As the title of the album suggests, soundtrack label Varese Sarabande have released a 4 CD album for their 35th anniversary, and this is a good excuse to release a compilation comprised of tracks from their best albums over the period of 2008-2013.

These compilation albums are brilliant if you don't own the full soundtrack to these films, and gives you a great taster of the styles of the different composers and some of the amazing music they continue to write. The track selection is as excellent as it is diverse, although I own many of these albums in full and would say there are some cases where I would have chosen a different track from the album. That's probably just personal preference though. I think the huge variety of tracks is to be applauded.

At the time of writing the album information is not actually listed on Amazon, so this is what you get across the 4 CDs:

Disc One (76:27):
1. Dr. Seuss' The Lorax (John Powell) Ted, Audrey And The Trees (2:37)
2. Hop (Christopher Lennertz) Candy Factory (3:06)
3. Kung Fu Panda 2 (Hans Zimmer and John Powell) Rickshaw Chase (2:37)
4. Dolphin Tale (Mark Isham) Dolphin Dance (3:01)
5. Big Miracle (Cliff Eidelman) National News (3:15)
6. Nim's Island (Patrick Doyle) Nim's Island (3:56)
7. Rise of the Guardians (Alexandre Desplat) Calling The Guardians (2:06)
8. How To Train Your Dragon (John Powell) This Is Berk (4:12)
9. Rio (John Powell) Flying (2:42)
10. Dr. Seuss' Horton Hears A Who! (John Powell) Horton Suite (7:46)
11. Astro Boy (John Ottman) Theme From Astro Boy (4:32)
12. Speed Racer (Michael Giacchino) Let Us Drink Milk (4:33)
13. Real Steel (Danny Elfman) Final Round (6:54)
14. The A-Team (Alan Silvestri) Flying A Tank (6:11)
15. Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol (Michael Giacchino) A Man, A Plan, A Code, Dubai (2:42)
16. Largo Winch (Alexandre Desplat) Largo Winch (3:06)
17. Fast Five (Brian Tyler) Fast Five (3:04)
18. Knight and Day (John Powell) Bull Run (4:54)
19. G.I. Joe: The Rise Of Cobra (Alan Silvestri) End Credits (2:22)
20. Star Trek (Michael Giacchino) Enterprising Young Men (2:38)

Disc Two (78:42):
1. Amelia (Gabriel Yared) Introducing Amelia (4:59)
2. Charlie Wilson's War (James Newton Howard) Honored Colleague (5:54)
3. Hachi (Jan A.P. Kaczmarek) Japan (3:25)
4. The Help (Thomas Newman) Ain't You Tired (End Title) (6:27)
5. The Bucket List (Marc Shaiman) End Credits (3:51)
6. Leap Year (Randy Edelman) Anna's Theme (2:54)
7. The Tudors - Season 3 (Trevor Morris) Main Title (1:34)
8. Bel Ami (Rachel Portman) Bel Ami (1:55)
9. Parade's End (Dirk Brossé) Main TItle (2:19)
10. Your Highness (Steve Jablonsky) Isabel The Strong Performed by Lisbeth Scott (4:30)
11. Albert Nobbs (Brian Byrne) Albert Nobbs Opening Titles (5:16)
12. Grey Gardens (Rachel Portman) Little Edie On Chair (2:45)
13. Another Year (Gary Yershon) Another Year - Opening Credits (3:02)
14. La Fille Du Puisatier (Alexandre Desplat) La Fille Du Puisatier (3:27)
15. The Last Station (Sergey Yevtushenko) Romanze (1:49)
16. Spartacus Love Theme (Alex North) Performed by Dave Grusin (2:55)
17. The Visitor (Jan A.P. Kaczmarek) Overture (5:02)
18. La Ligne Droite (Patrick Doyle) Running In The Sand (3:37)
19. Standard Operating Procedure (Danny Elfman) S.O.P. Theme #1 (5:57)
20. Columbus Circle (Brian Tyler) Columbus Circle (3:14)
21. Flash Of Genius (Aaron Zigman) Back Home (1:55)
22. Mildred Pierce (Carter Burwell) Mildred Pierce Opening Titles (1:41)

