[{"TitleName":"Special Agent","Publisher":"Heinemann","Author":"Five Ways Software Ltd","YearOfRelease":"1983","ZxDbId":"0011025","Reviews":[{"Issue":{"Name":"Crash Issue 2, Mar 1984","Price":"£0.75","ReleaseDate":"1984-02-23","Editor":"Roger Kean","TotalPages":112,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"Editor: Roger Kean\r\nDesigner: Oliver Frey\r\nConsultant Editor: Franco Frey\r\nStaff Writers: Lloyd Mangram, Rod Bellamy\r\nAdvertisement Manager: John Edwards\r\nProduction Designer: Michael Arienti\r\n\r\n©1984 Newsfield Ltd.\r\n\r\nCrash Micro is published monthly by Newsfield Ltd. [redacted]\r\n\r\nNo material may be reproduced in whole or in part without written consent from the copyright holders.\r\n\r\nMono printing, typesetting & finishing by Feb Edge Litho Ltd. [redacted]\r\nColour printing by Allan-Denver Web Offset Ltd. [redacted].\r\nColour origination by Scan Studios, [redacted]\r\nDistributed by Wells Gardner, Darton & Co. [redacted]\r\n\r\nSubscriptions: 12 issues £9.00 UK Mainland (post included)\r\nEurope: 12 issues £15 (post included).\r\nSingle copy: 75p\r\n\r\nIf you would like to contribute to CRASH please send articles or ideas for projects to the above address. Articles should be typed. We cannot undertake to return them unless accompanied by a stamped addressed envelope\r\n\r\nCover Illustration:Oliver Frey"},"MainText":"Producer: Heinemann\r\nMemory Required: 48K\r\nRetail Price: £9.95\r\nSoftware: Five Ways\r\n\r\nThis game is designed to develop the ability to read, understand timetables, interpret information quickly and make logical decisions based on information in a situation where there are many possibilities. It includes insights into the relative speeds and costs of air and rail travel, and lets children become familiar with the positions and names of Europe's cities and towns.\r\n\r\nThe game comes in a large plastic folder with the cassette tucked in one side and the large format, colour book (16 pages) in the other. The game is played on a very large scale, and in fact comes very close to a mixture between adventure and strategy games that might well appeal to much older people. Basically you sit in your control centre of spying with a map of Europe. Below the map all sorts of reports come in from secret agents in the various locations. These may be in clear or code (which can be deciphered bit by bit). Information may well be from informers (which must be purchased) or it may tell you a spy has been eliminated. More spies can be hired.\r\n\r\nIf you decide you must go to a city to make contact with your agent there, a sheet of various timetables can be displayed and journeys may be undertaken by various modes of transport relative to speed, cost and convenience.\r\n\r\nThe graphics are very detailed and complex, but the game is fun to play, backed up by a heavily illustrated book with background to spies in fact and fiction as well as information on the many cities and towns involved in the adventure. Despite the slightly high price, this is an undoubtedly excellent package for the price.","ReviewerComments":[],"OverallSummary":"","Page":"98,99","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[],"ScreenshotText":[],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":null,"CompilationReviewScores":[]},{"Issue":{"Name":"Crash Issue 31, Aug 1986","Price":"£1","ReleaseDate":"1986-07-31","Editor":"Graeme Kidd","TotalPages":124,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"Publishers: Roger Kean, Oliver Frey, Franco Frey\r\nEditor: Graeme Kidd\r\nStaff Writers: Tony Flanagan, Lloyd Mangram, Hannah Smith\r\nAdventure Editor: Derek Brewster\r\nStrategy Editor: Sean Masterson\r\nTech Tipster: Simon Goodwin\r\nContributing Writers: Jon Bates, Brendon Kavanagh, Rosetta McLeod, John Minson\r\nProduction Controller: David Western\r\nArt Director: Dick Shiner\r\nIllustrators: Ian Craig, Oliver Frey\r\nProduction: Gordon Druce, Tony Lorton, Cameron Pound, Jonathan Rignall, Matthew Uffindell\r\nAdvertisement Manager: Roger Bennett\r\nAdvertisement Assistant: Nick Wild\r\nSubscriptions: Denise Roberts\r\nMail Order: Carol Kinsey\r\n\r\nEditorial and Production: [redacted]\r\n\r\nMail Order and Subscriptions: [redacted]\r\n\r\nADVERTISING\r\nBookings [redacted]\r\n\r\nPrinted in England by Carlisle Web Offset, [redacted] - member of the BPCC Group.