Product: CREATIVE ASSEMBLER - HOW TO WRITE ARCADE GAMES
Publisher: Penguin Acorn Computer Library
Author: Jonathan Griffiths
Reviewed by: Roland Waddilove
Rev. Ref: Electron User 2. 2
Rev. Title: "Top Of The List"

Two thirds of this book is devoted to discussing the techniques involved in writing large assembly language programs with many routines listed, and one third is devoted to the novice programmer.

When I tell you that the author Jonathan Griffiths wrote Acornsoft's JCB DIGGER and SNAPPER you will get an idea of the standard of programming the author is attempting to teach.

The middle section contains explanations of macros, conditional assembly and how to create macro source files. Several examples are listed.

Section three is specifically aimed at programmers who are writing games in assembly language. A number of routines are listed which can be incorporated into your own programs.

Very little explanation is given and the reader is left to puzzle out how they work.

This section is just what the advanced programmer needs, and is the only book I have seen with an explanation of how to poke the screen directly to move characters around.

An example game is listed at the end which is a mixture of Basic and assembly language.

Although one third of the book is an introduction to assembly language and the assembler, I would not really recommend it for the beginner as the jump to the second and third sections is too great. There are other books available that are much more suitable.

This is an absolute godsend for anyone struggling to write arcade games in machine code. Johnathan Griffiths' discussion of macros and program structure, and his routine for poking the screen are fantastic, making this an absolute must. Put it at the top of your shopping list immediately.