Amiga Fun was a short-lived games magazine launched by MC Publications in November 1990. The main focus of the magazine differed from alternative publications- the 28 page 'pamphlet' was considered secondary to the complete, previously unreleased cover game. In most instances this was a predictable platformer starring 'Herbie Stone'. These games were written by various European groups specifically for the magazine.
It was clear that the cover disk was used as the deciding factor to purchase the magazine. There was a clear lack of effort to enforce any type of quality control because it was seen as an unimportant factor that would not affect circulation. This resulted in numerous spelling mistakes, poor grammar (I know I make similar mistakes but a news-stand magazine should have higher standards), and a complete lack of punctuation. Screenshots appeared grainy as if they had been scanned from another magazine. Reviews were also basic, providing only a limited description and opinion of the product.
Over the following five months the design and layout steadily improved, expanding to 44 pages, but reviews remained disappointingly basic.

In issue 6 the magazine underwent its biggest change, moving to a multi-platform status. The cover title remained the same but inside lay a new magazine called 'Computer Fun'. In addition, three platform-specific variants were launched- C64 Fun, ST Fun, and PC Fun. These titles included the same content with the exception of the cover and a cover game written for a specific machine. This confused readers and was universally disliked. However, in its defence the magazine did improve in quality, covering a greater range of games and adding a letters section. They also dispensed with the irritating Herbie Stone character only to replace him with an even more irritating frog. Reviews improved in their length and quality, but remained unprofessional utilizing an ugly layout and multiple typefaces.

The new look was short-lived with the announcement that the magazine would undergo a second redesign in issue 10 (August 1991). As part of this 'upgrade' it was announced that the magazine would not be available. At the time this was considered to be a foolish move- in the absence of a regular magazine regular readers would turn to alternative titles that were released monthly. As a sweetener for this piece of news the next issue was promised to be a 132 page 'bumper edition' that was to go on sale in October. In actuality the issue would remain the same size (100 pages) and would not be available until November 1991. It was clear that confidence in the magazine was beginning to wan.

As part of the new look, the magazine introduced a fresh review system divided into sonics, graphics, gameplay, and a final score. There were also reviews of a selection of videos, the feature placed the likes of Madonna, a sheep and a goldfish side-by-side in an effort to find the most disturbing image imaginable. I still have nightmares of this combination!
The new look lasted for two issues when the magazine took a not unexpected turn for the worse. The only indication that this would be the final issue was an unusual 2 page spread that cheekily asked,
"Are you getting enough!"  (surely that should be a question mark?)
Two months later the shelves had been replaced by a new title- Amiga Mania signalled a return to Amiga-specific coverage, indicating that the magazine had been abandoned and considered a failure.

View Amiga Fun November 1990- Issue 1 (82.3k)
View Amiga Fun April 1991- Issue 6 (64.7k)
View Amiga Fun January 1992- Issue 12 (86.3k)

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