What it does introduce is a level of pervasive professionalism, and in-depth statistical geekery that's been reserved for "Football Manager's" army of devotees until now. [June 2005, p.94]

Fallout 3's downloadable content just keeps getting better. At this rate, Mothership Zeta-Jones will melt our eyes. [Sept 2009, p.96]

A triumph...An expansive environment, expensive cars and plenty of company to race against make for an intoxicating Hawaiian cocktail. [Mar 2007, p.62]

A bona fide labour of love that evidently had the blinkers on.

Now play it, because I desperately need to talk to someone about it. [June 2009, p.100]

A proper war game that tries to have its rations and eat them, and chokes because of that. [Dec 2008, p.94]

Visual splendour, but we find its lack of (3D) space disturbing. [Apr 2006, p.92]

This is one of the slowest games I've ever played...Rash or even casual actions will be your undoing in Silent Hunter. Every move requires careful planning. [May 2007, p.58]

Manages to overcome its many flaws with an inspiring warmth. [Christmas 2006, p.100]

Definitely the most realistic of the two big arcade footie franchises on the PC, but the steep learning curve may put off some gamers. [Feb 2009, p.92]

A great sense of humor. [Christmas 2009, p.94]

I don't think this is going to be as good as the new Island series gets either. [Sept 2009, p.97]

Come on EA, give us something new to write about with your next release. [Jan 2005, p.90]

Playing as gaming's most agile character is joyous, which outweighs the lengthy cutscenes and disappointing final hour. [Apr 2008, p.38]

A fine add-on that will keep WoW at bay. [May 2005, p.105]

When blowing up a car by dropping a boat on it becomes boring, you know there's something fundamentally wrong. [July 2010, p.94]

A good expansion that lacks a bit of depth. [Aug 2006, p.94]

We admit that the dynamic has changed. Weaponry feels less accurate, the maps are smaller, though we don’t see the inherent problem in that. It’s true you can no longer hear the enemy’s footsteps, but this isn’t a fatal oversight.

It's a better game than last month's "Moai Better Blues," if only because the ever insufferable Bosco is missing in action. [Apr 2008, p.113]

Not a new game, but certainly looks like one. It's a great ride, but if you've seen it before, you've seen it all before. [Aug 2008, p.104]

If you can haul a high spec rig into the living room, then go for it. Otherwise, this may not inspire that vital spirit of rocking out. [Feb 2008, p.104]

It may take a while to find them, but delve into PES 2011 and you'll discover its great - if unfortunately hidden - depths. [Nov 2010, p.100]

This game's fun and makes little effort to hide it behind cumbersome things like plot. [Feb 2008, p.113]

Provided you have the necessary levels of patience, Gothic 2 inexorably draws you in. It’s resolutely old-fashioned without being tired, and credits you with, gasp, some intelligence instead of handing over every little thing on a plate. Now if just one single MMORPG could be this good.

Luckily, get into the actual game to practice your skills and failure is quite painless. [Jan 2009, p.101]

It's very much in the head-hurting, time-bending, Braid vein. [July 2010, p.101]

Lacks the depth of previous standalone expansions. [Dec 2007, p.64]

Player empowerment taken to a ridiculous, gruesome and thrilling new level. Just don't expect design perfection. [Sept 2009, p.92]

Still a rather innovative concept, but the sequel doesn't add anything new enough to the mix to make it a must buy. [Aug 2009, p.94]

It may seem like a retrograde step for a modern FPS, but FEAR 2 still ticks all the boxes in terms of no-holds barred action. [Mar 2009, p.94]

There really isn't anything not to like about Altitude. [Aug 2010, p.101]

City builder with a hint of speed-chess. The intense micromanaging aspect won't be for everyone, but it's tough not to like. [May 2010, p.98]

As exciting as a glass of water, but a whole bathtub more depth. [Sept 2005, p.95]

The format of these games gets more and more tired with each new franchise, too. [Sept 2010, p.104]

The freedom that the game allows you to complete a level in your own way is both its beauty and its Achilles heel. [Apr 2009, p.98]

It’s a strangely deflating experience. There’s the bare bones of a good title here, and as a FPS, Elite Force II does dish up some satisfying action. It’s certainly an improvement on the first instalment. But it should have been far more than a game fighting to get out of the paper bag, rather than one that was ultimately suffocated by its own franchise.

The game's also beautifully presented. [Nov 2009, p.101]

It's as repetitive and automatic as running in with the shotgun was in Doom 3. This joke isn't funny any more. [June 2005, p.90]

Familiar and frivolous, let down by respawning enemies spoiling the fun. And did we mention atrocious vehicles? [Aug 2008, p.96]

The franchise is improving, but gameplay niggles keep it from taking the title. [Nov 2005, p.92]

Undrentide’s additions bring new life to a flagging game, and though its story isn’t much to write home about, it’ll certainly tide us over until Bioware’s next magnum opus, "Knights of the Old Republic."

The zombie chopping is great fun, but Capcom hasn't put enough effort into making it look and feel like a proper PC game. [Issue#245, p.104]

A bridge too far for managers, but a wonderland of opportunity for film makers. [Aug 2006, p.96]

Fun with friends, but folds like a nervous poker player in single play. Genuine chances need to be taken for the threequel to succeed. [May 2008, p.102]

There’s too much replaying of banal levels over and over again until you learn enough button combinations to survive long enough to reach a checkpoint. Sure, there are a few good moments – the sheer scale of the halls of the dead, and the backdrop of hundreds of charging orcs during some of the battle scenes – but the braindead playing of them renders the whole experience futile.

