Shogun: Total War, PC CD-Rom, £34.99
Shogun: Total War requires patience. Based in Japan during the 16th century (the Sengoku Jidai period) you are one of the seven Daimyo, whose goal is to rule all of Japan and thus become Shogun.
You must grow your economy, build fortresses and train vast armies. In battle you will have to grasp the principles of using the weather and terrain to your advantage. You must also understand, for instance, how effective warrior monks are against Yari Samurai or how archers fare against spearmen. You can battle in "campaign" or "custom" mode, and in "historical battle" mode you can recreate some of feudal Japan's greatest battles. This is an epic game and not one for casual gameplayers; those who can't get enough of Command and Conquer or Civilisation will simply love it. However, a better tutorial or more inviting manual might have made this game more accessible.
Colin McRae Rally 2.0, Sony PlayStation, £39.99
The original Colin McRae rally game saw off many challengers to its crown and was probably the best rally game on the PlayStation. It is one of the world's most successful (1.7 million sales) and acclaimed video games in recent years. Like all great games, a sequel is never far around the corner, and unlike films the sequel is often a shade or two better. Colin McRae Rally 2.0 doesn't upset that trend.
You can drive McRae's Ford Focus (or 11 other cars), and his co-driver Nicky Grist provides non-stop co-driver commentary when you're in the driving seat. New features include more detailed cars, better scenery and an arcade mode that allows you to race with up to five cars on looped rally circuits.
New damage and car physics make it look more authentic, and the whole experience is that they have polished the game up in almost every department.