The Lost and Damned is an excellent, well-produced, complete title. It, deservedly, makes Project Anchorage, Bring Down the Sky and Knothole Island look timid. It makes Half-Life's Episodes look miniscule.

Not only does it raise the stature of the handheld console in the eyes of many gamers, but it also brings Link and his related protagonists back to a much wider audience. It brings together Nintendo's two great successes of recent decades: compelling hardcore gaming and casual play on the go.

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.

Extraordinary. It's as if the word were invented for it.

The Wii's best game to-date, if you'll just give it a chance to shine.

The downside to all these positives is that the mini-games, so enjoyable on the DS touch screen, become little more than button tapping affairs here losing most of their charm in the process.

Part of me feels like I need to find some kind of flaw with the game, but after weeks of playing my only problem with it is that my high score in Deadline won't go above five million no matter how hard I try. It's starting to make me feel woefully inferior and slightly less masculine every time I look at the online leaderboards.

Recommended for acolytes and lay-persons alike.

It loses a few marks for being so technically daunting, but if you haven't had the opportunity to play GTA IV yet, and you've got a PC that can handle it, then this is probably the best version of the game.

If you have the time and the dedication, Empire: Total War will shower you with gaming glory and riches.

It's hard to be anything but overjoyed with WipEout HD Fury. The price seems miniscule for the amount of content on offer.

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.

Whilst Fable 2 is not exactly flaw-free, the bulk of the game is splendidly entertaining. Lionhead consistently bite off more than they can chew with their games, so the scope and ambition of Fable 2 is both unmatched by other development studios and occasionally unrealisable in a current-gen video game.

Every bit as essential as it's forebear, an outstanding achievement and a magnificent game in its own right.

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.

There's so much tension and just pure fun to be had here that it is quite impossible to ignore, and if you're a player that craves genuine team cohesion then this could be one of the most enjoyable gaming experiences you've ever had. The only thing this game is missing is a G-String clad and rotting Jenna Jameson.

It's better than the first game, then. The biggest achievement, however, is that Valve - who are known to take their time - have managed to put such an enormous wealth of content out in a single year. Left 4 Dead 2 doesn't just add a few new levels and features, it fiddles and increments a formula that few thought needed changing in the first place. The team have managed to infuse their sequel with the exact same kind of nuanced creative energies that usually takes them years, and in doing so they've made last year's accomplished Left 4 Dead look like a simple mod in comparison.

Did I mention the last two hours are pure gaming and storytelling nirvana?

Although the graphics are perhaps a little rough around the edges, the sprawling cityscape is as appealing as it ever was, the NPC population just as lively, and the renowned in-car radio broadcasts swing between a bonanza of musical styles and fabulously written politically incorrect talk shows and discussions that are laugh-out-loud funny.

It's not perfect, and it doesn't really offer up anything radically new to the altar of the FPS, but it is a brilliantly written piece of computer software and it is a thoroughly engrossing and almost criminally enjoyable game to play.

This is a brutally gory and entirely oppressive survival horror title. Dead Space 2 is a truly terrifying and claustrophobic experience and it sets a high bar for all the subsequent triple-A releases due out in 2011.

DiRT 2 is a hugely enjoyable and well rounded game. It might not be as sim-like in nature as some hardcore rally fans may have wanted, but what it does offer is thrilling and enjoyable racing.

In attempting to ape the triumphs of another medium, it overlooks the triumphs of its own. The result is disappointing game, but an impressive interactive experience.

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.

The problem comes when you factor in the strong focus on the pleasant but unrewarding co-op mode, and start realising how the game never really makes up its mind on whether it's a traditional single-player adventure or a serious contender for the next Monster Hunter.

It's a revolutionary title offering five times more than any other developer would dare. There are potentially infinite playing hours available here, providing you get hooked on Team Fortress 2's zany online experience (and there's plenty of players mainlining daily).

In the end though, who would pass up the chance to be like Mike?

Harmonix have created a loving dedication to one of the greatest bands of all time. It might not set the Christmas charts on fire, but it will be a critical darling for years to come.