To infinity and beyond...

TABLE OF CONTENTS
The year 2022 is coming to a close, so it is natural to do some ◊ Atari VCS/2600 Pag. 3
reflections. As if the pandemic were not enough, then a war ◊ iQue - the (un)protections Pag. 11
broke out that may drag on for a long time. Finally, the fear of
◊ Grundy New Brain, the renegade Sinclair Pag. 15
being left out in the cold and penniless with creeping inflation
eating away at our hard-earned savings. ◊ Commodore 64 PLA for dummies Pag. 19
◊ Susi strikes again (for C64 and beginners) Pag. 23
Let's cling to RetroMagazine World as a providential lifeboat in a
◊ Code optimization for MSX BASIC Pag. 24
stormy sea of events.
◊ Turbo Pascal + Assembly: fading text in DOS Pag. 28
But it is not an escape from reality. All RetroComputing ◊ May the FORTH be with us - part four Pag. 30
enthusiasts form a worldwide community connected by the ◊ Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration Pag. 32
Internet, and we believe that sharing ideas, games and projects
should foster brotherhood among people. Then we feel more ◊ Retro Gadgets… building up a Game Boy... Pag. 34
responsible and less frivolous. ◊ Assembly debugging (C64, Kick Assembler) Pag. 36
◊ Sensible World of Soccer: a story still going on Pag. 41
Our editor Francesco Fiorentini compared the early issues of the in Italy
magazine, when they reviewed old 80s and 90s games, with the
◊ Nolan Bushnell: ageless innovator Pag. 46
latest publications where they talk about video games made in
this period. You got it right! New stuff, not just memories of the ◊ Japan - part 21: live in your world, play in ours Pag. 48
past! In addition to video games, we also publish articles where ◊ Zak McKracken, the B-movie game
we describe how to make some repairs or how to somehow ◊ ListAmiga - The 5 (+1) Amiga soccer games Pag. 50
connect an old computer to modern devices (laptops, LCD from Qatar World Cup Pag. 53
monitors, memory cards, etc.).
◊ RM Console
◊ None of us (Amiga) Pag. 58
There is no shortage of tales of historical anecdotes and
educational articles that could be an inspiration and ◊ Devil’s Temple: Son of the Kung Fu Master Pag. 59
improvement in everyday work. (Amiga) Pag. 60
◊ Advanced Busterhawk Gley Lancer (MD) Pag. 61
In addition, RetroMagazine World continues to pursue the
◊ Kidou Soukon Dion (SNes) Pag. 62
project of forming itself into an association to which one can
subscribe and wants to always be there to give voice and space ◊ Star Fox Ex (Snes) Pag. 64
to anyone who has something interesting, like a self-respecting ◊ New Joe & Mac:Caveman Ninja (Multi) Pag. 66
news magazine. Pag. 68
◊ Turrican II AGA (Amiga)
◊ Bosconian (Atari XL/XE) Pag. 70
In short, the journey that began 5 years ago continues, and like
those brave astronauts who first saw the Earth from the Moon, ◊ Duck Hunt (C64) Pag. 71
the Editors of RetroMagazine World wish you a Merry Christmas, ◊ Toki (CPC 128) Pag. 72
a better 2023, and may God bless all of you on dear Earth!
◊ Stevedore (MSX) Pag. 73

Alberto Apostolo ◊ Alice Sisters (MD) Pag. 74

◊ Kiki Kaikai Advance (Pocky & Rocky with Becky) Pag. 75
People involved in the preparation of this issue (GBA)
of RetroMagazine World (in no particualr order):
◊ Project Blue (Nes) Pag. 76
• Alberto Apostolo • Michele Ugolini ◊ Sega's Wonderboy (Amiga) Pag. 77
• Dr. Andrea Q. • Eugenio Rapella
◊ Muddy's Racers (C64) Pag. 78
• Carlo N. Del Mar Pirazzini • Salvo Cristaldi
◊ Terrestrial (C64) Pag. 79
• Daniele Brahimi • Germán Gómez Herrera
• Mic the Biker Novarina • The Orbital Crew ◊ Supercooked! (SNes) Pag. 80
• Francesco Fiorentini • Simone Camminata ◊ Wyvern Tales (Lynx) Pag. 81
• Leonardo Miliani • Francesco Bizzini ◊ Gremlins (C64) Pag. 82
• Roberto Del Mar Pirazzini • Querino Ialongo
• Ingrid Poggiali • Barbara "Morgana" Murgida
• Giampaolo Moraschi • Cover image:
Giuseppe Mangini
• Giuseppe Rinella
• Cover layout:
• Marco Pistorio Carlo N. Del Mar Pirazzini

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Atari VCS/2600
by Leonardo Miliani
This is it! The most "gift-giving" time of the year is here! the planet that since the second half of the last century
Who would pass up requesting a nice gift for Christmas? has been the home of the digital revolution and the home
I don't think anyone. And not even the kids of 1977 would of many of the largest hi-tech industries. In this substratum
be able to resist asking to be given that new console that smells silicon everywhere, he finds work at Ampex,
recently put out by none other than the then king of a company that produced systems for audio/video recording
arcade video games, Atari. Yes, we are talking about the on magnetic tapes. There he meets Ted Dabney, an
Atari VCS, which in the years to follow would come to be electrical engineer who joined Ampex in 1961 after a
known as the 2600: a console capable of being sold in couple of stints at other companies. Here the two become
some 30 million units and remaining on the market for friends and begin dating. Bushnell learns that at the
some 15 years. True, we have already talked about the Stanford Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, a section of
console in No. 2 of our magazine, but this time we want Stanford University, they have made a smaller version of
to do so a bit more in depth, analyzing in great detail the Spacewar based on a PDP-11 and called the Galaxy Game:
history of this illustrious retro-antennae. the latter is made with a cabin cruiser where it houses
the computer, monitor, controls for the players, and, most
A bit of history importantly, a coin-operated game start system. Bushnell
Nolan Bushnell was born and raised in Utah. While attending shows Dabney Galaxy Game and together they begin to
college he earned a few dollars working at the Lagoon fantasize about creating their own business based on the
amusement park in Farmington, where he was made then-emerging video games.
manager of the coin-operated electro-mechanical gaming The two founded Syzygy in 1971 and produced, towards
machines, forming a culture not only about the entertainment the end of the year, their first arcade, "Computer Space" (fig.
systems industry but also making his own the concept 3): it is a game that takes up the concepts of Spacewar
that people must pay to play. After college he went on to and Galaxy Game, with 2 spaceships moved by as many
college, and it was at the University of Utah in Salt Lake players facing each other in a space environment. Compared
City, where he was taking an engineering course, that he to the two games from which it takes its cue, Computer
came into contact with one of the very first examples of Space is much cheaper being based on a motherboard
video games in history, Spacewar (fig. 2). It is a rudimentary with a set of integrals that replicate only the game in
space-themed game running on a PDP-1 connected to a question and not in an actual computer like the other
monitor and controlled by an equally rudimentary joystick systems. Distributed by Nutting Associates, however, the
fashioned from a model airplane remote control. Nolan game is not very successful because it is difficult to play.
Bushnell is thunderstruck by the images depicting 2 Bushnell and Dabney proposed to William Gill Nutting,
spaceships shooting at each other trying to destroy each the head of Nutting Associates, to make a simplified
other. Bushnell finished college, got married, and in 1969 version, but he did not agree, so Bushnell and Dabney
moved to Silicon Valley, for the uninitiated, the area of decided to distribute it themselves. Having changed the
name of the company, which becomes Atari in 1972, the
two abandon the idea of a sequel to Computer Space and,
as soon as they see the tennis game being distributed
with the new Magnavox Odyssey console, they make a
clone of it, thanks to the help of Al Al Alcorn, a former
Ampex colleague of theirs, whom they convince to follow
them into the newly formed Atari. The game is marketed
as Pong, and is a resounding success! It is quickly exported
Fig. 1: Atari VCS outside the United States and domestic versions are also
(source: Wikimedia - author: Evan-Amos) made. By the end of 1974, when it is taken off the market,
RETROMAGAZINE WORLD-ENGLISH YEAR 3 - ISSUE 19 Page 3 of 83
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Things changed in 1975, when MOS Technology unveiled

the 6502, a CPU that cost only $25. Mayer and Milner
meet with Chuck Peddle, group leader of the designers
who created the 6502, and negotiations begin. Twenty-
five dollars is still a lot, so Peddle reveals to them that
MOS is also developing a scaled-down version of the CPU
to be called the 6507. Atari and MOS come to a final
agreement: for $12 a pair of integrateds, the 6507 and
the RIOT, a chip that will be used as an input/output
manager, is provided. Atari also asks for a second supplier
for the CPUs, and MOS suggests Synertek, which already
produces its chips under license. At the same time,
Fig. 2 - Spacewar! negotiations with Motorola are terminated. Peddle also
(fonte: Wikimedia - autore: Kenneth Lu)
suggests that Atari engineers make contact with
8,000 units of the arcade alone have been sold. Microcomputer Associates, a small company founded by
The success of Pong launched the company into the video
game orbit, with other titles reinforcing Atari's name as
the undisputed market leader. Despite the excellent sales,
however, Bushnell has to contend with exorbitant
development costs: it takes about $50 to $100,000 to
make an arcade game, because a dedicated board with
dozens, if not hundreds, of integrateds is developed for
each game. In addition, the game has a really short life:
if you leave out the unnaturally long success of Pong, an
arcade yields box office for a few months, then the
competition makes it obsolete and you have to start with
a new project. Home games are also short-lived: when a
game is successful, quickly a large number of clones
appear on the market so that, after a short time, something
new has to be introduced to recover customers. For this
reason Bushnell starts looking for a system to make a
hardware base that can be reused and not have to develop
a system from scratch again. In late 1973 Atari acquired
Cyan Engineering, an electronic device development
company based in Grass Valley and founded by Steve
Mayer and Larry Emmons, both former colleagues of
Bushnell and Dabney in the Ampex days. The interest in
this small company stems from the fact that Mayer and
another engineer named Ron Milner had already begun
to study a system for electronic games based on new
programmable devices that were appearing on the market
at that time, microprocessors. The underlying problem
is cost: the few offerings still available, mainly Intel and
Motorola, cost hundreds of dollars per unit, which would
cause the final product to have such a high purchase price
that it would place it in a market segment accessible to
few. Atari, however, is beginning negotiations with Motorola Fig. 3 - Computer Space, the first arcade made by
Nolan Bushnell before he founded Atari (source:
for its 6800.
Wikimedia - author: Flippers)
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Manny Lemas and Ray Holt that provided debugging

systems to MOS and also produced the JOLT microcomputer,
based on the MOS 6502. According to Peddle, the JOLT
may prove useful as a basis for console development.
This occurs, because Milner is able to run a replica of the
arcade "Tank," a game produced by subsidiary Key Games,
on the JOLT itself.

Stella
Mayer and Milner therefore begin the development of a
device derived in part from the JOLT. Toward the end of
1975, Joe Decuir, fresh out of Berkley, who had already
begun his own work on the 6502, is hired. Decuir begins
Fig. 4 - one of the early 1975 prototypes of the future
the testing phase of the first prototype developed by VCS/2600 (source: Wikimedia - author: Chris
Mayer and Milner to which he attaches the name "Stella," Platsikoudis)
after the brand of his bicycle! Harold Lee, one of the in 1974 Atari almost went bankrupt. This was due in part
engineers working on the Stella prototype, knows that to the great success of Pong, which led a lot of other
an old acquaintance of his, a brilliant engineer named companies to saturate the market with the release of
Jay Miner, is working at Synertek, which has a contract numerous clones, causing sales to drop dramatically.
as a secondary supplier of MOS chips. Lee proposes Another problem was the release of the arcade game
Miner's name to design an auxiliary chip to power the "Gran Trak 10" for sale at a price below the cost of
nascent console. Atari makes a deal with Synertek and production, burning about $500,000! More money was
Miner moves on to work on the Stella project. Miner lost to set up an office in Japan, which was resold shortly
designs the TIA, from Television Interface Adaptor, which after to Namco. In the end, only the acquisition of Kee
is used to generate the video signal and sound effects. Games, a front company founded by Bushnell himself and
By early 1976 Stella is completed: it consists of the 6507 run by a friend of his, set up only to offer Atari games
CPU, TIA, RIOT, and a connector for connecting game under another brand name, which made blockbuster hits
cartridges. While Alcorn is in charge of training game such as "Tank," managed to bring some cash back into
developers by presenting the machine's technical features, Atari's coffers, and save it from bankruptcy. Bushnell tries
Bushnell begins to deal with marketing: he hires Gene to find backers but the search is fruitless. He then opens
Landrum, a consultant who has already worked with negotiations with Warner Communications, to whom he
Fairchild and on its future Channel F console, who is to sells the company in 1976 for $28 million. Warner, seeing
draw up a report on what is required of the console in the potential of this new video game market that was
order for it to succeed in the marketplace. In his report, being created, decides to invest heavily in it: in fact, he
Landrum indicates that the console must be an aesthetically infuses some $120 million into Atari's coffers to continue
appealing and possibly wood-finished object to fit into the development of Stella, which is finished in early 1977.
family living rooms, and the cartridges must be "idiot and However, the official presentation slips to June 4, 1977,
child-proof," indicating that anyone must be able to handle because, due to agreements with Magnavox resulting
and insert them. James Asher to Douglas Hardy are hired from patent infringement on the Odyssey Tennis cloned
to design them: the latter worked at Fairchild specifically with the Pong, Atari has to account to its rival for every
on the design of the Channel F cartridges. Asher and game it develops until June 1, 1977: the console is unveiled
Hardy design a cartridge with a case whose design is as the Video Computer System, abbreviated VCS, during
influenced by that of the Channel F cartridges. the Consumer Electronic Show. Due to problems that
arose during the production of the first units, however,
Atari VCS marketing does not begin until October: the launch price
As work progresses, Bushnell begins to notice that the is $199, and included in the package, in addition to the
development of the console is costing more than expected. machine body, are 2 joysticks, 2 paddles and the "Combat"
Unfortunately, there is not a lot of money in the till, because game cartridge. In addition to this 8 other games are put
RETROMAGAZINE WORLD-ENGLISH YEAR 3 - ISSUE 19 Page 5 of 83
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on the market, mostly conversions of arcade games from "Missile Command," conversions of their respective
Atari or Kee Games. arcades, debuted on the console, selling millions of
cartridges each. But 1982 is the best year for the console.
Success Atari deals with the conversion of "Pac-Man" and, with a
1977 ends with just under 400,000 units sold, a decent great marketing strategy, starts a million-dollar advertising
but not excellent number, caused not only by the huge campaign long before the game's release, creating a very
number of handheld electronic games in circulation at strong expectation and the rush to buy the console to
the time but also to a marketing that began relatively prepare for the game's release: in that year, 12 million
late. Despite agreements with the Sears store chain, which units are sold of the console, and the "Pac-Man" cartridge
offered to sell the console in all its stores in exchange for turns out to be the best-selling game by far, with more
the possibility of offering it under its own name, things than 7 million copies purchased in 1982 alone. This is
did not go well: 1978 closed with about 800,000 units joined by other successful titles such as conversions of
produced but of these only 550,000 reached a gamer's "Defender," "Centipede," "Frogger," but also exclusive
home. In 1979 Atari sells 1 million units, but competition titles such as "Yar's Revenge."
is fierce: along come the Magnavox Odyssey2 (or Philips Atari's economic and commercial strength also succeeds
Videopac depending on markets) and, most importantly, in making inroads into the world of cinema: Atari wins
the Mattel Intellivision, which offers superior video and the conversion of Steven Spielberg's famous film "Raiders
audio features. The Atari VCS does not shine in the quality of the Lost Ark" into a game. On the strength of the good
of its games: to keep production costs down, the technical response with this game, Atari retries the operation with
choices made affect what the console can offer. For this another box-office hit film, also by Spielberg, "E.T. the
reason, Atari decides to change its marketing strategy: Extraterrestrial," initially enjoying a good commercial
it contracts with the producers of the most popular bar response (the title will be sold in more than 1.5 million
games to "port" their titles exclusively to its console. The copies) also thanks to the fame of the film.
first title it secures is the world-famous "Space Invaders," The console is also sold in fair numbers abroad. In 1980
which it introduces in 1980. The path is the right one: it is marketed in Britain (fig. 5), in 1982 in France, in 1983
once the bar game is over, those who want to play "Space in Italy, and in 1984 in Germany. The hardware limitations
Invaders" also at home have no choice but to buy the are balanced by the huge game park: despite technologically
Atari VCS. And so sales soar: 2 million consoles were superior consoles released at that time, for example the
marketed in 1980, doubling the following year to a total 1982 ColecoVision, none can boast the number of games
of 10 million units sold. of the VCS. Also in 1982, the heir to the VCS is unveiled:
In 1981 other famous games such as "Asteroids" and designed to stay on the market for only 3 years, the
console's useful life has been extended due to its widespread
use but competition is becoming increasingly intense and
Atari decides it is time to retire it with the Atari 5200, a
console based on Atari's 8-bit computer hardware. It was
with the release of the 5200 that the VCS was renamed
to the 2600, reprising the code name by which its prototype
was initially known, CX2600, before it became Stella.

The crisis of 1983

1983 begins not with the best auspices, record sales
begin to decline. The video game market also sees the
entry of home computers, which, starting in the early
1980s, begin to compete fiercely with consoles, on the
strength of their greater pliability (they can be used for
other tasks besides video games) as well as their sometimes
Fig. 5 - the English packaging of the Atari 2600: you
can see the 2 paddles offered in the package superior technical features. The success of the 2600 is
(source: Wikimedia – author: Cristiano Betta) then so resounding that many competitors cannot contain
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it: Coleco itself, despite its console being technically

superior, has to raise the white flag and starts selling both
an adapter to be able to run games for its console on
Atari's and a system called Gemini that is basically a clone
of the VCS. Games for the 2600 came from everywhere,
not just Atari: given the console's popularity, everyone
wanted to produce titles for it. The first independent
developers were some former Atari programmers who
left the company in 1979 because they neither felt they
were being paid proportionately for the fruits of their
labor nor credited as authors of the games they produced:
they founded Activision, which began its activities by
developing games for the 2600. The titles produced by
Activision are highly polished and achieve great success,
for example, the aforementioned "Pitfall!", an original
game not derived from an arcade, which sells 4 million Fig. 7 - Atari cartridges and material found in
cartridges. Other manufacturers throw themselves on former Alamogordo landfill: confirmation
that urban legend was true
the 2600 and start churning out games of any genre and,
(source: Wikimedia - author: taylorhatmaker)
unfortunately, of dubious quality. The market literally
becomes saturated and sales begin to plummet. The crisis cartridges in a landfill in Alamogordo, New Mexico: over

at Atari begins to be felt, partly because of a couple of time this event takes on, between denials and confirmations,

titles released the year before, namely "Pac-Man" (fig. the features of an urban legend, but excavations conducted
6) and "E.T.": despite the money spent on promotion they in 2014 confirm that Atari really did send a lot of unsold
do not perform as well as they should. The former pays material to the scrap heap (fig. 7). Warner greatly reduced

for the technological inferiority of the console compared investments and, in early 1984, dismembered the company

to the arcade while the latter pays for the haste in making by selling the home computer and console department

it to get it out by Christmas. Pac-Man sells just over 7 to Jack Tramiel, who had left Commodore, to create the

million cartridges against a forecast of almost double Atari Corporation.

that number while the latter sells only 1.5 against the
budgeted 5. Sales of the console are also slow and so, in After 1984
mid-1983, Atari announces losses of more than $500 With negotiations over and the company reorganized,

million. It is unfortunately not alone, the whole system the 2600 is not taken off the market but remains on sale

collapses: it is the 1983 video game crisis that hits North as a low-end gaming system at a price around $40 to

America. Atari is forced to dispose of more than 700,000 $50: after all, there are still hundreds of games in circulation
and the console continues to sell. In 1986 the console is
revised and given a more compact case, which, despite
not being officially affected by a name change, becomes
known to all as the 2600 Junior. The Junior continues to
receive support from game manufacturers, however: Atari
itself continues to support the console, ceasing game
production in 1990 and production in 1991. The curtain
officially falls on January 1, 1992, when the 2600 no
longer appears on the company's lists.
The void left by the 2600 was quickly filled, however. Its
fame remained in the hearts of many so the interest in
bringing something related to the console back to market
Fig. 6 - the hated/loved Pac-Man, box office was there. Some experiments were seen such as the Atari
champion but the same conduit of Atari's crisis
Classics 10-in-1 TV Game, a replica of the 2600 integrated
(source: Wikimedia - author: The K3nger)
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into a 2600-style joystick that could be connected to the of operation was called "race the beam," which could be
TV set with 10 of the most famous original games integrated translated as "chase the beam": for each line, data from
inside. Or the TV Boy, released in the 1990s, a gamepad the background objects and the various sprites must be
also connectable to the home TV with a hundred games passed. Speaking of the latter, the chip supports five: two
integrated. More recently, with the resurgence of interest "player," two "missile," and one "ball." The names sound
in all things retro, Atari itself (or rather an heir to it) has funny but reflect both what they are used for and the
released since 2004 a series of more or less faithful differences they show: the "players" are monochromatic
replicas called Flashbacks, to give modern gamers a taste and composed of a horizontal row of 8 bits, although they
of the "pixelated" beauty of the games of the original can be reduced or enlarged; the "missiles" are 1, 2, 4 or
2600 as well. 4 pixels wide and are the same color as the corresponding
The VCS name has been reused for the Atari VCS, a console player; the "ball" is a row of 1, 2, 4 or 8 pixels, the same
unveiled in 2021 and sold for now in only a few countries color as the playfield. The latter is called the "playfield"
(Australia, New Zealand, the U.S., and Canada), possibly and is a 20-bit wide monochromatic object (where each
coming to Europe (fig. 8). Despite what the name might bit covers 4 pixels on the screen) that overlays the
suggest, this console has nothing to do with the 2600: it background and covers the left half of one line of the
is a system based on a Linux distribution that connects screen, with the possibility of being duplicated or reflected
to an online shop from which adapted versions of a on the other half. Since all objects (sprites and playfields)
selection of games originally developed for the Atari 7800 are only 1 video pixel high, to create 2-dimensional objects
can be purchased. the programmers at each line scan of the image must
send all the necessary data back to the chip. The TIA
Technical characteristics handles collisions between sprites through the use of
The console is offered for sale with a low-profile black registers, which are also used to manage the color and
plastic case, slightly raised at the back where the control positions of the various objects. The TIA generates a
switches and cartridge insertion port are housed. The graphic image of 160x192 pixels. The palette is 128 colors
trim is wooden, because the style and taste of the time (16 colors for 8 shades) for the NTSC and PAL-M version
considered consoles to be objects of furniture so they chip (the system used in Brazil), which drops to 104 colors
should fit into the home environment as much as possible. (13 colors for 8 shades) for the standard PAL system,
As mentioned earlier, the console was developed around and reduced to only 8 colors (without different brightness
MOS 6507 (fig. 9), a scaled-down version of the better- levels) in the case of the SECAM version chip.
known 6502 from which it differs by having only 13 The TIA is also responsible for generating the console
addressing lines and by eliminating other pins with sound: its capabilities are quite limited, being able to
functions not used on the 2600. The result is an integrated handle only 2 audio channels each with 32 tones and 16
circuit with only 28 pins, thus more compact and less levels of wave management, and a 4-bit volume control.
expensive to produce. The cost to be paid, however, is In support we find a MOS 6532 RIOT, an acronym that
the inability to handle more than 8 KB of memory because stands for RAM-I/O-Timer. This integrated provides what
of the reduced address bus.When the console was designed, little RAM is available for the console: in fact, it contains
this limitation was not thought to be limiting because 128 bytes that is used by games to store game data such
memories were expensive in the 1970s, and from the as player points and lives, game variables, and whatnot.
outset it was planned that the console would not have In addition to this it offers a programmable timer and 2
much of them. Also, the life of the console was reputed bidirectional 8-bit input/output ports, which are used to
to be 3 years at most so memories were expected to drop
in price before its successor was developed.
Next to the CPU is the TIA, designed by Jay Miner. This
chip mainly handles video and audio signal generation.
Picking up on what was said above, due to the cost of
RAM, the console was not equipped with a video buffer
so the programmer has to supply the graphics chip with Fig. 8 - the Atari VCS of 2021
data to draw each individual line scan image. This mode (source: Wikimedia - author: Wizzard)
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data, bank switching systems are adopted to be able to

handle multiple memory chips within the cartridges.

