part 2 of the first issue of Expandable Computer News.......
----------------------------------------------------------------

the value of K to the integer value of I divided by four. Since K 
is used to set the color value and color values must range from 0 
to 15 then line 25 is necessary to prevent K from becoming larger 
than 15.  Line 30 is used to change K when it equals four because 
4 is black and will erase the picture we are trying to draw.  Any 
color  other  than 15 could have been chosen.  Line 35  sets  the 
color value to K and line 40 sets the scale value to 20.

In  line 50 the object will be rotated as the value of I  changes 
from  1 to 64.  Line 60 draws the square just like in  the  first 
program.  Lines  70 and 75 are the end of the loops which started 
at lines 15 and 10. Line 80 restores text mode.

This  program draws a square of one color then  draws  additional 
squares at different rotations.  The colors of the squares change 
gradually.  Once  a rotation is completed the process is  started 
all over and repeated for a total of 1000 times.

Program 3 Graphics Demo

10 HGR2
20 T = 0
30 T = T + 1

Page - 11

40 L = 0
50 IF T > 15 THEN 180
60 FOR J = 1 TO 4
70 M = 31 - T
80 FOR I = 1 TO 16
90 K = T
100 HCOLOR = K
110 IF I < 8 THEN M=M-1
120 IF I > 8 THEN M=M+l
130 SCALE = M
135 L = L + 1
140 ROT = 0 + L - 1
150 DRAW 1 AT 125, 100
160 NEXT 1
170 NEXT J
175 GOTO 30
180 TEXT

This  program  is a variation of program #2 only there is  a  lot 
more going on in this one.  I hope you will be able to follow the 
discussion  because  this program contains a lot of  tricks  that 
will be helpful in writing your own programs.

Line  10 turns on high resolution graphics.  Line 20 sets T equal 
to 0.  Line 30 adds 1 to T.  Line 40 sets L equal to 0.  Line  50 
checks  to see if T is greater than 15.  of course right now T is 
only  1  but it will increase as the program runs.  When  T  gets 
bigger than 15 the program skips to line 180.  At line 60 a  loop 
is  started.  In  line 70 M is made equal to 31 minus T.  On  the 
first pass this would be a value of 30.  In line 80 another  loop 
is  started.  At  line 90 K is made equal to T.  In line 100  the 
color value is set to K.

In line 110 1 is checked to see if it is less than or equal to 8; 
if it is then 1 is subtracted from M. In line 120 1 is checked to 
see if it is greater than 8;  if it is then 1 is added to  M.  In 
line 130 the scale value is made equal to M. What we are doing in 
lines  110 to 130 is adjusting the size of the object being drawn 
depending on the rotation of the object.  In program #2 you  will 
recall  that the square we drew became bigger as it was  rotated; 
in   this   program  we  are  attempting  to  keep   the   square 
approximately the same size throughout its rotation.

In  line 135 one is added to L which will be used to control  the 
rotation in line 140. L will actually vary from one to sixty-four 
for each of the fifteen colors we will cycle the program through. 
In addition since M is being reduced at line 70 by the value of T 
the  square  will  be  made  smaller each time  a  new  color  is 
selected.  Lines  160 and 170 end loops starting at lines 80  and 
60. Line 175 acts like a loop sending the program back to line 30 
where the value of T will be increased by one again. This will go 
on  until T is bigger than 15 (line 50).  The program  will  then 
terminate at line 180 with the text mode being restored.

This  program  draws  a  square of one  color  rotates  it  while 
changing  its size.  When one rotation is completed the color  is 
changed  and  a smaller square is rotated through a cycle in  the 
center of the larger one. This

Page - 12

will go on until all of the 15 colors have been used. The color 
that has a value of 0 is not used since that is the same color 
as the screen, black. Next month we will have more programs for 
you to try out. Experiment a little with these three and see 
what happens.

