While kids will love the bright and colourful characters and graphics, adults will love the subtle nuances of collecting, decorating, Feng Shui, natural history lessons and sheer delight of pleasures as simple as catching a huge bass in the nearby river.

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.

An absolutely fantastic remake.

Beyond Good & Evil is a gaming masterpiece, blending together light combat, stealth, platform action, puzzle solving and racing to form a compelling gameplay mix, tied together with a terrific story and wrapped up in gorgeous visuals and audio.

The multiplayer is worth the cost of this expansion alone; it could almost be a full game in its own right, yet what you also get here is a generous selection of easy to complete yet enormously fun and exciting single player missions as well.

After extensively playing Company of Heroes: Opposing Fronts, I realised that expansion packs just shouldn't be this good.

When you've got a series that already has such a high level of quality, the real skill lies in not changing all those things that work perfectly well and ensuring that the adjustments and additions you do make improve on what has come before. In both these regards Football Manager 2007 can be considered a success.

The uniquely quirky presentation, brilliantly conceived storyline, excellent cut scenes and tremendously varied gameplay all combine for a totally refreshing and fun game experience.

On the surface, DiRT 2 may appear to be a punkier, streamlined and therefore more diluted experience than its forebears, but this window dressing belies the complexity and depth on offer to even the most hardened rally purist.

This sense of scale never really ceases throughout the course of the single player campaign, with areas and enemies alike ranging from merely huge to breathtakingly colossal in both scope and detail.

While the game is only six levels long, equating to about two to three hours of gameplay if you don't rush, Flower is well worth the money and you'll find yourself coming back just to go through the same levels over and over again.

After playing Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords, I couldn't help but feel surprised that a game like this hasn't been made sooner - what seems like an unlikely combination ends up being a perfect match.

LittleBigPlanet isn’t in any way a shoddy port; it offers an experience that is on a par with – and in some ways exceeds – the full console experience.

Dark Crusade isn't just another collection of random missions and some new units; it's an expansion so crammed with new stuff that it's almost an entirely a new game -and not something that Dawn of War fans will want to be without.

You may not be playing the same game as the original, but the same feelings of awe and enjoyment will flow over you.

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.

The RPG and turn-based elements might put you off those who aren't fond of the genre, but the game excels in storytelling, story arcing, animation and character building so well that it's worth taking a chance even if you're not a fan.

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

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.

Supreme Commander is a colossal giant on the strategy gaming scene; there are few games that have managed to provide war on a scale such as that witnessed here.

Kirby offers us a fully-fledged game with a main mode and great secondary modes, with plenty left to unlock and find, as well as high scores, times to beat and a great little game where you launch Kirby through the air as far as possible!

The best in its genre - period. There's something on offer for everybody, it's great for the serious hockey fan, it's fantastic if you have a few mates around to play in party mode or even buzz in on the trivia games and it's even soothingly, surprisingly good fun for the casual gamer.

Fight Night Round 4 is the complete package with all the modes you could hope for, excellent gameplay and amazing visuals.

It's not going to impress anyone who's grown to loathe games based in this era, but action fans and those desperate for more since the original Call of Duty burst onto the scene will be hard pressed to find a bad thing to say about it.

If you own a PS3 then you'd be doing yourself a disservice not to try Valkyria Chronicles; it's sure to provide many hours of enjoyment with its fun gameplay, tragic yet heartwarming story, and its appeal to something deeper with its messages than just playing another mindless videogame.

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're looking for a brilliant party game that's also great to play alone then look no further, because your search ends with Boom Blox Bash Party.

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

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 would go so far to say that it's one of the best games on the system. The only reason it didn't score higher is because of its ultimately repetitive nature and its lack of a multiplayer mode.

With an estimated 40-60 hours for a relaxed, fairly expansive play through, and the choices of origin, class and race to ensure at the very least two to four replays, Dragon Age: Origins may well be one of the most addictive, satisfying and life-swallowing RPGs that you can play offline.

As such, The Sims 3 really is a game that keeps on giving; it's polished to near perfection and while it's missing a couple of old features, it shines in so many other areas where the series once lacked that I can only sing its praises.

It's not pushing any boundaries but the game still comes with the right mix of fun, humour and enjoyment that seem to be lacking in these days of hyper realistic action games.

This is the most pure fun I have had playing a game since... well, since the original LEGO Star Wars.

What they've come up with in terms of gameplay is such immense fun that, when combined with the superlative visuals and rocking sounds, you can't help but shake your head and wonder where Guilty Gear X2 # Reload came from. It's like a bolt out of the blue!

Loaded with tons of replay value even after you've completed the monstrous game once. Hundreds of different options and paths await; for some it'll even be worth it to hear the different voices and responses made when you select different options.

