And although the rigid gameplay is frustrating at times, taking on a mystery in the shoes of Mr. Holmes and Dr. Watson has a certain appeal that is hard not to deny.

Even if you don't know how to play the game, the rules are easily picked up and gameplay is relatively smooth and quite fun –however, if you wish to advance your play, invent set moves and plays then the game can become much more enjoyable for the advanced player.

It is unique, addictive, funny, well-written, and above all, memorable.

That said, if you grab a couple of bongo sets, invite some mates round and have a bowl of bananas at the ready, it's great fun. Just be prepared for some very sore hands.

The atmosphere in R:TW is breathtaking...This game is by far the best Total War game released yet and, in our opinion possibly the best strategy game of all time.

It is worth noting that Headhunter: Redemption is tough - whether that is down to problems with the game’s mechanics and controls or a deliberate design choice is up to you, but this game took endless hours to get through with many restarts and countless yells of fury.

It is fast-paced, long, challenging, and beautiful to look at. The minor flaws with it are easily overlooked when one considers the whole package and realizes that this is probably the best X-Men game to appear on a console in the past ten years or so.

This game is utterly infectious. It’s like sitting in the same room as a happy, cheerful, and funny friend; you can’t help but crack a smile, even in your worst of moods.

It is fast-paced, long, challenging, and beautiful to look at. The minor flaws with it are easily overlooked when one considers the whole package and realizes that this is probably the best X-Men game to appear on a console in the past ten years or so.

It is worth noting that Headhunter: Redemption is tough – whether that is down to problems with the game's mechanics and controls or a deliberate design choice is up to you, but this game took endless hours to get through with many restarts and countless yells of fury.

A mixed bag of tricks. It's a good game with an above average tale to tell, and that just about keeps it afloat above those niggling game play faults.

It is fast-paced, long, challenging, and beautiful to look at. The minor flaws with it are easily overlooked when one considers the whole package and realizes that this is probably the best X-Men game to appear on a console in the past ten years or so.

Yes, it may not be the nicest looking game, it may have some problems with lag over Xbox Live but one thing it does offer is the competence to give players an experience that no other game over live can offer a player.

A solid -yet flawed- 'Nam game and clearly a lot of time has been spent researching and analysing the period -but at the expense of graphics and AI.

Because your Sims go through a complete life cycle, from birth to old age and death, you get a much more enjoyable game as you try satisfying your sims life.

Space shooter games are a very specialized taste, but if you get it, it’s very hard to lose the taste and Gradius V has enough variety in it to absorb new players to this genre.

The best strength of ShellShock: Vietnam ’67 was supposed to be its realism. Unfortunately, realism is the one thing it doesn’t have.

An addictive action RPG that just falls short of the mark due to sheer difficulty, linear game play and the lack of multiplayer options.

Incredible audio work. Bullets ricochet, tanks are heard as they approach from the distance, soldiers holler out commands to advance position -and general gunfire hasn’t been crafted this magnificently since Saving Private Ryan.

With better graphics, better sound, better gameplay, and a better story, Peter Molyneaux has created a game better than any other in the genre on the Xbox.

Although some aspects may not shock you in amazement, there is a lot of fun to be had here.

The best strength of ShellShock: Vietnam ’67 was supposed to be its realism. Unfortunately, realism is the one thing it doesn’t have.

Perhaps one of the most enjoyable racing games we’ve ever been given the chance to play, mainly owing to the immense rush you get from the sheer velocity of game play.

Even though the dialogue is pretty well-written, the game's voice actors deliver a rather wooden performance that will have most audiences rolling their eyes and wishing for more monsters to kill.

Perhaps one of the most enjoyable racing games we've ever been given the chance to play, mainly owing to the immense rush you get from the sheer velocity of game play.

Direct correlation to the movie, plus a few added extras, will give you the feeling that you are a part of the action, and using the dual controls to the fullest, this game won't leave you feeling terminated.

If you’re looking to invest more than 60 hours in front of your television and enjoy a deep and complex storyline, then look no further; Star Ocean won’t steer you wrong.

