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.

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

This is a quality sci-fi blockbuster brought alive with sleek visuals, superb voice characterisations, explosive sound effects and a robustly stirring music score.

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

The controls take some time to master, and there's a surfeit of useless jargon seemingly designed to prevent you getting to grips with the gameplay. Nor is this a game for the short-sighted, since the on-screen captions that supposedly offer guidance are minute and virtually illegible.

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

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.

Those who do not want to embark on complex challenges will still find hours of enjoyment in sandbox mode.

The 3-D graphics, though impressive, have changed little, and the fighting characters remain pretty much the same.

It’s a shame, too, that the levels aren’t more exciting and spontaneous. Such predictability stops this game from being any more than an enjoyable flight simulator.

OutRun2 is not a game that you will spend hours playing at one sitting, but you will experience lots of very happy five-minute bursts.

"Ratchet & Clank" fans may turn up their noses at the largely failed attempts at humour in the dialogue, but if your Christmas games are already losing their appeal, you could do a lot worse than this, especially for the price.

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.

"Ratchet & Clank" fans may turn up their noses at the largely failed attempts at humour in the dialogue, but if your Christmas games are already losing their appeal, you could do a lot worse than this, especially for the price.

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.

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.

The game does move at a slow pace, but with such a complex case to unravel this is no time to rush about, eh, Watson?

Shark Tale may feel linear at times, but the experience is not so diluted that it delivers a totally flavourless caper. The game is rated 3+ and younger players should enjoy its mix of chases, stealth, puzzle-solving, simple fighting and musical tap-dancing.

Shark Tale may feel linear at times, but the experience is not so diluted that it delivers a totally flavourless caper. The game is rated 3+ and younger players should enjoy its mix of chases, stealth, puzzle-solving, simple fighting and musical tap-dancing.

Shark Tale may feel linear at times, but the experience is not so diluted that it delivers a totally flavourless caper. The game is rated 3+ and younger players should enjoy its mix of chases, stealth, puzzle-solving, simple fighting and musical tap-dancing.

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.

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.

The courses are stunningly handsome and the golfing action and ball physics are true to life. The game has an almost limitless replay value.

The courses are stunningly handsome and the golfing action and ball physics are true to life. The game has an almost limitless replay value.

The courses are stunningly handsome and the golfing action and ball physics are true to life. The game has an almost limitless replay value.

This all-new version adds minute details to the daily rituals of the little inhabitants — you can almost zoom in to see specific ingredients as meals are prepared, or read book titles on shelves. Watching the Sims dance is a triumph of animation.

Disadvantages include not being able to jump the cut scenes — frustrating when the game is hard enough to get you killed often before the end of a level.

Fine in short blasts for anyone looking for some mindless tension-busting target practice. However, those seeking something that challenges the grey stuff will need to look elsewhere.