Versions
The first version of the console was made of a particularly
heavy plastic which, combined with the weight of the
shielding, gives the impression that the case is full even
though in reality it is almost completely empty since the
circuit board, given the simplicity of the design, is very
small. This version, because of its weight and 6 switches,
is informally called a "heavy sixer." At the same time,
Fig. 9 - the motherboard of the first version of the
Sears releases the console under its own brand name but
console. From above, the 3 main chips are: the MOS
6532 RIOT, the MOS 6507 CPU, and the Atari TIA calling it "Video Arcade."
(source: Wikimedia - author: Evan-Amos) To reduce production costs, production was moved to
read game controllers connected to the console and status Taiwan in 1978, and the console adopted a less thick
switches. Speaking of the latter, the console somewhat plastic, resulting in a lighter weight and being referred
echoes the features of those of the first generation of to as a "light sixer."
gaming systems, with some front levers to change some The third version has only 4 switches at the top because
of the console's settings: the first version has 6 levers, the 2 game difficulty selection switches, which are not
respectively for power, choice between color or B&W video widely used, have been moved to the rear.
output, game difficulty level for the left and right player, In 1982 the console was renamed the 2600 to resume
game selection in the case of cartridges with multiple the number-based nomenclature adopted with the unveiling
games, and hardware reset. of its successor, the 5200. This version saw the elimination
The game controllers supplied with the console are of of the briarwood inserts and the adoption of an all-black
two types: 2 classic gamepads with rotary encoders, a plastic case, so among enthusiasts it took the appellation
legacy of the Pong-like games of earlier years, and a more "Vader version," from Darth Vader, the name of the Star
versatile joystick with a single fire button (fig. 10). More Wars (Star Wars) villain, also known in Italy as Darth
complex controllers such as devices designed for driving Vader, and known for his all-black suit.
games also appeared on the market later. The adoption In 1983 it was introduced in Japan and the name 2800
of the "Atari game port," as the connector for connecting was adopted here. The console differs greatly from the
the joystick is commonly called, on the Atari 8-bit computers American version, presenting a much more formal
facilitates its widespread use so much so that it becomes appearance with the switches replaced by as many buttons.
a de-facto standard, being adopted by many other systems The console was not a great success because it was
such as the Commodore VIC-20, C64 and C128 computers, released a year after the Nintendo Famicon (which would
the MSX, and later by the Atari ST and Amiga series. There shortly thereafter be exported as the Nintendo Enterainment
are also adapters to use them on the Apple II, the TI-99, System, NES). After being withdrawn from the Japanese
and the ZX Spectrum.
Game cartridges are small electronic boards placed in a
plastic case that must be inserted into a special compartment
on the top of the console. To further reduce costs, of the
13 address lines allowed by the CPU, only 12 are carried
on the connector so the maximum manageable memory
drops to 4 KB. While initially this is not a big problem
because the first games reside in only 2 KB of ROM, over
time the complexity of the games increases and the
graphics, sound, and code grow accordingly with the
result that newer games require cartridges larger than Fig. 10 - the iconic console joystick (source:
4 KB: in order for the CPU to be able to read all the stored Wikimedia - author: Evan-Amos)
RETROMAGAZINE WORLD-ENGLISH YEAR 3 - ISSUE 19 Page 9 of 83
 HARDWARE

to play these titles at home must necessarily own the

Atari console. There is a little bit of everything in Atari's
catalog. Even games that are absurd or of dubious morality,
such as those produced by a couple of software houses
with a purely sexual theme: one can truly speak in this
case of the first porn games in history. In short, the gamer
has only to choose. And indeed, when the console begins
to lose ground to its rivals, Atari pushes the range of titles
Fig. 11 - the Atari 2600 Jr. the 2600 can offer its buyers.
(source: Wikimedia - author: Evan-Amos) However, it is not all gold what Atari releases. As already
market, the 2800 is marketed in the U.S. by Sears as the mentioned, there have been some rather bitter flops.
Video Arcade II. "Pac-Man" was yes sold more than 7 million units but it
After its acquisition by Jack Tramiel, the console was is estimated that as many as 12 million units were produced,
revised in 1986 and offered as a low-end economy system: thus resulting in unsold sales of 5 million units! Not to
a smaller case in size and with a metal front band was mention the insane expenses incurred in the advertising
adopted to keep costs down. This version is known as the campaign to promote the game. "E.T." has also been
2600 Jr. (fig. 11) and takes the appellations "large rainbow" pointed to as one of the games responsible for the Atari
and "short rainbow" depending on the versions, which crack: judged very poorly by many magazines and industry
feature a longer or shorter multicolor band on the metal analysts, it is regarded as the worst video game ever
band. made. Despite its poor quality it still sold 1.5 million units,
however, but against unsold sales of about 2.5 million
Games cartridges. To these figures must be added the costs
The strength of the Atari 2600 was its extensive game incurred in acquiring the film rights: we are talking about
collection: at the time, no console could boast a catalog more than $20 million. An outlay that was already
of titles like that of the 2600. We are talking about between considered insane at the time.
500 and 1,000, allowing the console to offer games that
meet the tastes of any gamer, and to be a viable alternative Conclusions
to more technologically advanced systems, which weighs The Atari 2600 was a console that marked an era. Its
in when choosing which console to buy. Indeed, the release revolutionized the video game market: its widespread
strength of the 2600 is that it can rely not only on original popularity cleared customs of home consoles by making
titles such as "Yar's Revenge," "Adventure," and "Raiders them a common accessory. Its popularity was also the
of the Lost Ark," but also and especially on exclusive spur that kick-started the independent game developer
conversions of the most famous arcade games of the industry: until its arrival, in fact, games were made
period, such as "Space Invaders," "Asteroids," "Pac-Man," exclusively by the manufacturers of the hardware itself.
"Defender," "Missile Commando," "Ms. Pac-Man," With the 2600, many companies such as Activision began
"Centipede," "Breakout," and "Frogger." Those who want to focus exclusively on making video games. So many
video games that the market became saturated, with
shoddy titles not competing with each other, to the point
where no one was buying anything anymore because
everyone now had everything. Despite this, its numbers
were incredible even during the crisis: even titles that are
considered part of what happened in 1983, such as "Pac-
Man" and "E.T. The Extra-terrestrial," still sold millions
of copies each.
In the end, the 2600 remained on the market until all of
1991: a full 14 years of honored service, during which
Fig. 12 - E.T. judged by many to be the worst video developers did not cease churning out games for a console
game ever produced (source: Wikimedia) that, despite its technological limitations, became iconic.
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iQue - the (un)protections

by Dr. Andrea Q. - www.retrofixer.it
Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEw0CQ8LKyA9jVvWXkEwp4Q

This very obscure console was produced starting in 2003

for the Chinese market only through a collaboration of
Nintendo with engineer Wei Yen; this half-Chinese, half-
American scientist was the principal designer of the
graphics chip contained in the Nintendo 64; he was also
the founder of ArtX, a company that was contracted by
Nintendo to produce the Fipper, processor of the Game Cube.
The reason for this union was dictated by the fact that,
since 2000, the Chinese market had been "suffering"
from a ban on game consoles because they were considered
harmful to children's psyches (the ban ended in 2015)
so Nintendo needed to get around the problem and be
able to get its consoles into China's vast market (here is
a plausible explanation of how this was possible: https://
www.thegamesmachine.it/speciali/72045/). and also has some limitations but the interesting thing
Thus, the opportunity came with the iQue products, of is to see how games, some of them translated into Chinese
which the "Player" represents the progenitor and and some even recompiled to solve some well-known
corresponds to the Chinese version of none other than glitches, were made available.
the Nintendo 64 (in fact, there are also the iQue GBA,
GBA SP, GB Micro, the iQue DS, DS Lite, the iQue 3DS)! These could be downloaded from special machines (called
This console, whose name in Chinese means "Divine iQue Depot) placed mainly at gas stations (like the kiosks
Gaming Machine," is not an ordinary N64 but a version for the Famicom Disk System):
of it "compressed" into a single chip:

or via PC and dedicated software (which seems to run

All placed inside a controller that connects directly to the TV! only under Windows XP) provided that you have first
From a hardware point of view therefore it is different installed the latest firmware version directly from an iQue
from an N64 Depot (this factor makes most iQue's that can be found

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 HARDWARE

in used markets today at risk of obsolescence since, since 4101104 ­ Star Fox (old version)
the termination of the Depots, it is no longer possible to 4101105 ­ Star Fox
upgrade to the latest firmware and thus use the PC 4101902 ­ Star Fox manual (old version)
download): 4101904 ­ Star Fox manual
4102103 ­ Sin&Punishment
4102901 ­ Manual Sin&Punishment
5101104 ­ Wave Race
5101902 ­ manual WR (old)
5101904 ­ WR Manual
5102108 ­ Excitebike 64
5102902 ­ EB64 manual
5201104 ­ Mario Kart 64(old version)
5201105 ­ Mario Kart 64
5201902 ­ MK64 manual(old)
5201906 ­ MK64 manual
5202103 ­ F­Zero
The games, only 14 in total, were downloaded from a 5202902 ­ F­Zero Manual (old)
service called Fugue Online, which officially ceased service 5202904 ­ F­Zero Manual
on December 31, 2016 although they were still accessible 6101104 ­ Dr.Mario
for direct download for a few years. 6101902 ­ Dr.Mario Manual (old version)
6101904 ­ Dr.Mario Manual
To download them one had to enter this address in the
browser: There were also other values that you can find here:
http://cds.idc.ique.com:16963/cds/download?content_id=x https://gbatemp.net/threads/ique-player-hacking-
possibility-with-ique_diag-exe.466906/
where, instead of the final x, you must enter one of the
following numerical values: To download and install them required a gift card, a kind
10000000­ likely old firmware of ticket, with a code that allowed precisely the transaction.
10000001­ likely old firmware The games are stored in a 64MB memory cartridge that
10000002­ likely old firmware plugs directly into the controller that acts as the console:
10000003 ­ probable latest firmware The protection is precisely in the system by which the
1101104 ­ Super Mario 64
1101902 ­ SM64 Manual (old version)
1101906 ­ SM64 (Manual)
1102101 ­ Yoshi's Story
1102902 ­ Yoshi's Story manual (old version)
1102904 ­ Yoshi's Story manual (old version)
1102906 ­ Yoshi's Story manual
1201105 ­ Super Smash Bros.
1201901 ­ SSB (Manual)
2101104 ­ Ocarina of Time
2101902 ­ Manual OOT (old)
2101904 ­ Manual OOT
2102104 ­ Paper Mario
2102902 ­ PM manual (old)
2102904 ­ PM manual
2104108 ­ Animal Crossing
2105103 ­ Custom Robo
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 HARDWARE

games are encrypted. In fact, a partial study found that contains arbitrary code. ROM and save are specially
games that are downloaded online are already in encrypted modified and preemptively copied via USB prior to execution
form; the PC application (or the Depot) along with the of the game itself.
console re-encrypts the game a second time and armors
it to the console ID. The system is quite similar to a With this system, it was possible to add and make full all
primordial ticket system later used in the Nintendo Wii, existing games for the console by editing the ticket.sys
and the online service seemed to be a precursor to file, renaming it to hackit.sys, and having the system
Nintendo's future NUS. reload it (thus a temporary change, not a permanent one,
On April 24, 2018, after a good 15 years of inviolate which must be rebooted each time the console is restarted).
security, the hacker group called SUXXORS got the console After careful analysis of both the hardware differences
right and released the first decrypted game, Xingji Huohu with a real N64 and from the analysis of the information
(Star Fox), along with its manual also decrypted with leak, it came up with patches to adapt more than a hundred
an .NFO full of valuable information including Common
Key and IV for the AES-128-CBC algorithm used in the
console. The exploit used to extract the Common Key and
IV was a glitch, presumably hardware.
On May 2, 2018, both OTP and bootROM of the console
were dumped ! The former turned out to be a memory of
256 bytes while the latter contains a code of 8Kbs !

The content of the OTP is as follows:

N64 games to the console!

This is the procedure to follow to patch an original N64 ROM:

0 - Checklatr in this list whether or not the game is patch
proficient (and especially "working" after the patch!)
1 - Find the ROM of the CORRECT REGION you wish to
patch [MUST be in .Z64 (NO .n64) format].
2 - patch it using beat patcher software
3 - rename the ROM to XXXXXXXX.Z64 (the name must
contain ONLY 8 HEX values)
The execution of arbitrary code was made possible by 2 5 - encrypt the file XXXXXXXX.Z64 with the batch tool
factors: z64_to_app.bat - the contents of that batch file are:
- the console does not check the contents of the data
copied into the memory (specifically game saves) @ECHO OFF
SETLOCAL
- ROMs are encrypted with the AES-CBC algorithm which set file=%1
has a vulnerability that allows you to re-encrypt data at FOR %%i IN (%file%) DO (
will if you already know the plain text (decrypted) data SET cid=%%~ni)
Basically, having the ROMs decrypted thanks to the iquecrypt.exe encrypt ­app %file% ­key
SUXXOSRS team, code was inserted at the beginning of 00000000000000000000000000000000 ­iv
a game ROM (it can be done with all of them but the first 0000000000000000000000000000
"target" was the full Dr. Mario game) that jumps the rename "[enc]%cid%.z64" "%cid%.app"
execution of the program directly to the game save that
RETROMAGAZINE WORLD-ENGLISH YEAR 3 - ISSUE 19 Page 13 of 83
 HARDWARE

6 - if the batch file had not done so, rename the file to 8 - File -> Save
XXXXXXXX.app 9 - copy the .app and hackit.sys files to the flash cart
7 - edit hackit.sys with "ticket_sys_editor.exe" as follows: through the ique_diag_extended tool (command: " 4
cid.app " and "4 hackit.sys")

Raise your hand if any of you were aware of this rare

retrovideoludic gem.

- add a new ticket entry using Edit -> new ticket (max 48 WARNING: Disclaimer
titles otherwise the console may behave strangely);
The information contained in this article is for
informational purposes only. This documentation is
not guaranteed to be error-free. If this information
is used to modify your hardware, it is your
responsibility to take all necessary emergency,
backup, redundancy, and other measures to ensure
its safe use. RetroMagazine World disclaims all
liability for any damages caused by the use of the
information in this article.

- In "App Info" change the CID to the same name as the

XXXXXXXX file;

- in "Misc." enter the file size value (number of bytes

converted to Hex value: e.g. 12,582,912Bytes = 00C00000)
in the right column ("Size", sixth value from the top -
corresponds to the file size in bytes)

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Grundy New Brain, the renegade Sinclair

by Alberto Apostolo
Sinclair Radionics to Thurlby Thandar Instruments. in earnest. Meanwhile, Clive Sinclair was setting up Science
In 1975, Sinclair Radionics (a company founded by Clive Of Cambridge (which later became Sinclair Research Ltd)
Sinclair in 1961) was having financial problems. To solve in order to have more freedom of action. In addition, Clive
them, in 1976 Clive Sinclair availed himself of public Sinclair realized that that computer would cost customers
capital from the NEB (National Enterprise Board) in more than the £100 they had planned.
exchange for partial control over Sinclair Radionics. In
1978, the NEB agreed to fund the development of a In July 1979, Clive Sinclair left Sinclair Radionics to devote
personal computer (although that same year it was funding himself entirely to Science Of Cambridge, which was
Inmos to develop a new microprocessor architecture producing the MK14 system and designing what would
called the Transputer). The previous year, machines such be the ZX80. A few months after Clive Sinclair left, the
as the Apple II and Commodore PET had been very NEB sold the TV and calculator business units of Sinclair
successful, and great confidence was placed in Clive Radionics. In September 1979, the board decided to
Sinclair to promote the micro revolution in the UK (in view change the company name to Sinclair Electronics to give
of his willingness to produce technological devices for itself a more modern image (and perhaps to snub Clive
ordinary people). Sinclair). But the vicissitudes were not over. In January
1980, it changed its name again to Thandar Electronics,
The proposed computer hardware would be designed by and after the change of government (from Labour to
Mike Wakefield and the software by Basil Smith. Having Conservative) it was sold to Thurlby Electronics. The
gotten the go-ahead, they began to work on the project merger gave birth to TTi (Thurlby Thandar Instruments),

Fig. 1

RETROMAGAZINE WORLD-ENGLISH YEAR 3 - ISSUE 19 Page 15 of 83

 HARDWARE

which still produces electronic test and measurement

instruments in Huntingdon (Cambridgeshire, UK).

From Newbury to Grundy

The NEB also had a stake in Newbury Labs (after a bid
made in 1977). This stake was sold in 1978 to the Data
Recording instrument Company (while retaining oversight).
Implementation of Wakefield and Smith's project (now
called NewBrain) passed to Newbury. By early 1980,
Newbury was ready to show three prototypes, named M,
Fig.2
MB and MBS, and discuss the product in public. Dick
Pountain, of Personal Computer World magazine, was
impressed, stating that the design was significantly ahead
of what had been seen for portable computing [Smi21].
The MB prototype was a compact machine with its own
display and integrated battery. The MBS prototype would
have used low-power components to maximize battery
life. Newbury advertised the three units in the trade press
throughout 1980.

Oddly enough, the NewBrain was not commercialized in

1980, probably a victim of the changes taking place at
Fig.3
Newbury. With an anti-nationalization government in
power, the NEB's prerogatives were downsized (in 1981,
the NEB itself was privatized and merged with the National
Research Development Corporation to form the British
Technology Group, BTG). During this period, Newbury's
CEO (Bob Smith) left the company to move to Grundy. In
September 1981, Newbury Labs formally sold the NewBrain
to the (newly formed) Grundy Business System. Designers
Mike Wakefield and Basil Smith were hired by Grundy. It
might have seemed like a sell-off, but the sale of NewBrain
combined with a 235000 pound investment yielded a 30
percent stake in Grundy Business Systems.

Fig.4
Missed opportunities and broken promises
The delay in market launch was the cause of a number tape recorder connections, as well as monitor and TV (fig.
of missed opportunities. The most important was that 4). An expansion port on the back could accommodate
the British state broadcaster BBC chose Acorn-produced 64KB, 128KB, 256KB or 512KB Ram packs. Ram packs
models for its "Hands on Micros" broadcast (although it had pass-through connectors that allowed up to 2MB of
is said that it initially intended to adopt the NewBrain). memory to be added, far more than competing machines
Unlike Grundy, Newbury probably did not have the could offer. No sound effects were provided, and graphics
capabilities to complete and market the NewBrain. Finally, were virtually monochrome (fig.5). The AD model came
the NewBrain was launched by Grundy in July 1982 (fig with a 16-character VFD (Vacuum Fluorescent Display,
1). Two models were offered: the 233-pound Model A (fig fig.6) display (with 14 segments) and could mount the
2) and the 267-pound Model AD (fig 3). Model A had 32KB optional battery (long promised). NewBrain came with a
of Ram, a Zilog Z80A processor clocked at 4MHz and BASIC compiler to translate software into machine code
ports for a dedicated printer, communications and two at once (instead of an interpreter). It was not a machine
Page 16 of 83 RETROMAGAZINE WORLD-ENGLISH YEAR 3 - ISSUE 19
 HARDWARE

Fig.5
for beginners. An experienced user could have exploited
it for applications available on more expensive machines.
A version of the CP/M operating system was supposed
to be out by January 1983 (but instead customers had
to wait many months). There were problems with the
ports for cassette recorders. Other peripherals (such as
floppy-disk and hard-disk controllers, expansion modules,
and a special multi-module housing) were launched much
later than announced, if they ever arrived at all (fig.7).
After a slow first phase of sales, public interest increased
at Christmas 1982 with more requests than Grundy
Fig.6
expected. In early 1983 it was decided to increase
production tenfold but (due to delays in the release of
promised peripherals) demand then collapsed. Basil Smith
and Mike Wakefield, who had worked on the NewBrain
from the beginning, quit at that time. Their connection
with the machine was so close and their knowledge so
deep that it would have been difficult for their remaining
colleagues to continue the project. Thus the Grundy
Business System headed for closure in the later months
of 1983. An estimated 50000 NewBrains had been sold.
The stock in the warehouse came to the Dutch company
Tradecom, which installed them in schools in the Netherlands. Fig.7

work on the design to make changes and improvements.

Conclusions The lack of colors and sound effects was a very serious
Perhaps the architecture thought up by Wakefield and limitation for the production of games and software in
Smith was a little too complicated for others to easily
DATA SHEET

System on a chip : Keyboard and one-line VF display chip: COP420 MCU

CPU : 8 bit Zilog Z80A, 4 MHz
Memory : 32 kB RAM (Maximum 2 MB), 24 kB ROM
Display Text modes : 32x25, 32x30, 40x25, 40x30, 64x25, 64x30, 80x25, 80x30
Graphics : Composite video, UHF TV output
Graphics modes : 256x256, 320x256, 512x256, 640x256
Total number of colours : 2
Keyboard : 62 keys
I/O Ports : 2xTape recorder(1200 Baud),Expansion,2xRS-232 (to 19000 Baud)

RETROMAGAZINE WORLD-ENGLISH YEAR 3 - ISSUE 19 Page 17 of 83

 HARDWARE

general. The vicissitudes of the companies involved in In Italy we say that "History is not made with ifs and buts"
the realization of the project caused delays in putting the in the sense that you cannot change the course of past
computer and very important accessories into production, events by making assumptions. However, I tried to make
discouraging the public who (despite the interest shown) a little joke with Paint to see what a Sinclair "ZX NewBrain"
then turned their attention to models of other brands would look like, perhaps provided with colors and sounds
available immediately in large quantities. It could have (fig.8).
been a Sinclair computer but it was not, affecting the
evolution of computers envisioned by Clive Sinclair.

Fig.8 - It's only a joke...

