DK'Tronics Light Pen

Personal Computer News

PLUG IN PARAPHERNALIA Our eight-page guide to Christmas peripherals. PICK OF THE PRINTERS MONITORS IN FOCUS DISK DRIVES ASSESSED ...AND OTHER ADD-ONS DECIPHERING THE PERIPHERALS PUZZLE Once you've had a computer for a little while,you may be wondering what else you can do with it, aside from playing games and writing the odd program. Buying one of the wealth of peripherals currently on the market can open up a whole new realm of possibilities, by presenting new programming challenges, new types of software,and providing more capabilities for your computer. The problem is, what to buy, for how much,and where from? Probably the most uninteresting peripherals are printers,which are only of real use for word processing, screen dumps,and program listings. These come in many different types, sizes, prices and capabilities,from dot matrix to daisywheel. Of much more interest these days are modems. Unfortunately,they can give you that dreaded disease known as Hackery, which includes symptoms such as high telephone bills, sleepless nights and no interest in anything else. Other add-ons include light pens and touch pads for budding computer artists. These generally come with some software, but make sure when you buy that there are some details on howto program it yourself. The same applies to joysticks and tracker balls. On some machines handling these is easy but on others, such as the Spectrum and Electron, things area little more difficult. There are so many gadgets available that it would be impossible to name them all. Out of these, perhaps the most exciting are second processors, some of which can turn your humble home micro into something approaching the power of a minicomputer. Others are just add-ons to allow a sought after CP/M system. These are much more common, being available for the BBC, Commodore 64, Amstrad CPC464, and Sinclair QL, to name but a few. One point to bear in mind when you buy something extra for your micro is what you are going to do with it when you become fed up with the applications that come with it. If you make sure that there are details on how to access and control it, you will be able to write your own routines to run it, thereby giving it a whole new lease of life. PCN's six page peripherals guide should give you some idea of what is available, how much you should expect to pay, and where you can get them from. PRINTERS Many people think they can live without printers, probably due to their high prices, but eventually you'll probably want one for your microcomputer. There are a number of types around, from the more expensive daisy wheels to the cheaper thermal or ballpoint pen printers. Not to be forgotten, too, are the ubiquitous dot matrix and the ink jet types. The former are generally judged by their Epson compatibility and features. Once the type of printer has been decided upon, there are then a number of additional features to choose from, print buffers, RS232 or Centronics, graphics capabilities, redefinable character sets, and speed being just a few. A printer with all of these the Smith Corona D200 for example - can cost up to £500. Alternatively, a ballpoint pen plotter such as a MCP-40 will cost around £150, but this only takes narrow paper and doesn't give you half the facilities. THERMAL BROTHER EP-22 The EP-22 is quite cheap and will take either thermal paper or a carbon ribbon. It has a keyboard, which makes it a word processor too. PRICE: £169.95 INTERFACES: RS232 REVIEW: Issue 35 FEED MECH: Pinch PRINT MECH: Thermal paper or thermal carbon ribbon PAPER SIZE: A4 width SPEED (APPROX): 16cps POWER SUPPLY: 4 U2 batteries AVAILABILITY: Brother [redacted] BROTHER HR5 The HR5 thermal printer from Brother basically uses the same mechanism as the EP-22 and EP-44. PRICE: £180.55 INTERFACES: RS232 REVIEW: Issue 47 FEED MECH: Pinch PRINT MECH: Thermal paper or carbon ribbon PAPER SIZE: A4 width SPEED (APPROX): 16cps POWER SUPPLY: 4 U2 batteries AVAILABILITY: Jones & Brother [redacted] DOT MATRIX SMITH CORONA D200 If you want a dot matrix that does nearly everything for your needs then the Smith Corona D200, at £483, is a good buy. PRICE: £483 INTERFACES: RS232 and Centronics, both fitted REVIEW: Issue 87 FEED MECH: Pinch and tractor PAPER SIZE: A4 width SPEED: 160cps FEATURES: 2K internal buffer, NLQ AVAILABILITY: Smith Corona dealers WALTERS WM80 If you just want a workhorse