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.

The whole experience certainly delivers on expectations from the previous games, although without ever really breaking the mould. This is a new Ratchet and Clank, but it is thoroughly the tried and tested action that we are experiencing, be it dressed in some impressive new garb.

Drakensang offers around 40-50 hours of gameplay depending on how many side quests you tackle, meaning there's plenty to be getting on with, and with a well written storyline and surprisingly good visuals, it really is a noteworthy all round package.

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.

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 new features make it a better game than its predecessors, but just not enough to warrant a sure-fire, full-priced purchase. Unless you just can't bring yourself to wait, the shrewd move is to keep playing NHL 09 until you can pick up a copy on the cheap - although by then we'll probably be starring at a fresh new copy of NHL 11.

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.

Red Steel 2 is a series of hugely entertaining combat skirmishes linked by some slightly formulaic level design. It's a lot of fun to play, with the steady rhythm of combat proving hugely satisfying, and it's great to see the Wii MotionPlus being used outside of Wii Sports Resort.

It's easy to look at Call of Juarez and see a game split down the middle, one half great and the other horrible, but to give it the credit it deserves, such a bold use of divided narrative just about makes it worthwhile for the most part with the style of both sections always perfectly in character and the ever switching perspective from hunter to hunted driving the game along even when the on screen action becomes less enjoyable.

A couple of managers I competed against admitted they were addicted, yet none had a problem with this particular addiction. As for me, I think one of the most interesting things about FML is the thought of where Sports Interactive will take the concept next.

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.

Midnight Club: Los Angeles captures an unmatched sense of speed coupled with a fantastic representation of a real-life city, and a stylish veneer which is observed all the way from the game's slick intro sequence to the final race you drive. The very challenging difficulty will not go unnoticed by casual gamers, and perhaps a handicap would have alleviated this problem. Still, as far as action-packed racing goes, it doesn't get much better than this.

Those of the football mad persuasion will certainly relish the tangible sense of occasion, excitement and authenticity ingrained throughout EA Sport's latest.

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.

Those of the football mad persuasion will certainly relish the tangible sense of occasion, excitement and authenticity ingrained throughout EA Sport's latest.

The Second Encounter was (and is) arguably the best entry into the Serious Sam series, juggling the right balance between flippant colourful whimsy and pelleting grubby monsters so hard they turn into a crimson paste.

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.

Despite the strong competition of World of Warcraft and Everquest 2, Tabula Rasa manages to add some unique and innovative features to the genre such as the cloning system, and hopefully with a few more patches under its belt (adding extra features); it will be guaranteed a strong player base for many years to come.

The title suggests that all can play, and that's certainly true - what it fails to tell you is that this is a game that no-one will truly master either.

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

Much like a lot of the leading mans films, Wheelman is brainless entertainment without any pesky delusions of grandeur to trip over. Yes the plot is daft and the action as unrealistic as it comes but crucially it's also, for the most part, thoroughly enjoyable.

A solid little racing game with plenty to keep you entertained. Some frustrations, mainly down to save points and a shabby model system, drag enjoyment down a notch.

The main draw is the fierce, more involving shoot-outs, which given the variety of weapons and intelligence of the enemies are simply excellent.

It's certainly a little rough around the edges, but spend a little time delving deeper into the 'Zone' and you'll find you've chiseled away at a beauty.

While the World War II setting has been done to death in countless games, RUSE's version is a strangely fresh take, although perhaps the game's biggest success is in crafting an RTS for the console that hasn't been diluted in any apparent way, elegantly transferring all of the PC's complicated commands to just a few buttons.

Player likenesses, meanwhile, have received a significant bump in quality. In the more star-studded leagues, at least. Top stars such as Rooney and cover-star Messi measure up to anything FIFA can offer, though in truth, as with many sports titles, there is a touch of the grotesque about some of the models.

All that said, this is a game that doesn't pander to the casual gamer. Those that persevere will however find a very accessible experience bubbling under the teen angst.

For the most part though it's more of the same in the looks department with not much changed since FIFA 07.