Like my love life, needs a little more action and a little less messing about to be truly excellent.

My only gripe with Max Payne 2 would be value for money - it's a short game. Nevertheless it's slick, well made and you'll rarely have time to catch your breath from start to finish.

Destruction can be a beautiful thing; Burnout 2 does life endangering with more verve, elan and panache than you'll find anywhere else right now.

A fine addition to the series and a perfect complement to "Splinter Cell" and "Ghost Recon" in the modern tactical warfare stakes.

There are so many tweaks and nuances that make an already great game damn near perfect - and each of them is worth a mention.

The only real problem with Joe 2: It's way too similar to the previous title...Still, a terrific game. Challenging, but never to the point of frustration.

Capcom knows a thing or two about learning curves and each victory is extremely satisfying, even if death scenes last longer than German operas and bosses always do something nasty before they keel over.

It succeeds. It's just a shame the world isn't terribly exciting... It's definitely a case of "love the world, but where's the game?"

The only real problem with Joe 2: It's way too similar to the previous title...Still, a terrific game. Challenging, but never to the point of frustration.

All-in-all, a great game. But you must realize what you’re getting into - despite the gloss and the big name it’s still a repetitive hack ‘n’ slash adventure with RPG leanings.

The whole affair feels like a slightly slower more elegant version of the recently released "Wario Ware."

Very much Star Wars but this time with a lot of added depth, care, and a complete absence of laziness.

Graphics so pretty, it's a genuine shame to turn out the lights... A great title. Witty, stylish, and entertaining.

For those of you embarking on your first mission as Solid Snake this is compelling stuff to complete and cherish.

Once you get used to it, this game becomes both intuitive and satisfying.

The racing action is undeniably fast and, ahem, furious, and Need for Speed performs competently in this little niche market, but it's gameplay scope is ultimately narrowed by it as well.

Improvements to sound and visuals are excellent... [but] genuine shocks don't come often enough.

Once you get used to it, this game becomes both intuitive and satisfying.

Visually, the pseudo 3-D effects are fairly convincing.

Something old, something borrowed (liberally, "Pro Evo" fans will scream), and, quite a lot new is the verdict on FIFA 2004.

It's certainly refreshing to have a game that's long and tough, but doesn't forget that carnage needs to be entertaining before it's inspiring.

An exceptional game, especially on Xbox where the original didn’t exist, but its eclectic plot could prove too much for novices while its AI vices and repetitive gameplay devices will likely annoy the hardcore PC fraternity.

Fun in the short-term and has ambition, but there's not enough innovation to get excited about, or warrant re-playing what is a lengthy franchise title.

Effortlessly balances sneaky stealth and incendiary action.

Improves on "Vendetta" in every aspect [with a] well-told story mode and improved fighting engine.

Seat of the pants gameplay makes it a winner. Despite difficult segments, it's still rather short... but like the Two Towers it's almost as much an event as a game.

The need to command troops might not suit everyone, or the slower, more measured approach to combat. But if you want a unique war game for your console, Ghost Recon is your only choice.

Visuals are crisp and life-like.