Ignoring the annoying so-called 'geographically appropriate' ads , Battlefield 2142 is a title bound to please fans of the series.

The AI driving your other car is just as bad as the one driving your opponents so you spend most of the time flicking between cars just making up for how the AI seems to lose your hard won position as soon as you leave it in control which takes all the fun and tactics out of it, you still have to admire the idea though and it would be nice to see another game pick it up and develop it properly.

Space Empires V is a strange game, bursting with a massive expansiveness in terms of play, but let down by an unsupportive structure that newcomers to the series are likely to find off putting.

Gun is simply fun, allowing you to live out all your cowboy fantasies (no, not those ones) and feel like you really are an old west gunslinger.

A game that fails to truly engage on any level, producing an underwhelming mix of the RPG, action and adventure genres all wrapped up in adequate if slightly retro visuals.

It does not do anything wrong but then it does not really do anything right, or to a noticeable degree. What could have been a killer IP for the DS, one that could have possibly rivalled Nintendo's own for some big sales, is not really flying or even "falling with style". It simply falls.

God Hand will be shunned by a lot of people who'll cite the poor graphics, alarmingly retro game design and what appears on the surface simplistic combat. But for the select few who 'get it' and have a soft spot for such things or are willing to take a chance God Hand will be loved unashamedly and held up as an example of what can be made of an aging genre when refined to its purest form by skilled developers.

Scarface delivers on nearly every front, from its varied and excellent soundtrack overseen by Jay-Z, to its strong characterization, stylized violence, outrageous swearing, and engaging progress.

Whether you'll ever get to see much of it is highly questionable, though, given that the time between starting and becoming completely despondent with ArchLord is likely to be minimal.

A blatantly shallow excuse to create yet another exercise in brutality and abhorrent language. The game lacks any form of motivational justification, and setting it in realistic surroundings, force feeding an uninteresting cliche-riddled narrative across truly banal missions, and then relying on violence and blood-spattered cursing and imagery to pad the gaping holes, makes the '18' certificate assigned by the BBFC ('M' for Mature in the US) seem sadly insufficient.

The gameplay has its strengths, but as a whole it's hard not to be irritated by the ineptitude on display at times.

The frenetic immediacy of the uprisings and the power of their resulting fire fights is thoroughly entertaining as well as graphically hard hitting - despite the obvious "Far Cry" similarities. The sense of absolute speed when behind the wheel (or controls) of some of the game’s more ‘beefy’ land and sea vehicles is always thrilling.

Paraworld is more than worthy of getting hold of, certainly if you fancy a taste of dino action but don't quite know where to start the search for time-travelling warp gates.

The PS2 is still clearly still capable of impressing in the graphics department as games like Okami and God of War 2 have proved, TFatF by comparison looks like it's from a different generation entirely, one where blurry low detail was the norm.

Okami is nothing short of an artistically inspired gaming masterpiece.

It would have been forgivable to exaggerate the gameplay in places in order to make it more entertaining. But The Godfather is a game for the purists and in order to please it has to feel genuine, The Godfather certainly is.

It should appeal to both the veteran King of Fighters fan and the newcomer alike, although for a purer King of Fighters experience the fanatics among us may be better served by King of Fighters XI which is being released at the same time.

The models and textures are very low rate, the enemy AI knows only to attack or run and the gameplay - despite having added a couple of additions - is very stale.

Company of Heroes is superb; a perfect blend of intelligent strategy and powerful visceral action, delivering such a natural World War II experience you'll be left wondering if you're even allowed to enjoy it as much as you do.

Playing through the missions is an experience filled with spectacular highs stunted by lows which unstoppably avert your attention from a title that, by rights, deserves to have turned out better than it has.

A prodigiously enjoyable title. It has lots of action, violence, crazed humour and simple gameplay for pick up and play moments. It might be too easy and the multiplayer mode is not the best, but apart from those two minute annoyances there is nothing else you can fault it on.

It's just a case of proportions - too much storyline and too much random battling - and if we're going down the route of size comparison, hands and shoulders need attention too.

It does progress into an average platformer and a good attempt at a new direction for the series, but average it still is. There are better PSP titles to be bought and played first.

Coming to the PSP at a time when appetites are being well and truly wetted for "Killzone: Liberation," a game that shares a similar top down viewpoint but appears to use it to far better effect, there can really be no good reason to recommend 50 Cent: Bulletproof (G-Unit Edition).

