Hugely imaginative. [Dec 2008, p.64]

Undeniably a fantastic sandbox game. [Jan 2009, p.70]

The production values are high. [May 2010, p.92]

A huge amount of content. [June 2010, p.82]

A noisy, polished and suitably spectacular racer. [Aug 2010, p.84]

Jolly Rover proudly stands on the shoulders of a giant, and unlike other adventure games that imitate LucasArts' greats, it keeps its balance. [Sept 2010, p.89]

A very solid start to the series. [June 2009, p.72]

Somehow the game, as a whole, comes together beautifully. [Oct 2010, p.70]

There's no doubt TimeShift is a master of the brand of shootery that cartwheels enemies high, high in the air; but without character, humour or a sustained tone throught the game it never leaps into your affections as much as it should. [Jan 2008, p.66]

Despite my own selfish reservations, the switch to an attack focus is a very good thing. [Christmas 2006, p.78]

While it's never going to match "Pro Evolution Soccer" on the pitch, the authenticity does genuinely make a difference. [July 2006, p.79]

Ultimately, though, it's more of the same, albeit with a new storyline and exotic new setting. [July 2006, p.82]

If you'd like to know what it's like to keep check on every bullet you have left, or how easy it is to parallel park a Panzer, then Red Orchestra is the war game for you. [June 2006, p.78]

Fans of the series will still find it entertaining, and newcomers will have plenty to see and do, but there's simply not enough new content to recommend it over "NFS: Most Wanted." [Jan 2007, p.90]

If you've got the time to master it, there is, as ever, about a year's worth of play to be had. [Dec 2006, p.99]

It's hard, its opening acts don't match the quality of those which follow and some characters grate - but as a modern rendition of a traditional formula, The Angel of Death has both pointed and clicked wisely. It's another nail out of the adventure gaming coffin. [Oct 2006, p.58]

The definitive "IL-2" collection. [Feb 2007, p.79]

Sure, the emphasis on tactics and cover etc make it slower than today's bells-and-whistles RTSs, but the time you get to think makes it one of the cleverest. Some games just don't seem to get tired with age. Chess and Close Combat are among them. [June 2007, p.79]

A technological feat mingled with a fun, yet shallow game. [May 2008, p.76]

Relic have made an admirable stab at redefining the single-player action-RTS experience, but they haven't managed to nail it just yet. [Apr 2009, p.56]

Strong good humour. [Dec 2008, p.77]

Worth buying if you like the "Heroes of Might and Magic" series. [Aug 2009, p.74]

There's only one problem with this expansion: buying it. [June 2009, p.71]

Other than a rubbish level in which you twat statues on the head with a stick you won't find many more issues. [Aug 2009, p.70]

Overlord II's brand of guiltless comic villainy is more entertaining than 'true' evil could ever be. [Sept 2009, p.64]

So blimmin' addictive. [Jan 2010, p.77]

The puzzles are solid enough, too. [Dec 2009, p.75]

Stolen Memories is definitely not big on value, but if you're a Mass Effect fan you'll find it hard to resist. Which is, obviously, what EA are counting on. [July 2010, p.85]

Playing Forgotten Sands is like playing a slicker "Sands of Time." [Sept 2010, p.86]

The whole routine of coming to a doorway, deploying your Optiwand, storming the room, arresting the suspects, cuffing them, picking up the weapons, reporting it all to dispatch - it all just becomes a bit of a chore after the hundredth room or so.

If you've finished the original and want to keep that mouse finger in shape, this expansion is worth a trip to the land of the dead for. [May 2007, p.83]

Truly a visceral, retro experience that takes us to a warmer, happier time. [Feb 2008, p.90]

TAD is pricey for an add-on pack, but if you can stomach the cost, there's plenty of succulent, meaty goodness to be had from TAD. Plus it will big up your brain, and that can't be a bad thing for a pony. [Christmas 2007, p.82]

Once momentum is established there's lots of enjoyment to be had, in both quality and quantity. [May 2010, p.93]

The single-player campaign is varied and hardly ever falls into genre convention, which makes Rush for Berlin a decent WWII strategy romp. [Aug 2006, p.78]

It ends up being a fun MMO romp for casual players and a rich PvP hamster wheel if you're sitting out there with an axe to grind. [Christmas 2006, p.84]

The larger number of tracks, cars and mini-games feel like only relatively minor improvements over the original and the whole thing ends up feeling like more of an expansion than the next evolution. [Sept 2006, p.62]

The satisfaction of finally winning a battle doesn't even begin to outweigh the frustration of having to win it all over again.

