MONTHLY POSTING: Template for full reviews (optional)
comp.sys.amiga.reviews moderator
Template For Full Reviews
(Optional but recommended)
Last modified: 11 Mar 1996
Do you need help organizing or writing a full review? Then you are
welcome to use this "template" file as a guide. It contains common subject
headings, common questions you can answer, and other information. Just
"fill in the blanks" to write your review.
Before you use this Template, make sure you have the most recent
version! If it is more than 2 months old, ftp to math.uh.edu and look in the
directory /pub/Amiga/comp.sys.amiga.reviews/doc, or send mail to
amiga-revie...@math.uh.edu and ask for the most recent version.
[Note: Please see the article "Introduction to comp.sys.amiga.reviews" for
full information about writing a review. A "full review" is not the only
kind of review you can write. The "Introduction" article is posted in
comp.sys.amiga.reviews on the first day of every month.]
You are NOT REQUIRED to use this template; however, I recommend that
you read it anyway. It might give you some ideas for what to write, or
remind you of something you have forgotten.
The template consists of headings (in ALL CAPITAL LETTERS)
and comments <<inside brackets like this>>. To use the template,
simply delete the comments and replace them with your review information.
Do not delete the headings; leave them in your finished review.
You do not have to use every heading, but try to use all of them
that apply to your product. Also, you may certainly add your own headings.
When your review is finished, mail it to
If you have any suggestions or corrections for this template, send them
to amiga-...@math.uh.edu.
------------8<----------------- cut here ----------------8<------------------
PRODUCT NAME
<<The name of the product, and the version number.>>
BRIEF DESCRIPTION
<<1 or 2 sentences describing what kind of product this is.>>
<<Please do not quote from the manual here. Use your own words.
Manuals often contain hype about what a product does.>>
AUTHOR/COMPANY INFORMATION
<<This is contact information for the PRODUCT VENDOR.>>
<<LEAVE ALL HEADINGS ("Name:" etc.) in place - do not delete them.
Also, please do not change the spacing and tabbing here.>>
Name: ...
Address: ...
Telephone: ...
FAX: ...
E-mail: ...
World Wide Web: ...
<<If the telephone number is an "800" toll-free number, and you
live in the USA or Canada, please call it and ask for a
non-800 number for our international friends to use.>>
LIST PRICE
<<The list price of the product. Remember to say what currency
units you are using (US dollars, Canadian dollars, francs, ...).>>
<<Optionally, you may also include the price you paid,
but do not advertise for any particular store!>>
DEMO VERSION
<<Is a demo version of this product available? Explain where it can
be obtained. For example, if it's on an FTP site, list the name of
the machine, the directory name, and the filename.>>
<<Is the demo version crippled in some way? Explain how. Some
examples: Saving is disabled; data files are limited to 100K;
program exits after 60 minutes of use.>>
<<If there is no demo version, write "None.">>
SPECIAL HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE REQUIREMENTS
<<Does your Amiga require any special hardware or software before
you can use the product?>>
<<Keep your comments brief so they are easy for the reader to scan
quickly. (But go into detail if it is necessary! Don't sacrifice
accuracy.) For example, instead of writing:
The Whizbang Amiga Gadget requires at least 2 megabytes of
Fast RAM, and if you contact the manufacturer, they
recommend more.
use the simpler:
2 MB RAM required. More is recommended by the manufacturer.
I recommend putting the required item FIRST in the sentence.>>
HARDWARE
<<If there are no special hardware requirements, write
NONE.>>
<<How much RAM is needed?>>
<<Does it require a hard drive? If so, how much space is
needed?>>
<<Does it work with a CPU faster than a 68000?>>
<<Does it REQUIRE a CPU faster than a 68000?
Is a faster processor recommended by the manufacturer?>>
SOFTWARE
<<If there are no special software requirements, write
NONE.>>
<<What minimum version of the operating system is required?
