Zappo CD-Rom -
Gasteiner CD1200 -
Tandem Controller -
CBM CD1200
The Zappo CD-ROM drive is compatible with most CD32 games and also leaves the A1200 trapdoor slot free to add RAM expansions.
Exclusively reviewed in Issue 62 of Amiga Format, Indi's Zappo CD-ROM drive is selling like hot cakes. So much so, that it's probably done more to kick-start the Amiga CD-ROM market than any other product. Developed by French hardware wizards Archos Developments (the team behind the OverDrive PCMCIA hard drive), the Zappo CD-ROM provides A1200 owners with a double speed, multisession CD-ROM drive capable of running most CD32 games.
What attracted many A1200 owners to the Zappo CD-ROM drive (apart from its CD32 compatibility) was the fact that, unlike Commodore's planned CD1200 drive, the Zappo drive doesn't occupy the A1200's trapdoor slot (effectively making it impossible to add additional 32-bit Fast RAM and maths co-processors to the machine). Instead, the Zappo drive connects to the A1200's PCMCIA port leaving the trapdoor free to add further expansion via the trapdoor slot.
All of the software required to get the Zappo drive up and running is provided with the unit. Archos include software which emulates the CD32's Akiko chip and a dedicated device driver for accessing CD-ROM discs from the Workbench. Also included are both PhotoCD and CD audio utilities. Although still not 100 per cent compatible with all CD32 games, the Zappo CD-ROM drive is still just about the best dedicated Amiga CD-ROM drive currently available.
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FEATURES €€€€€ The Zappo's impressive specifications cover every CD-ROM requirement
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For £65 you get the Gasteiner PCMCIA interface. A drive plus interface costs about £270
Hot on the heels of the Zappo CD-ROM drive, Gasteiner were quick to release their CD1200 controller for the A1200. Unlike the Zappo drive, the CD1200 is simply a PCMCIA CD-ROM interface which is designed to allow any A1200 to connect to an externally-cased Mitsumi LU-005S, FX-001S or FX-001D CD-ROM drive. Until recently, the CD1200 didn't really pose any real threat to the Zappo CD-ROM because it lacked the vital ingredient of CD32 compatibility.
However, BSC, the German developers of the CD1200 interface, have since released a software upgrade for the CD1200 which provides it with full CD32 compatibility. Version 2 of the CD1200 driver software fully emulates the workings of the CD32's Akiko chunky to planar chip allowing games such as Microcosm to work perfectly when used with a suitable double-speed drive (the Mitsumi FX-001D, basically). Gasteiner can provide an externally cased drive for £239.
Although the Gasteiner CD1200 performs perfectly well, it loses marks because of its rather high price. The drive plus interface would set you back almost £270. The build quality of the externally-cased CD-ROM drive also leaves a lot to be desired when compared to the Zappo CD-ROM drive.
The Tandem Controller gives A4000 owners CD32 compatibility, but it isn't a multisession unit.
Tandem's CD+IDE controller is a plug-in card for all big box Amigas (such as the A1500, B2000 and A4000) which provides compatibility with the Mitsumi LU-005 or double-speed Mitsumi FX-001D plus a full blown IDE hard drive interface. Manufactured by BSC, the German company responsible for the Gasteiner CD1200 interface, the Tandem Controller provides a cheap and reliable method of adding a CD-ROM drive to the big box Amigas.
Like the CD1200 controller, BSC now provide a new release of the controller software which gives full CD32 compatibility when the controller is used on an A4000, although owners of the pre-AGA big box Amigas obviously can't take advantage of this feature.
Most A4000 owners wouldn't buy the Tandem interface just to play CD32 games, which is precisely why the Tandem comes complete with all the necessary driver software required to access CD-ROM discs through Amiga applications. If you've upgraded to Workbench 3.1, the Tandem is even fully compatible with Commodore's own CD-ROM filing system.
Surprisingly, the Tandem controller can only handle single-session PhotoCD discs which means that you can't get more pictures added to the original disc. BSC claim to be working on an upgrade to overcome this limitation and, this minor gripe aside, the Tandem controller is a good choice for A4000 owners.
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FEATURES €€€ The lack of support for multisession discs is a major omission
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Thanks to Blittersoft's CD32 emulator software, you can now run CD32 games such as Microcosm on an A4000 equipped with a CD-ROM drive.
Although it's now fairly easy to add a CD-ROM drive to an A4000, it's not possible to run most CD32 games on such a set-up. Straight Amiga ports will run, but it's games like Microcosm and Mega Race that Amiga owners want to get their hands on. Reacting to public pressure, Blittersoft have launched a new software package which claims to provide A4000 owners with full CD32 compatibility.
Installing as a separate device driver, the CD32 emulation software is similar to the emulation firmware built into the Zappo drive, which emulates the workings of the CD32's Akiko chip which is used extensively by the likes of Microcosm. Even games that don't use the Akiko chip may not run on a standard A4000 CD-ROM and so Blittersoft's emulator can help here too. Contact Blittersoft on 01908 220196.
The CD1200 drive should be on sale shortly after the buy-out of Commodore is completed.
Still waiting in the wings is Commodore's much vaunted CD1200 drive which was reviewed way back in issue 59 of Amiga Format. Commodore's recent troubles have held back the CD1200 drive's release but it should be on sale for approximately £230 when the future of the company is finally decided.
The CD1200 is perhaps the only A1200 CD-ROM drive which can claim to be 100 per cent compatible with CD32 software thanks to a real Akiko chip and Kickstart 3.1, both of which are built into the interface unit. Unlike the competition, however, the CD1200 is the only A1200 CD-ROM unit that does not connect to the PCMCIA port.
For reasons known only to the designers, the CD1200's interface unit connects directly to the A1200's trapdoor connector. This means you can't connect a RAM expansion or accelerator to the A1200 when the CD1200 is connected, although the drive does provide a slot for a single 72-pin SIMM module.
"In terms of value and performance, nothing comes close to the Zappo CD-ROM drive."
"If you can live without multisession support, this controller is a good choice"