Reviews

Terry Pratchett may have lost the Britain's Bestselling Novelist crown to JK Rowling, but he is still the best at what he does.

That is, writing novels that while pigeon-holed as fantasy, deal with a realistic personalities and real-life themes.

With Night Watch he returns to his best characters, the men, trolls, dwarfs, gnomes and zombies that make up the Ankh-Morpork police force. Sam Vimes, the commander, is accidentally sent back in time to become mentor to his own self as a rookie cop. As well as tracking down a serial killer from his own time, Vimes has to stitch-up a few tears in the space-time continuum.

All this provides rich targets for Pratchett's talent for witty dialogue and comic situations, as well as his mastery of the poignant and the exciting.

David Knights

Album: The Crescent -- the Crescent

Take a bunch of Liverpudlian kids from various council estates, give them instruments and lots of money to make inspired music ... what were they thinking? We've only just recovered from Cast. Like The Coral and the soon to be unleashed Bandits, The Crescent do a lot of borrowing but little creating.

All the usual mod influences are in place, but the overall effect is a sonic patchwork quilt of Jive Bunny-esque references with little in the way of original songs. Ultimately, this will be The Crescent's downfall, as it was with Jive Bunny, if I remember rightly.

James Heward

Video: Scorpion King

It sure ain't as good as the two Mummy films, but this prequel still offers a lot of fun for action fans.

The Rock plays the title character, an assassin-for-hire, who comes across like Indiana Jones 3000 BC.

He is sent to assassinate the sorceress whose prophecies are helping an evil warlord defeat rival tribes.

Betrayed by his employers, he kidnaps the woman and flees across the desert and plots his revenge. There are some cracking fights -- the cracking mostly involving heads -- and frantic chases, more violent than the Mummy movies.

And, thankfully, there is none of that computer-generated malarkey that made the Scorpion King's appearance in The Mummy Returns so laughable.

David Knights

Book: Across the Nightingale Floor

A land based on ancient Japan is the setting for this absorbing first part of a trilogy by Lian Hearn.

The novel follows a teenage boy as he discovers secret powers such as going invisible and putting people to sleep.

Saved from the massacre of his tribe by the mysterious ruler of a distant kingdom, he becomes the man's adopted son. The teenager learns sword fighting then heads-off for revenge on the warlord who ordered his family's murder.

Along the way he falls in love with a girl who is both his new father's fiancee and the warlord's prisoner.

So far so familiar in plots that fill a thousand fantasy books, but Across the Nightingale Floor is a cut above the average. It is one of those beautifully-written novels whose deeply-etched characters and lyrical descriptions ensure it appeals to both adults and children. As an adventure it could do with more action, but its themes of love, loss, loyalty and learning give the book a depth that leaves you wanting more.

David Knights

Album: Rod Stewart -- It Had To Be You ... The Great American Songbook

Stewart has dipped into the historic annals of America's most celebrated songs and says he has revitalised them.

That he has done with the 14-track album including hits such as the 1924 classic It Had To Be You, the 1938 standard These Foolish Things and the 1930s love song The Very Thought Of You.

It seems recording these songs has been a life-long dream for the man with the trademark gravel voice.

We found the best way to listen to it was while doing chores around the home occasionally joining it with a remembered line or two.

Stewart obviously enjoyed making the album -- which shines through. For Stewart fans it is a must stocking filler and ideal record to wind down to after the party guests have gone.

However, in general some of the renditions could be said to need an acquired taste.

Malcolm Hoddy

Game: Parappa the Rapper 2

This is another good PlayStation 2 game from Sony.

The game is based on music and there are loads of new tunes to have a go at.

The object is to button-bash your way through the tune matching the instructions from some of the cartoon characters. I really enjoyed this game and found that after a frustrating beginning I got the hang of it, working my way through a few of the tunes.

Strangely addictive!

Laura Sutcliffe