Initially it won’t take you that long to complete, but with other vehicles to try out and infinite scores to settle it is sure to keep you coming back, even after a long absence.

But be warned, this game is horribly difficult early on and it will take even the most capable gamesplayer an age to complete.

Bone shattering throws, deadly, sword slashes, and plenty of Ryu's Dead or Alive signature moves all combine to create an immensely satisfying experience that feels like a breah of fresh air after "Prince of Persia's" rather limited combat. [XBM]

What began as a second rate Virtua Fighter clone with dubious buster designs has evolved into a dazzling tactical fighter, littered with original and superbly implemented ideas.

We loved this game. Whatever type of player you are, you'll love it. Mario at his absolute best. BUT – and this is a big but (think Jennifer Lopez here) we can't help but feel ripped off.

The first thing that strikes you about this game is the feeling of sheer quality that runs throughout it.

Capcom has produced the perfect interactive movie. RE is horribly, horribly addictive -- it tests your reflexes, satiates your bloodlust, stretches your mind (and temper) and leaves you both thrilled and drained.

So many games nowadays fall short when it comes to life span, but Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 is the very definition of value for money.

The content will make this fairly heavy going for the adventurer of light heart but, for serious role players, it makes a big change from the floppy hats and warty ogres.

Raziel is tremendously well animated and his surroundings are epic. In fact, the whole feel of Soul Reaver is epic, more than just a third-person adventure, but a whole tale of jealousy, betrayal and revenge.

'brilliant', 'fantastic' and 'a breathtaking work of genius.'

Despite being on a handheld, the visuals and music in the game really astound – they create just the right mood for a game about vampires and other nasty stuff.

Add in the camaraderie and chat, the shouts of alarm and the odd comedy moment to lighten the tension and you have a cracking game that would be perfect if only there were a couple of branches down the very straight and narrow.

Beautifully conceived and packed chock-full of garish Mario-isms. This is far better than any other golfing effort the N64 has spewed up in the past and we had to wait for the trusty little plumber to prove again just why he's the dog's danglies at almost everything he does.

Considering that Japan isn’t famous for its success in the sport, for some reason the developers at KCET have a canny knack of delivering almost every attribute of our beautiful game in precision detail, with realism so sharp you could almost take an eye out!

The camera is extremely intelligent, zooming in and panning out where appropriate to give you the best view of proceedings. On the odd occasion where the camera doesn't give a perfect shot of things, the camera buttons make fixing the view very simple. Rare has got a serious rival for the title of N64 3-D adventure game supremo!

The game is practically faultless and comes recommended to all, but it won’t last forever and is over too soon. Then again, the same could be said for sunset, but people don’t stop watching that because the onset of night is inevitable and quick.

Tremendous fun... Gameplay is rarely this pure. Get monkey spanking!

With the perfect combination of all-out mass slaughtering and stealth missions, Syphon Filter is an unexpected gem that comes highly recommended.

In other words: You best get yaw white-boy, tea-drinking, mummy-kissing ass down to the staw – bitch.

To play this is to love it - there is so much to do, so much to learn and so much enjoyment to be had from this that I cannot see anyone failing to like it.

Despite being a fun, polished and highly stylised game, Ratchet & Clank 2 feels like it's playing catch-up in a crowded genre, a feeling made all the more real considering its running on a year old graphics engine.

Another fantastic game from the masters of extreme sports.

An enjoyable remix of all the best that platform adventures have to offer and, ultimately, it can only be your loss if you do decide to pass on it.

Jaw-droppingly gorgeous.

Its claims to be a truly interactive experience are wishful thinking, it’s still a pretty linear game. Although there are different ways to accomplish things, the ultimate goal remains much the same.

There is so much to do in this enormous, indepth game that you could get sucked into its fantastically animated absorbing world and stay there for weeks. Donkey Kong 64 deseves the fanfare of being the most eagerly-awaited game since Zelda.

Rather than confusing the player with endless pages of stats or making the controls overly complicated (something Smilebit did with "GunValkyrie"), the company has achieved just the right balance of gameplay, visuals, atmosphere and story line.