Some cheats are just for fun, though. Some of the best examples are to be found in Colin McRae Rally where you can have all tracks at night or have a co driver breathing helium, just for a laugh. Ultimately, the choice is an individual one. If you're playing against the computer alone then it's between you and your conscience whether or not to cheat.

So where do the Future Gamer team stand on cheating? Andy Smith says, "Future Gamer believe you should get as much out of a game as possible. If you can't finish the last run on Driver and need to resort to cheating to do it then so be it. Better that than never completing it, but it's always a hollow victory when you've used a cheat to get through a game. That said, what would be worse than buying a game that's got, say, 50 levels and you're stuck on level six? If you can get a password to level seven and carry on from there, you're not going to miss too much. We have a searchable hints and tips database at www.futuregamer.com for just such situations."

Michael Foster never uses performance-enhancing cheats. He's willing to take a urine test on demand, provided you don't expect to watch. He does, however, love the sound of Nicky Grist on helium.

Next week we examine online cheating. Should the same generous approach apply?