Orcs! Orcs! Orcs! Orcs! Warcraft 3: Reign of Terror is, predictably, the third instalment in the acclaimed fantasy based RTS series. Warcraft 3 represents a significant change in direction for the series. Two new races, the undead and night elves, have joined the fray, complementing the righteous humans and brutish orcs. Those who remember the previous outings, will likely recall that the orcish and human units were largely identical in nature. The orcs weren't really orcs, just men who got their kicks from dressing up as orcs and raising hell. Because of this, the emphasis in Warcraft I and II was on building the strongest economy and as a result, fielding the largest army. In Warcraft III, each race has its own fully developed identity. Their are subtle differences between how the races harvest the game's two resources, gold and lumber, and how the races construct their buildings. Click here to read more.

Batman: Arkham Asylum is the most recent PC game adaption of a comic-book character. It is the descendant of a long line of worthy predecessors including... well maybe it's best to stop right there. Is the latest addition to the PC's most unfortunate genre banal, or is it batarang-tastic? Does Batman – Arkham Asylum raise eyebrows, or merely doomed expectations. Will Batman escape the Joker's devilish scheme? Tune in here to find out.

The original Dawn of War initiated a change in the RTS genre by simplifying resource collection, thus allowing players to focus on front line combat. In pursuing their vision of a purely combat orientated sci-fi RTS, Relic have become increasingly experimental in their approach; in the main campaign of Dawn of War II, there's no base building, resource collection, or unit recruitment. Dawn of War II is a bold stroke by veteran developers Relic. The question is, does this this radical approach to RTS work? Click here to read more.

As a Commodore 64 gaming veteran, I am often disappointed in the lack of character in modern games. Games like Gears of War are unquestionably superior in terms of graphics and gore, but they lack the quality of entertainment that many of the old classics had. Nancy Drew: Ransom of the Seven Ships doesn’t quite have the character of a Commodore classic, but it does have a surprisingly similar feel. It’s not hard on the eyes either.

In Ransom, players take on the role of legendary literary sleuth, Nancy Drew. As Drew, they are invited to take an island vacation with long-time friends Bess and George. The vacation becomes less pleasant when George discovers that Bess has been kidnapped – or at least – it should become less pleasant. Strangely enough, the revelation doesn’t seem to faze Nancy, who responds to everything in an upbeat manner. Maybe this is because Nancy loves a good mystery, but you’d think she would at least show some concern for poor Bess (she did in the books!).