crunchynutta

M & S Fruit, Nuts & Seeds Cereal Bar

2013-05-01T16:37:00.000+01:00

Today I have for you a review of the M & S Fruit, Nuts & Seeds cereal bars. They are part of the Guilt Free Snacking range that offers sweet and savoury snacks, each portion being under 150 calories. The bars comes in boxes of 5, each weighing 24g. The main cereal portion consists of rolled oats, toasted wheat flakes and crisped rice, all compressed into a soft, moist bar. Golden syrup, honey and plum add flavouring to the bar. Scattered throughout the bar are generous portions of dried fruit including plums, apples and golden sultanas. You'll also find pumpkin seeds and Brazil nuts in each bar. All these flavours combine to make a lovely sweet tasting bar, filled with fruit. Unfortunately you may not tell from the photos but the bar is very small, especially compared to most other cereal bars. You're lucky if you get any more than 3 bites out of this one. I've noticed that M & S foods are very detailed with their labelling, providing plenty of useful information regarding the ingredients, nutritional information and particular allergy information. The box shows M & S's eat well sunflower logo. This means 'Wherever you see the eat well sunflower, you know you've chosen a healthier option' - we shall see about that below.
Another flavour available is Apple & Cinnamon, also part of the guilt free snacking range.

Nutritional Information

Each bar is only 91 calories. Most of the sugars present will be from natural from the dried fruit. Fats are also very low only counting for 3.7% of your GDA. Since the bar is small you don't really get much fibre or protein. The bar contains a prebiotic - Fructose-Oligosaccharide - this helps to increase the numbers of good bacteria in the gut. The bar contains no artificial colours or flavourings.

Taste Rating	7/10
Nutritional Rating	7/10

Link: Eat Well: M & S Healthy Eating Range

Link: M & S Guilt Free Snacking

Quaker Oat So Simple Bar - Strawberry & Yoghurt

2013-04-18T10:43:00.001+01:00

This is a review of the Strawberry & Yoghurt flavour Oat So Simple Morning Bar made by Quaker Oats. I'm reviewing the multipack version of the bar which comes in boxes of 5. Like most other Quaker products, its main ingredient is rolled oats, if you're not keen on oats stay away. In addition to the oats the bar is held together with glucose syrup similar in structure and taste to your typical flapjack, though probably not as sweet or greasy. This particular flavour contains small freeze dried strawberry pieces and yoghurt flavour throughout. You don't really notice the pieces when eating, probably because they're only 1% of the ingredients. Instead you just get a sweet strawberry yoghurt taste throughout the bar. Quaker give you 35g of cereal bar which is a decent amount and you can probably tell from the pictures. With its size and high fibre oats it should definitely get you through the morning and maybe even to a late lunch.
Oat So Simple morning bars are also available in the following flavours:
- Fruit Muesli
- Golden Syrup
- Honey & Almond
- Raspberry & Pomegranate

Nutritional Information

For a morning snack the bar is quite substantial, and calories are a little higher than most alternatives. What is beneficial are the bar's low levels of fats and sugars, only 5.6g of the 25g carbohydrates are sugars and fats at less than 5% of your GDA. Consisting mainly of wholegrain oats the bar manages to have a healthy 3g of fibre and should easily keep you full till lunch. Another great benefit is the bar's 3.2g of protein making up for 14% of your GDA.

Taste Rating	7/10
Nutritional Rating	8/10

Bar website: Quaker Morning Bars

Silent Hill - Not Tomorrow

2013-03-22T13:30:00.002Z

This week's videogame theme is being played by Lara6683 on piano. It is the song Not Tomorrow from the game Silent Hill. Its also known as Lisa's theme.

Kellogg's Coco Pops Snack Bar

2013-03-20T13:30:00.001Z

Today I have for you my final review of the Kellogg's snack range, the Coco Pops Snack Bar. It is a bar consisting of toasted rice, chocolate flavoured, upon a milky base layer. The flavour is very similar to the breakfast cereal. The bar is satisfyingly thick and crispy. The chocolate flavour is not overly sweet, but a good contrast to the much sweeter base (condensed milk). The bar is definitely my favourite out of the 3 Kellogg's snack bar range. You get about 4 or 5 bites from the bar.

