Despite the obvious simplicity of such basic controls, Mad Maestro manages to play fairly convincingly.

Basically a vanity game made by Anime fans for Anime fans which sticks to its guns to create a shallow shoot-’em-up with an inspired styling.

A deeply unsatisfying experience, although younger players may have some fun just running around as Mike and laughing at his crazy antics.

While the balance between shoot-'em-up action, stealth and puzzle solving makes Rogue Ops a treat to play, what we love most about it is its openness. To every problem or obstacle encountered there's nearly always at least two solutions, sometimes even more (see panel for more detail).

No, what really annoys is the fact that the developer feels it doesn't need to make an effort because it's a game for kids.

It rapidly descends into an overly-linear memory test which, without the physical act of aiming or the genuinely engaging ducking mechanic of "Time Crisis," all too quickly becomes repetitive and dull.

To play Operation Surma is to walk a tightrope between excited gaming tension and an overwhelming urge for self-mutilation.

Throwing a fireball at Ken is still as much fun as ever, and it does look better than any other Street Fighter EX game. It won’t be the best Street Fighter game you ever play, but it’ll be fun nonetheless.

Sadly every single part of this game seems average and we can't help but feel that the fans are being let down.

If you fancy the idea of stealth games but have never quite got your head around the whole 'no running in and blowing heads off' ethos, then this would be a good starting point.

The game is not too big and in fact can be finished extremely quickly but there is always the option of racing again in a new car or just watching the models strut their stuff.

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

The main problem with Star Trek: Away Team, however, is the enemy AI. Whichever skill setting you play on (there are only two) you will find yourself confronted by some of the most stupid opposition ever found in a video game.

The camera is fine, the control system good and (like the film it follows) at no point does it patronise the audience. In other words there are no coins to collect here.

Some will find it frustrating, others irrelevant, while a small number of people will no doubt relish it for the very flaws we pointed out.

The story has been used to make a highly entertaining game and once you get involved in the action you only want to blast all the aliens and save the planet.

Though plagued by a number of problems, not least the average nature of the gameplay, Fur Fighters on PS2 does attempt to invest some new life into the game and does better last year''s Dreamcast original. If you want to play last year’s games today, then you can do no better than Fur Fighters.

Seven Studios has tried its best to offer a mix of gameplay elements with rescue operations and mini-games included but these aren't enough to break up the monotony of the copious smash and saunter sections.

Development time for this title has clearly been organized as follows: 10% on gameplay, 10% on graphics and sounds, 40% on Sydney's arse and another 40% on her breasts - 0% on enemy AI.

Sure, the bizarre and quirky style might not be to everyone's taste, but if it is possible to create a revolution in the pinball genre, then Flipnic is the game to do it and is certainly worthy of your attention.

Fireblade has some nice ideas, none of which are carried out with proficiency.

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?

The prison camps are all highly detailed and full of things for you to find, figuring out the breakout is fun, some of the scrapes you get into with the guards are a laugh and, if you can handle the sheer frustration of getting constantly caught, you’ll find an in-depth and interesting adventure. But we do rather feel it could have been much better.

A definite shoot first ask questions later exercise. Hell, you can't even shoot the good guys and they don't get pissed at you for trying so just shoot everything that moves.

The pairing of two characters works very well, with certain levels requiring you to position one before switching to the other in order to hit switches and open doors - yeah, we've seen this all before but it is rare for a licensed product to bother with such game mechanics.

For everything Sonic Heroes gets right there's a massive fault ready and willing to ruin the hard work - a less than stellar framerate, especially in two-player mode, numerous glitchy moments and - dare we say it? - graphics that are actually inferior to the Dreamcast Sonic iterations.

It’s not perfect, but Harry Potter is a sterling, fun play wrapped up in the magic of Hogwarts and it’s enchantments, making it a must have for muggles and wizarding folk alike!

A fast and fun arcade racer.