Dear Future Gamer,

I have concerns over the computer game retail trade. The major High Street stores continually aim to "price match" their local competitors. “What a great benefit to the consumer,” you might say. I have found two problems with this.

Firstly the same stores within two different towns will charge two different prices. Rogue Squadron on the N64 is £45 in Romford and only £35 in Lakeside. How can that be a great benefit to the consumer?

Secondly the availability of the same game within the "cheaper" town is appalling. Three trips to Lakeside have drawn a blank. In GAME (where I really want to buy Rogue Squadron and use my £5 off voucher, printed in N64 magazine) their reaction has been encouraging (“here's our phone number and this is when we expect deliveries - call us to see if we get any in”).

If I was desperate for the game I could go to Romford and cough up an extra tenner, but I refuse to. Do retailers and distributors order less stock to help the hype factor of a sold out game? I find it hard to believe that I am the victim of market forces and supply and demand to such an extent.

Richard Stratton

FG: The computer retail world is a dark, sinister place and I wouldn’t go there. You’re not the victim of market forces to the extent you think though. A likelier scenario is that both shops wished for X number of games and both probably got Y number – probably down to lack of copies manufactured on time and therefore the whole supply of the game being rationed. Then again, it could be that the most games went to those retail chains that tend to order more stock and are therefore more favoured by the publishers. If you work in retail, let me know if I’m completely wide of the mark. I don’t think I am.