This is a fun, vibrant open world game with a great sense of humour. I just wish it felt nicer to play.

Fun, not-too-hard stealth puzzles that look great, wrapped up in a humdrum story with a boring protagonist.

It offers roughly 20 hours of compelling play, with a mystery that's genuinely worth solving. [Feb 2004, p.81]

The Ship is the shooter Agatha Christie didn't live long enough to make. [Sept 2007, p.65]

Challenging fun. [May 2010, p.82]

A superb water park for four friends to splash around in, but progression is sluggish and there are too few surprises beneath the waves.

While no single aspect of Nexagon is truly unique, the total package is a winner - surprisingly fun and addictive. [Nov 2003, p.110]

Still, Top Spin 2 is a decent, enjoyable tennis game for a modest $19.99 price tag. [May 2007, p.70]

A multiversal master of none, with a messy but intriguing combat system at its core.

It's nice to see that the developers actually tried to make a good game, rather than just take advantage of the LEGO brand. [Apr 2003, p.102]

A fun, charming, and occasionally brilliant Yakuza game, let down by an overabundance of repetitive turn-based battles.

Diablo fans will love the combat options, sophisticated magic, and quality graphics. [Nov 2000, p.159]

A bloated, grindy mess, but so packed with options that a better game is hidden inside it.

Offers more of the same good stuff, but no real creative innovation. [Nov 2002, p.128]

In the end, Clash of Heroes spends too much time trying to distract you from the one thing that makes it brilliant. [Jan 2012, p.80]

Refreshingly, cheating is often the best way to go. [Sept 2004, p.70]

Orcs Must Die: Deathtrap retains the frenzied fun of its predecessors despite a mixed bag of format changes.

A functional, basic board game port isn't enough to truly shine off the tabletop.

Not particularly difficult, and its mobile roots are showing, but Hitman GO: Definitive Edition is an entertaining puzzle spin-off.

Satisfying, pen-and-paper-style zombie storytelling that's somewhat blandly presented and burdened by bugs. A worthy RPG that would've benefited from more budget.

Those errors and omissions not withstanding, Snoopy vs. The Red Baron still does the Peanuts legacy proud with its engaging characters and compelling pick-up-and-play simplicity. [Jan. 2007, p.66]

Underlying all the advances made in bot technology and the updated maps, Condition Zero is still fundamentally a five-year-old game...but this standalone package should satisfy both the Counter-Strike-curious and the broadband impaired. [Jan 2004, p.90]

The problem with NHL 2003 is that it's fun, but it just ain't hockey...I'm 30 games into the season, and I have yet to lose one...with the difficulty at Highest. [Dec 2002, p.114]

A perfectly good 4X game with an innovative combat system that feels a bit bland when framed against the richness of its setting.

Monster Hunter Stories 3 delivers deep build crafting and battle systems, but they're wasted on a war story that's barely there.

Raidou Remastered isn't the best Shin Megami Tensei game on PC, but its live-action take on a familiar turn-based combat system is as fun as it is fascinating.

Mowing down thousands of aliens in Vatican City is worth doing at least once.

Trainz isn't really a game at all, but rather an intricate simulation of what is itself an intricate simulation. [May 2002, p.62]

A generic shooter with lots to say. Spec Ops: The Line trades quality gaming for quality narrative and interesting characters. [Oct 2012, p.72]

A mismatched mix of genres grafted onto a moving, beautifully presented story.

Not up to the lofty standards set by "IL-2," but still an entertaining WWII prop sim. [June 2002, p.56]

The graphics won't win championships, but the sheer number of games and multiplayer features make up for it. [Jun 2006, p.105]

Extreme sports made accessible to the point of basic. It's got a tin ear but a big heart.

A quality step-up for a series that's still short of greatness.

Fires a salvo of ghastly, unwarranted features into its own guts, thankfully doing no harm to a defiantly enjoyable series.

