Unfortunately, the whole experience takes a nosedive when you start to play. Without the excitement of shooting down other planes, or the challenge of a regular flight sim, Pilot Academy would struggle to hold your interest on a flight to Europe.

It’s a fun game that provides all the spectacle of breakdancing without the trip to the chiropractor afterwards.

In PES6 you can make a sliding tackle and come up with the ball, and the AI has been greatly improved. The passing and shooting have been made harder to master and the players’ movement off the ball is better.

There is plenty to do in the management of the park and great rewards for success. However, all this is undermined because it is much more fun to play one of the driving, mini-golf, shooting or football games than do all the menial things.

There is plenty to do in the management of the park and great rewards for success. However, all this is undermined because it is much more fun to play one of the driving, mini-golf, shooting or football games than do all the menial things.

This game does have one cute twist, in that you can choose a Story option in which you take on the role of a young Japanese boxer and watch lengthy anime sequences in between your bouts. Sadly, even with the fast-forward button held down, these scenes move far too slowly, much like the boxers around the ring.

The game contains scores of puzzles, requiring a mixture of logic, observation and luck. What’s great is that it gives you time to solve them, rather than placing you under constant pressure from grisly baddies. There’s also a plot-twist or two.

The characters are just as brilliantly executed, with a range of facial expressions, voices and movements that would do any animator proud.

The fun to be had derives from the game’s simplicity of play, its wildly colourful backgrounds, and the dexterity required to get it right.

An exceptional game that brings history alive with enormous flair and clarity.

There’s not much left to do in games after this.

The graphics are top-notch and the sound helps immerse you in the wonderfully rendered action.

This eighth instalment in the hugely popular skateboarding series, and the first built specially for the Xbox 360, is the best and most realistic by far.

A simple but effective upgrade.

The pressure of following in the footsteps of one of the console’s greatest successes seems to have removed any sense of humour from the game.

It’s rollicking good fun all the way, let down by the short, repetitive nature of individual levels and the fact that only Michael Madsen of the original cast appears in the game.

It’s rollicking good fun all the way, let down by the short, repetitive nature of individual levels and the fact that only Michael Madsen of the original cast appears in the game.

This time around there are more units to build as well as new traps and siege equipment to help out on the battlefield.

Given the subject matter, the game deserves its 15 rating but not a parliamentary debate.

The result is sweaty-palmed fun, teaming the adult joys of a well-paced thriller with the childish delight of playing hide-and-seek in the dark.

Beautifully crafted, Sid Meier’s Railroads! is a masterful experience — as you would expect from the master himself.

The tone is jocular, the script humorous and well acted by, among others, Little Britain’s Anthony Head.

Fasten your seatbelt, and prepare for an awesome flight. [Deluxe Edition]

Though voiced and scripted by the people behind the TV show, the game is lightweight, and its quirky navigation and control issues make it one for serious fans only.

The tone is jocular, the script humorous and well acted by, among others, Little Britain's Anthony Head.

Though voiced and scripted by the people behind the TV show, the game is lightweight, and its quirky navigation and control issues make it one for serious fans only.

Though voiced and scripted by the people behind the TV show, the game is lightweight, and its quirky navigation and control issues make it one for serious fans only.

Forget storylines, or any pretence at one: this game is simply about quick reflexes and lightning-fast button- pounding.