More fun than frustration. Its beautiful environs and great combat system outweigh the less critical problems, and make the title a solid action-rooted RPG.

Tearaway Unfolded, like its mobile forebear, is an enchanting adventure. A bedrock of strong platforming mechanics supports a world that recalls The Wizard of Oz’s wide-eyed whimsy. Children will absolutely adore it, but even grown-up gamers with a taste for handcrafted, homespun style should follow the fold.

The new Gamecube-only version improves on the experience with much better graphics, although the same underlying gameplay remains relatively unchanged.

Legends is a compelling game for those who aren't fans of the license, but it's an absolute must-have for X-Men followers; the bigger the fan, the more you need this game.

It's just as much fun now as it was ten or twenty years ago, and that's enough for us to crown it one of the most worthwhile multiplayer PSP games around. If you have friends, and at least some of them have PSPs, you need this game. It's that simple.

The combat sections of the game are great and you have so much freedom of movement with your on-screen, bearded lovely!

The package, then, is balls-out fine. It's a bumpy court to play on at times, but one that's ultimately rewarding.

But as Wii-makes go, Pets is as solid as the best of them, and in some ways perhaps better, by virtue of presenting loads of open-ended content with a powerful gaming interface.

It's not without its flaws -- a lack of tactical depth and disappointing multiplayer are chief among them -- but it's gripping and spectacular to play, and certainly one of the better Star Wars games on the market.

The game lacks the complicated character advancement common in the genre, but it's fast-paced, looks and sounds great, and will keep casual RPG and Lord of the Rings fans happy.

The Command & Conquer series has a history of churning out solid expansion packs, and Kane's Wrath is no exception. Each side gets its share of love, the new units are thoroughly welcome, and the $30 price tag won't strain tax-time budgets.

A rather short, but thrilling ride. The plot is linear and there's virtually no replay value, but it's a hugely compelling ride thanks to the pure visceral nature of the experience.

It's crushingly addictive, especially with the fascinating new possibilities offered by having your cities trade with each other for resources. Fix the stability, add some scenarios and we might be looking at a five star game.

The question here is whether the three new maps -- which are all based on American soil for the first time -- are any good, because really, that's all you're getting. Thankfully, they are. In fact, while one's decent, two are excellent.

A refreshing breeze of fresh oily air in a stale market full of near identical racing games, and if you give it a try it’s likely you’ll be very pleasantly surprised.

Splendid stage architecture, superb puzzle planning, and, yes, even the odd snide remark give it way more charm than most competitors. Despite limited replay value and slight conceptual deja vu, the title will entertain all age groups.

Who'd have expected a bunch of little colored blocks to re-energize the old George Lucas entertainment machine, just as it seemed to be winding down?

Definitely hot stuff that hasn’t been burned too badly by the hands of time.

Despite the game's limited length and distinctly Japanese presentation, River City Ransom EX remains a winner overall. From a punchy, bleeping score to cheesy kung-fu sound effects and esoteric script, the game comes off as a killer blast from the past.

The difficulty level is impressively even, remaining challenging enough to hold the attention, but rarely crossing too far into frustration.

Like "Samba De Amigo," and countless other monkey games with silly controllers before it, Jungle Beat's a winner, albeit a short-lived one.

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.

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.

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

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

The judgment ring makes even buying herbs at the shop entertaining, and the linear story jazzed up with a number of side-quests will keep your interest throughout.

Playing Fable is like flying business class for the first time; it's a familiar experience that's of higher quality than you're used to. Just don't get too content, because you might be landing sooner than you'd like.

The bottom line is that there's no other real time strategy game that creates as grand and broad an experience as Supreme Commander. There's a wonderful amount of choice among different types of units, and buildings, and economic options, and map sizes.