Other snack bars available from Kellogg's include:
- Frosties Snack Bar
- Rice Krispies Snack Bar

Nutritional Information

Being quite a light bar at 20g, it manages to be a healthy 83 calories. Most of the bar is carbohydrates of which more than half are sugars. Fats are good at less than 5% GDA. Consisting of mainly rice, fibre per bar is very low, meaning there's less chance of the bar maintaining energy levels. The bar does however contain 6 added vitamins, calcium and iron. Not the best snack for children or adults, but better than those you'd find in the confectionery aisle.

Taste Rating	8/10
Nutritional Rating	7/10

Bar website: Coco Pops Snack Bar

Purchases February 2013

2013-03-16T13:19:00.000Z

Here are my games purchase for February 2013. Lots of cheap PlayStation titles and accessories. Some Nintendo DS/3DS titles, I'm enjoying Super Princess Peach even if it may be quite easy. And one expensive rare title, but a particular favourite of mine.

Mario Party - £17 on eBay

Ridge Racer DS - £8.60 on eBay

Super Princess Peach - £6.50 on eBay

Ridge Racer 3D - £9 on Zavvi

Ecks vs Server II: Balistic - 99p on eBay

Alundra - £5.50 on eBay

ASCIIWARE Fighting Stick for PS1 - 99p on eBay

Castlevania Symphony of the Night - £79 on eBay
One of my favourite games of all time

This collector's edition also contains a
soundtrack CD & art book

Crash Team Racing - £6.50 on eBay

Dancing Stage Euromix - £2 at a retro games store

Dancing Stage Fever - 99 on eBay

Dancing Stage Party Edition - 99p on eBay

FIFA World Cup Arcade Stick for PS1 - 99p on eBay

Namco G-Con 45 Light Gun for PS1 - 99p on eBay

Soul Blade - 99p on eBay

Tekken 3 - 99p on eBay

Star Wars Rebel Strike: Rogue Squadron III
US Version - £3 on eBay

Eat Natural - Brazils, Sultanas, Almonds, Peanuts & Hazelnuts

2013-03-15T16:25:00.003Z

This is a review of an Eat Natural cereal bar. The flavour is a mix of nuts & fruit including brazil nuts, sultanas, almonds, peanuts and hazelnuts. The bar I'm reviewing is from a multipack of 4, each weighing 35g. Single bars are also available usually weighing roughly 50g. The Eat Natural bars are unique in that very little of the ingredients are processed, with the exceptions being rice and glucose syrup. The bar consists of mainly crisped rice and the fruit & nuts listed above, in whole chunky form. Unfortunately the crisped rice isn't very sweet. The sultana's help to make it a little tastier, but still not enough for my sweet tooth. You'll like it if you're mad for nuts, its packed. The bar is chunky but lacking in length, the most you'll get out of it is four small bites. Eat Natural bars are available in a large range of flavours, you can find them here: Eat Natural Range

I've also reviewed two other bars by Eat Natural including Cranberry, Macadamia & Dark Chocolate and Almonds, Apricots & Yoghurt.

Nutritional Information

This is Eat Natural's snack size version of their popular fruit & nut cereal bar range. As a snack its calories are quite high at 164. Its sugars are a little high at 10% of your GDA but some of these could be healthier fruit sugar from sultanas. The large range of nuts in the bar combined with the fibre should help sustain hunger and improve the body's blood glucose levels. All these nuts are also the reason for the bar's high fat content of 10g, but these are mostly healthy fats containing omega 3 and many other health benefits. The bar also has 4.2g of protein and is gluten free.

Taste Rating	4/10
Nutritional Rating	8/10

Performax Sports - Fuel Up Nutty Oat Bar

2013-03-06T09:13:00.001Z

This is the Performax Sports Fuel Up Gluten Free Nutty Oat Bar, made by Higher Nature. For a title that's quite a mouthful and that's without including the 'Step 2'. It is a dairy and gluten free energy bar. It consists of only a few natural ingredients, the main ones being gluten free oats, raisins and apple concentrate. It also contains various nuts and seeds including sunflower, pumpkin and quinoa seeds, and also almonds & brazil nuts. The bar has a cake-like texture and consistency. It isn't very sweet, I couldn't really taste much raisin in the bar, definitely lacking in flavour. It is very filling but it also seems quite dry and stodgy. The bar weighs 50g which is more than enough for a morning snack. The bar is specifically made to be used before or after a workout to maintain steady blood sugar levels and replace lost carbohydrates stores. The fuel bars are also available in a fruity flavour.

