It packs an emotional punch when it counts. [Nov 2014, p.92]

A mildly unsatisfying conclusion that still has enough charm and challenge to justify fans' faith in the project. [July 2014, p.88]

The best war sim around. [July 2014, p.86]

A short but sweet platformer requiring ninja reflexes. [May 2014, p.85]

A fast, deep and exciting card game let down by its business model. Great when you're on a roll, rough when you're not. [Apr 2014, p.84]

Still dark, cool, beautiful, smart substantial, funny, creative and endlessly entertaining. Only now a bit better. [Jan 2014, p.88]

A delight. [Dec 2013, p.95]

An original take on the arcade time-trial formula. [Dec 2013, p.95]

FIFA 14 has the same old problems as previous incarnations, but it remains the same great football game. [Dec 2013, p.84]

This DLC passes the fun test in a way the previous games didn't. [Sept 2013, p.97]

It's the best add-on so far, playing to all the series' strengths. [Sept 2013, p.97]

Once the dominion diarrhea is sorted out, an essential purchase for owners of Victoria II: A House Divided. [July 2013, p.96]

It's Far Cry 3 dressed as trashily as you can imagine; the joke only goes so far, but it's definitely fun to play. [July 2013, p.90]

A gorgeous puzzle-platformer that's both a treat for the eyes and a thorough workout for the mind. [July 2013, p.82]

CTF steals the show. [June 2013, p.97]

A brilliantly realised world wrapped around a story-driven shooter that occasionally forgets you want to play it. [June 2013, p.71]

It's a fun, polished platformer, but a limited one. [May 2003, p.83]

An amazing blend of high stakes and comedic timing, one that will leave you hungry for constant four-player action.

This imaginative, thrillingly fast racer is better than it has any right to be. [Apr 2013, p.107]

A game like this lives on the quality of its script, and Denby and Raze have written a tender, human story that doubles up as the game's primary puzzle. [Apr 2013, p.91]

Beguiles with its military polish and visual appeal. [Apr 2013, p.85]

For only 1.99, it's a trip back in time worth taking. [March 2013, p.95]

If you have the patience to overcome its quirks, The Real Texas is a charming and joyous mixture of ye olde and yee-haw. [Oct 2012, p.109]

A preposterous pleasure. [Oct 2012, p.97]

Short, sweet, and entirely too touching for a platform game about bouncy squared narrated by Danny Wallace. [Oct 2012, p.96]

OotP's baseball smarts may be undisputed, but it struggles to capture the passion and sporting flair of the infield. [Sept 2012, p.106]

A labour of love, and as a result, it's a pure pleasure to play. [Sept 2012, p.98]

Delightfully drawn and packed with both personality and innovative game ideas, but more tiny than big. [Sept 2012, p.86]

It's a good entry into the often neglected motorbike racing genre. [Aug 2012, p.105]

Its excellent customisation and clever AI makes for one of the best tower defence games around. [Aug 2012, p.104]

A welcome gulp of sea air for jaded real-time strategy fans, slightly tainted by campaign conservatism. [June 2012, p.108]

It's a cute and pacey game. [June 2012, p.105]

At a mere 2 quid, you'd have to be insane not to pick Wizorb up. [June 2012, p.101]

Short but sweet - a relentlessly imaginative adventure from Double Fine that never wears out its welcome. [June 2012, p.98]

The new scenarios are enlivened by the fantastic timeline system. [June 2012, p.97]

It's a formula that works surprisingly well, and, at such a small price, Waveform is a bargain. [June 2012, p.95]

Cubemen's simplicity is of the arrogant, even brash kind. [June 2012, p.95]

Endearingly cheery, but slightly shallow stealth-action dosed up with black humour, and a few fresh gimmicks. [June 2012, p.88]

A game offering joyously vapid four-player carnage and some smart unlocks, but lacking substance. [June 2012, p.86]

Eugen Systems put the "real" back into RTS. The result is spacious, subtle, deeply satisfying tactical gaming. [June 2012, p.84]

Scoregasm may lack the polish and extra modes of the best examples the genre, but its frenetic pace and level variety ensure it's worth more than a quick fumble. [May 2012, p.113]

It's utterly compulsive. [May 2012, p.111]

Satisfying. [May 2012, p.105]

This is a flight sim light on content, but it's not like you have to pay for it, is it? [May 2012, p.102]

An anarchic lo-fi MMO with a refreshing disregard for your sanity. Unrepentantly simplistic and fun. [May 2012, p.94]

A beautifully animated, brilliantly scored, exquisitely judged platformer, equally modern and classic. [May 2012, p.92]

A thoroughly enjoyable, hardcore platforming challenge to tackle. [Apr 2012, p.120]

If enjoyable, charming, bite sized platforming is what you want, Storm in a Teacup is the right brew for you. [Apr 2012, p.112]

Beneath the endless text, Analogue is smart, focused, and refreshingly unpleasant stuff with a style all of its own. [Apr 2012, p.112]

Well worth the 5 quid. [Apr 2012, p.98]

If you were ever in your life a child, you'll love it. [March 2012, p. 107]

You end up playing three intertwined games simultaneously. [Mar 2012, p.111]

Hate seeing your battle banners blanche? Go Ikko Ikki. [Mar 2012, p.109]

There are no hidden depths in Waves, but it's worth splashing out on it. [Feb 2012, p.112]

The game is an aesthetic pleasure to lose yourself in. [Feb 2012, p.101]

Rochard is just four or five hours long, but it has boatloads of charm and a surprising amount of character. [Feb 2012, p.99]

A punishingly tough light RPG that'll draw you in and spit you out without a second thought. Worth it for the presentation.

