A thoroughly entertaining game that has a wide appeal for young and old. The low level of violence and simplicity of challenge makes it easy to play. A good solid family game that we highly recommend.

A thoroughly entertaining game that has a wide appeal for young and old. The low level of violence and simplicity of challenge makes it easy to play. A good solid family game that we highly recommend.

BAJA is a real wolf in sheep’s clothing – a robust, addictive and unique racer that handles better than DiRT and sounds better than Forza disguised as unassuming release schedule filler. It even supports up to four-player split-screen, which is great considering split-screen of any type is a real rarity these days. It’ll probably vanish without a trace, but right now we’re turning off the driving aids and screaming off into the sunset.

With such complete attention to the teensiest of details, it’s obvious that de Blob was more than just another project for all those involved; it captured their imaginations and became a labour of love.

So while it’s a nice nostalgia trip and makes for an interesting twist on the Meier formula, it’s people who have either never played Civlization IV before (we’ve been told they do exist) or those who have played it to death and want a bit of a change who will get the most out of this title.

Exudes a certain endearing charm that makes it quite a playable game.

The graphics in Multiwinia have a certain retro functional aesthetic that fits in perfectly with both the theme of the game and the style of play – simple and elegant, with very little to distract you from the gameplay at hand. Little has changed from Darwinia and system specs are kept comfortably low as a result. The game is quick to load and quick to play, which is all that a game like this should be.

We’d usually advise waiting a month or two with MMO titles, for major patches to fix any foibles, but WAR actually feels very stable and polished at launch.

The truth of the matter is that Star Wars: The Forced Unleashed is an enormously fun game, which will suck you in with its story, frequently blow your mind with its visuals and, perhaps most importantly, will fulfil your Jedi fantasies like never before. And that, Star Wars fans, is worth the price of admission alone.

A solid title that manages to be a helluva lot of fun, despite the lack of an abundance of new stuff.

Fans of the original Stalker will love Clear Sky – without a doubt, it’s everything the original was, but with a fresh take on the world of the Zone and an engine that impresses rather than just scrapes by.

Yes, several radically different gameplay styles are presented in Spore, but it would be unfair to call the game a Jack of All Trades — it's closer to a Queen or a King of All Trades.

It’s not about mastering strings worth of combinations or sussing out whether your right hook does more damage than your left, it’s about goofy fun – plain and simple.

It’s not for everyone, and it’s certainly not Game of the Year material, but if you do pick it up and manage to overlook its flaws, you may find yourself pleasantly surprised.

We really wanted to like Infinite Undiscovery, but it was too much of a case of been there, done that (or more the case of been there, done that, and done it better). It has some cool concepts, yet they never really felt fully hashed out.

Unfortunately the final experience feels exclusively created for folk stuck in a confined area with a lot of spare time on their hands and few other recreational options. Like, say, in prison.

Small gripes aside, Mercenaries 2: World in Flames is a title for anyone who’s ever stomped on a sand castle, mashed together Tonka trucks, or blown something up. It’s big, it’s bad, and the thrill of demolishing everything in sight never gets old.

Beyond those minor disappointments, Tiger Woods 09 has proven itself to be a very decent sequel that manages to bring some meaningful upgrades to the table – most notably the performance coach, the Club Tuner, and the faster multiplayer.

Another problem is with the measly amount of game modes on offer.

Harvest Moon’s open-ended goals and non-violent gameplay were always well ahead of their time, but the problem has always been one of repetitiveness.

If wading knee deep in the dead to get at a piece of armour that’s 5% better than what you’re currently wearing isn’t the kind of adventuring that excites you, then you’re in trouble, because Too Human is exactly this type of game. Kill, loot, compare, equip, repeat.

Bar a few trivial issues, it’s a marvelously playable title.

SC: IV has seen some much needed tweaks to the fighting mechanics, the game looks as beautiful as ever, and the customization options available for of your characters opens up a lot of avenues strategy-wise.

Old diehard fanatics will no doubt shake their fists at the slight console-friendly tweaks of the original formula and the light-hearted nature of the graphics – but hey, it’s successfully infecting a whole new generation of gamers with Civ love, so get over it.

A fantastic, frantic combination of pretty much all the highlights of previous Civilization titles rolled into one single package. Finally, a worthy way to experience Sid Meier's legendary franchise on your console!

The beauty of Civilization Revolution DS is that it’s just so damn addictive.

A game such as this is much like a big bag of mixed lollies. There’s yummy stuff like Freckles and Sherbies, but there will always be a big, yucky aniseed ball or three lurking in the bag to keep a nasty taste in your mouth.

