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MATTEL APPOINTS NEW PREXY; REPORTS FIRST QUARTER LOSS

Mattel Electronics appointed William Mack Morris as President, and made other management changes that company spokesmen say should strengthen the firm. Mattel reported a $20+ Million loss for its first quarter because of what the company terms significant decreases in sales of electronic products, including Intellivision, resulting in an 82% drop in sales over the same period last year.

Morris, age 51, formerly served as president of Mattel’s Diversified Companies division. He succeeds Joshua Denham who held that post for three years. Before joining Mattel in January of this year, Morris was with Combe, Inc., and Squibb Corp.

In other managerial changes, Mattel appointed James Buddle as Senior Vice President of finance and planning, and Terrence Valeski as Senior Vice President of marketing and sales.

COLECO MAKES LOGICAL AGREEMENT; SAYS ADAM IS SOLD OUT FOR 1983

Coleco Industries and Logical Business Machines Corp. have settled their dispute over ownership of the trademark “Adam”. Logical had used that name since the mid-70’s, although they never received a trademark for “Adam“, and claimed they owned that name. Coleco purchased the trademark from another company that had been using the title since 1976.

The agreement allows Coleco unlimited use of the name, while still permitting Logical to use the trademark for small business computers costing more than $20,000.

In a separate announcement, Coleco says it has already received dealer orders for all of the 500,000 units that will be manufactured this year. The $600 computer system is scheduled to go on sale in September.

STUDENTS GET APPLES IN CALIFORNIA SCHOOLS

California schools are receiving shipments of Apple computers and equipment this month, in a move designed by Apple Computer, Inc. to promote computer literacy. The manufacturer is donating more than $21 million worth of equipment to California elementary and secondary schools.

Earlier this year the California State Legislature passed tax incentive laws that benefit corporations making donations such as this. Most of the State’s schools will receive an Apple IIe computer system by the beginning of this year’s Fall Term.

ROMOX GAMEPORT BY-PASSES TI-99/4A “GROM” TECHNOLOGY

The Romox “GamePort” expansion module for the Texas Instrument 99/4A computer accepts all ROM cartridges, according to Romox Prexy Paul Terrell. Earlier this year, TI announced it would modify its computer to accept only carts programmed in Tl’s patented “GROM” format. This limits third-party software manufacturers from producing games unless they license their product to TI, and means users won’t be able to play non-GROM carts. According to Terrell, the “GamePort” offers an alternative. It plugs into the computer port and accesses the 9900 CPU directly, so it can play any standard ROM cartridge. It features internal circuitry (8K ROM and RAM memory) to augment the 256 bytes of 99/4A memory, so designers can create more sophisticated game action and animation than ever before possible on the TI.

The Romox “GamePort” retails at $39.95, and should be available in retail outlets late this Summer.

Q-BERT HOPS ABOARD SATURDAY SUPERCADE

“Q-Bert”, the lovable cube-hopper from the Mylstar Electronics (formerly D.Gottlieb) coin-op game, jumps aboard the Ruby Spears cartoon series “Saturday Supercade” on September 17, on CBS. The cuddly Q-Bert will star in the series set in fantasyland, as he and his buddies “Q-Tee”, “Q-Ball” and “Q-Bit” along with his girl “Q-Val“, have teenage adventures while warding off Coily and his accomplices.

“Saturday Supercade” will be shown weekly at 8:30-9:30 EST, or 7:30-8:30 PST.

INFOCOM TO RELEASE TITLES FOR ALL HOME COMPUTER SYSTEMS

Infocom has devised a process to make it easy to market its line of prose adventures for 13 different microcomputers. All seven Infocom interactive games will be made available for the following systems: Apple II, Atari, Commodore 64, CP/M, DEC RT-11, DEC Rainbow, IBM-PC, NEC PC-8000, NEC APC, Tandy TRS-80 Model I, Tandy TRS-80 Model III, Texas Instruments Professional, and Osborne I.

Michael Berlyn, Infocom Project Manager, explained that this is possible because of the company’s proprietary system. “Since we develop application software in a machine-independent manner, a single development effort yields software that, after only a very small amount of machine-dependent programming, will run on hardware manufactured by the major PC vendors.” Berlyn went on to say, “We fully intend to develop even more versions as the demand arises.”

