Utility Review: Compact Office (ZX Spectrum, Mastertronic)

This review combines the four different utilities which formed the Compact Office range of titles.  Each title was released on four separate cassettes and sold in one package.  All four utilities are programmed in Basic and you are encouraged to change Program should you want to tweak the software.

The inlay covers featured a futuristic C.A.D. face drawn face on the front cover with curved lines, wearing a mask covering the eyes!  Above this face, the title of the utility was written in a diagonal font.  Each of the utilities were aimed at business users who used the computer as a tool and sold 6,199 copies.

In the 1980’s, computers were much more expensive, so to use a Spectrum for 3D worksheets, a database, home accounts and word processing would have no doubt sounded like a bargain.

3D Electronic Worksheet

This loads as Program: TURBOCLC and then called Turbocalc.  Once loaded, you are presented with options:-

1. type in data
2. load data from tape
3. save data to tape
4. make a chart
5. print a chart
6. example
7. end

Type in Data and Make a Chart

To create a chart from scratch, you need to choose option 1 where it asks a series of questions.

Your chart is created by choosing the number of Blocks (1-4), Units (1-15) and giving it a X-AXIS title (displayed above the chart.)

Blocks are labels and the number of units represent the width.  So, if you wanted 12 months data, use JFMAMJJASOND.  You also enter the scale of each block too for proportionality.  After this, press 4 and your chart begins to be drawn in yellow in 3D (almost like gold bars).

Idea for A Chart

So, I thought to myself which chart could I create that’s relevant for this review?  Well, the sales figures for the number of 8-bit Mastertronic releases from 1984 to 1990 of course!  I named the four blocks as Amstrad, C64, MSX and Spectrum and proceeded to enter the sales figures from 1984 to 1990 on each row for those computers.  The source being on our website https://mastertronic.co.uk/mastertronic-best-sellers/

Once the data was in, just press 4 and your chart is drawn in yellow 3D style.

Options 6 and 7

Option 6 (the example) produces a sales chart with 3 blocks by 12 units and that took 1 minute and 3 seconds to draw.

Option 7 resets the computer (the NEW command).

Summary for 3D Electronic Worksheet

Whilst the software does what you’d expect when the information is carefully entered, it does produce a reasonable chart.  The speed of drawing out the chart (depending on the size) can take a while (after all this is the 8-bit era).

Entering data is quite cumbersome and requires your complete attention.  Should you accidentally type a wrong figure, you can’t edit it.  If you type a letter in rather than a number, the software will come up with a variable not found error.  That makes sense but can be frustrating if you’ve entered a lot of data to create the chart for it to say that.

There are a few spelling mistakes, making it look a bit of a rush job (despite the presentation of the chart being very good)

Data Base

This loads as Program: TURBOBAS and then called Turbobase.  Once loaded, you are presented with two options:-

1. create new file
2. load file

When you press 1, a screen will appear stating:

6 field are available per record

Type * to correct & ‘stop’ when you are ready

You can then type in the name of the field(s) that you want and then confirm if they are Good (y/n).  Pressing n goes back so you can re-enter and correct accordingly.

The database can hold a maximum of 199 records where you can input records, see record contents (in other words, view), list per field, change or add records, search on a field, sort into alphabetical order (per field), printed record contents, delete records and obviously save to tape.

Should you get stuck, pressing H takes you menu with the Help  – list of commands.

Usefulness

After entering 10 records into the database, it was very easy to use and make changes.  It’s quick and I can see that this could have been useful, if say you had a small business or was running a club with memberships etc;

Generally the software is fast, but sorting could take a while to process

Summary of Data Base

Having 199 records (no doubt due to memory) and having 6 fields (which you can name yourself), I think, this would have been a worthy purchase for any small businesses or club holding useful data.  Having the basics like names, addresses, phone numbers and membership types could all have been useful at the touch of a few buttons.

The only time the Data Base stopped was if I queried something in a database when no data has been entered.  For example, creating a file and choosing to see all.

If anything could have improved it, then would have been making use an expanded 128K of memory (by swapping the RAM banks within the programme.)

Overall, a very worthwhile utility.  Even when thinking about it now, it could still be useful to someone out there (should they desire!)

Home Accounts

This loads as Program: TURBOACC and then called Turboaccounts.  Once loaded, you are presented with a menu

Once loaded, a menu appears with 6 options.

In the new payments, screen, you select whether the client is either a debtor or creditor.  Once selected, you then enter the description, amount, month and date due.  You can then confirm if the details are correct.  Viewing upcoming events in the month worked as expected and seemed easy to use.

Unfortunately, though, I did find a couple of bugs which if used in a real-life business wouldn’t have been good news!  Accidentally entering a letter when the computer expects a number, would result in a 2 variable not found error or even C Nonsense in Basic.  Also, in some number fields, if you typed a letter, for some reason a large number would show instead.

Pressing 6 was quite amusing with the screen showing closed followed by a STOP statement.

Summary of Home Accounts

The opening screen looks professional and for a small business, no doubt could have proved useful.  It is let down in that with a couple of typos, it can stop or enter odd figures.  A shame as if you’d used it for real-life purposes, it could have proved pretty erroneous and nobody likes to be paid late, told incorrect amounts or they owe money when they don’t!

Obviously, if you did manage to avoid those bugs successfully, this would have been useful.  Overall reasonable (but would suggest keeping backups in case of any bugs.)

Word Processor

This loads as Program: TURBOTXT and then called Turbotext.  Now, prepare as this is more about bugs rather than anything else.

Once loaded, it doesn’t clear the screen.  In 48K mode, it leaves the Program: TURBOTEX at the top and if you use the Tape Loader menu on the 128K Spectrum, it also leaves the colours and message cancel – press BREAK twice message at the bottom of the screen!  Hmm, not a great start, but my recommendation is load it in 48K mode so at least it just has the top part on screen.

The inlay command explains that using the Symbol Shift key with achieves program functions:

• SPACE to perform a tab
• Q moves to the beginning of text
• E moves to the end of text
• A “new” text, deletes all previous text
• F loads previously saved text
• S save text
• W print text

Using EDIT (CAPS SHIFT/1) sets the line length and ten-tab stops.

List of Bugs and Annoyances

If you type a message on a line and then change the tab lengths, you can’t get across to remove the text.  If you have typed a line and need to move it back a few spaces, the line of text won’t move and you have to re-type it a space (or more to the left).

I’ve seen the program stop when you accidentally press the Break key , B Integer out of Range appear and text going of the screen and pressing delete when off the screen stop the program too.  This I believe is because of the tabs being set for each line but anyway, it sure as hell is confusing!

The cursor keys do move around ok, should you wish to move around the screen but that really seems to be the only okay bit.  If like me, just trying to type a couple of sentences was a huge effort, before bugging out.

Summary of Word Processor

Well, I thought having a word processor would be somewhat useful.  Naturally, I knew it wouldn’t have spell checking or anything like that.

The cursor keys worked ok to move the cursor but if you made a spelling mistake, the underscore character is clear so you know where your cursor is (although it can go off screen).  However, if you press the delete key, the line of text to the right doesn’t move the row back one character, meaning you have to re-type that whole line again.

Pressing new seemed too easy and a few times, I cleared and lost my text with no, are you sure prompt appearing.

Honestly, this Word Processor software is terrible and one to avoid.

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