Disc Three (77:44):
1. Fool's Gold (George Fenton) Fool's Gold Legend and Main Title (4:23)
2. Sanctum (David Hirschfelder) Espiritu Esa Ala (2:20)
3. The First Grader (Alex Heffes) Maruge Digs (2:21)
4. The Stoning Of Soraya M. (John Debney) The Stoning of Soraya M. - Main Title (3:12)
5. Black Gold (James Horner) Horizon To Horizon (3:59)
6. In The Land Of Blood And Honey (Gabriel Yared) When The Heart Dies / Performed by Natasa Mirkovi'c - De Ro (4:00)
7. There Be Dragons: Secretos De Pasión (Robert Folk) Love & War Finale (2:54)
8. Oscar: The Color of Destiny (Diego Navarro) Suite For Symphony Orchestra, Choir and Piano Soloist (6:17)
9. For Greater Glory (James Horner) Entre La Luz Y El Pecado / Performed by Clara Sanabras (4:08)
10. Valkyrie (John Ottman) They"ll Remember You (4:20)
11. The Sum Of All Fears (Jerry Goldsmith) The Mission / Performed by Cristina Farrais / Mark Snow * Tenerife Film Orchestra (3:32)
12. The Wolfman (Danny Elfman) Wolf Suite (Part 1) (4:17)
13. Dream House (John Debney) Dream House (5:40)
14. Let Me In (Michael Giacchino) End Credits - Let Me In (6:00)
15. I Am Legend (James Newton Howard) Evacuation (4:26)
16. Never Let Me Go (Rachel Portman) Main Titles (3:00)
17. Igor (Patrick Doyle) Eva (3:03)
18. True Blood (Nathan Barr) Love Theme (2:56)
19. John Carpenter's The Ward (Mark Kilian) The Ward - Opening Titles (2:35)
20. Fright Night (Ramin Djawadi) Fright Night (4:11)

Disc Four (77:28):
1. The Ghost Writer (Alexandre Desplat) The Ghost Writer (1:41)
2. Too Big To Fail (Marcelo Zarvos) The Banking Crisis (Main Titles) (4:30)
3. The Ides Of March (Alexandre Desplat) The Ides Of March (2:04)
4. Frost / Nixon (Hans Zimmer) Watergate (4:27)
5. Brake (Brian Tyler) Brake End Title (3:18)
6. Camelot (Mychael and Jeff Danna) Camelot Main Titles (1:35)
7. The Borgias (Trevor Morris) The Borgias Main Titles (1:34)
8. Game of Thrones - Season 2 (Ramin Djawadi) Main Title (1:46)
9. Rise of the Planet of the Apes (Patrick Doyle) Golden Gate Bridge (5:18)
10. Battleship (Steve Jablonsky) Hopper (3:15)
11. Babylon A.D. (Atli Örvarsson) Babylon Requiem (5:34)
12. Battle: Los Angeles (Brian Tyler) Battle Los Angeles (5:40)
13. Cowboys & Aliens (Harry Gregson-Williams) Jake Lonergan (3:07)
14. Eagle Eye (Brian Tyler) Eagle Eye End Title (2:28)
15. Charlie St. Cloud (Rolfe Kent) Racing (2:32)
16. A Thousand Words (John Debney) Redemption and Rebirth (4:43)
17. The Mighty Macs (William Ross) The Drive To Immaculata (Main Title) (2:29)
18. Trouble With The Curve (Marco Beltrami) Trouble With The Curve (4:30)
19. Touchback (William Ross) Gig Catches / Taking The Lead (5:18)
20. Will (Nigel Clarke & Michael Csányi-Wills) A Liverpool Anthem - You'll Never Walk Alone (3:10)
21. Super 8 (Michael Giacchino) Letting Go (5:16)
22. The Mummy 3: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor (Randy Edelman) A Call To Adventure (Theme from Mummy 3) (3:01)

Because these tracks are coming directly from Varese Sarabande, these are for the most part original tracks as heard on their respective soundtrack albums, and not some horrible cheap rip off where the quality is substandard.

So essentially, if you are a fan of film/tv scores, this is a brilliant album to get if your collection is a bit thin. The value for money is exceptional (at the time of writing it is priced at just under 12 quid). If you are a newcomer to film scores, and want something that showcases the best of modern orchestral/choral/electronic writing in a single boxset, look no further. If you don't go away and then get many of the individual soundtrack albums in full, I would be shocked. Simply brilliant.

