By far the most engrossing game released so far this millennium.

A shining triumph that looks and sounds as fantastic as it plays. It makes war fun, city building easy and your social life non-existent; but let's face it, do you really need friends when you're God?

It will ruin Bejeweled for you forever, because you will be longing for some consequences beyond just getting points! You will also quickly descend into 'just one more turn' territory until you make your way to the end, which will take dozens of hours.

The replay value of this game is huge, with hundreds of things to find, do and complete. Since all the contracts can be beaten in dozens of different ways, the fun factor in replaying the game just goes up and up, plus there are more than three different characters to do it with.

My mind is blown. Every level brings new and different scenery...and the scale of it makes "Halo 2" look both limited and amateur by comparison. I'm not exaggerating when I say that Halo 3 takes on "Half-Life 2" and wipes the floor with it.

From the breathtaking graphics to the stunning orchestral score, it screams next generation at you and it backs this up with truly imaginative, varied and engaging gameplay, with all aspects of the game featuring a host of lovely features that simply couldn't have been achieved had this game been released on Xbox as planned.

F.E.A.R. really is a shooter with everything - exceptional enemy AI, amazingly detailed graphics with truly entertaining rag doll physics and proper reactions when you land a hit on an enemy, a fantastic range of weapons and an online mode that's tremendously addictive.

The best shooter yet released on Xbox 360 - it really does have everything.

Just in case I haven't been absolutely clear about this, you need to get Gears of War 2. Now.

Superstar Saga is the perfect mix of turn-based combat, adventuring and platforming all in one.

A very important game that shows original concepts can reign supreme - it takes video gaming to a higher form of art that is rarely seen anymore and leaves most other games in its very large shadow.

A gaming triumph and a truly next-generational offering - indeed, it's offering next generation gameplay for PS2 and Xbox owners too, and anyone wanting a taste of where gaming is heading really needs to pick this up now.

The longest episode of the season, and perhaps the longest episode of the entire series.

The new multiplayer modes are extremely good fun and highly addictive, the maps are much bigger and Xbox Live 3.0 is in full force with clan matches, voice and text messaging and even team lobbies with level maps to plan attacks.

Disgaea: Afternoon of Darkness is one of those once in a console lifespan type of games, the kind that set the bar far too high for the remainder of the generation - and even for itself - leaving a new console war to (hopefully) reignite the ingenuity and innovation of developers and lead to the next great genre revolution.

It surpasses any other games in the genre (yes, even you, "GoldenEye"), utilises gameplay mechanics and an innovative multiplayer component that will likely become mandatory for any decent FPS games from here on in.

It is better than you could possibly imagine and it deserves all the praise that it has gained in its short life so far.

If you have even the slightest interest in strategy games, and if you ever played the X-Com games, then just buy it - you will not regret it. And if you never played any of the X-Com titles then do yourself a favour and snap them up too!

Stunning graphics, an amazing range of highly imaginative and sprawling locations, endless variety, engaging and challenging gameplay, loads of mini-games, cool weapons, super powers, vehicles, races, a grand and exciting storyline, great music, superb voice acting and plenty of humour- did I forget anything?

Its triumphant visuals, amazing sound and music, tense and engaging storyline, gripping and varied gameplay, fabulous array of weapons and gadgets, lengthy single player campaign (complete with full online Co-Op for every level) and array of brilliantly crafted multiplayer modes and maps, all combine to make this arguably Rare's best ever game and certainly the Xbox 360's best launch game.

It’s perhaps fitting that Bayonetta should be released on the first launch day of 2010 because not only does it raise the bar for action games for the rest of the year to come it is already, without exaggeration, a firm contender for game of the year.

An amazingly huge, free-roaming, entertaining game that will last you for ages and is a must-have for everyone old enough to own it.

The visuals are absolutely stunning, there are dozens of things to unlock (including some things that were not originally in DOA2) and the online play has been implemented flawlessly, giving us, for the first time, an online 3D fighter that actually feels like a group of players at an arcade and even includes tournaments and championships.

