PC Ace
Encyclopedia
PC Ace was a partwork
magazine published by Eaglemoss Publications, between 1999 and 2001. It was aimed at those aged between 10 and 14, providing information on how to operate a personal computer
. Readers of the magazine were assisted in part by a cartoon mouse named Ace, who featured throughout the magazine's pages.
The series consisted of 100 parts, and was previously available for sale in the United Kingdom
, South Africa
, Australia
, and New Zealand
, among others.
discs contained programs such as computer games and edutainment
titles.
Issues that included a CD-ROM did not include the Wordpower section.
Partwork
A partwork is a written publication released as a series of planned magazine-like issues over a period of time. Issues are typically released on a weekly, fortnightly or monthly basis, and often a completed set is designed to form a reference work on a particular topic.-Publication:Partwork series...
magazine published by Eaglemoss Publications, between 1999 and 2001. It was aimed at those aged between 10 and 14, providing information on how to operate a personal computer
Personal computer
A personal computer is any general-purpose computer whose size, capabilities, and original sales price make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by an end-user with no intervening computer operator...
. Readers of the magazine were assisted in part by a cartoon mouse named Ace, who featured throughout the magazine's pages.
The series consisted of 100 parts, and was previously available for sale in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, and New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
, among others.
Structure
PC Ace was released on a weekly basis, with a CD-ROM accompanying the magazine every second issue (with the exception of part 1, which included two CD-ROM discs). These CD-ROMCD-ROM
A CD-ROM is a pre-pressed compact disc that contains data accessible to, but not writable by, a computer for data storage and music playback. The 1985 “Yellow Book” standard developed by Sony and Philips adapted the format to hold any form of binary data....
discs contained programs such as computer games and edutainment
Edutainment
Edutainment is a form of entertainment designed to educate as well as to amuse.-Overview:...
titles.
Issues that included a CD-ROM did not include the Wordpower section.
Sections
PC Ace was divided into 9 sections, detailed below.- PC Power - Essential Skills - This section consisted of information on using core computer functions, such as using fonts and operating the Microsoft WindowsMicrosoft WindowsMicrosoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
operating system. It was discontinued after part 12. - PC Power - Operating Skills - This section consisted of information that discussed use of the Microsoft WindowsMicrosoft WindowsMicrosoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
operating system in a more in-depth manner, such as running games under MS-DOSMS-DOSMS-DOS is an operating system for x86-based personal computers. It was the most commonly used member of the DOS family of operating systems, and was the main operating system for IBM PC compatible personal computers during the 1980s to the mid 1990s, until it was gradually superseded by operating...
and changing shortcut icons. - PC Power - Program Skills - This section focused on the use of software that ran within the Microsoft WindowsMicrosoft WindowsMicrosoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
operating system, such as Microsoft WordMicrosoft WordMicrosoft Word is a word processor designed by Microsoft. It was first released in 1983 under the name Multi-Tool Word for Xenix systems. Subsequent versions were later written for several other platforms including IBM PCs running DOS , the Apple Macintosh , the AT&T Unix PC , Atari ST , SCO UNIX,...
and Microsoft ExcelMicrosoft ExcelMicrosoft Excel is a proprietary commercial spreadsheet application written and distributed by Microsoft for Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X. It features calculation, graphing tools, pivot tables, and a macro programming language called Visual Basic for Applications...
. - Technozone - This section contained a collection of technology related articles that was built up as the series progressed. Topics included Gamepads and AnimationAnimationAnimation is the rapid display of a sequence of images of 2-D or 3-D artwork or model positions in order to create an illusion of movement. The effect is an optical illusion of motion due to the phenomenon of persistence of vision, and can be created and demonstrated in several ways...
. - Online - This section consisted of information about how to use the internet and tools that were available online. Topics included creating a website and sending email.
- On CD-ROM - This section was only included with issues that were accompanied by a CD-ROM. It had information on the background of the included program, as well as brief details of how to use it.
- Wordpower - This section was an A - Z index of computing terms which built up as the series progressed, in alphabetical order, with their definitions included.
- Timeout - This section provided details on how to create items such as party invitations and graphics, as well as how to play games that are included in the Microsoft WindowsMicrosoft WindowsMicrosoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
operating system. - Cyberchat - This section contained technology related news items, as well as letters sent in by readers of the magazine (under the title of 'Ace's Noticeboard').