Stardock has created a deep, intelligent, yet not too serious strategy game that’s going to be the best of its class for quite a while.

There's definitely a market for this type of game, it's easy to get into, easy to play and you get a good sense of achievement from it.

It’s attractive and zippy, and it’s also frustrating and unfriendly for those who just want to pick it up for fun.

A very amiable game. You really want to it to be better than it is, and with its flashes of brilliance it's easy to get deceived into thinking it's far more playable than initial appearances.

Quests just involve killing a certain number of creatures. Nothing more. If that’s all you want, fine, but most folk are going to want more out of a game.

Unless boxing disgusts you, you do have to own this, and I’ll take anyone on in the ring if despite the single player frustrations (if anyone suggests turning down the difficulty I’ll slug them) they can’t see the beauty and polish that has gone into the gameplay.

I don’t want to give the impression this is just another lazy Star Wars game, because it’s clear a lot of love has gone into the game. But there’s a lack of ambition at the heart of Empire at War that is the ultimate reason for its failure to be a really great strategy game.

Fails to spark any excitement, innovation, or fun at all.

The main issue I have with the game is that the units, even with their team colours, lack individuality.

The level of destruction you’re capable of is phenomenal. If you’ve ever played "Burnout" and wished you could do as much damage to the scenery as you can do to cars, then this is the game for you.

There's nothing significant to recommend this over the previous ones if you already own one. If you don't then this is a good introduction to the series.

The online mode is not entirely satisfactory, and even has specific graphical errors such as a lack of shadows underneath the cars, and this mars the general picture a bit. And the graphical performance on certain tracks should perhaps also have been optimised.

It’s a good game, but nothing more. It’s certainly not great. The single-player game isn’t very well balanced for most gamers and at times seems rather unfair.

At some stage during development, either the money ran out or everyone just decided they couldn’t be bothered. Dynasty Warriors 4 Hyper absolutely reeks of sloppy work.

The game isn’t perfect, in-fact I would be pushed to avoid calling it a poor version, but the mere fact that I am still addicted to it, and playing it must count for something in this world.

Two Thrones just lacks that special spark. Thus it is difficult to think about Two Thrones without feeling regret.

At the end of the day the experience, despite how crooked it can appear in parts, is absolutely entertaining. From a budget game, that’s about the best you can ask.

PoPoLoCrois’ main downfall is that it really doesn’t bring anything new or original to the RPG arena.

The new maps nicely supplement the old ones and the expansion adds plenty of mileage for fans of the game.

In spite of the odd struggle with the controls, this is a good adventure through and through, and that’s what makes the game worth playing.

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.

The game plays very smoothly. The controls are a little sluggish but the frame rate is smooth and it feels right. Perfect Dark Zero isn't a killer reason to buy the new console but it does stand out amongst the launch titles as a good game.

Probably the best launch title for the Xbox 360, with killer graphics, intense gameplay and a solid, if slightly small multiplayer element.

Is the game a kid's game? If it is, that's no excuse for such a shoddy piece of work.

The much vaunted Gotham TV is fun, but more welcome is being able to save your replays when playing with friends rather than watching strangers.

A reasonable sports simulation that’s fun for fans and non fans alike. It’s a real pity they couldn’t have done more with the 360 version though, as apart from a slight bump in the graphics department and a couple of new moves it’s pretty much identical to the Xbox and PS2 versions.

It might come as a surprise, but I would actually have preferred a direct conversion of FIFA 06 to this.

With solid Xbox Live play, NBA 2K6 is a professionally rounded off package. Special enough to be the best out there and satisfy the fans, but not friendly enough to encourage most newcomers to take up the challenge, which is a shame as this game deserves all the attention it gets.