The novelty tables (L-shapes, triangular, etc.) aren't mental enough. The closest thing is the slippery ice hockey table. They built an amazing pool simulation, but surely the next step was to subvert that with crazy game stuff?

When you get a whole group of you as Dark Troopers jetting all over the levels, blowing each other up and causing ridiculous mayhem, Battlefront is laugh-out-loud hilarious.

Shallow and simple design means that there's nothing to obstruct the fun of smashing demon skull. But it also means it's shallow and simple.

It's as solid, competent and thrill-packed as the previous entries in Maddox Games' single-handed assault on the flight genre, it just doesn't really do anything that we haven't seen before. Nothing major at least. [PC Zone]

To sum up, Heroes Of The Pacific is big, it's not really clever, but you'll have a blast playing it all the same. [PC Zone]

Playing Euro 2004 is a strangely seductive experience, even for hardcore PES fans like us. It's all so official, so slick, so sparkly, and so stylishly smooth while still playing some decent footie that we'll even forgive it for not being PES. Vive 2004!

As opening gambits in a DLC strategy go, The Missing Link is a hard act to follow.

Ties That Bind offers the best kind of horror in gaming, because it never cops out and tries to put you at ease. Surreal Software really doesn't care if you're disgusted, offended or just plain horrified by what you see. [Official UK Xbox Magazine]

You might be bored in a week, but it's perfect for bringing your family around when they complain that games are turning you into a violent social outcast.

A decent shooter with smart time powers and enough atmosphere to keep you hooked for the duration.

It's the sheer scale of the huge aerial battles that impress most. The skies are absolutely packed with aircraft, and even some of the less hectic missions can still boast over 100 individual aircraft buzzing around the screen at any one time. So yes, it's pretty jaw-dropping stuff. [PSW]

The countless in-jokes and references to other films, the mocking comment of NPCs on the American dream, and even the less-than-loving relationship between Crypto and his controlling superior... all the icing on the cake of an incredibly fun actioner.

But playing Euro 2004 is a strangely seductive experience, even for hardcore PES fans like us. It's all so official, so slick, so sparkly, and so stylishly smooth while still playing some decent footie that we'll even forgive it for not being PES. Vive 2004!

There's no real added depth to the original gameplay, and behind the complex conversation options you'll find the same game you were playing before you installed the expansion. Except with more bowling. [PC Zone]

Wii Sports is neither bulging in features nor graphically impressive, but when you put everything together, you have a fun package that, although better in places than others, is varied enough to keep you entertained for a good while and brilliant in multiplayer.

The forgiving handling and a near-Burnout level of speed make Jak X arcadey, but there's strategy too.

Dead Space 3's co-op mode ends up mirroring the single-player experience: slick, entertaining, with the occasional moment of brilliance, marred by a lack of tension, pacing and pant-filling scares.

Sniper Elite could well have been a terrifically good simulation of being a wartime sneaky fella had there been a greater sense of ambition displayed in the design process. As it is, you're left with a game that doesn't really offer a great deal more in terms of ammo delivery that we haven't seen done equally well in more popular, less subject-specific shooters. [PC Zone]

You've got to wonder how these idiots get their jobs. Six games are on this cart and not one of them is as much fun as the original despite near pixel-perfect conversions.

Lok is a total buffoon and he'll crack you up. But he doesn't make this more than another average, slightly tedious platformer. [Official UK Xbox Magazine]

A refreshing diversion that'll provide you with weeks if not months of entertainment and gaming intensity - whether you're already a hockey fan or just stepping onto the ice for the first time.

Stays faithful to the movie licence and dishes up hour upon hour of orc-slaying fun. It's not really doing anything new as far as RPGs go but, what it does do, it does well. [Official UK Xbox Magazine]

If you don't already own a version, or have done in the past but got rid if it, then Worms on XBLA is well worth a punt for the price. To get the most out of it though, Worms is best enjoyed with mates over Live.

A classic-style Sega arcade racer - no complications, just the open road and a fast car. The AI can be a bit too tough, but master the handling and there's loads of fun to be had with Sega Rally.

As solid as Port Royale 2 is, few people can afford to have more than one seafaring adventure in their collection. With "Sid Meier's Pirates!" due in port very soon, we reckon you should hold fire on this one.

