Kula Shaker: Strangefolk

Product Number: 189
Release Date: August 20th 2007
How Much: £8.99 (Amazon)
Where can I buy one: Amazon.co.uk

After nearly 190 blags I’ve yet to take a venture in to the world of music. So to remedy matters I was chuffed to receive the new album from Kula Shaker which will be shaking its way in to shops on the 20th August. That’s over 20 days away and more than enough time to save your pennies and put in a curious pre order.


To give you some idea of what to expect, Strangefolk contains a strong mixture of styles blended together to create something new, which remains fresh and organic. As one mans greatest hits is another persons bargain basement title I feel it’s only fair to run down some of the best tracks and compare them to other music styles. If you’ve got iTunes be sure to hop on and preview anything that catches your eye as several of the songs below are well worth a listen.

The CD starts strongly with Out on the Highway a rocky tune that bridges the gap between the Red Hot Chili Peppers (a rocky free spirit) and U2 (combined with epic scale), a union that you would never expect but one that works remarkably well. Moving on from these rocky origins we soon hit Die for Love a classic piano and guitar ballad right out of the old skool, ideal for those longing for something with a bit of momentum behind it.

Then there’s the summer stylings of Great Dictator of the Free World and Song of Love which will help see you through the last days of August and the last few days of sun (if we see any this year). It’ll seem like an insult for me to compare these two songs to the Monkees , but they do carry the same no-care campness, endless happiness and love/ hate relationship that their songs conjure up. It’s almost impossible to listen to either of the songs and not remember times spent in the rain in Blackpool, Devon or some other coast.

Coming to the end of the CD we find Ol’ Jack Tar a haunting melody with a 70’s style and beat behind it. If Evanescence had traveled back in time 30 years this is the kind of song you’d expect and as such it carries a tenderness of the time, whilst remaining relevant today. Similarly Super CB Operator is a catchy soft rock song, although one that perhaps is a little short on lyrics and variety.

The standout point for Strangefolk is that every single one of the 13 tracks on offer contains a fantastic instrumental intro that sets the tone perfectly. Although not every song is an instant classic, this is down to the endless variety on offer and with so many styles at play you’re bound to find a new favorite on every listen. Pick your favorites, pop them on shuffle and you’ll be sure to find a song that’s spot on for every mood.

English Cheesecake

Product Number: 188
Where can I buy one Cheesecake.co.uk

Happy Birthday to me! Not only is it my real world birthday today but the 27th of July also marks the birth of my alter ego ‘Blagman’ which means it’s the sites first anniversary. But what’s a birthday without presents? And in true Blagman fashion I felt it was only fair to blag a free cake to mark the occasion.


And what a cake it is. Profiteroles, thick whipped cheesecake filling, a dark chocolate disk and chocolate fudge sauce, all served up perfectly on a biscuit base. This is all thanks to the team at the English Cheesecake Company who have the excellent web address of Cheesecake.co.uk. Perhaps they were the first ones the register the domain name or perhaps they won it in an epic cheesecake making competition where there’s was the best? Either way, the cake was every bit as delicious as one you’d expect from such an excellently named site.

As they’re located in London I’d have had quite a trip to collect my cake, so it was with some relief that the team employed some ingenious packaging to transport the cake. First the cake is wrapped around so as to keep the cream in place, with a single paper layer to protect the chocolate disk on top. Then the cake is placed inside two boxes and cushioned next to three dry ice packs in a Styrofoam box. The dry ice helps to freeze the cake and stop it moving and all it takes is 8 hours to defrost before you can tuck in and savor every bite.


So with all this care in packaging you’d expect those tasty little bites to be all the tastier, and the cake tasted every bit as fresh and delicious as you’d expect from a cake created that very day. On the downside I found there was a bit of residual water on top of the cake when I peeled of the paper, but this can easily be wiped off with a kitchen towel before serving.

Tastewise, my favorite factor had to be the double cream which helps keep the cake light on the stomach whilst tasting an absolute treat. The biscuit base is also as crumbly as you’d expect and remains soft for every bite, making it easy on the tongue and throat without feeling sharp on the way down. The profiteroles are like an added bonus for any fan and the whole range of flavors compliment each other perfectly without ever feeling overwhelming.


