Games: Iron Storm <br/>Ty the Tasmanian Tiger <br/>007 Nightfire <br/>Quantum Redshift

Set in a war that has spanned more than 50 years, Iron Storm casts gamers as the West's one hope against the maniacal Baron Ugenberg. Ingeniously, the game is both a first- and third-person shoot-'em-up; less ingeniously, the game's pretty scenery can't disguise Iron Storm's wooden animations and monotonous gameplay.

Iron Storm, PC-CDrom (Wanadoo, £29.99) **

Set in a war that has spanned more than 50 years, Iron Storm casts gamers as the West's one hope against the maniacal Baron Ugenberg. Ingeniously, the game is both a first- and third-person shoot-'em-up; less ingeniously, the game's pretty scenery can't disguise Iron Storm's wooden animations and monotonous gameplay.

Ty the Tasmanian Tiger, (EA, £39.99) ***

The adventures of Ty are EA's attempt to fill the void left by Sonic, Crash and the like. With a couple of boomerangs in his hands, and a load of talismans to find, Ty could be the star of a classic adventure-come-platform title. Unfortunately, despite plenty of potential, this game needs more variety to be considered a contender.

007 Nightfire, Xbox (EA, £39.99) *****

The latest expedition of the world's favourite spy game craftily mixes in flashy, vehicle-based levels with traditional, first-person shooter gameplay, featuring gorgeous wheels such as Bond's Aston Martin Vanquish. Stuffed with explosions, funky gadgets and multi-player madness, it's all you want from a Bond game, and then some.

Quantum Redshift, Xbox (Microsoft, £39.99) **

Microsoft's new racing title puts its participants in a futuristic, no-holds-barred race to the finish. The tracks span land and water, with power-ups available so that you can blow your opponents out of contention. But despite its stunning graphics and ease of play, Quantum's slow, dull action falls short of Xbox players' high expectations.