This is one of those 'perfect for the kids' games you'll want to keep handy for road trips and such.

WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2007 exceeds all my expectations and even surpasses them; of the three versions available, the PSP is the most fun to play, and while there are still loading times and a few glitches here and there, it can't tarnish the fact that THQ managed to fit almost everything from the 360 version into a machine not even half as powerful.

Unlike Open Season, which kept me thoroughly entertained from start to finish, I found "Ice Age 2" to be something of a repetitive chore at times.

It really is like taking a step back in time and discovering a classic game that you never played, yet has been updated graphically and influenced by more recent games.

Had this game followed through with more of its new features other than with the dual characters, it would have set itself apart from Dawn of Sorrow. Instead, it simply falls in line behind it as well, letting many of its individual traits fall short of their full potential.

Ranks amongst the finest games yet released on PSP.

Its gameplay is niggling and its humour is trite and stale.

It's a great title for newcomers to the game, as it does a lot of easing you into the control system and the experience as a whole. However, veterans of the series will probably find themselves getting very frustrated with the create-a-champ and Career modes.

The unique structure of the boss battles, hidden items to find and strategy involved with mixing abilities, managing your inventory - which is effectively Kirby's stomach - and deciding how to take down each enemy really makes Squeak Squad one of the best platform adventures you can find today.

A puzzle game with everything - addictive gameplay, lovely presentation, a great concept and so much variety that you will simply never tire of the game, even after all 160+ levels are completed.

If the Wii controls had been more responsive and a bit easier to understand when navigating menus, more activities and incentive to explore the sprawling environments had been included and the sound was more varied, then Barnyard would have scored higher.

The many, varied game modes will keep you and your friends busy for a long time, while trying to unlock every last cartoon episode is an excellent incentive to complete the whole game.

If you are looking for something more - if you already have chess for a PDA or GBA and are hoping for solid play over the Internet or a great story mode then look elsewhere, because as anything other than a decent chess engine, Online Chess Kingdoms fails to deliver a compelling experience.

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.

RoboBlitz is one of the very best, if not the best Xbox Live Arcade release so far - and one of the few titles from the Arcade that's great enough to have stood on its own as a full commercial release.

Hard Rock Casino is a poor game that could have been thoroughly enjoyable; however, the lack of polish, presentation and playability make this a game I simply cannot recommend. I like to make a bet every now and again, but place your money on Hard Rock Casino and you're backing a guaranteed loser.

It's a real mixture of a couple of greats, some good, some not too good and a couple that are downright atrocious!

It is not often I would judge a game on what it doesn't do, as opposed to what it does do, but RACE: The Official WTCC Game just does not provide anything new from "GTR 2," apart from the setting.

A great game, and more importantly it knows what kind of game it wants to be; it's not trying to be every game for every player - it's a mission-based, moderately-paced, thinly-plotted and multiplayer-focused shooter. And it hits that goal so well that it makes the shooter landscape for the PSP clear.

It feels very much like a collection of lots of mini-games pretending to be an immersing simulation.

There's nothing here that hasn't been done before in many other adventure games before it, but Agatha Christie: Murder on the Orient Express is a splendid showcase of richly compelling narrative and atmosphere at work.

Superman Returns isn't a bad game, but at six hours gameplay it's far too short, as well as far too buggy and repetitive to enjoy to its fullest.

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.

As it is, they get enough right to make this a good choice for a new gamer, but for those looking for a challenge I'd look elsewhere.

Sadly, positives such as the great audio are counterbalanced and often outweighed by missed opportunities and poorly executed gameplay mechanics. This leaves a game with a great concept and a few innovative ideas that sadly leaves a bitter taste in the mouth.

For all the ups and downs Twilight Princess takes in terms of presentation, there's simply no denying the wondrous, deep adventure and revolutionizing gameplay that takes the edge off of the lack of graphical power.

