Advantages: Touching, controversial, captivating.
Disadvantages: Leaping between time and characters can be confusing at first

...My Sisters Keeper "My Sisters Keeper" by Jodi Picoult tackles controversial ethical issues in this touching and perceptive novel, telling the not-so-normal story of an American family, the Fitzgerald's. On the cover it seems to be an average book, an overrated bestseller, just another chick-lit to read on the bus or the tube, maybe on a beach somewhere. But under the surface it tells a heart-wrenching story full of moral dilemmas, unanswerable questions and bizarre twists; one of those rare and thought-provoking finds which draws you into the plot and forces you to feel the narrative, not just read it. Anna was conceived by IVF in a desperate attempt to rescue her elder sister, Kate, from leukemia. Yet the stem cells from her umbilical cord weren't quite enough, and now, thirteen years... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: Covers a modern and important issue fully, great characters
Disadvantages: The cover!

...I wasn't quite sure what to expect when I bought My Sister's Keeper: I'd read reviews saying how great it is, but the cover seems designed to appeal to women who like the kind of sentimental 'chick lit' that I can't stand. Or maybe I dislike it just because I'm not a great fan of children. The last thing I was expecting was a debate concerning various issues of 'designer babies' that would challenge my own opinions and present the issue in a refreshingly different light. Well, it wasn't exactly the last thing because I read Vanishing Acts before I got this one, but you get the idea - I was very pleasantly surprised. The first thing that sets this novel apart from others is that it tells the story through different characters using a first person narrative, conveying how they think and feel without revealing the whole story at once... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful

Advantages: Great Gameplay, fun Multiplayer - lush campaign
Disadvantages: computer poses little difficulty, lack of strategic thinking involved

...If anyone has ever played this game, or even its predecessor (dungeon keeper - believe it or not), you'll will remember it for the rest of your life. At the moment, this series is the only of it's type, and nobody has attempted to create a 'rip-off' version. First Impressions: No mistaking it, the opening scenes are good. The movie as you turn on the game is watchable over and over again, then, they've taken the bullfrog symbol and changed it into a disturbed evil version - these guys are briliant. When you start the campaign you also get 'good vibes', the way that everything is set out is pleasing. And the sounds give you a good affect. Even the graphics are fairly good. Graphics: Like i just said. Fairly good. They're not the kind of graphics that you can sit there and stare at for hours on end... games like rome total... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: interesting and thought-provoking idea, very readable
Disadvantages: lacking in the delivery in some aspects, drags towards the end, some characters underdeveloped

...I read The Memory Keeper's Daughter following a recommendation from family members. I was, if anything, a bit put off by it being one of Richard and Judy's picks, as I'm not really a fan of Jodi Picoult-esque writing, but the beginning of the book was very gripping so I put my prejudices aside! The book is about a doctor who, when his wife gives birth to twins, makes the decision to give away one of them who is born with down's syndrome. He gives the child to his nurse, instructing her to take her to a special hospital/home where she can be raised appropriately, however on taking her there the nurse decides she can't leave her there and takes her home. David, the doctor, makes the poorly thought out decision to tell his young wife that the baby died, underestimating the heartache and grief that this will cause. Indeed she never... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: Simple, wide appeal
Disadvantages: Limited life - gets boring

...Zoo Keeper DS is a simple yet addictive puzzle game. At first, I was confused as I assumed the game was similar to Zoo Tycoon, in the respect that you build and run a zoo (I felt a bit silly when I realised my mistake!) but this game is good fun. In simple terms, you have to match three of a kind to earn points and extra time. The "blocks" are animals, and the art style and music remind me of old 8-bit games. The "How to play" in the game menu is succinct and very helpful - it explains how to match up animals, how to "level up", the special panel (one that will remove all blocks of one animal from the board) and the binoculars (this points out where possible matches are if you're stuck.) The "Zoo Keeper" mode is the basic mode, in which you must collect a certain number of animals to "level up". For example, in Level 1, you must... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: Just a good game
Disadvantages: None

...Dungeon Keeper 2 is one of those great games that Bullfrog produce. I have played this game on and off for months and even now cant put it down if im bored. The games is all about building your own dungeon and defeating those who are good in the level ie your enemy. Once you have colected all the crystals you... well to tell the truth I have never found out what happens at the end as I had a power cut and it fryed my PC and the HDD. So now I just play Death maches or useing my other PC multiplayer. In each multi player you can have upto 4 different players. I play useing two PC and a Hub but I surpose you can pl