Sure, it's never better than GTA itself and isn't going to win any awards for originality, but Saints Row does measure up to 2001's "GTA III" pretty well.

What might initially seem like a real prospective borefest actually turns into a kind of innocent, compelling and surprisingly gratifying experience.

The gameplay is too simple, the levels uninteresting and the repetitive music, annoying. In a sentence it's all right for a quick blast, but nothing that holds any major draw.

Aside from the basic RPG elements and decent storylines, Ninety Nine Nights remains a shallow game with little to make it stand out.

Laid bare, Broken World isn't much to phone home about. If anything it casts a dreary shadow over Dungeon Siege II, a game that while far from perfection was solidly put together and worth recommending. This expansion on the other hand doesn't really offer enough either in terms of single-player, or the unchanged multiplayer features.

If FlatOut 2 proves anything it's that there's room for more than one type of racer that strongly encourages wreckage at every twist and turn, and it's refreshing to see that despite EA's undeniable might smaller developers are willing to have a go at competing, often showing them a thing or two about game design in the process.

If FlatOut 2 proves anything it's that there's room for more than one type of racer that strongly encourages wreckage at every twist and turn, and it's refreshing to see that despite EA's undeniable might smaller developers are willing to have a go at competing, often showing them a thing or two about game design in the process.

Super Monkey Ball, it seems, just doesn't work as an adventure game.

The Combat Mission games are not for the faint-hearted or action RTS fan. If the prospect of flipping back and forth between the game and Acrobat for a few hours doesn't phase you, then Combat Mission could be right up your alley.

The content on offer is frighteningly good, and even more so because Namco-Bandai didn't simply scale the portable modes down along with the screen sizing.

Untrustworthy artificial intelligence, hit and miss land plots for resources and graphics, though charming, that we're no longer all that impressed with are all quite substantial disappointments. There's enough here for authentic Roman wanabees, but for everyone else it's a case of been there, done that, bought and outgrown the t-shirt.

With more players I'm sure it will hold up against the big boys of the run-and-gun multiplayer world, certainly looking better than most. But without the players to fill the rooms, Warpath is pretty much meaningless.

It features fantastic level design that make a fresh change from the usual FPS fodder. Coupled with a captivating and well told storyline, Prey comes together to be the game of choice if you are looking for an FPS that, if not perfect, actually does something new for the genre.

Chromehounds offers nothing especially 'next-gen' to the mech genre and, apart from its in-depth customisation and online squad aspect, it really emerges as a distinct disappointment.

It features fantastic level design that make a fresh change from the usual FPS fodder. Coupled with a captivating and well told storyline, Prey comes together to be the game of choice if you are looking for an FPS that, if not perfect, actually does something new for the genre.

As engrossing as it is pretty, while also offering up a rare control system that allows the game's core real-time strategy component to remain the right side of intuitively 'real-time' without ever lapsing into finger-breaking trials of game-pad frustration.

Its more of a single player experience than it is for multiples of people, and in that sense it works nearly perfectly. Car handling is simple, the frame rate is speedy, but more than anything Coast 2 Coast is fantastic fun to play - a quality that many a game bogged down with FMVs and unnecessary complications neglects.

One of the few film-based games I have not been able to put down. A love for the films aside, this game is excellent and despite its one or two faults (basic enemies, and occasionally sluggish frame rates) it is certainly one you will have to play.

An extensive multiplayer mode, a track editor and the ability to trade vehicles online ensure almost infinite longevity and top off a title which is a micro masterpiece in its own right.

An extensive multiplayer mode, a track editor and the ability to trade vehicles online ensure almost infinite longevity and top off a title which is a micro masterpiece in its own right.

An extensive multiplayer mode, a track editor and the ability to trade vehicles online ensure almost infinite longevity and top off a title which is a micro masterpiece in its own right.

If you've got the time and patience for City Life, then you'll surely uncover an engrossing gaming experience that, despite its minor faults (including a still-lacking tutorial, a confusing interface and some awful accompanying shopping centre 'muzak') that does more than enough to stand proud in the company of Tycoon and Sim City.

The ever flirtatious relationship between Gordon and Alyx is communicated with beautiful clarity by the astonishing amount detail and expression on Alyx's face.

