Advantages: Gives your car the dump valve sound without increasing insurance premiums
Disadvantages: Does nothing to increase your cars speed and the sound is always the same

...There are car enthusiasts who know everything about cars, then there are the rest of us!! For the purists out there you will never be able to compare or compete with a great turbo conversion and dump valve kit regardless of the cost. Well for the enthusiasts who perhaps lack a bit more technical knowledge, or budget we still want our car to turn heads. The SABER-EDV is a dump valve simulator. This product creates the Whoosh sound associated with turboed cars which have a dump valve fitted. It doesn't increase your cars speed, nor insurance premiums, it merely gives your car the sound of a dump valve to help create the illusion that your car uses a turbo. Obviously if you pop your bonnet you will soon realise your little 1.2 nova will not be packing a turbo, but for the un-initiated - will they even know what a turbo looks like... Read review

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Advantages: Loads of space, surprisingly nippy and a very comfortable ride
Disadvantages: In a world of shrinking parking spaces it's a deceptively big car, limited choice of colours.

...with offset fog lamps. The car is long and as a result doesn't look as tall as it really is so it avoids that "florists van" look that you get with some MPV's. Slight criticism with regard to colours - a fairly basic palette which is heavy on the black, grey, silver options - there's a funky mulberry purple colour and the usual blue and red options but oddly no greens at all (what can I say? My wife likes green). I'm happy enough with the black option I chose but there's not much choice for the more adventurous out there! IT DOESN'T SOUND LIKE A TRACTOR! To be fair, most new diesels are quite quiet nowadays. However, the 1.6 16 valve petrol engine means no chugging, no need for plastic gloves when you fill up and you're a touch quicker away from the traffic lights. No, you're right, it's hardly a Ferrari but remember this is about... Read review

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Advantages: Character interaction, story, graffix including HDR lighting, exciting strategic range of combat situations, physics, environments
Disadvantages: Quite short leaving people feeling there should be more game for the price

...Half Life 2 Episode 1, originally going to be called Aftermath, continues where the Half Life 2 story left off in an episodic format. Half Life 1 and 2 were simply awesome games and they begin the complicated Half Life story which this game continues so if you haven't played them I suggest you play them before you play Episode 1 or you wont know what the hell is going on. The best thing about HL2 episode 1 is the character interaction between the player and your sidekick Alyx, who the player spends most of the game with. Valve have managed to do this excellently despite the fact that Gordon (the player) never speaks and there are no cut scenes. She really feels like a real life person with real life emotions and a personality. The game contains many memorable moments where Alyx interacts with the player. The fact that the player has... Read review

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Advantages: Space, Pace, Class, built like an outhouse
Disadvantages: Petrol Consumption, hard to find the spec you want

...With the birth of our 4th child last year, I need a car with 6 seats. I had a budget of £6,500. The best MPV i could get for that was a 1993 Renault Espace with a smoky engine, ripped cloth seats and tatty loose fittings. Comparing parts and service prices between that and Mercedes showed very little difference and the Mercedes E Class estate drives an awful lot better. I ended up with a more powerful model than I intended with a 240+ bhp 300TE-24valve Sportline from 1991. This car may be 12 years old now and have 150,000 miles under its belt but when it was new in 1991 it cost over £40,000. It was built well and still has no rattles or squeeks (apart from the baby seat!), cleans up beutifully and does not look its age at all. It has proved relatively reliable, very comfortable, safe, swift and has very low depreciation now. I...