Rockstar Games are a hugely successful company, with the Grand Theft Auto series selling a total of 70 million copies worldwide, and ranked third in the Guinness top fifty games of all time list.

The franchise was originally created by David Jones, a Scottish games programmer, with help from English brothers Dan Houser and Sam Houser; and game designer Zachary Clarke. The gameplay contains a mixture of elements including action, adventure, driving and stealth. The Grand Theft Auto series began in 1997, running to the present day, covering four console generations.

The game places you in an open environment, where you must complete tasks and objectives in order to climb the ranks of the criminal world. Subsequently, you can complete tasks in any order you wish, playing casually or more seriously. It's these elements that give the series so much replay value, whilst making it incredibly addictive.

The major breakthrough title was undoubtedly Grand Theft Auto III, a revolutionary game when it was released in October 2001. It was the first 3D open world title, as opposed to the birds eye camera view of previous games. The most notable later releases included the following:

• Grand Theft Auto: Vice City (released October 27, 2002)
• Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (released October 26, 2004)
• Grand Theft Auto IV (released April 29, 2008)

The plots of the GTA series are also spectacular, with famous actors voicing characters in the games. Tommy Vercetti from Vice City is voiced by Ray Liotta, whilst Frank Tenpenny from San Andreas is voiced by Samuel L Jackson.

However, Steven Poole's thoughts on video game incoherence are definitely present in all of Rockstar's Grand Theft Auto titles. Take for instance incoherence of causality, where aspects are not the same as in real life; present in all GTA titles due to the ability to carry numerous heavy weaponry at once. Incoherence of space is also a problem, where expectations of actions are not met; present in Vice City where Tommy Vercetti is unable to swim (even through shallow water).

"I could go on and on about why Grand Theft Auto IV is one of the best games we've ever seen and why even folks who are easily offended should play it, but that would be pointless. The only thing you need to know is that you have to play this game. Period."
Hilary Goldstein (IGN Review)

It's not opinion, but rather fact that GTA IV is the best game of the seventh generation console era. Metacritic rates both the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions of the game 98/100, the number one game on both consoles. No other games developer comes close to Rockstar's open world creations; and with expectations so high for GTA V, Rockstar's next installment in the series needs to be a masterpiece.

Microsoft's internet browser, known as Internet Explorer; sometimes abbreviated as 'IE', has come under criticism recently for having serious security vulnerabilities. This is not good news for Microsoft, as other browsers on the market are capable alternatives.

It all started when Google email accounts were hacked in China via an exploited security loophole within Internet Explorer 6. Human rights activists were targeted, with Google later threatening to pull out of China completely.

Google is a huge organisation, and definitely has the ability to dent Microsoft's reputation. However, matters soon became worse, with both the German and French governments warning citizens against using IE and to find an alternative browser. The UK Government is supporting Microsoft however, not issuing any warnings, and claiming there is minimal risk.

The two most viable alternatives are Mozilla's Firefox and Google's Chrome. Both are fantastic web browsers, and completely wipe the floor with IE. They are both faster, more reliable and comply to relevant web standards (such as Acid3). Other rival software includes Apple's Safari and Opera. Obviously the security vulnerability affects PC users more, as Internet Explorer for Mac was discontinued in 2003.

Now, you'd think the security issues would only affect version 6 of IE, but no; researchers have developed code that can exploit the same vulnerability within Internet Explorer 7. Microsoft say they are working hard to release a patch to solve the issues, but have no specific release date. 

"As a web developer I can honestly say that banning IE altogether would be the best thing ever to happen in my career. People who use it deserve to be hacked as far as I'm concerned."
Matt (The Telegraph - Comments Section)

Even though Google have been hacked, they must be sitting with a smug grin on their face, as thousands of users now flock to alternative browsers.

Personally, I now use Google's Chrome all the time, on both PC and Mac. It rarely crashes, has a simple but innovative GUI, and is extremely fast. Firefox is equally as good, and surpasses Internet Explorer in almost every aspect. Software updates are also very frequent and therefore both browsers are improving all the time.

Internet Explorer is the most popular browser in the world; peaking at 95% usage share in 2004, and since declining to 62%. It could soon see its user base drastically fall, with Firefox currently occupying 24%, Chrome 5%, Safari 4% and Opera 1%.

The traditional book is a fantastic technology; being durable, bounded and fixed. The ancient Romans originally invented the book, placing sheets of paper between wooden slabs. Despite all the recent advancements in technology, the book is still regarded as an excellent resource.

However, recently the Amazon Kindle and Sony Reader have been released, aiming to revolutionise the book industry. The Sony Reader features an electronic paper display with 5", 6" or 7" screen sizes. You can purchase books (known as eBooks) from various online stores, whilst reading personal documents, PDF files, blogs and RSS news feeds. In essence, a multimedia experience, whilst retaining the natural display of a book by appearing as ordinary ink on paper.

"You will often hear it said that the print medium is a doomed and outdated technology, a mere curiosity of bygone days destined soon to be consigned forever to those dusty unattended museums we now call libraries."
Robert Coover (New York Times - Published 1992)

Personally, I don't believe these devices pose any real threat to traditional books. One obvious deterrent is cost, with the cheapest Sony Reader model costing £150. The main advantage is undoubtedly the ability to store approximately 350 books on one device, therefore a great space saver and convenient whilst commuting. To be honest I would feel less nervous throwing a traditional book into my bag than I would a Sony Reader!

However, this year is when everything looks set to change with Apple due to release it's iPad. The iPod Touch has been a huge success, with a touch screen no other manufacturer can match. Essentially, that is what the iPad is, a larger, more powerful iPod Touch, with a 9.7" screen size. The iPad will pose a massive threat to the traditional book, due to its innovative multimedia capabilities and powerful hardware. Numerous newspaper companies are already working to digitise their publications specifically for the iPad.

To conclude, the traditional book is under no great threat at the moment, with the Sony Reader too new to show any major market share. However, Apple's iPad is what could save the declining magazine and newspaper industries, turning the market around and starting another digital revolution.