With its simple gameplay and involving story, Spartan: Total Warrior is a perfect blend of strategy game and hack’n’slash romp.

Total Overdose does not boast the richest and silkiest of graphics, yet it does have 20 levels of gameplay with an appropriate B-movie feel. Although the game’s longevity may be in doubt, its ability to engross is assured.

The locations are varied, but with the usual generic locations, and a repetitiveness noticable in the track layout for each stage is reduced somewhat by the addition of numerous shortcuts along each route.

It’s the creepy atmosphere and the easy-to-pick-up-but-tough-to-perfect gameplay that most impress, and there are enough quirks and twists to ensure that you will do your damnedest to complete this compelling title.

The game is built sublimely, with an excellent interface and crisp, rounded sound effects that grip the attention.

Some scenes do not look quite right — the scale of the characters against the width of the Hogwarts Express clearly do not tally. But these minor disappointments are quickly outweighed by stunning visuals in the later levels.

Fans of the cartoons will be happy to know that the game contains everything from the originals, including voices and bad jokes.

The Wild West theme lends itself well to the FPS treatment, and the primitive weaponry brings an almost liberating freedom to the gameplay.

Unlike the first two in the series, which were made by a different studio, the interface is simple and intuitive, and the result addictive — the permutations seem endless.

Combinations become instinctive and defence second nature. Throw in an engrossing career mode, as well as the facility to create your own boxer, and you finally have a heavyweight boxing game.

The graphics are strong and shot from a realistic firstperson point of view, which adds to the disorientation while at the same time immersing you in the story.

Total Overdose does not boast the richest and silkiest of graphics, yet it does have 20 levels of gameplay with an appropriate B-movie feel. Although the game's longevity may be in doubt, its ability to engross is assured.

Drive the Goldfinger DB5, fly the Thunderball jetpack and fight some classic baddies in challenging environments. It’s enough to make you toss your trilby on to a hat-rack in delight.

There are countless appealing touches about the 100 or so additions here, such as the chance to take pictures that you can then hang up at home. Absorbing fun.

It's the creepy atmosphere and the easy-to-pick-up-but-tough-to-perfect gameplay that most impress, and there are enough quirks and twists to ensure that you will do your damnedest to complete this compelling title.

Rugby, with its elaborate set-pieces and impenetrable laws, is a hard game to render on computer, but this is an extremely good try.

Has a strong, coherent storyline that whisks Red from novice gunslinger to competent bounty hunter in what proves to be the mother of all shooting practice games.

The characters are just as brilliantly executed, with a range of facial expressions, voices and movements that would do any animator proud.

With its responsive controls, choice of 16 top players and a variety of game modes, SCTPT2 is a winner.

The main drawback to Shrek 2 is its slightly flaky in-game camera feature, which does not always let you see the action from the best angles.

Graphically, the level of detail in the tracks is simply stunning compared with the scenery on "Burnout," a reflection of the superiority of the new Xbox over the old.

The construction sites are nicely animated, and newly ordered buildings pop up quickly.

Assorted reference devices, including the handy Marauder’s Map as well as shields and character cards to collect, add a little more depth to the action. The game remains faithful to the spirit of the book, but it is perhaps a little too linear and predictable.

The graphics are refreshingly crisp and clear, while the battlefield sound effects are spot on, incorporating a medley of explosions, machinegun fire and desperate battle cries.

It has pace, style and replayability; and if it is not quite as inventive as "Ratchet & Clank," what is?

The gameplay is varied enough to maintain interest, and its clutch of quirky distractions adds to the experience.

Park and his team's creative modelling skills make the films magical, but in replacing them with computer graphics this game delivers pretty average fare. That said, its cartoon visuals and helpful prompts should keep younger children amused for hours.

Total Overdose does not boast the richest and silkiest of graphics, yet it does have 20 levels of gameplay with an appropriate B-movie feel. Although the game’s longevity may be in doubt, its ability to engross is assured.

It’s a third-person shooter with smooth, detailed graphics, and a learning curve set so beautifully that even non- shooter fans should love it.

Most importantly, the puzzles are back on track. Traps, levers, pulleys, chains, chasms, secret passges, underground lakes, rotating knives — there’s a cunning solution to each, designed to keep you puzzling for just long enough to gain satisfaction in the solving, but not long enough to make you want to hurl your own internal organs at the screen.

Watery additions aside, the rest of the game is pretty much business as usual. The parks need cleaners and repairmen to keep the rides running, and the punters need well-placed ATMs and stalls to shop at.

