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.

Still, when it all clicks in place it's quite easily the fluffiest, most lovable experience you're going to get on Sony's black monolith.

As far as social Wii games go, Let's Tap is a great addition to the immense stable already available for the console and more than worth a punt. Bold, colourful and smile-inducing, it's a work of unique tapping genius, which is definitely something you don't hear everyday.

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

This is a game that will appeal most directly to the Wii's casual market. But anyone who enjoys an innovative game should spend some time here. In staggering their releases on Wii and 360/PS3 EA have certainly kept Skate in the public eye.

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.

Despite the undeniable quality of the games themselves, for everyone else who's probably played these exact games various times before, the motivation to put your hand in your pocket is probably a lot weaker.

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.

Maybe EA just need a few more sequels and a brand new console to perfect the series, but this writer has a sneaky suspicion that EA knows that a brand name and a few famous faces will be enough to encourage strong sales.

For the most part though, Alice: Madness Returns bazaar setting and imaginative design does a great job of immersing you, and whilst the repetition can grate slightly, its still a unique experience that is well worth your time.

Lips still isn't quite the SingStar beater Microsoft wants it to be, it's simply not slick enough yet and lacks the huge library of songs SingStar fans will be used to. However in terms of fresh ideas and when viewed purely as a game it's edged it's nose ahead with relative ease.

This is a glorious, wonderful world to explore, a painterly land bristling with character and emotion. It pains me that I can't recommend it wholeheartedly.

There's no doubting the single band formula is a solid road for Guitar Hero to venture down, it will obviously shrink the market as it narrows the appeal a tad but if you love the band in question it'll pretty much be a dream come true. Me? I'd be more excited about a Queen or Guns 'n' Roses version but this is a decent first go.

Virtua Tennis 2009 plays a better, more compelling game than any other tennis game around, but it is still fundamentally more of the same. Nonetheless, if you're in the market for a new set of balls, then this is certainly a game that you'll love.

Yet for all the hours I've enjoyed putting into the multiplayer, I still feel insulted by the thoughtlessness of the single-player.

It's not that Dark Mirror is a bad game; it's not. It's just that it's not as good as the PSP version that's been sitting on shelves for over a year now, which begs the question: why bother bringing it to the PS2 at all? The whole thing has a real air of pointlessness about it.

Unlike the vast majority of videogame adaptations designed to further boost Hollywood's already bulging coffers, Speed Racer doesn't overreach by trying to justify its existence with masses of unnecessary gameplay fluff, convoluted storylines and flashy worthless extras. Instead it keeps its focus solely on fun-filled Car-Fu racing, not needing to swamp the gameplay with star likenesses and vocal performances in an effort to paper over any developmental shortcomings.

Unfortunately, despite many good bits, the idea behind Invizimals promises more than the reality delivers.

Personally I loved its retro game in modern clothes feel but I can imagine some will find its unashamedly dated design sours their trip down memory lane.

Certainly, it is far from perfect, and misses out on lessons learnt elsewhere. But what it does do is bring some genuinely new ideas to the genre, while creating a game that is a lot of fun to play.

If only it had received the sort of touch generation's look and feel recently applied to titles such as Picross DS or Puzzle League, then this could have eclipsed even the PC title.

To use a musical analogy, rather than a true third album from a great band Guitar Hero Rocks the 80s feels far more like an unnecessary b-side compilation pushed out to fulfil a record company contract.

Ultimately, WET only occasionally transcends average status, its brand of excessive action marred by a lack of depth, unrelenting repetition and a dearth of imagination. Strangely likeable, those seeking straightforward, uncomplicated shooting thrills may happily overlook the game's issues and enjoy a solid, fun-filled blast for a good few hours or so.

Superb controls aside, when properly assessed by the FPS genre's merciless yardstick of quality, The Conduit echoes the same linear design disappointments as Resistance: Fall of Man and finds itself languishing uncomfortably close to Turning Point: Fall of Liberty in terms of dour quality.

Ultimately though the shallow game play means that this is one present that, unlike the puppy, is just for Christmas.

There's little reason anyone but a NASCAR fan will buy this game when there's things like GRID, Forza, Gran Tourismo and so forth flying about.

It demonstrates a welcome change of direction for the now infamous series and definite inroads into future potential for the future of similar racers on Wii. No, it's not without its faults (the less said about the unfulfilling multiplayer, the better), but viewed as a shamelessly simple arcade racer, it offers a surprising amount of longevity and fun.

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).