This is a reminder that Soccer Kid will be shipping for the Atari Jaguar
in the next few weeks. It's important to get your balance paid in full
so your pre-ordered copy can ship promptly.

If you previously ordered via credit card, please send an email to
forhan@... and confirm that you wish to have the same card
charged for the balance. Thank you to all the customers who have already
taken care of their balance.

Also, don't forget -- the pre-order Songbird coupons (valued at $10
each) must be used by 3/1/00! Check out the Songbird catalog at:

http://songbird.atari.org
http://songbird.uni.cc (alternate)

to see all the great Atari products available.

Thanks, and Happy New Year to everyone on AtariNews!

Carl Forhan
Songbird Productions

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Garfield and Sky Patrol protos discovered and available
Date: Sun, 19 Dec 1999 07:41:03 GMT
From: jhardie@... (John Hardie)
Organization: MindSpring Enterprises
Newsgroups: rec.games.video.classic,rec.games.video.atari

Hi everyone!

Just wanted to pass this along. I know a lot of people are always
asking for new protos to be dumped and distributed, so here they are!

At last years Classic Gaming Expo several never-before-seen protos
were shown for the first time. We were able to archive these games and
have received permission to distribute them.

The first title, Garfield, was written by ace programmer, Steve Woita,
who also brought us Taz and Quadrun. After archiving the game, we
contacted Jim Davis, the creator of the Garfield comic and received
permission to distribute the ROM.

The 2nd title, Sky Patrol, was programmed by Brad Johnson.  After the
show, we contacted Brad who was more than happy to pass along this gem
to the classic community. Be sure to check out the box and label scans
as well.

All the goodies can be found at the Classic Gaming Expo website:

http://www.cgexpo.com


Be sure to mark your calendar for CGE 2000.  Who knows what wonderful
stuff will show up there.

And don't forget to thank Jim Davis by buying a Garfield doll for
Christmas!  ;)

Happy Holidays!

The CGExpo Staff
John Hardie, Sean Kelly, & Keita Iida

Protector has been declared a hit by Jaguar fans! Just check out some of
the testimonials on the Protector page located at
http://songbird.atari.org (go to the "Projects" section). Or visit
http://atarihq.com/interactive for ongoing discussion about Protector
and other Jaguar topics.

The next wave of Protector cartridges will ship this weekend, and that
means that all customers currently on record will have their orders
filled.

For those of you who pre-ordered Soccer Kid, now is the time to send in
your balance for that game. As with Protector, your balance is $44.95
plus either $5 USA/Canada shipping or $8 international shipping. Your
prompt payment is appreciated. Even if you previously paid by credit
card, please send a reminder email to songbird@... to have your
card on record charged for the balance. Soccer Kid pre-orders should
ship in latter January!

Any other questions, please don't hesitate to ask. Thanks to all the
supportive Atari fans that have made these new games possible!

Sincerely,

Carl Forhan
Songbird Productions
http://songbird.atari.org

Jaguar fans:

The first wave of Protector shipments went out today to
those who pre-ordered and promptly paid off their balance.
Mostly USA customers.

The next wave, including most of the paid international
orders, should go in the mail next weekend.

Have fun! I look forward to your feedback on everything
about Protector.

The Jaguar ROARS once again in 1999!

Sincerely,

Carl Forhan
Songbird Productions
http://songbird.atari.org

Thanks to all the Jaguar fans who have promptly paid their balance on
Protector.

For those who pre-ordered Protector but have not taken action to pay
their balance, you owe $44.95 plus shipping. See the Songbird web site
for details, and please get your balance paid in full ASAP.

Protector is slated to ship in early December, but you must have your
balance paid in full before your copy will ship.

Thanks,

Carl Forhan
Songbird Productions
http://songbird.atari.org

AtariNews would like to report that the elusive 7800 monitor cartridge
may go back into production soon if there is sufficient demand from
customers. The 7800 monitor cartridge was a low end development system;
it had 6KB of RAM battery backed up for any 2600 game you developed, and
16KB of RAM for the 7800. A large developer manual was also included.
The 7800 monitor cart was produced under license from Atari a number of
years ago, and only about 100 are known to exist.

Video 61 has the rights to the product, and would like to hear from
customers who would be interested in purchasing this package. List price
is expected to be near $100 since this is a custom cartridge. Please
send an email to Lance at Video61@..., or see the below web site
for more info on Video 61 and their products.

http://www.atarisales.com

To all the customers who have prepaid $25 for Jaguar Protector, please
complete your order by sending in the balance as soon as possible. The
games will be ready to ship sometime after Thanksgiving weekend, so your
balance needs to be received by the end of November. Note that shipping
is $5 in the USA and Canada, and $8 international.

Also, please send an email to songbird@... with just your complete
mailing address and which games you have ordered, so we can start
printing off mailing labels right away.

If you have been on the fence about ordering Protector, now is the time
to place your order! This is the first new Jaguar game in approximately
18 months, and Protector has been a surprise hit with Jaguar fans at
JagFest and CGE and most recently CinciClassic. Additionally, Protector
and Skyhammer were both recently featured in the November issue of
GameFan. You won't want to miss out on what may be your only chance to
purchase your very own copy of Protector! Protector will be released on
12/20/99.

Ordering details (including how to pay your balance or entire order via
credit card) are on the Songbird web page http://songbird.atari.org.
Please ask if you have any questions.

Thank you to all the Jaguar fans who are making the new releases
possible!

