To describe the series of menus used here as "labyrinthine" would be to horribly oversimplify labyrinths. [Winter 2002, p.102]

The intuitive fighting control remains as solid as ever. [Dec 2004, p.86]

The beautiful grass texture made us feel all outdoorsy and sexy. [Fall 2002, p.121]

When playing against human opponents of varying skill levels on Xbox Live, the game becomes surprisingly fun and entertaining. [Mar 2004, p.101]

Well-designed platforming bits and clever puzzles remind you of what people saw in the original "Tomb Raider," but the game's dismal controls muck up these potentially enjoyable levels. [Oct 2004, p.98]

Not a bad game - there's just not enough here, and players may find themselves wishing for a match in Britain against and extraterrestrial blancmange, just to add a little bit of variety to the mix. [Dec/Jan 2004, p.93]

Combine this undistinguished feel with the game's pedestrian graphics and lack of Xbox Live or system-link support and you have one of the most disappointing big franchise games in recent memory. [Mar 2004, p.90]

Don't bother with the single-player mission-based mode, however, as the chunks it blows are considerably oversized. [June-July 2003, p.93]

If you love Harry Potter, don't mind that characters talk and whine incessantly, and would like to see Hermione push around an ice block over and over again, Azkaban is good for a few hours of fun. [Aug 2004, p.94]

The combination of solid graphics, cooperative play, and an established format works well here, and Sin Tzu is nothing if not a fun third-person beat-em-up. [Dec/Jan 2004, p.87]

The tracks are fun(ish), the graphics are good(ish), and the controls are responsive(ish), but the outrageous "only in a videogame" components are curiously missing. [Spring 2002, p.93]

Goals are alternately too easy because the bike's brute speed makes gaps and jumps so simple, or too hard because twitchy steering and excess velocity make delicate maneuvering impossible. [Aug 2003, p.87]

What makes an otherwise solid action RPG mediocre is the obscenely slow and tedious beginning. [Mar 2004, p.101]

Mired in repetition and some substantial balancing issues, a good deal of its simplistic charm dissipates after a short time. [Nov 2004, p.100]

Competent, but not innovative. [Oct/Nov 2003, p.93]

Charming and accessible. [Winter 2002, p.105]

As for the learning curve: think of this game as "Splinter Cell for Dummies." [Mar 2004, p.79]

That bane of the 3D platformer, a bad camera, constantly hides fallen-away floors until you're standing where you thought there was solid ground. [Nov 2004, p.90]

Ultimately, the game's strict adherence to realism trips it up. [June-July 2003, p.95]

Just another example of blown potential. [June 2004, p.87]

Ghoulies goes whole hog on its graphics and half-asses everything else. [Dec/Jan 2004, p.90]

It's the gameplay that disappoints. Most notably, the white-knuckle sense of breakneck speed and the tight, responsive controls oh so apparent in "Burnout 3" or "Underground" just aren't matched here. [Nov 2004, p.97]

Mildly amusing. [Dec/Jan 2004, p.97]

Fails dramatically... Severe, fundamental flaws permeate the experience, ranging from wince-inducing run-cycle animations to sloppy, unrefined controls. [Aug 2003, p.78]

Beneath Enclave's pixel-shaded graphics, we find only a trace of a game worth playing. [Fall 2002, p.117]

Dismal. [Jan 2002, p.90]

Past the visuals rests a competent, if uninspired game that’s best savored with four players madly fighting for split-screen automotive supremacy. [Jan 2002, p.90]

Pirates is a kick - swift and painful - to the gonads for all who've claimed the Xbox is no PC... This is a junky PC game waiting to be patched. It should be made to walk the plank. [Oct/Nov 2003, p.90]