suspiciously spread around the track so no matter how well you race yOu will capture first place only in the last couple of hundred metres of each race. The prize money system allows you to purchase bigger weapons. but speed soon becomes the number one priority and the tracks. though impressively created. never gain the familiarity of their WipEout counterparts. Extreme G /// does the job but little else. Looks like we will have to keep waiting.
PS2 ATV OFFROAD (Sony) £39.99 000
For those not in the know. ATV — or All Terrain Vehicle — is the fancy name for Quad bikes. those four-wheel death traps that corporate team-builders use to frighten and humiliate their staff into a tighter unit. Unfortunately. ATV Offroad does not feature Sandra from accounts up to her ass in mud or Gordon from IT. crying like a baby.
This is a serious competition between the best ATV riders in the world as they race around a variety of dirt tracks. Graphically very basic. ATV Offroad's charm comes from its control system. Shifting your w0ight on the Quad is Simple but the effects are innumerable. pitching your machine into tight turns. springing it into the air or dumping you on your backside. All these outcomes must be planned for as you tear around the tracks and if Winning is your goal. must be predicted accurately. It is not pretty but ATV Offroad adequately fills a wet Sunday afternoon.
(lain Davidson)
ALSO AVAILABLE
Shadowman 2 (P82 Acclaim $39.99) Dark. scary and back.
Myst III (PC UbiSoft $229.99) The adventure for the non-adv<—3nturous. Red Faction (PC THO $729.99) As good as the PS2 version.
Madden NFL 2002 (PC EA $29.09) And so it goes on and on.
Alex Ferguson’s Player Manager (P82 ISDO $739.99) Learn from the master.
games@list.co.uk
FRIENDS REUNITED www.friendsreunited. co.uk
It took over people's computers this summer. And why not? A virtual meeting point: submit your name. school and get back in touch with all yOur ex-classmates and swap stories about old teachersincidents behind bike sheds etc. And if you're really brave you can send in a photo to show how your spots have cleared up.
CUT OFF MY FEET www.cutoffmyfeet.com
A young man in the States was involved in an accident rendering him paralysed in the lower legs. Frustrated by the time it takes to be fitted with prosthetics. he has decided to raise money to fund it himself by amputating his own feet with a home-made guillotine and making it available to watch by webcast for a nominal fee. At time of press this is not considered to be a hoax.
DRINK LIKE JOHNNY FOREIGNER www.drinklikejohnny foreigner.co.uk
Another site with a few column inches in the press over the ‘summer' months. The work ()f a disillusioned chap who's just come back from a stag night in Germany and had the freedom to drink until he saw fit. Presented with the (relatively) draconian licensing laws of dear old Blighty. he
remembers New LabOur's election promise of a 24-hour drinking culture. Avoid being turfed out on the street with the rest of the city at the same time and be ferced to share the same taxi queue with a million others. and sign his petition to the PM.
VIRTUAL SCALEXTRIC SIMULATOR www.tv4.se/lattjo/ kojan/bilbanan.asp
Oh! I remember Christmas day 197x. waking up and finding a Scalextric track set up in the lrvrng room. A real pain to set up. and a more severe pain when the cars flew off the track on corners. Now you can re—live that very pain with this Flash- enabled site. Design the track and play against a Swedish parrot (or something). Cars still fly off the track. but the computer puts them back for you. Nice.
VIRTUAL BUSH
www.0ddcast.com/ vhost/bush/host.php
Nothing special here — just a George 'Dubya’Monkeynian' Bush simulator. Very realistic. Says just what you tell it to say.
WEMBLEY TV www.wembleytv.com/ wembley/v2001/ index.cfm
Free webcasts of ldlewild. Davrd Gray. Zero 7. Coldplay. Wheatus. Neil Finn, Shed Seven. Divine Comedy and a whole batch more. Toploader. Snow Patrol etc. Just think of it as a free guest list pass. (Steve Blair)
Virtual Bush: Just so
Video/ DVD
video@list.co.uk
ROMANTIC COMEDY ABOUT ADAM (15) 94 mins 00.
Lucy (Kate Hudson) is a waitress/singer in Dublin and has had a rather full. yet unsatisfactory love life. That was until Adam (Stuart Townsend) walked into her bar. He is gorgeous. thoughtful and caring. and gets on very well with her family — as we soon discover. As each family member's relationship with Adam is exposed it appears that he may be more cad than cupid . . . until the end when all the stories tie in together and yOU see the results of his 'tasks'. About Adam twrsts and turns its way through several delightful and funny stories to a very happy yet cheeky ending. (Metrodome VHS rental) (Jane Hamilton)
THRILLER 15 MINUTES (18) 120 mins 0.
John Herzfeld's thriller has an interesting premise — a pair of immigrants attempt to realise the American dream by capitalising on the nation's obsession with true crime. filming a series of murders they commit in order to catapult themselves to celebrity status. But the result is a flashy. trashy film that never finds the right tone. The whole thing is hung on a buddy scenario that teams celeb c0p Robert De Niro with fire investigator Ed Burns. but the comic schtick between the pair never ignites. largely because their scenes are alternated With the nasty antics of Oleg and Emil. who never amount to anything more than stereotypical foreign vrllarns. (Entertainment VHS and DVD rental) (Miles Fielder)
COMEDY VERY ANNIE MARY (15) 99 mins 00. ciuiiiiin mail
VERY ANNIE
MAR
Rachel Griffiths plays the madcap. downtrodden Annie Mary who lives in the shadow of her overbearing. eccentric
Video] DVD
father (Jonathan Pryce) a baker with a Pavarotti complex. Looking like a Welsh princess Leila with a schoolgirl mentality. Annie blunders through the film trying to escape her father and help her sick friend Bethan Bevan go to Disneyland. When Annie's father has a stroke it is the cue for some life-affirming changes that propel Annie towards rediscovering her latent talent. A funny film that contains a darker vein of humour than its precursors (Billy Elliot and Litt/e Voice). although some of the comic episodes are too contrived. (FilmFour VHS rental: DVD retail) (Isabelle Weir)
Evil Dead - Special Edition
The classic horror released in uncut form — brimful of extras including director's commentary from Sam Ranni and Bruce Campbell and in full (3.1 DTS sound
Nurse Betty
Enjoyable black comedy romp starring Rene Zellweger - disc features director's commentary. deleted scenes. cast options and soap opera
excerpts from the movre
15 Minutes
Action/ thriller starring the man De Niro — DVD includes director's audio commentary. 2 making of's. rehearsal scenes. trailers and rirusic videos
Almost Famous
Semi autobiograpliical SIOF‘,‘ of director Cameron Crowe's life as a rock journalist -- includes HBO making of, production notes. Rolling Stones articles
and trailers
Platoon - Special Edition
Oscar Winning VlCIllétI" classic movre — extras include audio commentary from Oliver Stone. Vietnam tour (,locuii‘entaiy. photo gallery and TV
spots
Kubrick - Box Set
9 DVD box from 2001: A Space Odyssey to Eyes
Wide Shut
also includes Dr Strangelove and a
spe<2ial A I ife In Pictures feature on his life and work
Way Of The Gun
Off beat comedy thriller starring Benicio Del Toro —
extras include trailers.
interviews '.‘.’|III the cast.
commentaries by the director and films composer
Big Brother - Uncut 2
The best of and unseen footage from the second series -- DVD includes contestant profiles. interactive game. fan cam 8. pan can features and vrrtual tour of
the house
ti St-j: L. Sal THE LIST 107