Despite the unwieldy user interface, this will have Dreamcast strategy fans drooling. Definitely not just for trainspotters.

It's the fighting game they threw the kitchen sink at...This isn't just the biggest Mortal Kombat to date - it's the biggest fighting game, full stop. Topping this will take some doing. [PSM2]

The quality of the game remains and it's an essential purchase for those who are new to Pokemon but we can't help feeling the update is a little on the cheap side. [NGC]

The best FIFA yet shows genius, but lacks the cohesion that separates a great team from a team of great players - and inescapably, it pales next to "PES4." [PSM2]

As a distraction it's fine, but as a game it's distinctly lacking in challenge and structure. [PC Gamer UK]

Accessible and instantly satisfying but can become dull all too quickly. A good, but not great, online-focused war game that's just not exciting enough to threaten "Halo 2." [GamesMaster]

The quality of the game remains and it's an essential purchase for those who are new to Pokemon but we can't help feeling the update is a little on the cheap side. [NGC]

This is one Monkey Island you won't want to escape from any time soon. [GamesMaster]

A thoroughly enjoyable two-player game knocked down by an over-too-soon Career mode.

The presentation is feisty, the graphics punchy and the animations gratuitous, plus the game is held together by a sense of fun that you won't get from many American Football sims. Also it has the right sort of aggressiveness that makes it an excellent multiplayer game. [GamesMaster]

The graphics are beautiful and the gameplay is ituitive, addictive and amazingly good fun. It's a shame it is so short - we completed it in four hours - but it is perfectly formed. [GamesMaster: JPN Import]

A delicious blend of pleasure and pain. Everyone should own a copy of this (and practise lots as well). [NGC]

Far more accessible than the first and loads more fun. If you want more realism than "Halo 2" can offer, look no further. [GamesMaster]

AI has always been a bone of contention with these games, and Ghost Recon is no exception. Basically, you're playing 3D Lemmings - with guns.

The structures of some encounters can lead to repetition, but the freedom and unpredictability of the adventure makes it indispensable. [Xbox World]

Yet again, more than the sum of its parts. Immersive, story-driven brilliance. [PC Gamer UK]

Its cartoon visuals, stealth elements and engrossing atmosphere make for a surprisingly different approach to a genre that generally consists of simplistic button bashers. [PSM2]

The graphics and animation are consistently brilliant. There are some gorgeous environments to explore, a superbly adapted control system for GBA. [GamesMaster Magazine]

Not a step forward in design, nor will it win any awards for originality. It is, however, a big, fun and stylish FPS with outrageous and brilliant set-pieces. [PC Gamer UK]

The missions are challenging and detailed; there's combat aplenty; and the old paper-scissors-stone mechanic still works. But the action fails to really inspire any excitement. [PC Gamer UK]

Full Spectrum Warrior's heritage as a US Army training tool is all too evident. Pandemic nearly forgot they needed to make a game too, and as a result FSW is too realistic, too automated - and not enough fun. [PC Gamer UK]

A beautiful and intense RPG, mixing turn-based strategy with graphics that, although pre-rendered, are mind blowing in terms of crispness, colour and detail. [GamesMaster]

Put simply, this is the best 2D beat-em-up that we've played on any format so if you're a fan of the genre and choose to veer away from stunning 3D fighters like "Soul Calibur," this is the game for you.

Still the top wrestling game you can buy but it's not without its faults. The series is becoming dated. Here's hoping for a major make-over next year. [PSM2]

This is a brave, slow-paced WWII shooter with tons of character and verve. Valve will update it with more content, and when they do DoD will be worth another 5%. Until then... [PC Gamer UK]

But if it's so splendid, what's wrong with it? The main problem is that V:TBM is completely ridden with bugs. From minor things (graphic glitches) to mid-range stuff (regular frame-rate problems) to absolutely shocking ones (bugs that stops your progress, crash-bugs), it's infested. [GamesMaster]

A remarkable online experience but it suffers as a single-player game. Get broadband in and you'll be laughing. [GamesMaster]

Ace, and yet strangely subdued. We still reckon the series peaked with "Tricky." [GamesMaster]

A great idea done just about well enough to warrant a close look, but with slightly over-complex controls for what it does. Top fun, though. [GamesMaster]

Bigger and, in many ways, better than previous GPs, but the lack of real depth may leave enthusiasts reaching for the (Riding) spirits. [PSM2]

Not without its flaws but this is the best super-hero game we've seen and is unlikely to be matched for some time. [NGC]

If the players had some personality to go with their looks, this could have been the best FIFA yet. [NGC]

A balls-out, seat-of-your-pants ride that shows the lesser known motor sport of rallying in all its rugged glory. At the very least, the most brutal racer on PS2 yet. [PSM2 Magazine]

While solving these puzzles is great fun, the crane work gets a bit repetitive and it's not the seamless platform adventure we'd hoped for.

