Up until the arrival of this next product from Focus Multimedia, I had not encountered Veronica Rivers.  This young lady is a rescue specialist and the central character in the dual offering of “Portals To The Unknown” and “The Order Of Conspiracy”.  Each of these hidden object adventure games requires its own installation routine and places an icon on your desktop.

Following his initial appearance in Telltales Games Puzzle Agent, Nelson Tethers returns for a second outing in the rather obviously named Puzzle Agent 2.  While the FBI believes that Tether’s original investigation of Scoggins,Minnesotaand its eraser factory was brought to a satisfying conclusion and so closed the case, Tethers was far from convinced.  He still had issues especially with the disappearance of the factory’s foreman.

Netbooks continue to be a popular choice with users who are looking to enhance their mobile computing experience.  However once the initial glow that often accompanies any new purchase has faded, as it surely will, you might feel a little like a second-class mobile computer users as your latest device does not have the means to easily add new applications to the system or even let you play the latest DVD movies to entertain you during those moments of leisure.

In the past I have had the opportunity to look at a number of products that have been specifically designed to increase the volume level delivered from your personal portable music player so that more listeners can hear the music.  I have also checked out a variety of products that offer to make it easier and possibly safer when carrying your iPod or other similar device.  Now it is the turn of a product that combines both these types of feature within a single unit.

Described as a tool for creating multimedia slideshows for TV, PC & Web, MAGIX’s PhotoStory CD & DVD product has recently been upgraded to version 10.  When installing this product, which isn’t the quickest operation, you are given the option of selecting a Standard or Custom install.  With the latter you can choose whether to include or not various extras such as design elements, menu templates, slideshow maker styles and transition effects.

With dimensions of 163 x 51.5 x 224.7mm, this product is a 12X Blu-ray Disk Writer.  It combines a lacquered black (just right for collecting fingerprints from all and sundry) body with a large blue logo on the top panel.  If the presence of this logo was not enough indication to get the message across, Plextor has already placed the words “Blu-ray Disc” written large and in the same shade of blue beneath the logo.

Generally games that feature vampires tend to cast these blood-drinking creatures in the role of villains that need to be avoided at all costs.  However this is not always the case.  An example of this sea-change in attitude with how vampires are perceived can be seen in Vampireville from the iWin stable of titles.  This game, which is described as a Hidden Object Mystery, is now available on the Avanquest GSP Click & Play label. Vampireville is set inMalgoryCastle.

A popular expression claims that “there is no such thing as a free lunch”.  Nero obviously does not adhere to this belief as it launches its Kwik Media software.  Described as an all-in-one media manager, this software can be downloaded free-of-charge from the Nero website ( ). Once installed, the Kwik Media’s opening interface divides its media manager functionality into four main categories.

One of the first things you notice when unpacking this matt black unit with a couple of orange highlights, is its weight or perhaps lack of weight would be a better description.  Having recently put my back to the test with some heavy lifting, I was more than pleased to discover that the C310 model was relatively lightweight at just under 11lbs with out the power lead and ink cartridges which were packed separately.

Each time I come across a new title in the popular Jewel Quest series, I am convinced that the developers will not have been able to come up with some new features to enhance the basic jewel swapping concept.  Each time I have been proved wrong as new board designs, types of game play, bonuses and well-constructed storylines have been implemented into various titles.  The latest Jewel Quest offering to take up residence on my hard drive is Jewel Quest 5 The Sleepless Star.

Sometimes a product can arrive for review with a problem that has more to do with the reviewer (myself) than with the actual product itself.  This type of situation occurred recently with the arrival of a portable hard drive from Freecom.  The product in question is the company’s Mobile Drive Mg which is available in either 320GB or 750GB versions.  However before dealing with the problem lets cover some aspects of the product. The Mobile Drive Mg is a 2.

While various desktop and notebook computers now come with a Blu-ray drive as part of their standard feature set, these systems are still outnumbered by the majority of products that feature a DVD drive for optical media use.  Plus there is a vast reservoir of legacy machines in regular use that do not have a built-in Blu-ray drive for playing movies and backing up important data.

For those who have not previously encountered the Snark, I should explain that this is a creature that has the ability to use mirrors as portals to travel between different dimensions in time and space.  As well as this unique (if you ignore Dr. Who), the Snark also has a weird sense of humour and likes to lead selected individuals on a merry chase as they attempt to capture it by collecting items to complete tasks.