For $25, the value proposition of this time-sink is impressive if you consider yourself more managerial material than on-field talent. [Sept 2008, p.67]

Wunderdoktor's beautiful handmade world is a delight to travel through, but beneath that charming exterior lies a twitchy, unforgiving, and sometimes unrewarding puzzle game.

The simple building system is very slow and expensive, often taking years, and enemy ninjas can destroy guilds or religious locations with ease. [Holiday 2011, p.77]

Cute little city-builder with big ambitions and even bigger cosmic cetaceans.

Sound fun? It is, though monotony may set in for some about halfway through. There just aren't enough roads or storylines to keep the journey captivating over the long haul. [Nov 2003, p.112]

It doesn't do enough to raise itself beyond being just a solid (albeit fun) brawler. [May 2009, p.70]

At $10, Shank 2's hardly a regrettable purchase. Just a largely forgettable one. [May 2012, p.71]

Adding to the frustration is that too often you’ll crash when landing, even though you’re lined up perfectly with the ramp. [Holiday 2001, p.62]

A smart historical 4X that doesn't quite match the inventiveness of the studio's best.

If you're looking for nothing more than a vampiric tale of killing and consuming folks, Blood Omen 2 should be right up your dark, haunted alley. [July 2002, p.67]

Piloting insect mechs in a beautifully tiny world is a breeze, but heavy resource grinding stops this adventure taking full flight.

The series desperately needs a bigger leap forward, but this sequel fills the obvious Indy gap with no small style. [Mar 2010, p.82]

Though hokey, tired and periodically shambolic, the campaign has a few new tricks, but it's the fulsome multiplayer that saves Blops 2 from shame.

Initially stunning but lacking the depth and variety to support mammoth playtimes.

A comfortable adventure on a noble path, but wearing spurs of a squire instead of the crown of a king.

A brave effort with interesting puzzles, but boring RPG elements really make you want to see how PopCap alone would have handled the same concept. [Mar 2010, p.84]

A vibrant mystery adventure but maybe not for you if you're picky about picross.

Fun and frantic, with plenty of challenge. GoNNER is weird and beautiful, despite its lack of depth.

Much deeper and more complex than it looks to be on first acquaintance; it could be a real sleeper in the wargaming community.

Multiplay is fun, but it's not THAT fun, especially since there are plenty of turn-based games with free multiplay. [June 2005, p.65]

For the price, though, it's bloody fun. [Feb. 2007, p.72]

The real issue with ALA is its brevity...Even so, Apache Longbow Assault delivers an entertaining ride while it lasts, and I suppose that's all one can reasonably expect from a budget title. [Apr 2004, p.81]

Free mode is definitely worth trying, but don't go out and buy the store copy unless you're comfortable spending extra cash for in-game items. [Sept 2007, p.60]

Wobbly and unstable in all the right ways, and some of the wrong ones too.

All three of me agree, there's nothing quite like it. Quantum League is worth your time.

En Garde! flares brightly with its slick, slapstick combat, for a while at least.

An enjoyable squad-based game... Think of it as "Commandos" for the tights-wearing set. [Feb 2003, p.84]

Though eclipsed by "Company of Heroes," JTF is a tough but attractive military RTS. [Holiday 2006, p.74]

A stylish metroidvania with crunchy combat and a delightfully melancholy mood, but some will find it too safe and frictionless.

Pyre's campaign is repetitive and its combat never quite clicks, but a touching and thoughtful story makes it worth sticking through to the end.

One good idea--the racer's scoring system--spoiled by a thuddingly dull cop campaign and dumb design decisions. [March 2014, p.68]

There are a handful of intriguing puzzles, but with its sumptuous atmosphere and superb voice acting--slightly stylized and exaggerated to pump up the melodrama--Murder succeeds less as a classic adventure game than as a splendidly illustrated piece of interactive fiction; in this case, a subtle but important distinction. [Mar 2007, p.65]

The design could be tighter, the story a bit better paced, but it's still a fine couple of evenings' worth of puzzling, atmosphere, mystery, and magic, with animals cute and fluffy enough to see you through its more turgid bits. [Oct 2013, p.69]

A slightly messy first-person shooter lifted by some excellent weapons and a gorgeous art style.

