With over fifty hours of gameplay and side questing on top, an engrossing leveling up system including the creation of new items by experimenting in an alchemy pot, and a delightful storyline, Dragon Quest offers too much to be ignored - even if RPGs have never been your bag.

The only thing stopping it achieving a better score are the aforementioned niggles coupled with some below par AI. Their computer-controlled abilities switch from laughably amateur to 'one mistake and its race over' Terminator-style brutality in a matter of moments which seems more than a little unfair.

The only thing stopping it achieving a better score are the aforementioned niggles coupled with some below par AI. Their computer-controlled abilities switch from laughably amateur to 'one mistake and its race over' Terminator-style brutality in a matter of moments which seems more than a little unfair.

Children might not be too critical of the game's smaller blemishes such as the mind numbing collecting of coins and an often unfair camera that is completely fixed in position.

Children might not be too critical of the game's smaller blemishes such as the mind numbing collecting of coins and an often unfair camera that is completely fixed in position.

The brilliant title that we've all been waiting for, making the DS that extra mile more appealing and helping seal my growing contempt for the PSP even though I'm not in the least bit a "fanboy".

Graphically Gun is as pretty as a peach. The motions of both man and beast are well captured and even close up, they look beautifully textured, very tangible.

Graphically Gun is as pretty as a peach. The motions of both man and beast are well captured and even close up, they look beautifully textured, very tangible.

A little gem of a game, one which proves the power and intensity of effect that some games can exert on the players.

An underwhelming experience.

A great game if all you want is a man with a gun shooting some bad guys. But if you want a Bond game, stick with "Everything or Nothing."

If however you are considering what should be your first folly into World War action, then consider looking elsewhere.

By concentrating solely on the bits people who want to play superhero games are most interested in, namely superpowers and character abilities, rather than any of the more involved economics of other MMOs, COH/V manages to deliver a pair of finely focused games that understand what their audience wants and aren't ashamed to provide it by the bucket load.

The Hustle had such an opportunity to finally bring something fresh to the sports genre, especially for pool, something to sink your teeth into, really get involved in. However, as is usually the case, developers seem to cock up, make hideous technical errors and destroy whatever amazing concept for the game that they first had. Waiting through horrendous loading times to play what seems to be a choppy, half-arsed experience is not worth the wait.

"Underwhelming" is a word to describe Heroes of the Pacific as a whole. It's a game that is definitely competent but it just doesn't do anything special.

An accomplished and well-crafted battle-axe wielding warrior of a game. Just don't expect anything classic, historically speaking.

Even the tutorial level at the start of the game is a work of genius in this gem of a game.

Firaxis have managed to thoroughly overhaul one of the classic games of all time and drag it up from its dark ages into the renaissance era. Even with its speedier gameplay Civ IV will be the cause of many sleepless nights and damaged relationships.

Ultimately Battlefield 2: Modern combat gives PC gamers another reason to feel smug. Despite their best efforts the current generation of consoles can't compete with the capabilities of today's high-end PCs.

The cop response isn't quite as overwhelming as in the console GTA's, but overall GTA Liberty City Stories is not only an amazing technical achievement but an awesome portable game worth any PSP owner's £35.

It is a finely constructed, accessible real-time strategy game with a brilliant soundtrack, tactical warfare with intricacies too long winded to go into here and highly addictive gameplay.

To put it simply - Shadow of the Colossus is a unique experience, that no one should be unlucky enough to miss.

The fact that you are being asked to pay full premium for what is effectively an expansion pack in all but name, may put some off.

Perhaps it's time that developers Neversoft go away for longer than twelve months and come back with something other than a glorified extension of a series that seems to be short on innovation.

It is worth a glance, but if you bore easily you may find this doesn't have the 'wow' gameplay factor to hold your interest for long, and would probably be better off looking elsewhere ultimately.

With a wider variety of tasks and environments and an engine that someone has at least taken a stab at optimising this could have been a true classic (a free pair of fresh pants would have helped as well).

Whenever a game of such craftsmanship actually gets a release in Europe, you would be a fool not to grasp it tightly and treasure its unique and original interactivity.

It would have been nice if staying on a slippery metal pole without falling off was rewarded via points like in the Tony Hawk games but I guess you can't have everything. Enjoy the delights of this delicious winter warmer now.

It's a saga that only insatiable hardcore genre addicts will garner any real fulfillment from.

Virtua Tennis makes full use of the PSP's graphics capability and delivers perfect miniature replicas of today's tennis titans for you to mould and manipulate with your fingertips.

The fact that you are being asked to pay full premium for what is effectively an expansion pack in all but name, may put some off.

Black & White 2, while enjoyable for a while, just isn't full of enough gaming nutrients to make it taste as appealing as it looks in the picture over the counter.

Now more than ever if you haven't already started to look at "Pro Evo" perhaps you should, it plays much better and feels like more a game of football than FIFA 06 ever will.

