Enter the Zone and never want to leave **Update 18th April 2001** (PC Zone)

Member Name: Gledster2000

Product:	PC Zone
Date:	20/11/00 (116 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Stay informed, play great demos,save time online with their patches archive

Disadvantages: It's not free? I don't work for them (though I'd love to), one page annoyingly not updated

Quite simply, PC Zone is the best PC mag out there. Oh, darn, 75 words needed, erm... ok how about this?

PC Zone always has quality CDs. Over the time I've been collecting it I now have tons of high-quality playable demos. Take this month's special Xmas issue, on the CD it has a full 1/3 of Icewind Dale. I was undecided as to whether or not I would like Baldurs Gate but if it is anything like this then PC Zone have managed to create another customer. Not only does the mag carry high quality demos, they also carry all the latest patches. That may not sound like much but in these days of money, money, money and rushed release dates games are hugely bugged and patches can be 20Mb plus. Not only that but there can be more than one 20Mb patch for a game. These could take ages to download over a 56Kbs modem but that is unnecessary. Thanks to PC Zone I have all the Half-Life patches and all the C&C Tiberian Sun patches, not only is this convenient for me but it also saves me hours on the 'net whenever I re-install any of the above games.

The quality of the journalism is high too. Yes the magazine does tend towards machoism and fart jokes but as it's written by males you can't really complain, lighten up! If you disagree with a review you can have your say in the feedback section, okay so the reviewer in question may disagree with you back but at least you'll feel better having gotten that rant off your chest.

Add to the above the fact that PC Zone is one of the only paper mags to have quality online games coverage detailing the effects of the latest updates on your games along with their own games servers (check out http://www.pczone.co.uk for more information) and you have the best £3.50 you can spend every month. I don't even spend that, I get a discount based on the fact that I subscribe. Can you get better?

**Update 18th April 2001**The magazine also encompesses the now famous Supertest. This is where th
e journalists gather together to pick the best (or most popular) games from a certain genre then have a no holes barred debate in a suitable environment (usually the pub). This is superb as you get a real flavour of the game and the differing opinions of the journos highlight spots the other journalists might have missed.

Since Dave Woods became editor the mag has had a re-design and now comes with an expanded Online Mini-magazine for all those intrested in Online Gaming. One of the few mags to embrace online gaming in this way and I heartily follow them. As a matter of fact, I'm thinking of giving up socialising at Uni just so I can afford the cash for a Cable Modem connection to the 'net. That's all down to PCZone. Says it all doesn't it?

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