Well worth the price in entertainment value. [Jan 2010, p.90]

It's still a fantastic game. [Sept 2010, p.102]

Dawn of War 2 is relentless, grindy, beautiful, but never less than an utterly compulsive real-time strategy game.

A massive upgrade on the first game, but don't blame us if you get a bit tired of shooting people in the face. [Issue#244, p.106]

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

Note to Epic: just give us more unique Onslaught maps – and new vehicles for them – and we’ll happily keep playing. But keep churning out endless samey maps and it’s back to "Battlefield" and "PlanetSide" for us.

While non-hockey fans can blag their way through the main game, Dynasty mode is a whole different puck game. It takes a real hockey buff to know what's going on with the different team lines, strategies, player trading and draft picking.

All the licenses you could want, but sluggish controls hold it back. [Christmas 2009, p.93]

Cryostasis is a beautiful, yet flawed, gem of a game. It offers up a thoroughly unique experience, that at its height is as breathtaking as it terrifying. The decision to render this as a first person shooter is slightly double-edged though, because as a shooter it’s less of a stunner, but is still a worthy addition to your game shelf.

So close to brilliance - but, again let down by premature release. [Jan 2005, p.82]

Attractive, accessible and plenty to do – for a golf game, anyway.

Not wholly innovative, but a rewarding tactical shooter.

A new, simpler breed of Splinter Cell action, though with enough of its hardcore gaming roots showing to please us all. [July 2010, p.90]

A slight affair, but tense, focused and the best finger-on-the-button sim ever. [Nov 2006, p.96]

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

One of the most fun puzzle games since "Bookworm Adventures." [Jan 2008, p.74]

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]

As human mercenary enemies make way for the dreaded aliens, the AI suffers a brain haemorrhage and the game needs to distract you with spectacular visual events to distract you from your stand and shoot enemies. It's as good as any recent shooter at epic moments and gun-toting drama, but it feels a little shallow once you realise how remedial the all-conquering alien force actually are.

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

It feels like a retro collection, but it's pretty much a no-brainer for flight sim fans until "Storm of War" arrives. [Feb 2007, p.65]

The best Pacific-based flight sim you can buy, without question. [Dec 2004, p.86]

A fresh breath in the MMORPG genre. In some respects it's ELITE on steroids.

A visceral, engrossing epic noticeably lacking in refinement. [Apr 2006, p.82]

A little like a tavern wench you met in Trinidad - certainly pretty, very broad, but ultimately a tiny bit shallow. [Jan 2005, p.88]

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

It's a gorgeous, charming and suitably priced offering. [Dec 2008, p.99]

Eminently likeable; as moreish as chocolate kittens, more addictive than smack-sprinkled kebabs. All the key ingredients of an RTS are here: well-balanced varied units, interesting missions, a surprising plot.

Overall, the simplicity is really the only thing that holds Operation Genesis back: it comes across as more of a children’s game than a fully-fledged management title and doesn’t have the enduring challenges to really snare the proper calculator junkies.