The best in the series to date, this brain-over-brawn tactical shooter successfully delivers all the action of a first-person shooter at just half the pace.

It's glitzy, ditzy and full of glam, but it will also leave you battered and bruised.

It's about halfway through Fahrenheit that the wheels start to wobble. The game begins to veer away from its complex murder-mystery beginnings into the realm of pure fantasy, with a final chapter that can be hard to stomach.

Unlike other games of this ilk, there's no movie presentation - you're never fooled into thinking you are taking part in anything other than a videogame.

There are a couple of perplexing flaws in the design, such as the inability to go prone or jump over low walls and fences, but suspend your disbelief and you'll be gripped.

Convincing physics have been brought into play to improve the feel of passing, crossing and shooting - a feature that brings FIFA more in line with the current simulation champ, "Pro Evolution Soccer."

The intriguing storyline, scary setting and unique battle system make for a frightening and memorable experience.

The best addition is multiplayer action. Up to 10 nearby mates can battle wirelessly and faraway foes can be challenged online. But purists might consider changes such as a hold box for troublesome pieces, previews of the next six blocks and infinite spins to be far less welcome.

Navigating the menus and many options can be seriously intimidating for the uninitiated, thanks to some complicated design features.

There are a couple of perplexing flaws in the design, such as the inability to go prone or jump over low walls and fences, but suspend your disbelief and you'll be gripped.

It's about halfway through Fahrenheit that the wheels start to wobble. The game begins to veer away from its complex murder-mystery beginnings into the realm of pure fantasy, with a final chapter that can be hard to stomach.

That rock is the rocking arcade rally game "Rallisport Challenge 2," which offers better visuals, a more tangible driving sensation and arguably the best online support ever seen in a racing game. That hard place is "Richard Burns Rally," which has established itself as easily the most realistic (not to mention difficult) rally game. In the wake of these two triple-A titles, Colin McRae 2005 comes off feeling a little too tired to remain the pinnacle of rally gaming.

It's about halfway through Fahrenheit that the wheels start to wobble. The game begins to veer away from its complex murder-mystery beginnings into the realm of pure fantasy, with a final chapter that can be hard to stomach.

That rock is the rocking arcade rally game "Rallisport Challenge 2," which offers better visuals, a more tangible driving sensation and arguably the best online support ever seen in a racing game. That hard place is "Richard Burns Rally," which has established itself as easily the most realistic (not to mention difficult) rally game. In the wake of these two triple-A titles, Colin McRae 2005 comes off feeling a little too tired to remain the pinnacle of rally gaming.

Navigating the menus and many options can be seriously intimidating for the uninitiated, thanks to some complicated design features.

Convincing physics have been brought into play to improve the feel of passing, crossing and shooting - a feature that brings FIFA more in line with the current simulation champ, "Pro Evolution Soccer."

With a rather abrupt final sequence it does seem to rush to its climax, but despite its brevity, this is an unforgettable trip through the realm of Kong.

With a rather abrupt final sequence it does seem to rush to its climax, but despite its brevity, this is an unforgettable trip through the realm of Kong.

Some locations are dreary trudges through dull space-station corridors, but others show more imagination, such as giant pinball tables and underwater in Atlantis.

Some locations are dreary trudges through dull space-station corridors, but others show more imagination, such as giant pinball tables and underwater in Atlantis.

Navigating the menus and many options can be seriously intimidating for the uninitiated, thanks to some complicated design features.

With intensely interesting lore and characters, an awe-inspiring aesthetic and one of the most mind-crushingly dull gameplay loops I've ever experienced in a high-budget video game, Hideo Kojima's supernatural epic is pretentious and profound, filled with tedium and terrifying wonder.

Patient players looking for a unique experience ultimately will be rewarded by this atmospheric and ambitious shooter.

Blood Money gives the assassin even more flexibility, with abilities such as climbing, disarming opponents, hiding, using human shields, staging mock accidents and sophisticated distraction techniques.

Exploring as Sonic or new character Blaze the cat is rewarding, even if enemy placement can be stupidly punitive, demanding rote memorisation or lightning use of the dash attack to avoid calamity.

Discerning gamers will find that this third excursion to the frontline is enjoyable but a little unpolished. It is, however, the best-looking 360 game to date.

Sony has accomplished its mission. This is the best shooter yet for the PSP.

Revelation repeats the formula of breathtaking visuals and oblique puzzles. But despite its success, the game remains an acquired taste - slow-paced and full of obtuse brain teasers.

As far as the multiplayer goes, it's nothing much more than Quake 3 with a fresh slap of paint, which is probably the biggest disappointment of all.

Frights are common as disturbingly psychopathic vagrants lunge at you from the shadows. The violence is raw, barbaric and unsettling.

