It seems Gas Powered Games has really been listening to the fans because forged Alliance builds on the Supreme Commander legacy to make a great game downright amazing. [Jan 2008, p.58]

Chessmaster: Grandmaster Edition maintains the franchise’s unassailable position as the king of chess sims. [Mar 2008, p.64]

Prefer a beastly PC over a console? It’s about time you played some Guitar Hero. Fun for kids and adults, great alone or with friends, and perfect for pretending you’re awesome at something you may well suck at in real life. [Mar 2008, p.57]

In a genre that’s looking for new ideas, this would be a nice achievement for a brand new franchise. That Relic has managed to surprise us this late in the Warhammer day is all the more remarkable. [May 2008, p.59]

FM 2008 proves that sometimes a minor tune-up is really all you need. [Mar 2008, p.65]

Some say the Point-and-click adventure is dead, but with a combination of fun gameplay and humorous send ups, Sam & Max 201 proves that good things come in small packages. [Jan 2008, p.62]

MMO gamers will be surprised to find that there is still a lot of adventuring goodness to be had inside the world of EverQuest II. [Feb 2008, p.56]

If you ever find yourself staring at your computer monitor longing for a well made, easily accessible and thoroughly enjoyable action game then Aquaria is for you. [Mar 2008, p.63]

For the Sims 2 fan whose enthusiasm has been decaying in the six months since Bon Voyage, prepare to be bombarded by new things. And for those gamers who haven’t yet experienced the world’s highest grossing game series, perhaps The Sims 2 is now exhaustive enough to deserve a second glance. [May 2008, p.61]

Overall, Vegas 2 is a solid effort. Gameplay may not be particularly groundbreaking, but is of a high quality. [Jun 2008, p.57]

Over the course of its 30 or so hours, Mass Effect defies many of your assumptions about the modern RPG. It’s as innovative as it is traditional and succeeds where you least expect. However, one assumption remains: Bioware still know how to make a terrific game. [Sept 2008, p.55]

Despite some presentation concerns the rest of what was on offer during this match was truly thrilling. [Sept 2009, p.60]

Strangely, Pure is best described through its title. It's not complicated, it's not especially deep, and in parts it's not even that refined. It's straightforward, fast-paced, exciting racing. [Christmas 2008, p.80]

This isn't serious RTS. You may see RA3 trotted out at tournaments here and there, but it will never be a stalwart of the genre. Not in that way, at least. But when it comes to the elusive quality we call “fun”, this is a benchmark title. [Christmas 2008, p.71]

The Sims 3, while certainly not as comprehensive as The Sims 2, is a promising start to a new series. [Aug 2009, p.52]

Evolution is a fantastic expansion to an already amazing race sim. [Oct 2008, p.64]

Cute graphics, big whips and Lego all add up to a rainy day box rammed to the gills with win. [Sept 2008, p.60]

Most will stay for the joy of new discoveries, even if Colonization doesn’t have the same long lasting appeal as the more extensive Civilization series. [Dec 2008, p.71]

Despite some concerns, the game is certainly not a bad one; it's no Call of Duty 3, by any stretch of the imagination – and Treyarch is definitely back in good form. The action is top notch, and the multiplayer will certainly keep people occupied for some time. [Christmas 2008, p.75]

GTA4 is what it was always going to be: an expertly fashioned port. If you've clocked up 100 hours on the 360, there's not much point picking it up now. But if the idea of the video editor intrigues you, or somehow incredibly you HAVEN'T played the game yet, GTA4 is a must-buy. [January 2009, p.45]

Best of all, the only real resource you need to manage is the Multiwinians, so the game becomes much less about who has the best build order and more about crushing the two-dimensional skulls of your brightly coloured foes. [Christmas 2008, p.82]

Having said this, Prince of Persia is one of those games that has obvious flaws but manages to pull together to become so much more than the sum of its parts. The charmingly cliched story, the visuals, audio, and their sparkling polish come together to make the Prince of Persia a modern epic. [January 2009, p.51]

For the serious gamer, expect lighthearted fun and you won't be disappointed. For the casual or younger gamer, expect to be painlessly initiated into the exciting world of strategic deck-based combat. [Christmas 2008, p.77]

All in all, this version is the quintessentuial FM experience. Aside from a few very unfortunate bugs, this is the most complete FM game to date. It's a no brains purchase for any fan of the series, and maybe even for one or two people yet to take the plunge. [January 2009, p.58]

With insane stunts and explosions in a huge game world, this is pure adrenaline-fuelled action to the point of repetition. [June 2010, p.60]

Despite the lack of dedicated servers, Modern Warfare 2 is undoubtedly the best thing to happen in 2009. [Jan 2010, p.76]

More fun than the entire French air force crashing into a firework factory. [Dec 2009, p.62]

Dripping with style and generously packed with content, Left 4 Dead 2 refines every aspect of its predecessor. [Jan 2010, p.82]