A limited single-player experience is supported by a brilliant (if basic) multiplayer mode. Very much a case of style over substance, but the substance it does have should keep you entertained for a while.

A truly unique experience, Little Inferno isn't really a game - it's more of a toy box with sinister undertones and a beautiful ending. Had it been a fiver we'd have told everyone to go and snap it up immediately, but at £12.99 for a four-hour game think long and hard about taking the risk since it isn't for everyone. Those who click with it will adore it.

A solid follow-up to one of the best eShop games. It's obviously not quite as revolutionary as its predecessor and the new freedom it gives may put off some people but it's another impressive puzzler.

Another sterling effort for Messrs. Layton and Triton. A much-needed freshening of the graphics and interface give Layton's fifth adventure a new lease of life.

Liberation Maiden is a solid shooter with top-notch presentation (the cut-scenes by anime studio Bones are superb) and frantic action. It's by no means the longest game in the world so only high score fiends will get the best out of it, but if you fall into that category this is well worth your £7.19.

There's no denying what it does do is gripping, challenging and enjoyable. [Sept 2012, p.107]

This is a hearty meal of a game, one we're gleefully wolfing down, savouring every mouthful as it dribbles down our chins. [Sept 2012, p.97]

This is a hearty meal of a game, one we're gleefully wolfing down, savouring every mouthful as it dribbles down our chins. [Sept 2012, p.97]

NSMB2 is yet another great Mario platform game, with some cracking new features, but it's too similar to earlier games in the 'New' series to be a classic in its own right.

An exemplary platformer, and a treat to play with the 3D on. [Aug 2012, p.102]

Scatty, overambitious design disappoints, but the Final Fantasy love rings out loud and clear like the honk of a Chocobo with its head trapped in a tuba. [Aug 2012, p.95]

A class act. [Aug 2012, p.92]

A friendlier game than the original, but a scarier one, too, like a zombie that tidies up after it rips you apart. The best horror game on Wii, by some margin. [July 2012, p.89]

Works really well within the sometimes frustrating limitations of the DSi, providing reasonably user-friendly access to a set of fun, creative, flexible animation tools. [July 2012, p.106]

As thrilling to complete the first time as the fifth. [July 2012, p.105]

A port that's slower, blurrier, and missing multiplayer, but for all that it's still the 3DS' best non-Mario platformer. Beautiful, fluid and packed with value. [July 2012, p.97]

Samey combat can cause biff-fatigue to set in, but the nearly endless loot treadmill coupled with skills that are enjoyable to use make Heroes of Ruin a dungeon that's fun to run. [July 2012, p.94]

Clean but not particularly exciting presentation aside, this is a more than capable little paining app - you need to be good at art to get the most from it though. [June 2012, p.106]

Sparkling brilliance, gleeful insanity - just needs more remixes. [June 2012, p.89]

The special moves might be a tad too powerful, but otherwise the plumber serves up a well-aimed slice of sporting fun. [June 2012, p.94]

The constant shift in direction will leave you confused. But there are genuine pockets of excitement amongst the humdrum. [Apr 2012, p.92]

A daring reinvention of a hero too long on the subs bench. [Apr 2012, p.85]

Still a very tough cookie, but one that gets tastier as you go and is perfectly suited to handheld play. [March 2012, p.109]

Addictively fun yet lamentably short. [March 2012, p.96]

Refreshing, but there's potential for even better things next time. [March 2012, p.92]

A suitably goofy offering. [Feb 2012, p.108]

There's plenty of anger-tinged excitement here for your money. [Feb 2012, p.107]

An addictive, inventive action game. [Feb 2012, p.107]

Punishing yet utterly charming. [Feb 2012, p.98]

Lively combat and fun scenario design plaster over the narrative cracks. Not the glorious last hurrah we'd hoped for, but as fun as Wii games are going to be in a dry 2012. [Feb 2012, p.92]

