Xbox 360 gamers will be pleased to have a grand RPG, but sadly it's not nearly as enchanting as it could be.

Pity the game lacks GTA's mischievous sense of humour and fun distractions.

It's pitched at a younger audience than the usual Tony Hawk games, so the frantic, no-frills racing may only be fun for casual gamers.

Children should have a whale of a time with this approachable and enjoyable adventure, which offers a tasty smorgasbord of game styles served in bite-sized chunks.

Though much shorter and not quite as compelling as its predecessor Until Dawn, Man of Medan maintains the guts of the excellent interactive horror format. Its smart multiplayer modes, complex sub-plots, branching paths and assorted endings make it a blast for movie nights and a great start to a promising anthology.

A few dozen mediocre party games let up to four friends compete in unimaginative tasks such as paddling boats or shooting balloons but add little depth to the package.

Aiming squarely at gamers' nostalgia for mid-90s roleplaying games and hitting nothing but a vast white void, Lost Sphear is a fun game bogged down by a muddle of throwbacks and a cacophony of unoriginal, competing ideas.

Though it looks stunning and is an impressive achievement in open world multiplayer gaming, a lack of variety and completely frustrating single-player mode keeps Sea of Thieves from staying afloat.

Artfully designed for a young audience, Madagascar will keep kids constantly entertained by serving up a wide variety of fun activities. The amusing movie characters and dialogue also ensure plenty of giggles.

The highlight is a brief but thrilling broomstick chase against a fire-breathing dragon. An underwater interlude is less successful, although it provides variety.

The only thing blazing will be the tail section of your plane and your fragile patience.

A trip to Thrillville takes you on a long, unnecessary detour through Dullsville.

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.

Despite its frustrating flaws, there is still an authentic and challenging military games experience to be had.

Aussie expertise has produced the best Spyro game in many years, but the action gets repetitive and some old fans might be dismayed by the emphasis on combat.

It faithfully captures tactics and the energetic pace, with speed and strategic use of cover of equal importance to shooting accuracy.

The highlight is a brief but thrilling broomstick chase against a fire-breathing dragon. An underwater interlude is less successful, although it provides variety.

But if you know the difference between a Mame emulator and a Lame encoder, this could be right up your eight-colour alley.

Puzzles are kept to a minimum but due to the repetitive ship interiors and the absence of a map, players will spend plenty of time meandering.

A decent start to what will inevitably be a games series.

While the gameplay might not be very deep or precise, Frantics succeeds as a pick-up-and-play game that anyone can enjoy regardless of age or gaming experience. The funny characters are ideal for slapstick violence, and the frequent alliances, backstabs and sabotages keep things interesting.

A great Megaman introduction for beginners. But owners of its forerunners will struggle to find enough new features to warrant upgrading.

The swine stealth offers welcome variety but skulking is not as much fun as manipulating time, and a wayward camera becomes annoying.

Dark, violent and derivative, but nowhere near as flawed as the movie.

One of the most enjoyable romps through Gotham in years.

There is less humour and mission variety than in recent GTA titles, plus twitchy car handling and a stuttering pace. But few handheld games offer as much depth.

The levels are so big and detailed that it's a wonder they don't bring your console to a crashing halt.

With friends, the sense of camaraderie and teamwork is fantastic. Working together luring monsters into traps is hugely satisfying.