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.