A solid beat-'em-up. It's unbalanced and frustrating at times but, when the combat is flowing freely, Urban Reign is hard to beat. [PSM2]

Catacombs is well worth adding to your Camelot collection - provided that you already have an account and aren't planning to jump ship in the near future. [PC Gamer UK]

The sci-fi action found here is good while it lasts; it just never changes from the first level.

A good couple of days stylish thrash-'em-up violence. Not much variety, but plenty of fun to be had, we feel. [GamesMaster]

We're underwhelmed by the game mechanic and bot AI but there's a good online game in there if you've got the hardware. Shame about everyone else. [PSM2]

Slick, professional and realistic, but punctured by familiarity and frustrating controls. [PSM2]

It's not the most imaginative game on PSP, but it is entertaining. The fun of wiping out a group of slavering zombies with a well timed combo shot is enough to justify buying this. [PSM2]

Everything or Nothing is dripping with Bondiness. It's accessible and youngster-friendly. Unfortunately it's a little bit more like the popcorn than the movie. [PSM2]

No actual treasure, unlike its Defender/Robotron-packing predecessor, but you get a few near-classics for 20 quid. [GamesMaster]

Unlike previous expansions it doesn't pack any real innovations. Looks like we'll have to wait for The Sims Online for that. [GamesMaster]

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]

Short, confusing, ugly to handle and curious, but still has an undeniable eerie charm that will get under your skin. [GamesMaster]

With so much chasing and fighting in the movie, the scrolling slasher genre seems ideal. However, the result is a simplistic and repetitive game. [PSM2]

Visually scrumptious, and innovative, but lacking the vital fluid of satisfaction. [PC Gamer UK]

It's quick, brash and very noisy but underneath that wild exterior lurks a racer of surprising finesse. [PSM2 Magazine]

The PS2 version doesn't have any extra features that might make up for the lack of certain technically impossible bits and pieces.

Fools you into thinking it's crap with its new-fangled but rubbish graphics but, like George Formby, Land Warrior turns out nice again.

Bags of style and tons of good ideas - all crowbarred into a game that's slightly too monotonous to sustain them. [PSM2]

The action never lets up and while there's no real depth or strategy, it's a damn good blast that really gets the adrenaline pumping.

We are, already, looking forward to next year's version, which hopefully will be that much better.

The best DBZ game yet? Definitely. Likely to appeal if you don't know what Potaro earrings do or who Gogeta is? Probably not. [GamesMaster]

Know this - Gunman is swathed in gratifyingly filthy gunslinging action. Savour it while you can.

As a short game, there's little to moan about. It's basically all silly arm positions, freakish leg moves and improbable jumps. In a good way. And as Valve is publishing it, it can even be delivered to your PC painlessly. [PC Gamer UK]

It's a hit. But only by a pixellated margin.

Half the games aren't really up to much these days but they still provide the quick-fix gaming that the GBA is designed for. [NGC]

Fun to play, charming and challenging to boot, shame about its length.

Just as "Sphinx and the Cursed Mummy" was an enjoyable but slightly two-dimensional platformer, Sudeki is its insubstantial RPG equivalent. [GamesMaster]

The shoddiest, most poorly constructed, most flawed game that we have ever seen manage to be a Hit, although only by the outermost molecule of the skin of its teeth.

If it wasn't a Blizzard title, Diablo II would be dismissed as the bimboesque bit of frippery it actually is, and gain no more than a passing interest from most folk. Be warned.

A pleasant surprise - but it's still disappointing the game doesn't contain options for the future, when Sony introduce a modem and take the PS2 online.

From the opening sequences you'll be mildly impressed, but as the gameplay drags on you'll begin to feel a growing sense of deja vu. We've seen it all before. [PSM2]

Sega GT seems to frustrate more than entertain after some time, like GT2 did before it for gamers that played the original.

Its strongest asset is the fact that the developers have pulled off the feat of marrying some old-style Tomb Raider gameplay with a brilliant control system that makes Lara seem rather sloth-like by comparison. [Playstation 2 Max]

Only tediousness and (lack of) longevity lower the standard of what would otherwise be something of a classic shooter.

If you're looking for a simulation, this ain't it. But then, that's hardly the point.

Fun. It's not technically impressive in a look-at-that-sun-glare kinda way, and it won't take hours to master its subtle nuances.

Overall, though, The Fallen doesn't exactly leave you feeling like you've been through the mill, emotionally or physically. Think of it as being a cheerful diversion.

Whether you want to follow the story-driven campaign, or simply reconstruct the motte and bailey delights of Dover Castle, you'll be hard pressed to unearth an RTS that plays for keeps quite as well as this. [PC Gamer UK]

You're welcome to nod knowingly, and call Kessen a tremendous game, a work of art; it is. But think very, very carefully before actually buying it.

It doesn't always make sense, but it's so big, daft and loud that you can't help but join in with all the shouting. [PSM2]

The 3D makeover is near-irrelevant - this is firmly rooted in decades-old 'classic' gameplay. Fun, but strangely out of place among more 'modern' PS2 experiences. [PSM2]

The real shock for those who loved the original game is that Driver 2 is not nearly as speedy as the original.

Looks good, plays great, drives you mad but keeps you playing. Not quite an essential purchase, but up there with fags and beer.

Keeps the series on the cutting edge of visual excellence, but the storyline goes in the opposite direction, taking the player back 1,000 years before the first two games in the franchise.

On every level, this is a game destined to appeal to the silent minority who simply can't get enough of the series. If you're a fan, then resistance will be futile. [PSM2]

Dino Crisis is essentially "Resident Evil" with dirty great lizards instead of rotting zombies, it's still atmospheric and cinematic and it's still a bloody good survival horror romp.

