The best action game on the current generation of systems; it has everything you could ever want in such a title within the genre – including the most important facet of all, depth – and lots of it too.

As pure a game as you could ever wish to play. Adrenaline, frustration, addiction and the largest hunk of retro gaming pleasure that you could purchase. If you own a DS, and you don’t even give this a chance, you might as well get your consoles listed on eBay. Give up. Buy it. Now.

A game that needs lots of processing power, and a good amount of RAM for the best experience. The fact that many gamers will have already upgraded their PC to account for this is testament to the game itself.

The new "Dual Wielding" option allows you to pick up two guns at once and use them together, which provides a feeling that again, other shooters just don't come anywhere near.

Best game on the GameCube? Definitely. In fact, if there was ever a game that required the purchase of its native console just to play it, then this is it.

All you need to know is that if it was a poker hand, Forza would be a royal flush. If a football score, it would be a 7-0 win. As a game, it is the finest straight-up racing game to grace any home console system and as such, is an absolute must buy.

Absolutely towering over the likes of NBA Live and all of the other pretenders to the throne, NBA 2k7 is an incredibly solid game that looks, sounds and plays as smoothly as you could ever wish it to – and goodness, its addictive.

Absolutely essential twitch gaming, and the perfect way to wear in your new DS.

Astonishingly good...This is pure, balls-out speed that will cause even the most hardcore of gamers to rock from left to right as they barely miss ramming a truck at two hundred plus miles an hour.

Snake Eater just pips "Resident Evil 4" when it comes to boss battles, with Konami's title boasting some of the finest boss confrontations since the first PlayStation Metal Gear Solid; we’re talking Psycho Mantis territory now people, for inventiveness, sheer scope and fun.

Graphically and sonically, Kirby: Canvas Curse excels and impresses with apparent ease. If you fail a level, then that wonderful “one-more-go” feeling that eats up so many hours of our lives as gamers comes into play, and whilst this game isn’t the longest by any means, it’s possibly the most enjoyable on the format so far.

Go ahead, look up the word 'Epic' in a dictionary; you should come across the following entry - 'Surpassing the usual or ordinary, particularly in scope or size'. This simple explanation describes The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion perfectly.

Sure, there’s some slowdown in places, and graphically everything looks as current-gen as it possibly could, but the gameplay mechanic and the sheer fun you’ll be having reliving your school days will make you completely oblivious to any of these problems.

The best football game available for any format. Period.

Despite being set in another dimension, Sudeki feels believable and somehow real.

Voice acting is flawless with all the characters having a variety of accents, the score is grandiose and hits all the right notes, all held together by the polish and slick nature of the aesthetics, which can't be faulted.

With online play that is surprisingly smooth and lag free, an offline career mode that is surprisingly fun to play and graphics to die for, Fight Night Round 3 is a superb all-around title.

Psychonauts isn’t for genre enthusiasts; Psychonauts is for anyone who’s ever looked at a game.

You can customise your locker room, create your own title belts and compete for them in the much-improved online mode, connect the game to the upcoming PSP version, recreate classic matches – seemingly, whatever you want or need to do is right here. Absolutely superb.

Republic Commando should really be viewed as an incredibly solid, compelling, stylish title that has the ability of being able to be played over Xbox Live should you fancy it.

All in all, I’m very impressed so far – City of Villains is fun, there’s consentual PvP and there’s base construction, but the best bit is that if you already have "City of Heroes," the monthly fee will also cover you for City of Villains.

Finally a Star Wars strategy game that got it right. Everything works the way it should, and that is no mean feat.

Another refreshing innovation in Smash Court Tennis Pro Tournament 2 is the directional control that you have over your serves. None of this “press left to hit a wide serve” malarkey here my friends, just pure analog control.

As games lean increasingly toward po-faced realism, Viewtiful Joe provides a refreshingly irreverent and honest game whose old-school sensibilities prove that old dogs can still learn new tricks.