Useful links

New Brain enthusiast site with documentation and emulators featured in the Downloads section
https://newbrainemu.eu/

The user's manual (very similar aesthetically to the Sinclair ZX manual).

http://biblioteca.museo8bits.es/newbrain/NewBrain_Handbook.pdf

Bibliography

[Giu83] C. Giustozzi, "Grundy NewBrain", MC Microcomputer n.17, pp.38-43, Mar. 1983 (in Italian only)

[HM22] http://www.8bit-homecomputermuseum.at/computer/grundy_newbrain_a.html [consulted on 2022-08-10]

[HM22a] http://www.8bit-homecomputermuseum.at/computer/grundy_newbrain_ad.html [consulted on 2022-08-10]

[Smi12] T. Smith, "The Grundy NewBrain is 30", 2012-07-02, [consulted on 2022-08-10],

https://www.theregister.com/2012/07/02/newbury_labs_grundy_business_systems_newbrain_is_30_years_old/

[Wik22] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grundy_NewBrain [consulted on 2022-08-10]

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Commodore 64 PLA for dummies

An affordable guide to the PLA of the Commodore 64 and its dump

by Salvo Cristaldi

Many of us, during the lockdown period due to COVID- This type of device is used to have a complex set of logic
19, dusted off old projects to take advantage of the large gates to form a well-determined logic function.
amount of time spent at home. In my case it was homebrew In digital electronics, the basic logic gates are the AND
(homemade software) on the PS3 and mainly emulators, and OR gates. They have two or more inputs and one
including VICE. From the emulator to the dear old output. In the AND port the output has "high" value,
Commodore 64, friend of a thousand adventures in my commonly called 1, if all inputs have value 1, otherwise
youth, then, the step was short. 0 ("low" value). In the OR port the output has value 1 if
Purchased without guarantee of operation a nice "cookie," at least one of the inputs has value 1.
as the first version of the C64 is lovingly called, discovered By cascading multiple logic gates, one can have complex
that it would not turn on. logic functions, with multiple inputs and multiple outputs.
Having eliminated the trivial things like power supply, Each different combination of the inputs will always have
fuse, and voltage regulator, the problem was definitely a the same output value. PLAs are precisely used to have
component of the motherboard. complex logic gate systems in a single chip.
Among the various hardware components of which the In the Commodore 64, the PLA chip is used as a decoder,
Commodore 64 is composed, there is one famous for its to produce selection signals for chips connected to it,
fragility, which is the cause of most of the machine's plus other control signals. Many chips within the C64

Fig. 1 - Source c64-wiki.com

failures: the PLA chip, codenamed MOS 906114-01.

This guide is intended to explain what the PLA is in the

Commodore 64, and then, in a second part, to see how
to make a backup (dump) of the chip for possible
replacement in a simple and inexpensive form.
The PLA is part of the Programmable Logic Array family. Fig. 2

RETROMAGAZINE WORLD-ENGLISH YEAR 3 - ISSUE 19 Page 19 of 83

 HARDWARE

remain inactive as long as a value 1 is present on the much more expensive and faster than a regular ROM.
respective chip select pin, called CS, and will be activated It must be said that in a ROM with a 16-bit address bus,
by the appearance of a value 0. For example, the BASIC, all 65536 (216) memory locations are addressable,
Kernal and character ROMs have their respective CS pins readable, and their contents do not vary over time. In the
connected to the PLA outputs, pins 17, 16 and 15 (Figure 2). PLA not all the different combinations of signals can be
From pin 18 comes out the CASRAM signal used to enable presented as inputs because some of them do not
dynamic RAM during addressing and arrives on pin 15 of correspond to real situations that can be accessed during
each of the eight RAM chips, from pin 13 comes out the machine operation, it follows that the set of all outputs
GR\W signal that enables the chip from color RAM, from defined by the functional specification is a sub-set of the
pin 12 comes out the I\O signal that enables one of the obtainable totality.
two parts of the 74LS139 decoding chip, and from pins Through this premise we can understand why the first
11 and 10 come out the ROML and ROMH signals that modern substitutes for PLA were EPROMs, appropriately
are used to enable the ROMs (lower memory $8000- loaded with the corresponding content of the original,
$9FFF and upper memory $A000-$BFFF) in any cartridge obtained either by reverse engineering the chip or by
inserted in the expansion port, respectively. reading it as if it were a memory. On the net it is easy to
All this makes it clear how essential the PLA chip is in the find the BIN (binary) file to create a homemade PLA via
Commodore 64. Being also a very delicate chip, in case an EPROM (usually a 27C512), but having the exact
of failure it is very complicated to find a replacement for content to emulate the PLA chip inside an EPROM is not
it. Obviously, it has not existed commercially for decades enough since the exact behavior is also dictated by the
except second-hand on Ebay or Chinese electronics sites response time of the EPROM, which must be neither too
where it is easy to find replacement parts from computers slow nor too fast.
that have been dismembered to sell their components. This is because the PLA is a sort of signal sorter that has
Fortunately, even today there is a large group, including certain cadences measured by the clock. As well documented
myself, of die-hard enthusiasts who continue to use these
computer "grannies," and among them are those who
design and make modern devices to replace their
discontinued components. Indeed, there are a variety of
"Modern replacements" to replace the ROMs, the SID,
the DRAMs, the VIC II, the CPU, other custom chips from
MOS Technology found inside the Commodore 64, as well
as the PLA chip itself. Maybe not all of them are perfect
functional clones of the original chips, but just be well
informed before acquiring one.
Let us return to the discussion of what the PLA is, focusing
on its view as a black-box that receives an input formed
by 16 inputs and provides an output formed by 8 outputs.
Each different input value corresponds to an output value
respectively that is always the same. Doesn't this remind
you of anything? A (read-only) memory with a 16-bit
address bus and an 8-bit data bus. Trivially a ROM (an
EPROM, a FLASH, etc etc). In fact, the PLA was considered
by some to be one of the Commodore 64's ROMs, but Fig. 3

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 HARDWARE

Wanting to create an inexpensive PLA replacement with

an M27C512-90F6 EPROM, it is not enough to program
it with the appropriate BIN file, but an adapter must be
created to respect the position of its pins, which is slightly
different from that of the original PLA. By modifying one
or two connection sockets stacked together, one can
easily create the adapter in question. Even better, you
can use an adapter on a ready-made integrated circuit
to house the EPROM (Figure 4). It is usually found as an
Assembly Kit, where you only need to solder the pins and
the connection socket.
Doing the connection interfacing yourself is certainly
more fun, but the end result of the modified socket, full
of additional wires and various soldering is quite ugly to
look at. Despite then being inside the machine, the feeling
of having done an unpleasant thing remains. At this point,
if you want to do a neat little job yourself, you pick up a
CAD program for creating printed circuit boards, in my
case the open source software Kicad, and knock out the
Fig. 4
mini project.
in the article "The C64 PLA Dissected" [by Thomas 'skoe' Having in front of you the schematic of the PLA pins and
Giesel, http://skoe.de/docs/c64-dissected/pla/] par. that of a 27C512 (in this case the brand is not important
3.3, ".... The PLA propagation delay is very important for since the type of EPROM is always the same), you first
the proper operation of the C64. For example, the CASRAM make the logical diagram of the connections and then
signal must be delayed by the PLA by at least a certain move on to the actual 2D drawing of the printed circuit
amount of time. On the other hand, the propagation delay board (PCB). The final result is exported in the format
must not be too large, otherwise, for example, the setup that the person doing the printing (PCB production) wants.
times of the chips, which receive their enable signal too Commonly this is the file format called Gerber.
late, may not be met. .....". This whole process sounds complex and very expensive,
Both in the previously mentioned document and during however, using software like Kicad is really simple, and
the conference "The PLAin truth about the C64 PLA - as far as PCB printing is concerned, there are (Chinese)
World of Commodore 2017" [Toronto, Dec. 9-10, 2017 sites that for a handful of Euros will print your design in
- https://www.youtube.com/watch? no less than 5 pieces and ship it to your home via courier.
v=ofg33zk9uCA&t=350s] there is express reference to Then the cost of delivery depends on how long you want
a very specific EPROM that perfectly meets the necessary to wait. The final quality of the PCBs is more than excellent.
timelines: the M27C512-90B6 from ST Microelectronics. Having acquired the adapter that acts as the connection
It is an OTP (One Time Programmable) EPROM, meaning interface, using a very ordinary EPROM programmer, you
it can be programmed only once, and finding a new one write the contents inside the chip, insert the EPROM into
to program is difficult as it has been out of production the adapter, and then put it on the C64 motherboard.
since 2011. But the UV-erasable and reprogrammable But where does one retrieve the content to be written
version, the M27C512-90F6 (Figure 3), is easy to find into the EPROM? The easy answer would be--just ask Mr.
commercially, even at low cost (€1 or €2 a piece). Google, but those who follow the DIY (Do It Yourself)

RETROMAGAZINE WORLD-ENGLISH YEAR 3 - ISSUE 19 Page 21 of 83

 HARDWARE

upper ones, i.e., the socket housing and vice versa (Figure
5). You insert the PLA into the socket, and the whole thing
gets read by the EPROM programmer, which in addition
to writing, reads and verifies the chip contents.
Once read, you save the BIN file for future use. In this
way you have made a nice backup (dump) of the contents
of your PLA.
The EPROM programmer, through its software, is useful
not only for reading and writing the contents of writable
memory chips, but also for testing chips with logic gates,
such as the 74LS family of integrated circuits, to verify
their operation. Many of these software programs allow
you to recognize and test uncommon integrated circuits,
just by importing the correctly described specifications
into a special file. One such file exists on the net so that
the operation of the C64 PLA can be verified. As shown
in Fig. 6, the operation of the PLA replacement was tested
via EPROM, with positive results (Figure 6).
It should be emphasized that this type of test is a necessary
Fig. 5
but not sufficient condition to decree EPROM as a 100%
philosophy would answer differently. If you have a working functional replacement for PLA, since response times are
C64, the contents of the PLA are available to you, just not taken into account. It will be your Commodore 64,
read the original chip as if it were an EPROM of the same after intensive testing, that will give you the final answer.
type as the one you want to use as a replacement. Just If anyone was wondering then if the breadbin bought as
take the adapter and mount it backwards. The pins that not working had a broken PLA... yes, but it also had the
would go underneath are in this case reversed with the defunct CPU (6510), which is quite rare.

Fig. 6

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 SOFTWARE

Susi strikes again (for C64 and beginners)

by Eugenio Rapella

On the latest "Puzzle Week" appears a new "Susi's Query," If, on the other hand, x is not a multiple of 4, x/4 is not
the 988th. A friend of Susi's, let's call him Francesco, had an integer and in int(x/4) the decimal digits of the quotient
to face a test consisting of 100 questions, of the "True" are "eliminated" so that int(x/4)*4 does not return the
or "False" type, numbered from 1 to 100. When the test initial x (e.g., if x=19, you have 19/4=4.75; int(4,75)=4
is over, we learn that the correct solution is: "True" for and 4*4=16 other than 19). In this case m4 remains 0
questions with a multiple number of 4, "False" for the as it was initialized at instruction 20.
remaining ones. Francesco marked "False" for all questions This is repeated for the value 3 in instr. 40: m3 will be
with a multiple number of 3, "True" for all others. worth one if x is a multiple of 3, zero in opposite pot.
How many correct answers did Francesco in total? At 50 the C64 checks if situation (a) has occurred, at 60
if situation (b) has occurred; in these cases, the total of
If "x" is the number of a question, the answer is correct responses (variable "e," initially null) is incremented.
for Francesco if When the cycle is complete, "e" will contain the score
(a) x is multiple of 4 (so the correct answer is V) and x is totaled by Francis, which is printed at 80. And bravo to
not multiple of 3 (so Francesco marked V) our Commodore 64!
or
(b) x is not a multiple of 4 (so the correct solution is F) Will "Puzzle Week" readers who cannot rely on the C64
and x is a multiple of 3 (in which case Francesco scored F). (their loss!) have been able to solve the Query?
Here is one possible solution:
At this point, our trusty C64 is able to solve the question the lowest common multiple between 3 and 4 is 12. Here
with a handful of instructions in Basic. Here it is: is the situation of the first 12 questions:

10 for x=1 to 100

20 m4=0:m3=0
30 if(int(x/4)*4=x)then m4=1
40 if(int(x/3)*3=x)then m3=1
50 if((m4=1)and(m3=0))then e=e+1
60 if((m4=0)and(m3=1))then e=e+1 In the first dozen the correct solution coincides with
70 next Francis' answer in 5 cases (questions 3,4,6,8,9). Beginning
80 print" the number of correct answers is ";e with question 13 this pattern is repeated identically for
the subsequent dozen; since 100/12 = 8.33.. there are
In the "for-next" loop, "x" represents the question number; 5 correct answers for each of the eight dozen for a total
the variable m4 is worth 0 if x is not a multiple of 4, it is of 5*8 points. This leads to the first 12*8=96 questions;
worth 1 otherwise; similarly m3 is worth 0 if x is not a for the last four the pattern above applies in relation to
multiple of 3, it is worth 1 if it is. questions 1, 2, 3, 4.
How can our C64 recognize whether or not x is a multiple
of 4 without resorting to the "modulo" function (which, Thus, Francesco total score is 5*8+2= 42 in accordance
alas, is not part of its cultural background)? Our Commodore with what the Commodore calculated.
is not frightened: if x is a multiple of 4, dividing x by 4
yields an integer. The integer part ( int(..)) of this value "Forty-two out of a hundred" - I have my doubts that
is the value itself, which, when multiplied by 4, comes Francesco passed the test.
back to give the starting x (e.g., if x=20, you have 20/4
= 5; int(5) is 5 and 5*4 gives 20 again). Ultimately, if x is
a multiple of 4 the condition in instr. 30 is true is m4 is
raised to 1.

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Code optimization in MSX BASIC

by Germán Gómez Herrera - Systems Engineer - Spain

It is known that interpreted languages such as basic are First of all, the different values, which need the program,
limited according to the speed performance. have been precalculated and saved them in a vector.
To overcome this matter, there are some inventive ideas The running of the program lasts around 2 seconds. This
to write a program in basic with a better running speed. way is more suitable than the last one. You can see the
diferences in the figure 1.
For example: To use integer variables, the main loop
should be at the beginning of the program and so on.(1)

But even so, the running speed of the program can be

too slow due to the use of functions such as trigonometric
functions.
In this regard, when a program call to a function, to get
a value, the interpreter has to do some tasks which spend
time.
It would be more suitable that the value was precalculated.
This spend space in memory but increase the performance
speed.
Fig. 1 - MSX Basic (computed and pre-computed)

The next lines show some tests and a game written in Now, let's go to see a proof with the sine function and
MSX Basic (2) in order to clear up this issue. other things in a game.
All the examples are included in the autoexecutable disk The program is a kind of space game. You can imagine:
image which is attached. An enemy space ship is moving in a kind of wave trajectory.
Let's go to see an example with the sine function in a test Besides, it is able to shoot.
and to check the time spent. On the other hand, there is another space ship which is
Firstly, the program which use the sine function: driven by cursor keys. And it can shoot as well using the
If you run the program, you will see the program draws space bar.
a sequence of points showing a kind of wave trajectory. As to optimize the running speed of the program, the
The running of the program lasts more than 25 seconds. following points have been applied so that the game can
Therefore, this is not acceptable for some critical cases be playable:
such as games or others. - Integer variables applied.
- The main loop is at the beginning of the program.
Let's go to get better it. - Of course, sine function values are precalculated.
- Movement about cursor keys are precalculated as well.
Next test: we are going to change the sine function to - And something more such as handling the video memory.
precalculated values.

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The result is the following (see figure 2): 150 CL=(RND(1)*14)+2

160 CE=CE+1:IF CE>5 THEN CE=1:PE=PE+1:PQ=PQ+1
170 PUT SPRITE 1,(XE,YE),CL,SE
180 RETURN
190 SPRITE OFF
200 IF ABS(XF­XE)<17 AND ABS(YF­YE)<17 THEN
GOSUB 230 ELSEIF ABS(X­XE)<17 AND ABS(Y­
YE)<17 THEN GOSUB 400 ELSEIF ABS(X­XQ)<17
AND ABS(Y­YQ)<17 THEN GOSUB 400 ELSESPRITE
ON:RETURN
210 SPRITE ON
220 RETURN 80
230 PUT SPRITE 2,(0,0),0,5:FF=0:XF=0:YF=0
Fig. 2 - The game from the listing enclosed
240 FOR I=0 TO 15:PUT SPRITE 1,(XE,YE),I,SE:FOR
And the full code is showed in list 1: K=0 TO 50:NEXT:NEXT
10 CLEAR 200,&HC000:DEFINE­Z:GOSUB 500:GOSUB 250 GOSUB 110
450:GOSUB 110 260 SC!=SC!+CE*100+PE*500:GOSUB 270:RETURN
20 D=STICK(0):IF D>0 THEN 270 S$=MID$(STR$(SC!),2):S$=STRING$(6­
AX=DX(D):AY=DY(D):X=X+AX:X=X+AX*(X<0 OR LEN(S$), "0")+S$:P=&H1808:GOSUB 290:RETURN
X>240):Y=Y+AY:Y=Y+AY*(Y<8 OR Y>170):VPOKE 280 S$=MID$(STR$(HI!),2):S$=STRING$(6­
&H1B00,Y:VPOKE &H1B01,X LEN(S$), "0")+S$:P=&H1818:GOSUB 290:RETURN
30 IF STRIG(0) AND FF=0 THEN XF=X+16:YF=Y:FF=1 290 FOR I=1 TO 6:VPOKE P,VAL(MID$(S$,I,
40 IF FF THEN XF=XF+8:PUT SPRITE 2,(XF,YF), 1)):P=P+1:NEXT:RETURN
15,3:IF XF>255 THEN PUT SPRITE 2,(0,0), 300 GOSUB 490
0,5:FF=0:XF=0:YF=0 310 FF=0:LINE(96,88)­(159,95),1,BF
50 XE=XE­PE:IF XE<0 THEN GOSUB 110 320 RESTORE 760
60 YE=YT+TS(XE MOD 90):VPOKE &H1B04,YE:VPOKE 330 D=11*256+96:FOR I=D TO D+63:READ N:VPOKE
&H1B05,XE I,N:NEXT
70 IF FE THEN XQ=XQ­PQ:YQ=YQ­2*((YQ<Y)­ 340 D=&H2000+11*256+96:FOR I=D TO D+63:VPOKE
(YQ>Y)):PUT SPRITE 3,(XQ,YQ),15,4:IF XQ<0 I,&H41:NEXT
THEN FE=0:VPOKE &H1B0E,20 ELSE ELSE IF XE>X 350 A$=INKEY$:IF A$<>"" THEN 350
THEN XQ=XE­16:YQ=YE:FE=1 360 A$=INKEY$:IF A$<>" " THEN 360
80 IF GM THEN 20 370 IF SC!>HI! THEN HI!=SC!
90 GOSUB 300 380 LINE(96,88)­(159,95),1,BF:GOSUB 450:GOSUB
100 GOTO 20 110
110 SE=(RND(1)*2)+1:XE=255 390 RETURN
120 IF INT(RND(1)*2) THEN YT=(RND(1)*120) 400 PUT SPRITE 1,(0,0),0,5
ELSE YT=Y:IF YT>120 THEN YT=120 410 PUT SPRITE 2,(0,0),0,5:FF=0
130 YT=YT+20 420 PUT SPRITE 3,(0,0),0,5:FE=0
140 YE=YT+TS(XE MOD 90) 430 FOR I=0 TO 15:PUT SPRITE 0,(X,Y),I,0:FOR

RETROMAGAZINE WORLD-ENGLISH YEAR 3 - ISSUE 19 Page 25 of 83

 SOFTWARE

K=0 TO 200:NEXT:NEXT 15,62,236,214,1,6,3,5,0,3,5,0,235,210,44,11,2

440 GM=0:RETURN 24,212,107,212,0,0,192,96,0,160,96,0,92,235,8
450 GOSUB 490 4,160
460 X=0:Y=90:PUT SPRITE 0,(X,Y), 660 DATA
15,0:GM=1:CE=1:PE=1:SC!=0:FE=0:PQ=4 3,12,19,44,80,80,160,160,160,193,98,81,63,21,
470 GOSUB 270:GOSUB 280 14,3,192,48,216,12,6,10,49,90,181,107,176,218
480 RETURN ,140,216,176,64
490 FOR I=0 TO 4:PUT SPRITE I,(0,0), 670 DATA
0,5:NEXT:RETURN 0,0,0,0,0,0,0,183,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0
500 KEYOFF:COLOR 4,1,1:SCREEN 1,2,0:DIM ,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0
TS(90),DX(8),DY(8):ST=16 680 DATA
510 ON SPRITE GOSUB 190:SPRITE ON 0,0,0,0,0,0,0,237,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0
520 PRINT "LOADING":PRINT:PRINT "SPRITE ,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0
PATTERN "; 690 DATA
530 FOR I=0 TO 4:FOR K=1 TO 32:READ N:A$=A$ 0,1,2,4,5,6,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15,16,17,17,18
+CHR$(N):NEXT:SPRITE$(I)=A$:A$="":PRINT ,19,19,19,19,19,19,19,19,19,19
"*";:NEXT 700 DATE
540 PRINT:PRINT "VECTOR TABLE "; 18,17,16,15,14,13,12,11,10,9,8,6,5,4,2,1,0
550 FOR I=0 TO 89:READ N:TS(I)=N:NEXT:PRINT 710 DATA ­1,­2,­4,­5,­6,­8,­9,­10,­11,­12,­
"*"; 13,­14,­15,­16,­17,­17,­18,­19,­19,­19,­
560 FOR I=0 TO 8:READ N:DX(I)=N:NEXT:PRINT "*"; 19,­19,­19,­19,­19,­19,­19
570 FOR I=0 TO 8:READ N:DY(I)=N:NEXT:PRINT "*" 720 DATA ­18,­17,­17,­16,­15,­14,­13,­12,­
580 SCREEN 2:FOR I=0 TO 31:VPOKE &H1800+I, 11,­10,­9,­8,­6,­5,­4,­2,­1
31:NEXT 730 DATE 0, 0, 4, 4, 4, 0,­4,­4,­4
590 P=0:FOR I=384 TO 740 DATE 0,­4,­4, 0, 4, 4, 4, 0,­4
463:D=PEEK(&H1BBF+I):VPOKE P,D OR D/2:VPOKE 750 DATA
&H2000+P,&H41:P=P+1:NEXT 31,31,12,13,14,15,16,31,0,0,0,0,0,0,31,31,10,
600 A$="HISCORE":FOR K=1 TO LEN(A$):Q=ASC(MID$ 11,12,13,14,15,16,31,0,0,0,0,0,0,31,31
(A$,K,1))*8:FOR I=Q TO 760 DATE 124,198,190,162,186,198,124,0
Q+7:D=PEEK(&H1BBF+I):VPOKE P,D OR D/2:VPOKE 770 DATE 56,108,214,186,130,186,238,0
&H2000+P,&H41:P=P+1:NEXT:NEXT 780 DATE 238,186,146,170,186,170,238,0
610 FOR I=0 TO 31:READ N:VPOKE &H1800+I,N:NEXT 790 DATE 254,130,190,132,190,130,254,0
620 FOR I=0 TO 255 STEP 4:PSET(I,RND(1)*180+10), 800 DATE 124,198,186,170,186,198,124,0
(RND(1)*13)+2:NEXT 810 DATE 238,170,186,214,108,56,0
630 RETURN 820 DATE 254,130,190,132,190,130,254,0
640 DATA 830 DATE 252,134,186,134,186,238,0
255,18,127,254,84,3,118,187,0,186,212,110,31,
47,18,15,180,128,0,0,0,240,12,115,129,126,216 To get a better comprehension, a short commentary about
,0,0,0,0,180 the code is showed bellow:
650 DATA

Page 26 of 83 RETROMAGAZINE WORLD-ENGLISH YEAR 3 - ISSUE 19

 SOFTWARE

020 to 100. Main loop. In view of all this, I would like to point out the following:
110 to 180. Set enemy starship parameters.
190 to 220. Collision check procedure. The elapsed time from the test in the interpreted basic
230 to 260. Crashed enemy starship procedure. using sin table and the elapsed time from the test using
270 to 290. Score and highscore view. sin function in a compiled basic program are approximately
300 to 390. Game over view. the same, around 2 seconds.
400 to 440. Crashed user starship procedure.
450 to 480. Start game environment. Thereby, this fact could mean the compiler uses tables
490 to 490. Clear sprites of the screen. to get the fuction values as well.
500 to end. Set graphic resources and tables.
In the next article, we are going to improve something
Last but not least, this method is also used in compiled such as the background stage keeping up the program
languages because of its efficiency. performance.

