which may cause problems. But in using the QL's 40 column mode, the screen is rather overcrowded. Also, the cursor was slow to respond, which at times, was frustrating. At £15 for the microdrive version, and £17 for JOSS on disc, this utility is reasonably priced. The overall conclusion - a poor man's ICE.

Your Sinclair

Graphics 8/10

Playability 9/10

Value For Money 8/10

Addictiveness 8/10

Overall 8/10

Andrew Pennell 8/10

QL SOFTWARE Here's Andy Pennell's round-up of the latest games for the QL. The ideas behind them may not be that new but the programming's well up to standard. QL BOUNDER Sinclair £9.95 Reviewer: Andrew Pennell Now why wasn't this called QL JSW? After all, it's a pretty straight-forward platform game. But then again, platform games are still a rare breed on the QL and even though I've played millions on my Speccy, I still enjoyed QL Bounder. So, what's the plot? Well, you're a very neatly animated man who, surprise surprise, has to collect a large number of bags of money from fifty-nine different locations each of which is stocked with baddies and obstacles injurious to the player's health. Not very original, I grant you, but it's been implemented extremely well and just goes to show that QL games can be better than their Speccy equivalents. The sound effects are a bit thin - just a lot of beeps that sound little better than Speccy originals though they're somewhat more audible and they don't interrupt the game at all. Plus, a great deal of imagination has gone into the graphics - just take a butchers at those vicious looking lawnmowers and mousetraps, though there are some less original ideas like bouncing boots. Certain M Smith-type features are missing altogether - no stairs - but altogether the game is excellent. Without a doubt the best of its type on the QL.