Fans of the series are bound to love it and if you have enough patience, you too might uncover the gooey warmth at the heart of this initially cold title. [Apr 2007, p.85]

It's an expansion that's clearly been designed with passion. [Jan 2008, p.82]

Excellent despite niggles. [Jan 2009, p.66]

Multiplayer modes are very original. [July 2009, p.62]

As a strategy game, very few titles reach the epic scale and excitement of Men of War's biggest battles. [Apr 2009, p.68]

An incongruous addition to Fallout 3 that has little or no bearing on the wider world itself. [Nov 2009, p.73]

Epic story. [Mar 2010, p.80]

It ticks all the boxes that a loot lover could possibly want. [Jan 2010, p.80]

A decent Transformers game, at last. [Oct 2010, p.78]

With patience, it can be an engrossing experience, as you tentatively eke your way through a foreign town, with deadly threats lurking round every corner. It's dramatic, it's tense, it's infuriating, but is it fun? No. It's not fun, it's war.

It's all still hard, and it still suffers a little from a lack of intuition and dropping you in the deep end. But the pleasure and satisfaction to be had from completing a mission is still there. [Dec 2006, p.100]

A wonderful idea, and a thoughtful variation on multiplayer gameplay - what intesity you lose from speed, you gain from tension. [Oct 2006, p.66]

If you're into the surreal, love your puzzles or you're simply sick of formulaic puzzle/adventure games, this could just be the perfect tonic for you. [Nov 2007, p.89]

It's very tactical, it's highly polished and I can pretty much guarantee you've never played anything quite like it. [Oct 2007, p.86]

If you can turn a blind eye to the ropey skirmishes, you'll be in for weeks of city building goodness. [Apr 2006, p.85]

This may be Sam and Max at their most entertaining, but it's not their most logically coherent outing. [May 2008, p.89]

Fantastic soundtrack with integrated riffs and tunes. [Aug 2008, p.70]

It's undeniably charming, but how long you remain charmed depends largely on your patience. [Feb 2009, p.68]

Any problems melt away fast with writing as sharp and hysterical as this. [Jan 2009, p.75]

Refreshing. [Mar 2009, p.73]

Provides a simple, but pleasing action experience, with a refreshingly polished veneer. [Dec 2009, p.74]

Every vehicle n this package is an absolute dream to drive. [Jan 2010, p.72]

Hellgate's done itself a disservice, because it's hidden some decent fun underneath a dated, linear and difficult-to-love veneer.

An effective, old school strategy game of properly strategic proportions. [Oct 2006, p.70]

That the developers have endeavoured - and succeeded - in modelling the social turmoil of the period makes this a unique, rewarding, and dense experience that demands dedication and will reward players with weeks, if not months, of unique historical wargaming. [Sept 2006, p.80]

The problem is that most of the downloadable content is aimed at specific character types: a pure combat character probably won't give a stuff about spell tomes or a Wizard's tower, while the average mage will find the powerful new quest items totally useless. You're far better off just choosing the content you want online, and this works out a hell of a lot cheaper too, even if you buy everything (£12).

