.IF DSK1.C3

 .CE 5

 *IMPACT/99*	

     

 ^^^^^^by JACK SUGHRUE

 ^^^^^^Box 459

 ^^^^^^East Douglas, MA 01516

     

    THE SOFTWARE BIGGIES

     

 GENIAL COMPUTERWARE (Box 183,
 Grafton, MA 01519) is emerging as a
 TI software developer to challenge
 long-time leader in this field,
 ASGARD SOFTWARE (Box 10306,
 Rockville, MD 20850).  Both
 companies' free catalogs make a
 99er's mouth water.

     Genial's 15 programs (by authors
 Peter Hoddie, Paul Charlton, Warren
 Agee, Mike Dodd, John Johnson, and
 Wayne Stith) are primarily utility:
 MACFLIX ($15) lets you view, print,
 and save graphics created on the
 Macintosh; PICTURE TRANSFER ($30)
 permits viewing different graphic
 files, creating slide shows,
 combining multiple images, and
 converting among formats (GIF, RLE,
 MYART, GRAPHX, TI-ARTIST) for the
 Geneve; TRIAD ($20) combines the
 features of a termincal emulator,
 40-column text editor, and disk
 manager in one program; HYPERCOPY
 ($20) is called by Genial "the final
 word in disk copiers" and can copy an
 SSSD in less than 35 seconds, provide
 a skewing technique for faster disk
 reads, format, provide multiple
 copying facilities, and more;
 GRAPHICS EXPANDER ($10) not only
 converts between TI-ARTIST and CSGD
 formats but can stretch, shrink,
 mirror, and rotate graphics all in
 fast assembly; GRAMPACKER ($10)
 customizes GRAM emulating devices in
 significant and very useful ways;
 XBASHER ($10) is faster and better
 than Jack Sughrue's SMALLIFYING
 program contained within his PLUS!
 disk and can compress up to 1/3 of an
 XB program; XB:BUG ($15) debugs,
 modifies, searches, displays as it
 provides a fine XB tool for the
 programmer; REMIND ME! ($15)
 functions as a fun and fast schedule
 planner with all kinds of built-ins;
 BROWSE ($10) aids in the management
 of text files by permitting viewing,
 printing, combining, and browsing;
 PC TRANSFER's ($25) fast and
 efficient way of moving data between
 your TI (and/or Geneve) and an MS-DOS
 machine make this an extremely
 valuable tool for those 99ers who
 work with IBM; GENIAL FONT PACKS ($10
 each) provide a collection of 19
 different fonts for use with
 TI-ARTIST along with some additional
 graphics programs; and FIRSTBASE
 ($49.95) a full-featured database
 program expected to be the only real
 competition to the powerful TI-BASE
 ($24.95 - Inscebot, P.O.^Box 291610,
 Pt.^Orange, FL 32029), will have a
 variety of exceptionally fine
 database features for the TI or
 Geneve.

     Asgard's catalog of 57 software
 packages contains a larger variety of
 materials for the TI/Geneve user:
 games, graphics, utilities,
 production tools.  In addition to
 Hoddie, Agee, and Charlton, the
 author/artists who create Asgard
 software include Ken Gilliland, Donn
 Granros, Harry Wilhelm, Tom Wynne,
 Chris Bobbitt, Ed Johnson, Robert
 Coffey, Tom Bentley, John Behnke, Jim
 Reiss, Mickey Schmitt, Paul
 Scheidemantle, Howard Uman, Tom
 Wible, Travis Watford, and Charles
 Earl.

     Games: BALLOON WARS ($4,95) an
 arcade strategy game with 20 screens
 of dangerous manned balloon flying;
 COLUMN ATTACK! ($9.95) an 11-level
 fast arcade game demands perfect
 laser control to defeat the insane
 Flugelins; DOOM GAMES I && II ($7.95
 each) include a pile of bizarre epics
 for the TUNNELS OF DOOM addicts; THE
 GAME PACK ($5.95) provides two
 distinct arcade games on one disk
 [Haunted Mine II and Missile Wars];
 HIGH GRAVITY ($9.95) is an addictive
 space simulation game that must be
 played to be appreciated [and my
 personal favorite]; VOLCANO FORTRESS
 ($7.95) is a collection of five
 additional TOD great games; LEGENDS
 ($22.95) is considered by
 MICROpendium, Computer Shopper and
 many newsletters to be the best
 grahics adventure game EVER for the
 TI; LEGENDS II: THE SEQUEL ($17.95)
 features so many new, exciting things
 it is already considered by many to
 be even better than its predecessor;
 OLD DARK CAVES: THE LOWER CAVERNS
 ($17.95) by the same author not only
 continues with the extraordinary
 graphics of the LEGENDS series but
 contains a 50-level dungeon; OLIVER'S
 TWIST ($9.95) will satisfy the
 cravings of Adventure Module owners
 with this very unusual adventure.

