Wikipedia:WikiProject Video games/Reference library/Computer Entertainer

Every January Issue (Issue 10) contains an index of every review from the previous year:

• 1982 Year End Index (December Issue)
• 1983 Year End Index (December Issue)
• 1984 Year End Index
• 1985 Year End Index
• 1986 Year End Index
• 1987 Year End Index
• 1988 Year End Index
• 1989 Year End Index

Starting in September 1982 (volume 1, issue 6), issues of the newsletter contain an Availability Update section with release dates for upcoming or recently released games, typically on page 14 or the last page. An "x" printed next to a title indicates that that title had "shipped to retailers" by the newsletter's press date but might not have been in national distribution. According to the newsletter:

"We've had a number of our readers ask questions about how the Availability Update is compiled. We gather the information from the software companies themselves, and we do not alter it in any way, regardless of how unlikely the delivery dates appear to be"

As seen above, Computer Entertainer is quick to criticize their own dates. "Availability Updates" often also contain errors both obvious and non-obvious, and titles may sometimes be misspelled or mislabeled. Sometimes an "x" may appear one month then disappear the next month or appear for multiple months in a row. What these events indicate about these releases is unclear.

Still, these dates are often far better than you are likely to find anywhere else. Most other magazines of this era do not list release dates at all. For some platforms like the Atari 7800, you are unlikely to find any other reliable source for release dates.