By far the most common method of attaching peripherals to a Windows computer is through the use of USB connectivity.  This technology, which initially promised the ability to daisy-chain units but failed to deliver this feature, in its various guises has appeared in approximately 6 billion devices sold to date since it was first introduced in January 1996 with a transfer rate of 1.5 Mbits/s.  Moving forward to September 1998 saw the arrival of version 1.

The arrival of a new version of Windows can result in some casualties.  I am referring to those peripherals that, while working fine with the previous version of the operating system, refuse to operate when faced by the new version due to the lack of an appropriate driver.  Occasionally waiting for a while will see an updated driver appearing but this is not always the case.  This situation arose when, several years ago, I took the decision to move from Windows 98 to Windows XP.

The latest model in the Cisco Linksys series is the E4200 Wireless-N Router.  Making up this product are the Router device, power adapter and lead, Ethernet cable, software set-up CD and a multi-language Quick Start Guide. Adopting a slate shape, with dimensions of 224 x 29 x 157 mm (W x H x D), the E4200 is predominately matt charcoal grey in colour.

Ghosts have become a popular feature around which many games have been developed if the titles I have seen recently have anything to do with it.  I seem to have been fed a game playing diet that has been heavily flavoured with spirit entities that need releasing from the ties that bind them to an earthly attachment.  The latest such offering to come my way is The Treasures of Mystery Island: The Ghost Ship which, despite its title, contains many more ghosts that just a ship.

Adding to its range of printing devices, Brother has released the DCP-7060D.  Mixing together a combination of charcoal and light grey, the Brother DCP-7060D is a mono laser multifunction device that provides print, copy and scan capabilities.  The “D” part of this product’s designation indicates that this multifunction device has duplex functionality for automatic printing on both sides of the paper.

A great deal has been said and written about Intel’s Sandy Bridge technology with its enhanced performance and subsequent recall due to a possible problem with certain batches of the product but its support from every major manufacturer has remained solid and is not in question.  One such company supporting this technology is Acer and it is this company’s Aspire 5750G which has given me my first opportunity to check out aSandyBridgelaptop.

In the past I have a used a number of KVM devices.  For those not familiar with this type of product, I should explain that this kit allows you to set up a keyboard, video and mouse so that they can be shared by two different computers.  You simply switch control between the two computers either by a hardware toggle or hot key combination.  Recently I have had the opportunity to work with the Belkin OmniView SOHO KVM Switch with audio.

It is now time to meet Rose.  Just in case you were wondering I should explain that Rose is a young woman who has suffered four main tragedies in her life.  While managing to initially suppress the memories of these events, a recent “accident”, which results in Rose being rushed to hospital in an unconscious state, has resulted in these past events simmering to the surface.

While you may lack the expertise, equipment and budget resources to produce your own 3D movies to thrill friends and family alike, that is no reason to give up on your dream to produce eye-catching 3D animation.  With the appropriate software you can easily create 3D titles, headers and buttons to enhance printed and online publications with the latter also featuring some animation that will certainly impress your audience.

Recently added to Focus Multimedia’s extensive catalogue of games is Nightmare Adventures - The Witch’s Prison which relates the tale of Kiera Vale and her attempt to discover the truth about her ancestor’s history.  The game starts with a static opening sequence as Kiera Vale is being interrogated by some mysterious strangers who want to know why she was discovered at the Blackwater Asylum.

If you are unfamiliar with this type of device I should explain that a smartpen, at its basic level, saves a digital copy of any notes you make and then allows you to transfer them to a computer for editing purposes so that they can be integrated into other work.  In the case of the original Pulse you could also record the audio from a conversation or presentation while you were taking notes.  This audio recording would be digitally linked to the transcript of your notes.

Joining the well-established Mystery Case Files series is 13 Skull.  This Big Fish offering is a hidden object and puzzle solving adventure game play.  Set inLouisiana, you embark on the task of solving the mystery of a disappearing husband and father who has been immersing himself in tales of the ghost of a vengeful pirate, lost treasure and the threat of a curse.

Opening the fairly large box revealed a predominately matt black multifunction unit offering print, scan, copy and fax features with an ADF (Automatic Document Feed) unit.  Looking like it might put a strain on my fragile back, I was pleased to discover that the actual weight of the unit was less than its initial appearance suggested.  Weighing 7.

Decked out in the familiar livery of matt and reflective black, the Canon PIXMA MP280 is another model in the company’s range of multifunction devices.  Currently this product is taking on the role of the company’s budget entry model.