Lytle hwile - a modern version - Rosie Simmonds

Oh leaf you are so green and true,
The sunlight shines and brightens you.
But you my friend are temporary
And my poem for you, contemporary.
For you turn shades or orange, yellow, brown,
As you catch the breeze, fall to the ground.
Yet what happens on your journey from here?
You mix with dirt and disappear.
A silent life, so sweet, so short.
A poem translated form a thought.

Darren Hodge - Pursuit Force: Extreme Justice Game Review

I have completed the game Pursuit Force: Extreme Justice. It is a brilliant game, enjoyable by all ages and it is the second instalment to the Pursuit Force series. It was a great plot along which is a lot different because the first one hasn’t got as big as plot as the first one, the first one is just five missions for each group. It has great action clips and game play. I thoroughly enjoyed every second I played it and I couldn’t put it down, it gets you hooked like you can never imagine.
The plot is that you are a police officer and you are working for a police force called Pursuit Force. You are accompanied by three recruits, each specialising in a different field of police work. All through the game your aim is to stop five main groups, four of them are called, the Raiders, the Syndicate, the Convicts, the Warlords (who have come back from the first one) and the fifth one is secret and you will have to find out yourself; I was shocked when I found out who it was, it is a great surprise.
You have a tremendous variety of guns, including close range based for humans, and long range for vehicles. It gives you an opportunity to think in situations and see what fits best to it. It feels like you get literally into the game, it has action and adventure.
The main character, which you are, has an enemy after someone who is very close to him is killed by his enemy and it adds a little minor story and in that he has to have revenge. It’s truly sad when the person dies and it is an action packed story and it can relate to real life, it is an intense and a thrill ride story. In fact the whole story is exciting; there are loose ends which leave you wanting to know the answers.
Anyone can play it and anyone can enjoy it, it is a superb game packed with explosions, shooting and totally unputdownable. It is great for people who are into first person shooting games who like a lot of action. It sets a whole new bar for other games, other games have a lot to compete with and will have to raise their standard because this masterpiece of a game has set the bar, sky high.
In conclusion I found this game as good as it gets and will not be one like this for a long time. I highly recommend it to everyone because I guarantee you will enjoy it as much as I have and hope that you found it as interesting and action packed!

Mars’ Wrath by Harry O'Neill

The milestone, hidden amongst the dwarf elder leaves, told us we were heading to Camulodunum.
“Left! Right! Left! Right!” The centurion barked.
We reached a bend in the road and out of the bushes a group of Celts with raving dogs ambushed us. I pulled my gladius out of its sheath and plunged it straight into the heart of a Celt, a massive dog with razors as teeth bit clean into my thigh. I managed to shake the dog off, but I was struck around the head and if weren’t for my helmet I could’ve died. I fell to the floor and a wild haired Celt rippling with muscle stood over me and was about to strike. Fortunately Marcus slashed the Celt across the face, hot, dark blood spattered across my arm as I covered my face with my hands. He pulled me up to my feet then a barbed spear came hurling towards us and plunged into Marcus’ stomach. Then in a flash of rage I pick up my gladius and stabbed a Celt in the chest, ducked a slash and cleaved into his leg.

After the devastation I ran to Marcus who lay in a ditch lying in a pool of his own blood. I was horrified to see Marcus dead, fourteen years I had been his friend and now he was dead. The gods themselves seemed to be upset as they turned the skies themselves a murky grey.

We piled the bodies into several pits and set them alight the stench was horrific but it would clear bodies faster. We took off, as soon the last pit was alight. We continued our march to Camulodunum with a lot less soldiers. There were three dead Romans to every one dead Celt.

