The animation is slick, and there are many appreciable smaller touches, but it's also tarnished by repetition and technical issues. If you've never been a fan of the series, this installment certainly won't change your mind. However, if you're a die-hard fan who was disappointed by Spider-Man 3, Web of Shadows should be right up your alley.

People who play mostly single-player games and aren't interested in scenarios won't find much new stuff in Warlords. At the end of the day, the expansion pack brings some great new stuff to the table. We just wish Firaxis could have taken some chances and offered us more of it.

Multiplayer combat is quick and brutal, but straightforward and really nothing to get too excited about. It's really the single-player mode that shines here.

The generous helping of missions and otherwise familiar and entertaining RTS action are commendable, but poor AI, limited maps, and some interface problems hamper the gameplay.

It's no modern-day classic, but Barnyard is still a good choice for young gamers, with a nice unhurried design somewhat reminiscent of "Animal Crossing."

Underneath the stylized art and strong anime-bent of Super Robot Taisen: Original Generation lies a glowing core of light strategy gameplay with some very gratifying customization elements.

I can say that if you're tired of the preoccupation with the omnipresent emotion of "fun" most games seemingly need to contain, and like the idea of an experience which garners actual thought, you would do well to give Trauma a look; just remember that what you'll find will depend entirely on what you're looking for.

Granted the Road Trip mode can get kinda frustrating and boring, but experiencing the various levels and checking out the behind-the-scenes video footage is almost worth the aggravation.

I hesitate to call it a nice try, because in some ways it didn't even really do that.

There's still something addictive about this game once you get past the initially slow start. There are dozens and dozens of things to unlock, and charting your progress through the title really sucks you in.

Galleon is some weird sort of Tomb Raider+. It recaptures the elusive feeling of exploration and adventure felt in Tomb Raider, while greatly expanding on its running, jumping and climbing gameplay.

Only truly hardcore fans will need to own their own copy; as competent and polished as it is for the genre, it's also a throwback.

Whether you'll like Ar tonelico or not is dependent on how much of a sucker you are for a cute damsel in distress. These aren't helpless girls, mind you, and your relationship to them will provide the bulk of enjoyment that Ar tonelico has to offer.

The best thing that can be said about Cars is that it lays down solid racing gameplay without feeling generic.

As much as I'm a fan of the DBZ series, if I was to choose between this title and a King of Fighters title for the GBA, I'd choose the latter without batting an eye.

Some of this is good, some of this is utterly boring, but there sure is a lot to do.

The real problem is the werehog stages. Luckily, those levels aren't bad, they're just kinda there. About all they succeed in doing is slowing down the action between the stages that you want to play.

Even the slightest mistake can lead to an instant beat down from a swarm of CPU-controlled gang members. The aggressive A.I. is relentless in its attacks and, especially later in the game, will easily frustrate even the most hardcore fighting fans.

As enjoyable as each of the single and multiplayer additions are (and they're quite good), the whole package comes off like a collection of mods the developers were tooling around with in their spare time. The original game is as great as it ever was and Tales of Valor certainly doesn't take away from that, but ultimately this "expansion" pack comes off as a modestly enjoyable diversion.

After spending a few days tinkering around with it, we can't say anything great or awful about UEFA Champions League 2006-2007, but we feel that it's pretty much a build on last fall's game more than a distinctive title that stands out on its own.

Turns out to be a well-made game, but is so blatantly unoriginal that it may actually inspire resentment in players who are tired of the same old thing.

Aside from these few relatively minor negatives, F.E.A.R. 3 is a very solid shooter that covers a lot of the right bases -- I just wish the developers had put as much imagination and creativity into the single-player campaign as they did into coming up with new multiplayer modes. And, you know, actually made it a bit more scary.

Few things in this world will compare to the sort of manic glee that arises from sighting an enemy worm, targeting it through a gun's scope, and then pausing to watch the intended victim cower in abject terror.

While it features an innovative, easy-to-use melee combat system and some interesting campaigns, it's ultimately hurt by boringly repetitive side missions and some underwhelming environments.

Aside from these few relatively minor negatives, F.E.A.R. 3 is a very solid shooter that covers a lot of the right bases -- I just wish the developers had put as much imagination and creativity into the single-player campaign as they did into coming up with new multiplayer modes. And, you know, actually made it a bit more scary.

There's not enough new content to justify re-buying Creed if you own it on a console, but the PC-exclusive content is a nice touch -- as are DX9 and DX10 support, and an overall solid technical quality to the port.

Yet even with some new features, you get the sense that gameplay isn't very different from what the series has shown since its debut.

What we actually have, though, is something more in line with what the original should have been that ends up being less compelling for its lateness.