Walk this way

Sony Ericsson's Walkman phones stand head and shoulders of every other music phone - but most of the Irish networks have been reluctant to sell them (Why? Maybe not cheap enough or they make the other phones in the range look ordinary? Who knows). Happily, O2, Three and Meteor are now selling at least one Walkman on contract or pre-pay.

The latest evolution is the W850i 3G phone (available on Three). If you don't need 3G, perhaps you'd be better off with the excellent W810i predecessor but the newcomer is worthy of consideration. Read the full Sony Ericsson W850i review in today's paper.

In games, F.E.A.R. (X360) sees the paramilitary meet the paranormal in a sizzling reheat of the PC shooter from last year. Reservations about aiming notwithstanding, F.E.A.R. delivers a pulse-pounding trawl through a sci-fi nightmare.

Sonic Rivals sensibly eschews the car-crash 3D of more recent Sonics to go back to basics in this PSP outing and proves that old-school two-dimensional twitch gaming still has much to offer.

Call of Duty 3 hits the Wii with great expectations of emulating the PC/mouse aiming combo via the Wiimote - but even prolonged play shows that pointing at the screen to shoot never gets comfortable.

Superman Returns (X360) was delayed for six months due to quality reasons but should really have been shelved indefinitely.

Anything but iPod?

The iPod remains the right player of choice for 90% of music listeners: great software, simple to use, handsome looks, etc. Don't hate it just because it's popular. But having said that, the also-rans do have something to offer, especially if you're of the geeky bent.

But the closest challenger yet to the iPod comes from out of left-field: a memory-card manufacturer. Previously a purveyor of clumsy, ugly players, SanDisk got all its stars aligned when it made the Sansa e200 range, a worthy alternative to the iPod Nano. Read the full review in today's paper.

In games, Tony Hawk's Project 8 (X360) throws out much of the lame Jackass schtick which cluttered recent TH skate-a-thons and rebuilds the game engine for the next generation. The result: a huge helping of everything that made the series great. Medieval II: Total War (PC) takes up where real-time strategy cracker Rome left off and introduces new elements such as diplomacy and pope-electing. No, really.

LA Rush (PSP) apes street racer NFS: Carbon without ever getting close and Monster 4x4 World Circuit is a perfect example of the difficulties the Wii faces: developers desperately trying to shoehorn motion-sensitivity into very ordinary games.

Wii wii wii all the way home

Nintendo has taken a sizeable gamble with its new Wii console, betting that the way to reach more customers (read: non-gamers) necessitates a different approach to that pursued expensively by Xbox 360 and PS3.

So the Wii is cheap (€250) and instead of concentrating on spectacular graphics, etc, offers a new way to control games: the Wii remote, a motion-sensitive "wand" akin to a TV remote control. If the enthusiastic reaction in my household from people who wouldn't normally touch a games console with a bargepole is any gauge, then Nintendo could be on to something.

Of course, Ninty isn't forgetting its heartland and one of the first titles turns out to be the awesome latest installment of the Zelda saga: Twilight Princess. But none of the other launch games comes anywhere close to greatness and that will be Nintendo's challenge: to nurture and produce many more outstanding titles taking advantage of the Wii's uniqueness.

My pet peeve for the week: the recommended retail price for the Wii is €250 but most shops are hocking it for €270 and touting the free bundled game Wii Sports (an excellent introduction to the Wii remote) as an extra. Cheeky bastards.

Read the full Nintendo Wii review in today's paper.

Finally, Nokia's N73 emerges as the Finns' first phone with autofocus to hit Ireland. Picture quality ain't too shabby but it suffers the typical Nokia shutter lag which makes it useless for moving subjects. Otherwise, the N73 shares the same lineage which has produced the 6680 and N70: good looks, cramped keypad.

IP, phone home

Internet phones are great but many people aren't prepared to sacrifice their existing landline handset and are loathe to keep two call-making devices lying around the house. Enter the Siemens C450 IP, a dual-mode handset which works just like a conventional landline handset but also hooks into your internet connection to provide cheap/free calls (note: not with Skype, sadly).

It requires that you have a spare ethernet port on your router/wireless modem and its design is a bit clunky but at €130 it's worth checking out. Read the full Siemens C450 IP review in today's paper.

In games, Viva Pinata is Microsoft's attempt to prove the Xbox 360 is good for more than shooters and racers. A kids' game bearing the hallmarks of Pokemon and Animal Crossing, Pinata is engrossing, open-ended and gorgeous.

Capcom Classics Collection Reloaded is yet another anthology of greatest hits, this time for the PSP and, typically, housing classics rubbing shoulders with dross. Singstar Legends may just be the fabbest version yet of the PS2 karaoke game - the hot tunes almost make up for the lack of innovation in the ageing title.

Finally, Marvel Ultimate Alliance (X360, etc) serves up a dream scenario for comic fans - the chance to play a host of the famous superheroes but the sprawling brawler may be less appealing to non-fans.