One of the prettiest games you'll ever see and the best air combat going. [Christmas 2007, p.81]

A harmonious blend of light, sound and vibration that even "Space Giraffe" can only dream of. [Christmas 2007, p.98]

Sixteen years on and it's not so fast, or smooth, or fun. The controls are stiffer than cold porridge and the new HD graphics are no improvement. [Sept 2007, p.96]

Bonkers beyond belief, it's not the best in the series, but it's certainly good enough. [Apr 2008, p.74]

It's unbelievably refreshing, liberating even, to jump into a world free from the laws of gravity after being tied down by Skate's restrictive utopia.

Five of the very best games you will ever, ever play - all in a forty quid box. [Christmas 2007, p.64]

A bit pricey for a game so close to "Bejeweled," but the RPG element genuinely adds to the package. [Christmas 2007, p.98]

Last time we checked, a Toyota doesn't come with a ruddy big gun. False, and very bad, advertising if you ask us. Still, it's free. [Christmas 2007, p.98]

The best game to carry the name since '95, but more than that - it's the best straight racing game you'll find on this console and indeed one of the best pure racers you'll have played in years...Every second is a second you'll spend on the edge of your seat. Thrilling. [Nov 2007, p.74]

Cheap or not, this has nothing to recommend it, bar morbid curiosity. [Jan 2008, p.83]

The infrastructure is definitely in place for a corker of a kickabout but the important thing - that intangible soul - is still frustratingly missing.

Old fashioned to look at, but packed with invention and things to do. [Christmas 2007, p.77]

It's yet another game in which the mind-numbing clichés of platformers haven't been challenged, but embraced, oh-so-ironically.

Online play is the only redeemable feature of this 'update.' Get "Puzzle Quest" instead. That got three stars. [Christmas 2007, p.98]

With a bit more refinemente this could have been superb. Instead, it's very good. [Sept 2007, p.68]

A leap up from PGR3 in all departments, this is the racer fans deserved. [Dec 2007, p.78]

Identikit levels and a dumb premise make for one average Spidey game. [Christmas 2007, p.72]

Okay if you're looking for feature-filled b-ball - but EA do it better. [Jan 2008, p.78]

EA have upped the game when it comes to sports this year. A huge improvement. [Dec 2007, p.85]

Nothing wrong with a game of cards, but this one doesn't warrant the expense. [Feb 2008, p.84]

With a gazillion top racers on 360, you'd have to be bonkers to drive this home. [Feb 2008, p.79]

Halo was remarkable in the ambition and innovation that made it so fresh, but the mighty number three doesn't have quite that same freshness - instead, it has a reassuring maturity to it, crafted as it is by a team who have learned from every mistake they've made and every word of feedback the community has offered over the years. Halo 3 is the best Halo has ever been, and you won't find a greater accolade than that.

Innovative, pretty, interesting at first glance... but ultimately: boring, boring, boring. [Oct 2007, p.96]

Marginally superior to the original but too many rough edges remain. [Nov 2007, p.85]

The genre's game of choice, but the better game of a bad, bad mix. Forget about it. [Dec 2007, p.85]

If Oblivion is the equivalent of a month-long trek across the Serengeti, then Sonata's like being chauffer-driven through Tuscany on a Sunday afternoon.

Full of different modes, but it's ultimately just too easy and riddled with nuances. [Dec 2007, p.82]

Very much its own game, Skate is a great start to what should be a stellar series. [Dec 2007, p.62]

NHL is easily the best ice hockey game available - a must for fans. [Dec 2007, p.85]

A timeless classic, but one we've played to death before. Still, 400 points isn't bad value. [Dec 2007, p.96]

A brave concept fails to disguise a lame racer not worthy of sniffing "F-Zero"'s fumes. [Oct 2007, p.84]

Endlessly dim foes and equally dull swordplay undermine any samurai appeal. [Christmas 2007, p.76]

Inadequate next to EA's title. [Jan 2008, p.79]

Despite the game's undoubted scope for replayability, it is decidedly low on play time. But in the cold light of day, we're not too bothered with all that - because Stranglehold offers something so raw and so hyper-energetic that the next game you play after it will feel positively tired and lethargic in comparison. Woo hoo.

You'll need to be a serious American football/robot fan to get stuck in now. [Dec 2007, p.96]

Average even on release. If you have "SF2 Turbo," you don't need this. [Dec 2007, p.96]

An enjoyable and solidly designed Nati-fragger, but one with a series of small niggles. [Nov 2007, p.82]

It's the definitive version of SPF, but still one for the experts or those with lots of time to spare. [Nov 2007, p.96]

The scrolling fighter may be dead, but this is the genre's finest relic. Get involved. [Dec 2007, p.96]

Blue Dragon definitely has the pedigree and quality to appeal to RPG gamers, however long they've been putting the hours in over the years, with enough peculiar touches to keep the old hands engrossed, even if it won't be the best they've ever had.

Hugely, hugely frustrating but there is a good game hiding deep beneath.

Middling fun in small doses, but how many times can you play the same game? [Dec 2007, p.85]

Too arcadey to match "Links," but still plays a cracking round of golf. [Nov 2007, p.81]

More of a biking "Project Gotham" than "Forza 2" - which is no bad thing. Thrilling. [Nov 2007, p.82]

An RPG needs to entertain for hours, to fully immerse you in its universe and not let go, but Two Worlds starts to show cracks before the tutorial is over. It's a -10 for execution, with no chance of a saving throw. [Nov 2007, p.76]

It's a shame, as what initially looked promising all those months ago when we first saw it, is in fact one of the worst games on Live Arcade. Avoid.

