It may be lacking the coins of the original, and the courses aren't as inspired, but it plays like a demon, and that's the important part, right?

Rise Of The Apocalypse shows great attention to detail, with genuinely exciting gameplay. Even for an occasional Marvel fan, this is more than worthy of your time.

It might not be the super-villain game of our dreams (that was probably "Evil Genius"), but given the nature of MMOs, it's probably the best we're going to get until someone decides to really push the online genre to its very limits. [PC Zone]

Takes the old-school RTS formula and enriches it in countless cool ways, using the lessons of the past decade to create a single-player campaign that's as valid and exciting as anything else in the genre. [PC Zone]

In terms of sheer hold-on-tight entertainment, this is film-to-game perfection. Beat your chest with joy. [PSW]

Put simply, King Kong is going to the biggest thing this Christmas since Jesus invented presents. Better still, it's every bit as entertaining as its hairy star is huge. [Official UK Xbox Magazine]

So while we're disappointed with the misplaced innovation and the lack of advancement, we still can't deny that it's Rome, that it's raised our bloodlust and our hackles in equal measure, and that it refreshes those parts that other strategy games just won't reach. [PC Zone]

The Darkness is all about the story and that's what you'll be buying this for. It does a great job of pulling you in to what's going on in the world. It's not often a game genuinely shocks you when something major happens but this will.

A deep and satisfying racing game that's accessible to all - but the sequel will have a clearer vision.

It's definitely a step in the right direction for a series we were getting well and truly bored with. So if you can forgive it a slight feeling of wooden-ness, Need For Speed Most Wanted is a really slick racer with stacks for you to do.

The drag racing sections truly capture the magic of the recent The Fast And The Furious flicks, and these one-on-one cock-fights make for a refreshing change after endless laps of spittle-covered urban wasteland.

SOCOM 3's brilliant online gameplay is what makes it. Zipper Interactive has played to its strengths, making the internet experience the best that it can possibly be. However, the franchise's core weaknesses - juddery graphics and a dull single-player mode - have only been partially addressed. [PSW]

Littered with a variety of anomalies which can cause the unwary to explode and other delightful stuff, mutant doggies, deserted buildings, weather effects, real-time day/night cycles etc. etc. - it creates a deliciously unique atmosphere.

All in, Dark Athena delivers an outstanding FPS bundle for your money.

Suit up for one of the best superhero romps on Xbox, believers. [Official UK Xbox Magazine]

For an arcade game, it's even surprisingly playable with a steering wheel, with near misses causing no small amount of amateurish flinching. If you can't afford to attach largely pointless gadgets to your otherwise moribund vehicle, this is the next best thing. [PC Zone]

The game mechanics might seem simple but the freedom and depth is astonishing - a dark and engrossing return for the Godfather of Stealth.

The expected unfathomable depths of information are ready and waiting to be (pleasantly) drowned in, but it definitely isn't a lightweight affair. [PC Zone]

Great production values but the unforgiving gameplay and loose controls don't sit well in 2007.

Superb - and cheap - HD update for a criminally ignored, highly original action game.

Take Halo's combat model and place it in the worst spaces imaginable and you can still have fun with it - it's that good.

There's a lot to like about Brothers in Arms, and the tactical element is much more than just a tacked-on gimmick. But with below-par visuals and unbalanced gameplay, we're left with a somewhat sticky and unappealing shooter with a lot of unfulfilled potential. [PSW]

But make no mistake, the single-player game isn't where SOCOM excels. The gameplay is linear and basically involves moving from one checkpoint to the next, with the strategy required being fairly minimal. It's more like a prolonged training mission for the real action found in the superb multiplayer mode. [PSW]

It is a resource hog, let's make no bones about it. Any game that comes on two DVDs and requires 6GB of disk space isn't exactly appealing to everyone. But if you can find a way to accommodate the game, not just on your HD but in your hardened gaming soul, you'll find plenty to reward you.

