It hasn't lost much of its charm from the 2002 PC edition and they seem to have used the PS2 hardware in the best way possible.

Basically, if solid gameplay without much in the way of innovation is good enough for you, Heroes of Annihilated Empires is certainly worth a look.

The original Delta Force was cutting edge at the time and while Xtreme is a bit of a mission pack, it’s cheap and offers excellent offline and online gaming for under fourty bucks.

Those wanting a deep, story oriented game should definitely look elsewhere but if you want a game which you can pick up once every few weeks and have nothing to worry about other then destroying hordes of enemies, then Serious Sam: Next Encounter is definitely it.

The problem with A&A, besides the negative points brought forward above, is the WW2 and RTS genres of gaming are two very prestigious genres, and it doesn't do enough to top what else is out there on offer.

The online play keeps the game from being a complete 'once-n-shelve' title but if you're only a casual gamer without the online ability or an interest in the franchise from the past there is better tactical action games already available on the market.

Whilst the game does have camera issues and the combat can be clunky at times, if you're looking for something to keep you going after a game like "Pandora Tomorrow", then Alias offers some decent action based gameplay.

It may not be the best KOF game around, but its the most technically efficient and offers a decent fighting game for those who want the latest graphics and technology in your fighting games.

It does feature beat em’ up mechanics and quite a bit of depth but can get repetitive and doesn't really do anything unique and new to put it above the pack meaning the reliance on the movie license is just a bit too much.

It's not the best game for Xbox Live, but its by far not the worst either.

Much of Cold War is not exactly new - it feels a lot like Splinter Cell in many regards - but where Cold War separates itself is the execution.

A decent game which is heavily pulled down by the lack of save points.

As a collection of a famous game system it succeeds but whether it’s a good value purchase is up to the player.

A port of a decade old PC game which really does not impress. There are many titles on the DS better than this, and also a lot more original.

The developers have done an excellent job bringing the game to a system with less power and fans of the series will obviously pick this one up, but it’s also an excellent introduction to the crazy world of the super monkeys for new comers.

A good choice for those who want to learn how to play the game properly and also are sick of making mistakes and not being able to rub out pen marks.

While Viewtiful Joe did not turn out to be the best PSP game around we have to credit the developers for at least trying to make a portable style game out of something which really belongs more on the home consoles.

The game becomes quite boring and repetitive quickly.

A reasonably original take on the 3D RTS genre and it does offer some good gameplay, but some of the more technical aspects let it down - such as the visuals, the engine's performance even on lower settings and the somewhat disappointing battles.

Although the single player campaign is fairly in depth in terms of adding parts to your cars and offering quite a number of tracks, the fact you only have four cars to choose from really hurts the game in the long run as does the way the game becomes relatively hard very quickly.

The RPG elements keep the game from getting overly repetitive but at the very basic level, the game is a monotonous task of defeating enemies to progress further.

If you simply can't get enough of street racing games then SRS will suffice, but for those owners of other games of this nature, there is nothing new on offer here.

Wings of War works very much on the pick up and play philosophy employed in Crimson Skies and while it doesn't have the polish and the online play, its still a moderately solid game.

Given that most gamers will be able to plough through the game's challenges in only a couple of day's worth of light play, leaving only the time trial option to keep them amused, you can't help but feel that more should have been made of the concept - especially considering the game's sparkling visuals.

While the level design is fairly basic, the levels are huge and offer some great moments and decent challenges for all ages.

Once you look past the fairly average and repetitive gameplay between puzzles, some decent gameplay can be found and the storyline is something which really helps the game remain interesting once the repetition begins to hit.

In terms of TV series adaptations, it's incredibly faithful, nailing the look and feel of the series, and big fans of the series will want to add the game to their collections pretty sharpish. Gamers, on the other hand, would be better suited to renting the title, as (aside from the annoyingly stupid driving sections) it's not that hard, and the replay value is suspect.

The lack of a proper Olympic mode does come as a surprise but is not a major flaw and anyone looking for a solid athletics title with many more sports thrown in could do worse.

All you really get from Vietcong 2 is an FPS that is well behind the times and generally not up to scratch with what you'd expect.

Really only for the die hard Bond fans and those who just can't wait to get some Xbox Live 007 action.

If you can put up with the technical issues, and don't mind downloading moderately sized patches to fix a so called retail game, then Boiling Point is worth a look, but I'm afraid many gamers probably won't be as forgiving as this.

It's not a bad game, but its no "Mario Party."

The repetitive nature harms the game quite a bit.

Spider-Man's been done much better - even on the lesser GBA hardware - than in this obviously rushed and not terribly inspired game.

Luxoflux have done a top job putting a realistic and interesting story together and the fact it's set in a real city that many can relate to makes it just even better.

GF should be recognised for trying to bring a DS game that uses all the features of the system while catering for the younger market, and for those with a DS and kids, this game is going to be the perfect fit.

The repetitive nature harms the game quite a bit and as such it can only be recommended to Star Wars fans or a rental for the casual fans.

