Since bursting upon the Apple IIGS scene in 1992, the French programming team Brutal Deluxe has thrilled the IIGS community with one smash-hit freeware game after another. In the past 3 years, Brutal Deluxe has delighted, excited, and enchanted the Apple IIGS community with such wonderful instant-classics as The Tinies, Cogito, Blockade, Opale Demo and The Tinies Construction Kit.

Not content to rest on their laurels, Brutal Deluxe, in association with Shareware Solutions II, is pleased to announce the release of their very first commercial software product for the Apple IIGS: Convert 3200.

Under development for 2+ years, Convert 3200 was initially used by Brutal Deluxe as their in-house graphics conversion utility to help port graphics to all of their freeware games. Updated, optimized and now sporting a user-friendly and fun-to-use interface that is similar to that found in Brutal Deluxe's games, Convert 3200 is a simple to use program that contains amusing Easter Eggs and sophisticated machine language algorithms that makes it the fastest graphics conversion program ever released for the Apple IIGS.

Convert 3200 is such a speed demon that it takes just 15 seconds or less to convert any of the supported graphic file formats to a IIGS Super Hi Res graphic format in 16, 256 or 3200 color mode.

Convert 3200 can convert graphics from one format to another, with no regard to whether the original graphic was created on an Apple IIGS, a Mac or an IBM PC. It works with such common Apple IIGS graphic formats as Apple Preferred Format and PaintWorks Gold format, as well as the less common DYA 3200, PackBytes, French Formats (such as APP and NRL) and the Unpacked Screen Format. The true beauty of Convert 3200 is that it also works with foreign format graphics, such as Windows-OS/2 BMP, Compuserve GIF, Amiga .IFF/ PC .LBM, Paintbrush PCX, Binary PC and several varieties of TIFF files. Convert 3200 even has the unique ability to save graphic files in the following formats: Apple Preferred, Windows BMP, Paintbrush PCX, TIFF, Binary PC and Print Shop GS.

Convert 3200 is very flexible and easy to use. There is only one convert button and no complicated options; however, Convert 3200 allows you to select your 320 * 200 area as you want, and it provides power users with the ability to modify RGB tones, remove some colors and it even comes with an automated script conversion mode. Best of all, its "convert all" option allows you to convert dozens of graphics at once, in an unattended mode.

Convert 3200 is currently available from Shareware Solutions II for the low price of $15, which includes postage to anywhere in the world. The complete Merlin 16+ source code is also available to owners of Convert 3200 for an additional $5.

Convert 3200 is professional quality software that costs less than many shareware programs. It is not copy protected, and it is hard drive installable. In an effort to keep the pricing as low as possible, a complete and extensive documentation manual is supplied as a file on the disk.

Despite its low cost, technical support is provided directly by Brutal Deluxe and it is available 24 hours a day via Internet e-mail. Plus, if any updates are released, they will be available free of charge to all Convert 3200 owners.

Convert 3200 requires a IIGS with at least 2 megabytes of RAM memory; 4 megabytes of memory is recommended to convert large 1280 * 800 graphics. Convert 3200 has been tested on Apple IIGS ROM 01 and ROM 03 versions, and it requires System 6.0.1. Although not required, a hard disk drive and an accelerator card is recommended.

To purchase Convert 3200, send checks or money orders, in US Funds only, in the amount of $15, to:

      Joe Kohn
      Shareware Solutions II
      166 Alpine St
      San Rafael, CA 94901-1008
      USA