Although the game works as a fresh take on the familiar without adding too much new content to leave old fans feeling lost, it also doesn't do as much as it could to liven things up.

Bad taste and bad execution that ranks up there with the worst racing games and the most unfunny Benny Hill sketches make it a truly awful experience in every way.

The console games have more detail and are curiously a little more humorous than the PC version with some additional activities taking place, but even after all that, we enjoyed it immensely.

Few strategy games this year have offered so much in the way of enjoyable story and gameplay.

If you've got enough patience to get used to the kinks in the interface and the sometimes dense mission design, you'll get a great deal of entertainment out of this one, both online and off.

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

What makes Tomb Raider: The Prophecy so dreary is the level design.

As high quality as the series has ever been, with superb dramatic sensibilities, a decent storyline, improved acting, high calibre FMV cutscenes, and some dynamic camera work.

A sensational story-led RPG, giving fans of the role-playing genre just what they need to enjoy the ride it takes you on.

Climax has created a game which is not only addictive and playable, but keeps you constantly cooing over its lovingly crafted details that so many other rally games leave by the trackside.

As generic and forgettable as the game's name.

The controls and interface for Ghost Recon have been streamlined very well for the console controller.

Its FPS-like controls and gameplay mean you'll take to it easily, and the slow-moving 'mechs and long reload times add satisfying tactical elements.

Treyarch has done a masterful job with this game, satisfying the needs of serious hockey fans without losing sight of the fact that a sports game has to be fun.

Though we're a long way from skateboard half-pipes here, the developers have provided atmosphere and attitude to rival one of the great modern console series.

You can make it through the game in one day of heavy play... That said, while it lasts, MechWarrior 4: Mercenaries is both compelling and absorbing.

A slightly improved Star Trek tactical simulator, but that's pretty much all it is. The production values are still bland, and the user interface is just slightly better than before.

It's graphically excellent, varied and, above all, the racing is exciting.

It's ideal for those with high-level Morrowind characters.

It offers little incentive to reinstall the rapidly ageing masterpiece.

Gameplay just hasn't changed enough. You feel like you're playing a throwback, or a golden oldie, not a new release.

Nothing riotously new, but as any gear-head can tell you: If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

As engaging as the game can be, the action has a tendency to seemingly last forever at times, forcing you retire early just for the sake of a breather.

Well worth the investment for anyone who has yet to experience the Metal Gear franchise.

Stands pretty well on its own merits, especially considering the slightly reduced price tag.

Stylistic RTS ambrosia, mana from heaven and a cornucopia of gameplay and replay value. This one is fit for the gods.

It's rare that something that truly strives for originality, and even rarer that it succeeds with any degree of success. Project Nomads does so in spades. Bravo!

We're still waiting for something that is truly a progression in EVERY way for a genre that has seemingly stagnated over the last two years.

A lackluster release with very few real improvements, not healthy innovation or genre-busting action.

They've managed to improve the game without changing its heart, and provided their millions of fans with a fantastic new experience. GTA: Vice City is a must buy for any adult PS2 owner with a pulse.

Although the plot is compelling, many will find the slow pace and sub-games too tedious to sustain their interest. Perhaps it's too lifelike for its own good.

If you're already a PSO vet, there's little reason beyond character-leveling to re-play the first episode, but for one and all, there is a new, engaging and entertaining experience here, provided you can pay the online piper.

One of the game's most interesting levels even has you riding a lizard mounted with big Wookie bowcasters. It looked cool on Tatooine and it looks cool here.

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.

A system hog...There are better choices for flying on the Western front in the Second World War, most notably "Rowan's Battle of Britain," which remains an enjoyable sim two years after its release date.

The game's story manages to draw through its limitations, and the shoot-em-up gameplay is enjoyable for the segments when it's not so tough we're tearing our hair out.

If you can get graphics this good in real-time, why settle for a shooter-on-rails?

One of those games which you'll find to be a great laugh or a shallow bore. With not much to the gameplay in terms of variation, things can quickly get tedious.

The effect of these changes is hard to overstate. The gameplay is much more laid back, and without having to restart levels over and over, it flows better.

Even in the face of the irritating gameplay and lack of functionality, it's the liberties the game takes with its source that hurt the most.

Fans of both the series and racing titles will lap this up (no pun intended).

It doesn't really share too much with the original arcade title.

You also never get into that old-fashioned running and jumping zone that so characterised the initial games in the series, because you're usually timing laser blasts and calculating jumps.

You get to impale, slash, fry, freeze and shatter zombies (all with a reliable and smooth camera that smartly scales and keeps track of the action), stomp on vermin in search of wine and money, watch the barmaid all but fall out of her blouse, and track down the scum-buckets who ripped you off in the first place.

With plenty of teams to play and extras to unlock, it's good value for money, and as a multiplayer game it will be hours of fun.

With numerous incentives to play, it's a shame that the game isn't more visually appealing. It's not a bad looking game by any means, just rather unremarkable.

It isn't so attractive after you sit down to play it. Still, the glitz and intense combat can make you forget that there is no substance here for at least a few hours.

It's worth noting if you've still got your N64 hooked up, there's not enough new and exciting here to make it worth the purchase.

You shouldn’t be buying Combat Zone for its graphics, or the sound. You should really be getting this one for its gameplay. Thankfully, it does not disappoint in this respect, nor in the sharpness of the AI exhibited therein.

A solid fighter, but not a great one...The often weak graphics, unacceptable load times, and poor audio make this feel like a game that was rushed out the door.

If at first you succeed, don't change a thing. That could be the motto of Chris Sawyer's RollerCoaster Tycoon 2, a sequel that is essentially the exact same game as its predecessor.

