Master of the Lamps (1985)(Activision)Developed byActivision, Inc.Released1985Also ForAmstrad CPC, Apple II, Atari 8-bit, MSXPublished byActivision. It is a universal binary and runs under Mac OS 10.4 and other preceding versions. Since it is a creation of Richard Bannister, it also needs an Emulator Enhancer to enjoy added feature. According to him, it is overcome by Power64 in performance. However, it was also considered by many as the leading emulator for Commodore 64 under the Mac system. MacOS Big Sur elevates the most advanced desktop operating system in the world to a new level of power and beauty. Experience Mac to the fullest with a refined new design. Enjoy the biggest Safari update ever. Discover new features for Maps and Messages. And get even more transparency around your privacy.

Master of the Lamps is a music video game published in 1985 by Activision. It was released for the Amstrad CPC, Apple II, Atari 8-bit family, Commodore 64, and MSX.

Plot[edit]

The death of an Arabian prince's father, the king, shatters three enchanted oil lamps, freeing the three genies trapped within.^[1] The genies overrun the palace; to contain them, the prince must reassemble the three broken lamps. The player, in the role of the prince wearing a white thawb and red keffiyeh, must journey into the seven dens of each genie, as each den contains one of the lamp pieces.^[2][3]

Gameplay[edit]

Gameplay alternates between two modes. In the first, the prince maneuvers a flying carpet through a winding tunnel to a genie's den. In practice, this requires the player to direct the carpet over diamond-shaped gates as they appear; failure to do so returns the prince to the beginning of the tunnel.^[2]

Once in the den, the second mode, the player strikes a gong thrice to summon the genie. The genie draws from a hookah, and blows out a ball of smoke. From the smoke emerges a sequence of tones, which the player must repeat in a call-and-response pattern. In order to play a tone, the player must strike the corresponding gong. If the player strikes the incorrect gong, or strikes the correct gong too early, the genie's magic transports the prince to the beginning of the tunnel.^[2]

In the seven dens of the first genie, each tone is audible, and manifests as a colored quaver (eighth note) that floats toward the ground. In the seven dens of the second genie, the tone is inaudible, so the player must match the color of the note to the color of the corresponding gong. In the seven dens of the third genie, the tone is audible, but no note appears; the player must recognize the note's pitch, and strike the correct gong.^[2] When the player passes the trial, a gateway to another tunnel opens.

After passing the musical trials of the three genies, the player navigates one final tunnel to the palace.^[2] If the player succeeds, the prince reclaims the palace.

Reception[edit]

Antic in 1986 called Master of the Lamps an 'offbeat game program with a number of unique elements'. While stating that 'it does become a little monotonous', the magazine approved of the non-violent gameplay.^[4]

References[edit]

1. ^'Master of the Lamps'(PDF). COMPUTE!'s Gazette. 3 (7): 29. 1985. ISSN0737-3716. Retrieved 7 June 2013.CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
2. ^ ^abcde'Master of the Lamps Instructions'. Atari Mania. Retrieved 7 June 2013.CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
3. ^'Master of the Lamps manual'. Commodore 64 Games. 25 November 2009. Retrieved 7 June 2013.CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
4. ^Moore, Rich; Plotkin, David; Kershaw, Brad; Lewis, Scott (March 1986). 'product reviews'. Antic.

External links[edit]

• Master of the Lamps at Atari Mania
• Master of the Lamps at Lemon 64
• Master of the Lamps can be played for free in the browser at the Internet Archive

EPSON FX-85
Epson America Inc
2780 Lomita Boulevard
Torrance, CA 90505
(213) 539-9140
$499

Reviewed by Eric Clausen

Epson represents to the dot-matrix printer market what BMW and Mercedesrepresent to the automobile market-quality, dependability, performanceand, of course, price! The FX-85, successor to the widely used FX-80, isno exception.
The impressive new FX-85 offers virtually every featureconceivable in a 9-wire dot-matrix printer. If you can think of a printerfeature, it's available for the FX-85, either built-in or as an option.If you want substantially better performance from a dot-matrix printer,you'll have to move up to one of the new 24-wire models-at perhaps twicethe cost. (See review of the Star SB-10 in Antic, February 1986.)

