The fact remains that the improvements that NHL Hitz 20-03 has over the first game just can’t justify yet another £40… it’s just not different enough.

Considering the remarkably silly subject matter, Palmer’s does an excellent job of providing some seriously enjoyable gaming.

The GameCube version of XG3 is, to be frank, bloody marvellous.

You have the instant playability of the Dreamcast classic ["Crazy Taxi"], but with television's favourite family stuck onto it. How can it go wrong?

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.

The weapons are hardly original, the environments good but not graphically amazing, animations are basic and the voices can repeat. But combine all the elements of the game and you get one very addicitive title.

It’s been carefully crafted to provide superb gameplay, and especially great graphics, despite the fact that games of this nature can only ever really be used for boredom-busting.

If you're a social creature you need this, and even if you're a semi-hermit who refuses to let your hair down, it will make casual visitors think that you jump around when you're alone and that gives you a sexy mystique. No doubt.

Small problems like this, the brightness level and the basic control system are heavily outweighed by the exceptional gameplay and the stunning world laid out before you in Thief. [XBM]

A superior product.

NBA Live 2004 has to get the nod over "NBA Jam" due to the deeper gameplay, sexier looks and fresher soundtrack.

Body Harvest is big, different enough to stand out among the clutter of Mario clones, and ambitious in a way that very few N64 games dare to be. Body Harvest had the potential to be one of the best games on the N64, but as anyone who''s seen insects like termites at work will know, little bugs can bring great structures crashing down.

Ultimately this is an enjoyable package. If you can look beyond their relatively simplistic visuals then both games are worth investing some time in.

If you're prepared to overlook, or at least work around, the faults, Castlevania is well worth considering. The only thing that old hands at Castlevania will be left wondering is why you can't swing with the whip.

A game of high scores, precision and unlocking further stages to then score high on. It’s a game that flies in the face of new fads like stealth modes, world-building sims and realism in favour of old-skool thrills and kills.

Unlike most developers Nintendo can take an ingenious and unusual idea and turn it into an inventive game of discovery and fun. This, you might say, is the Nintendo difference.

My only major gripe is the over-emphasis on combat. You seem to spend most of your time repelling massive onslaughts from the enemy, then frantically rebuilding before the next one begins.

The fact is, Cold Winter repeatedly enables the player to do things you just wouldn't expect to be able to do. Big guns even break crates more easily than small guns; such is the developer's level of consideration.

If you want the most comprehensive and thorough hockey game/management sim, then NHL 2004 is the place to turn.

Each crevice is likely to hold trigger-happy snipers, each road blocked off with mortar crews. Fighting is far more intense this way and navigating the streets of Baghdad can be a nerve-racking experience.

An enjoyable, fun-filled game which should keep you puzzling for a long time to come.

The game is really not helped by slightly confusing controls, and it will take a few premature deaths before you really get the hang of them but once you do, the excellent nature of the audio-visuals really draws you into the game and leaves you absolutely hooked.

The quality single-player shoot-'em-up that the Star Wars franchise needed. It's slick, quick, and easy to play with a sharp tactical edge that slides effortlessly into some free-flowing warfare.

There’s "MTV Music Generator" and there is this. Personally (and from the viewpoint of this particular reviewer) eJay is the better program purely because it is so user friendly. And we’ve already got a PC thanks.

As a sequel it doesn't falter in the same way other Capcom releases have, and we're talking "Devil May Cry" here. It seems that the developers were particularly happy with the original Maximo, or perhaps they had just designed themselves into a corner with nowhere to add anything too jaw dropping.

While it does last (and there is plenty of replay value), it will provide most gamers with an experience even more enjoyable than kicking back and smoking a pound of grade A swampweed.

The one thing that really stands out about Grand Prix Challenge though is the quality of the graphics and the amazing frame-rate that makes every course look sublime.

Perhaps the handiest feature Atomic Planet has incorporated into this great compilation though is the new Navi Mode, which basically allows you to use the great menu from Mega Man 8 in all the other titles and also gives you handy hints throughout the game. [JPN Import]