It’s fun while it lasts and definitely an above average puzzler and highly recommended for puzzle addicts but it’s difficult to get too enthused about.

Fun. Frustrating. Gory. Cerebral. Engaging. Off-putting. Brutal and civilised. A thing of uneasily juxtaposed opposites, much like the Empire it's set in.

The big problem Monster Lab DS has is that, not only does it not play to its own considerable strengths, it actually conceals, distracts from and ignores the very things that stand to make it potentially outstanding.

With ample moves, special attacks, dozens of characters and a couple of extra good modes to boot, you’ll be hard pressed to find anything that matches the level of quality seen in SNK’s latest release.

I’m sure it won’t appeal to everyone, but go on, admit it; you kind of want to try it.

But for my money, it's time well spent, as it succeeds more often than not in recapturing the spirit of some of the more highly regarded CRPG titles of the earlier part of the decade.

After playing "Portable Ops" the other week, it's great playing a game that doesn't really demand too much of you, and that's nothing but a plus point. There's no variation in game play, and I'm not too sure about using a mass of people to increase difficulty, but as a whole, the game is just too fun and addictive to allow the faults any right of passage.

While it remains simplistic overall, Calling All Cars is undeniably a great little multiplayer game, easy to pick up and very fun to have a quick blast on.

While the formula is solid, I think it was a missed opportunity for Pandemic to just churn out practically the same game. However, if you're looking for a no-brainer with big guns and lots of explosions, it rarely gets as fun as this.

If you’re looking for a new conquest after finishing "FEAR" or "Call of Duty 2" then you’ll probably not find much in War World. If, however, you’re an old-school arcade fan and can manage a first-person shooter without much trouble, then I’d say War World is pretty much a must-have.

The only additional gripe is the awful frame-rate (there is no reason whatsoever for the constant dips in performance). Sam & Max is, otherwise, enjoyable to play, offers sensible solutions to the puzzles and, at slightly less than 300pts per episode, is pitched at just the right price for the content on offer, unlike TellTale’s other series, Wallace and Gromit.

A solid, well put together RPG that has quality where it counts. It will not appeal to everyone, but existing fans of Star Ocean as well as RPG fans in general will not be disappointed.

While tennis games do have a set type of person who will like them, Smash Court Tennis Pro Tournament 2 performs so well that I can’t imagine anyone disliking it unless they want a much simpler version (in which case buy the original Smash Court Tennis for the PS one).

Technical shortcomings do mar the experience though as does the lack of multiplayer.

It presents a good learning curve for those unaccustomed to the Wiimote, and stays true to the tried-and-tested Monkey Ball formula.

A great recreation of the sport and a fine game to boot and is perhaps my favourite title among the PlayStation 3 launch line-up.

With an RRP of a mere £14.99, and I’ve found it for under a tenner, it means that you could theoretically have one credit on each game and pay for the same experience of walking into an arcade with the same amount of money.

If you are a Wii owner and looking for a flight game then you really should give this a go, it's by no means perfect, but it is a lot of fun.

It's a perfect travel companion on the commute to work, and perfect for pick up and play puzzle goodness.

A game fraught with problems but recommendable nonetheless. When a game makes you smile this much it ‘s easy to forgive it its misgivings. And when the smile is as big as the one on my face, even more so. Now...high five!

In Ankh’s case, the gameplay’s spot on, the story is funny, and it looks and sounds great. It’s nothing new or special, but what it does, it does very well.

Essentially, Need for Speed: Carbon is Need for Speed: Most Wanted in the dark, but with a more expensive price tag.

Much of Tourist Trophy feels like a duller version of Gran Turismo 4 and that game wasn't exactly packed with thrilling racing. Polyphony really does need to rework its racing games to include some racing. There's fun to be had in TT but not nearly as much as there should be.

Ridge Racer 6's major irritant is the world's most annoying DJ. He'll make you want to smash the game to bits within a few minutes with his insane banter while you're racing.

As a long-term fan of the series, as someone who expected the series to be taken forward to a new level and not to be presented with levels I’ve already completed with the same old technical issues, this installment left me totally cold.

SingStar Queen is a superb addition to the franchise. Ironically it’s not for the die hard fans, since they’ve already bought most of the songs from the SingStore, but for those fans that haven’t got Queen songs yet, it’s an absolute must buy.

It feels like a gaming time capsule, reminding you of how things used to be. Power Stone deserves to be played again, so this is still recommended. Once it loads up, at least.

The new web swing system and the new fighting system are not up to the level of it predecessors but there are still highly playable.