Amiga User International

February 1995 is memorable for many reasons. You probably have some of your own. Take a little time to reflect on them. A warm memory, eh? But do not become steeped in nostalgia. You will be talking about Spangles next, and then we'll have to rap you on the boko.

For AP, February 1995 brought another shameful chapter in our history of lies and deception. That month, Cam's and Rich's outrageous plagiarism of AUI writer Andy Moss's reviews of Fields Of Glory and Lords Of The Realm was brutally exposed. For example -

... you can actually see the effectiveness of different formations during attack and massed cannon fire on the infantry. Troops advance, fire their muskets and then charge into the enemy to give them a taste of cold steel.
- Andy Moss, Fields Of Glory, AUI

In this scale, you can actually see the effectiveness of different formations during attack and massed cannon fire on infantry. Troops advance, let off a volley of musket fire and then charge into the enemy to give them a taste of cold steel.
- Cam Winstanley, Fields Of Glory, AP

And -

Drafting untrained peasants into the fray will not do wonders for morale, let alone put a dent in the enemy.
- Andy Moss, Lords Of The Realm, AUI

Drafting untrained peasants straight in won't do their morale much good, the self-esteem of the villagers any favours, or an enemy much damage in a combat situation.
- Rich Pelley, Lords Of The Realm, AP

Once again, we have no excuse. What could Rich and Cam have been thinking of - not only stealing huge chunks of reviews (it's a similar catalogue of examples throughout the pieces) but stealing them from a high-profile, respected writer on a, well, internationally well-known magazine?

Except, of course, Rich's and Cam's reviews appeared in AP44, before Christmas the previous year. Andy Moss had ripped us off staggeringly amateurishly and, for the only time in AP's history, we sued. And won. Natch.

As part of the (extremely brief) court case, AP obtained Andy Moss's defence of his actions. It's long, badly-argued and frankly tiresome, but does contain the smashing paragraph -

In any review, but more specifically in games software where the subject matter is more genre-related, there are bound to be phrases or chunks of actual game descriptive copy that are similar to other reviews about the same ("Game" - Ed). For instance, many reviews of Microprose's Pirates carried phrases such as "Buckle your Swash" or "Shiver me Timbers" as did reviews of Lucasarts' The Secret of Monkey Island.
- Andy Moss, letter to AUI's publishers, entered in defence

Reviewers who can't think of their own jokes, Andy? There're magazines for people like you.

Yours. For example.*