PRODUCT REVIEW

Bringing Adam Home

We, like the rest of you, bought our Adam and had to bring it 
home and put it together. For a while it looked like our Adam 
would not get here. If you believe everything you read in the 
newspapers then you would have been certain that Coleco was 
having trouble delivering Adams- We ordered the expansion mod-
ule for or Colecovision through a catalogue. On December 17 
Adam arrived only three days after the delivery date we had 
been given. Coleco apparently has been air freighting large 
numbers of Adams in order to insure delivery before Christmas.

We were naturally eager to get our Adam assembled and running, 
but at the same time we wanted to keep track of any problems 
we might encounter in the process.  What follows is a dis-
cussion of those events.

The Adam we ordered was expansion module #3 for the Colecovision
video game system. The first thing we did was to carefully read 
the "set-up manual" and the inserts and special labels included 
with the Adam. Because of limited space, our computer room is 
already overflowing, we decided that the joystick attachment for 
the keyboard was really more of a nuisance than anything else. 
The keyboard has easy to use cursor controls and the enclosed 
instructions never seemed to explain the purpose of the joystick.
In reality the joystick can be used for cursor control and as 
a numeric keypad. I prefer not to use it for those purposes. If 
you do not touch type and need to enter a lot of numbers then 
you may find it to be of some value.

Overall the assembly went rather well. I really think the "system
interlock tray" is an excellent idea. One thing that should be 
pointed out is that the instructions say to turn off the on/off 
switch on the Colecovision game system; they should also say the 
switch should never be turned on. I suggest that it be taped so 
that it stays off. Another thing you should do, if you have not, 
is to write down the serial numbers for all the components. I 
would also suggest that you write down each item's model number.
If you ever need service for your Adam you will most certainly 
need to have this information easily available. I could never 
understand why serial numbers are always hidden. After much 
checking and rechecking, Adam was assembled and ready to go.

Page - 13

We turned on the power and there on our television was the 
electronic typewriter screen. The manual says a title screen will
appear first but it never did. If anyone has ever seen the title 
screen we would like to know what it says.

We tried out the electronic typewriter and it seemed to work 
fine.  Next we tried the "SmartWRITER" word processor. It also 
worked quite well. We then turned off Adam, inserted a game 
cartridge in the Colecovision unit and turned on Adam. Much to 
our surprise the electronic typewriter appeared. After careful 
consideration we pressed the game cartridge reset button and 
that solved the problem. One word of caution is in order.  
ALWAYS turn off Adam before inserting or removing game cart-
ridges.

The next test was the operation of the data-drive and a "super 
game pack" that came with Adam. Adam was turned on, the digital 
data pack was inserted and the computer reset button was pressed.
The game loaded and everything worked fine except that our 
reset-button sticks and has to be released manually.

Most of the first week Adam was with us we spent working with 
the word processor. All generally went well. The word processor 
is a nice feature, so much so that Adam would be a bargain with 
that feature alone. The only problem that occurred while using 
the word processor was a locked up printer. This problem forced 
us to press the reset button and reload our document from the 
digital data drive. We have not had any printer problems since 
that incident. This does bring up one point, ALWAYS periodically 
copy your work to a data pack and ALWAYS copy it before using 
the printer. This is a good practice on any computer. You should 
probably try to get some extra data packs so you can make backup 
copies on separate packs. From my own experience, if it is not 
backed up at least twice on separate tapes it is not backed up 
safely. A data pack can fail or be damaged quite accidentally.

We were disappointed that Coleco did not indicate what ribbons 
and print wheels are compatible with Adam. Some Diablo (HyType 
I) print wheels seem to work well. If you are aware of other 
printer supplies that are compatible with Adam just let us know 
and we will pass the information along to everyone else.

If you ever try to replace a print wheel be extremely careful. 
When you tip the mechanism backwards it may catch on the roller 
and hang up. Before tipping the print wheel mechanism back be 
sure that the print wheel is all of the way on. When reinstall-
ing the print wheel be careful to align the wheel correctly and 
place it on firmly. Oh yes, in case you didn't notice the printer
is very loud. Don't worry its supposed to be loud.

In conclusion I would like to say that I am generally pleased 
with Adam. The problems encountered had more to do with the 
manuals than the computer itself. Coleco has done a relatively 
good job insofar as this review has gone. We will have more next
issue. If you have had any interesting experiences setting.up 
your Adam write them down and send them in. In order to 
summarize our comments, cautions and tips we have repeated them 
in the list below.