It will frustrate you. It's unrelenting, but you'll keep coming back for more, not just for the challenge itself, but for the hidden treasures that lie within.

Good, clean fun. A solid concept, great execution and a ton of reasons to play again and again mean that this is a title that no PS2 owner could easily pass up.

Hardcore beat em’ up fans and casual players alike have something here available to keep their heads faced towards their handheld consoles for a long time to come. If they had included a fully online fighting system, this would be nearer to getting a perfect score, but even without this much wanted feature, the game is a great accomplishment.

I was expecting a lot from Instincts, and boy, I got it. Smooth as silk, pretty as a picture and as vicious as an angry lion, Jack Carver's second title is as good as his first, and is pretty much a must-own for any fan of the FPS or stealth genres. Top notch.

To be quite frank, TOCA Race Driver 3 is a great game - one of the best on the Playstation 2 - and certainly does compare to Gran Turismo 4 in specific areas.

Quite simply put; this is the finest horizontal shooter on the PlayStation 2. In fact, it’s the finest horizontal shooter on any of the next-generation systems to emerge in some time - a game that can sit proudly in the upper echelons of gaming excellence.

I say "incredibly destructible", simply because it is. Should you plough into a tyre wall, the tyres will roll all over the track, making navigation treacherous when you find out that your car reacts somewhat realistically when you try to drive through them as if they aren't there on the next lap, and you inevitably end up rolling the car.

A stylish challenge that – should you be able to get past the more repetitive sections – will keep even the most hardcore of gamers entertained.

The in-game AI is nothing short of remarkable.

A game that you can pick up instantly, learn to play within seconds (watch the handy tutorial for all the moves) and then not put down for a fair few hours.

A fantastic game; you probably won't play a scarier title in the survival horror genre. And if you can forgive the minor niggles you're in for a wholesome and character building experience.

It’s like being thrown into a top quality thriller movie; you’ll feel incredibly on edge and at times have second thoughts on venturing into the darkened trail of the killer.

Only the steep difficulty curve may prove a deterrent: later levels especially can induce fits of blind GBA-throwing rage. For those with the grit to play it, Astro Boy: The Omega Factor makes a refreshing alternative to all those meandering wander-em-ups.

Put it this way, I must have clocked up around 30 hours of play so far and I'm still not tired of simply moseying about town, popping a few grinds and flip tricks, trying to get an astronomical high combo score to unlock an achievement. It just feels so right and ultimately therapeutic.

The Movies is addictive. The Movies is compelling. The Movies is innovative. The Movies is one of those games that you could become lost in for a very long time – should you devote the time to it.

One of the few games that have glaring holes in the gameplay, and gets away with it scot-free. Why? Atmosphere.

When you drive an autumnal rally in Britain with the leaves blowing up in your wake only to find that when raining, those now-wet leaves stick to the ground, turn into mulch and affect your vehicle's handling – you know that you're in the presence of a cracker.

An incredibly solid title, and one that keeps Pandemic's run going strong. You'll be coming back once you've completed the game, just to play with the vehicles.

A wonderful puzzle game, a superbly frantic challenge and some ridiculously funny dialogue make up a package that you’d have to be a complete fool to miss.

Challenging, smooth, plays incredibly well and is as accurate as you would like.

Everything that an epic adventure needs to be. Memorable enemies, a story that allows the player to use their imagination, tight controls, and one of the most impressive soundtracks of recent note.

One of the most compelling, atmospheric and in some places, downright beautiful combat flight simulations ever made.

A superb game. Probably the best title on the 360. The flaws are forgivable because it’s simply fun to play. If you are anal for completing a game in its entirety you’ll be on this forever. It’s a practical impossibility to complete all the missions and sub-missions in the 72 hour-mode (it actually lasts about 10 real-time hours).

The atmosphere is as thick as ever, the battles are tougher and grittier, the highs higher, the lows lower, the enemy more cunning.