They may not have used the swap system as well as the Pokemon games and collecting cards is no where near as desired as getting new animals to play with but they have done a solid job with Spyro Fusion.

The great thing about WOTS2 is that once you do something right or wrong the civilians will remember it.

It's just a shame that when put together it's only an average game.

80 Days is a reasonably unique title in the sense it targets a genre you probably haven't dealt with in a while, but it fails to offer anything other than a quick fling as the technical issues and the storyline are a let down.

It’s stylish enough with its heavy metal soundtrack and graphics to hold its head up against those ultra fussy techno-tappit-head driving games (the ones that make you choose what type of screws hold the suspension together before you are allowed to leave the pits) but it’s easy enough to be fun and challenging at the same time.

A decent game, although it is not quite a memorable one.

It's a bold move forward for the series, but it's ultimately a move into blandness that robs the series of much of its earlier charm.

In the areas Essentials does well, it excels, but what it doesn't do well keeps it from the must buy list for all but the most hardcore Sam Fisher fans unfortunately.

This game itself would be fine if this was 1998 but considering Tenchu: Fatal Shadows sits between games with a similar mission and a more up to date feel I would say leave it on the shelf.

The main problem with the game is also one of its strengths. The fact that it has only Corvette cars will definitely turn people off the game, but also attract a niche market of those who can't get enough one of the most famous American muscle cars.

Whilst the game doesn't look bad, it is still a very average title in terms of visuals.

The driving sections of the game are superbly executed and feature some great gameplay but the on foot sections can cause a great deal of frustration.

A decent FPS, but it is a very basic one that lacks attention to detail. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it takes a certain type of gamer to really enjoy this type of mindless, systematic FPS gameplay.

One of the greater traits of this game is the sound which replicates perfectly the wacky over the top 70’s effects.

Overall UFC isn't the worst wrestling/fighting game around and does a good job in feature many different disciplines of fighting but lacks the polish to push it from moderate game to decent game.

Without a doubt this would be a great game for young players and when the kids have gone to bed the older gamers might want to play as well and indulge in a few of those guilty pleasures I mentioned earlier to spice it up a bit.

With a game relying on Live so much, neglecting the offline gameplay quality only makes matters worse because if people don't buy it there aren't people to play with online. Double edged sword Sega, learn from it.

It's the kind of game you should pick up in the bargain bin a few months down the track and even then just for a laugh rather than a serious game experience.

Those who yearn for a return to yesteryear will find little solace in the game's so-called "classic" mode, which isn't an emulation of the 8-bit original, but simply the original game's layout structures and objectives within the new game's visual style.

The one thing about 187 which surprised us is the variety of gameplay.

X-Men: The Official Game was built for fans of the X-Men and the movie but also offers some excellent third person action for the more casual fans of the series. It does have a lot of fan service and fans will be able to look past many of the games flaws, but for those who aren't fans per se, the flaws will become glaringly obvious quickly, especially on the 360 edition.

Top Spin 2 is a title that impresses beyond our expectations on the DS. PAM may have had a tough time on the 360 and making a truly next gen game, but in terms of handheld, they have created the best tennis game available for portable systems. It may not innovate that much compared to the other two TS games, but it does what it set out to do well, and that’s what matters most.

The graffiti probably could have had a bit more work done to it but they probably wanted to retain the same character and feel of the original games.

Overall the graphics of the game are quite impressive and despite the fact that some enemies appear like a blob of pixels, many others are highly detailed and easily viewable.

The repetitive and boring gameplay, amongst other issues, unfortunately overshadows the realistically unique brutal nature of the game, which is a shame because it really does a good job in its portrayal of what war really is about.

It is a game probably aimed at the female market but despite its dating simulation style, offers a fairly decent adventure game and can be hard to put down.

Features some cute graphics and decent soundtrack and effects but doesn't really push past the moderate game spectrum.

A game that should have been on the PSP. It's perfect for the portable market and there is no reason why Circle shouldn't now port this. However on the PS2 it doesn't work at all because console games need to have deep, long levels with an interesting storyline, neither of which this game has.

The problems with Catwoman don't really show themselves until an extended period of play but once they do they become frustrating and bring the game down heavily.

Fun to play in small doses. Once the repetition sets in during long stints the game's flaws become more and more apparent and it can lose the action packed feel which comes across during early stages.

While the concept of Soldner: Secret Wars is valid, the execution ends up coming horribly short.

The problem with Spiderman 2 is its lack of depth.

This is a waste of money on the developers part to whack a mixture of poorly thought out ideas, bad visuals and sound, in the hope that a few people will somehow be tricked into buying it.

If any publisher wants success with Beijing 2008, they really have to start work on it now because as has been proven time and time again, rushing Olympic games does not work.

Fans of the original two games may be disappointed but if you can look past the flaws, you will find a fairly accomplished and stable racing game to play. It's just a shame it's so hard to get started in.

It is just disappointing to see half baked ideas churned out which could have been full baked masterpieces if the effort was applied.