Immersive, absorbing, annoying, and very long – if you're after getting a tan from your monitor, get in there.

How free-to-play gaming should be done, in a superhero MMO that's yet to be beaten for fun. More like this please!

A surprisingly deep and well-designed FPS/RTS hybrid. A Team Fortress 2 alternative that needs a community to thrive.

Set to doom a generation of pony-mad girls. Perfect if you have love in your heart and Sims 3 on your Steam account.

Exhilarating flying over fine scenery, but the story needed to be stronger and longer. Buy ToH for the thrills. Not the dialogue.

Too similar to RailWorks 2 to be a sequel, and with little fresh content, but the series is chugging along in the right direction.

The co-op is a nice topping on a delicious slice of retro action – but you might still feel hungry afterwards.

Fun with physics, if you're happy to dig to find your treasures, Universe Sandbox has them in spades. [Dec 2011, p.112]

Modern Warfare 3 is linear, badly written and one note. It's still, from a certain angle, regressive. It's also fun.

The games we normally call open worlds – the locked off cities and level-restricted grinding grounds – don't compare to this. While everyone else is faffing around with how to control and restrict the player, Bethesda just put a fucking country in a box. It's the best open world game I've ever played, the most liberating RPG I've ever played, and one of my favourite places in this or any other world.

Brilliant and unrivalled multiplayer makes it a game worth playing, despite bugs and crappy singleplayer.

Often beguiling and sometimes infuriating, FM 2012 remains a compelling and comprehensive sim of footie strategy and tactics.

A huge and exciting new mission riddled with creative possibilities. And it ends on the boss fight the main game deserved.

A charming hack-and-slash RPG, with an excellent soundtrack, great colouring, and a superb narration gimmick. [Nov 2011, p.124]

Bite-sized, colourful chunks of randomly generated adventure. It's the perfect casual roguelike experience. [Nov 2011, p.114]

An impressive second season that fixes our gripes from the first game and turns F1 into an accomplished racer.

A sluggish interface, weak guns and a few dull sewers can't slow this game down. Dead Island is huge, bloody and beautiful.

If you've got the patience to penetrate this game, and to put up with its dawdling, you're in for a treat.

An indie platform game with endearing retro looks, style, sophistication, and a sadistic streak. [Mar 2010, p.96]

Packs goofy characters, great loot, and a few bugs into an interesting new zone for the Fallout series. [Oct 2011, p.86]

It's Panzer General in a new greatcoat. A perfect introduction to the wonderful world of wargaming. [Oct 2011, p.80]

A beautifully designed masterpiece of a platform game, that will chill, challenge and charm in equal measure. [Oct 2011, p.78]

Space Marine is just endless war. Thanks to powerful weapons and excellent pacing, that war is pretty damn fun.

Something that raises a smile in your inbox, instead of spam. [Christmas 2006, p.93]

7 quid is a good price for a universe. [Sept 2011, p.89]

The perfect entry point into the series for PC gamers. Time to clear some desk space. [Sept 2011, p.82]

Too fiddly and unforgiving for the popular palate, but those after reality-rooted WWII challenges should clearly investigate. [Aug 2011, p.94]

It's jaunty, silly, and extremely fun. Best played with a good friend, and a good joypad. It's just a little bit too short.

A passable single player game that's hilarious fun in co-op. Full of weird and enjoyable multiplayer ideas. [Sept 2011, p.78]

An elegant game of pure tactics and psychology, won by wits instead of reflexes. Good against AI, great with friends.

A satisfying self-contained chapter, driven by an engrossing story, with exploration encouraged. Plus flying laser robots.

An intense and beautifully designed action-physics platformer, which also happens to be dirt cheap.

You will laugh. [July 2011, p.99]

The campaign is nothing special, but you get more than your money's worth in the Conquest multiplayer mode. [July 2011, p.96]

Despite unrefined combat, Alice: Madness Returns delivers a fun, unforgettable journey in color, design, and images.

Lack of tutorial, buggy netcode and wobbly combat aside, it's hard not to love the sense of wonder and discovery.

A fresh, fun idea, beautifully and expertly made. Any game this inventive and clever is worth your £9.

Leaks fun like a cracked sump leaks Castrol. Thoughtful additions ensure it's as irresistible as its predecessor.

The best physics-'em-up since Armadillo Run. [June 2011, p.95]

It's a delight, a near-perfect example of a populist combat sim. It's a rare battle passes some nailbiting duel or pulse-propelling advance. [June 2011, p.96]

Play the game the way it asks you to and you can have lots of fun, but Brink can be a bit too needy for pick-up-and-play.