Those looking for a completely new gameplay experience will be disappointed, as will those hoping for more realism. However, if you're looking for a faster, cleaner and more polished Battlefield, this is it. Digital Illusions didn't roll any dice on this one (pardon the pun), they stuck to the formula but fleshed it out and polished it up.

There is an abundance of strategic options, so there is depth in that way, but not all of them work as well as they should.

Yes, there are only four levels of co-op and we're tempted to tear into Ubi for not including more, but on the other hand the mere inclusion of co-op play is already a major achievement. If only the development team would be so nice as to release some level design tools.

The best simulation we've played in years. It retains accessibility while offering remarkable levels of detail and realism... It is visually attractive, aurally satisfying and quite simply a breathtaking experience.

There are areas it could be improved - the fights could be bigger and more involved, and the game could be longer, and the powers have a little more oomph - but it's really just a series of minor nitpicks that tug away at the whole experience.

Though it bears similarities in style and setting to its predecessor, at heart is a new game with incredible depth that is accessible to any dedicated strategy gamer now, thanks to the completely overhauled interface.

There are very few games I recommend outright to anyone without hesitation. So let me just qualify: if you have any interest in first-person shooters, go get Riddick. Now.

What's different about it is that Blizzard has made the game very accessible and really put together an amazing system of quests that aren't just part of the depth, but actually a tutorial. All this is done in a world rich in landmarks, characters, races and enemies.

It's that kind of freedom and pressure-free atmosphere that makes Pirates! as good as it is. Now, if only it would be so nice as to make dancing less important in courtship - or at least less difficult - we'd have a completely enjoyable game.

It's more polished, refined and spit-shined than any game since "StarCraft"...The most remarkable thing about Half-Life 2 is that it manages to perfectly recapture that magical feeling from the original of being there.

Where the developers chose to, they pulled off a great first-person RPG complete with sneaking, combat, dialogue, an interesting story and of course role-playing elements... On the other hand, its combat is not that strong and yet for some reason someone at Troika or Activision saw fit to include multiple prolonged sequences of it. Furthermore, the balance of the game is really thrown off by those fights.

It's quite gritty, has some surprisingly creative missions and even offers historical lessons about the Vietnam conflict. Now if only it was prettier and fixed the "realistic" walking motion.

On the one hand, I love the flight models, the graphics and the challenge of multiplayer. On the other hand, there's no escaping the conclusion that this is really just a spruced up "Forgotten Battles" with carriers and more American-Japanese planes.

One of the key features, the Crusades, are utterly broken in this reviewer's opinion and the game would be much better without them enabled.

It has a seamless blend of strategy and tactics, giving the player the power to choose whether he wants to enjoy one or the other, the 11 civilizations to play – and it does this all in a very refined fashion.

Although it has an uninspired campaign, it’s very true to the universe. The same can not be said for the combat system, which deviates from the board game a great deal but results in some remarkably bloody battles. RTS games all too often suffer from micromanagement mania, but Warhammer does away with this.

Good God, if this game doesn’t immediately suck you in and render you worthless for hours on end, then I don’t know what’s wrong. I’ve, on occasion, sat down to play for a few minutes and then noticed that it’s been five hours.

The multiplayer in UO is revolutionary compared to CoD, and while we might wish Activision released this as a stand-alone for the sake of the community, we’re not about to punish an excellent expansion pack for adding so much to the original.

Doom III is 4 hours of intensity that tests the structural integrity of your mouse against your grip. That's followed by another four hours of wondering if that's all there is to the game. The last 8 hours are irritation that, unfortunately, that is all there is to the game.

The game artificially creates work for the player - ie, having to switch a sniper to shooting mode is patently ridiculous.

I've played Thief the third time now. It's time to elaborate and expand. The small touches implemented by the developers, like the City, factions and stores are mostly cosmetic, never taken advantage of fully.

The base gameplay and fun factor are through the roof. This has to be the first MMO that immediately grabbed me and wouldn’t let go. Wearing tights is extremely addictive, if you can fight off the eventual tedium set-in.

The stake gun and painkiller are simply useless in multiplayer, and they’re your starting weapons. This is as poorly thought out as id giving the blaster as the weapon in "Quake II."

BFV's lack of originality can't be excused - not only isn't it all that much different from the original, it isn't even clearly better than the Desert Combat mod.

Even with its replayability and late-game problems, Silent Storm is really the best turn-based tactical game ever. Yes, it doesn’t have the strategic aspects of X-Com, but no game has such advanced combat.

A better game than Deus Ex, but it’s a lesser experience. It is far less ambitious, not as complicated and about a third as long.

You’re not likely to find another game that lets you skip the pansy levels and move onto the dragon-smiting immediately.

It’s strange to admit that I do personally enjoy Victoria – and wouldn’t recommend it to a soul I know. Nobody should have to go through the frustrations of the first few games, especially with the newest patch, in order to see if they’ll actually grow to like it once they learn it.