Maximum Impact 2 feels so incredibly sloppy and dated that the only real benefit of its existence is highlighting just how great sister title "KOF XI" really is by comparison.

If they continue to be this thrilling, this visceral, this bombastically brilliant, then more of the same is absolutely spot on. Sign me up.

Ironically, it's a game that'll probably be criticised for not being the same game as before. But actually that's one of its strengths. Especially if, like me, you're a massive fan of Rogue.

It's beautiful, though that's entirely the wrong word. This is a war game, so the word should be "visceral" or something. Models are hugely detailed for an RTS, physics implemented impressively and so on. But relevantly, it's a functional sort of beauty (or - er - viscerality).

It's really not that engaging a game in 2006 once you've got over the initial reaquaintence, and certainly not deserving of a standalone release on Live Arcade when there are so many more worthwhile games to download.

When it comes to cutting-edge WW2 strategy there are other worthy options besides the highly-decorated "Company of Heroes."

Although Harvest Moon DS possesses the same base addictiveness as its forebears, it has no charm, no originality and no ambition.

The missions are beautifully detailed, but characterless. The acting is just a few inflections the wrong side of ham. The units simply don't pack the punch you want from modern combat, and that lack of zing is pretty much found throughout the game.

Perhaps the only downside about Lego Star Wars II is that the melee combat remains weak throughout, some of the latter puzzles can be wilfully obscure, and that Traveller's Tales neglected to allow co-op to be played online. Apart from that, it's one of the most instantly enjoyable games around.

It remains a simple, addictive and hugely enjoyable game concept, and that alone makes Bomberman PSP into what you might call a "fairly good game" - nothing remarkable, but a nicely presented repackaging of a much-loved original.

Blind jumps, enemies that re-spawn almost instantly combined with boss battles that often require repeated attempts make this a difficult game. But the formula has been expertly updated here and, while the game never achieves the excellence of those titles from which it draws heavy inspiration, this is still a competent and engaging proposition.

The most impressive feature of NHL 07 is the Skill Stick control, but it's not enough to save a game that is light on content and slack in other areas.

NHL 2K7 represents the best value for money out there, and it plays like a dream. Seriously, you're doing yourselves a disservice by buying all those guns-and-tits games that get hyped.

A charming novelty game, well presented and simply and effectively executed. Just don't go expecting anything more than your thirteen pounds' worth.

Mario Hoops 3-on-3 is actually a very good simple basketball game, but the simplistic AI and chaos factor often prevent that from shining through.

In fact, if, like me, you find yourself the victim of a game-breaking glitch, which requires you to hold down the SELECT button the whole time you're in the air, you'll definitely be disappointed.

As an example of how Xbox Live can be put to use in the racing genre, it's unmatched. Were it not for inconsistent handling, it'd score higher - and even at that it still deserves a lot of credit.

Definitely more than the sum of its parts, and a rare case of a game getting there before Hollywood.

Aside from experimental unlocks and silly novelties, the LocoRoco experience is one of undiluted fun. If the tilting, blob moving puzzle-platforming doesn't warm your heart, then the catalogue of alarmingly addictive psychotic J-Pop tunes will have you dancing around the living room.

It takes golf seriously, and it makes a nice difference. Just don't expect to be teeing off on the moon or anything.

It's the sort of bland shooter that if you tried it on MAME you'd barely give it a second look - so why does anyone think that gamers will part with 400 points for it? Sometimes the past is better off left alone.

The Takeover is a wild and slightly insane take on fighting, with truly original characters hurling abuse and fists at each other like a scrap at a special school.

Fans of Japanese RPGs should bear in mind that behind the problems lies an extremely competent, if not terribly imaginative, RPG which will certainly fill a couple of dozen hours of your time in an entertaining and involving manner.

Hardcore devotees of Sir Arthur's previous adventures will whoop like pandas at the news that the game's legendary toughness has not been completely castrated for today's lily-livered gamers, though it's sometimes hard to shake the feeling that the relentless challenge comes from clunky controls and respawning monsters just as often as smart level design.

This is a saga that has clearly been tugged and squeezed, compromised and spoiled by many, many cooks.

Nippon Ichi's games are good but Disgaea is undeniably the best. While some might begrudge the ostensible dumbing down with the return to grids and more tightly controlled play (there's no chucking enemies off the maps into oblivion or picking up map furniture as impromptu weaponry here) in reality this makes the game more accessible, more easily understood and ultimately more fun.

The multiplayer modes deserve some credit, as fans will no doubt get off on the prospect of playing Deathmatches and truncated Capture The Flag sessions while in the guise of 50 or Slim Shady, but the maps are unlikely to inspire anyone with real multiplayer experience.

