John Woo's Stranglehold

Created alongside legendary action director John Woo, Strangehold follows a cop's quest for revenge against cop-killing gangsters. Obviously, being directed by Woo, it is something of a slow-mo, gunplay orgy, but, as Max Payne showed us, this is no bad thing...

Visually, every locale from Chinese markets to museums looks stunning and every piece of scenery is destructible. In fact, the game awards you with a cash value for your carnage a la Burnout. You will hardly ever run out of ammo and the death toll is bloody high. So far, so mindless, and this is what makes the game great. It's a no-brainer and perfect for a bit of gung-ho tomfoolery in short bursts.

This is an action gamer's blood-drenched dream, though a short single player mode could leave a bitter aftertaste, so buying pre-owned is definitely recommended. Riotous Xbox Live play serves to extend the orgy - kaboom!!! (Dave Cook)