}7        GRAPEVINE 13 REVIEW}8

}6
  HAWK PD DISKS: 274, 275, 276

}1
As far back as I can remember, LSD
have been producing high quality
stuff for the Amiga, but Grapevine
breaks all barriers! Grapevine is a
disk-based magazine containing
anything that people can be bothered
to write in about, whether it be
about computers, humour, hardware,
videos, music, RPG stuff or just
about anything else you can think of!
}4
Grapevine 13 is the king of the disk
magazines that I have seen, and if
you have ever read a Grapevine mag
before you will notice that I have
attempted to take the look and feel
of the mag and put it into ZAM
simply because you can only copy
from the best.
}1
On loading the mag, you are first of
all presented with a warning stating
that the mag is not suitable for
children. What is interesting, is
that when Amiga Format reviewed
Grapevine 9 yonks ago, AF suggested
that a warning should be put onto
the front of the mag - so LSD did.
And when Amiga User International
reviewed Grapevine, AUI fobs off LSD
for being patronising. The warning
at the beginning is a good idea,
since the articles are laced with
obscenities which could be found
offensive (if you don't have a sense
of humour), so if you are thinking
of getting your four year old son
this for his birthday, then I
suggest you don't!
}4After a short time, you are then
presented with a rather nice
picture of a Lemming in a santa
outfit, setting the Christmas scene
rather nicely (although by the time
you read this, Christmas will be long
gone). A jolly remix of Christmas
tunes is played throughout thanks to
Spirit/LSD, but if you think you've
had enough of that music then there
are another two you can choose from
(or if you are really sad you can
turn the music off).
}1
The whole mag is brilliantly
presented, with a number of various
fonts and colors. Finding your way
around over 380 articles couldn't be
easier - you can jump to an article
by typing in its number, or you can
use the up/down arrows keys to
advance through the articles one by
one. If using the keyboard isn't for
you, then luck is coming your way
because across the bottom of the
screen is a point-'n'-click style
interface, where you can jump to
pages, change the music, save out
the article as ASCII or get help
etc.
}4
Now for some information on the kind
of stuff the magazine contains:
}1
There is loads of stuff about groups
on the "scene", as well as
interviews with members of these
groups. Most of the groups seem to
be looking for new members to get
out new products/demos/intros or
whatever they call them today. In
the News section of the mag is loads
of info on what has happened to
groups since the last mag - loads of
groups are "dead" and loads of new
ones have been started. 
}4For party reports, this is the mag
to get. Want to know what happened
at the Digital? In this mag, you'll
find a report about it, as well as
several others. I'm looking forward
to GV14 because there will probably
be a report on the CSA (Crystal-
Silents-Anarchy) party that Crystal
keeps advertising on the front of
their products (or so I am told!)
}1
Groups tend to refer to people who
are not experienced on the scene as
"Lamers". There is an entire forum
(just about!) which is donated
entirely to the Lamer vs Elite
(people who are very experienced on
the scene). The reason I am led to
believe for this "You Are A Lamer"
attitude, is that in the mid eighties
when coders wanted answers about the
Amiga, no-one was there to give any
so people had to learn everything
entirely by themselves, so when
someone asks them how to decode MFM
they are very reluctant to do so!
Understandable really.
}4
Hardware reviews galore, including
the Amstrad double video recorder
which was a good read. There is also
a report on the A1200 and the A4000,
as well as a report on all the other
Amiga's, what they have inside them
etc.
}1
There are loads of non-computer
related tutorials in there as well,
from articles about ghosts and
hauntings to music. Grapevine runs
an RPG section where Warhammer
freaks can get into contact with
each other, this section has doubled
in size over the last month, so if
you are into RPG's then this will be
a good read for you.
}4All I can say, is that if you are
in any way interested in knowing
about just about anything (?!) then
you can't go far wrong by getting
hold of Grapevine. It's simply the
mag to have (after this one of
course!). The content is varied
enough to ensure that there is
something there to entertain just
about anyone.


}1End.