DR. WHO?

The legendary British science-fiction Time Lord, “Dr. Who”, is now the subject of a videogame. “Dr. Who” started life as a children’s show on English t.v., but under script supervisor Terry Nation, and particularly after actor Tom Baker took over the title role, the show developed adult-pleasing sophistication, and ran for nearly a decade in Britain. The series picked up an ardent cult following in the US where it runs sporadically on local t.v. stations.

For more information on games based on the adventures of the Time Lord, which list for $5 each, send a query and SAE to Dr. Who, Box 6024, Denver, Colorado 80206. But be careful with those jelly babies—they muck up a joystick something fierce!

DC LIMOS EQUIPPED WITH COMPUTERS

Air Brook Limousine Service in our nation’s capital is now offering clients “computa-cars”—limos equipped with a computer and word processor so execs can call up Congressional voting records, legislative histories, biographies of Congressmen, and other data to help lobbyists, lawyers and others who need this kind of data to survive in Washington D.C. And, since all work and no play makes for a dull service, Air Brook also lists local restaurants grouped by price and culinary type.

Air Brook president Fred Daly says busy Washingtonians can “in seconds…bring up a piece of legislation, who sponsored it, how many votes he won last election…” and hosts of other information helpful to his clients.

ANIMATE A MOVIE ON YOUR COMPUTER

Reston Computer Group has a program to allow anyone to become an animator. “MovieMaker” lets the gamer devise the action, set the scene and create the actors; then it plays back the program as an “animated movie“. “MovieMaker” requires no programming ability and is said to allow even a beginner to design professional-looking computer animation. It will be available for the Atari computers for $60 on disk, $40 on cartridge, in August. The Apple version will be in the stores in October.

PDI EXPERIMENT PROVES COMPUTERS TEACH TOTS

Although all the figures have yet to be analyzed, initial reports indicate that kids who play on computers test significantly higher than others in the same age group who receive no computer experience or instruction.

Twenty children were tested and then divided into two groups. The control group simply took the pre- and post-tests, and had no exposure to computer education. The other group had ten one-hour sessions with the computer. Then at the end of the month-long experiment, the children were retested. The kids who played on the computers scored 47 percent higher on a battery of standardized tests.

The experiment was funded by Program Design, Inc., manufacturer of educational game· software such as “Sammy the Sea Serpent” and PreSchool IQ Builder“, and action games such as Arkie-winner “Moonbase Io” and the new sea-faring “Clipper:Around the Horn in 1850“.

VIDEOGAME COMPANIES GO ON REPORT

As of June 20th, Standard & Poor’s placed Mattel Electronics, Texas Instruments, Milton Bradley and Warner Communications (owners of Atari, Inc.) on their “credit-watch” list. Wall Street is still suffering spasms of paranoia regarding the ever-volatile videogame industry, and this close monitoring of some of the field’s leading lights is yet another demonstration of this timidness.

On the big money avenue, bulls turn into bunnies faster than Pac-Man gobbles pills.

ACTIVISION GOES BUGGY WITH “CRACKPOTS”

Dan Kitchen’s first Activision game, “Crackpots”, stars a rooftop gardener named Patsy. Sewer bugs mass, then attack in platoons, crawling up the side of the wall toward Patsy. If six of the creepy-crawlies reach Patsy’s window, a monster bug causes the entire building to drop a level closer to the ground. But Patsy is armed with petunia pots to push onto the roaches, and the action gets faster and funnier as the game progresses.

“Crackpots”, Activision’s 29th Atari-compatible cartridge, lists for $31.95.

SOFTSYNC TO PRODUCE COMPUTER BOOK

Softsync has reached an agreement with Brady Books (a division of Prentiss-Hall) to publish a book of computer games for the Timex 1000, 1500 and 2000 computers. “Brain Games” by Canadian math professor John Stephenson will contain 26 program listings, each with a mind game as well as shortcuts to help new programmers design their own amusements so they can learn mathematics and logic through games.

Dr. Stephenson explains, “For 20 years, I have been teaching mathematics. I believe it is possible to teach math and logic through the use of games. This makes it a lot of fun for everyone.”

