VIDEO games of today cover many genres yet there are few out there that borderline work of art.

By this I mean that a video game with a unique look and feel and a brand new style of gameplay. One of which is The Bridge created by Ty Taylor and Mario Castaneda which takes the form of an abstract mind boggler created to test our logic problem solving skills. Not only does it successfully do this but it also sports a very unique hand drawn sketchy look and a feeling of being alone in a kind of alternate reality.

The Bridge sees players controlling a sketched male character who find himself trapped in a rotating world filled with traps and puzzles. The player is required to plod through the many intricate and expertly designed puzzles as this unnamed guy without getting killed by any of the enemies and traps introduced after the first few levels.

Not a lot of story present here, it is more of a straight up puzzle game that just plops you in the game world and kind of says “there you go, do these puzzles” and after the first couple of levels, you have to then trust your logic to solve these levels without help.

To solve these puzzles, players are required to rotate the world as well as control the players character to find their way to an exit door expertly placed somewhere on the level. Sounds easy but it’s not, you will definitely find yourself stuck a hell of a lot which is the main appeal to The Bridge however a help button or something to assist the player would have increased the playability of it. What I mean is the difficult puzzles make the pacing of The Bridge drag profusely; sometimes I turned off the game as I was stuck and thought I would come back to it later.

The Bridge gets more difficult as the player progresses, introducing enemies which doesn’t kill the player when touched, the game ends but the player is required to use a key that rewinds time similar to the game Braid. There is no set time that the player can rewind however meaning the player can take it right back to the beginning if needed.

The Bridge takes on a black and white sketched look, which brings a stylish feel to the whole experience and sets it apart from the rest. The worlds are ingeniously built using curves and upside down items that looks confusing until the player proceeds forth to try and solve the puzzle set in front of them.

The generic look of the main character shows us that he doesn’t really matter and is more of an avatar than an actual character you are meant to care about but he is hand drawn and looks highly detailed which I found quite impressive. Enemies are more balls with intimidating looking faces drawn on them and only move corresponding to how the player moves the game world so the enemies are more obstacles that mustn’t be touched rather than actual enemies hell bent on killing the player.

The only faults as said before is the slow pacing as mentioned before caused by the extensive thinking process required to complete the constantly difficult levels that never gets any easier. No fast paced action, no explosions or blockbuster cinematics, The Bridge is meant to be slow and definitely meant to be thought about and not rushed.

Summary

2 guys have created quite a masterpiece of a puzzler that made me rack my brains over and over though the many difficult puzzles presented before me. The Bridge tests the players intelligence to such a degree that you will most likely begin to question it. I enjoyed The Bridge and recommend it to any players that think they are geniuses; I bet this would show you otherwise.

The Bridge

Developers: Ty Taylor and Mario Castaneda

Publishers: Ty Taylor and Mario Castaneda

PC

Genre: Puzzle

Release Date: 22nd February 2013

Story – 2/5

Graphics – 4/5

Gameplay – 4/5

Overall – 4/5

{http://www.theleet.co.uk|www.theleet.co.uk|www.theleet.co.uk}

A MAN who punched his ex-girlfriend in the head after she had kicked him out of a Burnley house party, has been hit with a curfew.

Keith Thorpe was said to have punched his former partner six times in the back of the head as she tried to throw him out of her home, Pennine magistrates heard.

The defendant (30), of Southfield Square, Nelson, pleaded guilty to the assault and admitted punching the glass out of her front door and causing £100 in damage.

The court was told the pair had had an argument in Thompson Park earlier in the day on February 28th which ended with Thorpe demanding the return of new trainers he had bought for her.

His ex-partner took the shoes off, threw them in his direction but they fell in a pond in the park.

Later the defendant went to his ex-partner’s address to return the trainers before leaving.

He came back at 7pm and was invited in but, after 20 minutes, was said to be drunk and was told to leave.

He protested about being ejected when other people were allowed to stay at which point his former girlfriend ushered him towards the door.

The court was told he pulled her outside and, when she fell to the floor, he punched her in the head. The victim said she was punched six times in the back of the head before she got to her feet, ran inside and locked the door. The defendant then had an argument with another woman before smashing a glass panel on the door.

Mr Mark Williams (defending) said the pair had been in a relationship which ended in November when the victim inexplicably left town.

He told the court when she returned, the pair made contact again and the defendant was led to believe the relationship could be rekindled.

“He was giving her money and bought her trainers believing it was leading back to a relationship.

“It would appear he was led down the garden path.”

Mr Williams said his client, who was of previous good character, said she had been “off with him” on the day they fell out.

He admitted he had struck his ex-partner only once and had smashed the glass panel.

Magistrates sentenced him to a three-week curfew, from 9pm to 7am seven days a week. He was ordered to pay £150 compensation and a £60 victim surcharge. He was given a 12-month restraining order.

A BRIERFIELD man has appeared in court charged with assaulting and neglecting his 10-year-old daughter, sending her out to beg and three counts of supplying heroin.

The 34-year-old man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, had his case sent to Burnley Crown Court by magistrates where it will be heard on June 17th.

