This expansion adds a lot more clutter, but at least it's interesting clutter. Sadly it doesn't fix some of the aspects of the game still arguably broken.

There's a lot of fun to be had discovering the different units and strategies. This isn't a great RTS, and it's likely to be forgotten this time next year. But it is a good RTS and it's well worth your time.

The game is an odyssey, a huge epic that has the ability to swallow your gaming time in a terrifying and seductive manner.

Visually, this is a good example of what the GBA can do, with clean lines and solid character animation. There's a bit of slowdown on crowded screens, but the controls are tight and generally the game moves smoothly.

Everyone wants to be an X-Wing pilot, don't they. It's one of the things that sets man apart from the animals.

By far the most realistic golf game to date and should be snapped up even by those with a vague interest in the game.

This is a Katamari game in all its glory, only a bit truncated. It doesn't have the longevity or the broad appeal of its predecessors, but it has the basic spirit, which is what counts.

Kept from greatness by the terrible camera, pacing issues, short quests, and general lack of continuity, making it a sequel that actually tacks more criticisms on to the series, instead of fixing them.

Polished and challenging, and the inclusion of the mission editor, new multiplayer options, and the new campaign for the British (which is quite good) make the tribulations well worth the trouble.

Graphically, SOAF walks a narrow line between ultra-realistic settings and way-too-sparse texture mapping.

While UM doesn't have the depth to go head-to-head with classic Aki titles from the days of Nintendo 64, it has done a great job of capturing the ludicrous fun of the show, with cel-shaded graphics and faithful character designs.

An impressive tool and game that will dazzle some, and bore others to death.

The problem is that it cannot escape its mod roots, looking very dated and feeling rather uninspired - ironic considering many of its features were the inspiration for the successful WWII titles that followed it.

Despite its frustrating lack of modes and features, I freely admit that I have had a blast playing Super Street Fighter V. It’s a genuinely fun fighting game that has a bright future. But its troubled present gives this mighty combatant a black eye.

This isn't a game of depth. This is quick football satisfaction and little else. Against a few friends over the weekend, Arena Football is an excellent diversion, but it won't replace "Madden" or even "NFL 2K5" until the weather turns cold again.

Remarkable, really, considering the mess most of the other Star Wars titles turned out to be. But we're not complaining.

It struggles to get out of its own way, featuring perhaps its most complicated buy-in system yet. Creativity knows no bounds, but your checkbook certainly does.

A pulpy, good time. Just don't expect to come back after completion for any particularly inspired level design or captivating combat.

As a more portable take on the Star Wars experience, it won't disappoint most gamers. However, the unappealing space battles and paltry multiplayer options keep it from being a feather in the PlayStation Portable's cap.

It's a drag that some serious AI issues still plague the simulation, but the EyeToy interaction and ball physics make MLB 2005 worth a look. A readily available online component even alleviates some of the AI tics.

In terms of gameplay this title is a gem. There are loads of tricks for you to master and a stack of challenges for you to complete.

Has everything you could hope for in a DS Monkey Ball: lots of stages, great mini-games, and nice presentation. The less-than-perfect control and the over-saturation of new Monkey Ball iterations, however, make it less attractive to the gaming masses.

It ends up below the quality of "Dark Cloud 2," and right around the level of Sega's "Blood Will Tell." Whether that's enough to get you to hop on this train is up to you.

Just don't be surprised when you find the game length to be dangerously close to the running time of an average Bond flick.

This game is a brave try, but most players will regard it as a step backwards from the previous game.

Graphically, this is the finest game we've experienced on the new handheld console and once you've seen some of the incredible character animations, you won't know whether to laugh or cry in sheer amazement.

Go ahead and say that EDF is repetitive, but we had more fun trying out the 150 weapons than in almost any other recent shooter. Every level is packed with pure, nerdy fun, and the five difficulty levels prodded us into taking new weapons back into early levels to see how we'd fare. Weak-kneed animations and silly dialogue made it that much better, just this once.

The control is satisfyingly tight and responsive, and the stealth kills (spookily augmented by the controller's vibration function) are right on that clinical line between gratifying and, well, a bit disturbing.

New players will find a passe and not-scary survival horror relic, but old hands will enjoy the nostalgia of a fine old classic with a couple of new features. Take your pick.

You'll need a high level of tolerance for boneheaded design choices, but there's plenty of fun to be had. Psi-Ops has all the right ideas, but it trips itself up in the execution.

A game that is jack of all trades, but master of none. It's fun to play at first, but tends to get fairly tedious when you realise it's rather limited - when you realise you can't change your ship, actually take on any missions, or do anything of any real interest.

Though the offline game will only satisfy the most hardcore four-wheeling fan, the online racing makes up for most faults.

The Gamecube version presents the microgames as the kitschy things they are by placing them on a multiplayer pedestal. Sitting on a sofa with friends, when it's not apparent what you're supposed to do, a certain kind of unique frustration arises. [JPN Import]

For the uninitiated who favor endless combat over plot, it's also a great place to jump in, since the emphasis is on action and character rather than history.