Epic Games is onto a winning formula and UTIII does deliver just what online console gaming needed: accessible, frantic, and endlessly enjoyable old-school gameplay. Just switch on your console, get in there and blow sh.t up.

I’d like to say there’s a good game at the core massively rushed. But there’s not. Its only ambition is to be a God of War incest baby.

Loud and neon-soaked, it’s the quiet, subdued moments that truly capture the essence of WALL•E, a notion that is lost, for the most part, in this disappointing iteration.

Alone in the Dark clearly had the potential to be something nearer to a nine, or at the very least an eight, but it just didn’t turn out that way. It’s a curio though, and maybe worth picking up if it ever gets released at a more budget price.

Certainly the ability to punch a hole through the wall of a building to get access to the Ruski vermin camping inside is a great step forward for the acclaimed series as it looks to motor its dominance from PCs onto consoles. The world destruction on show is suitably ‘next-geny’ and thoroughly enjoyable, there’s no doubt. But despite developer Digital Illusions spirited attempts, Bad Company doesn’t quite reach the rarely tapped heights of dual-radness, and is just a really good game.

Casual gamers looking for a pick-up-and-play tennis game are likely to be disappointed by Top Spin 3. But for those who are willing to invest some time in coming to grips with the game’s controls, there’s a seriously good tennis game here that will deliver a lot of satisfaction.

The end result is a much paler, disappointing conversion that besmirches the good name of the series and sets the ‘Consoles can do Strategy games too’ campaign back a number of years.

Beyond that annoying [grip] inconvenience, On Tour is a surprisingly decent package - however it has to be said that the sound quality from the DS speakers is a bit weak (it gets better with headphones, though), and to complete Expert Mode you need to be Slash crossbred with Jesus.

As it stands, Space Invaders Extreme is a well priced, solid game that is a shining example of how the classics should be remade.

Arkanoid was a sensation when first released in ’86, but its flaws are inescapable. Being a faithful adaptation of the original arcade experience, this hand-held version tempers nostalgia with frustration.

Clank is a bit of a 007 wannabe – suave robo-tux and all!

But at the end of the day, even the most vehement of MGS detractors will put their hand up and admit – Metal Gear Solid 4 is, by far, the most polished combination of presentation and gameplay this generation. It sets a new benchmark in terms of production values, and will blow your tiny little mind to smithereens on more than one occasion.

The brilliant thing about these finishing animations is that they take advantage of the environment you’re in. These aren’t repetitive, pre-cooked animations. If you’re near a chair, Bourne might slam his enemy into it.

So no, Ninja Gaiden II hasn’t remedied some of the oddities that plagued the Xbox original. It has, however, completely refined, waxed, polished, and shined its peerless combat engine. Along with its trademark difficulty and balls-to-the-wall ninja action, it’s an essential buy for fans of the original and anyone else willing to put their hands up for a stiff challenge.

The campaign structure, the selection of events and vehicles, even the damage modelling and Flashback systems are all of a piece, and all intended to achieve one goal – to keep you on the racetrack, pedal to the metal, chasing the win. After all, isn’t that what it’s all about?

The platforming and combat are both pretty straightforward; the game’s main challenge is its puzzles, of which there are plenty.

At this point in time, we’re confident in recommending Age of Conan if you love MMOs and are looking for something completely different to what’s out there. It admirably manages to present a massively multiplayer experience while at the same time forging its own path with an added emphasis on single player story and real time combat.

Visuals are ugly and uninspired.

Tries to cram WAY too many styles in, but multiplayer is tops.

This game is versatile, and has tons of activities — it’s probably price-competitive with those huge jumbo books of crosswords you can buy down at the Newsagent. But it doesn’t have the same soul, and it denies you such simple pleasures as ignoring the rules completely and entering rude words in all the boxes.

This product is too crude for even the ‘mainstream’ demographic; it can only possibly appeal to the ignorant.

But GTA IV will never get old, or start repeating itself. It will always offer anyone who turns it on an experience to savour.

But GTA IV will never get old, or start repeating itself. It will always offer anyone who turns it on an experience to savour.

A must-own Wii racer that pays multiplayer dividends.

A depressingly average Pokemon game that fails to rekindle the kleptomanic, ‘gotta-locate-and-subjugate-them-all’ antics that made the original titles so fun and addictive.

It isn’t yet the game it will become, but it’s still damn fine.

A fun, cheeky, crash-tastic ride to the finish line.

It’s one of those out-of-nowhere games that really does get cooler and cooler the more you play it. It’s so much fun in fact, that if you told us to pick a fun activity for the afternoon and our only choices were between: chucking a Dark Sector disc into the PS3 for a play, or chucking a metal Frisbee at our annoying neighbour’s greenhouse – we’d almost certainly choose both.

