Phantasy Star Portable could so easily have been the triple-A title that the PSP so sorely needs at the moment, but without online play it just misses the mark.

Unfortunately, State of War is only in a state of war with itself and fails to battle convincingly with my time.

It's a very authentic reproduction of the TV show that fans will love, but a few flaws in the combat system, stealth continuity and frequent gameplay breaks prevent it from reaching its potential.

Devil Kings is an unashamed Dynasty Warriors clone, which is great news for fans of the series, as it improves on many of DW's flaws.

Rubik's Puzzle World is a game that simply shouldn't exist, for so many reasons.

Strikeforce isn’t going to change the world by any means, but it does make the Dynasty Warriors franchise relevant for the first time in years – an amazing feat in itself.

Runaway: The Dream of the Turtle is a decent adventure game that I do recommend, even though the control system on the DS leaves a lot to be desired; there is room for improvement and I'm hopeful that the developer will take this on board for future releases.

Older gamers may find Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness simply lacks the challenge that they're used to in an RPG, meaning that this is a title best left for those youngsters that were toddlers (or not even born yet) when the series first made its mark on Japanese shores.

Parents could confidently buy this for their children, safe in the knowledge that the content is suitable as well as enjoyable.

Despite a groundbreaking multiplayer mode, Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles - Echoes of Time is only for the hardcore RPG audience.

The gameplay is rarely exciting, quite repetitive and often very frustrating; never a good combination.

It isn't worth buying Sonic Gems Collection unless you simply can't live without "Sonic CD".

The story mode is lame with no real endings and the challenge mode will probably only appeal to huge fans of the KOF franchise. There's also training, character profiles and a versus mode and that's just about it folks.

But kids used to load times for the GBA or DS will quickly become frustrated with the constant loading in this game, as I discovered with my 8 and 9 year old sons.

With a compelling storyline, fun characters, access to over 100 party members in the form of the Golems and a very flexible, rewarding and deep upgrade system, Enchanted Arms has everything you would expect from a great RPG and it will keep you hooked for the fifty hours or more that it takes you to reach the end.

Despite a lack of online play, Project Sylpheed is as good a space shooter as you are likely to find. Its perfect balance of depth and accessibility really pushes the game to the forefront of the genre.

NBA Live 06 has a lot in common with your favourite supermodel, or at least the perceived stereotype - it looks absolutely stunning, but is lacking in depth.

The co-op mode is a welcome addition, even if it isn't online enabled (and only supports two players), but you'd be much better off playing "X-Men Legends" co-op mode than this one.

Star Trek: Legacy is a fun game and a very good effort for a Star Trek space title, but controls that you will inevitably be fumbling with make things hard to get into.

Despite the many problems with Wild ARMs XF, I'm impressed by what X-Seed has produced, from a gameplay standpoint at least.

It's not so much art design and premise that ultimately brings Murder in the Abbey down; the gaffe rests on the gameplay.

Feeling heavier than the ring bearer, I can barely lift my digits to tell you that with clunky gameplay, poor graphics and badly paced sound, The Lord of the Rings: Tactics is only really going to be enjoyed by the most hardened of Lord of the Rings fans.

Restaurant Empire II is an engaging enough management sim that can be enjoyable and even occasionally challenging at times, and with the wealth of options available offering huge variety in the gameplay, if you become hooked then it will last a while.

A simple game of Hearts and nothing more.

The absence of a storyline to get you invested with the characters, the lacklustre gameplay and the limited controls pull the gameplay down so much that it's impossible to reproduce the quality of its kindred on other platforms.

A second rate clone of "Devil May Cry" and if you're looking for that you'd be better off with "Devil May Cry 2."

I thoroughly enjoyed Micro Machines V4, probably because of the heavy dosage of nostalgia that it administered to me, but also because the developers obeyed the golden rule of retro game reiteration: provide the gamer with a modern day standard game whilst maintaining the elements they loved from the original, something that is not at all easy to do.

Major League Baseball 2K9 isn't a terrible game but it isn't a good one.

Online Tiberium Twilight can be a fantastic experience, but it comes at the expense of a shallow and dull single player game. Together with some draconian DRM protection these things work against what should have been the crowning achievement in the C&C saga, a game that was destined to go out in a blaze of glory, yet one that will end up causing a huge division of it’s numerous fans.

The portable gameplay experience is rewarding and the application of the stylus based control system is pure genius, but despite its merits, it suffers under weight of the first to market glitches and the obvious comparison to existing titles like "Mario Golf: Advance Tour."

This new Legend is one you'll enjoy immensely while it lasts and crave once it's over.

In the end or in the beginning if you like, Batman Begins is a good game, just falling short of great due to the linearity.

Decidedly average title which doesn’t really try to reach beyond that. Everything about it feels, not rushed or not completed, just poorly designed, almost as though it’s been designed for the budget range.

If the AI was up to scratch and provided you with a challenge, then the game could have been contender.