If you can get past the irritating introductory cutscenes and if you don't mind all-pervading cuteness, there's a depth available to plumb, and fans of micro-management will be in heaven.

Hardcore space simmers are likely to be disappointed with its lack of depth and unusual controls, but where they see shallowness and unrealism, others will see easy learning curves and familiarity.

PlayStation2 owners should revel in the fact that Path of Neo looks and feels best on their console. While Sony's hardware generates a relatively smooth framerate, the Xbox suffers a real stuttering problem, and the PC has an absolutely terrible control set.

Most of its faults are forgiveable, and the excellent controls coupled with the intense action often make for an engrossing experience.

A very comprehensive strategy game that is surprisingly easy to pick up and just gets deeper and more addictive the more you play it.

Thankfully, the game's humor and action overcomes the technical glitches. The brain-crunching animations are so much fun that, coupled with the peoples' cries for help, it's easy to get lost in Punchbowl, even as you realize that there's not much there.

The franchise may not be as wacky as before, nor as realistic as the competition, but it hits hard, doesn't let up, and is great entertainment for a group of friends looking for something less simmy and more instantly accessible.

While flawed, Blitzkrieg II makes a good single player wargame because it successful models the cold ruthlessness of war and the importance of using reinforcements wisely.

The low system specs are a nice deal and The Sims Pet Stories is a well implemented gateway into the Sims world, but EA has definitely skimped on the full gateway functionality by not allowing Stories to play with other releases in the series. In other words, if you really get hooked, be ready to cough up for the full-sized version.

There's very little middle ground in Nanobreaker. Either you're having a blast, playing through some innovative sections and loving the deep combat mechanics; or you're hating life, suffering through aggravating parts that are nearly as numerous.

Graphically, things haven't much improved from last time, but the 80+ new missions, more comprehensive ship designs, and added weapons make for a solid follow-up to a genre-busting first game.

In the same league as the disposable horror flicks that fill video shelves and late-night cable. It's not particularly frightening, but good atmosphere and short-lived twitch satisfaction is enough to sustain interest for a while.

In general Star Trek looks and sounds better than it has in recent console incarnations. The graphics are a little jagged, but the ships look great and the interface is well designed. And the sound is excellent, from the sweeping symphonic score to the spot-on weapon systems.

Unfortunately, Spider-Man might be able to temporarily slow down time, but there's nothing he can do about the irritating clock countdown in most levels. The age-old developer's trick of imposing an artificial deadline to extend longevity lives on in this game, and it's just as frustrating as ever.

Fun for a while, and the customization is quite compelling at first, but before long the innate repetition, linearity, and ultimate emptiness really begin to grate.

Full of overt and covert nods to the classic, Pitfall: The Lost Expedition is a worthy, entertaining successor to the proud, creaking lineage.

It takes far too many clicks to get a unit's attention. Units and icons are sometimes too small, and the camera system is still unfriendly when moving over tall terrain.

Whatever your platform preference, the gameplay is still absolutely spot-on, the graphics aren't yet dated enough to make a difference and you can rock-out to some lethal guitar while you're at it!

One part hockey, one part soccer and one part pure fantasy, Quidditch World Cup may not have the draw or the depth of Madden, but it is still plenty of fun to play.

The combat difficulty level is forgiving, and the game guides you through the puzzles with helpful clues and hints from the other characters. Less experienced gamers -- who, let's face it, are really the ones the game is aimed at -- will find its light touch very rewarding.

It feels good on the PS2 pad, even, though a joystick is (of course!) preferable.

If you love the gameplay in "Dynasty Warriors" but are tiring of its setting, Crimson Sea 2 offers a refreshing change of pace with a familiar style of gameplay.

With a dash of humor and inspiration -- the two things Parallel Lines desperately needs -- this might have been a minor classic. Instead, it merely shows that attention to detail is nothing without a flash of life to drive the effort.

Ultimately what we have here is an excellent back-end and a beautiful graphics engine, with a combat-heavy, plot-light module and a few nasty bugs.

Its linearity and concentration on stealth is quite a contrast to the open freedom of the GTA games. Its explicit violence can be gimmicky, but it fits so well with the theme that nobody could (or should, at any rate,) call it gratuitous.

If the difficultly was a bit more consistent and mission parameters more forgiving, then Battlestar Galactica could have been a massive hit. As-is, the game is sure to please fans of the license, but those looking for something deeper will likely be disappointed.

It shares too many of "NBA Live's" problems, but still has great depth and plays a decent game of basketball. One of these years, EA is going to properly fix Live, thus killing two birds with one stone.

The hardest worm ever to grace your garden.

GP4 is worth a look, offering a rock-solid racing experience against some well-crafted AI, but it doesn't add anything significantly new.

Gamers who haven't exactly stuck by Sonic's blurry blue side over the years will have to work a little harder to get to the fun, spastic heart of Sonic Heroes, but those who know what to expect in terms of mechanics and sheer kinetic insanity will feel right at home.

If you're a Larry fan from way back, Magna Cum Laude takes the series into a pleasing new direction. But it needs a greater variety of challenges to be more appealing.

