The next-gen graphics were exponentially more impressive when fired up side-by-side with the normal Xbox version -- which has so little detail by comparison it's shocking.

A great idea that suffers from lack of execution. Finding out your brain power from a video game is genius; doing so by reading maze layouts or running from flashlights isn't.

It's visually stunning with a decently thought-out control system, and reasonably balanced mission scenarios. It only falls down where it tries to be too clever with its simple approach, taking away control where players might prefer to keep it.

It's puzzling and disappointing that the single-player game seems as neglected as it does, but it's a basically solid, pretty package with some new diversions for veterans. Enter the ring knowing it's a "v1.5" rather than a true "2.0," and you won't feel sucker-punched.

Is Harry Potter a good game? No, not particularly. The story's vague and badly realized; the characters aren't especially likeable, and the tasks you're given are tedious and involve a lot of plodding about Hogwarts. But does it capture the feel of the franchise? Absolutely, and if you really get involved in the game you'll forgive it its flaws.

A pleasant surprise. The characters are amusing and a little different, the game is smoothly produced, and while it's somewhat derivative, it's still a lot of fun.

Continuing a short but respected series, the game does little to broaden the genre, but at least it performs with style and solid mechanics.

A solid, easy platformer that's colorful, fun, and full of variety. Kids and casual players should love it, but hardcore players may gulp it all down too fast and be left hungry for more.

This is one fantastically exciting shooter with a richly detailed game environment and varied gameplay.

It's adequate-looking, sounds OK, makes a passable attempt at humor, has a decent selection of weapons, a nice set of multiplayer options, and puts up a reasonable challenge. But it doesn't excel in any of these areas.

Dance Factory is a clever concept, though it doesn't quite hit the bullseye. Its feature set would really do better on a machine with a built-in hard drive, so you could burn tracks to it instead of endlessly swapping out CDs. That said, it's still impressive what the game does with the PS2's memory and technology -- poor graphics notwithstanding.

There's an awful lot of linear, shooting-gallery tedium you have to plod through to get to the good stuff.

Rise & Fall: Civilizations at War is a passable hybrid of a console action game with a PC real-time strategy game. And while it's not terribly good at either genre, it's interesting enough as a combination.

Its plot is dramatic and ambitious, its gameplay involving, and it features some absolutely fantastic locations.

A fun basketball title, but this isn't one of those "must-have" years, unless All-Star Weekend is something you absolutely can't live without. EA just didn't bring its "A"-game for '05.

If you own the PlayStation version of MLS Game Night or any of the ISS Pro Evolution games, then it's not worth investing here as there's nothing spectacularly new and the game hardly pushes the PS2 to its full potential.

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.

Terminator 3: The Redemption is more interested in being a playable movie than a real game. There's little to no choice for players, who just have to sit back and shoot everything.

Long-term appeal is dependent on having a suitably committed group of friends to play with. You'll need at least three players for a satisfying game, and four is much better.

Even with a thin (even irritating) story and relatively short play time, Pac N Roll is fun in small doses.

Its general lack of lasting appeal and minor flaws are counterbalanced with slick controls, a challenging level of difficulty, and some out-of-the-ordinary gameplay mechanics.

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.

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.

A solid game that leans towards the easy side. The only real flaws are an iffy camera and iffier reading of its potential audience. It's still the best interactive thing to happen to the Shrek universe thus far.

Unfortunately, the control isn't anywhere near at tight as the previous PS2 games, and you'll often find yourself overcompensating and weaving around the track. It doesn't ruin the game, but it makes it harder than it was designed to be.

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

It's simply too frenetic in spots for some tastes. Still, that's a fairly minor quibble with what is undoubtedly one of the more enjoyable strategy offerings of the year thus far.

Pure action-junkies may lose patience with Primal (if the prolonged, "enforced tutorial" beginning doesn't outright kill them), but those who like to sit back and soak in atmosphere are in for one hell -- one Hell -- of a moody ride.