This is, without a doubt, the worst book I have ever read. It fails on every level by which a book can be judged - stupid, plastic characters, ridiculous, contrived plot, awful writing.

I bought this book hoping for some dumb fun. It was just "dumb". Seriously, this is garbage, folks. Avoid.

This game fixes a lot of the problems of the first Guitar Hero game: mixed difficulties makes the 2 player game actually fun this time, and the co-op mode is exactly the way the game was meant to be played. The "practice" mode is useful for those of us who have trouble with four-note hammer-ons and means that you can actually improve at this game without having to sweat blood.

Unfortunately, this all comes at a price: the choice of songs is truly, truly awful. Barring a few standout tracks (Sweet Child O' Mine, for example), there are songs in here that are just no fun to play meaning that when you get into the harder difficulties, entire sections of the game become tedious, unrewarding slogs.

Which means that this game, in spite of its gameplay improvements, is actually worse than the original. Which is a shame. Perhaps the Xbox 360 version will have downloadable content - songs people actually want to play.

As someone who never really knew a world of "Empire Strikes Back" without "Return of the Jedi", I'm left wondering if this is how it's supposed to feel when you come out of the middle film of a trilogy where you don't know how it's going to turn out. Did the people coming out of the first screenings of Empire Strikes Back have this same sadness with a hint of disappointment?

This mood of this movie is much darker than the first. The characters are much less care-free and seem to each be carrying the weight of the world on their shoulders. And the sheer amount of action they've managed to cram into this movie can be a little overwhelming.

But the characters we love are still there. The dialogue is as sharp and beautiful as ever, and the whole world of Pirates 2 is as captivating and enchanting as ever. So it's still a good thing.

But still, where the Jack Sparrow of the first movie was occasionally a scoundrel, selling his friends out to save his hide, he'd be redeemed a few minutes later, the Jack Sparrow of Pirates 2 is a lot meaner, and although he's no less funny, he's a lot harder to like. Maybe that's the problem with this huge gap between the movies.

So maybe this is the same as what happened with Empire Strikes Back, and look what happened there. Time will tell.

While my review is running this long anyway, I might as well take some time to mention the fact that this DVD has some of the best behind-the-scenes featurettes I've seen. They're not afraid to talk about -- and sometimes show us -- the various problems (budget, script) the production faced. Which is a refreshing change from the usual "I was just *so* excited to be working on this film" fluff.

With its built-in audience of the millions of people who have already read Dan Brown's book, Ron Howard dind't actually have to make much of an effort with this movie. So he didn't. Instead, we're treated to entirely pedestrian moviemaking - adventure by numbers - which seems drunk on its own sense of self-importance. "National Treasure", brainless, entertaining hookum that it is, is a positive masterpiece by comparison.

Over-long and self-indulgent. This movie stands as a warning to everyone as to what can happen when a director has noone around them to say "no."

The stand-out star of this show is WETA, Jackson's effects company, who managed to create a believable fantasy world and fill it with entertaining spectacle. For me, Kong himself is the first special effect capable of displaying a range of authentic emotions.

Still though, the extras on this DVD, along with the "Peter Jackson's King Kong Production Diaries" DVD provide a fascinating glimpse into the making of a contemporary blockbuster movie. And that's worth the price of admission alone.

I tend to steer clear of fantasy novels. Something about faux-medieval nonsense makes my skin crawl. But someone left this in the wrong place in my local book shop and I was so enamoured by the pace and wit of Scott Lynch's writing that I was willing to brave these uncharted waters. And I completely loved it - a punchy, cleverly-written story with enough meat on its bones to leave you chewing for days.

Highly recommended.

I tend to read before going to bed, and Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell is so dense and rich, I was making slow progress in the book. I took it on a sun holiday with me and spent hours by the pool completely engrossed by this book. And I enjoyed every minute I spent in the world created by Susanna Clarke.

Deeply satisfying and highly recommended. Especially for those long, relaxing sun holidays.

Most zombie-related books tend to feel the need to beef the zombies into something more. For example, "Monster Island", where the zombies are linked and controlled by a master zombie - whaaaaaaaat?

Max Brooks' impressive book paints a picture of an alternate history, one where zombies were a reality and something that humans fought against for over a decade. The book is told through a series of 'interviews' with survivors, each giving their own insight into a particular event in the 'zombie war'.

Thankfully, Brooks is skilled enough to make this compelling enough without having to resort to extravagant tangents.

Highly recommended.