Out of the box it's not as fun as its predecessors, and nowhere near as deep or engaging as Madden or ESPN.

In terms of other improvements, On Holiday really doesn't seem to have made any thrilling leaps or advancements...Overall, a great expansion.

A spooky and enthralling FPS, [but] the lack of multiplayer is somewhat like jumping into a Ferrari, then sticking to the speed limit.

A fun time, in spite (or because) of its ludicrous story and cutscenes, which you won't find in any other serious racer.

Much like "Lumines," however, Every Extend Extra rides the line between flash and total sensory overload, with flashing colors, oversaturated backgrounds and that omnipresent musical accompaniment. It can almost be too much at times. But the concoction works, if only for the relatively short play time.

Puts a futuristic twist in the high tech tale but is its storyline constructed like a Chicken Royale or a piece of nouvelle cuisine?

Yes, [it's] still using the same dated graphics engine that appeared in "DW4", and the music and sound effects likewise remain the same. But the fun, challenging, and over-the-top gameplay that has made this series so successful is also still here.

As it is, it still has much to commend, but its peculiar design choices make it difficult to enjoy to its full potential.

Unfortunately, the frequency of the random encounters means the relative simplicity of combat can make it tiresome and repetitive at times.

A good-looking B-17 experience with a full range of different tasks to tinker with and some quick blasts of action all wrapped in a lightweight strategy envelope.

Just don't be surprised when you find the game length to be dangerously close to the running time of an average Bond flick.

While battles are fast and furious they can get confusing and despite the presence of a compass there is no radar to show where the enemies are.

Sim Tower is over a decade old, and looks it. But if you're looking for something a little more cerebral to play on your GBA (or your DS, for that matter), Tower perfectly captures the timeless, relaxing fun of building something vast and complicated, and sitting back and watching it work.

Faults aside, the adventurous out there will thoroughly enjoy the level design - it's a blast!

A handful of glaring errors and nagging problems hamstring the title, preventing it from garnering overly high acclaim.

The great control, realistic physics, and abundance of tracks give MX vs. ATV Unleashed: On The Edge a lot to boast about.

It's not a failure by any means, but feels mostly like a fun afternoon (or more) spent watching pulpy spy and war flicks.

There's no next generation oomph that sneaks up and slaps you on the face like that little bald orange man from the old Tango drink ads, no real sense of feeling justified for making that step up from 32- to 128-bit.

An artistic triumph, Star Wars Battlefront poses a difficult question: Do features make a game? If they do, this one’s got problems. Stand Battlefront next to most other multiplayer-oriented shooters and you’ll find it lacking in variety and depth. But none of those other shooters let me blast Slave-1 out of the sky from the Millennium Falcon, or take out an AT-ST with a well-timed thermal pod, or block ten laser blasts and force push a stormtrooper into a pool of lava.

One of the oddest things about Network Transmission is the game's learning curve that bucks convention by starting out frustratingly difficult and getting progressively easier.

A fun game, and the inclusion of a character driven -oh ho - plot to be the right direction for the genre to go. But it’s not for anyone who is either looking for the next-generation visual thrill of its competition, or heavy realism.

Once you've mastered the ship-to-ship battles, captured a few towns and messed around with the simple trading system, you'll have seen the majority of what it has to offer...If you fancy a few hours of easy-going fun on the high seas, give it a try.

Misses out on a Highly Recommended award is that it suffers from seemingly unfinished game elements and it's not really a major step-up from the last 32-bit Smackdown.

There's so much to have a go at and so much detail and addictive gameplay that fans of the series won't be disappointed - in fact you may just think that it's fang-tastic!

If you can forgive the unimaginative AI and time-intensive design, Omega Strain stands as an accomplished shooter.

If its creepiness, truckload of style, and inventive concepts sound appealing, then by all means give it a shot. On the other hand, if you think the repetitive shooting, ho-hum puzzles, and inability to actively control your characters' movements will flip your smile upside down, then it might be best to avoid this in favor of another play through "Resident Evil 4" or "God of War."

Delivers more of their established brand of imaginative gameplay rather than attempts at innovative technology.

All of this adds up to a game that is, by turns, compelling and frustrating, innovative and derivative. At the final bell, there is little in qualitative terms to separate Ecks vs. Sever and "Doom."

The fantastically realistic physics engine makes this the game that F1 purists will want to own, but the control and graphics frustrations will likely result in them not enjoying their time spent with this game.

If realism is really your gig, Fever is not the best choice, with Sega's "NFL 2K3" having more balanced gameplay.

This is essentially a stylish "Day After" dumb-and-gunner, with even less brainpower required than "Dark Alliance," and it's safe to say that if you enjoyed that game, this will have some appeal for you.

Fun for a while, and the customization is quite compelling at first, but before long the innate repetition, linearity, and ultimate emptiness really begin to grate.

Age of Empires III would be a damn fine RTS if it came out five years ago. Instead, it's some impressive modern technology and bold gameplay ideas unfortunately saddled by an outdated take on the genre.