Please use the word "AmigaDOS" to refer to the operating
system -- not "Amiga OS", not "KS/WB", etc.>>
<<Does it work correctly under the latest version of the
operating system? If not, what is wrong?>>
COPY PROTECTION
<<A description of the copy protection mechanism. Please use
the terms:
None
Disk-based (the disk itself cannot be copied with DiskCopy)
Key disk (the disk can be copied with DiskCopy, but the
original disk must be inserted to let the program run)
Look up a word in the manual
Dongle (hardware device attached to an Amiga port)
Other (what kind?) >>
<<Does the program install on a hard drive?>>
<<Does it require you to boot on the original disk?>>
<<Does it save data onto the copy protected disk? (Some games will
save their high score tables, etc., directly onto the copy protected
disk. Some people think this bad.)>>
<<In addition, please rate the copy protection mechanism according
to the following scale:
Invisible You don't notice it at all
Acceptable You notice it, but it is not too bad
Annoying Very noticable and annoying
Terrible Harmful to your disk drive hardware,
extremely inconvenient, etc.>>
<<If the product is a hardware device, please don't make a joke
that the device itself is a dongle. Almost every hardware review
I receive contains this same joke, so it's very old.... If copy
protection doesn't apply, either write "None" or omit this
heading.>>
MACHINE USED FOR TESTING
<<What model(s) of Amiga did you use while testing the product?>>
<<How much Chip RAM and Fast RAM?>>
<<What versions of Kickstart and Workbench?>>
<<Any other special, relevant hardware and software?>>
<<I suggest that you list your machine's features, one per line,
rather than in paragraph form, unless you have something special
to explain. Here is an example:
Amiga 3000/25, 4 MB Fast RAM, 2 MB Chip RAM.
2 internal 880K floppies.
Maxtor 550 MB internal hard drive.
Archive Viper 250 MB tape drive (external).
NEC 3D multisync monitor.
AmigaDOS 2.1.
WShell 2.0 replacing the Amiga shell.
>>
<<NOTE!! If you are using an unreleased version of Kickstart or
Workbench, you must be a registered developer and say so in your
review, or else I may reject the review. My reason is that
unreleased Kickstart/Workbench versions have bugs and quirks that
the release versions do not. Therefore, any bugs that you report in
your product review might be caused by Kickstart/Workbench bugs, and
your review may be misleading.>>
INSTALLATION
<<How is the product installed on an Amiga (if at all)?>>
<<How easy or hard is the process?>>
<<If software, does it use the Commodore Installer program?>>
REVIEW
<<Your review goes here!>>
<<This is the longest part of the article.>>
<<If your review is very long, you might want to break it into
several parts, each with its own heading. In this case, forget the
"REVIEW" heading, and make your new headings just like all the
others -- in CAPITAL LETTERS and at the left margin.>>
DOCUMENTATION
<<Does it come with documentation? Printed, or on disk?>>
<<How is the quality of the documentation? Does it tell you
everything you NEED to know? Everything you WANT to know?>>
<<Is the documentation written for beginners? Experts?>>
LIKES
<<What about the product do you like? Why?>>
DISLIKES AND SUGGESTIONS
<<What about the product do you dislike? Why?>>
<<Do you have any suggestions to improve the product?>>
COMPARISON TO OTHER SIMILAR PRODUCTS
<<Have you used other products that are similar to this one?
If so, how would you compare them?>>
<<NOTE: your review should be mostly independent of other products.
Don't just say "it works like WordMaster" because the reader might
not know what WordMaster is.>>
BUGS
<<Did you find any bugs? What were they? Did you discuss them with
the author/company? Are patches or workarounds available?>>
VENDOR SUPPORT
<<If you have contacted the vendor for support, please describe your
experiences.>>
<<If you are associated with the vendor IN ANY WAY except as a
customer, please describe your association.>>
WARRANTY
<<How long does the product warranty last, if there is a warranty,
and what is covered?>>
<<Does the warranty apply only to the original purchaser?>>
<<Do not make any guesses in this section, like: "I am sure that
the manufacturer would cover blah blah blah...." Report only the
facts.>>
CONCLUSIONS
<<Is the product good? Bad? Fair?>>
<<Maybe you want to give the product a rating, like "3 stars out
of 5.">>
<<What are your final impressions?>>
COPYRIGHT NOTICE
<<You are welcome, but not required, to label your review as
copyrighted, freely distributable, or public domain. If you
copyright it, use the exact phrase:
Copyright 199_ <<your name here>>.
<<You do not need to write "All rights reserved" any more.>>
<<Remember... by submitting a review, you are AUTOMATICALLY giving
permission for your review to be posted on USENET, archived on
our ftp site, and distributed in several other ways. See the
monthly posting "Introduction to comp.sys.amiga.reviews" for
the exact details.>>
<<Please make sure to include your FULL NAME here, so you get
proper credit as the author of the review.>>
------------8<----------------- cut here ----------------8<------------------
Good luck!!
---
Dan Barrett, Moderator, comp.sys.amiga.reviews
Send reviews to: amiga-review...@math.uh.edu
Request information: amiga-revie...@math.uh.edu
Moderator mail: amiga-...@math.uh.edu
Anonymous ftp site: math.uh.edu, in /pub/Amiga/comp.sys.amiga.reviews
Web site: http://math.uh.edu/~barrett/reviews.html