It's still boring though. [PSW]

Races feel more like a monotonous chore than a speed thrill, purely because the tracks fail to inspire exciting burn-ups. [PSW]

Sure, you can fly a zeppelin on Mars if you want, but aside from slightly more responsive flap settings, blowier wind (to use the technical term) and a guest appearance from Stephen Hawking as the voice of air traffic control (joke), X-Plane offers very little that Microsoft's doesn't already do both prettier and more intuitively.

By far the most extraordinary feature of Blood has to be its sound effects. They are nothing short of incredible. 'Manamax and spear books,' the cultists shriek, alongside something not dissimilar to the word 'bollocks'. The zombies endlessly crow about 'Brainssssss'. Set a fanatic on fire and he screams like a girl: 'It burns! Oh god it burns,' before melting into a heap of steaming entrails accompanied by the appropriate popping and sizzling effects.

Little problems like this, however, barely even make a scratch on this beautifully fun, frantic, deep and deliberately tongue in cheek racer, which manages to deliver all the fundamentals of a world class karting game as well as throwing in a shed load of brilliant features and the odd innovation here and there.

The most playable console RTS yet, but at the expense of some strategy.

It's no platform-defining blockbuster, but if you've got the patience to get along with the controls there's a good few hours to be found. Add on some decent multiplayer and it's a good day to be a PSP owner.

By all means, enjoy the single-player game, marvel at its visuals, groan at its clichés and enjoy its firefights. However, I can guarantee that six months from now, as you fly through the air firing rockets and screaming in rage in an attempt to take out that railgunning bastard who's just fried your brains five times in quick succession - while all around bodies explode into a thousand blood-caked giblets - you'll have forgotten all about it. [PC Zone]

In terms of pure, unadulterated fear, Condemned is practically beyond reproach... The most notable problem is a lack of variety in the all-too linear gameplay, as well as the disappointingly small selection of enemy types. [Official UK XBox Magazine]

Painkiller abounds with sublime touches, such as the boxes full of postcards that flutter down around you when shot and the fireworks that send multi-coloured sparks whizzing in all directions. I've said it once, and I'll say it again - there's nothing wrong at all with violent videogames. Disagree, and I'll send you to hell with a wooden stake through your eye socket.

A great game even though there's little else to do than run around and blast things that get exponentially huge from planet to planet, but it's blasting in such a smooth, quality style your brain has no time to get bored of it. Quality shooting. [PSW]

But for those who are prepared to persevere, there are well over 100 hours of turn-based heaven in store. [PSW]

The Xbox has clearly the best graphics, the PS2 has an exclusive online option where you can trade items with other players. The GameCube and GBA versions have possibly the most exciting exclusive option.

But savour these one at a time rather than devouring them all in an afternoon, and you'll find this to be another pleasant trip to retroville. [Official UK Xbox Magazine]

There's not much new in terms of gameplay, but the 3D accelerated views, rapid scrolling and distinct lack of lag make it spectacular to look at and wonderfully smooth to play. [PC Zone]

Too basic to appeal to die-hard Madden fans, yet too technical to be of any interest to casual players. What's more, it's filled to bursting with the usual dazzling array of customisable features - those that really do nothing to enhance play at all.

If you don't like this because it's not "realistic", get over yourself - it's not supposed to be and you're missing out on a huge amount of multiplayer fun and single-player addictiveness.

It's surely the best-looking traditional real time strategy game out there at the moment, and more importantly it's a real blast to play. Boom! [PC Zone]

Questionable stealth elements and repetition prevent Assassin's from achieving greatness, but the free-running system and beautiful playgrounds mean Creed is still worth your attention.

The GameCube and GBA versions have possibly the most exciting exclusive option, with players able to download special mini-games to their GBA which will earn them Simoleons and other goodies to use in the Cube game.

It's taken its sweet time getting here, but as an online game this is perfect stuff: easy to pick up, difficult to master and immensely satisfying to beat your rivals at. [Official UK Xbox Magazine]

The simple, pick-up-and-play aesthetic that Nintendo oozes from its sweaty pores will soon have you thwacking the balls around the court like Roger Federer on Sunny D.

