The learning curve is gentle, the controls simple to master, but there's little new here.

Releasing a game without a save mode is a brave move; releasing a game without a save mode because you forgot is just worrying. For those of you hoping to play Gangland and complete it, my advice is to wait until a save patch becomes available, supposedly in the next month or so.

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

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

This is one of the best-looking games on the Xbox. That it also boasts fluid, intuitive gameplay, and does not condescend to the audience by making the fighting too simple or automatic, is miraculous.

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

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

The over-theshoulder style does allow for the seamless integration of glossy scenes to drive on the plot and add a more genuine movie-like feel to the game.

The over-theshoulder style does allow for the seamless integration of glossy scenes to drive on the plot and add a more genuine movie-like feel to the game.

The over-theshoulder style does allow for the seamless integration of glossy scenes to drive on the plot and add a more genuine movie-like feel to the game.

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.

More experienced gamers may scoff early on, but will find more rewards once they start to build up a mini-army of Pokémon, which they can trade online with other dedicated players.

Mafia on the PS2 is a very pale imitation, especially with regard to the graphics, which were resplendent on the PC, and the handling, which I’ve mentioned already. And the load times? Don’t get me started, buster.

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

At £19.99, this is a highly impressive add-on, and although it has only 11 new single-player levels, none of them is a walkover.

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.

Once you swap AI team-mates (and enemies) for the real thing, there is no turning back, as you find yourself diligently looking out for your team-mates, with whom you will need to co-operate to sweep scenes clean of troublemakers.

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

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

This game looks good and will appeal to fans of the "Zelda" series, although it never touches the heights achieved by some of Link’s escapades.

The fighting is realistic but dreadfully unimaginative, and there's only so much fun you can have kicking someone endlessly in the shins.

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.

The more you play the more both the gameplay and Redmond’s catchphrases err on the repetitive side.

Visually, there may not be much to get excited about, but it is efficient and works as an introduction to the intricacies of the game for newcomers.

This may be a fine simulation, but it is not entirely realistic – for example, hapless government ministers do not meddle, passenger trains are not cancelled because drivers pull sickies and no key routes grind to a standstill because of leaves on the line.

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.

Graphics are fresh, with plenty of animation and the multiplayer mode offers some new alternatives to the "deathmatch" and "capture the hill" scenarios.