It was the iron-like grip of the plot Gestapo forcing me down the script line that griped my cookies. Still, you have to give them some credit just for attempting to make a game that breaks out of the mold.

The movie was charming and entertaining in it's own right, but this game has formula written all over it. It was designed by the book, with very few surprises to speak of. The puzzles are generic, as are most of the action elements.

By far the best pool sim available on the PC. The statistics and player ranking system appear to be slightly flawed, and the sound department lacks consistency, but the accurate physics model, along with a wide variety of game modes, game types, and other various options, make Virtual Pool 3 a clear-cut winner.

While the game does have it's moments, it ends up leaving a mediocre impression at best due to a lack of creative gameplay.

I enjoyed the look and sounds of the game, but that's about it. No multiplayer, little action, all story. Read the novel, it's more exciting.

It's not often that a game comes around (in today's crazy games market) that is (a) entertaining, (b) actually keeps you glued to the screen for a while and (c) lets you kill lots of people while at it. All that with a unique style, plenty of chicks, and an attitude to boot.

Unfortunately a lot of the good aspects are overshadowed by poor controls and camera angles that are downright scary.

The gameplay is fun but can get a little tough and/or complex in certain places but hey, that's what the Internet and walkthroughs are for.

If you can get through a slow start and endure the troubles with bothersome levers, there is a lot of hack and slash fun to be had. The combat system is not quite the innovation that it has been made out to be, but it is smooth and responsive and quite fun to play with.

The game has one glaring hole that has to disappoint everyone who plays it, even long standing fans of the series, and that is the combat system.

Simply a brilliant game. Sacrifice seems to be a relatively flawless experience, perhaps because there's nothing like it out there, but also because this game exhumes quality.

A great re-creation of the arcade classic. The best part is the fact that the addictive gameplay, which made the original so popular, remains the same.

It's not very scary and it's not much of an adventure. It's nothing more than a predictable and formulaic action title that does little to continue the mystique and myths of the Blair Witch.

Fantastic visuals and solid gameplay, and the addition of multiplayer increases the replay value considerably.

Simply stated, 4x4 Evolution is a great looking game. Turn up all of the graphics options and you can almost feel the branches swatting against the side of your truck as you slice between the trees and into the lead.

Offers amazing gameplay with no serious flaws and that makes it one of the best games of the year.

It tries to measure up to the likes of classics like Tomb Raider with a new aquatic environment but fails to capitalize on the idea. In the end, it comes up short.

While the course selection features slim pickings, the inclusion of the Arnold Palmer Course Designer is a welcome sight, and one that will undoubtedly excite the Links community as a whole.

The mechanics of the game appear to put a stop to this trend towards realism. Squad Leader is unable to move past the grid system and lacklustre graphics.

Quite easy to learn, but incredibly difficult to master. Perhaps it's just me who needs to do a little adjusting, but I think newcomers to the city-building games are going to be in for a rough time.

Not revolutionary by any means, but it's a solid and polished game that is one of the only jewels to be placed in the RTS crown recently.

Classic naval strategy with a twist. The entire presentation of the Classic Battleship mode could have been put together a little better, but the Arcade mode provides a solid action-packed alternative to the standard board game.

Luckily, it doesn't sacrifice gameplay for the sake of simplicity.

If you never purchased "Superbike 2000" and you're a fan of motorbike racing, Superbike 2001 is a game you don't want to miss.

The addition of multiplayer really adds a whole other dimension to the gaming experience.

The similarities between this game and the film are quite ironic. Both feature nausea-inducing camera work and each is a tad bit on the short side. The similarities end there though, as Blair Witch Project Volume I is arguably scarier than the movie.

I suspect this game would be a lot of fun for ten-year-olds, but what do I know? I plan to give out condoms on Halloween.

That said, I think Hasbro needs to be very cautious about returning to this well too often (Hello, Tomb Raider). While I liked this one, I don't think I'd receive RCT XP3 as kindly.

Unchanged from last year, opposing teams don't know how to run a powerplay. You can literally pick up the puck in your own end, rush to centre ice and turn around and head back behind your net. Rinse, repeat, and two minutes later the powerplay is over none the worse for wear.

Nine, cough*three*cough, missions doesn't quite constitute an expansion pack to me.

There are no unique units, no improved visuals and all of the sound effects remain the same. Warlords of the Wasteland also lacks a map editor and multiplayer options. The replay value plummets for fans of Heroes of Might and Magic and even newcomers to the series.

If you're looking for something new from Heroes Chronicles, I'm afraid you'll be disappointed. Conquest of the Underworld doesn't offer any unique units, no new sound bites, no improved presentation, nothing. It's more of the same.