It's not really doing anything groundbreaking. [Dec 2007, p.76]

That this is the last game in the Penumbra series is a genuine tragegy, because the series has finally found its footing. [Apr 2006, p.84]

Pretty absorbing. [May 2008, p.87]

Not PC friendly. [Dec 2008, p.75]

If you can struggle past the interface, the game itself if baseball gold. [Sept 2009, p.71]

A really involving little sim. [Christmas 2009, p.78]

More Tufnell than Warne. [Nov 2009, p.74]

If only it didn't look like such a dog's dinner. [Jan 2010, p.80]

An absolute ton of very German micromanagement. [June 2010, p.87]

That exhilarating core deserves more than the pretty rancid crust that tops it. [Aug 2010, p.76]

Dark Corners is at its best when you can immerse yourself in the story and get to work solving the biting mysteries on offer. Unfortunately, by the end of the game everything succumbs to a bit of FPS butchery, putting you in shotgun shootouts rather than mysterious crime scenes.

And even though the game is rich with tension (certainly enough to offset the mediocre graphics), unless you're at her majesty's pleasure, you probably won't have the time.

However, once you pass the infant stages of the game, play becomes all too familiar, all too repetitive and all too unpolished. I'm not saying avoid Age of Conan - feel free to give it a go and enjoy the early stages with your free 30 days of play.

A worthy successor to the Caesar family of titles. But chances are, you already know if this is going to be your cup of tea - follow your heart, young governor. [Christmas 2006, p.92]

Falls a little short of the bar set by the likes of "SimCity 4." [July 2006, p.80]

With the superior "Company of Heroes" looming over the proceedings, JTF's lovely graphics, underused media twist and modern settings mask a solid but perhaps rather uninspired take on the genre. [Dec 2006, p.82]

Cossacks II remains an enjoyable re-enactment of wholesale slaughter as any of you couuld hope for. [Sept 2006, p.74]

One of the most challenging and addictive city-builders we've played this year. [Jan 2007, p.70]

More of a solid warrior and less of a gaming god. [Oct 2007, p.80]

Two Worlds isn't a masterpiece, but it is entertaining. It's deep. [Nov 2007, p.78]

As a sandbox game, it shines in the hands of those who take it for what it is - an "A-Team" simulator - but as a narrative shooter, it falls flat. [Dec 2008, p.72]

Puzzles aren't too hard, but they aren't too easy. [Feb 2009, p.80]

Anyone with half an eye can see how the presentation levels have been slipping like a ferret on ice over the last few years. [Nov 2007, p.84]

For 20 quid, it's a half-decent ride while it lasts. [Sept 2007, p.73]

The problem with Jack Keane is that it's just not funny. The game tries too hard to be something its not. [May 2008, p.78]

Effective time Hoover. [July 2008, p.84]

The joy of breaking things apart with giant hammers really is enough to prop up any amount of dull shooting. [Oct 2009, p.58]

Dramatic, entertaining and charming in the way that every Fallout expansion should be from now on. [Nov 2009, p.72]

Deserves praise for artistic flair, but when it comes to gameplay approach with caution. [Jan 2010, p.81]

A good game, but it won't hit Peggle-esque heights of fame. [May 2010, p.87]

Playing Toki Tori is like putting your finger into a kitten's mouth, only to realise that the kitten is actually a great white shark. Except this is a good thing. [Oct 2010, p.86]

A better proposition than the first remake. [Aug 2010, p.86]

Even though it feels so very wrong to say this, Open For Business is a Sims expansion worth buying.

The PC market should revel in the fact that it can do console games, and do them better than the consoles can. [Sept 2006, p.70]

Boss battles are explosive, brutal encounters, while some perfectly cast actors bring each character to life with genuine aplomb. If you leave your brain at the door, you just might find hours of mindless fun here.

It still doesn't address the simplistic combat. [Christmas 2006, p.77]

The admirably innovative gameplay still feels like it's from Mars. [Feb 2007, p.80]

So while it's a Sims 2 expansion, and while it's about pets, it's a wellmade, superbly polished addition to the original game.