A gaming masterpiece, blending together light combat, stealth, platform action, puzzle solving and racing to form a compelling gameplay mix, tied together with a terrific story and wrapped up in gorgeous visuals and audio.

Perhaps Soul Calibur III was developed with the hardcore, technical players in mind who do memorise everything and for them the game will be a dream come true.

A truly great game. However, it's not for everybody. Let me warn you, I've been playing this game now for about a week, watched all the tutorials and I am yet to come close to winning a game, it's that hard.

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.

We Love Katamari reminds you of just why you fell in love with the pursuit of gaming. Enjoyment is at the very forefront of the Katamari ideology and it shines through with dazzling brilliance.

Each year it seems that the minute gameplay tweaks can have very little impact on the way the game plays, but every time we find ourselves finding the improvements have been so well implemented that it's hard to imagine going back to the way the beautiful game used to be played.

Doubtless the best flight-sim ever made; startling realism, excellent graphics and addictive gameplay make for an award-winning title.

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.

Boxing games tend to get a bit dry after a while, but I've been playing this non-stop since I got it. I've become at one with my fighter and have really immersed myself in the tactics involved in a boxing match.

Joe Danger isn't quite Mario on a Motorbike – it doesn't have the depth, variety or genre-shaping progressiveness for that. Instead, it's a warmly nostalgic tribute that manages to land itself in between the inventive, physics-based precision of Trials HD and the frenetic speed runs of Excitebike – which is a pretty impressive trick for anyone to pull off.

It's another masterpiece by Namco and a more than welcome addition to Namco's ever growing 'Tales of' series.

It's a game that lovingly recreates its source material with a passion than fans of Tolkien's works will be very pleased with, but most importantly it's a game that's easily accessible and fun to play, which was always the one thing that made WoW triumph over all those that had come before it.

While Vice City Stories may strike you as being formulaic and unoriginal, know that the similarities are merely skin deep; dig a little deeper and you'll discover an experience with the kind of production values, Rockstar-gloss and utter playability that the GTA titles are reputed for.

With a wider range of races and perhaps more single-player outings to introduce them, Warhammer 40,000: Dawn Of War could easily have been hailed the definitive RTS.

It's been a long time since I played a game that literally kept me on the edge of my seat from start to finish and left me wishing for more, actually wanting to play through it all over again.

Skate is more than worth checking out for any fan of skateboarding games, providing an experience like no other and one that you won't soon forget.

It's clear that much of Mythic's efforts have gone towards creating a balanced and inclusive PvP MMORPG and, for the most part, Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning is just that.

As you've probably guessed by now, I love Advance Wars: Dark Conflict. It's yet another classic entry to the series and continues Advance Wars' proud heritage with all the ingredients that have made it so damn great since the original game was released.

The uniquely quirky presentation, brilliantly conceived storyline, excellent cut scenes and tremendously varied gameplay all combine for a totally refreshing and fun game experience.

It may not have the best graphics or story, but it's still great because it shines in the area it really cares about - tactical realism.

To be fair to them its not like they Plaxico Burressed themselves, and it's tribute to the solid product Madden has become over the years that 10 is held together by its depiction of the nuts and bolts of real football and the Online Franchise mode.

Viewtiful Joe 2 is as big a triumph as the original, resisting the urge to change a winning formula but building on it with even cooler settings, funnier bosses, more variety in the gameplay and a cool new way to manipulate time.

Aside from the lack of new music and some minor crashes, if you have played through Oblivion and are looking for a fresh new experience then you can't go wrong with The Elder Scrolls IV: Shivering Isles.

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.

Some people will hate Splinter Cell Conviction just because it’s different – you know what, it’s there loss. Bar a few pacing issues and a little too much emphasis on gunplay towards the end of the game, Conviction nevertheless delivers a fantastic experience that is great when played alone and nothing short of terrific when played with a friend.

PGR4 is an excellent racing game and though I may have been hard on it because it lacked the polish of previous iterations in the franchise, it is by no means a bad game.

The content on offer in Midnight Club 3: DUB Edition Remix is pretty great.

NHL 08 is without question the finest hockey game that EA have released for many years and the first real contender to NHL 2K's crown as the premiere hockey simulation.

Yes, the Madden IQ is a miscue, and they've fumbled the online leagues, but Madden 09 is a much more rounded and refined game than 08. It has all the basic components for perfection but can't quite bring them together so, in this respect, it's much more like the 2004 Steelers than the '72 Dolphins.

If there is one major gripe that positively must be fixed before the inevitable release of Guitar Hero IV, it's product placement. Guitar Hero III jams AXE body spray, 5 gum and Red Bull cans into your face so hard that it's almost offensive.

