Undeniably an interesting, surprising and oddly haunting experience. [Christmas 2009, p.117]

This is the most enormously detailed game world I've experienced, its history stretching back thousands of years, its cultures vivid, beautiful and flawed, the battles enormous, the humour superb. Roleplaying games now have a great deal to live up to. [Dec 2009, p.74]

More accessible, still daunting for newcomers, life-swallowing for anyone with an interest in the beautiful game. [Christmas 2009, p.102]

Brilliant, unthinking and unfair in equal measure. [Jan 2010, p.110]

This is a weak port. [Feb 2010, p.85]

Less adventurous heroes might be scared off, but if more is merrier, LoL is perfect for your advanced tower defending fix. [Christmas 2009, p.112]

An addictive, attractive, thoughtfully made dungeon crawler. But it could have taken some risks. [Christmas 2009, p.114]

Makes a one-man war against the armies of hell quite depressingly dull. [Christmas 2009, p.116]

A good FPS and a good RPG come together to make an excellent game. Or FPSRPG if you're being fancy. [Dec 2009, p.86]

Yes, it's a better start than last year, but it's still leagues apart from the Xbox 360 and PlayStation versions. [Dec 2009, p.106]

Still playable, but coasting on a years-old reputation that needs to be renewed sharpish if Pro Evo is to stay relevant. [Dec 2009, p.82]

It's fun while it lasts. [Christmas 2009, p.106]

As much fun as a day at the beach, but Tropico 3 misses a big boat by not showing you the results of your presidential labours. [Dec 2009, p.108]

Gloriously beautiful, infuriatingly fiddly. [Christmas 2009, p.98]

In short, it would take two humans deliberately missing every shot to ever be in jeopardy. [Christmas 2009, p.117]

Psychonauts did brain-delving better. Serious Sam did campy horde-killing better. For this price, you could buy both. Twice. [Christmas 2009, p.111]

Enjoyable city planning but a timid foray into MMO territory. [Christmas 2009, p.100]

A delightful dream devolves into a nightmare of poor controls and awkward movement. [Dec 2009, p.92]

An attractive and powerful sim that spoils itself by trying too hard to be a straightforward infantry shooter. [Dec 2009, p.98]

It's not bad value if you're new to Race 07, but is perhaps a raw deal for those who own the base game. [Christmas 2009, p.106]

A by-the-book roleplaying jaunt in fantasy-land. There's enough to do in Risen, but never enough to thrill. [Dec 2009, p.118]

As a continuation of the story, however, the episode works well. [Dec 2009, p.91]

A genuinely beautiful place crawling with magnificent beasts, host to interminable hours of mindless, soulless grind. [Dec 2009, p.110]

Order of war is irrefutable proof pretty Panzers are no longer enough. [Dec 2009, p.91]

Overstretched on launch, Fallen Earth is broken in too many places. Wait a while and the ambitious world could be impressive. [Dec 2009, p.84]

Essentially a very promising tech demo. [Christmas 2009, p.110]

An intriguing spanner in the strategy game works, but one that causes too many malfunctions to justify its existence. [Dec 2009, p.90]

A surprising treat. [Dec 2009, p.109]

The pacing is damned smart, the difficulty curve pitch perfect. [Nov 2009, p.92]

The most satisfying brawler ever coupled with an uncommonly creative stealth game. Only the bosses drag it down. [Nov 2009, p.94]

An excellent balancing act between arcade racing and simulated driving, with shudderingly fast cars. [Dec 2009, p.102]

PopCap charm permeates the experience - the dialogue and tool tops are hilarious - but the halfway mark signals a massive surge in difficulty, and you'll frequently get pinned for hours on a single stage. [Dec 2009, p.117]

It's just a good game. [Nov 2009, p.98]

The closest thing HoE has to a distinguishing feature is something called the 'ace kill.' [Dec 2009, p.105]

A few clever mechanics and great weapons against a backdrop of surprisingly immersive Civil War and WWII battles. [Oct 2009, p.87]

Original, fun and funny. A demanding, adrenal pleasure that's a few critical tweaks short of true brilliance. [Dec 2009, p.104]

It's quite broken in many ways, but it quickly grows on you, and becomes surprisingly endearing. [Nov 2009, p.82]

Satisfying combat and interesting mission structure saves this from the yawns of a thousand identikit space marines. [Nov 2009, p.102]

A surprisingly moreish zom-bomber. [Dec 2009, p.109]

This voyage is shaping up very well indeed. [Nov 2009, p.91]

A colourful, campy and unfrustrating caper. [Oct 2009, p.84]

If you can play it without yearning for "PlanetSide" or "ArmA 2", you're a better/weirder man than I. [Nov 2009, p.100]

Deep, logical and ambitious, Hearts of Iron 3 is a daunting prospect. Be prepared to lose entire weekends to it. [Oct 2009, p.88]

Even with the silly-alien theme, Zeta is utterly humourless. [Oct 2009, p.79]

This wet weekend in Wigan doesn't even come close. [Oct 2009, p.84]

Good, excellent, tip-top, neat, sound, and indeed marvelous. A casual adventure for even the most hardcore word geek. [Oct 2009, p.86]

Insultingly banal. [Nov 2009, p.100]

DLC and diligent modders could make it seaworthy, but until then, a galleon-T attempt that lacks necessary depth. [Oct 2009, p.76]