The ‘8” Personalized Chocolate Fudge Frenzy Cheesecake’ was an absolute delight to taste and the perfect start to my Birthday. That’s not to mention the ‘ Happy Birthday Blagman’ text complete with a ‘B’ surrounded by a small cape. If they put that much attention in to the lettering then you know you’re in for a fantastic cake, and you won’t be disappointed.

Empire's Children

Blag Number: 187
Airs: 30th July 2007, Channel 4, 9:00pm

When I was asked to review the Empire's Children TV show I was a little taken aback by how I could turn it in to a blag. After all is it even possible to blag a TV show which can be watched for free (or the price of a TV licence) when it airs? Thankfully blags aren’t just characterised by monetary value, and as I’d be getting to watch the whole episode a week before it aired I decided that was more than enough to qualify it as a blag.


So what can you expect down your TV aerial when the calendar rolls over to 30th July and the clock strikes 9pm? Well this week it’s the turn of Jenny Eclair to uncover some skeletons from her past and share them with the world. For those who haven’t seem Empire's Children, it follows the family histories of figures in the public eye and how they have shaped the British ‘national identity’.

For Jenny this journey begins with the finding of a photo of murdered Chinese terrorists, which was kept by her father. Building from this, and making sure to emphasise how she shows no suspicion of her father, Jenny visits Malaysia to learn more about her heritage. Whilst there she learns more about her father, visits her childhood home and explores the land where she grew up.


Although at first the documentary starts out rather confusing and jumbled - this isn’t really something you can slip in to, and is rather heavy viewing – things become clearer after the first ten minutes once Jenny stops looking at football pitches and watch stands and starts to really get in to the heart of what her father went through in the Malaysian Emergency, a long forgotten British Empire battle.

By far the most interesting conversation in the show comes at the 30 minute mark where Jenny debates the Malaysian Emergency, with the son of a Chinese survivor. Given that both speakers opinions are shaped by stories of their fathers it’s a interesting conversation and one that leads to Jenny breaking down in to tears, concerned that what she says may upset her father. Clearly this is a conflict where little is understood and that’s why the history-lesson clips shown during Jenny’s journey will help you to shape your own opinions.

As these opinions arrive the documentary starts to become clearer and it’s certain that coming in to the show Jenny had little opinions of her own, other than stories told to her by her father. This helps give the show a certain heart and as Jenny discovers things, so too does the viewer. Although there’s no real conclusion, it’s Jenny’s mind where the real journey has taken place, and from start to finish she is given more education on her heritage than most people gather in their whole lives.

If this sounds like an interesting journey, then you can catch the show on Channel 4 on the 30th July at 9pm or view it after on 4od.

Wax Essentials

Product Number: 184-186
Where can I buy one: Ashleigh-Burwood.co.uk (Trade) / Ashleigh-Burwood Direct.co.uk (Public)

It’s official ‘Blagmum’ is already a national treasure. With one review to her name she’s become a true star and when we approached Ashleigh & Burwood with a view to sampling some of their products they wrote back “I hope you and your family (especially Blagmum) will enjoy our products”, proving that when it comes to must have gifts Blagmum is the one everyone wants to review their kit.

So with that in mind I settled down with Blagmum and Marie to test their latest range of Wax Essentials products including candles and centrepieces. What makes this range worthy of your time? Well every product in the range is made from Palm oil which is a cleaner burning alternate to paraffin wax, and in our trials I’ve got to admit there were no nasty smoky odours when the candles were lit or extinguished.


First up we put the Centre Piece Dish to the test, because presentation really is everything. Our sample arrived in a sleek black colour which was well made and sturdy to hold. Although it’s designed for scented wax chips, you can also pop some pebbles in to it to hold in place tea tree lights, or if entertaining guests why not pop some candles in it some days and some nibbles in it the next? All in all it really makes for a nice show piece, for almost all occasions.

In terms of wax chips for the dish there’s a range of available styles, of which we received one called a ‘Thousand Rose Petals’. Given that the container had a small plastic lid which had become dislodged on its way to my house, the rose petals were in fact scattered all over the box, and even if there weren’t a thousand of them, there were certainly a lot to pick out one by one.


Poor packaging aside, the rose petals have a fantastic scent, and after I handled them I found the scent was strong enough to stay on my hands for a good minute or so. A whiff of the tub itself will further prove the quality of these chips and the rose like smell is reminiscent of rose Turkish Delight with a slight sweetness to it. The chips fit easily in to the dish and come with wicks that can be planted in to the dish to create a slow burning fragrance which is both interesting to look at with a rather faint smell. This makes it ideal for dinner parties as whilst an interesting site to behold with your meal, the smell itself won’t taint the food or distract the senses all too much.