Sincerely,

Carl Forhan
Songbird Productions
http://songbird.atari.org

*** Order Protector for the Jaguar today! ***

Songbird Productions
http://songbird.atari.org

Protector is an exciting 2D bidirectional shooter that has been a surprise
hit with many Jaguar fans at JagFest '99, CGE '99, and the recent
CinciClassic. You won't want to miss out on this fast-paced blastfest!

Protector will be released on 12/20/99.  The retail price of Protector for
new orders is $74.95 plus shipping. The game will be published in a
regular Jaguar cartridge complete with a full color label, full color box,
and a B&W glossy manual.

If you pre-ordered Protector, you owe a balance of $44.95 plus shipping.
If you pre-paid by credit card, you will need to authorize payment of the
balance on your card or supply a different card number. Please contact
Multimedia 1.0 again to complete your order, or email Songbird with your
complete order, customer information, and credit card number. Payment by
check or MO in US Dollars is also always accepted.

As time permits, pre-order customers will receive their copy of Protector
1-2 weeks early. Naturally, your order must be paid in full before it can
be shipped, so get your final payment in today!

Please email Songbird at songbird@... with any questions. And a big
thank you to every Jaguar fan who has pre-ordered one or more of the
upcoming games.

Sincerely,

Carl Forhan
Songbird Productions
http://songbird.atari.org

Only one more day until Friday, November 6 (opening night of
CinciClassic)!  Response has been overwhelming!

This will likely be the final update.  Check the web site or email us if
there are any pressing questions.

Tentative Schedule (all times subject to change):

Convention hours:
  Friday 7pm - 10pm
  Saturday 9am - 10pm
  Sunday 11am - 2pm

Extra late night gameplay likely for Friday and Saturday
Sunday is typically just packing up to go
Auction 4pm Saturday
Arcade tournament Saturday until the auction (mystery game)
Other tournaments 1pm - 4pm Saturday (Bomberman plus 1 or more mystery
games)

Official web site: http://ic.net/~craig/cinci/
Phone number:  (513)272-4000 (do not call before 6pm Friday)

Things you might want to bring:  Power strips, small televisions, folding
chairs.  Classic games for playing, trading, demonstrating, and bragging.

Here are some of the latest news items

News item: William Moeller has announced that he may be coming to the show
to demo the INTV2PC hand controller, as well as the Intellivision Keyboard
Component and the unreleased Colecovision game "Steamroller" (written by
the author of BeamRider, David Rolfe)

News item:  Current new Lynx games (PONX, Lexis, Sokomania, SFX) from
Songbird Productions and others will be for sale at CinciClassic.  Also,
upcoming Jaguar games (Protector, Skyhammer) from Songbird Productions
will be available for demonstration and play.

News item:  Prizes and giveaways from Hasbro, Intellivision Productions,
and others will be featured at CinciClassic.

News item: William Cassidy will be on hand to demo the Odyssey 2 multi
cart on Saturday.

News item:  Many issues of Classic Gamer magazine will be given away.

News item:  Several hundreds of dollars worth of tournament prizes donated
by popular video game companies and private collectors will be given away.


Hope to see you there!

The CinciClassic Organizers

*** PRE-ORDER SPECIALS END TODAY (NOV 1) ***

Songbird Productions
http://songbird.atari.org

Songbird Productions is your leading supplier of new and hard-to-find
products for the Atari Lynx and Jaguar. Jaguar fans have responded
enthusiastically these past few weeks and pre-ordered the upcoming games
-- Skyhammer, Soccer Kid, Hyper Force, and Protector.

Any pre-orders received or postmarked by Nov. 1st will qualify for
pre-order pricing and specials. You can still pre-order three of the four
upcoming games beyond today -- however, you will not be eligible for the
pre-order pricing and specials.

*** SCHEDULE CHANGE: HERE COMES PROTECTOR! ***

The release schedule has been rearranged, resulting in Protector being
moved up to the 12/20/99 release date, and Skyhammer being placed at the
05/08/00 release date. Hyper Force and Soccer Kid are unaffected.

Songbird is aware that many fans are eagerly awaiting the release of
Skyhammer, and this game is still definitely committed to release. The
reason for the schedule adjustment is simply a matter of cost. Original
quotes from electronics vendors several months ago were 30-40% lower than
what they are currently. This rise in cost makes it much more difficult to
release Skyhammer at the committed price point, so as a result Songbird
plans to ride out the temporary increase in component cost and purchase
these parts in early 2000 when hopefully the prices have declined.

Your patience and understanding is appreciated in this matter. Songbird is
releasing a total of four new games for the Jaguar over the next 7 months,
and the costs and risks involved are significant.

Songbird also recognizes some customers may have pre-ordered only
Skyhammer because it was the first game in the release schedule. If this
applies to you, and you would now like to switch your pre-order to
Protector instead, simply email Songbird at songbird@... indicating
your desire, and we will gladly accommodate the switch.

Protector is an exciting 2D bidirectional shooter that has been a surprise
hit with many Jaguar fans at JagFest '99 and CGE '99. Songbird is
confident that this game is an excellent kickoff to the release schedule.

*** ORDERS NOW ACCEPTED FOR PROTECTOR ***

Due to the change in schedule, Songbird is now accepting full orders for
Protector, which will be released on 12/20/99. The retail price of
Protector for new orders is $74.95 plus shipping.

If you pre-ordered Protector, you will owe a balance of $44.95 plus
shipping. If you pre-paid by credit card, you will need to authorize
payment of the balance on your card or supply a different card number.
Please contact Multimedia 1.0 again to complete your order, or email
Songbird with your complete order, customer information, and credit card
number. Payment by check or MO in US Dollars is also always accepted.

