The wheel deal

Moto GP4
PlayStation 2, £39.99
Sony, ****

Having grabbed the official Formula One licence for itself, Sony has turned its attention to the two-wheeled equivalent, Moto GP. If you fancy taking on Valentino Rossi, the Michael Schumacher of Moto GP (who, incidentally, is tipped to switch to four wheels and replace Schumacher in the Ferrari F1 team in the next few seasons), without risking death, Moto GP4 is pretty much your only credible recourse.

In keeping with the sport itself, previous Moto GP games had a reputation for being fearsomely difficult to play, but Moto GP4 goes out of its way to scotch that perception. For the first time, it comes with a training mode, which is much shorter and more basic than that of Gran Turismo. The career mode includes the 125cc and 250cc formulae, as well as the full-on, ravening beasts that Rossi and his challengers drive, and you must work your way up from the 125cc bikes in much the same manner as in F1 2005. This is sensible, as the smaller bikes are much more manageable, and this format gives you a crucial chance to memorise the Moto GP circuits, which is important in order to keep up with the big boys.

You can indulge in quick races and time trials, and even run through a whole season with a friend in split-screen mode. It is also possible to network two PlayStation 2s and play against seven other people. Technically, Moto GP4 is hugely impressive. The graphics are absolutely stunning, and the bike-handling very convincing. While it does not quite demand the sort of reverence accorded to Gran Turismo 4, Moto GP4 is the closest thing to a two-wheeled equivalent you will find.
Steve Boxer

Easy does it

Madagascar
PlayStation 2, Xbox, £39.99
Activision, ***

If there was ever a three-star game - solid, competent, unlikely to disappoint - then Madagascar is it. It may be based on the film and be aimed at children, but Madagascar is a pleasing gaming pot pourri, with elements pilfered from superior games. The sheer variety of each of the 10 levels is key, with the developers clearly wary of their target audience's short attention span.

However, while you'll be racing and collecting, the majority of the action is as you'd expect - a colourful platforming adventure. Taking control of one of the four characters - from Alec the lion (jump and roar) to Marty the zebra (kick and leap) - players need to make use of each animal's ability to progress.

Unfortunately, most of the puzzles are simple, though the difficulty does leap with some of the mini-games. These regular challenges crop up throughout the game and do add variety as well as frustration.

The graphics and sound are polished and the action is tough enough for the kids, but with sufficient in-game hand-holding to ensure progress. A by-product of this is a relatively short lifespan, especially if you are a parent buying this as a summer holiday sanity aid. Still, Madagascar is probably the best film tie-in this summer.
Greg Howson

A cringe binge

Martin Mysteré: Operation Dorian Gray
PC, £29.99
Artematica Entertainment/GMX Media, **

There is a real need for innovation in adventure games: a few more developers putting decent stuff out there would be a good start. Martin Mysteré, which is based on an Italian comic-book character, could have helped pump a wee bit of life back into a flagging genre, but due to bad dialogue, clunky voice acting and incredibly poor localisation, it falls flat on its face.

There's a definite drive to try and imitate the Broken Sword and Gabriel Knight games - a semi-sensible option since these represent the cream of the slightly more serious adventure titles. The graphics and interface are reminiscent of those games and it's easy to move around and interact with objects.

However, it's a complete mystery as to why the game - and even the manual and game box -were allowed to ship riddled with spelling and grammar errors, as well as inaccurate labelling and some truly cringe-worthy dialogue. Such things are integral to creating a realistic and believable atmosphere. The faults don't stop Martin Mysteré being playable, they just stop it being particularly enjoyable.
Rhianna Pratchett

Top 5 games

Xbox

1. Brian Lara International Cricket 2005

2. Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas

3. Fantastic 4

4. Sid Meier's Pirates!

5. Destroy All Humans!

· Leisure software charts compiled by Chart Track, © Elspa UK Ltd

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