Also enclosed in our pack were two large candle tins which lasted for 26 hours burning time each, although it’s advised they’re only burned for 3 hours at a time. This included a Sandalwood and Myrrh smell which contains a masculine scent in line with Hugo Boss aftershave (perfect for when you’re missing someone special) and an English Country Garden scent which brings the great outdoors inside for those rainy days.

All in all we found the Wax Essentials selection to be well tailored to all tastes with someone for everyone. Keep a look out for more from Ashleigh and Burwood London in the coming weeks as we examine their range of fragrance diffusers, aromatherapy kits and even an Epice D’Or. Seems our national treasure will have her work cut out!

Sidekick: FlatOut: Ultimate Carnage

Product Number: 183
How Much: £39.99 RRP
Where can I buy Amazon.co.uk

So Blagman phones me up and asks me if I would like to review "Flatout Ultimate Carnage" on Xbox 360. My first thought was why he didn't get one of the Blagmansion butlers to phone on his behalf but that thought soon cleared when I realised I’d get to relieve some stress on what was tagged as the "most smash-tastic driving game to date".


Flatout is fun. How fun? Well imagine you are thrown into a world where you drive 1 of 48 turbo charged vehicles across 39 racetracks, each with over 8000 individual destroyable parts where you and 11 other racers are just as vulnerable as the scenery!

The main bulk of the game involves you racing round various hazard filled courses fighting for that first place trophy in the championship, and fighting is the correct word. The game rewards you for aggressive driving such as shunting, flipping and destroying other cars (don’t worry they will respawn to try for revenge!) with nitro which can be used for a handy speed boost to take that position or cause more havoc. It also rewards you in the same way for “Dukes of Hazard” style driving as you tear up tidy white picket fences and cause traffic lights to come crashing down, hopefully on your rivals collective heads.


However Flatout is not a one trick pony, there are a huge number of races and events to suit your mood. Fancy a good old’ fashioned destruction derby? That’s in there. Making folks angry on Xbox live? That’s in there too! How about launching your driver though the windscreen and down a bowling alley looking for a strike? Well that’s in there along with another 11 crazy mini games.

Graphically the game looks stunning on a HDTV set. The game runs incredibly smooth and fast no matter how much carnage you might be causing. The cars show all the smashes and scratches as you throw them around the well designed courses, which also look fantastic and if you are not careful you could get distracted and introduce your ride to many of its obstacles.


Comparing this game to the other racers in my collection draws immediate comparison with Burnout Revenge. Think of Flatout as Burnout’s crazy cousin that you don’t know that well, but would like to spend much more time with. It is definitely an arcade racer and wouldn’t be too out of place next to more serious racers such as Project Gotham Racing 3 or Forza 2.


If you're looking for an adrenaline fuelled racer with enough depth to keep you occupied for a long while or enough accessibility to hop on and off for a quick play, look no further than “Flatout Ultimate Carnage”. For more information visit FlatOutgame.com.

Budweiser

Disclaimer: Today we will be discussing the serious moral implications of booze and therefore no under 18's please...

Product Number: 182
Where can I buy one: Pubs, bars, restaurants, clubs, off licences, etc

Al Murray is a national treasure. If you haven’t come across him on his live tours, Time Gentlemen Please, Happy Hour or his Virgin Radio show then you’ve missed a huge trick as he’s one of the UK's greatest funnymen. His act mostly consists of a furious barrage of EU insults “Back off Brussels!”, feminist put downs “There’s two types of jobs for women: secretary and receptionist” and sly gay jokes “I was never confused”.


Which is all done in jest and absolutely fine, (well assuming you’re not, homosexual, female or European, but he means it in the best possible taste of course). But on his last tour Al said something which left the audience shocked. In front of an audience of hundreds of red-blooded males he said that all beer is disgusting and the only reason we drink it is to find the one good tasting pint.

Now as someone who has never found beer that enticing, I have to say it was fascinating watching people in the crowd stare at their mates as if what Al had just said was some sort of blasphemy. But hadn’t he just said the Universal truth? Can anyone one man, woman or teenager, really hold up their hand and admit that the first sip of beer they had didn’t taste absolutely disgusting? But of course like the proverbial first smoke of a cigarette where you nearly cough up your lungs in agony didn’t you carry on just to see if it would get better?


