Personal Computer News (GB)
Personal Computer News was a British multi-format magazine published by VNU Business Publications. The magazine covered a range of topics including hardware & software reviews, articles and programming. It was published weekly, a total of 110 issues were produced from 18-Mar-1983 to 11-May-1985. The editors were Cyndy Miles (issues 1-71) and Peter Worlock (issues 72-110).
Download all programs from this magazine on one disk:
 PC News.d64 |
32 programs
| Program | Author | Requirements | Files | Info |
Spider Issue 1 (18 Mar 1983), Pages 63, 65. Issue 6 (22 Apr 1983), Page 55. |
Joe Thompson | Unexpanded | spider.prg Screenshot |
Snake/Tron game. Eat as many spiders as you can without touching your trail or leaving the screen. Controls: J (left), K (right), I (up), M (down). |
Character Set Issue 6 (22 Apr 1983), Page 16. |
Max Phillips | Unexpanded | character set.prg Screenshot |
Programming subroutine, showing how to create user defined characters. It replaces the exclamation mark with a space invader. Controls: None. |
Vic Suppression and Corruption Issue 8 (6 May 1983), Page 20. |
Darren Morrow | Unexpanded | suppression.prg Screenshot |
Programming subroutine, stops the computer from displaying the "?" prompt when using the INPUT command. Controls: Type anything. |
Pirate Island Issue 15 (22 Jun 1983), Pages 55, 61-63. Issue 16 (29 Jun 1983), Pages 56, 63-65. Issue 17 (6 Jul 1983), Pages 57, 63. |
Philip Green | 16K expansion | pirate isl 16k.prg Screenshot |
Text adventure, where you respond to fixed choices instead of typing commands. Starting from your flat, you must sail the high seas and collect three treasures. Controls: Follow on-screen prompts. |
Big Screen Issue 17 (6 Jul 1983), Page 14. Issue 25 (31 Aug 1983), Page 15. |
? | Unexpanded | big screen.prg Screenshot |
Programming subroutine, creates a large 28x36 screen with the memory address of the top-left corner at 7168. Controls: None. |
Print At Issue 17 (6 Jul 1983), Page 17. |
Max Phillips | Unexpanded | print at.prg Screenshot |
Programming subroutine, moves the cursor to the desired X,Y coordinates. Controls: Store the coordinates in variables X and Y, then GOSUB 1000. |
Vic Screens Into Place Issue 18 (13 Jul 1983), Page 15. |
Philip Harling | Unexpanded | screen move.prg Screenshot |
Programming routine, moves the screen to any required position. Controls: U (up), D (down), L (left), R (right). |
Speed Race Issue 20 (27 Jul 1983), Pages 57, 68. |
Carl Blackett | Unexpanded | speed race.prg Screenshot |
Verically scrolling car race. Try to drive your car to the end of the twisting road. Controls: Q (left), P (right). |
A ROM Do On The Vic Issue 21 (3 Aug 1983), Page 14. |
Neil Merer | Unexpanded | rom messages.prg Screenshot |
Programming routine, displays some of the commands and error messages stored in ROM. Controls: None. |
Collection Issue 21 (3 Aug 1983), Pages 56, 62-63. |
Jason Hobbs | Unexpanded | collection.prg Screenshot |
Database application for storing details of your record collection. The records are stored in DATA statements from line 540 onwards, and list some Beatles records by default. Controls: Follow on-screen prompts. |
Starship Issue 24 (24 Aug 1983), Pages 56, 59-62. |
Nigel Littlewood | Unexpanded | starship cmd.prg Screenshot |
Shoot the enemy ships before they reach the right-hand side of the screen. Controls: Joystick or F1 (up), F7 (down), F (fire). |
Straight to the Point Issue 26 (7 Sep 1983), Page 17. |
D E Rolfe | Unexpanded | decimal format.prg Screenshot |
Subroutine to format a number with two decimal points. Controls: Follow on-screen prompts. |
Vic Clock Goes Faster Issue 27 (14 Sep 1983), Page 15. |
David Walker | Unexpanded | vic clock.prg Screenshot |
Subroutine to change the speed of the TI clock, which normally runs 60 times per second. This affects the cursor speed, LIST command, etc. Controls: Modify line 10 to set variable R to the required speed. |
Home Accounts Issue 28 (21 Sep 1983), Pages 56-58. |
Eugene Garvin | Unexpanded | home accounts.prg Screenshot |
Home accounts program, keep track of up to 7 accounts with 10 transactions in each one. Controls: Follow on-screen prompts. |
Give Your Vic Some Stick Issue 32 (19 Oct 1983), Page 15. |
Max Phillips | Unexpanded | read joystick.prg Screenshot |
Programming subroutine demonstrating how to read the joystick. Controls: Joystick. |