A good-looking and solid take on Tekken 6 that packs in a ton of content. But single-player modes are unsatisfying and the fighting feels dated compared to Street Fighter 3D. [Feb 2012, p.90]

This is a game that anyone who's serious about games should play. A mammoth adventure crafted with unparalleled attention to detail. A fantastic experience. [Feb 2012, p.84]

Fans have been ill-served on the pinball front for too long now, but this is a giant nudge in the right direction. [Jan 2012, p.122]

By far and away the best football sim on a handheld - but the things that make the 3DS hardware so different are the things that make PES 2012 worse. [Jan 2012, p.116]

While Centipede ably fulfills its remit, it doesn't really try to go beyond it. [Jan 2012, p.114]

A tasty blend of traditional Resi spooks and modern action pacing that, despite a few action hiccups, remains one of the most satisfying uses of 3DS to date. The third-party game to beat. [Jan 2012, p.98]

It takes some investment to program a masterpiece, but listening to something that sort-of sounds like the theme to Mega Man 2 is suitably rewarding. [Christmas 2011, p.79]

In essence this is identical to the game you destroyed and rebuilt last year. But whe it's this much fun it would be riddikulus to complain. [Christmas 2011, p.70]

A gorgeous title. [Christmas 2011, p.65]

Insert ear plugs and dust off those reflexes: 2D platforming is back. [Christmas 2011, p.62]

As complete a racing game as you could hope to play. [Christmas 2011, p.54]

Excellent use of 3D combined with some genuinely tricky puzzles make for one of the best 3DS head-scratchers available. Just be prepared to get stuck.

A thoroughly pleasant surprise. [Dec 2011, p.74]

Almost as surprisingly great as the Wii version, so worth the money. [Dec 2011, p.72]

Still great, but if you have last year's game there's little reason to shell out. [Dec 2011, p.69]

A fun, silly, occasionally challenging romp. [Dec 2011, p.67]

Good-looking and fan-pleasing, but a bit short. [Dec 2011, p.65]

As conflicted a Mario game as we've ever played, but an undeniable 3DS achievement. [Dec 2011, p.58]

A huge departure for Zelda and a proper arrival for motion controls. Link's latest is rule-breaking, dream-weaving, tech-loving, heart-soaring stuff. [Dec 2011, p.45]

Mario & Sonic fills the multiplayer gap, and does it with good-humoured minigames and a renewed focus on throwaway Olympic fun. As far as party games go, it's the gold standard.

A stern memory and reflex test. [Nov 2011, p.69]

Charming, imaginative. [Nov 2011, p.63]

Probably best to play the other ones first, but still a fine puzzler if you haven't. [Nov 2011, p.54]

Ignore the pong of rotting flesh and dive in. [Oct 2011, p.76]

This platformer-racer's cartoon graphics mask some knuckle-chewing difficulty. A little gem. [Oct 2011, p.74]

Like a chestburster, Infestation arrives out of nowhere to great surprise. Unlike a chestburster, it's dinky alien thrills are very much welcomed. [Oct 2011, p.66]

Lacks the scale or drama of your average Dragon Quest, but does offer compulsive monster raising. [Oct 2011, p.60]

That you won't find a better RPG this year goes without saying. From gameplay mechanics to storyline to visual flair, Xenoblade is an amazing piece of work. [Sept 2011, p.60]

Moments of brilliance, moments of frustration, and masses of replay value. They don't make them like this any more - they remake them.

This puzzler doesn't reach for the stars, but it's great at hovering above the earth. [Aug 2011, p.79]

One of the very best and most substantial titles DSiWare has to offer. [July 2011, p.77]

A rugged, handsome and confident adventure that while not the deepest or most original game, still wears its heart on its sleeve for all to see. [July 2011, p.62]

If Ocarina is gaming's Citizen Kane, this is the Blu-ray edition. [July 2011, p.53]

Dream Trigger 3D is quirky to the point of brain-bursting confusion. But it's a welcome change from 3DS's current line-up of simplified titles.