Please email Songbird at songbird@... with any questions. And a big
thank you to every Jaguar fan who has pre-ordered one or more of the
upcoming games.

Sincerely,

Carl Forhan
Songbird Productions
http://songbird.atari.org

The organizers of CinciClassic are proud to announce the date and location
of their 1999 collector's convention! CinciClassic aims to provide classic
videogame collectors from the midwest and worldwide with a fantastic,
non-profit event. We are proud to announce that, for the first time,
convention admission will be absolutely free!

This year's event, celebrating all classic videogames, will be the weekend
of November 5-7, 1999 at the offices of C/2 Interactive Solutions (thanks,
C/2!) in Cincinnati Ohio.

Also new this year is a constantly updated web site detailing everything
you need to know about the event, including news, hotel information and a
page detailing requests to share rides and accommodations. Check it out at
http://ic.net/~craig/cinci/

The first annual CinciClassic event, in 1998, was attended by over 25
people (this year we hope to have well over 40 people at a minimum), and
attendee response was overwhelmingly positive. For pictures of the event,
check our web site! Rare collectibles were auctioned off, great stories
were told, scores of rare games were exhibited, tons of games were played
(in tournaments and just for fun), and thousands of dollars of games were
traded and sold.

News item: William Moeller has announced that he may be coming to the show
to demo the INTV2PC hand controler, as well as the Intellivision Keyboard
Component and the unreleased Colecovision game "Steamroller" (written by
the author of BeamRider, David Rolfe)

News item:  Current new Lynx games (PONX, Lexis, Sokomania, SFX) from
Songbird Productions and others will be for sale at CinciClassic.  Also,
upcoming Jaguar games (Protector, Skyhammer) from Songbird Productions
will be available for demonstration and play.

News item:  Prizes and giveaways from Hasbro, Intellivision Productions,
and others will be featured at CinciClassic.

News item: William Moeller has announced that he may be coming to the show
to demo the INTV2PC hand controler, as well as the Intellivision Keyboard
Component and the unreleased Colecovision game "Steamroller" (written by
the author of BeamRider, David Rolfe)

News item: William Cassidy will be on hand to demo the Odyssey 2 multi
cart on Saturday.

If you can be in Cincinnati the weekend of November 5 - 7, and love
playing and collecting classic videogames, you have got to come!

* FOR A LIMITED TIME ONLY *

Songbird $99 in '99 Special!

Buy Ponx, Lexis, and SFX for the Atari Lynx for only $99 including
USA/Canada shipping (add $5 for international shipping).

If you've been on the fence, now is the time to pick up these great games
at the best prices ever. But hurry! This offer is only good for the first
20 orders and your order must be postmarked by Nov. 5th to qualify.

Information on all these great games may be found on the Songbird pages at
http://songbird.atari.org. You must purchase the items direct from
Songbird (sorry, no credit cards through Multimedia 1.0) and mention
"Songbird $99 in '99 Special" when you place your order to receive this
pricing. Purchase of other items may result in a shipping fee applied.

Please email songbird@... to confirm availability. This special
offer is subject to change or termination without prior notice.

* LAST CALL FOR JAGUAR PRE-ORDERS! *

Remember Atari fans, your pre-orders for the upcoming Jaguar games from
Songbird must be called in or postmarked by Nov. 1st. There are some great
games coming for the Jaguar, and pre-ordering is the only way to guarantee
your personal copy of each game.

Pre-ordering information may be found on http://songbird.atari.org.

Sincerely,

Carl Forhan
Songbird Productions
http://songbird.atari.org

*** BUY NEW LYNX AND JAGUAR GAMES TODAY! ***

Songbird Productions
http://songbird.atari.org

Songbird Productions is your leading supplier of new and hard-to-find
products for the Atari Lynx and Jaguar, and is committed to providing the
highest level of customer support possible. To that end, Songbird has been
pursuing a solution to accept credit cards for our catalog. This is a
costly and time-consuming process, and not everything is in place yet.

In the meantime, Songbird Productions is pleased to announce that
Multimedia 1.0 has agreed to process credit card orders for "Songbird
exclusive" merchandise, including the pre-orders for the upcoming Jaguar
releases.

HOW TO PAY BY CREDIT CARD:

1. Check the Songbird catalog and see which items are marked with a '*'
denoting credit card support.
2. Call in your order to Multimedia 1.0 at 1-800-413-5823, or fax your
order to 212-529-3117.
3. Clearly identify your order right away as a "Songbird Productions"
order.
4. Provide your order, customer information, and credit card number to the
Multimedia 1.0 sales representative.
5. Your order will be forwarded to Songbird Productions for approval and
handling.

Note that the charge on your credit card bill will be marked as having
originated from Multimedia 1.0. This is correct, and a result of the
service Multimedia 1.0 is willing to extend to Songbird Productions.

For pre-orders on the upcoming Jaguar games, note that you will be charged
$25 per game pre-ordered. Songbird will maintain a record of all such
orders, and automatically charge the remaining balance close to the time
when the game ships. Please be sure to use a credit card that to the best
of your knowledge will be valid and have credit available in 4-6 months.

Songbird hopes to have secure online credit card processing available
within the next few weeks, but that is not possible at this time. You must
call or fax your order directly to Multimedia 1.0.

Any questions about this process, please email Songbird at
songbird@....

