Just more of the same thing: simple dungeon crawling. It's fun online; it's not fun offline. This is a hard one to rate, as it's pretty convoluted.

The only real beef we have is that the XP system means it's never long before a few veteran players have pumped up their characters and become virtually untouchable, clubbing everyone else like baby seals. But it's empowering if you're one of the vets, to be sure.

Galvanized by the well-implemented trust management system, Splinter Cell: Double Agent proves to be another great game in this venerable series. By delving further into the character of Sam Fisher, Ubisoft manages to keep the series vital, much to our delight.

Parents will appreciate that the action is as non-violent as combat can get - enemy pilots always eject just in time - and everyone else that isn't overly concerned with looking childish will enjoy exploring Snoopy's colorful imagination and shooting down buddies in what may be the biggest surprise good time of the year.

In the end, playing .hack//G.U. Vol. 1//Rebirth is like drinking fine wine from a plastic sippy cup. It has a compelling story and premise, served up with repetitive dungeons and stale battles.

It's acceptably action-packed, but if it hadn't been patterned after Quentin Tarantino's signature film, you'd probably have forgotten it exists by now.

It's acceptably action-packed, but if it hadn't been patterned after Quentin Tarantino's signature film, you'd probably have forgotten it exists by now.

It's a well-made game that you can try again and again with numerous heroes and their plethora of powers. If you're a comic-book fan, this is probably the most satisfying videogame ever made for you.

It's a well-made game that you can try again and again with numerous heroes and their plethora of powers. If you're a comic-book fan, this is probably the most satisfying videogame ever made for you.

We'd rather play this than the past two or three Tony games on PS2 and Xbox - Downhill Jam makes Tony Hawk seem fresh and exciting again.

The biggest issue with the single player campaign was that half way through, we started earning money faster than we could spend it and had massive space stations, capable of repelling nearly any attack, at every world. That said, if there's a Star Wars fan out there who doesn't want more ships, vehicles, and heroes to play with, we haven't met him yet.

The whole collection plays out like the unlockables - tons of entertainment and worthwhile content that's slightly soured by the difficulty of getting to it.

Although this is essentially more of the same with a couple new elements, it’s executed well. The photorealistic graphics, edgy atmosphere, and riotous gunplay mix masterfully to create phantasmagoric art.

An undiscerning child may have a bit of fun for awhile with Over the Hedge: Hammy Goes Nuts, and adults may even find the wacky, borderline creepy premise of the game slightly bemusing. But if you care about children (or your own sanity), you may want to skip this one and just get the DVD instead.

While we're pleasantly surprised with Flushed Away, that doesn't mean it ignores all of the typical problems for licensed games made on the quick. The camera is pretty crazy at times (especially when you're attempting to control it, oddly enough), and the controls are awkward.

At the end of the day, even if there is the chance you might manage to eke out some meager enjoyment from collecting coins, whipping Rita's bungee cord and Roddy's rolling attacks, it's impossible to justify paying anything near full price for this game.

DW2 has just enough improvements to make it smoother and slightly more enjoyable than its predecessor.

Forgettable.

No real improvements have been made to the game which is a wasted opportunity as the poor camera and basic graphics stand out even more on the PS2 than in the original version.

Easily the weakest Live Arcade game to come out in the past two months, but that's not to say it's bad. At such a cheap price, it's actually a pretty nice package.

It may take a pretty thick suit of armor to fully embrace Legends but if you can stomach many, many defeats you'll be rewarded with the particle-laden powers of witches, wizards, magical nights and fire-breathing dragons.

Too bad it's only ad-hoc - a true online mode would have brought all the Ace fans together in a maelstrom of missiles and inappropriate language. Instead, we'll all happily settle for a portable version that, despite its flaws, is a rocket-powered ballet that'll ensnare new and old players alike.

A throwback to the bygone days of the RPG genre - whether that's a good or a bad thing depends on your tastes. But even players who aren't retro-fans will be hard-pressed to consider Magical Starsign a truly bad game.

The gameplay is nothing outstanding, but it's fun enough while it lasts, and overall it looks pretty slick.

There's not much longevity there, but it's a good ride while it lasts. The gigantor multiplayer matches should keep you and your friends emptying clips for a good while though, and that's exactly how it should be.

Contact does sport an incredible surprise ending that adds depth and changes your perspective on all the main characters in the game. However, its impact is greatly diminished by the extremely short play time.

The good part of all this is, the game is very rarely boring. What’s happening onscreen is always dumb, sometimes infuriating and often crap, but there’s always something happening.

There’s definitely room for AAA-level downloadable content on Live, and whether you pay $15 or $30 for Lumines, it remains one of the best games of 2005 and 2006 and a must-play. If you're a puzzle nut, this is manna from heaven.