Geometry Wars: Galaxies(Sierra)

Psychedelic, retro, addictive - Geometry Wars summed up in three words. The cover certainly conveys the psychadelic element, but not the genius of the simple-yet-addictive gameplay. There is a danger here that those of us who who have not fought a Geometry War before might pass by. Do so at your peril.

This is a true retro revival harking back to the days of Asteroids. Taking your spaceship across many galaxies the aim is to simply survive as long as possible and rack up a massive score. Endless waves of neon wireframe nasties pour into each level and all move in geometric fashion (that's mathematically to you and I) so you need to think one step ahead if you are going to last long in this game.

Enemies drop currency called Geoms and these can be spent on unlocking new planets or adding upgrades to your security drone. This new drone is a robot buddy that follows you around and attacks enemies to give you support and the genius here is in the tactical edge. For example you can use a sniper drone in a wide level to make use of its superior firing range or use a ramming drone to headbutt close enemies in tighter areas. They level up and become smarter with each play and this element will have you hooked as will adding a few hundred on to your best high score. The hidden depth and addictive nature will have you playing well into summer and beyond in what is fine-tuned retro bliss. (Dave Cook)