Mark of Chaos is a colourful and reassuringly manly semi-strategy effort. Full of brawn as it undoubtedly is, it's also lacking in brains. [Jan 2007, p.62]

"Black & White" without the creature, the plot or the bugs. [Dec 2004, p.102]

There's more here than meets the eye. [Dec 2005, p.97]

It's not really a title that hardcore gamers are going to be interested in, and it's as linear as hell, but as an arcade platformer for kids, it's a cracker. [Mar 2007, p.77]

Serious fun for broadband players, but others should look elsewhere. [Apr 2006, p.88]

Fun while it lasts, but alas hit 'n' run is about all you get. [Mar 2010, p.95]

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

Competent but underwhelming - like a good spy this never stands out. Its parts are somehow more than its total. [Oct 2009, p.94]

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

As close as you can get without pen and paper, but for diehards only.

Assuming that the humour clicks with you. This is a first episode as awesome as the Bad of Much Strong himself. [Nov 2008, p.109]

Robotron is a good game to riff off, but there's only so many waves of bullets that you can avoid before you give in and go and do something more interesting instead. [June 2010, p.101]

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's great fun while it lasts, but once you've got over the initial thrill of the dogfight, there's not much here to maintain interest. [Sept 2007, p.58]

Fast, fun, and tasteless, but too many misfires to make it a winner. [Christmas 2004, p.108]

The challenge of maintaining your reputation in the face of a weak Nile, defending the city from attack and completing the scenarios is gratifying, but there's not really enough here to justify long-term play. [March 2005, p.99]

A competent example of a PC port and of an RPG, but its obsessions with consumerism dampens the adventure. [Aug 2011, p.100]

Unfortunately, what with this being a simulator, the faster you go, the more difficult the flying becomes. [Christmas 2007, p.67]

Ignore the lumpen campaign and you have an RTS with some big ideas. [July 2006, p.91]

Ample proof that thinking men are welcome in the modern army.

Clever and surprisingly rational, Aura is only let down by plot and game length. [Oct 2004, p.96]

It might be damn pretty but, running on a 1.4GHz system with a GeForce FX, we still couldn’t get a smooth third-person experience.

To all intents and purposes, this game is identical to "Football Manager." The difference is while Brits understand the beautiful game, we haven't a clue about ice hockey. [Aug 2005, p.95]

Item fiends and "Diablo II" fans will love the complex loot system but most of us will be bored senseless after just a few hours. [Christmas 2007, p.54]

It's a half-decent game at a bargain price. Which doesn't, unfortunately, make it a wholly good game to actually play. [Mar 2009, p.96]

Fun while it lasts, but inevitably, nowhere near as funky as the life your character is supposed to be leading. [Oct 2007, p.65]

A good addition to Galaxies which will only get better with time. [Christmas 2004, p.114]

For the second time in as many series, the fourth episode is by far the best. [May 2008, p.114]

It’s astoundingly beautiful, too – by contrast, "Freelancer’s" visuals are like watching a brick float around a bucket of custard. But, needless to say, X² isn’t for everyone – but if it’s immersive liberty rather than fast thrills you’re after, it offers an almost incomparably satisfying experience, just so long as the really bad stuff doesn’t stop you from putting the hours in.

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

Comprehensive, time-consuming and, so long as you've got a passion for all things puck-related, essential. [Aug 2004, p.84]

Essentially more Sam and Max. [Jan 2008, p.73]

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]

Plenty of depth and enough diplomacy to hold the attention, but it'll be too ponderous for some and too ugly for others. [Mar 2007, p.76]

A competent shooter that makes the best of its license. Those early 80s cartoons have been suitably honoured. [Sept 2010, p.100]

In equal parts frustrating and rewarding. [Aug 2009, p.97]

Not "Crimson Skies 2," but quite acceptable tipple while it lasts. [Nov 2004]

The production values are far higher than many rivals, and anyone looking back fondly on the RPGs of yesteryear will soon be sucked in. [Feb 2008, p.115]

It's picking the wrong fight - taking on MMOs on their own turf, instead of truly daring to be something different. It tries. Often it succeeds. Just not enough to stop the sound of its stalling engine ringing as loud as the gunfire. [June 2006, p.92]

Much improvement, but still a little lacking. [Aug 2005, p.97]

It does what it does well, but tennis sim it ain't. [May 2007, p.67]

It offers niether anything to be passionate about or that's worthy of a vicious shoeing. [May 2008, p.98]

Earned itself a 16+ rating, but anyone over that age will find this game too childish. [July 2005, p.94]

Conflict: Denied Ops goes through the motions of first-person-shootage well, but ultimately feels mechanical and outdated. [Mar 2008, p.102]

Mistmare’s slow pace and dependency on dialogue steals the thunder from many of its fantasy elements.

it is more a final sad swansong then a 21-gun salute. [Dec 2005 p.88]

It’s stable, easy to learn, cheap and has plenty of scope for development, which is perhaps more than the competition offers.

