Fairly reasonable motorbike jaunt that purists will love, but may cause frustration that could lead to unplanned DualShock damage. [PSM2]

There are even occasional (very minor) glitches that'll have you scratching your batting helmet. But it is good for a laugh if you've got 20 minutes on your hands. If you're a number-crunching statistician, you'll be annoyed by the 27 hits per side, per game.

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

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]

Plabyable and for the most part just what you'd want from an Evil Dead game, but scuppered by some treacly objectives. [GamesMaster]

A fun and original back-to-basics action RPG full of stuff to do and unlock. If you can forgive the awful camera and slowdown, this is definitely worth playing. [PSM2]

A slightly uneasy mix of big dumb shooter and a raw, harsher-than-normal treatment where nobody comes out well. It's the big dumb shooter that wins. [PSM2]

The best missions are better than the first Outbreak's but the others are too similar. Wait for the UK release to get the best of all words - online and fresh levels. [JPN Import; PSM2]

A polished enough game of soldiers that never quite manages to thrill. Technically better than other Conflict games but just doesn't gel as well. [Playstation 2 Max]

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]

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]

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

Full of character and charm, but lacking any major challenge. You won't be disappointed, but you won't be pushed to your gaming limits either...and if Bender's adventures had taken up a more substantial portion of the game, then we'd have been looking at a four-star review for sure. [Xbox Gamer]

With 66 levels, only four weapons and none of the cleverness of its Bam! brother "Ecks Vs Sever," this is one castle you won't be wanting to return to regularly. [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]

If the control wasn't so sloppy and loose, Total Destruction could easily have been a much better game.

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

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 technical marvel that sets a new benchmark. The plot may twist until you lose grip of it altogether, but the balls-out street-driving action saves the day. [PSM2]

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.

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

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.

"SmackDown" owners will laugh at the lack of options, but WWE Wrestlemania 21 is still the best grappler on Xbox. [GamesMaster]

It's jerky, it hurts your eyes, it's short on personality and after a while, even your boss's constant swearing starts to get on your nerves. [GamesMaster]

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.

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

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

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?

A real disappointment. Solid and sturdy but a game that seems very dated compared to "GTA" and "The Getaway." [GamesMaster]

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]

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]

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.

A pleasant surprise. But the stand-out moments are marred by irritating flaws and often unbearable levels of frustration. [NGC]

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

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.

Ultimately though, this is one for serious Spearites only. [GamesMaster]

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.

Good for impressing people with technology - not quite so good as an actual game. [GamesMaster]

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.

The presentation of Project Poseidon also leaves much to be desired, with awkward and simplistic texturing, not to mention some downright asinine vocals.

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.

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.

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]

The pedestrian pacing of the early levels, the fiddly controls and the fearsomely flighty camera still means that if you have played the entire series from day one or if this is your first encounter, Lara has certainly seen better days. [Playstation 2 Max]

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

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]

The end result is a ramshackle affair that will please neither hardcore Spy Hunters nor Joe "GTA."

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

Apart from the slow loading times, this is one of the best games on PSP. [PSM2]

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

The targeting system sucks, often sticking to the enemy you just knocked down (and therefore can't attack until he gets up again) while another is bashing you in the back. The final aggravation is the camera, which constantly gets stuck on things in the environment, so you can't always see your foe.

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

Ground tricks are frustratingly hard to perform, but otherwise, Crusty Demons will make sicko adrenaline junkies smile.

A few rough edges but this is a thoroughly ridiculous and at times obscenely frantic blaster. [Advance]

The abstruse design and technical flaws leave us cold, but the sheer potential for savage bastardry makes it undeniably fun.

It's a Zen-like stealth game busted by wibbly AI, making it an ambitious take on the genre, but one that's too flawed to fulfil its sizeable promise. [Xbox World]

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]

Unfortunately the addition of the excellent multiplayer modes and the surprisingly well executed DS conversion aren't enough to make it a must-buy. [NGC Pocket]

It's acceptably action-packed, but if it hadn't been patterned after Quentin Tarantino's signature film, you'd probably have forgotten it exists by now.

The game's just chunky and sloppy all around, a real waste of a perfectly capable system. If you can buy any version, don't make it this one. Then just go check out the movie instead.

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

Kids probably won't mind much, and they're definitely the target audience here. Pirates' Carnival isn't spectacular in any one sense, but the solid mini-games and well-used license are enough to put it near the top of the distinctly uncompetitive party game genre.

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

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.

Nice idea, let down by dodgy controls. Without the incentive of hitting high notes, it's a lot like singing along to a tape. [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.

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.

AND 1's cool Create-a-Baller and Create-a-Move modes make the game worth playing, if you yearn for the exaggerated, arcade gameplay in the spirit of NBA Jam, albeit with a lot more street style.

Some exciting new combat ideas are sadly marred by sloppy execution and a feeling of similarity in some areas. Pleasingly bloody, though. [Xbox World]

The mix of rules and conditions mean that Dash is unique. It's more of an 'orienteering' game than anything else and while it lasts it's exceedingly good fun, especially in multiplayer. Unfortunately, once you've got the hang of things there's little in the way of extra modes to unlock. [NGC]

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

Shockingly enjoyable and creative for what should have been a predictable movie tie-in. Catwoman takes some learning but evolves into a tough, thoughtful platform challenge. [PSW]

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]

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.

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.

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.

Truth is, "THPS4" is better in every respect. [PSM2]

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

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.

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]

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.

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.

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

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

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 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 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.

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.

With precious little true depth and a distinct lack of quality boxers to topple Tyson from his in-game mantle, you'll just not want to put in the hours at the gym. [PSM2]

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

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

This microcosmic world holds together only because its players agree to suspend their reality and believe in each other's fantasies. If you find yourself too sceptical to join in with this shared hallucination, you'll find little entertainment here. [PC Gamer UK]

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.