Sincerely,

Carl Forhan
Songbird Productions
http://songbird.atari.org

Fellow Atarians,

      I just thought I might bring everyone up to speed on what's going on as far
as the retail side of the Jaguar spectrum.  Jaguar sales
are.....well.....unpredictable we'll go somedays without even a inquiry and
other days we'll sell three or four.  However, it seems that most of the
customers who purchase a unit will buy one of our combo packages (Jag with
games).  Only a few seem to be interested in expanding their library (at least
through us).  We're going to begin mailing out a survey with each item sold and
when they fill it out they will be entered to win Jaguar hardware/software,
hopefully this will help to give us more information on what the novice/beginner
wants.  I'll keep you all posted.

Thank you,

Brian Cook
jag@...

Jaguar fans, now is the time to get your pre-orders in for each of the
upcoming Jaguar games from Songbird Productions. Songbird needs at least
100 pre-orders for each game to make the overall release feasible, and
we're a long ways from that mark at this point.

Don't forget, pre-ordering by Nov 1st ensures your copy of each game,
plus the possibility of receiving up to $20 in Songbird coupons, early
shipment of the games, a Jaguar lapel pin, and the best prices available
on the new releases.

Songbird thanks each and every fan that has already submitted their
pre-order. Your support is appreciated.

Sincerely,

Carl Forhan
Songbird Productions
http://songbird.atari.org

Dear Atari fans:

This is just a quick reminder that anyone can submit Atari-related news
items to atari@onelist.com. The list moderators will then approve or deny
the post as appropriate.

Note the term "news items" indicates new products available on Atari
platforms, recently unearthed Atari prototypes, significant updates to an
Atari "business" or shareware website, links to previews/reviews of
upcoming Atari-related games, and so on.

Items that will not usually be approved (primarily to keep the volume of
posts down to a reasonable level as AtariNews is currently) are updates to
fan web sites, personal trade/sale lists, etc.

Any questions, just ask. We want AtariNews to provide you with coverage
for all newsworthy Atari-related topics.

Sincerely,

The Moderators

Jaguar fans, don't delay! Now is the time to pre-order the four upcoming
Jaguar games brought to you by Songbird Productions. Thanks to all the
fans who have already mailed in their pre-orders; Songbird appreciates
your business.

The following games will be published by Songbird Productions in the 1999
and 2000 timeframe:

                               Pre-order   Retail
Title             Date        Price       Price
-------------------------------------------------
Skyhammer         12/20/99    $69.95      $79.95
Soccer Kid        02/07/99    $69.95      $74.95
Hyper Force       03/20/99    $69.95      $74.95
Protector         05/08/99    $69.95      $74.95

Information on all the above games can be found on the Songbird web site
at http://songbird.atari.org. Release dates subject to change without
prior notice.

Due to an increase in component cost and the overall uncertainty of
producing and selling a large quantity of cartridges, Songbird is raising
the retail price on all upcoming Jaguar games after the pre-order period
expires (Oct 31st). This is all the more reason to place your pre-order
now and get these new games at the best possible price.

Please note that any customer who pre-orders the games and postmarks his
pre-order by November 1st is guaranteed to receive all pre-ordered games
at the special discounted pricing. Any orders received that are postmarked
after November 1st will be at the full retail price. Songbird appreciates
the faithful fans who pre-order new games, and guarantees that the pricing
will not change for those who pre-order.

Plus, check out the full press release on http://songbird.atari.org and
see how you can receive up to $20 in Songbird coupons with your qualifying
pre-order!

Sincerely,

Carl Forhan
Songbird Productions
http://songbird.atari.org

Songbird Productions is excited to announce a pre-order program for the
upcoming Jaguar releases, including a special offer for those who
pre-order most or all of the new games!

The following games will be published by Songbird Productions in the
1999
and 2000 timeframe:

Title                 Date        Price
----------------------------------------
Skyhammer             12/20/99    $69.95
Soccer Kid            02/07/00    $69.95
Hyper Force           03/20/00    $69.95
Protector             05/08/00    $69.95

Information on all the above games can be found on the Songbird web site

at http://songbird.atari.org. Release dates subject to change without
prior notice.

*** PRE-ORDER SPECIAL ***

In order to ensure the correct number of cartridges are built, Songbird
needs your pre-orders now. You can pre-order a game by sending Songbird
Productions a $25 deposit towards each game you would like to purchase.
If you desire multiple copies of each upcoming game, you need to
pre-order
each copy at this time to ensure availability. However, the pre-order
specials only apply when ordering 3 or 4 different games, not multiples
of
the same game.

Pre-order 3 of the above games, and receive a $10 Songbird coupon which
may be applied against any one eligible item from the Songbird catalog.
Pre-order all 4 games, and receive two $10 Songbird coupons _and_ a free

Jaguar lapel pin. Your pre-orders must be postmarked by October 31,
1999,
to qualify for these special offers.

This is a nonrefundable deposit towards the purchase of one or more of
the
above games. You must complete your order (in other words, pay your
remaining balance with shipping, etc.) within 3 months of the
publication
date of each game.

A pre-order FAQ is included below to answer any questions you may have.
The most recent version of this FAQ may be found on
http://songbird.atari.org.

*** HOW TO PRE-ORDER ***

Please print out the regular Songbird order form on
http://songbird.atari.org, and fill in the required information. Note
that
there is no tax or shipping on the pre-orders, although there will be as

applicable when you complete the order for each game in the future. Mark

each game as "PRE-ORDER" on the form, and include $25 per game you wish
to
pre-order.

In the event you cannot print out the order form, send a typed or neatly

printed note to Songbird Productions and clearly indicate which games
you
are pre-ordering. Mail all correspondance to:

Songbird Productions
1774 10th Ave SE
Rochester, MN 55904
USA

*** PRE-ORDER FAQ ***

Q1. What can I use for payment of my pre-orders?

