One of the most enjoyable gaming experiences I've had for a long time.

It has interesting features and plenty of action and intense shootouts to keep you entertained (especially when you get your grubby hands on the gatling gun) but between these parts you're left wandering around a dull environment with very little to keep you occupied.

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 promises of fully destructible environments and John Woo signature shootouts just seemed too good to be true. But Midway stepped up to the plate and proved all the skepticism dead wrong, producing one of the most viscerally appealing videogames to be released in years.

A decent enough expansion that's worthy enough of the Battlefield name, while at the same time providing a different enough experience to avoid an overly familiar feeling.

The ability for Meltdown to be played by all ages and by the casual gamer through to the most hardcore make it a game that almost everyone can enjoy.

Although it still posses many of the same problems, and it's difficulty spikes range from mildly difficult to insanely impossible, with a strict attention to historical detail and missions designed to test you strategic skills to their maximum, Red Tide can be an immensely rewarding game, but one that does require a great deal of patients and discipline.

The run-and-gun portions of Dead to Rights come together so perfectly that you become enraptured by your ability to take down hordes of bad guys in classic Jon Woo style. It's these intense, visceral, wicked gunfights that make you forget reality and draw you completely into Slate's fantasy world of fast and furious gun-slinging action.

Oozes superiority, quality, class and eminence; it's a cut above the rest, taking the fighting genre and painting it red.

The less patient and more action-oriented gamers might not warm to it so much, but if you're the kind of gamer that enjoys the chance to get a good sniping spot on your favourite online shooter, then this really is one game you must play.

Even if you never touch the new maps or vehicles or game modes (which you will), the skill advancements and extra items for each specialization alone are a tremendous reward that is available for the standard game modes and maps. What this doesn't do is address any core technical issues with the game.

If you're looking for something different and stimulating, something that could even, perhaps, improve your thought process, Brain Training achieves that very well and does exactly what it sets out to do.

Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles - Ring of Fates surpasses the Gamecube original in terms of scope, ambition and gameplay, offering some truly inventive multiplayer moments.

There will be some gluttons for punishment out there who will love Silicon Studio's tribute from end to end, and more power to them for their perseverance against all good reason, but the vast majority of gamers in this day and age will find that 3D Dot Game Heroes wears out its welcome all too soon.

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.

If you can get by the issues caused by the limitations of the GBA, Need For Speed: Underground offers a solid racing experience for any GBA owner and features more replayability than its direct competition, thanks to the highly customisable cars and varied races.

I came into Rugby 06 with an open mind, I was hoping for the FIFA engine with rugby elements and I was let down.

Mechanic Master is a fantastic concept but one that hasn't realised its full potential. It's undoubtedly a fun game and one that I really enjoyed playing through, but it's a little too easy and the selection of items could do with expanding, to increase the complexity of the puzzles.

It's not quite a massive revival of the game and won't topple World of Warcraft from its impervious throne, but it does add a lot more content to a game bursting at the seams with things to do.

An old game in new clothing.

At heart, Puyo Pop Fever is an entertaining and downright addictive little puzzler, and therefore gets the stamp of approval for those after something refreshingly light-hearted.

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

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.

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

A multiplayer deathmatch with bots would have also have been welcome, although I have yet to see any war game incorporate this feature, so maybe it's just not technically viable on current-gen machines.

Don't pass this up just because it 'looks like Metroid' - pick it up because it's as intriguing, and in some ways more so, than Nintendo's excellent franchise.

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.

More serious gamers and hardcore Tony Hawk's fans might want to look elsewhere but this is great as an introduction to extreme sports games and great fun for any Disney fan.

The gameplay is great fun and varies throughout with new themes, changing obstacles and introducing great new abilities for the minis at a carefully planned and gradual pace. It looks great, it sounds great and the WiFi functionality is a wonderful surprise that we're only used to seeing on the PSP.

Nothing has changed on a technological front, sure - but with a cracking set of songs covering a broad array of genres, generations and a satisfyingly eclectic range of artists, you'd have to be The Grinch himself not to find any joy with this when the big day comes.

Quite arguably one of the best Dance Dance titles to be released on the PS2.

The Sims 2: Pets isn't for life - it's just for Christmas… this Christmas!

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.

It's a perfect blend of easy, moderate and hard achievements - every gamer can get some of these, but it takes real effort to get them all. Great job, Capcom!

Band Hero is not the result of a series selling out or losing its identity. Instead it is proof that the developer has recognised a key gap in the market and has rather competently filled it.

It's a relentless, addictive yet difficult to master arcade game that epitomises everything that was fun about the classic games it takes its inspiration from - it's easy to pick up yet hard to put down and the perfect game to lose a few spare minutes in.

