The Godfather II doesn't trip over the ambition of its design - it balances the different genre aspects extremely well - but nagging graphics issues weigh it down, causing quest characters and family members to disappear or distort in-game and in cutscenes, sometimes requiring me to load old saved games to progress. [Apr 2009, p.82]

No, really—they've actually changed things this year, and the football feels better.

Great in places, but never quite lives up to its potential. A competent sequel let down by inconsistency.

These niggles aside, Need For Speed Carbon delivers an entertaining blend of racing, performance tuning, and professionally acted FMV storytelling. [Feb. 2007, p.64]

A delightful adventure with clever puzzles, a great atmospheric soundtrack and superbly stylized art. [Jan 2010, p.75]

Youngblood's gorgeous, terrible world is worth exploring, despite a slight narrative and oppressively boring progression systems.

Paradise conjures the same kind of enchanting story, satisfying puzzles, magical machinery, and exotic fauna that "Syberia" did, and signs off with and ending that lingers in your mind long after the credits roll. [Aug 2006, p.84]

An admirable chess experience, with enough lessons to keep you occupied for ages. [Nov 2003, p.134]

The single-player campaign alone is inspiring enough to warrant picking up this space shooter. [Apr 2002, p.84]

Less technically adept than modern competitors, but The Serpent's Curse Part 1 is a pleasing start to a new Broken Sword story. [March 2014, p.54]

There's a category of games I think of as Saturday morning cartoon games. They lack depth, but they are fluffy and easy to enjoy. As I look back on some screenshots as Pippin laser blasts a poor marauder into a pile of dust, I realise that's what The Outer Worlds is to me. If you meet it on those terms, I think you'll enjoy it.

Slick and generous, Magic: The Gathering Arena is finally the adaptation the CCG originator deserves.

Action hounds need not apply, but it you're into strategy, there's a lot to like here. [Oct 2000, p.132]

Structural innovations and strong presentation, held back by grind and an old-fashioned business model.

Heaps of fun and plenty chaotic, Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds is the closest we've ever gotten to Mario Kart on PC… for better and worse.

A game that proves there's plenty of blood left in this genre. [Sept 2000, p.112]

Octahedron gets more mileage than you'd think out of the ability to summon platforms beneath your feet.

I'm not a big fan of the game's pacing, either. Kohan II can be agonizingly slow in the beginning, which on the one hand is nice because it discourages rushing, but on the other hand...well, it's boring. [Nov 2004, p.104]

Sit through seemingly countless deaths, and you'll either break through the system, and master the stats--or bounce off the game and never go back. [Sept 2012, p.71]

A slow-burning but compelling universe in which to indulge your trading, mining and mercenary fantasies. [Sept 2012, p.74]

It also takes tremendous patience to grow your commercial space empire to a healthy payoff stage, but for many, that's part of this franchise's allure. [Feb 2006, p.90]

A joyful mix of stealth and action, the fun doesn't snag on the rough edges.

I would have zero reserverations recommending Dark Crusasde if it wasn't so unbalanced in favor of the Necrons. [Holiday 2006, p.76]

Some of the best boss fights in the genre's recent history, riddled with difficulty spikes in all the wrong places.

The killing-lots-of-zombies genre is overcrowded, but Dead Rising 3 is one of the best, with a lovable dedication to fun, and some of the most inventive, hilarious weapons on PC.

Sea of Stars may not truly recapture the magic of '90s RPGs, but it's still a polished, enjoyable blend of old and new.

A satisfying, moreish take on the roguelike formula, and one that's most likely to appeal to genre naysayers.

When the smoke clears, you're left with a great feeling of satisfaction at having beaten such vicious single-player AI. [Feb 2004, p.66]