Platform: PC, Xbox

You and an elite squad of US Army Green Berets – “The Ghosts” – are dispatched to a futuristic Cuba.

Communist dictator Fidel Castro – who has managed to cling onto power for almost 40 years – has just died, aged nearly 80. A dangerous political power vacuum has developed and Cuba is sinking into civil war.

It is the job of your elite squad to stop the hard-line Communist faction, backed by drug cartels, from making a grab for power.

This exciting game features:

• 8 new and diverse single-player missions.
• 5 new dedicated multiplayer maps.
• 12 new multiplayer weapons including the M4 SOCOM rifle and the MM-1 automatic grenade launcher.
• 2 new multiplayer game types.
• New Cuban enemy vehicles, new allied vehicles, and insertions by helicopter.

Fans of tactical combat will find this game a totally immersive experience, with opportunities for infiltrate-and-destroy missions or open warfare, ably supported by AI troops.

The terrain has an authentic and distinctly unfriendly feel to it. The Cuban rain forests are claustrophobic. And the weather can often be foul, with dense fog, bucketing rain and dark clouds reducing visibility.

Metroid Fusion
Platform: PS2/Xbox

In a deep space research facility, all hell has broken loose. Dangerous alien specimens from across the galaxy are held here for experimentation.

But a fearsome X infestation has taken over, causing everything it touches to mutate into the deadliest creatures ever encountered.

The X mutations overrun the research lab with little resistance, until super-heroine Samus Aran enters the fray.

Metroid Fusion is an all-new science-fiction adventure created by the same team who developed the immensely popular Metroid titles.

Intergalactic bounty-hunter Samus – clad in her nearly indestructible Power Suit made by the ancient Chozo Race – explores vast futuristic environments in her quest to destroy the army of deadly alien parasites.

In an interesting twist to the plot, Samus herself falls prey to the parasitic alien life form and must battle to survive while being hunted by a predatory clone of herself.

As in the earlier Metroid titles, Samus begins the game in a weak state and must locate power-ups to increase her strength.

Players can power-up with classic enhancements such as Morph Ball, Space Jump, Screw Attack, Varia Suit and Wave Beam, as well as some brand new ones.

Almost everything Samus uses is upgradeable, including bombs, missiles, suits and the arm cannon.

Ratchet & Clank
Platform: PS2

Ratchet & Clank follows the adventures of furry space mechanic Ratchet and his robot buddy Clank, who rides around on Ratchet’s back sprouting useful mechanical appendages such as a helipack.

The two of them are fighting to save the galaxy from Chairman Drek’s evil scheme to carve up a number of planets and jam them all together into one massive luxury planet of his own.

The game is fast, funny and exciting to play. You have at your disposal a huge array of weapons and gadgets, including:

• The Wrench: a basic combat weapon.
• The Blaster: for long-range attacks against larger enemies.
• The Pyrocitor (a flamethrower): ideal for destroying squads of ground monsters.
• The Glove of Doom: this releases five little mechanized insects that creep towards the nearest enemy and explode.
• The Devastator: a powerful, guided rocket that will obliterate a nearby target in one shot.

You can also morph yourself into a robot guard so that you can engage in clandestine missions in enemy territory.

The environments in this game are vast, the animation is smooth, and the special effects ultra-realistic. Explosions look and sound authentic. Even the flamethrower gives a reddish tint to its surroundings.

The Sims
Platform: PS2

This popular game has won a following of millions of gamers since the original PC game was introduced in early 2000.

In this new PlayStation2 version of The Sims, the core concepts are still present. You customize your simulated citizen’s appearance and personality down to the tiniest detail. Then you live vicariously through his or her triumphs and disasters as your Sim gets a job, makes friends, wins a promotion or changes neighbourhoods.

But there are also new characters, objects and features not found in any previous version of this game.

Unique to the new PlayStation2 version is an entirely new 3D world, incredibly rich in detail, for you to explore.

The game is easy for beginners as they embark on the “get a life” mode, complete with a humorous tutorial.

There are many ways to enjoy this game, including:

• Level-based game: Create a Sim and move him or her into a primitive shack-like dwelling, and then advance your Sim through life to greater things.
• Play with a friend: Two players can control their own Sims in split-screen mode.
• Open-ended game: Set your own goals and play at your own pace.