Sinclair User booklets

[Einar Saukas]

Apparently Sinclair User released 3 booklets:

• Sinclair User 50 Tips for Better Sinclair Computing
• Top 50 Sinclair User Classic
• Sinclair User Top 50 Spectrum Software Classics

I cannot find much information about them. Were they sold separately? Or within specific magazine issues?

I'm trying to figure out if I should add them to the archive as special issues, or supplements, or completely separate titles...

[Vampyre]

I've got the third one - Classics. It was a small - I would say A6 sized booklet of about 56 pages. I'm pretty sure I still have it and have scans of it somewhere (also pretty sure WoS was sent the scans years ago too). I'm away at the moment but will dig it out when I get back home. If I don't send me a PM/email to remind me.

It definitely wasn't sold separately but came with a mag. I wasn't a prolific buyer of SU in 83/84 but I did own one of the SU annuals. It's the one with the body builder on the front. I suspect it might have come with that but it was a long time ago so take that with a pinch of salt.

[Rorthron]

They were free with certain issues of the magazine. They were small booklets, probably less than 10cm x 10cm, attached to the covers, I think. I had them back in the day, but don't any more. I think they were published in the reverse order of your list.

[Rorthron]

One sems to have been published with Issue 27 (June 1984), as it's mentioned on the cover. I think they all appeared with regular issues of the magazine in 1984-1985.

[Rorthron]

Two are for sale here:

https://www.sellmyretro.com/offer/detai ... lets-30541

The one on the right was the first; I think the other was the last.

[Rorthron]

This is an online version of the Spectrum Software Classics booklet:

http://www.carlylesmith.karoo.net/spect ... index.html

It was released in Issue 32 (November 1984). Issue 38 states:

"LAST NOVEMBER Sinclair User went foolishly where no other magazine had gone before, and compiled the definitive Top 50 of software classics for the Spectrum."

If one also was published with Issue 27, it means my recollection of the order of publication is wrong, but it could be that the booklet in Issue 27 was something different.

[Rorthron]

The programming tips booklet was in Issue 35 (March 1985). It is mentioned in the news of Issue 36 and letters of Issue 37 (as being full of errors!).

I think this means that the booklet mentioned in Issue 27 is something else entirely and a red herring, as the other Classics booklet was definitely later than the one in Issue 32.

[Rorthron]

The third booklet appeared 12 months after the first in Issue 44 (November 1985). It is mentioned in the "Next Month" article in Issue 43.

[Rorthron]

So to cut a long story short...

Sinclair User Top 50 Spectrum Software Classics was free with Issue 32 (November 1984);

Sinclair User 50 Tips for Better Sinclair Computing was free with Issue 35 (March 1985); and

Top 50 Sinclair User Classics (styled "Classic" on the cover) was free with Issue 44 (November 1985).

[toot_toot]

I remember getting the 50 Classics booklet with the November 85 issue. I can’t remember what was number one, but I remember games like Way of the Exploding Fist, Tapper, Skool Daze and Lords of Midnight being in there, maybe even Match Point for the QL! As someone who only got their Speccy the previous Christmas and only just started getting Sinclair User that summer, it was invaluable in finding out about older games, although I don’t think there were many Ultimate games in there apart from Knight Lore,

I’d love to read it again and try out the games I missed out on at the time. Are there any scans available?

[WhatHoSnorkers]

I've got "50 Tips for Better Sinclair Computing" if you want me to scan it.

[WhatHoSnorkers]

Sent a link (and then another link!) via PM.

[Mort]

I think 3 of the 4 are in my set of 600dpi scans on internet archive

https://archive.org/details/SinclairUser067

[PeterJ]

Thanks [mention]Mort[/mention],

SU Top 50 is here:

https://archive.org/download/SinclairUs ... uTop50.zip

[Einar Saukas]

Thanks everyone!

I'm now organizing magazine supplements in ZXDB. Does anyone have a list of all supplements published in Sinclair User?

Besides the already mentioned supplements included in issues #32, #35, and #44, I also found references to supplement pages in these issues: #6, #7, #8, #23, #24, #27, #30, and #68. Is this list correct? is there anything else missing? Do these supplements have specific names too?

Just to be clear, a supplement is a set of "extra" pages distributed with a magazine. It can be either a separate booklet distributed with the main magazine, or just a distinct section within the main magazine itself, as long as these pages are numbered separately from the main magazine. Therefore Spectrum User Annual is not a supplement (it's an independent magazine sold separately). Sections like "Adventure Helpline" or "Software Directory" are not supplements either (they may look distinct from the rest of the magazine but they fit into the same magazine page numbering). But the booklets we already mentioned are certainly supplements.