\r\n\r\nDistributed by COMAG, [redacted]\r\n\r\nNo material may be reproduced whole or in part without written consent of the copyright holders. We cannot undertake to return any written material sent to CRASH Magazine unless accompanied by a suitably stamped addressed envelope. Unsolicited written or photo material which may be used in the magazine is paid for at our current rates.\r\n\r\n©1986 Newsfield Limited\r\n\r\nCover by Oliver Frey"},"MainText":"SPECIAL AGENT\r\n\r\nProducer: Hill MacGibbon\r\r\nRetail Price: £9.95\r\r\nAge Range: Older children\r\r\n\r\r\nSpecial Agent is a program in the Games to Stretch the Mind series, and was designed by FIVEWAYS, well-known for quality educational software. The player assumes the role of a special agent for M16 based in London, and the mission is to catch a devious enemy spy on the loose in Europe.\r\r\n\r\r\nThe player has to travel by air and rail to a variety of destinations, making the most of all the clues and intelligence reports that flash on the screen. The city from which a report is sent is highlighted - but if the enemy has eliminated your agent in a city, no report can be received! An informer's report can also be purchased for the sum of £100, and the record of your total costs is displayed at the top left hand corner of the map, together with a clock which records the passage of time.\r\r\n\r\r\nSometimes, reports are received in code and the player has to choose the cipher option for clues on how to decode it or pay £100 for help from the back-room boffins in London. Money may also be spent in hiring new agents to replace those eliminated, and on making journeys.\r\r\n\r\r\nThe educational possibilities of this game are immense. Learning about the map of Europe, reading timetables and solving codes are only a few of the skills involved. Intelligence reports such as, 'Spy reported in the capital of Turkey' may require a bit of research before the name of the actual city is discovered. The package also contains an attractive illustrated booklet with information about spies and agents such as Mata Han, Burgess and McLean. and the fictional Sir Percy Blakeney; beef descriptions on some of the major European cities; maps showing population and land use; and details regarding the contents of a spy kit - bugging devices, microdots and so on.\r\r\n\r\r\nThis is an extremely well thought-out package which will hold a child's attention and make learning fun. A particularly useful feature is the facility for pausing the game to allow time for thought. Great care has been taken to ensure ease of operation.\r\r\n\r\r\nCOMMENTS\r\r\n\r\r\nControl keys: an overlay is supplied for the top row of keys\r\r\nKeyboard play: good\r\r\nGraphics: very clear\r\r\nUse of colour: bright and attractive","ReviewerComments":[],"OverallSummary":"General Rating: An absorbing game full of learning opportunities. For the price, this package represents excellent value.","Page":"80","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[{"Name":"Rosetta McLeod","Score":"","ScoreSuffix":""}],"ScreenshotText":[],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":null,"CompilationReviewScores":[]},{"Issue":{"Name":"Your Spectrum Issue 2, Mar 1984","Price":"£0.95","ReleaseDate":"1984-02-16","Editor":"Roger Munford","TotalPages":98,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"Editor: Roger Munford\r\nContributing Editor: Bruce Sawford\r\nTechnical Editor: Ron Smith\r\nSoftware Consultant: Gavin Monk\r\nEditorial Consultant: Andrew Pennell\r\nSub Editor: Nik Lumsden\r\nContributors: Toni Baker, Simon Goodwin, Mike Lord, Ian Beardsmore, Max Philips, Guy Kewney, Henry Budgett, Gary Marshall, Dilwyn Jones, Phil Manchester\r\nArt Editor: Jimmy Egerton\r\nArt Assistants: Steve Broadhurst, Mike Wilkes\r\nGroup Advertisement Manager: Jeff Raggett\r\nAdvertisement Managers: Shane Campbell, Gill Harris\r\nProduction Editor: Derek Cohen\r\nTypesetters: Anne Ashby, Maggie Kayley, Velma Miller\r\nProduction Manager: Sonia Hunt\r\nGroup Art Director: Perry Neville\r\nPublisher: Stephen England\r\nDistribution Manager: Colin James\r\nPublished by Sportscene Specialist Press Ltd, [redacted] Company registered in England. Telephone (all departments): [redacted]\r\nReproduction: Graphic Ideas, London\r\nPrinters: Chase Web Offset [redacted]\r\nDistribution: Seymour Press [redacted]\r\n\r\nAll material in Your Spectrum ©1984 Felden productions, and may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the written consent of the publishers. Your Spectrum is a bi-monthly publication and the third issue will be available during the second week of April 1984."