Star Tech Journal

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,
"VENTURE"
Ex I DY PROGRAM
1
The first "Venture" games manufactured by
Exidy contained a "Version 1" program.
Later games, now being shipped, have a
CHANGE
"Version 4" program.
The new program speeds up selected areas of game play. Also,
beginning play is uneffected but the later stages are now more
difficult.
To identify which program is in your game, turn on the unit and
after 5-6 seconds (audio self-test) a message will appear; "Please
Stand By - Version 4", or in the case of version 1, random characters
will appear. The game will then proceed into the attract mode.
To identify the memory version while inspecting the logic board,
the proms will have this identification;
VEL 6A-1
The "VE" stands for Venture, the "L" for logic prom, "6A" is the
location, and "-1" is the version level.
The memory change kit consists of 8 logic proms and 5 audio
proms. Contact your Exidy distributor for exchange of the Version 1
set for the new Version 4 set.
Gremlin has just released their
new X-Y color game, "Space Fury."
From early income reports, this
CABINET
NOTES appears to be their best game to
by Todd Erickson
' - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ~ date.
This game is housed in their new cabinet. Earlier games were
difficult to service, so a bit of thought was given to service. The
front panel that houses the coin rejectors drops down with the
lower edge hinged. The control panel then unsnaps and two pins
will remove it. This leaves the complete mid-front open. The
electronics are mounted on a drawer with 2 bolts holding it in
place. The glass for the screen can be removed with the control
panel open. The lower panel is the coin area.
All this sounds very nice, but there are a few new problems. Starting
from the bottom, the front and back of the cabinet are cut off at a
45° angle. This makes it difficult to pick it up from the back. I really
don't care for the cheap wood money door. This game should be a
good money maker, but also would be an easy mark to pry open.
Not all the money goes into the plastic coin jar. Some stays in the
coin area and some spills on the sides of the jar. I was able to pry
open the front door with my hands. This would let others play the
• game free. The Coinco rejector used on the game has too shallow a
ramp, which may cause the coins to jam. When the game is open, I
feel the sides are weak and may be damaged by prying. Cross bar
points would be nice to see on later games produced. I would also
like to add that this is an early game and many of these problems
may be ironed out in the future.
GREMLIN . ::~~~
S•TJ SEPTEMBER 1981 11