Nostradamus: The Last Prophecy is enjoyable but flawed; it's too short, with little reason to play it again (beyond seeking a higher score), the game world isn't lively or well populated enough to be convincing and the puzzles are of mixed quality, making it a pretty standard point-and-click game.

I feel bad for railing on Jackass: the Game this much, as from a purely gaming perspective, it is not only playable, but at times mildly amusing and wholly enjoyable. But at the same time, as a Jackass game, it fails at replicating the experience of even just watching an episode of the show, let alone interacting with it.

For the casual gamer this is a mess with very few redeemable features beyond a few fantastic stories - throw in poor graphics, weak voice work and a longevity that will barely cover a weekend and you're left with a title that could have been so much better.

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.

As far as city-building and resource management games go, The Settlers: Rise of an Empire is one of the best around.

Soul Nomad & The World Eaters isn't perfect, but it's an endlessly enjoyable game for fans of the strategy RPG.

As a tool for learning, Animal Genius doesn't have enough going for it to be considered viable. It lacks any sense of fun or enjoyment to tether the educational aspects in with the mini-games. Scholastic has released a half-hearted Educational Videogame that fails at both of the tasks it sets itself.

In a funny way it may turn out that the Tony Hawk's games needed the arrival of skate as much as skate needed the existence of Tony Hawk's to make it what it is - the new home of skateboarding, at least for the time being.

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

I feel bad for railing on Jackass: the Game this much, as from a purely gaming perspective, it is not only playable, but at times mildly amusing and wholly enjoyable.

The controls highlight just how diverse and easy to play the Wii can be when it comes to gaming and the little tykes will love decorating their houses with furniture they've crafted with relative ease.

Best suited to short bursts rather than extended errands, MySims comes recommended to those who like lots of freedom, choice, customisation and eccentricity in their videogames.

Like a gift that never stops giving, Sonic Rush Adventure is chock-full of content that never gets dull.

Fans of the series will probably find something to like in Growlanser: Heritage of War's forty or more hours of gameplay and selection of extras that include a battle arena and fairy contest; for the rest of us though, there is little to be found here other than an extremely average RPG that seems to do its best to exasperate its already lengthy list of shortcomings.

World in Conflict isn't about revolutionising the genre - what it does do is reinvigorate it. Combining its fast paced almost action game style single player campaign with a multiplayer component that does actually manage to be sufficiently different from the norm, what you have isn't just a damn good strategy game, but one of the best strategy games of the year.

A good game with decent, no-frills graphics and excellent sound. It offers more action than most third person action games and the explosions are always much more fun than sneaking around corridors in the dark.

I suppose that kids might have some fun playing this with a mate for a short burst, and the real die-hard fans of the series might enjoy yet more of the same, but really there are far too many awesome games available on 360 at the moment to ever justify wasting your money on this.

Forged from middleware obtained from the bowels of Hell, Anubis II is a game with only the cruelest and most heartless of intentions. If for some reason this game finds its way into your home, witness as it engages your children (or anyone else) in a swift moment of neutrality before it throws off its cloak and shows its true colors.

If, however, the narrative is tacked on and redundant, and the game itself is a poor copy of greater originals, then the best advice I can give is simple and hopefully more effective than all the faux emotion pulsing through Jewel Quest Expeditions: avoid this game.

I really enjoyed Eternal Sonata. There are dozens of hours of gameplay available with numerous quests to embark upon, fantastical items, weapons and armour to collect and a genuinely thought provoking and accomplished story that I don't dare to reveal any more about for fear of ruining it for everyone.

It's been a long time since I've had as much fun playing a videogame as I've had playing Stuntman: Ignition. It's furiously fast, awesomely addictive and gives rise to some fantastic multiplayer grudges! Ignition could well become to driving games what Bullit's chase scene is to driving films.

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.

There are definitely moments of triple-A brilliance to be enjoyed here, but they're occasionally overshadowed by the game's shortcomings.

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.

Online issues aside, Colin McRae: DiRT is a fantastic driving game in so many ways.

If Fatal Inertia came with local four-player gaming then I'd recommend it for split screen play alone, because there's nothing like it on the Xbox 360 at the moment.

The real problem with Galactic Assault: Prisoner of Power doesn't lie with its handholding and linearity; it's with its reluctance to really push any boundaries.

NHL 08 is the finest hockey game on the PS2 to date, although the versions on the next-gen consoles are preferable if you have the choice.

Should you be a casual fan of ice hockey then I just can't recommend NHL 2K8 as a game to pick up; the new control system and the maddeningly deep franchise mode are only for the most hardcore of fans. With this said, those of you who love everything about hockey will like this game, control problems or not.

Yes, it looks okay and, yes, it's just about competent, but with less-than-mediocre gameplay, no sense of speed, bad vehicle handling, lame power-ups and very limited modes, only a few samey racetracks and two naff mini-games, there's simply no reason for this piece of tat to exist.

John Woo Presents Stranglehold may not exactly be what players were expecting, but it comes packed with a truly next generation look and presentation that makes it difficult to not enjoy, even if it is only for brief periods.

