Cynics, and there were a few, pointed out that this market was exactly the one courted by Philips' CD-I system and, to a lesser extent, 3D0: "Hopefully we can learn from their mistakes," answered an optimistic David Dews, General Manager of Katz Media. "The timing is right with expectation in what the Internet will deliver increasing daily."

It's about this point in the column where we get to the 'what happened next?' bit, but I think you already know: very little. Pippin machines appeared (a friend of mine spotted one in Toys R Us) but the machine's public profile was limbo-like low, interest from software publishers was negligible and, as a result, so was the public's.

The problem with being in the middle of the road is that you tend to get crushed by traffic coming from both ways if they change direction. Complete PC systems can now be bought for as little as £399 whilst games consoles come with modems - and with the current government's policies increasingly looking like the Conservative's, and the Conservatives paradoxically going down the caring route, it's unlikely we'll ever have a Liberal Democrat government either... Sorry Charles.