It's a laugh for a while but gets old quickly. [June 2010, p.97]

A no-frills DSi take on Solitaire. It works fine but we want a bit more from a DSiWare game. [Dec 2009, p.98]

A shallow experience. [Mar 2010, p.93]

Great idea, lovely design, but badly let down by seriously poor controls. [Sept 2010, p.94]

Unless you're gagging for a handheld strategy game and have already played Nintendo's offering, it's not worth taking the risk. [Jan 2009, p.99]

Utterly uninspired. [Sept 2007, p.84]

At least playable without the need for a lobotomy. [Sept 2010, p.97]

It's rubbish fun. [Mar 2010, p.94]

This is flaky, but undeniably fun on 3DS. [Feb 2014, p.90]

A thoroughly unexciting experience. [Nov 2009, p.98]

Combat ultimately gets dull far too quickly. [Oct 2010, p.91]

If you've played more than a couple of games in your life you'll breeze through this without any hassle. [May 2009, p.88]

Rattles off the backboard. [Oct 2010, p.95]

Once you've run out of game in Steel Diver, it simply sinks without a trace. [May 2011, p.98]

Despite showing enormous potential, Crash Boom Bang! is hampered by dodgy controls and a testing user interface. It's disappointing because this could have been a great multiplayer game. [Christmas 2006, p.80]

One annoyance is that you can't queue up tiles. [July 2010, p.87]

Certain sorts of gamer will dig this retro Metroidvania game, but make sure you're one of them before taking a bite. [July 2013, p.87]

A brave attempt at standing out from the sudoku crowd, but its confusing grids and random mini-games make it more frustrating than refreshing. One for multiplayer only. [May 2007, p.79]

Pick it up if you need a platforming fix. [July 2013, p.87]

Should entertain any kids after they've been to see the film. [Mar 2011, p.100]

Wholly unremarkable. [Mar 2011, p.105]

Mechanics get tired quickly, the extra content feels tacked-on and even the best element - its presentation - is short-lived. A disappointment.

Simply drawing four walls to make make a room takes you an eternity. [Jan 2011, p.77]

Top marks for effort, but Art Style: KuBos does isometric platforming better. [July 2010, p.94]

Flashy and dressed stylishly enough to earn a second glance, Bleach isn't worth more than an occasional fling. [Mar 2008, p.76]

You'll reach the top of the high score table easily, leaving little incentive to carry on playing. [Aug 2012, p.102]

A two-trick pony. [Christmas 2009, p.98]

As movie tie-ins go this is a decent effort - but you'd need to have downed your body weight in butter-beer to claim that it didn't need a little more care, attention and (perhaps) experience in its creation.

You'll often have to tediously meander through the game's various locations. [June 2008, p.88]

They're actually playable (for the most part) and don't feel rushed or broken. [Christmas 2010, p.91]

Disappointingly short. [Feb 2010, p.83]

Look, we won't beat about the bush here. It's a game about tanks blowing up other tanks. What more do you want?

Technically great, but it should have focused more on the action than the mini-games. [Sept 2009, p.85]

A potential cult hit betrayed by framerate issues and sluggish controls. [Jan 2013, p.110]

Vanguard is lacking in atmosphere and intensity - things step up for the final level but it's too late by then. Even without a multiplayer mode, "Call of Duty 3" beats this. [May 2007, p.80]

Basic graphics, basic strategy game. It's not bad, but it's not brilliant either.

When it does work, Snapped! is a really fun experience, if a little short. [June 2009, p.87]

A straight remake would have been better. [July 2009, p.60]

Does about as much as you'd hope a notebook on the DSi could do. Fair enough. [Jan 2010, p.85]

It's so dated and slow it rarely feels exhilarating when you avoid a laser blast by millimetres and take out a boss.

It's only likely to prove its worth after a few weeks of play. [Jan 2010, p.80]

Jump, spin platform, jump again, flame baddie, repeat-to-fade. Yes, it's boring stuff. [Aug 2009, p.103]

There's a very good game in there, but it's smothered by dull, arbitrary exploring.

There's fun to be had in the bits in which Nd Cube clearly enjoyed itself. It's by no means a party starter, but the nibbles are tasty enough to stick around for.

One of the toughest videogames for some time. [Sept 2007, p.74]

Does about as much as you'd hope a notebook on the DSi could do. Fair enough. [Jan 2010, p.85]

A licensed game that manages to work on its own terms, but only just pulls it off. [Oct 2012, p.97]

Cuter than a puppy knitting a little scarf, but very frustrating in some key areas. [May 2012, p.98]

It's not a terrible game but it's not really impressive in any way whatsoever. [Sept 2011, p.99]

A fairly tepid music sim. [Christmas 2014, p.95]

Two ancient arcade machines on one disc, and not much else. [Oct 2010, p.85]

It's just whack-a-mole but it does as much as you'd hope with something so limited. [Mar 2010, p.95]

The virtual pet aspect is a waste of time. [Oct 2010, p.91]

One for the game-starved only. [May 2013, p.78]

It works well enough but soon becomes very boring because essentially all you're doing is drawing paterns as fast as you can. [Aug 2008, p.102]

A great platformer over a decade ago, but this is showing its age now.

