Editor | Ciarán Brennan Steve Cooke Garth Sumpter Christina Erskine |
---|---|
Staff writers | Matt Regan |
Categories | Computer magazines |
Frequency | Quarterly then bimonthly |
Publisher | Terry Pratt |
First issue | Spring 1990 |
Final issue Number | Sep/Oct 1991 9 |
Company | EMAP |
Country | United Kingdom |
Based in | Farringdon, London |
Language | English |
ISSN | 0959-1567 |
PC Leisure was the United Kingdom's first magazine dedicated exclusively to IBM PC compatible (PC) entertainment and was published by EMAP between spring 1990 and September 1991. A total of nine issues were published in its lifetime, the first four being quarterly with the remaining five bimonthly. The magazine was eventually incorporated into PC Review, a new monthly publication launched on October 15, 1991.
Within the UK prior to PC Leisure's release, PC entertainment news was supplied via general computing and multi-format magazines such as The One and New Computer Express , but by 1990 the PC entertainment market had sufficiently developed to warrant the introduction of a dedicated magazine.
In November 1989, EMAP tested the waters by including a free PC Leisure preview copy along with What Personal Computer, and the feedback from this venture filled the letters section of the launch issue the following spring.
In May 1991, PC Leisure became the recipient of the PC coverage originally published within the pages of the 16-bit multi-format magazine The One, as EMAP decided to split it into The One for Amiga Games and The One for ST Games. A number of the staff moved to working on The One for Amiga Games. [1]
The final issue #9 Sep/Oct 1991 included a two-page special across pages 28 and 29 stating that the magazine was going to be renamed PC Review and released monthly from October 15, 1991.
Jenny Abrook, Andy Beswick, Gregory Brown, Allister Cordice, Pete Hawkes, Nick Howells, Gareth Jones, Yvette Nicholls, Simon Poulter, Richard Slater, Andrea Walker and Jim Willis.
Rob Beattie, Kelly Beswick, Neil Blaber, Matt Bloomfield, Paul Boughton, Clive Bremner, Robert Browning, John Cook, Steve Cooke, Tony Dillon, Jim Douglas, Alan Dykes, Christina Erskine, David Fitzgerald, Rik Haynes, Ed Henning, Gordon Houghton, Fiona Keating, Steve Keen, Eugene Lacey, Gary Liddon, Chris Long, Declan McColgan, Steve Merritt, John Minson, Tony Naqvi, Matt Nicholson, Frank O'Hara, Lee Paddon, Russell Patient, Mike Pattenden, Mark Patterson, Gary Penn, Paul Presley, Matt Regan, Gail Robinson, Laurence Scotford, Garth Sumpter, Alastair Swinnerton, Jimmy Taylor, David Upchurch, Austin Walsh and Gary Whitta.
Rick Dangerous is a platform game developed by Core Design for the Acorn Archimedes, Amiga, Atari ST, Amstrad CPC, ZX Spectrum, Commodore 64, and MS-DOS. The game was released in 1989 and published by MicroProse on the Firebird Software label in the UK, and on the MicroPlay label in America. It was also published in Spain by Erbe Software. Later, it was released with two other games, Stunt Car Racer and MicroProse Soccer, on the Commodore 64 Powerplay 64 cartridge. The game was followed by a sequel, Rick Dangerous 2, in 1990. Loosely based on the Indiana Jones film franchise, the game received mixed reviews from critics.
Skate or Die! is a skateboarding game released by Electronic Arts (EA) in 1987 for the Commodore 64. It is EA's first internally developed game. Ports for the Apple IIGS, MS-DOS, Amstrad CPC, and ZX Spectrum were released the following years. It was ported to the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) by Konami, published under the company's Ultra Games branding.
Blockout is a puzzle video game published in 1989 by California Dreams. It was developed in Poland by Aleksander Ustaszewski and Mirosław Zabłocki. American Technos published an arcade version. Blockout is an unlicensed, 3D version of Tetris.
Loopz is a puzzle video game designed and programmed by Ian Upton for the Atari ST in 1989. He previously worked as head game designer for Audiogenic, who acquired exclusive rights to the game, then in 1990 arranged for Mindscape to publish it for computers in North America and consoles worldwide.
1989 saw many sequels and prequels in video games, such as Phantasy Star II, Super Mario Land, Super Monaco GP, along with new titles such as Big Run, Bonk's Adventure, Final Fight, Golden Axe, Strider, Hard Drivin' and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. The year also saw the release of the Sega Genesis and TurboGrafx-16 in North America, and the Game Boy worldwide along with Tetris and Super Mario Land.
