It's just a pity about the lacklustre responsiveness of the characters, as that downfall makes this a decent game as opposed to a good one. Hopefully Shrek will triumph in the next, inevitable tie-in. [PSW]

Tasks as simple as wandering around are frustrated by the controls reversing as the camera angle jumps, while during the frequent combat bits you'll spend more time fighting with the clunking movement mechanism than with the denizens of Silent Hill.

So despite a slight lick of paint, especially in the newer areas, AC2 still sports one of the ugliest interfaces in MMO history and has game options that are insultingly simplistic. [PC Zone]

The presentation, as mentioned, is superb - just check out the way if you pause the game, the screen will flick to a newspaper article detailing your current level and predicament. [Official UK Xbox Magazine]

A competent and rewarding game worthy of a couple of days blasting. [PC Zone]

While not a universally terrible effort, the tense stand-offs and tight urban combat is let down by the weak interface and poor consistency in your squad's AI.

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.

If Floo Powder, Dementors and Fizzing Whizbees mean anything to you, get this game as soon as you can. But be warned, the simplicity of it might mean a part exchange within a few days.

And what is it with the cut-scenes? They've roped in all the voices from the film, so why can't they make sure that the figures look better? It's a mystery even Spidey can't solve.

Sabre Squadron's main claim to fame is its new multiplayer options, which allow you and some friends to play any of the nine new levels co-operatively. With the team AI problems eradicated, these levels become far more calculated and precise affairs (so long as your team-mates work together of course).

The equivalent of the summer's biggest Oscar-winning blockbuster, it's breathtaking, and destined to become an adventure classic. Totally unmissable.

An unoriginal and slightly dull survival horror in the Resident Evil mould, the brilliant X-Files atmosphere and 20 price tag will save it for fans of the show.

Forts is probably not for everyone, but those of us with hearts as squishy as the loveable mud-chewers themselves will be in seventh heaven. [Official UK Xbox Magazine]

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]

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]

A hugely enjoyable, polished action-adventure with buckets and buckets of OTT gore. If you thought "Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines" too cerebral, its slasher B-movie blood relative could HAVE MORE BITE.

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]

Tycoon City: New York may be big and colourful, but under its ostentatious, shiny surface and character-driven tasks, it's ultimately just another by-the-numbers tycoon game. [PC Zone]

It's uncharacteristically short for an RPG, but those Mega Man action junkies have short attention spans.

It's all pretty simple. Crash collects Wumpa fruit, Spyro collects crystals, and they both jump over lots of spikes.

If you can make friends with the twitchy handling in this arcade-sim crossbreed, then you're in for a good drive.

Okay, so there's two-minutes worth of multiplayer chuckles in "Badlands" and "Super Off-Road," and "Hydro Racer" is marginally better than the terrible "Stun Runner," but that's it. [PSW]

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]

Expertly produced with enough sheen in all the right places to make it worth your while, but still flawed enough to be a bit disappointing.

It's ironic that a game featuring a jawless, semi-putrid swash-buckling skeleton is essentially the re-animated gaming carcass of a 1999 PSone title.

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.

Final Fantasy XI is an acquired taste, and one that was built for playing on the sofa rather than on the PC. It's a pity that Square couldn't have served up something more ambitious for our first online RPG, but at least it means we get an RPG that's had three years of being knocked into shape. [Official UK Xbox Magazine]

There's no doubt that as a casual tennis game, this is loads of fun. But if you're looking for the depth, simulation and total shot control, you might be left fuming that your little sister could beat you with random crazy shots. [Official UK Xbox Magazine]