To say that the game is shallow would be harsh, but it certainly doesn't plumb the potential depths of the period, and while it has multiplayer I can't see it having much longevity. [May 2009, p.77]

Even at its bargain price, MOB is frankly appalling. [July 2009, p.73]

As a strategy game, very few titles reach the epic scale and excitement of Men of War's biggest battles. [Apr 2009, p.68]

Challenging, but not infuriating. [June 2009, p.70]

There's only one problem with this expansion: buying it. [June 2009, p.71]

All the polish in the world could not mask the nagging feeling of tactical emptiness. [May 2009, p.59]

Treat The Maw as a casual half hour game and you'll be well satisfied, but don't expect any maw than that. Sorry. [June 2009, p.75]

The game is very, very repetitive and very, very dumb, falling light years short of the novel's depth. [July 2009, p.77]

Unadulterated shite of almost the lowest possible order. And yet Ubisoft have the gall to charge 20 f***ing quid for it! [July 2009, p.76]

A triumph. [May 2009, p.58]

If you can struggle past the interface, the game itself if baseball gold. [Sept 2009, p.71]

Ceville is a pleasant enough game that doesn't demand to be played (and, let's be honest, is too expensive), but adventure fanatics should get enough joy out of it to warrant a purchase. [May 2009, p.65]

EndWar's a little too repetitive and you'll probably end up using the same basic strategy in every battle. [June 2009, p.69]

A worthy follow-up and well worth your time if you are an enthusiast of the gem-matching genre. [June 2009, p.75]

A solid game, but one that suffers somewhat from stilted gameplay and a cliched plot. [May 2009, p.74]

Relic have made an admirable stab at redefining the single-player action-RTS experience, but they haven't managed to nail it just yet. [Apr 2009, p.56]

If you want something to put on the box, Mr. Marketing Man, try this: "This is so bad, it is like beating old ladies to death with hammers." [May 2009, p.77]

What it adds - the more capacious level design, the daylight, the mech bits, the cover system - doesn't amount to much more than a garnish of new ideas on an old chicken salad of a game. But as I said, the magic of F.E.A.R. is certainly in position. That basic pleasure of time slowing, of watching a death ballet unfold as glass shatters, masonry crumbles and bodies cartwheel with morbid elegance - it's all intact, and it's as incredible to behold as ever. [Mar 2009, p.56]

The maps are boring, units weedy, AI absent, trooper non-responsive, graphics dire, sound effects pathetic, music repetitive, resource gathering system incomprehensible, and the storyline, as mentioned, is woeful. [Aug 2009, p.75]

There's really no reason you'd want to play this, unless you like looking at the pert buttocks of a young girl while clicking the mouse button a thousand times a minute. [June 2009, p.74]

Undeniably fun; a slick arcade racer from an impassioned and talented development studio. [May 2009, p.66]

I can't deplore enough how little story there is. [Apr 2009, p.66]

Vast database. [Apr 2009, p.62]

LOTR deserves a better action game than this, and with the rich source material available to them, Pandemic and EA should be ashamed of themselves for unleashing this on the general public - even if we know it'll go straight to the top of the charts regardless. [Apr 2009, p.52]

Much as I was thrilled by the action, I was equally nonplussed by the lack of emotional connection to the characters and the plot. [Mar 2009, p.64]

As long as you realise that Crayon Physics Deluxe is a sandbox in disguise, you won't be disappointed by this charming physics puzzler. [Apr 2009, p.70]

The levels are uninteresting, the enemies unsatisfying, and the story non-existent. [Aug 2009, p.76]

A hastily-ported and frustrating slap in the face for PC gamers, and I cannot gather enough venom towards how little respect there is here for the PC platform. [Apr 2009, p.46]

We'd like to see Bright Future focus on improving the in-game engine, scale back the extraneous nonsense and provide a better core game experience. [Feb 2009, p.85]

Persevere a little and you'll soon be having a lot of fun. [Apr 2009, p.72]

