The gameplay is so compelling and entertaining that it makes for a truly addictive and wonderful knockout of a game - and I'm not trying to con you here!

Between the boring combat and characters that never quite connect, it is difficult to keep playing after a while, without setting the game aside for something more interesting.

Imperium Romanum ticks all the right boxes; with an intuitive and easy to understand interface, a varied mix of scenarios to play through and a substantially improved graphics engine, there's a lot to like about it - but it isn't perfect.

Sadly, positives such as the great audio are counterbalanced and often outweighed by missed opportunities and poorly executed gameplay mechanics. This leaves a game with a great concept and a few innovative ideas that sadly leaves a bitter taste in the mouth.

There are a fair few intriguing ideas on offer in SOCOM Confrontation but the series seems to have become stuck in a time warp, as the likes of Call of Duty and Rainbow Six do this kind of game so much better.

Beneath the mangled exterior of clumsy control methods and weak characterisation there is a great idea here and had the game been given a few months longer in development it could have had these annoyances ironed out.

Unlike the horrific launch of Dungeon Lords, which eventually revealed that there wasn't much of value beneath the buggy exterior, Gothic 3 has a tremendous world of role-play available for those willing to persevere - and I strongly recommend the game to players in this category, who also have the behemoth computer power needed to run the game in the first place.

A fantastic action-platformer that, despite a few technical hitches and minor camera problems, delivers well over ten hours of 3D Pac-Man goodness.

Hardcore fans of any of the genres contained within Robin Hood: Defender Of The Crown will not be satisfied.

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.

If you look past the fact that Jewel Master: Cradle of Rome isn't as polished as it should be then you've got a reasonably fun puzzle game that's good for short spurts of play, perfect for train rides on red steam engines or big red bus journeys to Redditch.

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.

I've been playing it for a few weeks now and can definitely report that it's the most accurate golf sim on the market to date.

The lasting appeal is great, the graphics aren't half bad, the sound is pretty good, yet the gameplay falls far below par to my golfing expectations.

It's not a bad game, but casual gamers, and possibly hardcore-traditional-football fans, may get bored of pulling tricks rather than pulling skilled corners back on the real pitch.

Sadly, it seems that Sim City without Maxis is like a pub with no beer - frustrating, disappointing and not worth a visit.

Undead Knights is a surprisingly playable little title. It’s innovations, such as making zombies allies rather than enemies and the things you can order them do make its gameplay refreshing enough to warrant a high amount of playtime.

It's just a shame that the single player is so darn repetitive - run, STOP, and gun, the AI is also pretty shabby and the game isn't particularly long either, if you can endure more than two levels without getting bored of the same old mechanics.

Hasbro Family Game Night is a great collection of well-translated board games that makes for a fun night in with your family and friends. None of the six games are stinkers and one or two of them are even arguably better than their board-based equivalents (Battleships and Boggle, take a bow).

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

It's the kind of game you could've bought three years ago for the same price, same graphics and same gameplay.

A solid survival horror game that takes the classic formula and adds a couple of cool innovations. It's more of an upgrade than an evolution, but the American high school setting feels fresh and is very well put together, with smooth graphics, a nice balance of shooting and exploration and a story that, while very generic, just about holds your attention.

A bit of a missed opportunity. 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.

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.

It's most definitely a niche game though, so the casual player will probably only play it a few times before the monotony of doing the same thing over and over sinks in.

If you want hollow button mashing then pick up the latest Dynasty Warriors, but if you are after something with a little more depth, breadth, scope and originality then give Bladestorm: The Hundred Years' War a try; you might just be pleasantly surprised as it smashes away your preconceptions like so many scattering infantry.

The gameplay is rarely exciting, quite repetitive and often very frustrating; never a good combination.

Though it plays second fiddle to its old rival, Mario Kart, Diddy Kong Racing shows that there is still a place in the gaming world for kart-driving monkeys, plane-flying turtles and hovercraft-steering tigers.