One of the most refreshingly racing games in a long time and the clear, concise, interfaces and controls make it a delight to spend time with - especially if you're playing alongside some mates in the split-screen mode. It's awesome stuff. [Xbox Gamer]

Hardly the deepest but certainly the coolest game of its type. [NGC]

Xbox Live carnage on a profound scale - this is easily the best multiplayer game on the system since Bungie's opus. [Xbox World 360]

A stunning visual banquet, masterfully blending all the necessary ingredients for a cracking fantasy RPG. We're not likely to see many better PS2 titles this year.

Compared to the all-powerful "SmackDown!" it gets pummelled into the canvas in terms of variety of moves and subtlety. (Relatively speaking, or course. Neither are exactly delicate games). [GamesMaster]

Imagine taking a swig from a can of beer, only to find that, not only is it flat and warm, but some git's been using it as an ashtray. Prepare to experience Vanishing Point.

While Empire Earth II may not have the sense of character that a more era-focused RTS brings to the party, it scores big for its naked ambition. If you've got the staying power, it will reward you with months of sabre-rattling goodness. [PC Gamer UK]

Sadly, the result is more Benny Hill than Silent Hill, there's no claustrophobia or tension, it's just hack-shoot-hackshoot- sod-this-where's-Halo. [XGamer]

It's something different, a fighter that refuses to succumb to more worldly pretentions, but one that feels so right. [Xbox World]

It is just a pity that, ultimately, the missions become all too similar.

This is not quite a classic RTS, but a brave attempt by Westwood to consolidate their strategy finesse - and it's in 3D, to boot.

None of its core ideas, good though some are, are really explored well enough. The linear levels offer little in the way of exploration, and the Geo-Mod technology doesn't add anything especially worthwhile to the game. [NGC]

If there's a nit to pick with Gun, it's that it's short. Depending on how much you poke around, you can beat it in anywhere from six to ten hours. To us, that's no problem; we'll take a short amazing game over a long lackluster one any day.

If you loved them the first time, and want to savour the ghosts of RPGs past, then this is for you. Everyone else will probably give up after the first half hour. [NGC]

It's the perfect, brutal antidote to more complicated fighters like Tekken, but it's also complex enough to satisfy those put off by the stupidity of previous games. Bloody great. [Playstation 2 Max]

It's one of those games that's simple to grasp, but bastard hard to explain.

TreyArch has excelled itself, not just failing to get [the camera] right, but setting mind-blowing new standards in incomprehensibility. [Edge]

Great value and a slice of gaming history, but it's still a shame they couldn't have put some more stuff together. [GamesMaster]

A curious and addictive title, occasionally it can seem too difficult to amass the points necessary to defeat the bosses in the game, but the fact that you will always be ready to give it another go is testament to its quality as a launch title.

But you want brutal, in-your-face intensity from on-line gaming and that's exactly what Twisted Metal is all about.

A leaner, more vicious Tekken for a competitive age - surprising how much two new characters add to an already classy game. [Import, PSM2]

Unparalleled explosive thrills - but it only burns in your mind during the time you're squeezing the trigger, and lacks context or emotional depth. [PSM2]

The only real problem with Warzones is one inherent to the series as a whole - you're always driving, and that's it. You never take to the skies or hop in a boat or mix-up the missions at all.

This game's so obsessed with vampire-killing and ground-level puzzles, it doesn't seem to acknowledge - or care - that there's someone playing it for pleasure. [XGamer]

It's no "Halo 2," but excellent level design and the infusion of the augmentations into multiplayer via a class-based player structure adds a welcome bit of variety to the mix.

What's going to annoy people most is that the purists will want things like the mobile spawn point of the C-47, but won't be able to have them without the jet fighters and flyable missiles. And ultimately, that might mean these Secret Weapons remain completely unknown to most. [PC Gamer UK]

A magical experience you're never likely to forget, and the best game in a series that's never been less than excellent. An essential Cube buy. [NGC]

It may not look as scary as "Code Veronica," but you'll definitely need some extra loo roll.

An old concept it may be, but what does that matter when you're having so much bloody fun?

Faster than ever, with loads of replay value - let down slightly by some extremely dodgy level design. One for speed-addicts. [GamesMaster]

Simple. As easy as breathing but hugely entertaining. A 'kids' game that can be played by anyone. [NGC]

A wet and wild expansion pack. Fans of the original will be inspired. [GamesMaster]

[Scoring note: "Direct Hit" = 100] A ram-jammed, brain-scrambling eye shag.