To not buy this just because you don't 'see the point', want to 'use guns and rockets and stuff' is just cutting your nose off to spite your face. You will have fun playing this, and with no monthly fees, you can afford to.

If you own a 360, and don’t own GRAW, then you’re missing one of the finest single-player experiences that gaming has to offer. Absolutely top notch.

I don’t claim to be a Star Wars buff – far, far from it, in fact – but Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy makes me want to check out the storyline a little more, provides a heck of a lot of entertainment for the asking price and a few bugs aside, has been put together incredibly well indeed. Very, very good.

I implore you to give this a go if you’re a wrestling fan, and even if you aren’t – it might well be worth a play. I like the improvements that have been made, and I’ll be playing this long into 2007.

The different aspects of the game are so well-balanced that no single aspect ever wears thin or seems too prominent, and the game really lets you take on the challenges as you see fit.

Guild Wars: Factions is a rich, detailed and diverse world with plenty of scope for expansion, and already has me looking forward to seeing Chapter 3 when it comes out. This game can convert even the most ardent Planetsiders (most of my Guild actually) and the fun that both chapters offer is never-ending.

Play through the game for a while and you'll find something new that you previously wouldn't have believed possible. As I mentioned before, climbing up to the top of the highest skyscraper is something that simply HAS to be tried by all.

A fine selection of courses, a smooth graphical performance, intuitive controls and some of the most addictive gameplay available for your PSP mean that Everybody's Golf really is a challenger for the title of "Best European PSP Launch Title."

Even after all these years OutRun’s core-dynamics have virtually remained unchanged. The new, slicker looking OutRun retains that Sega magic, something that eludes most games nowadays, so it’s testament to both Sumo and Sega for bringing something that’s plain fun to pick up and play.

A superbly detailed labour of love. The game really benefits from over 10 years of development, and is smooth and polished.

Excellent gameplay is the order of the day here, and the classic franchises will make Dreamcast and Saturn fans teary-eyed just at the thought of them. This is the best EyeToy compilation to date.

Shows very little in the way of innovation, but the limited scope of the game allows it to shine all the more, delivering to its player a refreshing slice of good, clean fun.

The package is the perfect compliment to the first collection – although if you’re deciding between the two, the first contains more instantly recognisable titles and would come as the recommended purchase.

For those who can live with the formula, the only real flaw is the latter half of the game where too much trudging through previously visited areas creates something of an anti-climax after such a gripping start.

Nintendogs shows its attention to detail in the main game modes in so many different ways. [JPN Import]

If you're bored of the current slew of "shoot, run, shoot, run" FPS titles, then EiB's limited tactical bent might be enough to liven things up for you.

The season mode will last you a fair old while and if you decide to create a character, you won't even play a match for the first two hours, thanks to the depth and breadth of CAW options available to you.

An incredibly impressive re-imagining of a gaming classic.

There are other minor niggles, but none should detract from the surprisingly entertaining experience that Keepsake offers.

The perfect vehicle to kick-off the new era of immediate, accurate control that the DS brings along with it; instantly open, as it is, to new and seasoned gamers alike.

The game has the potential to keep you playing for hour after hour, but is more likely to find a home in your PSP case, just waiting to be played when you have a spare five minutes.

A cracking effort from Nintendo’s former arch-rivals, but not the longest game you could ever wish for.

The lack of any real reason to play the game again once the final credits have rolled also manages to hamper the score. Red Dead Revolver is truly stellar fun whilst it lasts.

Poker fans will lap this up, and a few non-poker fans like myself will become converts simply due to the fact that the game explains things so clearly. As much as the laws of logic say that I shouldn't be saying this, World Championship Poker is a highly addictive game.

Burn enemies to death with White Phosphorous or just gun them down using a multitude of weapons. Whatever your mood, you're sure to have a good time.

