World of Warcraft is different. While the grind has not gone entirely — there is still a lot of “collect 10 of this, kill five of that” — the quests are packaged with narrative hooks and humour, and fatal mistakes are not met with needlessly punitive consequences. But the game’s real pleasures lie in the world itself. Huge and diverse, it is filled with forests, caverns, vast mountains and magnificent cities. The cartoon-style graphics may not be cutting edge, but the designers and artists have transformed old background stories from previous games into living, breathing fantasy realms, packed with vibrant characters and strange side plots. Even better, you are free to walk those realms your way — battle against evil as a selfless knight or conjure up demons as an undead warlock. While there are advantages to teaming up with other players, this world is big enough for one. This is the closest yet to an online fantasy RPG that everyone can enjoy. In this world, the choice is all yours. Four stars
Stuart Andrews
Rhianna Pratchett
Dead or Alive
Ultimate Xbox, £39.99; ages 16+
This is the best of this beat-’em-up series, which has been running for nearly 10 years. Strictly speaking, Ultimate is a reworking of earlier versions, but it is not a rehash: practically everything has changed. Graphically, the game is now stunning, with superb character animation and great backgrounds — although some might object to the pneumatically proportioned women. Combat is also sharp: moves can be blocked and even countered with intuitive ease. However, this is a game governed by reflex — there is not much scope for strategy, just punch, kick and throw (preferably in a way your opponent doesn’t expect). Rather bizarrely, the soundtrack and voices are all in Japanese, but this doesn’t detract wildly from the game, which is arcade fun in its purest form. Four stars
Daniel Emery