Metroid Prime stands up not only as the most original, diverse and simply awe-inspiring game on the Gamecube, but as one of the five best videogames I have ever played.

The best five dollar investment that I've ever made. Much like Tetris, Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved's gameplay is easy to pick up but can take a lifetime to master.

A must have title - no exceptions and no buts. This game features in my all time top ten and has the depth and nuance of play to keep anyone enthralled for some time.

It boils down to the combat system though. A good story is nothing without good gameplay to back that story up, but thankfully The Godfather delivers on all fronts.

It's a truckload of fun, controls tightly, never lets the player down with framerate issues, offers an obscene amount of things to see and do, all the while oozing charm, personality and unbridled quality from every one of its robotic nooks and crannies (now there's a nice image to take with you).

With a strong storyline, a stunning and expansive world, inspired level and mission design and a hefty amount of time required to see it through to completion, inFAMOUS is an essential PS3 release.

The online community is brimming with endlessly different styles of maps, as each of the creators' personalities are poured into the fun of constructing them. LittleBigPlanet will undoubtedly keep you up at night, constructing the next big hit for the community - and if you don't care for that then you can still play the plethora of maps being produced by countless others.

It not only makes for a perfect introduction to the genre for those curious few yet to sample a taste of Sim City, as well as providing some more meatier challenges for the experienced simmer. Combine this with the incredibly detailed, smooth and well-conceived graphics and the discrete sound and music, and you have a game that's pretty much a must have.

Mario Galaxy is a recipe you'll love and it's good for you too, in the sense that it'd be good for you to play a proper title for a change, one that should stay fresh and in your collection forever.

A powerhouse of a game and a real boon for the PS3, which is in dire need of some fantastic shooters.

The most immersing and compelling game I've ever played.

The auction, the user generated designs, the multiplayer modes, and then the desire to earn experience and credits to buy new motors and new upgrades will keep this title funky fresh and roaring to go.

A game that's every bit as original as Super Mario Galaxy and Portal, Braid is a short-lived gem.

Halo: Reach is undoubtedly one of the biggest games of this year, and although it's sad to know that there isn't going to be another one any time soon (well, not from Bungie anyway), it's also good to know that – over the eight years that Halo has been around – Bungie have managed to take every part of each game, and mix them together into one big recipe for success – for avid fans and newcomers alike, for years to come.

The gameplay is great fun and varies throughout with new themes, changing obstacles and introducing great new abilities for the minis at a carefully planned and gradual pace. It looks great, it sounds great and the WiFi functionality is a wonderful surprise that we're only used to seeing on the PSP.

The game simply rocks and in my opinion this is the best puzzle game money can currently buy.

It’s forty-plus hours of top-notch combat, incredible voice-acting, emotional provocation, stunning graphics and exhilarating gameplay of a standard that simply hasn’t been achieved before as a complete package.

I honestly can't dish out enough praise to the SOE dev team for how far above and beyond they went with this one; Echoes of Faydwer is the epitome of what a classic expansion should be and is easily among 2006's best releases.

Shivering Isles not only lives up to but actually surpasses Oblivion in many respects. It has everything that made the original so fantastic and then some. Depending on how you play, you'll be in the Isles for a good thirty hours and I recommend milking that for all you can.

Football Manager 2010 like its forbearers will keep you entertained for hundreds of hours due to the wealth of options available and depth of its leagues.

What with the totally aggressive but fun gameplay, the sheer madness of the speed at which you drive, the incredible quality of the foreground, background and moving visuals and the pumping soundtrack to run alongside it, you'd be a fool not to have Burnout 3: Takedown in your collection.

Although featuring the most realistic and detailed graphics, lighting and animation you've ever seen with sound effects to match, it's still the gameplay that shines the most, combining a sublime mixture of stealth and combat with the most versatile range of moves, gadgets and tactics ever to feature in a stealth game.

Three brilliant games rolled into one that could all easily be sold separately. The single player is incredibly satisfying, co-op is one of a kind and adds a fresh and very compelling face to the underused online co-op genre and the adversarial mode is simply brilliant once again; an online experience no person with high speed internet should miss.

