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

Not terrible, but uninspired and lacking in any original ideas. [July 2012, p.98]

It gets the gold medal for pig-headedness, at least. [Dec 2013, p.80]

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

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

Far too easy to complete. [Apr 2010, p.95]

Serious boxing action that isn't spoilt by silly effects. Don King's Boxing is a great option. [Apr 2009, p.68]

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

Proof that not even bona fide geniuses like Suda51 get it right every time. [Dec 2008, p.73]

Sadly, this clever take on split-screen shooting just isn't developed enough.

Rare Pokemon fail to mask the tedium in this fleetingly entertaining aside. [Dec 2012, p.106]

It's all a bit drab thanks and not much fun at all. [Sept 2008, p.98]

Once again Sega comes so close to getting it right - and then ruins it with another gimmick.

This is just shameful. A missed opportunity let down by sloppy, lazy programming. [Jan 2009, p.90]

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

Bland and unimaginative. [July 2009, p.93]

The better of the two Bearsworth Manor games, but still rather cumbersonme to play. [Sept 2010, p.94]

Its challenge is too variable. [Feb 2012, p.105]

Neat career mode, but controls are vital in tennis games and this is disappointing. [Apr 2011, p.101]

The most damning issue is over the game's presentation, which ranges from sloppy in some places to downright awful in others.

A surprisingly tough game, but if you have the previous installment it's not different enough.

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

Slick, polished and surprisingly varied for a movie tie-in, this is one piece of blockbuster merchandise that's worth checking out. Just don't buy it for an easily aggravated child. [Oct 2006, p.94]

A real fitness game for men with giant eyebrows and real, angry fists. [Aug 2011, p.100]

The game is abrupt, lasting only a couple of hours, and trying to tap the right object is consistently niggling. [Dec 2009, p.94]

Doesn't have the mettle for a sustained run in the first team. [Christmas 2009, p.98]

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

You can't transform a turd, no matter how hard you try. [Oct 2007, p.89]

Between the dog-eared visuals and repetitive gameplay, it's only just bearable. Shame, really. [Aug 2007, p.98]

Limited, dated and very boring, only die hard fans and young kids will find any fun here. [July 2008, p.95]

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

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

Curiously addictive. [Jan 2012, p.87]

Dull, and in many cases, incredibly annoying and frustrating. [July 2007, p.86]

A high quality game that makes a strong start then descends into repetition, sadly.

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

Awful, just awful. It's a dirty, cheap, slapped-together cash-in title that's not woth the round plastic disc it comes on. [Apr 2008, p.92]

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]

Awkward to play, hard to look at, difficult to control and socially neutered. We're not sold on Splinter Cell.

It's utterly silly, cheesy as hell and only really worth getting for a bit of a laugh with your horror fan friends, yes, but even so it's still alright. [Dec 2008, p.97]

Put the time into it and it's rewarding, but it's an uphill battle with very little help. [Sept 2010, p.94]

This is the kind of bizarro indie creativity we like to see on 3DS, but the gameplay itself is a little on the duff side. [Aug 2014, p.87]

It could be so much more if the controls were more forgiving. Don't bother. [Aug 2009, p.102]

Samurai Warriors will hurt you in ways that you've never been hurt before. [Apr 2008, p.80]

Straight to the top of this month's Avoid At All Costs pile. Hugely repulsive. [Oct 2009, p.88]

Layton need not be worried. [Jan 2010, p.80]

Squarely aimed at infants. [Christmas 2010, p.94]

More or less the same experience (as Vampire Moon). [Christmas 2010, p.91]

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

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

Rygar may have been decent six years ago, but with no updates it's now dated and shoddy. [July 2009, p.86]

A mindless slog that not even devoted fans will play through. [Oct 2008, p.98]

It's fantastically dull. [Dec 2008, p.97]

Definitely not for everyone but quirky enough to appeal to some strategy fans. [Aug 2010, p.98]

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

If you're patient this might impress, otherwise you'll be asleep in an hour. [Aug 2010, p.99]

It's immensely satisfying gunning down hordes of enemies. [June 2007, p.86]

A shambles of a port that is an embarrassment to anyone who decided it was ready to be released.