Page - 14

1.  Turn off Adam before inserting or removing cartridges.

2.  Start cartridges by pressing the game cartridge reset button.

3.  Do not put digital data packs in the drive before it is 
    turned on.

4.  Remove digital data packs from the drive before turning the 
    computer off.

5.  Keep data packs away from Adam when not in the drive, away 
    from televisions, speakers, magnets, and any other source of 
    electromagnetic radiation. when in doubt don't.

6.  If you have expansion module #3 tape the on/off switch on 
    your Colecovision to off.

7.  Periodically backup any files or programs on a data pack.

8.  Use caution in changing print wheels.

9.  You may use Diablo HyType I print wheels in place of the one 
    supplied by Coleco.

10. If you are unable to obtain replacement ribbons, call 
    Coleco's toll free hotline 1-800-842-1225.

11. Keep small objects, paper clips, bobbie pins, etc. away from 
    Adam or they may be accidentally dropped into the components.

12. Keep food, drink and pets away from Adam.

PRODUCT REVIEW

WICO Command Control Joystick/Keypad for Colecovision
by D. Sage

The WICO Command Control Joystick/Keypad is manufactured by WICO 
Corp., Consumer Products Div., 6400 W. Gross Point Rd., Niles, 
Illinois 60648 and carries a one year warranty.

As most of you probably know by now the joysticks that came with 
your Colecovision are good for some games and terrible with 
others. In an attempt to resolve this we will be trying out a 
number of joysticks produced by other manufacturers. This month 
we selected the WICO Command Control Joystick/Keypad. This 
joystick comes ready to plug in to your 

Page - 15

Colecovision/Adam.	The joystick is arranged differently 
than Coleco's.  The WICO has the keypad on top and a joystick-
rather than a disk on the end nearest you. There are two sets of 
"fire" buttons located on each side of the keypad with an add-
itional fire button in the end of the joystick. The product 
seems to be fairly durable. The fire buttons on the side do not 
give any sensory feedback when pressed. They don't click and you 
can't tell for sure whether or not you have released them. They 
appear to be molded plastic that bends slightly when pressed. 
The only way I could tell if they were working was by the action
on the screen. In order to hold onto the joystick I often found 
myself pressing the buttons.  In games where you can have 
continuous fire this is not so bad, but in games where you have 
to release the button each time it was a problem.

I used the WICO joystick to play SUBROC, POPEYE, BUCK ROGERS, 
and LADYBUG. With Ladybug the response of the joystick was about 
the same as with the Coleco joystick. There did seem to be 
occasionally a delayed response to the joystick movement.

With Subroc the WICO seemed to function a great deal better than  
the Coleco joystick. I was able to increase my score substantially
without any discomfort. Playing Buck Rogers was a real killer.  
Since this game requires the use of both fire buttons, not only 
do you have to hold on to the joystick but you also had to use 
those funny fire buttons. This soon caused my left hand to develop
quite painful cramps. The WICO seems to be a poor choice for games
that require using fire buttons other than the one on the joystick
itself. 

With Popeye the joystick definitely is an improvement, although 
there still seems to be an occasional problem with response.

Overall I find it difficult to make a recommendation on this 
product. As with most joysticks I keep getting the impression 
that none of the manufacturers ever really try to play games with 
them. They should have a more natural feel in your hand. I have 
tried other WICO joysticks and have liked the feel and response. 
If you have tried this particular model and had different results
let us know. As it stands now I would not recommend it.

Popeye is a registered trademark of King Features Syndicated, 
Inc. SUBROC is a trademark of Sega Enterprises, Inc. Buck Rogers 
is a trademark of the Dille Family Trust. Lady Bug is a trademark
of Universal Co., Ltd.