The FX-85's near letter quality mode is the finest I'veever seen on a 9 x 9 dot-matrix printer. (See the accompanying print sample.)Proportional printing is supported, along with all standard fonts and theirvariations-pica, elite, italics, expanded, emphasized, compressed, super/subscript,etc. Custom fonts can be downloaded to the printer in draft mode only.
One of the most useful features on the FX-85 is 'SelecType,' which enablesthe user to switch back and forth between different fonts by simply pressingbuttons on the front panel. No more fiddling with inaccessible DIP switchesfor this simple task! As far as DIP swtches are concerned, the FX-85 makesthese easily accessible beneath a panel on top of the printer. Naturally,all printer defaults can easily be altered with these switches, includingselection of international character sets and a standard IBM characterset. Software compatibility is almost a non-issue with any Epson printer.If a commercial program works with a printer, it works with an Epson.
The FX-85 is quite fast, considering the high qualityof its printed output. Antic tested the speed of this printer at 105 charactersper second in draft mode and 20 cps in near letter quality mode. The FX-85also seems much quieter than many of its competitors.
The FX-85 operates bidirectionally in text mode and unidirectionallyin graphics mode. It has a standard-width carriage with pins for continuous-feedpaper, as well as friction feed for single sheets. However, if you wantto print labels, you'll need a $35 adjustable-width tractor. An automaticsingle-sheet feeder costs $289.
The documentation supplied with the FX-85 is easily thefinest I've seen with any printer. Every aspect of the FX-85 is coveredthoroughly. Printer manufacturers should emulate Epson documentation, aswell as Epson printer control codes. If you do have a technical questionconcerning the FX-85, I've found Epson telephone reps to be very polite,knowledgeable and willing to help.
The FX-85 has an 8K memory buffer which can be upgradedto 32K for $180. The printer requires a Centronics parallel interface towork with 8-bit Ataris. An IBM-to-Centronics cable is all that's neededfor connection to the 520ST.
If I could justify the purchase of a third dot-matrixprinter, I would buy the FX-85 (with tractor) without hesitation. If youneed a top quality 9-wire dot-matrix that can do everything short of thedinner dishes, and you can afford a premium price, give the Epson FX-85very serious consideration.

SILENT SERVICE
MicroProse Software
120 Lakefront Drive
Hunt Valley, MD 21030
(307) 667-1151
$34.95, 48K DISK

Reviewed by Rich Moore

SidMeier and his team of simulation experts at MicroProse have outdone themselveswith Silent Service, a recreation of submarine operations in thePacific during World War II. As a U.S. fleet submarine skipper, you canalmost smell diesel oil and feel the deck rolling beneath your feet whilesearching the western Pacific for Japanese shipping.
Beginners can immediately take up target practice, whileveterans can proceed to complex, historically accurate and challengingwar patrol scenarios. In between are a variety of convoy actions, goodfor practicing tactics. You can gradually make things more realistic bylimiting detection capability, allowing convoys to zigzag, contending withdud torpedoes, performing repairs only in port and taking on tougher Japaneseescorts. When you get an experienced 'seaman's eye,' you can elect to manuallyprovide 'angle on the bow' for torpedo shots.
Some things are not optional, like fuel and battery consumptionor number of torpedoes remaining, as well as which tubes (bow or stern)they're in! Exceeding the crush depth is not recommended. And your subcan run aground in shallow water or be rammed by a ship if you're not deepenough! Depth charges and destroyer gunfire can ruin your whole day, buta thermal gradient in the water may save your ship. You have 80 shellsfor the deck gun, which may require some range adjustment for target motion...
The graphics are superb. Master control is from the viewpointof the conning tower screen, which can then take you to the bridge fora wide-angle view of the area. Maps and charts provide a bird's-eye tacticalplot and the instruments tell you what the sub is doing. Damage reportsgive you a full-length view of your 'boat' and the status of its majorcomponents. The view of cargo ships and tankers through the attack periscopeis terrific, especially when it also shows the wakes of a spread of torpedoesspeeding off toward their targets. The sight of angry escorts turning towardyou will generate more than a little anxiety, particularly where the wateris shallow...
The manual is extremely well done. A 'quick start' sectionlets you jump right in for target practice or convoy hunting. But mostpeople will need to 'refresh' their submarine tactics before going on tothe more advanced scenarios. The manual provides everything you need toknow in several very interesting sections.
Keep in mind that submarine warfare is slow. Youmust evade the convoy escorts to do any damage. To make the simulationrun faster, game rate can be accelerated to 32 times real time. Patrolmission transit time is effectively 'stepped' by driving the sub acrossthe patrol screen with the joystick. A submariner once told me, 'You guysare in too much of a hurry. The destroyers want to strike at 0420, theaviators go when it's dark outside and both Mickey's hands are on the '4,'and the submarines just attack on Tuesday.' Be patient, use stealth, andgood hunting!

