======================= SOFTWARE NEWS - ISSUE 8 ======================= A warm(ish) welcome to the software news spot, where we can divulge release dates of games and other wonderous programs and utilities. First of all on the music front, the seemingly long-awaited MUSICAL ENLIGHTENMENT from UGA software and distributed in the Uk by yours truly should see the light of day around mid February. We've had a few problems along the way but things should be ok now...expect to pay around 17 Uk pounds or equivalent for the program. Source code for the replay routine is provided for Aztec C, Devpac and Seka. Look out for some music-demos on Newsflash using this powerful package. I've received Thalamus's release schedule and the details are as follows... Title Release --------------------- ------------- HAWKEYE Out now These are all liable to probable QUE-DEX Spring change in due-course. It will be SEARCH FOR SHARLA April interesting to see how the C64 XENODROME Spring titles are converted, Armalyte ARMALYTE Spring in particular. (Nemesis clone). HAWKWIND March --------------------- ------------- The End of the Rainbow??? After some considerable umming and arring, Rainbow Islands IS to be released after all but NOT on the Firebird label courtesy of Microprose. Ocean have secured the rights from Taito and WILL be using the Arcade-perfect conversion by Andy 'Uridium' Braybrook. Great news for all platform fans! Over a year after the release of the St version, Elite have finished 'OVERLANDER' a game which sneaked out and stunned a few people... Its a direct rip-off of Roadblasters but this time it features smooth, neat graphics, good sound and a playable game - unlike US Golds official attempt last year. Watch out for this one. The bitmap-bruvs have announced that a highly-enhanced sequel to Speedball is underway and we should see that one at the back end of the year, expect a BIG improvement if the comparison of Xenon-Xenon II is anything to go by!! The boys are currently working on their isometric 3D game 'Cadaver' which features some pretty hot gameplay and great graphics. Swivel-chair sportsfans like myself are positively drooling over the imminent arrival of 'Player-Manager' by Anco (which should be out when you read this.. well it better be as I can't wait much longer!) Other sports fans who are into the yankee way of doing things will be glad to hear that TVSports basketball isn't far away now after some lengthy delays! Another mega-delayed title is Gremlins 'Ultimate Golf', after something like 30 months of saying 'oh it'll be finished next week' Gremlin have announced that the game 'SHOULD' be out in February. I'm into golf games and still haven't played anything to beat the original Gamestar golf, now 4 years old! CRL have anoounced a new range of games but seeing as most of them aren't worth mentioning I won't. If it hadn't been for JUGGERNAUT on the speccy and TAU CETI Crl wouldn't have been mentioned AT ALL. I wish the programmer of Juggernaut (Pete Cooke) would convert this to 16bit as I thought that game was really good. Why is it CRL have more labels than game-titles?? My personal theory is that whenever they release a new game, it usually is under a new label, then next product then has to have its own label to avoid any links with the previously awful product. Or is it to have many companies in order to avoid paying V.a.t. ?? Codemasters have announced a new title for their 4.99 range, curiously called 'Little Puff'.. i'll not make any comment whatsoever as these guys were nice on the phone... Gainstar have released plans to launch the version of the arcade game 'Block Out' VERY soon due to the 16bit versions being written prior to the arcade game!! Hmm, something a bit strange going on here methinks. I've also noticed something political in the advert of Image-works GRAVITY - the message reads "Not for distribution in the republic of South Africa" Ok, I agree with the politics but does a south-african teenager have any control over what's happening??? Ok, I think that raps things up this time.. Martyn.