},"MainText":"SPECIAL AGENT\r\nHeineman/Five Ways\r\n£9.00\r\n\r\nThis is an educational adventure where players travel around Europe gathering clues and information. Its main aim is to teach geography to the 8-12 year old age group.","ReviewerComments":["The speed of the game is rather slow, but this is only to be expected in an educational adventure.\r\nRyan Davis","There's a good map of Europe, and the various tables are clearly laid out - which all helps to make this a highly professional package in both presentation and program content.\r\r\r\nStewart McPherson","There's a hi-res map of Europe which is very good, with the other displays also being very well laid out. It's professional and well presented.\r\r\r\nPeter Shaw"],"OverallSummary":"","Page":"58","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[{"Name":"Ryan Davis","Score":"","ScoreSuffix":""},{"Name":"Stewart McPherson","Score":"","ScoreSuffix":""},{"Name":"Peter Shaw","Score":"","ScoreSuffix":""}],"ScreenshotText":[],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":null,"CompilationReviewScores":[]},{"Issue":{"Name":"ZX Computing Issue 13, Jun 1984","Price":"£1.95","ReleaseDate":"1984-05-31","Editor":"Ray Elder","TotalPages":156,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"Editor: Ray Elder\r\nEditorial Assistant: Fiona Eldridge\r\nGroup Editor: Wendy J Palmer\r\nSales Executive: Penny Scoular\r\nAdvertisement Manager: Barry Bingham\r\nDivisional Advertising Manager: Beverley McNeill\r\nCopy Controller: Ann McDermott\r\nManaging Editor: Ron Harris\r\nChief Executive: T J Connell\r\n\r\nOrigination and design by MM Design & Print, [redacted]\r\nPublished by Argus Specialist Publications Ltd, [redacted]\r\n\r\nZX Computing is published bi-monthly on the fourth Friday of the month. Distributed by: Argus Press Sales & Distribution Ltd. [redacted]. Printed by: Garnett Print, Rotherham and London.\r\n\r\nThe contents of this publication including all articles, designs, plans, drawings and programs and all copyright and other intellectual property rights therein belong to Argus Specialist Publications Limited. All rights conferred by the Law of Copyright and other intellectual property rights and by virtue of international copyright conventions are specifically reserved to Argus Specialist Publications Limited and any reproduction requires the prior written consent of the Argus Specialist Publications Ltd.\r\n\r\n©Argus Specialist Publications Limited 1984"},"MainText":"SPECTRUM LESSONS\r\n\r\nMike Edmunds continues his quest against ignorance and assesses some of the latest educational software packages.\r\n\r\nEducational software has, to date, been of a very mixed quality, with often only a limited use in the classroom. Now, with the advent of material such as the Dudley Programs, we find software intended for use right across the curriculum.\r\n\r\nThe programs, all with the theme of travel, have been designed specifically for use in schools by a team of 24 teachers and advisers from Dudley Metropolitan Borough, in conjunction with Five Ways Software.\r\n\r\nEach of the four titles; Punctuation Pete/Wordfinder, Car Journey, Special Agent and Ballooning is a complete package in itself or can be used in conjunction with the other titles to provide a really comprehensive series of resource materials.\r\n\r\nEach package comes in an A4 folder with a detailed guide/workbook which not only outlines the aims of the program but also suggests numerous associated activities to be carried out using either the program or the workbook material. There is also a set of keyboard overlays, a summary of instructions and a 'run card'. Loading is straightforward and the pupil is greeted by an illustrated title screen detailing loading time. As with the workbook, the programs are colourful and visually attractive, good use of graphics being maintained throughout the series.