If I’m wrong about this then feel free to debate this in the comments because it’s a debate that was further fuelled by the arrival of a few free bottles of Budweiser in my post box. Instantly I was drawn back to my first sip at some random Sixth Form party and how it tasted something along the lines of charcoal mixed with sugar. Fast forward to the future and I’ll happily enjoy a drink of Budweiser from time to time and even enjoy the taste.

Which begs the question, when did this phantom shift occur and how on Earth did it happen? Is it something like when your parents feed you sprouts continuously as a child and then one day you suddenly find you despise them a little less? More so, why is it that Budweiser tastes significantly better with a Curry than with Chocolate. Or why is it that chilling the beer makes it taste even better?

Someone needs to get in touch with the 'New Scientist' because these are serious moral questions of our society! But to get back to the point, the free Budweiser’s tasted great and who knows maybe I'll find they’ll taste even better in a few years time? Spooky stuff…

Mini-Max Kitchen Mill

Product Number: 181
How Much: £9.99
Where can I buy one: JML Direct.com

Products to ‘make our lives easier’ exist around every corner and a lot of them manage to find novel new ways to cut those corners and shave a few seconds off mundane tasks. This is often done by re-imagining a previous product, looking for defects and then coming up with a more suitable solution. So when the humble grater got torn apart and rebuilt as the Mini-Max Kitchen Mill was it a case of radical improvements or a need to return to the drawing board?


If we look at conventional graters the flaws are obvious; a lack of stability, a right-handed orientation and the messy way food can go everywhere being some key problems that come to mind. Much of these spring from the pre built nature of the conventional grater and it’s here that JML hoped to make their largest improvements by creating a grater that comes unassembled on arrival.

This firstly means you can choose which side of the device you wish to place the handle, making it both suitable for right handed and left handed users. If you’ve got both users in one home them you simply pop off the handle and switch it round to the other side. Building the device is very simple and shouldn’t take more than a few seconds once you’ve washed up the various pieces.


By building from scratch you can also pop different types of grater heads in to the unit with one for coarse and one for fine grating. The downside of this is that if you want a bit of both on one meal you have to dismantled the grater, slot in the other one and then continue. Compared to the conventional method of flipping the grater over or on to its side this is a far more time consuming nuisance. It’s also a shame that other heads aren’t included or even available for order as this type of customisation could have took the product further.

In terms of mess the Mini-Max definitely scores a thumbs up as it comes with a couple of storage pots which you can pop on to the end of the unit. As you grate these pots collect your stash and can easily be popped off. They even come complete with lids in case you want to store the food for later. Whilst a good idea, in my test I found that the cheese got stuck in the grinder and refused to fall down in to the pot. To get it to move I had to remove the handle and then push the cheese down manually, another frustrating case of dismantling the unit.


The time you save picking up bits of cheese from off the floor is also further eroded by a longer cleaning time and although most of the components come off and clean easily the grater itself can prove a bit of a nightmare. As it’s round getting a sponge or cloth in there to remove any stubborn bits of food can be tricky and it’s nowhere near as simple as giving a flat grater a quick wash with a sponge.


Whilst I don’t deny that the Mini-Max Kitchen Mill may have some use for those who find using a grater a sloppy and uneven process, for the most part it’s a poor redesign of an existing product. Longer cleaning times and far too much dismantling mean that it won’t make your life better overnight and therefore it’s best to stick with the classics.

Metal Slug Anthology

Product Number: 180
How Much: £14.99
Where can I buy one: Amazon.co.uk

With all this worry over house price inflation and continued interest price rises it’s nice to see something in this world that has depreciated for our benefit. Take the side scrolling shooter ‘Metal Slug’. Up until recently the only way to play the original Metal Slug was to import a Sega Saturn version from Japan for $60 and then buy the import machine to play it on. Meanwhile Metal Slug X, 3, 4 and 5 could be grabbed for 20 quid each on Xbox, PS2 or PS1 and the all time rarity Metal Slug 2 and newby Metal Slug 6 could only be found in the arcades for a few hundred dollars or more. Thankfully a cheaper solution has emerged and for a mere fifteen pounds you can own all of these mega rare titles in one go. Now that’s progress.


