Popolocrois is a charming adventure for casual fans of role-playing games, but its simplicity negates any lasting appeal it may have had.

There are too many different playable characters and too many unique gameplay elements that just don't gel. And though the story is well told, there's just not enough focus on Red.

The late Osamu "Astro Boy" Tezuka's storyline is arguably the best feature of Blood Will Tell, but the gameplay is certainly good enough to ensure that reaching the story's conclusion--which you will want to do--is a pleasure rather than a chore.

Magical Starsign is a lighthearted role-playing adventure that partially makes up for a lack of gameplay depth with its quirky, oddball world.

A good shooter overall, offering up a short but sweet single-player campaign and a solid multiplayer mode for the long run. It's not long on looks, but it's got no shortage of action.

A unique and interesting take on the puzzle genre that people will either love or hate depending on how accepting they are of the game's innovative control scheme.

The finely tuned control that made the first game such a hit seems to have been lost in translation, but the game still has considerable charm.

It's only an incremental improvement over last year's game, but MLB 2K7 is packed with content and solid gameplay.

Live 07 won't blow your mind, as many of the changes from last year are of limited value, but it's certainly worth a look if you like your basketball games a little up-tempo.

While some inventory and travel issues make eking out a living a shade more tedious than it really needs to be, at its best the game is an addicting exercise in the power of human perseverance.

An action game with appealing and simple gameplay but with flat characters and no connective tissue.

It's a worthwhile platforming experience for hardcore Potter fans, but some may be put off by all the collection quests and backtracking.

All that Hardcore Pinball is missing is some sort of gimmick to extend its replay value. It's easily the best pinball game available for the Game Boy Advance.

The game's impressive visuals on the Xbox coupled with its rich gameplay definitely make it one of the better platform games on the system.

Save the strange decision to remove multiplayer modes, Blitzkrieg: Burning Horizon is the ideal expansion pack. It amplifies the core concepts of the original game and ramps up both the AI and the difficulty without straying from the tactics-first philosophy that allows this series to stand apart from the RTS crowd.

The gameplay is fast and intuitive, and while the graphics aren't eye-popping, Radical has managed to capture what is most important in snowboarding games: the spirit of freedom.

Maxis' bold changes to the original formula set forth by The Sims aren't all for the better, but they make The Urbz a very distinctive and surprisingly solid game.

It still feels more like work than entertainment, but persistent simulation fanatics will welcome the challenge.

A good game, but toward the end of it, you'll likely be far more interested in seeing how the story ends--and the jokes it tells along the way--than in its gameplay.

A kid-friendly platformer with more heart than your average film-to-game marketing tie-in, Ice Age 2 can be quite fun--for as long as it lasts.

The game is so effective at drawing out your inner child that by the midway point of your first simulated season, you'll find yourself longing for a stick of cementlike gum.

Won't hold the Tony Hawk pro's attention for long, but it's still a fun, well-designed skating game.

The 3D levels and the multiplayer mode that's built around them are more than good enough to justify the 10 extra dollars that the DS game costs.

It's a real shame Apache Longbow Assault doesn't offer a deeper campaign and more game modes. It otherwise has some good things to offer: sharp graphics, solid audio, and lots of fast airborne action. This is a game that doesn't do too much, but what it does, it does well.

The PC version of Raving Rabbids is still a goofy collection of minigames, but some of the fun was lost in translation from the Wii.

Suffers from a host of rather serious flaws, including an overall lack of polish, which can end up making the game disappointing more often than enjoyable for some players. These problems veil what's an otherwise captivating and immersive role-playing experience.

Clock Tower 3's movie portions are stronger than the gameplay that underpins them, and the result is a game that you'll probably want to finish more for its storyline than for the fun you'll have actually playing it.

Geared exclusively for fans of the original who want to take the experience online, and they'll likely have some fun playing the game with other players like them.