Sinclair User


Sinclair User, often abbreviated SU, was a magazine dedicated to the Sinclair Research range of home computers, most specifically the ZX Spectrum. Initially published by ECC Publications, and later EMAP, it was published in the UK between 1982 and 1993, and was the longest running Sinclair-based magazine.
Like many similar magazines, it contained news, game reviews, previews, tips, help guides, regular columns, readers' letters and cover-mounted game demos.
In May 1992 the former rival publication CRASH was notionally subsumed into Sinclair User but in practice this meant little more than the addition of the Crash! logo to the magazine's cover page.
In earlier years, the magazine built up personality cults around some of its "hilariously" monikered staff, including Bill "Incorruptible" Scolding, John "Disgusting" Gilbert, Chris "Lunchbreaks" Bourne, Claire "Ligger" Edgely, Richard Price, and columnist Andrew Hewson.
Under David Kelly's editorial tenure, the magazine began to focus more on the gaming scene, and featured more colour graphics under designer Gareth "the Mad Celt". By the time of editor Graham Taylor, the magazine included the cartoon character Kamikaze Bear, and the tone of the publication changed from a semi-serious magazine to something aimed more at children.
The magazine gained notoriety for giving games that received poor reviews in other publications excessively high scores and in some cases using fake screenshots, particularly in their review of the game Nemesis

''Timex Sinclair User''

A short-lived spin-off known as Timex Sinclair User was also published for the American market, where versions of Sinclair computers were marketed under the Timex Sinclair name.