This game rocks the party like it's 1996 for all the wrong reasons. It's a PSone game with sharper graphics.

Colours throughout are horrifically gaudy and are totally at odds with the sombre nature of the game. Overall, there's little to commend about this insipid and limp title.

Sadly, Shadow Of Apokolips just isn’t adventurous enough and offers little new or fun to both the Superman fan and game fan alike. More games like this and he could find himself back in the grave.

Relies a little too heavily on the creativity, imagination – and popularity – of the licence, without adding much in terms of innovative gameplay. However, for younger gamers, it is a simple and enjoyable game, and a perfectly pleasant walk with the dinosaurs.

While any petrol-heads who are starved of a racer would do well to get this – as it’s not a bad game by any means – everybody else would be wise to sit on their hands and wait until something a bit more ‘special’ comes along. "Colin McRae 3" will be here in March.

You'll find yourself sailing aimlessly for hours - the watery setting of Suikoden IV is ridiculously vast and barren and to make matters more exasperating, your boat's top speed and handling would embarrass most tugs.

Any improvements to the fun factor given to a multiplayer game is mostly down to all humans suffering from the same level of confusion given by a game that could do with being more like worms and less like a squeaking game of Crossbows & Catapults. More annoying than fun and not funny.

The game's balance is all wrong. The controls are overly simplistic and you seem to take more damage from the little helicopters that flit around than you do the other monsters.

It's not very complex or original, with little to the action beyond simple objective completion and ABC linearity, while more mature players may gag at the cutesiness of it all.

The mentality behind it is decidedly 32-bit, and this isn’t just limited to the models either.

The name is the game's only standout feature, and that's all the summing up you need.

Playing the game is a bittersweet experience. It’s strangely diverting, but all the time you’re thinking of what it could have been with a bit more testing and tweaking.

Maybe if it actually looked better, if more of the levels weren't so sparse or uninspiring then we'd be able to forgive the shallow gameplay and the fact that combat is too straightforward.

It's not a Metroid or a Zelda that you’ll plug away at solidly to completion, but it's a great way to let off steam and something you can dip into for a quick blast with the promise of something new always around the corner.

A great arcade game that doesn''t quite hit the target.

All the young pretender could do was look prettier, and show off his facial damage. No contest. He got a damn good beasting that day, and every day there after.

The game feels very much like a third person version of "Command & Conquer."

Rogue Ops doesn't ever better what we already have, so why should you spend forty quid on it? Well the answer is you shouldn't. This is one stealth game that is largely unnecessary, unless you can't use your thumbs.

A frantic and fun blaster that should do well on the back of enthusiasm sure to be generated by the movie.

They’ve simplified the game enormously and as a result it suffers.

One interesting touch is the apologise button. You can wave to a rival racer in the hope that they'll forget the pummelling theyíve just received.

From a stationary position there’s always a very slight pause after you move the stick before he responds, and when he is actually moving there’s a slight level of inertia so you never feel you have full precision of control.

Whilst its general pace is unequivocally pedestrian and the missions are overly long and drawn out, Top Gun remains a surprisingly seductive prospect, albeit one devoid of significant exhilaration.

But despite Robinson’s remarks, oodles of atmosphere and a decent enough multiplayer mode, compared to Millionaire in the console quiz show stakes, it still manages to be the weakest link. Goodbye!

There is plenty of customisation and character development, and a large variety of mini-games to master. There's never been a better time to enjoy the lighter side of golf.

This thing either found us in an incredibly bad mood (unlikely) or it’s one of the most insulting games we have ever had the displeasure to play (yes). Just don’t buy it.

Real life heroes they may be, but trudging round extinguishing virtual flames soon becomes a fairly tiresome effort and you'll find yourself hankering for something a little more action-packed.

Despite the password system and the small amount of levels, the target audience will get further play out of the mini-games (the Arkanoid-style game where you get to bounce Salem around is by far the best) and will probably take a bit longer to complete the adventure.

The game is solid. Especially on the multiplayer side of things.

What upset us most is that as a novel idea that shows an occasional flash of genius, you genuinely want to love Future Tactics. Unfortunately, the sad truth is you can't love this game because deep down, you know it will never love you back.

For a kids game it can suddenly leap from being simpler than tying your shoes to being tougher than tying your shoes - if you're a fish.

If you can look past this failing though, P. N. 03... is massively enjoyable game. Each room is another challenge, asking you to think on your feet while being attacked from all angles, and strangely, it never gets too frustrating.

Graphically City Crisis is nothing special and after a while the gameplay does become rather repetitive as you simply perform the same operations over and over again.

