13 Things You Didn't Know About Doctor Who

The new series of Doctor Who is fast approaching, with hour-long première The Eleventh Hour due to air here in the UK tonight at 6.20pm. Below are just 13 trivial facts of note for fans regarding "Series 5":

1. Though it's technically Series 5 of the revamp, this season of Who is being promoted as Series 1, possibly as it's the start of a new era

2. After tonight's episode, you will never look at cracks in the wall the same way again!

3. Expect a new theme tune, title sequence, TARDIS (see picture) and even a flashback to all 10 previous Doctors tonight

4. In The Beast Below, someone who "knows the Doctor of old" will come to Matt Smith's incarnation and try to help him solve the mystery of Starship UK

5. Adding to this is the fact that the Doctor and Amy are summoned to Wartime London in Victory of the Daleks by an "old friend" of the Time Lord's

6. In the first two-parter of the series, we'll see River Song and the Weeping Angels, the former perhaps already having met a later version of the Doc, and the latter having powers which make people not safe if they simply don't blink

7. We then head to Venice, with the Doc, Amy and her boyfriend Rory- sparks will fly!

8. A 5 year time-gap will have passed between the Venice episode and Amy's Choice, where Amy must decide between her pregnancy and the Doctor

TO BE CONTINUED AFTER THE EPISODE

Merlin Series Two DVD Review (3.5/5)

Safe in the knowledge that their hit drama Robin Hood had come to a final climax the season before, BBC launched new medieval adventure series Merlin in 2008 to a decent-sized audience and respectable reviews, prompting a second season of magical happenings for the character to be produced then aired in 2009. Now, Series 2 has been released on DVD, and though it doesn't manage to top the original effort, it still retains the supernatural fun that made its predecessor so popular with the target audience (aged 8-10+). Coping with Michelle Ryan's departure as the lead foe was always going to be a hard one, but main protagonists Colin Morgan (Merlin) and Bradley Walsh (Arthur) manage to keep the standard at at a high, none more so than in the penultimate episode where the titular character is forced to decide between turning one of his oldest friends against him or destroying the kingdom of Camelot, with his final decision sure to have more than a few repercussions in later stories. Sadly, the finale is a bitter disappointment, ending with no epic battle but Merlin telling his enemy to leave Camelot on threat of death, and the aforementioned baddie doing as he's told. If it weren't for this, Merlin Season Two would score higher, but if you haven't met Morgan's interpretation yet then this is well worth a buy.

Apple iPad US Release Tomorrow

The iPad is set to be one of Apple's major releases for 2010, and it's about to get its US release tomorrow (April 3rd). Already an iPad App Store has been set up on the iTunes Store, although the apps will be far more expensive, averaging at around £5-7.50 per game. So far, a Mirror's Edge spin-off, a HD version of JellyCar and a new Command and Conquer game have been announced for release on the US date. If you're looking to buy an iPad, you can expect the console to be released in the UK in just a few short weeks for the price of £200. Look out for reviews online soon...

How To Train Your Dragon Review (4/5)

How To Train Your Dragon represents a somewhat stop-gap for Dreamworks this year: with no feature films out so far by the studio in 2010, and a two-month wait until the final Shrek flick hits cinemas, it wouldn't be unexpected for this adaptation of a 2003 children's novel to be by-the-books and lacklustre; yet surprisingly Dragon manages to gain enough pace in its second half to prove a decent romp for kids and parents alike. The plot, centred around the time of the Vikings and seeing young Hiccup form an unlikely alliance with a Dragon (its race happening to be his clan's sworn enemies), is- as can only be expected with a PG- a predictable one with only a few twists providing even a hint of excitement, but the superb voice acting and (as per usual) brilliant animation manage to save Dragon from becoming yet another failed effort, with roles and cameos going to well-knowns Gerard Butler and David Tennant (almost gaining this a 5/5 from this reviewer, a huge Who fan), all of which are used to the story's advantage. At just under 2 hours, there's certainly enough to keep both generations entertained, and for once the addition of the third-dimension to the motion picture actually raises the overall score. I'd call this a must-watch, but the rating stands as Dragon will probably not withstand many second viewings.

Batman Arkham Asylum- Game Of The Year Edition Review (4.5/5)

Let's get one thing straight- Batman Arkham Asylum was named Game Of 2009 for good reason. The plot, focusing wholly on Batman's visit to the prison for loonies, was so well executed that you might as well have been playing through an extended blockbuster movie, and the accessible game-play meant that it was an amazingly crafted and enjoyable experience for anyone who played through it (and believe me, once you've started a new game, you will want to play it to the end). A Game Of The Year edition was announced late-February and is now available for Xbox 360 and PS3 in all game retailers, boasting a 3D version of the game and all of the challenge maps originally available as DLC, and selling for just £35- a bargain if you consider the original version had an RRP of £40. If you already own or have owned (since there isn't tons of room for replays) the first edition, then this definitely isn't worth trading that one in for- to my knowledge the 3d vision only helps to a certain degree and is not at all the next Avatar, and having played through all the challenge maps when they were DLC, I have to admit that they are not particularly game-enhancing challenges. All in all, if you're desperate for 3D Batman and didn't buy Arkham when it first came out, then go ahead and get this, but otherwise head for the cheaper original. This edition loses points from not being a truly special update, but the game itself still warrants a well-deserved 5/5.

Doctor Who- New Titles And Air Times

It's coming- the long awaited debut of Matt Smith in the role of the Doctor is just about upon us, and with The Eleventh Hour about to dawn upon UK viewers, the official Doctor Who Magazine has released some more information of Series 5. We now know that Episode 7 will be named Amy's Choice, and that the first episode will be aired from 6.20-7.20pm this Saturday (3rd of April), while the second episode (The Beast Below) will be aired the following Saturday from 6.15-7.00pm, facing opposition from a major Premier League match to be aired on ITV. Look below for a couple of minor spoilers revealed about upcoming episodes...

[SPOILERS]

• The Beast Below will see the Doctor and Amy (still in her pyjamas after being picked up late at night by the TARDIS) travel to the distant future, onto a spaceship full of humans trying to search the stars for a new home. Here, Amy encounters the terrifying Smilers (this is a Steven Moffat story so be very afraid) and the Doctor encounters someone from his past who claims to know what is happening on Starship UK, and needs help...
• Amy's Choice will take place 5 years after the sixth episode of the series, Vampires of Venice, with Amy about to have her first baby, and all going well for the former-companion, until the Doctor appears, and she must make a heartbreaking choice- changing her life and the tone of this series forever...

Just Cause 2 Review (4/5)

After a flawed and frankly overblown first outing, Just Cause 2 has little expectation to live up to- so it's brilliant that the sequel will blow everyone away (literally in many cases)! Rico Rodriguez ventures to a new island in a simplified but all the more interesting plot featuring a host of annoying yet lovable voice actors, an island which- while smaller than the original's- is still 100 times the size of GTA IV's (reaching 1000 square kilometres) and has lots more things to do than its predecessor's did. To advance the storyline, you'll have to cause chaos- a lot of it- and that means destroying military bases, civilian villages, capital cities, and partaking in some simply awesome faction missions (one sees you commandeer a fully-armed jet in order to destroy a rocket before it does the same to the island). While in the original these tasks would have been mundane, now the tension and fun have been ramped up dramatically to provide an overall more refined experience for gamers. If you're a fan of free-roaming games without too much plot, then why are you still here and not at your local game retailers already? If not, Just Cause 2 is still worth at least a rental by anyone of the age!