Locust swarms 'high' on serotonin

It is one of nature's most radical transformations - the moment a crowd of harmless desert locusts begins to swarm into a devastating plague.

Now scientists from the UK and Australia say they have discovered the trigger - the brain chemical serotonin.

The molecule is best known in humans as a target of anti-depressant drugs.

The discovery could lead to new control strategies for the pests, which plague 20% of the world's land, they write in Science journal.

Desert locusts are known to swarm by the billions, inflicting severe hardship on farmers in parts of Africa, China and other areas.

But the insects actually spend much of their life in a harmless, "solitary" phase.

Passive aggressive

When food runs short, they slowly become clustered together and enter their "gregarious" phase, culminating in an aggressive swarm.

Swarms can devastate crops and cause serious economic hardship

Prior to swarming, the locusts undergo a series of dramatic physical changes - their body colour darkens and their muscles grow stronger.

To find out the chemical signal that triggers this metamorphosis, scientists from Oxford University, Cambridge University and Sydney University began monitoring locusts in the laboratory.

They triggered the gregarious behaviour by tickling the beasts' hind legs, to simulate the jostling they experience in a crowd.

They found that locusts behaving the most gregariously (in swarm-mode) had approximately three times more serotonin in their systems than their calm, solitary comrades.

"The question of how locusts transform their behaviour in this way has puzzled scientists for almost 90 years," said co-author Dr Michael Anstey, from Oxford University.

"We knew the [physical] stimuli that cause locusts' amazing Jekyll and Hyde-style transformation.

Gregarious locusts (L) and solitary (R) were once thought to be different species

"But nobody had been able to identify the changes in the nervous system that turn antisocial locusts into monstrous swarms.

"Now we finally have the evidence to provide an answer."

Happy co-incidence

The team say their finding opens up a new idea for a locust control strategy - a chemical that inhibits serotonin and thus converts swarming locusts back to their solitary phase.

In humans, by contrast, keeping serotonin levels high is the aim of many anti-depressant drugs.

"Serotonin profoundly influences how we humans behave and interact," said co-author Dr Swidbert Ott, from Cambridge University.

"So to find that the same chemical is what causes a normally shy, antisocial insect to gang up in huge groups is amazing."

Obama 'set to close Guantanamo'

GUANTANAMO BAY Q&A: Guantanamo detentions 'Struggle' over Guantanamo

US President Barack Obama is expected to sign an executive order to close the Guantanamo Bay prison within a year.

A draft order circulated on Wednesday also called for halting military trials in the prison, where terror suspects had been held for years without trial.

Separate orders are expected to ban abusive interrogations and review the detention of terror suspects.

On his first full day in office on Wednesday, Mr Obama issued orders on government ethics and transparency.

The measures included curbs on lobbying and a pay freeze for senior White House staff. Federal employees will have to sign up to new ethics procedures.

Later Mr Obama and his advisers are expected to discuss the global economic downturn affecting the US and also the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.

Sworn again

Late on Wednesday, a panel in the House of Representatives gave its support to a $358bn government spending package, giving the first post-inaugural backing to the Democrats' economic plans.

Obama sworn in for second time

Mr Obama - who was sworn in as America's new president on Tuesday - said he was beginning "a new era of openness" in government.

He was sworn in for a second time late on Wednesday, because one word had been out of order when the oath was first administered.

The White House said the ceremony had been repeated in an "abundance of caution".

On Wednesday, the US Senate confirmed the appointment of Hillary Clinton as secretary of state.

Senators earlier approved six Cabinet members, including Janet Napolitano as homeland security secretary and Steven Chu as energy secretary. Several other positions are still to be confirmed.

Trials suspended

The draft executive order on the Guantanamo Bay in Cuba was circulated by the Obama administration on Wednesday.

Obama diary: The first 100 days Born on Obama's inauguration day In pictures: Obama's first full day

"The detention facilities at Guantanamo for individuals covered by this order shall be closed as soon as practicable, and no later than one year from the date of this order," the draft read, according to Reuters.

