There is no single thing terribly wrong with Tork, other than the fact that it's extremely vanilla, uncreative, and by-the-book.

A mess of a real-time strategy game that's unlikely to appeal to either EQ loyalists or RTS fans.

If you enjoy strategy games that aren't too in-depth and have a slower pace, this game is for you.

This is a hard game. Despite the intended juvenile audience, keeping your demons alive through even a single battle can sometimes be a real struggle.

The graphics flow toward you with zero draw-in at a rock-solid 60 frames per second, creating a mesmerizing light show that can be captivating.

While it has the series' trademark snappy dialogue, sultry vixens, and more double entendres than a classic Rodney Dangerfield routine, it's missing one thing: the fun. The mini-games dragged after only a few hours, and getting through the game felt like a chore.

Orochi's one of the most polished of the recent Warriors games.

Despite Fracture's promises of altering the gaming landscape as we know it, its aftershocks will likely be nearly imperceptible.

Gretzky '06 piles up some new features, does a better job of tracking franchise info, and has the AHL license for minor-league teams. It does not, however, come close to equaling the on-ice fun of "NHL 2k6" or "NHL '06."

I can't say I had no fun at all playing Jagged Alliance: Back in Action -- in fact, I'm having an entertaining time replaying the early missions with an all-melee hit squad and doing better than my first time around -- but I can say that of the 50 hours of my life it took to put a bullet in the queen, I want about half of them back. Even hardcore strategy players are going to have a hell of a time liberating Arulco without it turning into a frustrating quagmire.

The lack of secrets and multiplayer modes also means an utter lack of replay value, but I felt nothing but satisfaction at the rousing conclusion.

The voice acting is more painful than ever, and continues to sabotage the series' attempts at dramatic storytelling.

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."

The game's presentation is easily worth the attention of even the most hardcore comic fans.

If you're a gambler and need something to wean yourself off of the online poker sites, then you could do far worse than playing with the relatively benign token system at Pogo.com. On the other hand, if you're a gamer looking for a compelling puzzle diversion, then you could do far better.

Unless you're a hardcore fan of Tetsuya Mizuguchi, there's not much to hold your interest here.

Its look and feel is too juvenile for adults, and some of its challenges are too difficult and frustrating for kids. Even rabid Tolkien fans won't care for the game, thanks to its translation of the classic novel into a lightweight, cartoonish platformer.

Clusterball is fun in spurts, but the control and the physics keep it from being as addictive as it potentially could be.

An ambitious, overly flawed attempt to revitalize a true gaming milestone.

It's not necessarily the best wrestling game put out by THQ this year, but it's easily the most innovative.

It's solid enough, with only minor bugaboos as a single-player game, but it really kicks butt with its multiplay.

The game is moving the Conflict series in the right direction with better level design and graphics. But at the same time, some of those levels can be a nightmare of retries and micromanagement because of the outrageous odds, limited saves, and weak teammate A.I.

Cooking Mama: Cook Off has its moments, such as in multiplayer, in which most players will end up on the same level playing field, partly due to some of the flaws of the gameplay mechanic. It seems as though Taito wanted to get a Wii version out quickly, and we wish it hadn't.

A simple game. It doesn't promise to do much, but what it does do, it does fairly well.

A game that would have been considered mediocre by last year's standards. This year, with every other title cranking it up a notch, MLB 2004 is left in the dust.

The gameplay is extremely fast paced, and while difficult to master at times, it does make for an extremely captivating experience.

You'd be much better served picking up a port like Rayman or Mario, or something more original like Warioland.

What I did get is some good co-op play, an extension of the Empire mode that I enjoyed a while back, and a current-gen price tag acting almost as an apology from Koei for the lack of innovation.