There are more trick-based challenges than ever, but aside from the new slow-motion control, Tony Hawk is skating through the same old territory.

For a system that prides itself on interactivity, WarioWare: Touched! is a notable complement. It's a shallow, inconsistent experience, though, and one I suspect will wear on you after a while.

If you wore out your copy of the bewitching original you may need to question whether new songs are enough to get you playing the same game again.

Unfortunately, the emphasis on economic management and the lack of precise unit control means combat lacks finesse. Like real-time strategy games of old, the best tactic is usually to simply amass a huge force and crudely rush at overwhelmed opponents.

With a rather abrupt final sequence it does seem to rush to its climax, but despite its brevity, this is an unforgettable trip through the realm of Kong.

Computer-controlled opponents offer a solid challenge and matches are often tense and exciting.

Some locations are dreary trudges through dull space-station corridors, but others show more imagination, such as giant pinball tables and underwater in Atlantis.

For all its bells and whistles, Perfect Dark Zero is a solid yet unremarkable comeback.

There are sufficient missions but little choice of objectives, ensuring the action starts to feel prematurely repetitive.

A quirky, colourful and catchy music game that is great fun while it lasts.

Fast-paced, epic and accessible, Microsoft's hack'n'slash sequel will entertain role-playing novices but disappoint veterans looking for more depth and innovation.

Unfortunately the core combat that makes up the majority of the game soon feels more like chore combat.

Floating island environments are intricate and beautiful but paper-thin characters and an evil empire revenge yarn are disappointingly dull.

The Xbox 360 version Icon tested features 12 beautifully recreated courses, astonishingly realistic player animation and convincing crowds that even react when you hit a wayward drive in their direction.

While this is an arcade racer, skill still plays a big role. Shifting the rider's weight, proper use of the clutch and preloading the suspension are necessary for clearing jumps and effective cornering.

Just when you become well-entrenched in the world of Eberron, the single-player campaign comes to an abrupt end. The only way to continue the fun is to get online and master the multiplayer side to the game, which is something that might not appeal to every adventurer out there.

This sequel repeats just about every mistake the original made, but in spite of that I fell in love with its sprawling world, goofy characters and thrilling aerial acrobatics all over again.

This is another fun, fleeting, exceptionally good-looking Call of Duty game, but its World War II theme doesn't add much besides bringing some of its mechanics back down to Earth.

The learning curve is steep but mulling over the rules becomes part of the addictive charm.

At its core Shadow of War is a tremendous amount of fun, but its good mechanical parts are under constant threat of suffocation from its gormless framework. The player's own story of an endless struggle against (and alongside) powerful orcs is enthralling, but the game's actual narrative is a boring trudge. The loop of killing powerful enemies for new loot is a great motivator, and building your army piece by piece to take strongholds seems like a perfect fit for this game, until you hit a wall and are faced with its app-style payed-for incentives.

This is the most family-friendly 360 launch title, offering an entertaining fantasy adventure with plenty of secrets and varied powers.

Empire at War hits all the right notes if you're a Star Wars fan, but be prepared to grind out your victories.

The action can be hard to follow, but fans will appreciate the realism.

Building farms, mines and warehouses, converting resources into goods, blazing trading routes and watching your settlements grow into prosperous cities is very satisfying.

Unfortunately, the game is plagued by a cumbersome camera system that takes an age to rotate around your character. But the gorgeous look of the game and the intriguing storyline should be enough for most gamers to overlook these problems.

Activities such as poker tournaments, capturing felons, gold mining, animal herding and hunting provide variety but their appeal is short-lived.

While this is an arcade racer, skill still plays a big role. Shifting the rider's weight, proper use of the clutch and preloading the suspension are necessary for clearing jumps and effective cornering.

Prey is a mixed bag. Its setting is derivative but pretty, with its emergent storytelling often making for an eerie and atmospheric good time. But shallow enemies punish the player for their curiosity early on and only become annoying bullet sponges later. That, combined with an ultimate failure of the narrative to follow through on the psychological promises of the excellent opening, make for an experience that is, above everything else, conflicted.

These pinball tables are well-designed, the ball action realistic with familiar Metroid elements smartly integrated.

Creative Assembly has deftly crafted an excellent RTS that sits somewhere between the worlds of consoles and PC, but it's clear that both worlds have to stretch a little to accommodate.

Detroit wants so badly to be an interactive Hollywood blockbuster, but its amazing visuals and cinematic presentation can't make up for some really lame writing, weird performances and an overall lack of grace. But in spite of that, it can be a fun interactive B-movie.

Warriors fans know what they're in for. It's an entertaining power fantasy with lots of bad guys and explosions, heaps of different characters to learn and all sorts of diversions on the side to power up your teams and weapons. But for all Age of Calamity's painstaking adaptation, it lacks almost everything I loved about Breath of the Wild. It's a skin deep approximation with the aesthetic and characters the only thing intact, mostly concerned with turning the existing areas into linear bombastic shooting galleries and sword fights. All that would be fine if the story or themes were meaningfully expanded here, but they aren't.