It says anyone still in detention when the prison is shut "shall be returned to their home country, released, transferred to a third country or transferred to another United States detention facility".

Speaking on condition of anonymity, a White House official said the order would be signed on Thursday.

Mr Obama has repeatedly promised to close the Guantanamo Bay, where some 250 inmates accused of having links to terrorism remain and 21 cases are pending.

On Wednesday, judges suspended several of the military trials of terror suspects at Guantanamo, at Mr Obama's request. One trial involved several men accused in the 11 September attacks in the US.

The legal process has been widely criticised because the US military acts as jailer, judge and jury, the BBC's Jonathan Beale reports from Guantanamo.

However, closing Guantanamo Bay will not be easy, he says. Questions remain over where those charged will be tried and where those freed can be safely sent.

On Thursday, Mr Obama is also expected to issue a separate executive banning abusive interrogation techniques such as waterboarding - a form of simulating drowning used by the CIA.

The president is also expected to order a review of America's detention policies, a White House official said.

Satyam Board To MeetTtoday

The six-member Board of Satyam will begin a crucial two-day meet in Hyderabad on Thursday in an effort to steer the company away from the current crisis following the Rs 7,800 crore financial fraud.

The meeting is the third since the disclosure of the fraud by its head Ramalinga Raju. The Board has the important task of appointing Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, the two key posts being looked at for reviving the company.

Meanwhile, the police custody of Ramalinga Raju, the disgraced former head of the company, also ends on Thursday.

Four petitions will come up in Nampally court in Hyderabad on Thursday morning. Those are the CID extension for police custody, Raju's bail petition, SEBI petition to be able to question Raju and Raju's petition for special status inside prison.

Indian help in 26/11 probe welcome: Pak

Islamabad, Jan 18: Asserting that all the "culprits" behind the Mumbai attacks "must be apprehended", Pakistan on Sunday said Indian investigators will "be more than welcomed" to help in its probe into the terror strikes.

Interior Ministry chief Rehman Malik also said anyone found to be involved in the "heinou" attacks would be prosecuted under the country's anti-terror laws.

Malik's comments came a day after he acknowledged that the evidence about Mumbai terror attacks given to Pakistan by India contained "leads and good clues".

"All the culprits (involved in the Mumbai attacks) must be apprehended. Who will support such acts?" he told reporters in Lahore today after a meeting to brief opposition PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif and his brother, Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, about Pakistan's probe.

Earlier, during an interview with Geo News channel, Malik said Pakistan's investigations into the Mumbai attacks are being conducted under the country's laws and the government will not accept any foreign pressure in this regard.

He said no assistance would be sought from foreign countries though Indian investigators will "be more than welcomed" to help in the probe.

"Pakistan is very open and the inquiry officers have been bestowed with full powers to fulfil their task," Malik said.

India should reciprocate Pakistan's gestures in the same spirit and allow Pakistani investigators to travel to the neighbouring country, he indicated. The Pakistani inquiry "cannot proceed without the provision of legally tangible evidence", he remarked.

If anyone is found to be involved in the "heinous" attacks, the person would be prosecuted under Pakistan's Anti-Terrorism Act, the interior ministry chief said.

Malik also told the channel that if India persisted with its demand for the extradition of Pakistani nationals allegedly linked to the Mumbai attacks, Pakistan would seek the handing over of persons involved in the 2007 bombing of the Samjhauta Express train.

After reports appeared in Indian media suggesting a possible link of the Malegaon blast accused with the train attack, political leaders here have been saying that the government should seek the extradition of Indian nationals, including Col S K Purohit, for the bombing of the cross-border train that killed nearly 70 people, including Pakistanis.

"If the Indian demand for handing over the accused in the Mumbai attacks persisted, then the accused of the Samjhauta Express case might be asked for" by Pakistan, Malik said.

Replying to a question about Indian fears of Talibanisation of the region, he urged Indian authorities to share their findings in this regard with Pakistan and cooperate with it in its bid to exterminate terrorism and extremism from South Asia.

