The story - good enough but you'll never find yourself discussing it down the pub.

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

Top presentation is let down by technical problems and poor map design. They ported the graphics but struggled to fit the gameplay in. [Xbox World]

You could probably leech out a weekend's worth of so-so gaming, and at 30 bucks, you'll still have plenty of cash to check out the upcoming film. It's bound to be more exciting than this.

Eragon's redundancy and simplicity just offers too few reasons to keep playing.

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

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

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.

If you're likely to be amused by the puerile humour, you'll find this mildly diverting and entertaining, otherwise avoid - this is a genre that's overpopulated and there are far better examples than this.

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.

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

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.

While Buzz is okay for the kids, for the rest of us it ends up feeling like a pretty hollow experience. The gameplay is just too limited and uninspired.

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

FIFA 2002 might be deeper, but it isn't more fun. The rich gameplay is negated by clumsy implementation, shabby player models and lack of visual finesse.

Call us big girls' blouses if you wish, but this one's scary. Alas, it's also flawed to buggery.

Nobody makes lightgun shooters quite like Sega. But while this would have you happily pumping in the pound coins at the arcade, it doesn't have the longevity to make it an essential home purchase.

You do, however, get four-player split-screen, as opposed to the PS2's two-player mode. Whatever platform you choose, Pac-Man isn't a stellar example of the genre, but it's not a shameless money-grab either.

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.

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.

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

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

The novice faces a hefty learning curve, even with the well-written tutorial in the manual, and many will give up within the first few hours.

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.

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.

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

The lack of ambition to break new ground will prove unpalatable to most gamers; most RPG fans, even.

A good-looking and proficient shooter, but one that is utterly devoid of invention or new ideas.

It's not a great fighting game, but its wide array of characters, scenarios, and unlockable junk could be just the thing for less critical fans.

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 faithful conversion of the enjoyable arcade original, but a game with no longevity whatsoever.

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]

The whole look and feel of the game suggests that most of the budget was splurged on the licence alone, leaving very little left in the kitty for production values or a solitary new idea. [PSM2]

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]

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]

Not a terrible game as such - it tries to be entertaining - but it's a repetitive and technically poor use of a license. [NGC]

The levels are barren, boring and repetitive, and the character animation is poor. [GamesMaster Magazine]

A run of the mill platformer that does nothing we haven't seen a thousand times before. It also makes little effort to take advantage of DS's unique interface.

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.

Graphics are heavily influenced by "The Sims" but with fewer animations, while the repetitive gameplay makes playing the missions unlikely despite bosoms. The exposed pixels do not make up for a simplistic and tedious game - invest in the real thing instead. [GamesMaster]

A shoddily stitched together beat-'em-up which is appealing for minutes. Quite frankly we'd rather have our backyard occupied by the Groundforce team. [PSM2]

Inevitably, you have to compare this to "Final Fantasy VIII." While Septerra Core has a reasonable story behind it, it just doesn't match up in any other way. So, if you only want to buy one RPG then "FFVIII" has to be the number one choice. Sadly, Septerra Core is rather disappointing.

Slow, tiresome and, fundamentally, a bit broken. [PC Gamer UK]

We like guns, we like city envirnments, and we like laughable drugs and violence references. AND we like arresting people. But we don't like Narc. No. Sorry. [PSM2]

A game that will appeal to easily-impressed foetuses, but alienate the rest of us by being incredibly simple and simply unfulfilling. [PSM2]

Batman Begins feels more like work than fun. Look at Spider-Man 2 to see how superhero games should be done. [NGC]

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

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

To its credit, WarPath does contain some of the cheesiest weapon and vehicle names this side of an '80's Dolph Lundgren flick-we're guessing this is the only game where you'll arm yourself with the Tyrant, Judge, Violator or Wolverine before driving off in your Maverick, Hornet or Razorback.

With such a drastic difference in features and entertainment value between Stewie and the rest of his kin, one wonders why he didn't just get his own game. As it stands, you'll have to play through some pretty irritating nonsense just to get to the good stuff, and it's just not worth the effort.

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

The actors (not from the film cast) sound utterly bored throughout their lengthy speeches; the only thing that trumps the highly questionable French accents is a guy who actually says "woof woof" on behalf of a virtual dog.

