The most successful franchise in gaming history has finally re-invented itself after stacks of great and not so great expansion packs that spawned a fanatically loyal gaming community.

The original Steel Panthers was a hit in the mid-nineties, and many players will remember wiling away the night hours at what was (for the time) an outstanding mix of realistic gameplay, terrific graphics and a first-rate interface.

The movie's flop obviously hasn't helped, but developer GSC seems to have cut a few unexpected corners in the latter stages of developing Alexander, with the result that what promised to be a stirring title turns out to be fairly average after all.

Although its billing as a 'next generation' city-building game might be a little over the top, Immortal Cities: Children of the Nile is a well designed and pleasantly addictive title that comes with a nice sense of history.

It works for the various TV versions, so Ubisoft has clearly decided not to mess with a proven formula when it comes to the CSI computer games. CSI: Miami sticks so close to the moderately successful CSI: Dark Motives that you can't see the gap, but fans will still be pleased enough with the result.

Sacred first graced the pages of PC Authority just nine months ago, at which time we rated it as a solid RPG experience that would hold its own in a tough environment. Re-released with the Plus upgrade (also available via download), Sacred Plus improves a strong title and implements many of the suggestions made by the game's loyal online community.

Based on the books and film of the same name. Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events follows the story of the mysteriously orphaned Baudelaire siblings and their evil guardian Count Olaf.

Need for Speed Underground reinvigorated the franchise a year or so ago by adding some challenging and slightly antisocial elements to an inherently solid and well presented concept.

Using the same engine that has won Half-Life 2 more than a few friends, Bloodlines turns players into one of the 'eternally dammed' on the streets of LA. It comes with a terrific plot supported by excellent writing, and developer Troika has pitched Bloodlines squarely at an adult audience.

Several attempts have been made to capture the scale and atmosphere of Tolkien's epic on PC, but few have come close. In The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle Earth, EA Games has combined relatively straightforward RTS gameplay with an outstanding look, impressive atmospherics and a remarkably accessible interface.

Brought to us by Razorworks - the team that made its name with Apache Havoc - Ford Racing 3 is the latest instalment in a popular series that has managed to achieve solid multi-platform success.

Medal of Honor: Allied Assault was a huge hit a few years ago, boasting a D-Day landing most of us will never forget. Medal of Honor: Pacific Assault takes the war to the Japanese; across Pearl Harbour, Guadalcanal and the Makin and Tarawa Atolls.

The RollerCoaster Tycoon series has proven remarkably popular over the years, despite average graphics and a slightly clunky interface. RCT2 disappointed many fans, but the loyal Tycoon community continued to share new scenarios and rides while waiting for the Holy Grail to turn up.

Blizzard Entertainment has sewn up a huge potion of the strategy market with its Warcraft series, and the keenly awaited World of Warcraft looks set to carve out a nice piece of the MMORPG scene for fans of the franchise.

EA has dominated the soccer-sim market for some time and FIFA Soccer 2005 looks set to maintain that proud tradition.

Colin McRae Rally 2005 looked pretty solid in preview, and the final release has certainly lived up to expectations.

The Tribes series has always attracted a core of loyal gamers, but it has never been the runaway success it deserved. The original game was ahead of its time, delivering an innovative multiplayer game which relied heavily on team coordination and strategy.

After a brief foray into 3D with Uru: Ages beyond Myst, UbiSoft has returned to the core gameplay that made the Myst franchise so popular over time. Myst IV: Revelations is a stunningly artistic title that builds on the evolving story, answers a few nagging questions (while raising a few more!), and presents the most impressive puzzles and challenges yet seen in the series.

Actually the sixth title in the genre-setting Tony Hawk series, Tony Hawk's Underground 2 throws players into a frantic World Destruction Tour against Bam Margera.

A combination of Battlefield 1942 with Jedi Knights it may well be, but Lucas Art's Star Wars Battlefront is a polished representation of the Star Wars universe that will satisfy sci-fi geeks and action gamers alike.