For example, there is a compiler for the MSX system called As is often said: the optimal systems are the most efficient
xbasic (3). If you compile the previous test, you will see and effectual systems.
the following diferences:
Have fun!
Firstly, the program which uses the sine function: The
running of the program lasts around 2 seconds. It is fairly
References mentioned in the article:
fast.

1. https://map.grauw.nl/articles/
Finally, the program which use precalculated sine function basic_tips_tricks.php

values: The running of the program lasts around a half 2. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/MSX_BASIC

second. This is at full speed. The diferences can be seen
3. https://www.msx.org/wiki/Category:X-BASIC
in the figure 3.
Download demo disk:
https://retromagazine.net/download/demo.dsk

Fig. 3 - X-BASIC (computed and pre-computed)

RETROMAGAZINE WORLD-ENGLISH YEAR 3 - ISSUE 19 Page 27 of 83

 SOFTWARE

Turbo Pascal + Assembly: fading text in DOS

by The Orbital Crew - Alessandro Mazzola aka "Mr.H"

How many times have we come across demos or intros Converter) which sets each color and its RGB values. Let
of games that showed on-screen text with a fading us consider color 7 which by default is set as Light Gray
effect?...many times, I'm sure. is its RGB register is composed as follows:
With this very first part of the new column devoted to RED has a value of 43
programming, I want to explain precisely how this is possible. GREEN has a value of 43
BLUE has a value of 43
So turn on your dusty PC, dim light, put on a good cup of Now if we raise the Red and Green value to the maximum
coffee, stretch your fingers and let's get started right (63) and decrease BLUE to 0, we will get a nice deep Yellow.
away! :-) Okay, but how can we translate this into programming?
As mentioned it is not complicated, but we need the
Introduction: assembly to come to our rescue and I can assure that the
Fading text is a very nice practice to use especially in assembly is part of the pascal turbo so we can call ASM
demoscene introductions or games. Achieving such an code safely in the source.
effect is not difficult, you just need to know how and where
to aim to achieve a satisfactory result. Each color is Development:
composed in equal or different measures of the main We have to create two separate procedures, one precisely
tones: Red, Green and Blue, simply called RGB. in assembly the other in pascal code and both help us
set the colors and their RGB values. The first procedure
Analysis: will interpolate the DAC and set the color we intend to
In the DOS environment, particularly in text video mode, change in the opening while the second procedure sets
you have 15 different colors and each individual color the RGB values through the ports now ready to receive
has its own register managed by the DAC (Digital Analogic the data. Once we have created our procedures we only
need to increase the gradations of RGB through the use
of loops, which in this case the classic FOR loops are fine.
As you will notice in the source I have inserted three
different cycles, this is to create a more creative animation,
in fact, the first cycle increases from 0 to 45 and then
stops through a delay, afterwards it increases further to
the maximum and then decreases towards black.

Listing:
{ FADING TEXT: }
{ þ TEXT video mode (standard). }
{ þ Code in pure pascal and assembly. }
{ Orbital Crew / Code by Mr "H" }

uses Crt;
{ ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­
­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­ }
{ This procedure will deal with the invocation
of the DAC register }
{ and ability in receiving RGB

Page 28 of 83 RETROMAGAZINE WORLD-ENGLISH YEAR 3 - ISSUE 19

 SOFTWARE

ports. } ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­ }
procedure SetDacColor(color, dac: byte);
assembler; { Reset text mode }
asm asm
mov ax, 1000h mov ax, 03h
mov bl, color int 10h
mov bh, dac end;
int 10h
end; end.
{ ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­
­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­ } Conclusion:
{ This procedure sets the RGB values of the The color taken as a guinea pig is 7 (Light Gray) but we
chosen color. } can choose any other color from those made available
procedure SetRgbColor(color, r, g, b: by the text mode, i.e., from 0 to 15. In the graphics modes
longint); the method is about the same, only the amount of colors
begin available from the mode set changes, for example, in the
Port[$3c8] := color; 13h MCGA mode we have 256 colors available. Also it is
Port[$3c9] := r; { red } important to remember that once an RGB register is set
Port[$3c9] := g; { green } to a particular color it will remain so until reset with the
Port[$3c9] := b; { blue } original values or a simple call to int 10h service 03h in
end; AX will be needed to reset everything originally as before.
{ ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­ The latter operation was my choice in this source.
­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­ }
I hope it is of interest to you and that you experiment
var with the code by making changes yourself, only then will
c: integer; you learn better.

begin Thank you and good programming

ClrScr;
GotoXY(30, 10); Source + executable:
TextColor(7); https://www.zone640k.com/public/PROG01.RAR
Write('Hello World...');
Turbo Pascal 7.0
{ DAC register convocation and color parity https://www.zone640k.com/public/bp7.rar
7 } Extract the contents of the archive. In the BP7 path you
SetDacColor(7, 7); will find two separate files: turbo.exe for the classic turbo
SetRGBColor(7, 0, 0, 0); { Initialize the pascal and TPX.EXE for a version that eliminates the
color to deep black. } processor timing-delay problem.
{ cicli gradazioni ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­
­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­ } This article, published courtesy of the author, is part of
for c := 0 to 40 do begin a programming column edited by the author in his facebook
SetRgbColor(7,c,c,c); delay(50); end; group:
Delay(800); RetroComputer Planet
for c := 40 to 63 do begin https://www.facebook.com/groups/2643999585815805
SetRgbColor(7,c,c,c); delay(10); end;
for c := 63 downto 0 do begin
SetRgbColor(7,c,c,c); delay(20); end;
{ ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­
RETROMAGAZINE WORLD-ENGLISH YEAR 3 - ISSUE 19 Page 29 of 83
 SOFTWARE

May the FORTH be with us - part four

durexForth for Commodore 64
by Francesco Fiorentini
After a brief absence, it was since issue 29 ITA that I
hadn't mentioned it again, I want to return to writing
about the Forth language again. This time, however, I
want to do so by telling you about a project that is a real
bridge between past, present and future.

durex Forth
Although there are several portings of the Forth language
for the Commodore 64, durex Forth is perhaps one of the
most interesting ones. Why? It is quickly said, durex Forth
is a project still in full development phase, in fact, the last
update dates back to July 20, 2022, as you can see from
the official site on github:
https://github.com/jkotlinski/durexforth

Durex Forth is a modern version of the Forth language

that includes a clone of vi, also written in Forth, a high-
resolution graphics library, and support for MML music.
DurexForth is fast and easy to use. It is in fact the fastest
Forth for C64, running is about 50 times faster than Basic V2.
It also implements the standard Forth 2012 core so it is
easily used by anyone familiar with this language without
suffering the limitations of older implementations.

If you would like to learn more about the Forth 2012 Fig. 1 - The rich vocabulary of the durex Forth
standard, find the list of supported words here:
https://forth-standard.org/standard/core Since we like to get right down to business, let's try writing
some simple little programs to familiarize ourselves with
Here you will find an excellent manual for getting started the durex Forth.
with the Forth language:
https://www.forth.com/starting-forth/ Try typing the following:
: loop 21 1 do i . loop ;
Let's find out about durex forth
A simple program that, using the do ... loop, prints numbers
Obviously since it is a dialect, while it has a similar syntax
from 1 to 20 on the screen. A very simple program on the
to the Forth of the Jupiter ACE, it also has many differences
that we need to learn in order not to run into mistakes. surface, but one that requires a minimum of explanation
especially for those who, like me, are new to this fantastic
The command to access the durex Forth dictionary is words. language.
As we can see from the two images in Figure 1, the basic
dictionary is significantly richer than that of the Jupiter ACE.
The command to clean the screen, on the other hand, is
page. I must admit that without the help of the manual I
would never figured out. First we should note that the command : <xxx> is used
to define a new word.
rvs instead prints the text in reverse mode. This will be added to the durex Forth vocabulary, in fact,

Page 30 of 83 RETROMAGAZINE WORLD-ENGLISH YEAR 3 - ISSUE 19

 SOFTWARE

if you try to type words again you will see that the word We are progressing in small steps, but we will get to
cycle appears in the list of available words. something more interesting in future articles.
Also note the two numbers before the do command: 21
is called the "limit" and the number 1 is called the "index."
They basically define the starting value of the index, and
the ending limit. Basically in this way we are simulating
a more familiar for loop... next.

This example will clarify the concept immediately:

: loop 26 6 do i . loop ;

There is also something else worth noting, the variable i

(and reflexively j). Variables i and j are to be used within
the do loop constructs. i provides the index of the inner
loop, j the index of the outer loop.

Unfortunately, the durex Forth operator's manual (in

Figure 2) is really basic and lacks practical examples that
can guide novice users to discover this dialect.
You may have noticed that the numbers, in all of these
examples are printed pasted in the same line. But what
if we want to print them one per line? How can we go
"carriage return"? We can use the cr carriage return
command.
: loop 21 1 do i . cr loop ;

Let us now try something slightly more complicated.

This little program is an example of a do ... nested loop.
Basically the index of the outer loop is multiplied by the
index of the inner loop and the result is displayed on the
screen.

: multiply
11 1 do Fig. 2 - The durex forth manual
11 1 do
j i * .
loop
cr
loop ;

RETROMAGAZINE WORLD-ENGLISH YEAR 3 - ISSUE 19 Page 31 of 83

 SOFTWARE

Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration

A journey through history of video-game ...and more
by Carlo Nithaiah Del Mar Pirazzini and Simone Camminata
Until a few years ago, Atari seemed a relic of the past: an
iconic logo relegated to books and documentaries.
A brand covered in dust and stained by many mistakes
but also full of glory.

If we fast-forward through our video recorder of time we

arrive at today, or rather we arrive at the new leadership
of the company, CEO Wade Rosen, who has paid off in
time to make this Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration.
future developers to follow.
Rosen became head of Atari in April 2021, he encouraged
This is not just a package of titles that we judge by the
the reinvention of the company while keeping the focus
quality of the title itself-it is a museum. A path that guides
on the glorious past.
one to the discovery of the den of innovation and madness
The Recharged series, in particular, was a triumph.
that was the early Atari.
SneakyBox and Adamvision Studios' new interpretations
As soon as you start Atari 50, it feels like an interactive
of the classics Breakout and Yar's Revenge were
encyclopedia. You can jump to the game, which is tempting,
enthusiastically received.
since you are spoiled for choice with 90 titles, but the
main mode of ATARI 50 is exploration of the company
With the collaboration of Digital Eclipse, he presents us
through timelines.
with this title that falls somewhere between popularization
and video game.
The experience is divided into five chapters: Arcade
The gamble paid off. Atari 50 may be the best collection
Origins, Birth of the Console, Highs and Lows, The Dawn
of games ever made and should be the basic model for
of PCs, and The 1990s and Beyond.

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 SOFTWARE

Each nicely breaks down Atari's history with clean, clear The infamous Alamogordo burial images from 1983 are
narratives, allowing access to original material and the also shown (although the ET game is never mentioned,
games themselves. but that's okay-we don't miss it).
There is also so much to play and discover, even in the
We are not forced to read or look at anything to progress key of semi-unknown titles such as those for Atari Jaguar.
through the experience; its simple approach to progression Despite the strengths, there is one major sticking point.
to depth allows us to dig as deep as we want into certain Perhaps even more than one. Some games are not taken
points, such as consoles or industry developments. In care of from the control point of view for example. It
addition, Atari 50's light-hearted ludicization of every happens that the controls do not respond correctly.
piece of information (pictures, videos, manuals, and more)
encourages us to explore what's there. Missing some historical titles (in this case perhaps due
to lack of official licenses) such as Star Raiders for Atari
The videos are never too long; they stick to the topic at 400/800. Missing is a section devoted to Atari ST titles
hand, introduce important elements and offer rich and a more substantial section for Atari Lynx.
anecdotes. Crucially, the history section that is never Also missing is any reference to anything produced by
presumptuous. Although key figures show pride in past Atari under license from third parties. For example, the
work, they are also able to tell us about mistakes, criticisms, section devoted to some of Atari's pinball machines is
and failures. missing.

However, Atari 50 never seems anything less than the

celebration it offers. A connecting point between us old
time gamers and the new generations who want to rediscover.

A good book, perhaps a Chapter One -- waiting for a

second textbook.

RETROMAGAZINE WORLD-ENGLISH YEAR 3 - ISSUE 19 Page 33 of 83

 SOFTWARE

Retro Gadgets... building a Game Boy has never been so fun

and easy (and not just a GB)
by Simone Camminata
Working in the workshop. Screwdrivers, soldering iron,
schematics, PLA-what a beauty!
Retro Gadgets is an interesting product developed by the
Bologna-based Evil Licorice. An experiment that takes us
back to the past.
Our Pc becomes our laboratory and we virtually go back
to disassembling, reassembling and testing electronic
objects (in Bolognese dialect, the "ciappini" or small things).

This product really makes us sit in front of a classic

workbench with a square cutting board. But we are in Fig. 2 - Working on a small board
front of a screen and ready to play with our gadgets.
This allows "gadgets" to actually function in a virtual
Background It is not a video game but it is an experience. sense, from video game consoles to weather stations,
What we can do. Anything or almost anything! We can calculators and more.
create, code and customize our own electronic devices
and share them with other Geeks through the Web. The product runs only on a PC and requires a 64bit
processor (Intel Core2 or Amd equivalent), 4 Mb Ram,
We can build our Pcb, process it, maybe test it and see DirectX 9.0 c, 300 mb Hd, and a decent video card as a base.
how the buttons, switches work.
Each product can be assembled and reassembled several What I liked
times and tested, put online via the Steam Workshop to It is surprisingly engaging especially for the technically
be tested, inspected and modified by other people as well. and manually minded. Easy to handle and a lot of fun.
It is also interesting as an educational tool that allows There is abundant documentation with lots of videos and
you to create your own objects with full support for Lua tutorials on the web.
code, including a documented editor.

Fig. 1 - The work bench

Page 34 of 83 RETROMAGAZINE WORLD-ENGLISH YEAR 3 - ISSUE 19

 SOFTWARE

Fig. 3 - Example of a portable console

It is essential to make one thing clear, however. It is not You can purchase it from here:
a game. It is not a throwaway title and requires commitment https://store.steampowered.com/app/1730260/
once installed. If you are looking for something low-tech, Retro_Gadgets/
it is not for you.
We thank the folks at Evil Licorice for providing the trial
Summing up, it is a product for those who like to build version for review.
and spend hours examining objects and how they work.

Fig. 4 - Welding session

RETROMAGAZINE WORLD-ENGLISH YEAR 3 - ISSUE 19 Page 35 of 83

 SOFTWARE

Debugging in assembly (C64, Kick Assembler)

by Marco Pistorio
Debugging, a developer's "blessing and curse." debugging, which will be the topic I will try to expound
Sure, at least until AI takes our place in program coding! on in this article, focusing particularly on assembly 6510,
It is these days the release of the beta of the OpenAI that is, the Commodore 64 assembly.
chatbot, which seems to be very promising, alas :D Imagine a situation where a routine does not return
But as long as coding is our bread and butter, we will have expected values.
to fend for ourselves. Or again, imagine a routine, perhaps even one not written
by you, and wonder what that routine does, what values
Generally, when developing, four phases are identified it provides, starting from certain starting values in the
that relate to the implementation of the software namely: various registers or in certain memory locations.
1) analysis,
2) coding, Analyzing routines, making corrections when necessary,
3) debugging, is part of the normality of a programmer's work.
4) the release. Each of us, in this area, also based on our own experience,
will fulfill this task differently.
In the analysis, the problem to be solved is studied, the Some people will do everything with pen and paper, who
requirements to be met by the software are defined, the knows. Who will do everything in their head, why not?
so-called "scenario" of use etc. is analyzed. Those who will write the intermediate values obtained in
Coding refers to the writing of the actual code, which RAM memory locations that they will then go to view.
should immediately follow the previous stage, namely Those who will use an interactive debugger to test the
analysis. program as it runs.
Debugging is the phase where we check how the software
behaves, whether the results we get are as expected or not. The latter seems to me to be the most interesting solution.
If something does not work properly, go back to the We have some really good tools available today in this regard.
previous step, which is coding, and then check again. One such tool, which I have had the pleasure of learning
When the requirements set initially have been met, about you will find at this address:
debugging is finished because the code returns the https://sourceforge.net/projects/c64-debugger/files/
expected data etc we move on to the final phase, which
is release, the delivery of the software ready for use. It is, in a nutshell, a suitably (and also brilliantly, in fact...)
modified VICE emulator that allows you, in real time (or
There is quite a bit of specialized literature on this, dealing nearly so), quite intuitively moreover, to check the memory
with the so-called software life cycle. during the execution of a program, create breakpoints,
I have made a very simplified speech in order to be clearer examine the various registers of the VIC-II, the character
and to make the reading of this article more accessible set at a given instant, what is at a certain place on the
especially for newcomers. screen at a given time, which character, which sprite, and
I have avoided distinguishing between "waterfall," "spiral," much, much more.
iterative, and so forth models, but for those interested in
learning more, below is the related link to the topic on Instead, here I will show you another possible approach,
Wikipedia: certainly simpler, much more modest.
https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ciclo_di_vita_del_software
However, it can still be convenient in many circumstances,
It should be noted that the concepts outlined apply to when you are faced with (relatively) simple routines, or
those developing within a team as well as those developing while you are writing them, to do virtually immediate
independently. debugging, without bothering with special external tools.
Finally, the concepts exposed are independent of the Let us imagine a code outline as follows:
language used in coding.
Now let's focus on point 3 already mentioned, which is lda #01

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 SOFTWARE

ldx #02 the article).

s0: The idea is a macro that, upon execution of a BRK
ldy #03 instruction, will trigger, instead of the expected service
s1: routine, a routine that will print the values of the A
nop (accumulator) register, X register, Y register, stack pointer
(SP), and program counter (PC) register to me on the screen.
dey How does it work?
bne s1 Meanwhile, I am going to replace the service routine
dex related to the BRK instruction with a custom one,
bne s0 appropriately acting on memory locations $0316 and
$0317 (Execution address of BRK service routine. Default:
rts $FE66)
Within my debug service routine, which I called
It's a fairly simple routine actually, at least for those who debug_handler (how fancy, right? :D) I retrieve from the
chew assembly a bit. stack the values related to registers a,y and x, which I
Inside the accumulator we load the value 1, inside the x save within three appropriate memory locations save_a,
register we load 2 and finally in the y register we load 3. save_x and save_y.
Next we decrement the y register by 1 and until it is zero, I then also save the stack pointer to an appropriate location
we jump to address s1. namely save_sp.
When the y register is zero, we decrement the x register I then take, directly from the stack, the value of the
by 1 and until it is zero, we jump to address s0, where, program counter (PC) which I go to store within the
immediately thereafter, we load the y register with the appropriate save_pc location.
value 3 again. Let me remind you that the program counter is a 16-bit
At some point, when register x is more precisely zeroed, register that can hold a value between $0000 and $FFFF
the routine will end. or 0-65535 in decimal, indicating what the address of
What will be the final values found within the various the instruction currently being executed is.
registers at the end of the routine? Therefore, it is necessary to take not one but two values
The X register will certainly be 0. The accumulator, having (low byte and high byte) to properly store the value of
not been varied, will still contain the value 1. the program counter.
The Y register, on the other hand, since the X register will I will not elaborate further on this question. You can safely
have cleared for the routine to terminate, must of necessity analyze the related code to understand exactly how I
contain 0. obtain this value.
Only by assuming such a value in fact can the x register Next is the easy part.
have decremented until the routine is terminated. Through the KERNAL service routine $FFD2 I go to print
the values of registers A,X,Y,SP and PC, as mentioned above.
So, summarizing briefly, at the end of the routine we will have: Finally, I re-load the saved values related to registers A,
A=1, X=0, Y=0. X and Y by taking them from the memory locations that
temporarily contained them, and finally, via the RTI
Wouldn't it be convenient to find something that allows instruction, the routine ends.
us to get these values automatically, without thinking
about it too much? The exposed method, as mentioned above, operates as
Wouldn't it be just as convenient to know at a specific if it were a normal BRK service routine.
location in the routine, say at the location of the NOP This method therefore cannot be used in all situations in
instruction (which does absolutely nothing except consume which such a service routine cannot be called normally.
two clock cycles), the values that registers A, X, and Y Also, making use of the KERNAL $FFD2 routine to print
take automatically, along with perhaps some other data? the various values, it needs the KERNAL itself for it to
I would certainly say so. work properly.
It is incumbent on me to tell you that this one I present
So I thought, by "inconveniencing" the BRK service routine is a possible implementation.
and employing the stack, to create something that does
just this specific debugging job (see fig. 2, at the end of It is certainly possible to investigate other solutions to
RETROMAGAZINE WORLD-ENGLISH YEAR 3 - ISSUE 19 Page 37 of 83
 SOFTWARE

Fig. 1 - Photo of what is the first real bug found in a computer, Sept. 9, 1947 (source Wikipedia)

overcome the limitations of this implementation. ldy #03

s1:
My intent is to simply give you an idea, to show you one :debug($FF)
possible path among those that can be taken. nop
Therefore, I leave it to the usual attentive and willing dey
reader to investigate, improve, and make any changes in bne s1
this regard. dex
bne s0
Below is the complete code of my solution, which follows :debug($00)
the Kick Assembler syntax, and which you can compile
rts
without any modifications with this compiler but which,
with proper corrections, should be easily "portable" to
// https://codebase64.org/doku.php?id=base:
other compilers and...good debugging to all!!! 8_bit_to_hexadecimal_conversion

///////////////////////////////////// //**************************
// print Akku hex value
.label BSOUT = $ffd2// Print character in accu //**************************
OUTHEX: tax // save value for low nibble
:BasicUpstart2(main) lsr // ignore CARRY and shift hi nybble to
lonybble pos.
.pc=$08F0 lsr //
main: lsr //
lsr //
//BRK service routine management jsr NIB2HEX // print nibble
ldx #<debug_handler txa // restore value
ldy #>debug_handler and #$0f // Low nibble
stx $0316 jsr NIB2HEX // print nibble
sty $0317 rts

lda #01 //*********************

ldx #02 //* Akku low Nibble to Hex
s0: //*********************

Page 38 of 83 RETROMAGAZINE WORLD-ENGLISH YEAR 3 - ISSUE 19

 SOFTWARE

NIB2HEX: cmp #$0a// Accu >= 10? lda txt02+0

bcs HEX // Yes jsr BSOUT
adc #$30// Accu < 10 lda txt02+1
jmp BSOUT // Print #$30 ­ #39 jsr BSOUT
HEX: adc #$36// Accu >= 10, subtract #$09 to lda txt02+2
get "A" to "F" (CARRY always set here) jsr BSOUT
jmp BSOUT// Print Accu (HEX nibble) and bye
lda save_x
//////////////////////////////////// jsr OUTHEX

.macro debug (value) lda txt02+3

{ jsr BSOUT
brk ///////////////////////////////////
.byte value
} lda txt03+0
jsr BSOUT
debug_handler: lda txt03+1
{ jsr BSOUT
cld // Clear decimal flag (to be sure...) lda txt03+2
jsr BSOUT
pla
tay lda save_y
pla jsr OUTHEX
tax
pla lda txt03+3
jsr BSOUT
sta save_a // Save 6502 registers ///////////////////////////////////
stx save_x
sty save_y lda txt04+0
jsr BSOUT
tsx // Get stack pointer into X lda txt04+1
stx save_sp // Save it so we can print it jsr BSOUT
lda txt04+2
ldy $103,x // PC high byte jsr BSOUT
sty save_pc+1 lda txt04+3
jsr BSOUT
clc // clear carry flag
lda save_sp
ldy $102,x // PC low byte jsr OUTHEX
dey // ­1 bytes (opcode BRK)
cpy #$FF lda txt04+4
beq adj1 jsr BSOUT
///////////////////////////////////
jmp after_adj1
lda txt05+0
adj1: jsr BSOUT
dec save_pc+1 // if carry is 1, sub 1 PC high byte lda txt05+1
jsr BSOUT
after_adj1: lda txt05+2
dey // ­1 bytes (opcode BRK parameter) jsr BSOUT
cpy #$FF lda txt05+3
beq adj2 jsr BSOUT
jmp after_adj2
lda save_pc+1
adj2: jsr OUTHEX
dec save_pc+1 // if carry is 1, sub 1 PC high byte
lda save_pc+0
after_adj2: jsr OUTHEX
sty save_pc
lda txt05+4
/////////////////////////////////// jsr BSOUT
///////////////////////////////////
lda txt01+0
jsr BSOUT lda save_a // Restore 6502 registers
lda txt01+1 ldx save_x
jsr BSOUT ldy save_y
lda txt01+2
jsr BSOUT cli

lda save_a rti

jsr OUTHEX }

lda txt01+3 save_a: .byte 00

jsr BSOUT save_x: .byte 00
/////////////////////////////////// save_y: .byte 00
save_sp: .byte 00

RETROMAGAZINE WORLD-ENGLISH YEAR 3 - ISSUE 19 Page 39 of 83

 SOFTWARE

save_pc: .byte 00.00 "1545. Relay #70 Panel F (moth) in relay. First actual case
txt01: of bug being found." This log is preserved at the Smithsonian
.text "A=$ " National Museum of American History." (see fig. 1)
txt02:
.text "X=$ "
txt03: Basically, it seems that one of the first computer errors
.text "Y=$ "
txt04: was caused precisely...by a moth!!!
.text "SP=$ "
txt05:
.text "PC=$" I conclude with warm greetings and sincerest wishes to
.byte $0d all of you and your families for a peaceful Christmas and
///////////////////////////////////// a prosperous New Year, fellow readers!

