A trip down memory lane for anyone pining for the original, but without strategic and gameplay enhancements, it's just a poor game by 2003 standards.

There's certainly plenty of action here, but with dull, monotonous settings and boring sound design, it's easy to slump into tedium, bashing away at enemies simply because they are there.

The game is a mess of great touches and attention to detail that's hopelessly mired in critical flaws. One example immediately springs to mind: expect to download and install a patch before you can even begin playing online.

While the new version features revamped graphics and a few new options, gameplay is nearly identical to what it was five years ago.

Loaded with style, what could have easily been a top-tier game suffers from sluggish controls, repetitive gameplay and a hopelessly generic storyline.

A trip down memory lane for anyone pining for the original, but without strategic and gameplay enhancements, it's just a poor game by 2003 standards.

The worst-case scenario is that you pick a fight with the game store clerk who let you buy this title, and get your face punched in. Then you'll be stuck with both a black eye and a crummy game.

If you expect that you'll live in a magical world, casting spells left and right and hanging out with vampires and undead comics within ten hours, then think again.

Pure movie tie-in fodder.

Also aggravating is the half-assed presentation. Cutscenes are crap, and voiceovers are all delivered by stand-ins instead of authentic actors. Even Paulie sounds like he's being voiced by someone's roommate.

Most levels feel more like a carnival duck shoot than a gritty peek into London police work. Enemies stand still no matter how close Mitch is to them and it's often child's play to dive-roll under a gun barrel to slap on the cuffs. This isn't merely unrealistic AI -- it's bad.

If you're the patient type, you may be able to tolerate the poor interface, ignore the sound, and find workarounds for the bugs, but most gamers will just become frustrated. It's a shame, there's obviously a very engaging and interesting game lurking under the mound of minor issues.

A cookie-cutter "Age of Empires" clone...delivers a dose of good, old-fashioned fun.

The few frights it does have lessen considerably once you discern whether the spirit you're dealing with is friendly or not. Repetitive tasks and bland environments keep this one from being an enjoyably unsettling outing.

After the bloodcurdlingly imaginative Resident Evil 4, this add-on to Outbreak barely qualifies as a legitimate expansion of the story's classic mode of play. We screamed for voice chat and better AI after the initial release, but those cries have gone unheard.

If you're looking for a new fighting game, don't mind simplistic controls and having volumes of tedious storyline read to you by a man with about as much vocal intonation as Leonard Nimoy, this is your game.

The only problem with Iridion 3D is that while it looks a million dollars, its gameplay isn't worth a rusty dime.

While it might pass as a cheerfully violent diversion if your copy of "Thief" or "MGS" is on loan to a mate, its innate problems and lack of innovation are going to leave it fighting for attention.

It lacks any compelling features and gameplay decisions are trite, obvious, or both. Life is tedious enough without games like ER.

Fleeting fun.

Thoroughly mediocre.

An old-school "Myst" adventure tarted up in new clothes. For all the superficial changes to gameplay, anyone who completed the original game ten years ago will encounter a lot of deja vu here.

If you can pick it up second-hand or for a markdown on the retail cost, you certainly won't regret it.

A system hog...There are better choices for flying on the Western front in the Second World War, most notably "Rowan's Battle of Britain," which remains an enjoyable sim two years after its release date.

Its control system is weak, the gameplay mechanics are basic and repetitive and The Rock is woefully underused.

The incredibly stupid AI is also a big problem since it is hard to overlook the mechanical flaws when the gameplay is only moderately engaging.

There's some mindless fun on offer here, but in terms of depth and replay value, Alter Echo simply doesn't cut the mustard.

A fair third-person action beat 'em up, like countless others in the genre, but if you take away all the X-Men trappings you'd be left with something much weaker.