The absence of sandbox mode, an uninspired multiplayer mode, and rapid difficulty increase in the levels all detract from an otherwise spectacular offering.

What gaming is all about: fun. With a constant variety of goals, the more I played, the more I enjoyed it.

Strategy war game buffs will find plenty to keep themselves entertained even though some may find the puzzle-like presentation off-putting. If you don’t mind a good strategy puzzle, however, this is your game.

While lacking some of the coherence and duration of its predecessors, and possessing a bit too many backtracking sequences and technical problems, the audiovisual elements are excellent...I would solidly recommend [it].

With the atmosphere and mood so sensationally presented, Shadow of Rome exceeded my expectations, which might have been questionable since I am avidly interested in the history of Greece and Rome.

Fortunately, AD survives its more nagging issues and manages to blaze a trail of light fun and humor with its crayon bombs and pellet machine guns.

Should be a hands-down epic masterpiece but is unfortunately tarnished by a litany of problems that should have been addressed before its release. If it wasn’t so doggoned much fun to play, it would be easy to write off because of its betimes infuriating downsides.

It’s the subtle establishment and cultivation of The Phoenix that really gives the game its punch. You know that the antagonist isn’t real, but you’ll still be kind of creeped out because you’ll begin to understand him.

A fun and frenzied shooting romp, but -- as a longtime fan of the franchise -- beneath my expectations.

A tight control scheme, some exceptional gameplay thanks to the Geo-Mod engine and a solid split-screen multiplayer component make Red Faction II a safe purchase for any action fan looking for more than a mindless shooter.

Electronic Arts has managed to capture the Bond ambience, due in no small part to the overuse of his theme music, but the single player experience, which is a very important part of a 007 title, is ultimately too simplistic for a super spy.

I have not felt so freed from the artificial complexities of modern releases -- and so nicely transported back to the pure joy of the old days -- for a long time.

Graphically stunning, infused with a rich storyline, and so full of subtle touches your head will spin trying to keep track of them all.

A flawed but rewarding experience seems to be the average diagnosis for most of the current crop of FPS releases, and Vietcong is no exception.

A must-buy for World War II buffs or those who want a straightforward and realistic RTS that demands tactical prowess and no city management skills whatsoever.

The gameplay, while not without its shortcomings, is light years beyond "Starfleet Academy," making it one of the best battle command starship simulators on the planet.

The quality graphics, accessible interface, fun single-player and multiplayer action, and effective sound all combine to make this a very appealing release.

Being able to go back and play through the original with an increased resolution, new spells and additional items is truly fantastic, as is the number of tweaks done to the various class abilities.

Several of the new design decisions - such as having the characters speak a human language, adding weapons power-ups, making combat more central, and including a large bunch of mini-games - appear to dilute rather than improve the play experience.

This is still a pure adventure game: rigidly linear, heavy on plot and exposition, and not immune to the bad habits of the genre, like switch pulling and fetch questing.

Where TA offers a slew of different unit types for some traditional, hardcore warfare, TA:K goes the fantasy route with fewer units and buildings and a better story. TA:K is much more like "Starcraft" in its approach to strategical combat, the balance of different units types and gameplay that features varied experiences through the different sides.

Everything that makes a game good is featured here: Worms 3D looks amazing, plays like a dream and is drenched in fun and funny.

Not only does it introduce a host of new objects, carpeting tiles and wallpaper schemes for you to use in your perpetual quest for the perfect theme or feel, but it also revolutionizes the entire party dynamic.

Despite a few minor flaws in mechanics and a lingering bug or two, Hidden & Dangerous is one of the best games ever created, and playing it an experience I shall always treasure.

Evil Islands does not present a very novel gameplay experience...But the excellent polish of the overall product, with particularly strong graphics, music, and artificial intelligence, makes it more than worth a look.

Somehow, Fur Fighters manages to slip through the shackles that should be binding it to mediocrity, rising instead to become an engrosing game.

There's not enough new content here to justify a standalone release.

Blends solid and fresh gameplay with great graphics and exceptional sound design to create a title that lets you relish life on the high seas.

While the combat mechanics aren't as involved as "Bushido Blade," the combat system is solid, and there are RPG-lite elements to add to the mix.

Mixing an intriguing plot with exciting racing action, you cannot help but get sucked into the gameplay.

Everything that surrounds the gameplay is strongly polished, but when you're battling, everything beyond your bot will be visually disappointing.

The only reason you’re compelled to come back to it time and again is because you had fun the last time you played with it. In that sense, it’s the perfect toy.

Frequent issues with controlling your avatar coupled with broken quests keep this gem from truly shining up to its full potential. The good news is there’s nothing so wrong with it that a few patches can’t fix.

