The nucleus of a good game is there, but its ambition is married to an apparent lack of expertise with the result that, like a crudely cut gemstone, it has few if any redeeming features.

If you’re not offended by constant references to burritos, fajitas and, erm, chickens, then Chile Con Carnage does demonstrate how a third-person shooter can be fun on the PSP in spite of its controller deficiencies.

We want a full-on SSX game for the Wii – one that feels like "SSX 5," not just a very competent spin-off. Blur will just about do until then, though.

If this was on a PS2 (which it is) it would look dated. On an Xbox 360 it’s a travesty. If the game was actually any good, the flaws might be just about forgivable, but with gameplay that’s so loose it’s practically dangling off the screen, and a main mechanic that becomes so deeply tedious you almost want to use surrender as your main strategy so you don’t have to go through yet another button mashing hack-and-slash session, this really has very little to offer.

Jade Empire is non-linear in the most magnificently linear way, and well worth it for those who missed it first time around.

One of the better RTS games we’ve played that at least tries to avoid the clichés that have riddled this genre for so long. Kudos goes to the developers, if not huge profits.

It is definitely lacking in the accuracy department and suffers from the same style of tactics working time and time again, with the AI never seeming to learn, which will spoil it for more experienced RTS players. But hey, if Blitzkrieg 2 lit your fuel depot then this expansion certainly won’t douse the fire; it just fails to recruit the necessary reinforcements to entice in new players.

While still not perfect, if you overlook the slow start and the cheap puzzle we mentioned, Abe Lincoln Must Die! marks out an extremely welcome return to form for the series.

An amateurish mess with a painful campaign mode and only a few novel ideas to be proud of.

The PSP port in itself is not perfect, but with 6 and a bit full games, all of which are pretty damned well polished side-scrolling shooter experiences, it comes pretty easy to recommend to anyone looking for a bit of classic coin-op action.

The irony is, despite Meteos: Disney Magic being an inferior update, it’ll probably sell more purely due to the fact that the Disney licence is there. The fact that said licence has been wasted is hugely disappointing, as is the mishandling of some of the updates to the thankfully still-good gameplay.

Virtua Fighter 5 is, quite simply, about the art of fighting. Not destructible environments, super power moves or jiggling breasts, but technique, speed and strategy. As such, this is a game you have to be willing to work at to enjoy, and certainly won’t enjoy if you don’t.

Crackdown rips up the rulebook and invests a much needed bout of innovation into methods of play.

The DS simply doesn’t need games like this, especially with no touch-screen control.

An RTS that’ll be remembered for years to come. It’s ambitious and challenging, yet rewarding...The depth and involvement required to play mean it’s just as demanding on your ability to manage, and indeed micro-manage, as it is on your PC’s ability to cope with all the action.

M.A.C.H is a sad waste of potential that feels like no one actually cared to deliver anything innovative or even competent.

Sadly, like most other movie tie-ins, this is marketed at fans of the film, not at gamers, and like Johnny Blaze himself, the whole thing feels a bit soulless. If only it also had the same level of flair.

Sadly, like most other movie tie-ins, this is marketed at fans of the film, not at gamers, and like Johnny Blaze himself, the whole thing feels a bit soulless. If only it also had the same level of flair.

To put it simply, The Angel of Death is an exceptional 2D point and click title masquerading as a fairly good 3D counterpart. There is simply no reason why George now resides in a new multi-dimensional world, bar entertaining its weakest element – its physical challenges.

The best 3D scrolling beat-em-up ever. And did we mention it’s a near-perfect port with a budget price?

The extreme banality of the package which would only just about hold the attention of the seriously young members of your family for any length of time can’t be ignored.

For £20 we’d hope for a few more games, with greater variety and a slightly slicker presentation. Definitely one for Capcom nostalgists.

If you can live with the fact that there are no expansions aside from a minor collection of downloadable extras, and that, unless you’re somehow immune to the boredom which strikes after playing any instalment of The Sims for more than a week, it probably won’t last you very long, then Life Stories might make for a decent introduction to one of the most over-exposed series of all time.

While we can’t look into the future to predict how Vanguard will turn out over the coming months, the early signs are promising that this could be more than just the real next generation of "Everquest."

While some of the set ups and situations are undoubtedly quirky and amusing, there’s nothing this time around to compare to the idiosyncratic psychoanalysis dream-sequence or the sitcom filming from the first and second instalments respectively. And in a game so straightforward, this is a problem.

Civ has the glitz and the glamour, while EUIII has huge depth and enough gameplay options to ensure that the game is never going to play the same way twice.

The combination of varied mini-games, relatively short and highly replayable campaigns, a save anywhere feature and an addictive 4-player ship battling mode make it a near-perfect fit for the system.

An unmitigated disaster. Terribly designed both technically and in terms of gameplay, it’s a miserable, useless, joyless experience entirely bereft of fun.