GAMES TALK BACK

GAMES TALK BACK

“ ...this is your crew speaking. sir. and while we'd follow you through hell and high water, sir. we'd recommend you activate the star shield as those are alien attack ships on our port side. sir... ”

An imaginary conversation with your computer? Your computer talks back? All possible, since voice synthesizer electronics have been available for some time.

Until very recently, game programmers haven’t spent as much time as they might on the audio portion of the program. Some, perhaps rightly, consider the audio as secondary; others have limited memory and don’t want to waste program space on sound when that same space might be used to improve picture resolution or game strategy.

But for Intellivision users, all that has changed. Mattel Electronics has a new Intellivoice Voice Synthesizer. This module is plugged into the Intellivision Master Component to give the computer the power of speech.

What’s exciting about this are the new special carts that will be introduced to take advantage of the speech synthesizer. So far, it’s reported that Space Spartans. Bomber Squad, and B-17 Bombers are to be offered. All these programs will talk in realistic computer male and female tones.

And, if you’re lucky they’ll warn you of the danger lurking inside the next black hole.

VERSATILE COLECO

Coleco Industries is known as one of the largest manufacturers of self-contained electronics games, but they’ve put another feather in their cap with the introduction of a line of video cartridges they’ve developed. These carts are for use with the Atari Video Computer System and the Mattel Electronics’ Intellivision.

In all Coleco will produce nine game carts for the Atari and eleven carts for Intellivision. Coleco says the carts “exhibit superior graphic resolution, realistic game sound effects and totally authentic arcade game action.”

The selection of games from Coleco is a true gallery of arcade favorites. Among them are:

Donkey Kong: Nintendo’s trademarked Donkey Kong features the climbing of a steel

fortress while dodging objects hurled from the top of the building. Plenty of action here.

Venture: Get through the chambers to the room with the treasure, easy if you can avoid the beast that protects the treasure. Exidy’s trademarked Venture game rewards the player for both skill and daring.

Cosmic Avenger: Your starship has hit alien territory and you must engage in an air and sea battle over the ocean and enemy city. Firing as you go, you’ll be a fleet commander after a few plays of Universal’s Cosmic Avenger.

Mouse Trap & Lady Bug: Universal’s trademarked Lady Bug and Exidy’s Mouse Trap are both maze-oriented adventures. Mouse Trap has the play mouse eating bits of cheese as the hungry cat chases him through a maze of hallways. Look for the secret tunnel. Lady Bug eats dots as she goes through the maze, but she’s got to be careful, some of the dots are poisonous and there are also evil bugs lurking in the maze.

Zaxxon: Sega/Gremlin’s trademarked space battle game pits the player against enemy forcefields and provides a lot of starship action play.

Turbo & Rip Cord: (Sega/ Gremlin, Exidy trademark respectively) are two other action games. Turbo is a race car game with a drive through city streets, through tunnels and over bridges onto winding country roads. Rip Cord lets you parachute out of a plane and try to land in the safety zone as you float through a sky filled with helicopter gunships.

COLECOVISION DOES IT!

ColecoVision entered the market with a great list of game carts available to those who choose this game computer system. Among the two dozen games originally offered are a number of action-packed arcade games translated to the home game system, as well as a number of sports and strategy games.

Included in the arcade game area are carts for Nintendo’s Donkey Kong (this is included when you buy the ColecoVisI ion system); Sega/Gremlin’s Space Fury, Turbo, Zaxxon' Carnival,and 005 games; Universal’s Cosmic Avenger and Lady Bug; Exidy’s Venture, Spectar, Rip Cord, Side Trak' and Mouse Trap.

If you’re into sports games, Coleco offers cart versions oi their well known Head T0 Head Football and Head to Head Baseball, plus a Skiing game.

Matching with with the computer is also possible with a ColecoVision game cart of Fidelity’s Chess Challenger as well as a cart of Dimensional Puzels. Lady Luck takes a hand with Fidelity’s Horse Racing and Las Vegas carts. Educational and fantasy game carts are also available for the ColecoVision system.

RADIO SHACK UP...

Radio Shack’s TRS-80 Color Computer has all the capabilities of a sophisticated home computer system. But it has fantastic game potential as well, and the company hasn’t overlooked this. In fact they have a large selection of game programs available for TRS-80 players.

Quasar Commander (263051) presents full color action as you command your starship to destroy alien ships. If you want, you can set the autopilot and the onboard computer will fight the enemy for you.

PAC-MAN DAY MADE OFFICIAL

No, it isn’t an official national holiday yet. Schools are still open, the mail is delivered...but Pac-Man Day is still a new tradition in special events.

A full page ad in The New York Times announced Pac-Man Day on April 3, 1982. The first annual Pac day, we presume.

Atari chose to announce Pac-Man Day in conjunction with the introduction of the Atari Pac-Man video game cartridge for use with the Atari video computer. Under a picture of Pac, the headline ran “Word Of Mouth Travels Fast. Today Is Atari National Pac-Man Day.”

The announcement went on to alert the public that the Atari Pac-Man cartridge was available wherever video game cartridges are sold (going currently for $29.95 at my local game cart vendor) and that everyone was invited to come to meet Pac-Man in person at three different New York area bcations.

We have no eyewitness account of just what form the “in-person” Pac-Man took, out come next Pac-Man Day we may just saunter out to our local shopping center and ask Pac for his autograph.

