The first issue to feature a coverdisk of software! The paper magazine starts off with the usual Quazar News, as well as the SAM Scene Roundup, listing news and events from around the SAM world. There's also some reviews and a sprinkling of the ever popular SAM Snippets!
The feature articles start off with two interviews, the first with Matt Round who was well known for writing games in 1994/5 with the Games Master game creation system as well as having one commercial release in 1995. The second interview is with Ken Jarvis, the graphics artist involved with Sphera which was on of the first SAM games from Enigma Variations way back in 1990. The final feature article looks at a quirk in an undocumented Z80 opcode in a newer revision of the Z80 from Zilog which I discovered after replacing a Z80 in a SAM Coupé.
Onto the accompanying cover disk - the first ever SAM Revival cover disk features two great games. The first is 'Manic Miner' - I've secured the rights with the copyright holder of the SAM version (David Ledbury) of the ever popular game to have it feature on the first SAM Revival cover disk! If you've got a SAM and you don't already have Manic Miner in your collection then you don't know what you are missing! The SAM version of the all time classic features the original 20 caverns plus 40 all new ones! (David Ledbury has written a six part series in the previous issues of SAM Revival looking back at all the levels and development work on the game!). Also on the cover disk is a special edition of 'Money Bags'. Originally this was a game for the SAM Coupe that used the Quazar Surround soundcard to give it a great sampled soundtrack, but i've reduced the quality of the soundtrack to 4 bits so it can play through the soundchip in the SAM, as well as improving all the graphics.