If you thought 2023 was crap, think again!

 There was a period before digital downloads when you used to buy a computer game and it would come in a box with a massive manual full of instructions on gameplay. Usually, I got bored early on and tried playing first, falling back to the manual when I couldn't figure things out.  Some of the entries to this competition have been similar with extensive extra information. Others have preferred to provide instructions in game. This game walks its own path. The accompanying email provides little information about what to expect. " Attached is GUESS THE ASTEROIDS for the CGC, along with an image of the cassette release. I'm afraid it's not possible to save the Earth. I could have stopped launching asteroids after scoring 70 points, but I guess it's 1982 and the technology wasn't ready to stop such an Armageddon." But before continuing, let's pause to admire the image of the cassette release or in actuality images. So many versions and every cover is a del

  We like to romanticise the ‘Tortured Artist’ trope. Van Gogh, Munch and Caravaggio [1]  were all famous arts soles, whose colourful biographies dramatically threaten to eclipse their art. At the other end of the scale there’s something exciting and mysterious about anonymous artists - the NWFS  Cerne Abbas Giant , beautiful  Palaeolithic CavePaintings  or… the unfamous Banksy [3] . So – to Dave Hughe’s CCSCGC2024 entry  BankZXy.. . Welcome to Bristol, where you guide the famous graffiti artist/vandal around the town, spraying like a stressed cat particularly intent on marking territory. The loading screen gives a good overview of the gameplay, so … … which is nice, isn’t it? [4] The gameplay involves moving your UDG Banksy around, pursued by the asterisk. Hold space to leave your ‘tag’ on the floor. The pursuing asterisk has an aversion to walking on your graffiti, so this can be used to your advantage to complete the game and thus get to reveal Banksy’s secret identity. As far as it