The lack of competitive or cooperative multiplayer modes, decent AI, and sense of fair play will keep you away like everyone kept away from Ice-man in the movie.

Its defensive focus and thoughtful, non-click-fest combat are unusual, and are its main strengths.

The combination of vastly improved graphics and working air traffic control have added a depth to Flight Simulator 2002 that it's been lacking in its last couple of incarnations and has certainly rekindled my interest in the title.

In choosing to take their inspiration from such a strong game ["RollerCoaster Tycoon"], the developers have invited comparison with it, and, perhaps inevitably, it's a little wanting in that context.

Imagine mixing Resident Evil with the Matrix's martial arts sequences, the gun battles from a great John Woo flick and the overall structure of a late 80s brawler.

It ain't particularly novel and it ain't particularly easy, but it is engrossing and refreshingly reliant on strategic thinking to see you through.

It's a by-the-numbers zombie romp that fails to improve on its less than illustrious predecessor, "The Devil Inside"...disappointing.

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

A classic shoot 'em up, plain and simple, and it's a damn good one.

Needs to add depth and variety to almost every facet to make it a great game, but it's very good now, it's worth playing now, and it's better than the competition when all of the elements are combined, if not outstanding in most individual areas.

Unless you're a glutton for computer game punishment, you will want to avoid this ghoulish disaster of a game like the black plague.

One of the most innovative games we've seen in years...It delivers all the immersion, innovation, and entertainment you can ask for.

There really is just too much here to form one coherent game.

A ripping good time.

Talking of light, there are several periods playing as Rick that you'll be inching forward down rocky tunnels with virtually no illumination to help you and the 3D map that you can cut to when you're feeling lost is worse than useless.

The main benefit over the original is the game's expanded challenge mode.

For the first time, you can now hear cars on other parts of the racetrack...It's an effect that puts you bang into the environment and sends a real tingle up and down your spine.

If you're a big fan of The Weakest Link and have posters of Anne Robinson on your wall, then I guess it's fair to say you should seek psychiatric help – er, sorry I meant you should definitely consider buying The Weakest Link.

The only way to avoid relegating this to the ‘I’ve got nothing better to do for the next twenty minutes’ league is to persuade your friends to buy a light gun and bring over their console and a spare TV and act like John Woo for an evening – great fun!

Looks like a tremendous mistake.

If you’re a serious strategy aficionado who expects more than to be seduced by lush eye candy, you’ll lament the restricted control system and the over-emphasis on storyline at the expense of intricate gameplay.

Simple, no nonsense action. Like a Stallone or Schwarzenegger movie from the 80s, it does not really cut the mustard in this flo-mo Matrix/Max Payne era.

The best thing by far about the game is how much Bam! has captured Dexter's world for the game.

It's scary, beautifully imaginative and just when you think it's got as mad and twisted as it possibly could you're treated to a stranger puzzle, harder opponent to beat or even just a deeply twisted environment to explore.

It's an ugly, boring and vastly unoriginal RTS.

Changes are by and large cosmetic, but this is a skilled surgeon at work here, and the new model is undeniably smoother, faster, and more in-yer-face, with a new big hit move arguably worth the admission price alone.

A solid, rather than remarkable, title with some intriguing spins on the established formula.

Fast and frantic gameplay.

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.

Every one of the revolutionary changes has been carefully calculated to walk the fine line between serious sim and nostalgic trip back to childhood...we have to give Monopoly Tycoon a full recommendation.

A subtle intoxicating journey, and one of the best games around.

The overall effect is of the track moving around and past your horizontally-locked vehicle, much like that seen in archaic arcade games like "Pole Position."

Get through the initial stages of frustration and you'll realise what an incredibly title Men of Courage really is. Missions are far more involving, objectives much more focused.

The lack of a mid-game save aside, PoA is great fun to play - not only does it have the necessary hook to keep you interested in what happens next, but it manages to perfectly reproduce the atmosphere of the Apes films.

One of the most compulsively playable strategy games of the year, both online and off...Simplicity is the main ingredient that makes RAA so enjoyable.

There aren't really enough features here to recommend Silent Scope 2 to anyone other than those who are maniacally obsessive about the game ...or those rich I-Link-two-big-TVs-in-the-same-room-owning-people.

There didn't seem to be any specific gameplay difference with NHL 2002 and its immediate predecessor. All my on-ice moves were the same as in the older game.

The single-player experience is great on its own, which explains the success of the PS2 version, but with the addition of a powerful and customisable multiplayer mode, PC owners are in for a treat.

More like a short story where you can count the characters and locations on one hand. It's not an ambitious project, but still has a fairly high entertainment value.

Unfortunately the game is not going to be any kind of a challenge for the more seasoned PS2 owners amongst us.

The bugs. Yes, Far Gate comes complete with a few choice ones, our favourite being the one that will, without warning or ceremony, drop you to the desktop without even an error message.

Worth a look if you're desperate for handheld Sim gaming; pass it by if not.

Handheld game or not, the depth and complexity of Advance Wars is astonishing.

Simply not sufficiently distinguishable from its clan to make it an essential purchase.

Its level of realism, convincing detail and great multiplayer make it one of the best military FPS games on the market.

The game hangs together well, and its surface simplicity belies hidden depths.

Not in our wildest dreams could we have imagined it to be so damn addictive!

