Brings some innovations to the genre, but loses some strategic hear to become more accessible. [Issue#31, p.40]

Moody, deep and gripping Metro is flawed, but what made it lack[ing] in consistency is made up for in atmosphere. [Issue#31, p.31]

The best expansion we've played in ages. [Issue#31, p.36]

A prime example of the genre that is even better on PC and well worth waiting for. [Issue#31, p.48]

A fun-filled if not quite essential addition to the Total War series. [Issue#31, p.44]

Stunning and emotionally engaging with a sadistic tactical combat system. As much fun as the original. [Issue#30, p.45]

Improves on GSC's winning formula, ensuring STALKER is still the de facto hardcore FPS RPG. [Issue#30, p.50]

Tough but satisfying, and made all the more enjoyable by the cute presentation. [Issue#31, p.53]

Polished, deep and utterly compelling - it's a contender for the best sci-fi sequel ever. [Issue#29, p.43]

Hardcore fans may find it lacking but Wings of Prey is solid fighter fun. [Issue#30, p.8]

An outstanding achievement in non-sim driving. [Issue #27, p.46]

The series hinges on a great ending, and Chapter 5 delivers. [Issue#30, p.52]

New modes and special infected have transformed the original into an especially gratifying experience. [Issue#28, p.48]

An impressive shooter with a high degree of polish, but as a PC game it has taken a step back. [Issue#28, p.45]

Stunning vision and bullet-proof delivery. [Issue #27, p.54]

Another classic in the making and a bloody beautiful smear on the BioWare name. [Issue #27, p.50]

Still the king of sheepskin coat and monogrammed training kit. [Issue #27, p.52]

We hope you've saved the mighnight oil, you won't be getting much sleep after this. [Issue#28, p.9]

An excellent FPS/MMO hybrid with great combat and the most multiplayer fun we've had in ages. [Issue#26, p.40]

It's manifestly amusing and downright fun, and that's its real strength. [Issue#26, p.46]

Imaginative and memorable. It really blew us away! [Issue #27, p.56]

Dragon Rising offers compelling real-world combat with few disappointing omissions. [Issue#26, p.50]

Hardened racing fans need Race On, though there's little to tempt part-timers. [Issue #27, p.57]

In a word: captivating. Majesty 2 is the perfect game for simulation and RPG fans. [Issue#25, p.48]

Saved from relative mediocrity and propelled into the limelight by incredibly realised physics. [Issue#24, p.52]

This is simply the best superhero game out there and a real treat that shouldn't be missed. [Issue#24, p.45]

Tense, scary and fun. [Issue#25, p.53]

Improvements and flourishes make Zuma's Revenge a lot of fun. [Issue#25, p.50]

Flying at an altitude combat flight sim aficionados will appreciate. [Issue#26, p.53]

A cortisol-inducing, insane trip into almost certain death. You'll love it. [Issue#26, p.57]

A comfortable and engaging follow-up to the first episode in a series well worth joining. [Issue#25, p.53]

Moving water across a semi-permeable membrane wasn't this fun in biology. [Issue#26, p.56]

A beloved classic freshly imagined, leaving you the choice of the original to play. [Issue#24, p.57]

A promising start and an engaging, enjoyable adventure in its own right. [Issue#23, p.58]

A charming and excellently executed platform game. [Issue#22, p.57]

Let us remind you of the prince of this gem: 2.99 quid. Buy it, you tight wad. [Issue#25, p.57]

The best fighting game on PC. [Issue#23, p.55]

An excellent FPS and is easily the best cowboy game on the range. [Issue#22, p.50]

One of the few console ports we'd recommend this summer, especially to original Overlord fans. [Issue#22, p.52]

A touching game we thought about long after its end. [Issue#23, p.62]

A stunning life simulator with a few gaping omissions. It will likely reach boiling point over the next year or so.

We were already armpit-deep in the dead, but we've still found room for more slaughter on the Killing Floor. [Issue#24, p.50]

Plants Vs Zombies is a simple but clever tower defence game, which uses its considerable charm to keep you coming back for more. It might not take you very long to see most of what it has to offer, but you're sure to have a laugh while you're at it.

A rare and gripping indy experience that pulls no punches.

360 gamers were frothing at the mouth for good reason: it’s an instant indie classic.

Not in any way groundbreaking, but two games in one and hugely entertaining nonetheless. [Issue#18, p.52]

Elven Legacy’s main strength is its ability to be either a tactical or RPG-focused game, which both the campaign and single scenarios play to.

At around £6 it’s an invigorating addition for Fallout 3 fans.

A seamlessly realised and original hybrid that breathes life into the RTS genre. [Issue#18, p.48]

It’s a big, polished and fulfilling game and we were impressed by the slick HUD and the right-click radial construction menu, which facilitates a sophisticated economic system. There’s plenty of replay value, fourplayer multiplayer and an editor to boot, too.

A sophisticated, well-paced and remarkably different entry into the RTS genre.

The greatest strategy game of all time.

Can drag its heels, but provides a great interactive story.

A shining example of a solid, fun RTS that goes beyond its genre boundaries and boasts excellent multiplayer. [Issue#17, p.49]

Although predictable and clichéd, action and horror have seldom been blended together so sublimely.

Accessible and addictive mass management entertainment, if a little ugly and ungainly.

It’s no World Of Goo, but it’s original, modifiable and incredibly addictive.

There hasn't been a better game this year. [Issue#15, p.55]

Three points for Sports Interactive, with its rivals still nowhere in sight. [Issue#15, p.66]

Its bravery and stunning execution deserve plaudits while its addictive nature deserves a health warning. [Issue#15, p.58]

Sacred 2 has a passable single-player mode, but it comes inot its own online with the right company. [Issue#14, p.52]

Shocking, chaotic and uberviolent. For those who can take it, there's a fine game lurking despite the flaws. [Issue#14, p.45]

Nothing revolutionary, but Red Alert 3 is a colourful, stylish and unabashedly old-school RTS nevertheless. [Issue#13, p.47]

Vast, visceral and every inch of it is worthy of the highest acclaim. Pure genius. [Issue#14, p.48]

[Issue#13, p.54]

A good performance from EA, with FIFA playing a fine game of footy. [Issue#13, p.58]

It's cheap, 62MB to download. DRM-free and highly addictive. [Issue#14, p.54]

Hell's Highway is held back by tunnel-vision solo play, but that shouldn't put you off. [Issue#12, p.55]

Great for getting a quick RTS-style fix, it's unadulterated fun, if slightly on the light side. [Issue#13, p.56]

EA Mythic has hit on the perfect formula for a classy fantasy MMO. It's verything you'd expect, and maybe more. [Issue#11, p.80]

Niggling issues have been addressed. Warhead is a beautiful shooter that's finally available to the masses. [Issue#12, p.51]

It's bigger and better than the original - a no-brainer on the score. [Issue#13, p.59]

This is a real PC game, for real PC gamers. We haven't enjoyed a FPS RPG this much since "Deus Ex." [Issue#12, p.54]

One of the first big games leading into Christmas, and we've already forgotten the rest. Completely enthralling. [Issue#12, p.62]

The game plays brilliantly. [Issue#10, p.52]

Solid block-fitting fun and only a tenner. Classic puzzle action. [Issue#9, p.60]

A tough be very enjoyable hallucinogenic shooter that's well worth the money. [Issue#15, p.68]

A strategy game that provides more thrills and spills than most. [Issue#10, p.66]