Get your Head On A Stick for free

You can't beat the Ronseal approach to naming your mobile game. Head On A Stick boasts the most self-explanatory title since last year's award-winning Monkey Pole Climb. The aim: balance heads. Yes, on sticks. And that's about it. Developer Under Siege Studio promises 'unique two-thumb head balancing gameplay', as you have to keep a variety of heads aloft using careful stick-waving alone. The game also features a four-player mode, with you taking turns on the same handset, and has various levels, each with their own backdrops and heads. Gruesome, but fun. There's even online high-scores. What's more, Head On A Stick is absolutely free, via the GameJump portal, which offers free games by inserting adverts into the game loading screens.

Opposite Lock speeds onto phones

Format: Mobile
Sometimes you have to wonder what all these big mobile games creators spend their money on. Go to any industry conference, and you'll hear developers and publishers complaining about the technical challenges of creating mobile games, particularly multiplayer ones. And then along come two blokes from Liverpool with a racing game that supports up to eight-player Bluetooth action! Numfum is that developer, and Opposite Lock is the game, which is being released by publisher eFusion. It's a knockabout arcade racer with ten tracks and three game modes to play: practice, tournament or time trial. The multiplayer works by one player hosting a game and the others joining it – much like you'd do on a Nintendo DS, albeit using Bluetooth in this case. The game's just gone live on Samsung's Fun Club portal, and will be available from other portals soon too. From the screenshots and the preview version we've seen, it looks like it has the potential to be a big word-of-mouth hit, particularly as different phones can play each other in the multiplayer mode (for example, a Nokia versus a Motorola versus a Samsung). Let's hope other mobile games studios have a go...

ProStroke Golf: World Tour 2007

Format: PSP Of all the technological mountains that video games try to conquer, realism seems the most popular, the most insurmountable and, too often, the most pointless. Quite why painstakingly translating real-world atoms and physics into virtual pixels and engines should make a game any more fun is a mystery to those among us who actually quite like quirky characters, with their super-wide eyes and preposterous relationship with gravity that enables us to do the impossible. Nevertheless, many games continue to boast with puffed chests that they closest mimic real life in looks and behaviour.

ProStroke Golf 2007 is one such title, claiming to be the 'most faithful adaptation of the world's most challenging sport'. It's a bold declaration (in more than one way) but one that the game's humourless presentation, rudimentary character options, functional visuals and often-cruel difficulty curve quickly reiterate. Indeed, when sat beside the PSP's other two high-profile golf titles � the massively stylised and brilliantly fun Everybody's Golf and the slickly accessibile Tiger Woods � PSG seems a little too much like hard work for all but the greatest golf aficionados. That said, the least-handicapped latter might well choose to iron out its kinks (so to speak), such is the depth of simulation available here. Developer Gusto Games has sought to carve this niche in gritty-realism by engineering a new way of taking the shots. In orthodox golf video games, you select a club and angle the shot before perhaps momentarily switching to an overhead view of the current course to check a well-struck ball's predicted trajectory. Then you hit the X button once to trigger the start of the swing, a second time to confirm the strength of the shot and, finally, a third time to secure its accuracy. ProStroke Golf follows the set-up phase by rote but aims for revolution by mixing up the button inputs when it comes to hitting the ball. Here the R-trigger begins the back swing, setting off a power meter which slides up from 0 per cent to 100 per cent strength. Hitting the L-trigger then freezes the meter while, lastly, releasing the L-trigger at the right moment secures its accuracy. It's also possible to add extra power to shots by transferring weight to the front foot before the backswing is complete. Of course, in essence the system is only a mildly evolved version of the one we're used to but, nevertheless, the co-ordination required to hit a shot well takes a little while to settle into. Even when you have the desired muscle memory, just a small mistake with the slippery accuracy gauge will only thud the ball a few sorry feet. And just as soon as you're hitting more shots than you're missing the game's next tier of complexity reveals itself, as ball position, golfer stance and club face all play a big part in shot outcomes. By leaning your golfer left, right, forward and backwards with the analogue stick during set-up, you can provide various subtle shot modifiers. These include lowering the trajectory, drawing, fading, adding loft, roll or punch and all manner of other golfing terms that rival game approximations have so far failed to properly familiarise (or burden) us with. The system allows for an astonishing level of control, and it feels possible to play pretty much any shot you can think of. However, these depths just won't be accessible to many players and often seem a little out of place on a handheld. Of course, it's possible to get by without utilising all of the microcosmic features, but when the developer has seemingly compromised on aesthetics to focus on these details, it's a bit of a waste to ignore them. A stock career mode based around five seasons of tournaments and challenges forms the core of the game's scenario content, with quick play, tournament and single round options fleshing out these bones. As there's no online option, multiplay is limited to local wireless mode, which leaves a powerful but often cumbersome course editor as the only unusual extra curio to play with. ProStroke Golf 2007 is a little rough around the edges and, in truth, we prefer the more light-hearted, primary-coloured fun of Sony's Everybody's Golf. However there's no denying that there will be players for whom a realistic golf game that embraces golf geek sensibilities is very welcome. The game's depth provides potentially greater rewards to the most committed player and, as the game never pretends to be anything other than a serious golf sim, it's hard to knock its dedication.