Sure, it's probably the most morally bankrupt game we've ever come across, but if you delight in extreme violence, language that would make Tarantino blush and a more forgiving take on the GTA theme then you've come to the right game.

Placed in the context of the Star Fox series, however, it is profoundly disappointing. It lacks Lylat Wars' balleticism, subtle difficulty curve and queer beauty, and its dialogue and plot really are extraordinarily bad.

While the storyline blooms from the initial boredom into something more intriguing, it fizzles disappointingly as the game comes to its rather abrupt end.

As always, all you're paying for here are some minor updates, a couple of simplistic new modes, and that new season / franchise data. Unless you're an absolute addict, there's no need for this game. If you are an absolute addict, there are better games out there.

A solid entry in a mostly wretched genre. It's cute, it's charming and makes you smile without ever really winning your heart. Still, if you've been fiending for a decent PS2 kart racer you can play without vomiting your bones out in horror, here's where your money should be going.

Ship Simulator 2006 doesn't have the feature-set to compete with sims like MSFS and MSTS, but it's a solid start. The developers are already talking about the next instalment and making encouraging noises about wave modelling, long voyages, and multiplayer (not included at present). Unless you've got salt in your blood, I'd recommend sitting on the dock of the bay until SS2007 arrives.

For anyone who isn't desperately in love with FFVII; though - in other words, if you've never written erotic gay fanfiction about Cloud and Sephiroth, drawn fanart of Tifa engaged in a bestial act with Red XIII, or considered changing your name to Vincent Valentine - it's impossible to recommend Dirge of Cerberus as anything other than a curiosity.

What you'll get out of N3 is the relentless pounding excitement that transcends the initial gripes.

The key element of the game, of course, is combat and here it excels...Compared to many of its peers, Darkstar One may seem slight - but what it does, it does expertly.

In the end, the chance to claim Pac-Man bragging rights among your friends list may be enough to make it worth buying, and the chance to play one of the all-time greatest games again arguably makes it a compulsory purchase regardless of how many times you've played it before.

It may not be licensed by George A. Romero, but it was certainly inspired by him, and it replicates a lot of the feelings he inspired in the viewer.

Few games from the early '90s stand up this well today and although there are obviously better fighters out there, an enhanced classic for less than the price of a cinema ticket is a bargain in anyone's book.

Apart from the odd frustrating puzzle, there's nothing much at fault here, aside from the fact that what you're buying is a small collection of puzzles and nothing more. As long as you realise that's all Safecracker is - and there's no adventure element to speak of - then you won't be disappointed.

The problem seems to be that everyone involved was aiming low, and it's not a game that ever speaks of large-scale effort or imagination; the graphics are recycled, the monkey voices are largely the same throughout, and the script is humourless, journeyman stuff that wouldn't make it onto CBeebies. There's no enthusiasm.

FlatOut 2 seems content to cement itself in the niche of Burnout's bratty redneck cousin, but it passes at least one basic quality test with flying colours: I couldn't help taking regular breaks during this review to creep back to the joypad for another go.

For those willing to tolerate a few boardgame-style abstractions, a little thumb-twiddling (sometimes turn calculations can take a minute or two) and the odd bit of bafflement (fundamentally simple, the game does have a few confusing elements like supply simulation), purchase options are pretty diverse.

You know what to do: if you want an arcade perfect, no frills port of Galaga then that's what you'll get, but you can probably get your fix by simply downloading the free trial. The lure of global leaderboards (and a succession of largely identical levels) in the full version adds something of a gloss for the retro obsessives, but that's about it.

Without question the finest portable beat-'em-up ever released. Not only that, it also represents the pinnacle of the series overall, which is an incredible feat for a handheld title.

In short, there's a lot of game here but none of it immediately demands you buy it, unless you just need a few new things to insert into Civ 4 to justify returning to it. In which case, hey - go do it. Civ 4's awesome.

We'd like to apologise to Sid Meier - this game, while not terrible, has sullied your good name and brand. Our only suggestion is to never let someone else make a game for you and to make sure the inevitable next game in the franchise explores a less familiar environ and period.

Even at 800 Microsoft points (so, six-quid-eighty), it offers a lot of value compared to some of its fellow test-subjects, and while it does occasionally frustrate or bore, the urge to keep going remains.

Yes, it's bland, pick up and play fun that's simple to get into, but if you did ever find yourself picking it up for five minutes you'd probably have already seen all there is to it in that time.

Valkyrie Profile Lenneth is exactly that - wholly distinct from the rest of the crowd, a niche within a niche, marvellously thought out and mostly brilliantly executed. If there were other comparably innovative and inventive Japanese RPGs to set this against, then its flaws might cause it to be judged more severely. But it stands alone, a rare original expression of Japanese role-playing individuality.

