Although the violence is a lot harsher, the gameplay and tension has been revamped to give a more intuitive feel without losing the need to improve those button tapping skills.

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.

People who are looking for a fast sports game can't go wrong with this, but those wanting to upgrade might want to rent it first to see if it's worth their hard earned pennies.

I am a changed man after playing this game and I think anybody who hasn't bothered to play golf games before should really give this a try; you'll be surprised, I promise.

I am a changed man after playing this game and I think anybody who hasn't bothered to play golf games before should really give this a try; you'll be surprised, I promise.

While there is plenty of polish to F-Zero: GP Legend and you do get a good feeling of speed, there isn't that much that's new.

Although there is not much substance to the single player game, it's fun for a while and hearkens back to the days when games didn't have to be too clever or in-depth. It's the online aspect that most people are going to be drawn to, which is immensely satisfying, even with the lag and communicator issues.

Although the violence is a lot harsher, the gameplay and tension has been revamped to give a more intuitive feel without losing the need to improve those button tapping skills.

People who are looking for a fast sports game can't go wrong with this, but those wanting to upgrade might want to rent it first to see if it's worth their hard earned pennies.

I am a changed man after playing this game and I think anybody who hasn't bothered to play golf games before should really give this a try; you'll be surprised, I promise.

I am a changed man after playing this game and I think anybody who hasn't bothered to play golf games before should really give this a try; you'll be surprised, I promise.

People who are looking for a fast sports game can't go wrong with this, but those wanting to upgrade might want to rent it first to see if it's worth their hard earned pennies.

While the length of the game would usually warrant a rental, because of the reduced price tag this is a bargain worth a purchase for anyone who loves third person action games.

If you like the look of this, you're much better off getting it on PC or Xbox, where you can take it online.

Adapting the grappling hook idea and gameplay from Bionic Commando has given the game some depth, as have the other gadgets and gizmos. The graphics too have captured the essence of the cartoon, so fans will be pleased. However, it loses out on some fairly mediocre sound and some overly easy and repetitive gameplay.

The aspiration side is probably the best thing that has ever happened to The Sims, because you will go out of your way to achieve goals to score points and buy unusual objects.

On the plus side, what's there is competently done and is flecked with powerful moments of brutality. On the downside, these spots of overt anguish aren't dealt with particularly well and lead to a reduction of the overall effect.

On the plus side, what's there is competently done and is flecked with powerful moments of brutality. On the downside, these spots of overt anguish aren't dealt with particularly well and lead to a reduction of the overall effect.

Playing as Sly's sidekicks is a treat and the overall feel of the game is excellent; each objective actually feels important and they all lead up to the grand heists that are an absolute joy to pull off.

Some aspects of Forgotten Realms: Demon Stone please me, like the fantastic mage, nice upgrade system and the great voiceovers but there are a few flaws too, such as the lack of multiplayer and the other two less interesting characters.

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.

Adults will move through relatively quickly and may lose interest before the end but the cartoon graphics are so perfect and funny that the kiddies should enjoy it all the way through.

People who are looking for a fast sports game can't go wrong with this, but those wanting to upgrade might want to rent it first to see if it's worth their hard earned pennies.

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.

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!

On the plus side, what's there is competently done and is flecked with powerful moments of brutality. On the downside, these spots of overt anguish aren't dealt with particularly well and lead to a reduction of the overall effect.

It's a shame that Port Royale 2 doesn't fully succeed thanks mainly to its dull combat mechanics and unfriendly interface that bombards you with screen after screen of information that often clogs up the game's more memorable features.

Arena Wars isn't a terrible game, it's just not a very inspired one. It's an uncomfortable and not very balanced strategy game that tries too hard to be something better than the games it's trying to emulate.

A marvellous title that'll have the kids enthralled from start to finish. It's loaded down with quality and a brain-stretching depth that most games in the genre fail to manage.

I'd say Digimon beats Lego Racers, but only just.

A marvellous title that'll have the kids enthralled from start to finish. It's loaded down with quality and a brain-stretching depth that most games in the genre fail to manage.

SCi have done a marvellous job with the high detail, which comes across well in both the audio and visuals.