The first-person caper is satisfyingly immersive thanks to some outstanding graphical touches - heavy rain splatters neatly on Jeeps and we can even see Red's freckles in close-up.

The graphics are sublime — smooth and detailed even on the increasingly humble PS2, yet with enough gimmickry to make the replays delicious feasts.

The rich musical score can sound inspired at times. The main drawback to Shrek 2 is its slightly flaky in-game camera feature, which does not always let you see the action from the best angles.

Most of the camera work is not only excellent, it’s like a good referee — you don’t even notice it most of the time.

Terrorist action is undermining the system. Your job is to pile in and blow them away. It's a simple task, rendered wonderfully tense by the brooding background music and the amazingly detailed scenery. It's almost like controlling your own Hollywood blockbuster.

Violent and unforgiving, this one is not for children, but it’s a compulsive game nonetheless.

During matches, a new passing feature allows for better control of long passes, using a combination of buttons to produce greater ball control in mid-air. In the right hands, the new move can be lethal.

Forget storylines, or any pretence at one: this game is simply about quick reflexes and lightning-fast button- pounding.

But if you are a fan, you’ll find that Quarantine ups the ante on battle and quest difficulty, sometimes maddeningly so, and finally ties up enough loose plot ends to satisfy.

During matches, a new passing feature allows for better control of long passes, using a combination of buttons to produce greater ball control in mid-air. In the right hands, the new move can be lethal.

Just for its astonishing look — imagine a very bright 1950s cartoon about a future full of robots — this port from the Gamecube is worth the money.

The thing that sets Ham-Ham Games apart from other recent GBA releases is its dazzling colour. This game is refreshingly bright and cheerful, bucking the current trend in handheld games for darker, neutral colours.

The gameplay is varied enough to maintain interest, and its clutch of quirky distractions adds to the experience.

A nice innovation is the use of the PSP’s internet access, through which you can download the ‘ghosts’ of other players whose fighting style will be utilised in place of the ordinary AI the game draws on to control your opponent.

Sudeki is a competent debut, but, despite the oriental touches, it isn't in the epic "Final Fantasy" league.

The graphics are refreshingly crisp and clear, while the battlefield sound effects are spot on, incorporating a medley of explosions, machinegun fire and desperate battle cries.

The visuals in this classy RPG are solid, while the level design and locations alternate between the inspired and the merely functional.

It’s surprisingly disturbing and scary.

The potential is vast, and if this game does not quite make the most of it, it points the way.

Most importantly, the puzzles are back on track. Traps, levers, pulleys, chains, chasms, secret passges, underground lakes, rotating knives — there’s a cunning solution to each, designed to keep you puzzling for just long enough to gain satisfaction in the solving, but not long enough to make you want to hurl your own internal organs at the screen.

Some will find that the game’s endless puzzle-solving becomes frustrating when they reach stumbling blocks, though the Help feature has been enhanced this time around. In contrast, legions of Myst fans will delight in cracking this parti-cular if rather peculiar cerebral nut.

Not one for easily bored older children, perhaps, but a well-crafted story that young players will enjoy.

Makes up for its visual shortcomings by delivering memorable online play. In this domain, not too bogged down with flashy, sophisticated graphics, the cars race smoothly and will keep adrenalin-pumped players on the edge of their seats.

Terrorist action is undermining the system. Your job is to pile in and blow them away. It’s a simple task, rendered wonderfully tense by the brooding background music and the amazingly detailed scenery. It’s almost like controlling your own Hollywood blockbuster.

Combinations become instinctive and defence second nature. Throw in an engrossing career mode, as well as the facility to create your own boxer, and you finally have a heavyweight boxing game.

It’s a third-person shooter with smooth, detailed graphics, and a learning curve set so beautifully that even non- shooter fans should love it.

As a first-person shooter, Prey makes up in design for what it lacks in depth. The game moves along swiftly, balancing a strong narrative with solid puzzle-solving and some very tasty eye candy.

The graphics here are clean, robust and more colourful than previously, while the music, though still unswervingly upbeat, is as inoffensive as ever.

This is more for 24 fans, who will instantly love it — so long as they don’t mind another TV addiction to feed.

During matches, a new passing feature allows for better control of long passes, using a combination of buttons to produce greater ball control in mid-air. In the right hands, the new move can be lethal.

An inspired example of how movie tie-ins should be made.

