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 simple, yet timeless addition to any collection.

As far as we know there’s no other game on the market that allows you to swallow a human for health, while being chased by a mutant twice your size, hurl a car at a helicopter, hijack a tank, cleave a soldier in twain with an enormous biological blade, transform into an invulnerable steel behemoth, tear apart vehicles with your bare hands, stealth consume and mimic any NPC in the city, and run up the walls of any building in Manhattan. Surely that’s got to count for something, right?

The best RTS on DS!

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

If you can get past the shortcomings of the single-player experience and buy into the hammy humour, you’ll enjoy this game. But the cover says it all really; a sexy Russian commando in hotpants, flanked by a Big Daddy-rejected concept design on one side and an armoured bear on the other. If you’re going into this game expecting to take it seriously, you’re missing the point.

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

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.

The consistent humour of the game as well as the hours of gameplay that can be casually enjoyed cooperatively with friends makes Sacred 2 stand above the usual clone variety of fantasy RPG.

On a format where there’s plenty of rhythm-action competition, Samba still has enough to make you jump around like a toddler on Refreshers.

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.

Outside of the new “Be A Legend” mode, there’s very little reason here for existing PES owners to upgrade. "PES5" on PS2 is still the pinnacle of the series.

Calling EndWar shallow would be unfair — streamlined would be a far better descriptor. Unit detail and animation is intricate, and stacks of research went into concocting the sleek weapon systems of 2020AD. Each skirmish is brutally acted out before your eyes, but these animations are the icing, not the cake. For you are not a soldier — you are a general. Once you get into the mindset of a commanding officer, EndWar takes on a life of its own.

ATV Offroad Fury Pro ticks every box it has to without particularly excelling in any specific category.

While hardcore fans will recognize and love the references to the early novels, everyone else may be underwhelmed with the lackluster story and characters on offer here. In terms of getting its strategy on, Halo Wars won’t wow the space boots off of Command and Conquer veterans, but it is a recommended purchase for anyone seeking to break out of their vicious first person shooter cycle.

We’re left with something that’s entertaining in small doses, but doesn’t really offer us anything more. This is sorely disappointing when you consider that these were the same guys that brought us the sublime arthouse videogame Okami - which, ironically, didn’t sell well at all.

Though the frame-rate sputters now and again, watching dozens of mounted little gremlins scurry about causing havoc at your bidding is an absolute riot. It’s a guilty pleasure. Don’t worry, we won’t tell if you don’t.

Considering that Buccaneers was created by just two individual developers, the end result is quite impressive.

Grand Slam Tennis still comes highly recommended, both as an epic party game, a great online experience, and one of the better tennis experiences on the system.

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

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

Magical Melody is a decent game and if you have the time to invest in it your affections toward it will grow.

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.

Generic space marines fighting upon a generic future landscape will be tough to sell, terrain deformation or otherwise. The proof will be in the pudding, we guess – but we’ll be surprised if this moves the Earth.

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.

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.

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.

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