Tribes 2 could have been the ultimate on-line game that stood for years, but its slightly uninspired weaponry, occasionally bland level design and a control method that needs a whole world of tweaking, leave it open to much (if only slight) criticism.

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.

Believe the hype. The new Best Game Ever just rode into town, and it's going to be sticking around for a long time.

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.

We'd rather that more effort had been put into making it a really good pinball game rather than a not-quite-effective crossover experiment.

An essential purchase for anyone who's ever enjoyed being on the right end of a shotgun.

I've been playing Bangai-O for a week now, and I still don't know what the hell is going on half the time...Look, you'll either love or hate Bangai-O, and either way, it's extremely unlikely you'll ever understand it.

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!

A fine home conversion; it's a beautiful, if shallow and short-lived, arcade racer.

Don't approach Battle For Naboo at all. Just walk away. Please.

Gorgeous-looking, but devoid of almost any rewarding gameplay whatsoever, despite a functional multiplayer.

Think what you like about the exploding cows, obsession with poo and constant profanity, but this is witty with it, and there's not one point where you'll find the game's programmers being rude without a sense of humour.

A damning indictment of how sickeningly money-minded the industry can be. More than that, it's a munting great dog-egg of a game. Avoid.

Lost man-hours this week are a solid testament to this game's gripping compulsiveness. It's one of the most addictive PS2 games yet produced. Strange, but true.

One of the best adventure games for the last couple of years, being thoroughly worked out and pleasingly rounded - it takes a lot of effort to appear so dumb, obviously.

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

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

Listen: Insane works. It works because it's multiplayer, it works because it's simple, and it works because it's fun. You'd do well to remember that, but you won't, because you're so desperate to replay the cliched gaming you've already experienced on your thousand-pound calculator. Stupid. All the best...

It handles something like a granny on roller skates and its graphics are distinctly vague and blocky: surely disappointing for a latter day PlayStation game.

No matter what your tastes are, after just an hour in Mario's new world, we can guarantee that you?ll not want to move from your chair. Ever.

Blurred, standard visuals, limited circuit choice, atrocious handling, weak engine note, unforgivable loading times, undemanding structure, highly irritating. What else would you like to know?

The best console RPG since Squaresoft's "FFVII" on the PlayStation. Get ready for a monster phone bill.

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.

What is really impressive about Sudden Strike is that it creates a more realistic battlefield than other RTS games without bogging everything down in statistics.

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

Bizarre Creations haven't done much but develop Metropolis Street Racer, mapping out San Francisco, Tokyo and London in fantastic detail for what I can safely say is the best racing game that I've ever played.

A decent enough karter sadly let down by overly complex track design and occasionally ropey graphics.

As for the versus mode, it might succeed in entertaining a couple of people for about half an hour or so, but that's all that saves Kengo from being a complete dud.

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.

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.

Donald Duck isn't only lacking in ambition and ideas, it's lacking in any standout features at all. Worst of all, it's tedious and endlessly irritating. Avoid at all costs.

All in all, the nasty, pixellated graphics, lax controls, repetitive enemies, slim variation and frustrating, leaden gameplay make for an effort that reeks like a maggot-infested corpse.

Something we were actually outraged by was the fact that that in two-player mode there are no AI cars at all.

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

Even with sub-epic myths to draw upon, Factor 5 have put together a well-conceived and thoroughly enjoyable game.

Even Batman himself can't resurrect the extinct gameplay this game features. Dreadful stuff indeed.

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.

Unashamedly pitched at 6 to 15 year olds, RFS doesn't really provide enough substance for hardened gamers, although as a passing fad it works extremely well.

A lovely piece of storytelling with top-notch visuals and sounds, Alice enthrals aesthetically but doesn't quite satisfy gameplay-wise.

Alternately frantic, considered and hilarious; utterly gorgeous throughout and outstandingly innovative. Absolutely essential.

The scope for customisation, combined with the excellent battle system, a beautifully drawn game world, and an engrossing (if somewhat cliche) story means that Grandia 2 easily rivals the likes of "FF."

The handling seems ludicrously over-sensitive -- and you'll soon find yourself slamming into the sides, misjudging corners and generally feeling like a fool.

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

It's the multiplayer mode that ultimately makes this well worth your pennies.

It does Sanrio Kittyness, it does scratched-up art weirdness, it does the Bust-A-Move house style, it does angled cartoon smoothness, it does colour, minimalism, random squiggles and it does it all with an enthusiasm that's so rare in all its rivals.