Programming Sound Issue 34 (2 Nov 1983), Page 16. |
Steven Jones | Unexpanded | prog sound.prg Screenshot |
Machine code routine to program the sound channels. Controls: Run the program, then type: SYS673,s1,s2,s3,s4,vol |
Count Issue 34 (2 Nov 1983), Pages 56, 59-63. |
Telstar | Unexpanded | count.prg Screenshot |
Educational game for young children. Add the numbers displayed on the two dice. Controls: Follow on-screen prompts. |
Men/Arith Issue 34 (2 Nov 1983), Pages 56, 65. |
Telstar | Unexpanded | men-arith.prg Screenshot |
Educational game for young children. Add all four number together, and try to complete twenty sums within two minutes. Controls: Follow on-screen prompts. |
Grid Bike Issue 41 (21 Dec 1983), Pages 83-87. |
David Pearson | Unexpanded | grid bike.t64 Screenshot |
Tron game. Use your light cycle to rescue all the men. Do not cross your trail, hit any obstacles, or leave the grid. Controls: Z (left), X (right), L (up), , (down). |
Xmas Eve Issue 42 (4 Jan 1984), Pages 52-53. |
Gregory Michael | 3K expansion | xmas eve 3k.prg Screenshot |
It's Christmas Eve and Santa is running late. Catch the presents as they are thrown down by the elves and then drop them down the chimneys. Controls: Z (left), X (right), Shift (drop present). |
U.F.O. Issue 52 (10 Mar 1984), Pages 64-68. |
Christopher Hillary | Unexpanded | ufo.prg Screenshot |
Blitz-style game. Destroy the stars so that you can land your UFO on the landing pad. There are 50 stars and you only have 45 missiles, so you must aim your shots carefully. Controls: Any key (fire missile). |
Ape King Issue 56 (7 Apr 1984), Pages 54-58. Issue 59 (28 Apr 1984), Page 56. |
Richard Bulcock | Unexpanded | ape king.prg Screenshot |
Donkey Kong game. Climb the ladders, run across the girders and dodge the barrels to rescue the lady from the gorilla. Controls: Joystick. |
Protecting Against the Break-ins Issue 60 (5 May 1984), Page 13. |
Craig Authur | Unexpanded | disable runstop.prg Screenshot |
Programming demo showing how to disable the Run/Stop and Restore keys, to prevent a running program from being stopped. Controls: None. |
Vic Goes Into Reverse Issue 62 (26 May 1984), Page 14. |
M J Davies | Unexpanded | invert screen.prg Screenshot |
Tiny machine code routine to invert the screen. Controls: Type SYS730 to invert the screen, and type the same command again to restore the screen to normal. |
Gothic and Greek Issue 72 (4 Aug 1984), Page 42. |
K Hewson | Unexpanded | gothic greek.t64 Screenshot |
Two programs that create a Gothic-style and Greek-style character set. Controls: None. |
Double Height Issue 80 (29 Sep 1984), Page 22. |
David Rossiter | Unexpanded | double height.prg Screenshot |
Machine code routine to create a double height screen. Controls: Type SYS828 to activate. |
Picture Pro Issue 81 (6 Oct 1984), Pages 22-23. |
John Ingham | 3K expansion | picture pro 3k.t64 Screenshot |
Screen designer. The first program is a screen editor that you can use to draw title screens or game backgrounds, and the second program converts the screen into a BASIC program. Controls: See the magazine for details. |
Flash a Message Issue 83 (20 Oct 1984), Page 10. |
David Walker | Unexpanded | scroll messages.prg Screenshot |
Displays two scrolling messages on the screen. Controls: Press any key to exit. |
Scroll Mode Issue 83 (20 Oct 1984), Page 10. |
Jamie Ketskemety | Unexpanded | scroll mode.prg Screenshot |
Shows how to create the illusion of a moving background by manipulating user defined characters. Controls: None. |
Handy Routine Issue 97 (2 Feb 1985), Page 10. |
David Rossiter | Unexpanded | binary value.prg Screenshot |
Displays the binary value of a memory location, and continually updates the display until you press F1. Useful for studying keyboard flags (location 653) etc. Controls: Type the memory address you are interested in, and press F1 to restart. |
Easy Writer Issue 98 (9 Feb 1985), Page 17. |
Derek Hoare | 16K expansion, MPS801 printer | text editor 16k.prg Screenshot |
Simple word processor, with modes for writing letters and articles. Controls: Follow on-screen prompts. |
Hires Screen Dumps Issue 104 (23 Mar 1985), Page 7. |
Simon Mills | Super Expander+3K, 1520 plotter | hires dump se3k.prg Screenshot |
Subroutine to produce hires screen dumps on the Commodore 1520 plotter. Controls: None. |