The house of Doom delivers a masterful single-player shooter with top notch gunplay, let down by a disappointing final third.

Visually stunning high-strategy from the masters of the genre.

The real fun is to be had in multiplayer, with a civilised round with up to four of your mates available via Wi-Fi and plenty of challenges and tournaments to compete in.

The Xbox has clearly the best graphics, the PS2 has an exclusive online option where you can trade items with other players. The GameCube and GBA versions have possibly the most exciting exclusive option.

A polished FPS with great multiplayer and plenty of reason to keep playing.

The best golf game currently on the PC and for once in EA Sports' history, not simply because of a lack of competition. [PC Zone]

A bloody, entertaining - but short-lived - action game.

It's the most polished version of the game so far, and those who've never made a small child puke before will be in store for hours of fun. But the new interface with its streamlined minimalism hides a baffling array of build options, and is not the best for the newbie. [PC Zone]

This is a cracking port of a cracking game with very few compromises. Find three mates to play against and it's better still. [PSW]

A lot of people will find the system too intricate and not immediate enough. But if you're inclined towards a more cerebral thrill, Combat Mission still offers the most realistic and arguably the most satisfying World War II strategy fix around. [PC Zone]

While there's little here that we haven't seen before in some shape or form, Kohan II brings it all together tidily. RTS fans, or those looking for a better than average example of the genre, should lap it up.

It's the undisputed court king, sure, but alas, also just a mere hefty 'nudge nudge, wink wink' of what we can expect in months to come. [Official UK Xbox Magazine]

Easily the most graphically gorgeous first-person game ever seen on a console. But it's the exceptional replay value both offline and on, the multitude of weapons you'll entertain yourself with for weeks, and the balls-to-the-wall, last-second way this game came together without imploding that makes you glad to be a gamer. [Official UK XBox Magazine]

The sequel packs the same punch as the original but it's just not different enough.

Make no mistake: this is the big one, in every sense. No less than 15 different disciplines are melded together via an extensive career path, each brimming with Codemasters' trademark high production values and attention to detail.

The game is so diverse that it'd take months, maybe years, to see everything.

Yes, that's what it is: it's Second World Warcraft.

Newcomers will get a kick out of it, but old fans will find the new Prince unchallenging and slightly shallow compared to the rest of the series.

The polygon boost isn't enough to stop Bully looking dated. But there's still plenty of fun to be had here if you didn't play the original.

A game with a severe identity crisis, clearly trying to appeal to the action-loving masses while attempting not to alienate fans of the slow-paced gameplay of yore. Problem is, it's unlikely to truly grip either group, and may well estrange many core fans. [Official UK Xbox Magazine]

There's no easy way to say this, but the game that adventure fans have patiently been waiting for has proved to be one of the biggest disappointments of the year so far, at least as far as this reviewer is concerned.

An abundance of recycled gameplay sours what is otherwise an entertaining, imaginative and memorable end to Ezio's story.

Those with sausage digits may want to stick to the more arcadey "Everybody's Golf," but otherwise Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2006 is in every way the superior golf game. [PSW]

Everybody's Golf invites comparison with the similarly cartoonish "Outlaw Golf 2." Sadly it comes off second best again, thanks to that game's wealth of tournaments and play modes, and its attractive 19.99 price tag. [PSW]

What you get for your money is an exceptionally solid RPG with plenty of life in it, but one that doesn't do anything particularly different to anything else on the market, and for that reason alone it guarantees one of our shiny new Recommended awards, but nothing more.

It's pretty easy to see why Capcom added a MAX onto the title of this conversion of Street Fighter Alpha 3. There are a staggering 15 play modes available when the game first loads. Then four extra characters culled from Capcom vs. SNK 2 (Eagle, Maki and Yun) and Capcom Fighting Jam (Ingrid) to help make up a total of 37. [PSW]

So the story will get in the way at first - Reflections is obviously a bit nervous about introducing its zany Shift concept without narrative explanation - but, once you're behind the wheel, you'll realise that San Francisco is definitely a long-overdue return to form for the Driver series.

