Cadogan Guides Tuscany, Umbria and the Marches is a good example of these always-reliable guides friendly format. The book acknowledges that the travellers have moved beyond the golden hills of Tuscany west to the Bolgheri and Maremma seasides and east into the regions of equally stunning Umbria and the Marches. Its insider focus on food and wine based on a healthy appreciation of the culture gives it a mix that other guidebooks can miss.

The drawback to this approach, when coupled wi..

Next time you go travelling across Europe, think about packing some software. European Travel Companion provides you with eight handy CD-ROMs to improve your language skills and help you find your way around the leading cities.

If you are heading for Paris, the Great Cities of Europe discs let you quickly call up maps of the streets and discover useful local information about tipping at restaurants, bank opening hours and airport contact details. The information is concise and e..

From Sega, creators of that other job-based driving game Crazy Taxi, comes 18 Wheeler: American Pro Trucker. While hauling logs, fuel and heavy machinery over vast distances might not be the most tantalising of prospects for a video game, Sega have thankfully condensed the mundane experience into bite-sized chunks of arcade action.

18 Wheelers main mode is "Arcade", where players can test their skills against a direct port of the coin-op original. Here your mission is to ..