Play it until the scoring system clicks and it'll have you forever. At 400 points, it's a bargain. [Nov 2007, p.96]

Bioshock leaves you to figure things out for yourself. It's a gruelling game of resource management, and as the ammunition dries up, you end up having to improvise. And more often than not, Bioshock will reward you heavily for thinking outside the box.

Hexic 2 isn't quite as good as the original, but if you missed out on the first game, you can't go wrong with the sequel. [Nov 2007, p.96]

Sega's most overrated game is as rubbish now as it was back in 1992. [Nov 2007, p.96]

Rich sim blessed with amazing graphics and animation. Just what we expect. [Nov 2007, p.80]

"Daley's Decathalon" on the Spectrum was bigger and better, but it was a rip off of the original. Know your roots. [Nov 2007, p.96]

Chess, Draughts and two other games you'll never play - all of which do everything you'd expect. [Dec 2007, p.96]

A blast from the past that should have stayed unblasted. Play the free version if you must. [Nov 2007, p.94]

Four modes, 18 different ships, loads of weapons and power-ups, none of it especially enjoyable. [Sept 2007, p.96]

An unplayable mess lacking all the polish we expect from EA. Stay well clear. [Oct 2007, p.85]

A stripped-down game that gets it right and makes it look easy. [Oct 2007, p.94]

"Way of the Exploding Fist," it ain't. [Oct 2007, p.96]

Hold out for infinitely superior "Streets of Rage 2." [Oct 2007, p.96]

The most bare-bones port imagineable. [Oct 2007, p.96]

Too much plot, not enough variety and not nearly enough action. Shame.

The 'evolved' modern mode is duff, but classic Missile Command has still got it. [Aug 2007, p.92]

Bad to the bone - and not even in a funny way - this is a good idea, obliterated.

Simpler and faster than "Catan." [Aug 2007, p.92]

Average, tedious missions and all-round mediocrity make for a pretty dismal night in.

Stiff controls and samey puzzles hamper what is otherwise a fun, enjoyable romp.

A cheery enough companion to the movie, let down by huge frustrations. [Christmas 2007, p.85]

No forced ending that reeks of a hastily finished game: just a full stop at the end of a seriously good story. [Sept 2007, p.82]

Could have done something really worthwhile with the genre, but... didn't. Nazi stuff.

A step forward for the Potter series, but still a country mile behind the next big guns. [Sept 2007, p.74]

Decent strategy game with a peculiar theme. Cartoon insectoids? The kids don't tend to play turn-based strategy, unfortunately. [Sept 2007, p.96]

A beautiful and varied title, but you feel it might be holding something back. [Aug 2007, p.66]

Absolutely soul-crushingly tedious. [Sept 2007, p.78]

The best. Only better. A 2D game of this quality, lushly redesigned, is worth a hundred 3D romps. [Sept 2007, p.94]

The addition of online co-op and Deathmatch modes maybe elevates Monster Madness above the bottom tier of Live Arcade titles, but at full price there will probably be so few people playing that it's unlikely to be a vibrant online community.

Too expensive, but find a cheap copy and it has a bit of fun to offer stealth fans.

When it's bad, it's not too bad. When it's good, it rules. A great Western with a few niggles.

Behold - the finest score attack arcade game on Live Arcade since "Geometry Wars." [Sept 2007, p.96]

The actual racing is sluggish and generally skill-free, but the mini games are top fun. [Sept 2007, p.96]

The ultimate racing game for fans of slowburning, ultra detailed motoring... a bit joyless for everyone else. [Aug 2007, p.78]

Simply, one of the most fun games on 360. Defy those who say it won't sell! [Aug 2007, p.74]

We loved her when she was young and tasty, but now this old bird's, er, old. [Aug 2007, p.92]

This is why kids should respect their elders. We were as hard as nails back then. [Aug 2007, p.92]

Lots for fans, little for everyone else. You've played this one before and it was better last time. [Aug 2007, p.70]

This is a very basic, very rubbish side-scrolling shooter with some knobs on. [Aug 2007, p.92]

It's certainly a good game, but we want to wage war against Sawyer from Lost, not our 360 controller.

Spidey 3 certainly has its problems in abundance, but they're far outweighed by its wealth of content. [July 2007, p.86]

One of the best board games of recent decades, translated perfectly to Live. [Aug 2007, p.91]

It's a great addition to XBLA and one that stands out amongst the crowd thanks to a level of quality that would support a full price game in itself.

At 35 quid this is pretty good value for money - even if it does star the worst character in videogames. [July 2007, p.97]

There's plenty of diversity here, but not so much in the songs. If you like heavy rock, you're well catered for. Otherwise you won't recognise half the tracks.

Easy and irritating. [July 2007, p.96]

Fighting giant robots on giant maps never felt so slow, boring and grey. [Sept 2007, p.79]

No one does war like Clancy does, and this could be his finest hour yet... if it wasn't just a little bit too short.

The emo-tastically tasty Ms Witch can flip and twirl like an ant-infested Lara Croft, but there's rarely ever any handy platform for her to clamber onto. The levels are as flat and one-dimensional as the gameplay - but despite its problems, you're quite likely to find it, well, a bit of a blast.

A wonderful sandbox title that branches off from the "GTA" tree rather than feeding off it; when you set off a huge chain reaction of barrels, you’ll see the game "Saints Row" wished it was. When you climb to the top of the Agency HQ and peer down at the world, you’ll see the game "Just Cause" could never be. And every so often, you’ll see another moment of brilliance; a reminder of the game you want GTA IV to be.

When Battlestations Midway is good, it's really good.

The single and multiplayer demos are both great examples of what this game can achieve when it gets things right. Sadly, they don't prepare you for the immensely frustrating, teeth-grinding periods of shooting-by-numbers and dreadful platforming that spoil an otherwise great idea.