🚀 go-pugleaf

  Yesterday, I bought the game QIX (a Taito product.) I was unable to get
it to work on my Tandy 1000SX. It would go through the setup screens, and
then load in a bunch of stuff, then completely lock up so hard I had to use
the reset button. The screen would remain blank.
  My system:
Tandy 1000SX, 640K, V20 (might be the problem), VGA, 40M MFM hard disk,
Logitech Bus mouse, 2400 baud internal modem (Prac. Periph.), DMP-430
printer, 8087.
  I first tried removing the VGA card and using the internal video, but
there was no change. I tried booting off a 'clean' floppy, no change. I
tried running at 4.77MHz. I tried removing the hard disk controller. I
tried removing the printer cable (QIX supports a switched [Atari-style]
adaptor that connects to the parallel port. The printer goes off-line when
the game starts.) I tried every combination of startup options
(CGA/Tandy/EGA video, Joystick/Keyboard, IBM/Tandy/No Music.) Only ONCE was
I able to get the game going, and it locked up after about a minute. I was
unable to repeat the startup.
  I should mention that the game worked perfectly on a Tandy 3000NL w/ EGA,
and mouse. The printer goes off-line during the game, and then re-sets when
the game ends.
  My only guess is that the game might be confusing the V20 with a '286,
and doing things funny (although I run 4DOS286 and the 286 version of
NNANSI with no problems.)
  I have Arkanoid and Arkanoid II from Taito, and both work fine. The only
funny thing I noticed is that the screen that comes up asking where the
disk is (so it can load the copy protected stuff) had the title **PROD
12**, which makes me wonder if it was a pre-release that somehow sneaked
out.

  Andrew Rossmann
  andyross@ddsw1.MCS.COM