Chapter 2 The Devastation

When we were around 3 miles from Camulodunum we could see black plumes of black smoke rising into the heavens. “Damned Celts burned the capital,” our centurion stated,
“Must have killed loads of their own,” Cleopas said
“They don’t care. They’ll do whatever they can to rid us, even if that’s killing their own.”
“They’re damn mental”

When we reached the capital we saw something worse than we imagined.
All of the Romans that were stationed in the capital were lying on the ground with their wrists and throats slit. We were split into parties and searched among the rubble to see if there were any survivors but as we expected the only people we found were the burnt remains of civilians and some unlucky Celts that weren’t fast enough. We were ordered to regroup, and the reports were that only two gladius’ and a single shield were repairable the rest were too damaged. Mars decided to punish us for letting the rebels do this and sent a huge thunder storm the rain started to turn to hail which pelted us; so I pulled my shield over my head to prevent my amour from rusting.

Chapter 3 The pain of battle

We decided to set up camp just next to a brook in the middle of an open forest. The willow stretched high and streams of the evening light shone through. There was a sudden rustling in a bush. We approached cautiously with swords raised but we were surprised when a severely wounded roman emerged and with no warning collapsed. We sat him down and asked what had happened and he explained that that the rebels had burst out from behind trees and ambushed his century and he was taken prisoner, they set up camp and beat and tortured him. He then told us on his last breath the location of the rebel’s camp.

We decided to leave at dawn so we could use the darkness as extra cover, the road seemed to stretch on forever and the stars shone brightly in the night sky. The camp was heavily guarded but it was nothing for our archers, as soon as the guards were killed we moved into to kill. We burnt, stole and slaughtered everyone and thing. The camp was alight in a few minutes with a luminous orange glow. Screams and howls from men and animals alike filled the air and the shout of victory from our men, we had won. Then the background through the trees English reinforcements! They charged down the hill and engaged us in battle; their chariots crushed our front lines, then a barrage of rocks hailed down upon us and one small boulder hit my temple and knocked me unconscious.

As I awoke I realised there were Celts around me talking quietly to each other in their barbaric tongue. I froze, hardly daring to breathe despite the awful thirst in my throat and throbbing pain in my head. One came close. I heard his foot land on the soft ground next to me. I was turned over but continued to play dead. I guess from the state of me after I saw my reflection in the pool I drank from later I looked pretty dead when they saw me. All my possessions had been stolen including my sword, armour and shield! The only thing they hadn’t stolen was my tunic, and I was able to sneak through the countryside and find my way back to the reinforcements that General Vespasian sent to relieve our legions.

A review of ‘Sniper One’ by Sergeant Dan Mills – Mitchell Hill (7/2)

‘Sniper One’ is a brilliant first-hand account of a ‘peace keeping’ tour of Iraq in 2004 and is written by the Platoon Sergeant of the Sniper Platoon, Dan Mills, of the Princess of Wales Royal Regiment.

Having served twenty years in the British Army Mills recounts that his regiment ‘never go anywhere’, when they are suddenly deployed to Iraq, ostensibly to keep the peace and to train the newly formed Iraqi Police. Being the consummate professionals that they are, the Sniper Platoon that he leads is elated. However, almost from the moment that they set foot on Iraqi soil they are shot at whilst on foot patrol, experience RPG (rocket propelled grenade) attacks on their vehicles and have the complex of buildings that serve as their base under daily mortar bombardment by the insurgents. Throughout the book the tension builds to the final battle where their base is under siege by a vastly superior number of insurgents and there is a very real danger that it will be over run.

Mills captures the humour, comradeship and cool professionalism of the ordinary British soldier wonderfully and as the story unfolds you can almost feel the tension, excitement and fear as he describes each attack. This is a good book, that keeps you turning page after page and I can thoroughly recommend it.
(to see the action that Dan Mills describes so vividly in his book, go to YouTube and view the clip ‘PWRR in Iraq’).

The peasant revolt poem - Thomas Enstone

The peasant revolt poem



The peasant revolt had a catapult they fought all day and night.

They had to work for the king or there was no dinner that night.

They worked and worked till they might choke,

if they wanted more wages they would get a poke.

The king made them pay more taxes so the bought more axes.

They had to pay for their wives so they got their knives.

They had to work double and that caused more trouble.

They refused to work because the king was a jerk.

And that's why the peasant revolt started.