Brian Tyler is the third composer in the Iron Man film franchise. I wasn't a huge fan of Ramin Djawadi's effort for the first IM film, although I did like John Debney's score for IM2 despite the fact that a lot of the music got lost in the overall mix. For me, this is easily the best IM score to date and is a sensational orchestral/choral album from start to finish. I should also note that previous themes by Djawadi and Debney don't feature, although I wouldn't consider this a terrible loss if truth be told. However, the more rock/electronic aspects of the previous scores have been largely ignored, so those of you who liked this, particularly Djawadi's material from IM1 may be disappointed. I should also mention that this review is regarding the actual orchestral score as heard in the film - for those of you who want a compilation of rock songs inspired by the film (the thought of which makes me shudder) should look here instead - Iron Man 3: Heroes Fall.

You know from the opening track "Iron Man 3" this is going to be a blast. People with pacemakers and those on medication for high blood pressure beware - if this doesn't get the blood pumping I don't know what will. This theme is used regularly on the album in various guises, but is not overused to the point of annoyance. There are 20 tracks on the album and I won't mention them all in detail. Besides the epic opening track, other highlights for me were the slower tracks "Isolation" (Track 4) and "Extremis" (Track 7), and some of the more action based material of "Attack On 10880 Malibu Point" (Track 3), "Dive Bombers" (Track 5) and "Battle Finale" (Track 19) was just epic. Regardless of what I think, the important point is that the quality of the music across the entire album is consistently high.

Running in at just over 75 minutes, this is an above average length for a soundtrack release (and Tyler is known for being generous regarding the running time of his album releases). The sound quality and mixing is great as you would hope. The album flows well because whilst the majority of the album is more action based, it is interspersed with slower tracks. The track lengths themselves are decent (ranging from just short of 2 minutes to just over 7 minutes). This allows the music to develop over the course of the track rather than ending before it ever got going. A minor point perhaps but I think part of what makes a good album is how it is presented. A final point on this, Tyler is known for choosing to order the tracks for the best listening experience rather than the chronological order of when they appear in the film and this approach works perfectly on this release.

As always there may be music that appears in the film that is not present on the album. I haven't seen the film yet so cannot comment on this directly, although my experience with Tyler's previous albums suggests that all the best material from the film will feature on the album.

Overall, this is my favourite Iron Man soundtrack to date, and this is certainly helped by the fact that Iron Man has been given a bold and memorable theme. If you haven't got it by the end of the album, you really haven't been trying! For me, this is album ticks every box for what a summer blockbuster soundtrack should be. It oozes quality without ever taking itself too seriously and despite the fairly long running time, maintains your attention throughout. If you liked the music within the film and have any appreciation for orchestral soundtracks this is one to get. Anything less than 5*s would be a travesty and I really hope he continues with franchise in the future.

Steve Jablonsky once again returns to score the next GOW game, Judgement. Along with unknown Zimmer associate Jacob Shea, this release is unlike either of Jablonsky's previous scores for the series. Please note, this review is based only on what I heard on the CD, rather than how it sounds in the game (and from what I have read, it works very well).

The orchestral style of the previous albums has largely gone. Occasional strings and brass are pretty much all you get, and are replaced with electronics and metal. The main GOW theme is back in various guises, however none are particularly epic or as well orchestrated compared to previous installments and it is certainly not the centerpiece of the album.

There were no "standout" tracks that I think deserve specific mention, however this reflects the fact that I am not a fan of the style of the album, and have no real point of reference by which to compare it. The sound quality of the album is great though.

For me, this review merely serves as a warning to those people who might be thinking of buying it based on the style of GOW2 and 3. This CD will divide opinion. I loved Jablonsky's orchestral scores for GOW2 and GOW3, but the change in style for electronics and metal was not something that I can say I enjoyed. However, I appreciate that many people would think this is an improvement because orchestral scores are a somewhat niche taste. If you enjoyed the music within the game, or have at least some appreciation for metal/electronics, this soundtrack will be right up your street. However, for people who like the orchestral style of his previous scores and think this might be a good standalone album, this is most certainly not the case. Think carefully before buying or listen to track samples if you are unsure, because you could end up with an album that you either love, or hate.

