It doesn't stray much outside the established action/adventure genre, and while not particularly challenging, it is quite fun to play and would be particularly well suited to those who like their games to be quite cruisey.

Full Spectrum Warrior has clearly been simplified and made more ‘gamey’ with the intent to appeal to the broader gaming community. Unfortunately the level design suffers from being too restrictive and players are encouraged to search for the intended solution with little opportunity to think outside the square.

The immersion factor is off the chart and is easily the best looking Xbox game yet.

Hardcore fans will be shattered to learn they are limited to using normal and easy modes due to the glitch with the A.I. although it isn't a complete loss.

Much like a fireworks display: it shines very brightly and provides a big hit of enjoyment, only to fizzle out all-too-quickly and leave you with little besides fond memories and a hole in your pocket.

It combines easy to play arcade racing with brilliant graphics, loads of variety and game play time, realistic sound, excellent multiplayer support and in depth car setup for those who wish to use it.

The Off the Ball feature is absolutely incredibly hard to come to terms with and emphasises how EA are still struggling to come up with gameplay features to match its main competitor "Pro Evolution Soccer."

It’s fast paced, stylish, and genuinely fun to play. However it is held back by sub-par visuals and a decidedly short single-player campaign with only bare-bones deathmatch multiplayer to keep you hooked.

If there’s a few small complaints to level at Shrek 2 it’s that the humour is kind of flat and doesn’t feature the witty satire, or any of the more mature in-jokes that the movie had.

Check it out if you liked Hitman 2, but just remember, you are basically paying $100 (Austrailan) for 12 new levels of the same game and when you consider that Hitman 2 had around 20 levels, Contracts looks even less attractive.

If you are after a guns-out shooting fest then you better get your stealthy ninja mate to play through the first two thirds of the game for you as you will quickly tire of the games slow pace and relentless punishment of mistakes early on. If you are looking for an original well designed devilishly dark gaming experience and can deal with all the gore and swearing then Manhunt is highly recommended.

With the Holden and Fords, as well as loads of Aussie tracks, V8 Supercars 2 has the local edge over the other big Xbox racing games. While the career mode is a watered down, user friendly part of the game with no real car tuning available, its loads of fun and features plenty of full on action.

Fans of the third person/action genre have seen everything that Alias has to offer before in the form of "Buffy" and "Indiana Jones" and except for the CIA/hi-tech storyline the game doesn’t really present gamers with anything new.

It appears as all the effort of Fight Night 2004 went into the boxing controls, and the career mode was added as an afterthought. Not that this is necessarily a bad thing.

The "real world" scenarios and plot in PT gives the game an edge that is frighteningly real and believable. The graphics and levels are better than the original, the audio is simply perfect and if it wasn't for the difficulty level would be almost flawless.

Those who persist will experience a truly breathtaking example of exceptional storytelling and original gameplay ideas. The rest will dismiss it after a few hours as not their bag and/or too hard.

Even with new levels, added extras and a new multiplayer mode with Xbox Live support, it really doesn’t scrub up and match the polish of some other recent titles.

You shouldn’t need double-jointed thumbs nor the kind of patience required to endure its faults. As it is, I can only recommend Mafia to those that for one reason or another cannot play the game on the PC. It isn’t a bad game, it’s just not all that it could be.

It's low level of frustration, great controls and creepy atmosphere are almost certain to please survival horror fans.

The combat is challenging but fair, and some of the physical puzzles may call for numerous attempts, and none of it is impossible.

It's a solid game with a lot going for it and a safe purchase if you go in not expecting anything revolutionary.

Sure, the game does hold its fair share of problems - average graphics, an unoriginal story, a tendency to become monotonous and the occasional cheesy comment or two, but there’s enough solid content in the game to keep both old and new Pitfall fans happy.

The awesome production values put into EON easily make it the best modern Bond game yet and even without Xbox Live support is still definitely worth your money.

One part strategy, one part fighting, with a tasty dressing of polished design. Ageing PC enthusiasts have seen similar in Arcon Ultra and similar games, but for everyone else Wrath Unleashed is an envigoratingly fresh title with a unique look and epic feel.

Silent Scope Complete would have been a wonderful package for fans of light gun games, only it’s let down by an intrinsically flawed calibration system.

Disappointing.

The ability to create items and the differences between the playable characters adds loads of depth to what is essentially a linear adventure and co-operative mode adds even more re-playability.

At the end R:Racing is not a terrible game, but nor is it even a good game, it should probably come with a sticker on the front saying Rental only, and then only if you’re desperate for a new racing game.