“Brain Games” will retail for $9.95, and should be in local bookstores by September. Softsync also plans versions of the book for VIC-20 and Commodore 64 users.

DIGITAL CONTROLS GETS TOUGH WITH COPYRIGHT VIOLATORS

Digital Controls, Inc. says it will take action against manufacturers who release machines that are obviously knockoff, counterfeit equipment. Mike Macke, company president, says that “Little Casino”, models I and II, are among the top selling counter-top videogames in the country, but that ripped-off games are unfairly cutting into the pure amusement market. He promises a vigorous pursuit to round up the counterfeits and remove them from operation, and swift prosecution of the manufacturers, operators and distributors.

“Little Casino”, popular in taverns and lounges, was a pioneer in the concept of countertop gambling-based games purely for amusement.

TANDY SALES ARE UP

Tandy Corp., manufacturer of Radio Shack computers, announced that sales for fiscal 1983 ended June 30 increased 22% over the same period last year. Sales totalled $2.47 billion, up from $2.03 billion a year ago.

ARE YOU SMARTER THAN YOUR PC? PLAY “CODEBREAKER” AND FIND OUT

Sylvan Glen Software has developed a program for the IBM-PC to help you determine who’s got the most savvy. “Codebreaker” is a non-arcade type game based on the “Mastermind” concept, in which players must use logic to break a secret code. Test your skill against the computer at four difficulty levels. It’s said to be easy enough for beginners on the lowest level, but difficult enough that only the most experienced players have even a chance to outshine the computer at the highest skill settings. It’s available for $39.95 for the IBM-PC from Clive Barker, Sylvan Glen Software, Box 31053, Des Peres, Missouri 63131. Tell him we sent you!

DESIGNWARE, SILVER BURDETT PLAN JOINT PRODUCTIONS

DesignWare and Silver Burdett (an educational publisher) have entered into an agreement to develop and co-market educational software programs. DesignWare will develop five new programs by mid-1984, to carry both DesignWare and Silver Burdett labels. The products will be marketed to consumers by DesignWare, and Silver Burdett will sell them to schools. The software will combine the Silver Burdett word lists with proven educational games. Home products will have simple instructions for kids, and the school packets are to be accompanied by printed material customized for the educational market.

CHILDRENS COMPUTER WORKSHOP SAYS GIRLS, BOYS LIKE DIFFERENT GAMES

Paul Firstenberg, President of Childrens Computer Workshop, says, “It is evident that the video arcade era is maturing and we’ve entered the video learning era.” He went on to say, “A recent study has shown that 51% of home computer owners bought them for game playing, while 46% use them as a child’s learning tool.”

CCW says their research and testing with kids shows that girls ages 3 and 4 play with the computer differently than boys of the same age. “We have learned that girls are cautious and careful while boys don’t worry about getting something wrong. In the 8-12 age group, boys’ and girls’ tastes differ vastly … In a space game, for example, the girls are interested in how people live in space, the boys in the rocketry that gets them there.”

CCW plans 22 software programs for home and school this year, to be supported by three daily t. v. shows, “Sesame Street”, “The Electric Company” and “3-2-1 Contact”.

ACTION + GRAPHICS + MATH EQUALS ELECTRONIC ALGEBRA

Wadsworth Electronic Publishing Co. (WEBCO) has created a tool to help students get a grip on algebra while having fun. “Algebra Arcade” requires the gamer to construct an algebraic equation to zap creatures called Algebroids. After entering an equation, a Whirlwind rushes through the graph racking up points by knocking down Algebroids. Beginners play using just straight lines, but sophisticates can use ten algebraic functions (sine, cosine, tangent, etc.) to create complicated curves. Gamers can put time limits on games, change coordinate systems, select another equation family, or change from one to two players.

“Algebra Arcade” is available for Apple, IBM-PC, Atari and Commodore 64 computers, for $49.95 from WEBCO, 10 David Drive, Belmont, Calif. 94002, or phone 800-831-6996.

SEGA DONATES STAR TREK MACHINE TO PBS FOR AUCTION

Sega Electronics gave an upright model of “Star Trek”, the hit coin-operated videogame, to Public Broadcasting in San Diego for their annual fund-raising auction. PBS holds an auction every year to generate the funds needed to maintain equipment and staff, and to purchase programming. The auction, telecast over several nights, features hundreds of items or services donated by viewers who want to do their part to keep PBS on the tube.

