For a company whose only other major release was the original Half Life, Valve has pushed the boundaries with fresh, bold gameplay that stays true to the legendary legacy.

Fine-sounding valve amplification, with an iPod twist

It isn't an add-on, a mod or a new way of playing the world's most popular online shooter. Counter-Strike: Source is the same game that's known, loved and often responsible for gamers sitting motionless for days on end. But it's now been ported to Valve's new 3D engine, the Source engine, giving us our first glimpse of the technology that will be powering Half-Life 2.

Valve may have missed the point of episodic gaming, but this is one of the best value gaming packs ever released

A fast, fun, cheap game to keep you going over the weekend.

It was a very close race this month, but once all the points had been totted up it was the successor to the A-Listed Maestro that deservedly took the laurels.

Juiced pays tribute to EA’s Need for Speed: Underground, as much as NFS: Underground pays tribute to the film 2 Fast 2 Furious.

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.

A game on the high seas that's fun and doesn't involve pirates is rare. The Ship gets bonus points for originality.

Fantastically fun and balanced play, especially if you don't Rambo your way through the game

The first expansion to Half Life 2 doesn't provide much excitement.

Live’s standing as a general-purpose music-production environment continues to grow.