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

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

Exhilarating stripped down action-RPG. Repetitive, but compulsive. [Oct 2005, p.86]

As before, there's nothing here that's massively wrong, but nothing exactly right either, and in particular, nothing that "Diablo" didn't do just as well. [July 2005, p.99]

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

Ultimately, the lack of a convincing "feel," combined with a predictable and rather uninspired selection of weapons mean War World is never going to grasp you by the imagination and shake you with a hydraulic arm until you lie limp and broken. [Oct 2005, p.98]

Our favourite is the A-10 Warthog – cruising at 50 feet, on the prowl for enemy tanks, it’s one of the most exhilarating missions available in any recent simulator.

A blast from the past, getting away with it this time, but possibly not a third. [Sept 2005, p.96]

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

A new classic. It will change every gaming instinct you have. [March 2005, p.110]

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

Utterly standard adventure devoid of novelty. [Christmas 2005, p.102]

A victim of its own sneers, this is the world's first self-parodying game. [July 2005, p.90]

Lazy little film tie-in with some purely irritating features. [Oct 2005, p.99]

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

Exhilarating to the point of giddiness. This is a martial masterpiece. [Aug 2005, p.80]

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

Solid but wholly uninspiring. [Aug 2005, p.95]

A jack of all trades and a master of some - San Andreas tries astonishingly hard to let you do anything. And so long as you don't crave any meaningful character interaction outside of mow down with a monster truck first, ask questions later, it very nearly manages to pull it off, too. [Aug 2005, p.88]

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

Simultaneously fascinating and flawed, it's the definition of high maintenance. [July 2005, p.86]

Quickly gets as dull as a three-hour wait in A&E. With a saucepan on your head. [Sept 2005, p.95]

You can't out-Diablo "Diablo," so don't try. [Oct 2005, p.92]

Here, kids get varied and frequently updated missions goals and plenty of welcome help. [Sept 2005, p.98]

Addictive, simple, and enormous fun, Fate's only flaw is that the endless dungeons get depressing as the decor incessantly repeats, and that the simple fishing mini-game often nets you ridiculously expensive top-level items. [Sept 2005, p.102]

It puts up a brave fight, but can't quite defeat the champion of war games ("Rome: Total War"). After all, Rome wasn't beat in a day. [July 2005, p.96]

Survival horror, that's as bland as bland can be. Cold, yes. Fear, no. [June 2005, p.92]

Despite clumsy menus, the game itself looks utterly beautiful, and as the community grows, the game will expand and become more involved. [May 2005, p.98]