An expansion pack done right. It doesn't pretend to be a full sequel, and instead just offers new maps, modes, and tweaks that make the overall experience better.

Arguably, it's good to have an RTS that is easy to jump into, but the economic systems and battle tactics might be too lightweight for some. Regardless, though, outside of starting your own New Zealand special effects company, no game will bring you closer to the battles of The Lord of The Rings.

Everyone who enjoys portable gaming, old greats or any combination of the two owes it to themself to pick up a copy of Battle Collection. It would be a great purchase even if PSP software weren't so hard to come by these days; as it stands, it's one of the best titles available for the system.

Although some areas of the game were frustrating (beware the last boss), The Two Thrones features a classic interactive ending sequence and epilogue that nicely wraps up the whole trilogy and does the seemingly impossible -- that is, it makes you forgive and forget the lost years represented by The Warrior Within, and lets you to judge the trilogy on the whole.

The battle system helps make the rest of the game come even closer to Final Fantasy X, and this time, that's a compliment. The result is a game that's faster and a little more fun to watch.

If you already own "ESPN NBA 2K4" basketball game, 2K5 is probably not worth the dough -- prettier graphics aren't enough. The $20 price tag puts it in reach of most everyone else, though.

It offers a stellar single-player adventure mode experience, a ton of unlockables, a comprehensive two-player versus mode, and best of all, the original freakin' "Mortal Kombat II" arcade game. For all of these different modes in a single game, the price tag is practically a steal.

Endless Ocean isn't like most games. While others drive tension and excitement to a fever pitch, Endless Ocean's deep-sea visuals and bubbling sound effects slowly dissolve your cares and stresses -- while occasionally eliciting gasps of awestruck disbelief.

You won't spend as much time with True Crime, but that time will be spent enjoying nicer visuals and a very deep story experience, as opposed to flipping cars across parking garages.

The level of depth and complexity in the gaming is substantial for a handheld title, and in some ways is a bit more forgiving than its console brethren, but casual gamers should be warned.

The premier choice for fans of the game behind the game.

If you're looking at the game for continuing the fun, campy Mortal Kombat legacy, you'll find a lot to like here. If you're looking for highly technical fighting matches or evolved modern game storytelling, you'll do better looking elsewhere.

The fun comes from watching how differently each season unfolds and how it affects your Sims: Winter helps with family bonding, spring brings romance, summer builds friendships, and fall quickens learning new skills.

Major events -- such as the arrival of a Crusading noble to join in your jolly pagan fox hunt, or the forming of a new faction -- keep you on your toes and inject personality, encouraging you to almost "role-play" the tyrannical zealots or freedom-fighting underdogs you're controlling.

If an absolutely brilliant story, finely detailed characterization, and faultless attention to canonical detail are what you're after, then, X-Men Legends is not what you're looking for. If you want a good game, though, and an especially good game to play with a couch full of superhero fans, this is the game to get.

For the first time ever, Lara Croft controls fluidly -- her world isn't divided into little squares, and she can perform complex series of acrobatic maneuvers without a pause (and often has to, later in the game).

On its own merits (which we're reviewing it on), Rock Band on PS2 is a fundamentally excellent rhythm game that simply lacks the variety and presentational polish of Harmonix's previous work. Compared to its PS3 and 360 versions, it comes up surprisingly short.

It doesn't do anything you haven't seen before in an Xbox Live Arcade title, but that doesn't mean you won't get your money's worth in content and downright clever, addictive design. In reality it's a second chance for an unreceptive Western audience, but card nerds know it for what it really is: a second coming.

It's not a particularly original adventure, but MvsDK is a classy reminder of where these games all started. And as it happens, it's pretty fun, too.

It lacks the eye-popping unpredictability of its predecessors. And fumbling to conform to some of the more arcane controller positions can take you right out of the game. Despite these modest shortcomings, though, WarioWare should be a welcome addition to any Wii library.

But most importantly, it's about the good episodes now. For that reason alone, Lego Star Wars II is one of the most enjoyable games of this fall.

The interesting thing about Gun, however, is that it mixes broad free-roaming aspects with some of the most tightly scripted missions we've seen in any game -- quite an achievement for an original game from a company known for skateboarding titles.

This is the type of game you can play to pass the time on the morning commute, while watching TV, or waiting in line for your husband to buy power tools. Touching is good, play well with others, etc. -- Nintendogs is a unique game that brings something new to the DS.

The analog hitting is MVP 06's most significant addition, and it'll certainly be tough to go back to button-press swinging in the other upcoming baseball sims.

Multiplayer has been improved upon as well, with full four-player co-op throughout the entire campaign and a huge number of online dogfighting options. And again, it all works beautifully because the fundamentals of the game are so simple and solid.

You'll find enough options and maps to keep you happy, the best part definitely being the eight-player support with one cart. Slightly less cool is the four-player support via Nintendo's Wi-Fi connection, though it's tough to complain.

An excellent game for the wrestling purists, and while it would actually have been nice to get a little more good ol' WWE brand tackiness, it's hard to decline what the game offers: beautiful bodies on beautiful display, doing beautiful violence.

While it lacks that magical little something to make it a classic, it's a stupendous example of design competence. It looks great, sounds great, it's well written, witty, and fairly well paced.