After complaining about the state of most video game shops on the high street, I thought I'd show some examples of places that manage to get video game shopping done right.

I think the most important thing about games shopping is the experience of it, a lot of shops have lost this now, but one particular shop still feels magical every single time.

So I thought I'd start with my favourite games shop ever: R-Games in Westgate Street, Gloucester.

I'd like to ask a simple question. Can music games improve your ability to play a real instrument?

After drumming in Rock Band for almost a year I've decided to learn the drums properly again. While there is no definitive answer for you just yet, this is a subject I'd like to return to as as my real drumming improves.

But before we get to the lessons themselves; a little information on my musical history.

A lot has been said about the American Sonic the Comic, but there aren't too many resources online for the British version. Looking back on my collection today though it's become clear just how diluted the Sonic franchise has become.

Ladies and gents I'd like to take you back to the early 1990s, back to my early gaming childhood when Sonic mania was at it's peak; and the console war between SEGA and Nintendo was reaching mammoth proportions.

These quieter summer months mean I am catching up on a pile of games that I have yet to play. Many of them bought second hand - titles that I missed the first time around that I am just getting around to.

But I have noticed that as each summer approaches, the availability of exciting second hand games has reduced dramatically. My appetite for second hand titles hasn't gone - but there aren't as many to be found anywhere other than the internet, or so it seems.

I like many others have been pulled back into the world of zombie killing following the recent downloadable content for Left 4 Dead. We wanted more zombies and we certainly got them.

While Valve hasn't exactly reinvented the wheel in this recent update, the new experience it provides it certainly worth dusting off Left 4 Dead for...