More Broken Sword
PC Zone has just given the game a score of 75%. This magazine is known to mark games quite harshly, so this is actually a very good score from them. The good news keeps rolling in. :)

Lie Cheat Drink and Smoke Pot
I was just reading the Blog, Ghostwriter Ramblings where a general claim was made that we "lie, cheat, drink and smoke pot." Now I'm not averse to a drink or two, but I don't smoke pot and I certainly don't lie and cheat.
Am I somehow so out of touch that I'm the only one who is like this? Does everyone else take lying and cheating as just another part of everyday life? If so, why?
I'm a firm believer in credit where it's due, so if I like something that some other person has done, I like to say so. Conversely, if I really hate something it's rare that I will inform the person responsible directly for fear of hurting their feelings in some way, particularly if I don't know that person very well. So, although I hate to lie, always telling the truth is not really an option so often it's best to say nothing.
I abhore cheating immensely. The idea of taking credit for the efforts of another (or however it dresses itself up) is one of the most dreadful types of theft (possessions can always be replaced). There was a documentary on TV a couple of months ago about the guy who cheated on "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire" and almost got away with it. I felt really pleased when they exposed him and he got his punishment, and a very public humiliation, too.
So, does everyone "lie, cheat, drink and smoke pot"? If so, why has this become an accepted way of life?

Bruno
I've just been reading this week's Bruno strips and thought I ought to post a link in here for those who have yet to discover this delightful comic strip.
Christopher Baldwin has been creating Bruno for a number of years and has, for the most part, managed a very healthy six-day-a-week schedule. The characters are fabulous and have a depth rarely seen in comics of any nature. Though the "stories" may seem a little rambling at times, there is a genuine feeling that a progression is being made as we watch the main character, Bruno herself, live her life, make mistakes, make friends, have the occasional triumph and continually keep me coming back for more. To get the best out of the comic, you should start at the beginning of the archive. It's quite a read and took me about a year to catch up with the dial up modem I had at the time, but I thoroughly enjoyed the whole time. Take a look.

The Matrix - Revolutions
Went to see the third Matrix film today and was very impressed. It's much better than the second one, though there are still lack of depth issues that bugged me, but wouldn't want to mention here in case I spoilt anything for those who have yet to see it. I recommend that people do go and see it as it is a spectacular film and quite breath-taking in places.

New Gogs 2
Today hasn't been too bad with the new glasses, so perhaps I'll be used to them much faster than I originally thought. Here's hoping.

New Gogs
Yesterday I picked up my new glasses. It's quite a change for me as I've had to get some varifocal lenses. (Poor old sod...) I think that getting used to the three areas for reading, computer and distance is going to take some time. At the moment it feels like my glasses have a smudge on them and I keep checking them just to be sure. At least I haven't tripped up yet.
I don't know if it's just me or not, but new glasses always seem to take ages settling into my face, making my nose and ears sore for a while before I either knock them into shape or my face gets used to them.

Acid Keg
For those of you who don't know Steve Hogan's wild and weekly strip, Acid Keg is a beautifully bizarre (or bizarrely beautiful) comic strip that almost defies description other than a consistently excellent thought-provoking read. Check it out. Now!

Site Update
Just updated a few links on my site. I was pretty sure I'd put in a link to World Famous Comics some time ago, but I hadn't. This is particularly bad on my part as they host Juniper Crescent every Monday and have been doing so for a few months now. Honestly, I sometimes think I'm losing my marbles.

Haircut
Got a haircut at lunchtime today. The sylist who does my hair, Michele, has moved to a larger place which is bright and cheery and with walls covered in cool poster, postcards and other such pictures. It was only after I'd left that it occurred to me that they might be interested in putting some of my cartoons on the walls. You can tell I'm a little slow, can't you. :)
I always get a good cut and Michele is always very friendly, so I thought I'd spread the word. If you're ever in York and in need of a haircut try out the Mediterranean Barbers Shop, 44 Goodramgate, York, Tel: 01904 637853. Tell her that Steve the games designer and cartoonist sent you.

Dane & Joe
As I said I would, I've done the inking and colouring and sent it off to the good people at Just Adventure. Keep a lookout for the strip on Friday.