Deeper and more refined than the original, but there’s still room to improve its game.

A calm and realistic marine-diving simulator that unfortunately never goes deeper than the surface.

Though it's no classic tale, Emperor's Tomb has both actioning and adventuring in spades, whisking you off on a gorgeous cross-continental tour of exotic locales. [June 2003, p.68]

A solid action game, but it's no "Max Payne 2" (or "Max Payne, for that matter). [Feb 2004, p.84]

A great game, unimpressively updated. Get the bigger, cheaper version instead.

As a Baldur's Gate adventure, Siege of Dragonspear works well. While it's not entirely tonally consistent with the original series, it does a good job of inserting itself into the middle of the story without feeling like sacrilege. As a result, though, it requires that you still be invested in that story. The fact is, a decade and a half later, there are much smoother, more enjoyable RPG experiences available.

Dead in Vinland combines resource management, RPG combat, uneven writing, and a lot of diciness into something I couldn't stop playing until I finished it.

A killer puzzle game that tests your skill and your patience.

Social commentary delivered with baseball bat subtlety, Not Tonight owes a huge debt to Papers, Please, but finds its own voice in the bit-parts of post-Brexit Britain.

Death to Spie's dry technical approach isn't for everybody, but its 10 challenging missions will still put sweat on your brow and a pounding pulse in your ears for under $30. [Jan 2008, p.90]

Zax is good fun, though it suffers from too much déjà vu. [Feb 2002, p.65]

"SimCity" elements tend to bog down the fun factor, but if you don't mind some biz sim with your strategy, you'll find this game pretty entertaining. [Sept 2003, p.77]

Payday is the most exciting parts of your favorite movies cobbled together, swapping the brains for extra bullets. [Jan 2012, p.67]

It's a shame that PES has made so many worthwhile tweaks, only to deliver a lacklustre PC edition. PES could—and should—be as good as the console game in every detail, and if have a console you’ll be throwing good money after bad. Pity, as otherwise this ought to be a seminal football sim.

The fact is, Syberia 2 doesn't top the first game. It starts out strong - Kate second-guesses her leap of faitih, yet perseveres to outwit a misogynistic monk - but there's just not enough narrative thrust to support a compelling second chapter in the story. [Apr 2004, p.71]

Tycoon games just don't stop coming, and the fun doesn't end in this java-themed budget title. [Dec. 2006, p.122]

A brilliantly absurd arcade brawler that’s brimming with personality, but suffers from repetition and a glaring lack of online multiplayer.

A welcome diversion. [Jan 2003, p.106]

FIFA 21 fixes some on-pitch issues, though it stops short of giving the series the meaningful overhaul it needs.

A smart, funny, heartfelt narrative game that tells a killer story, but doesn't do much beyond that.

Despite hitting most of the right notes, it's so short that it's barely memorable. [June 2011, p.77]

Genesis' gameplay would really benefit from more depth: once you get the basic structures in place and the cash starts to roll in, there's little challenge left. [Apr 2003, p.104]

We love the new look, but we're not thrilled about the tarnished gameplay. [May 2004, p.64]

A cute chess set for 40K fans and an unusual twist on the classic game, but skip the campaign.

Kingdom is a fun, gorgeous management game, but trying to learn its mysteries eventually becomes a slog.

Worth buying if you missed "West Front," but it's not the sequel fans were hoping for. [Dec 2005, p.85]

The pixel-art is faultless and the gameplay is pleasingly reminiscent of the classics, but Timespinner doesn't offer much that feels new.

Effectively dodges dull micromanagement in pushing faster tactical action, but it still throws some sticks in the spokes of smooth gameplay. [Feb 2003, p.81]

A "Jurassic Park" spin on an otherwise old-school RTS. [Holiday 2006, p.70]