He also said Pakistan is part of the world community and a member of various international forums and is thus bound to fulfil its international obligations.

Malik told the media in Lahore that action had also been taken against outlawed groups like the Jamaat-ud-Dawah by the provincial government of Punjab.

"Don't forget, (the Jamaat's headquarters at) Muridke is in Punjab (and) major action has been taken by the government of Punjab," he said.

Malik said he would meet leaders of other political parties soon to brief them on Pakistan's probe into the Mumbai attacks.

'Raju' Stood Like Real 'Raju'

We are not taking the meaning of caste here. We say Satyam Rama Linga Raju stood as real Raju (King), say many in AP. He has given the credit of his success to his employees and others those helped him, but carried every black mark on his shoulders with confession. It is true that he committed fraud. But a human being needs more guts to accept the fraud in public. Raju could do that. Just look at the past. Ramoji Rao never confessed that he has done a criminal act in the case of Margadarsi issue. Still he is finding ways to escape with minimal loss. Same is the case with Krushi bank Venkateshwara Rao. He too never confessed about his crime. Chandrababu never confessed that he betrayed his father in law for political gains. He still tries to laud NTR and wishes to justify his acts. Andhra Jyothy Radha Krishna never confessed and said how he owned Andhra Jyothy just being a reporter. He never reveals those property games. PV Narasimha Rao never confessed about his scams. Ramesh Gelli too was silent after GTB collapse. No convict dared to open mouth before public like Satyam Rama Lingaraju. Hence, although the doyen of software or the man behind bars, Raju is Raju. Like lion is a lion even it's in forest or zoo. Hence Ramalinga Raju is getting huge sympathy wave across the state. But still as Raju himself said, he has to live as per the law of land.

SMS Fun On Satyam Raju

Here’s more on Satyam and this time the SMS jokes that best reflected last week’s Satyam headlines. One SMS joke went as: “Raju Raju: yes papa, cheating the world: no papa, telling lies: no papa, open balance sheet: ha ha ha’’. Well, there was another that tickled many funny bones. “Raju Raju sat on the wall. Raju Raju had a great wall. Balance sheet died. Shareholders cried. Raju Raju made a fraud.’’ Dark humour?

Slumdog Millionaire wins 4 Golden Globe Awards

Slumdog Millionaire took home four awards, including best dramatic film

Slumdog Millionaire, a rags-to-riches tale of an improbable winner of game show Who Wants to be a Millionaire, has swept the Golden Globe awards.

British director Danny Boyle's film won four trophies, including those for best film and best director.

Best original score composer AR Rahman became the first Indian to win a Globe and Simon Beaufoy won best screenplay.

The Globes are often regarded as an indicator of the films and actors who are favoured to win at the Oscars.

'Love song'

Collecting his award, Boyle thanked the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, the organisers of the awards.

"Your mad, pulsating affection for our film is much appreciated," he said as he collected his individual award.

Rahman winning the award will take India on to a different platform Madhur Bhandarkar, filmmaker

"The film was made from the heart, really. We never expected to be here."

Boyle has described the film as "a love song" to Mumbai (Bombay) - the Indian city where it is set.

The composer of Slumdog's score, AR Rahman, has been described as the Mozart of Madras by Time magazine.

Madhur Bhandarkar, who has made several movies on the seamier side of Mumbai, said the recognition of Slumdog was "absolutely great".

"It is an excellent film which depicts real poverty and real life in India. Moreover, Rahman winning the award will take India on to a different platform. His music was internationally recognised but now it will be different."

Rafique Baghdadi, film critic, said it was "great news for Indian film industry", adding: "We will have Indian script writers working with filmmakers abroad soon."

AR Rahman is one of India's most celebrated composers

Actor and social activist Gerson Da Cunha said it was "extraordinary that it takes a foreigner to make a true, inventive film about Mumbai".

"This is a film which has raw material and facts fired by creative imagination."

The film's story revolves around Mumbai 18-year-old Jamal Malik, played by Dev Patel, who wins the jackpot on Kaun Banega Crorepati, the Hindi version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?

