By 1988, VTech had purchased a majority share in Central Point Software and formed Laser Computer as a division of the company. It ended Central Point's mail order sales of the 128, only selling through dealers such as Sears. inCider magazine wrote that year that "Laser will never sell as many computers or have as big a distribution network as Apple, but there's no doubt that the 128 [has] won a place in the Apple market, and irritated Apple in the process". VTech subsequently released the Laser 128EX (1987), with a 3.6 MHz CPU, and the $549 Laser 128EX/2 (mid-1988), with a 3.5-inch disk drive and MIDI port. (A $499 version of the 128EX/2 with a 5.25-inch drive was available.) Apple soon released the Apple IIc Plus. Compatibility While the Apple II clones from Franklin were discontinued after the company lost Apple Computer, Inc. v. Franklin Computer Corp. (1983), VTech reverse-engineered the Apple Monitor ROM using a clean room design rather than copying it, and licensed an Applesoft BASIC-compatible version of Microsoft BASIC. Apple carefully studied the Laser 128 but was unable to force the clone off the market. Despite its physical resemblance to the IIc, software sees the Laser 128 as an enhanced IIe with 128 kB RAM and Extended 80-Column Text Card. Apple said in 1984 that the IIc was compatible with 90% of all Apple II software. Central Point said in 1986 that testing had found that only Choplifter, David's Midnight Magic, and Serpentine did not run on the clone, because of Broderbund's copy protection. "We think it safe to surmise that the latest and best software is 90 percent likely to run on the Laser 128", InfoWorld wrote in 1986. Compatible software included AppleWorks, Quicken, Apple Writer, VisiCalc, Flight Simulator II, The Print Shop, and Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?, sometimes with slightly different colors. 12% of 129 tested software packages were incompatible, mostly educational software or games. While incompatible with some hardware, the magazine wrote that the expansion slot and parallel port let the Laser 128 use other products which were incompatible with the IIc. inCider called the computer "amazingly Apple-compatible", estimating 95% compatibility. Programs that successfully ran on the Laser 128 included F-15 Strike Eagle, Fantavision, WordPerfect, and The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, and the magazine wrote that it was easy to install $25 upgraded ROM chips if necessary to improve