Made less accessible by its flagrant lack of polish. A cursory manual, a poor tutorial, terrible animations, weak voiceovers and an unsightly interface immediately count against it.

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.

Although Sam looks cool while monkey swinging and rolling from cover to cover, grabbing guards by the neck and knocking them unconscious, the whole thing feels a bit like a technical demonstration, rather than entertainment.

A bona-fide classic: a technological marvel that's as rewarding as it is beautiful. For the time being at least, it's the beating heart of the first-person shooter. [PC Zone]

But perhaps the most significant letdown is the AI. While it hasn't actually got any less advanced since the previous game, it does give that impression, having been watered down in response to criticism that the original game was too difficult.

This pair of butt-bashing bints may be big in Japan, but we don't see the game taking off here. Some nice touches, but we've seen it all already.

If you're enough of a fan to forgive its frustrating moments, Dark Motives' five cases will give you a few evenings' worth of semi-interactive intrigue, but not much more.

You could say it's all just a fancy game of hide and seek, but the tactical element off and online adds so much depth and tension that the concept becomes genius.

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.

There's no multiplayer action and with a fairly short playing time, this is much more suited to a rental.

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

God knows what happened to LOTR3, but the usually dependable Impressions Games has lost the plot on this one. Even if you're a long-standing fan of the series - no, especially if you are one - avoid this like a bearded, Black Death-infected Saxon whore.

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.

It's the new team-centred gameplay modes - the return of an old favourite particularly - and the introduction of driveable vehicles that make this such an exciting and important addition to the Unreal lineage...It offers just about all you could ever want in a first-person shooter - and just a smidge more. [PC Zone]

There are lots of buttons, doors, and items to interact with in Breakdown so you can understand how this gets frustrating. Yet, you take this all on the chin because the level design and overall artistic quality of alien beings and their worlds is high.

DICE has done enough to justify the status of sequel rather than expansion pack. It looks great, sounds funky and plays superbly. [PC Zone]

A deeply disappointing experience that barely appeals to hack 'n' slash nuts and fans of Kurosawa's masterpiece.

Unfortunately, this ninja dream too often becomes a nightmare of infuriating control issues, camera problems and soul-destroying restart points.

It's entertaining in all the right ways, but just like Gates and Price, it's all a bit too predictable.

A truly terrifying adventure that, while certainly not perfect, still brings a real sense of panic and dread back to the weary survival horror genre.

As with all pure action games, FD18 has its annoyances and limitations. It plays like an arcade game, with unfair surprises taking you down at least once, forcing you to play each area to perfection.

This brand-new version takes the gripping plot of Metal Gear Solid and splices it with the new gameplay systems from the sequel. You really are getting the best of both worlds here.

Lamely rolled out on the back of the film, it's one of those strategy games where you have an overwhelming urge to stop playing after three or four near-identical missions.

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]

It boasts so many new gameplay modes that any review is in danger of reading like a press release.

Place Battle Chips into your Deck. Hit "A" 'til the battle is done. The end.

Regardless of the decent handling, there's no escaping one of MTX's most annoying flaws: heaps of the objectives are startlingly samey.

We couldn't help being drawn in by the plot, and enjoyed finding enemy weak-spots and shouting them out for Rio to shoot. And while you feel like a dork shouting stuff at the TV, the action is so engrossing that you stop caring.