SCi have done a marvellous job with the high detail, which comes across well in both the audio and visuals. In fact it's so detailed that it feels real.

It has a good story, nice levels and disturbing, scary moments that you'd expect to see in a survival horror game - but it doesn't have "Resident Evil's" charm.

I have rarely, if ever, found a driving game that made my adrenaline pump, caused me to break out in a cold sweat and had me swearing violently at the screen while still gagging for more of the same - until now.

The best budget game I've played on the PS2; it's so good it even gives "Burnout" a run for its money.

If you're not expecting "Resident Evil" then I think you'll be impressed, particularly with the camera, which I found to be very good indeed.

More disturbing than seeing a clown in your infant years, Silent Hill 4: The Room is the best of the series to date and if you have the guts then it's definitely worth a look.

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.

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.

With a fast and frantic single player with all the trimmings, plus the voice and image of Arnie, I can't complain one bit. And when you've completed the game with a high score there's some decent cheats to unlock that enrich it even more.

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.

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.

With a fast and frantic single player with all the trimmings, plus the voice and image of Arnie, I can't complain one bit. And when you've completed the game with a high score there's some decent cheats to unlock that enrich it even more.

With a fast and frantic single player with all the trimmings, plus the voice and image of Arnie, I can't complain one bit.

Simply put it's an interesting concept and at first certainly an engaging experience but ultimately it just doesn't work.

The amount of variety and options in and out of battle will keep you playing far longer than the typical game, while there are enough differences in the combat system to make it feel fresh and new.

Like a detective novel it can be predictable at times, but the fun of the game isn't from being surprised by whatever the story uncovers; it's from working out the mystery yourself.

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.

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.

There's something here for the arcade action gamers and the World War One enthusiasts alike, what with the authenticity and detailed planes combined with decent control options.

The gameplay is more hectic yet still very strategic, you're no longer limited to only 30 days to complete the journey, the graphics are incredibly good and a beauty to look at, the controls are excellent and very simple (excluding the clunky camera controls) and now we have two incredibly fun multiplayer modes.

A great wrestling game, no doubt. The engine is solid and leans even more towards a simulation game like No Mercy than an arcade game like SmackDown and is a great alternative if you don't like that franchise. The graphics are downright incredible.

The cutsey graphics and outrageous effects enhance the title past the ordinary and in conjunction with the graceful combat mechanic, it's hard to put any downers on it.

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.

I wanted to be more positive about this title, but after playing the ultimate golfing game and then coming to play this - well, it feels like a giant step down.

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.

Here is a game that doesn't try to be anything groundbreaking and it was never hyped as such; it's just a beautiful looking shooter that provides the same addictive, gung-ho game that made the original so much fun to play.

The disappointing weaponry visuals are complemented with equally hum-drum sound effects. The assault rifle sputters rather than chattering away and sounds more like a rapid-fire spud gun than a machine of death.

An unusual idea and one with great potential, but unfortunately the dull setting and plodding pace of the game bog it down.

It is very cute and the humour is silly and childish but it is incredibly endearing and just plain good fun.

I daresay that many of the Brits reading this will be as baffled as I was with ESPN NFL 2K5, but there's a whole shed-load of quality present in both the gameplay and presentation.

Reasonable graphics are let down severely by atrocious, uninteresting and frustrating gameplay, ill-considered sound and very little incentive to keep playing.

Still, as far as us "grown-ups" are concerned, I expect a lot more from my puzzle games, especially when they come from the normally creative genius that is Sonic Team.

Basic controller requirements, repetitive presentation and an incredibly satisfying multiplayer mode add up to a sporting title that fares far better as a party game than a single player experience.

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

There aren't any two player options and the main game is remarkably short. There isn't anything to make you want to play Around The World In 80 Days again, particularly not the tedious and often frustrating gameplay.

This is a rehash of every good idea ever done in FPS but done little better than average.

Offers the arcade intensity of a first person shooter combined with the cunning challenges of a top-notch strategy game and it does so with aplomb.

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.

As much fun as swinging around the city and helping random people is, Spider-Man 2 could have been an absolutely amazing title had the developers spent a little more time crafting better missions and crimes to stop and actually giving the enemy some AI instead of patterns to repeat.