PRODUCT REVIEW

SUBROC
by D. Sage

Page - 16

While  Coleco could not reproduce the 3-D effect provided by  the 
arcade version of Subroc they nevertheless have done an admirable 
job.  This  cartridge  is a shoot-em-up first  person  space  and 
underwater  game.  You have crosshairs on your screen in order to 
sight  in  the oncoming enemy space  ships.  Flying  saucers  and 
submarines move both left and right across your line of fire. The 
submarines  fire  torpedoes at you which can be evaded by  taking 
flight.  The  enemy  spacecraft fire at you  at  differing  rates 
depending  on the type of ship and the round.  You also encounter 
mines that either have to be blasted or avoided.  In addition  to 
the  attackers  there are a number of other craft that  float  by 
periodically. Shooting these will gain you additional points. The 
graphics  are relatively good.  Oncoming craft get larger as they 
approach.  Many  objects may appear simultaneously on the  screen 
giving you plenty to worry about.  The colors do tend to appear a 
little washed out.

This  game gets quite difficult in the higher  rounds.  Soon  you 
find that about all you can do is deflect on-coming shots. As you 
approach  these higher rounds it is probably best to stay in  the 
air ignoring the submarines.  You can still blast the bonus craft 
as  they  pass by.  The command plane that appears at the end  of 
each  round is relatively easy to knock off if you get it  early. 
Don't  delay because if you miss it early you gain  fewer  points 
and  it  becomes quite difficult to hit as it move.s out of  your 
range of fire while still blasting at you.

Subroc  carries Coleco's standard 90-day warranty.  I have  never 
had a Coleco cartridge fail and like most such cartridges if used 
properly  they will last a long time.  If you  like  first-person 
blasting  games  this cartridge is worth having.  I like  it  and 
would recommend it.

Subroc and Sega are trademarks of Sega Enterprises, Inc.

PRODUCT REVIEW

POPEYE
by D. Sage

Popeye  is a video game cartridge produced by Parker Brothers for 
the Colecovision/Adam system,  Parker Brothers cartridges carry a 
180 day replacement warranty.

If  you enjoyed Donkey Kong or any of the other  climbing  games, 
you will

Page - 17

probably like Popeye.  Parker Brothers has done another excellent 
job in this version for Colecovision. The theme is rather simple, 
olive drops hearts,  notes or letters depending on the screen and 
Popeye  must  catch  all the ones for that round  while  avoiding 
Brutus and objects thrown by the Sea Hag.  Popeye has one can  of 
spinach  available for each round that he can use to deck Brutus. 
You,  of course, control Popeye's movement and can make him punch 
the bottles using the fire button.  In the third level there  are 
also vultures to avoid.

There  are-three screens that repeat provided you make it through 
the  first  three rounds.  The first screen  shows  Popeye's  and 
Olive's  houses on opposite sides at the top of the  screen.  The 
rest of the screen is composed of steps and walkways.  The second 
screen  has  a building as a background with several  levels.  In 
addition there is a seesaw that Popeye can jump on. If he bounces 
high  enough  he can catch Swee'Pea and gain  extra  points.  The 
third screen is a boat which makes up a series of levels.  I like 
all the screens but the second one is really a lot of fun.

I  really liked this game.  The graphics are good,  the music  is 
good  and  the game play is a lot of fun.  I  recommend  it  very 
strongly. If you disagree write and tell everyone why.

Popeye  is  a  registered trademark of and is  licensed  by  King 
Features Syndicate,  Inc.  Parker Bros. is a registered trademark 
of Parker Bros., Inc.

GLITCHES, BUGS, ERRATA, ETC.

by the staff

We  have  been gradually going through the Basic manual  for  the 
Adam  and  testing several features to see if and how they  work. 
Since the operating system for the data pack drive appeared to be 
very  similar to the one used by Apple for its  disk  drives,  we 
thought  we would test the file storage capabilities of the Adam. 
The first problem we encountered dealt with the digital data pack 
drive and Basic.  After loading Basic and then removing that data 
pack  and  inserting a blank data pack we would  get  1/0  errors 
anytime we attempted to access the drive. This problem was solved 
simply by opening and closing the data pack drive door.

During our tests we also identified a problem with the version of 
Basic  that we have.  The problem is not a major one and we  have 
already developed a fix for it., In order to find out if you have 
a  problem  it is necessary for you to write a data file to  your 
blank digital data pack.