It isn't the longest game in the world and neither is it the toughest, but the psi-actions provide good entertainment for longer than they really should with the stealth action on offer standing up well, to boot.

An example of narrative dictating game, uncovering a decent mix of game styles along the way. The developers should be commended - they've listened to their fans, grown as a team and created a game that stealth action fans will lap up.

Good, old-skool, over-the-top sporting fun. Get a few mates round, teach them how to play in five minutes and have a blast. A fair few hours will be wasted in singleplayer mode too. NBA Ballers is probably the best arcade basketball title since the original NBA Jam, and one that is just as much fun.

The only slight downsides to Up Your Arsenal are Clank's solo missions, where the wee robot has to solve ridiculously simple puzzles on his own, which can be a bit of letdown. Not too dissimilar to the previous titles there, then. The other is that in some respects, the game can be slightly too easy.

The epitome of a sound investment. Exciting gameplay, some very innovative uses for the stylus and graphically passable, this is one title that really hits the spot.

Approach it as a simulation of a complex sport and Colin McRae Rally 2005 will serve you perfectly as the best rally simulation game to date.

Cross Racing Championship 2005 has the makings of a very good game indeed, but with a couple of rough edges that slightly (and really only slightly) spoil things.

The most substantial – and perhaps the most essential - title on the DS right now, and the perfect antidote to the short-lived fun of gimmicky mini-games.

The only thing you pretty much can’t do as a pirate is getting your own parrot, which is a shame but we’re willing to overlook it just this once.

Thankfully, you can turn off the VGS display completely and never see it again. Manabu Akita's system is a clever one, certainly, but did the developers really need to find the most annoying place on the race screen for it to live in? I don't think so. Rant over.

A very simple idea, brilliantly put together: a high speed nostalgia trip that, unlike other games you remember from your youth, won’t leave you thinking: ‘Surely it was better than that’.

Its well put together, well finished and is lifelike.

The best action game available for the DS today, bar none.

With graphics almost fit for an FPS and lots of "shiny", plus real military hardware recreated in great detail, it's also a title to get the gaming enthusiasts rig warmed up as it draws them steadily into addiction.

Online, SOCOM 3 is better than ever, packed full of new locations and genuinely exciting. This latest edition will do nothing to dent the massive popularity of the SOCOM series.

A very compelling game to play and one of the few titles I will continue playing long after reviewing. In fact, that is exactly what I am going to do right now.

Incredibly strong plot. Unrealistic, yes, but absolutely compelling at all times – enough to make you go back and play through the game again from the other Agent's viewpoint, just to fill in a little more of the story that you might have missed.

You played the original Sonic games for the eye-numbing speed, the best-in-class platforming action, the wonderfully detailed backgrounds and of course, the challenge. With Sonic Rush, Sega have managed to cram in all of that with improvements, although some may not like the way in which the difficulty level is achieved.

Some people just won’t get it, but everyone else who plays it will fall completely in love with the concept, the control system and the entire look of the package.

Nothing short of stunning – for the greater part. Depth, longevity, looks and some fantastically booming old-school sound schemes (complete with satisfyingly throaty engine tones) are all accounted for here.

A credit to the series, a huge improvement on the previous title and a game you should definitely try if you like strategy games. In fact, it’s probably worth a try even if you DON’T like strategy games.

Fair enough, it's very, very similar to the previous Xbox and Playstation 2 versions we've all played - but the added graphical touches and stable Xbox Live play make this a good buy.

Prudish I am not, but some of the in-game "action" can be fairly shocking simply because you don't expect it of a videogame.

There are a few rough edges such as the enemy AI being a little too dumb and the plot being basically useless to the player, but when it comes to running through a level dispatching bullets right, left and centre, Transformers gets the job done with relative style.

Realistic, challenging and far from ugly, the development team have put in a good performance here. I can't help feeling that a little more could have been done to round the package off, but even without online play, the game is still a decent proposal for hockey fans.