Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince PS2 game review

After having played a few of the other Harry Potter games on the PS1 and PS2, I was really looking forward to Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince and anticipated that it would be a thrilling and spooky game that would keep me on the edge of my seat and wanting to play more... how wrong I was.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince takes us through Harry’s sixth year at Hogwarts; Voldemort is back to full power and posing a great threat to the wizarding world and Harry has to help Dumbledore find a way to defeat the Dark Lord by finding and destroying the Horcruxes whilst also keeping an eye on his nemesis Draco Malfoy who seems to be up to no good. Of course, he still has his school work and teenage relationships to keep astride of on top of all this. This story would give the game the opportunity to provide lots of exciting challenges but, it fails to follow through on this.

The majority of the important aspects of the game are all portrayed in narrative and involve little or no interaction. In fact, you don’t really do a great deal throughout the game and it all becomes very repetitive: you duel with Malfoy and his gang, learn a new potion in potions club and play Quidditch (which has to involve an annoying warm up before each match); these aspects are broken up with narrative, talking to Ron and Hermione and following Nearly Headless Nick around the castle before the repetition starts all over again.

In previous games, you have had to explore the castle to collect Witches and Wizards Cards, Beans and other objects however, in this game, all you collect are shields which you can pick up on your travels but, collecting these very quickly becomes boring.

Despite my first impressions that this would be a hard game to complete, I soon discovered that it was ridiculously easy, meaning I had finished with it all too quickly and was left feeling disappointed and slightly ripped off!

It may be that Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince would be engaging on other gaming platforms but, sadly for the PS2 it’s really not worth the time of day.

Alice in Wonerland cinema review

Wow, Tim Burton has done it again; Alice in Wonderland will blow your mind. It’s a gripping and entertaining film from start to finish and it gives the classical children’s tale a new lease of life that will appeal to a huge array of people.

Burton’s Alice in Wonderland takes us on a journey that combines aspects of the original Disney film with aspects from Lewis Carroll’s books as Alice returns to ‘Underland’ in her teenage years to face her destiny.

Alice (Mia Wasikowska) needs an escape from the pressures of a high class engagement party where she is in the spot light and facing an unexpected marriage proposal from a ginger Lord with sensitive digestion, so she follows the White Rabbit (Michael Sheen) down a hole in a tree trunk and finds herself in the fantastical world from her childhood dreams.

Alice meets some strange and wonderful creatures in ‘Underland’ including Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dee (Matt Lucas), The Dormouse (Barbara Windsor), the Blue Caterpillar (Alan Rickman), the Cheshire Cat (Stephen Fry) and of course the Mad Hatter (Johnny Depp). They all assist her in realising who she really is and they guide her towards her fate of defeating the Red Queen (Helena Bonham Carter) and her Jabberwocky to return the crown and the power over the land to the White Queen (Anne Hathaway).

The cast for this film is fantastic but, there are two characters in particular that stand out amongst the rest. Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter are excellent as the Mad Hatter and the Red Queen; both shine in their roles and create enchanting performances that are a joy to watch. And they’re both mad to boot!

Tim Burton has let his imagination run wild and has put a firm stamp on this film with his reinventions of certain characters, the amazing aesthetics and the brilliant use of CGI. If anyone has possibly failed to sit up and notice Burton’s works before this then this film will surely do the trick.

In short, Alice in Wonderland is an excellent film which I would recommend to everyone. I just didn’t want it to end.

Invasion of the Not Quite Dead teaser promo

IndywoodFILMS presents: 'Invasion Of The NOT QUITE Dead' teaser promo...



Writer/producer/director Antony Lane began promoting Invasion of the Not Quite Dead on the internet over 2 years ago in order to raise funds and awareness for the Indywood project to create this unique and independantly made cult horror movie.

On The Indywood Project website, Anthony writes: "I have a very unique zombie concept... 'Invasion of the Not Quite Dead,' a very dark and unusual comedy horror that dares to take the traditional zombie genre in a fresh new direction. "

He also has a unique way of raising funds for the project by using the internet to promote the film and by inviting fans to purchase producer packages and receive a producer credit and the chance to appear in the film or on the DVD special features.



In August 2009, a special teaser promo was created to raise awareness for a horror feature film called 'INVASION OF THE NOT QUITE DEAD' which has the support of such names as: Tom Savini, Kevin Pollak, Ken Russell, David Hess, Lloyd Kaufman, HG Lewis, Lee Boardman, Justin Kerrigan and talk show host Jonathan Ross.

The teaser was shot on S16mm film on location at a small farm in Kent and stars horror veteran Leslie Simpson (Dog Soldiers, The Descent, Doomsday), Efisia Fele and Frank Jakeman.

Anthony says: "Visit us at the www.theindywoodproject.com and help us to independently raise funds to make the feature film, we are currently receiving an incredible amount of media attention due to us selling pre-order producer packages to help raise our £100,000 budget, so far as of Jan 30th we have sold 455 producer packages to 18 different countries, raising over £17,000 - help us to continue the success."

