It's amazing when you sit down with a game that you had the lowest of expectations for, only to find an incredibly well put together experience.

Graphically light years ahead of everything else in the turn-based genre and is easily on a par with the best looking real-time strategy games, such as "Dawn of War."

Controls obviously take some time to learn and the maps are a little small, but the game still works exceedingly well, especially in multiplayer.

Gameplay still lags behind the mighty Pro Evolution Soccer in a few areas, but the 'first touch' and 'off the ball' systems continue to impress.

The only bad thing to say about the game is that it's so entertaining that you want to be able to do more. As a multiplayer game it's an incredible amount of fun, but lone players who can't access Xbox Live will feel a little short changed.

So then, another Hollywood movie, and another so-so game based on it. The Da Vinci Code has the right heritage but unfortunately suffers from the same disease as many of its ilk - it has been rushed to meet a release date without receiving the kind of polish that could have made a great game out of the subject matter.

The idea of giving the player three fairly unique characters to play as is good one, but the game design verges on plain stupid at times.

The idea of giving the player three fairly unique characters to play as is good one, but the game design verges on plain stupid at times.

The idea of giving the player three fairly unique characters to play as is good one, but the game design verges on plain stupid at times.

So then, another Hollywood movie, and another so-so game based on it. The Da Vinci Code has the right heritage but unfortunately suffers from the same disease as many of its ilk - it has been rushed to meet a release date without receiving the kind of polish that could have made a great game out of the subject matter.

New Super Mario Bros. treads the retro platformer line beautifully, adding just enough originality and imagination to the mix.

SiN Episodes: Emergence has a number of shortcomings, but its weak storyline is the most noticeable. The success of the series as a whole is riding on this first episode, but other than being a fun shooter, it does nothing to hook the player.

Whether you want something to relax with or you want to play competitively for the best part of a day, you can't go wrong with UNO.

If the game has any major flaws at all, it's that whilst the two halves of the game, RTS and RPG, mesh together brilliantly, if you take either of those elements in isolation, they're perhaps a little on the lightweight side. Fortunately, the game does have real synergy: it's greater than the sum of its parts.

It's fun, accessible, full of educational info and should keep young'ns happy for a good while.

While there's no denying that the Guild Wars franchise is both popular and technically superb, unless you're after dedicated PvP thrills, it's hard to see it genuinely competing with games like World of Warcraft in the long term.

OutRun 2006: Coast 2 Coast might just be the best arcade racer available on all three systems.

The frame rate on the PSP version is a tad disappointing, but it's easy to look past, and the great draw distance and sense of speed has been reproduced admirably on the handheld.

A decent RPG, but there's really nothing new or anything it does particularly well to make it truly standout.

Suffers slightly due to its similarities to previous games in the series, but the package is as slick as ever.

Gameplay still lags behind the mighty "Pro Evolution Soccer" in a few areas, but the 'first touch' and 'off the ball' systems continue to impress. Presentation is great as expected.

Gameplay still lags behind the mighty Pro Evolution Soccer in a few areas, but the 'first touch' and 'off the ball' systems continue to impress. Presentation is great as expected, making this the perfect title to celebrate the World Cup with, even if it's not the perfect footy game.

Gameplay still lags behind the mighty "Pro Evolution Soccer" in a few areas, but the 'first touch' and 'off the ball' systems continue to impress. Presentation is great as expected.

So, having sacrificed gameplay in favour of story, what's left is a product that isn't really much of a game at all. If you can put up with the tedium of puzzles and stealth sections, the rich story and compelling characters will furnish you with a rewarding experience.

You can't compare this to the GTAs and the Tomb Raiders of the world, but as a fun way to spend a few minutes every day, it's worth considering.

As it is, Auto Assault is a distraction - a bit of massively multiplayer fluff - not the genuine competitor to World of Warcraft people hoped it would be.

Most players probably able to breeze through in less than eight hours, but there's never a dull moment.

Most players probably able to breeze through in less than eight hours, but there's never a dull moment.