Review Archive

Results 1 to 25 of 39.

Gripshift - PSP
Can puzzles really succeed over full-blown action adventures on Sony's handheld console the PSP? Ubisoft think so. We look at Gripshift, its latest puzzle racer. 31 December 2005 0:28 GMT

The Good
Plenty of puzzles to solve, easy to pick up and play

The Bad
It is neither a driving game or a puzzle game and gamers from both genres might be disappointed

Verdict
It won’t keep you going for long, but while it lasts, its good fun

Price
£25
Need for Speed Most Wanted - PS2
Need for Speed Most Wanted (NFSMW) is yet another version of the popular Need for Speed game from EA, but do we need it? 30 December 2005 0:55 GMT

The Good
Police, free form gaming

The Bad
Not free form enough, cars physics don’t change on different surfaces or weather

Verdict
While Need For Speed Most Wanted is more of the same, it's more of the good same

Price
£35
Nikon Coolpix S4 digital camera
Can a return to an old casing, invigorate the Coolpix S4? We take a look and find out 29 December 2005 0:32 GMT

The Good
Plenty of subject modes and in-camera fixes for backlighting or redeye errors. Large colour screen and Face Priority AF and that swivel-bodied design

The Bad
No manual controls to speak of, no optical viewfinder, image quality only fair

Verdict
The original Coolpix 900 swivel body design is revamped within this new S4 Coolpix carapace to great effect, however it is ultimately let down by lackluster image performance

Price
£329.99
Nikon Coolpix 7600
With no less that 17, the Nikon 7600 has plenty of scope for most shooting situations, from indoor or party shots, firework displays or portraits and landscapes, but is it any good? 28 December 2005 0:21 GMT

The Good
Plenty of subject modes and in-camera fixes for backlighting or redeye errors. Large colour screen and Face Priority AF, nice compact design and good image quality

The Bad
No manual controls to speak of, frustratingly slow due to shutter lag and slow AF set up

Verdict
The 7600 provides a neat, compact, digital camera with bags of resolution, enough for A3 and larger images or for cropping in. The sluggish AF and shutter lag lets the side down but overall, at its £299.99 price; the Coolpix 7600 is certainly worth a look-see

Price
£299.99
Sodoku handheld game console
Sodoku is still gripping the country, but can an electronic version of the popular number game be the answer to never being able to find your pen? We get number crunching and find out 27 December 2005 0:00 GMT

The Good
Easy to use, cheap, plenty of puzzles

The Bad
The cursor marking your box is hard to find if you turn away,

Verdict
Being a big fan myself, my first initial thoughts of this device were that of excitement, but unfortunately this soon wore off after a few games.

Price
£9.99
Sony NV-U70T GPS receiver
GPS has gone mainstream, but can the company who is famous for its televisions and MP3 players point us in the right direction? 26 December 2005 0:34 GMT

The Good
Dual speakers, traffic, large colour touch screen

The Bad
Software not the easiest to use, maps on the NT-U50 only go down to Paris

Verdict
Looking like a mini-Sony TV, the NAV-U has a clear screen, good styling and traffic updates, it still doesn’t beat the TomTom though

Price
£419
Sennheiser PX 200 headphones
You've got your MP3 player, but are you getting the most out of the sound and more importantly are you happy about shoving something in your ear? We look at a compact alternative from Sennheiser 24 December 2005 0:06 GMT

The Good
Sound, compact folding design

The Bad
Plastic storage box, cable although long is just too long when on the move

Verdict
The PX 200 is a great little headset that is compact and small in size, but not in sound

Price
£39.99
Sony 6GB Network walkman (NW-A1000)
Sony's new range of MP3 players is the company's best yet, but can the A1000 live up to the new hype or has the electronics giant got it all wrong?
23 December 2005 0:11 GMT

The Good
Styling, innovative search features

The Bad
No picture support, must use Sony Connect

Verdict
On the whole, another sharp shooter from Sony

Price
£169
The Sims 2 - PS2
The Sims 2 was one of the top selling games on the PC, with a huge following worldwide. But how will our little friends cope with being squeezed onto the PS2? 22 December 2005 0:02 GMT

