Now this may come as a shock to some but not really to many, I don't really have much of an interest in sailing.
Ok, I hold the post of Maritime Reporter (and in the past yachting types have laughed at the fact I can list my sailing experience on the back of a postage stamp) but it's not really my bag.
For me it's too involved. There's too much to do, hoisting sails, twisting this and turning that... I'd much rather be in the water (surfing) than on it (sailing).
With that in mind a website dedicated to sailing would have to be pretty special to tempt my gaze. So ladies and gentlemen... let me introduce you to the Artemis Transat's fab website www.theartemistransat.com.
The site's developers have gone all out to create something which will be appealing to the masses and not just the sailing enthusiast.
As well as race news updated throughout each and every day, the site provides breakdowns of all the teams competing in the race (which started in Plymouth on May 11), as well as pictures and videos from the skippers.
However, by far the most appealing are the two live race tracker features which allow visitors to pinpoint exactly where each competitor is, how far they have travelled, how far they have to go, the speed of which they are travelling, and the route they have taken.
You can also zoom in and out to show the distance between the competitiors on a map of the Atlantic.
It really is fascinating and provides a unique overview of the race.
Sadly which ever way you look at it the French are still likely to beat the Brits but hey, you can't have everything can you?!
When you consider Sir Francis Chichester's Atlantic crossing in 1960 with little or no technology, and no means by his followers to contact or pinpoint him, the technology is simply staggering.
Another website worth looking at is The Biographicon (www.biographicon.com).
Unlike Wikipedia (www.wikipedia.com), which insists that featured people must reach a certain level of fame before they can be included, the Biographicon isn’t fussy. It's a web site for biographies of anyone and everyone.
Anyone can write a bio about anyone else – or about themselves. The site is based on wiki software, which means anyone can edit it. Go on, add yourselves!
In the meantime here's the best of the week's releases:
Title: Boom Blox
Platform: Wii
Genre: Puzzle
Price: £39.99
Hit Count: 4/5
It’s a pretty rare thing for Oscar-winning film directors to get involved in console games, but Steven Spielberg has obviously got some new interests beyond the movies.
If this is anything to go by, let’s hope there’s more in the tank!
Building on the premise that everyone loves to build things up and knock them down again, Boom Blox offers action-packed interactive activities that takes Wii play to a new level of creativity and fun with single player, co-op, and head-to-head gameplay.
Through brain-twisting challenges and the ability to virtually build anything you can dream up, it’s just the kind of creative title the Wii was made for.
Title: Dragon Quest Swords
Platform: Wii
Genre: RPG
Price: £39.99
Hit Count: 3/5
The Dragon Quest series has always been great at thowing gamers headlong into an interactive adventures that get the pulse racing, and Swords contains a familiar line-up of mad monsters to hack your way through, using the Wii remote as your own personal sword.
Additional mini-games add to the fun as you do things like catching darts with your shield and time-attacks on slime monsters in order to win bonus items and weapon power-ups.
A good-looking, solid RPG title to keep you entertained.
Title: Universe At War: Earth Assault
Platform: Xbox 360
Genre: Strategy
Price: £44.99
Hit Count: 4/5
Real-time strategy titles have often best performed on PC, simply because they lend themselves best to traditional mouse and keyboard.
Universe At War blows that theory out of the water with an excellent sortie onto the futuristic battlefield to tackle the single player scenarios set before you and the myriad of multiplayer options for those ready to take the battle online.
It looks great, plays even better, and really should be high on your list of games to try if PC-battling was once your thing before consoles came along!
Title: Chessmaster: The Art of Learning
Platform: PSP
Genre: Chess
Price: £19.99
Hit Count: 3/5
Chess is never going to be the most adrenalin-charged gaming experience, but for fans of the classic board game, the opportunity to hone their skills on PSP is likely to raise an eyebrow.
It’s a pretty sterile effort, devoid of any personality, but it certainly offers an insight into chess through 24 lessons brought to you by an incredibly dour man on-screen.
Once you’ve battled your wits through the 34 computer challengers on offer, you can take on a friend who also owns the game, although you may be all chessed out by then.
Title: Jackass: The Game
Platform: Action
Genre: Humour
Price: £29.99
Hit Count: 2/5
They may be getting older but the Jackass crew are still letting alligators nibble at their privates and throwing themselves into holly bushes in the buff.
So why not do more of the same on the Nintendo DS?
I’ll tell you why not: because this is an unbelievably contrived money-making effort with boring and unrealistic stunts that only bears a resemblance to the TV series because of the branding.
It’s nowhere near as funny, outlandish or controversial – it’s just rubbish, and buying this game is where the only wince-inducing pain will arise.
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