Inevitably anticlimactic. But there are a few smiles within. [Dec 2006, p.115]

It's all far too much for me. Even the simplest of skirmishes will take upwards of an hour to complete. [May 2010, p.100]

A shameless rip-off, but still a wonderful, wonderful end to a busy day - if only for that chripy title music. [Apr 2008, p.114]

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."

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 lazy port of a great game. Do not attempt to play it without a joypad, or you may end up moaning like one of the Spanish zombies. [Apr 2007, p.69]

Despite its flaws, Joan of Arc has an unmistakeable pick-up-and-play factor, coupled with a learning curve that makes it very enjoyable, especially acquiring many rare items from the slew of side quests.

Nothing special, but Da Vinci nuts will lap it up. [June 2006, p.96]

Shiny graphics and slick production can’t hide the tedium.

Tron 2.0 is shockingly flawed. Given that there are so many good ideas – the skill system, the gorgeous and unique textureless neon design, the mistakes are that much more upsetting.

This game is most definitely not one for the faint-hearted; the sheer scale of the beast is truly something to behold. [May 2006, p.97]

A thorough and comprehensive sim. [Oct 2007, p.65]

Jump straight into the multiplayer and you'll have a great time without having to wait around, but ignore the single player. [May 2010, p.96]

With so much effort put into Being Whatevercraft, it's a real shame that a bit more time wasn't spent on really trying to surpass it, rather than just being a solid game that's as ultimately memorable as a disembowel movement. [Dec 2004, p.89]

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

A nice idea, but the respect system eventually begins to grate. [June 2005, p.97]

It's a good golf game, admittedly, but it's also unnecessarily ugly. [Dec 2006, p.108]

A schizophrenic game that would have been better-served had it focused on just half of what it sets out to do. [Dec 2009, p.86]

New York really is the home of swing, but that alone isn't enough to save this potentially tie-in from death by mediocrity. [Aug 2007, p.56]

One of the main areas in which MotoGP '08 impresses is its extensive career mode. [Christmas 2008, p.99]

The equivalent of a lusty, full throttled fling - it's good fun for a little while, but it's hardly a solid base for a lengthy love affair. [Mar 2008, p.98]

A well-timed cue to buy the original game, but not worth buying by itself. [Dec 2004, p.101]

The most perverse thing though is that the most enjoyable moments have little to do with Tokien or his wonderfully overactive imagination; it's much more to do with Turbine's ability to knock out a compelling MMO experience. [June 2007, p.56]

Looks great, but not quite as full of variety as you might expect from NYC. [Mar 2006, p.92]

This prison lies in a qualitative limbo. The monsters are gorgeous bundles of slime and metal; the atmosphere is dense and layered; it can, on occasion, give you real heebie jeebies. [Aug 2004, p.85]

The game’s combat system is competent and fiercely enjoyable for fans of the ‘quick, kill that heavily armed hotelier’ genre.

Just don't blame us for the clumsy controls, dodgy camera angles and ultra-frustrating gameplay. [Sept 2006, p.104]

It's the sci-fi game for RTS fans who found "Dawn of War" a little too streamlined. A game by fans for fans, but few others. [Sept 2005, p.90]

Solid and full of promise, but it never quite delivers the goods. [Christmas 2006, p.96]

As an accompaniment to school projects, Wild Earth is a worthwhile title, but as a game for your little 'uns it's unlikely to be long before they're begging for a quick round of "Quake." [May 2007, p.67]

A classic case of overreaching, with a few too many stats-based irons in the fire, rather generic RTS elements and hugely clunky flight simulation. [Aug 2007, p.61]

Forward-looking tech, backwards-looking gaming.

High seas trading, not hijacks. Passes the time, but gets old fast.

It's simply a tale of new areas and new monsters to left-click on with whatever over-powered kill-stick you have in your inventory. [Apr 2007, p.66]

Misses a few crucial tricks which could have given it greater mass appeal. [Mar 2006, p.97]

Evolution doesn't happen, according to this particular history book. [Dec 2005, p.98]

Defense Grid is fun while it lasts, but won't last you very long. [Feb 2009, p.101]

Gloriously silly. [Oct 2009, p.99]

To damn it with faint praise, this is the world's greatest fire-fighting RTS. [May 2005, p.99]

There's a well-crafted basketball game here for the fans. [Dec 2006, p.108]

Impressive as the scale and visuals are as a technical achievement, the game itself is little more than a hollow shell. [Aug 2009, p.90]

Offers great weapons, a great destruction model...and not enough ways to have fun with them. [July 2011, p.94]

Frustratingly similar to the first, but plenty of good set-pieces in there.

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

The jokes are tired. [Mar 2010, p.95]

Some fun to be had in amongst the tedium. [Apr 2011, p.102]

A disappointing, mediocre shooter at best and a frustrating swear-a-thon at the very worst. I can't honestly recommend it. [Jan 2008, p.66]

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]

An elaborately realised world, with too little interaction to be truly great. [Oct 2007, p.60]

Daft idea, but the basic game does all you'd wish for. [Apr 2005, p.113]

While Thrillville is decent, disposable fun for kids, anyone in their teens will want more depth. [Christmas 2007, p.68]