Everything's on the up and up! I finally finished Shenmue, because it's a great game and the sequel is due in December. The first Shenmue took me 17 hours, which I think is just the right length for a game. Some of the extras available on the Passport disc are fantastic.

I've also been told that Konami will have an ample supply of Silent Hill 2, Castlevania Chronicles, and Metal Gear Solid 2 for the press, so expect a Konami review a month of these upcoming hot titles. Spider-Man 2 from Activision is also en route.

When not playing games, I'm reading Arcade Fever, a historical record of the Golden Age of arcade games (1977 – 1985). I may write about this item instead of Advance Wars this week. Or maybe I'll try Tales of Destiny II. Not even my editor knows!

And for some sad news: the Gamers' Forum on CompuServe is closing their doors, after 19 years in operation. I hope its members find themselves new homes, be it in Video Gaming Central, also on CompuServe, or in the Gamebits forum on Syndicomm.