ScuzzBlog: Diaries June 2021
Entry 12th June 2021: Post 2: Amiga publications - Difference in Brit mags.
Amiga publications - Difference in Brit mags.
I was intending reviewing an Amiga Shopper magazine featuring data
bases and got sidetracked reading up on BoomBox, simply one of the
most fun cover disk applications released for the Amiga.
It got me thinking about the positives of the differing British
Amiga magazines. And so here is my ten pennies worth. Makes no cents.
Amiga Power - Amiga Action - One Amiga:
If gaming is your bag then look no further than any one of these
three gaming magazines. They are pretty much the same with oodles
of demo disks on the covers. They review for the most part games so
don't expect to find any technical details inside. Very colourful.
Amiga Format:
Probably the most popular of the Brit mags given that it also lived
the longest of all the rags. It boasted regular features on all
the latest games, plus technical articles and a good sprinkling of
PD listings. It also published a whole raft of supplementary mags
and books plus video and other media. Cover disks were often a
game and a program and generally limited to just two items.
If you subscribed to the magazine you got a supplementary leaflet
publication plus an additional disk.
Later on in the years it released cover CDs plus the regular disks.
CUAmiga:
Same format as Amiga Format and pretty well covered the same bases.
There was hardly much to distinguish between the two mags. Both were
incredibly well written and had thick editions with plenty of content.
This magazine also ran editions of the cover CDs. Sadly didn't last
as long as Format. It had an earlier existence as Commodore User.
Amiga User International:
AUI was like the Public Domain libraries of the day. Oodles of stuff
with very little meaty content. For me I purchased mags for the disk
content and sadly I just couldn't read what was on the disks when
standing in the shop. They also loved yellow writing on green. Mental.
Consequently I rarely bought the magazine though did manage to get
a lot of the cover disks.
That said it was a very well received magazine with a good standard
of writing. Do wish now I had bought more of the editions.
Amiga Computing:
For me the best Amiga magazine ever published. It always had the
most incredible software on the disks and the tutorials were second
to none. The layout of the magazine was so easy to follow and never
appeared muddled or cluttered. The order of their technical pages
made for very interesting reading, as the featured subjects would
repeat each week. You were always going to get a programming page.
I just loved this magazine and the disks are the best ever given
out free on any magazine. Was a sad day when she closed.
Amiga Shopper:
Probably a little misunderstood as the magazine has all the feel
of a 'free adds' publication. You would be fooled into thinking
this was an Amiga Mart like rag with details specifically about
product ranges. There were many pages dedicated to reviewing the
hardware and software of the day but in addition there was some
of the most in depth articles about Amiga subjects... ANYWHERE.
If you liked your Amiga subjects serious then this was the magazine
for you. It really was a brilliant magazine, though the paper
quality left a lot to be desired. I have most of Amiga Shopper and
I never get bored of their articles. They carried a subscription
edition with extra rag and subscribers disk. Amiga Shopper disks
are like gold dust. Just a must to have if you can find them.
I do love the images they often had on the back of the magazine.
Amiga Active:
I didn't include a picture. Shame really. I have put my mags away
for some reason. For later articles in the life of the Amiga post
the demise of Commodore I would certainly recommend Amiga Active.
It was also printed 'up the road' in Bournemouth, wouldn't you know.
Most of the magazines transferred their paper activity to user groups
with Yahoo AFB, CU, AmigaActive etc but sadly Yahoo closed the
whole lot down last December. And that was a very sad day.
Other countries Amiga magazines
looked a lot more enticing... I mean
just look at the base on that A3000 !!
Amiga publications - Difference in Brit mags.
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