Of course things are a little unfair for those who just want to play the newly released Metal Slug 6 that have already spent serious moolah on the other games in the series, but if you’ve got the cash to burn on Japan only imports then you’ll probably get your moneys worth out of this release as well. Hardcore fans will also love the ability to play Metal Slug 2 which up until now has only been playable in the UK in rejigged form under the guide of ‘Metal Slug X’.


For those new to the series Metal Slug is a classic 2D platformer which gains its name from one of the many vehicles on offer in the game ‘Super Vehicle 001: Metal Slug’. Or in other words a nifty little tank which comes complete with rockets and a machine gun to cause all manner of carnage. Other vehicles include planes, motorbikes and even camels with side mounted machine guns.


This humor forms part of the games impressive charm and it’s this ability to poke fun at other side scrollers which has allowed the game to survive so successfully for the past 10 years. The villains on offer also keep things fun and you’ll face everything from zombies to mummies and aliens whilst also keeping an army of soldiers at bay. It's all fantastically hand drawn to boot and everything from the first pencil sketch of Metal Slug 1 to the final boss of Metal Slug 6 maintains an element of charm mixed with pure bloodlust.

And whilst we’re on the subject of bosses, whilst this may not be the series that invented the screen filling boss it’s certainly the one I remember the most for it. Giant tanks, skips with lasers and runaway trains are just a few more sights you’ll be able to enjoy and with so many great moments it’s no wonder this review is turning in to one big list…


As you can tell this is a series I’m already heavily infatuated with and since the only previous game I’d played in the series was Metal Slug X then this bumper collection is a must have in my book. In terms of problems you should be sure to turn off the infinite continues option that the game has as a default if you want any sense of a challenge (as each bullet glows brightly, death if purely your own fault) or if you want to make the compilation last anything longer than a nostalgic weekend. The rather frustrating loading times on Metal Slug 3 and 4 could also definitely have done with some sort of optimization as you’ll practically enter a room, kill everything and then wait 15 or so seconds for the next to load. Thankfully by the time you reach Metal Slug 6 all will be forgiven thanks to a fantastic return to form and for those left feeling cold by the lack of decent 2D retro titles it’s enough to make this a must have compilation.

Nicogel

Product Number: 179
Where can I buy one: NicoGeluk.com

Beat the ban!

That’s the thinking behind NicoGel, a new way of giving up smoking, only the twist this time is that it offers a temporary release so you won’t find yourself craving for a cigarette when forced in to a pub, club, restaurant or enclosed public space affected by the smoking ban. Once you leave the space you can simply go back to smoking without actually having to go through the long process of quitting.


Not actually being a smoker myself and unwilling to talk about a product I haven’t seen tested I enlisted the help of Marie’s Mum Caroll and handed her a sample pack designed to take away her cravings for a good few hours. This consisted of a single small sachet which was about half the size of a credit card and half the thickness, making it perfect for purses, wallets and pockets, ready for when you need it.

Unlike traditional patches and remedies Nicogel is a water-soluble liquid so all you need to do to apply it is tear open the sachet, and rub the solution in between the palms of your hands. You’ll need to do this completely until the gel has vanished (not that the liquid has any colour, but you wouldn’t want shiny hands) and as the gel is quite thick you’ll need to spend a good minute rubbing to get the solution to vanish completely. This slightly takes away from the discreet nature of the product, but if you nip to the toilets on arrival then no one will be any the wiser.

Despite being called Nicogel, the solution is actually comprised of an 'extract of tobacco' which is strange given that I’d always assumed it was Nicotine that gave Cigarettes their addictive ‘craving’ quality. (Although perhaps Nicotine is the extract? Who knows...). Never the less Caroll reported positive results on trying the gel out and found that she was able to sit through a two-hour meeting without a single craving. Considering this is a meeting with a break where she would usually smoke (and thus the psychological urge would be more conditioned) that’s an even more impressive result. On arrival home she still had no cravings, yet was able to enjoy a cigarette just as much.


Which really sums up the purpose of the gel altogether. Giving people the right to chose when and where they smoke. Although I don’t smoke myself I’m all for something which helps smokers enjoy smoking at their leisure without then having to quit completely something which they find pleasure in doing. With the smoking ban everywhere now and ‘stop smoking’ adverts running in a constant loop on TV I’d imagine smokers are finding it hard to cope with a change which in my opinion has come from nowhere - the first I heard of the ban was an advert a month ago.

Whilst the lobbyists argue away on what is right Nicogel is the ideal solution; a way to keep public places clean and smoke free, and a way for smokers to feel like they haven’t been bullied in to submission. Sounds like a win-win situation for everyone really.

