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

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]

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

Here's hoping the developer now takes this painfully short, yet spectacularly sweet game, and turns it into the giant-killing franchise it was born to be. Until then, sample it, savour it, but brace yourself for when the rug is pulled from under your feet and you're sent crashing back into reality after what only seems like five minutes in the most crazy, fantastical shooter you'll ever experience. [Official UK Xbox Magazine]

In singleplayer mode there's a decent selection of games to get you in the mood, but it's playing with your mates that'll really get you amped up, as you fight it out in bloody broadband battles with furious futuristic weapons.

A solid 2010 upgrade for an excellent multiplayer game and slightly aged solo experience. Worth both a revisit and a new plunge.

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.

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

It doesn't shake-up the genere, but C&C3 delivers a solid and well-polished RTS experience that also provides the smoothest and most comprehensive game of the series to date.

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

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]

Too much of GT5 relies on past glories, building on the success of the series without shaking free of the design quirks that are holding the series back. High expectations are justified when a game has been in development so long and GT5 has more than a faint whiff of disappointment about it.

Deimos or human, if traditional role-playing games rock your world, Arc will draw you in and hold you spellbound. The gameplay basics may adhere unashamedly to the tried-and-trusted RPG formula of exploring, talking, levelling up and shopping, but if it works, why change it just to be clever? Why? WHY!!??

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

But it's the wrestling side that has really been beefed up. A new control system finally makes the action flow back and forth like only wrestling can. Plus the controls are easy to learn and get you into the thick of the action fast, pulling off fancy moves.

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]

With a great system of matching symbols in order to chat and flirt and a world in which a different life can be dictated for your Sim each time you start a new game, The Sims 2 is great fun and game that'll last you ages.

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]

The game takes the proverbial pants off every other GBA shooter, and leaves them flailing around their ankles.

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]

While it's still a great game, the basic flaws of last year's V2 version haven't really been addressed and the new menu system is laborious and unfriendly. [PSW]

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.

At its core, Mayhem is a leaner, less confusing entry to the Worms universe than Forts Under Siege, returning the series to a time when worm-killing was simple and death came in the form of an exploding sheep.

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

Unsuitable however, is the camera angle used to fight bossman 'Ganryu'. It looks great to watch, but to control your character from the back is immensely frustrating, especially when the boss character is cheaper than a tupenny whore.

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

Dazzlingly clever and way left of field - if you want a platformer where collecting 99 gems for an extra life actually means drilling through someone's psyche to their darkest secrets, you're in for a treat. Bizarre, but beautiful. [Official UK Xbox Magazine]

You still won't bother with the walking bits, but with two-player cooperative Classic levels, online play and a smart new version of LA to open up and tear apart, this is a return to form for the Hawkster. [PSW]