with no fancy bits, then choose a bottom-end machine such as this. PRICE: £189.75 INTERFACES: RS232 or Centronics REVIEW: Issue 43 FEED MECH: Pinch and tractor PAPER SIZE: A4 width SPEED: 80cps AVAILABILITY: Walters Microsystems International, [redacted] COLOUR INTEGREX COLORJET The Integrex Colorjet is mainly for BBC and Apple owners. A BBC screen dump program comes with this very versatile printer. PRICE: £632.50 INTERFACES: RS232 and Centronics REVIEW: Issue 51 and 44 FEED MECH: Pinch PAPER SIZE: A4 width SPEED: 37cps AVAILABILITY: Integrex [redacted] COMMODORE MPS 801 There are no frills on this and you will have difficulty attaching it to anything except a Commodore. PRICE: £395.95 INTERFACES: I triple Commodorey REVIEW: Issue 79 FEED MECH: Pinch and tractor PAPER SIZE: A4 width SPEED: 38cps AVAILABILITY: Commodore [redacted] DAISIES JUKI 6100 The Juki 6100 has above average speed at 17cps and is a nice cheap daisy wheel printer although it does have a few rough edges. PRICE: £385.25 INTERFACES: RS232 and Centronics REVIEW: Issue 17 FEED MECH: Pinch WHEEL TYPES: Triumph Adler PAPER SIZE: Up to 13in SPEED: 17cps AVAILABILITY: Most dealers SMITH CORONA L1000 The L1000 from Smith Corona is a good quality printer if a little noisy and slow. £50 extra for a parallel interface. PRICE: £368 INTERFACES: RS232 and Centronics REVIEW: Issue 78 FEED MECH: Pinch and optional tractor feed WHEEL TYPES: Smith Corona PAPER SIZE: Up to 13in SPEED: 12cps AVAILABILITY: Smith Corona dealers MODEMS Modems could well be classed as the up and coming peripheral of 1985. With the rapid growth of bulletin boards and the increase in Prestel-type systems, the number of cheap modems available has doubled since last year. One of the problems that beset their introduction was BABT/BSI approval. The modems had to be sent to the BABT or BSI for testing for compatibility with BT's telephone network. By the middle of 1984, there were so many modems awaiting the green sticker that people started selling them without. Things have settled down a bit now and there are a number of good modems on the market. These can be split up into different types - direct connection, acoustic coupler, single speed, or multi speed. The standard transmission speeds are 300/300 and 120005. The first is generally used for bulletin boards, although both Prestel and Telecom Gold are available on this speed. Whatever modem you buy, make sure you get one that fits your needs as far as baud rates go, otherwise you may feel a bit left out. COMMODORE COMMUNICATIONS Those with a Commodore 64 needn't feel left out. The Commodore Communications modem gives you access to Compunet, of course, and also Prestel. In the near future, Commodore is going to produce some software to allow user to user communication. If you want to use the various bulletin boards, you will have to acquire an RS232 port and a standard 300 modem. PRICE: £99.95 BATA?: Yes BAUD RATES: Full duplex 1200/75 INTERFACE: Commodore cartridge port and direct connection to BT CONTACT: Commodore dealers PRISM VTX 5000 One of the most popular modems for the Spectrum is the Prism VTX 5000. If you only want access to Micronet and Prestel it is ideal, although it can have a few problems with Interface 1. The way around this is to connect the whole system up without the modem and let it warm up (go and make a cup of coffee). Once warm, the VTX5000 can be connected (after powering down again) and it will work. PRICE: £99.95 BATA?: Yes BAUD RATES: Full duplex 1200/75 INTERFACE: Spectrum system bus and direct connection to BT CONTACT: Micronet 800, [redacted] PACE NIGHTINGALE The Pace Nightingale is another multi speed modem with both Bell and CCITT frequencies. It is a hard wire modem ie it connects directly into the telephone socket. Built mainly to be used with the BBC, for which the Commstar ROM is available, the complete package costs about £136. It is also available for any other RS232 compatible communications package. PRICE: £136.85 BATA?: Yes BAUD RATES: Full duplex 300/300 1200/75 INTERFACE: RS423/232 CONTACT: Pace Software [redacted] MINOR MIRACLES WS2000 The Minor Miracle WS2000 is great for bulletin board hackers and Prestel users alike. It lacks auto dial and auto answer facilities, which are a little expensive at £30 each but at least you're given the option. PRICE: £149.44 Auto dial and answer boards extra at £30 each BATA?: Yes BAUD RATES: