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.

The very worst kind of lice-infested parrot guano. [Issue#80, p.104]

Considering how slick and glossy the presentation is, there's very little spark to the actual gameplay itself. [Sept 2012, p.109]

Not disastrous, but lacking finesse. [Sept 2012, p.109]

A solid pocket arcade. [Sept 2012, p.108]

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

A powerful and enjoyable photo editor. [Sept 2012, p.106]

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]

Freakyforms comes alive only if you invest the time. Don't, and there's not much here besides sticking eyes on shapes and making them jump through hoops.

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.

Solid enough to keep you playing for longer than you ought to, but the game looks and feels considerably cheaper than the price would suggest. [Aug 2012, p.103]

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

Three and a half hours of scrappy, ugly tower defence. And what's worst is that there's only one in-game music track. In a game about Heavy Metal? Rubbish. [Aug 2012, p.101]

Moonites should definitely wait for A New Beginning. [Aug 2012, p.98]

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]

The open-world omission is a massive blow, but inter-hero banter, co-op capering, and dozens of DC characters elevate this above the typical Lego tie-in. [Aug 2012, p.94]

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

A beautiful, sporadically fun action RPG, and a great showcase for the power of the 3DS. Sit down and play it, however, and you're in for an infuriating game. [Aug 2012, p.89]

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]

It's not quite original or addictive enough to compete with the best in the casual genre, but this is a polished and fun enough game that's unlikely to be a purchase you regret. [July 2012, p.107]

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]

There's no reason to choose this over the officially-endorsed Mario and Sonic alternative. [July 2012, p.99]

It's another MISS - and this time with creakier graphics. [July 2012, p.98]

Short on charm and challenge. [July 2012, p.98]

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]

Bad frame rate, horrid voice acting, stupid story, crap weapons, confusing, overpriced. [July 2012, p.93]

A great idea for a puzzle game, with a cool minimal art style, but it's just stretched too thin. The baffling slowdown and useless mini-map only make it worse. [July 2012, p.92]

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]

A poorly designed game that allows you to create more poorly designed games, then inflict them on other unfortunates. [June 2012, p.106]

An overpriced puzzler that presents you with the bare bones of a game. [June 2012, p.106]

Even if you're a huge fan of zombie games, play something else. Anything else. [June 2012, p.101]

What's here does work up a good sweat. [June 2012, p.101]

More accomplished than you might expect, but lacking the depth needed for return visits after slogging through the lengthy campaign. [June 2012, p.92]

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]

A competent golf game, but also a fussy, bland and entirely forgettable one. [May 2012, p.108]

The sad fact is that it's simply too obtuse for its own good. [May 2012, p.105]

Painful to play alone, this is best endured with friends or lots of beer. [May 2012, p.99]

Target audience includes sniggering schoolboys, students and journalists. [May 2012, p.99]

An unexceptional entry in a prolific series. [May 2012, p.99]

Even for those lacking in critical faculties, there are are better dance games out there. [May 2012, p.98]

Dry presentation and limited interaction. Home run? Not quite. [May 2012, p.98]

The ball-shooting itself is all-but-identical to the last game. [May 2012, p.98]

Simply a dreadful game. [May 2012, p.97]

Treads on its predecessor's toes too many times to impress in its wake. [May 2012, p.93]

Criminally short. [May 2012, p.88]

A laudably unique twist on tower defence, but strategy soon devolves into a series of repetitive fights. [Apr 2012, p.109]

Unrefined and frequently maddening. [Apr 2012, p.107]

Less a twist on the genre, more a re-draw with a different coloured pencil. [Apr 2012, p.101]

Flip-book frame rate, terrible visuals. [Apr 2012, p.101]

An utterly soulless collection of impossibly difficult sports games that will make everyone hate everything. [Apr 2012, p.100]

Although it rarely gets the pulse racing, it's still a decent pick-up if you're looking for some quickfire high-score challenges or simple dumb fun. [Apr 2012, p.99]

Neither compelling nor a decent rhythm-actioner. [Apr 2012, p.49]

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

Championship-winning concept held back by a few lacklustre mechanics. [Apr 2012, p.91]

Championship-winning concept held back by a few lacklustre mechanics. [Apr 2012, p.91]

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]

The feeling that it's all a bit slapdash never really goes away. [March 2012, p.107]

A pleasant fishing sim. [March 2012, p.101]

a little mindless, but still fun. [March 2012, p.101]

Pedestrian. [March 2012, p.100]

Plays like a second-rate attempt to rip off a series that's not enjoyed a distinguished recent past itself. [March 2012, p.99]

Most events are just too simplified to make this truly essential. [March 2012, p.98]

Localisation stinginess has given us the worst possible version of a half-arsed port of a not-very-good Wii game. [March 2012, p.97]

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]

It's certainly not bad, but it lacks the strategy of Pullblox and the panic of Mario's Flip Switch Galaxies. [Feb 2012, p.106]

This one sucks. [Feb 2012, p.101]

We just sigh for what could have been. [Feb 2012, p.101]

Not just for the nippers. A cute, well-crafted minigame collection that'll have you and your family clicking together in harmony. [Feb 2012, p.101]

Wait for snow and venture outside instead. [Feb 2012, p.100]

An interesting attempt to recreate a dance game on a touch screen, but far too fiddly to be fun. [Feb 2012, p.100]

We can only hope this barren minigame collection is the testing ground for a proper Gremlins revival, as there's zero reason for it to exist otherwise. [Feb 2012, p.99]

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

A passable clone of Nintendo's classic brawler is undermined by a frustrating single-player mode. You're better off waiting for the real thing instead. [Feb 2012, p.97]

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]

As a game, Escape Trick: Rock City Prison is turgid and infuriating. [Jan 2012, p.123]

Genuinely fresh ideas don't come along very often, but this odd strategy title feels flabby and undercooked. [Jan 2012, p.123]

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]

A phenomenon like Moshi Monsters owes its trusting fanbase better. [Jan 2012, p.117]

Feels like a step back after the more challenging Bejeweled Twist. [Jan 2012, p.117]

Shonky physics, bland tracks, hopelessly vague powerups - this one's got it all! [Jan 2012, p.116]

Still one of the better wrestling games of recent times. [Jan 2012, p.116]

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]

Crude presentation and lack of content don't completely let down what's undeniably a fascinating idea. They try really hard, though making this a worthwhile but insubstantial game. [Jan 2012, p.115]