Despite the shortcomings in presentation and pruning in some aspects of the modes and play, what Wii Sports gets right it gets right with flying colors, showing that what may have appeared as a gimmick - the motion-reading controllers - is actually a revolution.

If you're willing to really master one of the many control schemes on offer, and you don't mind losing out to the odd technical difficulty, then you might just find a familiar game with enough difference to make this a worthy purchase for the avid Need for Speed fan.

It's very basic and not as compelling as a single-player affair in the long term, but fire this game up with three other players and get the competitive juices flowing and you'll find a fantastic multiplayer party game joyride waiting to suck you in for a good while.

Pocketbike Racer is in no way the next coming of kart racers, but as a wallet-friendly arcade game it more than serves its role as an amusing piece of gaming software for the casual audience.

At first its kookiness will have you and any onlookers cracking up, as you watch the King prowl around and do his little dances, but after only ten minutes of play you'll have seen everything the game has to offer, and from then on playing the rest of the way feels more like a chore than anything else - Sneak King is a one-trick pony and its one trick gets old far too soon.

The PS3 version is still a must play for PS3-owning Marvel fans and those looking for a game to rock with four players, but if the choice is there, you are only hurting yourself by skipping over the 360 version, because this one is a couple of heroes short of an Avengers team.

With a gaming pedigree as diverse, extensive and impressive as Gunpei Yokoi's, it's a shame to see his name tainted by Gunpey DS. The only aspect of the game that Gunpey DS exceeds in - lasting appeal - is the one the rest of the game completely rebels against.

You must play until you lose, there are no save places and once you lose you must start all over again from the beginning. This seriously impacts the longevity of the game and playing any mode other than Challenge becomes pointless, with no rewards to soothe your sore thumbs and gameplay that lacks the addictive 'one more go' quality of Tetris and the like.

If you've never played TrackMania before and you have even a slight interest in racing and puzzle games then it's well worth hopping into the driver's seat of TrackMania United.

It's a good, solid game that has a tremendous visual appeal and is generally a ton of fun to play, but at the same time does absolutely nothing spectacular that hasn't been seen in any shooter before it and falls short of delivering a long-lasting playing experience that would justify it being a must have addition to your PSP collection.

The Wrath of Set not only stands out amongst its higher-profile peers but actually surpasses some of them in terms of its simplistic addictiveness.

A fine hybrid title that tells a captivating tale, complemented by a stellar cinematic presentation and gameplay that is challenging and rewarding, not to mention compulsively addictive in an old school dungeon-crawler kind of way.

The frankly terrible graphics will ruin the experience for some gamers and at the very least will disappoint.

I love the attention to detail here; this isn't just a number of classics slapped into a collection with no thought - this is a set that was meticulously put together and each game is given the proper respect to make you want to play every single one of them, which is what a classics collection should do.

It's one of the few truly fun games I've played in a long time, and in an era when all that seems to be produced are stealth agents, pimped up cars and overly complicated sports sims, it's nice that for once we've been given a nice, simple dose of pure entertainment.

Cars is a good game for kids looking for a fun and friendly title on the Wii, regardless of their stance with the film.

An epic anime beat-em-up unlike anything else currently on the market. Although the controls are slightly tricky at first, this is a game with so much depth and character that I can't help but recommend it to everyone.

With a control scheme that feels so perfectly right, beautiful visuals and a delightfully simple premise, Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz is certainly worth both your time and money.

The main draw to Charlotte's Web is clearly its decently sized story mode and it absolutely delivers a fine family-friendly platforming romp for you and your kids to play and enjoy while it lasts.

Your ability to deal with an RPG that brings stale gameplay and little in the way of a story - 'classic' RPG traits - will ultimately decide if this game is for you, not the title to the left of the "III".

Even though it is considerably harmed by the inane support of the Wii-mote to the point of the extreme, and the slightly boring battle system, the dull visuals and quite a lot of glitches, the game manages to sneak by as one of last year's best games in the genre.

