Great monsters and partly interesting multiplayer, but weak campaigns and clumsy controls reduce AvP's long-term appeal. [Apr 2010, p.94]

This is a low-rent clone, barely an improvement, without a soul to call its own. [Aug 2007, p.80]

Galactic Assault: Prisoner of Power is a slick hex wargame that wears its theme like a chimpanzee wears a trilby (reluctantly and unconvincingly). Besides the names of the factions, units and characters, there's almost nothing here of the dark, distinctive source material. [Dec 2007, p.84]

Too fiddly for a casual player and not rigorous enough for those used to Football Manager's depth. [Christmas 2007, p.86]

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 superb idea, let donw by execution. [May 2008, p.86]

Stay away. [July 2011, p.98]

Some conservative choices, and it's tough for tourists, but stoical series vets will relish the change of scene and kit. [Nov 2011, p.132]

The most hardcore space-based 4X in years. [Jan 2007, p.88]

Dated, mediocre babble, from those who should know better. [July 2006, p.90]

Unlikely ever to fuel frenetic action akin to Galcon, or plumb great strategic depths. [Apr 2012, p.121]

Fair challenges, but a backward step for the series. [Christmas 2008, p.70]

A stout strategy yeoman. [Apr 2008, p.78]

A great game system, a lack of levels. [Aug 2007, p.66]

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

Fine selection of game types, but outdated and lacking in soul. [May 2007, p.80]

It's a highly polished, occasionally satisfying, wholly unremarkable game set not in WWII, but in an imagined reality where it had a sequel. Not World War III, but WWII 2. [Apr 2009, p.78]

There's definitely a good idea in this 3D application of the classic puzzle themes, but Quantz hasn't figured out what it is yet. [Dec 2009, p.105]

The Club would make a great bonus mode in another game. It's a much harder sell on its own. It's an FPS with the values of a racing game - entire focused on self-improvement and efficiency. [Mar 2008, p.78]

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

Its lighthearted retro puzzling gets under your skin very quickly. It's unlikely to stay there more than a couple of days, but for four quid that's plenty sufficient. [Apr 2013, p.85]

Worst of all is its absense of an Undo function. [Aug 2006, p.78]

Nothing more than a merely adequate shooter. [Christmas 2007, p.66]

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

Shank is a visually attractive but completely shallow excuse for a 2D brawler game. Frustrating combat doesn't help.

A great pedigree - you'll be hooked on this like grade A catnip. [Sept 2007, p.89]

Take Queen's Gambit as a harbiner that the original is now worth playing. If and when you've exhausted that, then this is waiting for you. [Dec 2007, p.58]

Red River takes all the things the Flashpoint name is associated with – creative, emergent destruction and go-anywhere realism – and lets them wash away. It tries to be a bombastic shooter, but dodgy AI, a warren of bugs and an unpleasant tone mean the few gulps of fun you could draw from its waters are to be taken in multiplayer only.

Runaway gets halfway there, but just doesn't have any soul. [June 2007, p.91]

A short but sweet adventure game. Bears the wrinkles of age but it's still with spending your time on. [Feb 2014, p.90]

For all the action, for all the explosions, for all the adamantium-spined squad members, it's really not for the impatient - but if you don't mind fighting the control system as much as the Krauts, it's a refreshingly different take on what was rapidly becoming a tired setting. [Nov 2006, p.74]

With no clear improvement in graphics, it's hard to see this as more than last year's game with this year's roster. [Christmas 2007, p.95]

Remains a pretty and obscure artifact of narrow gaming tastes. [Jan 2007, p.92]

It's hardly the prettiest game ever, and the story is laden with nonsense, but it's a game with a racing pulse - energising, like the best action games are supposed to be. [Oct 2006, p.90]

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

No great shakes, but an awful lot better than "SimCity Societies." [Mar 2008, p.87]

Quickly loses steam thanks to repetition and bland design. [Jan 2012, p.114]

A game so monotonous, it's inspired a new word - 'tediocre'. [Christmas 2006, p.90]

Late, and lacklustre in key areas. [July 2007, p.78]

If D2 came with a level-skip cheat printed in the manual, it would be a lot easier to recommend. [July 2006, p.70]

It's brief enough and silly enough that it never stops being dumb, no-strings fun. Even when your VS becomes capable of barely-steerable flight and unbearably slow-to-recharge energy swords, y'know, it's still a flying robot with swords. Also, a generically Xboxian art style aside, it often looks fantastic, the motion blur and haze of snow especially.