A1. You must use a check or money order drawn from a USA bank (Western
Union, etc.) and in US Dollars. Money orders in US Dollars but drawn
from a foreign bank cannot be accepted, sorry.

-----

Q2. I live outside the USA. Is there a way I can order close to home?

A2. Songbird is negotiating with several foreign video game dealers to
ensure Songbird products will be available elsewhere, especially Europe.

However, Songbird does accept international orders (see Q1 above), and
you must pre-order the games to qualify for the special pre-order offer.

-----

Q3. What if I change my mind? Can I get a refund on my pre-order, or
apply
the money to a different purchase from Songbird?

A3. No. The purpose of the pre-order program is to reward customers by
providing them with several benefits including the $10 Songbird coupons,

and to allow Songbird to accurately acquire all the parts, printed
material, etc. necessary to release the upcoming games.

Therefore, each customer needs to send exactly $25 per game they wish to

pre-order. This is a nonrefundable deposit per game, and cannot be
shifted to other Songbird merchandise at a later time.

-----

Q4. What items are eligible for the $10 Songbird coupons if I pre-order
3
or more games?

A4. All items listed in the Songbird catalog and regularly priced $14.95

or above are eligible, except for the following:

Lynx Serial Cable
Crystal Mines II: Buried Treasure
Skyhammer
Soccer Kid
Hyper Force
Protector

Additionally, Songbird 'featured items' advertised in the newsgroup or
on
the AtariNews mailing list will also be eligible. Featured items are not

normally listed in the Songbird catalog.

Only one coupon may be applied per item. Other items may be deemed
ineligible without prior notice. Send an email query to
songbird@...
if you have questions about a specific product, or check this FAQ at
http://songbird.atari.org for the latest information.

-----

Q5. When will I receive my $10 Songbird coupon(s)? How long do I have to

use them?

A5. You will receive your coupons with the first game you have
pre-ordered. For example, if you pre-order all 4 games, your two $10
Songbird coupons will arrive when Skyhammer ships. The coupons will be
valid for at least three months from the time your first pre-ordered
game ships.

-----

Q6. Why even bother pre-ordering? Can't I just get the game whenever I
want?

A6. Not likely. Pre-ordering a game by October 31, 1999, is the _only_
way to ensure a copy will be reserved for you. Songbird will be
producing
_very_ close to the pre-order levels. It's therefore imperative that
customers pre-order now _every_ upcoming Jaguar game they plan on
purchasing.

Here is a summary of pre-order benefits:

* Guarantees your personal copy of each game.
* Game will ship 1-2 weeks before other orders.
* One or two $10 Songbird coupons, if you pre-order 3 or 4 games,
   respectively.
* A free Jaguar lapel pin if you pre-order all 4 games.

-----

Q7. Can I pay the entire balance for [insert game here] right now?

A7. No. Songbird is trying to estimate accurately the number of
cartridges
that need to be manufactured for all 4 games. It is important that all
games you plan on purchasing are pre-ordered now. You will have an
opportunity to pay your remaining balance as announced by Songbird
closer
to the actual release date of each game.

Your pre-order payment will therefore ensure your copy of the game is
produced and reserved just for you.

-----

Q8. Why are all the games priced at $69.95? Isn't that rather high?

A8. Songbird is attempting to bring new products out to a very small
niche
market. It is imperative that games are priced appropriately to cover
the
high costs of printing and manufacturing associated with the publication

of a new game, particularly if actual sales do not match projected
sales.

Finally, the level of compensation received by Songbird will help
determine the viability of licensing or developing new products for
Atari platforms in the future.

-----

Q9. How can I stay informed on the release dates, payment schedules, new

Songbird products, etc.?

A9. Please join the AtariNews mailing list, featuring Songbird updates
and
the AtariNews: On the Prowl periodic newsletter. Send a blank email to:

atari-subscribe@onelist.com

to join the list.

Also, regularly check the Songbird Productions home page at
http://songbird.atari.org for the latest news and version of this FAQ.

-----

Q10. What about [insert question here]?

A10. Please email Songbird Productions at songbird@... with any
questions or feedback about upcoming products or the pre-order program.
Please be patient, as Songbird is currently experiencing a high volume
of
traffic due to the upcoming Jaguar and Lynx products.

-----

*** END OF PRE-ORDER FAQ ***

Sincerely,

Carl Forhan
Songbird Productions
http://songbird.atari.org

###################################################
      #                                                 #
      #           AtariNews:  On The Prowl              #
      #                  10/01/99                       #
      #                                                 #
      ###################################################

If you want to be removed from this list, send a blank email to
atari-unsubscribe@onelist.com.  Send any questions to atarian@...

                 =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

We're now into October, and the news is getting better.  Battlesphere will
be encrypted, GameFan is reviewing two new Jaguar games, and the remakes of
the Atari classics are still coming.  We have also gotten word that there
is a large Atari show in Germany in November.  Being an American based
newsletter, we have had a hard time finding information on it.  If anyone
can fill us in on it, it would be greatly appreciated.  Please send
information to atarian@....  Thanks, and have a great October.