POWERSTAR
Pandora Software
177 Carlton Lane
North Andover, MA 01845
$34.95, 16K cartridge

Reviewed by Harvey Bernstein

Pandora Software, a new company in Massachusetts, has come up with aunique idea-Powerstar, a graphic adventure on a cartridge. There'sno wait while your disk loads, no lengthy disk access between screens.You can play Powerstar even if you have no disk drive and a 16K Atari.
The game has several unique features. For one thing, movementis not accomplished with the standard 'Go North' type-in command. Instead,you use the arrow keys or joystick. A prompt on the command line tellsyou which direction you are facing. You then move forward (providing thereis an exit).
As a result of this unusual approach, you are told almostnothing about a new room. You must make a 360-degree search of the areain order to discover any useful objects and exits. This, coupled with theinstantaneous screen updating made possible by the cartridge, adds quitea bit to the 'live' feel of the game.
The story in Powerstar is not unfamiliar. As a technicianin the ground station, you become aware that something is dangerously amissaboard Powerstar-the man-made satellite that is the source of all the Earth'spower. It is up to you to make your way to the station and right everythingagain, while facing the usual dangers and puzzles.
Powerstar also attempts something new in the way of graphics.Most previous graphic adventures, having been originally written for theApple, use Graphics + for their pictures. Powerstar is the first adventureI know about that makes use of the unique Atari GTIA chip. The screensare all Graphics 10, which is a mixed blessing. The colors are vivid andsome images are nice, but others are blocky and look low-res.
I applaud the folks at Pandora for providing a fine firsteffort with Powerstar, despite a couple of complaints. First of all, someof the puzzles have illogical solutions. It was only due to the hint sheetwe received that I discovered something described as a 'cryogenic storagetank' actually was a fuel tank. Cryogenics has nothing to do with fuel.
Also, there are two mazes that do not seem to be mappable,even using the tried and true 'Hansel and Gretel' technique of droppingthings. Only with luck will you find your way through, and you must makeit through both to finish the game. Worst of all, the game does not understandthe command 'examine --'. To a veteran adventurer, this is the ultimatefrustration.
As stated at the beginning of the review, Powerstar canbe played without a disk drive. But you still need a disk to save gamesin progress. Otherwise, be prepared to start from scratch several times.It would have been simple to include a routine for saving to cassette.Still, Powerstar is an impressive debut overall and raises hopes for evenbetter things in the future from Pandora.

KARATEKA
Broderbund Software
17 Paul Drive
San Rafael, CA 94903
(415) 479-1170
$29.95, 48K disk

Master Of The Lamps Mac Os 7

Review by David Plotkin

Karatekais an action/adventure game with a karate theme. Excellent graphics andcharacter animation make it very enjoyable to play, despite some problemswith the joystick control.
The storyline is about the only thing that an experiencedgamer will find familiar. Your fiancee has been stolen away by the evilwarlord. It is up to you to battle with increasingly competent minionsof the warlord, so that you can gain entry to the castle and win her back.
You have no weapons and must depend entirely on your skillin the ancient art of karate. As the game begins, you have just climbedup onto the rock bluff where the evil warlord's castle roosts. You immediatelyface your first opponent.
Various karate moves are accomplished with the joystickand button. If you defeat the first foe (which is fairly easy), you thenbegin moving closer to the castle, stopping periodically to do battle.Each new enemy is fitted with different headgear to make him recognizable.This is important, since each opponent has his own fighting style and weaknesses-whichyou must learn in order to stay alive.
This becomes the most challenging aspect of the game-expectto play Karateka many times before mastering the skills you need to evenenter the castle! The bottom of the screen shows both your remaining enduranceand that of your opponent. Each blow you land will reduce your opponent'sstrength. Likewise, your strength will be reduced when you are hit. Ifyour strength drops to zero, the game is over. No multiple lives here!
Graphics and animation are where Karateka really shines.The details are cartoon-quality and the karate moves are amazingly realistic,right down to the swishing of the robes as you throw a kick or a punch.You may even bow to your opponent. (Be sure to assume the fighting positionbefore he moves to attack or it will be a very fast game.)
The highly detailed backround scrolls smoothly and realistically.Graphic intermissions showing various scenes in the warlord's chamberswhile you approach the castle are true works of art. Karateka does havesome problems, notably in the joystick-based control system.
The Atari joystick has only one button, and you must controlboth kicking and punching with it. As in Choplifter, you press thebutton slowly to kick, and quickly to punch. But in the heat of battleyou will often find yourself executing the wrong move, sometimes with fatalresults.
This problem is compounded by the fact that response toyour joystick commands is often slow, and sometimes your input is ignoredaltogether. This can be extremely frustrating until you practice enoughto become accustomed to the control system. There is also not tremendousvariety in Karateka. Beyond the differences in fighting styles, you arebasically just fighting one opponent after another, until you either die(very likely) or win.
All in all, Karateka is fun and extremely addicting. Lossof a game is almost always attributable to a poor choice of strategy. Soit is very tempting to play 'one more time' (sometimes until 2 a.m.) inorder to correct your error.