It builds on the films' best bits and dumps the worst. [June 2011, p.60]

Really hard to put down, even though it makes our palms all sweaty and gives us horrible dreams about chainsaw men. You've got to play this - it's great. [June 2011, p.52]

You could play much of it one-handed (er, so to speak), but nonetheless, this is an engaging beat-'em-up with (marginally) more brain than boob.

An absorbing, tactically rich fighter with endless replay value. [May 2011, p.60]

A solid mix of platforming and virtual-pet raising, but with a bit too much step-retracing. [May 2011, p.57]

Fun story and great combat. [Apr 2011, p.73]

It's basically a history lesson meets the X-Men, and every bit as goofy as that sounds. [Apr 2011, p.70]

The ultimate in fantasy warfare, and a great port from Other Formats, too. [Apr 2011, p.64]

Gorgeous, detailed, super-fast and loveably mad. [Apr 2011, p.58]

Lacking only an RPG mode and the option to wander off into the woods and play a Duck Hunt minigame. [Apr 2011, p.55]

This is the Dragon Quest that we know and love. [Apr 2011, p.54]

Hideously addictive, it's the kind of game that'll have you replaying missions in your sleep. If you like Advance Wars or Fire Emblem, this is the 3DS game for you.

We're still torn whether to play top-to-bottom with 3D on or side-to-side with 3D off. Either way, this is the best PES on any format in ages.

Not a huge game but an intricate, sumptuous and reassuringly old-fashioned one. [Mar 2011, p.76]

Simply put, it's a better looking, better functioning version of the original (voice recognition is noticeably improved). It's forgiving and accessible, almost to a fault, but rewards investment with those idiosyncratic movements that Nintendo do so well. And it makes nice use of the hardware. [Mar 2011, p.52]

Simply put, it's a better looking, better functioning version of the original (voice recognition is noticeably improved). It's forgiving and accessible, almost to a fault, but rewards investment with those idiosyncratic movements that Nintendo do so well. And it makes nice use of the hardware. [Mar 2011, p.52]

Simply put, it's a better looking, better functioning version of the original (voice recognition is noticeably improved). It's forgiving and accessible, almost to a fault, but rewards investment with those idiosyncratic movements that Nintendo do so well. And it makes nice use of the hardware. [Mar 2011, p.52]

A staggering port of an exceptional fighting game, but for all its accomplishments this is not the definitive version of the game. [Mar 2011, p.47]

Beautiful to look at, very nice to play, but disappointingly light on content. Perfect for launch day, and maybe the day after, too, but it feels so limited.

There's no doubt that de Blob 2 is a great game, missing only the spark of inspiration that could've made it classic. A broad and singular experience.

New players should jump right in, but veterans might want to think twice. [Jan 2011, p.64]

Be warned, mind: there's a slight tendency towards random outcomes. [Jan 2011, p.62]

Still a brilliant game. [Feb 2011, p.64]

A fantastic action RPG with echoes of Zelda. [Feb 2011, p.62]

Strip away the unmanageable bulk and Pokémon is a truly great RPG. Add it back on later and it remains a flashy, if conventional, entry in the franchise.

Strip away the unmanageable bulk and Pokémon is a truly great RPG. Add it back on later and it remains a flashy, if conventional, entry in the franchise.

The career mode's solid. [Christmas 2010, p.74]

If CoD is you thing, you'll get loads of value from this. [Christmas 2010, p.62]

Excellent character portraits. [Christmas 2010, p.61]

Look beyond the shoddy exterior and there's a surprisingly rich and varied arcade flyer. [Christmas 2010, p.58]

Familiar farming fun. [Christmas 2010, p.52]

Few games offer value for money like this. [Christmas 2010, p.50]

Clumsy design holds it back from true greatness. [Christmas 2010, p.46]

A meaty - often literally - thriller, well told. With no UK release currently on the cards we point all adventure nuts towards their nearest import site.