Full duplex 300, 1200/75, half duplex 600,1200 INTERFACE: RS232 with DTR, RTS, CTS, DCD handshaking EXTRAS: Also has the Bell 103/113, 108, 202 and CCITT, V21, V23 tones standards fitted. CONTACT: Minor Miracles [redacted] SENDATA 700B For the ultimate in portability, it is hard to beat the Sendata 700B acoustic modem, distributed by Tandy. This modem will fit onto any standard telephone via its flexible connector so you can use it in a phone box if you don't mind the pips corrupting your data. PRICE: £235 BATA?: Yes BAUD RATES: Full duplex 300/300 INTERFACE: RS232 to the computer, and acoustic modem to BT CONTACT: Sendata [redacted] MONITORS The major excuse for not buying a monitor is that it's not strictly necessary if you have a TV. The counter arguments are that with a monitor you can see your superb high-resolution graphics with less eyestrain. The clincher is that someone else might want to watch TV. You mostly measure a monitor's quality by its bandwidth. This defines how fast the individual dots are scanned on the screen so obviously the faster it does this, the better the picture will be. 10MHz is at the low end of the range with the better colour monitors having over 20MHz. Another consideration is whether to buy colour or monochrome. The latter comes in various different coloured phosphors, usually green on green. Other options are orange on orange or grey on grey, if you want full colour, you must pay quite a lot more for high quality. If you are not too bothered about that there are a number of converted TV tube monitors available for much less. CHEAP COLOUR At the very cheap end come the JVC and Fidelity converted TV tube-type monitors. The JVCs come in two different versions, medium- and high-resolution. The 1302-2 is the high-resolution version but has a rather dirty white. This is generally caused by the quality of the phosphors used. However, it's not at all bad for £229.95. The lower priced version, the 1302-1, costs less at £149.95 but the bandwidth is not as good. MONITOR: JVC 1302-1/1302-2 PRICE: £253 RESOLUTION: 370 x 470 pixels/580 x 470 CRT SIZE: 14in/14in BANDWIDTH: 6MHz/10MHz CHARACTERS: 80 x 25/80 x 25 CONNECTION: RGB analogue/TTL SYNC: Pos or neg AVAILABILITY: Opus Supplies, [redacted] The Fidelity CM14 resembles the JVCs ie it's a converted TV tube. Its advantage is that it can be interfaced to a number of different machines, and has a built-in speaker and amplifier to allow access to, for instance, the Commodore 64's sound output. Cables for a number of machines are available from Tape Recorder Spares. One drawback to the CM14 is that it gives a better picture with some computers such as the Oric, but a bad one with others, notably the Dragon. MONITOR: Fidelity CM14 PRICE: £228 RESOLUTION: 370 x 470 pixels CRT SIZE: 14in BANDWIDTH: 12MHz CHARACTERS: 80 x 25 CONNECTION: RGB TTL, Audio input (1Kohm imp) SYNC: Pos or neg AVAILABILITY: Micro Peripherals [redacted] BETTER QUALITY Near the top of the range of colour monitors are Kaga, Microvitec, and one from Prism. The latter looks suspiciously like the Fidelity although it is better quality. The Kaga monitors come in a range, at the top of which is the Vision III. This has a black anti-glare tube and good colours. MONITOR: Kaga Vision III PRICE: £370 RESOLUTION: 640 x 440 CRT SIZE: 12in BANDWIDTH: 18MHz CHARACTERS: 80 x 25 CONNECTION: RGB AVAILABILITY: MBS Data Efficiency, [redacted] The Cub is popular and usually found attached to BBCs. The range is wide but the standard version is probably the most common. MONITOR: Microvitec Cub 1431 PRICE: £225 RESOLUTION: 452 x 585 CRT SIZE: 12in BANDWIDTH: 18MHz CHARACTERS: 80 x 25 CONNECTION: RGB TTL AVAILABILITY: Dealers MONOCHROME There are several monochromes around, and again, you pay for quality. A very average green-on-green monitor is Zenith's. This produces a fairly good picture on its 12in tube. It does have a switched option to allow the screen size to be altered between 40 or 80 columns. MONITOR: Zenith 123E PRICE: £90.85 RESOLUTION: 640 x 300 CRT SIZE: 12in BANDWIDTH: 18MHz CHARACTERS: 80 x 25 or 40 x 25 CONNECTION: Composite video AVAILABILITY: Most dealers Since most home micros now have an RF output socket as standard, many people want to use them with TVs. The quality of picture varies but the Sony Trinitron range is generally the best. MONITOR: Sony Trinitron KV1430 PRICE: £249 RESOLUTION: 320 x 250 CRT SIZE: 14in