No longer do terrorists stand out in the open waiting in line to be killed. Instead these terrorists move to cover, unleashing a hail of bullets as they go. They also seem fond of tear gas grenades and explosives, throwing them into the fray whenever your team gets near their position.

The uncomplicated nature of the gaming experience is an advantage in this scary and furiously paced environment. This is an absolutely essential purchase and, despite our minor issues with the story and the intelligence of your enemies, you have to play it to believe it.

Sadly, the graphics and presentation are the only defining features of the title. Once completed, there's very little reason to play through again and the game is not exactly long to begin with.

Despite the slightly lack-lustre graphics, TrackMania: Power Up! is a great game to play with friends or foes -and you won't find many titles that give you this much value for money.

It's not the most simple of games to pick up and play, but once the controls are familiar webbing Spidey through New York is a dream.

One of the biggest factors in this masterful staging is the truly cinematic feel that the game has.

Lack of replay value aside, Full Spectrum Warrior is an experience to behold.

The voice acting is top notch and it's obvious that Starbreeze have taken steps to ensure that the lip-syncing is as well executed as the other aspects of the game.

With detailed graphics, incredible difficulty, and improved classic gameplay, this title should sit on any game veteran's shelf.

Overall the gameplay is very fun, although it can get a little bit repetitive towards the later portions of the game.

If you are looking for a game to pick up, play and enjoy then Van Helsing is certainly not for you -this game will test even the most hardcore Helsing fans’ patience.

To sum it all up, it's hard not to like this game. It's fun, it's intense, and it's beautiful.

The omission of Live play is unfortunate, as being able to duel your friends, or take on co-operative missions would have added an extra depth to the overall experience and added to the replayability of the game.

There is something truly magical that first time that a player finds themself soaring above one of the most breath-taking digital worlds to ever appear on a computer screen. Finally, we all know what it’s like to be Superman and look down on that strange and beautiful place we call home.

Low-level players have very little guidance if they can’t form relationships with other people or clans. They will be lost and confused.

Blowing away a group of SWAT soldiers with a “SPAS 12” shotgun down two flights of stairs has never looked or felt so good.

Perhaps the next time around, we will be surprised when we go in expecting to control a killing machine and instead find a deep (and/or deeply disturbed) man in our hands. Perhaps not. Hopefully, it will just be a little more memorable than this.

Overall, the deep, strategic elements of DRvsAK -combined with historical timelines detailing the context of the missions that you're undertaking- give a real sense of place and scope and we can’t help but recommend this title whole-heartedly.

If you've got a high powered PC geared for gaming then Far Cry is a must buy and will really show you the definition of next generation gaming. Forget the cheesy dialogue, horrendous plot, irritating mutated enemies which resemble obese, pink monkeys with slimy bits and enjoy the beautiful graphics, intense game play and unpredictable AI.

Luckily for us, SCPT is a hell of a sequel and manages to achieve what Splinter Cell 1 did back in 2003 and even inject a real sense of excitement back into Xbox Live.

Has a great fun factor that allows for hours of online battles with your friends and enemies –despite the lack of true Vietnam grit.

Indeed, Return From Darkness is what Wrath of Heaven should have been when it was first released.

Driving tasks are fun but the on-foot missions are much more entertaining. If you can stomach the glitchy camera, lock and load for a truly epic and cinematic gaming experience.

All in all, a much better effect could be achieved by saving forty dollars, renting Dragonheart and playing through the Adventures of Link -same premise, only with game play that is actually entertaining.

This game is extremely difficult -have no illusions about that- but it's great fun to play and this, combined with amazing graphics and great sound, make this an essential purchase.

If instead you only have a passing interest in all things water-based, it may be better to visit the rental store for a quick blast before parting with your twenty notes – definitely try it online though.

In the absence of a Bond film this year, Everything or Nothing manages to live up to the huge advertising budget put behind it.

The essence of a good FPS is there it just doesn’t have that old Unreal or Half-life polish. Don’t get us wrong, it has its enjoyable moments, but it’s more than a little lacking in polish.

For all its faults, Sega GT Online is a good arcade racer -whilst the likes of TOCA and Project Gotham go for simulation, Sega GT gives you an old-fashioned (and some would say out-dated) arcade feel.

