The most enjoyable sword combat on the Wii yet; the finishing moves are oh so sweet and satisfying; the game has a ridiculously unique sense of humour; everything from movies to 8-bit gaming gets referenced, and wait until you see the save system!

Doing odd jobs to earn money is boring. That's not a video game: it's a J-O-B. While the art style is cool, the graphics are sort of ugly. If this game had true new-gen graphics, it'd be winner winner chicken dinner in every way possible. The boss fights...

No More Heroes easily ranks among the Wii's finest titles, busting a bunch of myths along the way. You say sword-based combat peaked with Twilight Princess? Wait until you slice a suit-wearing crony in half. The Wii can't do mature games? This game does i...

Highly user-friendly, plenty of tools and templates to play around with, comprehensive media backup options

Video editing options are a tad basic

Corel MediaOne Plus is a user-friendly, multi-purpose application that keeps all of the basics covered. Whether you want to create DVD slideshows, enhance your photographs, or safely backup your media, MediaOne Plus offers the necessary tools for completi...

Simple to use, price is low, microphone recording feature is great for budding artists

Limited control and feature set

JamTrax is clearly aimed at kids and those wanting some good, but basic music-making software. It's an easy way to waste a few hours and have a bit of fun. It's very easy to use and may even work as a gateway to other more complex music programs, if you g...

In iPhoto, Events organises photos for you; GarageBand gives you the ability to record multiple takes within a specific marked section of a song; iWeb '08 has the ability to add 'widgets' to your Web pages; iWeb '08 is both versatile and impressively easy...

iMovie looks more crowded and complicated than before; iMovie isn't user-friendly; there is nothing genuinely new about iDVD

On the whole, we have very few criticisms of iLife. As ever, it represents superb value for money and the new versions of iPhoto, GarageBand and even iWeb are impressive (barring a few iWeb glitches of which you need to be aware). Even the minor upgrade t...

Even more realistic oil brushes, better tools for making photos into art

Interface is complex

What's not to like about Painter X? If we had designed it, we would have tried to streamline its interface, which hasn't changed much: Dig into its array of tools, settings and options, and your canvas may get overloaded with palettes and toolbars. Even a...

Now includes 32-bit effects rendering, multi-camera editing, powerful vector-based titling, greatly improved audio tools including a mixing console

The 32-bit editing mode slows editing and rendering performance, tThe interface remains unchanged and unexciting, DVD Architect Pro 4.5 isn't a major update

Although DVD Architect Pro 4.5 isn't a major update, Vegas 8 itself has plenty to make it worth the upgrade. It now matches the Adobe and Avid competition for most major features, and, priced between Premiere Pro and Liquid, it's great value for an all-in...

Exports to a wide variety of file formats, iClone now offers special effects

Lacks a multiple undo feature, relies on your graphics card to get a good result

Unlike alternatives such as Poser, iClone lacks a multiple undo feature, and you don't get the same control over elements. But iClone packs remarkable power and usability for its price.

Original settings and monster design, compelling storyline

Graphics are sometimes murky, game play gets monotonous, story's pacing is slow

Although Folklore isn't perfect, it is definitely one fairy tale worth finishing.

Wonderfully easy to get to grips with, fast and streamlined tool set, plenty of advanced features

Experienced users may be put off by the excessive handholding and default easy modes

If you're cutting your teeth in the world of photography, Paint Shop Pro Photo X2 is a great introduction to the editing process. It allows you to create quick and easy-to-achieve results yet still remains suitably professional.

Good range of options.

Not easy to learn without tutorials.

Thank heavens for the tutorial system, as Audio Studio is a tough program to get into, especially if you're one of the comparative novices at which it's aimed. But persevere and you'll see that this program has a strong feature set for the money.