The 2*s I gave it was based on the prior assumption that I made that it would be more of the same orchestral style by Jablonsky, and thus I was disappointed. However, for fans of metal/electronics you would no doubt rate it more highly than I, and would be interested to see what other people think.

HOTS is the second installment of Starcraft II that focuses on the Zerg story as opposed to the Terran story in SCII. Without dwelling on it for too long, the installation of the game seemed a bit strange, with it seeming to install both from the DVD and as a download simultaneously for me. I have read on other forums that for some people, it downloads the game in its entirety and completely bypassed the DVD altogether, which makes you wonder why they didn't just release it as a digit download only. Anyway, regardless of how you get it on to your hard drive, it's certainly worth the wait.

The 1 player Zerg story is every bit as good as the original. In a nutshell, the story begins at the end of SC2 - Sarah Kerrigan aka Queen of Blades has been captured and continues to enjoy wearing her orange Zerg contact lenses from time to time. The woman is also in desperate need of anti-psychotic medication to treat those anger outbursts that usually results in a burst of psychic energy followed by pain and death of those around her. Emperor Minsk is still that evil dude running the show and Jim Raynor continues to look in desperate need of a shower. Needless to say Kerrigan doesn't stay locked up for long, and the game plays out like a Rentokil nightmare as you build and increase the strength of the Zerg swarm. Kerrigan is playable as a "hero" unit that stronger during the game as you upgrade her abilities. In the 1 player missions, she can be "killed" but is quickly respawned from the hatchery so no lasting damage there. In addition, you can improve Zerg units during the course of the game, increasing speed of units, increase health etc. One thing that impressed me is that the graphics looked better, and the game feels smoother, yet the specs required to play the game are the same as SC2.

There are a variety of new units for multiplayer for the different races. I won't go into detail on those here, there are plenty of other places online that describe it better than I could. Needless to say this will undoubtedly make the game more strategic than it already is.

The only potential criticism is that those familiar with playing as Zerg from SC2 will likely find many of the early missions tedious as these act more as a tutorial on playing with that race. Actually that suited me, because I never got to grips massively with them in SC2 so I found it pretty useful. If you are a pro with Zerg, just enjoy the really good graphics! I previously wrote that an additional criticism was the fact that you needed a constant internet connection to play the game (as stated on the box as a minimum game requirement). As a gentleman helpfully highlighted in the comments, this is not true. You don't need a constant internet connection to play the one player campaign, but any achievements you get will not be saved to your Starcraft account.

Although I've read criticisms about the price considering this is an "expansion", I actually think the game is reasonably priced given the length of the one player story and the additional multiplayer units. It's clear a lot of work went into this game. I should also note that a previous review have said they had problems connecting to Blizzard's servers. I have had no such issues so I would put that down to the first day rush of people logging on. Is it acceptable? Not really. Was it likely they would have problems? After the shambolic Diablo 3 launch by Blizzard it seemed highly likely. Whatever the issues it seems to be sorted now though.

Overall, if you were fan of SC2 and found the story engaging this is a fantastic expansion that is just as gripping as SC2. There are plenty of cinematic cut scenes that look sensational, as well as the smaller cut scenes that help the story along. The improved graphics and smoothness of the gameplay are also impressive. For those of you more interested in the multiplayer side of things, the new units for the factions do spice things up. I look forward to the final expansion with the Protoss called Legacy of the Void. Game director Dustin Browder has said "we will certainly do our best to reduce the time between expansions" so I expect this final installment will be released around 2025. Until then, I would say any fan of SCII should add this expansion. Great fun.

Crysis 3 is the lastest installment of the franchise. After reading some great reviews online, and thought Crysis 2 was better than a lot of other people, I took the step of preordering the game...the phrase "act in haste, repent at leasure" springs to mind.

Visually it is stunning, however the PC requirements are for the more top end PCs. Even if you have the specs to run it, it doesn't mean you can play it with the high graphics setting. I would check out the site I posted in the comments box to see how your graphics card performs for this specific game (other factors, ram, cpu etc not withstanding).

It is certainly next generation graphics, and you can't help but gawp at the beauty of the surroundings. Grass blowing in the wind has never looked so good. Until you go outside. Snide comments aside, this is one aspect of the game that is easily 5*.

