All in all, I found EA’s Monopoly unfulfilling and sterile Although the graphics are clean and crisp there is no ‘heart’ to it. But what I find most remarkable is that there is no online multi-player ability. Seeing it’s a multi-player game I would have thought that online play would be a logical extension.

Wii Music is a novel and fun experience that will sweep away the hours while you're jamming with your buddies. Give it a chance and you're in for a good time.

Overall Rock Band 2 makes a few welcome changes to a solid rhythm action title – and the overall soundtrack is a big step up.

With its colourful visuals, animated soundtrack and a real sense of “pick up and play” gaming, Age of Booty is a title most people with Xbox Live should check out, even if it is just for the demo, as chances are you’ll like what you see and purchase it for 800 MS points.

With Socom: Confrontation that ‘nice job’ is as rewarding as ever, and considering all the obstacles you have to overcome to get it, it feels all the better.

There is so much crammed into Saint’s Row 2 (if you have a juvenile, slightly insane creative side to you) that you will seldom be at a loss for something to do.

Dead Space is also surprisingly long for a shoot-em up, taking over 10 hours to complete. Although parts of it seemed repetitive (often you’ll find yourself trekking through identical corridor after corridor) the combat sequences were varied and enjoyable thanks to the need for different techniques to get through them.

This game is superb and although there are some still slight glitches, offers the most comprehensive and realistic football games on the market.

Overall Shadow Assault: Tenchu feels as though the developers just wanted to put out an Xbox Live Arcade title for a quick buck, so they threw something together and slapped the Tenchu license on it.

Overall Fracture takes parts of Xbox 360’s Halo 3 and Gears of War, PlayStation 3’s Resistance: Fall of Man, GameCube’s Metroid Prime and several other recent sci-fi shooters. Unfortunately, once you’re over the novelty of ground manipulation, it’s not nearly as fun as any of the above.

With the insight and dedication the makers of NBA 2K9 have applied to their franchise, dunking from my couch has never been more fun, more rewarding or closer to the real thing.

Although it’s disappointing that New Zealand isn’t one of the twenty international teams included in the game, that disappointment is greatly outweighed by all the positives.

Viewed as a standalone title, Silent Hill: Homecoming is extremely competent, but as a sequel, it falls short of progressing the series in any meaningful way.

Viewed as a standalone title, Silent Hill: Homecoming is extremely competent, but as a sequel, it falls short of progressing the series in any meaningful way.

The presentation of the game is probably its strongest point – it simply looks really good.

It contains enough content to warrant an actual off-the-shelf product, so it’s really encouraging to see it so cheap.

Just don't play it for extended periods on a big telly - I'm not predisposed to game-induced motion sickness (I've never gotten it before) and Duke makes me want to hurl if I play it too long.

Managing to deliver an emotional story and a big body count with lots of explosions.

If you're after something short term – maybe a rental – then Pure is great: it's an adrenaline shot administered by a supermodel. But after a few days, you will very likely realise just how vacuous that supermodel is (how little Pure offers in terms of longterm gaming).

All psychotic fantasies aside however, Buzz! Quiz TV is an excellent party game that is sure to entertain a wide audience.

It might not be worth playing if you have a console copy of BUZZ! in your home, but for long road trips or prolonged ventures outside the house, it’s definitely worth looking into.

What is particularly interesting about Colonization, as against the Civ games, is the relationships between the different factions. There isn't, for example, the same emphasis on war.

Newcomers might be flummoxed by the dynamics while seasoned gamers will quickly crack this, but you could do a lot worse if you're after a platforming fix. [Dec 2008, p.70]

This is a Star Wars game that reminds you how brilliant Mr. Lucas’ creations can be. But I can’t stress this enough – there are plenty of frustrations to be encountered amongst the brilliance too.

All up though, Speed Racer is colourful, funny, has good music and the graphics still hold up on the aging PS2. In fact, I would go so far as to say Speed Racer makes a much better game than it does a movie.

The expansion has done well to provide a decent singleplayer experience on top of the extensive multiplayer platform.

If you want a story-driven, graphically intensive roleplaying game, this is not going to do it for you. But if you enjoyed the freedom of Sid Meier's Pirates!, Mount & Blade is probably right up your alley.

Overall Rock Band 2 makes a few welcome changes to a solid rhythm action title – and the overall soundtrack is a big step up.