DAM BUSTERS (PC CD-ROM, Just Flight, £24.99)

THE DAM BUSTERS is such a natural topic for a video game that it's remarkable to think the last time this subject was available, it came on a tape for the Commodore 64.

Things have moved on a bit since 1984. Dam Busters is now a full blown PC expansion pack for Microsoft's Flight Simulator.

So strap on your leather flying goggles, throttle up your engines and take to the skies for a front row seat in one of the Second World War's most daring raids.

It's not easy. Your Avro Lancaster bomber is a heavy old beast with dull reactions and ponderous speed. A perfect bombing run requires that you fly this pig of a plane just 60ft above the water in the dark of night with just the flashes from anti-aircraft fire to light the way.

Hook your soundcard up to a decent sub-woofer and you'll be ducking for cover as shells burst all around your battered cockpit.

The Dam Busters, as 617 Squadron became known as after the raids of May 1943, were also responsible for some of the Second World War's other great sorties: the sinking of the Tirpitz, raids on V1 & V2 rocket sites, Bergen U-boat pens and of course the raid on Hitler's 'Eagle's Nest'. There are 25 daring missions awaiting those with courage and good old-fashioned grit.

Aircraft available for your pleasure includes the aforementioned Lancaster, the Grand Slam Lancaster, the Mosquito and the Wellington.

Developer Just Flight has modelled the airbases and the contours of the Ruhr in minute detail. MS Flight Simulator has always been a great game to show off the power of your new PC - this expansion pack takes things a step further.

* To be in with a chance of bagging yourself a fantastic copy of Dam Busters (for the PC, courtesy of Just Flight) and a Lancaster Bomber model plane, courtesy of Corgi Classics, all you have to do is answer the following question:

Question: What format is The Dam Busters game published on?

A) PlayStation 2

B) X-BOX

C) PC CD-ROM

We also have four Dam Busters games as runners-up prizes.

Send your entries, by Oct 18, to: Dam Busters Comp, Burton's Byte, The Northern Echo, Priestgate, Darlington DL1 1NF.

Adobe Photoshop Elements 2.0 Idea Kit (Adobe Press, £26.99)

Photo-editing software is wonderful stuff but, sometimes, it can be a daunting task getting the most from your investment.

Photoshop Elements 2.0 is the latest version of Adobe's creative software aimed squarely at the home user.

It makes light work of fixing photos and cropping unwanted bits off your holiday snaps.

But when you have finished dabbling, what else is there to do?

That's where this Adobe Idea Kit comes in handy. It's a book and companion CD packed with professional-looking projects and easy-to-use templates.

By following the simple instructions you can quickly create postcards, posters, flyers, newsletters, slide presentations and even covers for your favourite videos.

Some of the templates are a bit confusing - I struggled to make a video cover and ended up with a CD label - but, generally, this is a useful book that will help you get more out of your investment. Note that most of the projects can also be applied to Photoshop Elements version one.

Photoshop 7 Killer Tips (New Riders, £30.99)

IF you are a professional designer then there's no choice - you have to buy Photoshop 7.

And if you are a professional who is just starting out, then this book by Scott Kelby will help you produce excellent results in minutes.

Basically an encyclopaedia of cool tips and time-saving tricks, it's just perfect for dipping into when you are short on inspiration.

The whole idea is to make the using your programme more efficient and productive than ever.

At this price, you'd be right to expect a CD and it's disappointing to find nothing here but some of the tips are worth the cost of admission alone. One for the library next to the PC.

Published: 11/10/2002