There's something wrong with the game, though, which comes down to two fundamental problems: interface and gameplay. Smart has called it "idiot proof," but the truth is that the game is still way too cryptic.

A passing diversion, totally bereft of the addictive zeal of the original. In this case that's a step forward, if only a very tiny one.

And while the game generally looks and sounds just fine, you'll come away thinking about the interminably dull dialogue passages and unconvincing characters.

Although it's diverting, there's nothing new here - occasionally you can fire weapons (including on top of a moving train) and there's one bizarre sequence where Mac has to outrun his pursuers and try not to get shot or have his leg chewed off by a vicious dog.

Pure movie tie-in fodder.

Despite its relative good looks, Dead to Rights: Reckoning is more an exercise in frustration than an enjoyable diversion. Not even the four player WiFi deathmatch mode is enough to save this one from the bowels of the budget bargain bin.

The lackluster visuals, an unsophisticated setup, and tepid pacing render it more curiosity than keepsake, even for series die-hards.

Pure movie tie-in fodder.

Despite what high-school productions of Macbeth may illustrate, swordfighting is actually pretty hard work. So is making a good movie-based video game. Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End for Wii fails at both of these tasks, and leaves you with a metaphorical pain in the neck and an all-too-real pain in the shoulder.

For experienced gamers, War Times is routine and simplistic... Still, Strategy First's effort will please real-time strategy enthusiasts looking for a throwback to the genre's glory days, and is fitting for armchair generals and WWII buffs that are RTS newcomers.

It's a shame that the whole thing seems so rushed and inexpertly executed.

The game is very pretty, yes, but it's far from pretty enough to warrant punishing yourself with this one-two blow of poor controls and terrible targeting.

Team Ninja has headed in exactly the wrong direction: more throwaway minigames, the same frustrating friends system, less focus on the volleyball. Instead, it winds up seeming just as superficial as the bosoms of its stars.

Never more than a cheap imitation of something great, thanks to a host of technical problems and an overall lack of polish.

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

As if mocking its own pompous title, Pokemon Battle Revolution is, amazingly, a step back for the historically reviled console Pokemon games - there's plenty of style, but less substance than ever before.

The adventure boldly promised by the title is lacking, leaving only a half-hearted tale that's trailing dozens of frustrated players and broken controllers in its wake.

Like many games of this style, there is some vague, half-guilty pleasure in the mechanical repetitiveness of the game's combat. But ultimately, X-Men is in the time-honored tradition of licensed games -- rushed, derivative, and well worth avoiding.

There is one reason to look into this dim sequel: it packs in "Turtles in Time," the excellent four-player arcade release from over a decade back.

"Ragingly adequate." It looks, plays and feels like a budget paean to Diablo in most respects.

Even backed by "Metal Gear Solid 2" technology, Cy Girls' long stretch of frustrating puzzles will leave players feeling more blonde than Bond.

The inclusion of the gore and the adult content, will no doubt sell the game, but to be honest it does not add anything to the game. Harvester is not terrible, far from it, but it does not offer anything substantial enough for it to be considered as one of the better games from the genre.

Creature Labs has decided to create a Pac-Man game that not only bears no resemblance to the original but is an absolute travesty of a title that certainly wouldn't have got a release without the Pac-Man licence.

Unfortunately the game is not going to be any kind of a challenge for the more seasoned PS2 owners amongst us.

It's a schizophrenic game that tests poorly as both a brawler and a fighter. 80 percent of the game is too easy, and the balance is cheap and simply not fun.

Comes off lacking; the action is often repetitive and unwieldy, the platforming is iffy due to control quality, and the look and sound of the whole enterprise are on the uninspired side.

Pure movie tie-in fodder.

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).