Fishing Simulator

Let's just get one thing straight, okay - I'm far too 'grown-up' to play games. So, when I saw that a fishing game was available for the PC and that a FREE fully playable demo was available, I was split between two camps - 'too mature' or 'addicted to all things fishy'. No prizes for guessing which option I chose!

The guy behind the game, Jason Spooner, was extremely helpful. I was having PC problems and he kindly sent me a CD of the demo. This service is available for a very modest fee to anyone as thick as me!

Once everything had loaded, I didn't know what to expect. Instructions are for kids, so I skipped those. Twenty minutes later, I was double-clicking on the help file just to get a bait in the water. Once you know how, it's simple. Mr. Know-it-all here might even look at the instructions before he attempts anything technical in future.

To say that the game is addictive would be an understatement. The photographic illustrations make it look the part and it's as close as you'll get to fishing without leaving the comfort of your office! This is how addicted I became - I'd had the game a few days and was in the process of, ahem, 'researching' it when I was told by my beloved to get a move on as we had to be somewhere else pretty soon. No worries - I swapped the bait and rig, changed to an electronic bite alarm and turned the volume right up. Next thing my wife saw was a semi-shaved bloke running from the bathroom to the study because he had a 'run'! Brilliant stuff.

One of the features that I like about the Fishing Simulator game is that it seems that it is being constantly improved upon. It's a great game already, but I understand that the feedback has been very helpful and that the team behind the game are keen to please as many people as possible. It really does show the power of the internet.

Reviewing something that is free (you only pay for the upgrades if you want them) seems a bit daft, so I'll urge you to visit http://www.fishsim.co.uk and try a copy for yourself. I bet the upgrade will be winging its way to you before you can say 'Screaming Run'. With all the additional fish and venues included, it'd be a waste of a good PC not to order it!

Elton Murphy