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                         MAGGIE - THE FINAL ISSUE (!?)
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system... two versions for ST and Falcon

size..... depends on the versions, 1MB with extra files for ST, 3MB for Fo3o

intro.... code by EARX of FUN
          grfx by DFORCE and HAVOC of FUN
          msx by  TiNKER of TEENAGE

shell.... for ST by TAT of Avena, Falcon by Mr Pink of Reservoir Gods

articles. CiH, Felice, STsurvivor, Grey, Kev 'Taff' Davies, John Hayward, Jody
          Smith...

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So here  it is, the  long awaited last regular  (?) issue of  MAGGIE. The people
behind  the magazine needed over a full  year to finish it and  at least the big
files impressed me, as I leeched it.

Because it  is some kind of special issue to celebrate  the 1oth birthday of the
magazine I thought it will be come along with some special features, like a kewl
intro, loads of articles and stuff... but in some points I was wrong.

At first I have to mention the nice Falcon intro by the dutch  Atari posse, esp.
EARX of FUN who smashed the whole thing together, with  help by DFORCE and HAVOC
of FUN as  well as  TINKER of TEENAGE. The  intro features  some strange musical
score and several tridi stuffs like a gouraud shaded xmas tree. A good intro but
the music really gives you the impression that your hardware is currently burnin
away completely... ;)

The ST version didn't got an intro and  that's a bit bad, esp. when you think to
the reason for releasing that magazine.

The shells  didn't changed much, except colours and pictures :) Not much to say,
the RESERVOIR GODS interface on the Falcon the TAT's menu  on the ST... You know
what I'm talking about if you're using an Atari nowadays...

I will focuse on the articles stuff mainly, therefore I cut the usual crap about
shells and stuff now and will go over to the contents...

The first disappointment  was the number of  included articles. I  know that CiH
was working  since long times  on this issue, but as I checked  that it  doesn't
contain  even 8o articles I wondered a lot. Ok, so maybe because it is a special
issue? For a  special it is much, but the special got its own part in the maggie
itself. 1o years of MAGGIE - that means a lot to talk about I thought... But the
included articles weren't that fascinating. In comparison with other regular
issues, this one, was some kind of slimfast issue.

CiH tried to get in touch with old MAGGIE writers but he failed nearly complete.
I know how hard  it can be to dig out people who were active  sometimes 1o years
ago or so, but as it seems  the whole old MAGGIE people are vanished completely.
It isn't CiH's fault, no question, but very disappointing for the reader.
Therefore CiH  comes up with a roundup of all MAGGIE issues  released so far and
a short overview about articles and stuff.
Furthermore  CiH brings  us some personal  history, or  more his  personal Atari
history of the past 1o years. It's a funny thing  to read evolution  of an usual
lamer to the editor of the longest running diskmag nowadays. :)
More stuff about the birthday fits into the "who is who" of all  people that did
something  for  the magazine, esp. the  writers, as well as  a view  onto  the 4
different generations of MAGGIE.
To round it up there are a few articles  reproduced that were  written for older
issues, just  as an articles about the Atari STEE by MR. PINK and  after all the
most controverse article by NEW MODE (Why the ST Scene sucks)... Those  articles
came along with some statements by CiH.
Last  but not  least an  article by two other "magazine maintainers", STsurvivor
and Richard Karsmakers comes up...

Hmmm... so just 7 articles  are about the 1oth  birthday, not much for a special
issue and I wonder because I think  1o years of history can  give you a bit more
to write about, don't you think? Ok, as written above, it isn't CiH's fault, but
he promised a special issue and I thought that he will match it to dig out a lot
of old writers and editors...

Ok, so it's  time to check  the "rest"... Also this MAGGIE comes  along with the
usual stuff and so I wonder why it doesn't run officially as  MAGGIE 29. Ok, let
us check the stuff...

The scene part doesn't blow my  mind away. There are  several news  snippets and
a bigger polish scene report by GREY of MYSTIC BYTES. Furthermore some interview
stuff is  included as well, so MR PINK, NUT of FUN and a "selfmade" interview by
CiH with  CiH (where have I seen that idea  before?). Some  party  related stuff
rounds  up the fairly small scene corner, with  results of the SILLYVENTURE 2ooo
and the 2ALTERNATIVE PARTY together  with realtime  article of the  SILLYVENTURE
and several travel reports.

Also this issue of MAGGIE is filled up with a lot of reviews of the latest demos
and games, as well as a round-up on the diskmag/webzine front. If you  think you
will find some reviews of special items  there you haven't heard  so far, you're
wrong. All  the  usual  stuff was  reviewed, no  specials  or lately  discovered
reliquies... The same  goes for  the tools  corner, with reviews  of FLEXTRAX, a
preview on ACE - NEW BEATS new synth program, JAM, SMURF and so on.

Further parts of the mag are filled with the wellknown craptalk corner (12 texts
this time), a small commercial  break for the  CenTurbo6o, the typical Gus Spank
stuff, movie reviews and so on. You see, it's a quite normal issue...

Finally the mag was filled up with a lot of strange articles, taken from several
homepages and so on. So you can find a list  about "Unusual Aviation Accidents",
some  strange medical article  about things  happening in  your guts, an article
about world wars and how it could be as all things  came in another way... There
are more articles of this kind and I don't want to moan  about them, but at this
point I think they're true space  fillers... just those view articles came along
with more than thousand lines... :/
Another article  of that  kind is the  so-called "big document" which contains a
collection of emails by Jody Smith to CiH... That article alone fills up another
1ooo lines and I'm wondering about the sense again.

Hmmm... what else? The mag comes  along with  the usual  goodies folder and this
contains  a funny  picture and  the "NESULATOR", a beta-version  of  one  of the
stopped projects  by ED CLEVELAND. And? "NESULATOR" is an  emulation of  the NES
for STE! Right! But unfortunately it isn't a real emulation that  can handle the
NES ROM images, it is more in the kind of "GODBOY" or "GODLENES" by the RES GODS
on the Falcon. 5 NES games came along in that way...

Oki... that's it for the round-up... So  what? Is  it "MAGGIE 29" now  or the so
heavy announced "1oth  birthday" issue? I for  myself think  the first  one just
because the so called specials aren't  as big to speak of a special issue. Maybe
the hype around this issue was too big...
It isn't a bad issue, features a nice Falcon intro, the  usual stuff to read and
with the "NESULATOR" some  kewl gimmick on  the stuff disk, but after all I have
seen better issues, esp. with some more articles.
Another point is, apart  from the birthday idea, if this will be  the last issue
for sure, nobody  will remember  very long  to it, just  because it  wasn't very
overwhelming. For  example, UCM # 2o, that  was supposed to  be the  last UCM at
all, was one of the best UCM's since issue 15 or something. It was something the
people  will remember  back again and again. The  last  MAGGIE was  something to
notice and after a short time it is forgotten... sorry... :/

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contents........  75 % - up-to-date, CiH dominated... too small special part :(
shell...........  8o % - the known ones by TAT and Pinky...
shell grafix....  6o % - quiet ok, rendered on Falcon, looks boring on ST
shell musix.....  65 % - oldschool module on Falcon, mediocre chipping on ST
loader pic......  35 % - meuh... ugly one for Falcon! nothing for ST...
intro...........  75 % - crazy Fo3o intro with many vectors and strange musix
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overall.........  65 % - Not a real bad issue, but I missed something...
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.tSCc.                                                                   moondog
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