Burton's Bytes

Publisher: Konami Europe. Formats: PS2, Xbox. Price: £34.99. Family friendly? No worries here.

DO you remember the "movie tie-in"? Anyone over the age of 30 will probably have fond memories of tatty paperback books based on popular films like Star Wars, Close Encounters and Battlestar Galactica. Before the days of VHS, the only thing film buffs had to remember their favourite film by was a book based on the screenplay. Unfortunately, many of these so-called tie-ins were nothing more than cheap rip-offs. Publishers paid jobbing authors a not very large sum of money to turn around a 125-page novel based on someone else's idea. They usually had two weeks to finish. If they were lucky (and it was a really big budget film) they got a whole month.

Sadly, video games based on hit films have become the modern day equivalent of the movie tie-in. Granted, even the shoddiest video game takes more than a fortnight to put together but the problems facing programmers are exactly the same: they have to create a game based on a rigid storyline dreamt up by someone thousands of miles away for an entirely different medium (film). It's rare indeed to find a film tie-in that dares take its source material beyond what's to be seen at the nearest multiplex.

Thankfully for lovers of Wallace and Gromit, Konami had the full support of Nick Park, the Plasticine pair's creator, to develop a game based on Curse of the Were-Rabbit in new and exciting directions.

The result is a game that takes themes only hinted at in the movie and turns them into an exciting new adventure for a different entertainment medium.

As Park himself says: "The game has given us the opportunity to create a more adventurous environment for the characters. Deeper storylines that couldn't be accommodated in the film, have been developed and are there ready to be explored. The Were-creatures, for example, was a theme we would have loved to have included in the film. I'm delighted to say that they are here in the game."

The Wensleydale cheese scoffing Wallace (voiced by Last of the Summer Wine actor Peter Sallis) and his loyal dog, Gromit, star in a zany tale of giant veg, terrifying wolf-like creatures and the usual dotty inventions gone crazy.

The story is centred on the annual Giant Vegetable Competition, which Wallace and Gromit are protecting via their company which guarantees no rabbits will get their teeth into the would-be winning veggies.

Unfortunately for our two heroes, a huge beast with an apparently insatiable appetite for vegetables is terrorising the neighbourhood and soon the prize exhibits are no more.

Wallace and Gromit are hired by Lady Tottington (Helena Bonham-Carter) to save the day but other forces are intent on hunting down the mysterious Were-Rabbit.

Players have to guide Wallace and Gromit or their rabbit pal, Hutch, through four sprawling game areas. You play alone or with a pal.

To add to Wallace and Gromit's troubles, however, someone has seized control of Wallace's "Mind-Manipulation-O-Matic" device that transforms common garden pests into terrible Were-beasts. Only Wallace's Bungun can overcome these fearsome creatures by sucking them up and firing them at tremendous speed.

Wallace also gets to put his other inventions to good use. Throughout the game he'll need the aid of electric screwdrivers, harvesters and grapplers to help solve some of the simple puzzles.

With its sprawling free range play area (the full town is here to be explored), amusing action set-pieces, gadgetry and mini games, Curse of the Were-Rabbit is a must-own souvenir of Wallace and Gromit's first big screen adventure.

HOW TO WOW: PHOTOSHOP FOR PHOTOGRAPHY by Jack Davis and Ben Willmore. Publisher: Peachpit Press. Price: £28.99.

LAST week I looked at a book that is the perfect introduction to digital photography. This handsome volume is aimed at digital snappers who want to take their hobby to the next level.

The authors are both sought-after Photoshop tutors and this book is a digest of their best tips and tricks for digital picture takers. Based around the very latest version of the mighty Photoshop program (there's advice on streamlining your work via the new Bridge extension, for example) users of earlier versions will also find lots of sound advice within the book's 280 pages.

Whether you just want to do a bit of light editing, such as boosting saturation or tweaking exposure, or if you really want to push the boat out and create a digital masterpiece, this book has all the tools you need.

The free CD includes all the files used in the book so you can follow the instructions as practical lessons. It also includes free actions that can be used to automate common tasks, special custom shape tools perfect for framing your pics and seamless patterns that can be applied at a single click.

It's not a cheap book at nearly thirty quid but it is the kind of volume that's likely to become an indispensable reference that you'll always want by your side when editing with Photoshop.

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