PASTFINDER
Activision
P.O. Box 7287
Mountain View, CA 94039
(415) 940-6044
$24.95, 16K cartridge

Reviewed by Dave Plotkin

InPastfinder,you are a stellar explorer navigating your surface vehicle across a scrollinglandscape littered with all manner of obstacles.
The object is to pick up historical artifacts (which looksomething like dinner plates) and deliver them to bases scattered acrossthe planet. Two major barriers oppose the completion of your mission. Thefirst is the land itself, large portions of which are intensely radioactive.Fortunately, you have a radiation gauge and alarm, as well as anti-radiationdevices.
Also formidable is the planet's automated defense system,with a multitude of hovering barriers, opening and closing doors, risingand falling columns, fixed obstacles, and a rather nasty drone ship whichzeroes in on you unerringly. Some of the defenses can be destroyed by yourshots, others simply avoided or leapt over. Oh yes, pushing the joystickforward causes you to hop into the air, which is awfully handy.
As you start the game, you are presented with a screenshowing a very small portion of the overall planet map. As you explore,more of the map can be seen. You will return to the map screen after everysector. You choose a direction by using your joystick to move an indicatorline across the map. The degree of radioactivity is indicated by the mapcolors-watch out for red!
After choosing a direction, you move to the weapons screenand choose your equipment. Some, like the beam shield and heavy metal,remain active until you lose a ship. But the deradiator can only be usedonce. To replenish your supplies, you can pick up spares which are scatteredabout the landscape.
Now you are ready to fight your way to the end of a sector.The speed and direction of your vehicle is controlled by your joystick.Some experimentation will quickly show you what you can and can't get awaywith. Particularly tough are the lines of moving columns, which march acrossthe landscape in your path. Try to shoot the floating crystals, as thisremoves radiation.
For both playability and graphics, Pastfinder is excellent.The smooth, colorful animation of the screen obstacles is very well done.The scrolling effect is superb and the perspective is extremely realistic.The obstacles even cast shadows on the landscape. I just wish that theinstructions provided diagrams to illustrate the items you are searchingfor, such as bases. Furthermore, I have some doubts about the arrows whichare supposed to indicate the direction to a spare ship. I have found extraships pretty much by luck. Still, this is all minor and I must say thatI immensely enjoy playing Pastfinder.

MASTER OF THE LAMPS
Activision, Inc.
P.O. Box 7287
Mountain View, CA. 94039
(415) 960-0410
$24.95, 48K disk

Master Of The Lamps Mac Os Pro

Reviewed by Brad Kershaw

Master of the Lamps is an offbeat game program with a numberof unique elements.
The storyline is as follows: when the King died, his fourgenies escaped from their lamps and took over the kingdom. You must aidthe young prince by helping him fly his magic carpet through the tunnelsinto the genies' dens. There you must answer their riddles. If you aresuccessful, they will return to their lamps.
When you start the game you are confronted with threejoystick options-Seven Trials (easiest), Throne Quest (more difficult)and Magic Carpet (practice flying through all 21 tunnels).
When playing at the Seven Trials level, you must walkthe little prince over to the magic carpet in order to begin flying throughspace. You see little diamond-shaped figures in the far distance, whichbegin to grow larger as you fly towards them. These diamonds are the tunnels.They will bob and weave in all directions. You must align your flying carpetwith the tunnel centers to make it through to the genie's den.
In the genie's den you will be standing with a mallet,in front of eight different colored gongs. The prince must call the genieby hitting any one of the gongs three times. The genie will appear in theupper left corner of the screen and begin blowing smoke rings. Each ringwill become a different colored note, with accompanying sound. You musthit the colored gong that matches the note blown by the genie in the sequencegiven.
If you are successful, the genie will give you one ofthe seven pieces of the the magic lamp. You must then fly again throughthe tunnels to the next den. Each time a genie appears, he will offer onemore smoke ring than the previous den. When you possess all seven pieces,the genie is imprisioned.
At the higher level, Throne Quest, there are three genieswith seven dens each. The tunnels also move more quickly and are harderto navigate. The first genie will blow smoke rings as before. But the colorof the note fades quickly, so you must remember the colors. After thisgenie is imprisoned, you go after the second genie, whose smoke rings giveonly color, without sound. The last genie is the hardest because you mustrespond to smoke rings which are sound only, minus color clues.
I enjoyed playing Master of the Lamps although it doesbecome a little monotonous after awhile, flying to the den and hittingthe gongs, flying to the next den, etc. . .. However, it is a nice changeto see a non-violent game these days.

