This year's post-apocalyptic nuclear Christmas experience won't be as good as it was last year. Lack of improvement over the first and a high number of bugs are the main reasons.

A significant improvement over "SimTheme Park," but yet with its schizophrenic emphasis on financial management and zany fun it still presents a less coherent and integrated experience than "RollerCoaster Tycoon." ... Nonetheless, I really do enjoy SimCoaster a lot.

The way in which science fiction elements play a major part in your exploration and puzzle solving is an absolute treat.

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.

The professional mode imposes every rule of the Indy Racing League, making for a truer simulation of actual driving conditions.

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.

The AI in this game failed to impress me. It was not bad, but I thought it would have presented more of a challenge.

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

The failure here is a general lack of content on nearly all fronts. It's too short, the world is too small, there aren't enough monster types, missions, NPC designs or dialog.

The real-time naval tactics elicited in ship-to-ship and ship-to-shore combat are both subtle and enjoyable.

Despite its flaws, Sea Dogs is the best game of its type since Pirates!. With superb graphics and music, and multifaceted non-linear gameplay, the title offers a lot to a variety of gamers.

There is a lot of variety and freedom here, and at its best this is the most physically attractive virtual pirate adventure ever released. It all boils down to this: if you want a fast-paced action title, do not go near this release; but if, on the other hand, you want a slower-paced role-playing experience with lots of different types of things to do, then by all means give it a shot.

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

While there are a few glaring problems, most notably with the poorly implemented multiplayer features, plain jane graphics, and lackluster AI, XGIII Extreme G Racing is still fun to play.

An extremely approachable game that has a strong foundation for those who are willing to stick with it for the long haul, despite the fact that it tends to wear a bit thin at present due to the vagaries of its random events and a difficulty level that tends to be too easy or too hard, with very little middle ground for experienced players.

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

A strong offering for fans of mythology, samurai, or ancient Japan. However, the poor quality of the game's AI, the unbalanced multiplayer action, and the lack of customizable options, along with some gameplay issues, only slightly raise the product above an average "Diablo" clone.

Brings a lot of interesting ideas to the table, including a nicely-done, TV-style presentation, as well as having mass quantities of incredibly customizable assistance. Unfortunately, it all becomes weighed down by cumbersome execution, whose faults are largely due to the unimpressive and questionable engine.

Deals out an epic storyline, lots of characters and an innovative combat system, but fails to break any new ground.

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.

If the developers had included a few secrets or collectible items then it might have warranted a second and third play through, but as it is, there’s probably only enough content to justify a weekend rental.

Eschews the normal audiovisual glitz in favor of something truly rare in computer games: a deep and compelling story that is worthy of a good novel.

The first adventure with these characters seemed to offer longer gameplay and a more in-depth story line, but Broken Sword cashes-in on the ability to continue with something good.

With fantastic visual and audio elements (setting a new standard), an engrossing story, an intuitive interface, and amazing overall polish, Myst IV Revelation has all the makings of a real winner. However, the tortuous difficulty posed by many of the puzzles, even for those with considerable logical abilities, detracts from the mainstream appeal of this offering.

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

It’s somewhat ironic that The Bard’s Tale, which satirizes conventional medieval epics and romances, suffers from such a conventional adventure.

A faithful adaptation of the video game versions, shining in several places while dragging along in others.

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.