As an owner of a phat PSP (PSP1000) I sadly only got Go!Messenger, whilst Slims (PSP2000) got Sykpe and GO!Messenger. I say got GO!Mess, but what I mean is that an icon now shows under Network that links to a website were supposidly this new application can be downloaded to a Memory Stick Duo.

Follow the link and all it does is take to to a page that says coming soon, but no release date shown. There is a Q&A page but very little else.

So until this package goes live I cannot give you a product test sadly. Eventhough I managed to get a real bargain on an Official Sony PSP headset.

There was also a mention of added network game support?

If anyone has a PSP Slim and has tested Skype please post a comment to let us know what it's like.

Syphon Filter: Logan's Shadow (PSP) Play.com £17.99

I'd given a brief overview before when I first got this game. I can now say that I've completed the Story mode and I was impressed. Yes it is more of the same shoot from cover action game but it works brilliantly. The game engine from Dark Mirror is still there but has been tweaked to allow for the under water levels. Also the PSP processor now runs at 266 I believe for this game. The water levels are hard and require a different approach but look rather special and the effect of water on the speed of shots is rather smart.

For those who have no idea what Syphon Filter is, it's basically a Special Ops game were you control an agent named Gabe Logan. A super action spy, who basically has to go places and do certain things, mainly shooting lots of Terrorist. Think Jack Bauer from 24 but more kick arse.

The game's played in an over the shoulder view and works really well the stick to cover system is easy and solid as it the ability to aim from behind cover, pop out and cap enemies. There is also a blind fire option now which allows for shooting without looking at who you are aiming at.

The ability to chose weapons is simple, as is the choice of vision aids. Done simply by hold down a direction on the Digi-pad and the pressing the required button for that weapon / deviece. Unlike Metal Gear you don't need 15 thumbs to be able to play. Mainly down to the fact of context specific button presses, ie pressing up on the digi-pad to climb or holding up to swap weapons or pickup equipment.

There are also some hand to hand moves which have been expanded on from the previous game, meaing you can now use enemies as human shield, slit their throat with you knife or simply break their necks.

The story on this one is that you are lead to believe that you partner has gone rogue but you are only given half of the story. Which unfolds nicely and transports you to various locations around the world. With a rather shocking ending that I didn't see coming but I won't spoil it.

The game also features a multiplayer mode like the last one but sadly I keep being told my account has been suspended, so need to contact customer services again, which is a pain. There is also a demo of Combat Ops the multiplay game that allows for level creation. It looks lovely and fairly simple to make maps that can be shared but I've still not had enough time to have a proper mess with it's functions.

I'd really recommend this game if you've ever play an SF game. If you haven't you may find yourself rewarded with a rather beatiful if at times a little difficult game. I currently playing back through on Hard to try and unlock the bonus levels and extra guns.

So I'd say so far I've put in well over 20 hours which means this game runs at a 90p per hour cost. Which when you consider going to cimema is about £3 per hour you have a real bargain.

Super Stardust HD PSN £4.99

This game is like a very addictive narcotic. It starts off simple and you think I'm not really into this and then with 20 mins your are hooked and determined to beat all your Buddy list. Well I was at least.

The game is a beautifully simple 2 stick shooter were you have to destroy meteors that are orbiting a planet. To do this you have a choice of three weapons which can be upgraded as you collect tokens for them. Rock Crusher (green) destroys rocks, Gold melter (red) melts gold and Ice Splitter (blue) splits ice. Inside asteroids you'll fine green gems if these are destroyed they either release a pickup (ie weapon ugrade, shield or extra ship)  or points. you also have the ability to drop smart bombs which are obtained by destroying ships carrying them and the abilty to do a speed dash.

The trick to scoring big is to use the right weapon on the right meteor and keep destroying everything whilst up grading weapons and trying to avoid debris that loses you lives. Sounds really simple but can be really intimidating until you get the hang of moving and shooting.

The game's soundtrack isn't all that but does have the option to allow you to use music stored on you HDD. Pocket Symphony by Air has been working well for me allowing me to get over 28 million points.

The game has an arcade mode, as well as a planet select, and a co-op mode, which extend the play life of it.

A brilliantly simple game that had me sat infront of the TV for hours trying to beat 27 million.

Cost per hour rating £4.99 / 25 hours = 20per hour. You never used to get that kind value for money at the local arcades in Bridlington. 

Uncharted: Drake's Fortune £33.98 play.com

An action adventure game in the vein of Lara but with more of the game based around shooting rather than solving block pushing puzzles. The lead character is certainly resembling Indian Jones in his action abilities but seems to be missing his whip and hat. Nate is a rather smart character, if a bit full of himself at the beginning but soon start to like him. This may be in part to his female character who's filming his trip to locate Sir Francis Drake's forune as he's an ancestor of Nate.