A fun platformer, but the repetitive levels and clumsy progress tracking let it down.

Captain America is similar to the recent Wii Transformers game - it looks like someone was sick on a battlefield and it's too short.

There's no reason for you to be playing this on 3DS, because the entire game is played on the bottom screen. [July 2012, p.99]

Does exactly what it sets out to do. We're just not entirely sure if that qualifies as a success. [Sept 2013, p.89]

While it's engaging, this isn't worth a fiver. [Feb 2011, p.95]

A fun game, but one where you'll struggle to get your money's worth. [May 2011, p.88]

It's scrappy, inconsistent and boasts over-used motion controls, but there is some fun to be had here. [Aug 2009, p.86]

Too many gimmicks spoil the broth; only the dedicated will reap any rewards. [Sept 2012, p.103]

Does about as much as you'd hope a notebook on the DSi could do. Fair enough. [Jan 2010, p.85]

Fun for five minutes, but too samey. [June 2010, p.97]

With no multiplayer it is rather pointless. [July 2010, p.94]

A botched attempt at survival horror, but not a bad little shooter, nonetheless. Wait for an eShop sale, perhaps. [Sept 2014, p.90]

The effort has been put in here - it's very easy to make your own Tetris clone by selecting different blocks and a background with the stylus before sharing it with friends via StreetPass or QR codes.

The classic mode is still decent, but shoddy visuals, no online mode and a basic quest give this a budget feel. [Apr 2008, p.90]

Michael Jackson fans will definitely get something out of The Experience but it's still disappointing.

A step back from the grand games we're used to. [Apr 2014, p.78]

Fans of the series will be saddened at the lack of challenge the new scheme offers, and the lack of value. [June 2007, p.92]

It feels more like you're controlling a puppet on strings rather than a Lotus Elise. [Christmas 2006, p.75]

You'll find the Wii Remote almost perfectly suited to lifting the toilet seat. [Sept 2007, p.86]

QubicGames has made an average game and ruined thousands of GCSE English essays. Cheers, guys.

The main problem is all the extra pointless gestures you have to do during songs. [May 2009, p.89]

Alas, you really are better off sticking with "Wii Sports." [May 2008, p.93]

It does the trick, but there are other 20 Point games that offer a lot more content. [Feb 2011, p.97]

For borderline shovelware, Winter Sports actually looks pretty good. [Apr 2009, p.86]

Tedium for adults and generic distraction for the wee ones. [May 2011, p.103]

Buggy and samey, but it has a charm that'll keep you interested for a few minutes. [Mar 2011, p.104]

It's frustrating to see such smooth controls wasted in a game that doesn't know how to keep you playing. [Aug 2014, p.87]

Medicine that most of us can do without. [March 2014, p.82]

Connect 4 works and little else. [Feb 2010, p.83]

Shallow, repetitive and just plain odd, Harvest Fishing is definitely a catch and release. [July 2008, p.89]

Lacks any real impact. [Jan 2011, p.80]

An undeniably unique concept is all but irretrievably marred by some stern presentation and a lack of basic utilities. [May 2014, p.90]

It's cute, it's harmless and kids will enjoy it but it's never going to change the world. [Mar 2010, p.95]

Short, but never quite sweet, Wii U's first budget game does exactly what you'd expect, good and bad. [May 2014, p.91]

Nano Assault isn't awful but flying around the beautiful Nano cosmos is nowhere near as thrilling as it should be. [Jan 2013, p.111]

As a standalone game, Lego Rock Band is entertaining enough. It's fun for kids and should keep them entertained. When you look at the bigger picture and compare it to other versions of the game however, the complete lack of effort that's gone into making sure the Wii version offers similar value for money is nothing short of disgusting and lazy.

This was an iPhone game and the controls can be fiddly. You might put up with that in multiplayer but not during a bombardment...

A nice puzzle game that you can play for a couple of hours but it soon becomes a chore. [Aug 2007, p.86]

There are much better Art Style games. Go for PiCOPiCT or KuBos over this instead. [Aug 2009, p.103]

A brilliant idea that works well, but it's far too short to offer value for money. [June 2012, p.106]

A competent but ultimately soulless and uninspired slash 'em up that doesn't push the DS to anywhere near its full capabilities. [Oct 2007, p.94]

Cute, but not worth it. [Oct 2010, p.97]