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                       SYNTAX VS UNDERGROUND - 1ST ISSUE
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released. o3.o4.2ooo

system... ST, STe (Falcon), 1MB RAM, RGB

size..... 944 KB on harddisk (including the special files)

menu..... coded by KLOCEK of SYNTAX^UNDERGROUND
          grafx by KLOCEK of SYNTAX^UNDERGROUND
          musix by BIG ALEC of DELTA FORCE

writers.. KLOCEK of SYNTAX^UNDERGROUND, EROS of UNDERGROUND, GREY of MYSTIC
          BYTES

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This is the first issue of  this new polish  diskmagazine. After "FILLER" closed
and the "PLAYER" project was  stopped, after the "ECHO MAGAZINE" disappeared and
the band  SYNTAX closed  down because it lost his coder YOYO, a new  project was
started, a strange one...

I'm wondering a bit about the strange title of the magazine, just because SYNTAX
was called to be dissolved and UNDERGROUND, the new band of the ex-SYNTAX member
KLOCEK, should be the label. But the polish people  are sometimes a bit strange,
hehe, and so I don't want to ask for more here.

The first I had to fight a bit, because the magazine refused to run on my Falcon
and ST, as well. I got some garbage  on the screen. Later it wanted  another rez
and finally it bombed away again. Finally I found out that  it runs only without
music on my ST, so I had to start the Falcon-version there. And it runs!

The  menu shows  a mix  of scanned grafix, bad  antialiased logos  and textures,
around  the text menu. This offers just 5 articles (!). So  there are  the usual
editorial, a  small news article by Grey, an article about  an IDE interface for
the ST, a GFA demo article and something about the  SILLYVENTURE party. The last
thing bombed me away again... :/

I think I don't must say something about the  articles itself, they're  all very
short and  ofcourse written in polish language. So there  isn't a need  to leech
that thing for everyone who isn't able to speak or read polish stuff.

The way, the articles are presented is very common  to the NARSIL  magazine. The
articles are presented on a coloured/textured background with screenshots in the
text as well. There  is no scrolling  included and  you can read them by turning
the pages.

But if you think that was all, the menu offers  some "hidden" feature. Meanwhile
the first 5 articles  were thought for ST, STE and FLACHA (!? surely  they meant
the Falcon...), you can reach 4 other articles while clicking on the JAGUAR scan
on the  menu screen. Now another  menu is loading, offering  screenshots and the
pic of a Jaguar with CD ROM.

This menu  features  a news/work in progress article about forthcoming JAG games
and 3 articles  about coming Jaguar games. All those  articles are  fairly short
and  looking more like a translation  of the contents of the  SONGBIRD homepage,
where all those games are presented. To leave that menu, you have to press SPACE
btw, just as it is with the other articles at all.

I think  that are enough words, just  to mention that  there is  an info/credits
program included on  the disk as well. Not a real intro, just  a screen with all
the stuff displayed. Nothing more to write here... So I will come to the...

FINAL WORDS

This magazine is senseless and even for polish people of nearly no interest. The
shell is  buggie as hell and hasn't any special  features. The only  thing to be
mentioned  here, is the possibility  to use textures  behind the  writing and to
include  screenshots as well. Even for me  as not-polish-speaking  person, it is
obvious that the articles aren't very stuffed with information. Short stuff, and
for foreign people not understandable and with just 9 articles it is a very slim
thing as well. This magazine is pure crap...
Ok, what is left? A second  issue is planned, or  better was  planned, but up to
now nothing was seen and if this issue will  not reworked  a bit, esp. with more
contents and  maybe english language, I would say it is better  to nothing of it
anymore...

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contents........  1o % - just 9 articles, polish language...
shell...........  5o % - no scrolling, just a text viewer, buggie as hell
shell grafix....  55 % - quiet ok, more antialiasing please, nice textures
shell musix.....  oo % - included, but bombed away, therefore zero points!
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overall.........  29 % - not even for polish people of any interest...
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.tSCc.                                                                   moondog
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