Strategy gaming doesn't get much more hardcore than this. But if you, as I, have ever harboured ambitions of serving of quartermaster to a major military formation, this is for you. [Oct 2006, p.70]

The spectacuar way in which the game is presented is enough to make the most players want to overlook the deep-running problems it harbors and plaudits must be paid to a setting this original and so excellently realized. [June 2008, p.64]

Wannabe "Age of Empires". [July 2007, p.82]

While there's still a decent driving model underneath, it's hard to see RACE appealing to fans who've driven Simbin's other titles, and so, this time at least, the hare comes out on top. [Jan 2007, p.87]

Mad Doc needs to do the full makeover in the expansion. [Jan 2008, p.72]

The balancing could do with some tweaking, with some enemies too hard to defeat and some bosses too easy. [Aug 2007, p.70]

If I have a gripe, it's that the introduction of Hugh Bliss's magical talismans makes for some rather force puzzles. [July 2007, p.80]

Easy to pick up and strangely compelling. [Feb 2008, p.91]

Surprisingly deep. [July 2009, p.66]

It might sound trite, but if you like god games there's nothing here you won't have seen before. [Sept 2009, p.70]

The Last resort is still enjoyable for fans of Wallace & Gromit, but seasoned adventurers will run through it like a summer breeze. [Aug 2009, p.74]

Trine deserves recognition for bringing the Lost Vikings template back to our PCs, but it isn't a classic. [Oct 2009, p.66]

Graphically dated. [Feb 2010, p.76]

A flawed gem. [Jan 2010, p.79]

Despite design cleverness and an engaging cityscape, there's just no joy here. [Christmas 2006, p.90]

The Battle For Middle-Earth II may look impressive, and its basic, by-the-numbers RTS approach is fun in a mindless sort of way. However, in no way is it anywhere near the game we hoped for. What a waste.

This update isn't monumental. It's merely the bacon topping on an already bulging turducken. That's turkey, duck and chicken. [Dec 2006, p.99]

These dinosaurs may be beautifully drawn and animated, but there's just not enough blood and thunder pouring out of them to generate that shaking-glass "Jurassic Park" 'Oh my God, here comes the T-Rex' moment. [Dec 2006, p.90]

Not only is the game accessible, it has a couple of novel game-modes to kick back with and offers a pretty exhausting career modes too. It's also quite technical, but it reveals itself in layers, a bit like "Pro Evo." [Mar 2007, p.72]

It's fun, tough, cheap and really hard to stop playing; sometimes it's good to look back. [Oct 2007, p.86]

It's the shortest and easiest yet, with the episodic formula's skeleton (office/street intro, on-location puzzle, three-pronged task, conclusion) showing more obviously through the tighter, more linear flesh.

There's a platoon of issues lurking to ambush the unwary. [July 2007, p.70]

Much as I was thrilled by the action, I was equally nonplussed by the lack of emotional connection to the characters and the plot. [Mar 2009, p.64]

Culpa Innata will surprise you with its non-linearity. [Feb 2008, p.81]

Despite its flaws, CM08 is easily BGS's best game to date and is a commendable step forward for the series. Fun and accessible, it provides a decent alternative to the complexities of Football Manager. However, a weak tactical spine and the hit and miss match engine negate the need for any serious tactical tinkering, meaning that while its personality may be split, its mainstream characteristics still dominate its make-up.

If you're a fan of the board game, you'll like this adaptation - but if you're not, it's not going to sit well with any logical imagining that you've ever had for a Blood Bowl game. [Nov 2009, p.68]

Barely explicable scantily clad slo-mo sequences aside, Velvet Assassin is a really solid game. [Aug 2009, p.66]

If you want a simple game that doesn't require you to devote the whole of your brain or your evenings, can buy into the game's modern-retro visuals, and can forgive a few flaws; it's undeniably worth a spin. [Dec 2008, p.76]

Early levels too underpowered. [Christmas 2009, p.87]

As long as you realise that Crayon Physics Deluxe is a sandbox in disguise, you won't be disappointed by this charming physics puzzler. [Apr 2009, p.70]

A worthy follow-up and well worth your time if you are an enthusiast of the gem-matching genre. [June 2009, p.75]

Lag and server issues. [July 2010, p.88]

Stylish, funny, but sadly disposable. [June 2010, p.87]