America's Army invades your phone

While the world waits to see if George Bush's 'surge' strategy can turn the tide in Iraq, now's your chance to see how you'd fare in charge of the US army. America's Army: Special Operations is the first official mobile game focussed on the US forces. It's based on a PC game that has racked up over eight million downloads since its release in 2002. Gameloft's mobile version is centred on the fictional state of Corbalia, which has invaded a nearby country called 'Liberty', so needs to be handed its arse on a plate by the US army. I'm paraphrasing here, obviously. You get to pilot an Apache combat helicopter, drive a Stryker tank, and run around as an infantry soldier as part of the battle. Oh, and you get to do some sniping too. The game has 11 levels in all, with missions including blowing up a radar station, rescuing engineers, and escorting a helicopter to safety. Gameloft apparently studied real videos of the US army while making the game, which should make the operational cock-ups animation and tactics more realistic. America's Army: Special Operations is out now, and not just in the US.

Tennis Open 2007 ( format : J2ME )

Hands up if you seriously believe Andy Murray's ever going to win Wimbledon? Okay, the fiery Scottish teenager has blazed a trail into the world Top 15, but he's surely still more likely to spend the next 15 years flopping in the quarter or semi finals, just like Tiger Tim.

Of course, if Andy goes ahead and wins the tournament this summer, I'll just have to eat my words (or at least rewrite this intro). But my money's still on an early exit, possibly accompanied by a big sweary tantrum and at least a couple of smashed rackets.

Talking of which... tantrums are one of Tennis Open 2007's selling points. Sometimes, when a player wins a point, he chucks his racket at the floor in anger, while his opponent indulges in a spot of fist-pumping joy. It's a tiny visual touch really, which doesn't add anything to the gameplay, but it shows the craft and attention to detail that's gone into this splendid game.

Admittedly, Tennis Open 2007 isn't exactly the most original treatment of tennis. It's more Virtua Tennis than the official mobile version of Virtua Tennis is, what with its career mode, rankings system and training mini-games.

We loved the 3D version of Virtua Tennis Mobile Edition when we reviewed it last year, but Tennis Open 2007 is really going up against the 2D version of that game, which we've not reviewed. We have however downloaded it for comparative purposes for this review, and it's clear that Gameloft's is by some distance the better game.

At the heart of why we love it is its slick control system. Your player has eight-way movement around the court, with you having to get him into the right position for where the ball is going to land � signified by a white cross.

However, once in position, the cross turns red, and from now on your button presses control your shot placement, with '1' being the back-left of your opponent's court, '2' being the back centre and so on. '0' hits a lob, while pressing a directional button twice hits a sliced shot.

It works smoothly, and most importantly the pace is up to speed: no slo-mo jerkiness here.

The excellent Career mode is where you'll spend most of your playing time, hauling yourself to the top of the world rankings by competing in tournaments, while training up your skills and taking the odd rest to build up your stamina. Your player has five skills � Technique, Control, Serve, Speed and Power � which are improved through simple mini-games.

Perhaps the best thing about Tennis Open 2007 � besides those on-court tantrums � is the feeling of progression as you play through the game, improve your skills and rise in the rankings. You can start pulling off some marvellous cross-court slices and booming serves, although at the same time your opponents become better at sending you scurrying around the court.

There are distinct playing styles too, with some players coming in close to the net, while others lurk at the baseline � forcing you to mix and match your tactics for each new match.

If you're looking for sexy 3D visuals in a mobile tennis game, don't look here � Virtua Tennis should be your first port of call. But much like Gameloft's original 2D Midnight Pool kicked the arse of several snazzier 3D rivals, so Tennis Open 2007 is the slickest, most playable mobile tennis game we've seen. Ace, in other words.

New PSP firmware upgrade released

Right, just a quickie to let you know Sony has released the latest PSP firmware update. Version 3.10 offers expanded support for PlayStation Nework titles (of immediate use to those with a PS3) and the ability to play MPEG-4 AVC format video files under LocationFree Player (of immeditate use to those with a LocationFree Base Station. In addition, a Conserve Memory option has been included in the Internet Browser settings, and you'll now find a Dynamic Normalizer (surely a contradiction in terms?) feature under the Sound Settings menu. That's more or less it. You can download v3.10 from the official PSP site.

