Addiction

Just parted ways with Bioshock. It's only a temporary separation thankfully. God, I can't wait til I can load up that start screen again. The question is, does it make my top-five most addictive games?

5) The GTAs. The stories always hook me in, even though they're usually pretty standard: i.e. gangsta guy kills your bro/father/sister, you seek revenge. Then the gameplay kicks in. I usually complete the main story within a month. This is not nearly long enough.

4) Super Mario Bros 3. Bought at the end of my second year at uni, I was almost twenty years behind on this one. For shame. During a brilliant summer, I ignored the sunshine and the chances of a tan, to lie on my bed with the curtains crossed, utterly fixated. I can't put a finger on what made it so addictive, although procrastinating from exam revision may have played a part.

3) Elite Beat Agents. When I started playing this, I thought the difficulty was too hard, that I would never make it to the next level, let alone have the skills to unlock 'master.' But with time I improved beyond recognition. I unlocked songs. I wanted to get even better. Its learning curve was perfect. I didn't stop playing. But eventually I reached the peak of my powers. I'd levelled off. That was a sad day indeed.

2) Pokemon Blue. This appealed to my competitive nature. I spent months building up a formidable team, maxing out each of my pocket monsters to level 100. I even got my mum to drive thirty miles to a shopping centre so I could get my hands on Mew, the 151st Pokemon. I was a demanding kid and Pokemon does not accept losers.

1) Pro Evolution Soccer. I became addicted to PES thanks to sheer aesthetics. I'd sit in class thinking about which new player I needed to buy to make my Master League team perfect, or the perfect passing move. And I get so competitive with football games that I can't stand losing; to this day I can count on one hand the number of times anyone's beaten me. Yeah, I'm cool. Shame I have all the mobility of a milk float when I play for real. But I'm an excellent PES player and that's all that matters.