The action is fun, fast and varied and makes for an enjoyable romp fans of the genre would be foolish to pass up.

Still, the fact remains that spending some time on stage with a virtual-Metallica can be a hugely invigorating experience, and fans of the band, or heavy metal in general, will quickly find their hands forming that most recognisable of gestures - the devil horns.

In many ways Drakensang is a throwback, a swansong to the party-based RPGs of yesteryear, yet somehow it doesn’t feel dated.

To see WayForward’s lovely creation as a mere respite from the messy business of warfare and killstreaks is almost an insult to what they’ve achieved here. A Boy and His Blob deserves to be in everyone’s Wii collection, whatever their age.

So despite its promise of fast cars and buxom blondes suggesting otherwise, OutRun Online Arcade isn’t quite the game our dreams are made of, but it’s damn near close.

For retro game addicts, Lode Runner will be worth its weight in gold.

While it’s not pushing the boat and the game’s selling point of a ‘moral choices’ system isn’t half as deep as it wishes it was, it’s still an enjoyable 8-hour romp that improves upon the original in every department

Whilst not the best instance of DLC we’ve ever seen, The Pitt serves as a faithful expansion and further raises hopes for the final instalment of the series, and for post-release content in general.

Though it has a fair few flaws, Just Cause 2 remains a high octane love letter to anyone who delights in exploration and destruction.

That Big BIg Studios have managed to squeeze an experience previously only available on the Playstation 3 into your pocket is a genuine marvel – Motorstorm: Arctic Edge is feature rich, beautifully polished, graphically ambitious and, above all else, retains the oil, smoke and tears that fans know and love.

While nowhere near as technically accomplished as its Western peers Yakuza 3 nonetheless deserves to be experienced for the depth of its central character and its peerless depiction of contemporary metropolitan Japan.

BioShock 2 is an enjoyable experience in its own right regardless of the few niggles which hold it back from being a true masterpiece.

On the whole however, it's hard to resist the basic level of fun that Blur's overall design attributes bring about.

On the whole however, it’s hard to resist the basic level of fun that Blur’s overall design attributes bring about.

There is a wealth of content growling under the proverbial hood, but the game comes perilously close to lacking any real enthusiasm to show us exactly what it is that makes it so special.

Building on what came before it technically and thematically, Left 4 Dead 2 proves itself a thrilling multiplayer experience fans would be foolish to pass up. The sequel may have arrived just a year after the first but the wealth of content and overall refinement means you wouldn’t know to play it.

Whether or not you'll warm to it depends largely on if you enjoy the game's maniacal atmosphere: if you are, or ever were, a slightly juvenile adolescent male with a penchant for videogames and movies – and I think that covers most of us – there's a very good chance it'll go down a treat.

With the arcade racing innovation of Split/Second and Blur just around the corner, and the simulation behemoths of Forza 3 and Gran Turismo 5 occupying the other end of the scale, DiRT 2 – with its ultimately well-judged balance between substance and style – is perfectly placed to occupy the niche that exists between both racing camps.

Q-Games' quirky tower defence title is as competent as it is colourful, and the heap of additional content supplied in the PSP version makes it worthy of the deluxe title. Issues with frustration and repetition aside, the quick and accessible nature of the gameplay makes it a vital addition to the PSP's catalogue.

Relic’s current RTS formula has almost become a subgenre of its own, and with Chaos Rising they effortlessly prove themselves masters of their domain.

It is, in many ways, a very meek and understated game…but under its mild-mannered exterior lies an engaging, diverting and enjoyable title that, for the price, offers a heap of entertainment.

It’s being billed as a niche title, but there’s enough joy within Half-Minute Hero to make the game an entertaining experience for anyone.

When you finally take the key out of the ignition, step out of your hotrod and observe all the carnage that Split Second has wrought, the overriding impression is that this is one slick game.

When you finally take the key out of the ignition, step out of your hotrod and observe all the carnage that Split Second has wrought, the overriding impression is that this is one slick game.

Minor technical quibbles aside, it’s all at once charming, engaging, innovative, interesting and humorous and perfectly pitched at its target audience (namely kids and adults with kids!), not to mention reasonably priced.

Mario Kart may still hold the crown overall but All-Stars Racing is certainly the closest Sega has come to its own Smash Bros, and in its own little way suggests that, putting aside the welcome updates of classic franchises like After Burner, the still-mighty company has finally learnt to accept – and even revel – in its status outside of the hardware race.

There’s nothing else out there quite like it, and Darwinia+ will absolutely delight anyone who fondly remembers the arcade games of the seventies and eighties.

If you've already been won over by last year's instalment though, THQ and Yukes have delivered a solid sequel that serves a strong warning to any would-be competitors – two rounds are down and they have no intention of giving up the fight.