THE CRYSTAL MAZE

To anyone of a certain age living in Britain during the early 90s, The Crystal Maze needs no introduction. It garnered the highest viewing figures Channel 4 had at the time and was (and still is in my opinion) the zenith of all game shows. Everyone and their mother wanted to be a contestant, but after its cancellation in 1995, only a few would ever have that honour. At least now anyone can experience its awesomeness. At least you would hope.

THREE MORE DISNEY INTERACTIVE STORYBOOKS

   

What better way is there to cure of those January blues than a good dose of Disney? Read further to get a look at three more Disney titles for the very young (and young at heart).

CLUEDO (CLUE)

Out of all of the classic board games stored away in the spare room, Cluedo (or simply Clue to some) gets dusted off more than most in my household. It's a game that relies on skill and reasoning more than blind luck (of which I have none) and it certainly tickles your inner Poirot or Miss Marple. In 1994, Hasbro Interactive decided to bring the game to Panasonic's ill-fated CD-i system, and in doing so, set the wheels in motion for something drastically different with the license.

JUMP: THE DAVID BOWIE INTERACTIVE CD-ROM

Like many of you, David Bowie had a profound presence in my life. As a boy of the 80s, I first came to know him as Jareth the Goblin King in the brilliant family film Labyrinth (still my go-to film whenever I need cheering up), but over the years his infinitely inventive entertainment became just as important. In the world of video games, most would cite Omikron as a major piece of work - and rightfully so - but that was not his first stab into the digital world. That award goes to JUMP, Bowie's 90s stab at the in vogue CD-Rom multimedia disk.

ATMOSFEAR: THE THIRD DIMENSION

Being the kind of kid who liked everything that went bump in the night, I was immediately drawn to the series of early-90s VHS board games known as Atmosfear (or Nitemare in some parts of the world). With new expansions also coming over the next couple of years, it quickly reached the top of my Christmas list each yuletide season. A few years ago I stumbled upon this CD-Rom oddity that moved the party away from the TV set to the monitor screen. Needless to say, I was very intrigued...

STAR WARS CHESS

Star Wars is everywhere. If you thought The Force Awakens has engulfed the world, licensed products based on the original trilogy kept coming for 30 years. Even in the gaming world, characters from a galaxy far far away were slapped on to every genre out there. Case in point: Star Wars Chess. Even back in 1993 when this game was released, digital chess was not a new idea, but adding Star Wars to anything makes it automatically cool.

TOP 10 MOVIES OF 2015

My movie reviews have fallen by the wayside in recent months, but that's not to say I haven't seen any this past year. In fact that couldn't be further from the truth. Read on to discover my Top 10 movies released in the entirety of 2015.

TOP 10 GAMES OF 2015

I may love digging into the past for some hidden or forgotten gaming gems, but current releases also take my fancy. Here are my personal Top 10 videogames of 2015.

UPDATES - JANUARY 2016 - HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Happy New Year! It's a few days late, I know, but man have I been busy. In fact, it's not just festivities that kept me occupied this Christmas period, but some Windows 10 woes has meant that this humble hobby site has been left by the wayside. Anyway, I'm free of crashes and commitments for a short while so read on to find out more including what's coming up in the next few weeks...