Somethin Different

I am not the one who usually raves on about computer games,my husband, Brendan is..but today I take a break from the world of reading to say a word..or two about machinarium. Its the best game I've ever played..bearing in mind I did not grow up playing Super Mario..so no offence to Mario lovers!

Its pretty different from anything I've seen or played. I love the graphics, and the game play is really clever..sometimes Brendan and I got so stuck tryin to play the puzzles, we either consulted the cheat sheet or gave up completely and came back in a few days (or weeks) to try again..lol :P

It's a point and click flash 'adventure' game by Amanita design that should be raved and raved about. How about it Amanita is a Czech game development company...I never knew the Czech were so good at this. The point of the game is that our little robot buddy lost his girlfriend, coz she was abducted by the bad robot guys (The Black Cap Brotherhood) , and we have to help him find her...we find him in a scrap heap and have to put him back together then go into the city, solve a nice heap of puzzles along the way, with a few run-ins with the bad guys before we can save her.

The puzzles are not easy..some are mathematical brain teasers, others depend on sheer luck, or whether or not you were ever much good at space invaders. All in all, I enjoyed it, and the graphics are a feast.. as always I am a sucker for good graphics..hehehe :) The cd we got from EB Games came with and awesome poster and concept sketches...

Try the demo:
http://machinarium.net/demo/

Things Are Looking Very Bleak

Mm, its Saturday, almost evening, and I've felt like writing this since the morning....but I took some rest because I wasn't feeling too well, and now, here I am, finally dragged myself into doing it.

Well, I'm currently ploughing through my copy of Dickens' Bleak House. I've been at it for the past couple of weeks, and boy, I never thought it would take so long! Mind you, I am not complaining, I just never knew..
I have a beautiful old copy I found at an Op Shop and it looks tiny, but I only just realised it has in excess of 900 pages..jaw drop! :!

I guess I realised when I hit page 200, and I felt like I haven't even made a dent in it..sheesh! Anyway, apart from the complaining, I suppose I'd recommend it, seeing as its a Dickens. It lost me a bit at the start, because of the language and the pictures he was trying to paint...it took me forever to figure out that Chancery was court because i did not consult dictionary.com. I was just reading.  It was a slow starter, but I must say it has picked up splendidly now lol :)

The characters Dickens paints are funny, whimsical and fantastic. He has a way with satire, because I can see how he's painting these characters as a stab at 19th century England and its political and moral state (of degradation). So far I have met Mrs Jellyby, and a cast of other characters, who politic for financial support for 'noble' causes while (grossly- I mean horribly) neglecting their own families, Jo the poor boy who sweeps the street for people to cross and earns a mere morsel for it, and the likes of Boodle, Coodle, Doodle..and Poodle, who strut their stuff while court cases drag on like crazy, to the detriment of the many. I must say mrs Jellyby's house reminds me so much of a scene from Alice in Wonderland..I hope I'm not the only one exclaiming in wonderment. :)

I am faithfully following the activities of my heroine Esther, and of course Mr Jarndyce, and I am enjoying it. let's see how much longer I get to enjoy the ride.


p.s: take my review with a a pinch of salt..I'm not an expert..hehehe

The Search For WondLa

I'm listening to the news on telly about Cyclone Yasi, and I'm feeling abit antsy because I've been job hunting and I'm kind of tired of it...so I thought I'd finally do what I've been planning to do fro a while..write my mini review, about Tony DiTerlizzi's 'The Search for WondLa" or "WondLa 1".

Brendan and I happen to have been given a Dymocks gift card as one of our wedding prezzies, and we finally went to use it just before Christmas.. I always browse the fantasy and childrens' section for any good reads, when I happened to spot this one..the cover got me, and flipping through the pages, the illustrations took my breath away..it looked to me like a cross between Alice in Wonderland and Star Wars?? Needless to say, I was taken hook, line and sinker..

The story is about Eva Nine and Muthr, her 'mother robot' (how cool!) who escapes her home after its being attacked by a hunter, a nasty creature called Besteel. She finds an unlikely friend and companion in Rovender Kitt, and her petOtto, who becomes her massive pet. Their adventures take them all across Orbona..

I should say this was one book I wished wouldn't end..and yet couldn't stop reading. The story is never dull, it kept my attention all through, and once again,I am glad for writers who make a childrens' book that isn't too lame for adults. Best of all, of course, the illustrations.


I'm looking forward to WondLa 2, which I hear Mr DiTerlizzi has in the works..so HURRAY!!!

P.S: Check out http://wondla.com/