It is a beautiful thing when a game seems to pull all the right strings. The cars are absolutely stunning and the way they handle makes each of them feel unique. Driving has rarely felt so good. [Nov 2005]

An excellent "Marble Madness" clone. It is all about skill. A few more levels and multiplayer modes would not have hurt, though. [Mar 2006]

Mesmerise, hypnotise, electroplanktonise. It is beautiful and captures your heart, but only for a half an hour. [Mar 2006]

A must-buy for any fighting fan and an excellent game for demonstrating the power of Xbox 360. It is not the revolution many expected, but it is still easily the best game in the series. [Feb 2006]

"Warrior Within" plus a few new levels. It looks cool, but playability is not the same it used to be. [Feb 2006]

Some of the tables are weak, but most are simply superb. It is a great travel-mate and a must-buy for any pinball enthusiast. [April 2006]

Hammer & Sickle should have been a great game, after all it is basically just a mod for the brilliant Silent Storm. Somehow everything has gone wrong. The difficulty level is insane, the constantly progressing time completely screws up the gameplay and technically it is worse than its smooth predecessor. [April 2006]

About living the life of a cute animal in real-time. The imaginative gameplay is as delightfully Nintendo-like as ever. Sit back and relax either on your own or with friends. [Mar 2006]

A simple arcade soccer. Fun for multiplayer sessions, but the lack of depth limits its longevity. Next Level guys come from the team behind Sega Soccer Slam, and it really shows. [Jan 2006]

An excellent action-adventure. Not perfect, however. It is basically more of the same and the ridiculous trap tunnels are anything but believable. And where is the widescreen support? [Dec 2005]

A fun and interesting RPG. The clever combat system works almost perfectly. Too bad the touchscreen is not used. [Mar 2006]

Much better than Aftermath. Geoscape and RPG elements are excellent. Tactical fighting is far better than before, but still needs some work. Battlefields should be generated randomly, and structural damage is not good enough. Take Silent Storm for a role model, please. [Nov 2005]

A competent physical training application. Too bad the EyeToy camera needs so much light. [Dec 2005]

A stunningly atmospheric action-adventure that makes all the right moves. It is intense, scary, exhilarating and pure joy to play. One of the best games so far this year. [Nov 2005]

Good enough to warrant purchase, but is it good enough to survive, unlike previous BF1942 add-ons? Climbing hook should appear in the basic game, too. [Jan 2006]

A stunningly atmospheric action-adventure that makes all the right moves. It is intense, scary, exhilarating and pure joy to play. One of the best games so far this year. [Nov 2005]

Double Trouble! makes clever use of DS's touch screen. Action works fine and the puzzles even better. It is 100% Viewtiful Joe all right. [April 2006]

Comes surprisingly close to being perfect. When the game flows, the action is really sweet. The stealthy parts are much less enjoyable. [Dec 2005]

A bland-looking, sub-par action game with a wide variety of problems. The bonus materials are otherwise good, but the censored music videos make little sense. [Jan 2006]

One of the few Xbox 360 launch titles that actually has the next generation look. While the game is a bit too short, the undeniably brutal action and the great atmosphere make it a winner. [Jan 2006]

PGR 2.5 would have been a more suitable name, since there is not that much new. The drop dead gorgeous graphics make the game a wet dream for sports car enthusiasts. Easy to handle, beautiful to look at. I can live with that. [Dec 2005]

Tries to find a new direction for the series, but the choices made are hit-and-miss. Amped 3 feels watered down and butchered compared to Amped 2. The crazy cutscenes are fun to watch, though. [Feb 2006]

Technically, the large swarms of bugs are impressive, but otherwise the game looks dated and sounds weak. The fun comes mainly from the game's respect of its source material. The boss fights are incredibly tedious, though. [Dec 2005]

An excellent RPG. The whole is significantly more than the sum of its parts. [May 2006]

Pacman goes 3D and offers decent 3D platform fun for young audiences. [Dec 2005]

A decent enough racing experience. The police chases are excellent fun, but where is the proper civilian traffic? [Dec 2005]

A decent enough racing experience. The police chases are excellent fun, but where is the proper civilian traffic? [Dec 2005]

A step backwards even from its mediocre predecessor. With the multitude of ugly bugs the game feels unfinished, and the driving model is just plain awful. [Jan 2006]

A beautiful Japanese action-RPG with some new ideas and many old ones. It is an adventure of epic portions, but after about a 1000 fights, you are willing to give peace a chance. [Mar 2006]

One of the best games for Xbox: good missions, excellent story and puzzles. The biggest and perhaps the only problem is the inconsistent framerate. [Jan 2006]

A step backwards even from its mediocre predecessor. With the multitude of ugly bugs the game feels unfinished, and the driving model is just plain awful. [Jan 2006]