That's really Blade Dancer in a nutshell: a decent combat system and an interesting crafting mechanic, but in terms of the rest of the game, Hitmaker doesn't really cut it.

While the Budokai series may not have enjoyed the universal appeal of more traditional brawlers, it did at least give the games their own unique identity. In sacrificing that, Super Dragon Ball Z becomes just another paint-by-numbers 3D fighter, sitting alongside the likes of "Battle Arena Toshinden" and "Star Gladiator" in the ranks of the also-rans.

It's easy to pick up and play, has generally tip-top production values, has a moreish appeal and only a couple of bits where parents might have to help out the little ones. Sadly, grown-ups needn't feel like they're missing out, for as much as it contains most of the ingredients that should make it interesting to everyone, Monster House quickly becomes too repetitive and shallow to deliver on its early promise.

As an interesting and well-thought -through study of the struggles of an everyday life, Kudos is well conceived and a welcome alternative take on life-simulation.

Getting to levels four and five, reaching 30,000 points in a co-op game and managing to deliver 15 frogs to the other side of the river on one life are tricky tasks that'll keep you going for a bit, but otherwise Frogger will probably take you less than an evening to exhaust.

Chromehounds is really, really, really boring to play...Not one that I can imagine Xbox 360 players sticking with for more than a handful of hours tops, no matter how starved they are for new releases at the moment.

A game whose good intentions simply don't translate into wide-eyed entertainment. With uninspiring and basic deathmatch multiplayer options failing to rescue the package, it looks like it's going to be another long hot summer for FPS devotees.

Artful and warmly considered (even the menu options are caught up in it - the "Options" menu is the "Engine Room", and the "Quit" button reads "Abandon Ship"), it's a well-formed idea that will almost certainly grow as it builds up a head of Steam.

A bog-standard historical city-builder and we can like it, lump it, or - my recommended reaction - just ignore it.

Unfortunately, while the movie's version of piracy is a picturesque mixture of high-adventuring, quick-witted, swashbuckling derring-do, The Legend of Jack Sparrow is a weak mixture of low-brow, quick cash-in, button-bashing doggy-do.

It's a content-packed, well-produced handheld game - they can put that on the box if they want - but the racing's a bit boring, the load-delays are too regular and too long, it's very punishing when you start getting somewhere, and the lack of online options hurts it.

The antiquated visuals would be easier to stomach if hot Nineteenth Century prospects like Napoleonic Total War 2 (a visually stunning R:TW mod due within the next couple of weeks) and HistWar: Les Grognards (a promising hardcore 3D Napoleonic wargame with an autumn ETA) didn't exist.

By simply making sure that absolutely everything in the game is designed to remove the usual restrictions on fun, Sumo's created something that practically transcends rivals like PGR3 and Burnout before you even done anything.

If you're in the market for a proper jet-fighter game, I'd recommend hunting down a proper PC simulation. I remember EF-2000 from about 1998 being about 1998 times better than this. And if you want an arcadey dogfighter, try "Crimson Skies" for Xbox 1 instead.

You'll hope developers like Amaze don't go within 100 miles of a movie license ever again, and pray that BVG has the good sense to try harder next time. Consider yourself warned.

It's a fab little game that's as unpretentious as they come and it's good to have it back - it's just a shame that the concept hasn't really moved on to any degree in the intervening years.

It's certainly not the ultimate handheld football game, but that's more through a selection of ambition than a lack of it - and that's why it makes an impression.

The more interesting large-scale fire fights and planning truck upgrades provide some reasons to stick with it, along with nostalgia for dear old Interstate 76. If only Targem had concentrated on lending the missions more of the depth I76's sported, the other faults would be far more forgivable.

The meagre character list is among the few real drawbacks in what is a surprisingly accomplished fighting game, sporting just fourteen selectable fighters (two of which are stronger, slightly broken versions of existing ones).

Although pleasingly wrapped in all the right legends, there's nothing here that fully chains us to the PC. It's too repetitious, too derivative and too fiddly to exult, especially when there's so much more artful PC RPG fodder that I haven't yet defeated.

Plot-wise, this is an unnecessarily confusing experience.

The PSP version may not have the zip of the others, and you certainly wouldn't choose it over and above them, but Tomb Raider: Legend is a good game, and if you can put up with the initial awkwardness you'll find it was worth the wait.

The main overriding problem (badum) is the same as ever: the sense of excitement, speed, and - above all - fun just isn't as strong as the four-wheeled racers busy hogging the upper echelons of the world's charts.

Limited, but compelling. For a full-price add-on, you'd judge it more harshly, but for £8.50 (Plus an extra couple of quid if you want the "Download Insurance", which frankly sounds a little sinister), for some strategic challenges while we all wait for "Medieval 2" it's entirely acceptable.

