Not superb gaming, but plenty good enough to satisfy most RTS and Dune fans.

A rare gem of a game, BOB is a beautiful, detailed, yet manageable recreation of the battle for the skies of Britain. Complex enough for dedicated simulation enthusiasts yet scaleable for the novice, this is one simulation done right.

As pure an adventure as you'll find on any console. Apart from a few timed segments, it's completely free of the action elements normally associated with "adventure" games on these systems.

The graphics are clean and crisp, the soundtrack and audio effects are excellent, and the depth and variety of gameplay are quite impressive.

Orion Pirates is still "Starfleet Command II," only this time, for better or worse, it's turned up to 11.

We reloaded NBA Live 2000 for comparison, and there's no question that this is a leaps-and-bounds improvement.

The design is visually engaging. The character and combat system are simple but with enough detail to give the player a sense of control. And the side quests keep things from getting too linear.

A remarkable new mech combat/fighting game hybrid that -- while gorgeous to look at and often wickedly addictive to play -- offers a surprisingly fleeting overall gameplay experience.

The best part is that, after the first few Krig-bound missions, much of the campaign takes place elsewhere in the galaxy in a variety of new planets and on new terrain effects.

Anachronox has a deep and satisfying noir sci-fi back story and genuinely well-wrought characterization. For all that, it is remarkably unengaging to play.

Perhaps the most impressive new feature in Volume II -- and the reason you'll want to go buy this game (today, if the stores haven't closed yet by the time you read this) -- is a revamped campaign engine that operates in both the single-player and multiplayer game modes.

Unfortunately, it seems that Rebel Act might have bitten off more than it can chew. Although the swordplay is Blade Of Darkness' greatest strength, it's also its greatest weakness. The sluggish interface is the main problem.

On a purely conceptual level, the "Project" is an absolutely first-rate product that shows the RTS genre still has plenty of life left in it when others thought it was dead.

All in all, Dogfighter is a heck of a lot of fun and a great way to release any pent-up frustration caused by years of parental nagging.

A fun game, with great audio files of worm banter and amusing animations.

Technically speaking, one of the most important things this expansion pack does is bring Icewind Dale up to visual par with "Baldur's Gate II."

But hey, if your party is good enough, Drew Carey himself may come over and hang for awhile. What a goal, eh?

A game that is at once familiar, yet unique, this RPG from the folks who brought you the Rage Of Mages strategy RPGs is a strong, yet slightly flawed plate of gaming goodness.

Suffers from Y.A.T.W. syndrome (Yours Against the World). ... at least give the computer opponents some pretense of fighting with one another instead of having some secret alliance to focus almost entirely on your units.

A standout among some recent disappointments in the first-person shooter action genre.

In the end, though, the playing experience offers more than enough good, clean fun to offset its weak points.

Draws from all that has come before, mixes it with cutting-edge graphics, and churns out a forgettably generic off-road racer.

After three years in development and two years of hype and anticipation, Oni fails to meet the expectations Bungie created for it.

An exercise in taking a shrewd idea, giving you an idea of how great it could be, and then making it frustrating beyond belief. There is a sad reverse alchemy the longer you play, in which gold is turned into dross.

Visually, The Sting is downright gorgeous, similar in many respects to some of the animated cartoons run on Saturday morning TV.

With its shocking horror sequences, macabre pre-rendered backgrounds, and terrifying in-game ambience, RE3 will give PC gamers a shocking treat.

Bland and dull.

If you've never played "Half-Life" or "Opposing Force," you'll be blissfully unaware that Blue Shift has the same weapons, the same monsters, and the same basic cast of characters. But it's still a blast to play.