Top 10 game locations for your summer holidays

Holiday brochures have a habit of talking up even the most inhospitable of locations. A unique apartment in the heart of the city centre could see you in a tawdry hovel in the backstreets of a Cairo refugee camp. So take heart that game publishers haven't yet started offering holidays to locations featured in their latest titles.

The following ten locations are taken from prominent handheld games we'd like to visit. Kind of. But remember, none of them are ABTA approved.

Ten game locations for your vacations

Curious Village, France from: Professor Layton and the Curious Village (DS) Tripadvisor comment: The hilarity began when we reached the front door. It says 'push' when it should say 'pull' A holiday inspired by this DS puzzler would be akin to a murder mystery weekend in Brittany. It would attract the kind of people who like wearing hats and believe everything in the The Da Vinci Code is real. As in the game, everything is a puzzle, from finding your room to ordering a newspaper using an elaborate sudoku-style grid. It becomes irksome very quickly. However, on day two things pick up when Mrs Frobisher (actually a floor manager from the Luton branch of Lidl) expires suddenly. But how come her tea smells funny and why is there a dead fish in her pocket?
The Wild, Wild West (Montana) GUN Showdown (PSP) Tripadvisor comment: Life is slower in The Wild West, especially if you use the Quickdraw slow-mo mode Yee haw! Plenty of holiday companies offer City Slicker-style breaks out in the Old West but could they live up to dusty, gory experience as depicted in Activision's GUN Showdown? Probably not, we're guessing, as these days instead of being allowed to shoot them as they ride out to plunder stage coaches, we're giving Native Americans our cash in their casinos. Maybe that's why GUN also has a Texas Hold 'em mini-game. Racial stereotypes aside though, the old timers' view on life-giving properties of whisky definitely wouldn't be tolerated in the health conscious US of A now.
USA (c.2037) Urban Attack (Mobile) Tripadvisor comment: White lines good. Black lines bad Forget Ibiza or Ayia Napa. If you really want to go on a serious head trip then look no further than the Tron-inspired Urban Attack. With funky vector graphics and Jean Michel Jarre-levels of synesthesia, this wireframe world would be the ideal place for electrofunk enthusiasts to lose themselves. Although set against a futuristic Cold War backdrop, the jumpsuited assassins who'll be jumping out on you might induce the odd hallucinogenic episode. Best fall into a K-hole and attempt to chill out those hardened agents by throwing some 'big fish, little fish, cardboard box' shapes before falling soundly asleep.
The Zone, Pripyat S.T.A.L.K.E.R: Shadow of Chernobyl (Mobile) Tripadvisor comment: Take leadblock, not sunblock This is a trip for those ghoulish types unable to travel through Poland without popping into Auschwitz. Yet, they may be disappointed to discover the beautifully bleak countryside surrounding the Chernobyl power plant in Ukraine. Despite an exclusion zone, visitors can also make their way to the museum that's mere metres from the damaged reactor number four to take snaps and buy T-shirts. The location of 'the Room' is where one's every desires are realised (those from Tarkovsky's Stalker film have yet to be realised, however), outside of a session at the local working mens club and copious amount of vodka, at least.
The North The Golden Compass (DS/PSP/mobile) Tripadvisor comment: Consult your alethiometer for the five-star truth No, this isn't Newcastle kind of North, but the extreme Arctic North as depicted in Phillip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy. Now, this sort of holiday is clearly not for everyone but if you want some bragging rights, and proof in the form of the odd blackened toe, then there are few more inhospitable places in the world (with the possible exception of Newcastle). Still, if the promise of a ride in a hydrogen balloon, larking around with armoured polar bears and finding your daemon is your idea of a good time, step right up and buy your ticket. If you're lucky, you might even end up blasted into a parallel universe.
The Holy Lands (c.1191) Assassin's Creed (DS) Tripadvisor comment: We enjoyed it so much, we came back eight times Think Iraq and Afghanistan are wars for modern wossies? Then sharpen up your broadsword and take a swing at the Crusades with your personal guide, Altair. There's been warfare aplenty here for hundreds of year and your travels will take you to fortresses in scenic locations such as Tyre, Acre as well as Jerusalem. The locals are very friendly. Everytime they see a Christian, they'll start waving their swords and shouting in foreign tongues, and if they capture you, they'll welcome you into the Muslim faith. No, really, they'll insist. And we know your hospitality will be equally forthright in return. This place is positively infidelic.
Lochmarne, Ireland Broken Sword: The Shadow of the Templars (GBA) Tripadvisor comment: Deciding which is better, Murphys or Guinness, is always a highlight Sprinkle a bit of fairy dust on your life by visiting the Emerald Isle. The little village of Lochmarne is so traditional that if you didn't know better it could seem like an invention (of the tourist board, of course). Items of interest include a nice little pub (so remember to buy all the locals a drink to encourage their memories), and a mysterious ruined castle. But your visit to Ireland won't be complete until you've fixed the pumps in the pub's cellar, climbed over the castle walls and found the secret spiral staircase.
Los Angeles (c.1979) Hotel Dusk: Room 215 (DS) Tripadvisor comment: It wasn't relaxing but I made some life discoveries Travel back to the time of Three Mile Island, gay rights and the Iranian hostage crisis, and experience a Whodunit murder mystery you won't forget in a hurry. There's missing daughters, double-crossing partners as well as major crime syndication, and the room service's to die for. Yes, Hotel Dusk may not feature in any Zagat guide but it certainly has a characteristic charm and the paintings on the walls have a certain 'je ne sais quoi'. So pick up your stylus and write out a cheque today and ask for Room 215. You might just get what you're looking for.
London Gangs of London (PSP) Tripadvisor comment: Nasty and brutal. If you're not careful, you're liable to shoot yourself in the foot Gangs of the world, come to London. This multi-racial melting pot (we currently have Chinese, Russian, Caribbean and Pakistani crews rubbing up alongside our own indigenous bad boys) offers plenty of opportunities. Whether you're interested in a quick buck, a hit and run, or a full-out drug war, we can find a location that will match your holiday expectations. You can also relax in our world famous pubs, with mini-games like darts, pool and skittles. But always remember we drive on the wrong side of the road and because of defective vehicle physics, our cars handle like juggernauts.
Hades God of War: Chains of Olympus (PSP) Tripadvisor comment: They're not too fussy at passport control and it's warm all year round Let's face it, many holidays end up being more trouble than they're worth so why not cut to the chase and go directly to Hell? The underworld comes with some splendid sight-seeing gems: Cerberus, the river Styx, the Temple of Persephone and the odd harpy or two. The food, while palatable, generally has a chargrilled aftertaste but at least the nightlife is lively. The main problem with this destination is that once you enter it's a little difficult to escape, a bit like Heathrow Terminal 5, in fact. We also strongly advise against bringing your daughter along.