Jamal participates in the game show not for money but to reach his missing girlfriend Latika, played by Freida Pinto.

She is a devoted fan of the show and watches it without fail.

But when he wins the jackpot, he is suspected of cheating.

The film stars well-known Bollywood actors Anil Kapoor and Irfan Khan.

On Friday the film swept the Critics' Choice Awards in California, winning five prizes, including best film, best director and best composer.

Nominations for the Oscars will be announced on 22 January.

Satyam Ramalinga Raju declared "420"

"Satyam" Ramalinga Raju has at last been declared "420," a figure which is normally mentioned in the case of cheaters and frauds. The police, which formally arrested Ramalinga Raju and his brother Rama Raju, filed cases against them under Indian Penal Code section 420 for cheating the investors and clients with fraudulent accounts and forged documents. Apart from this section, cases were also filed under IPC sections 120b (Criminal conspiracy), 409 (misuse of funds), 417 (falsification of records) and 468 (forgery). If proven guilty, Rajus would have to face imprisonment ranging from seven years to life sentence. The Rajus would be produced in the court on Saturday and would be sent to judicial custory for two weeks. However, Ramalinga Raju is likely to avoid going behind the bars, as he has already complained of chest pain. Doctors from Care Hospitals have been summoned to the DGP office, where Raju surrendered to the police, to provide him medical assistance. "We will request for hospitalization, once the legal procedure is followed," his lawyer Bharat Kumar said.

Palm unveils smartphone at show

Palm unveiled the Pre at the Venetian hotel and casino in Las Vegas

Handheld computing veteran Palm has unveiled its Pre smartphone at CES.

The touchscreen handset runs a web-centric operating system that aims to help people organise and manage their many online contacts and identities.

The device is widely seen as a competitor to rival smartphones such as the iPhone, Blackberry, N97 and G1.

The gadget will be available on the Sprint network in the US before June 2009. Palm has not said when it will debut in other nations.

Palm showed off the Pre at a lavish press conference at the Venetian hotel and casino in Las Vegas.

Online lives

Introducing the Pre, Jon Rubinstein, executive chairman of Palm, said the rise of the smartphone signalled a significant "transition" in what people expected from their handset.

Rather than just take and make calls, he said, people wanted their phones to act as a co-ordinating centre for their online lives.

"The opportunity is to take all of that information wherever it is and put it all in one place - in your hands," he said.

Palm's history meant it was well placed to create a gadget to fulfil this need, said Mr Rubinstein.

In the late 1990s Palm was synonymous with handheld gadgets thanks to the success of its iconic Palm Pilot line and follow-on products such as the Treo.

"The next wave is likely mobile devices and Palm's DNA is mobile and always has been," said Mr Rubinstein, who joined Palm from Apple where he was influential in creating the hugely popular iPod portable music player.

Thumb swipe

As well as a touchscreen that lets owners scroll through lists, zoom in on pictures or control media with a finger touch, the Pre also has a "gesture area" below the screen on the lower part of the phone.

Performing gestures, such as a thumb swipe, on this area owners perform other tasks, such as bringing up a main menu, without having to obscure what is on screen.

The device also has a slide out Qwerty keyboard, removable battery, three megapixel camera and 8MB of memory on board.

The Pre also comes with a "touchstone" so it can be recharged wirelessly.

Doing the hard work onboard the Pre is the Palm Web OS - formerly called Nova - that is based around common web technologies such as HTML and Javascript.

This allows applications on the phone to run concurrently and also organises all the information accessed via the handset.

For instance, when users visit sites such as GMail, Facebook and others the phone grabs copies of contacts then compiles a master address book of all the people someone knows and the ways to contact them.

'Different places'

But, said Palm boss Ed Colligan, the software does not force owners to mash all their contacts together.

"Our lives live in different places on the net," said Mr Colligan, "a lot of people do want to simplify their lives but they want to keep the info in those silos."

He said the device was not intended to be connected and updated via a PC. Instead, he said, it assumes that it will connect to the net.

It can be linked to a PC to allow owners to transfer data or load content from partners.