Visually, it is a stunning achievement that aside from a few frame rate issues presents some of the best graphics we've yet seen in the genre as a whole. Outside of the visuals, though, no one element of this title really stands out as an amazing aspect.

The gameplay isn’t particularly groundbreaking, but the variety and extras found in the single-player campaign, combined with the enjoyable multiplayer mode, give the experience a healthy dose of replayability. I enjoyed it thoroughly.

The combat system is deeper and stronger than the previous two installments, and a somewhat touchy camera isn’t enough to spoil the experience.

The offering does well with what it chooses to present, but it should have incorporated a more multifaceted play experience. Going back to try to get gold medals can only keep you going for so long. Nonetheless, the pure thrill of frenetic combat, interspersed with the humor, makes this title well worth trying.

Can deep characters, a great story, wonderful atmosphere and exquisite graphics overcome a flawed interface and horrible artificial intelligence to make a great game? Not quite, but it still makes for a darn good one.

Mastering Counter-Strike is no simple task, as there’s a wide variety of highly detailed maps to learn. The graphics could’ve used more attention, but those looking for the ultimate in team-based gameplay need look no further.

The unbearably monotonous levels, by themselves, easily killed it for me.

Though the rendering jitters can get annoying, the improvements to the overall visuals combined with the wide explorative possibilities make Delta Force: Land Warrior a solid game for anyone who enjoys modern tactical warfare on the PC.

Aggressive, forward thinking and fun, but repetition soon dulls those virtues.

Brilliant use of cell shading to create an animated effect and the surprisingly workable control scheme.

A very entertaining piece of software in its own right. The need to pick up and use heavy weaponry, but at the same time be required to have some semblance of driving skill is quite welcome in my small collection of such titles.

Sanity manages to rise above the load times and weak multiplayer level-design to become a worthy title for any gamer willing to step into the spandex uniform of the wise-talking attitude-laden superhero, Agent Cain.

With a decent story, authentic backdrop, intriguing personalities and classic puzzles, there’s a lot to like here.

All this title truly needs is the influence of a few sadistic minds to extend the lifespan with complicated tasks, and give you a sense of satisfaction for making it through hellish platform puzzles.

A thoroughly absorbing title, complete with a suspenseful script, top-notch production values, the perfect balance of action and adventuring, puzzles that are intelligently integrated into the plot, and big dollops of atmosphere.

Most importantly, the omission of a multiplayer option, present in the console version, is particularly disappointing.

Contains several interesting elements from the RTS genre, but gets bogged down by graphical issues, a weak AI, and a lack of gameplay features that come standard in other products.

Video games are meant to be entertainment, but I found Body Harvest to be more of an effort in patience than anything else. Although Midway should be commended for trying to create a hybrid RPG/shooter game, the ultimate result is somewhat boring.

What redeems LSN from being an exercise in tedium is that the touch of a master’s hand can be felt in almost every brushstroke.

Simplifying the sometimes daunting dynamics of strategy titles, Battle at Procyon crafts an enjoyable gameplay experience that comes across like a breath of fresh air.

Those who love strategy or puzzle offerings because of the ability to do some sophisticated problem solving will be turned off by the rigid time limits and the repetitiveness and lack of depth in the dilemmas presented. I cannot help, though, finding a lot about Sheep that I really like despite its failings.

While there are some interface concerns that all versions of this game seem to suffer from, on the whole it's pretty darned awesome.

Overall, this release tries to add a fresh spin to the Anarchy Online universe and succeeds to a certain extent, though it would have been better to open the doors of the expansion a bit wider to let more kinds of gamers through to experience it all.

The physics of the game are almost impossible to overcome; and in the week plus that I tweaked around with the controls, I was never able to gain a mastery over my vehicle or the environment.

Anyone who paid for a Sonic title will be racing hedgehogs only 33 percent of the time, and that just isn’t enough.

Oni stuns the third-person action scene with a powerful uppercut to the jaw. Bungie has never put its hand to a bad product, and its latest offering is a passionate protest against dull games.

A tour de force of chronometric detail and almost bottomless options, but the glaring lack of a tutorial, criminally sparse documentation, paucity of things you can directly control and frequent crashes to the desktop doesn’t make playing it any more fun for the uninitiated.

Add a spooky atmosphere set at the start of the twentieth century and little reluctance to tackle adult subject matter like sex and violence, and we finally have an RPG that appeals strictly for adult gamers without pushing into the realm of the ludicrous or indecent.

Easy to pick up and really, really hard to put down. It starts slow, and initially, building your empire will have you playing in short bursts rather than in blocks. As your realm gets larger, though, you'll find yourself spending more time tweaking and massaging, exploring and conquering.