The simple fact is that a dodgy camera, dubious controls, unspectacular visuals, repeated falling to your death and almost constant load breaks have all but ruined what should have been a brilliant game.

With a brilliant single player mode that takes you through some great story and dialogue, excellent voice acting and highly realistic graphics, Call of Duty 3 is a must buy for anybody who wants a decent shooter on the PS3.

It pains me to say this, being such an adoring fan of the Call of Duty franchise and all, but Call of Duty 3 is probably the weakest game I've played on the Wii so far, and I've played nearly the entire launch window line-up.

It never reaches the heights of "SSX" or the pure finesse of "Project 8" though, leaving Downhill Jam stuck somewhere between a rock and a hard place.

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 only the developers had fixed that camera. If only they had thought harder about the puzzles. But they didn't and that leaves Genji as a disappointing experience overall.

Following through on a game plan of innovation and entertainment, they stuffed the game to the brim with personality.

It looks great, plays well and really kicks ass on multiplayer mode.

I'm so in love with Gitaroo Man LIVES - it's a fantastically addictive game, repayable as long as you enjoy the music and the challenge, and with lots of difficulty levels and multiplayer modes in the form of Vs and Duet, people with a PSP wielding friend will be able to get even more out of the game.

Graphically it looks wonderful and plays just as well, but next year Yukes really needs to scrap a lot of the built-in aspects and redesign from the ground up, such as the CAW and Season modes.

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.

This is without doubt a worthy launch title that deserves a truly Wii-specific sequel… stat!

Naruto: Uzumaki Chronicles is a title with a few ups and downs, but the best way to describe it is as a 'cute' beat 'em up. Unfortunately, it lacks anything groundbreaking in its gameplay and aesthetic qualities. It's also just too short.

If you're looking for an American Football game that you can pick up and play without worrying that you don't know your quarterbacks from your quarterpounders then this is the game for you!

Games like Road Rash and Desert Strike are still fun to play and you may enjoy discovering (or rediscovering) some of the others, but don't expect to be blown away by the quality on offer overall.

An excellent treat for fans of the books and soon to be fans of the film. The game covers a lot of territory while doing a great job of bringing a decent amount of challenge and thrills to the masses.

An excellent treat for fans of the books and soon to be fans of the film. The game covers a lot of territory while doing a great job of bringing a decent amount of challenge and thrills to the masses.

Skilled players can probably blow through Story mode in a day or so, but the multiplayer modes make up for the brevity of that part of the game.

An excellent treat for fans of the books and soon to be fans of the film. The game covers a lot of territory while doing a great job of bringing a decent amount of challenge and thrills to the masses.

While it's pretty linear and you can get through the game in about six to eight hours, younger players and those who don't go the walkthrough route will find it enjoyable to tackle the game at their leisure.

Unlike the horrific launch of Dungeon Lords, which eventually revealed that there wasn't much of value beneath the buggy exterior, Gothic 3 has a tremendous world of role-play available for those willing to persevere - and I strongly recommend the game to players in this category, who also have the behemoth computer power needed to run the game in the first place.

A sloppy, unimaginative title that on the Gamecube was barely passable and on a next generation console is just not acceptable!

A pure slice of RPG goodness that's worth a play through whether you've read the book or not.

The main draw to Charlotte's Web is clearly its decently sized story mode and it absolutely delivers a fine family-friendly platforming romp for you and your kids to play and enjoy while it lasts. But once the story is long over it's the arcade mini-games that will keep you coming back for more.

I truly am blown away by how terrible this port turned out to be.

An excellent treat for fans of the books and soon to be fans of the film. The game covers a lot of territory while doing a great job of bringing a decent amount of challenge and thrills to the masses.

It's not quite perfect but it's as close as you can get on the PSP for now, and until they design a new MK release specifically for Sony's handheld, this is definitely a worthwhile purchase for beat 'em up fans who enjoy the gore and novelties that the MK series has always provided.