Lengthy play of Urban Chaos is a double-edged sword, in fairness. You'll come to admire the arcade structure and the way it taps into gamers' motivations to unlock everything, but the longer you play it, the more you'll spot the cracks in the AI, the level design and some bloody weird bugs.

Indeed, where each title on the disc has its own relative strengths and weaknesses, every one of them is perfectly playable and enjoyable even alongside more recent releases.

Short-lived, it seems a very wasted opportunity to not take advantage of the full capabilities of the DS and cram in far more levels, and have them as teasing unlockables to reward successful play.

It doesn't have the sheer polish or design coherence of something like this month's other Rise-TS, Rise of Legends, but there's lots to like. Until you remember the campaign mode again at which point you just find yourself wishing the developers to go bust, until you remember they have and you start feeling bad again.

How about a six (Anything more would ignore the lack of freshness, and the fact you can pick-up equally good alternatives like Blitzkrieg 2 and Codename Panzers: Phase One for less than a tenner) and a quick reminder that the promising Company of Heroes and Faces of War are just a few months away.

It seems all those evenings spent in containers sampling engine revs were time well spent, then - indulgence is a glorious thing when it's put to such good use.

Although this doesn't exactly break the mould, figuring out Da Vinci's secrets is generally a pleasurable stroll through a variety of well-crafted and largely logical puzzles and mini-games. The lack of psychotic monks and professors of symbology is an added bonus.

What really nails it to the ground and steps on its throat for Eurogamers is the localisation: now the characters are impossible to relate to or to understand, the plot is unrecognisable (mercifully, as there is no deviation of play paths you don't actually have to know what's going on to know where to go next) and the sparkles of flair that clearly were in the original, now dulled and obscured by wrongly assigned words.

While none of the games are as polished and well-balanced as Gradius V (surely, prayerfully being held back for a single-shot PSP release) this package is nevertheless essential playing for twitch gamers.

A lack of flourish and invention, along with a tired set of on-foot mechanics, rob it of a higher mark - but too much stands in its favour not to recommend it.

Admittedly, many of the other problems haven't been fixed - staff, for example, are still in too short supply - but at least the effects add a touch of pazazz and the moviemaker mode finally works. The name may be misleading, but it was just the medicine The Movies needed.

At best, it delivers one of those non-threatening interactive playgrounds that parents can feel safe letting their young 'uns explore, and on that level it's job done. For the rest of us looking/hoping/praying for a decent driving game based on the latest Pixar movie, you're best advised to ignore its No.1 status and steer clear of this road accident.

Big Brain Academy's certainly fun in an innocent kind of way, but it's probably a better bet for your offspring than for you - although you won't regret joining in for a bit of multiplayer.

Ultimately, despite the pleasing use of the stylus, there aren't enough original ideas to make it stand out from the crowd.

The relative simplicity, the choice of structured or freeform play, the ability to mingle with your populace... it's all very successful. If Monte Cristo could just turn the volume up a fraction on the interesting social conflict dimension, and add a few extra building models to make skylines a bit more varied.

Just like the original Half-Life 2, Episode One keeps the player entertained almost the entire time through perfect pacing and by being inventive, surprising and getting the basics absolutely right. It's a wonderful advert for the excitement that true episodic content can generate when approached the right way.

That there are a couple more modes for fighting other humans underlines that this is a pack that exists primarily for those who play online - and without even giving a decent experimentation zone to play with the new possibilities of the ships without embarrassing yourself in front of a peer by crashing into a pier. Or something.

If the impressive visual enhancements, tighter controls, more coherent narrative and bigger production values don't draw you in, the thoughtful level design and degree of freedom will keep you coming back for more. Best yet? Bloody right.

Is it unfair to demand £19.99 for something that's as unfinished, badly designed and devoid of deliberate entertainment value as Aurora Watching? Definitely.

It's not a great leap forward for gaming; but in terms of reassurance and welcome traditionalism, it's a small step for cosiness.

Staking its claim in the under populated wilderness betwixt classic story-driven RPG and balls-to-the-wall splatter action, it's a worthy evolution of a still-fresh franchise and a rather impressive addition to the PSP line up in its own right.

Although Field Commander has plenty of options, it's doubtful hardcore strategy heads will find enough to get lost in.

Nevertheless, the sum of these parts makes this a fun place and all the raw materials provided to put together your own unique adventure are imaginative and enjoyable - all you can really ask for in a sandbox.

But we've all done Lemmings at one time or other, there's nothing new about this, and as much as it might sound like a good idea in your head it's a nostalgic itch you can scratch without spending £30 on another PSP game that makes you wonder why you ever doubted the DS would kick it all around the playground until its shiny little face was thumbsmeared to death.