“We feel proud…to help support the outstanding job KPBS is doing for the San Diego area,” said Sega’s chief operating officer Frank Fogleman, who went on to say that Sega expects to participate in next year’s auction as well.

The “Star Trek” unit was purchased by Richard Dentt, a San Diego businessman.

The “Star Trek Strategic Operations Simulator” allows cadet trainees (gamers) to learn Federation battle tactics.

RESEARCH CORP. GETS PATENT ON ELECTRO-TRANSMISSIONS

Research Corp. has reached an agreement with Washington University, St. Louis, Mo., to license to the industry broad patent rights covering the transmissions of computer programs, either by wire or over the air. The patent rights cover one-way transmissions of all computer software, and corporate spokesmen say that licenses will be required by the companies already in the market as well as any planning to enter the field of “telesoftware”.

According to Research Corp., all patents being licensed originated from pioneering work done at Washington University by Dr. Wesley Clark and Dr. Charles Molnar, and the original U.S. patents were granted to them in 1971.

Telesoftware companies wishing to discuss this licensing requirement should contact Mark Ogram, Research Corp., 6840 E. Broadway Blvd., Tucson, Ariz.85710, or call him at 602-296-6400.

“JAMES BOND” TO SPEAK FOR SPECTRAVIDEO INC.

Better hide those plans, if you want to keep them secret! SpectraVideo has tagged film/t.v.-star Roger Moore, internationally known as Agent 007 James Bond, as spokesman for its line. Mr. Moore will appear for the corporation in their ad campaigns, as well as making personal appearances on behalf of the manufacturer.

Mr. Moore, also famous for his role as Simon Templer in “The Saint” on t.v., hasn’t actually promised to do any sleuthing for SpectraVideo, but he will start appearing in their commercials as early as this September.

FAMILIAR FACES IN NEW PLACES

John Belden has joined ANDROBOT, Nolan Bushnel’s robot company. John formerly was with U.S. Games…Michael R. Dornbrook is the new Product Manager for entertainment software at INFOCOM. Dornbrook was the founder of the Zork Users Group…Richard Baumbusch has been appointed VP and General Manager of CBS ELECTRONICS. He was formerly Marketing Director of Intellivision at Mattel, before he joined CBS earlier this year…John Garcia hqs been promoted to VP of Software for DATASOFT. He’s responsible for all in-house programming…Scott Llewellyn was just promoted to VP of Marketing for DATASOFT. Prior to joining Datasoft in 1982, he was with Kross, Inc…William H. Peltier has been named VP, Corporate Communications, BALLY MANUFACTURING. He’ll be responsible for all communications, including advertising and public relations. He formerly was with Bozell & Jacobs, an advertising agency…Kathleen A. Boyle is the new Vice President-Corporate Policy and Assistant to the President of CABLE APPLICATIONS. She’ll approve all corporate contracts, and play a major role in the company’s future growth plans.

COMING EVENTS

Upcoming Tournaments and Meetings

ELECTRONIC & COMPUTER GAMES & TOYS EXHIBITION, August 18-21, Sydney, Australia. For both public & trade. Write Lorna Miller, Industrial Presentations, 4/389 Victoria Avenue, Chatswood, Australia, if you plan to go Down Under this Summer.

FUTURE COMPUTING WEEK, August 25-September 2, San Francisco. A series of seminars of interest to retailer marketers, at the Mark Hopkins Hotel. Contact Seminar Sales, Future Computing, Inc., 900 Canyon Creek Center, Richardson, Tx. 75080 or call 214-783-9375

NORTH CAROLINA COIN OPERATORS ASSN., September 8-11, Hyatt House, Winston-Salem, NC. Contact Bobby Earp (919) 229-5826. Probably only for the trade.

TWIN CITIES COMPUTER SHOW & SOFTWARE EXPO, September 15-18, Minneapolis Auditorium, Minneapolis, Mn. Phone 800-841-7000 or (in Mass.) 617-739-2000. For the public.