A great little game. It's original and funny, and although it is repetitive it packs enough challenge to keep you entertained long after you've nabbed the final piece of booty.

It's a game that you'll want to keep playing to find out what happens next, which is always a good sign. [PSW]

Not exactly groundbreaking and there are very few noticeable play alterations, but it plays well on the Xbox 360 controller thanks to the repositioned Black and White shoulder buttons (the buffers). [Official UK Xbox Magazine]

A copycat, yes, but when it's this thrilling, brutal and frankly, awesome we don't care.

Like Austin Powers it adopts the faux-Bond villain theme very well, without becoming too camp or dampening the challenges. Above all, it's hugely entertaining and manages to keep dishing out the surprises all the way through.

A triumph, and had it not been for these few clumsy fumbles, it could have been a world-beater. As close to the real thing as you're likely to get without strapping on a groin guard. [Official UK Xbox Magazine]

With this effort, there's no doubt that Molyneux and his team have succeeded in surpassing their original efforts. Black & White 2 is a work of art, beautiful in both its stunning visuals and genius gameplay. [PC Zone]

Ludicrous, exaggerated fun, and for the most part glitch-free. It's one of those games, like the recent Burnout Legends, that'll have you bumping into strangers on the bus as you dodge through virtual traffic in short sharp bursts of pure gaming bliss. [PSW]

Looking past the nostalgia, you realise a lot of the games are a bit wank by today's standards, but Taito Legends scrapes being worth it for the first games listed alone. [PC Zone]

Manhunt isn't an essential game - it has a pernickety camera, repetitive gameplay and often-frustrating real-time combat. Yet, it also has a unique atmosphere, tense moments and stylish, visceral videotaped kill cut-scenes - if you can stomach the violence. Now, where's that cheese wire?

Even without online support, this is a supremely enjoyable game and despite being the fifth Ace Combat sequel to arrive on PS2, it still feels refreshingly different in a release schedule crammed with racing, fighting and shooting clones.

If you're in the mood for some easy-to-learn but hard-to-master city-building gameplay, Children Of The Nile is as good a game as you're likely to find. Hardly as unique as is claimed, but good all the same.

Any tedium is overcome by the beauty of the game. It seems like PlayStation 3 has its first gem.

Still, if you're a hardcore fan, you'll want it just for the neat interface tweaks, the one new race per realm and the slick look - provided you have a current-generation graphics card and the Shrouded Isles expansion pack.

Once you get used to the controls you'll be fine... but all too often levels seem like chores rather than challenges. [PSW]

That's the thing about The Sims, if you want a gigantic, long term game that you can learn to love over many months and aren't fussed about a few flaws, this is approaching perfection. A great game for people who like tidying up and washing their hands 100 times a day. [PSW]

It's the same old Sims, and yet so utterly different. Draw the blinds and say goodbye to your friends - real life doesn't get any better than this! [Official UK Xbox Magazine]

Despite Quake 4's many merits, it fires too many blanks for us to believe that it'll be unopposed for long. The game haemorrhages action in a way that few other blasters can match, but the series relies on too many outdated FPS conventions. [Official UK Xbox Magazine]

It may come across as rough and ready, but what Darkwatch tries to do - providing plenty of gory laughs and thrills - it does well. The best zombie/cowboy action game out there! [Official UK Xbox Magazine]

Don't have any illusions: this is simply more of the same. But then as they say, if it ain't broke, carpet bomb it with a Lancaster.

There's tons of bonus material on offer including comic covers and illustrations, and the option to save your game at any point is a godsend.

This is one for the fans, since the complicated gameplay and ultra detailed stats make it intimidating for nonenthusiasts. It's a quality game, but it may test your easy-going nature. [PSW]

It's the carefully judged pace and variety of Gun that tightens your grip on its pommel and adds the real beauty to the sunset you'll pause to enjoy after a grueling shootout. [Official UK Xbox Magazine]

NBA Jam has been lovingly recreated by a team that clearly understood the appeal of the original. Get together with friends for this one.