Nutritional Information

For this bar I won't be providing a nutritional rating since it is a sports energy bar, different to other cereal bars. The bar has a good amount of protein which should be beneficial to individuals hoping to build muscle mass. Its sugars may look high at 12.2g but these are all naturally occurring and in combination with the bars high fibre, its energy will be released in the body much more slowly. Being both gluten and dairy free makes the bar a great choice for those with specific dietary conditions and restrictive diets.

Taste Rating	3/10
Nutritional Rating	N/A

Bar Website: Fuel Up Energy Bars

Shadow of the Colossus - The Sunlit Earth

2013-03-05T10:18:00.002Z

This week's video game theme is another piece from Shadow of the Colossus. It is The Sunlit Earth being played on piano by mickan44. For such a difficult piece she performs really well, the Shadow of the Colossus is a game worth buying just for the soundtrack.

Kellogg's Frosties Snack Bar

2013-03-01T11:21:00.000Z

Today I have a review of the Frosties Snack Bar from Kellogg's. It is a toasted maize (corn) cereal bar with a sweet milky base. The upper layer of maize cereal is light and crispy, not too filling. It is a little bland in taste, more like regular corn flakes. The milky base (made from sweetened condensed skimmed milk) may be a little to sickly for some, with quite a strong, sweet after-taste. The 20g bar is at max 5 small bites in length.
Other snack bars that Kellogg's do include:
- Coco Pops
- Rice Krispies

Nutritional Information

The snack bar contains a reasonable 104 calories. Its sugars are average for a cereal bar and its total fats are quite low. Unfortunately it doesn't contain hardly any fibre and at only 20g its probably not going to keep you full for a whole morning. It does however contain added B vitamins, calcium and iron. So as a snack, nutritionally you could do a lot worse.

Taste Rating	6/10
Nutritional Rating	6/10

Bar Website: Frosties Snack Bar

Medley - Hazelnuts & Milk Chocolate

2013-02-20T14:29:00.001Z

This is my review of the Hazelnut & Milk Chocolate Digestives Medley bar from McVitie's. The bar is from a multipack box of 5. The main bar consists of rolled oats and wheat cereals combined with hazelnuts and chunks of digestive biscuit. All this is laid upon a layer of milk chocolate. The bar has a sweet taste that may be too sickly for some. Its base is quite chewy and creamy, while the upper portion of the bar is crispy, with similar taste to biscuit from a cheesecake dessert. Some bars contain a decent amount of hazelnuts, with small ones scattered along its base and a few larger ones on the surface, but numbers can vary. The milk chocolate is only a few millimetres thick on the base and then this spreads halfway up each side of the bar. It is about 5 bites worth in length, weighing 30g.
McVities have Medley bars available in two ranges, Digestive and Hobnobs, with various flavours including:
- Digestives Caramel & Milk Chocolate
- Hobnobs Double Chocolate
- Hobnobs Raisins & Milk Chocolate

Nutritional Information

The bar is quite high in calories, probably more than what you need for a typical morning snack. Its sugars are worse still at 10% of your GDA. Its fibres aren't high and its fats aren't particularly high or low. Like I say with a lot of chocolate cereal bars its best you keep this as a treat, health wise it is more biscuit than cereal. Be aware shops like newsagents sell larger single Medley bars, at 40g, definitely one dieters should avoid.

Taste Rating	7/10
Nutritional Rating	4/10

Bar Website: Range of Medley bars

Metal Gear Solid 3 - Snake Eater

2013-02-16T11:08:00.000Z

This weeks video game theme is from Metal Gear Solid 3 and it is the opening theme - Snake Eater. It is being played by Video Game Orchestra (VGO), a group that performs rockestral arrangements of video game music with an orchestra, choir, and rock band. This is on of their unplugged sessions, playing the theme in a Bossa Nova style.

