The main success of Cities XL is that it has the basics right. The developer has created a solid city builder that's addictive and enjoyable. It's only hampered by the numerous bugs/crashes and the over-priced planet offer that mainly promises more than it delivers.

What could have been a really excellent horror game, perhaps the first actually based on a film license, is sadly rendered mediocre by the design work.

Electronic Arts have delivered a pretty good package here for the fans, it looks the part, plays well, and has a good selection of game modes to keep most people happy.

The lack of structure here is a bit disappointing but hardly a deal breaker. There is a wealth of content on offer and Gran Turismo is a very well crafted game which is definitely worth the price.

It's a foundational package, far from threatening the professional music development studios, but it's a gateway piece of software, bound to inspire aspiring musicians to pursue the real deal.

MotorStorm feels like an appropriate entry in the series, and a remarkable feat given the technology.

Overall, Tales of Monkey Island Episode 3 – Lair of the Leviathan continues the excellent series, pretty much as expected, given the great previous chapters. Well worth a purchase for any of you silly enough to have not bought the full season already. If you’re not sold now, maybe Monkey Island isn’t for you.

NCSoft's latest RPG has gotten off to a flying start and will be hoping to steadily gain altitude until it climbs to the lofty heights of long term RPG greatness.

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.

Halo: ODST is very much a traditional Halo game at heart but distinguishes itself from the second and third games in the series by having much more personality and a more engaging campaign.

Unfortunately what you get at the end of the day here, despite it's 'Wacky' tag is an extremely average mini game compilation.

A refreshing strategy experience.

It’s still strangely alluring, enough so that even after completion (which only took seven hours) I went straight back and played the first two levels all over again.

Buy this game. It's as simple as that. It's a masterpiece of design from concept to execution and is my game of the year so far.

On the whole though the racing action is very good, with a strong range of cars, attractive visuals and an international approach to motorsport that doesn't seem false or forced.

On the whole though the racing action is very good, with a strong range of cars, attractive visuals and an international approach to motorsport that doesn't seem false or forced.

Regardless of how many awards it wins though, it’s a fantastic representation of the sport.

The on-going appeal of NHL10's stats and progression system is something 2K10 simply cannot match, and couple that with the poor controls and slow pacing and you've got no decision on where your money should land.

It’s not groundbreaking in any way, but what it does offer is a solid MMORPG that can be just as engaging as the likes of WOW and yet is completely free. This game has quashed the age old myth that free games lack quality.

At the end of the day you get a pretty good game here, as mentioned it's an adaptation on Nintendo's classic Zelda series with a ninja theme, albeit a little dumbed down, but it's fun while it lasts.

This is a brave, thrilling and fun-packed game that sets out to entertain us with recreations of daring do from the last century. It really achieves those aims, but in also doing so while giving us a say in how we play it, it makes the game all the greater.

I really enjoyed playing Dirt 2. It breaks my heart really to give it a low overall score, but you just can't expect people to pay high prices for very little content. In these hard economic times value for money is as important as gameplay.

With a dark and sombre atmosphere, multi-layered, fluid and ferocious combat and deeply engaging stealth, Batman: Arkham Asylum is the game Batman fans have been waiting for, and more. It's simply a fantastically told, superbly acted and brilliantly realised action adventure.

Ultimately, it is a relief for me, as a huge fan of the series, a little disappointed by Escape From Monkey Island to see it back to its full strength, and not being milked with sub standard entries just for the cash.

Wolfenstein is not going to set the world on fire with anything new but what it has done is reaffirm my faith in the fact that old ideas can still be brought up to speed and used to create a fun experience that is well worth the money spent on it.

If your nerves are shot to pieces with the glut of zombie gore 'em ups out there Osmos will do a sterling job of rubbing those aching temples and making the nightmares go away.

I loved Still Life. It wasn't perfect but it was enjoyable for me at least. Still Life 2 could have been so much more. It had potential but is bogged down with so many unruly issues I find it hard to recommend to any but the staunchest and most patient of point'n'click adventure fans.

The war waging is brilliant, but diplomacy, speed, user interface etc robs the game of a better score.