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.