Creativision FAQ v0.0 Actually, all of this information is on Adrew Davie's Creativision site so he and his contributors deserve all of the credit. Many of you may think it weird to make a text version of an html page since it's usually done the other way around. Well, why not. Hopefully this will get even more response for Andrew's site or whatever. Hopefully I'll be able to add some new stuff to this and derseve to be called the FAQ author. So I despirately need feedback/ input, whatever you have. Send it to eeville@dreamscape.com. Thank you. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Creativision AKA The Dick Smith Wizzard Vital Statistics Manufactured in Hong Kong by Video Technology and marketed in Australia by Dick Smith Electronics as the Dick Smith Wizzard. It was a video game with two joypads which could be put in the console to get a 48-keys keyboard! It was the same keyboard type as used for the ZX81 but the quality was even worse. Cassette recorder and disk drive could be connected directly to the CreatiVision. The picture shows the cassette unit docked. Release year 1981 CPU Clock speed 6502A 2 MHz ROM 2 KByte RAM expandable to 16K dynamic (+1K static) 64K Display TV Text display 24*28 Graphics display 256*192 16 colours Colours 16 colours Sound 3 channels It's a true home computer, as the BASIC cartridge allowed users to write their own programs. Examination of some of the programs on the tape indicate it had a user-definable character set. The BASIC seems dreadfully dreadfully slow. The keyboard is ... pathetic. No... REALLY pathetic. Hardware or Vapourware? A recent find (the box to the Cassette unit) has some interesting information about additional hardware. Note that the memory expansion module and the I/O interface attach in the same manner as the cassette. Thus leading to a recent comment from an owner that he wished he had a power machine but he couldn't find a desk 9 feet wide to put it on! The Dick Smith Wizzard Memory Expansion Module 'Plug-compatible' unit command your computer to perform more program statement functions and give you instant access of 16K up to 64K bytes of additional stored data, depending on your needs. The Dick Smith Wizzard Floppy Disc Drive The Dick Smith Wizzard Floppy Disc Drive unit offers pages of typed data stored on each magnetic disc, ready for instant access. The Dick Smith Wizzard Graphic Printer With character text reproduction and graphic capabilities, it can give you crisp, clean copies of anything you store or create with your The Dick Smith Wizzard Personal Computer. The Dick Smith Wizzard Moving-Key Keyboard A comprehensive keyboard for program input. Full-size moving-key at normal typewriter pitch give you tactile feedback. Blurb from the Box The DICK SMITH WIZZARD home entertainment and personal computing system is a computer-based system that brings creative games, entertainment, education, and personal information processing into your family. When used as a HOME ENTERTAINMENT SYSTEM / TV GAME Supplied with the main unit is a game program used for game playing purpose. Game programs of different interests are being developed which provide choices for optional purchase now and in the future. When operated as a PERSONAL COMPUTING SYSTEM / HOME COMPUTER One important feature of this unit is its capability to expand to a personal computer simply by insertion of the 'BASIC ROM PROGRAM' (To be supplied as optional extra); no other accessories are necessary. Already built-in the main unit are: 16K bytes of dynamic random access memory, 1K bytes of static random access memory and, a 48 key alpha/numeric electronic keyboard; these will be adequate for data processing. Further expandability will be made possible by the following optional extra-purchase - 'CASSETTE INTERFACE' for massive program storage. 'MEMORY MODULE' for more memory capacity. Resurrection The first thing I tried is simply plugging it all in and seeing if I could find anything on my TV. I found a black screen output in the low band. Switching the unit on/off showed a brief Creativision logo in the middle of the screen. No other function, even when inserting the Basic cartridge. I disassembled the Basic cartridge, noting the post production rewiring inside (!) and cleaned the contacts with some alcohol. I also added a dab of alcohol into the machine's cartridge connector and cycled the insertion/removal of a cartridge. Switch on... it works! Going for broke, I make a wild stab in the dark and type CLOAD. The tape player starts up, and I can see a program loading up, displayed line by line as each line is entered! Eureka!! This was a lot of fun; this tape probably hasn't been loaded for 10 years. Users Viewpoint "I sold mine decades ago to someone who got severely ripped off, because the keyboard didn't work. It came with two joystick controllers which fitted together as a keyboard, and they broke, so I bought a separate add-on keyboard with rubber keys, which broke too. It was a good computer in its day, better than the Vic 20. It had 17kb RAM, 16 colours, 16 joystick positions, and it took both cartridges and tapes. The cartridges were much better, because the tapes had to run under BASIC. BASIC itself came on a cartridge and was optional, I think it cost $69 whereas regular "game" cartridges were $49. The only cartridge that came with the machine was a version of Space Invaders (I forget what it was called). There were also versions (aka. rip-offs) of Donkey Kong, Pacman, Dig Dug and others. My parents didn't want me to rot my mind, so they board me a "Music Maker" cartridge which enabled you to compose four-part tunes using cello, violin, piano and oboe or something. Except that all of the instruments sounded the same. Also you couldn't save your compositions. You could see the musicians playing and there was a musical score up the top. The most fun I had with this cartridge was causing it to crash, which you could do by holding down a few keys at once. This caused it to make some really fun sounds and images. I had a lot of fun with the Dick Smith Wizzard." - Jeremy Malcolm Software Currently not much is known about the software available for this machine. The screen shots below link to larger images. The following cartridges are known: Software List CARTRIDGE SOFTWARE key: CBOM - followed by # = units I have C = cartridge / hardware B = box O = overlay(s) M = manual Y = I have it N or blank = I want it Listed items here reported in the hands of collectors Vapourware items identified as [item] Dick Smith Electronics (Australia) C B O M cat # year title also available as Y4 Y Y-1600 Creativision cat# from carton Dick Smith Wizzard (main console) Y2 Keyboard Y2? Y-1605 BASIC a) CREATIVISION BASIC Y4 " b) BASIC 1.0 Y3 Y1 Y-1607 Cassette Interface cat # from carton Y Y-1610 Tank Attack Y Y-1612 Locomotive VTL ? Y-1615 Chopper Rescue Y Y2 N Y-1620 Tennis Y2 N Y2 N Y-1622 1981 Police Jump Y Y-1630 Auto Chase Y Y-1640 Crazy Chicky Y Y-1650 1981 Planet Defender VTL ? Y2 N Y2 Y Y-1660 1981 Air/Sea Attack VTL 097856 Y-1680 Mouse Puzzle VTL 063392 Y Y Y2N Y-1685 Astro Pinball Y3Y Y3Y2 ? Sonic Invader VTL 101150 VTL (Hong Kong) 1981 Locomotive Funvision The Funvision was a compatible machine, apparently. Funvision cartridges are slightly larger than the opening in the cartridge slot. The panel on the right of the machine must be removed to play these games (!!) An early form of protection-chip ;) Y Planet Defender Tennis Unknown Origin Deep Sea Adventure Music Maker Parachute Soccer Sonic Fighter CASSETTE SOFTWARE Y Demo Tape Y Statistics I ? Musical Demonstration - "El Bimbo" - Wheels - Sail Along Silvery Moom - Take Five Many thanks to Terry Rutt, Russ Perry Jr., and Rikard Ljungkvist for their additions to the list of software! Last update: 14 June
