Stuck in Jak or Soul Calibur?

If you were one of the many people who bought a copy of Jak II over the weekend, then the chances are you're starting to get close to the tougher meat of the game - we wish you particular good luck with the respawning guard sections - and may be in need of a helping hand.

Fortunately, as you may have spotted on the little leaflet that Sony snuck into the game box, there's an official, 166-page strategy guide available from specialist publisher Piggyback for just £9.99, and now you can get a taste of that guide by checking out 12 free pages at http://www.authorisedcollection.com/.

Also available on the site are samples from other game guides including Soul Calibur II, Kingdom Hearts and the Final Fantasy titles. Of course, you could just pop along to GameFAQs for free advice, but unless printing paper grows on trees where you come from [er -Ed], you'd probably prefer one of these reasonably priced booklets on your coffee table.

Better yet, your other half, parents, kids or warden will almost certainly appreciate your openly proactive approach to getting games out of the way, as it frees you up to spend more time with them. Unfortunately, none of the guides include tips for getting them to leave you alone. We suggest foul language, uncontained flatulence and beer-soaked T-shirts.