An unusual adventure game - an interesting concept competently carried off.

The visuals in this classy RPG are solid, while the level design and locations alternate between the inspired and the merely functional.

A solid, nicely rounded 3-D adventure that is annoyingly satisfying to play.

The tone is jocular, the script humorous and well acted by, among others, Little Britain's Anthony Head.

The game is built sublimely, with an excellent interface and crisp, rounded sound effects that grip the attention.

All this action is complemented by superb graphics and effects that really put across the bone-crunching pain of the competitors.

While the format is fairly standard (flipping switches, collecting objects and solving puzzles), the detailed worlds and neat touches — Kya can tame and ride wild animals, and dribble or kick certain creatures like a football — more than make up for it.

It's horror done "Ring"-style, low on explicit gore, but with plenty of chills and jumps, and the misty half-light of the action is beautifully complemented by one of the most unnerving soundtracks you'll hear.

Has a strong, coherent storyline that whisks Red from novice gunslinger to competent bounty hunter in what proves to be the mother of all shooting practice games.

The fun to be had derives from the game’s simplicity of play, its wildly colourful backgrounds, and the dexterity required to get it right.

The gameplay is varied enough to maintain interest, and its clutch of quirky distractions adds to the experience.

The locations are varied, but with the usual generic locations, and a repetitiveness noticable in the track layout for each stage is reduced somewhat by the addition of numerous shortcuts along each route.

An inspired example of how movie tie-ins should be made.

The third-person game is faithfully realised, enhanced by a coherent adventure penned by the show’s own scriptwriters and solid voice performances by the series’ cast members.

The graphics are pretty impressive for the Game Boy and it's worth playing just to watch those crazy critters float about the clouds. It's hard not to envy the lunatic who dreamed them up. This is a fun and imaginative game.

Shielding, tackling and dribbling have been boosted for better on-pitch control, while business in the boardroom looms with a more comprehensive management game and careers judged over a 15-year span.

The sound effects and gloriously cheesy lounge music help to complete a decent experience. The game does, however, suffer from a strict linear style, which can make it a little predictable at times. Still, Sydney Bristow remains a nicely realised gaming character with a winning personality.

With its simple gameplay and involving story, Spartan: Total Warrior is a perfect blend of strategy game and hack'n'slash romp.

This outing is more rounded than the original and has more choice - such as eight courses to play compared with only three in the original - and at £17.99 it is good value.

Crisp graphics and sound effects make this a fun game to play, while the voices, provided by the cast of the TV series, add credibility.

The graphics are superb, especially on the Xbox, and if you can cope with the frustration of replaying tricky scenes again and again, this could be the game for you.

A great racing title that offers some serious improvements to the existing Toca series.

An inspired example of how movie tie-ins should be made.

As a first-person shooter, Prey makes up in design for what it lacks in depth. The game moves along swiftly, balancing a strong narrative with solid puzzle-solving and some very tasty eye candy.

And with 1,000 miles of road to roam, it comes closer than most games to re-creating the freedom of real life.

The mechanics are competent, but it is the characterisations, especially the wooden delivery of some lines, that let the game down. On the plus side, the ample options include a story mode, multiplayer clash modes and a mission designer to open up replay values.

There’s not much innovation here — the gameplay is far too linear and there is too much emphasis on key searching to trigger the next cut scene — but for atmosphere alone it is hard to beat.

The graphics here are clean, robust and more colourful than previously, while the music, though still unswervingly upbeat, is as inoffensive as ever.

The courses in this game are just as much the stars as the cars. The dazzling downtown locations are massive, dominated by skyscrapers whose light bathes the streets in a radiant glow.

As in the film, every other word is a four-letter one, and although the graphics can be a little choppy, the game is at least engrossing, with levels short enough to demand that they be replayed.

The truly suicidal, meanwhile, will be in awe of the driver's ability to launch himself fatally through the windscreen, screaming, while the rest of us will love the game's easy and responsive controls, and the authentic feel of the cars.

The Wild West theme lends itself well to the FPS treatment, and the primitive weaponry brings an almost liberating freedom to the gameplay.

Experienced gamers will have a blast in cyberspace, battling with other players from around the world, which pretty much justifies the cost of broadband on its own.

An inspired example of how movie tie-ins should be made.

Fans of the cartoons will be happy to know that the game contains everything from the originals, including voices and bad jokes.

The range of maps is impressive, though this game is likely to appeal most to Lord of the Rings-loving mythologists.