OPERATION MARKET GARDEN
Strategic Simulations, Inc
883 Stierlin Road, Bldg. A-200
Mountain View, CA 94043
(415) 964-1353
$49.95, 48K disk

Reviewed by Rich Moore

Operation Market Garden is a fairly complex war game for oneor two players-who should already be familiar with World War II army operationsin Europe. It has both intermediate and advanced game options as well asfour levels of handicaps for Allied forces. The player can choose to seeall enemy forces, or only those units which become adjacent to his own.
'What if' gainers can change the historical Allied startingpositions and pick either historical or random weather-with the subsequenteffect on airpower. It's a little expensive at $49.95, but devout wargamersmay enjoy trying their hands at making Field Marshall Montgomery's overlybold plan succeed.
Gameplay itself is not particularly hard. Some of the'advanced' features actually make it easier. On the other hand, some requirementsof the advanced game will require constant attention to detail. The mostdifficult aspect of the game is its assumption that the player is veryfamiliar with the forces and terminology of the period-which will certainlylimit the number of people who can play. Just a little more effort in themanual would open it up to a much wider audience of wargamers.
Players actually have several roles. Decisions must bemade by the overall commander as well as at divisional, regimental andbattalion levels. Since play proceeds by turns, there is plenty of 'realtime' to analyze situations and carefully take action-hasty keystrokescan be extremely costly Liberal use of the SAVE GAME feature permits recoveryfrom accidents of all sorts. The keyboard-only input is fine except forcursor movement, which is somewhat awkward and a common cause of accidentsin the advanced game.
The game includes two large plastic-coated cards withmaps and parameter lists. These are invaluable for getting the big pictureand planning overall movements. The redefined character set in the scrollingGraphics 2 screen takes some getting used to. But it is good for locatingunits and setting up lower echelon actions.
A word of caution for gainers whose Ataris have hardwaremodifications. The program will not work properly on machines which 'see'more then 48K of RAM. When SSI specifies 48K systems, they really meanit. The problem can be fixed with an extra four bytes of code, but youneed to know exactly what you're doing to the protected disk.
Operation Market Garden is not for everyone, but it shouldappeal to wargamers whose special interest is World War II. Persistence,imagination and prudent use of forces can pay off-with you actually takingthat 'one bridge too far!'

BLUE MAX 2001
Broderbund/Synapse Software
17 Paul Drive
San Rafael, CA 94903
(415) 479-1170
$29.95, 48K disk

Reviewed by Scott Lewis

Likethe original Blue Max, Blue Max 2001 is a 3D shoot-em-up arcadegame featuring fairly good graphics and some interesting touches. Yourbasic mission is a combination of downing enemy aircraft and bombing groundtargets. Landing fields appear at regular intervals. By successfully landingyou can replenish your supplies and have your aircraft repaired.
The main difference between the old and the new gameslies in the type of aircraft used. Instead of a World War I biplane, theplayer pilots a hovercraft in Blue Max 2001. Airspeed is unimportant andlanding much easier. Crashing into other aircraft is not usually fatal-infact, it is the preferred method of elimination, as the hovercraft's gunsfire in a completely erratic pattern, making aiming a matter of pure chance.It is even possible to use the Buck Rogers method- flying wildly about,shooting at random and trusting in the gods of Irrational Numbers-and stillrack up a passable score.
Various player options and levels of difficulty can beselected. The documentation, unfortunately, appears to have been writtenin some other language and translated three or four times by volunteers.This means that the first half hour of play can be quite frustrating asyou try to figure out exactly what is going on. In the end, though, itis well worth the effort.