Introduction
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Virtu is a freeware 128K Apple //e emulator for the Acorn Archimedes with the
following features:

- a 6502 or 65C02 processor
- support for standard or enhanced Apple //e ROMs
- two double-sided 5.25" Disk ][ drives supporting reading and writing of
  DOS order (".DSK") disk images selectable at run-time
- all standard video modes including 40/80 column text, lores, double lores,
  hires and double hires graphics in both color and monochrome
- speaker sound support
- text printer output
- keyboard emulation of joystick/paddles input
- joystick emulation of keyboard input
- an integrated debugger
- saving of screendumps in any video mode
- saving and loading of the complete machine state

Requirements
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Virtu is distributed with a dummy ROM image which provides just enough
functionality to run the Raster Blaster game included. (See usage.) The ROM
image from a standard or enhanced Apple //e is needed to run other software.
The enhanced Apple //e ROM image can be extracted from the latest AppleWin
archive at the following URL:

http://www.apple.asimov.net/site/emulators/applewin/

Note that this is an IBM PC zip archive, so you will need a utility such as
!SparkPlug to open it. Extract the file named "Apple2e.ROM" and rename it to
"Apple2eROM", placing it in the "Data" directory after renaming or deleting the
included dummy ROM image.

If you wish to capture the ROMs from your own Apple //e, see the "Tech" file in
"Docs" for the required format of the ROM file.

Finally, Virtu requires disk image files of Apple ][ software. See the
resources section below for information on where to find or how to capture such
images.

Usage
~~~~~
Double-clicking on the !Virtu icon in the filer window installs Virtu on the
iconbar and opens the options window. In this distribution a default script is
included that runs at startup, loading the Raster Blaster game into memory.
Clicking on the Virtu icon will leave the desktop and run the game. (The dummy
ROM image uses 65C02 opcodes, so leave the processor option set to 65C02.)

To play a game of Raster Blaster press either of the joystick buttons (also
emulated by the Alt keys) during the demo mode. Then press any key on the
keyboard to toggle Easy/Hard, and a joystick button to select it. Similarly,
choose the number of players, and finally adjust the plunger with the joystick
(also emulated by the keypad keys by default). During play, control the
flippers with the joystick buttons.

If the included default script is renamed or deleted, a disk image should be
dragged to the Disk ][ drive 1A field in the options window. Clicking on the
Virtu icon will leave the desktop, initiate the Apple //e power-on sequence,
and boot the disk image. Note this requires that the dummy ROM image be
replaced with an authentic Apple //e ROM image.

Pressing function key <F12> at any time from within Virtu will pause the
emulation and return to the desktop. From the desktop you can change options
in the Options window, save or reload the machine state, or click on the Virtu
icon on the iconbar to resume the emulation.

Virtu remaps important Apple //e keys and their functionality to the following
Acorn Archimedes keys:

<LeftAlt>           <OpenApple> and joystick/paddle button 0
<RightAlt>          <ClosedApple> and joystick/paddle button 1
<Ctrl-F12>          <Ctrl-Reset>
<Ctrl-LeftAlt-F12>  Warm boot
<Ctrl-RightAlt-F12> Self test

Resources
~~~~~~~~~
Check out the "Apple ][ Emulator Resources Guide" in the following FTP
directory:

ftp://rtfm.mit.edu/pub/usenet/news.answers/apple2/emulators-faq/

and the following newsgroups:

comp.emulators.apple2
comp.sys.apple2

Credits
~~~~~~~
Raster Blaster was designed by Bill Budge and published by BudgeCo.
It has since been placed into the public domain as a result of the Genie A2
Roundtable "Lost Classics Project". For more information on this and other
Apple ][ software, see the Treasure Chest Project at the following URL:

http://www.tals.dis.qut.edu.au/staff/willie/

Virtu was designed by Nick Westgate & Sean Fausett.
(c) Copyright 1997 Digital Jellyfish Design Ltd.

Comments or criticisms should be directed to:

email: nico@jellyfish.co.nz
       sean@jellyfish.co.nz

smail: Digital Jellyfish Design Ltd
       PO Box 90964
       Auckland Mail Centre
       Auckland, New Zealand
