Velikij Drakon (, lit. "Great Dragon", also
G.Dragon), is the name of a defunct Russian
gaming magazine initially launched as
Video-Ace Dendy in 1993. The magazine was Russia's first wholly video-game-oriented magazine, and it was launched in order to meet the needs of Russian gamers, the majority of who were only just beginning to experience home console games as a medium as a result of the 1992 introduction of the
Dendy home console. Aimed at young gamers, and characterized by its raw and artless coverage of
illegal pirate games alongside legitimate (or at least
legally grey)
import games,
Video-Ace Dendy covered all console systems that had penetrated into the Russian market until mid-1995, when the magazine split to form
Velikij Drakon which would cover only 16-bit and more advanced consoles.
Video-Ace Dendy was phased out of publication within a year. As
Velikij Drakon, the magazine improved production quality greatly by outsourcing printing to Finland, and it survived until 2004 when the parent company folded under pressure from competitors including
Strana Igr (, lit. Game Land). Several former writers for
Velikij Drakon took up work with
Strana Igr, and a small number of them helped found a fan-based production,
GDD: Great Dragon's Dale which produced a handful of issues before going defunct in late-2010.