For more information on how you can help the production of 'INVASION OF THE NOT QUITE DEAD' please visit: http://www.theindywoodproject.com or http://www.invasionofthedead.com

For real time updates why not add the project to your twitter: @indywoodFILMS or take a look at the official facebook page.

Westlife – Where We Are album review

It’s that time of year for me again, after waiting patiently on Christmas Day with my fingers crossed to see if I’d have the latest Westlife album, it’s time to memorise the lyrics in time for the bands upcoming tour which kicks off at the Belfast Odyssey Arena on Sunday 2nd May.

‘Where We Are’ features their first single in over a year, ‘What About Now,’ which reached number 2 in the UK charts in October and is one of the best songs on the album. It is a beautiful and catchy song (though sadly it’s a cover) and will be a huge hit in concert.

Tracks 2 ‘How to Break a Heart’ and 4 ‘Shadows’, are really unusual but, are really easy to listen to and both have a great melody.

‘As Love is My Witness’ is a gorgeous love song and would be brilliant as a single; it’s a really soulful ballad and the lyrics are lovely.

‘No More Heroes’ is another really memorable track, again it’s quite unusual but, it’s a great song and is definitely one of the highlights of ‘Where We Are’.

The last song ‘I’ll See You Again’ is a moving song with beautiful lyrics and vocals and it makes the perfect ending to the album.

Although ‘Where We Are’ isn’t as strong as some previous Westlife albums, it’s still a great chill out CD to listen to. The vocals are as strong as ever and you can really hear how their sound has matured with them. I look forward to the tour, the lads always put on a really entertaining show and I’m sure this year won’t be any different.

Westlife - What About Now single review

Irish heartthrobs Westlife are back on the music scene after enjoying a year off. They return with a great new single from their much anticipated tenth album, Where We Are, which will be released at the end of November.

What About Now marks Westlife’s first single since Us Against the World which reached number 8 in the UK charts in March 2008 and the lads will surely be hoping to find themselves heading back towards the top of the charts with their new release.

The new track sees the boys sticking to what they do best as they bring us another beautiful power ballad. The vocals, as expected, are amazing and the lyrics are great too. My only criticism of this single is that it’s another cover (the original being sung by Daughtry) and while it’s a brilliant song, it would have been nice to see the boys do something new with their first single in over a year. Nevertheless, it will hopefully be a huge hit with fans worldwide.

Look out for track two on the single (You Raise Me Up live at Croke Park) as it’s also a great song and perhaps even better that it’s the live version.

Westlife’s upcoming album, Where We Are, will be available to buy from 30th November.

Up cinema review

Disney Pixar’s Up is a magical film with a very unique plot that will be a huge hit with people of all ages.

Mr. Fredricksen is an adventurer at heart but as old age sets in and he looses his wife there’s not much adventuring to be had and he finds himself backed into a corner and forced to go into a retirement home. However, Mr Frederickson isn’t ready to give up his house yet and he certainly isn’t prepared to come quietly so he decides to fly his beloved home to Paradise Falls using only helium balloons.

Of course this is Disney so his bizarre plan works and he is soon on his way to his dream spot but, it looks as though his retirement won’t be quite as peaceful as he expected when Russell, a junior Wilderness Explorer, turns up on his porch as the house is floating mid air.

The pair land in South America and soon make themselves familiar with the locals as an exotic bird befriends Russell (much to Mr. Fredricksen’s dismay) and fast on the birds tracks is a talking dog who is also eager to hang around.
The unusual group quickly find themselves wandering into trouble though and Mr. Fredricksen has to make some important decisions about the direction he wants to take in life.

Up is just brilliant; the characters are great and the story is so unusual that you just can’t take your eyes off the screen. It’s got the perfect balance of everything and will make you laugh, cry and perhaps think about its messages a bit too. This is a must see for everyone this autumn.

Myxomatosis outbreak in Cardiff area

The number of rabbits contracting the horrible disease Myxomatosis has increased dramatically in the Cardiff area over recent weeks.

One local veterinary surgery is thought to have put to sleep around 30 rabbits because of the disease.

Owners should be aware that they need to have their rabbits vaccinated against Myxomatosis on a yearly basis but, that should be increased to every 6 months if the rabbits are more at risk.

What is Myxomatosis?

Myxomatosis is a man made disease that was introduced in Australia in 1950 to control the rabbit population.

The signs are swellings on the head, swelling of the genitals, swollen and runny eyes, lumps on the body and discharge from the nose.

It is a very painful disease and rabbits which haven't been vaccinated are unlikely to survive so vets often opt to euthanize the animal.


How do rabbits catch it?

It is spread by biting and flying pests such as fleas and mosquitoes.

Whilst rabbits who live outdoors can be considered more at risk, (especially if they have contact with wild rabbits and hares) rabbits who live indoors can also contract the disease so, it is important to have all pet bunnies vaccinated regardless of where they live.

The vaccinations are reasonably priced (usually between about £15-£20) and can be given to rabbits from a very young age (usually about 8 weeks but, check with your vet).

It is also important to keep your rabbit clear of fleas and mites, so check for them regularly.