But its solid play mechanics aren't enough to overcome the near-complete lack of licensed courses and golfers, or the various other oversights and issues that plague it.

The controls are a bit loopy, but the sheer fun you'll have solving the ghoulish mysteries forgive everything else. [Xbox Gamer]

If you can play this on a computer, do so. If you already own The Sims 2 for GameCube and are considering paying full price again to get the Pets feature, don't.

There's abundant animated cleavage for the truly desperate. However, the heart of the game - the actual driving - is outclassed in every aspect. Don't bother. [PSM2]

Stupid stupid stupid stupid.

An easy, mildly entertaining grab bag of minigames and missions. Kids will undoubtedly enjoy the game and their parents will find themselves sucked into numerous minigames as well.

No, it's hardly the greatest platformer ever - far from it - but it certainly isn't the worst.

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]

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.

It's highly likely that the relative lack of gaming sophistication will result in only a shortlived appeal for seasoned strategy heads.

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.

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]

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]

Playable without being enjoyable, go and dig out one of the better FIFAs or unearth any ISS, because David Beckham Soccer doesn't live up to its namesake.

Achingly average in all respects, save the addition of classic multiplayer Counter-Strike. [PC Gamer UK]

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

A standard slash-'em-up that is all too nasty, brutish and short to measure up to Capcom's usual quality. It's fairly entertaining but all too brief. [Playstation 2 Max]

In a game where individual acts of heroism are as important as a coherent plan, one brilliant feature is the rewards system. [XGamer]

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.

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

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.

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]

Online this succeeds as a fast and fun laugh-a-minute racer. But offline, this suffers, especially in comparison to the king: "Burnout 3." [Xbox World]

For the eighth installment we recommend a speed play option; until then the party will have to get along without us.

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

Galvanized by the well-implemented trust management system, Splinter Cell: Double Agent proves to be another great game in this venerable series. Alas, the graphical limitations of the Gamecube keep this version from the success of its peers.

Although not bad, Namco have delivered a racer completely devoid of both excitement and exhilaration. [NGC]

Catching new 'recruits' is as addictive as ever, and the range of missions is impressive - whether retrieving stolen Pokemon or saving friends from the extra dimension, XD always feels fresh and exciting. This is the Game Boy classic fully reborn as a top Gamecube RPG. [GamesMaster]

Sadly, this is a curiosity and nothing more. Sonic CD isn't bad but the others make us feel, well, uneasy. [NGC]

A few minute irritations can't prevent us from declaring this to be nigh-on perfection. Good price too. [Xbox World 360]

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

A flawed tie-in that breaks no new ground, provides little entertainment and feels like a hollow companion to the film. Your standard rushed out film licence. [PSM2]

A very decent strategy-RPG that scores extra points for being the only full-on PSP role-player available so far. Add five marks if you're a massive LotR fan. [PSM2]

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

Van Helsing is never bad. Anyone who loved "Devil May Cry" will recognise the similarities and relish the flamboyant combat sequences. It's just that the true stars of the game are the monsters and the only fleeting glances you get of them are in the frenetic boss battles. [PSM2]

A great chance to pummel your most hated wrestlers in the face - but it should have been much better. [NGC]

A slow starter. However, it's a huge world which is full of big ideas. Jump in now for a game that promises to be an interesting take on a staid genre - or hold fire a month or two to see how it lives up to its promises. [PC Gamer UK]

It rather depends on your view of golf but, with a cracking system and great use of the touch-screen capabilities, we were dead chuffed with this game. If you fancy a bit of golf on your DS you really can't go wrong. [NGC Pocket]

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.

All a bit pointless, really. We've no love for something as simple as this while Ratchet and Jak just get increasingly complex. Let Crash die with some dignity. [PSM2]

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

Juiced fails to find a balance between the sweet and the sour, so will be a turn-off for those who like a guaranteed reward. But to others it'll be a tangy throwback to the old days, and for that we can't justifiably condemn it. [PC Gamer UK]

FIFA Street 2 just isn't much fun to play, plain and simple. It won't gain many supporters from the soccer enthusiast set, nor arcade sports fans. The multiplayer isn't even that great - shunning online completely.

You could play this and fight your desire to stop playing at every moment or you could play "Disgaea" and enjoy yourself. Your choice.

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

The bottom line is that diehard Avatar fans will probably be disappointed with the superficial storyline that lacks the charm of the original show, and newcomers will have trouble finding interest in the loosely tied-together missions.

An average adventure game, well-presented but repetitive. Youngsters should find it easy to play. [GamesMaster]

A brief affair, a perfectly formed kinetic buzz. And, a long time after you've finished with it, you'll still hear the sounds. Repeat after us: Click. Thud. Buchhhhaaaaa.

