Otherwise known as Kranjska Gora, Slovenia. Now sitting in my room in the Hotel Vitranc, Podkoren, a similarly empty hotel to the Hotel Berc in Bled, where we are still the only guests. For most of the year, Kransjka Gora is a ski resort. However, most of the snow has melted by now (on the lower, more ski-worthy slopes at least), and so the area is out of season. In town, the Grand Hotel Prisank stands empty, the waiter looking pretty bored as there is no one to serve lunch. The waiter was similarly unhurried in the Pizzeria of the Kotnik Hotel, where we had a nice lunch. I'd guess there might be 20 tourists from somewhere further than Germany in the entire northwest region. There are quiet a few from Italy and Austria. Lujbljana was similarly quiet, full of Slovenians on last (Palm) Sunday, all strolling very quietly through the streets carrying branches. Very serene.

Anyway, the largest distraction that out of season Kranjska Gora has to offer is the world record breaking ski jumps. Only two years ago (Wikipedia confirms), the world ski jumping record was broken here, and now stands at 239m. You can climb up the partially melted jumps to the top, and look down. Moderately exciting, especially the view down. However, after you have done that, all you can realistically do is admire the majestic mountain ranges, look at some old farmhouses, then go to the tiny Russian Chapel high on Mt. Prisank. It was built by the Russian prisoners of war during the First World War, for some of their friends who died in an avalanche. It was very pretty, but locked, so we just stood outside in the snow and admired it for a minute before climbing back into the car, and moving back down the mountain.

Kranjska Gora itself is a sad little place, which looks like it has seen better days. All of the hotels (of which there must be more than 30) are mostly empty, the shops, either shut or abandoned, and the main square looks like they are in the middle of building it. I'm very sure that in the ski season, this entire valley must come to life, as there are dozens of partially melted runs on the mountain sides. But right now, there is truely not much. If you are forced to stay here, you can do one of two things: walk, or go somewhere else. We've done both, going to Venice yesterday (a very tourist orientated place), and walking a bit today and the day before yesterday. I can't imagine what the locals do for entertainment.

Actually, there is a group of them outside my window, talking at great length, and laughing heartily every so often. They seem perfectly content to sit, drink and talk. The border with Italy (and the unspeakabley ugly town of Tarvisio) is only 10km away, but I doubt they go there even once a month. Similarly, the Austrian Border and city of Klagenfurt aren't very far away. They farm their hay (the International Festival of Hay is held here each year, I am not joking), and then sit and look and their mountains again. A real quiet life. And now I must stop, because I am being given alarming messages concerning battery power on this laptop.

Dr. Brading.

Well, I'm sitting in the Hotel Berc, in Lake Bled, Slovenia. And it's pretty quiet. The keyboard is rather different from the original QWERTY, it being QWERTZ, with the Z and Y swapping places. Further, all of the hyphen, comma and colon keys have all been moved to far corners of the board. So it took a little bit of time to find the @ key as well, which takes a rather complicated movement to bring up.

It's quiet nice weather here in Slovenia, if a little overcast, and the hotel is very nice, clean and respectible. 8) So, it's different, at least. Up at the reception, a phone is ringing somewhere, but I doubt the woman fiddling about behind me with some potted plant will bother to get it. Nope, it's still ringing. She's arranging a plant with eggs for Easter. Now Luca has finally got it, thankfully. And the woman is still moving her plant about. Nevermind. They take simple pleasures from simple things, such as planting and moving a pot plant, and answering the telephone. Now Luca is now talking animatedly about something in Slovein. Probably something around the topic of "Hey, I've got one party of guests... Business is booming!"

Bled is quiet. Many hotels are part empty, or closed altogether. It's just not in season. The Kompas Hotel looks the busiest, but I doubt it's even a quarter full. The time is just approaching 20 minutes past the hour, which means it is time for some tea. However, I'd have to go into the bar, turn on the lights, and serve myself tea because there is only one full time member of staff, Luca. Or at least, I think his name is Luca. The rest are just part time. So far, I haven't seen a single other guest. There was no one at breakfast, and no one in the lobby. It's a tiny bit like the Shining hotel, only far smaller. And there are no alarmingly similar twins encouraging me to play.

And so now I am getting bored of writing this, but I don't want to turn around because the woman is still there. I suppose I can't stay at this computer forever, so I will have to turn round soon enough. One word of advice if you were thinking of visiting Slovenia anytime soon; it's quite dull. I wouldn't say there was anything of any major international significance here. So be prepared for lots of walking, castles, lakes, cafe's and such. I'm here for another 6 days, and that is about all we have planned to visit, apart from one or two museums. It's cheap, and pretty, just very quiet, especially out of season, as it is now.

Dr. Brading.

It's... Gitaroo Man. Exciting eh? Well, no, I think the name is pretty poor actually. I'm sure it's from some obscure classic game, but it doesn't make much sense to a young-un like me. Still, nevermind, things are looking bright. And if I look outside for a moment, yes, the weather appears quite clement. The sky is cloudy. But there's some glorious sunshine coming through. Don't I just love cloudy skies? *Looks at banner*. Yes, it appears I do. That reminds me of a Simon & Garfunkel song...

