Reader Review of the Month

Spring has officially sprung. The daffodils are blooming, the bunnies are frolicking in the fields and a fresh new batch of reader reviews is hatching down in the barn, just next to where the lambs are being herded onto the abattoir lorry.

There are some strong contenders for Reader Review of the Month this time around. Honourable mentions go to Mark 1412 for his take on Super Meat Boy, and Bob Foc, who reviewed Sid Meier's Civilization V.

But this month's top prize goes to...

Bobby_P's review of Digger Simulator 2011

Here's an excerpt, but it's well worth reading the full banana.

"There is something to the lazy repetition of the digging, you see, something soothing, almost meditative. You dig, you putter, you dig some more... The hours drift by, and you're reminded of those hazy afternoons of childhood, sat outside absorbed in some meaningless task, the light fading, the sounds of your dad chopping carrots blending with the voices of football commentators on the radio..."

Picking the winner this month was Eurogamer deputy editor Ellie Gibson. "I was very impressed by the eloquence and comprehensiveness of Bob Foc's Civ V review. And I thought Mark 1412 did a superb job of summing up what it is about Super Meat Boy that can make you love and hate the game at the same time," she says.

"But Bobby_P just pipped it. He managed to hold my interest for the entire article, despite the fact it's about a game called Digger Simulator 2011. I loved the scene-setting intro, the excellent observations about why games like this keep us absorbed, and the thing about carrots. An original, informative and entertaining piece of writing, as I would probably say if I was a guest on Newsnight Review which is my biggest dream after being the first games journalist to go on Dancing on Ice."

Congratulations, Bobby_P! There's probably a prize for you knocking about here somewhere.

If you think you could do better, why not get involved and submit your own reader review? Good luck.