CHARACTERS: 60 x 25 CONNECTION: UHF switchable. AVAILABILITY: Electrical stores STORAGE Most home micros can only store data and programs on cassette, which can be a major hassle. The first big upgrade step that most micro owners take is some kind of fast access, mass storage system. For most machines this means a disk drive although for the Spectrum, Microdrives or Wafa drives are usually cheaper. As well as the disk/wafer drive, most machines need an interface to allow them to control the system. The odd one out is the Commodore 64 which has all the necessary bits and pieces built in. The problem here is that it can only be used with Commodore disk units (a typical Commodore gambit). SPECTRUM The main Spectrum storage system is the Sinclair Microdrive. This needs the Interface 1 to be fitted but once in, up to eight drives can be used, each giving access to 85K or so of storage. Unfortunately, this is not too reliable and is still rather slow, and there's no fancy filing system. The additional commands are those printed on the top row of the keyboard in red, so there are no random access files and no way of telling what type the file is until you try to load it. A better system is the Rotronics Wafa drive. This gives access to more storage space and a few more details about file types and sizes. The wafers, so far, have also been found to be much more reliable than the Sinclair Micro cartridges. SYSTEM: ZX Microdrive expansion pack PRICE: £99.95 COMMENTS: Comes with Interface 1, a single Microdrive, four pieces of software, an introductory cartridge, and a blank. Extra drives at £49.95 each. Interface 1 has a pseudo RS232 and a network port. AVAILABILITY: High street stores SYSTEM: Rotronics Wafa drive PRICE: £129.95 COMMENTS: Includes two drives, a word processor and a blank cartridge. Also includes an RS232 and a Centronics port. AVAILABILITY: High street stores BBC The BBC has one of the better filing systems found on home micros. From Basic you get proper random access files, loading and saving of programs and data with the big bonus that it is fast. The drawbacks are that you must have your Beeb altered and a disk controller fitted, costing around £100. You are also limited to a maximum of 31 files per disk and only four drives.The Acorn system is the most common, so if you don't buy its disk drives (which are not the best) you won't get a format program or a disk manual. Most dealers have sussed this and will sell you some other drives with the format disk included, or just the format disk at a nominal cost. The manual or a facsimile can be obtained in most good computer stores. There are a number of alternative filing systems for the BBC. These include the AMCOM, Watford, plus many others. They are not standard and some AcornSoft programs may not run on them. They do, however, improve on the Acorn DFS by getting around the 31 file limit. Which one you get depends on its price, performance, and what you want to do. Also for the BBC are a number of fast tape systems, including the Ikon Ultradrive and the Phloopy. The Ultradrive is better and costs about a quarter the price of a disk system. SYSTEM: Acorn DFS Upgrade PRICE: £115 Fitted DISK DRIVES: Cumana 100K £171.35, 200K £222 AVAILABILITY: Acorn Dealers SYSTEM: Watford DFS PRICE: In kit form £142.60 for single density, £97.75 for double density COMMENTS: The single density (100K 40 track) is more expensive due to the 8271 disk controller costing £90 AVAILABILITY: Watford Electronics [redacted] SYSTEM: Ikon Ultradrive PRICE: £79.95 COMMENTS: Pack of 6 cassettes £20.13 AVAILABILITY: Ikon Computer Products [redacted] AMSTRAD The Amstrad has a disk system in the offing, from Amstrad itself. This is a Hitachi drive and can be accessed from Basic using the definable I command to give IA, IB to select which drive, ITAPE, IDISC, ICPM, IDIR, IERA, and IUSER. From Basic there are, unfortunately, no random access files. The facilities are minimal with no proper filing. However, it does come with a full CP/M system and DR Logo fitted. The CP/M is the same good old standard that has been around for a number of years, the assembler is for the 8080 but on the whole, it paves the way for the Amstrad to become a full business system. SYSTEM: DDI-1 PRICE: £199.95 COMMENTS: Includes interface CP/M and DR Logo AVAILABILITY: High street stores INPUTS Input devices are things like joysticks, add-on keyboards, touchpads