The gameplay is a slick but empty experience. Your two choices again are stealth or blast your way through. Stealth is helped along with the introduction of a bow and different types of arrow that don't cause you to become uncloaked when you fire. This certainly makes the game less challenging depending on how often you want to use it. You also have the usual upgrades to the suit, improved armour, longer stealth etc. This side of things hasn't really advanced from Crysis 2, but I guess since it's the same suit, you can't expect much to be different. There is one difference however. Sprinting no longer saps your suit energy, although if you are cloaked it drains it fast. You also have the option to drive veichles on some missions, and there's part of a mission where you get to shoot aliens from a plane. You are the gunner and sadly don't get to drive. Nonetheless, this is one of the visually stunning highlights of the game.

Let me also mention the cut scenes, some of which you can skip, some you can't. I know the developers have tried to develop the story a bit for this installment, but there's just too much dialogue and the story isn't engaging enough to really care about what's happening. This would be fine if the game was actually long enough in its own right where a bit of story padding doesn't detract from the experience but it's over before you even get into double figures in terms of hours played (including the cut scenes). It has little replay value, I wouldn't go back and rush to do it again on the hardest difficulty.

I purchased the "Hunter" edition, which on the day of release wasn't vastly more expensive than the normal version. Unless you are desperate to have an advantage in multiplayer, there is no real reason to get this. Given the difference in price at the time of the review, if you are tempted to buy I'd stick with the normal version.

The best analogy I can use is that this game is like going to an expensive restaurant, picking a really tasty sounding a la carte dish, it turns up on a large plate, immaculately presented but you only get a tiny portion. You finish it still feeling hungry and look at the size of the bill and end up thinking it probably wasn't worth it. The chef and restaurant owner however are looking pretty smug.

This is a pretty bleak review and I'd have loved it to be more positive. The graphics are its saving grace, and multiplayer is ok. My advice would be to wait until it comes down in price, or save your hard earned pennies for something better.

The Bible (the epic mini series) as described on the album art cover is the latest score by composer Hans Zimmer, his right hand man (although extremely talented individually) Lorne Balfe and features the deep and ethereal voice of Lisa Gerrard. Based on this musical line up, you would be forgiven for thinking this album could be God meets Gladiator. For about half the running length, this isn't actually that far from the truth. Anyway, despite being a huge fan of Zimmer, I have thought his recent scores have been a little uninspired - Batman - The Dark Knight Rises - OST and Pirates of the Caribbean 4: On Stranger Tides left me wanting more, although I found Inception impressive. His score to "The Bible" is not even comparable to these albums. Inspired, yes. Epic, yes. This is Zimmer's best score for years.

There are 16 tracks in total, and I won't go into every track in depth. I will mention some of my favourites. The album starts with "Faith", the slowest and longest track on the album. Wonderful melodies and fantastic harmonies, I loved this as an opening track, and knew that the rest of the album would most likely be exceptionally strong. I would be lying if I said I didn't have the biggest grin on my face when "In The Beginning" (Track 2) started, and it just got better and better. It's my favourite track on the album and reprised several times. A sweet string ostinato that slowly builds over the duration of track to epic proportions. Zimmer and many of his associates have been accused of using this technique too often, sacrificing complexity for a simplistic melody and rhythm. And this is true. However, was this one of the best applications I have heard of this technique by Zimmer? Without a doubt. The first two tracks are worth the price of the album alone. Other stunners were "Creation Choral" (Track 15), and finale track "Rise Up in Faith" showcases the best of Gerrard's voice. A stunning conclusion to the album. The rest of the album is also fantastic.

I said at the start that the God meets Gladiator sound wasn't too far from the truth. To my ears, the music often sounds like a cross between Michael Danna's stunning score for Danna - The Nativity Story -OST and Zimmer's epic action score for King Arthur Original Soundtrack. Danna's fine score is slower, has a more accurate instrumental selection for the time period and is definitely more "religious". King Arthur on the other hand is pure action by Zimmer. The fusion of these ideas sounds extraordinary. For some, this would be two steps from hell. I found it exquisite. Note this is not representative of the whole album, probably around 50% or there abouts. The rest of the album is slower, and this is usually accompanied with more of Gerrard's voice and traditional instrumentations more appropriate the time period.