It's going to take something pretty damn special to knock this off the top spot. Now suit up and scramble soldier

Not as good as the PS2 version, sadly, but still just the sort of game you'll love on lengthy coach trips. It could do with a bit more polishing next time out, though. [PSM2]

A mess of half-arsed ideas, evil loading times, and a pace that's shockingly sedate.

A poor plot, which never makes you feel that you're doing anything other than playing an average videogame.

Unfortunately, beyond the artifice of the attractive environments and sound design there hides the kind of on-rails gameplay that might've been the bollocks 10 years ago but simply seems naive today.

The smooth and sharp aiming system is a rarity among PS2 shooters and the multiple firing modes for each weapon are great. But it's a shame stealth isn't more central to gameplay. Project Snowblind is better than "Killzone" but not up there with the Xbox heavyweights. [GamesMaster]

A brilliant adaptation of a unique movie. The clever team management is let down by unsatisfying combat. [PSM2]

A joy to play, a social-life-threatening venture into the ever-appealing (and for once, original) world of virtual war, and a game bursting with strategic action the like of which is absent from 95% of online Xbox games. [Xbox World]

For fast, mental-as-anything racing goes, you're better off with a copy of "SSX" and a few mates. Roll on Ridge VI...

It doesn't do anything much beyond what's expected in an RTS, and what it does do better either isn't quite improved enough (it's highly attractive... but not as attractive as C&C: Generals) or the really clever stuff is so subtle it bores. [PC Gamer UK]

Yes, it doesn't add much that's new but -- oh, let progress be damned.... Love this game. It. Is. Fun.

Put simply in automotive terms, this latest NFS is (naturally) a Porsche where "GT2" is a McLaren F1 - more fun, better looking and ultimately every driver's fantasy.

Flawed though it is, any gamer worth their salt will want to master the game's impressive intricacies, and of course take their scheming strategies to the next level on Xbox Live... and to be honest, what more can you ask for in an Xbox game than that? Precisely. [Xbox World]

Great value and a slice of gaming history, but it's still a shame they couldn't have put some more stuff together. [GamesMaster]

There's enough in here to entertain for a while so give it a whirl, just don't expect it to be playing it when "Star Wars Chapter Nine: Jedis Get Laid" arrives on the silver screen. [XGamer]

If you love all things MK, you'll see Shaolin Monks as a special milestone in the franchise and a reward for your loyalty. Otherwise, it's just a fun brawling diversion with lots of gloopy blood and two unlockable characters. Either way, it's good stuff.

Crystal Dynamics has accomplished the impossible. Lara is back in our good graces and we can't wait to see how her next adventure unfolds. We never thought we'd say that again, but times change.

The missions themselves are typical space sim affairs that never quite innovate, but always manage to entertain nonetheless. [PC Gamer UK]

Sexy, frantic, bloody and beautiful, but it falls a short of brilliance. Beats Lara hands down, though.

A genuinely amusing game, with plentiful dialogue from the show and fresh contributions from the cast, and for the fan there's a wealth of in-jokes and references (such as the Stonecutters' secret tunnel, or the burning pyre of tyres). [GamesMaster]

One of the most rounded and comprehensive packages you're ever likely to see, something that makes it worthy of recommendation to all discerning Pokefans out there.

You'll need to be mad on '80s music. If you're not, don't touch this with Simon Le Bon's. If you are, it's loads better than Popworld and well worth the cash. [PSM2]

The lack of changes will disappoint some, but for 20 bucks the minor tweaks and new roster nicely enhance what was already a great game.

Armored Core 2 may not be to everyone's tastes, but if you can get your head round it, the seamless integration of strategy and action provides a deep and enthralling experience.

This cracking slice of high-end Star Wars shootery is really very good indeed - but let down by repetition and some avoidable sameyness. [Xbox World]

Deduct 60 points if you live in an igloo but if not, Boktai 2 is better than the original. [GamesMaster]

A blaze of fiendish difficulty and strategic brilliance. You're about to be sorted.

Not an essential purchase, maybe, but Point Blank version 3 is still tremendous fun, horribly addictive, and its new modes do make it even more of a party game.

The interlocking level goals in the career mode ooze intelligent design. [Xgamer Magazine]

So basic that you'd think it couldn't possibly be this much fun. A tremendous multiplayer game, but be warned - that's all it is. [NGC]

Not quite as nails as before, yet even more exciting, Big Red One is the gaming equivalent of your synapses combusting. And that can only ever be a good thing. [PSM2]