Also due is an applications store that will be populated with software from third-party developers.

Distribution network

Despite the positive reception the Pre won, Mr Colligan acknowledged that there was much more to making it a success than just making gadgets.

"This is a point in time," said Mr Colligan, "we can celebrate for a day but the reality is that we have to ship the product and build our distribution network."

Already, he said, Palm had drawn up plans for a whole product line that would be rolled out over the coming months.

All the devices would bear Palm's name and be wholly Palm products, he said.

"If you do not make the hardware those kind of fundamental design things like the gesture area do not get incorporated into it," he said.

Satyam Aims To Continue Business, Protect Staff

HYDERABAD: The interim managers of tainted Satyam Computer on Thursday said they were talking to clients to continue serving them, even as the Chief Financial Officer Valdamani Srinivas quit abruptly.
Interim CEO Ram Mynampati declared that the liquidity and cash-in-hand were not encouraging, although the company managed to pay December'08 salaries to its 53,000 employees.

"Some outstanding payment to vendors is yet to be made... we are verifying the liquidity and balancesheet... we have to raise liquidity in near term and are confident of raising it," said Mynampati, while adding that his appointment was legal.

On the conduct of auditor PriceWaterhouseCoopers, he said: "We have not verified what process PwC took to certify financial statements. We are not yet in touch with them."

On the financial irregularities disclosed by former Satyam Chairman Ramalinga Raju, Mynampati said the team was not yet in a position to answer these issues, as it is still ascertaining disclosures made by Ramalinga Raju and trying to correct financial irregularities.

He said the regulatory bodies have already started their inspection and a team of market regulator SEBI was in Satyam talking to associates.

CFO Srinivas, who Mynampati said was expected in office within a week, sent in his resignation during the course of the press conference — dealing a blow to efforts to hold the top leadership team intact.

The board will decide on accepting his resignation at a meeting on January 10.

Satyam Computer Services is speaking to its top 100 clients individually, and has received expressions of support from key customers, its interim CEO said.

"Our only aim at this time is to ensure that the business continues," Mynampati told reporters at a news conference.

Another top priority for the company was to protect employees' careers, said Mynampati.

He said the company would help investigating agencies and had launched a process to assess its financial position.

The Satyam board relied on audited data on revenue and had no inkling about the fraud, said Satyam interim CEO Ram Mynampati.

The company is in the process of identifying new candidates for the board, said Mynampati.

Mynampati said that the aim was to ensure complete transparency and smooth transition of the leadership.

Coming up Election Battle

Raju resigns, admits fraud, Satyam books cooked up

Satyam Computers founder and chairman Ramalinga Raju had resigned from the Satyam board.



Raju has written a letter to the board giving details of the balance sheet. Balance Sheet has inflated cash balances of Rs 5040 crore and accrued interest of Rs 376 crore is non-existent. Rs 1230 crore was arranged to Satyam and is not reflected in the books

While Ram Myanpati will act as Interim CEO, Merrill Lynch can be entrusted to explore.

As per the revelations, second Quarter numbers were inflated to Rs 2700 crore vs Rs 2112 crore actual numbers. No board member had any knowledge of the real situation of the books.

Shares in Satyam Computer shed all gains to turn negative after the embattled Indian outsourcer said its chairman has resigned from the board. Shares were down 16.81 percent at 149 rupees. (11.22 a.m.)

Incidentally, a Satyam board meeting is scheduled for December 29. According to analysts, Raju's resignation wouldn't make much of a difference to investors. "He is not to be blamed alone...the responsibility lies with the entire board. It was a unanimous decision and this board is in no place to decide on the issue," said Prabhudas Leeladhar analyst Apurva Shah.

Satyam fraud clouds corporate governance of India Inc

Chairman B. Ramalinga Raju’s admission that Satyam Computer Services Ltd’s Balance Sheet was completely fabricated got the stock
crashing down by 66.5 per cent to Rs 60 from Wednesday’s high of Rs 188.70. .
The share hit a low of Rs 58, as details of the extent of fraud perpetrated by the promoters shook the stock market and cast a grim cloud over the corporate practices of companies.

