A warning to all you ladies out there: if, after dragging your doting boyfriend around the retro…read moreshops of Park Street, you loving ask, 'is there anywhere you want to go?' you may just end up at Forbidden Planet. This comic book and sci-fi mega store is every boys dream and every girl's nightmare. Be prepared to lose several very important shopping hours here. Having said that, it's easy to admire the scale of the store and the quality of the goods they have to offer. Even I, a sci-fi phobic, enjoyed flicking through the comic books and eyeing up the DVDs. It's a great place to shop for presents for boyfriends, friends and little brothers. And, luckily for me, the shop assistants are so helpful so even the clueless can pick the perfect stocking filler.

Comic book nerds and geeks (or those that think Sci Fi is so square that it's hip) from all around…read morewill love forbidden planet. It's not the easiest place to find - it's on the less visited part of triangle, so a little away from the main shopping drag on Park Street, but definitely worth making the effort for. If you're not into comics too much yourself, this is definitely a brilliant place to grab an original gift for someone who is - there's endless amounts of memorabilia. The stuff here is pretty expensive though.

Nothing to do with the similarly named film studio, 20th Century Flicks is a small independent DVD…read moreand video rental shop. It's better than Blockbusters for so many reasons, the chief one being that they have dedicated staff who have an encyclopaedic film knowledge. You can go in, say something along the lines of 'I want that film, I think it was Hitchcock, made 1961 or maybe '64...' and they will usually be able to work out what you're looking for. They also go to the trouble of writing little cards with their opinions of the movies, which I think is a nice touch. Their library is as comprehensive, I've always been able to get what I want and kept up to date. They do a good line in ex-rental, so it's worth going along even if you don't rent much. Walking past this morning I saw Atonement on DVD for £5, a bargain. 20th Century Flicks is a good place to find a film and has a bit more of a personal touch to it, which I always appreciate.

This is quite simply the best video rental shop in Bristol. Unfortunately I live a bit too far away…read morenow, but I used to go here all the time when I was in Clifton. Why? Well, it's independent for one, which is a bonus in any walk of life. Also, the staff know what they're talking about and are all encouraged to write cards and lists recommending their faves new and old, with art house and cult hits very much to the fore, not just the latest crap from Hollywood. It's a little bit expensive but you certainly get what you pay for. And if they don't have what you want on their heaving shelves, ask at the desk as they can dig pretty much anything, however obscure, up for you from their back-up warehouse.

Split into two little shops either side of the staircase at the back of Clifton Arcade you will…read morefind this little gem of a store. This is how I remember all record shops to be - even the new ones! All items here are second hand and they do a particularly good range of vinyl. Most will be in the rock and pop genres from 60s-80s which is great for me. If you are a Queen fan I think they have everything ever made ever.... They also have CDs, DVDs (mostly in the shop to the left) which are priced around the £6 mark which is the same as online but you get to spend time shuffling round a shop which is infinitely nicer then an online buy. Also t-shirts for you retro slogan wearing kids and music sheets for the talented ones. You are welcome to browse and you will definitely find something unusual here. Like a record fair imploded.

Right at the very end of the Arcade you'll find this record shop. Not huge, but with a good…read moreselection of vinyl and a few posters and CDs as well. They'll have music on when you go in, which I've always thought is a bit questionable, but nothing my ears couldn't bear for ten minutes of browsing. Not big enough to have a properly extensive collection, this isn't really the place for music aficionados. There's specific sections for metal and prog rock, to give you a flavour of what they stock. If you've got a spare tenner and an afternoon in Clifton this is a good place to discover something new. The owner is happy to give advice, and there's just enough on offer for most people to find plenty of stuff they haven't heard before. A run of the mill independent record shop, X is good for wasting a bit of time.

This places has been few a couple of different makeovers. Previously Zavvi, and before that Virgin…read moreMegastore, it's always been a big city centre record shop where you can get all the usual chart stuff plus a bit more (mostly in virtue of their need to fill all space I think) that's never looked like it's doing all that well. The impact of music downloading and Amazon seems to have continued to eat into the business here, with more and more discounts on offer. At the moment there's racks and racks of four pound CDs. So even if you're tech savy enough (and these days, who isn't?) to get it cheap off the net it's still worth coming down here to do a bit of impulse shopping. It isn't the most pleasant of retail experiences in my opinion. This might just be because the tastes of the staff (who get to put the music on pretty loud here) don't usually match my own. Though it does feel a lot more impersonal than any of Bristol independents. It isn't too oppressive though, and if you're in the city centre with a tenner burning a hole in your pocket then head to Head to see if you can find anything you like.

Sam was on to something when he said 'Doing well to stay open', because they did recentley close. A…read morefew weeks ago they had a massive closing down sale, everything was reduced to quite low prices, and when I went in all they seemed to have was countless copies of rubbish childrens films and Sylvester Stallone in a film called 'Stop or my Mum will shoot'! Sounds pretty bad. But recentley this store has re-opened, nothing is really any different other than a seemingly large re-brand. It's still called 'Head', and they have got rid of the horrible green that could be seen everywhere which I think was a good move. I think the DVD's are a little bit cheaper though.