A classic arcade action game, which should appeal to both older gamers who remember this style of game with fondness, and younger players who may have never experienced this sort of simplistic joy before.

Blame the short development time. Blame laziness. Blame the film licence curse. Blame whatever you want but the end result is The Incredibles is rental-only, as you'll see everything the game has to offer by the time you hand it back to the monkey behind the Blockbusters till.

For Britney fans the inclusion of exclusive unlockable DVD footage will make this a must-have. As for everyone else there are far better (and cheaper) examples of the genre on the market which we suggest you check out first.

It's uninspired and pretty ugly.

Granted, the gameplay may become a little repetitive after a while, but for a quick blast of colourful, quirky fun, this game has got it covered.

Easily the best game in the series to date. We can, at last, put the mess that was "Conflict: Vietnam" behind us and continue down this far brighter path.

Movement is achieved by moving using a massively cut down version of Dance Dance Revolution (press buttons on cue) that if done correctly results in a Manga-esque cut scene of destruction. Effectively then, Time Dilation is an elaborate smart bomb. Like its name implies this game is merely a varied echo of what once was original.

As an FPS it can't manage to come close to the likes of "Halo," "Castle Wolfenstein" or "Rainbow Six 3." But as a playful twist on the genre that tries to offer a bare arcade experience, and allows us to feel like Clint supping whisky at the OK Coral, it's pretty good fun.

The events do provide a little variety, but essentially you are left feeling lost with no thirst for more.

A pleasant game, surprisingly tough in places and if you're over 13, probably likely to be the cause of quite a few broken joypads in its flawed glory.

We've all seen the future and the harsh reality is Spyro: A Hero's Tail is unnecessary with the superior competition around.

It seems foolish to be content with an average racer like this.

Perhaps most notable is the undeniable beauty of the surroundings in which all of this takes place.

A suitably impressive game, if not for its sparkling gameplay, then for its determination to do something different with the whole genre, in which it remains almost unique.

The intelligent tactical basis should certainly make this a massive hit with hard-core strategists, but the average gamer may struggle to be inspired by the map-based gameplay action and heavy subject matter.

When we hear the words “movie” and “license” we automatically start sharpening knives. In this case we were to busy moistening to the sight of total and unashamed gun-porn to want to draw blood. Yes, we feel ashamed.

Essentially, Vanguard Bandits is a series of battles linked via a fairly tedious story line. This could have been acceptable if the battles themselves were well implemented but sadly they’re not.

Why have Capcom produced a game that once you've played it, you won’t want to pick up ever again?...This is rubbish!

The graphics and sound certainly don't do the Xbox justice, the moves are intermittently awkward and unresponsive and youíd have to question the longevity of the game despite the somewhat original Career mode.

Smooth and fast, the sensation of participating in a race is actually very good, though the overall design quality tends to waver somewhat from track to track.

Although it could have been improved even further — the graphics and vaguely cumbersome feel of the movement still need more refinement — as a tactical squad based shooter, this is easily the GameCube’s best.

Whilst THQ’s game lacks the technical depth of "Fire Pro Wrestling," it makes up for this with five different game modes including Exhibition, King of the Ring and as the game’s title suggests Wrestlemania.

The kind of lazy port that Xbox owners need to shout ‘No!’ at very, very loudly, if only to minimise the danger of being overrun by such fodder in the future.

Only really recommended for wide-eyed children who are yet to tire of jumping on switches and collecting thousands of shiny, yet meaningless, tokens.

An incredibly cynical attempt to cash in on a familiar and potentially rich license.

The graphics are stunning, making full use of an enhanced Rogue Spear engine and the sounds are equally impressive adding to the thrilling action. The attention to detail is incredible and the tactical knowledge and training manuals are so comprehensive it can become almost like a second job.

Getting golds across the board certainly ain't easy, but decimating your mates/siblings/granny (shame on you!) is what'll keep you coming back to Ronald long after the snow has thawed.

It’s supposed to be a cartoon and it definitely looks like one but however you look at it there aren’t many polygons in any given level – so why on earth is the frame rate so choppy?

While accomplished would be a better adjective than flamboyant when it comes to gameplay, Amuze deserves kudos for the cinematic quality afforded the game's script and musical score.

Rather than just create a lazy racing game and throwing in a load of huge rigs, Big Mutha Truckers has RPG elements, which mean that every player will have a different trucking experience and you’ll need to be a successful businessman as well as a good driver in order to succeed.

