It's a nice touch to actually have to build things in a game featuring building blocks, and adds to the game's overall tongue-in-cheek feel.

Online play would have made this the perfect multiplayer offering but the developers have got to leave something to add in a future release.

NHL 07 has its glaring flaws, particularly with its lousy AI and shoddy online play, but the skill stick breathes new life into a sport that hasn't seen much innovation in over a decade. The eye-candy visuals and terrific puck physics don't hurt either.

The core idea of turning cooking into a series of mini-games works well, and the gameplay is simple enough for almost anyone to enjoy. Sadly, a lack of variety does make it a game that won't be played much once the novelty factor has worn off.

It's not without its problems, is far too simple and lacking in features, but as sports games on the DS go, it's one of the best.

Its faults are there to be seen, and some - like the frame rate and lack of tuning options - could be seen as game breaking faults, but if you're not bothered about the technical side to driving, Test Drive Unlimited is simply wonderful.

It's just that while being a competent and perfectly enjoyable pick'n'mix of some of the best games of the last 10 years, Yakuza doesn't excel at any aspect it borrows. It isn't greater than the sum of its parts.

You could breeze through the game in a few short hours, but it really doesn't matter. Those few hours will be some of the most joyous of your gaming life.

What ProStroke delivers is the most in-depth control system I can imagine working on a standard console controller, but the game that's built around it simply isn't exciting enough to sway Tiger fans over to a new series.

The biggest disappoint is how pitiful the narrative is.

Whether or not you will embrace it, though, all depends on either your loyalty to the franchise or the seriousness of your masochistic tendencies.

The fundamental gameplay created by the 'monkey in a ball' mechanic simply doesn't work within the confines of an adventure title.

The top-down perspective tries to make it seem like Gauntlet for the gangsta generation, but moronic gameplay, insipid level design and tacked on multiplayer work together to cripple the experience.

If there's one thing Saints Row does brilliantly, though, it's explosions. Cars literally get blown apart and come crashing back down with debris flying all over the place.

Star Fox Command is by no means a complete mess, but there's just nothing that compelling about it. Tellingly, I just couldn't help thinking that I'd rather be playing a conversion of the N64 game and forgetting about all this strategy nonsense.

Despite some charming touches, and the slightly amateurish but strangely appealing voice cast, it's an inescapable fact that Barrow Hill adds very little new to the genre.

A weighty Xbox Live Arcade game, even if you have to pay 800 Microsoft points for it. For those of you who downloaded the game in the first two days, you already know you've got yourself a bargain.

Far superior to its predecessor in just about every way, despite some glaring issues that prevent this year's gridiron game from being a true classic. The problem here is that Madden is still in desperate need of a makeover.

Combat is a breeze and the four playable races create some intriguing situations. Yet, for a game of this type, the interface issues are almost inexcusable and the relative simplicity of the game only makes these problems all the more frustrating.

If you enjoy all the exploration and stats building that the series is known for, then trust me, you're not going to find what you're after here. Similarly, if you're NOT a fan of the Final Fantasy series, then you don't want to touch this one either, not unless your idea of great gameplay is random button hammering broken up by really badly-acted cut-scenes.

A game crippled by its archaic save system. No matter how much fun the game is while you're battling hundreds of on-screen enemies, nothing can balance out the sheer frustration experienced when you die for the fifth time at the hands of the end of level boss.

It's visually appealing, easy to pick up, and the combat has a nice competitive edge to it. But this feeling doesn't last as long as perhaps it ought to. Once you've plundered your way through all the game has to offer, the lack of variety is clear to see and the story isn't good enough to hold things together.

Even with its problems, Dead Rising is a ton of fun to play, offers a respectable narrative, and come on, you can use a lawnmower for cryin' out load. Enough said.

The main quest is totally underwhelming and can be completed in a fraction of the time it took to complete last year's full game. When combined with some severely dated visuals and an almost thrown together storyline, there's little reason to pick this up.

So, let's sum up: lag so frustrating you want to gouge your eyes out with a spoon, tiresome deliberate disconnections that make a mockery of the ranking system, and a d-pad designed to make you jump around the screen like some deranged monkey on speed. Not particularly positive.

The single-player Career won't take all that long to complete, but with a hugely entertaining multiplayer mode both on and offline, there's a good chance you'll continue playing for a while after.

The single-player Career won't take all that long to complete, but with a hugely entertaining multiplayer mode both on and offline, there's a good chance you'll continue playing for a while after.

The fundamental gameplay created by the 'monkey in a ball' mechanic simply doesn't work within the confines of an adventure title.