A sweet and simple RPG that moves a bit slowly at times. Some neat ideas - but a lack of depth means that while you'll want to keep playing, you'll be a bit annoyed. [Mar 2007, p.79]

An RPG that dares to be different, plot-wise, but still starts you off fighting worms and skellingtons in cobwebby old dungeons. [Dec 2006, p.38]

The addition of pets has made Sims 2 marginally cuter, but the novelty quickly wears off as you still spend the majority of your time making sure the toilet is regularly cleaned. [Nov 2006, p.65]

The "game" itself is entirely unchanged, with the same old firsbee competititions, agility and obedience trials. [Aug 2006, p.66]

The platforming's stupidly fiddly, the driving is very dull, and the obstacle dodging is the worst sort of touch-screen bodging nonsense. [Dec 2006, p.54]

Not actually broken in any way, it's just an oddly vacuous and simplistic take on the poisoned ground previously laid down by Hudson. [Nov 2006, p.69]

Spyro's latest, while predictable, is still a slick slice of handheld that's hard to dislike. [Dec 2006, p.39]

Despite being reasonably deep, it's just too dreary to recommend. [Dec 2006, p.54]

A button-masher that's unlikely to set you ablaze. [Dec 2006, p.39]

A hefty online-enabled super-retro collection. [Dec 2006, p.38]

A decent kick-around. However, AI can be a bit wobbly, the teams are missing their summer transfers, and 06's single-cart multiplayer has rudely vanished. [Dec 2006, p.54]

Competent, joyless football by numbers. But if you don't already own a FIFA game of some description, or you're an Accrington fan, you'll get your money's worth. [Nov 2006, p.56]

Hardly likely to set the world alight. [Dec 2006, p.44]

If you're good enough, it'll last ages. If you're just an amateur dabbler, at least you'll get to see the ending. What's not to like? [Dec 2006, p.32]

There's no surprises other than neat plot twists and an interesting battle system unique to the series. [Dec 2006, p.45]

This is pretty good fun, with so-bad-it's-hilarious dialogue and cute bestiary, but the cannon fights are just a little too repetitive to stay interesting long. [Dec 2006, p.68]

It's too easy, too repetitive, and worst of all, doesn't have that classic Butch Harman sense of humour. [Apr 2007, p.70]

About the only thing we like is the directness of the chap at the start of "Strider": "KILL HIM! THAT'S YOUR MISSION!" [Nov 2006, p.76]

Dungeon-crawling is deadly dull. [Dec 2006, p.50]

Dungeon-crawling is deadly dull. [Dec 2006, p.50]

Working yourself into a state of anaemia hasn't - well, actually it has been this much fun before, but with added animal touchery this will still delight. [Nov 2006, p.64]

This is Mega Man done right, not New. Don't expect to get too fresh with the touch screen, either. [JPN Import, Oct 2006, p.56]

It's not that it's badly made or anything. It's just a bit dull, and there's only so many polygon peppers we want to chop. [Dec 2006, p.43]

Learn to work with shonky controls and there's a decent game within this lumbering exterior. [Sept 2007, p.71]

Builds (hoho) on the brilliance of its predecessor with improved flying, busier levels - and all the best bits from the only Star Wars trilogy worth bothering with. Pure gaming. [Oct 2006, p.52]

Good in parts, but disappointingly light on features and poor value for money compared to most other Mario sports games. [JPN Import; Oct 2006, p.60]

If only it supported four players, this would be a definite must have. [Dec 2006, p.44]

Not the Star Fox we were hoping for, but one that's surprisig in pulling off the risks that it takes. [Oct 2006, p.58]

Unmatched interactivity. [Nov 2006, p.74]

It's got the basics, and fans can have fun, but it's effectively pointless if you've got a DS, and definitely pointless if you've got a GameCube. [Nov 2006, p.74]

When cutting and pasting "Mario Kart" into a Pac-Man template, someone forgot to include the folder marked "Incredible Fun." Does anyone really like Pac-Man a a person? [Nov 2006, p.58]

The Manual Mode is so madly uncontrollable that it isn't an option, making the only real option clicking on Auto and going off to make a cup of tea. [Nov 2006, p.77]

Despite quaint touches, this is cumbersome and wholly unoriginal. We didn't come here to get the mick taken out of us by talking mice, you know. [Nov 2006, p.71]

