#atari 130xe

The "modern relief for modern problems" in this issue were a bit more helpful, perhaps, than "submerging your computer alongside other oversized novelty items." One piece, "The 8-Bit Blues," did deal with owning a "trusty antiquated 8-bit machine." Along with its technical topics, ST-Log examined word processors for the Atari ST, some using "text only" and others using the GEM graphical user interface.

Atari130XE by Rene Achter

This issue contained a type-in program to help you spot Halley's Comet, with a caution or two about the telescopes being hawked to tie into the comet's return. The ST coverage reviewed a game from MichTron, who had ported it from the Sanyo MBC-550. The text adventure (and "Infocom competitor") Mindwheel was reviewed, and Robert Pinsky, the poetry editor who'd written the game's prose, was interviewed.

Cover aside, the "hardware" focus of this issue didn't quite extend to attempting to unify the 8-bit Atari with the 68000-powered ST. Diane L. Gaw's editorial briefly commented on more STs being sold in England and Europe ("where consumers are hungry for affordable high-powered computers.") A "realistic view of the possibilities for robots" supposed that while "the personal robots of today can't do anything truly useful" and overenthusiastic marketing had burned bridges and future credibility, "in late 1986 and 1987, personal robots should really begin to have useful applications," including being able to vacuum a home.

With the 8-bit Atari family tree drawn out on its cover, this issue interviewed Atari's product manager of the XE line (who did say a bit about the ST as well). Lee H. Pappas' editorial insisted ANALOG was sticking with the earlier Ataris even as people complained about the "Paperweight" program and interpreted covers as having 8-bit Ataris "being hacked apart, dissolving, or shrinking into oblivion." An article discussed how to make the best use of computer paint programs, using the graphic adapted from Star Trek on the ST-log cover to show what could be done with palette changes.

Retro Computer by Széles Mátyás

Photography: Simon Guyart / The Mercenary Site

Atari 130 XE C4D by Felix Muerte