Computing With The Amstrad - Australian Edition

Computing with the Amstrad (CWTA) was published initially in Australia by Strategy Software in Glen Waverley, Victoria (this had nothing to do with Strategy Publications next door in Mount Waverly, Victoria that produced The Amstrad User) who then by early '87 moved to Blackmans Bay, Tasmania and later (June '87 - hence no June issue due to takeover delays) by Planet Publications Pty Ltd (still in Blackmans Bay, TAS) with the first issue coming out in August 1986 at $3.60 per issue. This magazine was available in Australia, New Zealand, across the South Pacific and even South Africa. Strategy Software didn't disappear - they still provided hardware and software products for the rest of the magazines life (and beyond perhaps?).

The magazines format was essentially a clone of the British version of Computing with the Amstrad, except for some program listings, advertisements, suppliers and pricing - this was all local. Agreements were setup with Database Publications in the UK in order to reproduce all of the content. Even some of the British covers were used - although usually a few months later.

What was interesting is they reprinted "blindly" all program listing and 10 liner errors - which should have been avoidable because they were reproducing content from the British version 2-3 months later (and would have known about the later corrections). So you would see the corrections and apologies in the next issues - a situation that actually was entirely preventable.

In June 1987 the British version became known as Computing with the Amstrad CPC (as there was a magazine produced called Computing with the Amstrad PCW - also by Database Publications). The Australian version didn't follow suit and remained as CWTA.

What was interesting is that you could actually still get the British version of CWTA across Australia and New Zealand (Alongside The Amstrad User, Amstrad Action & Amstrad Computer User etc)

Like the British version, later issues incorporated Amtix (from July '87 Amtix and Amtips were featured). December 1987 was the last issue produced (even though the original British one continued until it became CPC Computing in September 1988 and was eventually rolled into Amstrad Computer User in January 1989). Throughout production, the Australian version used the older style British CWTA logo (pre-Oct 1986). It is unknown why the magazine ceased or what happened to Planet Publications Pty Ltd (dissolved April '88) - as subscriptions rates were growing by 20% a month it was claimed in July '87.

There is a news article from The Amstrad User that reports the ending of this magazine Here.