Quite frankly it's an insult to have to pay 35 quid for something that starts getting irksome in under half a day and is only genuinely entertaining in 20-minute bursts. Mindlessly fun and manically intense it is, innovative and essential it seriously isn't. [PC Zone]

Despite the weak selection of modes, Pokemon Link remains an enjoyable puzzler. The arbitrary veneer of the Pokemon license doesn't seem particularly misplaced and offers the ever enjoyable task of collecting all 380 of the little marketing wonders.

But the thing that feels most welcoming about Lockdown is the overall level of polish and presentation. Graphically, it's not a massive leap over the previous game, but the textures look crisper and the lighting is way more dramatic. [Official UK Xbox Magazine]

For an action packed take on the ever popular Roman hack and slash genre, Spartan is the most spectacular example yet. [PSW]

We've all got a soft spot for SpongeBob here at OXM towers (Ben T in particular), but our osmotic obsession can't mask the fact that this is a by-the-numbers platformer, albeit a charming one. [Official UK Xbox Magazine]

If you can put up with acting which is more wooden than Pinocchio with a semi, and want a simple but entertaining strategy game to help pass the long winter nights, then SpellForce may be your vial of poison.

Gritty movie atmosphere and clever storyline fail to outshine the unforgiving gameplay. It's got some great ideas but could've been so much better.

The simple tracks and handling might not be all that far removed from NFSU 2, but it's still a game that seems better suited to PSP. If you're after more than the pure thrill of breakneck speed, get this over "Ridge Racer." [PSW]

One of the most addictive sporting experiences ever presented on a console.

Genji is such a shallow and easy game to complete that it won't keep you busy for more than six or seven hours. And that's only if you can stomach the long-winded cut-scenes. [PSW]

It's the kind of game that a family can enjoy together, and perhaps is best in that sense. Ironic gen-Xers and urban wiggers probably won't get much from it, but then that's why games like Need For Speed and GTA exist. [PC Zone]

The lack of car customisation options, the constrained three-lap race limit, the irritation of having to win each race in World Explorer to progress to the next, and the overly predictable format - even right down to the stereotypical announcer who hollers banalities at you while you race - smacks of by-numbers development. [Official UK Xbox Magazine]

The usual series update with some nice gameplay additions, a subtle and successful evolution feature and a story mode that fails altogether.

Has its fair share of crusty titles you won't play, but the good ones are absolute gems. 15 is a bargain price to relive your misspent youth, if only for a few precious hours. [Off Xbox UK Magazine]

Likening Full Spectrum Warrior to a game of chess is more accurate than you might think.

It's great when it sticks to the story, but too often it gets caught up in a seemingly pointless loop. Even so, it's still the best looking Spider-Man game yet. [PSW]

It's also AMAZINGLY loud. Random battles erupt with an explosive screech sure to stain your sofa and almost every flick of the D-Pad on menus results in a baffling, ear-smashing clang.

Superb car handling is the only redeeming factor for GT PSP. It feels great to drive. But that driving needed to be packaged with an actual racing game and that game isn't here.

It's got the basics in place, but that just isn't enough. Ultimately there are superior role-playing and swordfighting games out there.

The crowning glory is a co-operative multiplayer game that's every bit as thrilling as the GBA's "Four Swords." It's hardcore, but accessible.

But playing Euro 2004 is a strangely seductive experience, even for hardcore PES fans like us. It's all so official, so slick, so sparkly, and so stylishly smooth while still playing some decent footie that we'll even forgive it for not being PES. Vive 2004!

TrackMania isn't a hugely polished game, but it's a breath of fresh air to play a game with a half-original concept. It feels (and, critics might add, looks) like the games of my youth (and so the rest of the team's middle-age), when originality sold as much as generic graphical kiss-kiss-bang-bang. [PC Zone]

It's a shame then, that the Franchise mode omits goals, mini-camps, morale, and spring training. Want even less? You can't challenge calls after a play, and the promised 'hard-hitting' animations during a tackle turn into a weird and glitchy dance. And tragically, there's no Superstars mode. Once you've done feasting on the visuals, you've got a bargain-basement Madden at a real-world price. [Official UK Xbox Magazine]

All this beauty is mildly tainted by the fact that there are a few glitches in the game. Now and again a car will disappear, and you can drive through trees.

Our only major gripe is that much of its content, i.e. gameplay modes, many of the tracks, and of course all the characters, are from previous SSX games. With the usual selection of half-pipe, racing and trick modes, there's not a great deal of new content in here for SSX veterans to discover, outside of mastering the new control system.