A fun hack-em-up, but like inferior designers who use mirrors to make a room look bigger, this is half the game it pretends to be. [Sept 2008, p.106]

An interesting campaign and siege capability give it an edge, and the abilities of the troops and handsome locations pull it up over the average RTS, but it’s more Gibbon than Plutarch. If you’re a strat addict with a penchant for heavy armour, or a classical scholar, then you’ll love it. Others might as well wait for "Rome: Total War."

Great sound and visuals, but unremittingly repetitive gameplay. [July 2006, p.101]

Minor tweaks to a solid but dull money-spinner. [Nov 2005, p.92]

Creativity and gags galore, but we’re too close to falling asleep.

Make no mistake, this is the best version of FIFA ever and maybe even the most fun-to-play arcade footie game ever. [Christmas 2006, p.97]

Fortunately, the action is so focused, the squad dynamic so intuitive and the banter so entertaining that you won't stop to consider the game's failings... The best Star Wars prequel game yet. [March 2005, p.92]

A creepy, well-written and refreshingly different first-person romp. [Apr 2008, p.110]

A game that flies high, but is almost shot down by severe controller issues. [Mar 2010, p.92]

A solid expansion for fans of either the game or the backstory, but not one capable of breathing new life into its tired predecessor. [Jan 2007, p.67]

Playing shop is fun and there's enough here for Sim-ophiles. [Apr 2006, p.91]

The king is back on top, on the modding-friendly PC at least. [Christmas 2009, p.93]

A mildly diverting shooter that's more concerned with telling its story than retaining the interesting aspects of the original. [Aug 2009, p.92]

Some nice cosmetic effects, new jobs and, er clothes await you the, Sims fans. If you really have to. And we know that some of you do. You sickos. [Apr 2007, p.73]

Nothing revolutionary, but a lot of battlin' and a lot of fun. [Jan 2005, p.98]

Don't let its sweet face fool you. This gardening game's no little weed, even if it's not the prettiest flower around. [Feb 2008, p.108]

Traditional FPS, but it still feels fresh - only the WWII setting and theme tune reveals this is another Medal of Honor game. [Nov 2007, p.46]

An interesting twist is the lack of fog of war. This takes a while to get used to, but works surprisingly well.

Engaging enough, but where's the innovation that the franchise so badly needs? [Christmas 2006, p.93]

Deliver on your promises, Mr. Garriott, and it'll be a winner. [Feb 2008, p.100]

It's the presentation and numerous glitches that let it down. [June 2010, p.101]

A gorgeous dystopian setting. [June 2009, p.96]

A worthy addition to the Anno series. [Apr 2010, p.100]

A beautiful ancient-myth-set "Diablo" clone with nothing to be ashamed of. [Aug 2006, p.102]

A well-rendered world, with a well-realised story, though without as much actual gaming as we'd hoped there'd be. [Issue#244, p.81]

An impressively immersive and realistic open-world military sim. It's everything being a squaddie entails, minus the personal risk. [Sept 2009, p.88]

Terrific style... Not that funny. [Jan 2011, p.107]

Tragically, we lost a man. Attempting to play World at War, very sadly, he died of the most painful kind of boredom. [Nov 2005, p.100]

A bizarre, original and often compelling first-person action adventure - Zeno Clash is worth a crack. [July 2009, p.94]

It's a good representation of the sport, but "Pro Evolution Soccer 5" is still the benchmark for all PC football games. [June 2006, p.93]

A far more tactical FIFA than we've seen before, though sorely lacking the 360's impressive new online mode. [Dec 2008, p.96]

Even the impossibly hard missions are horribly addictive. [Aug 2004, p.83]

An expansion pack for the C&C fans who still hunger for new units, which adds a forgettable campaign and a minor ocnquest map. [June 2008, p.98]

Bargain multiplayer fun, but tedious if you go it alone. [Dec 2004, p.94]

Healthy doses of polish and patching are needed. [Mar 2008, p.106]

After a great start, this chapter seriously falls off. [Nov 2009, p.100]

It's delicious to watch. Nexus' whirling space charts and system-spanning ships slip past spiraling asteroids, fend of the shadows of "Homeworld" and make your head spin. [Christmas 2004, p.114]

Challenging, refined and exciting, this is the new RTS benchmark. Just don't expect to tank rush your way through it. [Apr 2010, p.90]

A frustrating experience. [June 2008, p.106]

Fun and accessible, but should've been named "Railroads Lite." [Christmas 2006, p.103]

Crisp, sharp, bike-racing fun. Could use more real-world marques though. [Oct 2005, p.96]

Great for a kickabout but just not as addictive as "Pro Evo 4."

Claustrophobically restricted by some uninspired level design, and all too often your soldiers are boxed in by clumsy dead ends, making more complex troop manoeuvres virtually impossible. [March 2005, p.109]

A good sequel that's faithful to its forebears in all the right places. [July 2006, p.98]

The footie's great, and that's good enough for me. [Christmas 2007, p.66]

A fantastic WWI flight-sim for the hard-core that might encourage a few others to join the ranks. [Oct 2009, p.93]

It's a very slow game. But The Void has really got under my skin in a way no game has for a long time, and it's totally recommended. [Christmas 2009, p.95]

A budget game that delivers a budget experience. [Aug 2011, p.102]

Soulless, if well-realised hockey simulation. [Nov 2005, p.100]

Strategically sound, with great replay value, but weak multiplayer. [Dec 2004, p.93]

Worth a look for those who remember when shooters were tough (and own a good controller). [Aug 2008, p.109]

Updated and revamped, FIFA 2004 is a whole new ball game.

The Thing isn’t a classic but it is a superbly executed, engrossing horror shooter that almost everyone will enjoy, once at least.