A stealth game that tries to be challenging but just ends up being punchy, moody and fickle. Not a pleasure to play. [GamesMaster]

A decent depiction of golf, the chance to whack cows with exploding balls and online play. For a meagre twenty notes it's a great alternative to "Tiger Woods." [PSM2]

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]

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

A multiplayer game that required the turtles to co-ordinate their efforts and powers could have rocked so much harder. For that matter, so could a camera that chose better angles and thus caused to fewer missed jumps due to misjudged distances.

A super-stylish, dance-a-minute, well animated shooter. But the repetitiveness, uninspiring bosses and dull design don't do it any favours. [NGC]

Lucky for Disney that dull console games don't seem to affect the performance of big movies at the box office. [NGC]

Perhaps the most stinging criticism we could hurl at Ridge Racer DS is that it makes Need for Speed Underground 2 look half-decent - and that is just plain wrong. [GamesMaster]

Teen Titans is a short and unspectacular diversion for an audience that might be too young for more mature fare, and the price is certainly right, but those more discerning with their beat 'em-up dollars should hunt super-villains elsewhere.

Despite its nonstop action and requisite techno soundtrack, Chaos Field never ascends to the level of a shooter classic, like GameCube's beautiful "Ikaruga." It's all about finding a sweet spot and plugging away.

An ambitious and varied return to form and Pivotal's best offering to date. A seriously kick-ass war game. [Xbox World]

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.

Yet another licence that fails to deliver in the same way as its celluliod counterpart but a tasty, violent adventure nonetheless. [PSM2]

As a Mario game it fails. As a pinball game it fails. As a combination of the two it's one of the most annoying games imaginable. [GamesMaster]

Strategy and pinball? Right. It's better than it sounds, but not that much better. The world is probably a more interesting place with this game in it, but that doesn't necessarily mean your life will improve if you play it.

Too dull to make much of a splash. All you really do is run through the levels again and again, without feeling any sense of achievement when you unlock something new or win a race. [Playstation Max]

Please would Red Storm kindly take their hands off this poor knackered cash-cow's red-raw udders and do something new? Tango down.

Although many of the older titles here, like Galaxian, Xevious and Rally X are undoubtedly dated, they're still faithful to the originals, which will surely please the misty-eyed nostalgia freaks among you.

The goals, while repetitive, offer more than a typical four-way smasher, but damn, it's hard to keep things straight. For gamers who like things categorically insane, you're looking at a go-to, button-mashy party game.

Stripped of the strategic elements, this title is left as little more than an average first-person shooter with a smidgen of cool stealth gameplay.

If you have 127 friends who also hunger for 2D fighters trapped in a 3D world, perhaps you can all play Neowave together. You won't have to worry about the rest of us interfering.

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.

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

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

The only problem with this is that the collected ideas that are gathered here - with the exception of the space combat - have all been lifted from other gaming influences. The curvature of Mace's face visor, the enemies with power shields, the control of remote guns... [PSM2]

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

The new isometric view makes even the simplest of tasks extremely annoying, judging jumps is painfully tricky, Rayman has strangely forgotten how to swim and combat is, frankly, a mess. [NGC Pocket]

Even for kids, Over the Hedge is absurdly frustrating with its busted camera and indoctrinating logo-storm.

Even for kids, Over the Hedge is absurdly frustrating with its busted camera and indoctrinating logo-storm.

Stacked could benefit from more polish and deeper player customization (no, we don't want to look fat and balding, even if we are), but its actual gameplay is solid, and the creepy I'm-watching-you-so-I-can-destroy-you vibe can only help your real-world strategy.

A case of an incredibly stupid concept averagely executed. Just who this is supposed to appeal to, we do not know. [GamesMaster]

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

The true magic of Alien Resurrection is that you almost always feel insecure, no matter the quantity or quality of munitions at your disposal.

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

In the grand scheme of things it's pretty forgettable stuff and will be forgotten once the better, DS-focused, games start rolling out. [NGC Pocket]

Ratatouille's defied our expectations by dishing out a solid adventure with loads of extras and minigames. If the missions felt a little less repetitive, then we'd really have film-tie in greatness here. Either way, this is one game adaptation that's easy to swallow.

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.

If the "Streets of Rage" / "Dynamite Cop" genre of game is your thing, you'll love it, but if not, it'll simply leave you cold.

Unfortunately, the entire look of the game is marred by choppy graphics.

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

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

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]

The bottom line is that diehard Avatar fans will probably be disappointed with the superficial storyline that lacks the charm of the original show, and newcomers will have trouble finding interest in the loosely tied-together missions.

The AI of the opposing race cars is laughable (they often get flummoxed by simple things like passing other vehicles), as is the behaviour of the rest of traffic, with vehicles seemingly stranded in the middle of the road. [NGC Pocket]

The action pauses so frequently to remind you how to excute your task that the entire game ends up feeling like one giant training tutorial. It's impossible to get stuck at any point because all of the answers are pretty much handed right to you.

But why Surreal Software decided to make the playing the game such hard work is anyone's guess. [GamesMaster]

Sonic fans may fill their need for speed here, but everyone else, please walk on.

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