Twilight or Potter Sean Thompson delves deeper...

Twilight is a tale of forbidden love, werewolves and vampires. Opening with a hundred questions then page by page those questions are answered. Bella throws herself into the depths of danger when she falls in love with the “world’s most dangerous predator”, a Vampire.
Harry Potter is a story about how a boy, with a disastrous start to life, is forced to battle the darkest wizard of all time as well as everything else that your everyday teenager has to put up with. Picking up friends and enemies along the way Harry shows courage, desire and compassion.

Both authors have written about a teenage predicament but they both focus on different aspects of that. In twilight Bella is torn between what her mind is telling her and what her heart so desperately wants. She has deal with constant staring and curious remarks from people at school whilst Edward faces the disapproval at home. After showing that no matter what people say or think they were not going to change their minds they start to realise the danger that they are putting themselves in. For Edward it is the fear of exposure and Bella is also in danger of dying which would mean the loss of the first person that Edward has love stronger than a brother sister relationship.

The Harry Potter tale is one with many twist and turns. Each book reveals more secrets, more questions but most importantly more answers. It is a collection that can read again and again and you will always learn something new. Harry has been brutally orphaned by Lord Voldemort but now has gone to Hogwarts where he has made friends in Ron and Hermione, has learnt advanced magic and found out the truth about the connection between him and Lord Voldemort, the truth about his scar and what the prophecy means. He now knows that he must kill Voldemort and accepts his mission with open arms as he is longing to avenge his parents. With his most loyal followers, Ron and Hermione, always be his side this incredible story shows friendship at its strongest. It is a true underdog story with a very important moral: Greed is not as strong as love and friendship.

My personal choice out of the two would be Harry Potter because of the sheer imagination of it. An unthinkable plot accompanied by humour and romance makes it irresistible to any reader.

