So with a soppy smile, and reminiscing about teenage trips to the local Spar for 10 B&H, papers and a Wagon Wheel, I logged on to Spar's Shelf Sniper game.

The dated, two-dimensional graphics and whizzy sound effects certainly reminded me of 80s Atari addiction, as did the minimal interaction that came from the singular challenge of using a clunky gun to scan products such as iced buns for points.

While for me a Spar shop is as old school as this game, the TV ads on this site tell a different, more compelling story - through a slick bit of narrative and post-production - of stores that are modern, convenient and relevant.

I had a nagging sense that the game, with its basic programming and gentle village-shop look, was the result of a minuscule share of the marketing pie, with the bulk of it going to the TV ad.

Ultimately, however, Shelf Sniper was a surprising success with me. It will be getting me into a Spar shop for the first time in years, thanks to a discount voucher I downloaded for achieving a high score. Just the sort of old-fashioned, traditional tactic I've always had a soft spot for."