The One was a video game magazine in the United Kingdom which covered 16-bit home gaming during the late 1980s and early 1990s. It was first published by EMAP in October 1988 and initially covered computer games aimed at the Atari ST, Amiga, and IBM PC compatible markets.
Epic is a space combat simulation game developed by Digital Image Design and published by Ocean Software for the Commdore Amiga and Atari ST in early 1992. A port to MS-DOS also appeared in the same year, followed by a version for the NEC PC-9801 in 1993. A sequel, titled Inferno, was released in 1994 for PCs only.
PGA Tour Golf is a golf video game and the first in the PGA Tour game series. It was developed by Sterling Silver Software and released in 1990, for MS-DOS. It was initially published by Electronic Arts, which subsequently released versions of the game for Sega Genesis and Amiga in 1991, followed by a version for the SNES in 1992. By 1994, Tengen had published versions for Sega's Master System and Game Gear consoles. PGA Tour Golf received generally positive reviews for its realism, sound, and camera. Several critics considered the computer versions to be the best golf game available at the time of its release. It was followed by PGA Tour Golf II.
Flood is a 1990 platform game developed by Bullfrog Productions. It was published for the Amiga and Atari ST by Electronic Arts. The objective is to collect all the litter and find the exit to the level.
Darkman is a video game that was developed by Ocean Software and published by Ocean Software in 1991. It was released for the Amiga, ZX Spectrum, Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64 and Atari ST. Darkman had two different games of the same name, one for the Nintendo Entertainment System and the other for Game Boy. The game's plot is loosely based on the film of the same name.
RoboCop 2 is a platform shooter video game based on the 1990 film of the same name. The game was released for several platforms, including Amiga, Amstrad GX4000, Atari ST, Commodore 64, Game Boy, Nintendo Entertainment System, and ZX Spectrum. Ocean Software developed and published several versions, and Data East manufactured an arcade version.
Mean Machines was a multi-format video game magazine published between 1990 and 1992 in the United Kingdom.
Barbarian is a 1987 platform game by Psygnosis. It was first developed for the Atari ST, and was ported to the Amiga, Commodore 64, MS-DOS, MSX, Amstrad CPC, and ZX Spectrum. The Amiga port was released in 1987; the others were released in 1988. The cover artwork is by fantasy artist Roger Dean.
ACE was a multi-format computer and video game magazine first published in the United Kingdom by Future Publishing and later acquired by EMAP.
Hostages is a 1988 tactical shooter video game developed and published by Infogrames for the Acorn Electron, Archimedes, Atari ST, Amiga, Apple IIGS, Amstrad CPC, BBC Micro, Commodore 64, MS-DOS, MSX, Nintendo Entertainment System, and ZX Spectrum. The game depicts a terrorist attack and hostage crisis at an embassy in Paris, with the player controlling a six-man GIGN counterterrorist team as they are deployed to defeat the terrorists and free their hostages.
Total Recall is a 1990 platform game developed and published by Ocean Software that was released for the Commodore 64, Amiga, Amstrad CPC, ZX Spectrum, Atari ST, and Nintendo Entertainment System. Total Recall is based on the 1990 film of the same name.
Bomberman is an action-maze video game originally developed and published by Hudson Soft for the PC Engine in Japan on 7 December 1990 and later in North America for the TurboGrafx-16 by NEC in 1991. Belonging to the Bomberman franchise, it is a re-imagining of the first game in the series starring White Bomberman on a quest to rescue Lisa, the kidnapped daughter of his inventor Dr. Mitsumori, from the castle of Black Bomberman while defeating evil monsters and villains that work for him. The game was later ported to home computers, each one featuring changes compared to the original version. Conversions for other platforms were in development but never released. The title garnered positive reception from critics since its initial release on the PC Engine/TurboGrafx-16 and later on home computers.
Space Gun is a 1990 first-person shooter arcade game released by Taito. The game is set aboard a crippled space station that has been overrun by hostile alien creatures. The objective is to rescue human crew members while destroying the alien creatures. The game lets the player shoot limbs off the creatures, resulting in blood splatters.
Clive Barker's Nightbreed: The Interactive Movie is a 1990 arcade adventure video game developed by Impact Software and published by Ocean Software on Atari ST and DOS. It is based on Clive Barker's movie Nightbreed, which in turn is based on Barker's novella Cabal. It was originally supposed to be part of a trilogy, alongside Clive Barker's Nightbreed: The Action Game and an ultimately-unreleased RPG.
Big Bang is a 1988 video game published by Zortech.