Harking back to my all-time favorite FPS, "Goldeneye," the deep, solid gameplay mixed with ambience and killer multiplayer makes for a pretty great game.

If you played through Dark Mirror and hated every second of it then Logan's Shadow will give you the exact same feelings. If you have good taste however and liked Dark Mirror, even a tiny bit, then you simply must play Syphon Filter: Logan's Shadow. With extravagant production values and gorgeous graphics, your eyes will adore it.

It looks great, it sounds good and it plays like a real dream, the simplistic gameplay revealing hidden depths and strategies the more you play, with plenty of hilarious moments of death or glory in every game you can play. Blowing up your friends really has never been so much fun!

Boasting amazing looks, stunning animation and instantly accessible yet deep gameplay that's hugely addictive, it's the kind of game that is not only awesome to show off the power of your beloved new 360, but will be a faithful companion for many months to come, thanks to a huge amount to do and a variety of modes both offline and on.

Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars is undoubtedly one of the must have purchases of the Nintendo DS generation - it is truly something to be behold, an experience to be enjoyed not just by yourself but by anyone you come across.

This is arguably the biggest game ever made, and if you were to complete it 100%, it would take you several hundred hours, I'd estimate 400 to 500 at least.

A perfect blend of arcade style action, mixing the best of Midnight Club 2, Midtown Madness, Need for Speed Underground and Burnout 3. With a combination like that, you really can't go wrong.

The journey through Northrend is one of continuous wonder, where every zone has something new to show and exploration of every detail is something that you feel compelled to partake in.

Evidently, there's potential left to wring out of the old twin-stick shooter yet.

After nine episodes and nearly a year and a half, this stuff hasn't begun to feel old or tired.

Halo Wars is an absolute triumph, every bit as well designed and beautifully implemented as the Halo trilogy; the only real downside is that it's so addictive that you'll find it hard to tear yourself away. Finished the fight? Time to start another one!

The graphical effects in this title are far superior to anything GTA conjured up previously. On hot days you'll see an intense heat in front of you in the form of lots and lots of orange sunlight and heat waves in the distance. The sunsets and sunrises during hot times are absolutely blinding!

Champions of Norrath melds action and adventure with RPG and although it's not a huge departure from previously, it's definitely worth a stab, or more specifically, a crushing overhead hammer blow.

So there you have it; for the price of one game, you're getting three incredible chapters of arguably the best single player first person shooter ever created, the unique and sublime first person shooter puzzler hybrid that is Portal, and an incredible multiplayer game that is incredibly addictive and totally distinctive, simply unlike any other online shooter on the market.

Buy it, enjoy it, love it and make it a success - Cloning Clyde, in any of his many guises, personifies what Xbox Live Arcade is all about, and we need more games with the same originality, sparkle and fun factor as this one.

An absolutely essential purchase for every DS owner, and I defy anyone to play it for a week and not to become completely and utterly addicted to it.

2009 should have been EA's year to finally claim the footballing crown with a solid FIFA game across all systems, but despite the radical changes and improvements to their game, Pro Evolution Soccer 2009 still manages to score a winning goal with this new one.

The replay value of this game is huge, with hundreds of things to find, do and complete. Since all the contracts can be beaten in dozens of different ways, the fun factor in replaying the game just goes up and up, plus there are more than three different characters to do it with.

I can't tell you how impressed I am with the quality of sound, not only that this game produces but from the DS itself. It rivals anything your television can put out and it even has a surround sound option.

Braid is a true masterpiece, something which will be regarded as a milestone in gaming not for any great technical feats but for the fact that it showed us that, even though not all games may comfortably fall under the classification, some can truly be regarded as art.

At times breathtaking, often awe-inspiring and never, ever dull, Red Dead Redemption is already one of 2010's biggest hitters, and is likely to become one of this generation's greatest achievements. A staggering work of art.

All you really need to know is that Ratchet & Clank: A Crack in Time is at the very least on a par with Tools of Destruction and, as such, it’s a game that you need to experience.