Rocky Balboa

Format: Psp

I've not seen Rocky Balboa the movie, but if the scenario depicted in the game of the film is anything to go by, it's an unconventional narrative. A boxer – Rocky Balboa – finds some way of cloning a version of himself from various ages. Additionally, he discovers some form of time travel and, for good measure, body possession. He can then jump between key points in his life or other people's lives in an attempt to beat other people or himself up, in a boxing ring or elsewhere. Scenarios soon become increasingly ridiculous, resulting in fictional '70s world heavyweight champion Apollo Creed fighting someone who in ordinary chronology would essentially be a foetus. All whilst dressed in stars and stripes pants. Actually, what I suspect happened is publisher Ubisoft decided the best way to port 2004's home console success Rocky: Legends to the PSP was to add a couple of new scenarios and characters, shoehorn a complicated control system onto a format that can't take it, and enjoy an association with a celluloid franchise that no-one asked for in the first place. The pre-match entertainment promises much. Players are offered a series of training bouts, exhibition matches, historical fights, quick brawls or multiplayer contests. Whilst winning conditions will vary, the agenda is the same: defeat someone from Rocky's history, either by knocking them down – often many times, frustratingly – or being awarded the most points per round. Then try again, but harder. And as the contenders dance into the ring, there is much to be excited about. The cinematic re-runs – complete with rousing score – will bring a smile to fans of the series, despite the time it takes to load them. In-game, Rocky Balboa is pretty enough too, with decent polygonal representations of silver screen icons bobbing and weaving convincingly. But from the first bell, it's clear that, like Rocky himself, we've seen much better before. Put simply, the game's control system is ill-suited to the PSP. Sure, it's admirable that the developer has crammed in four pages full of attacking and defensive options, but they're impossible to a) remember, and b) get to work, particularly as the analogue stick acts both as a regular joystick and an action key. Whilst some moves look easy on paper, in the heat of a fight you can't pull them off with any regularity. Pulling down on the analogue stick, and hitting Square and Triangle within a fraction of a second, for example, shouldn't be a chore. But it's hit and miss stuff. Pun not intended – because it's really not funny. Indeed, Rocky Balboa's fights soon descend into the style of brawl I used to favour at school: hit and hope. The temptation is to button-mash, but this rarely produces satisfactory results. It's a shame, because the game's paraphernalia hints at so much more. There are countless scenarios and stacks of options, designed to placate both those demanding some deep 'mano et mano' action, or those looking to while away some time on the bus. But each is just a simple variation on a common theme: beat someone harder than you, within a time limit or over a certain number of rounds. Over 15 rounds, it's a dispiriting and all too realistic exercise in stamina. There are moments that shine. During bouts – and providing certain conditions are met – there's the option to engage Power Mood, which slows the action down enough to more accurately plan consecutive punches. The sound changes, too: each hit ricochets like a shotgun. It's immensely rewarding, if frustratingly short-lived. But during ordinary play, Rocky Balboa becomes arthritic. Thumbs ache, knuckles crack. Which may be authentic, but it's not entertaining. In standard fights, opponents will get back up from knockdowns at least three times – a standard video game convention, but one which, in the ninth or tenth round, absolutely frustrates. Punching someone out – particularly if you've activated the slow-mo mode – should be a moment of satisfaction and of triumph. But knowing that if it's the first time you've done it, it'll count for little other than a points bonus makes it entirely unrewarding. The Rocky films should offer a rich tapestry upon which to paint a rewarding video game. Instead, Ubisoft has taken a concept which works pretty well on consoles with twice as many buttons, and reduced it to an unrewarding test of stamina. The last Rocky film I saw was Rocky V, in which an aging Stallone beat up a child in the street. Some of my fellow cinema-goers, during the rowdy climax, stood up and shouted at the screen. I was too embarrassed to do that at the time, but whilst gazing at the PSP this time around, I know how they felt. Only this time, it was in a bad way.

Sony's latest financial report confirms PSP sales slowdown

What's going on with PSP? Nintendo's selling gazillions of DS Lites, but according to Sony's latest financial figures – released today – the turnover in PSP hardware seems to have hit a brick wall. In the three months ending December 31st – the critical period that included the run up to Christmas – Sony shipped a mere 1.76 million PSPs worldwide, compared to 6.22 million in the same period in 2005. That's a staggering fall of 72 per cent. Total PSP hardware shipments in the three quarters so far recorded for this financial year total 7.67 million units. The company is now forecasting total PSP hardware shipments of 9 million for this financial year – a huge plunge from the 14.06 million it shipped in financial year '05, and from its prediction last April of shipping 12 million units, too. Now importantly – and confusingly – these are officially 'shipment' figures, rather than sales figures. Sony defines such shipments as follows: 'Production shipment units of hardware and software are counted upon shipment of the products from manufacturing bases.' But other sections of the report confirm the obvious conclusion – that the PSP is indeed under-performing in sales terms, just as you'd expect from Sony sending out far fewer units to retailers. "PSP sales declined due to a decrease in unit sales compared with the same quarter in the previous financial year," is how the snappily titled Consolidated Financial Reports for the Third Quarter puts it. The territory breakdown (an appropriate word here, sadly) makes particularly grim reading for PSP's US fans. PSP shipments for Q3 in Japan were 0.9 million (compared to 1.4 million in the same period in 2005), Europe took 0.9 million (compared to 3.2 million in 2005), but the real stinker was America. Previously swallowing up almost 1.7 million PSPs in Q3 2005, the run up to Christmas 2006 saw Sony ship a mere 100,000 PSPs to the territory. It's such a low figure we're tempted to think one of Sony's beancounters has put the decimal point in the wrong place! But in reality, the conclusion seems clear. Throughout 2006, pundits pointed out that while Sony was boasting of large 'shipments' of PSP hardware, that didn't mean it was selling them. Now the chickens appear to have come to roost, with unsold PSPs clogging up retail channels across the globe due to sluggish sales of the hardware. PSP 2.0 on the way?
The only positive spin we can think of is Sony might be clearing out its inventory as it prepares to launch a re-designed PSP, perhaps even PSP 2. One might then interpret these figures as reflecting Sony shuffling unsold PSPs around each territory, rather than shipping new hardware from the factories. Timing-wise it would make sense: Nintendo announced DS Lite during January 2006 for example. But this seems a far-fetch intrepretation. Would Sony really restrict supplies so much during its key selling period? And surely a notably-absent price slashing of PSP would be a key part of such a strategy, given the hardware has stalled so much? Time will tell. At least those people with PSPs are buying games. Total PSP games sales to date are around 85 million units; with 21.7 million PSPs shipped, that works out at a rough tie-ratio of four games for each PSP sold. Not great, but no banana skin either for a format still – we presume – only halfway through its natural life.

