32-bit Acorn Gaming: Acorn World 1997 - Acorn User and Archimedes World

Magazines

Risc User

Risc User were the most games-orientated magazine at the show, with all new subscribers and re-subscribing people getting a free copy of Wolfenstein 3D in order to celebrate the 100th edition of the magazine - well, on payment of an additional £1, at any rate. This is an updated version which no longer uses any disc protection, and it's also been made StrongARM compatible along with a few bug fixes from the original 1994 Powerslave Software release and an updated front-end. You could also get a free copy of the magazine itself (or on the Sunday you could, at any rate).

Archimedes World

[Archimedes World banner and chairs]

You will read Archimedes World.
You will read Archimedes World.
You will read Archimedes World.

This was the only stand I have ever seen which worked on the brain-washing principle. It consisted of a few rows of chairs sat pointing at a large Archimedes World banner. You then sat in the chairs and stared at the swollen logo until it had become so firmly imprinted on your mind that you stood up and bought a copy. Or at least I think that was the theory...

[Archimedes World banner and chairs]
^{12 Across: Acorn magazine with brain-washing stand. Hmm... difficult}

^{Oi! You're facing the wrong way! It won't work!}

[David Watkins] It was quite good fun, actually. I sat in the chairs for a minute and I almost started to believe that I might want to buy Archimedes World... but luckily I snapped out of it fairly quickly.

The other exciting attraction to the stand (apart from the ability to buy lots of back issues), was the chance to engage in conversation with the editor of the magazine, David Watkins (pictured right, trying out the old brain-washing bit, although I wouldn't like to suggest that this was an essential requirement for working on the magazine...).

Acorn User

Acorn User's stand was much more fun, with more people working on the stand than visitors most of the time that I was around.

You could go and chat with various regular contributors to the magazine, including Mike Cook, who was happy to talk about everything from his projects to his regular attendance at pop concerts:

[Mike Cook]

Paul Wheatley, PD page editor and occasional poster to comp.sys.acorn.games, was also there:

[Paul Wheatley]

As, of course, was Steve Turnbull, editor of Acorn User:

[Steve Turnbull]
Hello!

[Sex for Dummies] One of the main features of the Acorn User stand was a stack of IDG's "For Dummies" books, including a prominently placed copy of Sex for Dummies, which apparently was "a reference for the rest of us". Rest of who? In an exclusive interview with Steve Turnbull (well...) 32-bit Acorn Gaming uncovered that everyone had been too embarrassed to buy a copy of the book this year (or maybe they had better sense), but that when it was given away as a free prize in the charity draw last year lots of people had claimed copies.

How sad.

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