CURIOSITY.

Do you know what the use of the term "bug" (i.e., "bug,"
RESOURCES
in English) is due to when referring to programming errors?
Many of you will know this, but in dispensation to all other
• https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ciclo_di_vita_del_software
curious readers, here is what Wikipedia says about it: • https://sourceforge.net/projects/c64-debugger/files/
• https://codebase64.org/doku.php?id=base:
"The widespread use of the term bug, which in English 8_bit_to_hexadecimal_conversion
generically means a small insect, is linked to a curious • http://theweb.dk/KickAssembler/Main.html#frontpage
anecdote dating back to the pioneering days of computing: • https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bug

on September 9, 1947, Lieutenant Grace Hopper and her

BIBLIOGRAPHY
team were searching for the cause of a Mark II computer
malfunction when, to their amazement, they noticed that C64 Programmer's Reference Guide - Copyright (C) 1982
a moth had become stuck between the circuits. After by Commodore Business Machines, Inc.
removing the insect (at 3:45 p.m.), an operation that would Compute's_Mapping the 64 and 64C - Sheldon Leemon,
restore the computer's smooth operation, Hopper pasted Compute! Publications Inc 1984,1987

the removed moth onto the computer's logbook and noted,

Fig. 2 - Output produced by the code provided in the article

Page 40 of 83 RETROMAGAZINE WORLD-ENGLISH YEAR 3 - ISSUE 19

 RETROEVENTI

SENSIBLE WORLD OF SOCCER:

A STORY THAT CONTINUES IN ITALY
by Francesco “iononsoleggere” Bizzini

First stop on RetroMagazine World's journey into the

world of the communities of fans who still keep 80s and
90s video games alive today, releasing updates, organizing
tournaments, publishing fanzines, even playing a role as
social glue against the loneliness of our times. It starts
with the guys here in Italy who continue to wear cleats
and tread the digital fields of one of the most glorious
soccer video games of the old century.
It's spelled Sensible World Of Soccer, but it reads hours
and hours and hours spent smashing joysticks together
with siblings, cousins and assorted classmates in a
competitive attempt to win championships, tournaments,
rankings and arrive happy at snack or dinner. We are
talking about a title carved into the history of retro-
computing and which slowly, brought to the world of 8-
and 16-bit consoles as well, won millions of hearts, even
outside that keyboard-and-mouse-equipped niche. But important Italian community dedicated to the immortal
those who think that the title originally released in 1992 soccer pixel classic.
under the name Sensible Soccer is one of the many sports
games, glorified by the usual four nerds out of some sort So we met with the guys from SWOSit and asked them
of vain nostalgia, are sorely mistaken. In 2007, the to explain how it all came about and what they have
prestigious New York Times celebrated Sensible World been up to for years:
of Soccer (edition released in 1994) as one of the ten SWOSit was born back in 2014, basically to give a place
most important video games of all time. No wonder then to all Sensible Soccer lovers where they could play their
that the title never really ceased to exist with the demise favorite game online. We started from nothing and gradually
of the machines for which it was intended. And so here built up a small 'Swosistic' world involving a nice chunk
we at RetroMagazine World went hunting for the most of Italian and foreign users. Our activities are very simple,
in the past before the pandemic we also participated in
various retrogaming and non-retrogaming events, like
Game Week and various industry events, as well as
organizing offline rallies where the title of Italian SWOS
champion was up for grabs. On our site, on the other hand,
we organize lots of tournaments of all kinds with the most
diverse teams and modes (as we go along we also organize
tournaments with real prizes that we deliver to the winner's
home). We are currently playing the World Cup Qatar
2022, but our flagship is undoubtedly the legendary online
career now in its 47th season, where more than 60 users
actively participate. In fact, through a portal (known to
everyone as a panel) we have recreated the structure of
the mythical career that we were so passionate about in
SWOS - Playfield

RETROMAGAZINE WORLD-ENGLISH YEAR 3 - ISSUE 19 Page 41 of 83

 RETROEVENTI

EventoOffline 2016 during a meeting in Milano

our youth. Clearly with lots of improvements to adapt it Amiga version is the one we grew up with and the one that
to the present day. The goal, however, is always the same: has the best gameplay. How could we play with any other!!!?!
you sign up, we create a team with which you start from Joking aside of course there are other versions, but we
the lowest series, the D series or C2 depending on how don't like them because of the gameplay far from the real
many participants we have. Through the soccer market SWOS and so we prefer not to use them.
you set it up by buying players from a real current database
(updated as you go with the real values of the players) But isn't playing online or entering your world complicated,
through ebay-style auctions, thus beginning your climb especially for those with little time?
to the big leagues. All this complete with goalscorer No, participating is very simple just sign up and through
rankings, cups, promotions and relegations. In addition our discord or whatsapp channel, then you make
to this we have another portal where we play tournaments, arrangements with other participants to play... all very
funcups or challenges between users, complete with simple and easy since we have as deadline tournaments
ranking and roll of honor of the players on the site. In accessible to everyone.
short, a small world of SWOS available to all fans.
Advice then for those who want to get into the field as
Today there are many platforms on which to play SWOS, a neophyte?
purely Amiga, ms-dos, xbox and pc. Which version do The advice to a new user is only one, jump into the fray
users in your community play the most? as soon as possible and start stomping the pixelated fields
Strictly the Amiga version, no kidding! If you want to play online. I recommend online, not offline! We say this because
the real SWOS you can look no further!!! The legendary playing online is a whole different thing than playing

GAZZETTA DELL SPORT? NO THANKS, WE HAVE SPORT SWOSIT!

As proof that the Community behind SWOSit is healthy, welcoming, full of imagination and united to make everyone have
fun, we could not fail to mention their monthly magazine. Which is then just a paper, in digital version, but nevertheless
this editorial production oozes with passion, self-mockery, and a desire to be together. In short, it is lovely. In this organ
of information you will find, in addition to all the updates on how the tournaments are going, the announcement of
community news, interviews with historical and other users, as well as highly goliardic moments such as the awarding of
"pixel head of the month." In the last issue that honor fell to user Ziobestia, who was pinched for inflating auctions in
terms of numbers of players allowed. Obviously pinched and fined. What a pixel head!

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and do it perfectly, they are monotonous but effective

(laughs .Ed), others are more imaginative and score in
many different ways. In short, a precise technical style or
more effective than others to win does not exist, just as
there is no style of play based on nationality, everyone
has to find his own style, carry it forward and perfect
himself as he goes along. The only real secret to performing
better at SWOS is playing consistently and then having
good dexterity, as it is a game with crazy playability,
allowing you to score in so many different ways, but most
importantly one of the first games in the world where the
ball is not glued to the players' feet and by the grace of
God it is essential to have the 'hot' hand to be able to joust
on the court to the best of your ability.

What is your eventual relationship with the international

scene and sensiblesoccer.de?
We have known each other for years, until a few years ago
we used to jointly organize the Master of SWOS annually
where the strongest players from our two communities
would face each other and where the winner would be
awarded the title of world champion of SWOS. It was a
nice and fun thing but then for a variety of reasons the
thing died and is currently no longer done. In a nutshell
we have good relations despite being two totally different
communities, so much so that a lot of users play on both

WHAT IF I WANTED TO PLAY ONLINE WITH THE

SWOSit COMMUNITY?

Do not worry, from what we could see you will not be

sucked into millenial technicalities. On the contrary, the
against the CPU, so the sooner you start the better, but
procedure for joining the initiatives organized by SWOSit
above all, don't beat yourself up if you get loud bangs at is quite faithful to the tools born in the early days of Web
first, we've all been there! Playing against real players is 2.0: forums, chats, executable files and so on. In short
much harder than playing against the CPU, but much you will have to go to www.swosit.com, go to the "getting
started" section, register, and then pop over to the forum
much much more fun and as soon as you get the hang of
to introduce yourself, because politeness and courtesy is
it you too will start to have a say in the world of SWOS!!! the mainstay of everything, elsewhere as in this
As mentioned above, we only play the Amiga version and community. When the welcoming part is filed, if you are
we do it with the legendary Kaillera (platform/client for not already operating on it, you need to equip yourself
with a windows based pc and download from the
online multiplayer game .Ed) which although dated still
"download" section of the site the client that you will use
makes its own piggyback. to "connect" and play with the community (which is then
an already pre-configured version of Kaillera) and the
Italians, in international SWOS competitions, have been kickstart needed for emulation to be placed in the ROM
folder of the program. Once the above is installed and
giving friends from other nations a run for their money
placed, only two small additional steps are needed to
for years. In your opinion, is there a "technical style"
update and calibrate everything, steps that are clearly
that sets the tricolor scene apart from others? illustrated in this video tutorial. For everything else, for
Let's say that everyone has their own style of play, some any doubts, questions, requests there is the official
play in a 'machine' way i.e. they learn how to score a goal community chat and which hosts about twenty members
ready to help you.

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 RETROEVENTI

SWOS will never give you the heartbreak that this title
gives you: its fantastic gameplay, its immediacy in playing
it even after 30 years and unpredictability is unrivaled.
Then again, these elements are what made it famous and
loved by so many users. Then let's face it... playing SWOS
makes us all a bit of a child again, and playing it online
being able to compete with the strongest players in Italy
and Europe in a wide variety of tournaments is a fantastic
thing. You want to put playing the online career of SWOS
Photos of the winners of one of the two compared to playing the Master of Pes!?!? (laughs with
tournaments of the Italian sensible gusto .Ed). As for carrying on the community let's say that
soccer offline Championship 2017
it is not so easy, especially as we get older and the time
sites without any problems. to devote to it is less and less, but given the many users
we have and the fun there is in playing it ... for now we
Offline, how are you doing? hold out and aim for our 9th birthday which will be next
We clearly being Italian and with a user base by force of March. In this aspect we are overjoyed because Italian
things more Italian we devote ourselves more to our communities born before us always lasted a short time
national scene rather than the international one, but let's while we have been up for a lifetime now. The only regret
say that we are very satisfied with what we have put up (and he continues to laugh .Ed) is not having opened when
and we have organized over the years various offline we were younger, with plenty of free time on our hands
gatherings in various parts of Italy such as Milan, Palermo, and no wives and children to take care of.
Rome, Rimini, Salerno, Trieste and so on. In addition, we
have participated in various retrogaming, comic book Why would an old SWOS fan, who lived through the
events... unfortunately due to pandemic we had to suspend glorious years of the title, and who does not know of
all that, but we plan to start again as soon as possible. your existence today, join your community?
Simple, if you want to be a kid again and have fun or
We are in the world of PES and FIFA, of nextgen consoles, measure yourself against other real players, you can't
so why is SWOS still relevant to you and what drives you help but come and play in SWOSit. With online Sensible
to sacrifice time, effort, even money, to keep a community Soccer lives a second youth and anyone who has never
of a "30-year-old" game going? done it for me should try this experience. We have so many
Let's say that if you grew up with SWOS you will love it as tournaments and leagues that a SWOS fan can't pass up
long as you want to play video games. Honestly Fifa and the opportunity. In the end, it is not very challenging to
Pes are nice but for those of us who grew up on bread and play the tournaments: you just have to organize yourself

WHAT IF I WANT TO PLAY OFFLINE? OK, LET'S DO IT, BUT IN THE ITALIAN WAY!

As mentioned in the interview, the version of SWOS most beloved by Italian players is the original, AMIGA version. Having
ascertained that, how can we train "offline" in World Of Soccer today with what we have easily at hand? Well, for those
who are happy owners of the Commodore home computer, original diskettes of the game or even backup copies are easy
to find on the usual markets. Even easier-if you have the means-is to write the floppies yourself, starting with the .adf
files. You can likewise upload them to pendrive/sdcard is to use them via Gotek reader. In short via real hardware the
original SWOS is widely accessible even today. Even - but we will discuss this in more detail next issue - there are offline
versions of SWOS with current leagues, formations and statistics, updated to last football season. There is one problem,
though. Since some goody-goody has been haggling over such copies, creating a bit of an embarrassment for those who
- with the promise that the whole thing was for passion only - had gotten the green light from EA Sports, owners of the
brand, the guys in the team dedicated to updates no longer made the .adf file available after the 2019/2020 season. On
the Sensiblesoccer.de website - a site that will be our welcome guest in the very next issue - you will therefore find
the .hdf version, which is nothing more than a "non-deadable" disk image and which you can easily load via emulator. For
example, using FS-UAE, you can from hard disk icon tab load such a file, then run it on an AMIGA 1200 model with 4MB
of Fastram. Thus you will get the 2021/2022 season. And, spoiler of spoilers, the 2022/2023 one will be available in a
few months!

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Serie B championship winner

with the various channels and you manage to settle with much hassle.
all your opponents without too much effort. In addition Inflated budgets, calcioscommesse, calciopoli, why can
to this, as I said before, we have two portals where the those who join your community feel safe with their own
tournaments take place with lots of ranking, roll of honor, company instead?
statistics between players... stuff to put the various Fifa Ahahah no from the big scandals we never had any. Let's
and Pes to shame. Let's then tell the truth a bit 'all ... in just say that our users are all pretty good and have
SWOS we felt like little champions in the days of our youth, understood the spirit of the site: having fun playing among
so why pass up the opportunity to compete against real friends and not bothering them too much. In the past
opponents in a small micro cosmos tailored to SWOS? In we've had a few smart ones but as they say...we walk them
short, if you love the game, you can't not be with us. to the door in no time. So those who join our community
can rest assured that no one is going to bother them or
Besides players are you also looking for some other be smart with cheating and stuff. At our place, the main
kinds of technical help on a voluntary basis? purpose is to have fun playing SWOS, disconnecting from
Regarding help from users... well of course they are always the real world and the various problems of daily life. For
welcome, it is not easy for us to follow all the users we example, one of the things we are overjoyed and proud of
have and manage the whole site. The most valuable hand was giving a place, during the lockdown due to the pandemic,
they can give us is following new members in testing the to so many users who due to isolation found in us a place
connection, explaining to them how the site works, how to stay and have fun, on a daily basis, away from the
tournaments work, what we do and so on. For us, new problems and various menaces of that bad period.
users are the most valuable asset and what allows us to
survive for years as a community, but unfortunately it is
not so easy to find people who actively lend a hand to us
on the staff. 90% rightly come to us to play without too

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Nolan Bushnell: an ageless innovator

by Simone Camminata and Carlo Nithaiah Del Mar Pirazzini

On a beautiful October weekend that feels like August, at

Lucca comics & games the founder of Atari talks about
innovation.
A man in his late 80s who moves, talks, is passionate and
moved like a little boy and continues to think, create,
innovate. What a wonder.
He founded Atari and created the concept of "Videogame"
starting with Pong and never stopping, always churning
out new ideas and opening numerous start-ups.

He has been a guest speaker at Europe's most important

entertainment trade show, is considered one of the 50
men who changed the United States, and he certainly
seems unwilling to step aside.
During the press conference he spoke and told us (to the
whole group of fans present):
"I have two projects. The first is called Moxy.com. A crypto tokens from the temporary wallet to the winner's
platform with crypto tokens for smart contect that will wallet."
aim to create a way by which everyone can challenge In short, a wacky but innovative thing that he says will
each other in "virtual betting." be launched in late November. We'll see.
Suppose, for example, I can beat you at Fortnite. Shall Ambitious projects include a gamified educational platform
we make a bet? And the bet will be accepted through called EXODEXA. A platform that will provide comparable
Moxy, which will create a temporary wallet, scores and education to high schoolers in just six months and with
at the end, when the challenge is over I will transfer the a better retention rate. For now it is available only in

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English, but says it will be usable in other idioms as well. "Atari from the very beginning focused on innovation,
He then talked about concretization and how to make it emphasized results." Nolan Bushnell also talked about
possible to emerge even from nothing. mistakes and how they are important in the journey.
To do things you have to "Start," he said. "Initially it will He talked about how it is critical to keep trained in ideas
suck, but when you introduce yourself to the world, it will and to always jump in with enthusiasm. He signed
respond to you and you have to be there to listen." autographs, opened booths and viewed cards that he
"Don't give up if the first project went wrong, the public himself was testing, and demonstrated that he is a giant
will tell you why and you can improve next time." who walks among men with a word for everyone.
"When I founded Atari we had no money, we had nothing,
we didn't even have marketing skills. We had one tool: He greeted with this sentence, "Do strange things. You
innovation." That's how Busnelll recounts Atari's 50 years will see that your brain is more apt to do just that. And
in the beautiful exhibition at San Franceschetto created that makes life an adventure to be lived to the fullest."
thanks in part to friends Carlo Santagostino, Antonio Nati
and Mike Arcade.

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 RETROHISTORY

Japan part 21:

live in your world, play in ours
by Michele Ugolini
Dear readers, we have reached the end-of-year for some games) (SLEH-00012)
holidays. The web is getting organized to celebrate - Memory Card (small hardware to be inserted over
one of the most important video game birthdays in ports to connect controllers for saving games,
the world: it has already been 28 years since the essential for completing games) (SCPH-1020)
birth of Paystation 1. We can also call it Playstation - Action replay (Unofficial trainer, not compatible
X, where "x" meant "Xperimental," personally the with PSone and model 9002)
most revolutionary experiment in 1994. We can - Multitap (plug into the appropriate port on the
also find it inside the famous "New Horizons" controller and play in more than 2) (SCPH-1070)
probe: on January 9, 2006, the New Horizons probe - The Glove Control (a glove with keys in the
was launched by NASA toward Pluto to collect "fingers") (SLEH-00012)
images of the planet. The modified CPU (to - Mouse (a simple "mouse" with classic PS
withstand space radiation) of the PlayStation1 was attachment) (SCPH-1030)
used in this probe. A console with undisputed - A link cable to connect two PlayStations
records: we can count more than 4,000 titles. How simultaneously (used in some games such as
many demos were created and how many other Destruction Derby or Duke Nukem: Time to Kill)
projects were started, for example, homebrews with (SCPH-1040)
Net Yaroze, through this marvel of Japan? How - A flightstick used for flight simulators (Ace Combat,
many accessories have been created? So many! Bogey Dead 6, etc.) (SCPH-1110)
These accessories are both joy and pain for us - PocketStation (a memory card with LCD display
collectors, let's do a quick review of the equipment: used for some special functions and also used with
- Simple controller without analog sticks (primitive some games such as Final Fantasy VIII, Crash
console controller) (SCPH-1080) Bandicoot 3: Warped, R4: Ridge Racer Type 4.
- DualAnalog controller equipped with two analog Released only in Japan) (SCPH-4000)
sticks (SCPH-1180) - A guitar pick (used in Aerosmith: Quest for Fame,
- DualShock controller (official with force feedback Stolen Song) (SCPH-4010)
and analog sticks) (SCPH-1200) - A joypad created by ASCII, Inc. under license from
- G-Con 45 (gun that used infrared, only suitable Sony for PlayStation with "Turbo" and "Autofire"

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buttons (SLEH-00001) born. "Revolutionaries at Sony" was a book written

- An arcade stick created by ASCII, Inc. for fighting by Japanese journalist Reiji Asakura, in which he
games and the like (SLEH-00002) recounts how Kutaragi's obsession with video games
- Negcon created by Namco under license from Sony was already well established as well as long before
for PlayStation, a joypad with the ability to twist the deal with the Super Mario house. In particular, it
clockwise and counterclockwise used to augment was an event that struck Kutaragi and convinced him
reality with driving games (SLEH-00003) that video games were the way to go. It was 1984
- JogCon created by Namco for PlayStation, with and Kutaragi, then 34 years old, was in a room at the
force-feedback (a small wheel used as a steering Sony factory in Atsugi, Japan. In front of him, on a
wheel) (SLEH-0020 / SLPH-00126 / SLUH-00059) screen, was the face of a human person generated in
- A "fishing rod" style joypad created by ASCII for 3D. By changing some variables , that face could be
fishing games (SLPH-00100) changed in real time, and Kutaragi, amazed, thought
- Of the joypads created for BeatMania by ASCII that "it was amazing, I immediately thought that was
under license from Konami and Sony (SLEH-00021/ the future of video games." *That 3D graphics
ASC-05158) software was meant for television, it was called
- Mat created by Guillemot/Thrustmaster for System G, but Kutaragi was convinced that it would
PlayStation under Sony license, for Dance Dance be much more useful for a video game than live TV.
Revolution (SLEH-00023) As we know Japanese marketing still has very
- A guitar created by KONAMI under license from restrictive laws, not only in Nintendo/Sony/Sega.
Sony (RU018-J2) At that time, unfortunately, the Japanese company
considered video games a mere pastime for kids,
Hundreds of thousands of consoles were sold thus a niche industry worthy of little interest.
worldwide (read my previous articles for more on Kutaragi, however, was far-sighted and convinced
Sony/Nintendo home marketing). It was December Sony to become a supplier to Nintendo,
3, 1994, and in just 30 days Sony sold more than programming the sound chip for the Super Nes
three hundred thousand. Many were convinced that himself.
Sony would lose the challenge to Sega and Nintendo A few years later the great betrayal of the house of
as well as their historical characters such as Sonic Super Mario materialized. For Norio Ohga, the then
and Super Mario, but they were all proved wrong by president of Sony, it was certainly a matter of honor.
the facts. Ps1 soon entered Europe and the United Nintendo would pay for his "betrayal," and Kutaragi
States in early 1995, immediately becoming the could finally bring the PlayStation project to life: the
best-selling console of the 32-bit era. Let's review console designed for the future!
the history for a moment. Who created our beloved It had a powerful 32-bit processor, Cd Rom drive
Ps1? Our beloved creator's name is Ken Kutaragi. He instead of cartridges, and right from the start it
was an electrical engineer who joined Sony right focused everything on 3D graphics.
after graduation (a typical situation in Japan, the The result was an unprecedented success. Rivals, the
best students are contacted well before the school Sega Saturn and the Nintendo 64, were distanced by
year is over, by numerous firms), in the 1970s. The several million units. The career of the first
story goes that his arrival at PlayStation was due to PlayStation lasted more than eleven years, with 102
the breaking of an agreement with Nintendo, million systems sold: the last machine produced was
whereby Sony was to produce a CD Rom unit for the even as late as March 2006, the date of the Ps2's
Super Nintendo. It was a revised and corrected entry as well as the date the probe was launched
version of the SNES, the best-selling 16-bit console, into space (to this day it is still running and, more
which in addition to cartridges also allowed CDs to importantly, is on its way out of the solar system).
be read. The name "PlayStation" had already been Time passes and the heart of the solar system is now
defined, but as we know Japanese dynamics often far away (55 U.A.), our star is probably observed as
leave too much room for mathematical calculations a faint distant light, Ps1 on the other hand is (and
and little room for the intuition of the famous "sixth forever will remain) a beacon of light in our nostalgic
sense".At the last moment Nintendo turned its back hearts.
on Sony and allied with Philips by making the famous
CD-i. The project did not pay off and soon ended, the Happy birthday Playstation, best wishes to you all
marketing calculations had missed the mark, from all our staff and our beloved Sony. **Till the
certainly the layoffs were substantial and painful. In next installment!
any case, a short time later, the first PlayStation was

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Zak McKracken, the B-movie game

by Mic the Biker Novarina

We were left, with our DeLorean, in 1987, lost in that named after the wives or girlfriends of the programmers.
masterpiece that answers to the name Maniac Mansion. Annie Larris was the maiden name of David Fox's wife,
We need only take a small leap forward in time and plunge and the character's appearance is inspired by her. Similarly,
into 1988 to see how the discourse undertaken by the Leslie Bennett was Leslie Edwards, girlfriend of Matthew
first point-and-click adventure programmed with the Alan Kane, who also worked as a play-tester during the
SCUMM has evolved. game's production. Each time Leslie's helmet is removed,
her hair is a different color. This refers to Leslie Edwards,
Zak McKracken and the Alien Mindbenders is, in fact, who changed her hair color virtually every week.
the second game to use this splendid engine. Like Maniac
Mansion, the game was initially developed for Commodore Zak McKracken, the mirror of those years
64 and later ported to other systems. First it was ported The game absorbed the stereotypes of that period in the
to PC and the following year to Amiga and Atari ST. David late 1980s. It was inspired by theories about aliens,
Fox led the development and design of the game, with ancient astronauts, and mysterious civilizations of the
Matthew Alan Kane as co-designer and co-programmer. past. In 1988 there was no Internet or YouTube, but there
Right from the start they wanted to give, the adventure was no shortage of books or TV documentaries discussing
in question, a deeper game atmosphere, so Fox consulted the mysteries associated with vanished civilizations and
writer David Spangler. Here many aspects and scenes how they had managed to create, with the means of the
faded into a brilliant New Age bent. The comic and surreal time, true construction miracles. In the game we will
aspect of Maniac Mansion was not to be lost sight of, therefore find ourselves visiting many pivotal places, such
however. Therefore, even though the game was meant to as the pyramids in Egypt and Mexico, Lima and its jungle
be more serious, Ron Gilbert insisted on keeping the crazy full of mysteries, and the Neolithic site of Stonehenge.
and genial humor in this chapter as well. But the ever-present Bermuda Triangle and the Face on
As in Maniac Mansion, the three girls in the game are Mars, at the time a true stellar enigma, are not left out.

