It’s an ambitious game, but, importantly, not an overly ambitious one. All the important elements – gameplay, graphics, story, audio – have come together really, really well, making it well worth at least one play through if you can get your hands on a PlayStation 3.

For many, Rainbow Six will have finally reached the giddy heights of classic-status gaming, with Vegas retaining the series’ tactical edge but opening it up to a wider and more accepting audience. Ubisoft has taken a gamble, but ultimately it has paid off.

Project Gotham is still a series plugging away in a league of its own, but this time in every sense. Absolutely astounding.

It might no longer be the best in its field, but it’s still ready and waiting in the shadows, looking for the perfect opportunity to fly in, behead you and take your life orbs while you’re not looking.

With more than seventy hours of tactical RPG battling, intricately woven story and an army of characters to build up, Final Fantasy Tactics is an immensely addictive and rewarding experience, even for those who managed to import a copy of the PSone original.

While the single player game may have taken a couple of steps backwards, it’s still a big deal to have a game like this on a handheld, and an even bigger one to have a fully realised multiplayer mode.

Grand, ferocious and full of drama, the battle elements combine with Medieval’s excellent take on diplomacy to create a fully-rounded experience – one that will pay off for years to come.

It’s truly one of the most addictive games we’ve played this year, and teaches the mildly boring Port Royale 2 a thing or two about how such sims should be done.

Overall Ridge Racer has proven to be a decent, though not essential purchase for the system, and one that you at least probably won’t go wrong with.

As an FPS game, somewhat inferior, but as an interactive experience, simply unmatched.

If Colin McRae: DIRT was a sign of Codemasters regaining a foothold in the racing market, the latest Race Driver is evidence of the publisher taking full control. GRID makes the high points of its rivals feel like false dawns, and if what’s on offer here is a sign of things to come, we’re all in for a remarkable ride.

Twenty quid for dozens of modifiable cars, 4 well realised cities and plenty of online and offline races is a good deal in anyone's book, and especially ours.

FIFA 09 is by far the finest football game of the year, if not ever, but there’s still a way to go before EA Sports’ series can be classed as perfect.

FIFA 09 is by far the finest football game of the year, if not ever, but there’s still a way to go before EA Sports’ series can be classed as perfect.

If Colin McRae: DIRT was a sign of Codemasters regaining a foothold in the racing market, the latest Race Driver is evidence of the publisher taking full control. GRID makes the high points of its rivals feel like false dawns, and if what’s on offer here is a sign of things to come, we’re all in for a remarkable ride.

The epic feel, ease of control and attention to detail all round makes this a joy to play. You really won’t feel that you are playing a strategy game, but you’ll get the kind of rewards from it that only hours spent on a game like this can bestow on you.

The graphical upgrades and presentation improvements are certainly noticeable, while the game continues to have some of the best set-pieces of any first-person shooter. We do hope though, that for the next outing Valve puts a little more focus into creating all new gameplay scenarios and interactive experiences.

Sod all the talk of the Japanese original – Elite Beat Agents is a truly superb title that’s a joy to play from start to finish.

Now that it has arrived however, we can safely say that it's firmly up there as one of the best games released this year.

Admittedly there are no truly grave punishments in the game, but the violence is often more comical than serious anyway.

Very close to being a near-essential addition to any Wii owner’s collection which we dearly hope will get a sequel.

The effect that all this adds to the game is more a sense of realism than a sense of camaraderie. The harrowing, dangerous nature of war is shown here in its truest form in a video game.

Afternoon of Darkness feels at home on the PSP, with its battles short, sweet and addictive in exactly the right way a portable RPG should be. Its innovative nature might no longer be the cutting edge of SRPGs, but it stands alongside Final Fantasy Tactics as one of the best RPGs on the PSP, if not one of the finest titles you can get on a console adrift in cheap PS2 port hell.

These are thankfully relatively minor criticisms when considering the enjoyable new multiplayer mode, and how impressively cinematic and fun the stronger single player levels are, but they should still be kept in mind if you’re considering giving UO a purchase.

With its generous two new campaigns and refined online capabilities, there’ll certainly be no argument from us that it’s nothing less than an essential purchase.

The fact that Psychonauts isn’t on the radar as one of this year’s big releases is a major shame, as it is, quite simply, superb.

This is a big, bold and brassy FPS packed to the rafters with ways to play and sure to last fans of the genre right through the holiday period.

Widely available for about fifteen quid, Dark Crusade is a ridiculously attractive prospect for RTS gamers.