Sunday, October 15, 2023

Compute! (February 1989)

Compute! was a multiformat computer magazine that covered a wide variety of platforms. In 1989 that included at least the PC (DOS), Commodore 64, Apple II, Amiga, Macintosh and Atari ST. The February 1989 issue includes:

Features

Money, Money, Money - An overview of six personal financial management packages including Andrew Tobias' Managing Your Money (Apple II, IBM PC, Macintosh), Dollars and Sense (Apple II, IBM PC, Macintosh), MoneyCounts 5.0 (IBM PC), On Balance (Apple II), Smart Money (Apple II, Apple IIgs, IBM PC), and Sylvia Porter's Your Personal Financial Planner (Apple II, Commodore 64, Commodore 128, IBM PC).

Order From Chaos: Money and Your Spreadsheet - A guide to building a spreadsheet template to keep track of your money.

_{Table of Contents from the February 1989 issue of Compute!}

Reviews

Fast Looks - Brief overviews of new software including DeskPaint 2.0 (Macintosh), Map Skills (Apple II), and Grand Prix Circuit

Pool of Radiance - The first of the Gold Box AD&D games and one of my favorite games at the time.

Fantavision - An animation package for the Amiga, Apple II, Apple IIgs, and IBM PC.

Tutor-Tech - Kind of like HyperCard but for the Apple II instead of the Macintosh.

_{Table of Contents from the February 1989 issue of Compute! (continued)}

Columns

Editorial License - An editorial on how computers cost too much. Some examples given include an Apple IIgs system for over $3000, A PC compatible for $1500, and an Amiga or Atari ST for $800-$1000.

News & Notes - The latest computer news, including plans to bring videotex service to the U.S. (not sure this ever actually happened or went very far if it did), a new Leisure Suit Larry game, Jack Nicklaus' Greatest 18 Holes of Major Championship Golf, the latest World of Commodore show, magneto-optical disk drives, and more.

Gameplay - A look at improvements on old game concepts including Blockbuster (a newer version of Breakout), Better Dead than Alien (a newer version of Space Invaders), and more.

Impact - Using your computer to do your taxes.

Discoveries - Using CompuServe and other online services, including BBSes in education including to help teach English to Japanese students, improve reading and writing skills in high school students, and more.

Compute! Specific

MS-DOS - Command line vs. GUI; a look at The Norton Commander. Plus, The Invisible Link, a program that lets you download in the background and more.

64 & 128 - GEOS 2.0, Dungeon Master's Assistant Volume I: Encounters from SSI, Final Assault from Epyx, Times of Lore from Origin, and Fast Break, a 3-on-3 basketball game from Accolade.

Apple II - Del Yocam leaving Apple; Apple raises prices of Apple II and IIgs systems; rumors of an enhanced Apple IIgs, and more.

Amiga - The Amiga is featured at several recent computer shows including World of Commodore, COMDEX and CES; Zoetrope special effects software; SysFont font software; and more.

_{Back cover of the February 1989 issue of Compute!}

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