                 =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

THE COUNTDOWN HAS BEGUN

On September 13, 1999, the countdown until the encryption of Battlesphere
has begun.  4Play has discovered a way to modify eight Jaguars and EPROM
carts.  "This bank of Jaguars is constantly booting a self-modifying binary
and checking if the Jaguar Boot ROM has failed or passed the software
encryption. Once the binary boots, the encryption is successful!"
-Thunderbird's Garage.  The maximum number of days from the start that this
process will take is 125 days, but chances are, it will find the solution
in about half that time.

http://home.sprynet.com/~thunderbird/

                 =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

GAMEFAN ONCE AGAIN REVIEWS JAGUAR GAMES

For the second time after the Jaguar has been out of production, GameFan has
reviewed Jaguar games.  In the November 1999 issue on pages 112-113 GameFan
reviewed/previewed Songbird Productions games Protector and Skyhammer in a
very unbiased fashion.  The two page article also mentioned the Jaguar
developers OMC and 4Play.  Pick up the November issue of GameFan to see this
article.  Carl Forhan encourages anyone who sees this article to send
GameFan a thank you note.  Maybe if they know this article is welcomed, they
will do it more often.

http://www.gamefan.com

                 =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

NEW INFORMATION ABOUT STELLA GETS A NEW BRAIN VERSION 2

In the last issue of AtariNews, we had an report on version 2.0 of Stella
Gets a New Brain, the disc of games for the Starpath Supercharger.
CyberPuNKS has informed us of exactly what is on this disc.  This disc does,
in fact, have every released Supercharger game, as well as one that wasn't
released.  The only game that is not on this version that was on version 1.0
is Polo due to licensing issues.  The Supercharger was designed in the early
80's to load games onto the 2600 from cassettes.  Stella Gets a New Brain
Version 2.0 is available at the CyberPuNKS homepage for $30 plus shipping

http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/1698/cyberpunks/index.html

                 =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

JAGUAR GAMES AT SONGBIRD AND PREORDERING OF THE NEW GAMES

Songbird Productions now carries a limited supply of Jaguar games.  More
games will be added within the next two weeks.  Songbird will also
periodically have a "Featured Game", where you will have a chance to purchase
a great Jaguar game such as Atari Karts, AvP, Defender 2000, or MC3D.  Keep
watching Songbird Productions home page for information about the preorder
plans for the new Jaguar games: Protector, Skyhammer, Soccer Kid, and
Hyper Force.  This information should be available soon.

http://songbird.atari.org

                 =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

THE REVENGE OF THE CLASSICS

Many Atari classics are being remade for today's current systems, most of
which are coming to the Game Boy Color.  Asteroids and Missile Command have
both been recently updated and released to the Game Boy color.  Telegames is
releasing Towers, an RPG related to the Jaguar game Towers II, also for
Game Boy Color.  And although it's not quite Atari related, Activision is
working on a remake of Space Invaders for the PC, Playstation, Nintendo 64,
and Game Boy Color.

                 =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

THE NUON NEWSLETTER

The founder of AtariNews, Brian Gudzevich, has started a second newsletter,
The NUONNEWSletter.  If you are interested in VM Labs technology known as
NUON TECH, then subscribe to this list to get the latest news and the monthly
newsletter.  For more information, visit the newsletters home page, NUONICA.

http://members.aol.com/brionhold/nuonica

                 =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Send any comments or submissions for "AtariNews:  On The Prowl" to:
Brian Gudzevich (Editor) at:  Atarian@...

Due to time constraints of the current owner, Atari Auction
is being placed for sale. The current owner simply does
not have the time available to market and build the site
into the high-traffic, Atari Enthusiast site it can be.

Atari Online Auction at
http://www.atariauction.com/

4 domain names:
atariauction.com,
atariauction.net,
atari-auction.com and
atari-auction.net
are available with site.

Software can be purchased or leased.

For details, send an email to:
atariauctioninfo@...
and you will receive a auto-response
with additional information about
the Atari Auction site.

Welcome to all the new members from the "Jaguar petition" mailing list!

For those who haven't heard or were recently added to the AtariNews list,
Songbird Productions will be publishing four new Jaguar games in 1999 and
2000. The titles are Skyhammer, Soccer Kid, Hyper Force, and Protector.

Please vote for upcoming Jaguar games that you will definitely purchase
at:

http://apps3.vantagenet.com/zpolls/poll.asp?id=981715950

Thanks to everyone who has already voted in this poll! Your support is
appreciated.

Sincerely,

Carl Forhan
Songbird Productions
http://songbird.atari.org

Since alt.games.lynx has picked up on posts a bit recently, I figure this
might be a good time to ask, "Where are all the Lynx fans?"

I understand that there are attractive new portables out there like the
GBC and NGPC. There are also lots of other ways to spend money, on
different necessities and interests.

The reason I pose the question is that Songbird Productions is currently
gearing up for the production of new Atari Jaguar games. Based on a recent
poll, it looks like each new game will be purchased by 100-300 fans. This
is a much stronger level of support than I have received for the new Lynx
games (SFX, Ponx, and Lexis).

Crystal Mines II: Buried Treasure is coming later this fall (hopefully end
of October, perhaps November). Beyond that, Songbird Productions is
evaluating future Lynx projects. I need to know there is serious interest
in new Lynx games to make the process worthwhile. Sales have been decent
but lower than my projections for the games Songbird has published.

Perhaps some Lynx fans are waiting until the holiday season to purchase
some new games. I hope so. And I realize that not everyone will want a
Ponx or a Lexis genre of game. But the only way Songbird can continue to
deliver new titles to Lynx fans is if current titles sell well.

Thanks for reading this article, and feel free to follow-up this post on
alt.games.lynx or email Songbird at songbird@... with your comments
or suggestions.

