The story is tightly linear, so it's hard to make your character's tale your own.

Pass defense is more realistic, and the balance smooths out at higher difficulty settings, but pounding the run is still unrealistically easy.

If you love all things MK, you'll see Shaolin Monks as a special milestone in the franchise and a reward for your loyalty. Otherwise, it's just a fun brawling diversion with lots of gloopy blood and two unlockable characters. Either way, it's good stuff.

Ultimately, Bone: Out From Boneville is probably too lightweight, too easy and unsophisticated for most adventure gamers... but don't hold that against it.

If you're of the appropriate level, there are plenty of riches to be found out in this Desert.

If you don't have the nurturing gene or the attention span to keep a virtual animal alive, steer clear - but if you're looking for something that's totally nonviolent and uses all your DS's whistles and bells, Nintendogs is it.

If you don't have the nurturing gene or the attention span to keep a virtual animal alive, steer clear - but if you're looking for something that's totally nonviolent and uses all your DS's whistles and bells, Nintendogs is it.

If you don't have the nurturing gene or the attention span to keep a virtual animal alive, steer clear - but if you're looking for something that's totally nonviolent and uses all your DS's whistles and bells, Nintendogs is it.

Tack onto all this a robust soundtrack, a comprehensive level editor and a war room filled with new maps and unlockable features and you’ve found one of the longest, most rewarding DS games out there. Put this online and it'd be damn near perfect.

The best way to experience what DSII has to offer is through co-operative mode - you can play the entire game's storyline with other people. There's nothing more enjoyable than storming a dungeon with a party of your friends.

Darwinia 's weird, but it might well not be your kind of weird.

So, basically, you have a pretty average, simple golf game, with a world online that's enjoyable enough to play through with fellow golfers.

If your machine is up to it, you won’t find a better team game than Battlefield 2, period.

You've got a brand new way to interact with a game and a slew of unlockable minigames at your disposal, so there’s plenty to do even after Kirby has restored peace and order to his colorful world.

What does make it great is that it actually delivers on nearly everything it promises while still being fun to just pick up and play.

You won’t experience the same feeling of immersion that you’d get from playing World of Warcraft or EverQuest II as the game loads you and your party to areas separated from the rest of the players online every time you leave town, which makes playing Guild Wars feel more like a 3D version of Diablo II at times.

Staying alive is definitely more challenging the second time around, but the game still feels extremely linear and simply lacks much surprise.

One of the best action titles on the PS2, God of War stands out as an ultraviolent masterpiece.

The first time Lumines exchanges squares for balls your brain will start to slide out your ears. Play it for a week and you’ll start of dreaming falling boxes.

The cities are huge and beautiful, with country-appropriate cars, and while the gameplay is muddy, it’s easy to see how it could have been better. But as it is, DRIV3Ris all flash and little substance.

It's no "Halo 2," but excellent level design and the infusion of the augmentations into multiplayer via a class-based player structure adds a welcome bit of variety to the mix.

It's great that you can run and gun without too much squad-commanding hassle, but SW:RC's simplicity is its biggest problem. Gamers hoping to give their brain a workout will be disappointed.

It's no "Halo 2," but excellent level design and the infusion of the augmentations into multiplayer via a class-based player structure adds a welcome bit of variety to the mix.

There's also a huge, gaping multiplayer-shaped hole running right through the middle. The only other fly in Riddick's surgical bruise ointment is its length. Or lack of it.

Buy it for its offbeat originality, and ponder the possibilities once developers really understand that there’s more to the DS than a little plastic pointer.

What does make it great is that it actually delivers on nearly everything it promises while still being fun to just pick up and play.

For people who loved "Gladiator," fans of top-shelf strategy games and history aficionados of any stripe - all roads lead to Rome.

It's the circle of virtual life -- and it's insanely addictive.