Cloudy...
My thoughts are scattered and they're cloudy,
They have no borders, no boundaries.
They echo and they swell,
From Tolstoy to Tinker Bell,
Down from Berkeley to Carmel.

I'd say that was a brilliant description of my general thought patterns (although I must confess, I don't ponder too much on Tinker Bell and Carmel). Possibly Berkeley, but mostly Tolstoy.

Anyway, I joyfully bounded through level 18, and arrived here in 19 bright and early. And it appears that I now have a friend! Kevin VanOrd, the GameSpot Tournament Coodinator. I don't know how it happened, but I'm still very greatful. So, if you're reading this Kevin, many thanks! That also seemed to make the box of tracked blogs come up, which I've been wanting to appear for ages. That side of the profile was looking quite empty.

My next review is going to be for Mafia. I'm around half-way through writing it, and perfecting it as I go. Reviews are a great way to really express your opinion I find, if they are written and constructed in a thoughtful and thorough way. And now I've run out of things to say. So that's it for the timebeing. If anything important happens between now and Level 20 I'll be sure to write again.

Dr Brading.

Took a little bit of time. But no matter. I seem and feel rather empty of things to say/write this time. I don't really know why. I mean, a lot, well, quite a lot has happened, but I just don't seem to be bothered. I'm listening and gaining a lot more Beatles music at the moment, all of which is superb. There's only one song I hate: 'Wild Honey Pie' on the White Album. Thankfully it's only around 40 seconds long, so it's easily enough to bare, out of all the other excellent sounds.

Level 18 then is Flicky. It's an alrightish name I suppose. Reminds me of a nickname of someone, not sure who. They are famous I think, or were famous. I'm getting moderately senior around here. Middle aged at least. It's a frightening prospect.

Games then. Alrighty. Well, Supreme Commander did look quite impressive, but I'm always put off by the overly futuristic technology of some of these games, and Supreme Commander has it. So I don't want it. I am obviously looking forward greatly to the upcoming trailer of Grand Theft Auto IV, a source of great speculation. I'm hoping it is set in 1970's England. The 70's is a decade they haven't done yet, and having something in the UK in a 'Life On Mars' type setting would be great. Still, if it's not that, I'm hoping it's still going to be good.

World In Conflict is another great looking game, as is Bioshock. Both of them are progressing very nicely, particularly Bioshock, which really seems to be pushing the bounds of the FPS Action/Adventure genre. Lots of exciting games to come it looks like then...

Dr. Brading.

I just noticed today, after that other blog post, that I completely skipped Level 16 it appears. I've read that this is a common glitch, and that the level is raced through at breakneck speed, leading to an extremely slow Level 20. I have no idea what the level stood for. Nevermind. Anyway, I now expect this next level will go very, very slowly...

Dr Brading.

P.S. I discovered Level 16 is called Magician Lord, a very nice name, but I am still happy to have moved past it.

A world inhabited by nothing but primative colonies of minus simbols. The world is even shaped like a giant minus sign, and is located in a universe of minus shaped stars and galaxies. There is little vegetation, apart from some minus shaped trees and other things. Every one of the minuses has to survive by eating minus shaped fish. That, is Minus World. And it's also a level, which I have just inched into, seemingly very slowly.

So, the emblems for voting all look mysteriously similar. Nevermind. I'm off on a trip to Russia on Friday, and I'll be away until Feb. 14th. I'm glad, I really hate Valentine's Day. It's going to be cold, cold and more cold over there. The temperatures are expected to plummit to -20c. I've never been in temperatures that cold. It's going to be exciting, but also quite frightening. We are planning to see Lenin, if he is open (they have to take him away every so often to repair him), and visit the Kremelin, and then go off to St. Petersburg to visit the Winter Palace.

Games then. Well, I'm not sure about wanting Battlestations Midway anymore. I still am looking forward to BioShock, which is shaping up to be extremely impressive. I'll post again when I get back for Russia, but at the moment I'm rather busy.

I didn't get the telegram, like the Queen used to do, though it would have been nice to celebrate being a member of Gamespot for exactly two years. So I will. *Goes wild* :D I find it hard to believe that it was exactly two years ago, probably at around this time, that I sign up and was thenceforth a member of the Gamespot family. It doesn't seem anywhere near that long ago. So I'm having a mini-party to celebrate. My emblems aren't celebrating though, and are in hybernation once again. Nevermind, they always seem to reawaken in the end.

So, how is the computer? Well, to be blunt, not good. Still jamming, crashing or however it can be described. Well, I have now sent quite an annoyed 'ticket' (an e-mail in practical terms) to AMD, explaining in the fullest possible terms my exact problem, and giving information on how each game jams. I can only pray, and oh, how I do right now, that AMD will by some miracle do something useful for once. It would be ultimately fantastic if this problem was definitively solved.

So, I've been tagging a 'little' bit in the past few days. Tagging is actually very useful. You just select the word you want, and you'll get everything you tagged from it. Genius. Of course, I don't need to explain the intricate workings of the tagging system, partly because it is a very simple system to understand. Bookmarking essentially.