It's likely to be dwarfed by some of the mega-games already in the pipe, but is well worth a lengthy tour by RPG enthusiasts.

Far too short, but is enough of a thrill ride that we really don't mind. This is one of the best FPS’ available for any console system.

Not a particularly stellar experience.

The multiplayer is a stroke of genius, destined to keep players coming back for more, long after the single-player has faded away from memory. Only the best type of gaming experience can do this.

Preserves the original's emphasis on simplicity. It's well suited to the GBA's limited control options, yet it models the physics of tennis so well the depth it achieves is considerable.

It almost makes up for that movie.

The fast pace, smarter computer-controlled players, and freestyle control system make it enjoyable at times, although it also makes you think that such things might have been better suited for the next version of "NBA Street" than a game with pretensions to simhood.

Graphically excellent, easy to control, interesting and very long, Blinx is certainly the best platform game on Xbox so far.

About the only caveat one should offer when discussing NBA 2K3 is that the game is for the serious basketball fan. To have any fun with it, you have to play like you would in the real NBA.

At the core of any racing game should be the feeling of fast movement, and the Gameube version just doesn't seem to deliver in this regard.

Any game that excels while using a morally incorrigible theme, rather than solely relying on that theme to sell, deserves our praise and is definitely worth checking out.

Despite the many little changes, improvements, and false steps, this year's game is still as disappointing as last year's, albeit in different ways, and with more obvious flaws that take less time to annoy the player.

Its presentation is top-notch, its levels are varied and interesting, its AI is convincing, and the whole game drips with love and attention to detail.

With the exception of the extremely, though not awe-inspiringly fun bombing run mode, UT2003 could essentially be Quake 1996 with one hell of an Oprah Winfrey style makeover.

Truly the best NASCAR package for console racing fans. Regardless of your console, NASCAR gamers need look no further.

Dreary when it should be light and enjoyable, Monster Force is the videogame equivalent of last year's Time magazines in a doctor's waiting room.

The non-stop, thumb-numbing combat you suddenly find yourself engaged in seems weirdly at odds with the deliberate emotional build of the cinematics, throwing into stark relief the differences between the original and current game-visions, but the experience nevertheless holds together.

What you're really looking at is more of the same.

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!

This deliciously brutal slice of RTS gaming is a hugely enjoyable Middle Ages romp.

Whether you're a fan of anime or not - long after you know you've seen all the surprises there are to see, there is still something very cool and rewarding about all that crazy-missile combat.

Gets the most important element right: it gives gamers a taste of being a stunt driver without losing touch of every game's ultimate goal: high in fun, low in frustration.

Gorgeous productions values and sublime sneak-n-solve gameplay.

One of the buggiest games ever released for the GBA, if not one of the buggiest games ever released, period. One flaw even makes it impossible to complete the game.

The special rotational and background effects, the sound and voice effects...and, of course, the overall engaging challenges make Yoshi's Island a must-play title for anybody who values classic platformer action.

While the size of the game and the sheer inventiveness of the many levels are admirable, such problems with core elements of the engine make play unfulfilling.

Regardless of whether you're online or off, split-screen or undivided, the game looks fantastic.

What's disappointing is that Lord of the Rings is not really that great at getting you into the action.

It plays conservatively and never hits the jackpot.

It's not the prettiest RPG out there, and it certainly isn't the best sounding, but it's got a massively long and interactive quest, plenty of land to explore, a number of interesting playable characters and a real dose of challenging gameplay.

While The Sims: Unleashed offers plenty of new features, game objects and gameplay changes, it doesn't significantly add pleasure to the game, which is a real disappointment.

If you're online, have the conn-speed and the time, and understand that co-operation and quickness are the operative terms here, then Tribes Aerial Assault can and will give you a console experience you simply haven't had yet.

A solid update to the series that doesn't really break any new ground, but shouldn't disappoint diehard fans of the Tekken line either.

Rare's stylish presentation, wondrous depiction of an alien world, and, ummm, mediocre yet steady gameplay come together in a way that simply isn't seen that often in console or PC gaming.

Provides a decent amount of enjoyment, but is let down in a number of crucial areas, particularly longevity, and its realism in certain areas.

Hey, we liked the hordes of emotionless cyborgs with nothing better to do than march towards certain destruction, but expect many to tire of the simple AI.

Some will no doubt be so happy to see such a fantastic sim that they'll be willing to put up with the lack of amenities like a horizontal real-time swing and slow loading, dull background graphics.

A game painstakingly styled, but so lacking in depth it's almost embarrassing.

Gameplay is probably the most unremarkable aspect to Kingdom Hearts. The real-time combat consists of mashing the X button repeatedly as your one and only attack move, and also using magic once and a while.

Clearer, brighter visual presentation is the biggest difference between Harmony of Dissonance and "Circle of the Moon." Although the graphical quality is pretty much the same, Konami made everything bigger and went with a brighter colour palette.

It's the Ramen Noodles of racing games - not bad on its own, but needs something to spice it up to make it a proper meal.

Unfortunately, there's no true career mode where you can create a player and take him through multiple seasons.

One of the most outstanding features, though, is that Nintendo has tucked away some classic games in Animal Crossing, such as "Mario Brothers" and "Exibike."

Fans of flight simulation should be rolling in joy at the accuracy of the presentation of the racing, and there's the added bonus of being able to light up the skies in the excellent free-flight combat mode.

With only the occasional shark attack and violent thunderstorm disrupting the tranquillity of island life, the game doesn't have the same pace or urgency as, say, "Theme Hospital" or "Theme Park," but the task of setting-up and running grand holiday resorts is challenging enough to keep you engrossed for many an hour.

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

The most exhilarating mix of simulation, realism, arcade fun, destructive firepower, strategy and action available for your PC.