Kids will enjoy The Rise Of Hex for a while, but the unnecessary focus on switch-pressing puzzles may annoy them. If you're not a fan of Ben 10 though there are plenty of better alternatives out there.

The other Rabbids mini-game compilations may have been light on longevity, but at least they provided a laugh. Rabbids Land doesn't even manage this.

Liked bowling in "Wii Sports"? Well, if you want some decent bowling action on Wii you'll just have to stick with it because Brunswick has no style, character or spirit. Dreadful. [Dec 2007, p.88]

For only 700 points (about a fiver) it's a fun diversion. [Sept 2008, p.101]

The Wii controls don't always work too well and it's no treat for the eyes, but overall this is a highly playable game. [Nov 2007, p.78]

We couldn't even play the Super Mario Bros. theme, and if you can't do that then there's no point. [Feb 2010, p.83]

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

Despite the big open areas, your path through them is frustratingly linear. [Jan 2008, p.84]

Not even the insubstantial freesteering wheel device makes it worth the purchase. [Jan 2007, p.80]

It's a decent darts game and the Wii Remote adds a certain degree of realism to the proceedings. Unfortunately, the atmosphere is more local pub than Ally Pally. [Apr 2008, p.82]

A short but quirky little game having a personality crisis. It's fun while it lasts. [July 2011, p.80]

This one's a bit rusty. [Apr 2010, p.93]

Fun and sweet at first, but overall a bit of a cat-astrophe that would make more sense as an endless runner. [June 2014, p.88]

The increased precision of Wii MotionPlus is wasted and the result is a game you should steer clear of. [May 2010, p.85]

It sounds simple, but in reality, this is really tough. [June 2009, p.88]

First impressions aren't great, but get past its awkward exterior and this is a decent racer. [Nov 2009, p.96]

Simple and effective, but it could have done with some more focused gameplay to make it really shine. [Sept 2008, p.94]

A distinct lack of polish in the visual and AI department. [Christmas 2008, p.103]

Tolerably mundane. [Oct 2013, p.81]

Poor value for money. [May 2009, p.87]

The unfortunate fact is that Bubble Bobble has been done too many times before. Yes, it's playable and challenging, but it's also old and far too simplistic for hte modern gaming era. [Mar 2007, p.77]

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

A fun farming sim that suffers at the hands of ridiculous pricing. Only lunatics will hand over 30 notes for this.

It's utterly boring. [Aug 2008, p.101]

Sleuthing is largely irrelevant as the characters keel over whatever you do. [Mar 2008, p.75]

Monkeys don't always make for comedy, it seems. [Jan 2010, p.86]

Appreciate Twin Strike for what it is - good, clean budget-priced fun - and you won't be disappointed. [Nov 2008, p.105]

Perhaps the lowest example of not knowing when to give up. [Apr 2010, p.89]

Avoid like the plague. [Jan 2010, p.86]

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

Scrolling levels are better as you need to concentrate and rely on reactions, but this isn't one we'd recommend seeing through to the end. [Aug 2012, p.103]

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

Too basic for single-player gaming and too expensive for multiplayer gaming. [June 2008, p.86]

We applaud Battle For Earth's unique approach to simplistic fighting, but its lack of content and depth won't impress anyone but the most junior gamers.

It's a dull trek and the stupid storyline doesn't help much. [Christmas 2010, p.91]

It tries to be different but falls flat on its face. It's repetitive, dull and we doubt that you'd see out the first hour. Avoid. [Sept 2008, p.93]

How this utterly random jumble of ideas even got off the drawing board is beyond us. [Christmas 2008, p.102]

"Quotation Forthcoming"

It'll appeal to fans, but this by-the-books platformer takes far too long to warm up. [Aug 2011, p.98]

It's just a nice idea that doesn't work very well. [Dec 2008, p.98]