Super Yum Yum 2

Despite all their claims over how healthy an all-fruit and all-veg diet is, you have to wonder. Have you ever used the toilet after it's been recently vacated by a vegetarian? It's not a pleasant experience. So while we were pleased to see the return of Leon, the fruit-munching, colour-changing Chameleon from Super Yum Yum, it was tempered with trepidation. Would Leon have become bloated and gassy after a year off, or would he have something new to offer us? Things look safe enough to begin with; Leon's kept his trim physique and has obviously caught the eye of the ladies. He's now father to dozens of chameleon kids and it's the nippers around which Super Yum Yum 2 revolves. You see, there's a giant fish called Tum Tum who's also got an appetite for fruit and, in the process of scarfing down the contents of Leon's jungle, he's mistakenly eaten the chameleon babies. But they're hardy kids and, as veggies are prone too, Tum Tum's emitted an enormous belch, scattering the little'uns far and wide across the world. It's up to Leon to rescue them all, leading to the same coloured-fruit eating adventures that we love him for. Super Yum Yum 2, then, sticks to the same formula as its predecessor. Leon changes colour according to the shade of the leaves on the fruit he eats and, to make things more complicated, he can only eat fruit that's the same colour as his skin. So, in order to clear the level of fruit, you have to ensure you eat it in the right order. Adding to the challenge are platforms that can you can leap between by eating fruit on the far one, and the ever-present objective of rescuing your offspring. The levels are organised into worlds and you need to have eaten enough pieces of fruit in the levels to complete each world. In between worlds you come across Tum Tum, who burps up a giant piece of fruit that you and your rescued children have to eat your way through. It's a strange storyline but no less enjoyable because of it. Anyway, you'll be fixated on the unique gameplay. Even though Super Yum Yum was a success, garnering BAFTA attention, we've not come across anything that's attempted to replicate its puzzle mechanics. It's fun but you have to think about your actions, too, and the difficulty level is perfectly pitched. The landscapes are richly detailed, they change often enough to keep them fresh, and there are plenty of nice touches that stand as testament to the time that the developers have put into the game. So, Super Yum Yum 2 still has this kind of colour-matching puzzle niche all to its own. But that doesn't get around the fact that there's nothing entirely new about the game. Despite the little tweak here and there, it's still essentially the same game we looked at nearly a year and a half ago. If you've already played and completed Super Yum Yum then you'll probably want something with a bit more fresh meat; you could even take a mark off the score below. If you haven't yet shared a bite to eat with Leon though, you'll love this new course. Tuck in!

Zelda: Ocarina Of Time Priciest Virtual Console Game Yet

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is set to be the most pricey Virtual Console release to date. It'll set you back a cool 1,200 Wii points.

Don't let the fact the price is out there get you too excited just yet, however. The release has only been confirmed for Japan, where it'll hit in February

Mario Slam Basketball (aka Mario Hoops 3-on-3)

