An exceptional game that brings history alive with enormous flair and clarity.

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.

An evocative gem of a game, one all Long John Silver or Johnny Depp wannabes should thoroughly enjoy.

The game’s greatest strength, along with its smoothness and superbly rendered backdrops, is its appeal to both newcomers and hardened hands.

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.

Doom 3 has its flaws, but remains a graphical, audio and visual tour de force.

Pandora Tomorrow is a miniature masterpiece. This goodlooking, great-sounding and convincingly voiced espionage thriller delivers two satisfying game outings.

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.

Given the subject matter, the game deserves its 15 rating but not a parliamentary debate.

The new features in FM07 enhance its already superior gameplay and maintain its healthy lead over its competitors.

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

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

The visuals are first rate. News footage sets the scene of the chaos, while short in-game cut-scenes intertwine seamlessly with the action.

You could play straight through this game in a few hours, or dally with it for days. Therein lies its brilliance.

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

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

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.

The pressure of following in the footsteps of one of the console’s greatest successes seems to have removed any sense of humour from the game.

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 online action is about more than endless fighting, since players also get the chance to formulate strategies in a sort of chat-room environment.

The result is sweaty-palmed fun, teaming the adult joys of a well-paced thriller with the childish delight of playing hide-and-seek in the dark.

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

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

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.

Right from the start in the tree kingdom of Kelethin, you are plunged into hack’n’slash heaven. The graphics are some of the best on the PS2, and there is plenty of variation in the gameplay.

Zombie hunters beware, though. The vibrating handsets make being caught an unpleasant experience.

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

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.