The main problem with Castlevania: Curse of Darkness is its sheer monotony. Most of the levels, although graphically sumptuous, barely vary as you progress through them. But worse than that, the core gameplay itself becomes immensely tedious as you find yourself battling exactly the same set of limited creatures over and over again. [PSW]

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

The biggest disappointment in this otherwise fairly enjoyable shooter is the lack of content once you've finally grasped the formula. There are only nine similar-looking maps to choose from, with more expected down the line via downloadable content.

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

Game-starved Xbox owners raved about Top Spin a couple of years back, but don't let that fool you into thinking this is anything special. [PSW]

You'd also have thought there'd be a fair share of humour in there, what with a Goblin's lack of social etiquette but it's a poker-faced affair, with your troops acting more like honourable Knights of the Round Table than dirty, thieving, man-flesh eating gits. Damn shame.

It looks good, but when you get to know it better you realise it lacks depth.

Avoid this one like you would an elderly relative at a wedding reception who's suffering from the plague. [PC Zone]

To be fair, Capcom is pitching Haunting Ground as 'psychological' horror rather than a straight-ahead survival horror, but that's hardly compensation when the supposedly terrifying lead baddie looks more like 'Sloth' from The Goonies after a bad makeover. [PSW]

Sadly, when it comes down to it, this is all just a very dull experience. You fly about a bit, shoot at some tiny dots, shoot at some more tiny dots, become irritated by shooting at tiny dots, stop concentrating and crash into the sea. Then you start the entire process all over again.

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.

Not a terrible game, but shoddy, rudimentary presentation and basic gameplay means this is one for the purists only. [Official UK Xbox Magazine]

The biggest disappointment in this otherwise fairly enjoyable shooter is the lack of content once you've finally grasped the formula. There are only nine similar-looking maps to choose from, with more expected down the line via downloadable content.

Combos are pretty lame, and with only a couple of basic attacks, the action gets very repetitive.

Perhaps the biggest letdown is the driving levels featuring the Batmobile. These commit the worst act of plagiarism since Oasis began ripping off themselves from their third album onwards. [PSW]

Faithful to the films in terms of character, the game is a victim of its own ambition - too clumsy to be a stealth 'em up, and too generic and monotonous to be a credible actioner. Shame. Now, where's that thermonuclear device...? [Official UK Xbox Magazine]

In truth, the puzzles are rather refreshing, not least because you have a gurgling baby to help you who eats literally anything.

Nothing particularly groundbreaking, but this is quite convincingly the most comprehensive Dynasty Warriors yet. [Official UK Xbox Magazine]

'Lightweight' probably best describes Suikoden Tactics - it's not without a fair bit of excitement and some clever moments, but it's not particularly memorable either, and it certainly won't make strategy lovers break into a sweat. [PSW]

A more than decent game.

It's certainly a refreshing departure from the usual slew of first-person shooters and urban driving games. But it could have done with a more thoughtful conversion - stripped back from its PC roots and with a less headache-inducing camera, this could have been good.

It's infuriatingly slow-paced at times, but that's not to say it's dull. Imagine you're lying in a field on a summer's day - that's action-free too, but hardly dull. Suikoden 4 is much the same, it's more interested in curling you up on the sofa on a rainy Sunday afternoon than in BLOWING YOU AWAY with MASSIVE COMBOS and HUGE EXPLOSIONS. [PSW]

But if you don't have Live, World Poker Tour is little more than a glorified game of cards against the computer. It does put a lot of effort into catering for the single player, with a full career mode and several real-life players to challenge, but it won't take long for any half-decent player to figure out how to exploit the somewhat basic AI. [Official UK Xbox Magazine]

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.

There's a difference between paying homage to and simply recycling old material, something this game fails to appreciate. The graphics might be up there with the forthcoming "Resident Evil 4," but the gameplay owes a huge debt to the first Resident Evil game. [PSW]

SRS features an impressive amount of depth, but the lacklustre gameplay may put the handbrake on you ever really appreciating it. [Official UK Xbox Magazine]

A sprawling adventure that offers plenty, but delivers it in a strangely disjointed format that makes it less than the sum of its many parts. [PSW]

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]

So with the main new feature [First Touch] largely redundant, you're simply left with yet another sluggish, indistinguishable FIFA game. It's also tactically perverse, with defenders lurking on the edge of the box, and forwards showing little inclination to push up.

But it clearly screams console from every pore, mysteriously labelling keyboard controls as move icons in its frequent in-game hints, which engenders all manner of frustration. [PC Zone]

A generic, below-average first-person shooter experience marginally cushioned by robust online options.