Essentially, things fail to get moving in Disciples III. [Sept 2010, p.91]

The fundamental problem is that it all feels a little detached - for an MMO, solo play feels far more natural, as the speed turns most of the battles into one-on-ones dotted around the map. [July 2006, p.88]

A strangely satisfying and therapeutic experience. [Jan 2008, p.86]

There's little content on offer here, with only three islands and four new miracles making this hardly an essential purchase. [July 2006, p.86]

It has numerous problems, most notably the A.I. But there's something beneath all its faults I can forgive; a Western game that has Reverends, shows reverence and even features the occasional smear of puerile humour. [Nov 2006, p.66]

Plenty of tactical depth and a wealth of historical information. [Nov 2006, p.73]

It's still one of the best basketball sims available, just don't expect much beyond recycled goods. [Dec 2006, p.85]

Something about Granado Espada is fiendishly addictive. What stops it from being truly great is the fact that it's both simple and rather boring at times. [Oct 2007, p.83]

If you've exhausted X3 to an inhuman degree, you could do a lot worse than check this out, especially given the bargain price tag. [Sept 2007, p.86]

The plot is a bit of nonsense and the NPCs' AI is dumber than a bag of hair, but slashing up civilians with the Claw is always amusing. [Aug 2009, p.68]

Consoles, you win this round. [Feb 2008, p.82]

A hit-and-miss product that'll no doubt satiate the hardcore, but probably prove a tad too irritating for the rest. [Christmas 2007, p.86]

In a disappointing move, we don't get to play any of the Ghostbusters. [Oct 2009, p.64]

FreeTime isn't bad. Actually, it's very good. [June 2008, p.80]

A vaguely comical arcade shooter in the clouds, and one that never pretends to be anything else. [June 2009, p.64]

With more ambition in the table design, Dream Pinball 3D has the potential to be great. As it stands, it's just good. [June 2008, p.82]

East India Company manages to whisk you on a sedate journey through teatime. [Nov 2009, p.75]

It can be good fun when you've got the hang of things. [Feb 2009, p.81]

This will genuinely engage the creative side of a child. Just knock 30 off the score if you aren't in primary school. [Feb 2009, p.81]

Good fun, if a little short for the money. [June 2009, p.68]

If you own the first, then there's little reason to upgrade. [Apr 2010, p.90]

It's for the patient. [Aug 2009, p.62]

A bit crackers. [Nov 2009, p.76]

You'll be having Duke Nukem flashbacks and shouting "I've got balls of steel" in no time. [July 2010, p.84]

Finally though, kudos to the scriptwriters and actors for providing a stream of banter that never once made me want to pull my jaw off and mash my teeth against my forehead. Something so rare, I added two to the score.

Somehow it manages to be far more entertaining than you'd expect. [May 2007, p.72]

Part Age Of Empires and a dollop of Civ, what's missing is a memorable game experience. And as for the visuals - line it up against Total War or Rise Of Nations and it's almost laughable.

While Extraction Point certainly does pick up towards the end, providing some absolutely sublime moments of action, ultimately it feels far too much like the worst bits of F.E.A.R. all over again, masquerading as something we love.

Having just reached HOMMV's end-game, I'd rather have waited a bit longer and received a bit more. [Jan 2007, p.83]

With patience and perseverance there's plenty of reward. [Oct 2008, p.72]

Long-time fans will be pretty appalled by this effort. [Dec 2009, p.70]

An unexpectedly and unpredictably decent point-and-click game. [Dec 2008, p.71]

Treat The Maw as a casual half hour game and you'll be well satisfied, but don't expect any maw than that. Sorry. [June 2009, p.75]

If you have a lot of patience, follow The Path. If not, bugger off and pick up an FPS. [Aug 2009, p.75]

There are only a handful of official maps to play , although each one is substantial in size. [Aug 2009, p.77]

This is one for gem completionists, but it won't be raising any bars or breaking any moulds. [Feb 2010, p.84]

There's not enough reason to come back after the initial wow factor from the visuals wears off. [July 2010, p.90]