Format: DS

As with most American sports, basketball is a high-scoring game of speed, spring-heeled acrobatics, and relentless attacking. Bring Mario on court in the form of Mario Slam Basketball and the whole thing becomes even more insane. This is basketball where collecting coins on the way to a slam dunk can net you over one hundred points. This is basketball where you can pick up staples such as red shells and lightning to throw at your opponents. This is basketball where the final score can be 480-194. Like all the best sports games, the action in Mario Slam Basketball veers from stupidly fast to bulging-eyes frantic. In ye olden days, it's what would have been termed a 'button basher'. In our super-enlightened Twenty-First century Nintendo DS yoga-and-spiritual learning epoch, we'll call it a 'stylus scraper' instead. See, dribbling in Mario Slam Basketball requires nothing more complicated than tapping your stylus on the touchscreen. Scrape your stylus diagonally up while holding the L1 button and you'll pass to one of your two team mates. Your team mate – let's says it's Donkey Kong – then charges up a shot as you keep the stylus pressed down. Kong shoots but, agonisingly, the ball rebounds off the ring. Your third team member – in this case, Baby Bowser – rushes in, and with a quick slash of the stylus, slams in the rebound. High fives all round. So far so quick, but does Mario Slam Basketball's control method offer anything more than cheap arcade sports thrills? Well, play a little longer, and the subtle genius of the stylus system becomes more apparent. Jiggle the stylus sideways while charging up a shot, for instance, and you'll evade the ball-stealing swipes of opponents. Similarly, sharp defence-beating turns of NBA quality can be achieved by scraping the stylus down and then diagonally up. You'll also need to attain serious stylus mastery to pull off your character's special moves. These point-scoring bemani bonanzas are performed by rhythmically tapping letters onto the touchscreen. At this point, Mario Slam Basketball is probably sounding terribly complex. Cynics will be beginning to wonder whether it might be more effective, and less hassle, to simply dementedly scribble with the stylus, rather than play the game properly. To an extent, the cynics are right. Sometimes you'll find yourself accidentally passing when you meant to shoot, or blocking when you meant to jump. Using the buttons is also faster. Equally, the game is laden with power-ups that distort the sport's natural ebb and flow. And the courts are booby-trapped! Crates will roll onto the screen to flatten your Baby Bowser just seconds after he's dished out a Michael Jordan-esque lesson in dribbling. Bombs will walk onto the court to blow you up just as you were about to level the scores. Sometimes, there's so much action crammed onto the court, the game feels like it's spiralling out of control. As a result, matches can feel totally random; you'll win when you deserve to lose, and you'll dominate but be soundly beaten. (A flavour of play that never harmed Mario Kart, of course). Another problem only becomes more apparent as you spend more time with the game – the quality of the computer controlled characters you play against. In the early rounds, rival team's are pretty useless, while towards the end of the game they rarely seem to make any mistakes. Thankfully though, the game's instant appeal – the 3D graphics are as good as anything else we've seen on DS – is ultimately balanced by rewards for those dedicated to developing some skills. To progress through the harder settings, you'll need to learn a whole repertoire of the trickier-to-pull-off defensive moves. Mario Slam Basketball's sub-games, extended training modes, and a seemingly endless number of unlockable bonuses, such as new characters, have also been lavished with care and imagination. You might think too that Mario Slam Basketball would be a prime candidate for Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection support – and it would be particularly helpful given the ill-considered difficulty curve – but for some reason (network latency, we presume), it isn't included. Instead, there's a useful two-player mode, if both players have a copy of the game, or else a coin-racing game and a four-player Mario Kart-style battle mode to enjoy via the game share option. In many respects, Mario Slam Basketball is a gem of a game. It looks amazing, and offers plenty of fast and furious action, as well as humour and a great attention to detail. But the somewhat fiddly controls and variability of the opposing teams mean it never quite fulfils its potential. Close, but no slam dunk.

World Snooker Challenge 2007

Format: Psp

You say 'to-may-to', I say 'to-mah-to', but in the case of World Snooker Challenge 2007 (or World Pool Challenge 2007, as it's known to our American cousins) that's certainly no reason to call the whole thing off. Becase thanks to the massive popularity of pool in the US set alongside British passions forged in the crucible of snooker, Sega has decided to pack its latest cuesports simulator with fully formed and feature laden versions of both sports.

For snooker fans, this translates to being able to play as or against an astonishing 91 of the most popular and well-known snooker and pool stars in the world – from John Higgins, Ronnie 'O Sullivan, and Steve Davis through to Earl Strickland and Efren Reyes. Ten officially endorsed tournaments including the World Snooker Championship and The Masters are available to play through, as well as a hugely generous array of quick play and more casual options, including trick shots, free snooker, free pool, and 8- and 9-ball games.

The gameplay doesn't stray too far from the traditional videogame-snooker furrow, requiring you to line up shots carefully using the D-pad, setting the power with which you want to hit the ball, and then sitting back to watch the shot outplay. By default, some gentle aids are given to indicate the angles that balls will likely travel as you work out shots and, helpfully, a darkened circle appears on the table to indicate the general area where the cue ball will likely come to rest according to power, bounce, and spin.

Pleasingly, there's a weighty, realistic feel to both the balls and the tables. In fact, these are some of the best ball physics we've experienced in a snooker game, which coupled with the extremely satisfying clunk of the sound effects helps provide a strong sense of realism throughout.

The environments are extremely well-realised, too (admittedly, a sombre room and a big green felt table shouldn't really sweat the PSP's processing power), as are all the in-game characters.

The official commentary (from John Parrot, John Virgo and Steve Davis) is also always appropriate, slick, and well-delivered. These added extras, which too many developers fall down on, combine here to polish off an extremely professional package.

So, a maximum break then? Not quite. Load times are a constant intrusion; after you've decided upon the angle and power of each shot, the PSP loads your character's model in (as well as an appropriate commentary response), leaving a gap of a four or five seconds between the entry and delivery of each move. These momentary interruptions are understandable and mostly bearable, but they spoil the flow of the game somewhat.