Despite a few points of ingenuity that shine through the murk, there's just not enough reasons for it to be a must-have game. It's also not nearly as good as "Call Of Duty." [PC Zone]

A great display of how motion-controlled gaming can work. Bigger and better than Wii Sports too.

So in the end, Panzers Phase 2 is to Phase 1 what the Nazi invasion of France was to the Nazi invasion of Poland: effective, but relying on pretty much the same troops and tactics. [PC Zone]

It's beautifully simple, but also brings an element of tension as there's always a few seconds between issuing commands by tapping the left mouse button, and seeing them carried out on the battlefield.

A thrilling and beautiful RTS that sucks you into its world of war and carnage, shakes you up with its intensity, plot-twists and booming aural assaults, then spits you back out into reality as the end credits roll. It's by no means a masterpiece, but it is one of the most tactical, rewarding and entertaining RTS games money can currently buy.

Fifty quid is a lot of money to ask for a title that any competent gamer can pound through in six or so hours. [Official UK Xbox Magazine]

It's about time somebody grabbed this licence by the proverbials and created something special. Sadly, this game isn't it. [PC Zone]

There's still a long way to go, but with better controls and a huge but slightly dull management game, FIFA 06 isn't far away from getting it right. [Official UK Xbox Magazine]

This is the best Fable yet...It's entertaining, thoughtful and crucially, not entirely for RPG lovers - which could lead to the series capturing an entirely new audience of adventurers.

So, a passable RPG/RTS that wants to be a Star Trek chess set in the D&D universe, but not as beardies know and love it. [PC Zone]

When all's said and done, this is an old game - an excellent old game and a beautiful old game - but an old game nonetheless. But if you haven't played it before, now's a great time to do so. [PC Zone]

Had the melee combat been more refined, the engine used to its full capabilities and the niggles ironed out, then you'd be looking at perhaps the finest RPG of all time. As it is, it'll have to make do with the accolade of being one of the deepest, most engrossing and entertaining PC games of 2004. [PC Zone]

World-class Star Wars games are like Endor buses: you wait light-years for one and then two turn up within 12 months of each other. Do the galaxy a favour: buy it now.

The best part of Pilotwings 64 is exploring the four islands. You'll not believe just how huge the islands really are and, because certain elements are hidden at first, it'll take you months to see everything.

Squeezed down to small screen size, it loses a lot of what made the Super NES game a classic.

A brilliant game whether you buy it for the single-player, the multiplayer or both. [PSW]

The players move so sluggishly it feels as if the match is being played on a waterlogged, mud-treacle pitch. And what's with the ball still feeling like it's tethered to a player's feet by an invisible elastic band after all these years of the same complaint? [PSW]

Replete with buckets of sometimes stupid-sounding skills and a new, massive quota of really loud shouty-rock, On Tour is the nearest you'll come to snowboarding without getting a) frostbitten or b) snow-blind. [PSW]

The second major problem is the wildly fluctuating difficulty levels. Some missions will be easily completed in one try; others will require days upon days of unsuccessful attempts. Not that the challenge is insurmountable, but it seems somewhat misguided for Activision not to have included difficulty levels - or at least some options to make the game easier.

You get to use more weapons in Time Commando than in any other game I've ever seen, incidentally, because each time era (of which there are heaps carries its own unique selection.

Revengeance boasts neither the deep combat of Bayonetta, nor the measured nuance of a Metal Gear Solid either...But for those that manage to break through its barriers and work around its lack of intuitiveness, it's a rampageous feast for the eyes and thumbs - even if it is a slice or two short of perfection.

The genius of it, though, is that Rambo tactics will just get you killed.

Powerful and accessible music maker that's NOT a game.

A brilliant multiplayer game and an entertaining single-player one wrapped up in one shiny package. [Official UK Xbox Magazine]

It's a shame that the bosses require little more thought than simply chucking back what they throw at you, and it hardly qualifies as a platformer at times when you can just fly everywhere.