Arrowhead paints the most chilling picture of the horrors of war than any game has done yet. [Sept 2010, p.84]

It's not terrible by any means, but it's just not very exciting either. [Apr 2007, p.76]

The track editor...is fantastic. [July 2006, p.84]

DMC3 has a few conversion issues - low-res textures and fiddly joypad setting-up - and lack of quicksaves can be infuriating when you have to begin a boss battle all over again, but overall it's infernal fun. [Oct 2006, p.78]

A lacklustre affair that we've seen many times before. [Dec 2006, p.85]

The action is quite a laugh and oddly refreshing. But it repeats and repeats and repeats. [Dec 2007, p.78]

Infuriating loading times are a major issue. [Mar 2009, p.74]

It's one of the few Bond games that come close to the N64 classic. [Feb 2009, p.78]

Offers up one of the drabbest looking and tedious opening sections witnessed anywhere. [Oct 2009, p.62]

Gets boring quickly. [Feb 2009, p.82]

EndWar's a little too repetitive and you'll probably end up using the same basic strategy in every battle. [June 2009, p.69]

Persevere a little and you'll soon be having a lot of fun. [Apr 2009, p.72]

To say that the game is shallow would be harsh, but it certainly doesn't plumb the potential depths of the period, and while it has multiplayer I can't see it having much longevity. [May 2009, p.77]

An unreliably enjoyable experience. [July 2009, p.68]

An experience, not a game. [Oct 2009, p.70]

Muzzled! isn't as laugh-out-loud funny as the previous episodes. [Oct 2009, p.73]

While it's no classic, every Monkey Island fan should be playing this. [Oct 2009, p.68]

Running over zombie dogs is always fun. [Apr 2010, p.91]

It's by far their most accessible game yet. [June 2010, p.89]

At its best, Impact is an exhilarating, old school blaster that's very easy to dip in and out of. But at its worst, it's simplistic, repetitive fare with not enough to it. [Sept 2010, p.88]

A decent strategy offering. [Oct 2010, p.81]

Nothing VVVVVV does is actually new or different. [May 2010, p.91]

Dreamfall never taxes the brain, and progression is more often than not a case of running to the next location and having a bit of a chat. [July 2006, p.75]

Maelstrom is certainly interesting, but it just lacks that magic spark needed to transform a collection of ingenious ideas into a thrilling RTS experience. Innovative? Certainly. Thrilling and essential? Not quite.

It's deep, if you like repetitively killing things. [Sept 2006, p.77]

The level design appears to be somewhat lacklustre (there's too much 'take this point! And now this one!'), but it's still an enjoyable romp. [Mar 2008, p.85]

A cheaper, slightly longer and certainly more rewarding slice of saccharine silliness than before. Still not perfect, but very, very cute. [July 2006, p.74]

Desperados 2 looks a bit dated, and the AI is basic 'search if you're heard, attack if you're seen.' However, it's still enjoyable - and with the effort comes a grumbling sense of achievement. [July 2006, p.89]

Once the armies swell in size, the laborious job of shuffling them around the battlefield is like shovelling coal. [Oct 2006, p.65]

An insecure game unsure of who wants to play it, but that's not to say it isn't fun. [Mar 2008, p.78]

While the story is light and terribly translated at times, the quests are rewarding enough (resource-wise) to keep you doing them. [June 2008, p.78]

A crippling absense in the multiplayer is online play. [June 2008, p.81]

A hastily-ported and frustrating slap in the face for PC gamers, and I cannot gather enough venom towards how little respect there is here for the PC platform. [Apr 2009, p.46]

A slightly alienating, yet eventually rewarding, game that lets you create your own levels. [Sept 2008, p.70]

We'd like to see Bright Future focus on improving the in-game engine, scale back the extraneous nonsense and provide a better core game experience. [Feb 2009, p.85]

That Elven Legacy is so badly presented is a shame, as there's a surprisingly good strategy game hidden underneath the amateurish exterior. [July 2009, p.75]