With Halloween and Bonfire night done and dusted for another year, all our attention has turned to Christmas and there does appear to be a certain smell of excitement in the Future Gamer Chat Forum (and no, it doesn't smell like chicken). Games, rather than consoles, were at the centre of attention in various threads, so this week our three course Forum menu looked like this...

For starters, the monthly thread surprisingly called "Game of the Month" arrived with the expected answer. Final Fantasy VIII really does seem to have swept away the competition so far. However, I'm sure next month it'll be a little harder to decided what game will be tickling the taste buds of the regulars. Two spoonful's of Jet Force Gemini, a sprinkle of Unreal Tournament, four ounces of Soul Calibur and a generous helping of Tomb Raider 4 all thrown into the blender will leave a cup full of shattered discs and carts. However, used to proper effect in their respective machines and they add up to an explosive start to the festive season.

The main course comprised of Andy XL and his excellent 'Name that Game' series, which has been stumping even the most knowledgeable Forum members. There was also Miffy and her Secret of Mana troubles; the must-have games of yesteryear for the NES and SNES; the 'Play, Want and Bin' thread, which was taken in the wrong light by Felix, who wanted World peace and insisted any music beyond 1990 was binned; and finally, Casper's explanation of the advantages of cartridges.

Unfortunately, the dessert was a bit sour. Big Nick explained that he never got in the Forum round-up but said it would impress a certain lady friend if he got in, so now we can all give him a big wave when he next goes into college.

Pop over to the Future Gamer Chat Forum if you're online - there are always tasty topics to discuss and people to embarrass...