Alpen - Fruit & Nut

2013-02-15T13:28:00.001Z

This is a review of the Fruit & Nut flavour Alpen bar by Weetabix. This is the multipack bar that comes in boxes of 5. It is a mix of rice, wheat and oat cereals. Raisins, chopped hazelnuts and almonds spread throughout the bar. The bar is thick, chewy and very compacted, making it seem quite filling. The cereals on their own aren't very tasty, but across the bar are many juicy raisins, giving the bar a lovely fruity taste. Unfortunately if you're not keen on dried fruit then you may want to give this particular bar a miss. It is of average length but at 28g in weight it contains plenty cereal to keep you full, about 5 bites worth.
Other flavours of Alpen bar include:
- Blueberry, Cranberry & Yogurt
- Coconut with Milk Chocolate
- Fruit & Nut with Milk Chocolate
- Raspberry & Yogurt
- Strawberry & Yogurt

Nutritional Information

Its great that Weetabix seem to have packed a lot of flavour into the bar without being high in calories, its only 109. But where do the calories come from? Well mostly sugar at 8.3g but I suppose some of this comes naturally from the fruit. The fat levels are much better at 2.3 per bar and a very low 0.4g saturates. I would of expected the fibre to be a little higher in the bar, but overall its still a very tasty and reasonably healthy bar.

Taste Rating	7/10
Nutritional Rating	6/10

Alpen Bar Website: Full range of Alpen Bars

Crowni - Chocolate Corn Flakes

2013-02-12T12:38:00.001Z

This is Crowni, a chocolate cornflake flavour cereal bar from Crownfield. Its a multipack bar from a box of 6, available at LIDL superstores. The bar consists of cornflakes coated in dark chocolate with a white chocolate base. The bar is very sweet and has a nice crunchiness to it. Thick, crispy and a chewy base, its like a cornflake cake you'd get at a children's party. But it is very sweet, especially the white chocolate base, some may find it a little sickly. Its a good length and thick too, 30g in weight, it should be quite a filling snack for most, providing roughly 5 - 6 bites.
Other flavours are available.

Nutritional Information

Each bar has 132 calories, this is surprising considering its taste and size. As you can expect it contains a lot of sugar, 14.3g accounting for over 15% of your guideline daily amount. Fats aren't quite so bad but they are mostly saturates at 14% GDA. The bar doesn't have much fibre or any added vitamins so without any health benefits I don't recommend it except as an alternative treat to chocolate.

Taste Rating	7/10
Nutritional Rating	3/10

Purchases January 2013

2013-02-09T09:23:00.002Z

Sorry I haven't kept up to date with previous month's purchases, but honestly leading to Christmas there hasn't been much, other than my Wii U console and games Nintendo Land, New Super Mario Bros U, ZombiU and Assassins Creed 3. But now its January and its been a busy one!

Sonic Generations - Nintendo 3DS
Having already played and enjoyed the console version, I thought this would provide a good platforming fix on the portable. With exclusive stages for the 3DS version is fun but unfortunately is very short, with only 7 stages, each with 2 acts and 4 boss stages. The game focus's more on traditional 2D gameplay (which is what I love) than the home console versions. It does also have 100 missions to complete and online/offline multiplayer so its not all bad. I give the game 7/10 but for non sonic fans 6/10. I picked it up for £12.50 off ebay.

Sonic Colours - Nintendo Wii
I've been meaning to pick this game up for a while, I've heard good things about it and I'm particularly interested in trying some of the 2D stages. I bought it off eBay in brilliant condition and for £6 its a steal!

Bomberman - Nintendo 64
This is the first Bomberman title on the N64 and also in 3D. It has the traditional 4 player gameplay Bomberman is known for, but also a single player adventure mode with a story platforming gameplay. I love platform games, both 2D and 3D. This is the Japanese version of the game, in excellent condition with all manuals included. Its my first Bomberman game and at only £2.20 I couldn't avoid the purchase!

Jet Force Gemini - Nintendo 64
I don't know much about this game, haven't even seen footage! But what I do know is it's made by Rare (or Rareware as it was known back then). On the Nintendo 64 Rare made some outstanding video games and hopefully this is another one. I understand the game is a platformer/shooter/adventure game so it should suit my tastes. I picked up the USA version of the game for £7.99 in brand new condition!

The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask - Nintendo 64
Please forgive me Nintendo/Zelda fans but I'm yet to play this game! Some say its the best one. I finally completed Ocarina of Time last year on the 3DS, so now is the perfect time to try its sequel. I bought the USA version on ebay, boxed with instructions for £23.50. It is the collector's edition with gold cart and the first game I've seen to with moving hologram cover!

