You mostly-thumbs types will find single-handedly controlling the chariot (while ever watching the pace meter) a bit of a nightmare on the medium and hard levels, but it's all the more reason to bring a friend in for some co-operative race combat.

Those who love controlling every aspect of a battle, those who have time to spend mastering the cumbersome interface, and those who don't mind managing a daunting number of units may enjoy BCT Commander. Everyone else should stay away.

Gitaroo Man's key is that it truly makes you feel that you are producing the music with your actions and that is very satisfying.

Just reviewing this game has proven to be an agonizing experience.

Mediocre graphics, poor design choices, and unfinished features sink what could otherwise have been a fine game.

The kind of product Westwood is largely known for--complete, compelling, full of great little touches, and just generally elegant (which is a funny thing to say about a game of pirates, pillage and plunder, but so be it).

Bloodier dustups there are, and faster moving ones too, yet for those who like their streetfighting with style, UFC Tapout hits harder than a bare-knuckle jab to the kidney.

An uninspired game. With a fairly short completion time and little to bring you back for more.

These are simply the best graphics Papyrus has ever coded.

It should work; it should be entertaining, even if not incredibly complex. Unfortunately, the game appears to have been coded by definite grown-ups with no sense of fun.

In the good, but not great category, NHL 2K2's artificial intelligence provides moments of excellence, tempered with moments of sheer stupidity.

It operates reliably, frantically, and smoothly enough to offer a kind of arcade zen experience once you've reached a certain level of proficiency. It's definitely a sick game.

It is just the "Total Package" (yeah I know, I am embarrassed of myself for that one), combining great gameplay with fantastic visuals to create one of the finest sports game ever.

If Racer Revenge wasn't a Star Wars game, such a generic little arcade-racer wouldn't even be worth mentioning.

The fact that most gamers have seen all of this before makes it a bit more difficult to see this game's strengths, while making its weaknesses that much more apparent.

Super Mario Bros. Advance 2's awesome looking graphics are highly detailed and stay true to the game's source material, right down to the last pixel. Yes, down to the last pixel.

The lack of a two-player mode (reportedly dropped due to shipping deadlines) and no ability to simply roam around the city without time limits and seek out its many hidden areas and shortcuts is nigh-on criminal, especially the latter.

The primary problem with Mall Tycoon is that you don't get nearly enough feedback from your shoppers.

Fun is the operative word here and this game delivers the brand of entertainment that gamers have come to expect from Sega and the Game Boy Advance.

While the linear missions can get quite tough (not to mention adhering to the imposed time limit), controlling the airblade hoverboard is surprisingly intuitive.

The graphics are dated and Ryundo's bad-boy character has been done to death. But those are only small faults in an otherwise excellent game.

A rich, polished game from a developer obviously intent on improving the credibility of its franchise with a focus on solid gameplay, and not just pushing the same tired character into different locations year after year. Right Lara?

Starts off with one of the best opening scenes of any game in the last few years.

SimGolf does manage to provide a game that is especially simple to play and continues to be fun long after you've managed to turn a profit.

When the levels are as easy as this, you end up spending less time with the music, which is where most of the joy in this game comes from.

Titles such as "Etherlords" have blown the genre open, and in comparison Disciples II seems markedly dated.

Godai sucks in ways that mankind was never intended to know, and exposure to its sheer awfulness will leave deep emotional scars that may never completely heal, even with years of intensive therapy. Stay away. Stay far away.

No doubt the combat is tough to master, and the graphics won't make Squaresoft's artists lose any sleep, but Forever Kingdom has an unquantifiable charm that makes it an enjoyable diversion.