Likewise, it's sometimes difficult to achieve the necessary level of precision in lining up shots thanks to the inaccurate D-pad – you'll find yourself micro-tapping left and right repeatedly just to try and get the angle you're looking for. In most games this isn't a problem, but when playing on a full-sized snooker table where accuracy is everything and a 5-degree mistake can mean the difference between a trophy and defeat, it's occasionally game-breaking.

Thankfully, some careful lining up of shots and learning from trial-and-error will typically get you through, and so these issues can be mostly overlooked.

Instead, the question of whether World Snooker Challenge 2007 is for you rests, as it should, on the sport it champions. A lot of your play time can be spent simply watching your opponent skillfully clear a table. For less pool- or snooker-obsessed gamers, this regular state of non-interactivity will quickly wear thin over the course of a championship.

For aficionados on either side of the Atlantic (or anywhere else), however, this is the best package catering for the two principal disciplines of cuesports currently available on a handheld. As such, it's highly recommended.

Final Fantasy XIII confirmed for 2008

For those who hoped to play Final Fantasy XIII this year, this is bad news.

In a recent interview, Nomura confirmed to the Famitsu gaming magazine that Final Fantasy XIII won't be coming out in 2007, and that the new release date is set for 2008. The most simple explanation is that they still have some other projects to finish before being able to fully focus on Final Fantasy XIII.

Final Fantasy XIII is part of the Final Fantasy: Fabula Nova Crystallis trilogy, which also includes Final Fantasy Versus XIII and Final Fantasy Agito XIII (for cellphones).

Although the game is set to be released in 2008, we can expect a demo to be available late this year. If the demo doesn't make it to the online stores this year, we will at least have the first in-game footage from TGS or some other events.

Driver on Wii, first screenshots

Today we have four screenshots of Driver: Parallel Lines for Nintendo Wii. They are the first Ubisoft and Refeclections have released.

View Screenshots >>

Quake Wars in fiscal 2008

Format: Pc Those of you dribbling at the chops in anticipation of Enemy Territory: Quake Wars may have to wait a little longer, as Activision's financial report reveals the release date has moved into fiscal year 2008.

A spokesperson for the publisher told Eurogamer we could expect it before Christmas, but other than that "it's an id Software title so it's done when it's done."

The game has previously, "unofficially", slipped from autumn 2006 into early 2007.

Enemy Territory: Quake Wars is an online shooter for PC, developed by Splash Damage in conjunction with id Software.

You'll choose to be either Human or Strogg, before battling against each other in large team and objective-based mulitplayer modes. Use a vast array of weapons, vehicles and deployable armaments to best your foes, gaining ranks to improve the unique skills of your character class. GO ON.

Midway goes casual with Touchmaster DS

The DS wasn't the first touchscreen device designed purely for gaming – the annals of gaming history are littered with trivia, gambling and other simple touchscreen games machines of the sort you'll find hidden away in the backcorners of pubs. And so it is that Midway is going back to its own arcade roots with Touchmaster DS. Based on its long-running Touchmaster countertop game systems – still found in arcades, bars, and other such leisure facilities – Touchmaster DS will feature 23 simple mini-games, such as card games, mah jong, and trivia and knowledge games. Perhaps more interesting though is that the game will use the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection to connect to Midway's own Tournament Network, so players can update their high scores to the global ranking system, as well as participate in competitions and tournaments. The full listing of mini-games is: Crystal Balls, Hot Hoops, MahKi, Mah Jonng Pairs, Pond Kings, Pairs, Target 21, 3 Peak Deluxe, Pyramid 13, Powercell, Solitaire, Artifact, 5 Star Generals, Double Take, Go Wild, Up Lift, Times Square, Word Search, Triple Elevens, Trivia, Pick Up 6, and Wordz. Touchmaster DS is due to be released this summer.

Fatal Chaos to provide comic relief

Format: Mobile

It's time to administer justice to some evil rabbits. Not the carrot-chomping kind, though. The RSPCA wouldn't be too happy about that.

Fatal Chaos is based on a Malaysian comic, and the Evil Rabbits in question are a high-school gang that crosses paths with the game's heroes, Rex and Eva. The result is a side-scrolling beat-'em-up with suitably cartoonish visuals. You get to play Rex or Eva, who each have their own unique skills. There are six levels to batter your way through, helped by various weapons that you can pick up such as decidedly uncutesy baseball bats and steel pipes. Meanwhile, a 'Striker System' lets you call another character in to give you a hand every so often. Fatal Chaos will be available over here through games websites and possibly operator portals. It looks like a colourful romp, even if you're not familiar with the original comics.

George Bush gets whacked on mobile phones

Format: Mobile
There isn't exactly a long line of politically satirical mobile games. In fact, we can only really think of one: Glu Mobile's Bush vs. Kerry Boxing, which came out just before the last presidential election, and let you duff up Republicans or Democrats in the ring. However, it's now been joined by a second.