Ape Escape - PlayStation
I remember when this game was first released I thought it was amazing how it used every function of Sony's - then new - DualShock controller. The game ended up being one of my favourite platformers, but I now I can finally own a genuine copy (yes I owned a lot of pirate PlayStation games in my teens). Now with the wonderful world of eBay I can pick up amazing titles like this for £5.

Dino Crisis - PlayStation
I've played all the Resident Evil titles many many times (except 6, lets not mention that). But the Dino Crisis series I'd completely forgot about until recently spotting it on eBay. If you don't know, Dino Crisis is made by Capcom, the same developers as Resident Evil and is very similar in its gameplay and structure. Survival horror with dinosaurs, you can't go wrong, especially for £4.70. Capcom bring us a sequel and give the Resident Evil series a much needed rest.

Silent Hill - PlayStation
I have lots of memories playing this game. Probably one of the scariest games I've ever played, at the age of 12 I'm surprised I didn't have nightmares. Like Resident Evil 2, this was a game I found out about by playing its demo, and I played it over and over and over again. I acquired the game as pirate copy, thankfully now I have a genuine copy. One additional advantage of having a pirate ready PlayStation back then was being able to play import titles. This was one of them, released many months in the US before the UK, a number of graphic items were removed/changed in the UK release, such as monsters resembling small children. This is the UK version in great condition, I picked it up on eBay for £6.50. If you don't know of Silent Hill, its a survival horror game much like resident evil, but with its horror essence more focused on atmosphere, rather than jumps, with a creepy soundtrack and lots of unusual graphic imagery. Its unfortunate these days horror games are a dying genre, the only ones released being full of guns and gore, little of the atmosphere that makes these games unique.

Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception - PlayStation 3
Another must buy at £9.99 from play.com. I really enjoyed the first game, I'm yet to complete the second but I sure can't wait to do so and then move on to this! If you don't know of the Uncharted series, its probably one of the best set of games on the PlayStation 3. It's gameplay is a mix of adventure, platforming and gunplay, combining free-running with 3rd person shooting and cinematic set-pieces. It's probably the closest a videogame has gotten to providing a convincing movie-like experience with superb voice-acting and story telling, without interrupting the flow of the game.

There's still one game I'm waiting for, currently being delivered from Japan. Its a Sega Saturn game, I'll show you it on next month's purchases.

The Legend of Zelda - Game Over Theme

2013-02-08T13:51:00.001Z

This week's video game theme is from the first Legend of Zelda and its the Game Over theme, probably my favourite game over theme of the series. Youtube user art88tum does an amazing piano improvisation of the classic theme.

Kellogg's Crunchy Nut - Chocolate Peanut Crisp Bar

2013-02-03T14:39:00.000Z

Today I write this review having reached the milestone that is 10,000 views! Ok, its a small milestone but still somewhere I never imagined being back in March last year. So I bring you a review of the bar/brand from which my website name originated.

For a long time before creating this website I would hunt down the healthiest of cereal bars, looking at all the nutritional values, testing them out not just by taste but also how they affect my blood glucose levels, both with or without exercise. Also, for years I've had cereal at breakfast and supper, my favourite meal of the day. This website could easily have become a cereal review site, but I feel the cereal market is a much greater challenge if I wish to review all brands and flavours. So there you go, I am a crunchy nutta and here is my review.

This is the Crunchy Nut Chocolate Peanut Crisp Bar from Kellogg's. You can buy it as a single retail bar among other cereal bars, or in the confectionery area. The bar structure is made up of a crispy wheat cereal, combined with rolled oats and a large portion of peanuts. All this is laid upon a thin base of milk chocolate. The primary taste of the bar is the peanuts and their strong flavour means most of the other ingredients are barely noticeable. The bar has both a sweet and salty taste, though I don't feel the milk chocolate blends very well with the main peanut flavour. The bar may be a little disappointing to Crunchy Nut cereal fans since it lacks the classic crispy honey flavoured corn cereal, instead substituting with a rather bland wheat cereal. But for those who love peanuts I would definitely recommend trying this bar. The bar is 35g in weight which roughly makes up about 6 bites for the average individual.

