NEW COMMODORE MACHINE?
Commodore rumours continue to proliferate with our sister magazine, AMIGA COMPUTING, printing news of a proposed A300.
This would boast standard Amiga internals, but the keyboard would be radically stripped down making it really a console. There would still be a disk drive, allowing access to current software (so long as not too many keys are needed!), but it's hoped there'll also be plenty of cartridge software. The price is rumoured to be approx £200-£300, allowing the Amiga to compete more effectively with Japanese consoles.
But for C64 fans the big question is whether the A300 is likely to knock out the long-rumoured C65 (claimed to have near-Amiga capabilities, but costing £200 and boasting C64 compatibility). The truth of the matter seems to be that Commodore's design labs have been very busy and at least two machines are in prototype form, but whether they're ever launched depends on the company's evaluation of the marketplace.
Andrew Ball offered this masterful 'no comment' comment; 'With an installed base of so many C64s, and over a million Amigas in the UK - meaning one in fifty people have them - there's an enormous market which we're constantly examining new ways to serve.'
1992 is certainly going to be interesting with Commodore needing some king of answer to the Mega Drive, Atari revving up its own console, various CD-ROM units competing and the C64 hopefully getting updating.
MEGA-TEAM
Those of you who still journey to the local newsagent, rather than relying on a super-comfy subscription, will undoubtedly have noticed an exciting new mag called SEGA FORCE.
This amazing new mag dealing with, uh, Nintendo or something like that is being edited by ZZAP!'s famous King-Wynne editorial team. This promotion is no doubt due to their world-famous efficiency, speed and attention to deadlines (ho-ho - Publisher). Or maybe because they know games and are cheap! But to help them cope with two wondrous magazines, and make up for the loss of Robin Hogg (sob!), staff writters have been recruited by the bus load.
The new mega-team may continue to handle both mags, or separate to form two teams. Maybe you'd like to write in and say what you'd like, even vote for which writers you'd like most maybe! Whatever happens you can be sure ZZAP! continues to provide the most accurate, unbiased C64 reviews in the UK!
CLAIRE 'JACQUES COUSTEAU' MORLEY
Employed in a vain attempt to even up the male/female ratio in the Sega Force/ZZAP! office, Claire is our new stuff writer (and she's worth ten men any day!). After surviving just one day at Birmingham Polytechnic (as long as that?!), Claire has achieved her life-long ambition (at just 20 years and 3 weeks) of breaking into the glamorous world of the press (hah, disillusioned fool).
Having lived all around the country she currently commutes from Telford 'the roundabout centre of the universe' in the car borrowed from Mr Bean that everyone calls 'Basil' (the surname isn't Fawlty, I hope).
She used to work at a garage in Ellesmere (where?), and has also done time behind the bar at a local nightclub (she's a party animal).
She likes fast cars, golfers, practicing her Arnie Schwartzenegger impersonation, singing in the bath and drinking Diamond White out of the bottle (she's that 'ard). She dislikes canoeing but is very proud of the fact that she can do an Eskimo Roll (lucky Eskimo, I say). Her hobbies include driving to work, swearing at people in Welsh, painting her nails and scuba diving (Jacques Cousteau, eat yer heart out!). Her favourite games Creatures and Rainbow
ALAN 'CAPTAIN PICARD' GREEN
Alan is one of the latest additions to the team (the other one is much prettier), and is the brains of the operation (he rents them out to everyone else for extortionate fees). A Bachelor in the Arts, he has come to the magazine fully qualified (many years of experience and research in tea making).
And not only is he in the process of revolutionising the entire magazine, but is certainly shining a beacon of fashion on the office with his designer sportswear (baggy Lee T-shirt and flappy 'MC Hammer' trousers) and a 'bad' haircut (in other words he's as bald as Captain Picard).
He's often to be seen rolling erratically into the office car park in his flash motor (a beaten-up Lada), after wild nights in heady Wolverhampton (his home town). On arrival he's usually dozy and generally useless, having spent all his spare time listening to extremely loud music of bizarre nature (Bucks Fizz, The Brotherhood Of Man, Gilbert O' Sullivan etc). In fact he is now completely deaf (watch out for this one's sound ratings!).
Alan claims to like toast, sleeping, falling out of tall trees, driving very fast and boogeying (his greatest ambition is to appear on 'Dance Energy'). On the other hand he particularly dislikes boring games, his van breaking down, and (like Ian) zoos... he can't get any girlfriends from there! (what about the orangutan we saw you with last week, Al?).
Al's fave C64 game is the classic Who Dares Wins II.
ADRIAN 'EXTRAORDINARY' PITT
Adrian originates from the darkest depths of Wolverhampton. He was born in the early Seventies when hot pants were 'in' and you needed a pair of step ladders to get into your platforms. He's a fashion victim, a Pet Shop Boys fan and wants to live next door to Victoria Wood. He hates wasps, shell suits and Bobby Davro ('nothing personal, Bob!).
His fave Commodore games ever include Wizball, Bubble Bobble and Head Over Heels. He owns a Porsche 911 and can be seen each morning racing from Wolvo to Ludlow dodging little bunny rabbits along the B road. (We lied about the Porsche, by the way, but he's read Watership Down, all in all, about twenty-seven times! - Ed.)
Fave C64 game: Wizball.
IAN 'STAIN' OSBORNE
In his short time at ZZAP! Towers, Ian has already upset several software houses. 'A crap game gets a crap mark', he says, 'and I'm damed if I'm perjuring myself just to please advertising sales...' (Don't let him start that again! - Ed.) Fair enough!)
His hobbies are eating Pot Noodles, arguing with Ade about the Pet Shop Boys, and hiding from US Gold reps. His ambition is to write a computer adventure game, so reviewers can get their own back.
Fave C64 game: Rick Dangerous
PAUL 'HOMELESS' MELLERICK
Born and bred in Leicester, Paul lived there until three days ago, when he got this job. His main hobby is computers 'because I'm so good at playing games on them.' He also likes music, along the lines of Punk and Heavy Metal which means he has a very lamentable sense of hearing. The rest of the time he spends watching TV (nothing Australian) and sleeping. His main interest, though, is crashing cars - he's written off two: smashed e and reversed with the door open into a lamppost!
Fave C64 game: Great Gianna Sisters.
Stuart Wynne
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