The controls are simple, the graphics pretty, and the game fluffy enough to forgive its essential repetitiveness.

It may be basically still the same central game but the addition of user created content and wireless controllers make it feel like a step forward for the franchise, albeit a slightly hesitant one.

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.

There's not much to make Assassin's Creed: Director's Cut stand out from the console release half a year ago. The graphics are still pretty; the gameplay is still simplistic but satisfying, and the information gathering missions are still quirky at first and sluggish by the end of the game. The implication that this version is superior by the movie-like suffix is mainly unfounded.

It's still a title that's hampered by the limitations of its chosen platform, one that would have been significantly more fun to play on a PS2 or any of the other home consoles.

EA's adventure through Springfield always manages to coax a giggle - in no small part due to the characters all arriving accompanied by their real-world voice actors - and successfully scores full-blown laughter on several occasions.

Beyond the Sword shows signs of how you can stuff too much into a game not initially designed to hold so much content. I look forward to Civilization V with great anticipation and till that game graces the world I will continue to play the fully expanded version of Civ IV which now graces every computer I regularly use.

What you are left with is a mature confident golf game that really does deliver an unrivalled experience in terms of replicating real-world golf.

Although the basis for gameplay is almost unchanged from the beginning of number one to the final dregs of number six, Metal Slug never loses its grip on you, forcing the player to concentrate on the action unfolding on every inch of the screen at all times.

Even thought the game has its annoyances (like the steep death penalty you have to endure) it's a very accomplished title with a lot of rewards for a dedicated player.

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.

Overall NBA Live 10 is a significantly improved title from last year and you could even argue it's the best game in the series so far.

Lego Indiana Jones is very accessible and very well produced. Although for some endlessly smashing Lego scenery and finding keys to fit winches again and again and again in a desperate attempt to reach the next mildly humorous Mr. Bean-injected version of a scene from the classic films may get slightly tedious after hours and hours of it, and this is just about all Lego Indiana Jones' gameplay really amounts to.

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.

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.

With a refreshingly simple interface, various scenarios and multiplayer options, Anno 1701 presents one of the most charming experiences in the civilisation simulation genre this year.

It's a good few hours of decent, lighthearted action-adventuring, and some of the most brilliant Marvel fan-service you could hope for.

What Ensemble have achieved is nothing short of astonishing. It may not prove to be the finest example in presenting lasting appeal – single-player certainly doesn’t last all that long – but ultimately, Halo Wars stands out as an RTS experience that works incredibly well while ticking all of the right boxes for the fans.

A good, but not brilliant game. It's a vast improvement over last year's FIFA 06 and plays slightly better than 2006 FIFA World Cup. While gameplay wise it's still not quite up there with Pro Evo 6 it comes closer than ever before this time around.

It would have been nice to see consistency in the detail, and the big ideas supported by more well thought out design. Nonetheless, genuinely funny games remain few and far between these days, and the laughs Fable III will inevitably bring you are worth the flaws and failings.

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 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.

The triple-A quality graphics and slick, speedy multiplayer action brings a new level of polish to Xbox Live Arcade.

It's a solid shooter that ticks all the right boxes and is a blast to play in places. Just don't expect it to blow you away or give you a good idea about what the PS3 can do, because it only scratches the surface.

Where Penumbra really wins through however is in its storytelling and puzzle solving.

It's a little sneaky that you can't buy the game complete with microphones but the chances are most people interested will already own a pair; otherwise this is as close to a sure thing as you can get with SingStar. The winner does indeed take it all.

The Witcher is a bit of an oddball. Genres exist, over many years defined and redefined, but successful games rarely detract so heavily, while still claiming to be a part of one genre. The Witcher is an RPG is spirit rather than in practice. It'll suffer because of this.

The only potential upset for those fond of Picross DS is that there are no nods to other Nintendo properties, so that means no more Mario-themed objects to be carefully unearthed. That's the smallest of minor quibbles, though, and it's silly to be anything other than delighted by the sheer glut of perplexing content available here.