Nutritional Information

The Kellogg's Crunchy Nut bar doesn't seem to have any specific health benefits. You might have already assumed this knowing of the cereal and this bar's chocolate base. But there are worse cereal bars out there on the confectionery stand. At 169 calories its not top of the dieter's choice and making things even worse are the high fat quantities and 12.5 & 17.5% of your GDA. Even its sugar content makes up for more than half the overall carbohydrates. I'd say its best you leave this bar at the confectionery stand unless you really have a craving for peanuts.

Taste Rating	6/10
Nutritional Rating	3/10

Bar Website: Crunchy Nut Chocolate Peanut Crisp

Frontier Village Dali - Final Fantasy IX

2013-01-31T17:12:00.001Z

Its been ages since I've uploaded a video game theme. I subscribe to a number of talented musicians on youtube and soundcloud. Sometimes I just find it hard to get a new theme that's something people might know, is well played and not a theme that's been overplayed. If you ever come across a fantastic piece of music in a game, or have any ideas for theme of the week please let me know, even if its from a modern video game. This weeks theme is from Final Fantasy IX on the PlayStation, played by youtube user oldwhtman on guitar.

Eat Natural - Almonds, Apricots & Yoghurt

2013-01-31T12:37:00.001Z

Here is a review of an Eat Natural bar with almonds, apricots and a yoghurt coating. The Eat Natural bars are unique in that they contain a simple small set of ingredients without any added flavours, colours or preservatives. The bar I'm reviewing is a single retail version weighing 50g, the bars can also be bought in packs of 3 bars and smaller 'snack-size' packs of 4. It definitely is a lot bigger than any other cereal bars I've tried, I'd say having about 6 - 8 bites in it. Its main taste is the sweet yoghurt coating. This surrounds lots of big crunchy almonds and chewy apricot pieces. Less noticeable are the crispy rice parts inbetween. Despite its all natural ingredients and boasts of no artificial parts, it sure doesn't seem like its going to be a healthy mid-morning snack. Its a really sweet & tasty one, although best avoided if you don't like dried fruit/nuts.

Eat Natural do a whole range of bars, check my link below. I've also reviewed the Cranberry, Macadamia & Dark Chocolate bar

Nutritional Information

Nutritionally though the bar may have all natural ingredients, this doesn't stop it from being unhealthy. The bar contains a very large 17g of sugar. You could argue that some of this comes naturally from the dried apricots but you still have honey, glucose syrup and the sugar in the yoghurt coating - the main ingredient of the bar. As a morning snack for calorie counters, this bar is particularly high at 228. Its also high in fat, especially saturated fats, at 40% of your GDA. Some of this fat may come naturally from the almonds and coconut in the bar so I'll be less strict in my scoring. Good aspects of the bar are its high fibre content and as already mentioned above, no artificial ingredients. The bar is gluten free and suitable for vegetarians. I wouldn't recommend this bar as an everyday snack, best kept in the lunch box for an activity weekend, or before/after a workout session.

Taste Rating	8/10
Nutritional Rating	3/10

Bar Website: Full range of Eat Natural bars

Special K - Milk Chocolate Chewy Delight

2013-01-29T12:57:00.000Z

Today's review is the Kellogg's Special K Milk Chocolate Chewy Delight bar. It comes in a very small box of 4, each bar weighing 24g. The bar consists of oats, rice and wheat cereals, with a chocolate flavouring and milk chocolate spread along the base and drizzled over the surface. The bar definitely does what it says on the wrapper, it is very chewy and sticky, with only a little crispiness at the end of each bite. The milk chocolate tastes good but just not as nice as a branded chocolate. More like cooking chocolate you get on a chocolate crispy cake. In each bar you get about 4 - 5 bites. It is a cereal bar of average length but generous depth and the rice does help to fill you up.

Nutritional Information

The bar manages to be an ideal snack energy wise with only 95 calories per bar. The bar should be a good snack for dieters with a low 3.1g of fat and a high 4.1g of fibre to keep you fuller for longer. It also contains the pre-biotics Inulin and Oligofructose, both help your body to produce healthy bacteria in the digestive system. At the moment Kellogg's only have two flavours of Special K Chewy Delight bars with the other being Dark Chocolate. Kellogg's used to make a product called 'Fibre Plus Bars'. Its possible these Special K Chewy Delight bars may be their replacement - the taste, flavours and health benefits seem very similar.

