Overall there's more to do and experience in Return of the King than in The Two Towers, but consequently this tends to frustrate more than please.

Amazing.

Koei certainly knows how to sell an add-on without leaving its consumers feeling cheated - basically, this is how expansion packs for console games should be employed.

In a complete reversal of modern trends, these are games whose visuals play second fiddle to the sheer wealth, diversity and involvement of tasks on offer, all the while playing on some very tongue in cheek moments and dark humour that even Hollywood's finest would have a tough time trying to rival.

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

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.

Definitely an improvement on previous editions and it seems that EA is some way towards emulating "Pro Evolution Soccer" on the PS2. Unfortunately for Xbox fans, it hasn't quite got it yet.

Easily the best football game on the GameCube, even with the shortcomings of the AI and controls. It takes some getting used to, but once mastered, there's a great game in here.

If though you're after more than eye catching cosmetic gloss and an ear stroking cinematic score, if, in short, you're after a brilliantly playable game based on one of the most celebrated, loved and epic fantasies in living memory, then sadly this isn't what you're looking for.

It's such a shame that the missions don't use the area to its full potential and, unlike GTA, there's very little to keep you coming back once you've completed them all.

Possibly the biggest disappointment of the year. What could have been this year's "Grand Theft Auto: Vice City" turns out to be a shoddily executed, clumsy and unrewarding experience.

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.

To be honest, the game is really quite enjoyable, but four-player Gauntlet-style fighting action would have been superb.

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.

This isn't the most gratifying FPS game out there, or is it the deepest but it does have its place. You all know us, you know what we do for a living so you should realise that we really don't like saying that a game would make an ideal rental.

The big turn-off contained within Rogue Ops, however, is the control element, and more specifically the focus of Nikki during play. L1 moves into look mode, where your targeting reticule glows green if an item can be used.

Despite the straightforward levels, there's a lot of work to be done and when you're finished with the single-player side of the game there's plenty of multiplayer goodness to follow.

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).

This one certainly needs to be sexed up if it wants to be taken off the shelf.

A tediously simple game, utilising all of two buttons and an analogue stick to do just about everything - which isn't much. This minimal depth repels any desire to want to return to this game ever again.

So you're looking at what, three nights of fun for £69. There are ladies here who don't cost much more than that, and ladies, as we know, have boobs.

Now we're finally over our initial shock, it turns out that Gladius is everything we expected, an interesting title that unfortunately misses its target more times than it hits...

The animations are perfectly complemented by the pixel perfect shadowing and some truly stunning effects, such as the player leaving marks on the clay courts as they skid across to reach for a shot.

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.

Call us old fashioned, but shouldn't a game be tougher at the end than the start? Amped 2 does start to pick up after several stages, and once the methods have been mastered there is some serious enjoyment to be had.

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

It feels less than the sum of it's parts, and though we respect the fact it's aimed mainly at kids, Quidditch's magic seems to be little more than a couple of fast hand movements and a burst of dry ice.

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.