He was granted conditional bail and must live and sleep at his home address, must not contact the alleged victim and have no contact with a child aged under 16 in a public place.

Last Friday, I was upstairs in a hotel with five young ladies who take their clothes off. Yes, it’s a rotten job, but somebody has to do it.

But if you think I was indulging in the kind of Las Vegas fling that famously killed off The Who’s John Entwistle, let me put you right.

We were at The Inn at the Station in Clitheroe, hosted by Gary and Louise Clough, raising money for Derian House children’s hospice with a sparkling – and often very noisy – cabaret burlesque night. And what a night it was!

That upstairs flat became a dressing room where a group of otherwise quite ordinary ladies transformed themselves with gowns, girdles, feathers and make-up into glamorous performers before descending the stairs to present their acts in the lounge bar.

We enjoyed a comedy “burlesque rookie” and ham-fisted magician act from the amply-proportioned Jezebel Steele, cabaret songs from cute Bexi Owen, Marilyn Monroe and a balletic fan dance from lithe Suzie Sequin, the Gothic menace of Raven Noir with enormous feather head-dress, balloon-bursting and a cheeky audition tale from Heather Sweet (my elder daughter, bless her), and my humble self singing Noel Coward songs. The “maid”, picking up the discarded clothing and props, was Beau Shortcake.

Holding the whole thing together with introductions, jokes and songs was Kiki DeVille, a bubbly and forthright Australian singer who now lives in Lancashire.

And fair play to “Andy”, a fun-loving audience member who was dragged on to the stage, made to remove his shirt and taught how to shimmy.

Three things you ought to know about burlesque performers; one, they all have exotic names; two, they remove clothes not to be sexually provocative but to entertain and be admired; three, under those bosoms beat hearts of gold.

They came from all over the North West to Clitheroe to appear free of charge and support the fund-raising efforts of “Kiki”, in everyday life Mrs Kristianne Robinson, who sadly lost her first baby Dexter to a genetic condition.

Dexter died in Derian House, near Chorley, which cares for sick and terminally ill children and their families from all over the North West.

Parents like myself, who have brought up healthy children, can scarely comprehend the heartbreak of having a child in the shadow of cancer or some other life-threatening disease. We are so lucky, and should count our blessings.

The least we can do is put our hands in our pockets or give up some of our time to support Derian House.

When I turned 60 a couple of years ago, I threw a birthday party at a club and asked guests to put cash or cheques, instead of gifts for me, into Derian House Gift Aid envelopes. It’s as simple as that, and it didn’t take a big effort on my part. Why not do the same yourself?

Eric Beardsworth

A SEX offender managed to obtain a key for a Colne guest house and live there without the owners knowing, a court heard.

Allan Morton (28) was locked up for a total of 24 weeks after failing to comply with notification requirements for the sixth time and for breaching a suspended sentence.

The defendant was required to keep the police informed of any changes to his address, after he was put on the sex offenders’ register for 10 years back in December, 2007. He had been convicted of sexual activity with a child under 16 and was jailed for 12 months.

And on August 24th last year, he was given 12 weeks in custody, suspended for six months, for ignoring the order for the fifth time.

Burnley Crown Court heard how Morton notified the police of a move from Ashfield Guest House to Chapelhouse Road, Nelson, on October 9th. In February, he registered a move back to the guest house.

But following two separate police visits, it was said that Morton had not been at either of the addresses at the times he said.

While staff at the guest house said that Morton had not been an occupant since October, the defendant told the police that he had been living there “informally.”

Mr Martin Hackett (defending) said: ”This is not a sophisticated offence. He was arrested at an address he had previously been registered to.

“He had rung the police to say ‘this is where I am living’, but it was unbeknown to the runner of the guest house in this particular case.”

And passing sentence, Judge Robert Altham said he had taken into consideration Morton’s early guilty plea and the fact he had complied with a supervision order.

He added: “You are deliberately acting in breach of this order. There is no question of you not understanding your obligations.

“You have shown yourself over the intermittent years to be apparently incapable of complying with the notification requirements.”

A 71-YEAR-OLD woman has been found hanged at a house in Colne.

Police were called to Keighley Road at 3-25pm on Friday, March 15th.

The death is not being treated as suspicious, and details have now been passed to the coroner.

CLARETS skipper Jason Shackell thought he’d scored the goal to end a 34-year winless streak against rivals Blackburn Rovers.

The defender struck in the 32nd minute, smashing Ross Wallace’s free-kick past Jake Kean after his initial header had cannoned back off the post.

That, his first goal for the club, seemed likely to be the match winner at Ewood Park until David Dunn struck deep in to injury time to level the Championship derby.

“I had a few chances but I couldn’t have picked a better game to score my first goal for Burnley,” said Shackell. “It was fantastic. It’s just a shame it wasn’t the winning goal.

“You can see how much it meant to the fans – they were right behind us from the get-go and to score in front of them was an unbelievable feeling.

“It’s just frustrating it wasn’t a match-winning goal.

“You can’t ask any more – a massive derby right in front of our away fans. I’ll take that memory.

“It was a great goal, I just wish it was a match-winner.

