Things I recommend

Ry Cooder: Paradise and Lunch (1974)

Ry Cooder was one of a number of artists in the 70s who present a major challenge to anyone who would attempt to slot different music into neat, self-contained genres. Like Randy Newman and the McGarrigle Sisters, Cooder exploited the often murky demarcation lines that separate American popular music, mixing and matching country, jazz, blues, western and gospel to create a sort of ultimate, idealized America, that manages to be both iconic and original. Highlights include a sublime cameo by jazz pianist Earl Hines on the otherwise bluesy Ditty Wah Ditty, and an inspired interpretation of the 60s R&B hit, It's All Over Now.



Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis (1992)

Don't listen to any fanatical Sierra supporters - Lucasarts was the best, indeed arguably the only good developer of graphical adventure games in the early 90s. Fate of Atlantis was one of its very best, offering a story well worthy of the Indy series, with Nazi scientists, mysticism, camel chases, fistfights, balloon rides and an explosive finale. However, it is far more than an interactive movie - the gameplay does not disappoint, with puzzles that are never unsatisfying and always fit the logic of the Indy universe. The game's greatest gameplay triumph is its innovative three-path structure. At a critical point in the plot, Indy has to choose whether to follow the Fists, the Wits or the Team path, with each choice leading to a completely different series events. This not only creates an incentive to replay the game, but is an interesting way of looking at how we can solve the same basic problem in vastly different ways. Fate of Atlantis is probably the best introduction to the glories of classic Lucasarts, as familiar characters and the absence of surrealism make it a more welcoming experience than the bizarre worlds of Sam and Max or even Monkey Island.