A game designed to excel in all areas with one goal ' making the player feel at the centre of the action and in control. The level of interaction with the world is breathtaking and heightens the sense of danger and the rewards for success.

Bioshock is a real triumph, a wonderful story told in a beautiful world gone terribly wrong. Xbox 360 owners may balk at a game that doesn't feature multiplayer action but this really shouldn't put you off.

The game's story and dialogue, while full of plenty of macho nonsense, is humorous and never takes itself quite seriously - giving great credibility to the engaging characters.

Part of Resident Evil 4's charm comes in recognising the various sources that have inspired Mikami throughout the development cycle. The initial stages of the game owe much to Tobe Hooper's horror classic "The Texas Chain Saw Massacre," with the run-down houses and crazed psychotic villagers.

Some might say that Valve is crazy, putting all these gems in one box. But in doing so it has provided a clear statement of its place among the top ranks, offering value for money as well as truly superb gameplay.

Mass Effect 2 is a superb adventure, a deep gameplay experience, action packed and stuffed full of amazing vistas, If you own an Xbox 360 you have to buy this game. It's every bit the the smart, sexy, thrilling, moving, funny, tense game we hoped it would be.

The graphics and art direction, the slow unveiling of the story of Rapture’s fall, the sheer creepiness of it all, and the gameplay which, quite often, makes almost every shooter until now seem rather dull in comparison.

San Andreas' greatest success is that it gives us more space for our imaginations than most other games do, and ties together the edges neatly with a well-crafted story and missions, adding up to a whole that few games can compare to.

LittleBigPlanet is everything you could possibly imagine, stuffed into miniature craft based levels, and executed remarkably well, and although everyone is still getting used to the tools, there are some real gems available online already for the keen player.

A single player game that keeps on giving, is as good as if not better than Grand Theft Auto IV and is as beautiful as a Hollywood epic.

Halo 2 online is not total perfection, but it's miles better than anything out there right now, by a long long way... It's a genuine milestone in online console gaming. [Multiplayer Review]

The game's sound effort is nothing short of impressive, with a particularly thumping, epic soundtrack playing throughout.

As good as if not better than Grand Theft Auto IV and is as beautiful as a Hollywood epic.

The gameplay is extremely effective in terms of its new cover system and leaner, more focused action. The lore and mythology is involving and the story pulls you into the universe. The voice acting, soundtrack and graphical fidelity are the icing on the cake.

Here we have a game that is intelligent and uncompromising yet wonderfully easy to get involved with and enjoy.

Naturally, the game is highly detailed, and the transition to the current console generation has certainly been successful. But you can’t help but notice the amount of aliasing, and it really doesn’t suit Halo 3 in any way.

The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion is less a videogame and more a life in and of itself. The longer I’m away from it the more I come to appreciate it.

Its learning curve is fair instead of gleefully obstinate and that's what marks this series' major step forward.

There are two issues that make the campaign less than perfect. First is the length. Given the price gouging Activision has embarked on with this release the centrepiece of the game is insultingly short. Played on normal you have one evening's play here for your 50 or so pounds...Secondly the pace of the game is very one note.

Kojima’s cinematic direction is a massive asset to the project, but in many ways has overshadowed the core gameplay that makes it less fun to play than its predecessors for those that love the style; Play them first, they’re better games, and then you’ll forgive the weaker elements in MGS4 to see how it all plays out.

Every factor is so well designed; the combat, graphics, animation, music (brooding symphonic score a la Wagner), sound effects, puzzles etc. Even the voiceover is fine, not great, but fine.

If you can grin and bear your predictably initial lacklustre performance, you'll soon realise you're within the grasp of one of the greatest Wii games to date.

Pandora Tomorrow doesn't mark a substantial evolution of the stealth genre but it does progress from the first game.

Without doubt the ultimate release in the Unreal series. Smooth gameplay, great graphics, and mountains of content. Epic has released a game that may well be able to dominate the online gaming scene for the next couple of years.

GoW2 is exactly what every action/adventure game should aspire to be. Everything from the puzzles to the action to the story are so perfectly in sync that the game becomes less of a game and more of a personal conquest.

Its inventive, thrilling and above all, quite possibly one of the most immersive game out there.

The game concludes with a satisfying outcome, but really doesn’t make much of a big deal of your course through the game and final decisions on what to do, and unless you’ve got a save before the unexpected point of no return, you’ll have to start again to explore more of the world. Of course that’s the beauty of the game. You’ll want to.

The most pleasure from Gears 2 has to be in multiplayer, and I’ve very much enjoyed playing the campaign with friends in ever more challenging difficulties.