Pinball Hall of Fame has a lot going for it, what with numerous tables accurately reproduced, excellent physics, and decent controls.

I have no doubt that it's destined to be a sleeper classic.

A truly fresh and fun experience. While the plot is nothing to write home about, the furious combat action - which is far more mobile than in most action shooters - is utterly addictive.

If you are looking for an action title, but are getting tired of playing rehashes on the "Quake" formula, look no further than the generic assassin wearing a barcode on his head.

None of the facets of this release are particularly outstanding, and in particular you have to cope with the rather odd camera movement and the passivity of just watching when your actual caper is carried out.

an excellent recreation of the sport of bicycle stunt riding. The design of the racing environments is so creative that you are constantly learning new ways to master this sport.

While it is an unabashed ripoff and lacks any form of innovation compared to what has gone before, this is a competent dirt bike racing game, which despite its limitations can provide sustained enjoyment for a lot of motorcycle aficionados.

My conundrum is that despite the issues and glaring oversights, Beyond Divinity is still fun to play.

Not without its flaws, Tribes succeeds because of variety and solid design.

It falls back too often on the war weary build-a-base mechanic as its core, but the robustness and depth of the civilization tree will help ensure many hours of gameplay for RTS and series fans alike.

There is an undeniably addictive quality about this release, but it is so far overshadowed by the shallow nature of the gameplay that its power to enchant will be tested with all but the most ardent groupies.

It has an intuitive interface and eliminates the time-consuming micromanagement within each city that made every other game in the series so drawn out.

Great production values aren’t enough to raise Impossible Creatures from being a mediocre exercise in button pushing, as it’s high on glitz but short on actual strategy.

Siren has a few basic problems that keep it from being truly exceptional, but its groundbreaking mechanics and brilliant execution of fear make it something survival horror fans won’t want to miss.

An uneven experience -- above average when it comes to puzzles and level design, and below average when it comes to combat and artificial intelligence.

For those considering entering the world of war games, however, HoI has somewhat of a cruel learning curve that's accentuated by pockets of boredom and frustration - and not all players will enjoy the real time nature of the title.

While it's not as deep or as long as "Knights of the Old Republic" or "Morrowind," credit should unquestionably be given to Sudeki for its brisk pacing, deceptively flexible character management and unique, engaging combat system.

There are a lot of fresh components laboring to make this a different game, including the engine, but the end result is not at all frightening. Too much emphasis was placed on puerile humor, which I am all for in most games, but I needed something different here.

Less is more in the case of Sonic Heroes, as convoluted exploration concepts are abandoned in favor of pure speed and exhilaration.

A fun racing title with excellent graphics, good music, and a novel use of rag-doll and environmental physics that work quite well during races and bonus games. Its tracks are challenging and varied.

With the style of game being more action and side scrolling then RPG makes it playable on it's own regardless of having even seen the original, however I was feeling alienated as the story just throws you in; no major introduction or conclusion.

The generally high production values combined with the unending series of coherent brain-stretching enigmas make this worth a serious look.

There's still no excuse for an unbalanced throwing game and slightly twitchy AI routines that should have been cleared up in the intervening year.

A rare gem: A product that's appealing and accessible to both casual and more active gamers.

Funny, witty and cool, Outlaw Golf also manages to be a bit on the shallow side and wear thin too easily.

It's simply too easy, even on higher difficulty levels, and suffers from a "thrown-together" feeling of being rushed to meet a movie deadline.

Although there are some problems with the music and interface, the sheer playability of IndyCar Series shines undeniably through them.

While a great number of real-time strategy games are currently demonstrating a great level of technical accomplishment, seldom do they rise to the level of vigor demonstrated here.

The deck-of-cards mechanic is incredibly fun and easy to master; it should even appeal to fans of action combat, who'd normally shy from anything with "RPG" in the description.

An extremely well produced title in virtually every respect. Striking visuals and an exceptional soundtrack are delightful superfluities, but the gameplay is what matters, and Arc the Lad has always been solid in this department.

The combination of an unsolved mystery, great music, a desolate ancient landscape and captivating underground chambers creates a truly immersive experience.

Those who play the most detailed and complex theme park sims won't get anything new from Jurassic Park: Operation Genesis. For dinosaur fans, however, it's a dream come true.

Interface problems, relatively brief and inconclusive gameplay, repetitive backtracking, and uneven puzzles detract from your enjoyment.

Those who revel in the horizontal action games of yesteryear will revel in the brilliant mix of elements gathered from some of the best offerings of the past.

The procedure for awarding continues is definitely far too liberal and though the combo system has been greatly improved, the controls still need to be simplified to make them more practical.

X2 contains a great sandbox adventure complicated by an ignorable single-player story and fiendish menu driven control system.