The combat flows nicely, the graphics are bright – if never really revolutionary – and the gameplay defines the term solid. It’s hard not to like Alter Echo, but by the same note, it hard to get truly involved in it.

The animation should be motion-captured goodness in order to show the bloke-in-suit feel of the Toho flicks. It could be quite amusing. It's not amusing. It's tragic.

What makes Remote Assault so refreshing is that it successfully transplants the accuracy and rules and regulations of combat as featured in these games and abandons the two-dimensional and turn-based elements.

Eternal Ring is a decent idea executed with some style. Alas, after a while, the novelty wears off and you don’t care enough about the tale to see it through to the end.

The graphics have been polished up significantly from the original, but it still looks very ropey alongside Remake and Zero.

The unnecessary complications lie in the sheer volume of convoluted commands crammed onto the DualShock for use throughout the game.

This is what ultimately lets this game down – the boring simple things just take a little too long to do. Your villagers do not recreate on their own – you have to tell them practically everything in order for things to happen.

This will sink without trace and rightly so.

Unfortunately the handling can leave a lot to be desired and often you can find your self weaving along the straights and spinning out around the sharper bends.

Fast and fun, but not one for the hardcore who expect balanced play mechanics as a matter of, ahem, course.

This is a very deep simulation and it’s this kind of detail that makes it so addictive, showing up other wannabes like "Jurassic Park: Project Genesis."

While it won't be to everyone's tastes, it's hard not to get hooked into Larry's world, there's a lot to explore and experiment with - including honing your photography skills, unlocking some uniquely sleazy mini-games and simply enjoying one of the funniest scripts in a game since, well, the classic adventures of the Eighties and early Nineties.

There is little here to sparkle the imagination and the best we can say is that it’s a fair time-filler. If only the developers had the nerve to try out some fresh ideas, or even implemented old ones in exciting ways then we’d be looking at a much healthier product.

The gameplay is generic to say the least – just run along a set path jumping gaps and avoiding enemies.

Sadly, the decreased scare factor makes the game's backtracking much more of a chore, as you endlessly trawl back and forth to find items that open doors to other items.

It's rare for a game of this type to actually be more than a mad single-button-mashing romp that creates more blisters than excitement; it's just unfortunate that the whole game wasn't as polished.

We defy you to get through an entire tournament and still care whether you win or lose, which is about the best summation of Athens 2004 as we're likely to find.

Bubble Bobble is as addictive as it has ever been and for that reason alone this game is a must-buy purchase, regardless of which version you want to play. Buy it now!

It’s really, REALLY boring.

What is slightly worrying though is that despite being aimed directly at kids Taz Wanted is one frustrating game, thanks to the fact that Taz himself controls like a blind three-legged badger… especially when he’s doing his trademark spin.

A step back to the bad old days when the name was more important than the game -- a practice that Ocean was supposed to have left well behind.

For anyone who likes their games to be more than a desperately frustrating chore we recommend steering clear of this one like the Black Death.

One major plus point is a superb, absorbing 5.1-surround sound experience that demands volume and really brings the game to life.

Generally speaking, the game is weird to look at. Which is a bit of a shame really because it's great fun to play.

If you can forgive the faults, love bikes and have the patience of a saint, then you will enjoy Speed Kings. The game’s major failing is to borrow so much from the real king of speed, Burnout 2, and never innovating in the process, merely imitating.

A generic air combat flight experience with Dreamcast-quality graphics and a couple of new effects.

The main problem is that, aside from some rather nice visual effects, everything about the game feels out-of-date.

A must for Simpsons fans, and is fun in short bursts, but this kind of game is better suited to the instant gameplay environment of the arcade. You might be miffed when you've seen all there is after a few hours of play.

An example to developers the world over that just because there is gratuitous violence, the game is not necessarily a winner. A great PC title can still flop on the Xbox, even with the addition of Live gameplay.

It is in essence, a very generic experience, which is shallow and unrewarding.

As for the new and imaginative innovations that we now expect from every EyeToy game, they're just not here.

A confused and chaotic game. On top of this are some of the most basic graphics yet seen on the Xbox.

There’s a clever smattering of Challenge modes, various original and well-handled Stunts for you to master and enough tracks and vehicles to give the game decent longevity.

The fact that there is nothing to separate this from earlier versions doesn’t help its cause either and, as such, it will keep you entertained for only a little while before boredom sets in.

Unfortunately Rogue Agent has turned out a bit flat. All of the ingredients should have delivered a novel twist on the Bond universe, but rather than being a villainous spectacle, it's merely a competent shooter that lacks any genuine thrills.