\r\n\r\nPUNCTUATION PETE\r\nWORDFINDER\r\n\r\nThe first package, Punctuation Pete/Wordfinder, is really two for the price of one. Pete lives inside your computer and it is his job to keep everything tidy. Your job is to help him sort out sentences that have lost their punctuation. Although this type of program has been around for quite a while, this version is a step ahead of the others by virtue of its graphics. A delightfully animated Pete is guided around various texts to correct the mistakes (often physically kicking them into submission it seems!)\r\n\r\nThis is aimed at reasonably able readers and provides various texts, chosen at random from a large bank, all on the theme of travel. The child can choose his own level, beginning with Junior Scribe (full stops and capital letters). If he can master this level he may wish to aim for higher status, where the exercises are correspondingly more difficult. Mistakes by the child are indicated by Pete and a second try is invited. Continuing errors are eventually corrected by the computer.\r\n\r\nWordfinder, the second half of the pack, provides an extensive thesaurus on the travel theme, its aim being to develop vocabulary. Words can be selected from a comprehensive list and all linked possibilities then examined. This is a novel idea and it would be nice to think of this program 'sitting' at the back of a classroom available for constant referral as a source of vocabulary, stimulation and ideas, especially for subjects such as creative writing, topic work etc.\r\n\r\nCAR JOURNEY\r\n\r\nThe second package, Car Journey, involves travelling around the main roads of England and Scotland and combines geography and mathematics with logical thinking and evaluation. Four levels of skill are provided and the child first has an opportunity to get acquainted with the vehicles and conditions in the Driving School. Here, selection of vehicle, route planning, cost analysis and fuel consumption all prove to be important decisions which the child needs to make. The correct choice makes the journey easy!!! Having passed through the Driving School, the child should be well equipped to tackle the hazards of everyday motoring. As an added bonus here you can also opt for driving with hazards, anything from radar traps to snowstorms!\r\n\r\nThis program is realistic in approach and the child soon learns to tackle the tasks systematically in order to achieve good results. This is an excellent way of applying decision making and logical thinking to an everyday 'real-life' situation.\r\n\r\nSPECIAL AGENT\r\n\r\nIn Special Agent you are recruited by M16, your job being to catch an enemy spy. This is a maddeningly frustrating program - sometimes the spy can be tracked down quite quickly, at other times you can spend weeks (or even months) chasing him around the cities of Europe. Continued lack of success might spoil this program for some children but it can also be very addictive! The strategies required are soon discovered and the various countries and cities involved quickly become familiar. (It is a decided advantage to have several atlases on hand!)\r\n\r\nThe program also gives practice in the workings of train and airline timetables... all this whilst trying to understand intelligence reports and decipher codes! As a program for older primary children upwards, this is an ingenious way of encouraging quick, logical, decision making based on a wide variety of information. As an alternative to the normal procedure it is also suggested that the game be played with either limited time or limited money!\r\n\r\nBALLOONING\r\n\r\nBallooning, the final title in the series, is a simulation program which encourages children to investigate and explore the science of lighter-than-air flight. There are several levels and initial tuition is gained in the Flying School. This is an essential duty before undertaking your Flying Test and eventually your Live Mission. If you pass your test you are assigned a score and your subsequent activities are influenced by the rank you have been given.\r\n\r\nYou are then ready to embark upon a solo flight with specific tasks to perform. These are not at all straightforward - I'm afraid I left the vet stranded on a hillside miles away from the sick sheep! The program and activities suggested within the package introduce children to various scientific principles and seem an ideal way of combining learning with enjoyment.\r\n\r\nTO CONCLUDE\r\n\r\nTaken singly, each of the programs in this series is excellent. Put together, as a complete resource package, they are outstanding - each having the right blend of interest and skill to ensure continued usage. The programs are well written and overall presentation is of a high quality.