“I was lucky it came straight back to me. I was a bit nervous but I found the bottom corner so it was okay.”

Lee Grant barely had a save to make throughout the duration of the fixture, even after the Clarets were reduced to 10 men as Ben Mee was dismissed for a second bookable offence. And Shackell insists that shut-out was down to the character, grit and organisation of his team-mates.

“I thought we deserved more,” he said.

“It was a good performance and we’re really frustrated and disappointed not to get the three points.

“We don’t think we had much to do in the whole game really. That just adds to the frustration. But we’ve got to take a lot of positives out of it – we worked really hard as a team, especially when we went down to 10 men, we stayed compact and showed a lot of character and we were unlucky not to get the win.

“You can’t ask any more – when you’re down to 10 men away from home in the big local derby, we gave everything and we just fell short.

“It’s frustrating but we’ve got to look forward now.”

And when asked about Mee, he added: “He wears his heart on his sleeve, he got a little bit over-zealous and went through him.

“He’s a little bit upset now but we’ll get around him. He’s a great lad, he’ll bounce back from that.

“No-one blames him, it happens and we’ve all been there.

“He’ll bounce back and be ready to go after his suspension.”

Everything seemed to conspire against Burnley in the derby to deny them a first win over their rivals since April 1979. Grant Hanley was lucky to escape a red card when striking Kieran Trippier, after picking up a first half caution for ploughing through the back of Martin Paterson, while the fourth official indicated a minimum of six minutes time added on to be played at the end of the 90.

Those decisions proved pivotal as Sean Dyche’s side missed out on only a second win in 10 league outings.

“The performance was a vast improvement on the last couple of games – we all looked sharp, lively and everyone was on the front foot.

“Coming to a tough place with a team that has a lot of good players, I felt we deserved a lot more than just a point.

“I didn’t feel like we were in any trouble. We had a couple of scraps in the box but we always felt in control, we were compact, as a team we worked our socks off and did everything right, organisation was fantastic. I couldn’t see them scoring.

“Everybody’s really frustrated and disappointed but we’ve got to move on.”

• The Burnley Express has launched a FREE football app which is now available to download on {http://bit.ly/LkG6ap|iPhone|Download our football app on iPhone} and {http://bit.ly/IdEJgn|Android|Download our football app on Android} devices.

WHAT a name for a game! Indie game developer 10tons brings us a delightful little gem for iOS devices Tennis in the Face.

The game stars the player as a fallen professional tennis player hooked on fictional drug named Explodz which destroyed your rise to stardom and now killer clowns are trying to steal it from you, and police are trying to arrest you. It’s up to you to stop them all using your tennis racket and tennis skills, firing the tennis ball at them gaining points and crowns and medals. The story is bizarre but enjoyable and the Explodz addiction is constantly reminded throughout the game due to enemies’ quotes.

Tennis in the Face is a nice pick up and play game with loads of levels, the enemies are set out differently each time and get marginally tougher. The aim of the game is to take out all enemies on screen using fewer serves as possible, it’s easy to compare this with the hugely successful Angry Birds as the game mechanics are virtually the same. Tennis in the Face is a delight to play and highly addictive and trying to take out all enemies on screen using one serve is quite a challenge but it’s doable and doing so wins you a crown for that level and more crowns equal medals.

Tennis in the Face looks fun with its humorous cartoony art style, the player’s avatar looks menacing thanks to his Explodz addiction and killer clowns and police look very funny. Headshots gain extra points with the word headshot displaying upon impact which makes them very satisfying to pull off. The ball follows a trajectory guided by the player’s finger and it then continues on its path until it stops, later on in the game, obstacles like glass panes and toolboxes are placed which will make life difficult as well as helping taking out enemies in one fell swoop.

Summary

Here we have a light hearted simple game that oozes addictiveness and with hundreds of levels, it will be hard to put down. iPad, iPod touch and iPhone users will get the same experience, it just looks better on iPad due to its bigger screen. 10tons have created a great game that players will want to proceed through until the end.

Tennis In The Face

Developers: 10tons

Publishers: 10tons

Ios

WP8

Genre: mobile

Release Date: 19th February 2013

Story – 3/5

Graphics – 4/5

Gameplay – 4/5

Overall – 4/5

{http://www.theleet.co.uk|www.theleet.co.uk|www.theleet.co.uk}

POLICE are appealing for information after two distinctive and valuable bicycles were stolen from a car in Burnley.

The theft took place overnight between Monday and Tuesday this week after the victim has finished loading his blue Mazda sport car on the driveway of his home in Marsden Road.

The victim had been charging up his car battery until about 11pm and it is believed someone had been watching him and then targeted his car. There was no damage to the vehicle but the offender has escaped with two bikes and other property including helmets and a cycling top.

One of the stolen bikes is an Enigma bike worth £3,500 and the other is a BMX style bike worth £2,500.

Both have mountain bike gears and the Enigma has a titanium frame with new tyres that say Continental Grand Prix in white. The saddle says Selle Italia on it and is well padded. It also has plastic mudguards with attachment and a small canvas pouch containing tools along with a black bottle cage with red detail.