The graphics really are something special and show that the PS3 is a truely next gen game and I've only played it on a Standard Definition TV. There are some amazing camera and motion effects when you pan the camera to get a view of the area you're in.

The story which I won't spoil for you, but starts with Pirates attacking Nate and the camera woman on the boat they've hired. This really throws you straight into the game which doesn't let up until you either turn it off or you play right through.

The game flows beautifully without the need for loading screens and each chapter rolls into the next, which means you can spend hours just playing through the story. Sadly if you do you may find playing this on easy then you'll clock it in less that 12 hours. I chose Medium and it's taken a fair bit longer mainly due to dying repeatedly on certain levels.

The controls work really well and are simple to get to grips with. O being the go to button when bullits start to fly as it sticks you to the nearest surface so you can return fire either blindly or with a more precise aim. You can also fire whilst moving but has no crosshairs. There is also the punch combos that Nate can perform. This is simply done by pressing [], Triangle, []. These moves are context sensitive and depending on the angle of attack and position of the enemy. My favorites have to be the punching someone against a wall or a running flying kick.

The guns which tend to be the basis of this game work well and each feel slightly different. Handguns aren't very powerful to start with but can be used to hit people from varrying distances. The rifles fire quickly but aren't acurate over distance. There are a few special weapions ie desert eagal, sniper rifle and grenade launcher. Powerful but carry far too few shots. Keeping the game balanced. The enemy AI that you shoot at are really smart and tend to provide each other coverfire and will move to flank your position. My biggest issue is that enemy's don't die very quickly and can take a lot of shots to down them.

You also have the ability to throw grenades which sadly uses the motion control to aim with so I spent most of my time blind throwing them rather than standing in the open and being shot to bits. You can also shoot and throw grenades whilst hanging from a ledge which works really well.

There are a couple of vehicles in the game. A Jetski that shows off the water effects wonderfully and my favourite being the gunner on the back of a jeep, launching greneades and firing bullets at enemy's on quad-bikes.

To add to the replay value you have to collect treasure dotted randomly around the levels and challeneges such as getting certain number of kills as headshots, with specific weapons, or collecting a ceratin number of treasures.  

The climbing parts of the game are never too difficult but do work really well and look amazing, sadly not requiring the mental taxing that Tomb Raider games do but still wrok really well and can feel like an acheivement when you have spend 5 minutes repeated jumping and falling.

If you don't at least play through this game you are doing yourself a diservice. Well worth the price paid and I'm aiming to go back and finish more challenges.

I've being playing a fair amount of Call of Duty 4 (CoD4), online and I'm loving the game. As it has the brilliant balance of playing solo ie Free-for-all deathmatches and Mercenary Team Deathmatches but also as part of a team for Saboutage and Headquaters games. Even if the servers are shite and the chat's no where near as good as it should be.

I've been playing it for a total of 2 days (not all in one go I might add) according to my stats and have finally managed to level up all the way to Rank 55.

This now leaves me in a strange position. I still have challenges to complete. These open up as you accend the ranks some of which are damn hard ie 150 kills with a Sniper rifle, 25 kills by calling in an Airstrike, Killing all the memebers on the saem team, getting a 5kills to 1 death ratio etc.

Completeing these challenges gives you points and extra bits for your weapons ie Red-dot sights, grenade launchers, gun-camo etc. as well as Perks (Last Stand, carry 3 Frags). These all combine to help you to climb the ranks. But once you reach the maximum Rank of 55, you have to make a choice.

Either continue at the max rank and keep all of your weapons, perks and extras, as well as challenges already completed or chose Prestige Mode.

Prestige mode is for the hardcore gamers which basically resets you back to rank 1 with little challenges open and even fewer weapons. Hense the 5 gun club tag as there as so few to use. By entering prestige mode you gain the ability to change your icon next to your rank.

So what should I do complete all the Challenges I still have left to do or bite the bullet and go back to Private rank 1?

Sadly in the world of video games cheats can have purpose. Especially in single player games but why cheat online.

After watching the World of Warcraft episode of South Park it made me realise that somepeople really are quite sad.

Since playing online I've discovered people cheating in loads of online games. It really shows that you have a lack of abilities if you say kill people before they've spawned or shoot people from outside the map.

So then how do you deal with online cheats?

Loaded SingStar at 3am on Wednesday morning to discover that a new version was avialable. Version 1.10. I was a little surprised but also relieved to find that it has fixed a lot of gripes see previous SingStar rant. ie loads quicker, no network time outs yet. Also the comments section now works which is a bonus.

Also the Store was updated with another 10 tracks from the likes of Run DMC, All Saints, Robbie Williams, En Vouge, The Monkees, The Editors.

Also we recently had a full on SingStar party for my flat mate the videos can be found on my PSN ID.