Sincerely,

Carl Forhan
Songbird Productions
http://songbird.atari.org

Just a quick reminder to Lynx fans that Sokomania and Hyperdrome are now
both available for the Lynx at Songbird Productions, along with many other
new releases and hard-to-find games like Lexis, Desert Strike, and
European Soccer.

Ordering details on the Songbird web pages.

Sincerely,

Carl Forhan
Songbird Productions
http://songbird.atari.org

I had sent information about these products before CGExpo, and many of
you had asked about ordering if you weren't going to be there; well,
here it is:

Stella at 20 video [NTSC only] documentary, Preview page:
http://www.cyberpunks.uni.cc/stellaat20_2.html

Stella Gets a New Brain CD for Supercharger, Preview page:
http://www.cyberpunks.uni.cc/stellagetsbrain2.html

These are $30 apiece, but there are certain discounts when buying both
($10 off for one of each) or buying multiple copies.  For more info, see
the web page below.

Shipping cost starts out at a base of $1.50 plus $1.50 for each unit
(but again, see the web page for potential discounts).  For shipping
outside the US, please email Glenn at cybpunks@....

The order form (which includes scripting to make computing an order's
cost easier) can be found here: http://www.cyberpunks.uni.cc/order.html

------------------------------------------------------------
HOW TO GET TO OUR HOMEPAGE: http://www.cyberpunks.uni.cc

This is our new official URL, which is a redirection (i.e. an alias) to
our actual site on Geocities.

We had been using: http://cyberpunks.atari.org/
but there were problems, as you probably well know.

If you ever have any trouble accessing our homepage, please use the full
URL: http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/1698/cyberpunks/

Postal address:

Cyberpunks Entertainment
PMB 111
2029 Verdugo Blvd.
Montrose, CA  91020-1626

//*================================================================++
||  Russ Perry Jr   2175 S Tonne Dr #105   Arlington Hts IL 60005  ||
||  847-952-9729    slapdash@...    VIDEOGAME COLLECTOR!  ||
++================================================================*//

If you haven't voted yet, please visit:

http://apps3.vantagenet.com/zpolls/poll.asp?id=981715950

and vote for the upcoming Jaguar games you plan on purchasing. These
numbers will be used to gauge how many carts to manufacture, so your input
is important! There is only one question to answer in the survey.

Thanks,

Carl Forhan
Songbird Productions
http://songbird.atari.org

BattleSphere Update: 9/13/1999


Originally posted at thunderbird's Garage
http://home.sprynet.com/~thunderbird/


The clock is ticking!


4Play is proud to announce that it will only be a matter of weeks until we
will have utterly defeated the encryption code for BattleSphere. We are
using a proprietary method which will allow us to encrypt the binary
without using any hardware bypassing techniques.

After carefully considering the options, a software scheme seemed like the
right thing to do. While hardware bypassing is currently an alternative, it
adds significant cost to the manufacturing. Hardware bypass would require
an entirely new circuit board be designed and fabricated. All existing
circuit board stockpiles are relegated worthless by hardware bypass
techniques. Since the market is small for Jaguar games and we don't have
the economy of scale to offset production costs, designing new boards adds
a large cost to the price of a cartridge. However, we are working very
carefully to reduce these unnecessary costs while delivering the polished,
professional product the Jaguar Community deserves. Price has been a
primary concern to many of you, so we determined that a little more work to
insure a reasonable price is worth the effort. Hence, we invented this
ingenious method for software encryption.

Our clever software scheme employs a "brute force" method of cracking
encryption by utilizing a bank of 8 specially modified Jaguar consoles with
a custom patched version of the standard Boot ROM and a few modifications
to the BattleSphere executable itself, which runs in a hardware hacked
EPROM cartridge. The exact details of our technology will be revealed in
the future, as we do not wish to give an advantage to our competition in
the cartridge manufacturing market. Suffice it to say that this bank of
Jaguars is constantly booting a self-modifying binary and checking if the
Jaguar Boot ROM has failed or passed the software encryption. Once the
binary boots, the encryption is successful! Our calculations indicate that
it should take a maximum of 125 days for this process to try ALL the
possible encryption combinations, but the odds are evenly distributed
around 1/2 that amount of time.

Keep your fingers crossed!

###################################################
      #                                                 #
      #           AtariNews:  On The Prowl              #
      #                  09/14/99                       #
      #                                                 #
      ###################################################

If you want to be removed from this list, please send an E-mail to Brian
Gudzevich at Atarian@... with the subject REMOVE FROM ATARINEWS.

		 =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

It's now September, and there's still news from the Classic Gaming Expo
1999 coming in.  The new version of Stella Gets a New Brain is out, there
is a new Lynx game available, and many things Atari are happening on the
web.  In the last issue, we told you Hyperdrome for the Lynx was
available.  Although it's not listed on Telegames website, it is
$39.95 plus shipping at www.telegames.com.  Watch for the November issue
of Gamefan.  Skyhammer and Protector are to have a two page review in that
issue.  Also, we'd like to know what you think of the new AtariNews setup.
Send your comments to atarian@....