The BSE Sensex crashed 470.23 points or 4.55 per cent to 9,865.70, after rising to a high of 10,469.72 earlier Wednesday. Investors aggressively cut their positions. The BSE IT Index plunged 7.70 per cent and BSE Realty tumbled 11.20 per cent.
IT and other sectoral stocks were beaten down badly as the Satyam fraud raised question over corporate governance of other companies also, especially IT.

“The sectors which have done extraordinary well in a very short span of time such as IT and realty attracted distrust as Satyam's case has made investors uncomfortable about these companies,” said Kapil Shah, analyst with DBM Wealth Management.

The Satyam fiasco has left a big question mark on corporate governance in India while sending a negative signal to the foreign institutional investors, analysts said.

Manish Sonthalia, VP – equity strategy, Motilal Oswal, said, “It is shocking! It has maligned India’s image before the FIIs. In view of the current event, a lot of new regulations are expected in the near term by the regulators. Balance Sheets will be scrutinized meticulously.”

The Satyam story poses a big question over the credibility of auditors in general, as PricewaterhouseCoopers was auditor of the company. The bankers to Satyam included Bank of Baroda, BNP Paribas, ICICI, HDFC, Citi Bank, HSBC.

Anita Gandhi, head-institutional business, Arihant Capital, said, “The Indian technology industry was a very important driver for the country's stock market for nearly a decade. Satyam's fraud is expected to lead a severe blow to the entire industry with investors being more cautious going ahead. This raises serious questions on the entire due diligence process conducted by the auditors of Satyam. What is more surprising is the chairman's confession after his resignation. This means, all along, he did have vested interest in keeping the investors in darkness.”

Raju’s letter to the company board revealed a fraud of unprecedented proportions. He states that Satyam’s balance sheet as on Sep 30, 2008, carries an inflated (non-existent) cash and bank balances of Rs 5,040 crore (as against Rs 5,361 reflected in the books).

Further, it carries an accrued interest of Rs 376 crore which is non-existent. The books carry an understated liability of Rs 1,230 crore on account of funds arranged by Raju, and an over stated debtors position of Rs 490 crore (as against Rs 2,651 crore in the books).
For the second quarter ended Sep 30, 2008, Satyam reported a revenue of Rs 2,700 crore and an operating margin of Rs 649 crore (24% of
revenues) as against the actual revenues of Rs 2,112 crore and an actual operating margin of Rs 61 crore (3% of revenues). This has resulted in artificial cash and bank balances going up by Rs 588 crore in the second quarter alone.

Ankit Sinha, CEO-Spark Advisory, said, “The sentimental impact that was seen across the board was but obvious as the Chairman of Satyam which was one of the reputed company revealed the horrifying internal facts. There are also rumours that the October quarter profit shown by Satyam was inflated. There may not be much impact on the other IT companies and one may see Infosys or TCS go up in next trading sessions. However, if IT companies lower their guidance for the current quarter one may see their stocks plunging in near term.”

Amitabh Chakraborty, President – Equity, Religare, said, “Investors now need to pursue due diligence before investing in a company. Take a careful look at the cash position in the balance sheet. Enquire with the bankers.”

Review Of Ghajini - The Game

By Roy Daniel D'Silva, January 3, 2009 - 10:45 IST

Watch Ghajini - The Game promo

Finally the buzz around the release of the latest Aamir Khan starrer Ghajini has just toned down. The film makers were all set to take Indian film making to the next level with a supporting full fledged 3D computer game based on the movie. This brings us to the game that is touted to be the first Indian Action 3D game - which it is not, the first 3D full fledged game made by an Indian Gaming Studio was Bhagat Singh.

