For much of its life, the computer games industry has been seen by 'outsiders' as a fad; something kids get involved with for a brief period on their way to grown-upness. This is hardly surprising given that the games that pick up most of the 'real world' coverage are invariably daft: a blue hedgehog that spins; an Italian plumber who jumps up and down, etc.

With the success of Sony's PlayStation and their much repeated claim that most owners are nudging 30, playing TV-based games is now as acceptable a pastime for adults as any other recreational activity, but what games do grown-ups play? The most popular genres are football and racing, which clearly makes sense given the popularity of the real things - the love of which very few boys outgrow - but I sometimes wonder why so few games have a real adult theme. I'm not thinking of pornography (not at the moment, anyhow) but the sort of themes which so many adults do have an interest in, such as business, politics, etc. Is it because the joy of gaming is the escapist nature of the experience? Very few of us will command armies in real life, but equally very few of us will ever run ICI or Ford, and I'd much rather spend an evening developing a hoopy-looking car I'd really like to drive than send countless conscripts to their deaths, even on a computer.