Run from this game like you've never run before. It will taunt you with happy memories of the past and then it will break your heart. It certainly broke mine.

The lack of a matchmaking service surely will make racing against real-life opponents a little difficult but visually, the game is spectacular and with most of the licenses in place, NASCAR Heat is an enjoyable ride.

An entertaining game, albeit frustrating at times. While it's unfortunate the level design wasn't a little more consistent and the camera work a little smoother, there's enough adrenaline packed into Sanity to satisfy action fans.

For those of you who have already played Metal Gear Solid on the Playstation, you don't need to pick this up, because it's the same thing.

I'm not exactly sure what Black Isle has for an expected gaming time, but I'd assume it's at least more than BG1 (over 150 hours).

This game could be improved 3000% just by allowing me to skip stages I've already completed when I start a new game. As it stands, the later stages are fun, but not worth the tedium of the earlier stages to get there.

Put simply and colloquially, this game sucks. Bad. There is extremely few good things about this game (and I'm being open-minded about it - *I* haven't found any good things about the game whatsoever).

The huge number of fatal and annoying bugs is unfortunate, because Crimson Skies would be a very good game without them.

The improvements to the game are just phenomenal. It's very hard to take an already impressive game and improve it, but Barking Dog has done a superb job of taking Homeworld further.

Trying to connect with another player caused my game to crash on numerous occasions and when I went to join a game on Mplayer, there was no one to be found. I guess I wasn't the only one having problems with this.

It's not quite up to the level of Interplay's "Virtual Pool" series, but Maximum Pool more than holds it's own.

If you grew tiresome of the repetitive nature of the Sims, Livin' Large probably won't change your mind if for more than a few hours while you acquaint yourself with it's new additions. However, if you're still hooked on these virtual life forms, Livin' Large is a must-have expansion pack. For the majority of us, it's probably the later.

The impressive variety of events is seemingly erased due to the ancient control system that relegates all the events to simple button mashing experiences.

Included in this very good expansion pack is what amounts to a patch for AOE2. Their 'you want us to clean up some gameplay issues for AOE2, you've got to buy the expansion pack' attitude gripes my cookies.

This is simply "Links 2000" under a different name. Sure, it's a solid game of golf, but then again so were the previous editions. You're not going to find any new additions, no up-to-date golfing counterparts, nothing.

Far from perfect, but it still provides a decent football experience.

Finding better weapons and skimpier clothing is all rewarding enough to keep going, and hacking up big bad guys with even bigger weapons is entertaining.

It's what I like to call a concept game; Great ideas but the implementation is a little rough. With a little more polishing this could be an A-title.

If what you're after is an action-packed, no-brain shooter than Bang! Gunship Elite's gorgeous, high-speed, intense battles will surely do the trick.

It's not the most ground-breaking FPS to come along, but gamers looking for a retro-like FPS experience are in for a treat with The Nightmare Child.

Gets a greedy thumbs down.

The only problem with Cleopatra pretty much remains the only problem with Pharoah. As near as I can tell, no change has been made to the way walkers wander around your city randomly dispensing services like so many civil-service tooth fairies.

It's unique approach to combat and magic, the interesting storyline, and the usual RPG joy of gaining some newer, tougher weapon or level up, make this a very enjoyable title indeed.

I'm sorry I didn't review Warlords Battlecry earlier because I think it would have found its way onto our Game of the Year ballot under one heading or another.

By far the game's greatest fault is the unit pathfinding. Units spend a lot of time jostling one another when trying to move even across open ground or water.

Despite all of its problems, Diablo 2 is as much fun as any action game I’ve ever played and twice as addictive.

D-Day is putting it lightly.

The level of darkness has been vastly overused. Many a time, I had difficulty actually finding objects and performing certain actions since I couldn't see certain portions of the screen.

Where there was mostly frustration before, there is now more room for fun and creativity.

A difficult game to control as you try and keep the camera and all your units going in the right directions with the mouse and keyboard.

If you like to have fun playing games, and even if you like to laugh, there are a few parts in MDK 2 that are simply FUNNY, not the normal supposed-to-be-funny crap that you see in a lot of games, but clever humour, something that is generally very rare.

Starlancer also features some of the most believable voice acting. However, I really hated Hawkee in the later missions, she was just plain irritating.

Graphically, the new zones look better. Combine that with the addition of a new race, a new continent, the change from level 50 to level 60 characters, new items, spells and creatures and you've basically got a fantastic addition that is a must for EverQuest adventurers.

That's what really separates Allegiance from your average space combat title, each and every ship you come across is piloted by another human player. It's ambitious, unique and undoubtedly sets the standards for future multiplayer games of its kind.