There is more than enough content here to keep the majority of fans happy for weeks on end – just expect the occasional twinge of disappointment to tarnish the experience.

Perfect for adventure fans of all ages, Bone: The Great Cow Race is a great change of pace from the usual murder mystery or historically themed adventure games that currently populate the market. The game is consistently funny throughout, easy to play and will absolutely make you a Bone fan before you're done.

NCSoft have produced a fine game but, in the end, it's simply too little, too late.

These brave and new interpretations of familiar ideas are what sets Pirates of the Burning Sea apart from a great many other MMOs out at the moment.

It provides an experience that is simultaneously old school and fresh feeling, making it an easy recommendation for fans of the genre.

Gradius Collection ranks high in the upper echelon of classic game compilations, featuring five exceptional shooters that will have you hooked from beginning to end and beyond, all for less than a standalone full-priced PSP title. If you love shooters in any shape, form or fashion, you'll be hard pressed to find anything better than this.

In the future, when people look back on this period in videogame history, Hell's Highway will stand as a fitting memorial to some of the best work that developers were accomplishing in the WWII genre, even if its dream of a perfect synergy between story and gameplay may have been a bridge too far.

Whilst this is definitely a fun game, it is certainly not justified if you own the original. This is simply a very cheap trick by the developers to get twice the cash for what is essentially one purchase.

It's like going to your favourite band's concert, seeing them live and coming out gob-smacked - you know that you've enjoyed it and you loved every minute of it but you're stuck for words on how to convey the experience.

From start to finish, Lego Star Wars delivers; looks, presentation, gameplay, replay value, none of it lacks polish.

FIFA multiplayer matches have always been great fun and this new instalment is, thankfully, no exception.

Ratchet & Clank: Quest for Booty is a wonderfully enjoyable bite-sized helping of game goodness that will keep fans ticking over until the full release next year.

Plenty of depth, great sound and visuals, copious amounts of unnecessary swearing, oodles of violence and an awesome central character in Tony Montana - it's not quite GTA IV but if you can't wait until next October then you should definitely say hello to this little friend!

As a single player experience, Burnout Dominator has really hit top speed and taken down its rivals. The racing is fast paced and thrilling, taking out other cars and even totalling yours is so satisfying. The crashes are huge and compelling to witness and they are certainly some of the best you will see in a driving game.

Regardless of whether you're playing single or multiplayer, the game modes in Multiwinia: Survival of the Flattest are well thought out and extremely good fun, even though they will confound you beyond belief should you be a newcomer to the series or, like me, not exactly the best strategist in the world.

The tedium of what makes this game good in the first place makes it somewhat of a charlatan, but so long as routine and predictability is the in-thing, you'll be okay.

Mario and Sonic at the Winter Olympics isn't a bad game, it's just not a particularly good one either.

Finest Hour may deter the novice of the gaming world, but those who love a challenge will find piles of enjoyment here.

If you like lots of guns that feel the business, lots of demons who look the business, lots of tension, lots of suspense, a great plot that keeps you guessing and interested, and buckets and buckets of blood, then you'll probably love this.

It's nothing new, it's nothing that's going to set the worrls of RTS gaming alight, but for a time it's as pleasingly enjoyable as Stormregion's other past offerings.

It's essential in a time when online leaderboards and frag counters are very much in style.

The gameplay had become more complicated and in turn more frustrating, and the story wasn't nearly as strong as Ace Attorney's.

From its solid controls, crisp, user-friendly menus and huge array of customization options to its emphasis towards player progression and large scale teamwork, MAG might just become the serious contender to the genre heavyweights that Zipper and SCEA hoped it would be.

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

You should base your buying desicion on the songs; everyone that has ever enjoyed the brilliant karaoke of SingStar in the past should pick up either of these games, with you final choice depending of you personal preference in music

The best RPG so far on the PSP.

There's little more that can be said without ruining the fantastic story and the events within this latest expansion to the game's ever growing universe, but it stands that The Pitt is an absolute must buy for anyone who enjoyed Fallout 3 and a smashing return to form from Bethesda after their first lukewarm offering in Operation Anchorage.

The story is deep and intriguing, with very enjoyable and addictive gameplay.

Burn Zombie Bun isn't big and it isn't clever, but this sums up the whole concept of a game centred around a zombie apocalypse and the developer knows it.

It's a decent attempt, but it lacks what it used to have, and if you own the 2004 or 2005 version then just stick with them and trade the appropriate players to the correct teams.

We can see what the developers had in mind when they designed the concept, and on paper it was a glorious scheme. But in practise it does start to tear at the seams, and soon becomes a rather forgettable experience.

