With the current lull in software production, we feel it is important to review all the important available software for the GS, so you may know what is out there. If you need one of the programs, by all means buy it. It is vitally important that we support the GS software industry. If we sit back and complain and don't buy what is decent, we won't have any software to complain about.
Look these over. If you like them, get 'em. If you accepted a copy from someone and you've been using it by all means, buy it now. Maybe you can't afford all of the ones you want. Pick your favorite. Like a charity, every dime helps.
I may have missed a few, but these are most of the ones I know about.
AppleWorks 3.0 (Claris, available for $175)
A classic improved, this version of AppleWorks really does the job, it's fast, it has a dictionary, and it incorporates a lot of fine features. It includes a word processor, a spreadsheet, and a database. I use all three all the time. I balance my checkbook in the spreadsheet, keep track of addresses, videotapes, and albums in the database, and write letters in the word processor. Vital software for any Apple user.
AppleWorks GS (Claris, $210)
The GS sibling of AppleWorks, AppleWorks GS includes three new modules: page layout, graphics, and telecommunications. While an accelerator card is almost required to get good performance, the program is incredible and one of the prime choices for Apple desktop publishing.
The Bard's Tale I & II (Electronic Arts, $20-30)
A must for GS fantasy gamers, these fine role-playing games sport nice scrolling graphics (no line segment hallways like Wizardry), excellent game play, and fun puzzles.
Battle Chess GS (InterPlay, $33)
Great animation adds a new dimension to an old game. The hilarious animations are different for each pairing for piece and the piece it takes. While they take a while to load off of disk, they are worth the wait. A 2-D version of the game is included, if you get tired of waiting. Great fun. (You may want an accelerator for this one.)
Carmen Sandiego series (Broderbund, $30 each)
A much-awarded series of educational games, the Carmen series places you as a detective trying to track down the infamous criminal Carmen Sandiego. Chase her across time, around the U.S., Europe, and world. Along the way, you learn about the area you are visiting. It does what teachers want: it makes it fun to learn!
Copy II Plus 9.1 (Central Point Software, $28)
I wouldn't recommend using this program with GS/OS files, but there is simply nothing else to use when you need to work with DOS 3.3 and ProDOS at the same time. It can also backup your protected software, easing your mind when you use it. If you ever use DOS 3.3, you need this one.
Cross-Works (Soft Spoken, $69)
This is a cable and two programs that lets your GS talk to an IBM. Send files back and forth from your modem port to the IBM's COM port. Translate AppleWorks files to IBM formats. If you don't have a Mac handy and you need to get files back and forth, this is the way to do it.
Crystal Quest GS (Casady and Greene, $33)
This is an abstract arcader, with parts of Pac-man and Qix mixed in. Collect the crystals, avoid the enemies. The Mac version relied on sound to make the game truly enjoyable, so the GS was a natural for it.
816/Paint (Baudville, $43)
Paint in single hi-res, double hi-res, and super hi-res in this set of paint programs. Easy to use and comprehensive, this package contains the only single hi-res and double hi-res paint programs currently on the market. When you're the only one available, you've got to be the best!
GraphicWriter III (Seven Hills, $70)
A good alternative to the AppleWorks GS page layout module, GraphicWriter III is a powerful desktop publishing program. The editors of the disk plus magazine GS+ use it to for layout.
HyperStudio (Roger Wagner, $88)
Even if all you do is play with the Sound Studio and microphone, this hypermedia package is worth it. Create stunning interactive presentations, insert video (if you have an overlay card) and sound--all in this one package. Great for teachers who want to display information to their kids, but don't know how to program.
The Immortal (Electronic Arts, $33)
Perhaps the finest animation ever seen on the GS is here in this fantasy adventure. Playing similar to a King's Quest-type game, you wander a dungeon, fighting monsters, saving princesses, and figuring out puzzles. The music is great, the graphics are amazing, and the game play is fun once you get used to it.
If you want to type faster, this program can help. We've used it to train people at Softdisk. It is a sharp program that really works.
Mean 18 GS (Accolade, $30)
What do you get when you mix ugly graphics and excellent game play? Mean 18, of course. While the graphics are not much, it is incredible fun. Plus it has a course editor on the disk. Many courses are available as well. Lots of fun.
McGee series (Broderbund, $25)
You are a kid named McGee in these "no words" adventures for the young. Choose where you want to go, and explore everywhere. It's a different concept, and it has won awards for being that different. Visit Katie's Farm and join McGee at the Fun Fair as well.
Platinum Paint (Beagle Bros, $58)
Simply the best paint program around. Draw super hi-res graphics easily, with the power usually only found in Mac paint programs. A must for any GS user that wants to make super hi-res graphics.
Print Shop (New and GS, $36)
If you need banners, cards, or signs, these programs are it. Millions are using them, and there's a reason. They're easy to use and have great-looking output.
ProSel 16 (Glen Bredon, $55)
A collection of utilities, including hard disk backup, disk block editing, and user-configurable menus make this an appealing package.
ProTERM (inSync, $80)
A great terminal program. If you go online GEnie or CompuServe, get this program. We all use it. (Of course if you don't have a modem, forget about it.)
PS Lover's Utility Set (Big Red Computer Club, $26)
A handy program for cataloging your Print Shop Images. It does other stuff, but that is SO valuable in itself, that's why I'd get it.
Publish It! 4 (TimeWorks, $150 list--it isn't out yet)
Publish It! 3 was great and Publish It! 4 looks like a winner. It's another desktop publishing alternative. The newsletter The Road Apple is published using this program.
Softdisk and Softdisk G-S (Softdisk Inc., priceless)
Where else can you get reasonably-priced, useful software? Who else is sticking behind the GS 100%? Yep, you guessed it. And we'll be here until no one else is (except perhaps Roger Wagner).
Task Force (Britannica, $23)
A violent but amazing arcade game, you fly to cities and kill all the bad drug lords and criminals. Fun, but not for the young.
Tetris (Spectrum Holobyte, $23)
The classic Russian game provides hours of entertainment for the whole family. Arrange the falling blocks in this game that keeps going on and on and on . . . . Find out why people think it was a Soviet plot to destroy American productivity.
TimeOut series (Beagle Bros, various)
These add-ons to AppleWorks are some of the most popular software around. They've got graphics, superfonts, and just everything you'd ever want AppleWorks to do (although I don't recall a TimeOut Rastan, but that's okay).
Xenocide (Micro Revelations, $28)
Three different arcade games in one! Fly over the strange moon's surface, explore the caves beneath, and blow up the base! You must accomplish this three times on different moons to win. Tons of fun (especially the middle levels) and great sound.
Zany Golf (Electronic Arts, $27)
Pure GS fun. Play mini golf with a hamburger bouncing on the hole, in a pinball machine, and many other weird settings. Find the tenth hole, "Mystery." Easy to play, great graphics, and a soundtrack that
