I cannot praise highly enough Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops. It is fantastic. It has been innovated, but not redesigned, to work as a pick up and play game, but still with the oh-my-christ-its-3AM addictiveness factor that can be matched only by heroin. The storyline is not an aside as in the Acid series, but an important thread in the story of Big Boss, Outer Heaven and the titular Metal Gears. The ability to lead a team is interesting, and the fact that you will lead both classic characters (pretty much everyone in the history of MGS) with new ones - the tragedy of Johnathan is harrowing. The weapon variety is astounding, the enemies as good as ever and the multiplayer addictive and lag free. A valid and important addition to the MGS series.

Other gaming stuff? Dead Rising 2 to be announced at E3. The original was a sublime experience,a ballet of violence.It encouraged a childike curiosity, the pioneering spirit of 'what wouldan axe do here?' or 'what woulda lead pipe do to his neck?' The epic nature of the firstgame, set with thousands of zombies within a mall, forces the designers to think big this time. A city? More? We'll soon know.

As far as books go, everyone must read 'The Road' by Cormac McCarthy. It's set following a nuclear holocaustand follows the story of a father and son trying to be the 'good guys' carrying the fire in a world of cannibals, chattels and young catamites in chains. Really good.

There was a wierd experience in games yesterday. We were playing cricket on the astroturf, and the rain fell down with enough ferocity as to soak us to the core. There came a point within our collective psyche where we all snapped, and gagandeep simply uttered the melancholy 'we're done here' and we left.

I don't even own a Wii and i love this -

Theres a picture of the real ones one post down. wonderful.

I have to write a lesson plan now. On ironing trousers. Any tips? ;)