A sequel that delivers more, but not quite enough.

A good one-player game but as necessary as a bacon sarnie on a cold morning in multiplayer. If you liked "Worms," you'll love this.

An acquired taste, no doubt, but Konami's Gradius package delivers quality thrills in quick bite sized bursts.

Predictable but top-class racing action. Best enjoyed with friends, and with no expectations of greatness.

The trouble is, the learning curve's more of a spike, so with no real variation in the gameplay, and an extremely rigid mission-structure, every few missions you'll get hopelessly, tooth-gnashingly stuck.

Based on the tried and tested "Doom" formula, "The Nightmare Child" is hardly innovative, but is incredibly satisfying in its blood and guts simplicity.

Progression through the levels is expectedly linear but it also tends to be the same open-door-with-switch-call-lift-fight-end-of-level-boss structure. The formula never alters - no puzzles, no significant alternate routes, no variety.

There's just not that much to it. Even the career mode suffers from a distinct lack of depth.

Niggly graphical flaws and suspect longevity drop the final score but it's rip-roaring fun while it lasts with well-balanced game play. Do try this at home.

The gameplay is engaging, and you can withstand the (s)loading times if the rewards come at the end of them. Its biggest drawback then is its shortness.

Brilliant. You'll certainly be having a bit of a laugh, as well as being scared out of your pants.

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

A fun, if not exactly classic, future-racer, riddled with shortcuts and offering plenty to do. Pales in comparison to "F-Zero X," though.

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's about as difficult as fighting your way out of a ripped paper bag.

As Roy Walker might have put it: it's good, but it's not right.

A fun title, but we can't promise that in a couple of months you won't be trading it in.

Okay, so the (control) system allows for dramatic angles of spookiness and so forth but it all but kills a game. The fighting system is very poor too, as the computer does it all for you, all you have to do is keep hitting on the X button. Tripe!

Pretty and comprehensive but - with the exception of Live play - feels a little outdated. [GamesMaster]

LA Rush offers much in the way of slick arcading but, due to the lack of control over modding options, it falls short of being something really special. [PSM2]

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

Without wishing to come across as overly pedantic, there's little in Wild Wild Racing that could be genuinely be termed wild.

Playable racer that's lifted above the herd by its online mode. A tad slow when racing on US servers, but the European version will hopefully be a treat.

The most deliciously dark Silent Hill yet but the compulsive storytelling can't compensate for the fiddly controls, fractured structure and frustrating combat. [PSM2]

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]

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]

More ambitious than a junior MP, but buggier than a swarm of locusts. So long, gringo! [GamesMaster]

This no-nonsense beat-'em-up based adventure will be fairly meaningless to non-believers but it's a tasty treat for Buffy fans. [PSM2]

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

And once you become Van Wilder, life can becomes easier as you can influence people to help you with homework, leaving you more time to get on with life/earning/relationships.

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

Technique will always get you further than random button mashing. [GamesMaster]

Fantastic short-term shooting jollies with superb atmosphere, but the size of the thing makes it difficult to recommend. [GamesMaster]

We've happily sat for ages playing around on Arcade mode and vamping our ship up to obscene speeds but, when the chips are down in the League and the autopilot flies you straight into a series of mines, it's all you can do not to chew off your own face.

Beneath the flash, the sampled voices, orchestral score, magnificent landscapes and monstrous animation lies a mess of inexplicable design decisions, bizarre mechanics, Fisher Price strategy and a strange disregard for Tolkien's story... It doesn't love the source material as much as you or I. And that's the biggest frustration of all. [PC Gamer UK]

A Lord of the Rings clone that's a bit like an ice sculpture: solid and pretty, but doesn't last long. [GamesMaster]

A decent slash-'em-up but it'll disappoint Onimusha diehards thanks to a lack of the puzzles, plot and shopping for presents that made Onimusha 2 so brilliant. [JPN Import; PSM2]

It's an improvement on the original but still far from offering you the time of your life. [GamesMaster]

The encouraging thing about IG's niggles is that they're patchable. In a few months players should be positioning troops with confidence and dispensing orders on a far more regular basis. Without these improvements, however, IG will remain annoying and silly. [PC Gamer UK]

Wear your morals round your ankles and keep your mind in the gutter, otherwise this crude comedy is shooting blank. [GamesMaster]

For 20 quid it's something close to retro heaven. Go on, play it without prejudice. [Xbox World 360]

A decently solid shooter that's good for a few hours fun. Shame they couldn't include the original as a bonus, though. [GamesMaster]

A tiny bit simple and way too similar to the PS2 version, but still good US footie fun. [PSM2]

An entertaining day, and a day in which you'll learn the full story of The Hobbit. But still, just a day. It needed to be much longer, and much far more difficult. [Advance]

Not really The Sims, more like an RPG with chores. Entertaining nevertheless. [GamesMaster]

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]

Wear your morals round your ankles and keep your mind in the gutter, otherwise this crude comedy is shooting blank. [GamesMaster]

A space war that's heavy on cliché, with a side order of weird aliens. Earth 2160 is an accomplished but dull RTS sequel. [PC Gamer UK]

A perfectly competent game, but it falls notably short of the original brilliance. [PSM2]

It's not terrible, by any means. It's just that, considering the degree of expectation surrounding it and the power of Xbox itself (Halo, anyone?), it should - and could - have offered so much more. [GamesMaster]

Wear your morals round your ankles and keep your mind in the gutter, otherwise this crude comedy is shooting blank. [GamesMaster]

Slightly improved but lacks the rugged spark of the original. Not a bad game but inoffensively reasonable to the point of disappering completely. [PSM2]