Hmm. Tricky one this. A well written history of the hobby, solid research and some interesting stuff I didn't already know. What let's it down is just how mundane videogames become once someone factually explains "gameplay". Each fantastic game from history becomes more tedious than the last as the gameplay is broken down to its component elements. Richard is a great writer though and if you're interested in videogame history you could do much worse.

The descriptions are also strong evidence against "objective" videogame reviews. Please just a bit of personality and enthusiasm.