Now more than ever if you haven't already started to look at "Pro Evo" perhaps you should, it plays much better and feels like more a game of football than FIFA 06 ever will.

"Underwhelming" is a word to describe Heroes of the Pacific as a whole. It's a game that is definitely competent but it just doesn't do anything special.

While substandard scripts and voice acting can be forgiven, when someone pays upwards of £30 for a game lasting ten hours maximum they do not expect to be faced with fiddly controls or to be confused by poorly thought out level structures.

While substandard scripts and voice acting can be forgiven, when someone pays upwards of £30 for a game lasting ten hours maximum they do not expect to be faced with fiddly controls or to be confused by poorly thought out level structures.

Believability takes a hit right from the off when you can unload a clip in your drill sergeant's face without even causing his eyes to water.

Two years after the Xbox release and many small compromises leave Top Spin on PS2 feeling not quite as revolutionary as the Xbox version was.

Couple this with the brilliant voice acting throughout and quirky comments from the public as you glide by, ('He looks thinner on T.V!') and Treyarch are definitely onto a winner.

A diamond of a game that you really ought to snap up. Get it now and prove to the gaming big guns that we want games like this, that we won't just be fobbed off with sequel after sequel and lackluster movie tie-ins.

Rise of the Apocalypse could suitably have been named 'X-Men Legends II: More of the Same +', for that's what it offers.

What remains to be seen is whether EA can reintroduce a suitable element of difficulty to knock the series back in the right direction without forcing an unintentional bogie.

What remains to be seen is whether EA can reintroduce a suitable element of difficulty to knock the series back in the right direction without forcing an unintentional bogie.

The Traffic Checking and trackside shortcuts gives Revenge a little more of a complex feel to the high speed simplistic madness of the series so far.

Packed to the rafters with 14 magnificent games from the heyday of arcade history, Namco Museum: 50th Anniversary is an equal parts assault of entertaining variety and challenging frustration.

It comes nowhere near Top Spin or Virtua Tennis, and what with the confusing control-system thrown-in, it can become annoying.

It wastes opportunities, it wastes the talents of its creators and - above all - it wastes your time.

Darwinia is the most refreshing, beautiful, frustrating, compelling and dare I say it original game I've had the pleasure of playing in many a year.

A good game but is flawed most garishly by its awful loading times. It is both more expansive and more entertaining than its closest competitor Need for Speed Underground Rivals but lacking the intense thrills both Ridge Racer and Burnout Legends offer.

A deceptively simple game, one of those classics that you can instantly pick up and play but which colludes with the pleasure seeking part of your brain into compelling you to keep on playing until you master all its little nuances.

If you have an interest in golf but aren't too bothered about realism and are after a challenge then Hot Shots Golf Open Tee is one PSP launch title you must get.

Technical faults such as difficultly seeing where you're going and suspect frame-rates are serious issues when it comes to games of such speed requiring cat like reflexes.

It may not quite be the masterpiece I wanted but if you're looking for an excellent puzzle game which you can jump in and out of at will then Mercury's definitely a PSP launch title to take a butchers at.

A solid addition to the series, and provides plenty of action, interaction, evolution, and entertainment. Game splitting annoyances apart, it's an impressive journey from its start (almost) to its finish.

Any hardcore DW fan will be ecstatic to find another billion hours of gameplay to wade through.

It has the players, the courses, the intuitive control system, the amusing commentary and loads and loads and loads of options. But, to put it in simple terms, "Hot Shots Golf" is better.

In the end it's this lack of additional play modes that lets Ridge Racers down a bit, but that shouldn't detract from the fact that what is offered is extremely entertaining, remarkably solid and technically incredible.

All that remains to be said, perhaps, is remember to take regular breaks and to pray for a next-generation installment that includes online support.

With the PSP's powerful graphics processor, the images in the game look stunning throughout and playing with this gadget really does feel like taking your PS2 with you on the move.

Even though I was astonished by the terrible controls, infuriated by gameplay and dismayed at the barrenness of game modes I did find myself playing this game more than was necessary to write this review. It did have a certain pull over me which I am somewhat ashamed to admit, considering the slapdash and cynical nature of the title.

The camera, AI and dreadful respawning conspire to cause great damage to an otherwise enjoyable yarn.

Perhaps this easiness stems from the fact that despite the huge number of games featured it's hard to escape from the feeling that a tad more variety would be welcome.

The quality of the characters, story and writing is the biggest draw as far as I was concerned and is certainly the game's greatest strength. The characters are full of quirks, idiosyncrasies and flaws, making them seem like realistic individuals rather than the tool of a games designer.

It's a shame that Playboy relies so heavily on such repetitive gameplay tasks. The setting is interesting even if you have a social life and have seen an actual naked woman.

It's a shame that Playboy relies so heavily on such repetitive gameplay tasks. The setting is interesting even if you have a social life and have seen an actual naked woman.