Classical, but no classic. Bread and circuses at their most generic. [Sept 2006, p.105]

Painfully clunky and predictable, but put another way, it's also nostalgic and deeply charming. [July 2007, p.90]

It's almost innovative. [July 2009, p.79]

A relatable game about a common truth: that true happiness is hard to find. [Apr 2014, p.89]

In terms of fulfilling what "Settlers" has always promised - building a city - it's true to its word. It just needs a bit more vim and vigour to it. [Dec 2007, p.68]

An undeniably fun space-combat MMO, with the bones of a rich universe but still plenty of catching up to do. [Apr 2010, p.102]

It's repetitive, mindless, claustrophobically linear, over-stylised and incoherent. [June 2009, p.93]

Custom BFGs keep it more BFE than BFD, but the modern successor to games like Contra and Abuse this is not. [Nov 2011, p.136]

The dark addictiveness of levelling is as strong here as anywhere. [Oct 2007, p.85]

Even if it wasn't catastrophically broken, HAWX 2 would be a hard game to get particularly excited about. [Jan 2011, p.96]

With diplomacy and more resourceful units, Hegemony could have been great rather than good. [Aug 2010, p.102]

Better than the first game, and an amazing technical achievement, but the shooting needs work to fully realise its potential.

The worst thing is that you can't skip the dialogue. [July 2010, p.91]

Unluckily, it costs 20 quid, which is significantly more than it's worth. [July 2012, p.99]

Competent combat and visuals are slightly marred by online irritations. [Oct 2010, p.94]

Comparisons with adventure classic "Psychonauts" are unfavourable. [Oct 2008, p.78]

Neither the need or the speed. [Jan 2009, p.82]

Crucially, MotoGP 08 translates the speed and thrill of the sport to your PC, which "SBK08" comprehensively failed to do. [Christmas 2008, p.98]

Worryingly enjoyable, but eventually runs out of steam. [May 2006, p.89]

An impressive endeavor for a small group of first-time devs with a shoestring budget, but as much as it feels like kicking puppies to say so, not a product worth your money. [June 2006, p.82]

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

Won't stop you dreaming of Horned Reapers and Dark Mistresses, but still fills a gap that's been empty for far too long.

Two Worlds is worth a play, but only if you've exhausted the competition. And invested in ear plugs for when the characters start talking. [Aug 2007, p.88]

Mediocre and dismally uninspired. [July 2008, p.88]

Not smart or sleek enough to shine. [Sept 2008, p.90]

HoAE is sweet, and absorbs time reasonably pleasingly, but at no point does it ever manage to be anything accomplished. [Dec 2006, p.96]

Better than Oblivion's DLC, but save your money for now. [Apr 2009, p.71]

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]

Only WRC fans will persevere here. [Christmas 2010, p.97]

A perfectly adequate console port. [Nov 2007, p.84]

The campaign was too barren and the skirmishes simply broke on the overall weakness of the field combat. [Apr 2008, p.80]

An average idea made even worse by the poor execution. [Aug 2006, p.81]

The challenges Blazing Angels throws at you are soggy squibs - all of them seen before in ten thousand, million, million previously 3D shooters. [May 2006, p.94]

The extra frills don't add thrills to the tried Pipemania template. [Oct 2012, p.90]

Pointless but not worthless. [Jan 2008, p.74]

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

The stunning views and wanton destruction are ample compensation. [Feb 2011, p.92]

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]

Spiral Knights is fast, accessible and fun until the spiteful pricing system pops up to punch you in the face.

There's a reason I haven't said much yet about the RTS that sits serenely at the core of Rise & Fall. That reason is there really isn't much to say beyond it's good solid stuff with a strong whiff of Ensemble's best work. [July 2006, p.85]

Right up to date - the date being 2002. [Jan 2009, p.77]

Insta-fun air combat, daft and pleasing.

Irritating level design and a poor story are somewhat redeemed by explosive action and a challenging co-op mode. [Sept 2010, p.82]

Just a pretty good indie adventure: the difficulty and pacing are absolutely spot-on, even if the visuals lack the ostentatious fireworks we're used to these days. [June 2009, p.99]

The bulk of JULIA feels like an attempt to pad out the story. [May 2012, p.111]

Fun, but frustratingly contrived. [May 2009, p.62]

Does it justify the steep price? No. [July 2012, p.99]

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

Delayed gratification of locked-out units dampens the enthusiasm of the new fast-paced class-based action. [May 2010, p.78]

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

Hacky port that bleongs on consoles. [Sept 2007, p.80]

Some nice touches, but lethargic AI, performance issues, and personality - deficient premiers make the ruling gruelling. [Nov 2011, p.120]

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

Stuffy science fiction nonsense without a scrap of humour. [Sept 2008, p.91]

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

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