Utilities Package from Salamander
features a Teletext
designer, a sound/envelope designer,
a disassembler and an
Epson screen dump.
The software came on tape
and has a 23 page booklet
explaining the programs.
The first program is Sound
Shaper. The complexities of the
sound chip and its associated
commands have always been a
mystery to me, and after this will
probably remain so.
I managed to crash the sound
definer after three key presses
but perseverence got me some
exotic effects.
I didn't like the way that the
program broke so easily,
although you could blame it all
on user incompetence. But
shouldn't the program and the
manual avoid such problems?
The Epson screen dump has a
few nice ideas but the results
aren't all that good. So on to the
next program, which to my mind
is the best of the set.
TText is a Teletext screen
editor that allows the design of
Mode 7 screens. It has many
excellent features and is a joy to
use.
The only problem is that it
lacks a few capabilities that I'm
sure could be easily added.
The screen has a current state
line at the bottom which gives
information about x, y position,
whether you are in graphics
mode or not and a double height
indicator.
Best of all, it tells you the
otherwise invisible Teletext control
characters present as you
move the cursor over them.
The cursor can be constrained
to move vertically and there are
HELP and graphics pages.
The two major omissions are
the lack of separated graphics
and the hold graphics control
codes.
The final program is a
disassembler, or should I say
three disassemblers located at
&2800, &5800, &7800. There's
not much to say about these
except perhaps that the ROM-based
ones do it better.
I found this package a little
disappointing although the
Teletext designer with the changes
mentioned could be the best
on the market.
1st May 1984
