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

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

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.

In short, the best reason to own Lord Of Destruction is for the resolution bump -- but it's ludicrous that we have to pay for that...Its high price notwithstanding, this is one expansion pack that's well worth owning.

A beautiful, yet vacant, "Resident Evil" rip-off full of annoying key hunts, obtuse and frustrating puzzles, and one of the worst "save game" functions ever. But, hey, it sure is pretty.

This isn't some short, slapped-together final chapter, but a full-fledged game of its own. Clocking in at around 40 to 50 hours, Throne Of Bhaal is easily longer than most other stand-alone RPGs.

The game is so much fun and has such a great sense of humor that those quibbles melt away like goo off a reactor core. Bottom line: You'll love Startopia.

This is perhaps the finest use of the PlayStation2's power so far. Twisted Metal: Black represents a superlative combination of frame rate, detail, and gameplay.

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

The game is fun; its combination of humorous action and territory-grabbing resource management make for interesting gaming. Unfortunately, I couldn't help feeling an overwhelming sense of deja vu.

A distasteful plot combined with bitterly frustrating controls saps a lot of the fun out of what could have been a real winner.

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

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.

Simply an excellent game.

With enough questions to keep most casual players entertained for weeks, an enjoyable and fully customizable presentation, and a lightning-quick ALT-TAB program-switching function, Rules Of The Game is perfect fodder for that lunchtime sports trivia interlude.

An offer gamers may not be able to refuse.

If developer Playnet.com completes the vision it has for this product, it is a *very* strong contender for Sim Of The Year, if not Game Of The Year.

A unique challenge.

Ultimately, it's frustrating and boring...the execution is fraught with problems and the end result is the world's ugliest five-star golf resort -- a hodgepodge of architectural incongruities.

I don't care how it was done, but the results are simply breathtaking.

It has buried within other commonplace RPG elements the most innovative approach to game storytelling I have seen in years.

For all of its strong design and competent game play, however, Red Faction still never quite adds up to the "Half-Life" it aspires to be.

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

But to ask players to embark upon mission after mission of mindless gunplay and nonsensical war-fighting tactics belittles the role of the B-17 in the air war over Europe ... to say nothing of the fact that it offers nothing in the way of originality.

With its forgettable Practice mode (the same game without scores on a really poorly rendered beach), ugly graphics, dropped frames, and mediocrity at nearly every other level, it's easy to recommend passing this title up.

The real problem is the game's pacing and narrative. Atlantis plays like a zillion short clips from a much bigger, more cohesive game.

Echelon is as beautiful as it is thrilling. No virtual space jock should be without it.

For the hour or so at a time that Pearl Harbor retains our interest, it is an immersive experience packed with just enough war-movie realism to achieve a sense of drama. Which means this would have made a fun shareware game or a much lower-priced bargain bin favorite.