Like a decent enough war movie then, it's something that you can sit and occupy yourself with on a lazy Sunday afternoon, but not something that's going to last for long as a truly memorable experience.

The graphics at times look under-developed, which considering the 2D look the developers were aiming for gives you an idea of how far short they fell.

The longevity is abysmal and the content is woefully limited, while the controls and overall gameplay are fine for a weekend rental.

EXIT DS is a flawed classic in the puzzle game genre but there's definitely enough here to be worth checking out if you haven't played any of the other versions in the three years since the game's original release, you don't mind hair-tearing frustration, and you have the patience to get to grips with a control scheme that should be far more intuitive than it is.

The game as a whole is very forgiving - too forgiving in fact. If you're an experienced gamer, or even an adult who plays occasionally, you shouldn't find the puzzles, bad guys, bosses or exploration too much of a hindrance and will probably complete the game in about 10 hours.

I am left in a bit of a conundrum - here is a game where I barely passed the first boss battle and neither of my kids were able to defeat that first boss (my older son would have managed eventually it but after about twenty minutes he wanted to get back to Pokémon Ranger and didn't care if he ever saw Avatar again!)

The gameplay is very basic, the story is almost non-existent, the sound isn't what it should be and the graphics are okay but have their drawbacks. Yet my nine-year-old sister loved Hello Kitty Roller Rescue to bits. Its simple, it's accessible and it's very rewarding - because you can unlock new costumes for Kitty.

Obviously younger audiences are going to enjoy the game more than older players, but for any self-respecting Incredibles fan, the story and the teamwork gameplay is enough to warrant a look.

Strictly a game for fans of the series, although even these people might be put off with the slow-sailing pace of the game.

It's not a bad game, but casual gamers, and possibly hardcore-traditional-football fans, may get bored of pulling tricks rather than pulling skilled corners back on the real pitch.

Playing with real friends in this game is better than playing somebody online, as you get to have a real party spirit and distract each other in ways that simply aren't possible when the other players aren't in the same room. Not only this, but there's a ton to unlock and enrich your multiplayer games in months to come. Got friends? Get Worms!

Despite the amount of complaints on the table, I still think World Poker Tour should be given a chance if you plan to take it online, because as far as I know, this is the only poker videogame that offers such an extensive online mode.

There's nothing truly groundbreaking (apart from Godzilla's feet) and there's plenty of room for improvement, but also very little to complain about and the astonishing level of destruction will most likely have you grinning like an imbecile throughout.

No one can deny that the game has got style - it oozes it from the menu screen and onto the football pitch in typical EA fashion - however, it lacks the depth and substance to make it appeal for more than a couple of hours, after which you may start to question the wisdom of your investment.

It has enjoyable missions, lovely graphics, great sound and is fantastic for kids. However, I think it lacks the depth needed to please the older gamer and it doesn't really offer a lot of challenge.

Spectrobes works perfectly for what it is, tapping into that primal collecting gene we all share at some point in our lives. Cliché-filled story and characters aside, the kids this one is made for will eat it up like free ice cream at a birthday party and come back for seconds with a clean plate.

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.

It may have a few tricks up its sleeve, but this is a series that has a long way to go before it can contend with the big boys.

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.

For the game's younger target audience there is a fun, easy going action-RPG and light-hearted storyline waiting to be discovered in Avatar: The Last Airbender, and one that lasts at least a good six to eight hours with plenty of optional side quests, mini-games and unlockable content.

Despite the good points, playing Bandai's latest Digimon videogame incarnation disappoints on too many levels to be considered a must buy. The long-term replay value is quite limited, with the exception of the expensive two-player option.

When it all comes together and just works the challenges Theatre of War 2 provides can be exhilarating to overcome, the battles can often awe you with their scale and sense of achievement as you guide your motley crew of familiar soldiers through each mission is a reward in itself.

I know I keep coming back to the two Brain Training games but it's difficult not to; they test more areas of your brain, have more variety and are generally more interesting to play.

Changes are for the most part slight and minor, but Privateer’s new campaign structure does make for a new, refreshing playing experience.

The game as a whole is very forgiving - too forgiving in fact. If you're an experienced gamer, or even an adult who plays occasionally, you shouldn't find the puzzles, bad guys, bosses or exploration too much of a hindrance and will probably complete the game in about 10 hours.

If you're looking for a top-notch brawler, Viewtiful Joe: Red Hot Rumble simply isn't for you.

The gameplay is so compelling and entertaining that it makes for a truly addictive and wonderful knockout of a game - and I'm not trying to con you here!

Between the boring combat and characters that never quite connect, it is difficult to keep playing after a while, without setting the game aside for something more interesting.

Imperium Romanum ticks all the right boxes; with an intuitive and easy to understand interface, a varied mix of scenarios to play through and a substantially improved graphics engine, there's a lot to like about it - but it isn't perfect.

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.

There are a fair few intriguing ideas on offer in SOCOM Confrontation but the series seems to have become stuck in a time warp, as the likes of Call of Duty and Rainbow Six do this kind of game so much better.

