If you're a fan with your heart set on a dragging video game (in whatever sense of the word), you'll probably find enough to keep yourself amused for a short time, even as you hope for something a whole of lot better in the future.

Ultimately, Rise & Fall is about pretty units killing each other in a beautifully drawn environment and little more. It's a good strategy skirmish, but it falls short of eternal glory.

These speed bumps aside, MotoGP '06 delivers exceptional bi-pedal racing action for anyone who likes to roll at high speed and who understands the difference between driving a car and riding a bike. A really fast bike.

AND 1's cool Create-a-Baller and Create-a-Move modes make the game worth playing, if you yearn for the exaggerated, arcade gameplay in the spirit of NBA Jam, albeit with a lot more street style.

The simplified controls, which work with a very minimal interface, won't stymie anyone without RPG experience. But the absence of story and strategy will. This is a game best played on autopilot, if you have to play it at all.

Sure, there's room for improvement in the next edition, especially where some of the ground weather effects are concerned, and it'll have to go up against Gran Turismo in 2007, but Race Driver 2006 is simply the best racing sim you can get on the PSP today.

Just be warned: this game's for the fans, not necessarily someone looking for a quick bus-ride excursion. Gradius has never been easy, and these five selections are no different.

There's no multiplayer, and other GTA games are bigger or have more famous voice actors and more well-known soundtracks. But $20 for a fairly fresh GTA game on PS2 seems amazingly fair to us.

The Stunts & Effects expansion pack adds more sets, costumes, props, vehicles and backdrops for your virtual productions, along with a new employee type: the stuntman.

Whichever version you play, Cars is a likable little racing adventure. The gameplay is nothing outstanding, but it's fun enough while it lasts, and overall it looks pretty slick.

Cars has its flaws and frustrations, but it does a nice job of wrapping up a decent arcade-style racer in a very shiny package. Unfortunately, not even the crisp visuals, hopping cars and dynamic tracks help it pull ahead of the huge pack of racers already available for the PSP.

There's a two-player, multi-cart wireless mode to try with friends, but it's nothing that’s gonna keep you interested for long, and the bland Piston Cup races aren't exciting by yourself anyway.

But while Brain Age has you holding the DS like a book, nurturing your every gaming step, Academy more or less throws you into the mix, expecting a degree of familiarity with how these minigames work.

There are even occasional (very minor) glitches that'll have you scratching your batting helmet. But it is good for a laugh if you've got 20 minutes on your hands. If you're a number-crunching statistician, you'll be annoyed by the 27 hits per side, per game.

Basically, a hectic, good time. But is a simple puzzle game worth the same amount of cash as, say, New Super Mario Bros.? We have to say no, though if you're not interested in regular games, or just really need a puzzle fix, Magnetica should fit the bill.

Half-Life 2: Episode One demonstrates how games ought to be made, forged by dedication, imagination and risk-taking. It's an outstanding, stirring experience.

Stacked could benefit from more polish and deeper player customization (no, we don't want to look fat and balding, even if we are), but its actual gameplay is solid, and the creepy I'm-watching-you-so-I-can-destroy-you vibe can only help your real-world strategy.

It manages to provide an incredibly compelling experience by consistently setting an intense mood, forgiving player errors and providing numerous options for accomplishing your fiendish goals.

It manages to provide an incredibly compelling experience by consistently setting an intense mood, forgiving player errors and providing numerous options for accomplishing your fiendish goals.

Stacked could benefit from more polish and deeper player customization (no, we don't want to look fat and balding, even if we are), but its actual gameplay is solid, and the creepy I'm-watching-you-so-I-can-destroy-you vibe can only help your real-world strategy.

It manages to provide an incredibly compelling experience by consistently setting an intense mood, forgiving player errors and providing numerous options for accomplishing your fiendish goals.

Teen Titans is a short and unspectacular diversion for an audience that might be too young for more mature fare, and the price is certainly right, but those more discerning with their beat 'em-up dollars should hunt super-villains elsewhere.

The abstruse design and technical flaws leave us cold, but the sheer potential for savage bastardry makes it undeniably fun.

Rogue Trooper may not be cutting edge, but as a simple, straightforward shooter, it’s more than capable of delivering a quick action fix.

Rogue Trooper may not be cutting edge, but as a simple, straightforward shooter, it’s more than capable of delivering a quick action fix.

The long wait is now over: our gaping mouths declared it officially worth it after seeing the startlingly gorgeous Heroes world.

The game's short-burst quests and small-scale exploration are perfectly suited to a handheld game, and while it's easy to get into, it gets more fun and involving the more you play.

There's nothing wrong with the fundamentals, and the online play is sweetness, but a couple more weeks in the situation room would have helped this war sail smoother.