Wet Head

Product Number: 178
How Much: £14.99
Where can I buy one: Amazon.co.uk

Last weekend may have seen the luckiest day for one hundred years pass by with the 7th day of the 7th month of the 7th year but the day before was certainly not so lucky. Seizing the first sunny day in about a month I finally set about testing my latest toy freebie Wet Head, and the results were lucky for some and very unlucky for others (e.g me!).



For those who have never seen Wet Head before, it consists of a Bob the Builder style yellow helmet with a few red pegs stuck in the top. Each player then wears the hat and removes a peg before removing the hat and passing it on to the next player. The twist being that these pegs hold in place about a cup full of water, and when a particular peg is removed the water is released - through a hole in the underside of the helmet - right on to your head.

To add to the mystery, each player needs to spin the pegs around before pulling one out, which keeps things fair in a nice Russian roulette fashion. When playing the game we also added a few extra rules such as ensuring people pull out the first peg they touch after spinning. This was merely to rule out any suspicions that the ‘wet’ peg felt slightly different to the others when given a slight tug.


We also found it was best to ensure players count to five before removing the helmet, as the water drips out quite slowly, especially if players have large heads / big hair, and therefore it’s possible to remove the hat and barely get soaked. The hat does come with a strap to attach the hat to your head (presumably to ensure people don’t whip the hat off as soon as they feel the water) but this seemed to be more annoying than the five second rule so we quickly abandoned it.

In my case, my big hair definitely lead to an advantage and even when the entire water contents of the bucket had been emptied over my head, only a few drips actually made it on to my T-Shirt. Before playing the game I rather cautiously wore swimming trunks, which were definitely not required as the water failed to make its way down past my shoulders. Which was good news given that I managed to ‘lose’ four times in a row, sometimes on the first pin I pulled out...

Despite this I kept soldering on, hoping to get someone else wet for a change, because the prospect of actually getting wet isn’t as nightmarish as it may seem. Instead it's the thrill of winning and dodging the water that keeps the game interesting. Although I’d really love to see a revamped version with a far bigger water tank I’m sure some people will also enjoy the low risk factor of this model, thanks to the Russian roulette mystery element.

JML Doktor Power+ Review (Can it clean it?)

Product Number: 177
How Much: £4.99
Where can I buy one: JML Direct.com

Winning the award for ‘Product most likely to be named after an 80’s DJ’ comes “Doktor Power” from JML. Pitched as the latest all in one cleaning solution to tackle Cillit Bang it aims to clean up Alloy Wheels, Kitchen surfaces, shoes, bathrooms, garden furniture, chrome, gold, plastic and shiny bald heads. Okay so maybe I made that last one up.


Not that you should really worry about using it for a shiny head* given that it’s made of all natural ingredients which helps to make it more eco friendly than the chemical filled Cillit Bang and other cleaners. This means you’ve got less chance of slowly eroding away the Ozone layer, causing global warming and the end of civilization as we know it. If the way to saving the environment is for us all to take positive steps then this is definitely heading in the right direction.

*Although the tub does state that if you make contact with your skin you should rinse immediately which means you probably should just stick to surfaces and non skin related cleaning…

Inside the radioactive yellow tub you’ll find a sponge and what appears to be a giant slab of concrete. This ‘concrete-esque’ solution forms the bulk of the compound and all you need to do to activate it is wet the sponge and dab it on to a tiny bit. You then rub it on to your intended surface and a small lather will start to form. For my test I used the Doktor Power on my stainless steel bin and a couple of dabs were more than enough to do the job:

Dirty:


Clean:


As a bonus I was left without any nasty streaks or smudges on the bin and to give everything a nice shine I simply brushed over the compound with a damp cloth to remove any excess. As I’m all for convergence it’s great to see another product which tries to bring together the many beneficial elements of other products in to one convenient tub. No longer do you need to reach for a bathroom cleaner, or polishing kit, now everything you need can be found in one place and that’s a really beneficial thing.

All in all Doktor Power’s first single ‘Super-Cleaning Treatment’ is a revelation on the senses. He manages to blend together a mixture of different styles and genres whilst also waxing and polishing some wicked surfaces. Get ready for a long term treatment that’s bound to leave a lasting impression anywhere you put it. Selecta!

