I can't really be too harsh on Pirates as it does do exactly what it sets out to do; it's a huge game, looks pretty enough with it's mix of cartoon animation and overhead map-views, and it doesn't sound too bad either to boot.

The problem is the blatantly obvious lack of effort that went into this game.

Pros for Lineage 2 include the good graphics, castle sieges and the sound. Cons include the interface, the blatant lack of interesting quests (especially for low level characters/delivery boys) and the soul sucking experience grind.

Falling stars was obviously designed with children in mind and I can happily say it's a fine game for them. The only problem is that one day, inevitably, a college art student will see it somewhere and it will spawn a cult, the likes of which we'd be a lot better off without.

Overall this game can’t really decide whether it’s strategy or arcade and consequently doesn’t really work as either, being too generic and limited as a fighting game and with not enough depth to be a really good turn-based strategy game.

But sadly, with the advent with more realism comes the responsibility of not indulging in the arcade-style fantasy that made games like this so memorable in the past.

Comparing NFL Street to Madden is like comparing "Redcard" to "Pro Evolution Soccer," besides the fact that both games are played with an oval pigskin ball there is little else in common.

Despite these crippling flaws, Racing Gears Advance has that rare quality of being addictive.

A good all round game. If your games shelf were a loaf of bread, Blitzkrieg would be the 17th slice down. It may not be as fresh as the others, but it’s great for toast or frying.

If you like your puzzlers and/or have a soft spot for Japanese/English curios, then you'll probably quite enjoy this. But as a full-price PSP game it does leave a bit to be desired.

Overall the game offers an in-depth experience with plenty of missions and lots of action to keep all the wannabe Biggles fans out there happy. So slap on your goggles, start your engines and take to the sky for some high flying action, Wings of War proves to be a rip-roaring ride in the skies.

It’s still far from perfect – poor graphics, camera problems, AI all take their toll – but they took a bold step and it largely paid off.

Painkiller Overdose is definitely for fans of the series. Frantic blasting action might not suit everyone but you can't really knock it until you've tried it.

This is one of those great but flawed games; if you’re up for the challenge then tackle it head on, you will be rewarded.

Could have been an excellent point and click adventure, instead it leaves a taste of unfinished development work in your mouth. Regardless, a mostly enjoyable romp and probably one of the best adventure games this year ' genre fans will love it.

A bit of a mixed bag. A half-decent tennis sim crocked by middle of the road graphics and an infuriatingly stupid and poorly implemented career mode.

Couple the ropey gameplay to the lousy load times, endless splash screens, mediocre graphics, repetitive nature of the sometimes awful levels (parts of the Vegas-esque one look like you’re driving through a giant lower intestine) and game mechanics straight out of 1996, and I’m afraid we have a real turkey here.

What this game lacks in manners it makes up for in depth, what it makes up for in depth it almost gets taken away from in the AI’s incompetence. Almost. As is, Space Empires V is terrifying in its scope and utterly absorbing if you can get through the maze-like issues it comes with.

The gaming family will refer to this game as a slightly deranged aunt who need only be humoured. It¡'s quite entertaining, no doubt about that and a bargain for what you get out of the box but you'd be better off spending your time looking for travel insurance or something similar.

There is technically nothing wrong with Galactic Assault, it just lacks so much that it quickly becomes frustrating.

Not an enthralling, tour-de-force of gaming but some great fun in short blasts, like more games should be.

We're not in movie licence disaster territory here by any means, but things could have been a lot better and definitely should have been a wee bit longer.

Certainly playable, but the majority of gamers will be turned off by the complexity that sucks the fun out of a game that otherwise promised a riotous experience.

A disappointment. It has a serious story but an ill-fitting cartoon look (or vice versa), it has fast-paced game elements tied to a slow, ponderous combat process and it’s too rough around the edges – though nothing is fundamentally wrong it has too many small flaws and they all add up.

Cross Rally Championship 2005 aims high and falls short, and whilst that's more admirable than simply creating a mediocre game for a quick buck, it's still not enough to garner our endorsement.

Though it's not that hard to get entangled in an addiction to experience gain (and, at the level 10 "endgame", start participating in endless strings of loot runs), the quest supply is embarrassingly finite, the world is far from immersive, and as soon as the addiction is broken, Stormreach becomes instantly forgettable.

Given how fast and exciting jet fighters are by their very nature, it takes a real effort (or in this case, lack of one) to make a game about them as pedestrian as this. Modified Air Combat Heroes? Mediocre Aeroplane Crap Hour, more like.

SpaceForce: Rogue Universe has plenty of potential, but unless the long wait times between action sequences are addressed (along with the other problems I’ve mentioned above), the game is doomed to mediocrity, forever wandering among the stars.