The other bike has Sunday bikes written on the titanium frame in red sticker. It also has plastic mudguards and a dark-coloured saddle bag and a canvas pouch containing small tools and equipment.

PC Sarah Wilkinson said: “I’d appeal to anybody with any information about this theft to come forward and contact Lancashire Police on 101.

“I’d also like to hear from anybody that has been offered these bikes for sale to come forward.”

People with information can also contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or on-line at Crimestoppers-uk.org. No personal details are taken, information is not traced or recorded and you will not go to court.

A BURNLEY woman died after the car she was travelling in launched into the air “like a guided missile” when it aquaplaned on a busy bypass in bad weather, an inquest heard.

Mrs Shameem Gulzar (35), of Old Hall Street, Daneshouse, was a passenger in a silver Mercedes car which became airborne after it skidded on standing water – then careered through a gap in the central reservation and smashed into three vehicles on the A56 Accrington Easterly bypass.

Coroner Mr Michael Singleton said he could only describe the tragedy as “carnage” and recorded a verdict of accidental death.

The inquest at Accrington Town Hall heard the Mercedes was travelling at 60 to 70 m.p.h. on the road between Huncoat and Rising Bridge at 9-45am on September 25th last year.

It launched into the opposite side of the bypass and hit a Sprinter van and a Ford Transit before colliding with a Mini Cooper.

Mrs Gulzar suffered a fractured skull and collapsed lungs and later died in the Royal Blackburn Hospital.

Her 18-month-old nephew survived the horror smash as did the driver, Mrs Gulzar’s brother Tariq Gulzar, who is still recovering from his injuries.

Police accident investigators told the inquest the rear tyres of the silver Mercedes car were worn below the legal limit.

Mr David Osborne, a self-employed delivery driver who was driving the Sprinter van, said he has suffered sleepless nights, financial loss and is apprehensive every time he approaches a junction in a vehicle.

“It just launched,” he told the inquest.

“It was like a guided missile airborne. The impact when the Mercedes hit me forced me off the road and into the grass verge and into a lamppost.”

Landscape worker Gareth Clarke, who was driving two co-workers in his Ford Transit, told the inquest he tried to rescue the injured people.

He said: “We tried to get the doors open, everything was locked shut. There was nothing we could do which was the saddest part.”

PC Richard Roberts, a senior accident investigator for Lancashire Police, said the weather on the day was the wettest he had seen in 12 years on the job.

He told the inquest both rear tyres of the Mercedes were worn down to approximately 1mm. The legal limit is 1.6mm.

He said after the inquest the worn tyres were a contributing factor to the car aquaplaning.

The inquest also heard the painted white line at the side of the bypass, near where the Mercedes aquaplaned, did not have the necessary gaps in it for standing water to drain through.

The Highways Agency, which manages the bypass, said gaps have since been corrected.

A spokesman for the Highways Agency added: “This is likely to have had a negligible impact on the drainage, and water would still have been able to flow through the gap and into the gully.”

Mr Singleton said Mrs Gulzar, from Burnley, died of multiple injuries.

“There is more than one victim. There were many people that were involved in this who will be affected, probably, for the rest of their lives by the events that day. I can only describe it as carnage.

“I also want to pay tribute to the emergency services that we take so much for granted. They have my utmost respect.”

a PENDLE pet shop was featured on Channel 4’s “Britain’s Secret Shoppers” on Thursday night.

The hour-long programme including Barrowford Pet Store, of Roughlee Street, Barrowford, aimed to show how businesses can give customers better deals and how retail customers can perform better in these difficult times.

The shop also ran a charity night the same evening at Barrowford WMC in David Street to raise funds for two causes – the Little Louie LAMB appeal, which supports Louie Jenkins, the Colne youngster who lost his legs through meningococcal septicaemia, and Barrowford Show, which it is hoped will be revived in 2014.

TELEVISIOn star David Fishwick is celebrating after his show “Bank of Dave” scooped a top TV award.

The first series of the popular Channel 4 programme was nominated for the nations and regions awards at the prestigious Royal Television Society awards.

But the hit show, which pulled in millions of viewers, was pronounced the winner on the night to the delight of Mr Fishwick who was presented the accolade.

He took to Twitter after the glitzy award ceremony to thank his army of fans.

He said: “Thank you for your kind words about us winning the Royal Television Society Awards last night. Well done too all the team!! And thanks for all your support.

“It was amazing but very humbling being on the same stage as Ant and Dec, Sean Bean, Keith Lemon, the Coronation Street cast and many more.”

The award-winning first series followed the Sabden-based businessman’s battle to set up a “tiny bank” in his home town of Burnley.

The minibus salesman, who built up David Fishwick Minibus Sales in Colne, fought tooth and nail with the FSA to open Burnley Savings and Loans in his hometown of Burnley.

The ground-breaking series transformed Mr Fishwick into an over-night sensation in his campaign to bring better banking to Britain.

The success of the show has gone global with news coverage around the world from Russian and German TV to Al Jazeera in the Middle East. An extended four-part “Bank of Dave” series was premiered by American network CNBC showing Mr Fishwick’s work in his hometown of Burnley.

