BIG GAME
StarWars:The Force Unleashed
The films may have trailed off into mediocrity, but The Force Unleashed is the most ambitious Star Wars game in years. A few lucky reviewers got their hands on a preview of the game last week, and have been raving about it ever since. Unusually, you play a villain, Darth Vader’s apprentice, but that’s the fun. By unleashing Jedi mind powers you can bend minions to your will. If only. Out in the autumn on most consoles, the force looks strong in this one. www.theforceunleashed.com

BIG DOWNLOAD
The Zutons
Arguably more famous for the Mark Ronson/Amy Winehouse tinkering with their song Valerie than anything they’ve released themselves, the Zutons are a formidable live band. Their new single Always Right Behind You is one of this summer’s anthems, and is sure to be a crowd-pleaser on Tuesday when the Liverpudlians play in Camden as part of the iTunes Live London Festival. The gig will be available soon afterwards to buy as a download, capturing everything except the formidable visual presence of sax-playing Abi Harding. www.ituneslive.co.uk

BIG EVENT
Farnborough air show
Britain’s biggest air show and the world’s largest temporary exhibition will feature nine hours of flying displays when it opens to the public next weekend. The real business, however, will have been done the week before, with billions of pounds of orders expected to be taken by the 1,500 trade exhibitors. The action in the air includes the Red Arrows, a Eurofighter Typhoon, a Spitfire and an Avro Vulcan, while the Great War Display Team will be dogfighting in reconstructions of classic first world war fighters. Day tickets cost £23. www.farnboroughinternational.com

BIG GADGET
LG FA163DAB micro system
“Micro” hi-fis look great but can sound weedy. With its piano black finish and touchscreen controls, however, LG’s DAB and FM radio/CD player/iPod dock not only looks the part but has two sonic weapons. The first is sub-woofers, one in each speaker, to beef up the bass. The second is that its sound has been tweaked by Mark Levinson, designer of stereos for Lexus, to get the most out of compressed MP3 music files. It hits the shops in a few weeks for about £200. www.lge.co.uk

BIG DRIVE
Electric Lightning GT
Britain’s first electric supercar debuts later this month at the British International Motor Show. A bank of 30 rechargeable batteries feeds power to a motor inside each wheel, generating a claimed 700bhp total that can take the car from 0-60mph in 4sec. It would do this silently were it not for the engine-sound generator that emulates an engine’s roar. The£150,000 Lightning GT is exempt from car tax and the London congestion charge. www.lightningcarcompany.co.uk

VIZ TOP TIP
Safety conkers
The latest issue of Viz is out now Threading a piece of string through a ping pong ball and painting it brown is ideal for a fun game of conkers that conforms with the 1974 Health & Safety Act, section 52, paragraph c.

Grant B Warner, New Malden

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