Gear4’s unstoppable tidal wave of iPod accessories is constantly expanding, even though it seems like every possible environment has now been now catered for.

ust in case you’re still left wanting, the Houseparty III has arrived with yet another subtle combination of features.

Unfortunately the ‘wall of sound’ is not so much a wall as a small pile of breeze blocks. What looks pretty impressive at first glance sadly fails to live up to its billing, at least from an audio standpoint. It feels a tad cheap to begin with, the white plastic casing is no doubt to co-ordinate with the iPod’s styling but doesn’t give the unit a particularly solid feel.

There’s 30W of total output from the twin speakers, which should be enough for most but sound clarity isn’t exactly the Houseparty 3’s strong point.

Our biggest issue is the lack of bass, which even the most conservative party animal will argue is a necessity. The bass issue combines with a fair amount of distortion at higher volume levels and when you dial things down to an acceptable degree it’s not nearly as loud as you’d expect.

Combine this with a distinct lack of atmosphere from the narrow stereo image and you’re left with performance that’s passable at best.

The strengths of the Houseparty III come in other areas though. To begin with you’ll find a rather nifty slide-out tray that houses your iPod using a supplied adapter.

When properly mounted you can use the remote control to browse your audio collection from afar, charge your iPod’s battery and, if plugged into a PC or Mac, use a USB cable to synchronise your music collection.

You’ll also find an FM radio built in, so there are some handy additional features over standard audio playback that gives it some appeal.

For around £80, we’d have liked better sound from the speakers though, which it has to be argued is the unit’s primary purpose. If you own an iPod and like the sound of the extra functionality, the Houseparty III would do for casual listening, but in terms of loudness and audio clarity there are better alternatives around.