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.