C&VG


Supersketch
By Parco Electrics
TI99/4A

 
Published in Computer & Video Games #44

Supersketch

This particular sketchpad has been around in the States for some time and will now be welcomed by TI owners. It comprises a module which is connected to the graphics table by a cable. The tablet has various selection buttons at the top and the arm and pointer is utilised as you would a brush. On loading, the menu options are shown on the left hand side of the screen. By sliding the arm up and down, the cursor is also moved likewise on the menu.

Selecting from the fifteen colours, you can opt to make your screen border, or start outlining from a range of nine brushes.

Lift allows you to place your "brush" anywhere on the screen before starting and any clanger you make can be altered, thanks to the Erase option. The Fill and Swap commands are great, enabling areas outlined by the brush to be coloured in, or colours exchanged as your artistic whim takes you. A warning. Be sure that all lines are joined properly before using fill or, to your horror, you will have wall to wall colour!

The Texture facility allows mixture of colours in a cross hatch effect, giving more possibilities. The option Expert selects yet another menu, giving Box (creating rectangles and squares of any size) and HorV (horizontal and vertical lines). Another feature from the menu, Rays, gives straight lines from any point, fanning out at lengths and angles of your choice.

Load and Save are the two remaining choices on the menu, giving you a chance to story your Rembrandts for posterity - or further improvement. When you Load a previously saved design, the formation of the picture is entertainment itself. For a user who wishes to repeat lots of circles, etc, plastic stencils (available from most stationers) help you to get the most from your Supersketch.

The manual provided is good and some pictures are supplied which clip straight on the pad to get you started. Lots of fun for all the family in this flexible package.