A decent enough racing experience. The police chases are excellent fun, but where is the proper civilian traffic? [Dec 2005]

A splendid dancing game although the new hit songs mostly suck and some the other songs have been recycled over and over again. Plus there are not that many new ideas compared to Unleashed 2. [Apr 2006]

Has a good feel of the world of Narnia in it, but as a game it is rather dull and average. Good fun for the fans of the movie. [Jan 2006]

Has a good feel of the world of Narnia in it, but as a game it is rather dull and average. Good fun for the fans of the movie. [Jan 2006]

A really fun driving game with lots of tracks and things to do. A fine example of Nintendo quality. [Jan 2006]

Has a huge amount of interesting wrestlers and game modes. Too bad the clunky and buggy fighting system is so clearly outdated. [Jan 2006]

An amazingly deep and sophisticated space trading simulation. It is unfortunate that the game was released prematurely. Keep those patches coming, Egosoft! [Jan 2006]

A whole lot of fun. Managing your own studio is a real blast, although things tend to get a bit too simple and straight-forward at times. Creating movies from scratch is intuitive and strangely addictive. [Dec 2005]

Nothing more than a bunch of minigames that suffer from an awkward camera system. [Dec 2005]

One of the few must-haves of PSP. All the SOCOM nuances are there. [April 2006]

A decent little strategic RPG. The combat system is good, but the battles tend to be too easy and repetitive. [Mar 2006]

Looks dated, but offers unprecedented freedom on the battlefield. The combat is fabulously realistic as are the environments. Minor problems and a handful of bugs creep up every now and again. [Nov 2005]

Nothing more than a bunch of minigames that suffer from an awkward camera system. [Dec 2005]

Makes no excuses in its brutal retelling of a classic western story. The atmosphere of the gunfights is expertly created. GTA style free-roaming world fits the game well, and overall it is a magnificently fun, if a bit short, experience. [Dec 2005]

Nothing more than a bunch of minigames that suffer from an awkward camera system. [Dec 2005]

Looks stunning and contains some really clever gameplay. The game is really fun to play although some of the puzzles make no sense at all. The condensed co-op is a real downer. [Dec 2005]

One of the most entertaining games ever. The guitar-like controller and the music selection are excellent, and the four difficulty levels offer fresh challenges each time you go up a notch. Mosh time! [May 2006]

A pleasant surprise as it wisely lets the player be Neo, not some under-powered secondary character. [Jan 2006]

Takes you back to the world of minigames. It seems like the best ideas are already used, though. Only the mic games are slightly refreshing. [Jan 2006]

An excellent bite-sized game that captures the feeling of space exploration nicely. A bit more new content in the upcoming patches would be appreciated. [April 2006]

In all its mediocrity the game just does not have that special something. Corny cutscenes are not enough of a reward to justify endless combat through unimaginative enemy hordes. [Mar 2006]

A smooth shooter with no surprises. Best in small doses. Not bad, but not brilliant either. [Oct 2005]

Makes you want to cry. What a lame excuse for a 3D fighting game. [Dec 2005]

A smooth shooter with no surprises. Best in small doses. Not bad, but not brilliant either. [Oct 2005]

A rather straight-forward action game. There are a few minor quibbles, but on the whole the action is smooth and frantic. Looks, sounds and feels like Bond. [Nov 2005]

A hardcore Star Wars fan's dream come true. Decent solo game with playable jedi characters, furious space fights and awesome net play. What else can you ask for? As a PC game Battlefront 2 is a technically lacking hyperactive bunnyhopper. Again. [Dec 2005]

A fine action-oriented MMORPG, but a lot of the promise in the game is still just promise. Fun on its own right, but hopefully the integration with City of Heroes will be successful. [Dec 2005]

A hardcore Star Wars fan's dream come true. Decent solo game with playable jedi characters, furious space fights and awesome net play. What else can you ask for? As a PC game Battlefront 2 is a technically lacking hyperactive bunnyhopper. Again. [Dec 2005]

An old-school murder mystery with intriguing puzzles and an intensive atmosphere. No big surprise, since the game is based on an Agatha Christie novel. [Jan 2006]

Much too static and scripted and requires unearthly patience. What is the point in stalking if no one does anything without the stalker doing something first? [Dec 2005]

Beautiful and rather fun. Some missions are a bit too tough for their own good. [Oct 2005]

The PS2 version has slightly uglier graphics and slight framerate issues, but the horror adventure itself is just as good as it was on the Cube. [Dec 2005]

A very good beat 'em up adventure with hundreds of simultaneous enemies. Too bad the awful Athens-level is a major pain in the backside. [Oct 2005]

A beautiful, balanced and technically solid beat 'em up. The character editor and the light strategy elements are nice additions. Too bad the game does not save versus statistics. [Dec 2005]