Civilization V is an awesome game and one of the best (if not the best) empire management games available.

Left 4 Dead 2 is a near perfect slice of gaming heaven, set in gaming hell.

Overall, Rock Band 3 is a huge success that, in all honesty, should put Guitar Hero to rest.

Starcraft 2 may feel a bit too familiar, given the accepted trend for sequels to reinvent themselves with every iteration but it comes across more as a tried and tested success with enough fresh nuances to keep old school fans happy and attract many more players looking for a new challenge.

To be frank, Tekken 6 features the most complete and rewarding fighting experience on PSP, and is a must buy for any fan of the genre.

Blazblue: Calamity Trigger is an instant classic, delicious in its delivery and almost flawless in its presentation.

It’s an original, varied and faithful rendition of life on the frontier, filled with the kind of quality and eccentricity that we’ve come to expect from Rockstar, and stands on its own merits as one of the best games on PS3.

Apparently clocking in at around 60 hours and with DLC promised, this is a gargantuan slice of epic adventure that will keep you well and truly immersed for weeks to come – you can bet your bottom bottle-cap on it.

Needless to say, Assassin’s Creed II is a game full of intrigue and mystery that will keep you engrossed from the awkward opening to the epic finale.

An absolutely fantastic remake.

It’s living proof that history is written by the victors, because when people look back over the records of 2009, they’ll find more than a couple of paragraphs in Infinity Ward’s distinctive script.

At approximately four hours in length it's not a long game at all, but while those four hours last they're magical, beautiful and really quite affecting.

All told, the Sega Genesis Collection is the cream of the crop when it comes to old-school game compilations, rising above every other entry in the crowded genre to date.

It's a compelling tale, which is more than backed up by some fly graphics, cool soundtracks and smooth gameplay.

Take realistic physics, gorgeous visuals, plenty of immersing sound, psychological mind games, a pinch of horror and mix that with a storyline to rival any big budget movie and there you have it, something completely new.

People wanting big, immersing RPG stories would be best advised to look at "The Longest Journey" games instead, but most fans of the series, despite the various changes that have made it more of an RPG-Lite, will not be disappointed by what Oblivion has to offer.

FIFA 11 isn't as instantly enjoyable, comfortable or easy a game as FIFA 10, instead it's one that rewards your perseverance with perhaps the greatest simulated soccer ever to grace a home console.

The game is a lot of fun, makes great use of the license, will definitely appeals to the children.

More Brain Training is a game that has great lasting appeal. It might not take you more than a couple of weeks to unlock everything, but once that's done, the lifespan of the game continues with improving your brain age, beating your high scores on the challenges and completing the Sudoku puzzles.

At present it feels like one of the worst games in the series to date, with issues such as slowdown and poor editing options hampering the experience. Yet it still has the potential to be without a doubt the greatest football game yet.

Nintendo has once again shown us why The Legend of Zelda is one of the greatest gaming legends of all time.

Devil May Cry 4 is a stunning triumph of an action game that easily competes with greats like "God of War II" and "Ninja Gaiden Sigma."

Although not all of the DS's features are utilised (mainly the touch screen), the challenging gameplay and DS download function more than make up for this.

A delicious mix of the best aspects of the first two games, with more innovation and a cockier, funnier Dante. The action is truly flawless.

This is still the best grappling game that money can buy, but having said that there isn't really a lot of competition.

Coupled with loads of online features, Tiger Woods 07 is a challenge that fans of the game should enjoy rising to, while real golfers should appreciate this for its accurate take on the real thing too.

Even when you start to get bored of playing it in long bursts, the game makes an absolutely fantastic time killer or a great distraction for those long visits to the toilet.

Throwing in the massively upgraded engine, which makes the game look even more luscious than before the game could hardly be better, and with music that suits both the period and manages to be both pleasant and doesn't distract from the game, this can only be hailed as a massive success.

An essential purchase, as it increases the longevity of the original and more importantly improves on it, to make the whole experience of Tolkien's world feel even more complete.

The Wii's best game - by far.