The action can and will get repetitive, and playing the game through more than twice has very little appeal.

If you're looking for a playable version of the classic 1967 episode, “Mirror Mirror”, then Shattered Universe is the game for you. However, if you’re merely looking for a good time with the Star Trek Franchise then you would probably be better served to rent Star Trek IV on DVD.

The characters are memorable, the dialogue is sharp, and the puzzles (when they’re original) are usually pretty entertaining.

The game's A.I. seems a bit lacking as well, primarily in the way that no one really seems to care whether or not Alex blatantly relieves them of their material wealth and/or rather expensive supplies and weaponry.

The game's A.I. seems a bit lacking as well, primarily in the way that no one really seems to care whether or not Alex blatantly relieves them of their material wealth and/or rather expensive supplies and weaponry.

The plot of the game itself sweeps you through a wide range of emotions from joy to anger to despair and although quite short, it achieves everything it wants to achieve.

The Sands of Time are one of the more intriguing gameplay devices of recent times -but even though the time-travelling antics of "Blinx" predate some aspects of the latest Prince's adventure, Prince of Persia works where Blinx failed repeatedly.

Flat textures are still flat textures, however they are dolled-up -but at least Ubisoft have attempted to make the whole experience an immersion in a politically-charged, adult-oriented, comic book world.

The characters are memorable, the dialogue is sharp, and the puzzles (when they’re original) are usually pretty entertaining.

Cars that scream masculinity and machismo; mental drivers haring around city roads that form impromptu tracks when the lights go off and nobody is around – welcome to the world of illegal street racing.

Go get a copy -you won’t be disappointed.

There is something about the way Kain walks, the way he fights, and the way he looks at things that conveys the elegant grace only contained in the lithe movements of a predator.

Links 2004 has something for everyone.

In fact, the only way to have fun with this game is to play it for an hour, then put it back in its case and use it as ammunition for skeet shooting.

Now that we’ve ended our time with Call of Duty, we’re confident enough to call this one of the top WW2 games on the market right now –despite its relative age- and quite possibly one of the most complete and engrossing WW2 shooters ever.

Top Spin is the best competitive sporting game we have ever played.

The plot itself makes THUG both the best and worst game with a Tony Hawk label. While having a central story is a refreshing change of pace to the series, but to say that the plot is weak is a huge understatement.

The multiplayer portions of Crimson Skies are the real hook of the game and the reason that you'll find yourself returning to the game on a regular basis.

These factors combine to make a very rewarding and challenging strategy experience and create a great improvement to an already amazing strategy title.

Overall, with a few points taken off for conflicts between graphics and gameplay, Disgaea is pretty fun.

You'll find Otogi a varied and challenging affair, meriting replay after replay, continue after continue.

KOTOR is one of the most compelling games we have ever played on any system -prepare to lose sleep and meals over its puzzles and driving storyline.

It may be fast and furious but it’s not the best.

The story is not as gripping as Halo or Splinter Cell, but it’s a solid, workmanlike script that has you suspending your disbelief for just long enough to get you through the game.

One of the best games on any current generation console.

Bad points aside, if you are looking for one of the most realistic racing games available.

This game is nothing short of a stunning, comedic, gaming classic.

It’s these little details and the wide array of units for each side that makes Command & Conquer Generals a very entertaining title and the included skirmish mode will keep you entertained for a long while.

Oh no, the main feature of this game is the amazing, sometimes lush graphics, and the beast of a controller you get to play this game with.

If ever there was a game to show off the Xbox, this is it.

The fighting part of the game itself is good and quite fun to do, as it’s not to difficult to learn how to play, but will take a while before you’re up and fighting with the area rankers.

However, the sheer agony induced (both physically and mentally) by the lazy implementation of the controls made me scream time and time again.

It's in real time, so if you go a week without visiting your town, a week will have passed there and your neighbours will ask you where you've been.

As you load up the game and witness a flying club splatter the brains of a bad guy, you get an idea of what the game is all about: blood, blood, violence and more blood.

Players who appreciate it will find themselves wanting to play though it again and again.