and light pens. Most of these can be simply plugged in and either come with their own software or can be used with existing games. Most computers have a minimum of a keyboard for input but some, most notably the original Spectrum Minus, have a keyboard that is less than suitable for a great deal of typing, as in word processing. Due to this, there has been a ready supply of add-on keyboards offerings from, for instance, Fuller, Cheetah, Transform and lately Sinclair itself, with the launch of the Spectrum Plus. Touchpads also seem to be booming with the release of the Touchmaster system for the Spectrum, Commodore 64, and Dragon. Also in the running is the KoalaPad but this is mainly for the Commodore 64 and the Apple. Also in the range of peripherals to help you with your graphics are light pens. These are usually for the Commodore 64 and imported from the US. A number of add-on Spectrum keyboards are available and most require fitting by the user. All you do is invalidate your guarantee by opening up the Spectrum's case, and pull out the keyboard connectors. These are then replugged into the add-on keyboard with the Spectrum circuit board and the add-on box re-assembled. A simpler way uses a buffer that plugs directly into the back of the Spectrum, so you don't have to invalidate your guarantee. KEYBOARD: Transform PRICE: £69.95 FITTING: Invalidates guarantee AVAILABILITY: Transform [redacted] KEYBOARD: Fuller FDS PRICE: £49.95 FITTING: Invalidates guarantee AVAILABILITY: Fuller [redacted] KEYBOARD: Stonechip PRICE: £59.95 FITTING: Plugs straight in AVAILABILITY: Stonechip Electronics [redacted] The peripheral for games players who want more speed and style is a joystick. The shape, size, and quality vary greatly but a rule of thumb is that quality costs more. Joysticks also fall into two types, is switched and analogue. The former is by far the most common with the usual connection being the standard Atari D plug with nine pins. Commodore, Atari, and Spectrum use this type and it is normally possible to obtain an interface for most other machines. The BBC micro is left out when it comes to joysticks as it uses the analogue type. These tend to be more expensive but more flexible to use. The major thing to watch out for is whether the stick might break just as you escape from the whirling hurling alien that is breathing down your back. One of the best is the Quickshot MkII, which comes with suction cups on the base to stop it slipping at tight moments. It also has its fire button built into the handle - good value for £12.95. Another good 'un is the Kempston Pro which doesn't have the fire button in the handle. It has two in tandem on the base allowing use by fight or left handers. It is also very solid. The BBC requires analogue sticks that plug into the analogue port at the back. The recommended version is marketed by Acorn but it seems to have been designed the wrong way round and is difficult to control. Other versions such as the Shado sticks from Spectrum at £16.95, come with an automatic centering mechanism that improves things no end. Of the light pen systems available, most and by far the best, are for the Commodore 64. The Flexidraw package from Inkwell Systems costs £140 but the accompanying software is flexible with full rubber banding, circles, fills, and a zoom. For the BBC, the best graphics package available is the BitStick. The trouble is that this does require the 6502 second processor and disk drives plus a souped-up joystick. However, for your money you get a system that will allow very high quality graphics to be designed and stored. The cleverest part is where you can zoom into part of a picture and then into a smaller part and so on until you run out of disk space. This means pictures can be designed with much more detail than is possible to see on screen. The major drawbacks are the price (£375 plus £199 for the second processor), and the lack of a suitable printer/plotter to obtain hard copy. The Spectrum is way behind in the graphics stakes with Touchmaster, DK'Tronics, and Stack being the few to produce something. The packages that come with these systems are primitive compared with other machines. The problem appears to be lack of interest from the US. The Touchmaster system costs £149.95 and is available from Touchmaster on [redacted]. The DK'Tronics light pen costs £19.95 and is available from DK'Tronics [redacted].