The quality of the music is simply stunning and the same can be said for how it sounds on the album. Whatever your view of Zimmer and his associates at Remote Control (the name of his studio), you cannot fault the quality of the recording and mixing/mastering. The score for The Bible shines in this respect, whether it's the orchestra, specialty instruments, choir or Gerrard's voice, each of these things can be heard clearly without being overpowered by other sections.

The score only lasts for 55 minutes, which is fairly short and will not represent all the music as heard on the programme itself. You would hope all the best tracks are included but be warned your favourite cue may not be on the album.

Overall, this is a simply stunning effort by Zimmer, Balfe and Gerrard. If you like your religious music to be angelic choirs singing an assortment of hymns, this is most definitely not the score for you. However, if you like Zimmer's bold and epic style of scoring combined with a great choices regarding the instrumentation, and like the deep but ethereal tone to Lisa Gerrard's voice then this is the score for you. I absolutely loved it and thought it was an inspired and epic return to form by Zimmer. An easy 5* album.

DmC is the latest game in the Devil May Cry series, effectively acting as a reboot for the story. The installation (I got it on DVD for the PC - Windows 7) was tedious in the extreme, installing various things before the game itself installs. Then when Steam opens it for the first time, it installs more things on top of that. I'm sure it's necessary but it felt like it went on forever. Anyway, enough preamble.

The graphics are stunning and the gameplay is as fluid as previous instalments. Any fears of new developer Ninja Theory messing the franchise up have to be dispelled completely. The combination of swords/gauntlets/scythes/ages and guns make gameplay extremely varied and there are ridiculous numbers of combinations of moves to perform. The story is fairly one dimensional, and the script won't be award winning. The voice acting is well done however, and Dante has some good one liners. There are 20 levels in total, some are longer than others, but all look stylish and amazing on the eye.

There are several levels of difficulty. Human (easy), Devil Hunter (medium), Nephilim (hard), Son of Sparta (very hard), Dante Must Die (ridiculously hard), Heaven or Hell (you need to be sectioned) and Hell and Hell (you have been sectioned).
Son of Sparta is available after completing the game on any of the three levels before it, whilst Dante Must Die whilst Heaven and Hell, are available after completing Son of Sparta, whilst Hell and Hell is available after Hell and Hell.

The game is incredibly short. I finished it in less than 10 hours on the Devil Hunter difficulty, and that includes replaying some of the earlier missions. Whilst the game on the lower difficulties is over fairly quickly, and you can effectively button bash your way through, the later difficulties require a lot more skill. I've almost finished the game on Son of Sparta, and it is significantly more challenging. There are harder enemies earlier in the game, and button bashing simply won't work if you want to finish the level with a decent score.

Unlike previous versions of the game, on this version you get experience points that are used to level up Dante's abilities, weapons and guns. Separately, you use red orbs to buy items (health/devil power upgrades and replenishment). You can see your score go up as you play through each level, combinations of moves as previously are rated between D-SSS. The better your moves during the level, the better your mission score will be. I should add at this point that you can replay any level at any time once you have completed it. You will get additional experience points and orbs when you complete levels again. Abilities/Weapons/Guns/Health and Devil Power upgrades that you obtain stay with you, and you can replay earlier levels with your upgrades which help to get to the max SSS rating for the level. The earlier levels contain hidden extras that you can only get when you get upgrades/abilities later on in the game.

Whilst my experience of the game is mostly positive, there are several negatives:
Firstly, the camera angle can sometimes be a bit dodgy and it makes it difficult to see and fight enemies on occasions.
Second, there is no "lock on" feature for targeting specific enemies. This would be useful when there are only a small number of harder enemies. Perhaps just a personal preference, and hasn't been seen before in the franchise.
Third, I would not attempt the higher difficulty levels without a gamepad - the keyboard controls are ok, but I found it much easier with a gamepad, and I would say this is essential for the harder difficulty levels.
Forth, there are a lot of cut scenes that sometimes interrupt the flow of the game. Luckily, most can be skipped so once you've played through each level once and got the gist of the story there's not much point in watching them again.
Fifth, the range of demons to slay is no where near as large as previous games. The bosses are more comedic and lack the darkness of previous games.
Finally, I have noticed a couple of times that the game occasionally produces a black screen when playing (just before a cut scene loads) and then you have to ctrl+alt+del. This happens very infrequently. If it does happen, when selecting the mission it reloads at the last checkpoint so you don't have to play the whole level again. Also, if you are playing with headphones, some of the cinematic cut scenes come out of the computer speakers rather than the headphones. This could just be a specific problem to me, but this is the only game I own where it does this, so I assume it is game specific.

