The breathtaking speed that we've come to expect from Midnight Club remains intact and better than ever on the streets of Los Angeles, becoming the most well-rounded instalment to date.

Too much repetition and the occasional dip into unoriginality does make it a grind in places, but the story did just enough to pull us through.

Packed full of rewarding and entertaining features, Saints Row 2 is an unadulterated videogame that makes no attempt to rival GTA4. Instead, it's quite content to offer plenty of fun and set itself as a worthy alternative to Rockstar's opus.

Too much repetition and the occasional dip into unoriginality does make it a grind in places, but the story did just enough to pull us through.

Too much repetition and the occasional dip into unoriginality does make it a grind in places, but the story did just enough to pull us through.

Vast improvements to the action on the pitch and the game in general means that FIFA 09 is certainly PES' equal this year, and we'd be inclined to suggest it makes significant strides beyond Konami's effort in many ways.

With easy RPG dynamics, Sonic Chronicles is a title that will only really appeal to fans of the fastest hedgehog in the known universe or younger DS gamers.

For just £11.99 Wipeout HD represents great value for money and should be an essential purchase for fans of the series, or anybody that thinks videogames have got a little too easy in recent years.

We've been waiting two years longer than we expected for Hell's Highway and the wait has bought little reward.

Whereas Turok struggled in the murkiness of blandness and unoriginality, PURE offers a mud-slipping, cliff-jumping thrill ride that has come out of nowhere.

Buzz! has moved up for the next-gens with dedicated online play.

A joy for the hardcore to behold.

It's the same Traveller's Tales Lego experience once again. Apart from the fact that Batman is now the subject matter, very little is new here and the gameplay is far from fresh.

It's the same Traveller's Tales Lego experience once again. Apart from the fact that Batman is now the subject matter, very little is new here and the gameplay is far from fresh.

We were genuinely hoping that de Blob would cater to all types of gamers, but ultimately found ourselves disappointed by its lack of development and attachment.

A seriously surprising entry into Star Wars canon, the storylines is largely strong, and whilst there are several issues with the gameplay, The Force Unleashed is not the Phantom Menace we thought it would be.

In fact, it's easy to see general casual gamers get into Lock's Quest, with its accessible learning curve and 'brain training' wall-building strategy.

Using various gadgets the concept is handled impressively; Sci-Fi fanatics will lap up the way in which Wright and Maxis have captured the concept of colonizing planets and expanding your empire across the galaxy.

Facebreaker is so much more than a brawler. This is an intelligent fighting game with all the hallmarks of gaming excellence.

Addressing virtually every complaint we levelled at the first game, the stronger structure, more developed concepts, and extra features undoubtedly make for a better game, but we suspect it's a game that will only really appeal to fans of the original.

Mercs 2 is nothing short of a monumental disappointment.

Too Human easily reaches the standards set by Silicon Knights' previous work. Merging the addictive qualities of Diablo with a thoroughly innovative and entertaining combat system, Too Human offers an engaging blend of instant gratification and long-term depth despite the occasional failing.

Despite the new gameplay features failing to change Soulcalibur's gameplay, Soulcalibur IV still manages to provide one of the most engaging and rewarding fighters around - plus Darth and Yoda aren't entirely that bad.

We Love Golf grafts a golf swing onto the Wii's motion controls exceptionally well but, apart from that, the game's substance is very run of the mill.

The family friendly visuals and aesthetic feel of Chocobo's Dungeon successfully manage to mask what is otherwise an in-depth accomplished RPG that requires strategy, tactics and persistence.

If you're a Guitar Hero-loving Aerosmith fan then go and get it already - add a couple more points to the final score! For everybody else, it could be one to miss; after all, Guitar Hero World Tour (and the DS' On Tour) isn't too far away.

By no stretch of imagination is Hellboy: The Science of Evil a good example of the third-person action genre, the bland level designs, uninspired combat and an overall dated feel contribute to yet another poor comic-book adaptation. Nevertheless, Krome have captured Hellboy's character well and perhaps the game's limited scope will find some appeal to a younger audience - it worked for Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk.

Whilst not as executed quite to the level we'd hoped for, Alone in the Dark remains an original take on the survival horror genre, with its DVD-style structure and environmental interaction worthy of praise.