If you’ve got a fast modem or you are online at work you may want to take a look at this week's selection of demos on the Future Gamer website. Marvel at the fantastic Half-Life: Uplink demo, an explosive single-player mission which doesn’t even appear in the full game. And how about Turok 2: Seeds of Evil? The N64’s finest makes it to the PC and is a must for owners of a decent 3D card. What’s more, mouse-aiming makes it far more playable than its console counterpart.

It’s good to see new names cropping up in the Future Gamer Chat Forum; it’s the place to be for all your game-related mass debates. ‘Kaneda’ has proven to be a valuable source of information on all things relating to PC hardware (and imported consoles for that matter). Hey ‘Joda’! Where have you gone? Get back on the forum and let us know that you’re okay.

As part of a new marketing strategy, Gremlin have slashed the price of Actua Soccer 3 on the PlayStation and PC to just £29.99 – an absolute steal for the most played game in the Future Gamer office. Other games to be had for the same modest sum include Body Harvest on the N64 and Actua Golf 2 on PlayStation. Incidentally, the rather poor PlayStation title Men In Black can be yours for just £24.99, which is great if you don’t like money. Or games.

European pre-release orders for Metal Gear Solid on the PlayStation have already exceeded the totals set in Japan and the US. According to a Konami UK spokesperson, European orders currently stand at around 1.1 million, compared to 750,000 in the US and slightly less in Japan. Metal Gear Solid is to be released on February 26.

Will Wright, creator of the legendary Sim City, has gone back to his roots with the announcement of The Sims. The human life simulator will involve taking charge of a bunch of Sims and helping them climb the social ladder by getting jobs, having families, building lavish homes and generally acquiring material wealth. You’ll also have to cope with some juicy ‘situations’, devised by Hollywood scriptwriters.