The Unidentified- Chapter 3 Elliott Phillips

The Unidentified- Chapter 3

As Robert was ushered towards a battered-up taxi, a million questions popped into his mind. He was in a wave of total confusion. What was going on? He was just a tourist here. All he wanted was the holiday he had dreamed of for the past month. He realised that he needed answers, now.
The bulky stranger bundled Robert into the taxi, then made a fuss of getting into the drivers seat. The heat was even more intense in the car. It was enough to make you sweat just sitting there. It was like being in an oven and already there was perspiration beads forming on Robert’s forehead. The large African man now turned in his seat, revealing a large scar running the length of his face. Robert couldn’t see his eyes because of the man’s sunglasses, but he could sense them analysing him. Cutting up and probing the student sat in front of him. Then, as though he had made a decision, he spoke, again in terrible English.
“You come at a bad time, Grant. Things not normal at the moment. You shouldn’t come here.” the man mumbled.
Still completely baffled, Robert replied, “What are you talking about? I’m just a student from England. Well now I’m a qualified scientist, but… I’m just here for my holiday! I don’t understand!”
“Robert, bad things are happening here. Villagers disappear. We don’t know what is. All we know, that we are in trouble. Creatures steal humans in night. We call them ‘menslik diefs’. It means ‘human thieves’.”
“Look mate, all I want is a holiday. I don’t care about your little stories. I just want a break and your not helping.” Robert said slightly irritably.
“Whatever you say Mr. Grant, but now I take you to hotel. I am Abdul.” the man said politely.
“Err OK… nice to meet you Abdul, can you take me to my hotel now?” Robert asked.
Then, Abdul silently and solemnly turned back to the steering wheel. He choked the old, dirty vehicle into life and they set off. The air inside the car seemed to get warmer and thicker every minute.
Half an hour passed, and they were still driving. The roads were narrow, cobbled slums, now. The sides of the streets were clogged with refugees and small homeless children lined up. There seemed to be an endless amount of poverty here and after a few miles it still showed. Eventually after another ten minutes, the poor people seemed to fade, as though this very spot marked the end of their territory. Soon enough, in a much nicer looking area, the taxi pulled to a halt outside a luxurious hotel.
The hotel didn’t seem right in a place like this. It looked out of place in such a country. Everything about the place had a sense of apprehensiveness towards its surroundings. There were two bodyguards at the front door who waved Abdul past as Robert carried his hand luggage through the door. The inside had air-conditioning which Robert was very thankful for, but nothing could have prepared him for the inside of the hotel.
The reception had a very high ceiling with several chandeliers. All the furniture was a pristine white and the carpet was a thick burgundy colour. The walls were also a perfect white. Every factor of the place was truly amazing, yet almost too good. The price Robert had paid didn’t deserve accommodation this good. A hotel as nice as this didn’t belong here. It wasn’t right.
As the two approached the front desk, where a woman with immaculate uniform stood, ready to greet them, Robert whispered to Abdul, “What is going on? Why are we here? I know my hotel wasn’t as nice as this.”
“I was going to explain in car, but you were…” he paused to think of the word, “Impatient. We are here for reason, Robert. Your science knowledge is needed. There someone to meet you. Also, you been upgraded to this hotel.”
“I don’t understand! Who am I meeting? Is this to do with your silly stories about man-eating monsters?” Robert hissed.
Abdul left the question unanswered and silenced Robert with a flick of his hand. Then he spoke to the receptionist, received a key and led the way to a room a few floors up. There, in that room was the place where the unknown visitor would meet them.
The meeting took place several hours later. At around three o’clock, a man in a crumpled shirt burst in, drenched in sweat. He hadn’t shaved in several days and had deep blue eyes, filled with frustration. He was quite tall and handsome with jet black hair. He stood there looking from Robert to Abdul, as if he didn’t understand where he was. Soon however, Abdul introduced him.
“Mr. Grant, meet Mr. Nelson.” Abdul exclaimed.
“Please, call me Dave. Yeah I’m Dave Nelson.” Mr. Nelson said, his voice low and hushed, as though he was worried someone was eavesdropping on their conversation.
“Err Abdul, why am I here to meet him?” Robert asked, suspiciously.
“Well Robert, the stories I said are true. Mr. Nelson will tell.
“Yes. Well basically, Robert, these “stories” are one hundred per cent real.” Dave explained.
“Whatever. I don’t care. I just want a holiday. How can a stupid human-stealing creature be real?” Robert enquired.
“Oh its real. I know its real from personal experience.” Dave said urgently, “Its real because I watched my best friend get devoured by the beast.”

Tributes to Michael Jackson

Thomas Schofield:

Michael Jackson recently passed away and so this poem is made out of lyrics to his songs. Every other line contains lyrics to one of his songs with the exception of the last two lines. I hope you enjoy reading it!

He was an idol to us all, telling us,
It don’t matter if your black or white.
He was great at singing and he’d say,
I am the one who will dance on the floor in the round.

It all came to a sad end when he saw,
A sight that almost stops your heart.
The doctor then told him,
You’re fighting for your life.

People paid tributes saying things like
The way you made me feel.
He’s inspired many of us to,
Make a difference, make it right.

He will be dearly missed and we will
Remember the time
The king of Pop
Was hit by a smooth criminal.

This is it. The King of Pop has died. Although his music will live on.
Michael Jackson
1958- 2009
R.I.P

By Joseph Cassar :

Michael Jackson was born many places afar,
And you can see that from his birth he was born a star.
Michael Jackson singing from the age of 5,
Stood on that stage and brought pop music alive.

Immediately that superstar earns a number one,
And what everyone liked was his sense of fun.
The king of pop releases an album called off the wall.
Many fans could easily tell he was on the ball.

Don’t forget he can’t just talk the talk,
He can get on that stage and do the moonwalk.
Then he marries the daughter of the king of rock and roll,
And with that love he turns to his fans and touches them in the soul.


Suddenly from there, his life goes downhill,
But many fans believe turn his life around he will.
The news that he died was some of the latest,
But he will always go down as one of the greatest.

Stephen Gordon
ROCKBAND UNPLUGGED
Format: PSP
Price: £24.99

This is the new PSP version of the Music game, Rock Band. The adaptation of it on the PSP is tricky to get used to as you play all four instruments at one time. But once you get used to it, the controls are easy.