Taste Rating	7/10
Nutritional Rating	8/10

Bar Website: My Special K Snacks

Jordans Breakfast Bars - Juicy Fruits & Sliced Almonds

2013-01-22T12:24:00.000Z

Today I have for you a review of a Juicy Fruits & Sliced Almonds flavour Jordans Breakfast bar. Jordans also call these 'Breakfast in-a-bar' and advertise the bar as a healthy way of getting breakfast on the go. I haven't provided a nutritional rating since the bar can be considered as both a snack and breakfast replacement.

I'm reviewing the multipack version of the bar, which comes in boxes of 6, each bar weighing 40g. So its quite a large bar both in length and depth. The bar feels hard and crunchy on outside, but softens as you eat more into the centre. Its chunky and very filling, feeling much more substantial than the usual cereal bar snack. Its a multigrain bar and you get all the flavour of various cereal flakes - oats, wheat and barley, sunflower seeds, almonds all bound together with sticky honey. There are chewy dried fruit pieces throughout the bar, both sultanas and raisins, unfortunately not enough. It ends up a little bland tasting and dry in areas. If you like a bowl of fruit & fibre in the morning you'll love this bar as a similar tasting alternative.

Jordans also do breakfast bars in the following flavours:
- Cranberry & Raspberry
- Maple Syrup & Tasty Pecans

Nutritional Information

Since the bar is advertised as a 'breakfast bar' for this review I'll be comparing its nutritional values to a 30g bowl of Kellogg's Special K. A bowl is 173 calories so the bar is a little lower at 161. Its sugars are at a similar amount per bar (11g) but are higher when compared per 100g (Special K is 17g). One clear benefit is a good amount of fibre per bar at 2.1g. Fats are also pretty good at 5.1g and 1.1g saturates. For those that are dieting I wouldn't recommend this whole bar as a snack, better eaten in two halves across a morning or as a healthy alternative to the breakfast bowl of cereal.

Taste Rating	6/10

Bar Website: Range of Breakfast Bars

Morrisons - Choc Chip Cereal Bars

2013-01-15T13:12:00.000Z

This is a review of a boxed 6 pack of cereal bars from Morrisons called Choc Chip Cereal Bars. You might recognise these kinds of cereal bars in other supermarkets, I'm unsure if they're all the same, I'll look into it. The bar itself is made up of oats, bran flakes and crisped cereal. Its sides and base are covered in milk chocolate and its surface is topped with generous amount of milk chocolate chips. The bran flakes and oats of the bar make it taste a little stodgy. Its not very crunchy, just a little crispy on the inside. The chocolate sweetens the bar well, and there's plenty of it. Unfortunately its not the great tasting flavour you get with popular brands. Its quite a chunky bar, about average length, weighing 30g, you get enough bar to fill you up.

Nutritional Information

Other than no artificial colours and flavours, the bars don't really have any stand out health benefits. Calories are ok, but not great at 130. Sugars and saturated fats are the main concern here, with both making up for 12% of your recommended daily allowance.

Taste Rating	6/10
Nutritional Rating	3/10

Weetabix Oaty Bars - Rainbow Smashems

2013-01-12T10:46:00.000Z

This is a review of the latest flavour of Oaty Bars from Weetabix, Rainbow Smashems. They're oat & wheat cereal bars drizzled in milk chocolate and covered with crispy milk chocolate pieces. The bar is a bit chewy, tastes quite light and moist, but not very sweet. The crispy chocolate pieces help to improve the slightly bland flavour of the bar but they're too small. The box highlights a number of benefits that Oaty bars have over other cereal bars. These include high in fibre, low in salt, free from artificial colours & flavours and half the sugar of other cereal bars. Each bar weighs 23g and takes about 4 or 5 bites to consume.

Nutritional Information

The bar has a lot of good nutritional benefits. It is low in calories, sugars, fats and salts. For such a small cereal bar 5.1g of fibre is very good and will definitely help to keep you full.

Taste Rating	7/10
Nutritional Rating	9/10

It seems Weetabix are yet to update their website with the latest bar flavours. I don't think White Chocolate and Strawberry are available any more.