Bush Wacked is the work of Scottish developer Pixel Magick, and this time it stars just Dubya. The aim of the game is pretty simple too: destroy his opinion poll ratings by... hitting him with a mallet. Okay, it's a bit more complicated than that, as you have to avoid 'wacking bombs' along the way. And you're rewarded – although we're not sure that's the right word – with Bushisms at the end of every level. The game's available now on Pixel Magick's own 1 Thumb Fun website. Will we see a British version, though? This writer would pay good money for a game that let you whack David Cameron over the head with a wind turbine, for example. Only in pretend, mind. Pocket Gamer does not condone actual violence against politicians of any ilk. Vote the rotters out.

Jewel Quest Solitaire

Format: Mobile

Should we ever happen to book a holiday to Mexico, stop us. We might be being paranoid here, but from the impression given by certain mobile phone games we've played, it seems like a rather unpleasant place to visit.

If you're not getting shot up by gangsters, you're stumbling across lost civilisations in the jungle and having to work your way out of a tight spot with... a pack of cards.

Yep, in contrast to the heavy ordnance employed by the Mexico-based Total Overdose, when faced with miffed locals in Jewel Quest Solitaire you whip out a deck of playing cards and proceed to play solitaire.

Aside from putting your personal well-being at risk by not arming yourself profusely, you're making things worse by playing a game that excludes all of your new acquaintances. Oh well.

It's a good job, then, that Jewel Quest Solitaire is actually very entertaining to play, even if you'd normally give solitaire the kind of wide berth usually reserved for spear-wielding natives.

Based on the card game that involves removing the cards dealt face up in front of you in numerical order until they're all gone, it's strangely compelling. This is largely thanks to two features.

The first is the rapidity of the game. Arranged into four chapters, each of which boasts eight levels, Jewel Quest Solitaire can be played as quickly or slowly as you want. This means that if you're playing for puzzle value alone, you can blast through a chapter in around an hours' play.

If you're a perfectionist – and there are big points bonuses for completing levels in suit order, for example – then you can take your time and play with all of the strategy and tactics that can be applied to solitaire.

The second factor in Jewel Quest Solitaire's favour is the bonus mini-games that take place in between levels of card playing. After each completed hand, you're presented with a traditional Jewel Quest board and you can play to turn all of the squares gold for even more bonus points.

Jewel Quest is one of many puzzle games that involve making columns or rows of similarly coloured jewels. Make a row or column and the jewels disappear, turning the squares they inhabited to gold. You re-arrange the jewels on the board by selecting one and swapping its position with a neighbour.

The number of swaps you have is directly linked to how well you did in the prior hand of solitaire, so do well and you'll have plenty of swaps to turn the board gold. Fare poorly and you'll have fewer moves available to you, meaning each swap needs to count.

The two games combined manage to add enough entertainment to make Jewel Quest Solitaire seriously worth considering. After all, you are (just about) getting two games for the price of one. Even though neither is really that entertaining on its own (the version of Jewel Quest featured here is a cut-down one), they work well together here.

It means that Jewel Quest Solitaire is ideal if you're hankering after a puzzle game, but aren't sure what to go for. It'll keep you busy for a fair old while, as the solitaire hands get progressively more difficult, as do the Jewel Quest interludes, and each serves to keep the other feeling fresh.

If you're going to be hacked to death by itinerant rainforest Indians, there are worse ways to go.

Ebay To Suspend All Virtual Item Auctions

A new report from technology news site Slashdot has revealed that online auction house Ebay intends to remove listings for all virtual items, regardless of type or game title, clamping down on third-party sales of gold and accounts from many popular MMOs. Despite the Slashdot piece further explaining continued in-game item and currency sales through third party firms as IGE, previously profiled on Gamasutra in August, and Sony Online Entertainment's own internal Station Exchange for its line-up of MMO titles, eBay has decided to close down all virtual item listings due to their inherent 'legal complexities.' The policy currently in effect covers virtual items of any type, including in-game currency, items, and entire accounts or characters from MMOs, even up to, the report notes, 'neopoints' currency for casual virtual-pet website Neopets. Speaking to Slashdot, eBay spokesperson Hani Durzy told the site that the decision, rather than a new policy to end auctions, was instead simply a follow-through of existing site policy that sellers must own the intellectual property being sold. Durzy is quoted as saying the decision is intended to be "for the overall health of the marketplace," and that item listings would be pulled without punitive action for initial offenders, withholding actual seller removal for repeat offenders. However, a large amount of virtual currency and objects from games such as World Of Warcraft and Ultima Online were still available on eBay as of press time, raising questions as to how swiftly and comprehensively the massive site could crack down on those posting such items - or, indeed, whether an active removal process was occurring.