Pool Party isn't pretty, it doesn't sound nice and it definitely isn't clever. Aside from the obvious fact that World Championship Snooker is the best cue-sports game around at the moment, not only do I genuinely believe that the original incarnation of Virtual Pool circa 1996 is infinitely better than this, I personally would rather be playing an online portable pool game such as Yahoo! Pool, which while only being 2D and top-down, plays a much truer game and is a lot more fun.

Medal of Honor: Airborne is ultimately made for those who can make it through the lacklustre first half of the game. Persevere and you will be rewarded with some of the best action that WWII shooters have had to offer in a long time.

This is the most original first person shooter I have come across since Doom 3's blend of horror and action.

Lair is a roaring triumph of a game that's blasted onto the PS3 to show us all just what the hardware is capable of.

With some real effort having gone into ensuring the game looks great on any TV and plays well online, this is one of the Xbox Live Arcade games that really needs to be in every collection, especially with the recent decline in classic puzzlers on the console. Now go bust some gems!

The most important factor here is price and, thankfully, I Spy: Fun House is very cheap. Its RRP is £19.99 but because of the disastrous title and the fact that the packaging makes it look like one of the worst games imaginable, I guarantee that it'll be hitting the bargain bins very soon.

There's more to this game then meets the eye and, just like an onion, it has many layers. Peel one back and as well as making you cry with laughter, it'll keep you entertained for hours on end.

It's also not a game with much depth unfortunately - some added features would have made a solid enhancement to the already excellent gameplay.

While it's undoubtedly one of the best looking and most consistently polished and flawlessly constructed games I've ever come across, with masses to discover and a very nifty class and skills system, its many neat touches and features can't hide the fact that it's a very straightforward old-school RPG, whose repetitive action can get tiresome and whose cutesy graphics will fail to inspire, or even impress, some people.

Monster Hunter Freedom 2 might not set the gaming world ablaze with new ideas and boundary-pushing gameplay, but it further refines a genre of gaming that really seems to find a niche on the PSP - the action RPG.

An absolute triumph of a sequel.

A huge step up from its predecessor.

It may have taken ten years, but it appears that with Wild ARMs 5, the series is ready to make the jump from appetizer to main course.

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.

Despite the dated gameplay, lack of online options and baffling storyline, the game manages to still be fun thanks in no small part to the charm that the Gundam license brings to the title.

Despite the dated gameplay, lack of online options and baffling storyline, the game manages to still be fun thanks in no small part to the charm that the Gundam license brings to the title.

Carnival Games is one of those games that you want to love for its unique appeal and for trying something different, but it just feels rushed and only half-completed.

If you're a serious member of the videogame Pringle club then, with all its options, Tiger Woods PGA Tour 08 is definitely worth a purchase. If you're more of a Sunday morning hacker, however, then the game's difficult beginning may mean that you never reach the entertainment that lies beyond it.

Tiger Woods PGA Tour 08 is a very good golf title that's enjoyable to play and if you don't already own a copy of Tiger Woods 07 then it's definitely worth a look - even if you are not a fan of golf.

A gorgeous looking simulation, rather than the satisfying looking arcade games that typify earlier entries in the series.

A fine example of a traditional adventure game, with an engaging storyline, challenging puzzles and visuals and sound that combine for a good atmosphere. It's without a doubt the best point and click game I've played in a long time, despite its flaws.

The Wii's best game - by far.

If you also enjoy a bit of multiplayer combat then you should seriously consider drafting GRAW 2 into your PS3 game collection as quickly as possible.

Two Worlds is not the worst game on the Xbox 360. But it is the worst RPG available for Microsoft's console.

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.

A game that benefits from extended demo play before taking the leap to the full version.

You'll notice really small but crucial touches throughout your descent in Rapture that make it easily one of the most engaging, fun and unique shooters of any console. Whether you're looking for an action game, an adventure game, a good story, a unique concept, or hell, even an RPG, BioShock's brilliant campaign will make you realize that the first person shooter genre can and needs to be so much more than it is.

The game isn't perfect, as there's a certain simplicity to the combat based on only attacking on the ordinal directions and some of the dialogue doesn't flow very well, but overall it's an engaging and fun game that you won't want to put down until the very end.

Games that seem to go out of their way to waste my time raise my ire like nothing else I know.

While it won't end up on any 'game of the year' lists, it is a satisfying and fun experience that frames beloved characters and settings within a nice extension of the original story.

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.

Pure D&D, with all of the good and bad connotations that carries.

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.

My problem with Luminous Arc is that underneath the boring story, poor jokes, religious mumbo jumbo and endless button bashing to skip it all, there's a little gem of a game trying to break out.

It's safe to say that if you've never enjoyed the sedate pace of the Harvest Moon formula then Neverland's latest simply isn't for you - but if you're a fan of the series who's looking for a unique twist on the usual procedure then you need look no further than Rune Factory.