Dermalogica Skin Kit for Men

Product Number: 176
How Much: ₤19.99 Approx
More Info: Dermalogica.co.uk

Every now and then a product arrives at just the perfect time. The Dermalogica Skin Kit for Men for example, arrived just a couple of days before I departed for my holiday, which was ideal given that it contains five small products that are just the right size for your toiletry bag. What’s more they claim to take a minute each to use, giving you more time to go out and enjoy the sunshine (or in my case stare at crows and sheep in the rain).


The kit contains a special cleansing gel, skin prep scrub, professional shave, active moist and medicated clearing gel, all of which are designed to handle your morning and evening skin care needs. For those familiar with the Clinique and L’Oreal 3 step plans, the change over is a simple one and the additional steps for shaving and acne clearance are welcome additions.

The Special Cleansing Gel needs little introduction and creates a workable lather for your face from a tiny little bottle. For those longing for something more in line with Clinique’s Step 1 the Dermalogica team also produce the same product in a bar of soap.

Once your face is clean the Skin Prep Scrub will prepare your face for shaving. Unlike the runny cleansing gel this scrub is a thicker solution which is designed to be rougher for your skin so as to get deeper in to the pores. Although I didn’t find it as nice to use as L’Oreal’s and Clinique’s Step 2 the scrub did offer far more effective cleaning and generally showed better results in my trial than the other two.


The Professional Shave product continues this work and helps to glide the razor along the skin and soften the hairs giving you a smoother more comfortable shave. Although I’d imagine this is rather effective for manual razors it doesn’t hold up quite so well on electric razors and I’ve experienced better results with Clinique’s Electric Shave Primer so that is still my item of choice in this area.

Active Moist also falls short when compared to Clinique and although it’s an effective moisturiser it’s not quite as smooth and light as M-Gel from Clinique. Having said that the Medicated Clearing Gel receives top marks and worked as well as over the counter gels for acne such as Quinoderm so it really can't be beat.

Overall, the Dermalogica Skin Kit for Men is an excellent starting point for the curious male groomer. For twenty quid you won’t find a more complete set of this quality, and although not every product is a world leader, the effects are more than good enough to justify the price. So next time you fancy a short break - at just the right time - for your skin, this is the ideal low commitment option to get you started.

Worms 2007 (Mobile)

Product Number: 175
Where can I buy: Text Worms to 88188

Sometimes as reviewers we naturally end up contradicting ourselves. It’s a way of life, bought on by the unexpected nature of the products we feature and the times when you just can’t predict the future no matter how much you’d like to try. Take my review of Worms Crazy Golf where I remarked how it would be nigh on impossible to bring the traditional Worms game to mobile phones.


My fears at the time were based on the small mobile phone screen, lack of buttons and small memory capacity of phones, and yet somehow THQ have managed to bring all of the classic Worms fun to mobiles without losing the classic elements that made the original game so much fun. Take the weapons, bazookas, dynamite and even holy hand grenades which are all present and correct and as easy to use as they’ve always been.

This is part in thanks to a simple control system that uses every button on the mobile to great effect. This is shown best when jumping – rather than forcing you to try and press two buttons to jump forward (jump and forward in unison) there’s a button to jump upwards and a separate button to jump forwards. Then just like the PC original you can double click the buttons to jump backwards. This makes navigation around the maps simple and easy, something it’s rare to say for a mobile game with such terrain.


The terrains also retain that classic Worms formula, although there has been a severe shrinkage in size so as to fit the game neatly on to mobile phones. Most maps are 2 or 3 screen sizes long and by clicking a button you can scroll around the map to explore where your rivals are stationed. The closeness of the maps creates a more fast paced game, and there’s really nowhere to hide that can’t be bombed. Even the girders are tiny, so the game is far more focused on offensive than defensive strategies.

To keep the action tight and controlled there’s also limit of 8 Worms on each map. This is a bit of a loss in multiplayer, as you can only get away with two worms on each team of four, but any more would severely crowd the maps. Plus four player on a single phone in the first place is a great achievement, although bluetooth and online support will surely be top of the feature list for Worms 2008.


Still if you fancy a bit of single player a few missions have been included to help add variety and the hidden weapons help keep you going back for more. The AI is smart enough to make the game interesting and their decisions are instantaneous so the pace keeps moving along. In other words Worms 2007 is the perfect transformation of one of the all time classics. If you’ve never played it before or want to recapture the magic lost in new 3D installments then this is a must have download.