If you take out storytelling and character building, then add in mediocre gameplay, what do you have? A pretty action title that stumbles far more than it struts.

I would like nothing better than to stamp My Frogger: Toy Trials with a must-have recommendation, because it does contain a number of creative game concepts and gameplay that is generally fun and rewarding, but in all honesty I can't go quite that far with my praise due to the often frustrating trial-and-error level design and tricky, counter-instinctive control scheme.

Even though drifting makes those corners a lot more interesting, I that fear some people will be put off this initially frustrating mechanic that sometimes leaves you skidding about in the dust of the AI after losing multiple times just because you can't straighten up properly.

With incredibly realistic player animation and one of the most fluid and natural game experiences you're likely to find at the moment, an insanely huge range of options and modes, and more detail and stats than you could possibly want in every area, including the huge Franchise Mode, there's something here for everyone.

You could even call it Mobile Suit - but I prefer Immobile Suit, because few too many problems stand in the way of the gameplay being in any way entertaining or enjoyable.

Experienced gamers aren't likely to find enough depth or challenge here to interest them for very long, and the lack of multiplayer in any capacity and the less-than-creative Wii-specific mechanics are disappointments. However, for the game's younger target audience, there is a fun, easy going action RPG and lighthearted storyline waiting to be discovered.

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.

No other place offers this kind of strategy, brimming with one of a kind characters and creatures, and the actual work you'll be doing is so different that we should get it patented!

Combining the excellent gameplay with superb level designs, non-linear battles that allow you to use any weapon or cover at your disposal to eliminate threats, as well as completely unique storyline elements is what really makes Gears' solo mode shine brighter than any of the grim graphics in the game.

The fact that it's relatively short and complimented by weak visuals and mixed audio detracts from the experience, sure, but the gameplay manages to prevail nonetheless, eventually offering you one of the most stressful, tactical and overall entertaining experiences on the PSP at the moment.

With a single player campaign that lasts a good eight hours, with loads of replay value in the form of higher difficulty levels and places to explore or do differently, plus the multiplayer mode that supports 24 players online and a thriving community that love war games as much as you should, Call of Duty 3 is one hell of an experience.

A strong follow up to American Wasteland and the series has managed to stay fresh, even after all this time, with new additions to satisfy hardcore fans and enough changes to warrant old school skaters coming back, wanting to get the most out of this part-reinvented genre.

I enjoyed quite a few lengthy gaming sessions on this title; the online ranking helps you quickly team up with fellow elite Seals and you can easily while away the hours negotiating the many maps available.

It has the feel of a game that was brought out simply to make money off the back of a popular TV show, not something that has had loving care poured into it so the gamer can have a great experience.

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.

As a gamer who has not only never played a Digimon title until this one, but dropped far too many hours into his copy of Pokémon Diamond, I was quite impressed with what Namco Bandai have brought to the table.

Without hesitation, this game is the greatest rock simulation on planet Earth and a must have for any PlayStation 2 owner and every fan of rock music.

No matter what your favorite genre happens to be, RoboBlitz is a technical wonder that's a joy to play for pretty much anyone who's smart enough to purchase it.

An epic anime beat-em-up unlike anything else currently on the market. Although the controls are slightly tricky at first, this is a game with so much depth and character that I can't help but recommend it to everyone.

Where Eternal Forces does a great job is in the loads of biographies for what would normally be throwaway units. Granted, some of the bio information is strangely comical, but you end up caring about each character under your command. Sadly, there are far too many other characters that might be seen by some as astonishing stereotypes.

Battlezone is good for a quick dose of action, but those looking for a longer gaming experience may have to look elsewhere.

A quirky, imaginative title that is exactly the reason why the Nintendo DS is dominating the market currently.

Anno 1701 is an addictive game that's easy to lose yourself in. It's the closest a game has come to emulating the easy, fun and challenging gameplay of The Settlers games while accidentally tripping over its own feet and landing on near enough the same disappointing combat system.