ZX Computing

Colin Christmas

DESIGNS FOR LIVING Colin Christmas tkaes a further look at computer art. Still hooked on Graphics? Well don't be afraid to admit it, some of us addicts are often mistaken for respectable members of society, and some of us are regular readers of ZX Computing. And while we're on the subject, it's worth a reminder to check back over the past three or four issues of the magazine to see just how much there is to be getting on with for the more enthusiastic programmer who really wants to come to grips with the theoretical and technical aspects of using the graphics and design potential of the micro. I have great respect and admiration for such enthusiasts, If I wore one, I'd raise my hat to them. I don't, so this vote of thanks will have to do. Other enthusiasts such as myself tend to start about half way through the process. In other words, when most of the hard work has been done and the programs and the hardware have been produced. Lazy? Incompetent? Possibly, but it takes all sorts. In the last issue I looked at the growing potential of graphics pads generally and of the RD Digital Tracer and Dream Software's CAD package specifically with reference to graphics and design work. However two other, more established "tools" for the graphics design specialist also merit serious consideration. LA PLUME DE MA MICRO Light pens for use by Micro users have been around for a long time now. Opinions as to their usefulness and value for money vary of course. Recently I've been using the LIGHT PEN produced by DK'TRONICS for the 16 and 48K Spectrum. The package consists of a program on cassette, an instruction booklet, the pen itself and a control interface which is plugged into the back of the computer. The interface is compact and well designed and fits neatly and reassuringly into the port. The metre long lead from the pen is fitted with a jackplug which plugs firmly into a socket located on the top of the interface housing. The booklet in fact is one of the best I've seen. It is informative, brief, easy to follow and includes a section at the end on "error conditions" which might be encountered. The program contains several routines which enable the user to select from sixteen functions. These are displayed as a menu on the bottom two lines of the screen. This means the drawing area is always clear. In order to select a function once the program has been loaded you simply point the pen at the letter or box displayed on the menu and press any key. This is made possible by a machine code routine, one of the several provided. The program uses two variables called "origin" and "target" which need to be positioned on the screen in order to determine the co-ordinates required for drawing lines, corners of boxes, centres and circumferences of circles, define arcs and so on. The full menu also enables the user to erase the line, circle, box or whatever has just been drawn, to ink in shapes, to set border, ink and paper colour, to draw freehand and to clear the screen. Screens can be SAVED or LOADed from tape or can be kept in memory for later recall. Text can also be inserted into the display. Several of the functions require definite steps which must be followed before the command can be carried out. These are well laid out in the instruction manual. At first it seems as if these separate steps are going to prove tedious and cumbersome but it is surprising how quickly one becomes familiar with them. SET UP Some people will also find the calibration routine at the beginning of the program annoying. The brightness, contrast and colour controls of the T.V. set they are using may have to be adjusted before the pen can be positioned accurately. I've tried the pen with a Black and White set and this only seems to treble the problems of calibration. I have to confess that I pronounced it's use with Black and White set more nuisance than it was worth. One last piece of advice, when using a lightpen give some thought to where you position your micro in relation to your screen. Ideally it should go underneath the screen or beside it, for most of us on the left. Remember that your main working area is the screen itself and you need to be able to work there freely and without developing arm strain. High marks then for one of the most recent lightpens to come onto the market. Something I neglected to say is that it has so far proved to be very reliable. Not so I'm afraid with another lightpen I've been trying to use, the TROJAN. I've read elsewhere that there were probelms of compatibility with the early TROJAN Lightpens and the newer Spectrums. I'm assured