It's also fantastic to see that the developers have realised that the environments in the films played a passive but important role in enhancing the action and have created a game that doesn't limit the pain you can dish out just to the bad guys, but also allows you to give your surroundings a damn good pasting too.

Quantum of Solace really feels like a Bond game, combining elements from both of the recent movies and using tried and tested gameplay mechanics to create a fun (if flawed) shooter experience. It's not going to win any awards and it isn't likely to attract new fans to either 007 or the FPS genre, but it's very likeable, entirely inoffensive and highly playable.

There're no stunning next-gen visuals to be found, and it doesn't help that it has such strong competition to live up to from its own predecessors.

Regardless of its shortcomings, the key selling point of ColorZ is the challenge it offers to the gamer, which, I hope I've already stressed, is present in considerable scale. So, if you're looking for a kick-back-and-relax experience, you can forget it.

The attention to detail and faithful levels of realism are impressive, the audio and visual components are effective and the challenging gameplay is rewarding for those who can persevere through being thrown in at the deep end and getting defeated time and time again.

If you're the type of gamer who still has fond memories of the 8- and 16-bit era, plays a broad range of genres and doesn't scoff at the idea of playing non-triple-A games then Eat Lead: The Return of Matt Hazard is an absolute blast - pun intended.

If you're looking for an enjoyable hack-and-slash epic to relieve a little tension running quests for idle NPCs and nailing Zombie Trolls with a 90lb Mechanical Warhammer for an ultimately fairly hollow reward then this may just be the game you're looking for.

Overclocked: A History of Violence is an excellent game - if you're looking for a mature adventure that will get your heart pounding then this is definitely for you.

A refreshing experience that ends all too soon with an online mode that just doesn't capture the same magic the single player mode creates. With a bit more variety in commands and freedom for the player, Republic Commando 2 could be an incredible game.

Despite its shortcomings, The Simpsons Game is actually pretty good fun. At times it's frustrating and at times it's so funny that you just don't care.

This is definitely a title to show off to your mates - however, while it is easily one of the most original games I've seen in a while, I don't think it is the best the DS is capable of. It's a barrel load of love and laughs but I just know there's better to come!

Meanwhile, the other kids, with their super accurate Casio watches and Dunlop trainers, will take one look at the Wayne Rooney adorned menus and go straight back to "Pro Evolution Soccer 5," smiling quietly, knowing that they, yet again, have the better game.

FUEL is a huge game in every sense of the word, but all too often the quality just can't match the quantity.

It's a shame that Capcom have just lazily ported the original across to PS3 without addressing any of the problems that existed in it.

With modes literally bursting from the seams of its UMD casing, exceptional AI, well integrated online play and all the razzle-dazzle of many a licensed game, you could do far worse than to shell out 20 notes to sample 2K's latest.

The thing about Dungeon Siege: Throne of Agony is that it's the same as every other hack and slash RPG.

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.

With more thought put into a deeper control system for the combat, and more effort in the sound department, Key of Heaven could have been one of the best handheld RPGs to date. As it stands however, it's best suited to those with a lust for Anime and a craving for a hearty adventure with a typically Japanese storyline.

It seems that for every minor flaw that can be raised against LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga, the game has a positive point to counter it.

If you want to try and recreate the sort of fluid, graceful runs you see in skate videos and don't mind putting in the practice it takes to achieve them then skate is obviously the title for you. On the flipside, if you don't care so much about your skating lines looking good and want a score attack game that bears very little resemblance to reality but gives you a million tasks to plough through, then go with Proving Ground.

That rare breed of game that stands up both to quick bursts and extended playing sessions, making it ideal for a handheld.

Like the PS2 and Xbox game from last year, 50 Cent: Bulletproof G-Unit Edition still has some snags in its design, but in the process of completely revamping the gameplay structure with the PSP in mind, Vivendi and High Voltage have more than capitalized on the 50 Cent/G-Unit license to create an enjoyable gameplay experience.

Bad writing, average graphics, poor sound and gameplay with seemingly no direction and little resemblance to the Bikini Bottom world combine to bog down a really good storyline concept and what could have been a good platform adventure game, but instead feels like sections of platform adventure jumbled with poor flying and racing.

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.

If you don't complete it far too quickly, you may become bored of the missions or the story.

If the game ran as smoothly and perfectly as I am sure it was intended to then it would have been superb, worthy of an eight or nine.

A balls to the wall action game with little need for subtlety. This is big, brash and dumb as a bag of hammers, a relentlessly violent, uncompromising adventure that's fun from start to finish with a combat system that packs a visual punch as well as a technical one.

Frustration creeps in at points when the camera goes AWOL and you can't target anything for toffee, but once you get on top of the not-too-intuitive control system, life in the gloomy future becomes easier and you can get down to enjoying Redemption for what it is - a solid title that belongs firmly in the brighter, more affluent world of Above.