\r\n\r\nAs a theme package they test the child's abilities in all areas. Marvellous - fun whilst learning!\r\n\r\nEach of the packages reviewed above costs £9.95 and is published by Heinemann Computers in Education Ltd, [redacted].","ReviewerComments":[],"OverallSummary":"","Page":"24,25","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[{"Name":"Mike Edmunds","Score":"","ScoreSuffix":""}],"ScreenshotText":[],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":null,"CompilationReviewScores":[]},{"Issue":{"Name":"Personal Computer News Issue 40, Dec 1983","Price":"","ReleaseDate":"1983-12-09","Editor":"Cyndy Miles","TotalPages":100,"HasCoverTape":false,"FlannelPanel":"CHARACTER SET\r\n\r\nEditorial\r\nEditor: Cyndy Miles\r\nDeputy Editor: Geof Wheelwright\r\nManaging Editor: Peter Worlock\r\nSub-Editors: Harriet Arnold, Leah Batham\r\nNews Editor: David Guest\r\nNews Writers: Ralph Bancroft, Sandra Grandison\r\nHardware Editor: Ian Scales\r\nFeatures Editor: John Lettice\r\nSoftware Editor: Bryan Skinner\r\nPrograms Editor: Ken Garroch\r\nListings Editor: Wendie Pearson\r\nEditor's Assistant: Nickie Robinson\r\nArt Director: Jim Dansie\r\nArt Editor: David Robinson\r\nAssistant Art Editor: Floyd Sayers\r\nPublishing Manager: Mark Eisen\r\nAssistant Publishing Manager: Sue Clements\r\n\r\nAdvertising\r\nGroup Advertisement Manager: Pat Dolan\r\nAdvertisement Manager: Nic Jones\r\nAssistant Advertisement Manager: Mark Satchell\r\nSales Executives: Christian McCarthy, Marie-Therese Bolger, Julia Dale, Dik Veenman, Alison Hare, Deborah Quinn\r\nProduction Manager: Eva Haggis\r\nMicroshop Production: Nikki Payne\r\nAdvertisement Assistant: Jenny Dunne\r\nSubscription Enquiries: Gill Stevens\r\nSubscription Address: [redacted]\r\nEditorial Address: [redacted]\r\nAdvertising Address: [redacted]\r\n\r\nPublished by VNU Business Publications, [redacted]\r\n© VNU 1983. No material maybe reproduced in whole or in part without written consent from the copyright holders.\r\nPhotoset by Quickset, [redacted]\r\nPrinted by Chase Web Offset, [redacted]\r\nDistributed by Seymour Press, [redacted]\r\nRegistered at the PO as a newspaper"},"MainText":"Punctuation Pete, Ballooning, Car Journey, Special Agent (£9.95 each), Heinemann (Five Ways Software), Heinemann Computers in Education: Book, [redacted].\r\n\r\nPLAY TO LEARN\r\n\r\nLearning can be fun with open-ended games. Theodora Wood investigates some Spectrum software.\r\n\r\nHeinemann, one of the large educational software publishing houses, has produced four software packages 'designed by a team of 24 teachers and educational advisers from the Dudley Metropolitan County'. Each tape is accompanied by a glossy booklet that not only tells you how to operate the program but also contains interesting background information and suggestions for other activities associated with it. Overlays for the keyboard provide an easy method of controlling the programs which are aimed at the 8-12 age range.\r\n\r\nPunctuation Pete is the most traditional of the four packages in its use of graphics and educational methodology. Pete himself is a rather jolly character who moves along a line of text displayed on the screen and stops at all the spaces between the words to enable the child to enter the correct punctuation or capital letter. There are four levels of reading difficulty to select and three levels of punctuation difficulty.\r\n\r\nAfter correcting the punctuation the child has to press ENTER and Pete will either jump for joy if it is correct, or walk to the first mistake. Three attempts are allowed before the correct punctuation is given.\r\n\r\nPunctuation Pete introduces children of this age to elementary word-processing skills as well as being an interesting way to learn punctuation.\r\n\r\nBallooning is a simulation program which involves flying a hot air balloon over a series of landscapes. The child can take off, fly and land a balloon by operating the burner and the vent controls. Three levels of difficulty can be chosen: Flying School, Flying Test or Live Mission.\r\n\r\nFlying School allows the child to practice at the controls of the balloon in all phases of flight. Flying Test tests these flying skills, and Live Mission gives a series of tasks to be performed, but only if the balloon is landed in the designated spot. Hazards are also introduced, such as instrumentation failure or high winds.