Halo 2

The latest addition to my toolbox of gadgets designed to waste more time over the last two months has been an Xbox. I tried to hold out for as long as I could, realising the full implications and dangers of such a device, prefering to do my gaming on the PC since abandoning the original Playstation about 18 months ago, but the allure was too strong! Not only are the games way in advance of anything I've had on the PC or the Playstation, but the novelty appeal of Xbox live (putting on a headset and talking to someone in Brazil whilst kicking the shit out of their onscreen alter-ego) is irrisistable. I know I'm way behind the times - the new Xbox 360 is due out at Christmas - but to me this is new stuff, and I like it!!! My delay has also given me a chance to see which games have had the most longevity and make wise choices in the software market. Which leads me to Halo 2... Oh my God, what a game! Storyline, graphics, playability and addictiveness are all there in spades, and when your controller vibrates as some alien elite creeps up on you and tries to break your neck, believe me, it is time for new pants...! I am on the verge of devoting endless hours to this, I can tell - it is just so absorbing: the closet yet to a first hand experience in a movie that you are the star of that I've seen a console game acheive. What little sunlight still reaches Scotland this time of year will have to take a backseat; bring on the thumb-plasters! Kx