Empire: Total War is a game that’ll appeal to history nerds and fans of previous Total War titles.

Welcome to the first zombie movie we’ve seen that’s actually any good. Left 4 Dead finally gets gaming away from the trigger-point mechanic: you have no idea if a dozen zombies are around the corner, or one, or none.

You might expect Dawn Of War II to follow in traditional sequel style, offering a real time strategy experience with more Orks than you can throw a Bolter at.

Fans of the films will probably get a kick out it, but it's probably not the greatest use of the franchise.

Another epic installment of the GTA series, tragically hampered by a poor PC port

Far Cry 2 is an ugly game, simply because it all too accurately portrays a modern world conflict in a war-torn African nation.

Another slice of addictive gaming pie from Nintendo – and this one will help you lose pounds too

Epic plot and an intruiging mix of RPG and FPS make Mass Effect worth a look, though we can't help but see some similarity with Knights of the Old Republic.

The scope of events in Beijing 2008 is somewhat admirable, given that many previous Olympic titles have tended to concentrate on running and swimming events

Movie and photo transfer capability, MP3 playback, bearable speakers… this is the best portable gaming machine ever

The cut-down PS3 costs the same as the Xbox Elite, has lost of its key features and still has that cracking Blu-ray player

The faithful old PS2 isn’t knocking on the door of the retirement home just yet and the new look has knocked years off, but it’s the consistently brilliant games that are really keeping the biggest selling console ever from slipping six feet under.

No sane gamer is going to head out and buy this as their new console, but we'd advise 360 and Wii owners not to forget about Dre - there's some truly superb games still coming out for PS

Pure fun in a box. Get some friends round and swing your Wiimote until the early hours

The Game Boy Micro is a slick miniature gaming gem perfect for avoiding tiresome work

Up against it when compared to the PSP and not the worthy substitute it should have been. Once more people crack the dual screen, though, it might be worth a second look

This is a pretty decent little webcam – it's just that, without games to fool around with, it feels like a low-end PC webcam plugged into your Xbox. EyeToy this ain't

If you're buying a new 360, get an Elite - simple as that. If you've already got one, this is pretty much a cosmetic upgrade – but you might want to look into getting the separate 120GB hard drive when it comes out...

The best just got cheaper. World-beating force feedback and superbly responsive steering, but not quite as good as the more expensive Driving Force Pro

Is it too damning to call the Chillstream an 'ideal gift'? It's actually a pretty decent pad, and the fan function will keep you giggling for ten minutes or so, but after that you’ll kind of wish you just had a normal pad instead...