Its crucial for a driving game to nail the basics: steering, braking, collisions. And as soon as you take driving off the track, as with excellent rally racer Dirt 2, it becomes even harder. Rallying is particularly hard to get right because of its slippy nature and varied environments yet Dirt 2 manages to pull this off effortlessly. Graphically, its excellent as well, with authentic surroundings complementing the realistic racing experience and sounds. Career mode is the focus as you manage your races, vehicles and upgrades via your trailer. As well as the usual racing modes, there are also one- to-one challenges called Throwdowns; win these and your beaten foe surrenders items and tracks that allow you to level up. Multiplayer also allows for eight-player racing. An accomplished game that will at least tide you over until Need For Speed: Shift comes out soon. This ridiculously enjoyable Brit popumentary charts the squealing highs and huggable lows of four wannabe mini- poppers on the sequin-spangled road to Junior Eurovision. Yes! Theres a Junior Eurovision! And its watched by 23million viewers worldwide, presumably in wide-eyed horror, since theres huge entertainment in goggling at the picknmix of tweenage acts all determinedly turning the cheese volume up to 11. Yet what makes this the thinking persons Pop Idol is the kids artless remarks and sensitively observed backstories. Like 10-year-old Giorgos, the born-to-be-a-celeb Cypriot, bullied at school for being gay, who recalls when I was a kid. Or the dimple-cheeked Georgian girl, her countrys first ever contestant, whose poverty- stricken mum can only watch her in the final on the only black and white telly in the village. Extras: deleted scenes, mini featurette, interviews with the film makers. Larushka Ivan-Zadeh Ron Howard has achieved the seemingly impossible with his second bash at a Dan Brown best-seller by making his first effort, 2006s The Da Vinci Code, look good. Heeding none of the criticism of its predecessor (poor pacing, contrived dialogue, too much convoluted code-cracking babble), the director has inexplicably turned what was in the source novel a gripping race to save the lives of four kidnapped Cardinals and find a vial of explosive anti-matter before it obliterates the Vatican into a frustratingly tedious exercise in how to make audiences hate symbology. Having previously saved the Holy Grail from the Opus Dei, here we have the Catholic Churchs ancient enemy, the Illuminati, causing unholy hell and making The main revelation about this straight-to- DVD third instalment of the time-travelling series is that history should never be repeated. With Ashton The IL-2 Sturmovik (the name of a Russian World War II aircraft, in case youre wondering) series has long been a respected staple of PC flight-sim gaming. Now it comes to console, and does a surprisingly good job of besting every single flying game on both X360 and PS3. The beauty of Bird Of Prey is that it manages to be utterly absorbing in its hardcore simulation mode, and thoroughly entertaining in its arcade scenarios. If you set all the simulation sliders to max, be prepared for an uncompromising, difficult and downright terrifying ride. Flight dynamics are near perfect and youll have to identify enemies without any artificial aids. Dogfights, across both Eastern and Western fronts, can take time but beating your opponent is very satisfying. The arcade mode is far more accessible; without many of the restrictions, it does lose a lot of the skill but it makes up for it through sheer destructive fun. grace something theyll tell you about it. When road-testing new material, that kind of honesty can be a godsend. Irish audiences are some of the most straight-up that I know. Thats why I love trying out new stuff here. They dont stand for poseurs on stage. They dont suffer fools. And I really appreciate that. Tecces show Very Viva! is on tonight, tomorrow and Thu at the Metro Bosco Theare as part of the Absolut Fringe. Tel: 1850 374 643. www.fringefest.com STATE OF PLAY Games reviews with Steven Fox Monday, September 14, 2009 metrolife 13 Sounds Like Teen Spirit Warner Music Entertainment, 12, 19 Kutcher wisely jumping ship after the 2004 original, we have Chris Carmack (The OC) as Sam, who flits around history to identify killers for the police. Those familiar with the previous films will know the butterfly effect dictates that if a time traveller changes anything, destinies will change and not always for good. The 18 cert paves the way for graphic murders and a gratuitous shag on a glass coffee table, both being a desperate bid to spice up a tired plot. The worst is saved for last, though, with a laughably awful twist that just leaves you battling The Nausea Effect. Extras: none. Damian Tully-Pointon We didnt think you could get much more ridiculous than the first Crank but lo! yes you can, bellows Crank 2 at the top of its lungs. In the first film, Chev Chelios (Jason Statham, aware of his folly, and loving every moment) must keep his adrenaline levels high or his heart will conk out; this time, hes wound up with a false heart (dont ask why, lifes too short) which he has to keep powered by electricity the cue for him to race around town zapping himself with jump leads as he looks for the people who got him into this predicament in the first place. My brain hurts, says Statham... ours does too, but you cant help but marvel at the utter stupidity of it all. Extras: commentary, making-of, wrap party gag real. Sharon Lougher Staying In DVD Reviews DVD Of The Week Angels And Demons Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, 12, 12 The Butterfly Effect 3: Revelations Icon Entertainment, 18, 9 Crank 2: High Voltage Lionsgate, 18, 14 IL-2 Sturmovik: Birds Of Prey FX360, 40 (also available on PS3, 40; PSP & DS, 36) Colin McCrae: Dirt 2 X360, 44 (also available on PS3, 48; Wii, 30; PSP, 22) Today: Cheryl Cole The case for: Cheryl Cole has everything she needs to pull off a solo career a Hollywood smile, the hot bod, the dimples, the teenage boy fantasy, the dancing and Simon Cowell in the palm of her hand. Chezzas not the greatest singer on the block but she proves you dont need an amazing voice to have the X Factor. Andrei Harmsworth The case against: The gobby tabloid wag and puncher of toilet attendants has released a debut single thats been Autotuned to buggery, since her voice clearly isnt up to the mark. Yes, its got to the stage where she could be trounced in the charts by her talent show cohort Dannii. Wheres Kylie when you need her? Nows theres a gal with X Factor. Sharon Lougher Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon (Tom Hanks, still woefully miscast) crease his brow to work out their next murderous move. Once again, its Howards insistence on spelling out in momentum-killing detail every piece of the puzzle thats the main problem. Yes, the so-called Path of Illumination is a great hook for a cat-and-mouse chase but, no, we dont need to be beaten about the head with the meaning of it every step of the way. Hanks never convinces as the Indiana Jones- type, sidestepping most of the hands-on action to irritatingly decipher the clues out loud and flirt with new sidekick Vittoria (Ayelet Zurer, unmemorable) over dusty texts. As youd expect, Rome provides a stunning backdrop for the (intermittent) action but even its wondrous sights cant distract from the flaws of this bloated caper. Extras: three featurettes. Damian Tully-Pointon Rated/Slated Things That Split Us Down The Middle index.html2.html3.html4.html5.html6.html7.html8.html9.html10.html11.html12.html13.html14.html15.html16.html17.html18.html19.html20.html21.html22.html23.html