Bar Website: Range of Oaty Bars

Special K - Peach & Apricot

2013-01-07T16:55:00.000Z

I'm sorry I haven't had any reviews or features on the site for a while. December was a busy period preparing for Christmas. I also caught a chest infection over Christmas which prevented me eating or reviewing any cereal bars. Thankfully I'm fully healed so here is my first review of 2013, the Kellogg's Special K Peach & Apricot cereal bar. The bar consists of special K flakes (rice & wheat), dried peach & apricot fruits pieces and a sweet yoghurt flavour drizzle. The bar is very light and crispy. A generous portion of chewy peach & apricot pieces really help to sweeten the bar along with the yoghurt topping. The bar is about average in size but the chunky fruit pieces help to fill it and make it last longer. This is the multi-pack version of the bar, weighing 23g it takes about 4 or 5 bites to consume.

Nutritional Information

Each bar only contains 89 calories, perfect for those on calorie restricted diets. However its sugars are a little higher than similar bars on the market at 8.7g. The bar is also low fats. It contains a number of common vitamins found in breakfast cereals, including B1, B2, B3, B6, B9, B12 and the mineral Iron. Oddly vitamin C is mentioned in the ingredients but is not shown on the nutritional table.

Taste Rating	8/10
Nutritional Rating	8/10

Bar Website: Full range of Special K snacks

The Denpa Men: They Came By Wave

2012-12-16T22:08:00.000Z

Platform: Nintendo 3DS (eShop download)

Developer: Genius Sonority

Release Date: December 6th 2012

Price: £7.19

The Denpa Men: They Came By Wave is a new RPG available for download on the Nintendo 3DS eShop. The company behind the game, Genius Sonority have been involved in a number of RPG series including Pokemon, Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest.

All the Denpa Men in my office had me spinning in my chair.
At home there were only 10 but at work I found 24.

The game involves you battling your way through a number of dungeons using your army of cute characters known as the Denpa Men. Each denpa man is unique and has its own set of powers, strengths and weaknesses. Plot isn't really the game's strong point, its simply you must rescue one of your fellow denpa men who has been captured by the king of evil. The main aspect of the game is around collecting denpa men.

Before you begin your dungeon exploration you must first catch some denpa men. You use both the camera and gyroscope to search your area. You then aim and shoot at Denpa men floating around in order to catch them in a net. Each creature is unique to where you are and the wifi signals around you. The key to building a great collection is to take your 3DS to different wifi zones. You can also collect denpa men by scanning QR codes.

Each denpa man has its own name, personality and statistics. They also come in different colours, shapes and sizes which determine what their strengths & weaknesses will be. Some denpa men have an antenna which means they have a magical power, these are the ones you should look out for. Removing equipment from a denpa man or taking him out the team might make him sad or angry. If you get one killed, you'll spot him later in the spirit shrine, he won't be happy.

Battling in the game is relatively simple and automatic. It's turn based with the options of attacking with skills, without skills and escaping. As battles become more difficult more preparation must be made beforehand, whether it be forming a party based on a particular element or stocking up on health items. At the end of each dungeon is a boss that will be tough to beat without using the right combination of strong attackers, healers and magic users. As you progress in the game you will be able to control up to 8 denpa men in battle.

The simple colourful visuals showcase the cuteness and uniqueness of each denpa man and should appeal to kids and adults. The music in the game is reminiscent of SNES titles with catchy funky beats, varying for each dungeon and its theme.

The game lasts at least 16 hours, very reasonable for a £7 download. You'll need to play more in order to save up for better equipment. The game is also available as a demo on the 3DS eshop. Any progress you make on the demo will be carried across when you purchase the game.

The good: Building a collection of a wide variety of characters. Being able to control 8 characters in battle.

The bad: Limited options during battle. No way to use items during battle.

Overall: I'd recommend this title for any fan of japanese RPGs and those who enjoy pokemon games. There's no real story here, the game is best played on the move and is a great introduction for children new to the format.

Rating 8/10
Website: http://www.denpamen.com/eu/index.html

In Dreams - The Lord of the Rings

2012-12-13T19:10:00.000Z

I have already featured this song as a theme of the week, but I thought it appropriate to share it again to celebrate the release of the latest film in the Lord of the Rings series, The Hobbit.

This is an arrangement by Youtube user ridia84 and kalbiker. She performs on a range of instruments including the Asturian bagpipes, flute, guitar and piano. Her friend Alberto plays the traverse Irish flute.