You play all four instruments (guitar, drum, bass and vocals) by using the L and R buttons. Once you have completed on part of the song on one instrument you can switch over by using the L and R buttons. For example you could do one part of the song on drums then switch to bass. But if you only want to play a single instrument is the training mode where you don't need to switch instruments.

The game has a lot of songs (41 at the moment) including some well know ones, like ABC (by the Jackson 5), Livin' on a prayer(by Bon Jovi) and Ace of Spades (by Motorhead). EA (the game makers) are planning to make more available via download so you never know there could be more songs you know.

This game is very addictive and once you start playing, you can't stop. There is a demo version available on the Playstation Store so if you dont want to buy the full game just that, the demo is here to tempt you.

I think this is a great adaption of the RockBand game for Xbox 360 and Playstaion 3 and is great for on the go, music game on the go.

Poem – F1 Racing Alex Risely

Poem – F1 Racing

Speeding down the track
At 200 miles per hour
No one can spot me
They are in a dust shower

Right behind in 8th
Trying to overtake
Swerving, turning, skidding
Scared to make a mistake

Just finished lap 50
Only one more to go
Giving it 100%
Can’t be going slow

Turning the last corner
Flat out through the straight
Overtaking some drivers
My car begins to shake

The finish is in sight
The chequered flag is waving
Will I be victorious?
The podium is waiting

Seasons

Spring, spring, leaves growing on the trees,
Then slowly appear the bees.
Temperature starting to increase,
But dark nights decrease.

Summer, summer, leaves on the trees,
Flying around are the bees.
Temperature high and hot,
Sun stays out for most of the day.

Autumn, autumn, leaves falling off the trees,
Then slowly disappear the bees.
Temperature starting to decrease,
And dark nights start to increase.

Winter, winter, leaves off the trees,
Flying around are not the bees.
Temperature low and cold,
Moon stays out for most of the day.

Sam Rose - Ode

Ode to the red dawn,
That can only mean death,
Ode to those soldiers, who were born,
And drew their last breath.

All in honour for a Nation they thought so great,
Filled with such anger and hate,
For those who tried to overrule,
A Country so powerful yet so small.

Of we fought them, although we were weak,
With limited supplies and food to eat,
Long in battles so horrific and bleak,
On and on we fought them, week on week.

However, we needed help from countries afar,
And with their help we showed them how strong we are,
We shot bullets at them from our guns like bees from a hive,
Ridding ourselves of them in 1945.

Dark Awaiting - Chapter ThreeDark Awaiting

Dark Awaiting
Chapter 3

Page 211. Blunt’s diary. Age 3.
...Blunt walks towards his mother. He cries insanely for he had banged his head on the wall. His mother picks him up and says, “Don’t cry, it will be fine in a minute”. His mother then kisses him on the forehead and then he stops crying. Blunt is put down by his mother. Blunt falls asleep and that is the last time he sees his mother.

