An exceptionally good single player game, and while the multiplayer aspect is a bit shaky compared to some titles, both existing and upcoming, there's a ton of potential within the game engine for some really clever modifications.

The tightly scripted nature of Pandora Tomorrow means that it's a game that many players will finish and would normally never return to, no matter how much of a blast they've had. This is where multiplayer steps in, takes over and ensures the long-term value of the title.

Dead Man's Hand by itself isn't a shockingly bad game but when you compare it to recent releases in the same genre it doesn't stack up. Dead Man's Hand really is only for the true die-hard western fan.

Ninety five maps, a huge variety of game modes, extensive single player campaign, online multiplayer and the low system requirements makes this a game that no first person shooter fan should ignore.

Breakdown is exactly what it says on the box - a game with a broken engine.

The single player aspect of the game is even more barebones then the previous title. Gone is the campaign and in is "instant action" which as you may have guessed allows you to select a map and then play with a number of bots.

Today, however, against titles that employ both stealth action and Ninja-style tomfoolery to a better and more engaging level, it's a title that would best fit for a rental, rather than a purchase.

Left Field Productions (previously responsible for "Excitebike 64") have delivered an incredible sense of speed and provided some much needed variation with its' game modes. However for those after those looking for online play will be best served by the Xbox version that does not restrict you to continually empty Australian servers.

Even the youth market, at which it's aimed, should be able to clear enough of it to sate their Scooby urges in an overnight period, leaving parental wallets free for better gaming purchases.

Arguably one of the hardest XBox titles to date, and, as long as you're equal to its stiff challenge, one of the best.

It's just that up against the established franchises of the 3D platforming world, and even some of the newer titles, there's really not that much in The Lost Expedition that genuinely stands out or demands attention.

While it's a visually stunning game for the PS2 platform with great production values, the game underneath it all is far too pedestrian to be worth purchasing.

EA being EA, there's no online component for Xbox owners, although PS2 players in PAL territories do no better. It seems that online multiplayer is a purely PS2, purely NTSC market phenomenon.

It's not really a case of great or inspiring innovation, but it is a solid use of the Snowblind engine into an engaging title.

With three or four players, GBA screens ablaze, this is nothing short of a tiny slice of gaming nirvana, and some of the most unabashed, undilluted fun to be produced for this generation of consoles.

It's not for everybody -- the difficulty level will see most off, and the lack of third dimensional movement will probably remove a fair chunk of the rest of its prospective audience -- but if you like your shooting action hard, heavy and repetitive, then you really need to add R-Type Final to your collection.

It's bound to appeal to exactly the same gaming crowd this time around, and for exactly the same reasons.

Namco's shown itself capable of presenting scenes of pre-rendered babes before, and to no surprise they feature strongly in R:Racing, but in the actual game you'll see little that either appals or really appeals, even with the inclusion of drag and rally racing modes.

Despite the shallow gameplay, the shooter who wants something different and entertaining will find it here with the Lionhearts and their ultimate heist.

The main career mode is broken up into three difficulty levels, but thanks to some extremely rubber AI, unless you do extremely poorly it won't take you very long to get through everything 1080 Avalanche has to offer you.

One particularly neat point about the audio presentation comes about because the entire game is played out as a narrative flashback from the Prince's point of view. This gives the plot cohesion, but also allows the Prince to ask you when saving if he should begin the story from that point, or to chide you when you die that it didn't actually happen that way.

It's quite a slow game, and at first many gamers may find it on the tepid side, as it's only once you've got the hang of how the whole farm holds together you'll find yourself dedicating more and more time to the simple joys that Harvest Moon has to offer.

As a pack-in bonus, it's excellent -- we really can't think of a pack-in game in recent history that has this much pure playability, albeit from games that are now somewhat aged.

Party games need to be quickfire, easy to play and impossible to put down, and this is the exact opposite - slow, irritating to play and tedious in the extreme.

It's a bit annoying that the game's major flaws -- slightly monotonous combat, dodgy 3D camera and very monotonous loading times -- haven't been addressed for some time now -- but that doesn't remove from the core qualities of what is still a very fun little game.

There are frustrating points (like the long save point distance) but it creates the desire to know what will happen next if you keep going.

Mario Party 5 isn't badly made or put together, but it also doesn't offer all that much that hasn't been seen before, and certainly it isn't a game for you if you don't have a ready supply of other human players on hand.

While the solo campaign is suitably lengthy and will keep most gamers on their toes for a reasonable period of time, it's multiplayer where SOCOM II really shines.