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Human beings have always asked questions: who are we, Zak, our reporter with a vivid imagination. But this time
where do we come from ... but also "will there be anyone it's all true, no hoaxes or fake news. Hardly anyone really
up there, in space?" Zak McKracken takes this millennial believes him except the three people who will accompany
human question and transposes it with rare skill within him on his mission: Annie, head of an archaeological
the game. Indeed, he manages to go further: aliens are company, and her friends Leslie and Melissa, who have
protagonists, along with our characters, in this tightrope flown to Mars in a mobile camp. The four of them will have
adventure. On one side we will find the good guys, namely to piece together the parts of this archaic alien machine,
the Skolarians, while on the other side we will have the unmask the aliens, and destroy the machinery that makes
Caponids, or Caponians, that is, the villains of the day. us stupid.
But you know, when we are dealing with a point-and-click
adventure from the house of Lucas nothing is random as An unexpected journey
well as trivial. The good guys have a name that brings to And that's where we gang kids come in: we have to play
mind the concept of "education" and "intelligence." the role of Zak, Annie, Melissa and Leslie and guide them
Obviously there is a reason: they have to counter the on their unexpected journey. This journey will be full of
process of "imbecilication" of humankind! The bad guys, quirks, humor, craziness and strokes of genius. This point-
whose name comes from Al Capone, are a masterpiece and-click adventure will take us all over the world, going
of humor and brilliance, with their Cadillac-shaped from the Bermuda Triangle to the jungles of Lima, from
spaceship and a fanatical leader of Elvis, nicknamed Egypt to Mexico, and on to outer space, destination Mars.
precisely "The King." Simply absolute! The adventure is definitely vast and complex, and to help
us out we will have to deal with the very useful "Cut
Zak McKracken, the plot Scenes." These are scenes that take place in other places
The story is set in 1997, so a full nine years after the where something important is happening. I remember
game was produced. In those years, the average intelligence we were amazed when we first came across them. Until
level in the world is deteriorating: this is because aliens then, never had we felt like we were playing with the plot
have built a machine that slowly lowers the IQ of the entire of a movie! We had already played Maniac Mansion but
population. Strange life, a game from 1988 has such a
present-day and current plot! What could be worse in this
grotesque world situation? Obviously that the only person
who can stop this diabolical alien plan is a journalist.
That's right, not a scientist or a superhero, but a simple
when unreliable journalist who invents, for his magazine,
the most outlandish stories, writing about vegetarian
vampires and a carnivorous cauliflower. His name is Zak
McKracken.
The treacherous Caponians have taken control of the
famous "Phone Company," a company into which all the
world's telephone companies are merged. Through this
company they emit a 60 Hz buzz using a "mind-bending
machine," with the aim of slowly reducing the intelligence
of all Earth's inhabitants (but are you sure the game is
not set in 2022?). Fortunately, our Skolarian friends, an
ancient alien race, left us humans with a defense mechanism,
the infamous "Skolarian Device." Unfortunately, the parts
are scattered all over Earth and Mars.
It sounds exactly like another one of the crazy stories of
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"Take the flight to Bermuda, and when you are on the

alien spaceship, instead of boarding the plane to return
to Earth, ring the bell on the right. You will be taken to
the leader of the aliens, an avid Elvis fan: give him the
guitar and he, in return, will show you the way back to
San Francisco. Before entering the code in the teleporter,
return to the main room, continue to the right and read
the numbers on the LOT'O MATIC. Back in San Francisco
you can play them at the junk shop on 14th Avenue and,
after a few minutes, you can go and collect your prize.
You win so much here that all money problems should be
a thing of the past."
here we are on another level of depth and complexity. We
are not in a mad scientist's mansion, here our scenery is
Biker's thoughts
of a vastness and variety never seen before. Thanks to
Zak McKracken was a so-called aggregator: he had the
the SCUMM, the design and input mode are derived from
gift of aggregating us in the Borgo San Paolo Band all
it: in the upper two-thirds of the screen the action takes
together to proceed in the game. Many minds proposed
place, and in the lower third are all the controls.
more ideas on how to proceed, but also more cavorting
The puzzles are all quite complicated. Some of them have
that made our afternoons as fun as ever. Above all, they
to be tackled necessarily by using two or more characters
allowed the many mazes in the game, which were perhaps
together. Many puzzles have several solutions; this makes
the only flaw in the whole system, to be less cumbersome.
the game really long-lived. It may happen, for example,
We always wondered whether this was a sequel to Maniac
to reach the goal in such a way, which may later prove
Mansion or not, because the details that tie the two games
counterproductive. This will force us to start over; therefore,
together are there. Aside from the graphics and the
it is advisable to save often during the game. It is nothing
SCUMM, in Maniac Mansion you may remember Weird Ed
frustrating; the level of challenge is exquisitely calibrated.
leaving a message on Zak's answering machine. Then
As we progress through the hours of play we realize the
who hasn't noticed the poster advertising Maniac Mansion
importance of the "National Inquisitor." The newspaper
in Lou's Loans merchandise store in San Francisco? Just
our Zak works for hides within it many clues. By reading
as we can see a wanted sign under the name Purple
the contents of the masthead with a certain amount of
Meteor inside the Friendly Hostel on Mars and in the police
intelligence one will find many hints to continue in the
office in Kathmandu, Nepal.
more complicated parts. Like any self-respecting point-
and-click adventure, almost all objects have their own
A unique game, perhaps the most eclectic of point-and-
utility. Finally, here we will be able to find the much sought-
click graphic adventures. A plot so varied and totalitarian
after tin of chainsaw gasoline, which is "needed for another
that it represents a chapter unto itself in the history of
game." One of the many pearls of humor found within
"SCUMM Adventures." And then what more can be said?
this absolute masterpiece.
A game in which the "words of power" that repair the
crystal at Stonehenge, namely Gnik Sisi Vle, are none
Little money in your pocket
other than "Elvis is king" spelled backwards, deserves
Another aspect that makes me think that Zak is set in the
respect. Hat off.
present day is the issue of money. They are always scarce
and destined to end almost immediately. Fortunately, at
least here, this is solvable. I give you an excerpt from the
solution to the game for having almost unlimited money,
which solves many problems for you.

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 GAME TESTING

ListAmiga - The 5 (+ bonus) best Soccer games on

Amiga from Qatar's World Cup
by Beppe Rinella
Dear friends who, like me after Italy's elimination from
the upcoming World Cup, have gone into "Guru meditation,"
welcome back to a new and bubbly ListAmiga!
The most absurd and nonsensical World Cup in history
is now upon us, and the Italian national team, reigning
European champions, is a joke that is not even funny and
therefore will not take part in the most important football
event in the world. Yes, for the second time in a row.
But we don't care about that in the slightest, we turn off
the TV, shut down any more or less legitimate streaming
platform and turn on our mighty Amigas (not necessarily
original eh, no one is a fundamentalist around here!). We
Kick Off 2
do the football-show, and why not start with this small
and foot.
selection of games that I am here to offer you?
The bird's-eye view, or bird's-eye view if you prefer, allowed
A clarification before we begin: I deliberately excluded
a good portion of the field to be seen, plus the presence
managerial games in preference to played soccer, in my
of radar made it easy to see where we and especially our
opinion more appropriate thinking about a competition
comrades were.
that runs out in a very short time, as the World Cup is.
The pace of play was frantic, the passing mechanism,
We start then with:
however, allowed for some reasoning. Holding down the
button when the ball was close to our player, one would
THE 5 (+ BONUS) BEST SOCCER GAMES ON AMIGA FROM
stop as long as the button remained depressed, thus
THE WORLD CUP IN QATAR
having the ability to direct the pass and finally release.
However, all this had to be done in a very short time,
KICK OFF 2
requiring a certain mental and execution speed. This was
That could easily be enough, what are we talking about?
the feature that I perhaps missed most in Sensible Soccer,
Without any exaggeration, simply a fundamental piece
where there was no possibility of stopping and reasoning
of video game history, not just soccer, not just sports, but
a minimum ball and foot, as happens in real soccer.
absolutely.
With Kick Off 2, the good Dino did nothing but improve
Released in 1990, a year after the first episode, Kick Off
every single aspect over its predecessor, as well as
2 is one of the best soccer games in history, little to be done.
introducing a number of noteworthy new features.
A brief step back: in 1989 Dino Dini (kudos to his parents
The infamous aftertouch already seen in the first Kick Off,
for the imagination of the name) decided to completely
i.e., the possibility of imprinting the effect on the ball a
disrupt the world of video games, particularly those
moment after shooting, was well present here, now
dedicated to soccer, by pulling the revolutionary Kick Off
becoming a standard.
out of his hat. Until then, soccer games involved Velcro
The tactical aspect was greatly enriched, never before
being attached to the athletes' feet and the ball, thanks
had we seen such complexity in the management of
to which the ball remained firmly glued to the players,
schemes, we had the possibility of creating customized
whatever movement they made. In Kick Off not at all, the
ones, deciding the position of individual players on the
ball here went straight on its way, taming it was really a
field. All taken by weight from the excellent Player Manager
difficult task, in fact it was more a matter of chasing it by
(from which it was possible to import already created
making it go where we wanted with a series of touches.
tactics), a managerial also born from the mind of Dino Dini.
Which is what happens in the real world by running ball

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 GAME TESTING

In short, it was finally possible to create Christmas trees,

rhombus midfields, ask wings and full-backs to grind out
miles, and anything else that came to mind, including the
"Holly&Benji" (or Captain Tsubasa, if you prefer) deployment,
i.e., "get the ball and always go straight, crosses don't exist."
Technically basic but not for that reason poor, the
proportions between the size of the small players and the
field were absolutely spot on, unlike what was usually
seen in more arcade titles, everything was perfectly
functional to the game. The sound, on the other hand,
did the bare minimum.
A timeless masterpiece and a lesson in programming that
still impresses today and puts decidedly newer titles in line.

Sensible World of Soccer 96/97

SENSIBLE WORLD OF SOCCER 96/97
Lovers of soccer games on the Amiga have always divided The better our season had been, the better companies
into two distinct factions: Kick Off 2 or Sensible Soccer. and national teams were interested in us.
I have previously stated my affiliation with the Sensible Graphically, SWOS is minimalist to say the least, with tiny
Soccer faction, to date the title I have played the most in players and rather poor animation, but it's all pretty damn
my life. This tendency of mine has never prevented me perfect. The top-down view, a few feet higher than in Kick
from recognizing the tremendous value of Kick Off 2 of Off, meant that the portion of the field visible was really
course, without the existence of Dino Dini probably Sensible large, so much so that the presence of the radar present
Boys Soccer would never have existed, so thanks again Dino! in Kick Off was unnecessary.
Coming to us, Sensible World of Soccer 96/97 (henceforth In the course of the match it was possible to hear the
SWOS) is the best version among the many releases. constant buzz of the audience, choruses, boos following
The first version of Sensible Soccer, without the "World a save or an ejection, as well as, of course, cheers after
of" in between, came out in 1992, then a couple of updates a goal, the sound effects were within the norm.
with some minor improvements, but it was in 1994 that SWOS was perhaps less realistic than Kick Off 2, leaning
the first version of SWOS saw the light of day. This was decidedly more on immediacy and doing it great. It was
obviously not a mere name change, that "World of" was the classic game that was simple to play but required a
not random at all and really encompassed quite a lot. lot of practice to master properly, turning out to be more
The biggest introduction in SWOS was the career mode, complex than it appeared. Playing SWOS was tremendously
which we could deal with as just players, worrying "only" fun and still is, the risk of addiction then is very high.
about taking the field, as a manager, so no field but team A timeless masterpiece, in the true sense of the word
management, including soccer market, or both. being alive and well to this day thanks to annual updates.
Buying and selling players was time-consuming, getting Wonderful.
lost in the endless database of leagues, teams and players
was very easy indeed, scouting literally all over the world GOAL!
in search of the unknown talent was exciting, and sharing It is spelled Goal! but it is read Kick Off 3.
our new discovery with friends was a source of enormous Having abandoned Anco, for Dino Dini the name "Kick
pride. Off" was no longer usable and he therefore called his new
The tactical aspect had been significantly deepened, with work Goal!, he loved simple names in short.
the ability to create quite elaborate schemes and tactics, Anco then a Kick Off 3 published it, but it can be safely
deciding the position of each individual player based on classified as garbage.
where on the field the ball was. Goal! improved Kick Off 2 in every respect, and it was by
At the end of the season then came offers from other no means easy.
clubs requesting our services, including national teams. The graphical aspect was markedly improved, with larger
and well animated players, they appeared quite stocky
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 GAME TESTING

and definitely sturdy, I always appreciated them very it requires practice and dedication that pay off, however,
much. There were two views available, one closer than in very well
Kick Off and the other more like Sensible Soccer, perhaps The comparison with Sensible Soccer is inevitable, but
a bit "farther away." Unless you chose to want to use only they are very different games, so different that they are
one of the two, the computer used both. Narrower view perhaps complementary; of the two, Goal! definitely leans
during action, wider view for spot kicks and throw-ins. more toward simulation.
Also it was possible to change the orientation of the field, Goal! is an essential title that absolutely cannot be missed
arranging it horizontally and not just vertically, personally by anyone who loves soccer.
I always found it alienating preferring the classic
arrangement. SIERRA SOCCER
A new mode for taking penalties and corner kicks was I have always loved Sierra Soccer, despite the fact that
introduced; a dotted line appeared in front of the player it is certainly not the best soccer game available on the
in charge of taking the penalty, allowing the angle, force Amiga and indeed, has quite a few flaws.
and trajectory of the shot or cross to be determined. When it came out in 1994, at the height of World Cup
Interesting were the replay functions, which allowed fever in the U.S., the time I theoretically should have
people to review their goals, rewind and replay in slow spent studying for the arduous eighth grade exam dropped
motion, as well as being able to save them to disk. dramatically because of Sierra Soccer.
For the first time in a Dino Dini game, the names of the The game modes that this title offered were rather paltry:
players were real and each had a rich list of statistics and friendly, cup, penalty training and penalty kicks. The cup
parameters, with about 3000 players available this was involved a choice between random rounds or those of the
undoubtedly a great job. official world cup to be played shortly thereafter, a maximum
The available competitions were not many and nothing of 8 players could take part in the competition, each
official, it was possible to create your own league including choosing their own team.
a maximum of 32 teams, while in the arcade mode you Of official licenses there was no trace, the names of the
faced five teams with increasing level of difficulty, finally players were all comically mispronounced, in Italy for
the classic friendly matches. No cup, a curious and quite example played the likes of Maldeeni, Beraisi, Senyori
inexplicable choice. A small remark about the interface and the great Roberto Bajhio, who would still be infinitely
of the different menus: definitely spartan with all those better than the current nationals. There was nothing
square blocks, I always loved it! customizable; on the other hand, it was possible to create
Goal! is really a Mr. soccer game, fast-paced, frantic but your own team from scratch.
with which you can baste really articulate and satisfying Graphically Sierra Soccer was not bad at all, the players
game plots. It is perhaps the title that most of all gave were small but had a good number of well-crafted
me the feeling of playing soccer. It is not easy to master, animations. The special features were the field and the
visuals. Both of these aspects were reminiscent of Striker,
which came out a couple of years earlier. The field was
three-dimensional and the view was not perpendicular
to the field or nearly so as in Sensible Soccer, but more
or less at 45 degrees, more behind the players let's say.
The small size of the players still allowed for a very good
view of the field, plus from this position everything was
in perspective, so with the farthest goal being smaller in
size than the closest one and no penalty areas with
perfectly right angles.
Unlike the games covered so far, Sierra Soccer was
distinctly arcade, the ball staying perfectly attached to
players allowing for resounding slaloms between opponents
and sudden changes of direction, all without the ball ever
Goal!

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 GAME TESTING

my opinion, deserved.
Again, just as in Sierra Soccer, the focus was definitely
more on the arcade aspect than on simulation as was the
case in Kick Off and Sons. So ball firmly attached to your
feet and off you go. Despite this, however, the innovative
passing system that CE introduced made the game
definitely deep and allowed the construction of really
spectacular actions.
It was possible to make passes in several ways, starting
with the simplest one, an arrow would appear on the
player with the ball indicating which player we would
throw the ball toward. As the ball traveled from one player
Sierra Soccer to the other, pressing the button again would cause the
recipient of the ball to pass or shoot, depending on where
leaving our feet.
he was, of first intent. In this case both the player to pass
Perhaps the most annoying flaw was the assignment of
to and the action taken by the recipient were determined
the controlled player in the defensive phase. In practice
by the computer, based on our position on the field and
the computer decided when and which player was controlled
that of our teammates, initially giving the impression that
by us, which often did not work very well. Often we would
what was happening on the field was not really our doing.
find ourselves chasing the opponent with the ball, getting
But this was not the case; once the mechanism was
close to him by now, but suddenly losing control of our
assimilated and with a little practice it was possible to
player in favor of a more distant teammate. Quite a
create choral actions with really exciting touches from
frustrating flaw, but after a while we would learn to
the front. Another possibility was to hold down the button,
understand how the computer "reasoned" and thus predict
an arrow would appear in front of our player and we could
which player we would control and when.
direct the pass where we wanted by moving the arrow at
What has been said so far certainly does not suggest a
that point, the longer it was held down the longer the
great game, Sierra Soccer in fact was far from perfect.
pass was. Finally there was the option of passing by
Nevertheless, it was damn entertaining, having the ball
directly selecting the receiver, the ball-and-foot player
always firmly at our feet allowed us not to worry about
would continue his run while we chose who to direct the
having to chase it, allowing us to build up even quite
pass to. The latter was perhaps the least practical mode
complex actions. The goals scored in Sierra Soccer could
but with a little practice it was really interesting.
be highly spectacular and not unexciting; the satisfaction
The control system therefore was not as simple as was
of firing a shot from outside the box that goes straight
into the crossbar, with the diving goalkeeper unable to
do anything, gave no small amount of satisfaction.
Sierra Soccer was a game with no pretense of wanting
to be the best in the business; compared to Sensible
Soccer and Goal! it played a different league, just to use
a metaphor in theme.
It was immediate, fun, almost essential, and unabashedly
arcade-like and gave me and others several months of
pure enjoyment.

EUROPEAN CHAMPIONS
Released in Italy as "Retee 2!" and in Germany as "Lothar
Matthaeus Die Soccer," European Champions (EC) was
an excellent soccer game, in some cases not too well
received by critics or at any rate not as it would have, in European Champions

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 GAME TESTING

usually the case in arcade games and required a good

deal of practice, but once mastered one appreciated its
versatility as well as its originality.
It was possible to play EC using two different views,
interchangeable even while the game was in progress,
the top view but definitely narrower than in Sensible
Soccer, and the side view, in my opinion the best view and
one that allowed more appreciation of the good workmanship
of players and animations.
The sound was certainly not EC's strong point, I particularly
remember the trumpets that could be heard during the
game, which were quite ridiculous.
Soccer Kid
EC offers all the classic game modes, so there is no
shortage of cups, leagues and friendly matches. And and at the end of each there was the classic and unfailing
again, creation of custom tactics, possibility to customize boss to face.
teams and players by acting on the many parameters The special feature of this title was the only weapon we
present. had, which was our trusty soccer ball. The protagonist
In short, EC really offered everything a soccer fan could with the ball had a way with it and used all his best shots
want, was rich in options and customizations, and once on offense. We could hit our opponents with shots, headers,
familiar with the control system became as exhilarating backhands and much more. The ball was then also usable
as few. as a trampoline to take remarkable leaps and reach
If you happen to discuss soccer titles on the Amiga you otherwise inaccessible points. In the course of our
may not hear EC mentioned often and this is in my opinion adventure we also had to collect soccer player stickers
deeply unfair, it is an excellent title that attempted to scattered around the levels, eleven of each, and completing
introduce really new mechanics distinguishing itself from the collection gave access to bonus levels.
its competitors and did so with excellent results. Soccer Kid is graphically delightful, starting with the
If you have not yet done so, it is a must to catch up. animation-rich protagonist, everything is beautifully
realized. The different countries are excellently realized
SOCCER KID (BONUS) and recognizable, with distinctive settings and themed
The reason for that BONUS is obvious, putting a platformer enemies. The music also does a great job, different for
in a list dedicated to soccer games doesn't make much each setting and very pleasant.
sense, in this case, however, soccer still has a lot to do with it. Perfect scrolling without the slightest uncertainty completes
The year Soccer Kid was released was always 1994, and a work of sublime quality.
the intention was evidently to capitalize on the anticipation Soccer Kid is an excellent platformer, among the best on
of the USA 94 World Cup. Krisalis decided to capitalize the Amiga and with the great merit of introducing something
on the growing World Cup excitement with a beautifully really original that makes it unique compared to competitors
crafted platformer. in the same genre, all this by introducing "only" the use
The story was simple and sufficiently absurd: aliens, of a ball, not bad indeed.
collectors of trophies from other planets, decide to take Long, varied, and moderately challenging, Soccer Kid is
possession of the world cup. While being transported on a joy to play and is a great diversion between a game of
their spaceship, via the classic alien beam that transports Sensible Soccer and one of Goal! while still staying within
things on spaceships, an asteroid hits the cup breaking the soccer theme. Delicious.
it into 5 pieces that fall back to Earth, each in a different
country. Our beloved Amiga really has a lot to offer when it comes
Our task, as Soccer Kid, was to retrieve the five pieces of to kicking a ball around, come visit us on our social
the cup scattered across England, Italy, Russia, Japan channels and let us know what your favorite games are!
and the USA. Each level was divided into three sections,
Greetings to all of you and AMIGA FOREVER!
RETROMAGAZINE WORLD-ENGLISH YEAR 3 - ISSUE 19 Page 57 of 83
 GAME TESTING

RM Console
by Querino Ialongo

from arcade classics to 8-bit consoles such as Nes and

Master System, from 16-bit consoles such as Megadrive
and Snes to the beloved Ps1 and Dreamcast.

