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.

An old-fashioned frantic high concept videogame that, like Wetrix, takes the baton offered by Tetris and runs with it in a weird new direction. [NGC]

As a game, MLB 2K6 feels more than competent, but it fails to excel. Much like last year's Cubs, it has its shining moments, but in the end you're left with the distinct feeling that it could have been so much more.

This is the simplest Tony Hawk to date.

Rogue Trooper may not be cutting edge, but as a simple, straightforward shooter, it's more than capable of delivering a quick action fix.

Unfortunately, this game, like most wrestling games, suffers from clipping issues, where chunks of people pass right through objects or even other people.

This is competent, if uninspired stuff that will no doubt please Bat-fans. [NGC]

If you love all things MK, you'll see Shaolin Monks as a special milestone in the franchise and a reward for your loyalty. Otherwise, it's just a fun brawling diversion with lots of gloopy blood and two unlockable characters. Either way, it's good stuff.

It doesn't offer the same free roaming play of "Tony Hawk's," nor does it offer the high speed thrills of "SSX Tricky," but it is fresh, original and damn good fun. [XGamer Magazine]

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

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.

Fans will love it, newcomers will be entertained, but those yearning for something mind-blowing or wholly original will be disappointed. [Xbox World]

If Rumble Roses didn't feature near-naked girls, this just wouldn't have a point at all. OK, the fighting has a sense of power and speed about it, but it's lacking in diversity and is no more than a shameless display of jiggling polygons. [PSM2]

Carefully crafted, big and sprawling and, more to the point, fun and exciting, GTA2 retains the best qualities of its predecessors, and its new gang warfare element improves upon and expands upon the original idea, giving the gameplay a little more depth.

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]

Empathy is the game's strongest suit, with tension coming a close second... As a whole the game's a classy, polished package.

It's derivative, yet brilliant; intrinsically flawed, but fantastically playable.

The missions themselves are typical space sim affairs that never quite innovate, but always manage to entertain nonetheless. [PC Gamer UK]

There's one huge caveat to our recommendations. THQ, in a cost-cutting move sure to infuriate people everywhere, have removed the battery memory back-up and implemented a password system instead.

Well presented and brimming with top titles but new games are created and bought for a reason; they're better than the old ones. For nostalgists only. [PSM2]

Great value and a slice of gaming history, but it's still a shame they couldn't have put some more stuff together. [GamesMaster]

The story is pointless and the levels make little sense thematically, but forget cutscenes and everything else - this is about aiming at monsters and firing. Again. [PC Gamer UK]

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]

It's got less appeal second time around and, while it's unique, as a game it isn't much fun. [GamesMaster]

One of the better B-list rally games but a bit too lacklustre in the execution to be an essential accompaniment to "Colin" or "WRC." [PSM2]

The presentation is feisty, the graphics punchy and the animations gratuitous, plus the game is held together by a sense of fun that you won't get from many American Football sims. Also it has the right sort of aggressiveness that makes it an excellent multiplayer game. [GamesMaster]

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]

When Fist Alpha comes together, it's genuinely entertaining. There are so many little touches that take you past the rough polygon edges and dated visuals (see 'Don't Inhale'). But that effort and ambition is whittled away by nasty, obscure little bugs. [PC Gamer UK]