Some of the most polished and laugh-out-loud writing that Telltale, or any other devloper, have made for a game since LucasArts in the '90s. [Mar 2009, p.75]

It's undeniably charming, but how long you remain charmed depends largely on your patience. [Feb 2009, p.68]

Handling is fiddly too, on both control pad and keys, and it doesn't feel as fun to play as Tony's series. [Apr 2009, p.70]

The PC version brings enough additions and improvements to the fundamental GTA IV experience to make it an essential purchase for anyone who hasn't played it yet. [Feb 2009, p.74]

Refreshing. [Mar 2009, p.73]

Entirely average. [Feb 2009, p.83]

Excellent despite niggles. [Jan 2009, p.66]

Even without the 3D engine, Football Manager 2009 is still fully deserving of its classic rating, providing a staggeringly comprehensive simulation of the complex world of management. We predict a few patches before the match engine is fully functioning, but even in its current state, it tangibly enhances the experience.

A monumental pillar in multiplayer gaming; playing it without yelping in delight is like eating a doughnut without licking your lips. [Jan 2009, p.54]

As the first paid-for expansion that Turbine have done for LOTRO, Mines of Moria shines. While it's hardly the most revolutionary product ever to be released, what it tries to do it does well.

Gets boring quickly. [Feb 2009, p.82]

Strong Bad fans will find this episode essential. [Jan 2009, p.75]

If you enjoy below average games or like adventures where the voices cut out halfway through every single sentence, then this one is for you. [Oct 2009, p.72]

But by any standard, this far into the development of an MMO, and with two years since your last expansion, the envelope should be pushed a little. Blizzard could've shaken up the genre here. Wrath of the Lich King has had two years to innovate, build and refresh WOW, but all it seems to have done is prolong the same experience that people have been waiting to continue for years. Whether or not that's a bad thing is up to you.

Just on the match alone, Pro Evolution Soccer 2009 is a fantastic game. [Dec 2008, p.68]

If you liked "Diablo" and are salivating at the prospect of getting back into its dungeons, Sacred 2 will keep you going until "Diablo III"'s release. If you didn't, Sacred 2 will be an experience comparable to having your eyes pecked out by eagles. [Jan 2009, p.74]

While World at War isn't original and has moments lacking in inspiration (the tank section, ugh) it has refined the linear World War II shooter template as much as perhaps it can be. [Jan 2009, p.60]

Homecoming is too old-fashioned and lacks the originality and tension that made the previous games so enjoyable. [Mar 2009, p.70]

It's one of the few Bond games that come close to the N64 classic. [Feb 2009, p.78]

Curious, patient gamers add 20. [Mar 2010, p.81]

A superb interface, the ability to garrison your men and unit veterancy are also worthy of high praise.

For a pure-hearted escapist adventure, and what I consider the meatiest and most satisfying combat system around, you can't go wrong with Fallout 3. It's been a rocky road, but we got there in the end. [Dec 2008, p.50]

It can be good fun when you've got the hang of things. [Feb 2009, p.81]

This will genuinely engage the creative side of a child. Just knock 30 off the score if you aren't in primary school. [Feb 2009, p.81]

Any problems melt away fast with writing as sharp and hysterical as this. [Jan 2009, p.75]

There's nothing like it around, and even with its flaws, it's a game you certainly grow to love. [Dec 2008, p.56]

Undeniably a fantastic sandbox game. [Jan 2009, p.70]

Dead Space is a potentially great game that's hamstrung by an attempt to completely ape a console controller with a mouse and keyboard. [Dec 2008, p.58]

Once you've learned what number corresponds to what key, you'll be fine. [Feb 2009, p.85]

The sex is still great, and I'd love to say we could still stay faithful to one another for many years to come. But it may well be that we've come to a point in our lives when it might not be a bad idea for us to start seeing other people. [Dec 2008, p.72]

Not PC friendly. [Dec 2008, p.75]

Anyone not buying it right now is making an idiotic mistake. [Dec 2008, p.66]

