An epic, not only because the immaculate world you inhabit is so immense, but also because the gameplay is fantastically intense.

A little too retro to be anything other than a game to play in short bursts, this new-look Tetris would be just the thing for a short journey.

This is a cracker. A lot of thought has clearly gone into making the most of the DS’s touch-screen capability here, and it works gloriously. Sure, you still walk down dark corridors blasting anything that moves, but here you are in control as never before.

By turning round the normal rules so that the D-pad operates the functions and the right hand buttons deal with the camera, this intuitive system gives the gameplay a huge boost and also reverses the law of diminishing returns for sequels.

As frantic as it is visually stunning.

Even by the high standards already set, Pursuit Force is an astonishing title... The best PSP title yet.

The control system suffers somewhat from the PSP’s limitations, and the less said about the awful soundtrack the better, but these failings do not detract too much from a fun addition to an ever- increasing series. Just keep the sound turned down.

As the entire game is played at fever-pitch, you soon find yourself looking forward to the next mission briefing, if only for a chance to catch your breath. The only mystery to Black is why there is no multiplayer mode, since such intense battle settings would make for great competitive bouts.

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

Fifa Street 2 falls down in one vital aspect — namely the art of defending.

As the entire game is played at fever-pitch, you soon find yourself looking forward to the next mission briefing, if only for a chance to catch your breath. The only mystery to Black is why there is no multiplayer mode, since such intense battle settings would make for great competitive bouts.

Fifa Street 2 falls down in one vital aspect - namely the art of defending.

Each district also serves up specific challenges, so that opening a business at a certain time or reaching a profit milestone will unlock reward buildings such as churches and law courts, which please the locals and boost their satisfaction levels.

Without an auto- targeting feature, this game is so challenging that you’ll be hurling your controller to the floor in no time.

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.

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

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

Mind-bogglingly shallow.

The result in single-player mode is a messy, unresponsive mass of button-pushing and frantic joystick-twiddling that evolves from impossible to challenging to repetitive and dull in less than an hour.

The result in single-player mode is a messy, unresponsive mass of button-pushing and frantic joystick-twiddling that evolves from impossible to challenging to repetitive and dull in less than an hour.

The result in single-player mode is a messy, unresponsive mass of button-pushing and frantic joystick-twiddling that evolves from impossible to challenging to repetitive and dull in less than an hour.

With more than 45 mini-games in the mix, it is not surprising that the quality of them is fairly mixed — it is Ape Academy’s major weakness that while many are rather too easy (the one- metre dash, for instance), others seem impossible (catching the contents of a kebab on a sword).

This gentle time-waster is a relaxing antidote to intense shoot ’em ups.

The disturbing difference is the 360’s much-vaunted graphics. Hair tosses silkily; veins stand out muscularly; bosoms jounce, waft and settle gravity-defyingly.

It may sound mundane, but there are enough winning touches to make the game very playable in short bursts.

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.

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.

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.

The game suffers from sluggish load times, with little Pietro frozen as each fight boots up. In contrast, he moves around his castle home and the surrounding landscape with lightning speed.

Each activity comes with a tutorial from a virtual instructor, and as you kick out at the falling balloons on the TV screen it’ s impossible not to smile. And how often do you see that down the gym?

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.

This close to Christmas, Special Forces is probably for the game’s most loyal fans only — the folk who have played it so much that they are already desperate for new features to layer upon their already intense online experiences.

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 variety of moves keeps the game engrossing. You may be unlikely to return to it once you have played it, but reuniting Captain Blue with his movie seems reward enough.

This is a sterile affair which, although adequate in every department, excels in none.

Although experienced first- person shooter players may find the going in single-player mode a little too easy, the game offers a host of multiplayer options, including split-screen on one console, or team-based mass slaughter challenges via the internet.

Sega seems to be lazily exploiting a franchise that appears way past its sell-by date. Reinvent the character by all means, but give him back his sharp edges.

Sega seems to be lazily exploiting a franchise that appears way past its sell-by date. Reinvent the character by all means, but give him back his sharp edges.

Sega seems to be lazily exploiting a franchise that appears way past its sell-by date. Reinvent the character by all means, but give him back his sharp edges.

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.

This is not merely about killing anything that moves (though it helps), since horse-riding and poker playing are among the many other skills needed along the way.

It not only looks fantastic, but uses the graphics ability of the 360 to the full, with super-smooth angles and movement, and the puzzles it presents are every bit as challenging as those in games such as Zelda, with which it shares a medieval theme. Brilliantly designed and executed, and fabulously entertaining.

It’s a simple idea, but the best ones always are.