     Graphics programs from Asgard
 that are $7.95 each include two sets
 of ARTIST BORDERS, five of ARTIST
 FONTS, and nine of ARTIST INSTANCES.
 The variety of these TI-ARTIST
 collections is incredible.  There is
 also ARTIST ENLARGER ($9.95) which
 can enlarge, squeeze, stretch, or
 reduce singly on in multiple passes
 any pictures or fonts; FONTWRITER II
 ($22.95) provides a
 companion/environmnent for TI-ARTIST
 that will let you successfully use
 graphics with any version of
 TI-WRITER; GRAPHX COMPANION SERIES
 ($24.95) contains all four packages
 of this popular series of hundreds of
 pictures, clipart, borders, fills,
 and more; DISK OF DINOSAURS ($12.95)
 is a delightful and unique graphic
 package of dinosaurs and animation;
 GRAPHX SLIDESHOW ($9.95) allows
 viewing of GRAPHX or RLE pix in
 extraordinary ways; MY-ART COLORING
 BOOK ($9.95) for the Geneve is a
 companion to the MY-ART program.

     Although Asgard has always been
 famous for such productivity tools as
 RECIPE WRITER (and the ELECTRONIC
 GOURMET companions), SCHEDULE
 MANAGER, STAMP MANAGER, and the
 freewheeling C-database TOTAL FILER,
 the company has released a new pile
 of unique additions.  TYPEWRITER
 (Disk $19.95, Module $24.95, Module
 with built in printer port $39.95) is
 just what it says it is - a
 full-featured electronic typewriter
 that is incredibly easy to use;
 CALENDAR MAKER 99 ($19.95) and
 CALENDAR MAKER UTILITIES ($12.95)
 will satisfy even the most jaded
 calendar user with user-friendly
 graphic/text picture-perfect
 calendars from any month or any year
 from 1600 to 2400; CASETTE LABELER
 ($9.95) simply and quickly prints
 detailed cassette box inserts for
 your computer or audio cassettes;
 FORM MAKER 99 ($24.95) not only
 creates very complicated business
 forms but almost any kind of ANYTHING
 that can be designed for home,
 school, business, PTO, the kids, or
 anything else; and PRESS ($59.95)
 already described at the best word
 processor for the TI is compared
 favorably to the massive processors
 for the IBM and others.

     Asgard's Utilities include
 BATCH-IT! ($19.95) which permits all
 kinds of sophisticated programming
 techniques with a minimal amount of
 effort; EZ-KEYS PLUS ($14.95)
 considered the ultimate XB
 programmer's environment has just as
 many uses for non-programmers; BEYOND
 VIDEO CHESS ($9.95) lets you - AT
 LAST! - save and load chess games to
 disk, print screen or listing of
 moves, control the pieces with a
 joystick, use the board for two
 players, and more; MUSIC SYNTHESIZER
 ($9.95) lets a novice create music by
 dropping the notes onto a screen
 page; PR-EDITOR ($19.95), a
 multi-featured, superb text editor,
 is an programmer's ultimate tool, no
 matter what language you write in;
 RAM*BOOT ($9.95) automatically boots
 setups for Myarc's 128 and 512K
 cards; TOD EDITOR ($19.95) is the
 only utility for creating or changing
 TOD games; QUICK-RUN (($9.95) may be
 destined for the most-used XB utility
 for the TI once people begin to use
 it as it the fastest way to operate
 XB programs in existence.

     It is well worth every TI owner's
 time and quarters to send off for
 these tempting, descriptive catalogs
 from Asgard and Genial.

     

 [If you reprint these articles,
 please place the author on your
 newsletter mailing list.  Thank you.
 J.S.]

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