Naughty Dog's expansion of Jak and Daxter's world to include different forms of gameplay has been seamless, and should open up their adventures to those who find the very concept of platform games anathema.

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.

Full of intense action and with just enough of a tactical dimension to make it special enough to earn a place in most gamers' collections.

The most interesting feature in Vietiful Joe is the ability to control the speed of the action.

It has a lot going for it if you're really into golf, want to play new courses and fancy getting caught up in the whole 'being there' feeling that Game Face, the preponderance of pro shop kit, career sponsorship and online play.

A very polished and enjoyable product, and anyone with a passable interest in The Simpsons will appreciate the attention lavished on Hit & Run's details.

An impressively large and deep strategy-RPG... Not for the faint hearted, but a pocket masterpiece nonetheless.

While it might not be the true land of milk and strategic honey, Heaven & Hell is a reasonable enough entry in a fairly small pantheon.

Fans might feel a little short-changed at how, well, familiar most of the gameplay is to the Dreamcast version, but that doesn't take away too much from the fact that you can now play one of the best fighting games ever put out there without having to resort to digging out Sega's defunct games platform on eBay.

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

A cross between "Motocross Madness" and the "SSX" series... if you’ve ever dreamed of doing 50 miles an hour down a shingle track or jumping an impossible 250-foot chasm on a push-bike, then this is for you.

Things have definitely moved along since launch... It's still quite a daunting place for a newbie though.

One of the most instantly likeable games you're apt to play this year, with bags of charm, but there's also real substance, as well as many, many bizarre extras to keep you coming back for more.

The original Advance Wars was a great game and it will enhance your enjoyment of this sequel when you eventually buy it. And you will. It's that addictive.

Fans of action titles are almost certainly also big fans of The Matrix, and will be disconcerted by such a pallid tie-in.

The Wind Waker more than lives up to the Zelda series' legendary heritage... an essential purchase for anyone with a GameCube and a pair of hands.

Because of its similarities with the older games you’ll often feel like you’re simply going through the motions, completing it as a labor of love rather than an exciting new challenge.

A 3D platforming game set over a multitude of levels, there are lots of nifty ideas at work here... enjoyably offbeat and unexpectedly impressive.

The main thrust of the gameplay is thoroughly mesmerizing, and there's a bundle of replay value here too. Despite glitches, Tenchu: Wrath of Heaven is ace.

FPS fans with a hankering for the often imitated, never bettered feel of "GoldenEye" will find plenty here to luxuriate in, but if you want to shoot people without having to resort to caution you may find this a grind.

At times The Getaway is spectacularly cinematic in the best way imaginable, ie in game, rather than through cut-scenes... you can see why people are going to enjoy The Getaway.

Ultimately this isn't quite polished, inspired, or exciting enough to appear in the top echelon of Xbox titles. Mech-fans are unlikely to be disappointed, however.

Anyone thinking of "getting a life" would be well advised to do so in the real world rather than this one. There's nothing wrong with the execution - it's the concept that's so dispiriting.

Dramatic, hilarious and impenetrable by turn, it's a cold heart that won't be warmed by this one, but hardcore fight fans may find themselves irritated.

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.

Die hard Metroid fans will find little cause for complaint here, while gamers who are new to Samus' charms will surely be impressed.

Sony should bring out a shockproof casing for the PS2 after this release, 'cause every PS2 owner will want to boot their machine in loathing frustration having seen Metroid on the Cube.

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.