The Mission/Storyline
Who is "GHAJINI"? For one man who has nothing left in his life, it is the end of a long road. Sanjay's last memory is the brutal murder of his girlfriend Kalpana and her last whispered word - "Ghajini". Will he find what he is looking for and avenge her murder? Experience the story through the unique perspective of a man who forgets but does not forgive. Experience his panic and paranoia as he comes to grips with his condition and tries to make sense of a world that is rapidly fading. Help him piece together the fragments of his life by sneaking into heavily guarded buildings searching for a reason to go on. Join him as he fights against those who have taken away his past, leaving a trail of destruction in his wake. Find out what lies at the end of that road.

Character(s)
Sanjay is the protagonist of the game. His girlfriend Kalpana has been murdered by someone powerful who is trying to bury the truth. After an injury to the head, he developed a form of short term memory loss where he can't form any new memories. His last memory is the word "Ghajini" from his dying girlfriend's lips. Now his mission is to find out what that word means.

Artwork
The artwork is dark and crisp, totally relevant to the concept of the movie. The artwork will remind players of the artwork found in comic books by Indrajal, like Bahadur, of course, we would have to be in the age range of 25-30 to have this connect.

User Interface/Controls
The user interface is pretty bland and commonplace, with players provided with just the health bar and the inventory bar. What this game seriously lacks is a map, especially in the beginning levels, where the main protagonist has to move stealthily from corner to corner.

Gameplay
The gameplay is quite engaging and engrossing, but because of the insane difficulty that is Ghajini - The Game, it does leave a bitter taste in the mouth at the end of it. The game designers should understand that there is a very low pixel count between engrossing and frustrating and this game diddle daddles around that count.

Check out the screenshots of the game

What Does the Game Lack, anyway?
The game lacks ingame options like Save and Quick Save, which does not make any sense in 2008, we all have good enough virtual memory to run ten softwares together, forget saving games whenever we want.

Also, the game sleeve is quite harsh about the minimum requirements and system requirements, but the end product seems like its just dusting the resources of your NVIDIA 7 or 8 series. We did not get the NVIDIA 8 series to see a low polygon bush without bump mapping or a torchlight that looks like a bouquet of flowers - sorry, but its just not done.

The events and puzzles in the game will again remind players of several games that they have been playing, so simply put, there is no WOW factor in the gameplay for this one.

Characterisation
To be very frank, it may seem that the Team A was sent to 'tackle' the characters and Team B was sent to 'take care' of the scenario and other backgrounds. Everyone, from the main protagonist to the cops is well made and is detailed out. If you find yourself saying 'bribe the cop and get out', you know that the character artists have won the day!

Sound
Make no mistake about it, Aamir Khan has give it all to his (first?) voice over assignment, but we have heard better, and that's his problem. Aamir Khan tries and succeeds in inducing the pathos of a 'wronged person', but its Mother Nature that plots against him when it comes to his voice in the game. Our ears are more trained to hear the baritonish voice of Hugh Jackman, or the gruff voice of Bruce Willis, or the cent percent baritone of Amitabh Bachchan as that of the 'wronged one' and the 'against the system' guy.

Excluding that, the game is almost stunning in terms of sound. All voice-overs are perfectly done. The background music is another highpoint of the game. However, with such a great music score, we'd like the background music to be more prominent in the game.

Download Ghajini - The Game wallpapers

Fun Factor
Would you have fun playing this game? Frankly speaking, the game is very tough. Of course, if you have liked the movie and you treat the game as just a add-on to the movie

Overall
Yes, we will find ourselves saying that we should not compare Ghajini with the other games, but it is time for Indian Gaming Studios to wake up and smell the coffee. We came in the race very late, but that does not mean that they can get away with such unpardonable acts like Ghajini - the Game.

Minimum System Requirements
Windows* XP SP2 with admin rights*
Intel* Pentium* 4 2.4 GHz+ or equivalent 1 GB RAM
Intel* G965**, NVIDIA Geforce* 6600 or ATI Radeon* X800 With 256 MB Video Memory
1 GB Free Hard Drive Space
OpenAL / DirectX* 9.0c compliant Audio
* Compatible with Windows Vista
** Compatible with Intel Integrated Graphics Chipset G965 and above (may require additional RAM for Shared Video Memory)


Price: Rs. 199

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