COMPUFAIR SEATTLE, September 16-18, Seattle Center Exhibition Hall, Seattle, Washington. Contact Tom Ikeda, Compufair, Box 45218, Seattle, Wa. 98105, or call 206-633-FAIR.

ROCKY MOUNTAIN COMPUTER SHOW & SOFTWARE EXPO, September 22-24, Denver Merchandise Mart, Denver, Colorado. Call 800-841-7000 or (in Mass.) 617-739-2000. Public is invited.

CP/M’83 EAST, September 29-0ctober 1, Boston Hynes Auditorium, Boston, Mass. Write Northeast Expositions, 822 Boylston St., Chestnut Hill, Ma. 02167 or call 800-841-7000.

EUROPEAN HOME VIDEO SEMINAR & VIDCOM EXHIBITION, October 2-3, New Palais des Festivals, Cannes, France. Write Karen Dove, ITA, 10 Columbus Circle, New York, NY 10019. 212-956-7110.

PC’83 BOSTON, October 4-6, Boston Bayside Expo Center. Write Northeast Expositions, 822 Boylston St., Chestnut Hill, Ma. 02167, or call 617-739-2000 or 800-841-7000.

NJ BUSINESS COMPUTER SHOW, October 6-8, Holiday Inn North, Exit 14 NJ Turnpike. This public show is for Micro-Portable-Desktop-Mini. Contact Kengore Corp. at 201-297-2526.

NJ MICROCOMPUTER SHOW & FLEAMARKET. October 15-16, Meadowlands Hilton, NJ. For the public; fleamarketers welcome. Contact Kengore Corporation at 201-297-2526.

COMDEX EUROPE, October 24-27, RAI International Congress & Exhibition Centre, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Contact Interface Group, 617-449-6600 or 800-325-3330. For the trade only.

APPLEFEST/SAN FRANCISCO, October 28-30, Moscone Center, San Francisco, Ca. Write Northeast Expositions (address #9 above) or call 800-841-7000. This is an Apple show, for the public.

NATIONAL HOME ELECTRONICS SHOW, November 3-6, Arlington Park Race Track Expo Center, Arlington Heights, Ill. (suburban Chicago). Contact Lincoln Merchandising, 1417 North Milwaukee Ave., Chicago, 11. 60622, or call Elliot Sheck, 312-276-2819. For the public.

NORTHEAST COMPUTER SHOW & SOFTWARE EXPO, Nov. 17-19, Hynes Auditorium, Boston, Mass. Write Northeast Expositions (address #9 above) or call 617-739-2000 or 800-841-7000.

LEISURETRONICS, February 19-26, 1984, Monte-Carlo, Monaco. Call 401-884-9500 for data.

THE HOTSEAT

Reviews of New Products

CRITICS THIS ISSUE: SD-Steve Davidson; AK-Arnie Katz; JW-Joyce Worley

LODE RUNNER/Computer Game (for Apple IIO/Broderbund/48K Disk

“Lode Runner” is a zesty feast for electronic gamers. It uses elements borrowed from the climbing game genre, tosses in the superb animation that so enhances “Choplifter!” and ties the whole package together with some of designer Doug Smith’s own innovative ideas. The object is to employ the joystick to guide the lode runner over a succession of 150 different playfields in a ceaseless hunt for boxes of gold which are jealously protected by roving guards. The lode runner can’t jump like a kangaroo, but pushing the appropriate action button causes him to dig a small pit. These are good for trapping the guards, though the ability to excavate is frequently needed to gain access to gold chests that would otherwise be untouchable. And if the regulation 150 screens aren’t enough, Smith has included what might be called a “Lode Runner” construction set that lets non-programmers custom-design new playfields. Utilities permit the player to slow or speed the action, skip individual screens, begin at any desired point, and much more. “Lode Runner” is fully worthy to carry on the luminous Broderbund tradition of excellence. (AK) Rating: 10