It not only makes for a perfect introduction to the genre for those curious few yet to sample a taste of Sim City, as well as providing some more meatier challenges for the experienced simmer. Combine this with the incredibly detailed, smooth and well-conceived graphics and the discrete sound and music, and you have a game that's pretty much a must have.

Highly recommended for lovers of action and near essential for Spider-Man and comic book fans, Shattered Dimensions is amazing, spectacular and a damn good game.

In more ways than ever, Reckoning 2 feels like an afterthought for the Yukes team to get one last Gamecube wrestler out there before they go out with what appears to be a real winner with "SmackDown vs. RAW 2006."

If you're sick of the slow and sometimes boring pace of Mario Party then you'll absolutely love this, as it makes a great multiplayer game for you and your buddies, just as long as you're quick enough for it.

Unlike a lot of remakes, this game does not have a 'cheap cash-in' feel to it, as it retains all the addictiveness and authenticity of the classic original.

It's rare that I'll stay up into the early hours of the morning to play a game; in fact, Destroy All Humans! is the only game that has done this to me since "San Andreas."

A great little racing title that deserves to do very well indeed. If you're after a fast-moving arcade racer for the DS then stop looking now - you've found it. The long Career mode, excellent multiplayer and inspired track designer will keep you coming back again and again, long after most other racing games have made their last pit stop.

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.

The wonderful presentation and tried-and-true game play will easily appeal to long time fans of the series who have yet to grow tired of what Capcom has to offer them. Everyone else maybe have trouble pushing through what is obviously a series in transition.

Those expecting a fully featured console iteration of Advance Wars, one containing the same strategic might that the handheld titles possess, are bound to be as disappointed as a rather plump gentleman who can't lay his hands on a nice pie.

Mario Smash Football isn't trying to be a simulator, it's an all-out arcade style game that's huge fun while it lasts, and while it will make a great addition to your collection, the novelty and fun might wear thin a little sooner than you'd hoped.

Order Up! is an inexplicably fun affair and gamers with an uncalloused heart will find it difficult to resist its addictive nature and endearing charm.

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.

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.

Possibly the best feature of Nightlife is its integration with University.

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.

Normally with a classics compilation that has no real technical deficiencies, my complaints would be focused on the handful of lackluster titles that drag the overall package down. However, the sheer amount of effort that's gone into the extras and multiplayer has distracted me from any negative feelings. The new king of DS burst gaming has arrived!

Ultimate Spider-Man may look very stylish and visually capture the essence of a comic perfectly, but the gameplay feels like a swing backwards in almost every department.

If you enjoy party games and trivia and you'd like another game to add to your "360 as a rival to the Wii" list then you've got a winner on your hands with Scene It? Box Office Smash and you shouldn't be afraid to grab it even if you don't know much about movies or games.

A move in the right direction in terms of gameplay elements, but the series needs to completely revamp the visual and technical engines backing it next time around. This is far from the best RPG you can find on the PS2, but easily the best Suikoden in a long while.

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.

It's inevitable that More TouchMaster will be compared to "42 All-Time Classics", which unfortunately is where it falls down.

One of the best racing game I've ever played, walking the fine line between serious race challenge and kart-style arcade antics with the grace of a tightrope artist. Luscious graphics, masses of hilarious and beautifully scripted cut scenes, a great story, a host of racing modes with loads of weapons, a huge single player campaign and blissfully great online play.

Tak: The Great JuJu Challenge takes a fairly average platforming formula and puts a unique turn with it, making each level a race against the clock where speed is of the essence, but so is exploration.

Second Evolution is a far cry from the whole new experience that Square Enix teased its loyal base of gamers with but there's enough new about it that some new issues have cropped up.

I'd suggest a weekend rental rather than picking it up full price. And while it might be short-lived, there's nothing quite like leading a horde of zombies around to convert every last citizen you can lay your decomposing hands on! Say it with me folks - "BRAINS!"

For anyone who bought Alan Wake, played through to the end and loved every minute, be sure to download The Signal. It is largely more of the same than an innovative step forward, so if you were not wowed by Wake's adventure the first time round, this new episode is unlikely to convert you.

I can't see many people disliking this classic gangster romp, which delivers the authentic mob feeling we've been after ever since "GTA III."

Great value in terms of quantity and quality - unlike some retro collections that surround one or two perfect games with several bad ones (think EA Replay), this is not the case here.

I'm a huge fan of the original Puzzle Quest and really wanted to like Galactrix, but sadly the new features introduced actually ruin a lot of what made the original so great.

Where Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker really surprises is in how different it manages to be to Pokémon whilst still maintaining the addictive gameplay mechanics that made the latter so damned popular in the first place.