Tarr Chronicles just isn’t that good.

A competent if unspectacular stealth game.

We can only really recommend this to long-term fans who will be contented solely with the Arcade mode.

More typical of the PS2 (so knock a point off), but more suited to the Wii – if only for the short-lived novelty value – Heatseeker is definitely a game for the already initiated into the genre.

Jericho is definitely a case of inventive design married all-too-unhappily to old school thinking, and the result is a game that is almost fatally broken.

It has some decent ideas and concepts, let down by bad enemy A.I. and very repetitive gameplay.

The single-player is a fun new addition but is plagued by frustrating design choices and idiotic AI, while the multiplayer is very hard to justify paying £6.99 a month for, especially as the game doesn't even come with a free trial period.

Had the puzzling been of a more engaging nature, then we may have warmed up to the game considerably, but even at a budget price there isn’t much to recommend.

The bulk of Spiderwick is fuelled by what might be called the game’s ‘action’ sections, where players take on goblins and ogres by mashing just one attack button. These levels are the least inspired and try any motivation the gamer might have, which is unlikely to be great if they haven’t already seen the movie.

Underneath all the tedium, the bones of a very basic business simulation can be found, but there’s a lot of joyless digging to be done to get to it. We’re not entirely sure who will actually enjoy Playboy: The Mansion, as the business side is unsatisfying, the networking is mind-numbing, and the sex is a sad cop out.

The aimless blasting across what seems like a countless number of levels that are practically indistinguishable from one another do not a great game make, but if you can play on a friend’s copy, it’s worth doing so to snatch a glimpse at what’s to come. Hopefully...

Overall, and to pretty much nobody’s surprise whatsoever, Monster House is just another wasted opportunity that’ll likely be forgotten about before the movie it’s based on even reaches DVD.

All said and done, Locomotion is a good sim, but it does feel dated and in particular seems geared towards the more hardcore transport or tycoon enthusiast.

It has to be said though – as a game, LSL is pretty thin. The mini-games are weak and become pretty repetitive. Happily though, the bawdy comedy that plays out while you’re going through the motions, especially during the conversations, do make it all worthwhile.

Offering little in the way of innovation, it will keep fans of the series very happy and is definitely an essential purchase if you have ever enjoyed a DW game in the past.

This type of game has been done better, and on top of that, the genre has moved on to the next generation where murky and jaggy graphics are a thing of the past.

There is a lot of great stuff in Asheron’s Call, period. There is an enormous landmass populated with hidden dungeons, strange creatures and mysteries begging to be solved once more.

By no means is the game a classic, but it is arguably a good tie-in that drawns from the movies’ strengths and doesn’t do anything in particular to offend.

Battle of the Bands is disappointing in many respects despite the promise held by its central premise.

Though clunky at times, you have to admire the level of tactical depth that has been translated from the pen and paper game, and in spite of our reservations about the level of explanation on some things, the interface is commendable for being so easy to navigate on such a small screen with limited controls.

It’s as though no effort has gone into the gameplay beyond what merely works, and little thought has been given into making either the main single player or multiplayer modes fun or worth pursuing.

The graphics, sound and gameplay are extremely well polished; the AI is also good with your platoon mates actually helping rather than hindering.

Save yourself the money and just shake your wii-mote randomly and violently, shout quotes from the series and cry softly to yourself in the corner for an hour afterwards – you’ll look less like an idiot and have just as much fun.

Alone in the Dark will surely come to be known as one of the biggest let downs of the year. Impressive set pieces and an initially compelling opening are horribly betrayed by a diabolical control system and frustrating glitches that strongly suggest the game would have benefitted from at least another six months intensive development and testing.

The graphics are good, but every other feature is just scooped up from a number of other strategy games, and spread thinly.

This could, and indeed should, have been a market leading game, blowing people away with clever tactical shooting action. Instead, it’s flawed and with the exception of the co-op mode, has nothing to make it shine.

If you aren’t an experienced Splinter Cell player, or found the game tricky on the Xbox, then the controls will likely be confounding and the other issues not worth dealing with. Nice try Ubi, but no cigar.

It’s huge and ambitious, but you run the risk of losing the will to live in the process of playing.