[Alessandro]

Sinclair User 68 (November 1987) did not come with a booklet but with 5 POKE Cards out of a complete set of 20. It was the second run after the first 20 Cards enclosed, in random groups of 5 per copy, with issue 63 (June 1987). The complete list is at page 27.

Sinclair User 71 (February 1988) came with the Kamikaze Guide booklet containing maps, hints and POKEs for several games. Again, I don't have it here, but I still hold it with the magazine. I don't believe it was ever scanned in its entirety; several partial scans are available in the Tipshop archive, found in the individual entries for each title.

[Einar Saukas]

ZXDB now supports magazine supplements!

For instance, "Sinclair User" published several supplements. Take a look at the "Sinclair User" main page:

https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/magazin ... clair_User

you will see a list of all magazine issues, and at the bottom a list of known magazine supplements.

For instance Sinclair User #35 included a supplement called "50 Tips for Better Sinclair Computing". You can see it in this page:

https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/issue/6 ... _Computing

Clicking on either "PDF" or "VIEW" will take you to the actual magazine pages (whenever available).

Another example is this supplement from Sinclair User #6:

https://spectrumcomputing.co.uk/issue/6 ... supplement

In this case we don't have the magazine pages, but we have a detailed list of supplement contents.

[Alessandro]

On archive.org there are a number of SU supplements not listed in the database.

Hardware Buyers Guide booklet (presumably 1984)

https://archive.org/details/Sinclair_Us ... e/mode/2up

Top Secret 86 hint booklet:

https://archive.org/details/Sinclair_Us ... 6/mode/2up

The Price Is Right 1986 booklet (shows cover of November 1986 issue inside):

https://archive.org/details/Sinclair_Us ... 5/mode/2up

Good Zap Guide hint booklet, 1987

https://archive.org/details/Sinclair_Us ... 7/mode/2up

Some POKE Cards, given with the June and November 1987 issues, namely cards no. 1, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15, 17, 19, 22, 24, 26, 28, 30, 32, 36, 38:

https://archive.org/details/Sinclair_Us ... s/mode/2up

The February 1988 Kamikaze hint booklet seems to be missing anyway. Would you like me to scan it?

[SteveSmith]

This is an online version of the Spectrum Software Classics booklet:

http://www.carlylesmith.karoo.net/spect ... index.html

Ha, that's my website! Crikey, I haven't even seen this page since about 1996. I forgot I did a load of Speccy-related pages back in the day, I really must update it one of these milleniums.

[Einar Saukas]

On archive.org there are a number of SU supplements not listed in the database.

Hardware Buyers Guide booklet (presumably 1984)

https://archive.org/details/Sinclair_Us ... e/mode/2up

Top Secret 86 hint booklet:

https://archive.org/details/Sinclair_Us ... 6/mode/2up

The Price Is Right 1986 booklet (shows cover of November 1986 issue inside):

https://archive.org/details/Sinclair_Us ... 5/mode/2up

Good Zap Guide hint booklet, 1987

https://archive.org/details/Sinclair_Us ... 7/mode/2up

Some POKE Cards, given with the June and November 1987 issues, namely cards no. 1, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15, 17, 19, 22, 24, 26, 28, 30, 32, 36, 38:

https://archive.org/details/Sinclair_Us ... s/mode/2up

Thank you very much!

But how can I find out the magazine issue corresponding to each of these supplements?

The February 1988 Kamikaze hint booklet seems to be missing anyway. Would you like me to scan it?

Yes, please!

[Einar Saukas]

About "Sinclair User Good Map Guide 1987", was it a magazine supplement or a standalone issue?

I'm guessing it was a supplement included in SU #60, I just want to be sure...

[SteveSmith]

About "Sinclair User Good Map Guide 1987", was it a magazine supplement or a standalone issue?

I'm guessing it was a supplement included in SU #60, I just want to be sure...

I'm pretty sure I remember getting this and it was an A5 supplement.

[Einar Saukas]

Thanks!

[Einar Saukas]

Martijn's WoS archive indicated that supplement "Gordo's Book of Adventures" was included in SU #47, but provides the date March/1986 that corresponds to SU #48.

What's the correct issue?

[StooB]

Yes, it was issue 47 published on January 18th 1986:

Next Month (issue 46)