MOUSE RAP

At last people have stopped taking the mickey out of mice! Peter Shaw tells the tale of the mouse that AMS built.

FAX BOX
Package: AMX Mouse
Publisher: Advanced Memory Systems
Price: £79.95

Two years ago, had anyone asked you what a mouse was, you'd have immediately thought of a cute white hairy thing that answers to the name of Fred. Now, of course, with software trends having moved in the direction of icons and pull-down menus, a mouse is an essential tool it you want these icon-driven systems to work property. And now that programs like this have just started appearing on the Spectrum. It's not surprising that the mouse was right behind.

SQUEAK SPEAK

So, what is a mouse? Quite simply it's an inverted trackerball with a button or buttons on the top. It's designed to sit on the desk alongside your computer and movement of the mouse will alter the position of the cursor on-screen. Once you've got used to using a mouse you'll wonder how you ever did without one.

MOUSING AROUND

The AMX mouse comes with a copy of AMX Art, a useful graphics package, a comprehensive instruction manual and a Spectrum mouse interface - you need this so it can talk to your Speccy. The speed of the mouse is dependent on the package it's working with. I had no problems with any of the programs currently available - the mouse kept up with whatever I threw at it. But remember, you do need a WIMP to get the most from a mouse - that's right, a Window Icon Mouse Program. And although there aren't that many at the moment, you can reckon on a whole flood following up the success of the pioneers like OCP, AMS and Softechnics.

When it comes down to accuracy the AMX mouse is superb. It can cope with high-speed drawing and pixel-point accuracy. The real power of the mouse is control. Unlike a joystick which uses a simple switch system that tells it to go left or right, the mouse can finely control how far you want the cursor to go left or right. Not much good for Space Invaders maybe but with art packages like Art Studio this sort of control makes all the difference between producing a scribble and a Van Gogh masterpiece.

TAKE ART

AMX Art is a good enough package in itself but it is really only a demonstration of what the mouse can do. It sports various tools including Eraser, Pencil, Paintbrush, Spray Can, Palette, Box and Circle Mode and has a number of pull-down menus that make using it simple. But if you really want to see how the AMX mouse can shine, a copy of the Art Studio from Rainbird is a must. (If you have microdrives then it's definitely worth splashing out the extra on the Extended version.) And if you already have a copy of the Art Studio an AMX mouse is a must - they were made for each other!

FROM THE TOP

When in use with AMX Art the three buttons on the top each have a different function - Execute, Move and Cancel. In Art Studio, however, each button does the same thing - Select.