All the pieces are there, it’s just missing that magic spark that turns a good game into a great one.

Aside from a story mode and some amusing unlockable minigames the only discernable difference between Space Oddity and the Worms games of ten years ago are the Wiimote controls.

One of the most fun golf games we’ve played in years.

But the gameplay is still as hard as nails and importantly, uses the same excellent cover system.

Not quite as special as the original, but still impossible to ignore.

It’s obvious that developer Game Arts have put a painstaking amount of effort into creating this game and every time we play it we’re discovering new Nintendo references which bring back a rush of nostalgia. Brawl’s chaotic multiplayer sessions are some of the best to be had on the system, plus there are plenty of challenges and modes to amuse those ‘friend-impaired’ individuals out there as well. It’s a no-brainer, every serious Nintendo fan out there should score themselves a copy of this game, invite some friends/victims around, and have a smashing good time.

It’s fun, and certainly worth checking out, but rather than sitting back and enjoying the ride you’ll find yourself frustrated by some of the bewildering design decisions.

A PSP game you simply can’t live without.

There really isn’t another game quite like it on Xbox 360, full stop. However, if you’ve already spent a year at the Bullworth Academy on the PS2, then you needn’t bother repeating – it’s time for you to graduate to "GTA IV."

Ninja Reflex is a cool idea that's nicely presented, but it's just WAY too wafer thin play-wise to justify its price tag.

An above-average dungeon crawler.

Frustrating, but fascinating. Music with a twist.

All the important elements are there and it will provide hours of good, hardworking fun, but it’s hard not to lament the unrealised potential that could have been unleashed had those elements been fitted together into a more complete and coherent whole.

A physio-terrorist for your mind.

The king of the team-based multiplayer hill!

If you’re after an intense shooter that rewards style, enforces persistence and encourages competition, then The Club is taking members now. You should probably sign up.

Best in multiplayer, it offers thrills, but lacks substance.

A major improvement over Blue Dragon.

Perhaps the best puzzle game for the DS to date.

When the gameplay is playing to its strengths – three faction combat, survival-hunting element, spooky jungle terrain – it is thoroughly enjoyable. Only occasionally does it slip into the old-school generic FPS territory which should, like the game’s reptilian protagonists, be well and truly extinct by now.

The camera, a hybrid of both fixed perspectives and occasional manual control, frequently fails to focus on an enemy when you’re locked-on and attempting to attack, leaving you vulnerable to unseen counter moves.

After ruthlessly playing the game without mercy, we’d say that it’s a worthy addition to the franchise. However, we think that it’s a shame that you’re not given greater rewards for skillful stealth kills as opposed to stumbling into fights and mashing your way to victory.

Just enough strategy to balance the combat. Loads of fun.

It’s a simple pick-up-and-play style of game, but there are 20 deceptively involving stages to draw out the experience. The hand-drawn graphics are charming, and the management of your economy and overlapping fields of fire is engrossingly complex. You can lose yourself in this world for hours.

The visceral thrill and sheer, white-knuckle intensity of Burnout remains untouched. The game looks, sounds and controls as well as it ever has. Online play is excellent, if currently somewhat limited. There are only two real downers (the lack of event restarts and Crash mode) and we’re big fans of the open city design, though it does have a learning curve.

The best feature of NMH has got to be the visceral combat system.

It's neither a good depiction of the real thing, or fun.

Intelligent Systems put an awful lot of thought and effort into Dark Conflict. The result is that the series has been rebooted and revitalised. If you’ve had Advance Wars fever in the past, prepare for a relapse.

A passionless racing cocktail that’ll fail to start your engine.

Epic Games has done a more than admirable job of transporting the game from PC onto PS3 and further refined their genre-leading gameplay. Offline gamers, however, should just rent it.

Everything that's wrong comes down to a lack of polish, and a poor choice in multiplayer game management.

Its sheer randomness and awfulness is a remarkable sight.

A phenomenal product.

The best RTS on DS!

A brilliant shooter.

If you’re into arcade TC4, you’ll really dig this.

Just like your typical medical soap, there’s a seemingly endless 42 episodes to contend with, plus bonus challenges.

In the shadow of this missed opportunity, Impossible Mission is just a tease.

A sugar rush of mini-game madness.

Without the gore it’s got nothing more.

The genius of Super Mario Galaxy is that its basic game design solves every problem that’s ever existed with a platform or adventure game.

If you can lose yourself in Steel Panthers style strategy games on the PC, Panzer Tactics DS could be for you. If Civ makes your head spin, then give it a miss.

A decent addition to your collection, but it hasn’t evolved.