Played in the spirit in which it is intended, Hitman: Blood Money proves that even in the series' fourth installment it still has the means to impress with its gameplay, freedom of exploration and high production values. Although there are still one or two little annoyances, there's no doubting that there's more than enough here to satisfy even the most experienced of contracted killers.

Played in the spirit in which it is intended, Hitman: Blood Money proves that even in the series' fourth installment it still has the means to impress with its gameplay, freedom of exploration and high production values. Although there are still one or two little annoyances, there's no doubting that there's more than enough here to satisfy even the most experienced of contracted killers.

Pong's fabulously simple gameplay may have been used as a blueprint during Rockstar's development of Table Tennis, but that's certainly a positive attribute and only further enforces the notion of aspiring to create a comparably addictive experience that's completely free of unnecessary padding.

Offers nothing more than an average game inspired by a great movie.

There's about ten hours of play, much of which is an explanation of the plot, while the rest is a pedestrian and pretty boring romp in terms of game play mechanics, meaning that in the end you'll probably just want to complete the game for completing its sake.

The pure footballing pleasure of Pro Evo 5 serves as a reminder of what it all should be about. Some fans of past iterations may not like the tweaks made here to a formula loved by so many, but evolution is inevitable and I think we're just about heading in the right direction.

Its more of a single player experience than it is for multiples of people, and in that sense it works nearly perfectly. Car handling is simple, the frame rate is speedy, but more than anything Coast 2 Coast is fantastic fun to play - a quality that many a game bogged down with FMVs and unnecessary complications neglects.

As always, players who do find themselves trapped in an age of nostalgia when 2D gaming is concerned should give this game a try but they will find that it sadly does not live up to the original.

You have an accomplished, if a little generic, arcade aerial fighter that will please those already in love with the franchise. Equally here's a game that doesn't move the genre forward or in anyway justify the full price tag when you can buy Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War for cheaper - essentially what you get is a new narrative.

As a standalone football game without all the World Cup-related fluff and filling, EA have provided something which is actually good fun to play (both off and online), certainly not like their frustratingly average efforts over recent years.

As a standalone football game without all the World Cup-related fluff and filling, EA have provided something which is actually good fun to play (both off and online), certainly not like their frustratingly average efforts over recent years.

As a standalone football game without all the World Cup-related fluff and filling, EA have provided something which is actually good fun to play (both off and online), certainly not like their frustratingly average efforts over recent years.

It is the best poker experience available on any platform and should not be missed.

Prof. Kawashima's Brain Training: How Old is Your Brain is an intriguing 'program'. This is not a game for Mensa geniuses, but is ideal for those of a general intelligence.

A wonderfully crafted videogame that chooses to retrace fonder times should shame the critics into waves of apology.

UberSolider lacks online play and offers an average, ageing, gaming experience - "Counter-Strike" does the opposite. Sure UberSoldier is a budget release, but sometimes you pay for what you get... and sometimes true quality deserves spending a few more notes.

While there is little new introduced to the series and the presentational side of the game feels a tad dated with hardly better than average graphics to show, the gameplay remains slick and highly pleasing.

In summary, Kingdom Hearts II might not even meet some definitions of what a computer game is, and for long sections it would probably be better described as 'next-gen interactive fiction'.

It does seem that the lower retail price of Dynasty Warriors 5: Empires is definitely necessary considering the lack of innovation and advancement in the series.

Fans of The Godfather will be pleased to hear that the game based on the film hasn't trodden down the same path as disasters such as "Enter The Matrix"; but isn't quite up there with consensual videogame classics such as the Nintendo 64's "GoldenEye."

Fans of The Godfather will be pleased to hear that the game based on the film hasn't trodden down the same path as disasters such as "Enter The Matrix"; but isn't quite up there with consensual videogame classics such as the Nintendo 64's "GoldenEye."

Those new to the Suikoden series and RPGs in general, you could choose no better series or game to start playing, this one has it all.

Oblivion excels in almost every department but emerges as absolutely more than the sum of its parts. When viewed as a complete creation, the RPG genre can offer little else to compare; the console market has never known such deeply involving and open-ended imagination; and there's certainly nothing on the Xbox 360 that better deserves the 'killer app' motif to-date.