It tries its best, but it simply isn't good enough. Too frustrating for younger players, and too fussy and inconsiderate for anyone else. Still, if you must... [Aug 2006, p.56]

An imbalanced "Gradius"-style powerup system makes getting multiballs and sticky bats far too easy, so you'll find you attention wandering as you clatter unchallenged through one bland brick wass after another. [Aug 2006, p.67]

It's just...fun. It won't last you forever, but it's rare that a game tries this hard to make the most of such a simple idea. We'll have some more, please. [Aug 2006, p.61]

A great, less-serious complement to "Brain Training," far and away the more accessible of the two and less prone to human error and recognition niggles. [Aug 2006, p.60]

Another excellent addition to the DS's catalogue of puzzlers. It's the clacking sounds that do it for us. And the pretty colours. Mmm. [Nov 2006, p.71]

Ugly and stupid. [Mar 2007, p.80]

Fairly unexceptional. [Aug 2006, p.67]

The control system is irritatingly basic, and you'll likely be bored of it within ten minutes. [Aug 2006, p.67]

An unsophisticated disappointment. [Aug 2006, p.67]

This is substandard licensed tosh. [Aug 2006, p.67]

A welcome return to top form for the world's most exhausted videogame hero. [Aug 2006, p.52]

Thumbs up for the two-player co-operative system that's perfect for mum or dad and the kids. [Aug 2006, p.66]

It's dull, unsatisfying far for fans of the movie or the less discerning gamer. [Aug 2006, p.66]

Although you can access extras and minigames, it's rather plain. [Aug 2006, p.66]

It's just too mentally tricky, with all the up and down between screens, for genuinely enjoyable gameplay, but it's a must-have for any serious fans of the series. [Oct 2006, p.67]

Random and mindless, you'd be much better off diving head first onto a rusty nail bed than enduring five minutes of this tedium. [Mar 2007, p.81]

It's one of the classic RPG series, and a great value for money if you want to spend the months of hard labour it'll take to find every hidden note. Worth the effort. [Nov 2006, p.62]

I can be pretty demanding and, at times, intimidating, but Age of Emipres is still and incredible achievement - and a great strategy game. [Nov 2006, p.69]

Genuinely playable. [Nov 2006, p.77]

It's too superficial to be more than a curiosity and not versatile enough to have real mileage, but it has a magical quality that'll put a smile on the faces of all who touch it. [Aug 2006, p.64]

A competent, by-the-numbers platformer that isn't nearly as vile as we were expecting. [Aug 2006, p.61]

Video pinball is great when it's done well, and Metroid Prime Pinball is at the upper end of the scale. Nice tables and a very Metroid-y feel.

Digging fanatics will dig exploring every last square of earth, but Namco haven't dug deep enough to create a truly compelling and fresh experience. [Oct 2006, p.68]

Decent, but let down by bland presentation and annoying bugs. [Oct 2006, p.69]

Great games (well, some), cynically recycled. Unless you can find 50th Anniversary for a couple of quid or less, this is the worst value on GameCube. [Aug 2006, p.63]

If you fancy saving the world from aliens on your DS, this is worth having a spin on. [Oct 2006, p.70]

It's as pointless as it sounds. [Nov 2006, p.76]

It screams half-arsed puzzler - ticking the simplicity box required by the genre but failing miserably to offer any addictive depth. [Mar 2007, p.64]

Rubbish, stupid games in a cheap, tacky collection - who on earth keeps buying these games and egging them on? [June 2007, p.71]

Apart from the occasional feeling the gender differences have been artificially embellished to pad out the puzzles, this is an odd, sometimes confounding, but fun game of item-combining and sleuthing. [Dec 2007, p.71]

One for the sin bin. [Dec 2009, p.71]

This game is still proof of how inaccurate the touch screen is capable of being, although we must admit that it is kind of relaxing. [Apr 2008, p.77]

This is okay for what it is, but what it is certainly isn't worth 30 quid. [July 2008, p.73]

It feels like more of a launching point for a fresh fighting mechanic than a game that fully makes something of it. We're interested to see what they do wtih the Wii version. [Aug 2008, p.64]

A nice approach to DS development, but the whole thing was slightly doomed to failure by the hardware. [Dec 2008, p.72]

The skewed logic and stilted dialogue remain, but this is still an enjoyable silly point 'n' clicker. [Aug 2009, p.77]

A decent port of the PC game. [July 2010, p.66]