Made less accessible by its flagrant lack of polish. A cursory manual, a poor tutorial, terrible animations, weak voiceovers and an unsightly interface immediately count against it.

What's missing is any kind of plot-based campaign - what you play solo is the same as multiplayer, only with bots instead of blokes to back you up or blow you up. The one-player ain't fun, basically.

Red Dead's venomous cocktail of sassy action, swish visuals and sharp scenarios make it a fresh and ballsy alternative to most other third-person console blasters currently roaming the paddock.

So 1080 isn't massively original, but it does have one killer gimmick in the form of avalanches.

The Urbs may have style and attitude, but it's still essentially the same Sims flavour. It requires patience, it's high maintenance and has little action (it's a girls game).

But underneath the pretty graphics JetPac Refuelled is pretty much the same game we played a quarter of a century ago. We doubt it'll grip a new generation of gamers as much as it did back in the day but you'll get your money's worth.

There's no doubt that there's a huge amount of gameplay here, but at 30, perhaps it's a bit too expensive to warrant buying. Depends on how much you love your retro games. [PSW]

It's good to see Ubisoft completely rewriting history, rather than just slightly altering it, to spin one of the series' most absurd and intriguing yarns. Washington as a comical cartoon villain is entertaining, and the Wolf Cloak makes stealth less frustrating than it was in the vanilla game. Still, it isn't a vastly different experience, and if you've already bled Assassin's Creed 3 dry, you might find this add-on a little too familiar at times.

Battle side alone is worth the price of admission.

If you absolutely must have Shinin' playing on your telly then this could be worth picking up, if not the Xbox Live Arcade edition is a much more solid and prettier looking version of the visceral puzzler.

Fritz Chess 9 is designed to teach and train chess players, and should be treated as such. If you're looking for an authentic chess xperience, we suggest getting a real chessboard. [PC Zone]

The option to use realistic damage will reward all that time spent in the single-player game nailing head shots too. Those of you with a Multitap will have great fun here. [PSW]

Despite the basic gameplay, there is a reasonable level of satisfaction to be had racking up the combos and unleashing the head-chopping moves on the armies of ninja goons you face off against.

It's a welcome and entertaining addition to an excellent game. [PC Zone]

Excellently scripted set-pieces and dialogue perforate a seemingly endless store of enemies, the surroundings soon become all too familiar and the console-restricted engine disappoints graphically.

Fans of the first game won't believe the treat Atari's dished up, and anyone looking for a hugely impressive brawler fused with a great story and lots of guns will find everything they want. If nothing else, this is a vast improvement - it undoubtedly is The One. [Official UK Xbox Magazine]

A definite improvement on "Rising Sun," but the squad control has been done better in "Brothers in Arms," and "Call of Duty" provides the same level of intensity. Instead of being a standout title, European Assault is really just another WWII shooter. [PSW]

As a platformer, Disney Epic Mickey's mechanics are disappointing. It's a shame - because this really is a good game hampered by some bad gameplay systems, rather than a bad game held up by a few good ones.

Tweaks to the multiplayer modes are welcome, but are hardly enough to turn it into a world-beater. A bigger cause for celebration is that I didn't come across any of those diabolically awful tunnels that plagued the full game.

Every bit as fun as it is unoriginal. And football's ace.

Spartan is great fun, but we can't help but feel a little disappointed that the mighty Assembly's console debut isn't much more than a pretty-looking "Dynasty Warriors." [Official UK Xbox Magazine]

Not a massive improvement on the PS2 games, but Beautiful retains all the humour and joy you'd expect. For 360 owners, especially, Beautiful Katamari is a refreshing change of pace.

A game that feels vaguely like chewing an endless pile of cream crackers. The cream crackers of vaguely interesting turn-based combat, interspersed with the odd sultana of story and the out-of-date marshmallow of film footage. [PSW]

Hawx could do with a fair bit of polish before it (inevitably) comes around for a second flight, then - and a sluggish start to the solo campaign doesn't help much either. It's far from perfect, but the ERS formula does provide a small but much needed fresh idea to the tired genre, which means many Clancy and Ace Combat fans alike will be glad they played it.