The show was also nominated for a Scottish BAFTA award in the “features and factual entertainment” category last year but just missed out.

Mr Fishwick’s new programme “Bank of Dave: Fighting the Fat Cats” also proved a huge hit when it aired last month.

IT’S amazing what a piece of bamboo shoot can do to cheer up one’s spirit!

Trudging up the big hill at Edinburgh Zoo on a freezing cold March Sunday morning was not my idea of heaven. But all my blues disappeared when I entered the panda house and heard Ruaridh (6) and Flora (3) shriek with delight as they spotted Yang Guang happily engrossed in a big stick of bamboo. And if this beautiful male panda could have given us the paws up, he would have.

Sitting opposite him his mate, Tian Tian, had other ideas! She was peacefully asleep in her hay basket, no doubt dreaming of warmer places, but she lived up to her pet name of Sweetie as did Yang Guang, otherwise known as Sunshine.

The two are the star attractions at the zoo and we were lucky to see them. Just up from their house was the new look penguin colony where our feathered friends were adjusting to the strange Scottish weather a little better than the rest of us.

Visit Scotland is promoting 2013 as the Year of Natural Scotland and its capital Edinburgh is probably one of its most beautiful and historic, after all it is the UNESCO City of Literature, with such greats as Sir Walter Scott having been born in the city.

The city centre is undergoing a major transport revamp as tram tracks are being laid down, so in reality its best to stay a little further out to avoid the chaos.

And where better than the Hilton Edinburgh Grosvenor. This fine building has been turned into a lovely hotel and so far as the Hay clan is concerned it boasts the best shower gel in the world! Ruaridh and Flora could not get enough of the mega rich micro beads bursting with vitamins A C E and B5. The children thought the beads looked like sweets and were amazed you could rub them into your skin!

As with all Hilton hotels, the rooms are spacious and give that little extra luxury we are all looking for, with comfy beds, big screen televisions and Wi Fi access. And the food is good too, with the breakfasts offering a hearty or healthy option and the dinners made up from locally sourced ingredients with a wealth of Scottish and European choice on the menu in the Townhouse Restaurant , all washed down with some fine wines.

When time is short, a good way to get your bearings is to hop on a tour bus and with Edinburgh’s current tram work, its an excellent way of getting around the city without the stress. Edinburgh Bus Tours run by Lothian Buses has four different options from a vintage tour to one taking in the botanic gardens and the Royal Yacht Britannia. We hopped on the tour which took in the castle, Holyrood and the old and new town.

First stop was Edinburgh Castle. It’s the oldest and arguably the most well known building in the city. And its beautiful. You need time to explore as there is so much to see from the crown jewels and stone of destiny to the Scottish National War Memorial and the famous 1 p.m. gun firing. There are lots of interesting artefacts and military medals and equipment to see too.

Just a few yards from the castle is the Camera Obscura museum. This wonderfully quirky place has been going for 150 years. From inside the Victorian building you can see Edinburgh through a giant periscope which allows you to pick people up and squash them to a pulp and even make the traffic climb over paper bridges! There is also a wealth of fun to be had from optical illusions to magic mirrors and lenses which change your shape and height with some hilarious results!

The old part of the town and particularly The Royal Mile is a haven for attractions from The Museum of Childhood which is fun for all the family, to ghost tours and a chance to visit the underground dungeons. Walking round takes you to the odd looking Holyrood, home to the Scottish Parliament, the more conventional Holyrood Palace and the museum Dynamic Earth, which takes you through the planet’s past, present and future through interactive exhibitions.

To mark the Year of Natural Scotland, a visit to The Royal Botanic Garden, a mile away from the city centre and set in 72 acres of stunning scenery is a must. It was founded in 1670 and has unusual and beautiful plants. There is also a magnificent glasshouse featuring Britain’s tallest palm tree. Overseeing the city is the famous Arthur’s Seat, which provides the best view in Edinburgh and just outside the centre is the trendy district of Leith which is home to the Royal Yacht Britannia and the Water of Leith Walkway which takes the visitor through some lovely landscape away from the hustle and bustle.

There really is so much to do in Edinburgh from museums and attractions to fine dining (it has the most number of Michelin restaurants outside London) and entertainment, that a weekend doesn’t really do it justice. We will just have to return soon, with more bamboo shoots of course!

Factfile:

Accomodation: Only an eight minute walk into the heart of the city, the graceful looking Hilton Edinburgh Grosvenor is a haven of peace away from the centre. For more information and special offers, log onto {http://www.hilton.com.hilton.com} or telephone 0131 226 6001

Attractions: The Edinburgh Pass is an ideal way to see the sights and save money. Log onto {http://www.edinburghpass.com.edinburghpass.com}

A bus tour is an excellent way to get your bearings. Check out: {http://www.edinburghtour.com.edinburghtour.com}

See the pandas and other exotic animals at Edinburgh Zoo. See {http://www.edinburghzoo.org.uk|www.edinburghzoo.org.uk}

Discover the history of Edinburgh Castle, via {http://www.edinburghcastle.gov.uk|www.edinburghcastle.gov.uk}

Fun for all the family at Camera Obscura. Log onto {http://www.camera-obscura.co.uk|www.camera-obscura.co.uk}

2013 is the Year of Natural Scotland and {http://www.visitscotland.com.visitscotland.com}, the official tourist board site is filled with lots of information to help you chose where to go and stay.

