ATARI NEWS.....

NEW SOFTWARE FOR FIRST HALF OF 1981

Two new games and a Nuclear Reactor Simulation face the ATARI owner! The big news is the release of ASTEROIDS and MISSILE COMMAND in the form of ROM cartridges for both the 800 & 400.

ASTEROIDS has many more features than the arcade version including multi-color and superior sounds. Both this and MISSILE COMMAND use the joysticks. One to four players are pitted against a myriad of flying space boulders and a flying saucer that occasionally hums by to try and zap you. You can play singly, or team up; even an "every man for himself" option.

MISSILE COMMAND is a dazzling version of the exciting arcade game of the same name. One or two players must launch their missiles to protect six cities against the attacking forces of incoming nuclear missiles, bombers, killer satellites, and 'smart bombs'. The better you do, the faster the incoming fire. You have limited missiles, and when you reach ten thousand points you recover a lost city. The game ends when all cities are destroyed.

SCRAM duplicates the function of a nuclear power plant. The player must produce as much energy as possible before having a melt down, or shutting the reactor down (SCRAM). An entire plant is shown on the screen and the player must "find and fix problems as they develop". This cassette is also an excellent educational tool to get the functions of a nuclear plant across to the student by getting him actively involved in a simulation. Available on cassette for $19.95.

These programs for release first half of 1981.

ATARI PERSONAL INTEREST SOFTWARE FOR 1981 - FIRST HALF

A new language introduced for the 800 & 400: PILOT. PILOT (Programmed Inquiry, Learning or Teaching) is an educational language that is very easy to learn. This cartridge uses the graphics and sound capabilities of the 800 & 400 through simple commands. More information can be found in the "Computer Language" article, this issue.

The Personal Fitness cassette asks the user a series of questions to provide the computer with the information to provide a custom exercise program. "The computer then displays an exercise figure and even counts out the routine." Includes two cassettes and lists for $24.95.

Five cassettes comprise Conversational Spanish, the first in ATARI's foreign language library; a manual is also included. Using the television "words and phrases are carefully pronounced and spelled out on the screen." French, Italian, and German courses are to follow, later this year. Five cassettes and workbook which lists for $59.95.