STUBBS THE ZOMBIE, Publisher: THQ. Platforms: Xbox, PC/Mac. Price: £29.99. Family friendly? 15+.

HAVE you ever stopped to think how tough it must be to become a zombie? Awakened from a peaceful sleep, ravenously hungry, bits falling off you and a terrible pounding headache. No wonder you're angry.

Then someone straps on a ridiculously powerful rifle and goes around trying to blow your head off. What a life!

In 1933, Edward "Stubbs" Stubblefield was just another travelling salesman trying to eke out an existence. Unfortunately Stubbs was also the unluckiest man alive. He couldn't do a thing right.

This miserable life came to an unexpected end one night when a customer unloaded a shotgun into Stubbs' belly and buried him in an unmarked grave somewhere in Pennsylvania.

Fast forward a couple of decades and Stubbs' final (!) resting place is a futuristic prototype city of tomorrow. Created by a restless billionaire called Andrew Monday, using cutting edge technology developed by an army of scientists, this steel and plastic wonderland is called Punchbowl.

As Monday throws open the gates to his new world nothing could possibly go wrong... apart from the restless zombie now stirring beneath the ground.

Stubbs' brain eating adventures see him seeking new snackfood in the bustling shopping malls and farmlands. Along the way he has to do battle with crazy scientists, redneck zombie killers and the world's deadliest barbershop quartet. They are equipped with all manner of deadly weapons, all Stubbs has is his rotting corpse and the ability to turn foes into zombie allies.

Pretty soon Stubbs has discovered new zombie powers: his exploding stomach can be thrown like a grenade, his arm detaches and possesses humans, his hand can crawl through tight spaces, his vomit has the properties of toxic waste and his flatulence is positively explosive!

As if you haven't guessed, Stubbs The Zombie has its tongue well and truly stuck in its rotting cheek.

You play as a zombie and give the unpleasant humans a piece of your mind - by eating theirs. And once you've chowed down on their cerebrum you can add them to your own person zombie posse.

More Shaun of the Dead than Zombie Fleash-eaters, Stubbs is billed as the first video game zom-rom-com (a description pinched from the Simon Pegg comedy horror).

The visuals are impressive (the city has been created with the Halo engine so there's some serious muscle behind the comedy) and the co-operative mode is fun.

If anything, Stubbs is a bit short by today's standards but the bargain £29.99 price tag helps compensate. Good ghoulish fun.

FORD STREET RACING, Publisher: Xplosiv, Formats: Xbox, PS2, PC. Price: £19.99. Family friendly? 3+.

ANOTHER bargain basement game that offers plenty of surprises, Ford Street Racing is the latest driving sim to make use of the Ford back catalogue.

To be honest, this game couldn't fail with me because - like all great software should do - it allowed me to live out one of my motoring fantasies, driving a 1970 Mark 1 Ford Capri RS2600.

This probably means nothing to the Gran Turismo generation brought up on Mitsubishi EVOs and Subaru WRX Stis but, when I were a lad, (admittedly a long time ago) the RS2600 was the common man's dream machine of choice.

When I was old enough I bought a Capri, but my 2.0S was a far cry from an RS2600.

Now, thanks to this game, I can get behind the wheel of this long overlooked classic whenever I wish.

Don't be thinking Street Racing is just for old classic buffs. The vehicles range from a 1968 Mustang GT (remember Bullit?) through the 1973 Escort RS2000, to the Sierra Cosworth, the Focus RS, Fiesta ST and the very latest Shelby GT 500, a car so new you can't even buy one yet.

The 24 richly detailed tracks are based on a model of the streets of Los Angeles (this is street racing) and you can race a team of three cars, switching between them to gain a tactical advantage.

It's not just a case of getting in front until the finish line. To stay ahead you must block, draft and barge your way through. Unlike Gran Turismo, this game also has an accurate collision damage system so don't go too mad or you'll put yourself out of the race.

If you are a fan of the blue oval, Ford Street Racing is a great title to own - especially for the price of a night out.

Published: 14/02/2006