It's the best fighting game I've sampled on the PS2 – better than the "Virtua Fighter" series in my opinion.

Fun and enjoyment wise nothing has touched Galactic Civilization II this year and we’ll be surprised if that stance changes in December. Stardock and Paradox have without doubt created a hugely enjoyable and highly customizable space simulation that deservers every ounce of your attention.

Sports Interactive have definitely returned the Football Manager franchise to where it belongs and created the best management sim on the market, although to be honest, there's not much competition.

The RTS game of the year...If it the single player was a bit longer and the cutscenes had been improved then this would be the perfect RTS but as it is its still damn impressive.

The single player mode might be a little easy for some, thanks to a few of the new features, but the co-operative mode alone more than makes up for any shortcomings. GRAW fans can rejoice, the sequel is better than the stupendous original title and thats all that should really matter.

Kudos must be given to Bizarre for not being lazy on this one as can so often be the case with final installments.

When you strip away the meat from the bones you might be left with essentially Guitar Hero II 'deluxe' but for fans of the series we doubt many will be disappointed with what Neversoft have achieved.

Anyone new to the genre can certainly make this a choice without expecting to get in too deep and losing their way, while seasoned MMORPGers can have a blast playing out their superhero dreams.

And even though the characters in Astro Boy: Omega Factor come and go so fast it's still hard to ignore just how beautiful Osamu Tezuka's creations really are.

So, Dead or Alive 4 has it all: sexy looks, sexy women, sexy sound, sexy gameplay, sexy online play, sexy... you get the picture.

An outstanding work of modern art. Just about every other Xbox release this year pales into insignificance once you embark on your very own "fable".

Fahrenheit features a fascinating, ever evolving storyline that really does change in real time depending on your actions.

You might hit problems reading text on a standard television but that shouldn’t really spoil the game as even on a normal widescreen the game looks outstanding.

For those that haven't it will require some work to get in to the gameplay, but it is worth the work.

The Co-Op mode alone makes this an essential purchase and now with the ability to take vehicles out for a spin and create new characters, Lego Star Wars II is every bit as great as we would have hoped.

The end result is the best movie to computer game transition in a long time, if not the most enjoyable ever created. Grab the popcorn, watch the film and then play the game, and if you do, we really can't envisage a better gaming weekend for your troubles.

Overall Red Faction: Guerrilla is a very good title, definite replay ability in the single player title.

Earned in Blood could have been the natural progression for the series but certain gameplay issues and other gremlins have spoilt an otherwise authentic and atmospheric experience.

Overall the open sandbox style of gameplay and allowing you the non-linear gameplay to complete the mission in your own way works very well.

Both complex, yet brilliantly simple, deep but immediately playable, and long-term habit forming whilst retaining the ability to kill you in seconds. It makes heroin look like sherbet dip.

What Lionhead have done is truly given us the real control we have craved for all this time... The Movies is simply dripping with style and substance, and will reward you long until the inevitable expansion packs hit the street.

PS2 fans: I imagine you’re just about done with "San Andreas" these days. If there’s not already enough blood on your hands, it’s time to head to North Korea. They have air strikes there.

It's one that you will actually end up finishing (and more importantly wanting to). The actual mechanics may be the same as any other survival horror you have encountered before but the way Project Zero again mixes a tense genuinely scary storyline with the novel 'camera' aspect actually brings back the 'horror' in a very stale and repetitive survival genre.

It’s a space sim, it’s a text based adventure, it’s a 3D shooter, and it’s a trading game. And it comes with the original game as well. A very impressive package with something for everybody.

For now DiRT is the only serious rally experience on a next-generation box, fortunate for us then that it’s also pretty damned good as well.

Both EA and 2KGames have produced fine simulators but in terms or sheer gameplay and polish we think the crown this year firmly belongs to NBA2K7.

TOCA 3 is like a brand new game, and the added features make the game even better than TOCA 2. One thing that doesn't look like it is going to go anywhere though, is those cardboard spectators.

There are so many nuances to the look of this game; it'd be a feeble task trying to list them. Needless to say, it's stunning.