Is it the best game ever? One of them, yes. Is it really that good? Yes, be prepared to soil yourself in distinctly un-adult ways – it's that good.

One of the best games on any current generation console.

Surprisingly easy to pick up, and startlingly difficult to master, San Andreas offers the most complete gaming package ever made on the current generation of consoles.

What Halo 2 isn't is a huge leap forward for the FPS genre, and Halo 2 suffers for it in terms of it's longevity. Run, gun, hide, run, gun and hide again; this isn't a cerebral shooter -but then again, it was never meant to be. We were wishing for more than we ended up with, however. [Single-Player review]

One of the most striking things about Chaos Theory is its stunning visuals which top anything we saw in previous Splinter Cell games, even to the extent of making them look a little dull.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

With only the control system as a let-down, San Andreas still delivers a quality experience you simply can't find anywhere else.

As solid an experience as can be found online. This game will absorb your life once you start playing, and crusty pizza boxes will become an all too common appearance around the house.

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.

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

Achieves a stunning degree of realism, both in graphics and actual game physics. If you enjoy racing your friends or merely the computer in a realistic environment, Forza Motorsport was designed for you.

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.

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 you've got a powerful enough system, you simply must take advantage of it and buy Battlefield 2.

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.

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.

We can't recommend Half-Life 2 if you already own it on PC because nothing has been added to warrant it buying it.

After all is said and done, Jade Empire is just another linear RPG with a familiar design.

A revolutionary title that has completely redefined the possibilities contained within this oversaturated and rather tired genre.

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.

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.

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

We say without hesitation that Brothers in Arms dethrones the likes of "Call of Duty" as the best World War 2 shooter out there. It is a strategic mind game and an intense action game simultaneously.

What is already in F.E.A.R. could not have been done any better, although unfortunately the game's tempo and difficulty stays relatively constant regardless of progress through the game, and seems to be missing another level as the game kicks on into its climax.

If you're a fan of sharp humor, great stories, stellar gameplay, or Invader Zim, you simply can't go wrong with this gem.

After getting through the initial few difficult levels and desensitizing myself to the gore and macabre of Doom 3 I was hooked.

A fantastic conversion of a timeless classic and it has stolen the hearts of the online community once again.

Though the tired ramblings of the characters and classic game plot aren't the most original, it does faithfully honor its western theme.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

If you’re a fan of sharp humor, great stories, stellar gameplay, or Invader Zim, you simply can’t go wrong with this gem.

MVP comes pounding into your console with a lot to offer for the single-player type.

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

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

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

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

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.

If fast-paced action and bandage-wrapped fingers are your cup of tea, Unreal Championship 2: The Liandri Conflict is the game for you.

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.

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.

We can’t stress enough that you need a steering wheel in order to control cars with a good level of precision, to enjoy the extent of the realism, and to enjoy the game as it was intended.

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

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.

It's amazingly fun, amazingly wrong in that Rockstar kinda way we all know (and love), and amazingly right in every fundamental design choice. In short, Rockstar has pulled off a great feat by recreating a landmark movie into a modern classic video-game.

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.

Relic haven't evolved Dawn of War, just substantially added to it. This isn't evolution; this is simply more on top.

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

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.

Whilst not perfect in every sense, Mercenaries attempts to give more power to the player over the storyline and events surrounding the North Korean war, and it's with this 'gimmick' that Lucas Arts have made a merely good game, into a great game.

The game is superb and well worth picking up for any race fan. In fact, it’s probably the best street racing and car-tuning combination game available to buy and the three cities and continual urge to upgrade your garage of vehicles will keep you busy for weeks.

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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

There are hints of greatness here and there. But those hints only remind us of Warrior Within's predecessor, making this new Prince of Persia game's bad design decisions all the more obvious.

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

The entire single-player campaign just ruins what could have been a truly excellent sequel to what was a flawed but strong new entry into a well-established franchise. Instead, it feels as if Neversoft did not want to improve on what needed work and then prayed that players would not notice.

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.

There are hints of greatness here and there. But those hints only remind us of Warrior Within's predecessor, making this new Prince of Persia game's bad design decisions all the more obvious.

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.

The entire single-player campaign just ruins what could have been a truly excellent sequel to what was a flawed but strong new entry into a well-established franchise. Instead, it feels as if Neversoft did not want to improve on what needed work and then prayed that players would not notice.

There are hints of greatness here and there. But those hints only remind us of Warrior Within's predecessor, making this new Prince of Persia game's bad design decisions all the more obvious.

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.

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

You can't play City of Villains without thinking that Cryptic could have done much more. Given the relatively free-roaming landscape style of MMORPGs, more effort should have gone into actually making you feel like a villain. Instead you are left feeling like you're playing "City of Heroes", just in a different world and in a slightly darker pair of spandex.

What sets this game apart from the rest is the life-like and believable urban zones in which you are forced to set up your defence or attack strategies.

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

All-importantly enjoyable and undeniably addictive.

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.

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

Atlus has taken advantage of the PS2’s capabilities to the utmost, with just the right ratio of puzzles and side quests to plot advancement to keep both novices and veterans of the series happy.

Not a realistic racer, the details of physics aren’t there, and some of the reactions the car makes are not accurate to say the least. But we don’t think that matters, NFSU2 is a great, loveable game which, taken at face value – a fun-filled racing game – is great fun and enjoyable to play and progress through, if you’re in Career Mode.

The entire single-player campaign just ruins what could have been a truly excellent sequel to what was a flawed but strong new entry into a well-established franchise. Instead, it feels as if Neversoft did not want to improve on what needed work and then prayed that players would not notice.

The engine has been put to good use and is a testament to id's engine development skill leaving an intense single-player Quake experience and Quake III's multiplayer only prettier.

The battles may seem simple, but they contain enough tricks and cards to provide depth beyond any simple shoot-em-ups.

The graphics are very clean and vividly coloured to match the colours of the suits. It's tempting to say it's quite simple but there's no way it needs to be any more adventurous since it gets the job done adequately well.

Underneath the merely decent graphics and a problematic combat system is an adventure capable of sweeping anyone away with its superb quality.

A fantastic gaming experience for the money.

Prettier graphics and fewer bugs would have been nice, but this game passes the true test: high entertainment value.

It's a fun and feature-rich simulation game which will have you hooked for hours on end.

It seems unfortunate that the game’s strength depends on its weakness to gain lifespan, and while the Chess and Puzzle games are amusing, the core fighting element of the game is where most gamers will be directing their attention.

This game rewards and encourages teamwork and the multiplayer team games can really bring some exciting gaming to your Xbox. Definitely something to look out for if you play clan games.

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.

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.

A game that has one of the strongest single-player campaigns to ever appear in an RPG and it possesses a world so lush that you will literally want to sink your teeth into it.

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.

Links 2004 has something for everyone.