There is big sign ahead, it says "Warning, thin ice!" - what do I care? Am I not 3DO Kid? Time to look at Mr Hawkins favourite 3DO game - Twisted.

If I'm the prophet of 3DO - then he is, or perhaps was, the Messiah of the 3DO. The celestial 3DO bringer of life. The big I am of the ARM powered console of light. Religious sounding homages aside - how far am I to trust a man who studied Marketing, at least in part, at University? A man who has been selling video games and video game systems for 30 years. He looks in good shape for his age, but I'm guessing about as far as I could throw him - which ain't far.

Anyway, in three interviews in the UK recently, he told the world he still plays Twisted on the 3DO. Oh-really!? Why not Zhadnost - the peoples party? Hmm!? Same game - different graphics. Do you still play that William? And if not why not?

They never ask the questions I would. Me - 3DO kid. The last of the great 3DO fanboys.

...but I'm not alone. Out there. On the web. Is another website secretly reviewing 3DO games. Oh yes. I saw it. I read it. They covered Twisted back in June '06. According to them it seemed OK. Well - up until the point they used the word 'Zany' in their review - I stopped reading then. Tch! Argentineans. Still - they too liked Twisted.

So - assuming Trip Hawkins wasn't mustering the dark forces of marketing for reasons I can't quite fathom and the guys over at Defunctgames.com aren't secretly plotting to steal back the Falklands by blinding me with words like 'Zany' - then my guess is that Twisted is alright.

Suspicions aside then. Yet Twisted represents another problem. It's a four player game. I stand about as much chance of getting four people into a room to play this, as I would summoning the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse to play Zahdnost with me. No hope what-so-ever.

I don't like party games. Mostly because I don't get invited to those kind of parties. I can imagine me being invited to dinner by one of the Vice Presidents of the company I work for. And me clanking up-to the front door, tripping over the controller, with my 3DO under my arm and selection of soft Japanese porn, Need for Speed and this spoof TV game show. "No, No, No, it'll be alright" I drunkenly yell, as I yank aggressively the ariel cable out of the back of his $20,000 HDTV to plug my obsolete games console in.

...Some how - I can't see it happening.

Of cause it does happen. Not with Twisted on the 3DO but with Playstation and its plethora of Interactive party games. 3DO having pipped it to the post by a not-so-nail-biting 12 years. Maybe Harvard wasn't wasted after-all then William?

I will admit that there is a polish to Twisted. A shine. It doesn't wreak of trying too hard. Maybe just a whiff. Maybe I'm being mean? I did play it. A series of full motion video clips tied to a game-show theme and engineered to played in group. The games and puzzles designed to be mildly frustrating and fun. EA did well - it was just the right side of frustrating and the good side of fun. OK. If that was the goal William - then well done. It's pretty good. I'll give you that ;)

See? You can use the word 'Zany' while conveying its meaning without sounding tragic. Maybe my months studying marketing at University weren't wasted either!

Not - at all - rare!

3DO Kid.