The twitchy controls mean that instant death is just a flick of the analog stick away, and even though we’re not psychic, we can guarantee you’ll die many, many times just trying to either work out where you’ve got to go or nab yourself a handful of bonus items.

The sad thing is that, like the real game, this is consigned to be played once or twice and then put away to collect dust for half a year before being dug out again on a rainy day.

We can’t help feeling that this half-hearted PS2 port has no place on the Xbox.

Admittedly, if you liked the first game, then your going to love this to bits - but it'll be a bit boring for your average gamer.

Essentially a straightforward and linear trawl around vaguely familiar scenarios from the film, requiring little thought other than bashing at the buttons to attack, or flipping switches to progress.

Without the huge stars of the NBA to play against, it already falls flat next to EA’s "NBA Street" and despite all of its urban trappings this is a very bland and unexciting ballgame.

AF does a better job with collision detection, though unfortunately damage balance is regularly far from perfect. Taking out an enemy as insignificant as a rat may only take a single punch, for example, though strangely it takes many more attacks with a metal bar.

But the worst crime of all is the dynamics – or rather, lack of them. You can plough into a police car at top speed, and mostly come to a grinding halt.

The in-game graphics are as primitive as ever – simply doing their job of representing the positions of your various units around the map – and the basic turn-based concept won’t be every gamer’s cup of tea, but there’s surely enough depth and engrossing potential here to bring hardcore adventurers back for more while enticing a good number of newbies.

Sadly, this promising variety of stealth, third-person shooter and vehicle-based gameplay rather predictably sees each element being delivered half-baked. A distinct vein of average runs throughout proceedings – from the lacklustre visuals to each mission’s overly linear string of objectives.

Neat little touches such as his over the top armour, and the way Jack loses clothing as his health decrease are amusing enough to draw out the odd giggle from most players. However, when these jokes wear thin, the realisation that the worlds of Samurai Jack are as sparsely populated as areas in the Sahara desert really tests the will of the gamer.

As it is only the most hardened fan would find any enjoyment here and we can only recommend that the door be locked and the key thrown away to this particular dungeon.

With controls that make accurate aiming tiresome and visuals that could be forgiven for being quaint, until they move, finding areas where this one should be recommended is akin to picking gnat shit out of pepper.

The excitement is just too short-lived and even the biggest fans of the movie are more than likely to be disappointed.

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 ridiculous handling makes these additional modes practically impossible to play.

Meritless in terms of taking their genre forward or, worse even, invoking the warm glow of nostalgia. Spend £15 on a NES and the original games instead.

Most unforgiveable of all though, is the abysmally bad combat. Once your army is built, there is really nothing for the player to do other than point them at the enemy and hope to be last man standing.

The gameplay is way too limited and repetitive, and you won't have any desire to move to the next level; after all, you know full well it'll just be even more button tapping. Yawn...

Frankly, this an ugly piece of game that hopes its strategic heart will cover up meathead combat and disgustingly short draw distances. Not for this money, no way. Strictly for fans only, and we mean that.

The Curse comes in the form of a yellow mist. A yellow mist with some social problems, it likes to posses the dead, hence the zombies and also inanimate objects. So it's slightly different to Resi Evil and the zombies run fast, like in 28 Days Later. Ooooo. Sounds fascinating. It isn't.

It may be simple, often slow, and quite basic, but the novelty value alone makes it worthwhile.

Boundless disappointment is perhaps the best way to describe the gut feeling Dino Crisis 3 elicits in the player. Vast empty spaces on the ship manage to create a real sense of isolation, but at the same time, the game's emphasis on backtracking turns any feeling of exigency into tedium. [Japan Import]

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?

This is as much fun as working in a butchers, if you happen to be one of those spooky automatons that stand in the window and carve meat for eternity.

Insufferably bi-polar difficulty levels attacks that can't be repelled or escaped from no matter your skill and combat because your stuck on the ground in a death loops is something so lacking in grace that it numbs you.

All the belly laughs in the world can't save such a shameful game. Perhaps it's a lack of pace, or the fact that the puzzles seem more of a chore than a challenge, that makes Futurama such a tame title.

Still, while mindlessly hacking away at guards, the player can at least enjoy the neat visuals, which are brilliantly authentic and effectively designed.