that I've got one of the new lightpens. Sorry, Trojan Products, but mine has been giving me grey hairs just where they are not welcome - in amongst the few I've already got. The most common problem being that the program seems to jump between commands or to stick in commands. At best erratic and unreliable, at worst, it seems to crash. THE SOFTWARE SOLUTION A Utility which has also been with us for a while now but which is still capable of straining the imagination is PAINTBOX from PRINT 'N' PLOTTER PRODUCTS. Again, it's now only one of the many Graphics packages available from the Spectrum but it's certainly worth serious consideration nevertheless. It claims to be "ingenious", "unique", "the most imaginative." in the cold light of the monitor screen may I offer Impressive and Comprehensive as more critical alternatives? This graphics programming tool-kit for the 48K Spectrum consists of a cassette containing two programs, one on each side. One to demonstrate some of the results which can be achieved. The other with the machine code program which enables you to do all the work. There is also a twenty eight page book to take you through this supermarket of graphics 'deals', it contains a lot of detail and the print is small. Working through it is not easy but it is written well and conveys real excitement and enthusiasm for the tasks involved. In the end it's a smooth ride and it gets easier to use. The main menu, as you would expect, is displayed once the program is loaded. Before you move on you have a choice of cursor control, keyboard or Kempston Joystick, although other joysticks may be used. If you then choose Menu 1 - most Games enthusiasts do, you can explore the UDG Editor. Without affecting the normal character set you can program up to 84 user definable characters and locate this set into your own written programs. This is made possible by storing 4 Banks of characters in memory and recalling them at any time into the usual UDG area by a built in short machine code routine. There is of course a facility of both saving all four banks to tape and loading pre-recorded banks. Sketch Pad, next off the main menu, puts on the screen a small 'try out' area for related characters before they are used in screen graphics or programs. The current UDG file appears at the top of the screen. FOOD FOR THOUGHT As you continue to work through the Menu like some gourmet in a great restaurant, you discover how to define any or all of the 84 characters available and put them in position, then put them into your own programs. High resolution screen graphic work can be attempted using the Precision Plotter section of the program. The format will be familiar. Plot, draw, fill. erase, circle, radials and arc, together with choice of ink, cursor and with some difficulty paper colour. The cursor moves smoothly and quite quickly as you work. However, sometimes it is useful to be able to move the cursor with great precision and accuracy. This also is possible by keeping the SHIFT key pressed during movement. I was very impressed with the action and ease with which one could wrk with this section. Moving on quickly, the rest of the program offers a Screen Planner where your graphics produced using Precision Plotter can be combined with the UDG's you defined and stored in any or all of the four UDG Banks. Procedures are given for achieving Multiple Screen Files. A short machine code routine, used as a memory file, when called transfers data to the screen as a picture. This data call can be held permanently above RAMTOP and called at any time. Impressive and comprehensive, it is a fairly powerful Graphics aid, above all, it is fun to use and experiment with. The more you use it, the bolder and more adventurous you become. STATE OF THE ART It is usual to talk of exploring the potential of our micros when discussing the hardware and software available for say Graphics and Design. It seems to me that together they offer a challenge to us, the users, to explore our own potential to make, create and design. A challenge not our powers of logical thinking or convergence thinking, but to our powers of divergent thinking. As users it's up to us to take up the challenge. What can we achieve, making use of lightpens, tracers graphics tool-kits and so on? It's difficult trying to imagine a young Leonardo da Vinci sitting down with paper, canvas, pens, inks, brushes and paints sucking his thumb and wondering, "Well what do they expect me to do with this lot? " There may not be many Leonardos amongst us, but the challenge remains. What CAN we do with this lot? And I don't just mean Games.........