For all its faults Hell's Highway is a rich experience that should be played through at least twice, because in completing the game you just want to keep going. [Dec 2008, p.68]

Sadly, it seems Wing Commander fans will have to wait a bit longer for their salvation. [Dec 2008, p.69]

If you can get over the extremely slow pace of the gameplay, you might find a relaxing-yet-spooky adventure to immerse yourself in on a wet Sunday afternoon. [Feb 2009, p.84]

Aaaaaaagh! [Oct 2009, p.72]

Buy GCII, and you may never need another strategy game ever again. [Dec 2008, p.64]

While Pipe Mania is a pretty good remake, shelling out 20 quid when you can play perfectly good Java-based versions for nothing online is simply money down the drain. [Dec 2008, p.77]

Hugely imaginative. [Dec 2008, p.64]

Worth buying if you like the "Heroes of Might and Magic" series. [Aug 2009, p.74]

Not quite as awesomely mindblowingly epic as "Civ IV," but it's not far off. [Dec 2008, p.78]

If you want a simple game that doesn't require you to devote the whole of your brain or your evenings, can buy into the game's modern-retro visuals, and can forgive a few flaws; it's undeniably worth a spin. [Dec 2008, p.76]

The license is strong, the game is great, and the quality of the content is second- to-none. If servers are stable, players are listened to, and expansion content is as well tweaked, inventive and superbly written as its launch material, this could be the game that savages WOW's subscription numbers.

Infuriating loading times are a major issue. [Mar 2009, p.74]

Warhead honestly is the finest burst of action gaming released so far this year, and if you're canny then you'll be able to pick it up for a mere £15 from online retailers. It's a five hour tour-de-force that's plugged the holes in Crysis with diamonds.

An anorexic "Oblivion" set in a budget version of Tolkien's Rohan. [Nov 2008, p.65]

Addictive and joyous. [Dec 2008, p.66]

Clear Sky is a unique experience, so far unparalleled save for its predecessor. [Oct 2008, p.52]

Strong good humour. [Dec 2008, p.77]

It lacks the logical connections that most strategy games have. [Oct 2008, p.62]

So intelligently structured, with such a consistently beautiful style. [Nov 2008, p.54]

As a sandbox game, it shines in the hands of those who take it for what it is - an "A-Team" simulator - but as a narrative shooter, it falls flat. [Dec 2008, p.72]

It's just not good enough to warrant shelling out for both this and the original. And that is the real problem. [Apr 2008, p.70]

Like being married to Cheryl Cole. [Dec 2008, p.74]

So why have I played it all morning? [Dec 2008, p.70]

More fun than 50 Formula One races, with or without Nazi-themed S&M. [Sept 2008, p.71]

There is a solid, immersive and occasionally fun game here, with plenty of retro appeal, and for around a fiver through Steam, it's worth a look. [Nov 2008, p.64]

For eight quid though, Bionic Commando Rearmed is a masterful remake, even if it's one you'll never muster the patience to finish. [Nov 2008, p.75]

Although the first half of the game falls into a lull of mundane and repetitive baddies, it definitely becomes more interesting, difficult and intense toward the closing acts. But dont' expect brilliant innovation. [Oct 2008, p.58]

Excellent humour. [Nov 2008, p.76]

Avoid. [Nov 2008, p.75]

The very definition of average. [Nov 2008, p.64]

Pretty absorbing. [May 2008, p.87]

A charming indie outing. [Mar 2009, p.72]

Patently unrecommendable. [July 2008, p.87]

While slightly linear, obviously console-led, and a little repetitive, if you suspend your disbelief and let the game take you on a ride, you'll find your pulse pounding like a kettle drum. [Sept 2008, p.64]

The level of professionalism in this game can be summed up by the fact that they haven't even bothered to translate all the text. [Oct 2008, p.73]

An above-average sci-fi adventure, but if you're fond of rollercoasters, join a different queue. [Aug 2008, p.71]