 x	E                                                                 e. 
     Personally, I found this game a loser either way.  Subject matter aside, it's rather sophomoric and not very entertaining.
     Not recommended. 
 
great prThe HARRIS FILE... 
 
(John Harris writes regularly for the Metropolitan Orlando AUG newsletter.) 
 
Visi-Sprite 6.5 review...

     You may have done, as I have on several occasions, shelled out $20 or $25 for a program that seemed to hold great promise, but which when in hand, didn't deliver as expected, and is thereby setting on the back shelf gathering dust.
     Well, Joe Waters of Albuquerque, N.M., offers a way for you to avoid such a predicament. From the PC community, he has adapted the idea of "Crippleware."
     Before you shell out $22.95 for Joe's new Visi-Sprite 6.5 sprite editor program, you can get a first hand look at what it offers for just $3.
     For that you'll get a PD version called Visi-Sprite 6.0. It's a crippled version of 6.5--it won't enable you to carry out the many editing functions of 6.5, but it gives you a demonstration of what's available on that program.
     The PD demo will be available through vendors such as NIAD and will be uploaded onto several bulletin boards.
     Or you can get a copy by sending $3 to: Joe Waters, 13009 Gray Hills Rd. NE, Albuquerque, NM 87lll.
     Then if you like what you see, you can get the full-featured 6.5 version with a 20-page instruction manual for $22.95.
     Visi-Sprite 6.5 is the latest, enhanced version of the ADAM sprite editor.
     Features include:
     --Ability to access up to 32 single-color animated sprites, or 8 four-color sprites simultaneously.
     --Support for standard ADAM printer, as well as Centronics parallel interface, including support for those printers which support the expanded ANSI graphics character set.
     --Advanced media options, allowing the user to pull "sprite overlay files" out of Coleco cartridges and super games.
     To boot the program, simply put the media in any drive and pull the computer reset switch.
     After about 40 seconds (it's a rather long program), the main menu will appear: Sprite edit, Mass storage, Erase sprites, or Quit are the opening options.
     The entire program is menu and SmartKey driven and easy to use. 
 
Handy Man review...
     How to hang a suspended ceiling is the topic of Volume 1 of a series called "The Handy Man" developed by R. J.  Gerlach Family Software, PO Box l75, Ft. Campbell, KY 42223-0175.
     It's a self-booting Basic, menu-driven, easy to use program. Graphics illustrate various aspects of the ceiling installation process. And there's a tool and material checklist which you can print out.
     The instructions are attractively presented and easy to understand.
     If there is one drawback it would be lack of an option to printout the instructions.
     Without a hardcopy, I can see myself running back and forth from the room where I'm installing that suspended ceiling to the computer in order to review the next step in the process.
     In summary, I find this instructional material does not require the number crunching and other functions that a computer handles so well.
     A book that could be taken to the work site for periodic review during the construction process would seem to be a better medium for this how-to presentation than a computer. 
[EDITOR'S NOTE:  JOHN AFTER READING YOUR REVIEW, I POINTED OUT THE PRINT OUT PROBLEM TO THE AUTHOR RICKI GERLACH, RICKI SAID:
     TO PRINT OUT ALL INSTRUCTIONS, JUST PRESS CONTROL P PRIOR TO RUNNING IT, ONCE YOU HAVE ENTERED THE MAIN MENU].

 
 
ADAM News Network...

     We owe a lot to our newsletter publishers who have done so much to keep ADAM alive and to expand its capabilities for all of us.
     It would be great if we had one big international publication which would combine articles from all the other publications and be issued, say, quarterly. It has been discussed, but we don't have it.
     We do now have the next best thing, however. That's a sort of Associated Press service for ADAM news. It's called ANN (ADAM News Network).
     The original idea was to provide newsletter editors will on-disk articles for use in their publications. And it still provides that service.
     But it's also now open to all ADAMites. When I first considered it, the $35 yearly subscription seemed high in comparison with newsletter rates. But for that you get 24 disks all packed with ready-to-print articles, reviews, workshops, programs, vendor information, and columns.
    It's an excellent source of far more articles than any individual newsletter can carry.
     You can subscribe to this treasure trove of ADAM information by sending your subscription check to:
      Barry Wilson
      12967 Weatherfield Drive
      St. Louis, MO 63l46 
 
Dirsort V2 review...

     Ever have a problem with your car, take it to the repair shop only to find that there it works perfectly, then bring it home and find you have the problem again?
     Well, that's my problem with Dirsort V2, an improved version of the directory sorting (alphabetical or sequential) program Dirsort.
     I've used the old Dirsort many times with no problem.  But Dirsort V2--I can't get it to work at all. So I asked my wife to try it. She got the same problem: It goes through all the motions and finally tells you "Directory now alphabetized." But you catalog it only to find out that it did no such thing. The directory remains as it was--unalphabetized.
     Aha! There's a flaw in the program, I concluded. I returned it to Terry Fowler since it was on his Utility llF PD volume.
     Terry tried it and found it to work perfectly. But anyway, he sent it on to Gary Hoosier, who wrote the new program version and Gary tested it on various length directories. All worked perfectly.
     But for me, and my wife, it still didn't work at all. I tried over and over, using different disks and tapes.
     Terry suggested that the problem might be with the disk I was trying to alphabetize. So I sent him one of the disks along with my copy of the Dirsort V2 program. He sent my disk back, with the directory perfectly alphabetized, along with my Dirsort V2 program, saying it works perfectly.
     So I tried again, and again, and again. And so did my wife. Still the same. It goes through all the motions and says all the right things, but does nothing.
     Perhaps I should follow the advice that says: "If at first you don't succeed, don't be a persistent damn fool--quit!"
     But if I persist, maybe I'll learn something. Maybe someone can explain what I'm doing wrong. Anyway, here's what I'm doing step-by-step:
     Boot SmartBASIC (disk drive 1).
     Remove Basic and insert Utility 11F disk.
     BRUN dirsortV2.
     Ignore error message and RUN
     Smartkey III (Disk drive 1)
     Smartkey I (alphabetize)
     (It now goes through all the steps)
     Final go ahead to replace old directory?
     y/n?  y (yes)
     Operating light on disk drive comes on.
     Program tells me: Directory now alphabetized.
     It seems so simple and straightforward. But then I catalog it only to find the directory is not alphabetized.  I'm stumped!
     Any assistance appreciated. --John S. Harris, l05 Burning Tree Lane, Boca Raton, FL 3343l. Phone (407) 392-6592. 
 
Madam's Mansion review...

     This is an X-rated sexually-oriented text type game by Adultware (no further identification in the demo) for the adult male.
     After the title screen, you are asked a number of questions: What is your age group? Are you aware that this is a sexually oriented game? Do you know it is male-oriented? That it contains strong language?
     Answer that you're under 20, or "no" to any of the other questions and the program aborts, leaving you with a flashing screen until you reboot or cut it off.
     Otherwise you get screen after screen of text telling you about going to a hidden mansion to pursue your desires and fantasies.
     You start off with a sum of money and a sexuality rating, and depending on your answers, your rating rises or drops, as does your money. You score or lose. 
     Personally, I found this game a loser either way.  Subject matter aside, it's rather sophomoric and not very entertaining.
     Not recommended. 
 
m's M
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