Some less "hardcore" players will find themselves frustrated to a fault, as Tails falls into a pit of spikes for the hundredth time, but if you can put up with the heartbreak, harking back to ten years ago can be great fun.

There are genuinely funny moments and the soundtrack and voiceovers are some of the best I've heard in a game for a long time, but that doesn't stop the action from being hackneyed and predictable.

If you have Xbox Live, then let the good times roll and be prepared to get pasted by the world's best players. A lot more could have been added.

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

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.

Scaler was never going to set the gaming world alight, but if you're looking for something to while away a few more of those cold winter hours, you could do much, much worse.

The development team have gone all out in the tension stakes and made the game into one of the most palm-moistening titles available for the Xbox today, but the lack of AI and some incredibly shoddy graphical work takes off a considerable amount of sheen.

Genuinely funny in places, groan-making in others – Under The Skin is a bizarre concept that could have been really good fun. Unfortunately, it needs a few more strings to its bow, as the final package feels very much like it could have been named "One Trick Pony."

Technically, the game could be classed as above-average, but no matter how many times you make use of the more-than-adequate control system and your far-too-limited selection of moves to grind your opponent down, they always seem to pop back up and have the amazing ability to pin you without really doing any work beforehand.

Despite the superb presentation which, as usual, is currently unmatched by any other game, the players still feel like they are sliding about the pitch, rather than running. When kicking the ball, the contact between ball and boot is more realistic than in previous iterations of the game, but the trajectory of the ball is still very strange.

I really wanted it to work, and continued in the vain and unfounded hope that it'd all come good at some point. It doesn't.

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.

Savage karnivores may still enjoy this bloody-rare slab of fighting beef, but genre gourmets should look elsewhere.

An incredibly sold game. The on-court action is on a par with NBA Live and for the price £19.99, you can’t really go wrong. The atmosphere of the arenas and the passion of the fans is there, the gameplay is there, and a huge chunk of addictiveness is certainly there.

Basically more of the same, albeit with a little more freedom to roam.

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.

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.

The ability to lock and unlock the camera to the main enemy is a bonus in boss battles and works well, but since this idea doesn't filter through to the rest of the game, there is much to be frustrated with.

You'll be simply crying out for more after you've waltzed through the missions on offer in just a few short hours. What you do get for your money however, is a solid multiplayer game and an unfortunately short but immensely fun single player game that is well worth investigating.

The fact of the matter is that for the majority of Vietcong: Purple Haze, I was just plain bored. "Shellshock" at least provided a hint of tension and atmosphere during the first few missions to make you want to play on. Purple Haze doesn't. Enough said.

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.

Not a terrible game by any means, but a bit more time in the testing tank would have surely turned it into a masterpiece to stand alongside the Conflict series.

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

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.

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.

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.

But if you are tempted by it’s smooth retro, isometric 16-bit leanings and complex combat-mechanics, then it’s as good as a starting point as any in the Nippon Ichi catalogue.

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.