Overall, I thought this was a solid reboot for the franchise and full marks have to be given to the gameplay and the graphics, both of which are outstanding. That's not to say there isn't room for improvement, but this is a very respectable entry/reboot. I would be lying if I said this game wasn't a huge amount of fun (hence the 5* on that aspect), but the negatives described above means it loses a star for me. That said, for fans of the series and newbies alike, I can't recommend it highly enough.

So Fringe bows out after 5 seasons and 100 episodes. What a sensational sci-fi show it was. I believe that I've kept this pretty much spoiler free, aside from mentioning briefly the larger story arc of the season. Without giving away specific plot details, the arc of this season moved away from the monster of the week, and instead focused on a plan to rid the world of the Observers who had rudely invaded (carrying on from the Season 4 episode "Letters of Transit"). After the Fringe team are freed from the amber, this season picks up where that episode left off.

The performances by the characters this season were mixed in my opinion. John Noble as Walter Bishop was easily the highlight - his perfect balance of comedy and emotion gave such depth to the character and every second he is on screen it is a delight. Joshua Jackson also played Peter well. I thought that Anna Torv as Olivia has got progressively better over the seasons. However, this season she seemed to be a little more stilted and wooden in her performances, and her role did not feel as large as in previous seasons. That's not say her acting was bad, but I don't think this was her finest season. Astro/Agnes/Asterisk/Asprin was wonderfully acted by Jasika Nicole. As usual, she was her compassionate self with Walter whilst assisting the team, but her role is not really expanded upon. I think her finest moments were in the previous season where she got to expand her performance with alt-Astrid. Like Walter, her character always adds real warmth to the show, and this season is no exception. Of final note, is Captain Windmark, who is one bad a** Observer and in charge of the nightmarish Orwellian 1984 style state. His performance is chilling and wonderfully creepy. You can't take your eyes of the screen when he is present!

In this season, there are homages to events and monsters in every previous season. I think fans of the show will enjoy this. I know I did.

The soundtrack to the show by Chris Tilton was probably his best yet. Although often overlooked, I think his music fitted the show really well and certainly added something for me. I wouldn't mind getting a copy if it gets released as it did for previous seasons.

Whilst I liked the shift in focus of the story for this season, for the sake of balance, I do know other people who were less enthusiastic and stopped watching mid-season. Some of the earlier episodes in the season were a little slow, and there wasn't a huge amount of pace throwing the story forward. As it went on though, the pace quickens considerably. One other criticism that has been raised is because the Observers can travel forward and backwards in time, there are problems with time paradoxes that are not entirely satisfactory from a narrative sense. I cannot say that it bothered me - it was a entertaining work of fiction and not something that needs to be endlessly scrutinised as though it were piece of scientific research. That's not to say the plot tied itself in knots, but some viewers may not be entirely convinced by the way it unravels.

On that point, I know some have complained about the direction of the show and how it concludes. But actually, given that the executioner's axe seemed to be continuously hanging over the show for the last few seasons because of dwindling numbers of viewers, the fact that it got a resolution at all is something that fans of the show should be happy with. This is one instance where the fans kept the show on the air, and I can't believe I'm actually writing this, but some credit has to be given to Fox, because it was claimed on several occasions they actually lost money on the show. I know Fox has a bad reputation for axing some of its more popular shows to the dismay off fans, but somehow Fringe survived!

I am assuming that if you are reading this, then you won't have seen the final season. Before the season aired, there were videos uploaded on youtube of Observer propaganda that are worth a watch before you start the show.

Overall, Fringe was a brilliant sci-fi show. I think it got the ending it deserved, but it's clear not everyone got the ending they wanted. If you are prepared for the show to take a new direction, you should watch this last season and decide for yourself whether it is satisfactory or not! I was satisfied, and can't wait to on rewatch all the seasons again from scratch.

