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.

Another tortuously brutal NES-styled slice of gaming masochism for the hardest of the hardcore. [July 2010, p.121]

If you'd had enough of ogling at "Calibur 4," cop a feel of SC Arcade. It's still a handful. [Oct 2008, p.100]

There are too many classics here to pass up. [May 2009, p.78]

Even pros will struggle to outsmart the caddy, but every other change is for the better. [June 2011, p.99]

A ridiculously generous standalone game, bursting with unique content. [Nov 2010, p.116]

A masterful blend of genres, but with many ideas of its own. Worth the low, low asking price. [Oct 2010, p.120]

The same great Dead Rising, issues included, with some teeny-tiny nips and tucks.

An energetic brawler with deceptive depth. [Feb 2012, p.107]

To fans? The biggest Potter playground they've ever seen. To everyone else? A riot. [Sept 2010, p.103]

A prototype for others to follow, but the concept doesn't support an entire game. [Jan 2009, p.72]

A fan-pleasing extension of canon, but not the game it should have been. [Sept 2009, p.90]

A technically impressive and deeply detailed fantasy adventure, but one lacking in vision. [May 2011, p.102]

The series' next gen debut plays it safe, but will doubtless charm the pants off fans. [Aug 2009, p.80]

It would score higher if it was a quid. [Dec 2011, p.112]

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

A nostalgia-fest which hasn't aged well - but it will still bring a massive smile to the faces of old blokes. [June 2010, p.118]

Still a great game - but a game treading water for years now. [Sept 2010, p.100]

A great game - obviously - but it's lacking in features already in the original Xbox port. [May 2009, p.104]

A more arcade-like play and much better than last year. Still a distant second to FIFA, though. [Dec 2010, p.85]

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.

A decent puzzler with a theme so sickly sweet you'll spit out your teeth in disgust. And why not? [Sept 2008, p.97]

Shows diminishing returns for the solo gamer. [Dec 2011, p.102]

Looks like the future, plays like the past. Imperfect - but you get your money's worth.

Like this month's "Red Faction," it is an experience proud of its inherently silly gamey-ness; doing for human limbs what Guerrilla does for architecture. Short on frustration, big on satisfaction.

Essential for committed fans, but a few curious omissions make Arcade Edition an incomplete update. [Sept 2011, p.110]

A pleasant surprise and a pretty good introduction to the show. [Christmas 2007, p.80]

Still feels totally fresh and original even after fifteen years, and even in this basic form. [Christmas 2009, p.119]