Sure, it's essentially an add-on for the original Thief plus a few engine enhancements, but the result still works.

House building very simplistic, no room for innovation.

Yet another astounding title out the doors of the Black Isle factory.

This game certainly could have benefited dramatically from an overhaul in the graphics department, but the gameplay remains top notch. The added refinements and tweaks make for some excellent gameplay and the addition of the scenario generator will add that much more in terms of replay value.

Everything in the game is utter perfection. Whether you're in it for the single player quest or the online extravaganza Unreal Tournament doesn't have what you need -- IT IS what you need.

The ending is simply spectacular and is worth working hard to get to. When it comes to storylines, I have to take off my hat and congratulate Jane Jenson to be the Agatha Christy of Mystery Adventure games.

It’s not a significant improvement as far as gameplay and graphics, but it does help further the claim of AOE as a solid gaming title and a quality multiplayer game. The originality may be gone, but the idea lives on.

Where "C&C2" failed, Homeworld stuns. Where other games relied on contrived formula, Homeworld manages to shine above the crowd. Elements of strategy, space combat, and economics are combined perfectly in a fully 3D environment. A careful balance of fleet tactics, specific ship abilities and resource gathering make every game challenging and unique.

While not as incredibly rich and engrossing as "Half Life" (though, frankly, I got bored of that faster than I got bored with SS2), it is nonetheless a very solid game.

A hell of a game, although some of the missions, in addition to being hard, are frustrating due to various bugs that just end up infuriating the gamer.

Personally I preferred Total Annihilation for its big guns and tanks and the larger range of strategic options, but this is an excellent effort by Cavedog to create a medieval version of Total Annihilation. A good solid strategy game which should provide weeks of multiplayer enjoyment, although I am disappointed in Cavedog for botching up their whole Direct 3D Mode.

If you don't find the true 360° freedom of movement confusing and subduing, you will definitely enjoy this game. If, however, the likes of Half Life make you motion-sick, then this will be the end of you for sure.

Everquest has an extremely long replay value simply because there is so much to explore and so many classes to play. So what the hell are you waiting for?

It feels just as addictive as "Civ2," and that in itself can't be a bad thing. The neat things that got improved, such as aqua-based cities, larger variety of units, unit customizability and a few others make this a great game to play - even if you have to think of it as of "Civ2.5."

With true AD&D rules, emmersive gameplay, incredible depth of the story and graphics to beat, this is definitely one RPG worth playing.

The textures in Thief are extremely well detailed and the inside of buildings looks very realistic and outside lights and particle effects of water sprouts (such as fountains) look excellent.

The plane physics and world realism are incredible.

One feature I really loved about this game was the way terrain was handled... This is something that I felt was missing from most other games of this genre, and is a welcome feature that really brings the game to another level, especially in multiplayer.

It's atmosphere and unique style have changed the face of PC gaming.

This game requires an extensive amount of time to understand as its realism is unsurpassed by any other strategy game in the same genre.

The levels are fairly exquisitely designed. The textures on the buildings are quite nice, and there is a multitude of signs that call up a smile every once so often. The only problem is, in order to read them you'd have to be in the 'High' detail level - and for that you'd need a pretty nice machine.

A worthy successor to Fallout 1, and for those who loved the original they're in for a whole new experience.

With this title Lucasarts has completely revolutionized the adventure game genre much like Sierra did when it invented the clickable mouse interface.

The gameplay is plain wicked - with no environments ever repeating (except for some cities), it's always fun to see what's around the corner.

This game is definitely one of the best to come out in the past while, and given the utter lack of innovation in this particular area of gaming, any new blood is appreciated.

An average adventure. It is inconsistent both in tone and quality, but it has lots of places to explore and lots of puzzles to solve, it provides a friendly playing environment, and it gives somewhere in the neighborhood of 15-20 hours of gameplay.

Just because the engine has been updated doesn't mean the game is any less tedious or frustrating than it was in its original form.

Can at times be both fun and frustrating. The engine looks good and runs well, but the friendly fire problems really killed whatever enthusiasm I built up for the game.

In comparison to South Park Rally, probably the most recent PC arcade racer, Wacky Racer isn't all that bad, but that's not saying much. Wacky Races could and should have been better on the PC.

It’s flawed and it’s buggy, and there just isn’t enough to do in the game to make it fun.

The plot is silly, the world is drab (not to mention being stuck in a 640x480 resolution), and the puzzles are too difficult to be any fun.

It looks good and it’s well acted and it’s funny. And while it’s also short and easy, at least it’s fun while it’s short and easy, and I always prefer that to the opposite.