Broadband
You know, I don't even think I'd consider this Blog if I didn't have Broadband.

Bonfire Night
Also known as Guy Fawkes night.
Lots of fireworks going off everywhere and Acrasia, our cat, is more than a little perturbed by it all. She's not as bad as she used to be and no longer cowers behind the couch, but she won't settle and keeps howling at us.

Jet Set Web Log
Tony Warriner, one of the company directors at Revolution Software, has coded his own blog system. If you're interested in being part of that crowd you can set up your own blog at: Jet Set Web Log.

More Broken Sword goodness
Laura at GameBoomers has just started playing a review copy of the game and posted a little snippet on the forum there. Here's a quote:

"The opening was the best I have seen. If this is the new 3D - bring it on in more games. It has all the crisp look of 2D hand rendered graphics. George looks magnifique! Very handsome. Rugged without looking like a prize fighter. Great hair cut. The voice talent is very very good."

Coming into work
This morning the sun was shining in a particularly beautiful way, making the journey into work really pleasant. I tend to sit on the top deck of the bus and read, but this morning I watched the world in all its autumnal glory. There was one particular moment when the bus turned into one of the villages along the route and as we rounded a bend along the main street this tree came into view that looked as though it was made of copper and gold. The leaves shimmered in the sunlight as the breeze gently caressed them.
It's now lunchtime and unfortunately the sun is no longer shining, but the day is mild and dry.

Magpie
At the weekend I was standing in the kigtchen watching the sparrows, finches and tits feeding at the bird table when a magpie appeared. It's the first time I've seen a magpie in the garden and I've never seen one that close up. It was one of those times when I wish I'd had my camera handy. It's a much larger bird than I thought and it was struggling to feed from the bird table as it has it's own little roof and the magpie was too large to fit beneath it. So what it was doing was half-leaping, half-flying from the ground, grasping the edge of the table a little precariously and grabbing one of the nuts. It did this a few times before flying off again.

Dane & Joe
Just finished pencilling the latest Dane & Joe strip. I shall ink it tomorrow evening and colour it. It will be appearing on the Just Adventure site on Friday as usual.

Broken Sword news
Broken Sword - The Sleeping Dragon
First Impressions at the Adventure Gamers site.

Review in OPS2:
8/10 - An engrossing, quirky adventure that satisfies the indiana Jones and Miss Marple in us all. TSD almost lives up to the previous 2 games.

Juniper Cresent updated
I've just posted the latest Juniper Crescent strip on the website (www.juniper-crescent.co.uk). It also appears on the World Famous Comics website, too (http://www.worldfamouscomics.com/) for those who may be interested in dropping by and seeing some other good strips. I particularly recommend Ramblers by Danielle Corsetto.
One of these days I'll get myself into a proper routine and put out all my comic strips on a weekly basis, but sometimes life just gets in the way... :)

Keeping the current strips together
The link below is a new page created on the site which has the current episode from each of my strips on the same page. The intention is that if people want to stop by once a week and have just one page that they need to visit, then this is for them. I hope it works.
Current Strips

Going Gold
For those of you who don't know, my daytime job as a game designer and writer is pretty demanding at times. Fortunately, the hard word has its rewards and our current project, Broken Sword - The Sleeping Dragon, has just gone gold. What this actually means is that the gold masters have been created and copies of the game are being pressed. We expect it to be in the shops in Europe in a couple of weeks time.

Welcome to an Experiment
Hoping to get something going here that is more than just a simple news update, but at this stage it's simply an experiment. Part of the problem is that the FTP side of the updating isn't working as it should be and so I'm having to use a separate FTP upload to get the damn thing working properly. I'll have to see if I can find some help somewhere that will enable me to figure it out.

On a different note - I had a great weekend seeing my sons and spending a lot of time with them. Granddaughter Caitlin was as bright as a button as usual, though became a little crabby when she got tired.

Had a pretty scary moment when I drove my sons home today. It had been raining a little for a while and then, within a second, the rain became so heavy that I could barely see anything through the windscreen. I had to drop from 60mph to 30 and luckily there were no accidents. I think the other motorists were as surprised as myself.