Gameplay is soon stretched as thin as Mrs Incredible's arms after you've tired of the new character moves and primary school-level puzzles, that include untaxing challenges such as overcoming laser traps by destroying conveniently placed power supplies. [PC Zone]

The city in the game just doesn't feel alive. There are plenty of pedestrians milling about, but it's only the enemy and the police that you can meaningfully interact with. [PC Zone]

Sadly, despite this commendable attempt at innovation and the lush graphics, Bet On Soldier's combat and (non-linear) story doesn't engage on the same level as the real shining lights of the FPS genre.

An interesting game that's too-often a dog-egg to actually play. Sorry Duke, take fourteen years and try again...

Ultimately though, this is a shallow console experience, especially when compared to the likes of Max Payne 2, and really has no business being on the PC in the first place. [PC Zone]

This is the second best pool game for your PC. If you must have one, get "Pool Paradise" instead.

The look is reminiscent of "Theme Park World" - colourful, but not particularly detailed - although the animals have been put together with some charm. This, coupled with the lack of any real challenge, makes the game a reasonable option for animal-loving kids, but not a lot more.

But if you're looking for an entertaining postwork action/adventure romp, this simply isn't worth the moolah.

If humorous driving jaunts are your bag, do yourself a favour and bag "San Andreas" instead.

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]

It actually plays out like a very simplistic alternative to Legend Of Zelda, with doors opening once certain enemies are killed, or special keys found to open doors.

There are redeeming features, a few nice touches of scripting here and a cool boss there, but generally the fabled shitty-stick of non-touching is going to have to make another one of his increasingly common appearances. [PC Zone]

If you want a game with good fight mechanics that stands up well on the PC, you should get "Prince Of Persia: Warrior Within." If you want a standard shoddy port of a console game, you should get this. It's fun, but it doesn't belong.

Remarkably boring, and even diehard fans of the series are probably better off without it.

Unfortunately, all the developer's good efforts are ruined by the stinking, incompetent AI, especially in the realms of pathfinding.

Admittedly, the game is aimed at a young audience, and as such, it's all too easy to win. The catch-up system favours the stragglers at the back, so it definitely won't appeal to Grand Prix 4 buffs who pore over post-race aerodynamics data. [PC Zone]

Ultimately this is a game for the youngest of GameCube players and difficult to recommend to anyone who takes their racing seriously.

There's no denying that SWG is hardly in the best of health right now and something drastic needs to be done to restore balance to the force. Certainly something more than a simple expansion pack, that's for sure. Help us Lucas-Wan, you're our only hope.

All we get is A-to-B puzzles mixed with a huge amount of zombie splatting that takes you from London to The Pyramids. [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.

Putting aside N64 loyalty, GoldenEye is not a great game. Not, at least, in the context of the current 360/PS3 shooting scene.

It creates a warm feeling that doesn't provide belly-laughs, but at least fixes you up with a permanent half-grin. [PC Zone]

Too short and too late to be wanted.

Kinect has confused the gaming cosmos. Rise of Nightmares certainly isn't a good game - but just about passes for a good Kinect game.

Its main problem lies in offering nothing that you haven't seen a thousand times before and falls short in just about every department.

While American Conquest: Divided Nation is sure to have civil war buffs drooling over its adherence to historical accuracy, from a strategic gameplay point of view, it's not exactly going to give the more established and, let's be honest, more technologically advanced RTS games like Rome: Total War or Cossacks II a run for their money. [PC Zone]

Reasonably competent RPG with over-fiddly combat, an awful manual and graphics straight out of "Lure Of The Temptress" on the Atari ST.

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]

There are some extra moves you can learn, but Tekken is better for fighting.

The whole thing's about as free-roaming as a man in a straightjacket locked in a padded cell, and about as fast moving as a glacier.

Don't get me wrong though, even though the end product is useless, creating your own game is fantastic fun - just don't expect to become the next Carmack. If you want to do that, start learning binary now. [PC Zone]

Bereft of tension and riddled with lazy animations, ER is far from infectious, though it does have an underlying charm that might dazzle the more clinically inclined (or failed medical students).

While there's definitely some enjoyment to be found in small doses, we spent far too long dying, restarting and trying again to have any real fun.

There are a few good moments here and there, but sadly, there's an unfinished aura to this game that permeates throughout. [PC Zone]

Might just be proof that racing games will never work with Kinect.

Novadrome packs it all in in terms of options and modes, but fails to capture any of the charm of classic car combat titles like Twisted Metal or even its less good rip-off merchant of a friend, Vigilante 8.

A botched blend of XCOM and Tropico, which ultimately boils down to shallow strategy in a Goodfellas skin.

Compelling - in a masochistic way. Deep down, there's a great game trying to get out, but it's been hamstrung by our many complaints that can be summed up in one sentence. Piss-poor support for the new user. Victoria will infuriate strategy enthusiasts and baffle everyone else. [PC Zone]

A clumsy and lifeless last-gen action game.