\r\n\r\nThe balloon flies over the landscape on the top half of the screen, while the instrument panel displays the rate of climb, temperature of the air inside the balloon, altitude and fuel level.\r\n\r\nThe program operates in real time which makes it more vivid. A pause facility stops the balloon moving and allows the information on the dials to be assimilated and recorded. This leads to such activities as keeping graphs of the relationship between the temperature of the air inside and outside the balloon and its altitude.\r\n\r\nCar Journey is not as immediately accessible as the other two packages discussed. The objective is to make money by running a delivery service, and this is not as compulsive as flying a balloon, especially for the younger children in the age group.\r\n\r\nThere are four difficulty levels: Driving School, Driving School with hazards, Delivery Service and Delivery Service with hazards. The type of car can be selected: they appear on the screen with each one of the four shown in profile with maximum speed, capacity for fuel and a petrol consumption graph.\r\n\r\nDriving School enables the child to move around the country and work out how much petrol has been used, and also the positions of the major cities in England, Scotland and Wales.\r\n\r\nOn the lefthand side of the screen there is a space for hazard reports, a speedometer displaying speed controlled by keys 1 and 2, a bar chart of fuel consumption and a digital readout which indicates time elapsed since the beginning of the journey.\r\n\r\nDelivery Service enables the child to see contracts available by pressing 0, BREAK SPACE to cycle through them and ENTER to choose one. Contracts vary from computer parts to Persian carpets, with pickup and delivery places and times.\r\n\r\nOne business colleague loved the way the money bags mounted up on the progress chart (seen by pressing 6) and wished his office programs were the same. Hazards include snow and road repairs, the everyday occurrences which can lay waste a delivery timetable.\r\n\r\nThe booklet covers the history of roads, how a car works, and again plenty of suggestions and games to extend its use. I think perhaps the difficulty level is too high for the younger children of the age group who showed little interest after the excitements ofBallooning. The upper level could probably be extended to 14 and beyond.\r\n\r\nSpecial Agent, the fourth, is an adventure quiz game based on the idea of catching an enemy spy moving round Europe, rather similar to the BBC's Puzzle Trail. Pressing 6 will bring a map of Europe to the screen with all the main cities marked. Intelligence reports appear at the bottom of the screen while the top lefthand corner displays total cost so far, day number and time elapsed. The time between these reports can be speeded up by pressing 7.\r\n\r\nThese reports can be very cryptic: some of them are based on the descriptions of the major cities given in the booklet while others would need an atlas or an adult to help. Other reports are in code. There is a facility to stop the clock to give the child time to decode the message.\r\n\r\nSometimes an informer will be willing to sell information and this can be bought for £100.\r\n\r\nTo travel to other cities in hot pursuit of the spy, air and rail departures can be checked through and chosen. The user can also see the timetables for other cities so that a journey can be planned in two stages if required.\r\n\r\nThis said, Special Agent provides a vehicle by which a child in the 9-14 age range can become aware of the positions of the major cities of Europe, and the distances and relative travelling times between them, it also involves them in the logical process of route planning with timetables, and the brainteasers in the codes.\r\n\r\nHeinemann has produced an impressive range of programs as its first move into the educational software market.","ReviewerComments":[],"OverallSummary":"","Page":"66","Denied":false,"Award":"Not Awarded","Reviewers":[{"Name":"Theodora Wood","Score":"","ScoreSuffix":""}],"ScreenshotText":[{"Text":"Pete punctuating"},{"Text":"Ballooning... attempting to land"},{"Text":"Car journey... setting off"}],"BlurbText":[],"TranscriptBy":"Chris Bourne","ReviewScores":null,"CompilationReviewScores":[]}]}]