±b3    DISKMAGAZINE×


±b3      REVIEWS×


±32By Dolphin/Stone Arts×

A  total  of  four  diskmags have been
reviewed this time:

±12       Upstream #8 from Balance
±13       Compass #1 from Alcatraz
±12    Propaganda #3 from Razor 1911
±13        Buzz #2 from Defiance

±41These   are  the  only  diskmags  I've
received  in the last couple of months
(++).  If you want your own diskmag to
be reviewed in Headline, then send it!
±b2    UPSTREAM VIII×


±21Publishing group...............±23Balance
±21Main editors....±23Cesium, Wolfman, Mount

ª32±41   Although  most  the  scene seem to
    think  that Upstream is one of the
two  best  diskmags  right  now, after
reading  trough this issue, people are
bound  to  change  their opinion!  The
eighth issue is after normal standards
quite  good,  but  not±42 THAT±41 good.  The
average  quality of the articles makes
a good impression.  The design is what
Upstream  lacks most of.  To put it in
other words:  Upstream is in desperate
need  of  better design!  The standard
two  blue  colours  they  use  in  the
articles,  combined with the also blue
menu    panel   looks   quite   simply
disgusting.    The   music,  which  is
conducted  by  Lizardking, is o.k, but
gets      boring     after     reading
approximately   10   minutes.   -  Not
something  suitable  to listen to when
reading    a    mag.    Unfortunately,
Upstream is bugged like hell.  Anytime
you  chose  to load another module, to
save an article or to exit(±43!±41) - you'll
see  that irritating guru!  (This only
happened  on  my disk version, though!
-  On my harddisk it worked properly.)
The   intro   included   on  the  disk
containing   Upstream   #8  could  and
should have been left out...  It lacks
of  design,  ideas  and  graphics.   I
don't  think  that  this  is  the best
issue  of  Upstream so far.  Try to be
better next time!
±b2     COMPASS I×


±21Publishing group..............±23Alcatraz
±21Main editors...............±23Disney, Mop

ª22±41   The  team responsible for the late
    McDisk  seem  to  have  made a new
diskmagazine.  The design is very nice
with   a   simple,   yet   well  drawn
menupanel.   The colours are also well
chosen.   The  articles  which basicly
are  written  by Mop are well written,
but   perhaps  slightly  boring.   The
subjects  brought up are original, but
not  suitable  for the masses, sort of
speak.   The  design  and  the code of
Compass   balances  one  a  fine  line
between  a  rip-off of the late Zine's
11th   issue  and  a  mere  source  of
inspiration    from    the   mentioned
diskmagazine.  Compass seems to be one
of  the  best newcomers in the diskmag
scene,   and   with   the  hardworking
maineditors  responsible  for  most of
the  articles  - it can most certainly
be expected to last.

±b2    PROPAGANDA III×


±21Publishing group............±23Razor 1911
±21Main editor..................±23Colorbird

ª42±41   Propaganda  is  quite  a good name
    for  a  diskmag, possibly even the
best  name  since  Zine.  But the name
itself isn't enough to make a classic.
This  diskmagazine  lacks  quality  in
several    important    places.    The
majority  of  the articles concern the
standard   diskmag  subjects  such  as
"elite  v.s  lame" and "stamp-faking".
This  is actually quite unoriginal and
makes  the impression that much worse.
In  addition  there  are  far too many
short  articles with 1-2 columns.  The
menu-panel   looks  awful,  and  while
watching  it you get the distinguished
feeling that it's unfinished.  A thing
that  really  pisses me of is the poor
variation  of  fonts.   Only one font,
siesta  8,  which is - along with good
old  topaz  -  among  the  most boring
fonts   available.    The  design  and
layout  of  the  various  articles  is
practicly  nonexisting.  The only tune
included is made by Strobo/Stellar and
is ±43 quite±41  nice.   Given the fact that
this  is  the third issue, the quality
should have been of a higher standard.
If  the  producers  are aiming for the
top-5 diskmagazines, as they claim(!),
the   whole   concept   needs   to  be
re-concidered.   Both  the  design and
the  general  quality  of the articles
must  be  improved in order to be more
than average.  Note to colorbird:  You
need  to  sit down and think over what
you  can offer the readers which other
existing diskmag don't!

±b2       BUZZ II×


±21Publishing group..............±23Defiance
±21Main editor...................±23Plugster

ª62±41   I've never seen the first issue of
    Buzz,  but it seems that I haven't
missed out on anything.  Why?  Buzz is
quite    frankly    the   most   ugly,
non-user-friendly   diskmagazine  I've
ever   had   the  misfortune  to  come
across.   Most important, the articles
are  utterly boring and the english is
very  bad.  The design is ancient!  If
Buzz  had been released 4-5 years ago,
people  wouldn't  have  been impressed
then  either.  The concept is based on
a swapper-advertisements diskmagazine,
at  least  it seems so, because nobody
can  amuse  themselves  with  it.   My
advice to Defiance is to ±42quit±41 Buzz!
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