But this new front end is not just limited to emulation

because inside it has two sections with which users can
challenge each other and have fun together.

The first one is called Versus and, as you might guess

from the name, it is a 1vs1 challenge between two users
Christmas is here, and we video game lovers are very who have to choose a title from three different categories;
attached to this time because as children we always hoped fighting, sports and puzzle.
to find our favorite console under the tree.
To recreate a bit of that magical atmosphere, the admins The second section is called Highscore, and users will be
of Retro Multiplayer thought of a beautiful gift for their able to upload to the console a screenshot of their best
users and thus gave birth to the RM Console, a front end score of a title that will be chosen from time to time.
with which you can play our beloved retrogames. Winners and participants in these challenges will receive
points to climb the Retro Multiplayer Championship
Actually, the RM Console was already born several months leaderboard, i.e., an actual arcade championship that will
ago, but it initially relied on third-party programs adapted award winners with final prizes.
as much as possible in style and graphics.
Instead, this latest version is basically software created
and designed from scratch, the result of several months
of work and testing.

Inside the RM Console run free front ends that emulate

retrogames, such as Retroarch, Flycast or Mednafen, but
they have been completely simplified in settings and
adapted to a new GUI.

The Rm Console respects what are the principles of the

Retro Multiplayer community and in fact aims to emulate
those titles that can be played cooperatively or in versus,
to recreate the beautiful spirit of arcades or afternoons We are sure retrogame lovers will love this front end so
spent together at friends' houses. the invitation is to join the Retro Multiplayer discord server,
A variety of content can be emulated with the RM Console, first to find a community of friends and fans, but then
also to play together with the RM Console.

The game room reopens; many evenings of pure fun await us.

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Year: 2022
Editor: Electric Black Sheep

NONE OF US
Genre: Shoot em up
Platform: Amiga
Website: https://
electricblacksheep.itch.io/none-
of-us

We are looking at a pure action title

made by those geniuses at Electric
Black Sheep. A top-down adventure/
shooter that boasts an art style
inspired by the popular multiplayer
game Among Us.

Players must try to escape from a

ship full of enemies in a setting with
limited visibility. thing present.
Armed with laser blasters, exploring
interconnected areas and destroying
everything that moves.
To provide a greater challenge, our
view will be compromised and limited
to our sight. This makes confrontations
with enemies more varied and
unpredictable.

Compared to the title from which it And it is simply an experiment by

takes inspiration, None of Us features Electric Black Sheep. A joke that shows
a different type of gameplay that is the functionality of the game engine
more pure action-oriented and at and the fluidity of the motion graphics.
times reminiscent of Chaos Engine. However, it is a fun and highly playable
joke capable of nailing us in front of
Armed with laser blasters, players the joystick to tackle the next level.
will navigate a lab-ship, unaware of
who or what is on board. If you liked Among Us, then None of
Among Us is an independent Us is a fun little inspired shooter worth
multiplayer title that has gained great trying. Visually it is similar, but its
popularity in recent years. Everyone gameplay is definitely more Fast,
from celebrities to influencers to Furious And Funny and geared toward
gamers have joined the action, action and destruction.
propelling it to commercial success.
by Giampaolo Moraschi OUR FINAL SCORE
So here comes None of Us, a prototype
version, a joke that takes the visual » Gameplay 85%
design and inspiration from the Inspired by Among Us with old-
aforementioned game. school shooter gameplay and
Basically, you can think of this title great interconnectedness. Too
bad it's a prototype and not a
as a top-view shooter with retro pixel
full title.
graphics and a Among Us skin. The
main objective is to escape from the » Longevity 90%
ship and eliminate every single living Glues you to the joystick.

RETROMAGAZINE WORLD-ENGLISH YEAR 3 - ISSUE 19 Page 59 of 83

 GAME TESTING

Year: 2022

DEVIL’S TEMPLE:
Editor: Geezer Games
Genre: Beat em up
Platform: Amiga

SON OF THE KUNG FU MASTER Website: https://

mcgeezer.itch.io/kung-fu-
remaster

Devil's Tempe is a spin-off of the

arcade classic Kung Fu Master. With
10 levels and 3 bonus levels, we will
play the role of Tommy (son of the
Kung Fu Master) in a rescue adventure
through the Devil's temple. Again, as
in a thousand other similar titles, we
will have to free our girl from the
terrible X.
in the first version available for
purchase have been corrected.
Each level features a boss fight and
When it comes to the actual game
a lot of secret bonus items to discover
play, I found it challenging and fun
that will give us extra lives, extra
at the same time. Devil's Temple
health and weapons.
doesn't necessarily contain as much
variation within its style (in the same
The game requires at least an Amiga
way as its inspirational predecessor)
500 with 0.5 Md of slow Ram to run.
but it is executed so well and part of
When it comes to pure old-school
that is due to the fact that each level
arcade action, Devil's Temple is as
is just the right length and never tires.
close to perfection as you can get.
The title is available for a fee as a
Wonderful-looking graphics, a
digital download (initially deemed
pumped-up, well-crafted soundtrack,
too high and now scaled back in cost)
and compelling gameplay blend well
but a physical version of the title will
enough to make it a modern
be available for purchase soon.
masterpiece for the Amiga.

If you are looking for a good modern

scrolling fighting game Devil's Temple
is for you.

by Carlo Nithaiah Del Mar Pirazzini

The group at Geezer Games decided OUR FINAL SCORE

to embark on a project that turned
out to be much more than just an » Gameplay 90%
arcade porting of the original title. Beating up bad guys with kung
The art style of the title is perfect. fu is always fun. Simple and
effective.
Not only does it look beautiful, but it
is highly detailed and awash in 80s » Longevity 90%
references (yes the title is set in 1987). A title that is well calibrated in
Everything moves very well and some difficulty and will keep you busy
collision errors between sprites present for a while.

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 GAME TESTING

ADVANCED Year: 1992/2022

Editor: Masaya/Retro-Bit

BUSTERHAWK GLEY Genre: Shoot em up

Platform: Sega Megadrive

LANCER
Website: https://retro-bit.com/
gley-lancer

Released in 1992 by Masaya for Sega

Megadrive only for the Japanese
market, Gley Lancer remained confined
to the Rising Sun for a long time, until
it was launched in 2008 for the
Nintendo Wii Virtual Console and then
for Ps4 and Ps5.
A sumptuous title that, after exactly
30 years, returns in a physical version
the upgrades and the type of fire
on our beloved Megadrives.
chosen will result in different effects
It is a shoot em up with horizontal
that will give a certain type of character
scrolling and is definitely a great game
and customization to the ship allowing
worth trying your hand at.
the player to calibrate, game after
game, the right set to be able to tackle
Technically, even today the graphics
the game.
look incredible with lots of enemies
on screen, parallax backdrops and
It is a title from the "old world," when
no slowdowns.
there were few continuations, no save
A game developed with knowledge
states, and tutorials were unthinkable.
of the Sega console by the Masaya
It's a game that requires precision,
team and peppered with a great
reflexes, and a keen eye, simple to
soundtrack.
learn but damn punishing if you miss
even a simple trajectory.
Once you press start (after popping
into the options section if you feel like
If you love the genre and want to try
it) you can choose how to configure
something different and never seen
your spacecraft's firing set-up. Each
before, I recommend you rush out
type of choice is perfectly suited to
and buy this title.
the waves of enemies in a given level.
The armaments are the strong point
by Carlo Nithaiah Del Mar Pirazzini
of this title, just as they were in R-
Type for example, and depending on
OUR FINAL SCORE

» Gameplay 90%
Plenty of combinations for your
spaceship and really interesting
level design.

» Longevity 80%
It is not a title for everyone and
is part of that "old world" that
might turn away casual gamers.

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 GAME TESTING

KIDOU SOUKON
Year: 1992

Editor: Vic Tokai/Jorudan

DION Genre: Shoot em up

Platform: Super Nintendo

I'm pretty sure all of us old-guard

players have been faced with this
situation in the past.
We would go to our local store to find
out what was new for that weekend.
Complete with pocket money from
our relatives in our wallets. Arriving
we would discover that many titles
were not even available and were left
with questionable options in the choice.
Kidou Soukon Daion was one such
option. Reviews at the time had not
been lenient with the game or even
the graphics of the U.S. version and
the new name (Imperium).
Despite my curiosity I always left it
on the shelf until one day I decided
innovative and that I appreciated at
to buy it (also thanks to a mega
the time and still appreciate now.
discount from the retailer at the time).
One of the main problems with the
But is it really that bad in the end?
game is in the programming. There
No, but it is also not an absolute
is a ton of stuff on the screen at times
masterpiece.
and often the poor Snes struggles to
Set as one of the titles in the Aleste
move everything decently causing
series, the game features a design
deadly slowdowns and quite long in
very much in vogue at the time. There
terms of gameplay. Reminiscent of
are the giant robots, a thousand on-
Super R-Type slowdowns but much
screen enemies, the planet to save-
-everything you must have in an early
90s shooter.
There are the possible weapons and
various combinations and even the
classic smart bomb level wipe. The
game uses a strange but nice
experience accumulation system to
upgrade weapons, and this is
particularly welcome at least curious.
It is very similar to Radiant Silvergun
in this sense, though not as deep.
Each weapon has three levels and
changes rather drastically starting
from a measly shot to blasts that take
up almost the entire screen.
Leveling up as in a role-playing game
is a feature that I thought was

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 GAME TESTING

onger and more annoying. Another One life and limited continues affect
downside is the last three levels of the the longevity curve in no small way.
game. After magnificent and detailed Completing the game in different
landscapes, these last three are difficulty modes shows different endings,
basically set in sidereal space. There and the one at hard level is the actual
is a lack of variety except in the final ending.
boss battles. Vic Tokai has made a shooter with
The pace of the game is relentless and powerful graphics and a beautiful
quite varied. Intense I would say. soundtrack but with obvious
Perhaps an additional drawback goes programming issues and strange
to the management of our ship's energy. difficulty handling.
Not having multiple lives but only this There are better games to choose from
bar would have been useful to restore on Snes.
it with some power ups, but this only
happens if you level up. If you can by Roberto Del Mar Pirazzini
maximize the weapon to the best, the
situation is less lethal, otherwise game
over is always around the corner.

OUR FINAL SCORE

» Gameplay 60%
The game's poor optimization
skills make some places chaotic
and difficult to deal with.
Commendable experience
system but bad level design in
some places.

» Longevity 60%
Not too balanced. A proper "life"
system would have improved the
experience.

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 GAME TESTING

Year: 2022
Editor: SF Team/Nintendo

STAR FOX EX
Genre: Shoot em up
Platform: Super Nintendo
Website: https://
www.romhacking.net/hacks/
7285/

Fox McCloud faces his toughest

challenge yet: saving the Lylat System
from... Mario and Luigi!

Star Fox EX, the most advanced mod

ever created for Star Fox, is now
available.

This is an exciting project in

development for over two years that
completely revamps the game through
new features, a new map, new levels,
wrath of the game maker should this
crazy new enemies, a new soundtrack
mod achieve sufficient popularity.
and more.
Star Fox EX (which stands for

"The Mario Bros. have decided that

Nintendo's Star Fox francise no longer
has a place within the vast gaming
universe," reads the wacky but
somewhat plausible description of
the mod, "and have decided to destroy
the Lylat system forever with the help
of Nintendo's most successful IP
characters! Will Fox and his team be
able to put aside their previous
friendship with the Nintendo All Stars
to save the system and everything
associated with the francise?"

Yes kids, Mario is in Star Fox EX, along

with Luigi, floating Link heads, Metroid
and other Nintendo intellectual
properties that will surely raise the

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OUR FINAL SCORE

» Gameplay 95%
The original Star Fox is a
masterpiece in depth, level
design and plot. This title takes
all that is good and multiplies it
with a thousand outstanding
modifications.

» Longevity 95%
Fun and definitely addictive. The
absurd story and the desire to
discover all the new features in
the mod glue to the joypad.

Exploration Showcase) presents a new We can call this modified title a better
map of the Lylat System with 17 worlds sequel to the original title. Better even
to explore. than that Star Fox 2 that came a few
It is possible to customize almost years ago with the Mini Snes.
everything in this title. You can change
the game views, add a wireframe mode, We recommend downloading the mod
modify your ship, and even customize and testing it on a US rom.
the crosshairs.
It is worth it.
All of these new features can be
configured as part of a three-page by Carlo Nithaiah Del Mar Pirazzini
menu at the beginning of the game
that also includes "GOD" difficulty,
"Ridiculous" speed, and "DARKNESS"
mode.

Starf Fox EX supports up to five players,

both human and AI. Mod creator Kando
assures us that tons of secrets are also
hidden.

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 GAME TESTING

Year: 2022

NEW JOE & MAC:

Editor: Microids/Mr. Nutz
Genre: Platform

CAVEMAN NINJA Platform: Steam, PS4, PS5,

Xbox One, Xbox Series S/X,
Nintendo Switch

Who knew that Microids, a software

house behind the Syberia franchise
and a ton of "shovelware" games,
would eventually become one of the
pioneers in reviving old titles from
the past for a new audience.
Sure, they are not at the level of the
DOTEMU guys (the guys behind the
new Turtles or Wonderboy), but
between a new Arkanoid, an upcoming
sequel to Flashback, and the revival
of Toki, they have done appreciable
works.
who have been kidnapped by a rival
The effort is worthy of praise; their
tribe. In making this rescue they must
attempt to revive the saga of the two
contend with numerous angry brutes,
cavemen is commendable.
dinosaurs, and a crippling hunger
For the uninitiated, Joe & Mac is a
that causes them to lose health points
platforming franchise originated for
just by existing (recoverable by
arcades by Data East in the early
consuming the bountiful meals
1990s. It stars two sinewy primitive
released by enemies). This games
men armed with clubs on their journey
were the typical arcade platformers
to rescue their respective girlfriends
of the time, created by people who

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OUR FINAL SCORE

» Gameplay 65%
It is easy to control, but not
the most intuitive of platfroms.
The character is slow, fragile,
and constantly losing health.
Mechanics suitable for a coin-
operated title.

» Longevity 60%
A product tailored for an
thought Ghost n' Goblins was a relaxing subject to a drastic drop in framerate
audience that likes unfair S&M
experience. Well yes gentlemen, the (in this it is again reminiscent of the
like platformers designed to be
game was a particularly tough title for original title). That said, it is still pleasing replayed. Not recommended
the time and definitely a money-eating to the eye. The soundtrack is ... how for a younger audience. The
machine that made people entertain should I put it ... on the side. It's there dual version is fun.
themselves and want to insert one but I can't remember if it impressed
token after another. me. But that is not a problem; the
original title did not have a memorable
New Joe & Mac is the same thing, only soundtrack either.
with some new visual elements and a
new mode, which is just a series of new Personally, it reminded me a lot of Ghost
levels that keep the same gameplay 'n Goblins Resurrection. It has its
loop. You either love it or hate it. audience of arcade platformer fans
Microids and in-house developer Mr. who will be attracted to the graphics
Nutz (let's see who remembers what and that "old school" style of gameplay,
he is) have stayed true to the roots of but in the end it is a brutal and often
the series in a surprising way. It's still unfair game, filled to the brim with
a tough title, with waves of enemies to difficulty-increasing mechanics
disturb us and the hunger meter implemented in an odd order to prolong
dropping relentlessly. the title's duration. It has its charms,
I won't lie, but the personally my rating
The name of the game is supposed to doesn't go beyond sufficiency.
be "try and repeat," New Joe & Mac
wants you to constantly repeat levels, by Roberto Del Mar Pirazzini
to face enemies and their unfair
mechanisms in order to succeed. A
mechanic this undoubtedly a child of
the past that will make first-time players
turn their noses up at it in no small part.
Real advantages? The two-player mode
that makes our tortuous journey a little
easier.

What sets this game apart is its

presentation, not its gameplay (dated
by design). It retains the same cartoony
art style also seen in the excellent
Asterix & Obelix: Slap them All, albeit
with a lower level of care. Some
animations are shaky and the game is

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Year: 2022

TURRICAN II
Developer: Sonic Sloth
Genre: Shoot em up/Platform

AGA
Platform: Amiga AGA
Website: https://
sonicslothgames.itch.io/
turrican2aga

An unexpected gift for all Amiga AGA port of the PC-DOS version.
owners (and not only them).
The conversion of the PC-DOS version And here it is. It has everything and
of Turrican II is finally available for there is more!
free and online. We have all the enemies and bosses
and all the levels. The AGA chipset
A Christmas gift Sonic Sloth gives to was exploited and the whole title
all of us nostalgic gamers, and it also reprogrammed from scratch.
does so thanks to the approval of the Chris Hulsbeck's beautiful score and
Factor 5 who approved the sound effects were left behind.
development on the condition that
the game would be distributed for free. Several interesting options have been
added: we start with three additional
The Turrican saga was for the difficulty modes, the built-in tranier,
Commodore 64 first and the Amiga the option to replace the protagonist's
later a workhorse. It served to show sprite from the DOS model to the
friends how powerful, thunderous AMIGA model, improved Gyro Jump
and tasty there could be in a game. controls, and support for 2-button
Converted to almost all platforms of joysticks, CD32 joypads, and the ability
the time, the Amiga AGA lacked the to redefine the controls at will.

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OUR FINAL SCORE

» Gameplay 95%
It is Turrican. Nothing more
needs to be said.

» Longevity 95%
Have I already told you that it
is Turrican?

They added the ability to look down to a500 MINI and on an A1200. All times
see blind jumps (very useful) and it ran smoothly. It is still a damn fun
improved the graphics of the DOS game and difficult to master if you are
version by reintroducing parallax in not handy.
missing levels, some animations, and
graphic effects. Dear Amiga owners, rush out and
It is full of secret bonuses and small download (and maybe support with a
easter eggs. small donation) this title. It's video
game history, and it's a kick-ass release.
How will it run?
Once you download the file you will find Now we are waiting for the MSX version
a lot of "flab" inside. that is under development!!!
There are two adf versions (Pal and
Ntsc) to play on real machines, a version by Carlo Nithaiah Del Mar Pirazzini
specifically for A500mini, and the install
WHDLoad.

On classic AGA (1200/4000/CD32) it

works well with 2 MB Ram in floppy
version. It requires 8Mb of Fast if we
want to work on WHDLOAD.
In emulation of course it works as you
see fit, since you can configure
everything and customize it as you see
fit.

The Pal version runs 50fps and runs

as perfect as the original. The NTSC
version runs slightly faster and often
slows down at some points where the
action is more concussive. The author
has already said he will get his hands
on future releases to fix the problems.

We tested the game in emulation, on

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Year: 2022
Developer: Shanti77
Genre: Shoot em up

BOSCONIAN Platform: Atari XL/XE

Website: https://
forums.atariage.com/topic/
254670-bosconian-for-the-8-
bits

Bosconian is part of arcade history.

It was made in 1981 by Namco in
Japan and distributed and produced
in the US by Midway Games.

The goal of the game is to earn as

many points as possible by destroying
everything that appears on the screen:
enemy missiles, spaceships, space
bases, asteroids and company.
in 89 called Blast Off and one in 1990
called Final Blaster.

Critics later recalled the title as one

of the most influential shooters ever.
This version for Atari 8Bit is beautiful.
Well made, with excellent game
controls and the appeal of the original
game.

To do this we will use a beautiful In the final 2022 release, speed has
spacecraft that fires both front and been increased and the navigation
rear. angle corrected, a new look has been
added to the spacecraft, and a couple
Bosconian is the first game of its kind of options have been added for
to feature diagonal movement. Continue in Game and for music
selection during the game.
It was successful in Japan and received
a positive reception from critics, but There is the beautiful soundtrack and
was not as successful in the rest of also the spoken sound effects as in
the world compared to other shooters the 1981 title.
of the Golden Age of arcade games.
The Pal version is compatible with
The game was converted for some any emulator and on real machines
home systems such as the Sharp and is free to download. OUR FINAL SCORE
X68000 and on Msx, received a sequel
Shanti77 has again hit the jackpot
by demonstrating his knowledge of » Gameplay 95%
It is 100% coin op.
Atari machines and his deep love of
conversions. Perhaps one of the best
Atari 8bit titles of these months. » Longevity 90%
Like the arcade game you will
by Giampaolo Moraschi want to play one game after
another.

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Year: 2022
Developer: Mahna Mahna

DUCK HUNT Genre: Shooter

Platform: Commodore 64
Website: https://csdb.dk/
release/?id=226342

move on to the next level. Missing a

certain number, you would be taunted
by our ally Hound Dog and repeat the
level.

Mahna Mahna played the Commodore

64 version of the title for this year's
Transmission 64 3rd Edition event by
finishing 6th in the final standings.
What a beauty!!! The NES classic Duck
Hunt has received a new C64 version Compared with the NES version, it
from developer Mahna Mahna just includes only two modes, A and B,
days before Christmas. A conversion which vary the number of ducks on
born for a demo competition and the screen. You can use the mouse,
released on download platforms joystick or a light gun in port 1.
quietly.
You can even control the duck by
Duck Hunt is a gun shooter created inserting the joystick into port two.
in 1984 by Nintendo for the Famicom What more is there to say? The title
and later converted for NES in the US is fun and still makes people smile
market. today. It is made with care and detail,
and graphically I found it delightful
and masterfully converted.

It was released in the United States

in 1985 and also came to us in Europe
in 1987. An arcade version of the title A nice Christmas present.
was made and distributed in various OUR FINAL SCORE
arcades of the time in the late 1980s. by Carlo Nithaiah Del Mar Pirazzini
» Gameplay 85%
The objective of the game was simple. Play pattern perhaps repetitive
To shoot moving targets on the NES but fun. Good challenge. It
also supports lots of
screen with the Zapper, a gun/
peripherals.
peripheral. But the player had only a
limited number of shots (three) to do » Longevity 90%
so. Gradual level of challenge that
glues you to the screen.
If you shot all the targets, you would Occasionally you will want to
load it up.
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 GAME TESTING

Year: 2022

TOKI Editor: AmstradGGP

Genre: Platform

Platform: Amstrad CPC 128

It was back in 1989 and Akira Sakuma

released Toki, a very classic arcade
platformer in which you controlled a
large ape who could shoot energy
from his mouth and destroy numerous
enemies.
We gamers of the time found out
through the introduction of the title After selecting the game language
that the ape was a man, transformed and pressing fire, you will wait for the
by an evil sorcerer who had previously loading that will take you into the first
kidnapped the protagonist's beautiful level and it's Toki right away.
girlfriend. There is, as I said, almost everything
but what we see on the screen is
stunning.
It moves fast and with excellent
animations. Some might object to the
very strong and in places confusing
color choices, but you soon get used
to it.