Colourful and action-packed compared with its two predecessors, but the novelty's all gone.

The best thing you can do if you want a fantastic footy game on your new PS2 is to find a copy of PSone's "ISS Pro Evolution." It'll be half the price, but twice as much fun.

Excellent, albeit lacking in revolutionary intent -- but c'mon, how many games really differ in that respect?

Souped up and ready to go, bloodying the noses of "Heavy Gear" and "Starsiege" en route . Once again Mechwarrior leads the way for the genre.

Ignore Harvest Moon and you'll be ignoring one of the cutest and most original RPGs you're ever likely to see. It ought to be on everyone's 'must play' list.

If you've never played a Tomb Raider game, have an elderly PC and like the idea of bending an absurdly proportioned woman to your will (literally, on occasion), you might find entertainment here.

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

Activision has copied the gameplay of Civilisation, but the designers just aren't good enough to infuse it with the magic. Even if they had done, enough already! Do something new!

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

A fantastically comprehensive and playable wrestling sim - if it's actually possible to simulate something that isn't 'real' in the first place.

Bigger and better than it's esteemed forebear, but not terribly different.

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

The voiceovers are horrific, with badly timed lines, terrible voices and a miserable script from the days of Ocean licenses.

One of the worst driving titles ever to have graced a videogame platform.

A truly relentless wrestling game that will smack your head into several metal posts before grabbing your feet, twirling you around and launching you several furlongs over empty space.

We're left with an adventure that is decidedly mediocre, if not blatantly substandard, and the end result tends to induce boredom rather than anything else.

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

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.

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

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.

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

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.

Pushing the humble PSone to its absolute limits, Square have done the impossible and actually improved on FFVIII's visuals.

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

An unpolished sequel that hardly improves on an already-average original. Fine in the short term, but ultimately tiresome.

A perfectly competent but utterly uninspired kart racer that pales in comparison with Mario Kart.

It's the snail's pace of the action that is Sonic Shuffle's main undoing. Against the computer, even with the speed of the moves turned up, it's agonisingly drawn-out and often just plain boring.

Ultimately, you'll die many times in Urban Chaos and scream death-threats to the programmers, their first born, everyone they've ever met and Father Christmas because the untimely demise wasn't your fault.

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.

Awe-inspiring to behold, deep, absorbing and epic to the nines, Overworks' sky-faring RPG sets a standard that will most others will never attain. You have been told.

Surprisingly though, this isn't that bad. Well, it's not terrible, anyway. Which is, in itself, a surprise.

Every second drips with absolute cool and there's literally not a boring moment in the entire game, bar the over-lengthy but disposable cut-scenes.

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.

Another potentially great game crashes and burns due to sloppy programming and a premature release. Pity.

It is the best adventure game for years, it has a sly, well-plotted purpose and it points the way to the 3D adventures of the future. Don't fear the monkeys: embrace them.

In attempting to make its mark by trying to be something a bit different, WCW Backstage Assault has instead ended up being the lamest thing since Long John Silver.

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

More four-player fun than even Ron Jeremy could offer.

More action-packed than the original was.

This is a novelty. Granted, for all it's limitations, the technology does work, but this really is something for the little ones.

More game play, more parks, more sounds and more options than you can shake a stick at - Tony Hawk's just got better.

If William Blake made a videogame, it would be this. If that isn't a recommendation, nothing is.

A great game, but it's never going to replace "Goldeneye" or "Perfect Dark." Both games do things bigger and better and more often.

It would be churlish to criticise the game for a bit of net slowdown because, whether you're playing online or offline, this is without doubt the best basketball game ever. Nothing but nylon!

A sensory assault of the highest calibre with gameplay to match. It's brilliant, plain and simple. Cock your leg over the saddle and forget those four wheel zimmer frames.

Put simply, it's not half as exciting as you'd expect.

Combine full-on racing with a track design that should have "Wipeout's" makers hurrying back to the drawing board and then chuck in "Tony Hawk's" stupendously addictive tricks and you have PS2's finest moment to date.

If you own a Dreamcast, you really would be an unadulterated fool not to purchase this game. For JSR, quite simply, rocks.

As we all know, it's how you use it that counts, and like most things that come from America, this is all mouth and very little trouser.

The unstoppably addictive bastard puzzle cousin of "Missile Command," Fantavision's perfectly presented and hypnotically beautiful

That's not to say it's a terrible game, either, but it's a long way down the track from the instant rewards, utter playability, simplistic fun and almost child-like innocence of the PlayStation original.