The type of player who will enjoy this game is the one who plays to unlock things. This is your type of game, because there are hundreds of items to unlock and use, which you will have to work for.

The meat of the mode sandwich for 2K8 is again the Franchise Mode.

If you're a hardcore gamer or have played the Dreamcast original to death then this has to be seen as a bitter disappointment; the imprecise controls on Hard will drive anyone looking to play the game at its most challenging level up the wall - the controls simply aren't accurate enough. For those looking for a casual bit of rhythm-based fun with friends though, Samba De Amigo is right up your street.

Destiny mode is probably the most worthwhile aspect of Dynasty Warriors 5: Xtreme Legends, so if it doesn't interest you all that much and you already own the original DW5 then there's really no reason for you to purchase the XL version.

It's very well presented and the voice actors read the questions with great style, putting it a cut above the average quiz game, but it'll only endure beyond short bouts of play for the most ardent of fans.

Whichever way you look at it, The Path is a phenomenal experience that has already generated huge amounts of debate over its adult content on message boards and forums.

The main game shouldn't take much more than thirty hours to complete, with a few more added to take down all of the quests to achieve the best ending.

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.

Get past the irrelevant filler and Sonic Unleashed becomes the game we all wanted - it's just a real shame that we have to work so hard to fully unleash it.

It's ugly, shallow, stupid fun.

Various omissions and the deficiency in true tournament titles has taken something away from what would otherwise have been a real hit.

Amazing Adventures: The Forgotten Ruins isn't particularly amazing and neither is it much of an adventure, but it is an inoffensive and quite absorbing little game of hide and seek that presents a simple premise with stylish and pleasant visuals, an appealing theme and a solid gameplay mechanic, at a modest price to boot.

Sure, this is a button-bashing fist-fest with a gimmick that you may or may not appreciate, but if you're a fan of the show, then Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi: The Genie & the Amp is worth picking up.

If it hadn't tried to be so cutesy and cartoon-like it would have been more gripping. It's by no means a bad game and it is quite endearing and strangely addictive in its own way, but with so many truly great console games coming out at the moment, this seems a little out of place.

Saying whether Rogue Trooper: Quartz Zone Massacre is worth picking up is tough, as while I undoubtedly had fun with the well executed controls, which utilise the best aspects of the Wiimote and nunchuck to their full potential, the game just doesn't have that overall polish that is needed in such a competitive genre.

The portable gameplay experience is rewarding and the application of the stylus based control system is pure genius, but despite its merits, it suffers under weight of the first to market glitches and the obvious comparison to existing titles like "Mario Golf: Advance Tour."

Time shifting is a good example of innovation within the first person genre, but TimeShift fails to really make good use of it.

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.

Thankfully shipping without some kind of half-arsed multiplayer, Risen is the kind of game that will probably get played by fans of the genre but overlooked by everyone else, which is a bloody shame really, as there is a decent game behind the niggles - and one that impresses more often than it disappoints.

The presentation and production values of Ben 10: Protector of Earth do the franchise justice, even if the gameplay is a little formulaic and jaded.

It's fun for a bit, and fans of Lara will welcome this new addition as a breath of fresh air.

There could have been a lot more in the Barnyard to keep my entertained, sometimes I get tired of helping people.

Using Sir Dan as a mascot platforming character wasn't the best idea. Jak & Daxter on the other hand, might have been - but we'll just have to wait for that treat later on in the year.

It has enjoyable missions, lovely graphics, great sound and is fantastic for kids. However, I think it lacks the depth needed to please the older gamer and it doesn't really offer a lot of challenge.

Like many movie games, it lacks the shiny coat of polish that major game productions bring to the table, but for its intended audience, Monster House rises above much of its competition to deliver a fun game that is faithful in every way to its license.

Thrillville: Off the Rails is no revolution, given that it's a very similar package to last year's Thrillville. However, its light refinements mean that if you're interested in playing Thrillville then Off the Rails is the game to go for.

If you are in the mood for battle and fancy rallying against the might of Rome or Carthage then you could do a lot worse than this challenging effort.

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.