Faults aside, the adventurous out there will thoroughly enjoy the level design - it's a blast!

Comes over as something of a guilty pleasure. Objectively, it's not a good game at all -- it's ill-suited to its platform, repetitive to the extreme, too easy, presented with little flair, and a mere shadow of the best that both Pokemon and dungeon crawlers in general have to offer.

Even the most polished, glitzy pool game would just be another pool game if it didn't bring some new challenge, so the fact that online play is included here counts as a large counterbalance to its presentation failings.

It's a little limited, primitive-looking (not in a Triassic way...) and short-in-scale for us.

The RC-racing theme has been done better by other games, the trick levels feel bolted on rather than being integral to gameplay, and they're also very limited.

Mothers and fathers concerned that their impressionable offspring are being perverted by dalliances with Liberty City and Max Payne will open their arms to Parappa and his wholesome morals.

A fun time, in spite (or because) of its ludicrous story and cutscenes, which you won't find in any other serious racer.

The computer players take ages moving, and if you add more than one opponent for extra tactical depth, the problem is multiplied.

If this version of Need for Speed: Carbon either looked or handled better, it might have been a worthwhile contender. But this lazy port simply doesn't have what it takes to bring the Need for Speed franchise to the Wii.

A welcome change of pace for horror games. It's tightly focused, suspenseful, and fosters a strong sense of personality.

A more challenging economic system would add a lot to the game and make it more replay-friendly. But as a step up from a lightweight like Glory of the Roman Empire, CivCity is engrossing enough to command a couple weeks of play time.

The combat difficulty level is forgiving, and the game guides you through the puzzles with helpful clues and hints from the other characters. Less experienced gamers -- who, let's face it, are really the ones the game is aimed at -- will find its light touch very rewarding.

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.

If you have enough patience to explore the maps, can deal with the awkward controls, and don't mind reloading games frequently when you can't spot hidden dangers, then Eidos' latest release is one of the best strategic games around for PS2.

The combat difficulty level is forgiving, and the game guides you through the puzzles with helpful clues and hints from the other characters. Less experienced gamers -- who, let's face it, are really the ones the game is aimed at -- will find its light touch very rewarding.

When taken in isolation, Black Thorn is a competent, if somewhat uninspiring, add-on. When taken in context, it's overpriced, old-fashioned, and has been released with exquisitely bad timing.

This one gets messy, real messy.

If it's a strategic challenge you're after, Lost Souls might well be the game for you, and we don't hesitate before recommending it for anyone with the pang for tactics.

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!

Sadly, the AI, combat, and graphics issues keep Lupin the Third: Treasure of the Sorcerer King from joining the classic ranks, but the main character's sense of humor and general style make the game worth a look.

Once you've mastered the ship-to-ship battles, captured a few towns and messed around with the simple trading system, you'll have seen the majority of what it has to offer...If you fancy a few hours of easy-going fun on the high seas, give it a try.

Crash Purple doesn't come anywhere near the superb mayhem of "WarioWare," while the platform segments are poorly developed and feel like an afterthought.

A fun time, in spite (or because) of its ludicrous story and cutscenes, which you won't find in any other serious racer.

It's too bad that the entertainment value is still skewed by the lame arena battles, but overall this is a much more viable diversion than the original Full Auto.

Despite the lack of visual polish, we still had a good time dashing through the game, largely because of the fast-paced combo system.

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.

So while there isn't all that much on the menu, the fast-paced and simple gameplay can't fail to raise a smile, at least for the first few plays. Most will set it aside after that, but it's priced at a decidedly value-conscious $20 -- less than the cost of a good steak.

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.