Events in Suikoden Tactics occur before, during and after those in last year's landmark RPG, Suikoden IV. The emphasis here is on battle strategy, you're required to build huge teams to work most effectively in various types of battle - their lives depend on your tactical ingenuity. When recruiting soldiers for each confrontation, you must consider the elemental forces that govern the powers of each individual soldier and also the terrain. In this way you will discover how Suikoden Tactics is one of the most advanced games within its genre.

More than 50 characters are yours to govern in Suikoden Tactics, around 20 of which make their series debut - among them Kyril, our hero. When Kryil was a boy his father was killed while researching a powerful new weapon called the Rune Cannon. Kyril is now a young man and has decided to go in search of this machine, rumoured to transform men into murderous beasts.

Runes play a key role in Suikoden Tactics, permanently boosting a soldier's statistics or temporarily summoning powerful magic during battle. However all power within the world of Tactics is ruled by the basic elements air, earth, fire, and water. Each element is represented by colour, and would-be generals must learn how elements interact or counteract in every scenario. For example blue areas are beneficial to water type characters, but harmful to fire. So your water-type units will have their attack-strength boosted and defence points raised when standing on areas coded blue, or you may want to force fire-types onto blue areas to weaken them.

Of course one of the main strengths of the Suikoden series is personality. And so, in addition to making the right moves and considering the best runes and/or elemental powers, conversation between characters also helps boost attack strength. Individuals can strike up friendships that encourage co-operative skills in battle. When characters become good friends they automatically support each other, blocking attacks or contributing to stupendous combination moves.

Whether you're new to Suikoden or a long-standing fan of the series, you'll appreciate how every effort has gone into making Tactics visually superb, from lush environments to the expressive gestures of individual characters. As an added bonus, if you have a saved game in Suikoden IV you can unlock extra companions to enlist in Tactics.

• Expands on the marvelous characters and themes within Suikoden IV
• Over 20 battle scenarios in which you use terrain to your advantage
• Konami's original 'Visual Strategy System' reduces the need for menus
• Recruit over 50 characters, including 20 that are new and surprising
• Tailor equipment and upgrade weapons to suit your favourite tactics

Take the mike and be judged on your singing performance - Karaoke Stage is as simple and as brilliant as just that. A USB-microphone is used to play Karaoke Stage, and it offers the would-be star an extensive catalogue of tracks that spans rock, classic ballads, pop and R'n'B.

Recent hits from the likes of Avril Lavigne, REM and Barenaked Ladies, are all here for you to sing along to. What's especially cool for Europe is the PAL version boasts a number of tracks not seen in the US release. If your parents are gonna get involved, there are karaoke stalwarts such as 'Wind Beneath my Wings' and 'Girls Just Want to Have Fun.' Probably grandma will be best at everything, so give her the tough ones to chew!

It's thanks to Konami's Proprietary voice-recognition software that Karaoke Stage is able to judge a singer's rhythm and pitch while you sing along. Performances are ranked at the end of every song, but in addition to this there is also an audience who you must impress. If your performance really sucks, don't be surprised to see the audience up and leave!

You're saved some embarrassment by an on-screen alter ego, who borrows your voice in order to dance and sing for the crowd. As he or she does so, the lyrics to each song and the length of each note are detailed at the bottom of the screen for you to follow.

To top it all off there's a brilliant 'Showtime' mode, which follows the player's singing career as they begin in grimy clubs and chase pop superstardom.

• Sing your favorite tunes while Karaoke Stage judges you
• Fun-orientated sing-along that anyone can enjoy
• Perform your way to the ultimate concert venue in Showtime Mode
• Choose from a list of hits from the 70's, 80's, 90's and today!
• Utilises the Sony USB headset microphone for PlayStation®2
• For 1 to 8 players
• Voice recognition sensitive to pitch and ryhthm
• Songs from Avril Lavigne, REM and Barenaked Ladies
• UK version features exclusive tracks

It?s one of the most instantly recognisable titles for any format, and the DancingStage craze shows no sign of abating. As more and more people are learning about DancingStage, Konami has moved to create a title that caters for both newcomers and seasoned pros alike.

SuperNOVA now has a Tutorial mode that will take first time players on a step-by-step guide through the intricacies of the game. They?ll learn how to use the dance mat controller (sold separately) and get used to the way the game works while being taught about the different game modes.

Players who have a few years of experience under their dancing shoes will be pleased to see the ?Stellar Master? mode that has been added. Quite simply, it?s the toughest DancingStage challenge ever set and will require all of the fleet-footed skills the player has. There's also now a 'Battle Mode' where players can compete in a dance-off against one another. The player with the best timing and spot-on control is the one who will triumph.

With a wide mix of custom made songs and popular chart classics to play through, including hits like ?Romeo? by Basement Jaxx, Lady Sovereign?s ?Hoodie?, ?Right Here, Right Now? by Fat Boy Slim and A-ha?s classic ?Take on Me?. Videos accompany these tracks and play in the background as the player is dancing.

If that?s not enough, the game is EyeToy compatible so players will also be required to move their arms in time with the music ? thus upping the need for greater coordination!

• Latest installment of the best selling franchise
• Over 50 specially created tracks and chart favourites
• New tutorial mode for beginners
• Extra ?Stellar Master? mode for the real pros
• Battle mode and EyeToy compatibility

The Son of Death returns and once again, DJ and Pandora are up to their old tricks in this newest PSP adventure. The evil Furi, previously cocooned along with all of her evil powers has been awoken by our duo, putting not only their town at risk, but also the safety of DJ?s own father. Now the pair must stop Furi from unleashing her, well, fury on the land.

There have been a host of improvements since the original Death Jr. was released. After listening to feedback from players, the camera angle has been refined and enables players to easily cope with the situations thrown at them without ever losing momentum. The graphics, although some of the most stylish on PSP, have also improved with some impressive new techniques enabling incredibly atmospheric lighting effects and crisp, colourful animations.

Perhaps the biggest addition is the two-player co-operative mode that now been added. Once the host player has selected either DJ or Pandora, the second player can pick from a raft of new playable characters and into the game they go. The beauty of this mode is that the game has been tweaked to incorporate two players, so enemies are tougher as there are two people attacking them! Effectively, it?s almost an entirely different game as you must use teamwork and different attack plans to progress.

The creativity used throughout the game also continues to impress ? there are a huge variety of different levels to play through ranging from your standard forest levels through to a stage made entirely of food. But all of the unusual stages compliment the story completely and the dark sense of humour and evil undertones flow effortlessly through this fantastic game.

• Fantastic level design and environments
• New camera angle implemented following feedback from players
• Two-player cooperative mode acts like a second full game
• Unusual weapons ? Flaming Toilet Paper Gun and Explosive Hamsters!
• Top quality soundtrack adds to the experience