Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2, published by Neversoft for PlayStation, Dreamcast, PC and GameBoy

Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 is even more action-packed and fun than its predecessor.

The aim of the game is to achieve 100 per cent on all of the levels and to win gold in every competition.

There are several games to keep you amused. Firstly, career mode, where you have to unlock a number of levels by completing tasks on the loading screen.

When you complete each task, you are awarded an amount of money with which you can buy new levels, tricks, stats and boards.

As the player, you can choose to create your own skateboarding parks, selecting from a list of pieces including verts and benches, you can also create your own gaps and give them names and point values.

The range of games also includes creating a skater, free skate and single session. Such variety makes Tony Hawks 2 brilliant fun and very addictive.

The music is amazing and includes tracks from the likes of Rage Against The Machine and other top bands from the world of hip-hop.

The graphics have been upgraded, improving even further on the visual quality. However, I found the fast-moving camera shots annoying and rather disorientating.

This game will suit everyone and is a must, just like the first, because of its amazing gameplay and daredevil stunts.

Graphics: 4.5/5

Sound: 5/5

Gameplay: 4.5/5

Lifespan: 4.5/5

Overall: 4.5/5.

Tom Daker

Monster Rancher, published by SCEE for PlayStation

My life is in ruins - late nights, stress, chewed nails, chain smoking and no social life.

Monster Rancher is quite probably the most addictive game I have ever come across. It has everything - variety, intrigue, playability, longevity, excitement, strategy, action and good graphics.

Once you start playing, it is very hard to stop. The plot, embarrassingly considering the amount of time spent playing it, is simply preparing monsters for fights.

No different from Pokmon, you feed, nurture and train an enormous variety of creatures to fight against an even wider variety.

Describing it does it no justice. Go and buy it, play it and get used to sleep deprivation.

Graphics 4/5

Sound 4/5

Gameplay 5/5

Gamespan 5/5

Overall 5/5

DAN RUTSTEIN

Midtown Madness 2, published by Microsoft for PC

Open up a PC magazine and you'll often find crowing articles saying how the PC is so much better than consoles when it comes to software.

But if you play both formats, you'll notice a couple of areas where the PC is definitely second best. One area is beat-em-ups, with PCs lacking anything in the vein of Tekken or Soul Calibur. The other genre is racing games, and while reviewers up and down the country have been lauding Midtown Madness 2 as the finest piece of race action to be had, it seems decidedly pedestrian to those who've dabbled with the likes of Gran Turismo, Metropolitan Street Racer or Wipeout.

It has its nice points, though they don't include the average graphics. Very detailed cityscapes use genuine landmarks in both London and San Francisco, so you can find yourself tearing along Whitehall in a black cab, a Mini Cooper or even a Humvee. But the action is drab, lacking the edge-of-your-seat excitement that you need in a racing title. Your opponents are too easily beaten, unless you manage to get lost in the back streets, and easy victories are the dullest thing you can imagine.

Graphics 3/5

Sound 2/5

Gameplay 3/5

Gamespan 4/5

Overall 3/5

STEPHEN HUNT

Daikatana, published by Kemco for GameBoy Colour

Daikatana is set in 2455 AD in Japan and you are Hiro Miyamoto, under the rule of the evil dictator Shogun Mishima.

The aim of the game is to find the powerful sword Daikatana.

The graphics are excellent for the GameBoy - you will have no trouble identifying what the objects on screen are supposed to represent.

The sound track is not too bad - at least you do not feel the need to turn the sound off completely.

The best thing about this game is that it is very challenging and you never want to turn it off, even when you get to the second boss.

The story line is complicated but, as the game unfolds, it becomes easier to follow.

Overall, this game is extremely good, though it plays like Zelda in the past. This game will suit people who are very patient and who like a good challenge.

Graphics: 4.5/5

Sound: 3/5

Gameplay: 4.5/5

Lifespan: 4/5

Overall:4/5

TOM DAKER