		 =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

STELLA GETS ANOTHER NEW BRAIN

Several years back, a group of people released a CD called Stella Gets A
New Brain.  On this disc was almost every game released for the Starpath
Supercharger, a device designed in the early 80's to load games from a
cassette into the Atari 2600.  Sadly, only about 350 of these CD's were
released.  A few weeks back at CGE '99, Cyberpunks Entertainment released
version 2.0 of Stella Gets A New Brain.  This disc has most of the
contents of the original disc, as well as twelve more games, the song
"Atari 2600" by Splitsville, and many new files for use on the PC.  The
cost of this 73 track disc is $30 + $3 S&H US. and it can be purchased at
the address below.

http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/1698/cyberpunks/index.html

		 =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

NEW INFORMATION ABOUT THE NEW ATARI 2600 GAMES RELEASED AT CGE '99

Some general information about the two new Atari 2600 games released at
CGE '99 are available on the Ebivision home page.  Merlin's Walls is the
first real time 3D game available for the 2600.  You have to find your
way out of the 3D maze before the timer runs out.  The other game is
Pesco.  This is a Pac-man clone, where you are a fish, eating plankton
while trying to avoid three crabs.  Information about these games as well
as Alfred's challenge can be found at:

http://www.ebivision.com

		 =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

SOKOMANIA IS AVAILABLE NOW!

Sokomania is now available for the Atari Lynx.  The idea of this strategy
puzzle game is to push boxes to their destination in a warehouse.  This
game was developed by MW Software and will be available for purchase from
Songbird Productions on September 15th for $39.95.

http://songbird.atari.org

		 =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

THE ALL ATARI AUCTION

Are you a frequent user of eBay, or another auction service to find your
Atari Products?  Now there's a new site you may be interested in, called
Atari Auction.  Here you will find nothing but Atari stuff up for auction.
If you have Atari products you'd like to sell, you can also auction them
here, and be sure they are seen by other Atari users.

http://www.atariauction.com/

		 =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

WHAT'S HAPPENING WITH ATARI.ORG?

Atari.org is still currently having network problems.  All subdomains
are now back up and running, as is email.  But hosted sites are still not
back up, and nether is Pop3 email access.  Their server, made out of all
second hand parts, was hit with a power surge during several power
outages, and was fried.  They are still working to revive the backups, and
are looking into other alternatives to get the system back online.  If you
would like to find out more, or even better, try to help out in any way,
then go to:

http://www.atari.org

		 =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Send any comments or submissions for "AtariNews:  On The Prowl" to:
Brian Gudzevich (Editor) at:  Atarian@...

The Songbird Productions catalog has been updated with a variety of new
items, from Desert Strike to Sokomania to Hyperdrome. Be sure to check it
out at http://songbird.atari.org, and place your order today.

PLUS:

The "September Sizzle" promotion -- buy any single Lynx game for $39.95
(Ponx, Lexis, etc.), and buy SFX for only $27.95 more or Joust for only
$7.95 more. Mention "September Sizzle" on your order form, and postmark
the order by September 30th. Email first to confirm availability.

Look for *Jaguar* items such as Aliens vs. Predator, Fight For Life,
Attack of the Mutant Penguins, and more to be added soon!

Carl Forhan
Songbird Productions
http://songbird.atari.org

Please stop by the following poll, and vote once for the new Jaguar games
you plan on purchasing. Note that you can vote for several games at one
time.

http://apps3.vantagenet.com/zpolls/poll.asp?id=981715950

Thanks,

Carl Forhan
Songbird Productions
http://songbird.atari.org [temporarily broken]
http://songbird.uni.cc

SONGBIRD ANNOUNCES SKYHAMMER FOR THE ATARI JAGUAR

August 30, 1999

For immediate release:

ROCHESTER, MN -- Songbird Productions is pleased to announce that
Skyhammer will be published for the Atari Jaguar platform in time for
Christmas.

Skyhammer is the phenomonal full 3D action shooter for the Atari Jaguar.
The game was developed by reknowned Jaguar and PC developer Rebellion
several years ago, but shelved around the time the Jaguar ceased to be a
mainstream platform. Skyhammer combines the fast-action gameplay of a
first-person shooter with a nonlinear element which allows the player to
freely roam an immense, 3D city in search of enemies, equipment, mission
objectives, and more. Not only that, but two play modes are included in
the game: Mission and Battle.

In the Mission play mode, the player is given direct objectives to meet,
through which the player is awarded credits for the purpose of rearming
and upgrading their Skyhammer attack craft. In the Battle play mode, the
player must defend the city from wave after wave of invaders while
carefully managing limited resources.

The primary obstacle to new Jaguar games for the last year or more has
been encryption. Every Jaguar game must be encrypted in order to function
properly on the system, and the encryption ends up being different for
each game. Songbird Productions has teamed up with Jaguar hobbyist Scott
Walters, who has devised a method of bypassing encryption, to publish new
games for the Jaguar. Scott is understandably excited about his invention,
and the opportunity to work with Songbird Productions on the upcoming
releases.

Carl Forhan, owner of Songbird Productions, is enthusiastic about
supporting Atari platforms. He commented, "Skyhammer is a great game, and
I know Jaguar fans will be thrilled to finally be able to purchase this
game. Now is the time for Jaguar and Lynx fans to mobilize. Songbird
Productions has numerous new Lynx and Jaguar games either already
available or coming in the next six months. Songbird needs your help
getting the word out on email lists, web pages, game magazines, Atari user
groups, and more.

"This is a critical time, because Songbird needs to see that there is
value in publishing new games for these Atari platforms both now and in
the future. I want the fans to enjoy these 'lost games', all of which are
fully licensed from the original developers."

Skyhammer is expected to be released December 6, 1999. Other games will
follow in the coming months.

To keep up to date with the latest news at Songbird Productions, be sure
to visit the company web site at http://songbird.uni.cc, or send an email
to forhan@....

Copyright 1999 Songbird Productions. All rights reserved. This article may
be reprinted in its entirety. Skyhammer is copyright and trademark
Rebellion. All rights reserved.