Just like a cheesy action flick, Bionic Commando is a satisfying rollercoaster of explosions, profanity and bizarre plot twists. [Sept 2009, p.82]

An oddly clumsy reprise of a much loved game. Beautifully hand-pained, wonderfully acted, but strange design choices. [Sept 2009, p.70]

At root, this is another "Blitzkrieg" ringer. [Aug 2009, p.89]

A brilliantly in-depth and vast war simulator that rewards your patience. [July 2009, p.69]

More fun than a barrel of monkeys, and a fine follow-up to at least the last couple of Monkey Island sequels. [Sept 2009, p.73]

Funnier than any game in years, and delightfully rude. Point-and-click adventuring done right for a change. [Sept 2009, p.74]

The first fighting game in a decade built for flesh and blood gamers and simply the best brawler available on any platform. [Sept 2009, p.86]

Shockingly bad voice acting. [Nov 2009, p.104]

Bound in Blood is a much more enjoyable experience than the first Juarez. It lacks some of the whimsy (such as Ray massacring whole towns while quoting scripture) in favour of focusing on the shooting, but it's a good trade.

Has all the ingredients for sim greatness, except a strong singleplayer campaign and a robust number of planes. [Jan 2010, p.108]

If you can penetrate the mysteries of its boardgame-based rules, Blood Bowl can offer true barbaric happiness. [Oct 2009, p.74]

There's too little vim and variety to rival the great online shooters, but Battlefield Heroes is definitely worth a look. [Oct 2009, p.80]

Fuel's races can sometimes frustrate, but making your own fun in a truly massive world is rarely a chore. [Sept 2009, p.76]

This crueller sequel is bursting with evil potential, but the fun is dragged down by clumsy execution. [Aug 2009, p.80]

There is a certain charm to Anno 1404's dinky people going about their business, and a lot of pretty detail to revel in, but this familiar collection of well-worn elements only preaches to the converted, offering little to attract new believers.

Remarkably entertaining, if limited and repetitious, thanks to the comedy spark of the original movie cast and writers. [Aug 2009, p.76]

It's by far the closest the series has got to nailing the spirit of the original animations. [Oct 2009, p.84]

It's good to have a sim like RailWorks forging ahead. [Sept 2009, p.79]

Dazzling, vicious fighting extravaganza, with tons of replay value. But you have to work hard to find out what's going on, or to care. [Aug 2009, p.68]

Short but sweeter than a bucket full of magic flying berries. Take a time-out from your busy life and try it. [Sept 2009, p.88]

It's best for occasional two-player knockabouts...but anyone wanting serious solo action or a lasting challenge will be disappointed. [Sept 2009, p.89]

A good-looking, expansive and bold sim of space-management, almost undone by a horror-interface. [Sept 2009, p.84]

Improved but basically the same, The Sims remains a joyful simulation, and celebration, of life and all its dramas.

The game beneath is distinctly below par and none of the story missions, or indeed the side quests, managed to grab my attention or imagination. [Oct 2009, p.79]

The big picture is impressive, but if the devil is in the details, this is his pitchfork jabbed right up your fundament. [Aug 2009, p.86]

Unbelievably repetitive and shallow. [July 2009, p.85]

World War One with zombies somehow ends up being no fun. [Apr 2009, p.81]

What the f..k were they thinking? [Sept 2009, p.79]

Solid, workman-like zombie slaughter, with a strong hint of amateur mod-making love and enthusiasm. [Aug 2009, p.72]

Excellent space strategy. [Nov 2009, p.90]

Purchase with confidence. [July 2009, p.86]

Frighteningly compelling. [May 2009, p.74]

A pedestrian outing. [Aug 2009, p.74]

Broken Steel enhances the entire Fallout 3 world with new items, quests and monsters, extending an awesome experience. [July 2009, p.88]

Hardcore platforming at its most frustrating. [Sept 2010, p.103]

An above-average movie adaptation. [July 2009, p.78]

A depressing and shoddy misfire of a World War II sneak-'em-up. [July 2009, p.84]

It's a shame what lies behind the giggles is so weak. [July 2009, p.76]

Technically a step backwards, but solid enough to scratch the itch of those desperate for another Neverwinter night. [Aug 2009, p.82]

Visit for the mini-games and fairy dust, but stay for the opportunity to spend 2 quid on a pair of magic pants. [Aug 2009, p.78]

Snail-paced frozen nonsense. [Apr 2009, p.66]

Engine improvements offset by mission meanness. [Aug 2009, p.88]

It is the eerie absence of fun. [July 2009, p.89]

A fantastically imaginative gameworld of gods, dinosaurs and giants, beautiful but messy and poorly explained.

I could walk away in disgust, but that would be madness. In between the bouts of befuddlement and frustration, I'm having too much fun. [Mar 2009, p.74]

Dizzying, baffling and staggeringly clever. It's a game that uses parts of your brain you didn't know you had. [June 2009, p.94]

Bizarrely creaky tech masks nice ideas. [May 2009, p.66]

Pleasingly varied new multiplayer modes for an excellent game, hampered by a paucity of maps [June 2009, p.90]

This offers sufficient substance and challenge in a nostalgic, turn-based package reminiscent of the earlier days of gaming. [June 2009, p.99]

The puzzles are mediocre, the controls are too sluggish, the animal behaviour too abstract and the humour either non-existent or gratifyingly dad-like. [June 2009, p.101]