The names in neon lights outside this one: Now appearing - Van Gogh Monet

The names in neon lights outside this one: "Now appearing - Van Gogh, Monet and Cezanne - with special guests, Pablo Picasso and Henri Matisse".The owner is the doyen of the New Vegas hoteliers, Steve Wynn, and his gimmick here is a small but definitely heavyweight art collection to woo the punters with a touch of class. Wynn spent pounds 200 million on the collection, which gives a good indication of just how nicely the casinos are doing in America's present economic boom. Outside on the replica Lake Como, a row of nozzles rise up from the water's surface every 15 minutes like synchronised periscopes, and a spectacular "water-ballet" is performed, all in time to Strauss and Shirley Bassey.It seems a bit familiar. Of course - it was Liberace, that patron saint of Las Vegas, who used to play along to this same old gimmick, "The Dancing Waters", in his stage show. If Mr Showmanship could see Las Vegas now we'd be guaranteed that sniggering, snuggling catchphrase: "Too much of a good thing - is WONDERFUL"' He's right. It is.Arriving in Las Vegas: for the first time from next summer, Virgin Atlantic (01293 747747) will operate scheduled non-stop flights from London to Las Vegas.

Departures are from Gatwick on Thursdays and Sundays from 8 June. Through discount agents such as Quest Worldwide (0181-546 6000), you can get a fare of only pounds 273 return for travel in June. It can be combined with Virgin flights to Los Angeles or San Francisco. Alternatively, any of the big US airlines will sell you a ticket to Vegas through their hubs.. A MAZDA what? Well, that proves the point.

I have only seen one Demio in motion beyond the confines of a Mazda dealer's forecourt, and that was the one I drove a fortnight ago You'll see plenty in Japan, though. In 1997 it was the eighth best-selling car, hailed as the answer to so many questions. Such as why bother with that comp-licated four-wheel drive paraphernalia when you can achieve the image with a plastic nudge bar, plastic wheel-arch extensions and a pair of roof rails? Or, why have a small, tall estate car-cum-MPV which looks dull and utilitarian when you can have one which looks like a 4x4? You get the idea This is a car with a confused identity. Mazda gives it MPV credentials by posing it in promotional pictures with its two larger MPVs, the Premacy and the imaginat-ively named MPV (no, there isn't a word missing). True, the Demio has a tall and capacious body, and its back seat does slide and fold, but it's a little bit half-hearted.You're probably wondering, then, why anyone should want one at all. Maybe the company just lives in hope that someone will buy one by mistake instead of one of those French van-based creations, the Renault Kangoo and the Citroen Berlingo Multispace. In which case, I should tell you what to expect.First, the good bits.

The engine is just a 1.3-litre, but it's smooth and lively and pulls the Demio along with an eager buzz. It is dead easy to drive and park, and some people even think it looks quite cute It carries plenty of stuff, too.Now, the bad bits. It feels tinny, and a lot cheaper than it should for pounds 10,565. An electric sunroof and four electric windows try to hype it up to its expense level, but you can't even adjust the door mirrors from the inside And as for the dashboard... well, stark, shapeless angularity might have a brutalist chic in right circumstances, but here it just looks like a giant Kleenex box recreated in hard grey plastic.Despite all this, I didn't dislike the Demio. But I understand why people, if they get as far as the showroom, lose their nerve That dashboard unclinches the deal Oh yes, and the imminent arrival of Toyota's Yaris Verso Similar idea, but done with flair.. HACKS AT Rover's press launch of the new 25 and 45 greeted the cars' ceremonial unveiling with spontaneous silence.

Surely the revamped 200s and 400s did not justify such razzmatazz? Neither is a tour de force, technically or aesthetically. Both are interim models that foreshadow better things to come. So why all the fuss? Because the new 25 and 45 represent the new face of Rover. They and the 75 flagship (said by Rover to be selling well, despite media reports to the contrary) are the cars that will drive Rover back into profit, perhaps by 2002. Parent BMW has pumped billions of pounds into its British subsidiary and Rover dealers have invested millions more. So if money talks - and such sums were unheard of during the Honda courtship - Rover is making sure the message gets home "We've turned the corner," says sales director, Jim Lynch.