Commodore 64 Chronology

1980

• MOS completes development of the 6510 Central Processor and chip set

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1981 January

• MOS Engineer Albert Charpentier looks for new chip project and starts work on state-of-the-art video and sound chips for the worlds "next great video game"

1981 Spring

• Charpentier recruited another MOS Engineer, Robert Yannes to assist him in figuring out how far other companies push their current technology

1981 November

• First Silicon is complete
• Jack Tramiel kills the "next great video game" concept and tells the engineers to make a home computer to show at CES in 6 weeks
• Two days later the basic engineering layout for the 64 is complete

1981 December

• 5 Prototypes are assembled

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1982 January

• Operating System software from the VIC-20 is ported to the much more powerful C64 hardware
• Commodore announces the Commodore 64 microcomputer at the Winter CES. It features a 6510 processor, 64 KB RAM, 20 KB ROM with Microsoft BASIC, custom SID sound chip, 8 sprites, 16-color graphics, 40-column screen, for US$595. It is the first personal computer with an integrated sound synthesizer chip.
• Production is approved immediately after the show

1982 Spring

• Minor engineering changes occur which will later cause as many problems as they resolve
• Production problems, like sourcing odd parts and figuring out how to use metric screws with 'English' nuts are worked out between several worldwide plants

1982 June

• Summer CES Commodore shows the 64 again but this time production is well underway

1982 August

• Production is stable enough and large enough to start shipping the 64 to retailers

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1983 January

• Commodore shows off the 23 pound "portable" $995 SX-100 with integrates black and white 5" screen. A colour 5" screen version with two 5.25" 1541 type drives lists for $1295.
• The price drops $100 as Commodore starts distributing the machines through mass marketers like Sears

1983 Spring

• Nearly the whole C64 team, Al Charpentier, Robert Yannes, Charles Winterable, David Ziembeicki and Bruce Crockette, left Commodore early in 1983 and started Peripheral Visions which was quickly renamed Ensoniq (which becomes part of Creative Labs in the late 1990's).

1983 April

• Commodore offers $100 rebate on 64's

1983 May

• After many false starts and name changes, Commodore Business Machines ships the Executive 64 with one 1541 type 170 KB floppy and 5" colour screen for $995.
• This is the worlds first portable colour computer.

1983 June

• Commodore drops the dealer price of the 64 all the way down to $200

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1984 January

• January 13th - Commodore shows off prototype 264 and 364 at CES and indicates they should be in production by June
• January 15th - Commodores founder, visionary and CEO, Jack Tramiel quits Commodore with secret plans to buy the near bankrupt Atari
• Commodore shows a Golden Jubilee version of the 64 to commemorate the 1,000,000 C64 to be produced in the US
• Commodore introduces the SX-64, the worlds first portable colour computer. It comes is a heafty 10.5 kg and incorporates a 5-inch color monitor and one or two 5.25 inch floppy drive all for $1600.

1984

• Commodore introduces the Educator 64. A 64 in a Commodore PET 8032 style case.

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1985 January

• The last Commodore VIC-20 rolls off the line
• Commodore shows off the C128 Personal Computer at CES. This new machine has three modes: 64, CP/M and the new 128KB mode.

1985

• Commodore stops production of the 64 several times (presumably in favour of the much more powerful Commodore 128) but restarts the C64 line because of consumer demand.

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1986 January

• Germany celebrates its 1,000,000 C64 with a Golden Jubilee version
• Berkley Software demonstrates GEOS for the Commodore 64 at Winter CES.
• Commodore 128D's hit retail stores in Europe and North America for about $500
• September - Plus/4 was in full liquidation were selling for a mere $79

1986 June

• In an effort to revitalize sales, Commodore releases a sleek new 128 like case, changes the name to 64C, and bundles it with GEOS.
• The Commodore 1541C is displayed at Summer CES

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1987 January

• Berkley Software shows off a host of applications for GEOS, including geoCalc, geoFile, and geoDex and sets them to retail at about $50 each

1987 December

• Sales of the 'new' 64C 270,000 units.

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1988 June

• GEOS 2 for the Commodore 64 is shown at Summer CES

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1990

• CMD Creative Micro Designs releases 3 hard drives for the Commodore 64: 20 MB for $600, 40 MB for $800, and a whooping 100 MB for US$1300
• Commodore 64 Games System is released in Europe

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1992

• Last Commodore 64 is pushed off the assembly line

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1994

• Commodore goes bankrupt and the Commodore 65 prototypes and documentation are auctioned off as part of the liquidation

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2003 May 15

• Jeri Ellsworth has her 3 year project to develop a 100% C64 compatible machine using modern hardware is released. This project is not sanctioned by the current owners of the Commodore trademark so the machine is called the C-One.

World's First Laptop

Alan Kay of the Xerox Palo Alto Research Center originated the idea of a portable computer in the 1970s. Kay envisioned a notebook-sized, portable computer called the Dynabook that everyone could own, and that could handle all of the user's informational needs. Kay also envisioned the Dynabook with wireless network capabilities. Arguably, the first laptop computer was designed in 1979 by William Moggridge of Grid Systems Corp. It had 340 kilobytes of bubble memory, a die-cast magnesium case and a folding electroluminescent graphics display screen (click here for a picture). In 1983, Gavilan Computer produced a laptop computer with the following features (click here for picture):
64 kilobytes (expandable to 128 kilobytes) of random access memory (RAM)
Gavilan operating system (also ran MS-DOS)
8088 microprocessor
touchpad mouse
portable printer
weighed 9 lb (4 kg) alone or 14 lb (6.4 kg) with printer
The Gavilan computer had a floppy drive that was not compatible with other computers, and it primarily used its own operating system. The company failed.