There's a very limited, repetitive number of enemy types (whose quickly depleted voiceovers get annoying), and the core combat is solid, but uninspired (circle-strafe, reload, repeat).

Yet these Gangs of London prove to be more like the Jets and Sharks from "West Side Story;" mildly amusing, to be sure, but potentially only dangerous to an 8-year-old boy who still has accidents when mom forgets to turn on the nightlight.

If you're looking for something that's fun, easy to learn and great to have the odd knock around on, then you might have just found yourself a nice little surprise.

Much like Dante and "Devil May Cry 2," let's hope this is just a sophomore slump, and this series will come back stronger in a future installment. If not, it truly is dead to rights.

There's only so many tricks one can do on a bike cruising at 120mph. Variety is absolutely required, and there's not much in Speed Kings. And the trick control is not responsive enough.

The game's biggest problem is all the filler between the reasonably exciting combat sequences. This New York City consists of two subway stations and about eight neighborhoods separated by long loading screens. You'll get sent back and forth across them all. Get this key. Visit that character. Trigger this sequence. Kill that guy. Along the way, we counted exactly two (2!) optional missions.

Actual play is a letdown. Moving between alleyways and tropical isles, you'll endlessly hack away at zombies, natives, vultures, villagers, and guards, each a carbon copy of the next. Sadly, such brain-dead enemies prove little challenge, overwhelming through sheer numbers, not ingenuity.

One of the biggest drawbacks with this version is the lack of any multiplayer support. Not only is online multiplayer the strongest feature in this sequel, but it's the only claim it has to replayability.

The enemy AI seems to be a mixture of wunderbar and dumkopf - they frequently rumble you when you're convinced you're well concealed, yet sometimes you can swing a punch at them from one foot away and they totally ignore you.

There's a very limited, repetitive number of enemy types (whose quickly depleted voiceovers get annoying), and the core combat is solid, but uninspired (circle-strafe, reload, repeat).

Mindlessly amusing at first, Fistful of Boomstick is ultimately a fistful of monotony and derivative gameplay, saved from gaming's abyss by the humor and life injected from its infamous lead character.

A one-button action/adventure dress-up simulator.

The series' simplified gameplay takes a step backwards with Total Destruction, and the overall experience is decidedly mediocre. But sometimes, after a hard day of work, you just want to knock over a skyscraper.

The inaccuracy of the swing and shot placement turns into a severe handicap for the game. True Swing Golf is passively entertaining, but won't suck anyone in as quickly or for as long as "Hot Shots" is able to.

If you're trying to decide between "Test Drive: Off-Road" and this game, choose the former for a better racing experience but choose Evo for its wildly inventive courses and creative object-based missions.

There is a big flaw in this Operation, however, and it's control. Simply put, the simplicity and elegance of "Splinter Cell" is not to be found in the IMF.

The quick races, time trails, and drift challenges aren't much incentive to pull your nose out of the career mode. And the multiplayer is hardly worth booting up. You can only play splitscreen, and without AI cars.

The single-player mode will probably bore most people with its repetitiveness and tough gameplay. Multiplayer is excellent.

It is as rough around the edges as its main character and most players will probably be put off after an initial bout of controller frustration. Those who stay with it will find an enjoyable and somewhat satisfying single-player experience, but nothing incredibly memorable.

It's disappointing that Spider-Man 3 goes from exhilarating to budget-ware production levels so quickly and dramatically. Part of the problem down at street level is the combat. It's drawn with terrible character models, bad animation, and inconsistent AI that makes it easy to win fights by spamming a few basic attacks or taking advantage of the fact that bad guys can't figure out how to get around a park bench.

Although there's good ideas under the surface, King Arthur is boring, unpleasant, and just no fun.

If we hadn't spent so much time recently with the superb "Syphon Filter," maybe the deficiencies wouldn't be so glaring. But once you've seen PSP stealth done right, there's no going back.

Even the addition of online multiplayer gaming doesn't do enough to overcome a sense of sameness, continuing problems with the combat system, and the absence of involving mission goals.

There's a very limited, repetitive number of enemy types (whose quickly depleted voiceovers get annoying), and the core combat is solid, but uninspired (circle-strafe, reload, repeat).

The game tends toward actual-world realistic, but in a fancifully dull way.

The hyper-aggressive cops, touchy crashes, and thick traffic all work against the player. They don't heighten the rush. These elements just stop the game dead and make it a chore.

There's a very limited, repetitive number of enemy types (whose quickly depleted voiceovers get annoying), and the core combat is solid, but uninspired (circle-strafe, reload, repeat).

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