MINER 2049er/Videogame Cartridge (for ColecoVision)/Micro Lab

Here comes Bounty Bob on the trail of Yukon Yohan again, in the ColecoVision version of Bill Rogue’s classic multi-screen climbing game. The ColecoVision cartridge, designed by Mike Livesay who also produced the excellent Apple II disk, boasts 11 screens instead of the regulation 10. The action is generally similar to the other editions of “Miner“, which means that owners of Coleco’s super-system will be able to add another superb game to their software libraries. Even handicapped by the somewhat balky controller, this is still a remarkably smooth-playing game. The graphics aren’t quite as nice as might have been hoped, being slightly squat-looking, but the overall effect is excellent — and quite pleasing to the eye. This is the first cartridge produced for ColecoVision by an independent publisher, and it’s certainly a favorable harbinger of more goodies to come. (SD) Rating: 9

BLUE MAX/Computer Game (for Atari 400-800-1200)/Synapse/48K Disk

The propeller-driven fighter-bomber sits poised for action at the start of the runway. It taxies down the asphalt, you push the joystick forward, and suddenly you’re piloting a plane in one of the finest flying and shooting contests yet created. The player can bomb or strafe a wide variety of targets, including ships, buildings and bridges. Anti-aircraft fire can damage the player’s craft, which then must land at an available runway for refueling and repairs. The playfield, which features excellent visual representations of terrain, scrolls diagonally somewhat in the manner of “Zaxxon“, to give “Blue Max” players the feeling that the excitement is taking place in three dimensions instead of two. “Blue Max” is quite difficult, even at the “novice” skill setting, but the disk is so much fun that most arcaders won’t mind struggling through a few practice sessions. (AK) Rating: 9

MISSION X/Videogame Cartridge (for Intellivision)/Mattel

Cruise over land and sea, changing altitude as necessary to avoid enemy return fire, as you experience the nail-biting thrill of red hot air-to-ground combat. There are a dozen different types of targets, ranging from roads (10 points per hit) to aircraft carriers (worth 500 points each). The most unusual feature of this piloting and shooting game is the method used to indicate altitude. Instead of having a gauge or numerical read-out, the program alters the size of the plane to reflect its position relative to the ground. The smaller the airplane, the closer it is to the surface. Human engineering like this certainly goes far to make a rather complicated game easier to play than it might’ve been. Action games for the Intellivision seldom seem to work just right, but “Mission X” is a happy exception to this. A fine cartridge. (AK) Rating: 8

RIVER RAID/Computer Game (for Atari 400-800-1200)/Activision/Cartridge

Carol Shaw’s Arcade Award contender “River Raid” is Activision’s first attempt to widen its focus to include games for popular microcomputer systems. Though this delicate transition has spelled trouble for more than one software publisher, this outstanding edition of “River Raid” gives hope that Activision will survive this critical period in good shape. The Atari computer cartridge presents all the action found in the videogame original, bolstered by highly detailed visuals, additional types of targets and more variety in the river sections. In short, it’s an ultimate “River Raid” that even those who already own the 2600 edition will want to have. Blast brigaders, this one’s for you! (AK) Rating: 9

FROGGER/Computer Game (for Atari 400-800-1200)/Parker Brothers/Cartridge

Owners of Atari computers can now buy what may well prove to be the definitive computer version of this long-time coin-op mainstay. It is somehow fitting that Parker Brothers, the company which brought “Frogger” to videogames in such grand style, should repeat its triumph in the computer field. This version has color and sound that actually challenge the supremacy of the play-for-pay original. This is truly an outstanding cartridge that fully utilizes the massive potential of the 400/800/1200 series. (SD) Rating: 10

ZAXXON/StandAlone Game/Coleco

The epic space battle that started with the Sega coin-op has now made it to tabletop size, in a game to save the universe from the armies of the evil robot Zaxxon. This golden goliath wants to enslave the galaxy, and his robotic armies already have implacements in the asteroids. Enemy installations form high fortress walls, and the arcader uses a mini-joystick to steer his aircraft over the barriers. Then fire energy blasts at missiles, tanks and fuel arsenals, battle a fleet of alien fighters in open space, and come face to face with Zaxxon himself in electronic combat. The graphic treatments, while remarkable for a standalone game, are minimal compared to the coin-op, computer or even videogame editions. Some of the terrain details had to be left out, which makes the screen seem a little sparse. But the action is smooth, the battle is heated, and there’s a lot of small details that make this a tough challenge that will take a gamer some time to master. “Zaxxon” is probably the most elaborate tabletopper any company has attempted yet, and belongs in the collection of every standalone-fan. (JW) Rating: 8