Dear Future Gamer,

Having read a few letters and articles in the computer press recently a lot of people seem to be of the opinion that a single format games console market is the way to go.

Personally I'm not so sure as I think it is good to have a choice (and what letters page would be the same without the "my console is better than your console" or "my computer is better than your computer" arguments!!) although to be fair that last one was only really applicable in the days of the Spectrum and C64 (chuckle) and also the Amiga and Atari ST (snigger). Guess which systems I owned?!

Anyway I digress. In the not-too-distant future I think we will be very close to a single format games console market. Yes, the follow-up to the Sony PlayStation. Sega seem to have cocked up again with the Dreamcast (Power VR? get real, keyboards and mice? Why not buy a PC?)

The DC will be overtaken by the PC in the power stakes before it even gets a UK release. The N64 is already floundering and is ready to be killed off completely by a new super console. Sony will rule the console roost for a very long time and there will be no point in resisting.

On the subject of Nintendo producing kiddies games, I actually like Yoshi's Story, it's cute, fun, completely babyish and amusing (I love the 'Yoshiiiiii' when you select a character and it jumps off the screen). It's a welcome diversion from the super tough Maths A-Level I’m doing at college and the rest of reality. I already own seven N64 games: Mario Kart 64 (still addictive after two years), Mario 64 (in my humble opinion - a fantastic magical game to play at any time) and Spacestation: Silicon Valley (the most original and funny game ever - with a TOP soundtrack!) to name my bestest at the mo.

It's nice to play these games and be rid of violence, swearing, blood (GoldenEye aside, though, it's still good to shoot my brother).

Neil Clowrey

FG: I agree with you Neil. Although the PlayStation 2 sounds amazing, we’re going to have to wait and see if the software lives up to expectations and no, having a single-format market is not necessarily a good thing. Thankfully the PC market has become more standardised over the last few years though, because it was a nightmare getting a game to run on different machines in the past. As for ‘kiddie’ games, again, if they’re fun and entertaining, then where’s the problem? Yoshi’s Story is, indeed, a tremendous title. If people are missing out on it because they think it’s for kids then it’s their loss.