As for the story, well this is the stuff Tom Clancy will be writing when he's a senile old loon in a home. In all, Splinter Cell on a budget. [PC Zone]

The restrictive point-and-click system will always be an issue for most of us ("See that sand over there? Can't go there"), but the price and intriguing scenario mean that this isn't a total waste of time for those who fancy some arcane adventuring.

It's slow, steady and pretty dreary - but it's got enough intrigue to keep you clicking away for a few hours.

Missions are just too long and leave your hands feeling numb. By the time you've shot down your 20th enemy plane before the first save point comes along, you really don't have much interest in seeing what comes next.

The combat is stupidly easy and as badly designed as MC Hammer's trousers - timing kill moves or complex combos together is rendered fun-free, as you're held by the hand all the way through by giant yellow 'Y' icons that flash over an enemy when he's ripe for a kill move. [Official UK Xbox Magazine]

A slow, moderately discomforting wheelbarrow ride into an Xbox-green sludge-pool of grump-making mediocrity. [PSW]

More bungling thief than Entrapment-esque vixen, this is a criminal excuse for a stealth 'em up. [Official UK Xbox Magazine]

This is a game that knows its small target audience (basically anyone who's played an Ys game before) and sticks to it without even trying to appeal to anyone else. Good luck to you if you fall into that category. [PSW]

Admittedly, there are some people who enjoy hitting the same button all day long, but don't be surprised if after ten hours you're left with nothing more than thumb ache and a weird sense of regret. [PSW]

Once you get to grips with the controls and get into a close fight it can get very exciting, and finishing an opponent with a perfectly-timed parry and counterattack is really satisfying. Unfortunately, most people won't want to spend the time it takes to get into Bushido Blade.

It's still boring though. [PSW]

If you can make head or tail of the multitude of minor rules and spell/trap combinations, or already enjoy the cartoon, check this out. Anyone over 12, dig out that old algebra textbook for some more interesting bafflement.

Roadkill's impression of Grand Theft Auto is almost as cringeworthy. Most of the ingredients that made Rockstar's crime 'em up so successful are here but, like your dad's Pound Shop Ali G, it lacks the special something that made GTA so amazing.

It's a reasonably fun title, but tired graphics and monotonously easy challenges mean this is strictly one for undemanding kiddies. [Official UK Xbox Magazine]

One of the first squad-based racing games we've played, but the novelty soon wears off. The dull tracks are matched by grainy and blocky graphics, with overly sensitive steering too. [PSW]

Looks handsome like Top Gun-era Cruise, but After Burner's fast-paced dog-fighting doesn't really work with iPad's touch-screen.

Ty 2, for all the effort (and don't get us wrong, a lot of effort has been applied), retreads such a familiar path, and feels so utterly vacuous, you might just as well look at the box and consider the game completed. [Official UK Xbox Magazine]

Suffice to say, even Resident Evil-loving broadband-obsessives will struggle to wrestle any fun from what is, essentially, a second detour down a dead end street. [PSW]

Its banality is perfect. Even an inexplicable side-scrolling fish-tank shoot-'em-up level that pops up between the soporific platform stages fails to raise an eyebrow.

This is a lazy, by-the-numbers sequel to a game that didn't exactly grab us by the throat first time around. Ladling on the gore and heaping on the sex can't disguise how average BloodRayne 2 really is.

Feels like a step backwards for the series, and no amount of shape-shifting can disguise its mediocre gameplay.

Maybe if Japanese development team Tranji had spent less time trying to show off Kurenai's posterior and more time tweaking the basic mechanics Red Ninja could have been a half decent alternative to Tenchu. As it is, much like Kurenai herself, this is one game that may look nice from a distance but turns into a right horror show when viewed up close. [Official UK Xbox Magazine]

The characters are wasted, despite the more than adequate job done to animate them, and despite EA's roll-out of limited edition comics to whet our appetites, the new characters are poorly realised and immediately forgettable. [Official UK Xbox Magazine]

Roadkill's impression of Grand Theft Auto is almost as cringeworthy. Most of the ingredients that made Rockstar's crime 'em up so successful are here but, like your dad's Pound Shop Ali G, it lacks the special something that made GTA so amazing.

Another example of a game that greatly underperforms on a perfectly capable console.

The appeal of button-bashing power bar games wore off when we put "International Track & Field" to rest years ago. Torino 2006 looks nice but we can't see you lasting long before slamming the pad down at the difficulty of the speed skating or nodding off from the monotony of the cross-country hobble. [Official UK Xbox Magazine]

Flying through a city at night has to be the graphical pinnacle of the game and squeezing between two buildings while flying at a high speed is also a great thrill, especially if you can survive it!

With some lacklustre mission design (shoot enemies, find keycode, go through door, repeat) and an even flatter multiplayer mode, Ghost in the Shell feels like a wasted opportunity like "Coded Arms" before it. [PSW]