Yet another example of the dangers of one publishing company gaining a monopoly over a particular genre. The experience becomes homogenised and the resulting games become soulless products devoid of any indication.

But it is the simplicity of the gameplay that is both a boon and a curse. For while BfME will appeal to many causal gamers or LOTR/RTS fans looking for some light entertainment it will seriously disappoint all those people who have been patiently waiting for the chance to lead the forces of light against the hordes of evil in a satisfyingly deep and engaging strategy game.

It's a simplistic run and gun gameplay requires less of the spatial awareness and mental agility that the more refined games can dishearten youngsters with.

It's also bountifully endowed with that certain something that Meir sprinkles into his games that makes them so hard to stop playing.

It's just a shame that time and time again it's the controls that you'll be telling your mates about as much as the game itself.

An ephemeral and controversial ending, along with the few issues described above, means that for me, Half-Life 2, while a compelling and highly enjoyable game, falls short of the size of impact that the first title had on the gaming world.

The main criticism though is that there simply isn't enough of it. You almost get the impression that Sonic Team ran out of ideas toward the end, so they repeated some of the boss battles again and then went home.

Naturally the pimping side of things have been expanded to a maddeningly complete degree.

Naturally the pimping side of things have been expanded to a maddeningly complete degree.

I still enjoyed playing Immortal Cities a good deal, yet I was content to help the Pharaohs out for a far shorter period of time than I would have given them in the past.

As sprawling as "Halo's" environments are they certainly never portrayed as gritty an urban landscape as Killzone. Nor have its shiny alien blasters ever been as satisfying as a huge, chunky, filthy assault rifle.

GTA may be looking its age and some of its more favoured structural ideas are beginning to feel a little dated, but Rockstar continue to revel in the mastery of presenting a consuming environment to the player and inviting them to do within it what they wish.

Like a certain other sequel David Braben was involved in RCT 3 is a good game hidden underneath a fiddly interface and stricken by numerous minor flaws and bugs.

The sedate gameplay does not induce sleep but a feeling of tranquillity similar to the buzz from opium. The Case of the Silver Earring is not going to revitalise the adventure genre but it is well coded and written and acted with some flair and passion.

Niggly controls, cheating AI, cluttered management screens, a rash of aggravating bugs and an unshakeable sense of over familiarity all combine to keep Rome: Total War from being an outright classic.

One of the greatest video games ever made. [JPN Import]

A very solid, if slightly unspectacular title. It's not amazingly long, but unlike some of its contemporaries it hangs together well.

The opponents seem to always outclass you, with the AI coming across as simplistic, relying instead on superior stats as opposed to any kind of impressive fighting prowess.

If, however, you already own one of the previous versions, then the reasons to consider an upgrade are negligible.

My only real reservation with Gish is the simplicity of the gameplay and the fact that, despite the unique physical properties of the character it is still a 2D platform/puzzle game...But if you do like this style of game then Gish really is a superb piece of work, and the talented folk over at Chronologic will entertain you for a very reasonable sum of money.

So if you are under the impression that The Sims 2 is for girls and housewives and that you wouldn't touch it with my rocket launcher you could be doing the gaming node in your brain a great disservice to pass over this title with such wilful abandon.

It's got some nice touches, like the tiny d-pad mini-games used when tackling booby traps and the authentic 1967 soundtrack, but with the likes of "Call of Duty" and "Day of Defeat" out there, Shellshock is simply too easily forgotten.

The most intense online racing experience? You'd better believe it.

It's not perfect, but it's just what you need to keep you warm for the winter.

There are some great firefights where the odds are so heavily stacked against you that victory, when it comes, is an emotional event.

There's also been a lot of confusion in the gymnastics events where obscure controls seem to have alienated less experienced competitors from taking part at all.

The detail of the environments, the splendour of the graphics, the wonder of the physics engine, all these things combine with the dangerously entertaining gameplay to make SHOWW2 the best game of its kind, and one of the most refreshingly enjoyable games I have had the pleasure to review.

Choose to ignore the plot and the side missions if you like; the hidden races, the token hunts and the tremendous feeling to be had from simply exploring, swinging and crawling about the city are more than enough to justify purchase.

Possibly the second most disappointing title on the PS2 to "Angel of Darkness," and I'm sure that's not the last time you'll hear the two mentioned together.

It ticks a number of very basic and previously-defined boxes with unbending efficiency, throwing in a few commendable moments of surprising fun, drenched in the usual superficial fineries (the visuals, recognisable characters, plotlines, set-pieces, et al) with which many an EA game has plied its trade in the past.

T: DS is a very atmospheric game which has just one too many small faults to make its gameworld a compellingly believable one.

It ticks a number of very basic and previously-defined boxes with unbending efficiency, throwing in a few commendable moments of surprising fun, drenched in the usual superficial fineries (the visuals, recognisable characters, plotlines, set-pieces, et al) with which many an EA game has plied its trade in the past.