THE new FREQ 5 PC Gaming Headset from Mad Catz/Cyborg Gaming is a tough and durable headset with some neat features.

Extra-large 50mm drivers and speakers with Neodymium magnets really belt out the sound and with the over the ear covers it fits well, perhaps a tad heavy for my liking as the top of my head began to hurt after a while.

Build quality is pretty good the only problem I encountered was the headband which seems to be a common problem with these kind of headsets, because it isn`t reinforced, they tend to snap after a while especially when your pulling them out of a bag on a daily basis and for this kind of money (£129.99) it’s not something I would expect, even though they look OK, apart from the headband they are quiet sturdy; the cans fold flat which is great for round the neck and for storage.

The detachable noise cancelling mic works really well and my voice came through nice and clear, with the addition of the light up mic end to let you know it’s off, this was somewhat confusing at first as my natural instinct was to think when light is on mic is live, it is very helpful to avoid those embarrassing on-line gaff just don`t get the logic in having it this way.

Regarding the mic it’s one of those bendy types which is fine, until you forget it’s there and reach for your beverage, thus resulting in a tea soaked mic, you can detach it (there’s an small easy to lose cover that fits over the hole) yet it would have been handy if you could just flip it up like most other headsets.

The On-ear controls work well once you have figured out where they are, and are the usual volume controls, mic mute and EQ the only problem I had with these was headsets volume control the positioning isn`t that good because if you wore a collar then when you turn your head it catches on the volume control.

These are primarily a PC gaming headset and they look the part, the sound is good with nice noise cancelling thanks to the over ear speakers

The FREQ 5 PC Gaming Headset can be used with other devices except gaming consoles, and it worked well with my smart phone even though I couldn`t use the EQ, yet I certainly wouldn`t go outside with them as they are pretty big, and it will do nothing for your street cred walking around with these on your head.

The best thing about this headset is the sound it’s not in fancy 5.1 or 7.1 surround sound, just good old stereo and it is a nice set up with plenty of bass for those big explosions, music plays well perhaps a little too much bass at times, and with the added issue of not knowing what EQ setting you have on you basically have to try all three until you find the one you want.

The FREQ 5 PC Gaming Headset has a two meter length PC cable with a full usb at one end and a mini usb at the other to connect to the headset; I have not come across this kind of connection before (the mini USB I mean) and it can take a couple of tries to get the thing to fit in, why they didn`t go for a normal jack I have no idea.

The other meter long cable is for connecting to other devices and this comes with a 3.5mm jack and a mini usb

Summary

The FREQ 5 PC Gaming Headset is undeniably a good quality headset, yet for the price I can only see this appealing to dedicated gamers as there are plenty of cheaper and sometimes better headsets on the market, if these were £50 cheaper I am sure more people would be interested and with my concerns over the strength of the headband, long term use is an issue, the last thing you need is to fork out over £130 for a headset that snaps in two 6 months later (believe me I know)

If you’re a dedicated gamer with a bit of cash burning a hole in the old “sky rocket” and you want the street cred then you can`t go wrong with these, they do the job admirably I just think they are somewhat overpriced.

FREQ 5 PC Gaming Headset

Manufacturer: Mad Catz/Cyborg gaming

Price: £129.99

Precision-Balanced, Extra Large 50mm Drivers with Neodymium Magnets

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NEW proposals are to be presented to Pendle Council’s Colne and District Area Committee in a bid to expand Colne’s Rhythm and Blues Festival.

Pendle MP Andrew Stephenson and Coun. Paul White, the borough’s portfolio holder for town centres, have been working together to ensure bigger crowds are drawn to the August Bank Holiday event. The pair have also been discussing how local businesses will most benefit from the festival.

Following various meetings with pub landlords, the borough’s town centre team and Pendle Leisure Trust, it became clear to Mr Stephenson and Coun. White that there was a growing concern that the event was too focused on the bottom end of Colne.

If approved, the pair’s plans would see the funfair relocated back to the Red Lion Street car park, an outdoor stage in the town centre during the afternoon, an outdoor market, street entertainers, and the creation of an official “festival fringe” in the pubs at the top of the town.

Mr Stephenson said: “The feeling was that the Blues used to be a festival that the whole town turned out to enjoy, but that wasn’t happening any more.

“Businesses towards the top of the town told us what they thought would improve the festival not only for them, but for festival goers and I hope the plan that has been put together will make this event better for both businesses and residents.”

And Coun. White, the borough’s executive member for economic development, added: “I’ve been a Blues regular for quite a few years, and I’ve seen the change.

“This festival is incredibly important for the economy of Colne, with some businesses relying on it to keep them going for the rest of the year.

“We’ve put together something which I hope will boost the festival and bring more people into the town over the weekend.”

the controversy over Nelson’s streets being full of dog muck will go to the council chamber on Monday night.