If you're a hardcore space simmer, you won't find better out there - it really is as simple as that. The sheer depth of the thing combined with the freeform universe, gorgeous graphics and near-perfect physics engine means you could play this non-stop for weeks and just not get bored.

What it lacks in polish, it makes up for with that elusive "fun factor" that you can feel even when you can't always pin it down.

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.

The visual impact of the game is fantastic in terms of the surroundings that you race through, the shape of your bike and the track design.

A less than stellar port of that stellar [Dreamcast] game.

The undead hordes are as great as they've always been to kill.

Gameplay here packs about as much depth as a thimble, with an offensive mode that rewards you for playing a limited style of game that features nothing but long passes.

An excellent expansion pack.

Unnoticeable at first, a number of subtleties emerge over extended play that should surprise and delight those bored with this dozing genre.

An absolute must for fans of the series - it's as engrossing and complex as the best of Anne McCaffrey's novels, and as a stand-alone story, it's fun and well worth it.

The chief offence is the total lack of any tutorial modes to help flesh out the numerous nuances of the game. Within your first go, the chances of you understanding anything that is happening on-screen are akin to the chances of Mike Tyson giving up boxing to become a ballerina…as disturbing a thought as that may be.

Ultimately, Divided Ground is brought down by broken campaigns, a wealth of bugs, poor play balancing, lackluster AI and lack of a decent, printed manual.

Too much micro-management to contend with and an exorbitant amount of time to...are the primary stumbling blocks.

Good fun while you're playing it, but most of the time... you aren't.

Serious simulation enthusiasts, however, are well advised to stay clear of this game, especially if, like me, you spent hundreds of hours in "EF2000" in the mid-nineties.

It actually emphasizes the "S" in RTS by de-emphasizing the ho-hum tank rush mentality and encouraging strategic and tactical thinking.

Some minor quirks and design decisions hamper the long-term enjoyment somewhat but overall, it's very good.

Lacks the sort of innovation or fine polish to make something really fresh or engaging, and it suffers some of "Myth II"'s inherent flaws.

This one gets messy, real messy.

What makes it great is the fantastic level design and AI, the solid cut-scenes and storyline, the inventive character abilities and the fact that the designers have squeezed so much into it.

Its predominant flaw is that it whets our appetite for something unimaginably amazing but only fulfills half of that unveiled promise.

It may seem like a minor gripe, but I still would have liked to see a skirmish mode.

If you are looking for a playable, original strategy game then you're best off looking elsewhere. And if you want ants, well, just buy an Ant Farm.

Worth a bash if you can rent or borrow it from a friend.

Working its magic touch for the sport, the presentation and addictive gameplay impress right from the initial pre-match nerves to the relief of the final whistle.

So while the core gameplay is great fun, longevity does suffer from the inevitable repetitiveness and uneventful missions. Be wary.

The most frustrating aspect of the game is the annoyance of not being able to save it until the end of each level.

An innovative, challenging game that can run on a low spec PC.

While it has its flaws, is by far the best console racer on the planet, and betters its predecessors in nearly every respect.

Hugely compelling and damned addictive.

A worthwhile purchase for those new to the series, provided you feel ready to take on the initially steep learning curve.

Simple gameplay, but like all good games of this genre, it’s oh-so frustrating at times.

Crams in all the elements you loved from the original and even adds an all-new single player mode. However, it's the multiplayer link-up mode that really makes this an essential purchase.

Ion Storm seems absolutely dead set on making you scream with frustration for the long haul through the opening section of the game.

With its abundance of new features, LoD offers countless additional hours of delightful gameplay.

The game has stability now to rival the games that have been on the market for years. While a few minor bugs and the occasional graphical glitch still exist, the game tends to play quite seamlessly.

Not only does it add dozens of hours to the gameplay of its predecessor, it features some of the most enjoyable and fanciful mission design ever seen in the venerable City Building Series.

So it's not as pretty as "DOA2," and probably doesn't play quite as well as either that game or "Tekken Tag," and there's not much strategy in the game either, but hey, if you're looking for a game that will let you literally rip your opponent to shreds, this is the one.

Something that every fan of horror gaming in general--and the original Alone in the Dark series in particular--should check out.

I just can't help thinking that the "Final Chapter" should have had a little more to it.

The game fails on the fact that it's faaar too simple.

An amusing, engrossing and addictive play. The missions represent around 20-30 hours of entertaining gaming.

It's a shame that the whole thing seems so rushed and inexpertly executed.

Quite simply it's very funny, great fun to play, but infuriatingly difficult and obscure in places. It's well animated, really colourful, beautifully voiced, original and lengthy.

Okay, so it owes a fair amount to Midway's classic "NBA Jam" series, but it also takes the concept to a whole new dimension, building new depth into the quick-fire action.

Undoubtedly the fastest, scariest, most challenging and adrenaline-pumping demolition game yet devised for the PS2.

As with the previous episodes, all the comedy and the gargantuan amount of options hang together well.

Tremendous fun. It doesn't innovate so much as it refines and ties together a couple of different elements into a satisfying whole.

Good points aside, E:BD is a tired game based on a limited concept that was beaten to death in 1998.

As it stands, it's almost in the realm of the type of content you expect to freely download.

Graphically, the Game Boy Advance comfortably does the game justice.