Fatal Fury deserves its place in the higher echelons of videogame culture and it deserves to be mentioned in the same breath as the other greats that we all know and love. It's a shame that this release has come at the end of the PS2's life, when a lot of people have gotten rid of their console for bigger and better things.

Madden NFL 08 is not a perfect game, but it's damn close.

There really is a wealth of options for all types of gamers to get stuck into, be it the accessible but hugely fun mini-games or the incredibly in-depth Franchise mode.

The number of gameplay modes is sufficient to keep you going for months and the controls are nicely implemented.

Whether you've played the original Tomb Raider to death or have never even seen it in action, Tomb Raider Anniversary is a worthwhile purchase for your PSP.

Mega Man Star Force Dragon is the proverbial Yin/Yang. The combat - the true essence of Mega Man - is engaging and complex if you want it to be, and can best be described with one word: fun. The battle cards, albeit contrived, add a nice flavor to the game and building your deck to suit your style is quick and easy. But the other side, the story and accompanying cut scenes, have the ability to rip you right out of the game to look for something else to play.

Mega Man Star Force Leo is the proverbial Yin/Yang. The combat - the true essence of Mega Man - is engaging and complex if you want it to be, and can best be described with one word: fun. The battle cards, albeit contrived, add a nice flavor to the game and building your deck to suit your style is quick and easy. But the other side, the story and accompanying cut scenes, have the ability to rip you right out of the game to look for something else to play.

Mega Man Star Force Pegasus is the proverbial Yin/Yang. The combat - the true essence of Mega Man - is engaging and complex if you want it to be, and can best be described with one word: fun. The battle cards, albeit contrived, add a nice flavor to the game and building your deck to suit your style is quick and easy. But the other side, the story and accompanying cut scenes, have the ability to rip you right out of the game to look for something else to play.

If you're a fan of shoot 'em ups in the old sense of the phrase then you'll almost certainly become a fan of Glory Days 2.

The best RPG so far on the PSP.

It makes a real change from many of the other puzzle games out there for the Nintendo DS and if this crowded genre is going to survive, we're going to need a lot more innovative games like Picross that try something different - and succeed. Simple and harmless fun, Picross is definitely worth a look.

Mario Strikers: Charged Football is yet another game that sums up the ethos of the Wii - pure, unadulterated, accessible fun.

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

I don't care how much it hurts to say it, but I'm dropping out of this 'bonus' tour. There is no way I can stand up on stage and pretend to have fun playing Shakin', Radar Love and all the other bogus songs you put in front of a sold-out crowd who had no idea just what they were buying into.

If you want a quick fix of Deal or No Deal on the go and you can overlook the dodgy graphics, the limited amount of Noel's speech and the fact it's just one five-minute game with some padding with the 'find the mug in the box' and Forfeit mode sections, then you'll enjoy this.

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!

A Sherman Tank of a game - tough, armed to the teeth and... erm... more heavily armoured at the front!

Almost an amazing game; with a little more variety and a few extra game modes, this would have been a real classic. However, for those of you looking for a very entertaining arcade game that's great fun alone or with a friend, this comes highly recommended.

The main problem with PaRappa The Rapper is that it's pretty much a straight port of the PSOne original. Ten years is a long time in the gaming world, and what was once a trendy young thing throwing hot moves on the dance floor does, after all this time, now look a bit like a teacher at the school disco.

Smash Court Tennis 3 smashes the idea that tennis games have no longevity.

It contains some well-crafted elements, while the refined and altogether very usable MCC system makes controlling three characters a breeze, yet still manages to retain an incredible amount of depth, thus scaling exceptionally well with player ability.

And value for money is what best sums up Taito Legends 2. Like the first collection, this follow-up is just brimming with classic games of yesteryear, most of which still have as much simplistic gameplay appeal and charm as they did back in the day.

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.

A solidly entertaining and enjoyable horror adventure that is fairly short but quite engaging while it lasts. The story is well told, even if it travels some familiar territory at times, while the setting, visuals and overall effect of the presentation of the tale make it worth experiencing, despite the poor control scheme.

There is so much to discover, so much to see, so many enemies of all shapes and sizes to vanquish with dozens of stunning moves using an array of lethal hand-to-hand weapons, and it's all just so wonderfully satisfying and addictive.

Vampire Rain reeks of a lack of effort; it is hard to imagine that any developer would defend a title so flawed, boring and ultimately devoid of fun.

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.

The lack of attack options makes the game a chore to play after a while too, but luckily it's so short that you'll be able to at least finish one campaign before you decide you've had enough.

To say that Transformers: The Game is anything short of broken would be a lie.

Wacky creatures, traditional fantasy settings and simple controls are a delight in this ultra-serious age, and the Fable style accents top off the silliness.

Overlord really bucks the trend; if you're the sort of guy who likes seeing the bad guy win then you will love it. The game is immense fun that doesn't take the whole evil thing too seriously; its humorous themes and beautiful graphics are backed up with entertaining and engaging gameplay that make it a worthy purchase.

The gameplay is tried and true, not attempting to hide how simple the battle system really is.