I drift through the space around, with lights of all colours passing by. Despite the lights being there I have no vision at all. In fact I have no senses whatsoever. I just know they are there. Something of me tells me what is going on around me. It tells me I am moving to the left, then few moments later it tells me I am going to the right. It was a strange feeling but yet it was very useful. Otherwise I would not know what was going on. At once I stop, not knowing why. I then descended to what I was being told was water. I stand upon the water and do not sink. I then hear a deep, croaky voice coming towards me. “Greetings young one...we have been awaiting your arrival.” The voice said. “I shall now give you back your senses.” I was at once filled with energy and was now “human” again. I open my eyes and look around me. All there is is a dark murky water of which gently flows. Then once I get used to the sensation of standing on water. I look for the source of the voice that welcomed me. I turn round and see it. It was a shadow, a reflection, of me. It had streams of black smoke coming from its feet and looked as if it were pulsing. “What are you?” Blunt calmly says. “And who are you?”
“I am what you were, are and will become.”
“What do you mean?” being slightly scared now.
“I do not take this form to scare you, Blunt. For you see I am a part of you. A part of you that has been there since the day you had life. I am your mind, your conscience, your heart. I am the very thing that makes you who you are.”
“You are not me. There is only two parts to me of which I have with me right now.” Blunt now becoming impatient and upset.
“And what are those things, may I ask?”
“Something you don’t have, a body and a soul.” Blunt snarls.
“Ha, ha, ha. Do you not see it yet boy? I may not have a body or a soul but I tell you this. I am you, for I was the one that told you what to do throughout your life. I made you who you are right now.”
“That’s impossible no one can see their own mind.”
“Yes, that is true but, when you were killed, I was able to take on another form that was visible to you.” Blunt starts to walk around the place shaking his head in disbelief. The shadow moves his head to where Blunt is positioned. Blunt waits a moment as he thinks about what he just heard.
“So why can I think for myself right now then? Unless you’re talking to yourself. Not so smart now, are you?”
“By the way you just insulted yourself. But anyway I gave you a temporary self mind so we could talk.”
“Talk about what?”
“Your future, your diary.”
By Christopher Hewett

A Review of the Nintendo Wii Fit By Mitchell Hill

A Review of the Nintendo Wii Fit

The Wii Fit is a great game for people that are trying to lose weight and get fit with the advantage that it can be done in the comfort of their own living room. The game is an add on to the existing Nintendo Wii games console and consists of a balance board, which is slightly larger than a set of bathroom scales and a disc, which contains the Wii Fit game itself. The balance board communicates via infra-red signal with the sensor, which should ideally be positioned on top of your television.

The game requires the participant to stand on the balance board and starts by calculating your body mass index (BMI), by measuring your weight and putting this into an equation with your height that is entered into it manually. The BMI figure tells you if you are over weight or not and how much weight you need to loose in order to achieve an ‘ideal’ BMI for your height. A BMI of 18 to 25 is considered ‘ideal’.

The next step is a balance test where the participant has to move their body weight around the balance board in a series of tests that are designed to calculate your Wii Fit age. The results of this test can be quite shocking and it isn’t unusual for the participant to have a Wii Fit age far in excess of their real age, but don’t let this put you off as it’s quite good fun. You can even design a character from a drop down menu that is supposed to be you when you are doing the exercises and save your individual profile so that multiple users can use the Wii Fit.

The Wii Fit games themselves consist of balance games, muscle workouts, yoga and aerobic exercises where it is possible to achieve target levels for ability as well as a target weight loss over a period of time. It is suitable for all ages from 3 years and at £70.00 is great value for money as it’s far cheaper than the average gym membership and much more fun. However, be warned, this game is extremely popular and last Christmas it completely sold out all over the world.

By Mitchell Hill

Night at the Museum 2 - Joe Smith

This is a fantastic film with great actor Ben Stiller as the main actor following the sequel of the first ‘Night at The Museum’ film. The film also contains Robin Williams, Owen Wilson, Steve Coogan and Ricky Gervais.

Larry Daley is an average night watchman at a museum of natural history in Manhattan where, at night, the wax figures come to life! This all happens in the first film so I won’t go too far into it. At the beginning of the second film, all of the figures get shipped to a completely different museum. Larry therefore goes to that museum and attempts to get his friends back although the museum is about 3 times the size of the one back in Manhattan. There are many things that happen, which include famous figures for example: Einstein, Pharaoh etc.

But Larry is facing many problems; they include the tablet making more exhibits coming to life, exhibits trying to attack Larry (like Pharaoh with a lisp!) and the guards of the museum trying to stop Larry from escaping from the museum. Although these problems seem like quite a threatening experience, Larry gets on with it with assistance from some ‘good’ exhibits.

In my opinion, the last scene is the funniest because of the argument that occurs between Larry and Pharaoh and the war between the exhibits! Personally, I would submit a ★★★★ to the directors, creators and so forth because it is an all round funny film, which is good for families. If you get an opportunity to, please watch it.