Explosive fun with a conscience; refreshing and interesting stuff. [Nov 2006, p.92]

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

A welcome mutation, but not as evolved as you’d think.

A difficult prospect when you're playing with a pad that has different mapping than the game it's set up for. [Nov 2007, p.57]

Lack of sparkling originality aside, Warfront is an enjoyable game. [May 2007, p.62]

The connection with the song and tapping into your musical taste is enthralling, but the project ins't quite all it could be... yet. [May 2008, p.110]

An engaging, if sometimes brain fizzing, option. [Sept 2008, p.114]

Minor bugs aside, the game works, but lacks an inspired storyline and more content. It will frustrate the casual gamers and won't keep a dedicated MMO player hooked for very long. [May 2005, p.90]

Still great fun, but do you really need to buy it again? [Jan 2005, p.90]

Big, brash and varied, if a little on the crude side, TC is assuredly a top cat. [Aug 2004, p.88]

Worth grabbing when the price drops. [May 2011, p.92]

If you get it, just make sure you turn those graphics down. [June 2008, p.110]

Occasionally veers on gimmickery, but it's genuinely a smart, novel strategy game. Well worth a turn on your rig. [Sept 2008, p.112]

It's not beautiful, it's not that long, but it's spooky and well worth a look. [Apr 2007, p.71]

After two good first acts, it fails to rise to its own challenge. [Jan 2010, p.91]

While LOTR: BME has the makings of a great strategy title with its "Kohan II" fixed-bases and unit regeneration elements, the lack of consistency in the campaign, mixed with its more generic elements, make it a difficult game to love. [Christmas 2004, p.103]

An excellent though rather bland-looking 'copter combat sim. [Sept 2007, p.56]

The spirit of GTR lives on, but the engine needs an overhaul and even the hardcore's patience will eventually wear thin. [Dec 2008, p.98]

The best version of FIFA Manager I've played and has a level of depth I've not seen before from EA. [Jan 2010, p.93]

It's a slick shooter, but the ultra-generic Japan campaign makes it feel very much the cut price CoD4 remake. [Jan 2009, p.94]

If you can put up with the banality of the missions and NPCs, and the fact that all the player characters look the same, Neocron is slowly becoming one of the most interesting MMORPG worlds.

It may be unoriginal, but it's got the atmosphere. [May 2006, p.90]

Just more of the same beautiful game, but will remind you why you loved Oblivion like your own family in the first place. [Jan 2007, p.60]

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]

A refinement. [Christmas 2008, p.98]

RalliSport Challenge is a cracking rally game that just falls short in so many places it can’t make the podium. For sheer content and powersliding potential, it’ll deliver in spades until "Colin McRae 3." Just don’t expect a perfect ride.

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."

Surprisingly, there is no option for random generation of islands, nor is there any scope for multiplayer frolics, making it feel rather limited.

Lengthy, clever, and gripping. It's nice to have a decent point and click adventure around. It's been too long. [Oct 2011, p.105]

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

Such ordinariness only reinforces the nagging sense that this is the same game with bits bolted on. That's always the case with Battlefield games, but this time it's too little, too soon. [Dec 2006, p.110]

After the beautiful, atmospheric adventuring in the last game, having your new nemesis introduce herself by slowing grinding her barely-clad buttocks in your face is about as welcome as having her suddenly fart into it. Modern? Mature? No. It's gratuitous, tacky and pointless. [Christmas 2004, p.98]

An adventure game worth perusing, but it's not a perfect example of the genre by a long shot. [July 2008, p.110]

Hardcore RTS fans are well catered for. Casual players should look elsewhere. [Christmas 2005, p.98]

So much jetpack promise, but it's a game seeking a third act. Wait for Just Cause 2 if you fancy absurd airborne adventures. [Feb 2010, p.84]

Treads frequently to the brink of greatness, only to be tripped by its obsession with repetitive setpieces. [Christmas 2004, p.104]

Big on detail in theory, but slow and heavy in practice. [Deluxe Edition; Christmas 2006, p.98]

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

An enjoyable kill-a-thon then, though sits unsteadily alongside the now-classic Valve title. [Oct 2009, p.98]

It's got the Western style down pat and though it's incredibly slow-paced it's well worth a bash for any tobacca-chewin' varmint. [July 2009, p.95]

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]

Brilliant, human-chewing fun if you like lots of blood and dismembered bodies, with some puzzle-led misiony stuff thrown in. [Feb 2007, p.67]

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

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

It may not be particularly beautiful to look at, but it's tactical and challenging enough to keep you occupied. [June 2007, p.64]

You'll enjoy solving the puzzles and the story is bizarre enough to keep you clicking along happily. [June 2006, p.97]

RPG fans will cry. [June 2011, p.86]

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

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]

The production remains awesome, but everything is cluttered and ultimately the game is just shallow. [Christmas 2004, p.108]

The force is just about strong enough to conceal the flaws. [Nov 2004]

It's plagued by page after page of 'I don't daren't [sic] skip this' tutorial help, but there are rewards for those who persevere. [Dec 2005 p.89]

Fans should definitely indulge but more frugal souls who choose to meet Monica for the first time via a budget copy of the original game are certainly no fools.