Beneath the mangled exterior of clumsy control methods and weak characterisation there is a great idea here and had the game been given a few months longer in development it could have had these annoyances ironed out.

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 fantastic action-platformer that, despite a few technical hitches and minor camera problems, delivers well over ten hours of 3D Pac-Man goodness.

Hardcore fans of any of the genres contained within Robin Hood: Defender Of The Crown will not be satisfied.

A perfect example of turning something underrated into a great game. Its also embarrasses "Pokemon Colosseum" and its fuddy-duddy turn based approach, flaunting a more hands on approach.

If you look past the fact that Jewel Master: Cradle of Rome isn't as polished as it should be then you've got a reasonably fun puzzle game that's good for short spurts of play, perfect for train rides on red steam engines or big red bus journeys to Redditch.

Thinkers and Myst groupies will be delighted but the rest of you will probably give up before the end of the first level. Really, Aura is a step backward in the adventure game genre.

I've been playing it for a few weeks now and can definitely report that it's the most accurate golf sim on the market to date.

The lasting appeal is great, the graphics aren't half bad, the sound is pretty good, yet the gameplay falls far below par to my golfing expectations.

It's not a bad game, but casual gamers, and possibly hardcore-traditional-football fans, may get bored of pulling tricks rather than pulling skilled corners back on the real pitch.

Sadly, it seems that Sim City without Maxis is like a pub with no beer - frustrating, disappointing and not worth a visit.

Undead Knights is a surprisingly playable little title. It’s innovations, such as making zombies allies rather than enemies and the things you can order them do make its gameplay refreshing enough to warrant a high amount of playtime.

It's just a shame that the single player is so darn repetitive - run, STOP, and gun, the AI is also pretty shabby and the game isn't particularly long either, if you can endure more than two levels without getting bored of the same old mechanics.

Hasbro Family Game Night is a great collection of well-translated board games that makes for a fun night in with your family and friends. None of the six games are stinkers and one or two of them are even arguably better than their board-based equivalents (Battleships and Boggle, take a bow).

This is the worst Final Fantasy game, and that is a very hard thing to say for a diehard FF fan such as myself.

It's the kind of game you could've bought three years ago for the same price, same graphics and same gameplay.

A solid survival horror game that takes the classic formula and adds a couple of cool innovations. It's more of an upgrade than an evolution, but the American high school setting feels fresh and is very well put together, with smooth graphics, a nice balance of shooting and exploration and a story that, while very generic, just about holds your attention.

A bit of a missed opportunity. If it hadn't tried to be so cutesy and cartoon-like it would have been more gripping. It's by no means a bad game and it is quite endearing and strangely addictive in its own way, but with so many truly great console games coming out at the moment, this seems a little out of place.

The main game shouldn't take much more than thirty hours to complete, with a few more added to take down all of the quests to achieve the best ending.

It's most definitely a niche game though, so the casual player will probably only play it a few times before the monotony of doing the same thing over and over sinks in.

If you want hollow button mashing then pick up the latest Dynasty Warriors, but if you are after something with a little more depth, breadth, scope and originality then give Bladestorm: The Hundred Years' War a try; you might just be pleasantly surprised as it smashes away your preconceptions like so many scattering infantry.

The gameplay is rarely exciting, quite repetitive and often very frustrating; never a good combination.

Though it plays second fiddle to its old rival, Mario Kart, Diddy Kong Racing shows that there is still a place in the gaming world for kart-driving monkeys, plane-flying turtles and hovercraft-steering tigers.

You will love the crisp graphics and refreshingly exciting gameplay. You will love the constant action and atmospheric sound effects. You will grin like a Cheshire cat when manning machine-gun nests and spraying bullets in every direction.

It is for the multiplayer, and probably the multiplayer alone, that you'll be playing Ridge Racer DS for quite some time.

Whilst SBK-08 Superbike World Championship will definitely appeal to fans of superbike racing due to its advanced options and simulator aspects, but it will probably end up leaving the more casual gamers behind because they'll easily be able to beat the game on the lower difficulty levels and then not bother tuning their bikes or playing harder settings.

While it gets a fair number of things right, its numerous gameplay failings and technical issues far outweigh them all. Its highly derivative nature is another major turnoff and it's a shame to see this spoil what could have been a great experience.

Teen Titans isn't as inspired as many will hope, and even with the added multiplayer support doesn't end up being much more than a quick Teen Titans videogame tie-in for the masses to consume.

It looks and sounds great, but the lack of a tutorial is a major letdown, as the game is just too complex not to have one. Even the first few missions of the campaign are quite difficult and don't ease you into the game as they should. The simplistic AI also hurts the gameplay in the campaign mode too.

It is just a bit more of the same, but lacks much of what made the original compelling. It is also too short in length and drab in appearance, providing little incentive to get from battle to battle.

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.

It's a great outlet for fans of Backgammon to go and play their favorite game with other people, without the need to wander around with a small briefcase looking for other players.

A long way off from living up to previous titles in the series.