Entertainment

This is nothing to do with NFC as the word ‘Touch’ might cause you to think. It is a mobile speaker that allows you to place any Smartphone or ‘i’ device on top of it and the internal speaker output is greatly increased and I mean ‘greatly’.

One of these days Edifier is going to produce a speaker system with a more traditional design concept for one of its speaker unit. But this is definitely not one of those days with the arrival of this next Edifier speaker system.

It is time to venture underwater as you embark on a Match 3 extravaganza with a choice of two difficulty levels.

The Achilles heel of home projectors in the past has always been the lamp - short-lived, expensive to replace and generating heat that typically needs a noisy fan to disperse. For the past five years or so a solution has been waiting in the wings. LED as an illumination source is much cooler and longer-lasting. But for any other than small unambitious projectors it's been too dim. Or far too expensive. Until now.

There are headsets and there are headsets. This is also the RIG system.

This is a speaker with a handle that can be mains or battery powered. Apart from Bluetooth, NFC and the ability to have a hands free conversation with it from a Smartphone it also has a 3.5mm socket so an MP3 player can be connected.

To avoid any confusion for older readers, I should point out that the subtitle of this next game, “Return of the Duke” does not refer or have anything to do with Marion Mitchell Morrison (aka John Wayne) who was the star in numerous action films.

Magic, stone statues, innovative mini games and spoken dialogue are mixed together with a dash of evil intent in this next two-game pack.

Amaranthine Voyage: The Living Mountain is the follow-up title to the first Amaranthine game which dealt with The Tree of Life. Do not worry if, like me, you missed the first offering as the Living Mountain is entirely self-contained and requires no previous knowledge of the first game. However your role will remain the same as you take on the mantle of Professor Burns who has now returned to the classroom while still trying to convince the populace at large that the tales of The Tree of L

Are big screen TVs too big your budget? For Chris Bidmead, they're too small for his living room. He likes a blank wall displaying a 100 inch projector screen. For full immersive HD movie watching (in 3D, if you're that way inclined) the ViewSonic's PJD7820HD delivers all this and more - for around £600.

Here I am looking at a board game that has had several incarnations over the years it is suitable for 8-88 years olds. Second a game – also a reincarnation – suitable for the same age groups but I think far younger will enjoy the ‘dough’.

And you thought the Red Riding Hood story ended with the death of the wolf at the hands of the woodman but that was only the start.

Based on a H. P. Lovecraft novel, this next game places you in the role of a detective attempting to defeat a recently raised-from-the-dead murderer.

With a lot of people downloading everything I rarely get the chance to review few audio systems with a CD now. While the number of us still buying media is falling we are still a substantial part of the market and CDs need to be played.

A Dangerous Card Game

Like the grandmother in Red Riding Hood, there is a connection between the grandmother in this tale and a creature of the wolf family.

A set of not that heavy on ear headphones. A novel touch that you notice immediately is the slim red and blue rings that sit in the centre of each earpiece to help you decide which way the earpieces fit without looking for the little ‘L’.

Alex Hunter is your typical Private Eye or some might prefer the term of Gumshoe. Typical that is if you exist in a world inhabited by characters created by authors such as Mickey Spillane and Raymond Chandler. This slightly more refined Private Eye, than those Spillane and Chandler originals, is your role in the Epic Star developed game of Alex Hunter Lord of the Mind.

Very decent home cinema projectors can now routinely be had for around 500 quid. But how do you pick a winner you'll be happy to live with from this cheap and cheerful bunch? As the TV industry hurries us ever upwards towards 4K (four times the number of pixels in a regular HD TV screen) punters tend to view pixel count as the prime requirement. Chris Bidmead thinks there are more important factors to look out for.

The latest headset to arrive from Creative contains some features I had not previously encountered before.

Described as an “epic makeover” of the ancient tile matching board game, Age of Mahjong (one of the various spelling used for this Chinese board game) combines a series of Mahjong board layouts with a story line that spreads over 56 levels. This Adept Software developed game was originally published by Alawar and now forms part of Avanquest’s GSP games catalogue.

Often such devices fail after a few feet, here is one I could leave my lounge, move to front door and then out into the street. Now that is what I call Wi-Fi and unlike some that only work for things with a 3.5mm jack these will work with RCA jacks as well.

Somewhere in the virtual world of adventure game play is the Palace of Laroche. Built to serve and protect the family of De La Roche as they rule their kingdom, Laroche Palace has recently become a place of mystery as everybody within this magnificent building has succumbed to a deep sleep - everybody that is until you awake. Initially you will have no memory as to who you are or how you came to be there. So starts the game of Mystery Murders: The Sleepin