It’s an epic achievement in some ways, but our expectations weren’t met.

Worth a bash, but lacks the multiplayer support to hold your attention throughout. [Oct 2009, p.90]

Rather too over-familiar, but still a very entertaining stealth experience.

Gives you all the power in the Star Wars universe, but it takes away your opposable thumbs in the process. [Jan 2010, p.85]

One of the most rewarding games around for the devout strategist, but those less experienced will find it hard to get started, and may get disheartened by the obstacles.

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]

What it lacks in logic, it more than makes up for in mood and atmosphere. [Sept 2008, p.114]

Newbie friendly from the outset and tons of quests on hand, but misses the vital spark to make it a must-play. [June 2010, p.99]

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

Ultimately, the licence both saves the game, by giving even the most basic of its scenarios a degree of weight, and hinders it by causing regular moments where you double take, realising something isn’t quite right.

At heart, this is hands down the best theme park building game to date. [Christmas 2004, p.112]

If you’ve ever been excited by Sculder and Mully, or terrified by hydrocephalic children, there’s a game for you. It’s not pretty and it’s not perfect, but we’re so glad it’s there.

It's not stunning, but is a worthwhile bonus for any little fans of the film. [Oct 2006, p.97]

A luxury item, unless you've already gorged yourself on Civ's online modes. [Sept 2006, p.98]

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

There are hidden depths to the game mechanics, but only a dedicated killer will stick with it long enough to plumb them. [Aug 2007, p.50]

Crazy-arse shooting with its brain in its arse, and a mean streak.

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

Wears its simplicity on its sleeve and is certainly a different slant on the genre. [Oct 2007, p.66]

There's a vast array of technologies to research and build, but the true joy lies in lovingly crafting your empire, species and ships. [Apr 2007, p.73]

The different location means that it's more than the usual tat. [May 2008, p.112]

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

The goals are satisfying, but there's nothing new. [Dec 2006, p.108]

It’s loaded with replay value, given the enormous number of permutations involved, and for those who can deal with it, it will turn out to be massively rewarding.

Lively, mindless carnage, with wonderful visual excess.

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

A fun, involving strategy game with unsophisticated visuals featuring online play and modding to ensure plenty of longevity. [Oct 2008, p.111]

Great in small, explosive doses, particularly with a friend, but longevity is unlikely to be one of its strong points. [Nov 2008, p.106]

Dodgy story, also lacking the 3D punch of Homeworld, but a satisfying space opera nonetheless. [May 2007, p.66]

It teeters on the brink of greatness but never quite gets there.

It’s interesting enough, but it’s lacking any real innovation. At all.

A refreshing enough take on war to make it an entertaining time killer. [Sept 2009, p.98]

Maybe a great sandbox toy, but selling itself as a named campaign expansion is a work of great fail. [Aug 2010, p.100]

Give it a go when it's come down in price if you're desperate to have the new rosters, otherwise stick with 07. [Nov 2007, p.56]

Not spectacular, but solid - a nice surprise for at least short-order strategy. [Dec 2005, p.93]

A surprisingly entertaining and rewarding experience. Amazing, I know. [Sept 2007, p.54]

Even with this variety, Rainbow Six is starting to feel decidedly over-familiar and all its flaws, from the flat combat to the flat graphics and utterly unconvincing AI, are very much in evidence.

A decent game. If the subject matter grips you, or you're coming to it from "Civilization," it's compelling and well designed. Exciting it isn't, and in the end, the glory of Rome demands a level of oomph that it just can't quite muster. [Aug 2006, p.101]

Entertaining, but little innovation to write home about.

The most interesting part of the episode is how it plays with the characters. [Sept 2010, p.104]

It's primary objective isn't to engage you as a gamer; it's to engage you as a human being. And that makes it worth your time. [June 2006, p.90]

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

If the repetitive invasion missions could be handled by the AI, "Total War"-style, it would've been a definite winner in my book. [Mar 2007, p.75]

Remarkably polished for something so infant-friendly. [Aug 2004, p.91]

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