Spore will most likely appeal to those who don't expect much from it. It's a curious step in the evolution of games artistry that will take its place amongst games like Black & White that, although interesting and innovative, never quite live up to their potential and promise.

FaceBreaker is probably one of the worst games I've ever had the misfortune to play; childlike not only in style but also in design, it definitely isn't worth full price.

Although not quite stuck in the shallow depths of mediocrity, Infinite Undiscovery barely surpasses the mark of decent.

PictoImage isn't a bad game, but neither is the version that you can play with only a pen and paper.

Rapala Fishing Frenzy 2009 is a truly abysmal example of a game. It's broken, heartless and about as fun as attaching fishing hooks to the most sensitive areas of your person.

Off Road doesn't redefine bad games or make the genre worse - all it does is make you hate the whole concept of the shovelware title. Why are games like this made and, more importantly, why do people keep buying them?

To both its benefit and its detriment it's an unrefined concoction of so many volatile parts that you're never sure whether it's going to blow your mind or blow your head clean off.

Let down but not ruined by quirky AI, dodgy physics and some bland design, Mercenaries 2: World in Flames still manages to deliver childish fun for grown-ups - and if you don't regard it with too critical an eye then you'll see that there really is a hidden gem beneath the buggy mud.

It won't keep you playing after the forty levels are completed and, to be honest, by level fifteen there's no real impetus to carry on playing.

Penumbra: Requiem is by far the worst game in the series.

Spore: Galactic Adventures is, like the original game, a qualified success.

This is no Final Fantasy but so long as you approach it with reasonable expectations, Tales of Vesperia should have no trouble finding a place to call its own in the affections of every discerning JRPG fan.

Thanks to this edition, the series continues to hold the title of Best Golf Simulator Ever and I really don't foresee any other game causing it undue worry over the next twelve months.

While Tiger Woods PGA Tour 09 still suffers from a few of the glitches and lazy development that plagued its predecessors, the hugely innovative and perfectly implemented additions to the tried and tested Tiger Woods framework makes Tiger Woods PGA Tour 09 very easy to recommend.

If you're interested in a solid tactical RPG then Disgaea 3: Absence of Justice is certainly worth a look.

If you're willing to put in the effort and push past the unforgiving difficulty and slightly rough edges, you will find an extremely deep racing experience that few other games can match.

It's not so much art design and premise that ultimately brings Murder in the Abbey down; the gaffe rests on the gameplay.

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.

With lacklustre visuals, tedious training exercises, an unforgiving difficulty curve and gameplay that fails to offer anything new or, indeed, much in the way of enjoyment, this is one tennis game that you're best off avoiding, because it's likely that if you do pick it up, you'll be lobbing it into your local game store's bargain bin pretty soon.

It does have that 'just once more go' addictive quality to it, buried somewhere deep beneath its many flaws - a trait that all hack and slash action games seem to have regardless of their quality - but beyond that there's very little here to recommend.

The refinements and tweaks made to the already exceptional game engine have resulted in the best Madden game to date, while the new additions of My Skill, Play Style and Rewind make it a surprisingly accessible introduction to the series for newcomers.

Yes, the Madden IQ is a miscue, and they've fumbled the online leagues, but Madden 09 is a much more rounded and refined game than 08. It has all the basic components for perfection but can't quite bring them together so, in this respect, it's much more like the 2004 Steelers than the '72 Dolphins.

A game that's every bit as original as Super Mario Galaxy and Portal, Braid is a short-lived gem.

Monster Madness: Grave Danger would have been one of the weaker PSN games, even at a price of £10 or less, but as a retail game that costs more than three times that amount, it simply can't be recommended.

If you're ready to step up to the challenge and spend the hours needed to get good at this, or if you're a fan of the culture, then this may well be the game for you - but for the rest of us, there are definitely better urban sports sims out there.

Where King of Clubs really excels is in its humour and lifespan.

Evidently, there's potential left to wring out of the old twin-stick shooter yet.

Soulcalibur is appearing increasingly stale, with each sequel becoming a reluctant carbon copy of its prior - but whilst we await the next step forward for the fighter, Soulcalibur IV manages to keep the key elements of the genre surprisingly fresh and, more importantly, fun.