I could spend a good few hours of a weekend in HMV, when they have their, what actually seems like…read morea pretty ongoing, sale of £3 dvds I have to remind myself that I can't buy more than I can carry! As much as I love HMV I wasn't 100% impressed with this store - usually the staff are really really helpful and genuinely seem to have an interest in music/film but this store seems a little under-par. I often think they could fit a lot more in as well, maybe it's me but part of the fun of a cd/dvd shop is the slightly cramped feel, you know when you bump backwards into the guy looking at the opposite row? I still give it 3* because HMV is HMV but there's room for improvement here!

THis HMV has a really good selection, and the staff are very friend;y, and once helped me discover…read morethe brilliant Garth Marengies Dark Place, for which I will be ever thankful! Being a massive fan of the Mighty Boosh, I was asking about the box set of the 1st and 2nd series (this was in the days before the 3rd series and subsequent band formation) and they suggested I have a look at Dark Place, I didn, and it was brilliant. I remember seeing 1 or 2 episodes on CHannel 4 when it was on tele but I didn't pay much attention, so thankful I paid it a second look, and all thanks to some bloke from HMV... don't think he works their anymore though.

If you're looking for a cheap DVD to spend the evning with come here and have a browse. The DVDs…read moreare all stacked sideways, making it easier to read their titles. There must be hundreds of DVDs for sale in here, all mixed up but with a variety of different genres there's lots to choose from. The shop also has a games section, stocking games for a variety of consoles. If you're wanting to get rid of DVDs or games then come here as you can exchange your goods for a variety of new items to keep yourself entertained.

I don't know about you but I can't remember the last time I paid the full price for a DVD. When…read morethere are so many sales, rental packages, deals and downloads of varying degrees of legality, it just doesn't make sense to waste cash when you could find what you're looking for at half the price that HMV are asking. Pink Planet is great for this as the range of nearly new and pre-loved DVDs on offer is quite extensive - be prepared to spend ages browsing if you're not sure what you're after or just a little indecisive about a rom-com verses action movie! As the name suggests, there are also plenty of console games on sale too, for most of the major platforms. This shop also buys games and DVDs so if you have a film or similar that you no longer love, sell it for a couple of quid and put the money towards a film you do want to watch.

This was where I bought my copy of Dark Side of the Moon years & years ago! I went home, shut my…read moredoor and put the record on, and I don't really remember much after that. But this shop symbolises everything the Independent Record shop should be; the staff will always chat to you about music and ask you what you like so they can recommend stuff to you, or keep music behind the counter for when you next go in. If you're lucky enough to find this shop open you are in for a treat, they are always playing something you won't have heard before, and my advice is, buy the music they recommend to you. But finding this shop open is a game in itself, I had the misfortune of stopping by earlier today to find they have shaved even more opening hours from their week. So now it's just Fridays & Saturdays, which gives it more of a market stall feel. I hope by doing this they will get the business they need to stay open. So stop by at the weekend and start digging into the boxes of old records they have in the back! You'll find a Zeppelin album you didn't even know you needed.

An independent second hand record shop on Cotham Hill, The Beat Goes On is a rare find nowadays…read more Specialising in vinyl, they've got a big collection of second hand music, both on wax and on cd. Their range isn't massive, but there's definitely a few gems in here and it's worth really taking your time and having a peruse. Like the hardware store just around the corner, they've managed to cram an awful lot of stuff into a small premises, and it gets really crowded with just a few people in here. It's got a nice feeling to it - a bit messy and untidy but in a good, hippy and shambolic way. Definitely a shop that's well worth supporting, come and find a gem and spend a happy Sunday afternoon in musical bliss.

It is cheaper to buy DVDs in here than it is to rent them - £4.99 each or four for a tenner. The…read morebox sets are about £15 each. You can tell this is a shop for boys as the films are arranged in three sections: horror, action and everything else. They also have a good stock of new and pre-owned games for most platforms. You can bring your old films and games here for exchange or for cold hard cash.

Shops like this are gaining in popularity, with CEX shops popping up everywhere, and massive chain…read moreshops like Zavvi closing down an age of cheap DVD buying has occured. I'm quite a film fanatic, and now I am past the days of student loans I though that small joys like buying a new film would no longer be possible, but ah ha! it is! pop in here and get an impressive (although some what erratic) display of preowned DVD's, and games as well. Great if you want to have a quiet night in, or if your low on money but have a few birthday presents you need to buy because everyone loves a good film. There is also a selection of CD's for those of us still out of the 'itune' loop and favour the hard copies, but as i'm sure you can imagine, it's not the most up to date, and most the good stuff gets snapped up pretty quick. Equally if you have a massive media collection and are seeking some extra cash you can trade in your unwanted films, games, cd's and consoles for cahs... 'cha-ching!'

From the outside this shop looks every inch the perfect record store. There's graffiti, vinyl in…read morethe window and posters supporting the latest cool bands. Inside is just as trendy. Filled from floor to ceiling with LPs, EPs and CDs. Having a record collector for a Dad I'm used to trawling round record shops, trying to find an elusive 50s jazz record, or a sought after first pressing. But Rooted Records is better for DJs than collectors - especially those who love jungle or drum 'n bass. This shop has a great atmosphere, but sadly I've always left empty handed.

This shop really does give out a vibe of "don't come in unless you're cool enough and know your…read morestuff". It always reminds me of the record shop in Nick Hornby's book, 'High Fidelity', where the guys live their lives through their record collections. Having said that, once you get inside it's a pretty cool little shop. The guys are actually really friendly and helpful. Gloucester Road is definitely a great place to come vinyl shopping in Bristol if not in the whole of the South West.