So hello! And no before you ask, I didn't get the job on the remote paradise island.
Over the last few weeks I've been busy doing DIY jobs and various other tasks in the newsroom.
It seems my washing machine had been leaking for 18 months without telling me.
I only discovered this fact three weeks ago when a friend came round to look at another job and noticed the 'springy' nature of floor tiles. Oops.
So yes, ever since the damp discovery I've been busy drying, painting, rearranging, washing and um, freaking out.
While builder and plasterer friends of mine have been really helpful in telling me the best way to go about it, I have to say the web has been just as amazing.
Google - whatever you think of it - is just the most useful thing on the planet. If you don't know, someone will... whether they are in Edinburgh or Iceland, there will be some online forum somewhere where someone has had a similar problem and has sought advice.
For me, with the DIY skills of a piece of mouldy cheese, it has been invaluable.
At the same time it's been great pricing up the price of paint, varnish and other useful bits on websites such as B&Q and Homebase.
I even looked on The Range's website (which is pretty good and useful) after interviewing Chris Dawson on - I have to say - a completely unrelated matter.
I am forever in awe of the information joe public can now get on the web, and often question what the hell we did before it?!
In the last couple of weeks I've also been caught up in a raging battle which divides the world... PC or Mac?
I have a PC which has served me well for years and years.
Ever since I've had a job I've used a PC, and even before that I was using one at home.
I've never really thought twice about changing to a Mac but then a friend offered me one.
He's always raved about them (as Mac users tend to do) and I've always ignored him. Until that is, I had a go at one last week.
It has to be said the operating system is soooooo much faster, slicker and well... sexier.
I'm told you can run a number of programmes at the same time, and the hugely annoying system updates are a thing of the past.
While I'm still not completely sold on the idea (it's like deciding to speak a different language after so many years for the sheer will of change!) I have to say I'm not far off.
Oh, also I must admit to chuckling somewhat uncontrollably last week over the visit of world leaders for the global summit.
It wasn't the content of discussions which made me laugh, but more the meeting of the Obamas and The Queen and Duke of Edinburgh.
During a 'private' meeting, the Obamas presented HRH The Queen with an iPod containing a video of her State visit in 2007.
And in return what did the Queen give the Obamas....? Why an autographed picture of herself and Philip. Priceless!
Does anyone else consider the image of The Queen wandering around her grounds clutching an ipod ever so slightly weird...?
Title: Pro Evolution Soccer 2009
Platform: Wii
Genre: Football
Price: £39.99
Hit count: 4/5
It could be argued that the Pro Evolution Soccer series has been superseded by FIFA – even amongst those hardcore purists who for years refused to be dazzled by official kits and other licenses.
Where the ball may have been dropped on PS3 and Xbox 360, PES is carving an incredibly successful niche on Wii as a real hardcore football title.
It’s hard to pick up, with a very steep learning curve, but the rewards on offer from the intuitive and unique Wii control methods are well worth persevering with.
From marshalling your back four to sending teammates on angled, defence-splitting forward runs, the possibilities appear to be nigh-on endless.
While the title suffers from under-polished graphics, the countless game modes and incredible realism presented to you by this superb control system make this one of the best football experiences on a console right now.
Title: Wanted: Weapons and Fate
Platform: PS3
Genre: Action
Price: £39.99
Hit count: 4/5
Anyone who watched Wanted, the movie, will have a pretty good idea of what they’re going to get here – over-the-top action and the kind of intense entertainment experience you might not have been expecting from the outset.
Yes, this is a short game, and the adrenalin-rush of tackling all that the game has to offer will disappear within just five or six short hours.
But the special effects (including a slo-mo ’Assassin Time’) and continuation of the laughably far-fetched story line featured in the film make this an attraction worth paying the entrance fee for. Where movie tie-in titles so often disappoint, Weapons of Fate bucks the trend, and that certainly sets it apart.
Title: Go Diego Go! Great Dinosaur Rescue
Platform: Nintendo DS
Genre: Action / Adventure
Price: £19.99
Hit count: 3/5
Already a hugely successful kids TV series, this installment of Go Diego Go! gives pre-schoolers the chance to travel back through time with Diego and Baby Jaguar to help Maia the Maiasura find her way back to her family in this rescue adventure.
You’ll have to climb rock walls, travel along monkey bars, solve puzzles and even jump on a pogo stick to help Diego’s friend find her way home in this prehistoric journey, all mirroring a recent episode from the show.
Pitched perfectly at the target market, parents can be sure that the game combines authentic animated entertainment with an educational twist and should be well received as an interactive Easter gift for little ones!
Title: WWE Legends of Wrestlemania
Platform: Xbox 360
Genre: Wrestling
Price: £44.99
Hit count 4/5
Gamers of a certain age will probably remember with misty eyes the days when WWE was better known as WWF, and wrestlers such as Hulk Hogan and Legion of Doom ruled the ring. So here comes a pretty tidy combination – next generation consoles with 1980s and 1990s wrestling nostalgia.