The Good
Loading times kept down

The Bad
Poor control, lack of features

Verdict
A poor attempt to take this to a new platform, a dark day in Sims history

Price
£35
Neuros MPEG-4 Recorder 2
Getting video footage to your portable media player can be a lengthy process, so can one device take away all the fuss? We look at the Neuros MPEG-4 Recorder 2 to find out
21 December 2005 0:10 GMT

The Good
Comes with all the cables in the box, do not need a PC or Mac to get it to work

The Bad
Lose the remote and your stuck, on-screen software interface basic, no on-board timer

Verdict
From start to finish, the Neuros MPEG-4 Recorder 2 is a basic device that gets the job done, and done well

Price
£149.99
Toshiba TS 803 mobile phone
Can Tosh crack the market with its second handset? We have a look and find out 20 December 2005 0:45 GMT

The Good
Music controls, Mini SD slot, Mini SD Card included, screen

The Bad
Design, size

Verdict
For the multimedia fan, this has everything going for it, we’re just struggling to get excited

Price
£Price dependent on contract
SONY VAIO VGN-FJ1S
Let's cut to the chase, when you're thinking of buying a notebook there is one PC brand that makes it onto the shopping list without having to check out what's on offer. But has the latest Vaio got what it takes? 19 December 2005 0:01 GMT

The Good
Cheap, handling, 80Gb built-in hard drive, graphics capabilities

The Bad
No cool factor, poor build quality

Verdict
It looks like a Sony, acts like a Sony but somehow it just doesn’t actually feel as though you’re using a Sony VAIO

Price
£899
Logitech Cordless Desktop MX3000 Laser
With the keyboard and mouse the main way for controlling your PC, you've got to make sure you get one that you are happy with over and beyond the basic offering that comes in the box with you desktop 18 December 2005 0:04 GMT

The Good
plenty of extra keys on the keyboard, good precision from the mouse

The Bad
Mouse is light and cheap to the touch, keyboard has so many keys you probably won't use half of them

Verdict
Good, but probably a bit over the top for most people.

Price
£99
Jamie Oliver Flavour Shaker
Jamie Oliver believes that having been a chef for the last decade, he knows just the thing to crush those peppercorns or spices to turn them into powder with little effort. Kitchen essential or 5-minute wonder? We put his new Flavour Shaker to the test 17 December 2005 18:52 GMT

The Good
Easy to use, crushes stuff fast, dishwasher safe

The Bad
Over engineered pestle and mortar

Verdict
The result is perfectly crushed spices at the end allowing you to spice up that Christmas mulled wine

Price
£19.99
Sonos Digital Sound System
Can this make your audio life at home easier? 16 December 2005 0:08 GMT

The Good
Sound; ease of set-up and use; total flexibility and overall elegance

The Bad
Price

Verdict
Simple, elegant and a joy to use. The must-have gadget of the year for any serious digital music lover. But your bank manager definitely wouldn’t approve

Price
£1200
Fuji FinePix S5600 digital camera
Like its predecessors, the 5600 is surprisingly compact with handling and simple use at its core, but is it any good? 15 December 2005 2:18 GMT

The Good
Design and handling is good overall, the lens offers plenty of zooming scope and while small the 5600’s LCD screen is bright and pin-sharp

The Bad
The EVF, it’s grainy, gloomy, and hard to use as a result

Verdict
The Fuji FinePix S5600 Zoom provides bags of manual control and neat technology combined with compact size and good image quality, making it a five-megapixel contender for your cash

Price
£299.99
Casio EX-500 digital camera
Casio's latest Exlim digital camera offers a bevy of features, but is it enough to woo the camera populous away from more traditional brands such as Nikon and Canon? We take a closer look 14 December 2005 13:14 GMT