Page - 18

Enter the program below, save it and then run it.,

10 rem *write a data file*
 20 ds$=CHR$(4)
30 PRINT ds$; "OPEN TESTFL"
40 PRINT ds$; "WRITE TESTFL"
50 PRINT "Mary" 60 PRINT "had"
70 PRINT "a"
80 PRINT "little"
90 PRINT "lamb"
100 PRINT ds$;"CLOSE TESTFL"
110 PRINT "FINISHED"

After you have entered, saved and run this program enter the next 
program and save it.

10 rem *read a data file*
20 ds$=CHR$(4)
30 PRINT ds$;"OPEN TESTFL"
40 PRINT ds$;"READ TESTFL"
50 FOR x=1 to 5
60 INPUT n$(x)
70 NEXT x
80 PRINT
90 PRINT ds$;"CLOSE TESTFL"
100 FOR j=1 to 5
110 PRINT n$(j)
120 NEXT j

After this program has been entered and saved, run it. If you get 
any question marks (?) on the screen you have a problem.  In  our 
case  there  would  be  5  question marks  printed  on  one  line 
immediately preceding the text.  If you did not get any  question 
marks  everything  is  all  right,  but if  you  did  insert  the 
following line in the second program.

85 HOME

Now run the program again. Your screen should clear and the text, 
"Mary had a little lamb," should be printed without any preceding 
question marks.

While  this is not a serious problem it nevertheless needs to  be 
fixed.  If  you are interested in finding out where the  question 
marks come from then read on.

Normally when you use an "INPUT" statement to enter data from the 
keyboard  there will be a prompting question mark on the  screen. 
Basic  normally checks to see if the "INPUT" statement is looking 
for  keyboard  or  file input.  In case  of  keyboard  input  the 
question  mark  is sent to temporary storage called a buffer  and 
then  is  sent to the screen for display.  You would  then  enter 
whatever data is necessary. Normally if the "INPUT"

Page - 19

statement is looking for input from a data file there would be no 
question mark generated and no prompt of any kind on the  screen. 
Instead  the next data record from the data file would be read by 
the input statement.

In  the  case of our version of Basic for  the  Adam,  the  input 
statement  is  generating a question mark and placing it  in  the 
screen buffer. For every "INPUT" statement executed an additional 
question  mark  is  being placed in the  buffer.  None  of  these 
question  marks  appear  on  the screen until  the  next  "PRINT" 
statement is encountered. The buffer is then output to the screen 
and  cleared.  The  "PRINT" statement at line,80  in  the  second 
program causes the question marks to be output on the screen. The 
new  line  85 clears the screen and anything in the  buffer.  our 
solution does not alter the actual data it simply gets rid of the 
excess garbage.

PUBLIC DOMAIN SOFTWARE

We  here  at  ECN intend to establish  a  public  domain  program 
library.  All  of the programs we develop for the newsletter will 
be  made available to you on digital data packs.  In addition  we 
will  be  writing longer programs specifically for  the  library. 
other programs currently in the public domain for other  computer 
systems may also be converted for the Adam.

Our goal is to make the programs in this library available to you 
at as low a cost as possible. Charges will be limited to the cost 
of  the  media (digital data packs),  shipping,  and  staff  time 
necessary to copy the software.  Our progress will be reported in 
this  column along with an index of the contents of the  library. 
Unfortunately  extra  digital data packs are very scarce at  this 
time.  We  will not be able to begin distributing  public  domain 
software  until  digital  data packs are  available  at  quantity 
prices.  If  you  wish  to contribute a program to  the  library, 
simply  follow  the guidelines for program  submission  indicated 
elsewhere in this issue.

USER GROUP NEWS

Do  you often find yourself with lots of questions and no one  to 
turn to for the answers? Why not start a user group? A user group 
is  a good way to bring together other Adam owners.  Even if  you 
still can't find someone

Page - 20

with  an  answer to your question at least you will  be  able  to 
share  your  problems with others.  Often as a group you will  be 
able to find a solution.