Former chairman of Pendle Council’s Nelson Committee George Adam and Walverden Ward’s Coun. Julie Henderson will hand in a petition signed by more than 500 residents in the Walverden and Cloverhill areas of town.

In it they call for action to be taken on the problem.

Last week, we told of problems encountered by the mother of a young disabled girl negotiating footpaths in the Vicarage Road area of the town – and Mr Adam said the strength of feeling was so strong he could have collected 5,000 names.

“People are disgusted that nothing seems to be happening,” he said.

“I would ask as many people as possible to join me at the meeting on Monday night to show councillors how they feel.

“This is not a political petition. It represents the feelings of the people of the wards.”

And Coun. Henderson said: “It is a big problem, with every street corner seeming to be affected.”

The pair said the area committee and Nelson Town Council ought to consider sponsoring an extra dog warden to cover Nelson – the council currently has just one warden and three enforcement officers for the whole borough.

ST. Mary’s College is a successful, forward looking College with a strong tradition and history.

Founded by the Marist Fathers in 1925 the College has served the community of Pennine Lancashire for nearly ninety years.

The College provides an inclusive and safe environment for students to experience a holistic education where the nurturing of academic achievement sits comfortably alongside the development of the whole person.

St. Mary’s offers excellent teaching and outstanding student support. All students have personal tutors who, in partnership with curriculum teaching staff, provide the appropriate support and encouragement to help students achieve, and often surpass, predicted examination grades based on prior attainment pre 16.

The College is situated to the north of Blackburn based on one campus. A recent partnership with Moving People has enabled the College to offer excellent transport facilities with free transport for all students from all parts of the County.

Whilst the College aims to provide appropriate courses for a wide range of students who feel they can benefit from the SMC Marist Experience, the College is very aspirational. It wants its students to achieve at the very highest level and it delights in celebrating their successes. The recently introduced Excellent Scholarships aim to reward achievement at GCSE and offer students the opportunity to have up to £1000 to support their post 16 education.

The College enjoys excellent relationships with a wide range of partner high schools within Pennine Lancashire and the Student Guidance Team work tirelessly to provide information and guidance to Year 11 students thinking of applying to the College. The College places great importance to the recruitment and admissions process in order to ensure potential students are offered places on the most appropriate courses.

The College is opening its doors again for all year 10 and year 11 pupils to attend its next Information Evening on Thursday 21st March, from 5.30pm until 7.30pm, so why not take up this opportunity to come along and get to know us better!

A TEENAGE girl was passed around a group of Asian men so she could be repeatedly raped and sexually assaulted at a drink and drugs den, a court has heard this week.

The 14-year-old was was told she would be shot, killed and that her or her family would be hurt if she went to the police about the men, who were also said to have posted photos of her on Facebook with the slogan: “Free b*** j**s.”

Manchester Crown Court heard from prosecutor Mr Alaric Bassano that the sex ring was only uncovered by police when the under-age victim fell pregnant.

Mr Bassano added: “The girl was groomed over a period of time and on many occasions was taken to a house in Brierfield.

“That house was used as a den at which young men attended and brought or invited girls and young women to drink alcohol, take drugs and engage in sex.

“It was to this house the girl was taken and at this house she was sexually assaulted and raped by several adult males. During these times, the girl was being passed between the men to be used for their own sexual gratification.”

The jury heard that ring leader Mohammad Imran Amjad, “Immy”, now 26, had befriended the girl when she was 12 or 13, driving her about Burnley in his car.

Mr Bassano continued: “It was him who took her on many occasions to the house in Brierfield and assisted, encouraged and incited others to rape and sexually assault the girl. On one occasion he raped the girl himself.”

The court heard that, over time, he pressured the girl to go along with the abuse and threatened her with violence after he was first arrested and interviewed by police.

The girl became involved with Amjad when aged 12, when her behaviour spiralled out of control – which, according to the Crown, made her vulnerable.

“She was sometimes aggressive, disobedient towards her mother, refusing to go to school and staying out late at night without informing her mother of her whereabouts.

“It is not, generally speaking, well-behaved girls who defy their parents, stay out late at night and frequent the company of older men”, he added.

Mr Bassano said the girl’s mother had confronted Amjad after growing suspicious of the fact her daughter was spending time with the older man, who she often text and spoke to over the phone.

The girl’s mum went to his home in Halifax Road, Brierfield, shortly after Christmas 2009 and asked him “Are you Immy?”, to which he replied: “Who the f*ck are you?”.

And the defendant had shrugged his shoulders and walked away when her mother told him her daughter’s age and accused him of being in an “inappropriate relationship” with her, the court heard.

Mr Bassano added: “It is to be noted he did not deny the allegation. About this time, the girl’s mother contacted the police to report her concerns about her daughter’s welfare at the hands of Amjad.”

Unfortunately, the girl made no complaint and continued seeing Amjad, who was undeterred by the mother’s challenge and, in 2010, went on to commit the offences.

In February 2011 the teenager, who was 14, was formally interviewed by the police. She did not reveal anything in relation to the sex abuse, but admitted going to the house, owned by Amjad’s uncle, and gave details of men who went there.