Well this is certainly a surprise review. After reading a brief comment by someone on an online soundtrack forum who mentioned this album and praised it highly, I thought it was worth checking out. I am so glad I did. This is one obscure release, but for those who find this page, you are in for a treat.

This is basically an orchestral soundtrack, that sounds like it has a relatively small number of players. Strings, piano and woodwind (predominantly oboe) sections dominate, with some very unobtrusive electronics layered over some of the tracks.

There are some absolutely stunning tracks on this album. I won't go into every one, but there are a few that have to be mentioned. "Growing Up" (track 4), "He Was More Than That" (track 10), and Items to Take (track 11) are spine tingling. The piano with strings and woodwind are sound fantastic, and this is normally something I would associate with James Newton Howard, who in my opinion is the best film composer when it comes to this type of instrumental pallet. These tracks are equal in standard to that of JNH, which I would say is high praise indeed. The pace of the album is fairly slow and it makes for a really relaxing listen. The rest of the album is of a very high standard as well.

Running in at just under 50 minutes, this is not the longest album ever produced, but I loved every minute of it.

A lighter and perhaps irrelevant point - at the time of writing (and assuming it hasn't changed), is it me or is the album art just completely bizarre? A moose head with elongated arms and five legs playing the piano?! It's the same on the fruity music download store as well, but how it's relevant to the Space Shuttle Columbia is not immediately apparent to me.

Overall, it's a shame this album will likely be missed by even the most hardy of film/tv score collectors. In the very unlikely event that anyone will ever stumble across this product, this is a fairly short album with a relatively small ensemble of players, but I was stunned at how much I liked it. If you are a fan of film or TV soundtracks, do not let this album pass you by. A great hidden gem that I hope will be found by at least one other person!

John Williams is on the cusp of turning 81, and if ever there was an argument against being ageist, Williams is surely the person to look at. Still going strong, and ever refining his trademark style, his latest effort for Lincoln is all the evidence you need that the maestro is stronger than ever. Whilst nothing like Star Wars or Indianna Jones, Lincoln shows a more somber side to Williams writing that, despite being a fairly slow paced album, sounds musically substantial.

I won't go into all the tracks on the album however I will mention some of the standout ones for me. My favourite theme was in "With Malice Toward None" (Track 3) and reprised in the final track "With Malice Toward None (Piano Solo)". I don't recall many tracks by Williams historically where it is just a piano solo, and this was a great way to end the album. I preferred this to the other main themes introduced in the opening track "The People's House". These are reprised frequently across the album. The main choral section track is found in "Appomattox, April 9, 1865", and is short, but very welcome. My favourite track is "Remembering Willie" (Track 15), with a stunning piano and (what I think is a viola) solo. I have to confess, I wasn't a massive fan of the two jig tracks, "Getting Out The Vote" (Track 3) and "The Race to the House" (Track 10). These two tracks do add a bit of light relief and are more up tempo, but not really my cup of tea. That though, is my only real criticism of the album.

The music is performed brilliantly by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Chorus (although only fleetingly used) and is wonderfully mixed.

There are 17 tracks in total, lasting approximately 1 hour, and this was a decent length. For a score of this type, where the style and pace remains fairly similar (aside from the jig tracks). Also, I should note that because the film lasts for 150 minutes, and from what I have read, there is music for virtually the entire film, there will be a lot of music missing. I have yet to see the film, but you would hope the best tracks have been selected for the album.

Overall, this is a brilliant album by Williams. I have to confess, on my first listen through, I thought it was probably 4* material by Williams' standard. However, with repeat listens the album grows on you, with that fifth star seeming increasingly justified. Whilst it doesn't have the same energy as his recent effort for The Adventures Of Tintin or the sentimentality of his other recent score for War Horse, Lincoln has a more heavy and somber tone that shows just what a versatile composer Williams continues to be. In the accompanying CD booklet, Spielberg pays tribute to his collaboration with Williams that has span for 40 years and must go down as the best director/composer partnership in movie history. Nostalgia aside, here's hoping they will have at least one more collaboration for the planned Tintin sequel. Whilst Lincoln is not the best I have heard from Williams, it is nonetheless a fantastic release that any JW fan should buy.