The Good
2.7 inch screen, battery life, Best Shot modes

The Bad
Need docking station to transfer images or connect to the television, will need to buy a SD card from day one

Verdict
The Casio Exlim EX-Z500 is a solid camera that will suit the party crowd hoping to share their results as soon as they’ve taken them

Price
£279.99
Sony Ericsson HBH-PV700 headset
The hands-free law in the UK is coming up on its first anniversary, So should you celebrate with a Bluetooth headset 14 December 2005 0:10 GMT

The Good
Advanced echo reduction and auto volume

The Bad
No voice dialling, available on cheaper Sony Ericsson headsets

Verdict
Cheaper than the HBH-610, but you'll pay with a reduced battery life

Price
£39.99
Creative Zen Vision:M
Creative's latest MP3 player offers music, images, video and more, but does the Vision:M have what it takes to be crowned king of the MP3 player pack? 13 December 2005 0:04 GMT

The Good
Screen, ease of use, FM radio, voice recorder, charger included

The Bad
Thicker than its competitor, not Apple Mac friendly

Verdict
Dare we say it, this is the new iPod killer

Price
£250
Dell Inspiron XPS M170
Dell has made no bones about wanting to be the leading player in the gaming market, but is this the machine to convince the public it should be crowned King? We take a look and find out. 12 December 2005 0:02 GMT

The Good
The most powerful notebook available, this week at least

The Bad
Heavy, poor battery life

Verdict
Fitted with the fastest mobile GPU currently available it’s set to impress – thankfully, it doesn’t disappoint

Price
£1999
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire - PS2
With the fourth film in the series of books at the cinema, kids everywhere are bound to want to get interactive with the story. But will the game of the movie be as spell binding as the film? We cast a spell and find out. 11 December 2005 0:43 GMT

The Good
Play three-player co-op, fun for the younger gamers among us

The Bad
Can't switch between characters in-game like previous versions, repetative spell commands will drive you mad

Verdict
It won’t beat the films, but it’s a good way of carrying on the adventure after you’ve come home from the cinema

Price
£35
Pentax ist*DL DSL digital camera
DSLR camera from Pentax 10 December 2005 9:53 GMT

The Good
Size, weight, price, ease of use

The Bad
Auto settings are atrocious giving poor results, inaccurate metering, power consumption, fiddly menu

Verdict
If you’re looking for a good mid-range digital SLR then maybe you should think about something from the big two

Price
£
King Kong - The Official Game of the Movie - Xbox360
No big blockbuster movie would be without its movie tie-in. Peter Jackson's latest movie - a remake of the 1933 classic King Kong is no exception. But can the game of the movie match the star quality in the film? We beat our chest to find out. 9 December 2005 10:52 GMT

The Good
Graphics, sound

The Bad
Short levels, even shorter game, chance to only play King Kong later in the game

Verdict
There are some nice elements, and some good graphics but neither good enough to keep you entertained

Price
£50
Quake 4 - PC
One year after we reviewed Doom 3, Quake 4 has landed. It reintroduces us to the war with the Strogg race and you play Marine Matthew Kane once more, but adding the kind of storytelling and graphical improvements you'd expect for a gap of 8 years between instalments 9 December 2005 0:10 GMT

The Good
Torch always handy, movie-style action, best with squads

The Bad
Leaked plot point is hackneyed SF anyway; stupid spawn points; retro multiplayer only for the hardcore due to forthcoming MP-only game

Verdict
The vehicle sections address the Xbox360 crowd rather than adding anything to the game but thankfully the rest is fast-paced rip-roaring action harking back to id’s history but also taking into account modern FPS progress

Price
£35
Movies - PC
Movies is the latest twist of the addictive Sims genre, but is it just more of the same? We play God (or is that Steven Spielberg) for the week to find out. 8 December 2005 11:31 GMT

The Good
Addictive, entertaining

The Bad
Brings nothing new to the genre, if you are not a sims fan don’t bother

Verdict
Overall it does come across as The Sims gone to the movies, but its still highly addictive

Price
£35