“The interview was conducted by police because the girl was pregnant, below the age of consent and known to be associating with older men”, Mr Bassano said.

“Finally, she referred to a Facebook account which one or other of the males had created with photos of her and accompanying messages.”

He added: “It was only in a series of revelations between June and October, 2011 that she disclosed the full details of what had been happening to her at Sackville Street.”

The court heard, on several occasions in 2010, the girl would be taken upstairs and was allegedly told by Amjad to sleep with whoever walked through the door. When she refused, the men would insist and threw her on to the bed.

“The girl felt powerless to protest further and, in fear and shock, submitted to what followed”, added Mr Bassano.

On another occasion, Amjad nodded to his brother Zishan to follow them upstairs and Zishan raped her.

“He became hostile and told her she had no choice. He submitted her to sexual intercourse but she did not consent.

“When she was later taken home by Amjad and told him she would not again do these things he demanded, he told her in no uncertain terms she would do whatever he told her.”

Amjad of Halifax Road, Brierfield, denied three charges of child abduction, one of rape, an alternative allegation of sexual activity with a child, two allegations of aiding and abetting rape, three counts of aiding and abetting sexual activity with a child, one count of aiding and abetting sexual assault, two charges of intentionally encouraging or assisting an offence – one an alternative – and one charge of witness intimidation.

Shiraz Afzal (25), of Mansfield Crescent, Brierfield, pleads not guilty to allegations of aiding and abetting rape and aiding and abetting sexual activity with a child.

Omar Mazafer (22), of Halifax Road, Brierfield, denies aiding and abetting rape and aiding and aiding and abetting sexual activity with a child.

Mohammed Suleman Farooq (22), of Berry Street, Brierfield, pleads not guilty to sexual assault, an alternative charge of sexual activity with a child and witness intimidation.

Mohammed Zeeshan Amjad (24), of Halifax Road, Brierfield, denies rape and an alternative count of sexual activity with a child.

Haroon Mahmood (22), of John Street, Brierfield. pleads not guilty to rape and an alternative count of sexual activity with a child.

The trial continues.

Claims that the violin Wallace Hartley played on the night the Titanic sank has been scientifically proven to be the one have been met with differing opinions by two Pendle historians.

Last week, it was announced that after extensive government laboratory testing, the violin discovered in an attic of a Bridlington home was “beyond reasonable doubt” the one Colne band leader Mr Hartley played on that fateful night in April 1912.

In 2006, Henry Aldridge and Son Auctioneers, in Devizes, Wiltshire, were approached by the owner wanting to sell the rosewood violin with silver tail piece inscribed with the words “For Wallace, on the occasion of our engagement, Maria”.

The violin is also complete with a leather case embossed with the initials “W. H. H.”.

But Nigel Hampson, Curator at the Titanic in Lancashire Museum in Colne, has said to claim the violin was the one “is the worst form of manipulation”.

He said: “The historical record does not show that Wallace was recovered with his violin strapped to his body - it actually proves the opposite.

“The inventory of items recovered on Wallace’s body makes no mention whatsoever of a violin or music case or anything similar being found with him.

“We are supposed to believe that when the ship sinks and everyone - the band included, are fighting for their lives, Wallace is more concerned with the fate of his instrument than his life?

“We are also supposed to believe that the violin survives almost two weeks in the sea and emerges intact?

“This violin clearly is a Wallace Hartley instrument - but to claim that it is the violin, that he had with him on the Titanic is preposterous and is not backed up by historical record.”

Darran Ward, who lives in Colne, and is a keen Titanic fanatic, published a book entitled “Playing to the End - The Life of Wallace Hartley” last year. He says it is “exciting news”.

He said: “Seven years of research had to make sure of its authenticity. I’m really pleased. This process was exhausting and I really believe it is the one.

“When he was brought aboard, it could have been pushed to one side and later returned to Maria. Why is it so damaged and have all moisture stains? She would’ve looked after it extremely well.

“There are some credible reasons that it could very much be the one. I agree that with Nigel that the animal glue would have come apart in the water.

“But there’s a letter in among documentation found where it suggests it has been taken to a violin restorers.”

The violin will go on display next month in Belfast and it is anticipated it will go to auction in the future, the date of which is unknown yet.

A BURNLEY busker has attracted crowds in the town centre with some self-penned songs about Clarets rivals Blackburn Rovers.

Robert Robinson (49), who lives in Duke Bar, entertained shoppers in St James’s Street with “Once A Claret Always A Claret” and “Blackburn Rovers Ha Ha Ha” poking fun at the club, which sacked its manager Michael Appleton this week following a 1-1 draw with Burnley.

“I’ve had a great response, people have been stopping to listen to the anti-Blackburn Rovers songs. This has got more attention than anything I’ve ever done,” said Mr Robinson, who busks regularly in the town centre to raise money for charity Act Against Injustice, of which he is chief executive.

He said the songs have proved so popular he will write an album dedicated to songs about the club, along with titles poking fun at popstars One Direction and Justin Bieber.