With, literally, entire discs full of extras, a new camera within the main game, the two original Metal Gear titles and an Online mode that finally makes full use of the PS2 broadband adapter, Subsistence is a game that should be in everyone's PS2 collection.

The stern difficulty level might upset some players, as might the lack of 'safe' features such as crosshairs and medical packs. However, if you really want your World War FPS' to be real, like, really real, then Red Orchestra is just about your best bet.

When the gameplay is not weighed down by the awkward squad controls (specifically when freed on Live) and the occasionally laughable AI, Advanced Warfighter's tightly confined urban combat is thoroughly impressive; and when the visuals are not compromised by poorly implemented night-vision, the graphics are astounding and far outreach anything presently available on the 360.

A more than competent and enjoyable real-time strategy experience.

At no point in Black's development did the game ever indicate it would become anything more than what it is: a high-powered homage to the FPS genre in its simplest and most undiluted form.

If there's one complaint it's the precision necessary to succeed in completing some of the championships.

If there's one complaint it's the precision necessary to succeed in completing some of the championships.

What's great about Tycoon City: New York is its accessibility. Whether you're a rookie on the bottom rung of the tycoon-gaming ladder or an old hand, friends with Sir Alan Sugar and as proud as can be with your magnificent railroads, rollercoasters, pizza restaurants and intergalactic cityscapes, the game never tries to make you feel unwelcome or try to confuse you.

It's not as bad as Shadow the Hedgehog (thank god) and is hopefully a step in the right direction for a character that continues to be stuck in a bit of a rut.

If you want a gripping adventure about the perils of a young monkey trapped in a quarantine bubble then this is probably not the game for you.

It boasts much originality and despite the unimpressive sound and graphics, there is plenty of fun to be had with the game.

For all the work that's gone into Drakengard 2, it really isn't a great leap over its predecessor which is perhaps the most disappointing aspect of the game.

A scintillating performance, marred only by the odd foul.

If the PC is your gaming platform of choice and you've been itching for a bit of skateboarding action, then American Wasteland isn't a bad choice at all, (until the next inevitable Tony Hawk's game, of course).

It has the most evolved gameplay system, without loosing the 'pick up and play' feel every beat 'em up should have.

One of the best poker games of the year on PSP.

Animal Crossing isn't for everyone, but the Nintendo DS realisation of the game is absolutely brilliant, but not - I might add - without its flaws, most of which are thankfully forgivable.

The game play can be tedious to the point of frustration at times, but it is novel and interesting. The game fails to create a convincing, "hook-the-player" atmosphere and only those seasoned puzzle solvers out there will come back for more time and time again.

The game play can be tedious to the point of frustration at times, but it is novel and interesting. The game fails to create a convincing, "hook-the-player" atmosphere and only those seasoned puzzle solvers out there will come back for more time and time again.

Fans of classic RPGs will enjoy and revel in the experience just as much as those who are new to the genre. However, it does not offer much in the way of innovation.

While the experience is short-lived, the seven or so hours of gameplay you get from it are truly amazing and for once, I can say a film-to-game conversion has successfully been achieved.

While the experience is short-lived, the seven or so hours of gameplay you get from it are truly amazing and for once, I can say a film-to-game conversion has successfully been achieved.

It has many strengths particularly in its rock-solid gameplay, and the single player campaign has some highly engaging and exciting levels. Sadly the game is plagued throughout by dipping frame rates and a slightly underwhelming lack of innovation in its multiplayer mode.

While not as significant as many of the other games in the series, Ridge Racer 6 does a supreme job of being the arcade racer many have known and loved for years.

A solid, sometimes great game. Its single-player mode is good fun and online it's a complete blast; PDZ is a superbly social multiplayer game to enjoy in the company of friends. However, the game was more than a little 'over hyped' and doesn't quite boast the production levels, replay value or storyline to live up to the now legendary "Halo 2."

A surprisingly satisfying and original first-person survival horror game that really shows off the Xbox 360.

Just about the most involving and exciting arcade-sim racing experience yet. Its amazing graphics and sound show off the true power of the Xbox 360. So is it perfect? Not quite. The one problem with PGR3 is the length of its single player Gotham Career.

Graphically it's certainly a next-gen title, but graphics alone don't make a game worth buying. There are very few additions in terms of gameplay and the lack of a Franchise mode really does hurt its lifespan.