Murder mystery puzzler Professor Layton and Pandora’s Box has received glowing reviews from a gaming expert.

Matt Wales, writing for IGN UK, gave the Nintendo DS game an ‘impressive’ rating and an overall score of 84 per cent.

The title is a follow up to the popular Curious Village which was released last year on the handheld console.

Pandora’s Box sees Professor Layton and his junior companion return to solve a number of testing puzzles and riddles. Gamers will have to solve the brainteasers to gain clues to the kidnappings, family secrets and conspiracies which are going on in the background.

Users are welcomed into a point a click world, where they can explore the surroundings with a simple tap on the screen.

Mr Wales said that the title packs “so much charm into its diminutive frame that gamers would be wise to give it a try”.

He added: “It is a richer sprightlier experience than before, despite doing little to tinker with an already winning formula.”

The previous version of Professor Layton was so popular that some gamers faced a two month wait to get their hands on a copy.

Sony’s revolutionary new PlayStation 3 (PS3) motion controller is set for a March 2010 release, according to a leaked document.

The Sega document is a summary of a meeting held between Sega and Sony Computer Entertainment America in August this year, which also highlighted the goal of selling between four and five million units of the controller.

Sony also revealed in the document that it is currently putting forward suggestions of games that would be suitable for integration with the new motion controller to prospective game publishers.

The electronics giant revealed its latest controller during a conference earlier this year and, much like the Wii remote, the device is a wireless stick, with the PlayStation’s Eye Camera tracking a purple ball mounted on top of the controller.

These movements are then mapped on screen at a ratio of one-to-one at an impressive speed of 60 frames per second.

Motion capture ability means that the controller can track movements to within seven mm, with speed and power of gestures also being recognised.

Online video rental service Netflix is hoping to bring its streaming service to users’ consoles and handheld devices.

Sony’s PlayStation 3, the Nintendo Wii and Apple’s iPhone have all been target by the Netflix project.

Reed Hastings, chief executive officer for the firm, told Reuters that the streaming service would be on all game consoles, Blu-ray players and internet TVs eventually.

Mr Hastings added that while it definitely have plans for Netflix to be launched in the App Store for iPhone and iTouch users, it would not be available in the short-term, instead choosing to concentrate on bringing the service to games consoles and TVs first.

If Netflix was to appear in the App Store, it would complement the mp3 service which has been offered by Spotify.

This lets users stream an infinite number of songs over their iPhone without having to download them onto the device.

iPhone users can download the app for free but have to pay a monthly £10 subscription to use the facility.

Sony Computer Entertainment America is in discussions with Sega to provide classic Dreamcast games to PlayStation 3 users.

Industry website MCVUK.com reported that Sony is considering signing a dedicated long-term exclusivity deal with Sega for the titles, in return for offering additional marketing support.

If the deal is completed, PlayStation 3 gamers would be able to download the Dreamcast titles digitally, through the PlayStation Network.

Sony is currently cherry-picking its preferred games which it would like to appear on the network and MCVUK.com reported that it is possible that Microsoft may snap up other titles to appear on its Live Arcade and Virtual Console.

The gaming website also reported that Sony was looking to bring the entire back catalogue of PlayStation 2 games to the PlayStation 3 network, as the trend of retro gaming continues to grow.

Some of the Dreamcast games which may appear through the download scheme could include favourites such as Sonic Adventure 2, Jet Grind Radio, Shenmue and Soul Calibur.

Console manufacturer Sony is hoping to bring the entire PlayStation 2 back-catalogue to the PlayStation Network, one website has claimed.

The move would give users the opportunity to download any game they wanted through the digital shop, rather like music lovers can with iTunes.

Gaming website MCVUK.com has obtained the information through a leaked document, which it says will add credibility to the many cynics who questioned Sony when they decided to remove PS2 backwards compatibility from its latest console.

This move meant that gamers could not use old PS2 disks in the PS3.

MCV says that the move to allow back catalogue downloads would prove unpopular with the retail sector as it would have a negative effect on PS2 console and game sales.

Games that could be made available through the network would include classics like Final Fantasy X, Metal Gear Solid 3, God of War II and Grand Theft Auto San Andreas, which all made Ign.com’s top five PS2 games of all time.

A new download gaming service will launch in the UK later this year and will allow users to download free-to-play and classic PC titles.

Eurogamer announced the initiative, called Get Games, which will see the firm link up with UK gaming industry veteran and Mastertronic boss Andy Payne.

Mr Payne said that he felt very optimistic for the PC as a gaming platform, with his Mastertronic company having sold more than 30 million units over the years.

He added: “We have been selling some of our products by download for the last five years and have gained vital experience in this space. By combining this experience with Eurogamer’s quality editorial content and eyeballs we feel we have a winning combination.”

Mastertronic currently has classic titles such as Tomb Raider The Greatest Raids, Worms 4 and the early versions of Championship Manager available for gamers to buy in its Sold Out range.

A new battery charger has been released for the Nintendo Wii console, which allows users to charge two controllers at once.

Penguin United’s ElectroFlow Induction Charger uses a combination of induction technology and lithium-ion batteries to charge the remote controls.

The special induction capabilities mean that they can be charged without having to remove the controller’s silicon jacket, which hides access to the battery compartment.

Each charging session will give gamers between eight and 14 hours of continuous play, while adapters such as Nunchucks and Motion Plus can also be left plugged into the bottom of the remotes.

Richard Huang, president of Penguin United, said that the ElectroFlow is a great addition to any Wii accessory arsenal.

He added: “Simply drop the remotes in the dock and it starts to charge instantly without metal contact points to line up and it charges straight through the remote jacket. Just drop it and charge it.”

Charging units such as the ElectroFlow system mean that gamers no longer have to keep a supply of batteries with them ready to swap when the power runs out. Controllers can also be charged overnight so that they are ready for gamers to use again the next day.

Sales of the new Apple Mac operating system Snow Leopard have outpaced previous iterations of the software, according to new figures.

Market research firm NPD reported that during the first two weeks of release it sold twice as many copies as the original version and four times as many as 2005’s Tiger software.

Stephen Baker, vice president of NPD, said: “Even though some considered Snow Leopard to be less feature-focused than the releases of Leopard or Tiger, the ease of upgrading to Snow Leopard and the affordable pricing made it a win-win for Apple computer owners.”

According to the firm, Snow Leopard’s sales momentum also extended beyond the initial first week burst, only seeing a 25 per cent decline in sales from week one to week two.

This compared to both Leopard and Tiger, where second week sales dropped more than 60 per cent from their first week on the market.

Apple claims that the new Snow Leopard Mac software is “better, faster and easier” to use, with refinements rather than reinventions being made on the previous version.

Sony’s UK managing director has slammed claims by a consumer rights programme over an issue with the ‘yellow light of death’ on the PlayStation 3 (PS3).

Ray Maguire has responded to the BBC’s Watchdog show which investigated allegations that Sony’s out of warranty repair service is unfair on consumers.

The ‘yellow light of death’ is a similar problem to the Xbox 360’s ‘red ring of death’, where the hard drive in the console fails to work.

However, Mr Maguire has calmed gamer’s fears in a letter to the BBC by saying that less than 0.5 per cent of UK PS3s have experienced the problem.

“We entirely refute the suggestion that PlayStation 3 consoles have an inherent defect or other design issue. The information that the BBC has provided suggests a fundamental misunderstanding of the technical issues and a mischaracterisation of Sony’s out of warranty repairs policy,” he said.

Sony currently offers an out of warranty PS3 repair service for £128 for anyone suffering with any console problems.