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.