D'telly on the d'PC

Apologies to D'Unbelievables for the title but it sums up what Microsoft is trying to achieve with its Windows Media Center software (WMC or MCE). It's been around for a couple of years outside Ireland but until late last year MS hadn't tied up a TV listings deal for this country to enable MCE to do Sky+-style recording.

The other functions of MCE - photos/music/DVD playback - are of course easily enough done with any PC or Mac but it's the remote control plus the TV recording features which set it apart. Curiously, the picture quality isn't brilliant and using it with a set-top box such as Sky or NTL is fraught with pitfalls.

Read the full review of Windows Media Center 2005 (running on a Dell Dimension 5150) in today's paper.

In games, Tiger Woods PGA Tour 06 is the latest EA sports epic to get the 360 treatment - but it's the same old story. Tarted-up graphics can't mask the fact that a lot of content (read: courses) is missing compared with other console versions. Doom 3: Resurrection of Evil (Xbox) does a fine job of transcending expansion-pack status, introducing enough variety to appease fans. And Pursuit Force (PSP) is that novel concept, a PSP game which isn't just a port from PS2. Unfortunately, it's also a bit all over the place but its driving/shooting mix is a good rental.