While the game may alienate some players, anyone interested in the Capcom back-catalogue or indeed Japanese animation would do well to seek this game out.

Only the issues of its periodically dodgy camera and short lifespan - along with the rock-paper-scissors-esque two player bug fighting game, which is frankly not much cop and not really worth a mention - even come close to bringing it down, and even with those minor faults, you really should make sure you pick up Daxter as soon as possible.

If you ever wanted to see a digital replica of you playing baseball inside of a game, The Show is going to let you live the fantasy!

If you want something fresh, with almost endless replay value (so long as you have Live or some friends nearby) then I can do nothing but strongly recommend this title.

As much as I love Pokémon Diamond and Pearl, it alarms me to see how little the core game has evolved over the years.

As a single-player experience, Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light is at best a modicum above average.

Compelling, engrossing and thrilling.

A great game that's certainly worth playing if you enjoyed any previous Splinter Cell titles, but don't expect to see a huge leap in terms of gameplay, or the ingenious level design of years gone by.

Nigh on perfect. There's no other way to put it. Words simply cannot do this game the justice it so admirably deserves. It's the most original, involving and technically astounding first person shooter since Halo 2 finally emerged and barged its way into every Xbox owner's home, and it puts most of its competitors to absolute shame.

Dawn of War 2's greatest accolade is something that it actually does share in common with its predecessor; it's a game that once again takes the Warhammer 40,000 license and does something truly great with it. As for the rest, time will tell if Relic's gamble pays off or not.

I think some more innovative and radical changes are needed if a fourth in the series is to materialise.

It doesn't do anything particularly new, but it builds on the greatest aspects of the previous C&C games and moulds it all together to create the best C&C game yet.

Gameplay finally feels more akin to the sport we watch on television, successfully capturing some of the chaos and brutality of the real game.

It's fair to say that most people over the age of about eight will find it ridiculously easy and childlike and it features some typically Manga quirks and moral dubiousness (indeed, one of the themes of the original U.S. series was vivisection!) but as a piece of history and heartwarming my-first action title, it's pleasing in almost every facet.

A classy, challenging and engrossing game, providing worthy competition for the best racers that Xbox has to offer.

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.

Despite the lack of evolution, I had a great time with LocoRoco 2. It's an improvement upon the original by most measures; bigger, better and more bad-ass, you might say, sacrilegious as it seems to apply Cliff Bleszinski's sales pitch to this sugary treat, but where Gears of War 2 delivered on its outlandish promises, LocoRoco 2 proves decidedly lacking.

The fighting is fluid and well-paced, the characters are all interesting and the game wields an eccentric style that sets it apart from all other 3D fighters.

Amnesia is a very difficult game to sum up. The best way to describe it is the slow, spooky, chilling, atmospheric train ride to Hell rather than the insane, kill all monsters action game concept usually associated with the Land of the Dead.

Soulcalibur is appearing increasingly stale, with each sequel becoming a reluctant carbon copy of its prior - but whilst we await the next step forward for the fighter, Soulcalibur IV manages to keep the key elements of the genre surprisingly fresh and, more importantly, fun.

Fable's low points hurt the game quite a bit, especially the length of the game, which could be beaten in three days if you played it a decent amount. It's because of this and the poorly designed world that I would only recommend this game as a purchase if you're a true hardcore RPG nut looking for an epic feeling adventure with a great set of novelty features not found anywhere else.

GTR is a work of art. No doubt inspired by the uncompromising authenticity of the infamous Grand Prix Legends, they have recreated a driving experience so real that it's with surprise you realise that you can't smell the burning rubber.

Quite honestly, it doesn't have anything on the pioneering Dark Chronicle or the flawless Final Fantasy VII, but then you'd have to do something pretty special to outdo those two.

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.

The variety of the campaigns and the different sides involved is enough to keep you going for some time. While more of a completion of the ideal of Medieval II rather than a whole new game, Kingdoms is the best value expansion pack of any game I've played in recent times, with four new campaigns to battle through.

Viewtiful Joe 2 is as big a triumph as the original, resisting the urge to change a winning formula but building on it with even cooler settings, funnier bosses, more variety in the gameplay and a cool new way to manipulate time.

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

Machinarium is a solid and thoroughly enjoyable point and click adventure and while it's not without fault, these are passing annoyances rather than sticking points that will sour the experience.

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.

All riotous fun to play with friends at parties and gatherings but guaranteed to split the fan base clean down the middle or somewhere close.

With a fantastic main quest that will keep you hooked to the end, extra tough puzzles to keep you thinking after the main story is complete and weekly downloadable content to be made available in the future, Professor Layton and the Curious Village is a very strong package indeed.

Audiosurf revels in its simplicity.