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Neverwinter Nights...probably the most anticipated game in 2003...and also probably the most dissapointing to a large proportion of the gaming communities.

Personally, I've enjoyed both NWN standard, and Shadows of Undrentide immensly. And Irrational and I have adventured our ways through many a thought-provoking mod that were unforgettable. Hordes of Underdark, however, drops you into a higher level adventure with no equipment. Immediate suspense, drama, action, treasure, humour and puzzles - more roleplaying in the first chapter than NWN and Undrentide combined!
Some of the new features include:

1. Support for more than one henchman (what a pleasant surprise)
2. Characters can now get skilled to fashion/repair/improve their own armour and weapons
3. Robed characters look like they wear robes (it's a tiny thing, but just looks soooo much better)
4. Loads of good ol' classic monsters out of our favourite Monstrous Compendiums

If those don't convince you, nothing will.

Today's technological breatkthroughs are the ones that alter the way we live. The devices that succeed in the 21st Century, seems to be the ones that combine 2 or more older devices that people cannot live without (e.g the PDA cellphone).

To me it's obvious that the next destructive technology will be the combination of a fridge, microwave and a sub-woofer..

Prince of Persia - Sands of Time is taking the world by storm...and what our young prince lacks in (for lack of a better word) sex-appeal, he makes up in athletic abilities that could get even a computer geek wet...

Imagine watching an action packed movie, filled with the latest in camera effects, superb narration and stunning sound...now imagine yourself controlling every move of the lead character.

The controls are not very intuitive, but once you've grown used to them, it feels extremely natural and quickly becomes a transparent part of the gameplay.

I'm only 20% into the game, and dare I say it wasn't extremely challenging, it HAS provided me with what I can only describe as chills of utter pleasure that does not stop.

A game well worth buying, especially the limited edition that features a gamepad with analogue joysticks. The PoP-gamepad does not feature force feedback however, so if you're a serious gamer, you might want to consider a more expensive gamepad (I've played Prince on the Playstation first, and the rumble definitely adds a lot to the drama of the game).

There's something about traditional South African foods that's, for lack of a better word, simply unappealing. Which part of lower grade meat, boiled for several hours with a number of items (more often that not, a variety of questionable vegetables) ever seemed like "a good idea"? Something like "Potjiekos" could only be conceived by someone mentally challenged enough to even consider trekking over a mountain with wooden wagon. The day I see a bag of "microwave-in-minutes-potjiekos" at my local Woollies, is the day I'll admit "there must be something more to it".

I'm a proud South African, don't get me wrong - and to fit in with the rest of the crowd, and to be the owner of a line like "that's because you haven't tried MY potjiekos", I've decided to come up with my own little recipe:

Ingredients

• 3kg Woollies Mild Cheddar cheese
• 2x300g Woollies Rindless Streaky Bacon
• 2-3 onions, peeled and cut into rings
• 1^H 2 bottles of fine red wine (preferably a Shiraz, go for something in 2000)
• 3 loaves of fresh white bread
• Some Virgin Olive Oil (Woollies has some nice ones)
• Salt
• Oregano
• Black Pepper
• About 4 cases of beer

Method: Sautée the potjie with the olive oil - when the temprature is just right, add the onions. Cut the bacon into tiny pieces and add to the onions until they're almost cripsy and brown. Place the cooked bacon and onion bits into a seperate container and leave close to the fire, so they remain warm. Cut the cheese into blocks, and again in olive oil, melt slowly adding the copious amounts of red wine to avoid streakyness (feel free to pour yourself a glass while preparing). When the cheese has sufficiently melted, gently stir in the bacon and onion mixture. Add Oregano, Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Serve over 300g prime rump steak (medium) with beer or use the white bread for dipping.

When I was very little, I thought, like so many others, that glasses made people look smart - so secretly I wanted bad vision too.

Through an entire primary school career I lived with the curse of 20/20 vision. Of course, now that I'm older, I realise that good vision is a much better alternative (Besides, I've since then discovered the magic of sunglasses...I mean, why look smart, when you can look cool without the squinting?).

During my recent visit to the licensing department, the mandatory eye-test, I failed to see the very tiniest of the checkered blocks..

Do they sometimes leave it out? Or is my childhood dream coming back to haunt me!? I hope not.