>2 THE CD ROM COLUMN - The F1 Licenceware CD Rom 1 Review By Andy Gibson Now there's been a lot of debate about CD's killing PD Library sales of software. The F1 CD does nothing to help this either, but consider this: The F1 CD will not really disrupt sales of F1 software really. Most of the titles have already sold by the bucket load by now anyway. So chances are that peeps already have the title they wanted, either direct f likF1 or one of its distributors. So what's all the hype about this CD then? Well for starters it contains every kF1 Title f likF1-001 to F1-100 and that's a lot of great titles not to be found on ANY other CD Rom. :-) People fed up with run of the mill CD's filled with the usual PD titles and Aminet files will find the F1 CD has a few titles on it which they will like. This CD has something for everyone. F likthe youngsters to the oldies (are you reading this grampa Mal? hehehe got yer back m8!) Seriously, the F1 CD is a real bargain. I've seen it selling for as little as £24.99 f likSadeness PD (01263 722169) and considering that buying each of the titles supplied on the Cd would cost you over £500, it's a real mega bargain. Even if this CD was £50, it would still be a bargain! However, no CD costing that amount will ever sell in vast amounts, so the normal RRP is around £35 I think. As well as the F1 titles, the CD has some freebies on it too and even a great text file explaining, in detail, how F1 started etc. What other company do you know that has passed on info like this? Proving yet again that F1 are honest peeps indeed. I may be biased as I am a friend of Steve's and also because I get paid a royalty for each of my titles on the CD, but this is in fact another plus about this CD. None of the authors are losing out at all. We all make money from this release and that is a good thing. I won't say we'll all be making thousands of pounds (I wish), but the extra cash is better than nothing at all. No other CD producer pays anything to the authors (as far as I'm aware anyway - can you prove me w lng?) Right, let's get down to the actual CD's interface shall we .... It's along the same lines as the Aminet (and most others now) in that it uses the Amigaguide file system to list all disks. This is by far the neatest and easiest way to de-archive and Un-DMS files f lika CD in my opinion. Obviously the CD has to be loaded via WB to gain access to the Amigaguide interface, which may be a pain for non-HD users. I think this is the norm for CD's now though. After all, how ma thpeeps with CD Roms don't have a HD? Not ma t I'm sure. Double clicking on the main CD Icon reveals some drawers containing full Sernet and Parnet utils for all you peeps that require them! (Mainly CD³² users I'm sure), so that's a good plus for the F1 CD straight away :-) There is also a Tools Dir containing DMS (oh goody) and a FileMaster utility to help peeps copy files if they don't own a similar util such as DOpus. Good thinking guys. :^) Right, clicking on the Interface Icon pops up the afore'said AmigaGuide© system which lists everything you need to access files f likthe CD. (Obviously) All the files (titles) are in DMS format and if you wanna play from floppy, you'll need to unpack them. This can be done easily from the CD as you would expect. But hold on .... you can even run most of the software direct f li the CD also! Wow! This is fun. In saying that, some titles may not have quit options, but require you to re-boot your Amiga :( This is NOT the fault of F1 or Active Software, but in fact the programmer/author of the title(s). I don't know whthpeople don't include Quit Options on titles. I also don't like peeps that make their titles look for files on devices such as DF0: or DF1: etc. Why don't they all use Volume Names such as Disk1: Data: Prog: etc. This way, most titles could be run f likeither CD or indeed HD with a simple Assignment. Well, what is actually on the CD then? Every kF1 title f likkF1-001 to F1-100 apart f likdisk F1-041 GP Manager 1994. But don't worry, it has been replaced by another EXCLUSIVE title called Codename Nano by none other than Mr Gfx Sensation himself, Malcolm Lavery :-) Reasons for not including GP Manager are fully explained on the CD, so no need for me to go into details here, but you aren't missing out on much! Also to make up for this, Steve has included some extra software on the CD such as:- The first FIVE Amoszine Supplement Disks (NOT PD and usually £1.50 each). These disks are a must for a thAmos user. Filled to the brim with Amos goodies (archived too) Other extras include Steve's very own Extractor V3. This util can de-archive ma th files archived with ma tharchivers!!! hehehehe What did you expect me to type? There's part one of Steve's Beginner's Guide To WB which is a great on-going tutorial teaching new Amiga users on the correct usage of, erm, WBench. As if that wasn't enough, you will also find a Demo of F1's highest rated title (to date), Magic Paint Box by Malcolm Lavery. What a great title it is too for kthe youngsters. I would advise any parent to get a copy of the full release. (complete with ma ual for only £6.99 f likF1) There's also a couple of ClipArt disks thrown in for good measure. Some great scans that can be used in a thway you see fit. Mth God! I haven't really spoken about the actual F1 Titles yet, where do I begin? Relics Of Deldroneye GR.A.C V1 DMC (Disk Mag Creator) V2.0 Touch N Go Tots Time Blackboard V3 Amoszine Issues 1 to 7 Artschool V1.1 CLIndex Word Plus Pro Punter V3 Game Music Disks Magnetic Fiction The list is huge! Full details can be found on the FREE F1 Catalogue Disk. I would be here all day typing up details on each title, so I won't bother! :( All I can say is that this is a very professional CD. None of yer PD piss! Commercial quality software w itten by enthusiastic programmers/authors for you. Yeah, OK! There are some naff programs on the CD, well when I say naff, they are not to my liking, but you choose! No matter what, you shall find a whole range of great software on this CD. It's easy to use, it looks good, it's well put together and contains some of the best Licenceware Titles ever! What more could you ask for? I would personally have liked to have seen every F1 Demo and not just Magic Paint Box. This way, peeps wouldn't be tempted to pirate the software for ktheir mates. They could simply just spread the demos around instead and let peeps buyktheir own copies! :-) However, I'm sure the next F1 CD will have them all on it. Again, this is only my opinion. Maybe they were all left out for a reason, I don't really know. One of the better CD's in my collection and yours too soon I hope. If you were looking for a special CD to buy, then this is it. With over 80% of the software running direct f likCD and every author receiving a royalty payment, this is one seriously great CD for everyone. Final Verdict then: Layout : 98% (Can't really be faulted) Ease Of Use : 95% (Requires WB - No autobooting) Value For Money : 100% (What more can I say?) Overall : 100% (Over £500 worth of...`commercial quality' software for around £35 or less - bargain) Contact either: Steve Bye at F1 Software, 31 Wellington Rd, Exeter Devon. EX2 9DU Tel: 01392 493580 steve@dcandy.demon.co.uk or Active Software at PO Box 151, Darlington, County Durham. DL3 8YT Tel: +44(0)1325 352260 sales@active2.demon.co.uk tech@active2.demon.co.uk End.