Dino Wars (26-3057) will please Space Invaders fans. Besides eliminating alien invaders, you’ll be aided by other defenders for one last stand against the aliens.

Other arcade type action games include Project Nebula (26-3063) and Polaris (263065), both of which let the player test his eye/hand coordination against the dangers of the enemy.

More conventional games fans will find a number of programs, including Pinball (26-3052), Chess (26-3050) and Backgammon (26-3059) all with brilliant color graphics.

3-D players will be challenged by Color Cubes (26-3075) which Radio Shack describes as letting you play “...that maddening cube puzzle on your computer.” The game program gives you 255 moves in its memory storage and the computer will retrace your moves as you try to figure out how you got there.

In more computer oriented Programs, the company offers a number of interesting program packs. There’s Art Gallery (263061) that lets you draw and store art on your TV screen and you hear the tones; and the I Audio Spectrum Analyzer (263156), which despite its tech title allows your computer to generate color visuals from your hi-fi system.

THE DAY THE GORFS ATTACKED

Watch out! Those nasty Gorfian robots are planning to invade the planet and take out all the Gorf machines. And only you have the computer wizardry (and firepower) to do something about it. Surely you can keep the planet safe from the evils of the Gorfian robot empire!

For the last couple of years, Midway’s Gorf has offered all the elements of a good space age battle. There are laser attacks, Galaxions to worry about, plenty of space warp, a flagship to leat the fleet, and those bad, bad robots. You must plan out the counter invasion and strike back at the Gorfian empire.

ASTROSMASH: THE BIG MONEY

Deal with space age dangers as you play Astrosmash, the new action game from Intellivision Astrosmash competition, and you might wind up among the finalists for the show down in Houston, Texas this August, with a chance to win total prizes of $100,000.

Mattel Electronics has taken full page ads in national magazines to promote Astrosmash. They will send a free cartridge to anyone who buys the Intellivision Master Component computer game system. All you have to do is buy it in the specially marked box.

The Astrosmash Shootoff will accept entries from any Astrosmash players who think they’re good enough to go for the big prize money.

PARKER BROTHERS: NO MONOPOLY?

The Empire Strikes Back will be available as a computer game for use with Atari and Sears Video Arcade systems. It’s also one of the first two programs (the other is Frogger) introduced by Parker Brothers as they enter the video cart retail market.

The company plans to create various video programs in the immediate future. Cart games based on James Bond, Jaws, and Spider-Man are said to be in the works.

If you were addicted to The Empire Strikes Back (the movie) , you’ll be pleased to play the game. You can soar into battle along with everyone else now, and actually participate in the strike back, your finger on the firing button.

HOW AAANY OF THE ALL-TIME GREATS HAVE YOU PLAYED?

□ 1. PAC-MAN

□ 2. SPACE INVADERS

□ 3. ASTEROIDS

□ 4. DEFENDER

□ 5. FROGGER

□ 6. CENTIPEDE

□ 7. GALAXIANS

□ 8. PONG

□ 9. BREAKOUT

□ 10. BERSERK

□ 11. DONKEY KONG

□ 12. RIP-CORD

Scoring: 10—Combat Veteran; 8-9 Experienced Player; 5-7 Not An Arcade Regular; 2-4 Must Have A Friend Who Is A Player; 0-1 From Another Planet.

HOME GAMES: FIVE QUESTIONS

1. How much will it cost to buy a game computer so I can play home games?

A: You can buy a game computer for 560 quarters. Home game computers are sold by discount electronics firms in most large cities, so you’ll pay from $139 to about $350 for a home game computer system, the price rising as you-get into game computers tha are also low-end personal computers.

2. Can 1 use a large screen TV as a game board?

A: You certainly can, and while the imagery won’t be quite as intense, some games are a lot more fun on a projection TV screen.

3. Can 1 adjust the sound effects on a home game?

A: Unlike arcade games with their built-in speakers, computer game sounds come through the TV’s audio speaker. So you can turn it down completely (great for those late night showdowns) or, if the TV has an audio output, listen to it on headphones or pumped through your stereo system.

4. Are the game carts expensive?

A: Game carts aren’t as cheap as records or an afternoon at the movies, but considering they offer unlimited play once you own them, they’re probably cheaper than hanging out at an arcade all day.

5. Should I wait for the next generation of home computers before I buy one?

A: Depends on what computer you plan to buy. If it’s a personal home computer like a Radio-Shack TRS-80 or an Apple II, there’s no reason not to get them now. But if you’re interested in the latest home game systems, watch for the introduction of new video centers from Atari and Coleco soon after you read this magazine.

FROM BALLY TO ASTROVISION

All sorts of action is at your fingertips with the various game carts available from Astrovision. Formerly the Bally Professional Arcade, the Astrovision Astro Arcade will release a large number of new game carts this year to keep you entertained with your home Astrovision game computer.

Maze fans can take a break from Pac-Man and try Munchie (you’ll never guess what Munchie does), all you mystic players can load your game computers with the Wizard program which is based on the arcade Wizard Of Wor. Space pirates will have a good selection of new carts, among them Solar Conqueror, Cosmic Raiders. Space Fortress, and Quest For The Orb.

A different type of entertainment if offered with Pirate’s Chase and Coloring Book. The Coloring Book comes with a Light Pen, allowing the user to have real two way participation with the computer graphic.