How do you start a user group?  First find a place where you  can 
meet. You will-need some place where you can set up an Adam. Next 
simply  run an ad in your local paper.  We will also be happy  to 
advertise your group in our newsletter.  This column will include 
a  list of such groups.  We will also include any news that these 
groups wish to share with others.  Just lot us know what you have 
been doing and we will print it here.

PRODUCT MANUFACTURERS AND DISTRIBUTORS

The following companies are currently known to make software  and 
other products for the Adam/Colecovision. We cannot guarantee the 
quality of the software or product in any way but can only report 
its  availability.  This is not intended to represent a  complete 
list of all companies. If you are aware of others let us know.

SOFTWARE

Sirius Software, 10364 Rockingham Dr., Sacramento, CA 95827

MicroLab, Inc., 2699 Skokie Valley Road, Highland Park, Il 60035

Parker Bros., Beverly, MA 01915

Atari, Inc., P. 0. Box 2943, So. San Francisco, CA 94080

CBS Software, One Fawcett Place, Greenwich, Connecticut 06836

Interphase Technologies,  Inc., 6391-F Westminster Hwy, Richmond, 
B.C., Canada V7C4V4

Imagic, 981 University Ave., Los Gatos, CA 95030

N.A.P.  Consumer Electronics Corp., P. 0. Box 6950, Knoxville, TN 
37914

Sierra On-Line, Sierra On-Line Bldg., Coarsegold, CA 93614

Spinnaker Software Corp., 215 First St., Cambridge, MA 02142

JOYSTICKS

Page - 21

Discwasher, 1407 No. Providence Rd., Columbia, MO 65205

WICO  Corp.,  Consumer  Div.,  6400 W.  Gross Point  Rd.,  Niles, 
IL60648

SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS

Format for Submission of Product Reviews

Product  reviews  submitted  for use  in  our  newsletter  should 
include the following information:

1.  Your Name

2.  Your address and phone number

3.  Product name

4.  Manufacturer's name and address

5.  System requirements (i.e. data pack drive, printer, etc.)

6.  Media (cartridge, data pack, etc.)

7.  Warranty details

8.  Description of product

9.  Discuss quality of documentation and instructions

10.  Positive comments

11.  Negative comments

12.  Suggestions for improvement

13.  How mu6h have you used product?

14.  Your experience level with computers

15.  Why you bought the product

16.  Where you bought the product

17.   Rate  on a scale of 1 to 10 where 1 is a complete waste and 
10 means everyone should own it

18.   Include  a signed statement giving us permission  to  print 
your review in our newsletter.  If you are under 21 have a parent 
sign the statement.

Guidelines for Submission of Programs

1.  Name, address and phone number

2. Send a printed program listing

3.  Send a copy of the program on a data pack if at all possible. 
we will copy the program and return tfie data pack by first class 
mail

4.  Send a written description of the program telling what

Page - 22

it does and any instructions on how to use it.

5.   Send  us a brief biographical sketch.  Tell us why you wrote 
the program, how long you have had a computer, etc.

6.  All accompanying materials should be typed and double spaced.

7.   Include on a separate sheet a statement giving us permission 
to  print  your program in our newsletter.  You will  retain  all 
rights  to the program.  Any such submission should be signed  by 
you or a parent if you are under 21.

8.   Indicate  whether  or  not  you wish  to  make  the  program 
available to the public domain library.

Guidelines for Submission of Articles

1.  All articles should be typed and double spaced

2.  All articles should include a title

3.   Each  page  should include your name and the  title  of  the 
article in the upper right corner

4.   All articles should be accompanied by a statement giving. us 
permission to print the article in our newsletter.  An adult must 
sign if you are under 21.

5.   All  articles should be accompanied by a brief  biographical 
sketch.  Make sure you include your full name,  address and phone 
number

6.   Articles  should be between one and four typewritten (double 
spaced)  pages  long.  Longer articles may be submitted  but  are 
likely   to  be  edited  substantially  because  of   our   space 
limitations.

7.   If you wish your materials returned, please enclose a return 
envelope with sufficient postage.



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