A smart strategy game that doesn't work at the frantic pace it requires. Clever idea, but it's not cleverly designed. [Aug 2011, p.90]

A transitory pleasure that polishes up nice. But it lacks variety and competition, and is just a little bit too difficult.

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.

Without the old brill, open world and silly plot, ProStreet's mediocrity has no place to hide. [Jan 2008, p.76]

A puzzler that remains short of an epiphany. [Sept 2012, p.85]

A fantastic story and great characters, but hours of tedious traps and mazes shows why Fallout is best without walls. [Apr 2011, p.98]

Ace Combat never felt this empty. [May 2009, p.76]

A ghastly mess of bad design decisions that brings out the worst in user-made content. Not worth it. [Sept 2009, p.78]

Not the Sims you're looking for. [Jan 2009, p.76]

The original game was used as a training tool for real soldiers. God help the US if this is what they actually have to deal with. [June 2006, p.68]

A slog that's worthwhile for arcade and music lovers alike. [July 2010, p.76]

The humour, too, is a little underplayed. [Sept 2010, p.95]

What you're doing isn't terribly interesting. [July 2010, p.97]

This is a big, tight game that's just lacking in greatness or spark. [Feb 2007, p.78]

A complex and wellbalanced sim that's troubled by a severe lack of long-term objectives and dearth of character.

Without prods from the story to push onwards, Retrovirus is reliant on the appeal of its three-dimensional shootouts to push you towards the end. Thankfully, they are up to the job. [Apr 2013, p.107]

Technically creaky but ultimately fun. [Nov 2008, p.82]

Dark, moody, and full of hate. Your reviewer the day after the diary puzzle. [Aug 2008, p.89]

Homefront never quite captures the feel of guerilla warfare, but its multiplayer mode is a warzone worth fighting in.

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

It's a worthy and handsome effort, but frustratingly badly explained, making it hard to play.

A well designed game totally let down by the software and structure supporting it. This could have been a must-play. [Nov 2012, p.100]

Fun in the purest sense of the word, Lego Universe is a delightful MMO that involves your imagination but ends much too soon.

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]

One of the most refreshing things about Rogue is how powerful you feel, and how well equipped you are. [June 2006, p.66]

A clever reworking of the card-based strategy game formula. [Dec 2013, p.94]

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

A better class of more of the same. [June 2006, p.92]