On other things, I have plans to write several more reviews, including Max Payne 2, Half Life 2, and Half Life 2: Episode One. Even though they have been extensively reviewed, I feel like I also want to add my own views. Also, the overall quality of member reviews on Gamespot is generally quite low, Reviewers Legion members (myself included, although I'm not a very 'vocal' member) and certain others excluded, as there are some who really know the art of good writing. I know it well, it's just the spelling, punctuation and grammar I have problems with. But then, thats what you get when you're slightly dyslexic. Still, at least I'm extra good at holding factual information.

I am really looking forward to Battlestations: Midway, a game which seems to be shaping up exceedingly well. Also, naturally, HL2: Episode Two, pushed back again (was it a surprise? Of course not) and Alan Wake, although the release of that still seems quite a way off. I'm still following the development of 'Black Mesa: Source' although it's now just 'Black Mesa' apparently. It is definately the best modification project I personally have witnessed. The levels are going to be fantastic.

So, on to Level 16 shall we?

Dr Brading.

P.S. Accidentally posted this under 'Science' which it isn't so just hopefully changed it back to no category. I'm not brave enough to face the Gamespot Soapbox yet!

Sounds like some kind of Chinese dish, and also reminds me of Lord Nobugnai (spelling probably wrong), a historical figure and character in Age of Empires II. He was killed by the citizens of Kyoto, and the player then has do avenge his death by defeating Kyoto. Its a fun campaign section, as the map is huge, and you can set up in the well defended fortess of an enemy you destroyed at the beginning.

Anyway, I'm just tailing the guys at GSUK, who I am determined to keep up with level-wise. Being over here, in Oxford, and not over there, in San Fransisco, it's always hard to watch live any of these events. I couldn't watch AfterHours live, and I missed E3, again. I mean, yesterday I watched the day one coverage of the International Consumer Entertainment Show in fabulous Las Vegas, but it was on at 11pm GMT (no DST ajustment), and then didn't get started until quarter past. And I've just noticed the bar at the top, saying that this time I'd have to stay up until 1am to catch it live on Wednesday! No way.

So, for Christmas, I didn't go empty handed gameswise afterall. I got Medieval II: Total War, a simply fantastic game. As good as Rome, it still has that sense of awe, and grandeur, although the music isn't completely as good as Rome's. Unfortunately, due to this forever stupid dual-core in my computer, I've only been able to play Battle Map games, as whenever I venture onto the Campaign Map the game inexplicably crashes. I also got the expansion pack to The Movies (it being Stunts and Effects) which I also haven't been able to fully play yet.

And, surprise surprise, the Good Taste and Aficionado badges have mysteriously vanished again. I just hope they get back safe and sound.

Dr Brading.

P.S. Aww, don't I qualify for a 'Tagger Flirt' anymore?

And as the year 2006 draws slowly to a close, its time to look back at all the gaming actionIsawand experiencedthis year, from best to worst. Obviously I can't even think of matching Gamespot's coverage. This is simply for what I thought to be the best PC games of the year. Unfortunately, I only bought two computer games this year. So I give my view of them.

Half Life 2: Episode One

The first of an inevitable trilogy of HL2 expansions, Episode One saw you fighting to escape City 17, which was doomed because of the destruction of the citidel at the end of the main game story. Saw the introduction of the 'Zombine' (Combine zombie) and HDR lighting through the game. Gameplay was fantastic, the only problem was the game was too short! So I now await the release Episode Two.

DEFCON: Everybody Dies

DEFCON is a simplistic bit of strategic heaven. Also, for those who enjoy planning thermonuclear war, it was the perfect tool. It has a unique visual style that is both cool and menacing. A joy to play, and a bonus that it only takes up 60mb of hard disk space. Masses of replayability.

There are lots of other games which I haven't bought, but I wanted to. Mainly, I was frightened that this computer wouldn't play them. Thats what happened when I bought Shattered Union. I doubt I've got 15 mins of play out of that game. And The Movies... geesh. Why won't modern games work on dual core computers! I have a mind to right to Activision asking why it doesn't work. But they'll just write back with a poor apology.

Finally, I am asking for a computer game for christmas, and I will set a deadline for me to decide what game I want. This evening preferably.

Dr Brading.

Not a good name for a level. Again, practically no idea what it actually means. Not much probably. As may be shown, there have been a fair share of graemlins around since the last post entry. Now it's December 1st, and with only 25 days until Christmas, I still have no idea which computer game I should ask for. Star Trek, or Total War? Or something else like Rainbow Six Vegas? Its a difficult choice for sure.

The computer seems to be doing ok, crashing wise. I am replaying Deus Ex at the moment. It really has great replayability. Ah, its getting cold now, I'll close the window. Actually, no I won't, I should really get some fresh air coming inside. Listening to Mozart's 25th whilst typing is quite interesting. Ah, getting bored now. I'll do something constructive in a second. Now.

Dr Brading.

P.S. There go the Good Taste and PC Afficionado badges, once again. They seem to love hiding.