Call of Duty 2 has near-perfect visuals and great gameplay, but suffers from a serious case of same old, same old. Where is the innovation? [Nov 2005]

More of a shooter than a platformer, which is a little surprising. The new weapons are not as hilarious as before, but everything rolls on smoothly. A great game with good variety in multiplayer options. [Dec 2005]

No more micromanagement, diplomacy is finally easy to understand and combat is more rational than ever before. The graphics for camouflage units and advisors seem to be only half-finished, but it is still the best Civilization ever. [Dec 2005]

An excellent multiplayer FPS. The different soldier types and vehicles keep the game fresh for a long time. Too bad tanks cannot drive through small fences and over small rocks. [Jan 2006]

Short version: It rocks! Longer version: Sony PSP's killer application has arrived. It is GTA as we know it. Fantastic! [Dec 2005]

As fascinating as ever with new and improved possibilities. Is it a good thing or a bad thing that Sims' lives tend to get more exciting and interesting than your own? [Nov 2005]

Looks and sounds like Metroid, but is also an excellent pinball game. [Jan 2006]

Looks like it fell out of the ugly tree and hit more than a few branches on the way down. The frustrating gameplay does not really enhance the game's charms. The switch from the jungles of Vietcong 1 to the overused urban setting of the sequel is a serious mistake. [Dec 2005]

An atmospheric thriller marred by a constant need for repetition. Gunplay feels a bit tacked on. [Dec 2005]

An excellent multiplayer FPS. The different soldier types and vehicles keep the game fresh for a long time. Too bad tanks cannot drive through small fences and over small rocks. [Jan 2006]

Fun non-stop action. Sound effects are too tame and the weapons are not very original. Not very good as single player, but the co-op online game rocks. [Dec 2005]

Age of Empires 3 does not let you down. The game is as polished as it can get. Great for people who love multiplayer matches. [Dec 2005]

A clever action-adventure. The huge climbable colossi are interesting enemies and they look magnificent. [Feb 2006]

A solid arcade racing game that plays a little bit too much on the safe side. [Nov 2005]

Much too static and scripted and requires unearthly patience. What is the point in stalking if no one does anything without the stalker doing something first? [Dec 2005]

A good skateboarding game, but cannot live up to the high expectations. The gameplay is still outstanding, but the game suffers from a lack of fresh ideas and a way-too-short story mode. [Dec 2005]

What a nice surprise! A 3D beat 'em up that is both loyal to its license and fun to play. Technically impressive, too. [Dec 2005]

Frighteningly good. The close-quarters combat works extremely well and so does the storyline. On the downside, the level-design is rather drab and the system requirements are downright deadly. [Nov 2005]

Transforms a rather stupid movie into a fun beat 'em up adventure with ugly graphics. [Jan 2006]

Finally, some hexagons! As much as I would like to play turn-based strategy on the Xbox, especially on maps as pretty as these, the poor campaign, simplified tactical combat and magical power-ups are a big let-down. [Jan 2006]

A couple of small tweaks makes the game even better: stronger horse units and better character customisation. The only disappointment are the bland graphics, GameCube could do much better. [Dec 2005]

A refreshingly original adventure. It feels like a comic book and the story centres around courtrooms. There are some mildly annoying repetitive elements, but nothing too distracting. [June 2006]

SOCOM 3: U.S. Navy Seals looks and feels polished. The decent save system and the vehicles are major improvements. The AI is still questionable. Multiplayer review in the next issue. [May 2006]

An excellent addition to the SSX franchise. Beautiful scenery, interesting tracks and a lot of different race types. The multiplayer options are not so hot. [Nov 2005]

A pleasant surprise. Since I never liked Quakes' hyperactive online play, I am quite satisfied with the entertaining single player campaign. [Nov 2005]

Excellent atmosphere and great characters straight from the fantastic movie. The game itself is an average 3D action-adventure. [Sept. 05]

More like an add-on than a real sequel. Despite that, Earned in Blood has better AI and is overall better than the first one. The best WW2 team leader game at the moment. [Nov 2005]

Should have secured the rights to Finnish Elite league, otherwise it is a brilliant hockey management game. [Aug. 05]

Offers more graphical splendour and Doom-ish fun for fans. Multiplayer options are still just so-so. [Dec 2005]

Better than its predecessor, but what the player gets is tedious and simplistic. Instead of a challenge, there is a three-unit real-time strategy without the strategy. The creature works rather well, though. [Oct 2005]

Instead of "Dawn of Sorrow" the subtitle could have been "A Good Reason to Buy DS." [Nov 2005]

Fresh and interesting. More levels, more game modes and a deeper story would have brought the game further. [June 2006]

One of the best turn-based strategy games on the market. The single player mode is not so glorious, but with friends the game is a real blast. [Sept. 05]