The title was an incredible success

in both the arcade and home versions
and on any platform thanks to some
excellent conversions.
So many years later, the AmstradGGP
group delights us with a new
conversion, this time for Amstrad CPC
in floppy format. Another plus point is the soundtrack,
Once again we are faced with a reproduced with extreme care.
remarkable conversion. Of course we The game is still Toki. Difficult for
will not have everything identical to those unaccustomed to these kinds
the original, but the level scheme and of "old guard" titles and frustrating
the affect in the game is that seen in in places, but undoubtedly great fun.
the coin op. Recommended.
A version on two floppy disks, perfectly OUR FINAL SCORE
compatible in emulation and on real by Giampaolo Moraschi
machines, is available from the site.
» Gameplay 85%
Some things are missing but it
is still Toki.

» Longevity 80%
...And like any good Toki, it is
not for everyone.

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Year: 2020/2022
Developer: TheNestruo

STEVEDORE Genre: Platform/Puzzle

Platform: MSX
Website: https://
thenestruo.itch.io/stevedore

platformers with logical elements to

get out of paintings, but featuring a
nice technical aspect and excellent
gameplay.
The physics engine is superb. It allows
for smooth gameplay despite very
forgiving controls. There is a wide
variety of enemies that are upgraded
in the higher levels of the game.
Stevedore works at the port, loading These are very carefully crafted with
and unloading ships in a small coastal a wide variety of themes, and as the
town. He is in love with his handsome adventure progresses, they are made
lighthouse keeper. During the annual more and more complicated to deal
summer festival Stevedore rushes to with.
finish the job in time to go to the ball The physics engine is based on MSXlib
with her. with some modifications, and its
Suddenly the floor cracks under his author makes elucidations regarding
feet. development available upon contact.
Our hero finds himself in a huge You can download the title from the
abandoned warehouse and the goal official page or order it as a physical
will be to get out to "see the stars version on cartridge.
again." To do this he will have to The physical edition contains the
traverse the levels by collecting keys, game cartridge, a beautiful full-color
avoiding underground monsters and manual, and beautifully crafted
the many traps present. packaging.
I really like this title, it's addictive! For yours truly one of the best recent
Structured like so many other products on MSX along with Lilly's OUR FINAL SCORE
Saga.
» Gameplay 90%
by Carlo Nithaiah Del Mar Pirazzini Perfect game engine and
highly polished level design.

» Longevity 95%
One game leads to another...
like cherries.

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 GAME TESTING

Year: 2022
Editor: Pixel Heart/OrionSoft

ALICE SISTERS Genre: Platform/Puzzle

Platform: Sega Megadrive/
Dreamcast/Steam
Website: http://onorisoft.free.fr/

in the levels.

It is not the classic Super Mario, but

a platform game that requires the use
of some gray matter to be completed.
And it is just beautiful to look at.
Colorful, all well animated and with
attention to detail.

I had a great time playing the game

and found the command system to
be quick and easy to learn the
A terrible mountain ogre has captured
character switch during the game.
Alice's mom and her sister, so it's up
to us to help the two girls save the
thing they care about most.

It will be done by traversing 28 levels

spread over 4 game worlds, each with
its own mega bad guy to fight.

What a fun, colorful, and peculiar title

Nith has given me to try for this time
off from studying.
It is an extremely replayable product
with the 4 game modes: the easy with
no death, the normal mode that allows
some "help" during the game, the
puzzle mode with really careful use
of skills, and the hard mode with
limited lives and time.

Beautiful, colorful and super fun.

Run and try it out.
We will be guiding both sisters, whom
by Ingrid Poggiali
we can summon by pressing a button
OUR FINAL SCORE
during the game. Each has her own
special power, Alice can change size
through magic mushrooms to be able » Gameplay 90%
to pass through narrow passages, Lots of modes for lots of gaming
fun.
her sister can throw a magic projectile
and jump higher. » Longevity 95%
So many levels and consequently
This sets in motion essential so many hours of fun.
combinations in order to move forward
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KIKI KAIKAI ADVANCE Year: 2001

(POCKY & ROCKY WITH Editor: Altron/Natsume

Genre: Action game
Platform: Game Boy Advance
BECKY)

has managed to escape and Pocky,

Rocky and Becky must defeat it before
it is too late."
A beautiful title set in feudal Japan
between Oni and various Yokai and
This was one of those titles missing Yurei, where we will guide one of our
from my collection! I am currently characters (we can among the three
missing two and am turning the world main characters) to levels filled with
upside down, they are very rare titles insane creatures to get to the evil
and those who were lucky enough to boss on duty by firing Ofuda scrolls
buy them a while back got a great deal. and using our mystical fighting skills.
The Game Boy is a very particular Derived from the series seen on Snes
universe/console where titles have and in the arcade, this version was
come out that need to be carefully released exclusively on GBA with
selected ... and I've been doing this numerous extra goodies.
since 2017, not everything is Pokemon! I couldn't help but swoop in to
It is easy to like a nice picture where purchase this title, which has
inside the GB they slap a random everything to be a gem. Playable,
cartridge of the many Pokemon. balanced difficulty and wonderful
But back to us and let's look at the graphics/audio compartment.
story: But then you ... do you believe in the
""Long ago, a demon threatened Japan Spirits?
and a shrine maiden managed to seal
him inside the temple. Now, the demon by Barbara “Morgana” Murgida

OUR FINAL SCORE

» Gameplay 90%
Another little gem of
programming and careful level
design.

» Longevity 90%
Beautiful in single player and
resounding in multiplayer with
multiple GBAs connected.

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PROJECT
Year: 2021
Editor: Broke Studio
Genre: Platform

BLUE
Platform: Nintendo NES
Website: https://
toggleswitch.itch.io/projectblue

well-executed homage to the CAPCOM

saga.
Project Blue is a nice platform game
that also requires some ingenuity,
where we will guide our hero in a
rather interesting adventure.
Well realized in two aspects. The
graphic one that brings out the
Hidden on the outskirts of Dezone, a masterful work on colors and
secret laboratory is conducting terrible animations (really well done) and the
experiments on homeless youths to sound one that features as many as
turn them into devastating biological 22 different tracks and numerous
weapons. effects. All of them done really well.
The strongest test subject was named The sore points are on the playability
Project Blue. Strong, fast, and resilient. and difficulty side of the title. Some
Blue manages to free himself as a technical choices are not quite the
result of an overly successful energy best such as the physics of our
enhancement. protagonist's jumping that will often
Our purpose is precisely to help him make us swear in numerous known
escape from the laboratory and and unknown languages.
uncover the terrible plot of the Even some levels look like they were
multinational corporation that runs thought up by a first-rate sadist.
Neo Hong Kong.
If you liked the Mega Man saga on In short, a title that takes a hearty
the NES you will love this title. It sufficiency and will be greatly
embodies the spirit of it and also appreciated by lovers of Mega Man,
resembles its graphic style. Rockman and company.
The story is less lighthearted and
by Carlo Nithaiah Del Mar Pirazzini
more raw, but the atmosphere, level
setting, and play style is just such a
OUR FINAL SCORE

» Gameplay 70%
The levels are interesting but
some technical choices should
be re-considered.

» Longevity 60%
The difficulty is not balanced
and often it becomes very
frustrating.

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Year: 2022

SEGA’S
Developer: Acidbottle
Genre: Action

WONDERBOY
Platform: Amiga
Website: https://
acidbottle.itch.io/amiga-
wonderboy

Dark and dangerous forests... Endless there are no problems. We are at

oceans... Arid deserts full of danger... release 1.1 which has tidied up some
And then... Bam!!! You finally find your incorrect collisions between sprites
she, Tanya, kidnapped by the terrible and added some animations.
and brutal evil king. The game is always super enjoyable
Wonderboy is back (returned) on to play.
Amiga in its most beautiful and A small masterpiece to upload.
resplendent guise thanks in part to Works on all Amigas equipped with
the Scorpion Engine, which allows 1 Mb chip and 1 Mb additional ram.
some past titles to be converted 14mhz cpu or higher preferred.
without too much difficulty. It also runs on WinUAE and Amiga
It's all there. All 28 original levels, Mini, and there is a WHDLOAD
the axe, the scooter, secrets and installation via whdload.de.
enemies from the arcade game that In short, stop reading, go to download
made us fall in love with Sega's little it!
blond mascot.
The Amiga version runs smoothly and by Giampaolo Moraschi

OUR FINAL SCORE

» Gameplay 95%
Immediate and unforgettable.
Perfectly designed.

» Longevity 90%
Not simple, never dull and with
the ability to keep you hooked
on the game for hours.

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 GAME TESTING

Year: 2022
Editor: Protovision
Genre: Driving game

MUDDY RACERS Platform: Commodore 64

Website: https://
www.protovision.games/shop/
product_info.php?
products_id=386

Monte Boyd pulled another little magic

out of his hat.

On real machine the multi-player

adapter is supported, it is NTSC and
Muddy Racers is a nice ¾-view driving PAL compatible, and it is also possible
game that reminded me of Rage to play on THEC64 MAXI (on Mini
Software's very playable Power Drive there are some problems for
for Amiga. multiplayer).
It's about challenging other crazy Really well-crafted technical
racers on 18 tracks (on three difficulty compartment. Fast and colorful and
levels) filled with curves, super-fast with a "CHIBI" touch that makes it
straights, dirt areas and incredible appealing to everyone. Beautiful
jumps. soundtrack created by Kamil
It is set up to play up to 4 players or Wolnikowski.
individually against the computer. Muddy Racers is a playable and fun
Present is the championship mode title with virtually endless longevity
complete with a leaderboard and a that I recommend everyone buy.
time attack mode so you can challenge
the best time recorded on the track.
In addition, the developer has created
four characters with different
"personalities" on the track: Torquei
Tom, Nitro Nigel, Revvy Rick and Oily
Olive.
During the game you can customize
and personalize your car through a There are two versions, the digital
small shed-shop. download containing the rom files OUR FINAL SCORE
The tracks are not giant, but they are and the physical version complete
fun and fast-paced, and the level of with box, manual and some gadgets.
challenge is gradual. Your choice. » Gameplay 90%
A lot of options, difficulty levels,
by Carlo Nithaiah Del Mar Pirazzini and attractive design. Definitely
ok!

» Longevity 90%
Another well-realized title from
Monte Boyd, in multiplayer
becomes endless.

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Year: 2022
Editor: Psyktronik Software/

TERRESTRIAL
Icon64 Games
Genre: Multigames
Platform: Commodore 64
Website: https://psytronik.itch.io/
terrestrial

Last minute game and Christmas Was it worth the thought? Yes, it is
game even though there is very little definitely a fun and above all dynamic
in the way of gifts, colorful decorations title. It is not the same all the time
and merriment. and forces the use of different
Terrestial is a multi-stage game where gameplay approaches at each stage.
we will be tasked with protecting Earth Is it a masterpiece? Not really. It is
and humanity from a terrifying and definitely a good title with some fun
cruel alien invasion. gameplay phases and some decidedly
Each phase features a different game less so (e.g., the confrontation with
system. the alien ships).
The first phase is about taking off our Praiseworthy is the phase in the
aircraft (similar to Raid over Moscov), canyon with graphics beautiful to look
the second is about close combat at and fast to play, and super pleasant
with our turret against alien ships, is the tank battle.
and the third takes us into a frantic I found the Cabal-style stage tacky,
battle in a canyon (graphically perhaps too forced.
beautiful).
The fourth phase is a city clash in the
style of Cabal, the fifth phase is a
graphically from the other between
tanks, the sixth is a clash reminiscent
of Space Invader, and the last phase
is the decisive clash with the mega
OUR FINAL SCORE
alien brain.
I don't particularly like multi genre
It is a game made with great care. It
titles they are often too full of random
» Gameplay 80%
took time and hours of development, Some stages are well
and on our facebook page we have things, but Terrestrial is worth testing. implemented, others a bit
talked about it several times. It may not be the best title ever, but mechanical. The download file
it is certainly well-developed and fun. also contains the game manual
that clarifies some aspects.
by Carlo Nithaiah Del Mar Pirazzini
» Longevity 70%
It is a title that is not too
difficult, but an occasional
game is well worth the effort.

RETROMAGAZINE WORLD-ENGLISH YEAR 3 - ISSUE 19 Page 79 of 83

 GAME TESTING

Year: 2022
Editor/Developer: SNESDEV

SUPERCOOKED!
Party
Genre: Action game
Platform: Super Nintendo
Website: https://
goldlocke.itch.io/supercooked

In addition, to make it fun you will

have to watch out for the relentless
ticking clock, the food that is in danger
of burning, the customers in the middle
of the boxes, and ... our opponents
in the kitchen if we play with four of
them.
A maximum of three stars are awarded
for each stage, one for each of the
following outcomes: completion of
the stage, never losing an order/life,
Masterchef with fluffy chicks? Yes and achievement of the goal for the
guys it's here! In my little hands and mission.
I'm happy about it. In addition, you will need to make
Supercoocked! is a very nice and fun order for the many required recipes.
title just released on Super Nintendo.
Weekends at Uncle Nith's house have
become a regular date with this title.
In the meantime, let us start by telling
you that this is a game born out of
passion. Made for an SnesDev Party
in Germany.
An unpretentious, lighthearted, lethal
and very "kawai" title.
The game allows for up to four players,
aspiring chefs trying to climb the In short, there is a lot to do in a
mountain of culinary excellence. The seemingly very simple game.
better the performance in the kitchen I must admit that I was particularly
(by getting more stars), the greater taken with this title. It is well-
the chance to advance in rank. developed, not too difficult to learn,
All based on a map reminiscent of but it requires a dose of mental and
Super Mario World, where we will physical resilience to pull it all off.
guide our chick alter ego between Beautiful graphically and with a nice
sound tune, it is a title that I highly
OUR FINAL SCORE
restaurants, ordering and cleaning.
Yes! Not only will we have to cook but recommend trying in the digital version
also clean the dishes, serve at the (free) or buying the physical version » Gameplay 95%
counter, chop the dishes and combine on cartridge. Simple commands, all assigned
them. In short, hard work. A beautiful Christmas party game to the keys on the Snes pad.
that in multi-player becomes eternal. Well-structured missions.
Super!
P.S. Happy New Year to all.
» Longevity 95%
by Ingrid Poggiali In single play it is fun but in four
it is a virtually endless title.

Page 80 of 83 RETROMAGAZINE WORLD­ENGLISH YEAR 3 ­ ISSUE

19
 GAME TESTING

Year: 2018
Developer: Jasper van

WYVERN TALES
Turnhout
Genre: JRPG
Platform: Atari Lynx
Website: http://
wyverntales.com/

Wyvern Tales is already a legendary

title. It belongs to the endless stories
of some titles for Atari Lynx: the author
first mentioned it in 2012 and worked
on it quietly (or with some videos) for
years then nothing more.
At least until 2018 where it is released
and does so in a beautiful style. be accessed.
What is special about this title is that The latter can be increased through
it is the first role-playing game for the many quests or by buying items
the Atari handheld console. The first in the stores.
and the only one. Magic flows through the realm and
Nice box, nice manual, and a nice comes in two forms: offensive and
cartridge all for about 50 euros, all defensive. The former is composed
orderable from Holland. of four types of elements: fire, lightning,
In a land ruled by gods and demigods, ice and nature. Some enemies are
the inhabitants embark on a challenge more vulnerable to certain elements
to overthrow the guardians. than others. The damage inflicted or
The game handles well with health restored depends on the quality
comfortable controls. of the spell and the wizard's
The directional pad is used to move intelligence.
adventurers around the main map In conclusion we can finally smile and
and dungeon maps. In moving around decree a good grade for this rpg for
you will encounter some random Lynx. It is fun and pleasantly engaging
opponents who will bring battles to in its plot and mechanics. It is varied
life. In addition, it is always possible in its combat and exploration and
to visit villages to find new items and never tires. The only complaint is
useful clues. about the causality of the fighting,
In the menu screen, key A selects and which is often really too "random."
key B takes you back. Beautiful graphics and excellent sound
In the movement screen of map A close the circle.
allows you to talk to non-player If you can retrieve it.
characters P.s. There is a news about the future
The item selection menu and the release of the prequel called Wyvern
inventory and equipment menu can Tales Gaiden also on Lynx (thanks to OUR FINAL SCORE
the guys at Atari World Italia for the
news).
» Gameplay 95%
Unique on Lynx and easy to
by Giampaolo Moraschi play. Dynamic, fun and
complete.

» Longevity 85%
Not very long and difficult but
addictive.

RETROMAGAZINE WORLD-ENGLISH YEAR 3 - ISSUE 19 Page 81 of 83

 GAME TESTING

Year: 1984

GREMLINS Editor: Atarisoft

Genre: Azione
Platform: Commodore 64

It's a Mogwai! This exclamation that simple game and easy to understand.
accompanied many of us children and Personally, I do not remember seeing it
teenagers in the 1980s thanks to Gremlins, between the shelves as its successor did,
the film released in those years that was perhaps definitely more appreciated and
so popular and later saw a sequel made played. Still, it remains a title that, thanks
as well, rightly so. What's more, it was to its continuous loop (there is no real
one of the most-watched movies at end) is played willingly. From time to time
Christmas and I believe still is one of the you pick it up again for a quick game
most-watched. In addition to the movie, thanks to those very peculiar funny little
gadgets and gremlins mania, the cookie beings with big eyes who only need a
also put its own spin on it by receiving no mouthful after midnight to bring out the
less than three games: the first was the worst in you, or a drop of water on your
eponymous title which we will discuss in head if one wasn't enough. Advice for
these pages, then Gremlins adventure progressing in the game doesn't seem
game, a text adventure and finally Gremlins necessary, but one I have to give you, as
2 which we will probably talk about in the in every article after all: get the mogwai
next issues or next Christmas if you prefer. closest to you to safety and stay out of
Well Retromagazine fans, let's set out to harm's way. If you see the others
rediscover this tie in: the game is set at transforming, take them by the sword
night and among the options we will be immediately otherwise the enemies will
able to choose the difficulty, from the become numerous. Ah, if you see a mogwai
third onwards the greater the difficulties above the puddle, don't be too alarmed
encountered. At the start, we find ourselves because they are not very difficult to kill
inside a fixed-screen room in which there and at the end of the level they will earn
are our Mogwai friends (good gremlins) you points since there is a special score
to be picked up and brought to safety in for each one rescued. Since it is Christmas,
the appropriate enclosure, being careful I feel it is my duty and pleasure to give
not to let them take food after midnight, you another piece of advice.... Play it! On
otherwise they will turn into bad gremlins this magical Christmas Eve night, as I am
and we will have to clear them all over playing and writing this article by
the screen with our swordsman. We will candlelight and sparkling wine,
also have to avoid letting the mogwai
come in contact with water, otherwise I can only wish you a Happy 2023 full of OUR FINAL SCORE
they will multiply, doubling our already retrogames with many brand new releases
hard work. The level can be considered that will surely await us in the New Year! » Gameplay 70%
solved when we have cleaned up the entire A simple and also somewhat
room; but there will be endless rooms, of by Daniele Brahimi strategic game.
higher difficulty, to give us hours and
» Longevity 60%
hours of fun, all accompanied by a It may be repetitive in the long
soundtrack very reminiscent of that of run, however, an occasional
the film. As a difficulty I consider it a fairly game is a good amount of fun.

Page 82 of 83 RETROMAGAZINE WORLD­ENGLISH YEAR 3 ­ ISSUE

19
Dear readers, the news report that it is now possible to take advantage (still in beta
version) of the GPT chatbot query from OpenAI (https://beta.openai.com), the consortium
whose prime funder is Elon Musk, which was established in order to "ensure that general
Disclaimer
artificial intelligence brings benefits to all humanity." RetroMagazine World as an aperiodic
In fact, for the past three weeks or so, many people, including myself, have been amazed magazine entirely ad-free is a non-profit
at the responses generated by this AI to the wide variety of questions they have been asked. project and falls off any commercial circuit.
In fact, this software is capable of answering a wide variety of questions.
All the published material is produced by
the respective authors and published thanks
Questions such as "What is the date when man was able to reach lunar soil?" or "What to their authorization.
is meant by quantum physics?" are good examples of such questions.
The answers provided by the chatbot are convincing and written quite correctly, in the RetroMagazine World is licensed under
the terms of: Attribution-
same language that was recognized in formulating the question to which the corresponding NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0
answer is provided. International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0) https://
This is already remarkable. It is even more remarkable that the answers often turn out creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/
4.0/
to be absolutely correct!
What is even more interesting, for retro-enthusiasts like us, is that even questions such This is a human-readable summary of
as "write a BASIC program that calculates the solutions of a second-degree equation" (and not a substitute for) the license. You
manage to be satisfied.
are free to:
I will tell you more. In the very early 1990s I was faced with a computer problem to solve. Share — copy and redistribute the
I was beginning to work with IBM AS400 processors, and I had to calculate the trigonometric material in any medium or format
sine of an arbitrary angle x, employing the RPG-III language.
Adapt — remix, transform, and build
Unfortunately, in the language in question the function sin(x) had not been implemented. upon the material
I therefore had to think about it for a while to solve it. Eventually I thought of exploiting
the Taylor-McLaurin series transformation in this regard. The licensor cannot revoke these
freedoms as long as you follow the
I have already had a chance to tell you about this in issue #32 of RetroMagazine, within license terms. Under the following terms:
the article "RetroMath: Calculating the sin(x) function for 'hardcore' men."
Why am I still telling you about this matter? Attribution — You must give appropriate
I thought I would ask the chatbot for a solution to this issue.
credit, provide a link to the license, and
indicate if changes were made. You may
In your first response you suggested code, but it employed the sin(x) function, and that do so in any reasonable manner, but not
code was written in RPG-IV syntax. In fact in its fourth incarnation the RPG finally provided in any way that suggests the licensor
for the sin(x) function. endorses you or your use.
At this point I asked the chatbot for a solution to my problem but did not employ the NonCommercial — You may not use the
sin(x) function to arrive at the solution. material for commercial purposes.
What did he provide me with? Some code, again written according to the syntax of RPG-
ShareAlike — If you remix, transform, or
IV (and thus for use with RPG-III would have to be modified), which, however, employs build upon the material, you must
just the Taylor series to calculate the values of sin(x)!!! distribute your contributions under the
This solution is still very young, there are limits certainly, but it promises to be very same license as the original.
interesting. That is why we will talk more about it in our pages and we also invite you to
No additional restrictions — You may
test it, to discover the limits and potential of this chatbot that represents, even now, with not apply legal terms or technological
its almost immediate and precise answers, the first, concrete, real alternative to Google! measures that legally restrict others from
And, as if that were not enough, he also manages to provide valuable material for us doing anything the license permits.
retro-enthusiasts.
That sounds like a splendid Christmas present to me, and a very good omen for a splendid
New Year for all of us, don't you think so too?
Stay tuned, mind you, and best wishes from the entire editorial staff of RetroMagazine!

Marco Pistorio

RetroMagazine World-ENG
Year 3 - Issue 19 - MAY 2023

Direttore Responsabile
Francesco Fiorentini
Managing Editor
David La Monaca
Editing Manager
Marco Pistorio
Web Manager
Giorgio Balestrieri