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Please help improve this article's History section by expanding it. Further information might be found on the talk page. (October 2007) |
 Commodore Format #1, October 1990 |
|
| Former editors | Steve Jarratt Collin Campbell Trenton Webb Andy Hutchinson Dave Golder Tim Norris & Karen Levell Rebecca Lack Karen Levell Simon Forrester |
|---|---|
| Categories | Computer magazine |
| Frequency | Monthly |
| Circulation | 50,135 Jan-Jun '91 55,178 Jul-Dec '91 60,045 Jan-Jun '92 44,442 Jul-Dec '92 41,626 Jan-Jun '93 25,063 Jul-Dec '93 |
| First issue | October 1990 |
| Final issue — Number |
October 1995 Issue 61 |
| Company | Future Publishing |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Website | www.commodoreformat.co.uk |
| ISSN | 0960-5169 |
Commodore Format arrived pretty late into the Commodore Computer magazine scene, arriving as late as October 1990. Published by Future Publishing, Commodore Format concentrated solely on the Commodore 64, at a time when ZZAP!64 also featured Amiga reviews.
History
The launch editorial staff, which mostly consisted of journalists who had worked on Zzap!64 at sometime in the past, included Steve Jarratt (Editor), Sean Masterson (Deputy Editor), Andy Dyer (Staff Writer), with contributions from the likes of Gordon Houghton and Kati Hamza. The first issue previewed the new cartridge-based C64 GS (Games System) and Commodore's CDTV.
Commodore Format quickly gained a huge circulation figure and when Zzap!64 went through all its problems Commodore Format kept going from strength to strength. Issue 14 of Commodore Format described how Zzap!64 had disappeared from the shop shelves, but with the formation of Europress Impact the competition returned.
The first "era" of the magazine came to an end when designer Lam Tang (responsible for many of the cartoon images and the review icons) left, along with several of the founding reviewers. New editor Trenton Webb continued the mixture of serious articles and games reviews, and oversaw the re-design introduced in issue 33.
Magazine content included Early Warning (previews), news, reviews (games rated 90% or above received a 'It's A Corker' accolade), challenges (which disappeared after a few issues) and many others featured in each issue. The "Gamebusters" section gave hints, cheats and maps for games. The letters page featured "The Mighty Brain", a cartoon character noted for its arrogance in answering the readers' questions. A BASIC programming series and "Inside Info", answering technical questions, appeared in the early issues. Freelancer Jason Finch took over the Inside Info column to answer the questions and provide programming examples.
Another major character in the magazine was Roger Frames, responsible for reviewing budget-priced titles. "Roger Frames buys Budjit Games" was often accompanied by a story told in three or four cartoons, often inspired by the games Roger was playing and Roger's penny-pinching antics. Famous Roger moments include his mum taking over the reviews, Roger pretending to be Batman and appearing on the cover of the Codemasters game "Tilt" after awarding it a "Corker". There was also a Roger Frames "UGH! I hate girls" T-shirt, and readers could send in photos of themselves looking like Roger.
The covertape, or Power Pak, was a feature of every issue of Commodore Format, and on a few occasions a second tape was added (at extra cost). In response, Zzap!64 started to regularly feature two tapes. The early Commodore Format Power Paks featured a mixture of game demos and full games. Commodore Format also experimented with utilities and public domain demos. At first readers could send off for a disk version, but later subscribers could choose between tape and disk.
After Zzap!64 disappeared (for the second time), Commodore Format carried on as the sole commercially produced English C64 publication. By the end of its life Commodore Format was forced to reduce the page count and content, eventually ceasing publication with its last issue dated October 1995.
See also
Links
- Commodore Format Library
- Home page of Future Publishing
- Old Computer Mags Commodore Format Scans and more
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