Having to wait until the game lets you solve a riddle even though you have grasped the solution long ago is particularly galling. Players too often feel like passengers on a scripted ride, rather than individual auteurs directing their own unique experience.

If you can get past the dated graphics and sound in many of the games, you may discover that the gameplay is still as dastardly as ever.

The slow pace may not be to everyone's taste but this game is a must for horror buffs.

Convincing physics have been brought into play to improve the feel of passing, crossing and shooting - a feature that brings FIFA more in line with the current simulation champ, "Pro Evolution Soccer."

Gripping and gritty, but will leave you wanting more.

Amusing multiplayer mini-games such as basketball, soccer and ice hockey are enjoyable diversions.

Gripping and gritty, but will leave you wanting more.

If you're looking for something that's easy on the eye and not too demanding, then Titan Quest might help satisfy your thirst for adventure.

Most of the game is set on a moving train, ensuring the locations are very limited but your fellow travellers are intriguing.

A fun football simulation for newcomers and the best FIFA of recent years. Even so, competitor "Pro Evolution" still has the virtual World Cup firmly in its grasp.

We all know that war is hell, but this game often forgets that games need to be entertaining. At times the missions are just too frustratingly difficult, with your soldiers facing near-impossible odds.

A fun football simulation for newcomers and the best FIFA of recent years. Even so, competitor "Pro Evolution" still has the virtual World Cup firmly in its grasp.

Adapting one of Hollywood's masterpieces was brave, but it's a pity the game designers lacked the courage of their convictions, choosing to shoehorn Grand Theft Auto into the mafia setting.

A fun football simulation for newcomers and the best FIFA of recent years. Even so, competitor "Pro Evolution" still has the virtual World Cup firmly in its grasp.

Terrific fun for youngsters, while amusing pop-culture satire will also have older players giggling like chimps.

A very deep and realistic space simulation, but one that is too slow for most gamers to appreciate.

Combat against dim-witted goons can become repetitive but missions offer diversity.

A good mental workout that can prove to be addictive, despite its punishing quirks.

While Street 2 is appealingly approachable, it gets monotonous, particularly for owners of the original. Solo modes are dull and arduous.

An intriguing mystery, but more mental challenge and lasting appeal would be welcome.

With a rather abrupt final sequence it does seem to rush to its climax, but despite its brevity, this is an unforgettable trip through the realm of Kong.

Battlestations: Midway has the potential to blossom as a multiplayer game, primarily online. With everyone free to jump between units, it can become chaotic, but that's half the fun.

You'll instinctively reach for the seatbelt in this aggressive display of reckless racing.

Using the Nintendo wi-fi connection service, users can then send their designs to friends to solve, bolstering the game's long-term appeal.

One of the most disturbing games of the year. In a good way.

While it does have its fair share of bugs, we're confident that with a little patching (something the developers haven't been afraid of in the past) Pacific Fighters will surpass "IL2" to become the top World War II flight sim.

A fun football simulation for newcomers and the best FIFA of recent years. Even so, competitor "Pro Evolution" still has the virtual World Cup firmly in its grasp.

Like the film, Scarface is brutal and often ridiculously over-the-top. It uses the GTA template effectively but may feel too familiar for Vice City veterans.

The action can be hard to follow, but fans will appreciate the realism.

A streamlined and multi-planet take on Ubisoft's familiar open-world action, paired with an original-trilogy-era Star Wars tale that follows an up-and-coming scoundrel rather than a Jedi or Imperial, sounds like a recipe for an absolutely incredible game. Outlaws, though, is uneven. Some of the settings, exploration, heists and adventures are everything a franchise fan could want in a sandbox scum and villainy game. Unfortunately, a lot of rough edges and a severe lack of storytelling depth holds Outlaws back from its true potential.

A refreshingly innovative and unique multiplayer game requiring poise, cunning and paranoia.

The touch-screen combat, for the most part, works well. However, once the difficulty begins to increase, flying your craft through obstacles and shooting specific targets becomes frustratingly fiddly work, as you frantically tap and flick the stylus pen.

An enjoyable city-building simulation that lacks SimCity's depth but emphasises social cohesion.

The story and dialogue never cease to entertain. Objectives include rescuing prisoners, killing fearsome scarecrows and playing Cupid. But, although the developers want to ridicule, the action remains conventional.

Purists may cringe at the pause option, allowing players to assess levels and assign abilities without fear of Lemmings bumbling into trouble, but it helps pinpoint creatures in a chaotic herd.

The game is immediately likeable. The presentation is cheerful and anyone can pick up the joypad and have fun.