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]

If you're a fan with your heart set on a dragging video game (in whatever sense of the word), you'll probably find enough to keep yourself amused for a short time, even as you hope for something a whole of lot better in the future.

The Great Escape is saved by a few good set-pieces and the licence, but it's hard not to feel hard done by. Those willing to endure yet another stealth game could find their morale ebbing away by the end of this. [Edge]

Totally devoid of fun for any age. Non-existent level design and about three ideas repeated endlessly. Steer clear. [NGC]

If you love the idea of playing an interactive commercial for Ford Motors and own both an Xbox and a PS2, then go with the PS2 version. The graphics are about the same and the slightly longer load time on the PS2 will give you a much needed break from this monotonous racer.

It's virtually identical to the mono-screened GBA version and, given that the SP is a significantly smaller and cheaper machine, The Urbz' DS incarnation is all but redundant. [NGC Pocket]

You know the drill: games based on movies tend to bite.

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.

The cities are huge and beautiful, with country-appropriate cars, and while the gameplay is muddy, it's easy to see how it could have been better. But as it is, DRIV3R is all flash and little substance.

A mosh-pit of quality ideas thrown apart with little or no regard. The result? A frustrating and near-unplayable missed opportunity of a gem of a survival horror game. [Xbox Gamer]

If not for the board game pain, this would have been OK. But as it is, it's just another lifeless Mario Party to sling on to the slowly growing pile. [NGC Pocket]

With the failure of its flagship story mode, Super Monkey Ball Adventure becomes a rather dull product that has little reason to exist.

Looks terrible, plays worse. Ageing side-scrolling combat and dour mission objectives create something truly worthless. Like the peasants, its revolting. [PSM2]

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]

It's hard to imagine anyone splashing their moolah on Ninty's new handheld and being happy to entertain themselves with pedestrian ports of antique titles such as Rayman DS.

There's something about a sweaty slapfest that so far only really works with the big boys of the console world. [GamesMaster]

Shallow and void of any kind of challenge, if you like games, steer well clear of Sprung - it's one date that you definitely want to stand up.

Guilty Gear's opponent AI isn't so much bad as utterly non-existent. [Edge]

Don't let the Live Enabled packaging fool you - there's no online racing, only a few limp content downloads and local four-player split-screen.

Even if the show itself is a little chaotic and random, the game is so unclear about whom you're battling next and why the heck you are, we're scared to think just how much the developers knew about the show in the first place.

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]

Plays more like a kind of arcade light-gun shooter with legs, and feels like it needed a better script and about six more months of development time.

Xiaolin Showdown is a bad game, plain and simple. In a genre where speed and chaos is an important part of gameplay, Xiaolin Showdown's fights are out and outright tedious.

The Hustle might aim to be an affordable budget diversion, but even a bargain price can't make this deeply flawed game worth buying.

One more thing: the swearing. Normally we don't mind, but the script for Streetwise sounds like it was written by a grade-schooler who'd just discovered cursing. Foul language is overused to the point where the effect isn't gritty at all. In fact, it's just laughable.

The first rule of Fight Club is - don't buy Fight Club. The second rule of Fight Club is - DO NOT BUY FIGHT CLUB. Do you need to hear the other six? [GamesMaster]

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.

Atari should be shamed and ashamed for having the sheer gall to release something this broken. To do it twice is inexplicable. [PC Gamer UK]

It's not the worst game we've played and it certainly looks pretty. But Ribbit King is tedious with a capital Tee. Anyone with a brain need not apply. [PSM2]

Maybe it's a good thing that there's no online play - it's best to keep these ugly player models, awkward animations and irritatingly short sound loops away from the internet, where they might breed and multiply.

The way forward is to embrace the future, and let the games of old contained on this disc finally Rest In Peace. [Xbox World]

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]

A pale Star Wars-based imitation of "Mario Kart." Just plain bad.

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.

Dull, unenjoyable and incredibly shoddy, failing to deliver even the most basic of racing thrills.

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.

Atrociously inept, this is the perfect example to illustrate just how bad games can get. Utterly without merit.

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

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?

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

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.

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

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.

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

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.