Computer Gaming World Issue 9

Features:

• Some Reader Comments (Notes CGW received from readers on their R.I.D.s)
• Computer Games in 1983 (Russell Sipe delivers a front-lines report from the 1983 Winter CES)
• Cosmic Balance: Tactics and Ship Design (Floyd Matthews gives some pointers to bring your Cosmic Balance skills to the next level)
• Zork!: An Overview (David P. Stone explains what gamers need to know about Infocom's infamous trilogy)
• Ultima II: A Review (James A. McPherson probes the ins and outs of Lord British's sequel)
• Latch Onto the "Bull": The "Bear" Facts About Millionaire (Johnny L. Wilson reviews this investment sim)
• RobotWar: Tournament Results ("Dragon" by Doug Hogg of Los Angeles, CA rolls away as the winner: see how he did it)
• Listen to the Mockingboard: Sound and Speech for the Apple II (Thomas Cleaver hooks up his new soundboard)
• Epidemic: "An Apple (or PC) A Day..." (Valerie Trott reviews this Apple strategy title of viral contamination and contaiment)
• Reader Input

Departments:

• Letters (Those things readers send in when they're happy or angry)
• Inside the Industry (Dana Lombardy breaks down the 30 most prolific game publishers of 1982)
• Hobby and Industry News (Movers, shakers, and heart-breakers)
• Real World Gaming (Dan Bunten explains some behind-the-scenes work that should take place before you type your first line of code)
• Taking a Peek (CGW's quick-look at the goodies that have arrived at the offices):
  • Maces & Magic #2: The Stone of Sisyphus (Apple II/TRS-80)
  • Alien (Apple II)
  • GFS Sorceress (Atari 400/800)
  • K-Razy Kritters (Atari 400/800)
  • Time Runner (Atari 400/800)
  • Genesis: The Adventure Creator (Apple II)
  • Caves of Olympus (Apple II)
  • Music Games (Apple II)
  • Demon Attack (Atari 400/800)
  • What's So Funny About Home Computers? (Book)
  • The Programmable Cube (Apple II)
  • Hextacy (Apple/IBM PC)
  • Hide and Sink (Apple/IBM PC)
  • Spyder (IBM PC)
  • Tachyon (IBM PC)
  • The Caverns of Freitag (Apple II)
  • Captain Cosmo (Apple II)
  • Pie-Man (Apple II)
  • Spy's Demise (Apple II)
  • Transylvania (Apple II)
  • Artesians (Apple II)
  • Galactic Adventures (Apple II)
  • Crossfire (IBM PC)
  • Ulysses (IBM PC)
  • Black Jack Strategy (Apple II)
  • Pandemonium (TRS-80/Apple)
  • Singles' Night At Molly's (Apple II)
  • Flip Out (Apple II/Atari)
  • Wavy Navy (Apple II/Atari)
  • Night Mission Pinball (Atari)
  • Dawn Patrol (Apple II)
  • Dungeon (Apple II)
  • Theseus and the Minotaur (Apple II)
  • Old Ironsides (Apple II)
  • Stickybear Bop (Apple II)
  • The Desecration (Apple II)

  [*]Atari Arena (Allen Doum's got three new pieces of software on the review table):

  • Alien Garden
  • Plattermania
  • Monster Maze

  [*]The Learning Game (Bob Proctor tests out four titles aimed at the preschool market):

  • Juggles' Rainbow (Apple II)
  • Bop-A-Bet (Apple II)
  • Micro Mother Goose (Apple II)
  • Spelling Bee Games (Apple II)

  [*]Microcomputer Mathemagic (Dr. Michael W. Ecker challenges readers to a mathematical permutations problem and explains the strategy for winning 'Fifty' from last issue)

  [*]Micro Reviews:

  • Championship Blackjack (IBM PC)
  • Microbe (Apple II)
  • Conquest (IBM PC)
  • Super Taxman 2 (Apple II)
  • Submarine Commander (Atari)
  • Battle For Normandy (Apple/Atari 400/800)
  • Space Strike (IBM PC)

  [*]Reader Input Device #7 (With information gleaned from R.I.D. #6)

Notable Stuff:

• Pretty violent cover for a 1983 gaming mag, don't you think?
• The reference to Psalm 9:1-2 appears on the masthead.
• In this issue's letter column, we get a plea from everyone to just stop the computer system wars and come together to achieve peace and harmony. Buddy, if you think system wars are bad in 1983, just wait another twenty years...
• Alien, based on the film of the same name, is a lot more complex on the computer than it is on the Atari 2600.
• The readers have spoken: Guadalcanal Campaign was voted most important software release of 1982.
• 74% of readers purchased a computer for entertainment purposes.
• CGW's got a Cosmic Balance contest on the table now: design an unbeatable ship for the game, submit your entry by April 30, 1983 and you've got a chance at winning an SSI game of your choice. Winners to be announced in the July-August issue.
• Silicon Cerebrum and Route 80 are on vacation, but they'll be back next issue.