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.

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.

Despite the different endings, the game does not have enormous replay values, but the original Christie novel is included for good measure.

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

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.

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

The graphics are solid and sharply focused, while the cities that used to expand all too predictably now take on more organic growth patterns that spread to encompass land between cities more naturally.

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

Admittedly, the assorted firepower offers little excitement, but the experience is convincingly upbeat thanks to the game’s droll sense of humour.

In short, AoE III is yet another masterly triumph.

Shadow of the Colossus has more style than real substance and it is slightly baffling why Fumito Ueda, the game's creator, didn't develop this into something a little more Zelda-esque in order to make best use of the world he has created. He might have had a classic on his hands.

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 action is fluid, and the voiceover occasionally knowing, in an archly self-referential, Pixar kind of way.

The action is fluid, and the voiceover occasionally knowing, in an archly self-referential, Pixar kind of way.

The action is fluid, and the voiceover occasionally knowing, in an archly self-referential, Pixar kind of way.

The action is fluid, and the voiceover occasionally knowing, in an archly self-referential, Pixar kind of way.

It's still not enough to stop my tame ten- year-old tester pronouncing it Project: B.O.R.I.N.G.

Where LA Rush beats the others to the winning post is in the way that it allows you to spend the money you earn — welcome to the video game equivalent of MTV’s hit TV show "Pimp My Ride."

Games do not come much larger than SOCOM 3, which has been designed very much with the internet in mind: go online and you can play against up to 31 opponents.

It’s still not enough to stop my tame ten- year-old tester pronouncing it Project: B.O.R.I.N.G.

Admittedly, the assorted firepower offers little excitement, but the experience is convincingly upbeat thanks to the game's droll sense of humour.

Where LA Rush beats the others to the winning post is in the way that it allows you to spend the money you earn - welcome to the video game equivalent of MTV's hit TV show "Pimp My Ride."

It's still not enough to stop my tame ten- year-old tester pronouncing it Project: B.O.R.I.N.G.

This adventure looks great, its landscape dominated by crooked buildings and brooding grey skies; navigating Jack is simple and the characters are all well realised. A perfect children’s game.

The game serves up a clutch of sturdy gambling options, from craps to Texas hold ’em poker, and it can feel just as tacky as a trip to Vegas thanks to some gloriously cheesy music.

This adventure looks great, its landscape dominated by crooked buildings and brooding grey skies; navigating Jack is simple and the characters are all well realised. A perfect children's game.

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. All this detail is demanding, so you will need a fairly powerful PC to prevent the visuals from occasionally chugging.

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.

Here is a game that is both more exciting and more educational than Casualty, ER and Scrubs put together.

Now that the game is established in a 3-D world, it has, for me at least, lost a little of its gripping intensity — an option to switch action between 2-D and 3-D would have been a nice touch.

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.

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.

Now that the game is established in a 3-D world, it has, for me at least, lost a little of its gripping intensity - an option to switch action between 2-D and 3-D would have been a nice touch.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

A completely engrossing game, designed for the patience of adult players, that will stand up to an almost infinite number of sessions. It’s a technically marvellous achievement by David Cage.

A completely engrossing game, designed for the patience of adult players, that will stand up to an almost infinite number of sessions. It’s a technically marvellous achievement by David Cage.

But what is most important about We Love Katamari is that it represents a move in which Electronic Arts, the world's biggest games publisher, has been prepared to release a title that is new, entertaining, and ultimately, original.

A completely engrossing game, designed for the patience of adult players, that will stand up to an almost infinite number of sessions. It's a technically marvellous achievement by David Cage.

Aimed at kids, this is a guilty treat for adults as well.

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.

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.

The courses are as crisp as ever, while the bone-shattering mayhem on the roads looks and sounds just as convincing.

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.

But this compilation serves up all their gaming hits and, apart from proving just how far, thankfully, gaming has come in the last 25 years, it also manages to deliver nostalgia by the bucketload.

But this compilation serves up all their gaming hits and, apart from proving just how far, thankfully, gaming has come in the last 25 years, it also manages to deliver nostalgia by the bucketload.

But this compilation serves up all their gaming hits and, apart from proving just how far, thankfully, gaming has come in the last 25 years, it also manages to deliver nostalgia by the bucketload.

The fact that the graphics are so impressive, and the road maps so brilliantly extensive, only adds to the disappointment of the overall experience.

Leisurely plucking helicopters out of the sky can be immensely satisfying, as can grabbing a handful of trees to toss around like darts, damning the consequences.

Ultimately, though, it’s all about how well you wield a crowbar.