While there's little here that we haven't seen before in some shape or form, Kohan II brings it all together tidily. RTS fans, or those looking for a better than average example of the genre, should lap it up.

It's rare that an action role-playing game works as both an 'action' and 'role-playing' game, so to come across such slick combat and a deeply involving character upgrade system here is a real treat.

It's beautifully simple, but also brings an element of tension as there's always a few seconds between issuing commands by tapping the left mouse button, and seeing them carried out on the battlefield.

It's basic, it's clichéd, it's blokey... oh, and it's expensive and short, but Shadow Ops: Red Mercury is still a hoot. If you're after a brainless gun-fest with plenty of blowing-up, give it a few months and see if you can pick it up on the cheap. [PC Zone]

Suit up for one of the best superhero romps on Xbox, believers. [Official UK Xbox Magazine]

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

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.

Fast, furious and gorgeous to behold... Ultimately, it's the visuals rather than the strategy that will endear Warhammer to the interactive generation, and it isn't stretching things to proclaim Dawn Of War one of the best-looking strategy games we've ever played.

It might be a whole lot of fun and it might be the best golf game you can buy, but unless you create your own courses, there's very little challenge here.

It might look old-skool from the screenshots, but GP Legend totally flies. Races are so tight this is guaranteed to get your heart pumping.

World-class Star Wars games are like Endor buses: you wait light-years for one and then two turn up within 12 months of each other. Do the galaxy a favour: buy it now.

Perhaps the biggest new feature for this year's ice hockey outing is the inclusion of Live compatibility...This essentially adds months to NHL 2005's appeal, and will turn the already feverishly loved title into a true competitive tussle.

With a bit more thought put into the story and increased variety in each level, this could have been as good a retro game as Neo Contra. But sadly, even when priced at just 20 it's a risky purchase. [PSW]

There are moments of clarity when you become almost ashamed at what you're doing, such is the senseless waste of time and effort. But the fact that it can actually make you care is a definite achievement. And while we fully expect to grow to hate it - and the inevitable flurry of hateful expansion packs - for the time being we're hooked.

Grumbles are few. There's a bit too much to-ing and fro-ing between your hideout and each objective, especially when you're forced to backtrack from one end of a level to the base in order to switch to another character. [PSW]

By far the worst aspect of the game is the horrendous control system, which flicks confusingly between third- and first-person views, while the camera sweeps all over the shop and does its best to disorient you.

One of the most impressive and rewarding expansion packs of recent years, matching and occasionally even outstripping the quality of its outstanding parent. But it could be a fully immersive VR porn sim for all you care - you'll still buy "Doom 3" instead.

One quibble comes with the ugly texturing of the player models - perhaps a hangover from the console versions, or maybe just misjudged artistic direction. Either way, they need fixing. And that's about that. [PC Zone]

The only ice hockey game worth giving a flying puck about.

We love this game for all the reasons a lot of people will hate it: the wacky characters, the 'holy grail' nature of the combat system to be mastered by only the very best players, of which we admit we are not worthy (yet).

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.

Graphically, it looks dated. Yes, it has the same look and an identical user interface to that from RollerCoaster Tycoon, but here the colours appear drab, the maps flatter and some of the tiles don't appear to connect all that well, making some parts of the map look like an Escher illusion. [PC Zone]

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 for all the weak enemy AI and graphical glitches, ABZ remains a decent and carnage-filled team-based blaster, worth checking out when the price drops.

This is a quality game, in terms of both presentation and design. It's traditional, but within its genre it represents a considered and intelligent take on those traditional rules. [PSW]

But for those who are prepared to persevere, there are well over 100 hours of turn-based heaven in store. [PSW]

It's only when something large or coveted decides to take a bite that the game lurches from 'pleasant but dull' to 'almost quite exciting'. Well, for about thirty seconds anyway, until your would-be prize catch drops the lure and swims off. After that it becomes dull again. [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]