It all mixes up to provide an enjoyable virtual grapple – the control method isn’t too complicated, making it easy to dive in and play as your favourite character.
With around 40 to choose from, you’ll probably spend more time chuckling at the authenticity of these many blasts from the past than you do rediscovering and executing their signature moves.
It all adds up to another excellent wrestling outing on consoles, and certainly one for those in search of the old-school retro feel.
Title: Phineas & Ferb
Platform: Nintendo DS
Genre: Action
Price: £24.99
Hit count: 3/5
Another DS title to hop on the success of animated adventures, this Disney-created duo, Phineas & Ferb, are out to build an awesome vehicle to race.
So, while Phineas heads out on a platforming mission to pick up all the relevant parts, Ferb takes on mechanical duties.
Touch-screen mini games move the story on, and the racing elements turn out to be pretty good fun, too, all displayed in an engaging and colourful style that recreates the vibrancy of the cartoon itself really well.
As with Go Diego above, this game won’t win any awards for its gameplay originality, but what it does, it does really well.
The addition of connectivity to DGamer – Disney’s online kid-friendly service – brings another layer of enjoyment for young gamers as they look to publish their achievements online for all to see.
Title: Halo Wars
Platform: Xbox 360
Genre: Real Time Strategy
Price: £49.99
Hit count: 4/5
From a first person perspective, Halo looked pretty darn good, so what’s it like when you pull back for a wider look?
Well, with the creators of Age of Empires taking the helm, the franchise is in safe hands. Halo Wars does a fab job of putting you in charge of the human UNSC armies as you play out their first deadly encounters with the Covenant.
Set before Halo 1, you lead the crew through initial skirmishes to an all-out war against the evil beggars in, what has to be said, is a well designed, slick-playing RTS title, Halo or no Halo.
The game buzzes off the pressure that comes from carrying the Halo name and feels like a whole new experience for the franchise. Die hard Halo fans must have it. RTS fans will love it anyway.
Title: Family Ski and Snowboard
Platform: Wii
Genre: Sports
Price: £34.99
Hit count: 4/5
Winter sports are notoriously dangerous.
The adrenalin rush of speeding down the slopes on skis or a snowboard could just as quickly transform into a lengthy spell at accident and emergency on the Alps.
Fortunately, this snow-bound sports entertainment is all played out in the relative safety of your living room, using the Wii balance board. Plenty of events and courses – all available from the start – give you loads to get your teeth into.
Once you’ve mastered the motion-sensing controls, things like the slalom and trick competitions add an extra layer of difficulty to the game, which will be welcomed by competent gamers.
For those laid up by the early events, you can always laugh at people playing it instead!
Title: Mario Power Tennis
Platform: Wii
Genre: Tennis
Price: £29.99
Hit count: 3/5
As a Gamecube title five years ago, Mario Power Tennis was great fun, so the prospect of bringing it up-to-date on Wii, with those motion controls we know so well, seems pretty exciting.
Sadly, what gamers get is an identical port of the original which is now, understandably, showing its age.
The motion controls should be breathing new life into the title, but in reality they act as a hindrance.
They’re nowhere near as slick as those already displayed on Wii Sports. It’s a shame, because the Mario factor injects more excitement than might normally come with a tennis title. However, it’s just not enough. Mario Power Tennis is a double fault.
Title: Spectrobes: Beyond The Portals
Platform: Nintendo DS
Genre: Action / RPG
Price: £29.99
Hit count: 4/5
Rallen and Jeena, those interplanetary patrol officers who discover, excavate, awaken and train fossilised creatures known as Spectrobes, are back for more, this time investigating the origins of the mysterious portals that lead to distant dimensions.
Beyond the Portals does improve upon the original in most areas, and the excellent 3D graphics combined with meaty combat make this a great little title for DS gamers looking for a fast, light RPG fix.
It’s got something of the Pokemon about it, so will also appeal to fans of that monster training sub-genre.
The inclusion of DGamer, where you can customize a unique 3D avatar, earn exclusive Disney content, and chat with friends though the DS’s wifi connection, adds an extra layer of entertainment that all adds up to a tasty sci-fi package.
Title: Chrono Trigger
Platform: Nintendo DS
Genre: RPG
Price: £29.99
Hit count: 4/5
Some games are best left untouched.
To attempt a radical overhaul of Chrono Trigger would have been not only a dangerous task but a snub to granting it another flourish on Nintendo DS.
Yes, if you played this many years ago on the SNES it will reignite your passion for the timeless 2D world that gave birth to an RPG franchise rivaled only by Final Fantasy. Bar a few script edits here and there, it’s presented as it was and still holds up against the test of time and technological advancement.
Fans of the original who were wishing for the next stage of the series will have to hold their horses a while longer. For those seeking a spot of nostalgia, or willing to unearth a real retro RPG gem, this is just the job.