As much fun as swinging around the city and helping random people is, Spider-Man 2 could have been an absolutely amazing title had the developers spent a little more time crafting better missions and crimes to stop and actually giving the enemy some AI instead of patterns to repeat.

As much fun as swinging around the city and helping random people is, Spider-Man 2 could have been an absolutely amazing title had the developers spent a little more time crafting better missions and crimes to stop and actually giving the enemy some AI instead of patterns to repeat.

Pool Paradise creates a very enjoyable challenge for a single player, has an excellent and almost limitless lifespan in two-player, and above all it's a snip at just £20.

After two failed games it might be too much to ask for an excellent follow up, but a playable one would have been nice.

Whilst tunes are ridiculously easy to create and fiddle around with, doing anything worthwhile on them is difficult and gives you the feeling that a PC based tune maker is clearly the way forward.

After two failed games it might be too much to ask for an excellent follow up, but a playable one would have been nice.

At best a thunderous thrill ride of nervous tension and insane speed and at worst a frustrating graft through endless laps of samey left-hand turns.

Although the gameplay loses out with its linearity and the walking episodes are weak, it makes up for it with awesome driving sections, a great story, fantastic graphics and the wonderful casting of A-list Hollywood actors.

The game's only real downer, the sound, which is drab and uninspiring, is easy to overlook and becomes background anyway. Pool Paradise creates a very enjoyable challenge for a single player, has an excellent and almost limitless lifespan in two-player, and above all it's a snip at just £20.

While bits of the game are predictable, such as fighting a boss whose only weakness is fire immediately after you obtain pyrokinesis, any flaws are insignificant thanks to the amazingly addictive and fun gameplay.

There is no other game like Psi-Ops: The Mindgate Conspiracy out at the moment and it is one of the best action games to blast onto the scene in a long, long time. Do not let this one slip by you.

It's full of little surprises, including humour, great voice samples and a mix of brain-busting puzzle-based level designs.

They've tweaked and improved the gameplay considerably, included two fantastic multiplayer games and wrapped it all up in a beautifully drawn and dynamic sounding environment.

Lastly, for some reason, the rumble feature with the controller is done way too much. The controller shakes during this game more than any other PS2 game I've ever played and all I did was jump.

If you can forgive the AI and path-finding issues and overlook the slightly decrepit graphics and lack of imagination in the story, then there is some fun to be found in Besieger.

Adds real depth to familiar characters and locations.

Whilst it isn't as good as the other traditional Zelda games and lacks many of their features, this is the one that started it all and it is indeed a very enjoyable game. The graphics hold up well but are not incredible, of course.

Gamers not used to the Hogwarts world may still be impressed by the novel approach to the gameplay, the magical graphics and the well-balanced learning curve.

The entire package is just out there riding the coat tales of the involving Yu-Gi-Oh games, or the incredibly diverse and playable Pokemon titles. As such, I urge every hard working parent to opt for one of those for their kids instead.

While it's essentially a puzzle game, some of the challenges are very tough and will require a lot of trial and error if you're not careful, but some intense music, good gun sound effects and your squad screaming at the top of their lungs to move make for a fun experience.

It's not just the best movie-licensed game ever, but one of the best single player first person shooter adventures ever.

Unless you're a hardcore fan of the franchise, old-school games or side-scrollers, just make this one a rental.

Adds real depth to familiar characters and locations. Gamers not used to the Hogwarts world may still be impressed by the novel approach to the gameplay, the magical graphics and the well-balanced learning curve.

It's not even the best Pac-Man clone but it is a well put together title that does offer some measure of amusement.

Solid gameplay combined with the fun of Mario's acrobatics, the crazy antics of our favourite giant ape and a rousing score to boot makes Mario Vs. Donkey Kong just one more reason to remind us why Nintendo have always been champions in the field of electronic entertainment.

A thoughtfully designed action shooter with massive, well-rendered and free roaming environments, a great range of enemies and an unparalleled range of gadgets and weapons with which to defeat them.

Predictable, bland and boring, just like Nick Kang, the star of this routine action game that has been routinely converted from the consoles.