My, what a big zoom you've got

Paparazzi often get their shots with enormous lenses costing tens of thousands of euro but the new Olympus SP-550UZ puts consumer cameras in the same league - well, nearly. Its headline feature is a whopping 18x zoom (equivalent to 500mm lens, fact fans), all in a slim body bursting with features. Naturally, some compromises sour the pot a little but read the full Olympus SP-550UZ review in today's paper.

In games, you can live out the rock'n'roll dream with Guitar Hero II (x360), a spectacular effort employing an imitation geetar, some headbanging tunes and a sense of rhythm. Genji (PS3) comes off as more of technology demo than a fully realised hack'n'slash, with the camera a particular problem. Hotel Dusk: Room 215 fits among that special breed of DS adventure that requires more reading and thinking than action, and its intruiging murder-mystery is all the better for it.

The Godfather comes to Wii and PS3 with some tacked-on extra missions and motion-control afterthoughts but the original flaws in this GTA-lite still shine through. Need For Speed Carbon similarly fails to exploit the next-gen potential of the PS3, offering nothing more than what we didn't really want on other consoles.

Get sporty, go wireless

The S9 headset from Motorola solves a problem for sporty types - doing away with the wires of headphones from your phone or music player. It can be painful to wear for long periods but it beats the clutter of trailing cables. Read the full Motorola S9 review in today's paper.

In games, Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars (PC) returns with extra cheese visible in the trademark live-action cut-scenes. But the gameplay remains as tasty as ever. Call of Duty 3's tour on the PS3 lacks something compared with the superior 36o version and reminds us the whole WWII schtick has worn a bit thin.

PacMan Rally (PS2) apes Mario Kart with a crazy cast of pill-chompers and monsters, though the kart racing itself runs out of steam fairly quickly. Diddy Kong Racing (DS) does the same, only it wears out its welcome even faster.

Na-na to the Nano

Sony's been way behind the 8-ball on the portable music front since blindsided by the iPod. Every effort shows something worthy but the whole package never gels. Its new Video Walkman (the NW-800 series) certainly has the Nano licked on several fronts, notably the largish screen. Inevitably, though, it's let down by the godawful SonicStage software and the price. Read the full Video Walkman review in today's paper.

In games, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. (PC) emerges from development hell (six years in the making) as a likeable mutant, a hybrid shooter/RPG-lite centred on the Chernobyl explosion. Burnout Dominator (PS2) tries for last one gasp with an old formula of dangerous racing that might satisfy fans unwilling to wait for the next generation.

TMNT (360, PC, PS2) won't win any awards but won't be nominated for worst turtle-related movie tie-in either. Tiger Woods PGA Tour 07 hits the PS3 with nothing new to show for its extra few months' wait after the 360 version - good golf but no surprises.

High on HD

Sony took 400 hacks to Greece last week to tell us how much it loves high-definition - virtually every product showcased at this bi-annual event was somehow linked to HD, from cameras to camcorders to PS3.

Will the punters be convinced? Read the rundown in today's paper.

In games, Log On finally got the chance to fire up the PS3 properly and try out some of the launch titles. MotorStorm is the best of an average lot, a mud racer with awesome visuals but not a lot of game to back it up. Shooter Resistance: Fall of Man comes off poorly versus rivals such as Half-Life 2 and Call of Duty 3, not surprisingly because it's an uncomfortable amalgam of the two.