Labs

It's been a bumper year for games. DirectX 10 might not have offered everything we were promised, but the latest crop of consoles has meant a steady stream of incredible-looking, engrossing games in every imaginable category. Here's our pick of the very best.

We simply love blowing things up. Nothing gives us more satisfaction than squaring a rocket launcher up to a building full of ne-er do-wells and abruptly turning the whole thing into a smoking pile of rubble. But there's just as much pleasure in placing a Boeing 747-400 squarely on the numbers at Heathrow after a 12-hour flight, or mastering updrafts in the DG-808S 18m sailplane as there is in decapitating a zombie. Flight Simulator X is little short of heaven for those who inadvertently turn their heads skyward at the sound of passing jets. There are 21 aircraft to play with, from twin-engine pistons to commuter jets and jumbos, and thousands of airports, all put together on a world made from high resolution satellite imagery. In fact, there's never been a better reason to pop on a pair of headphones, lock the doors, and set the doors to automatic. You don't even need to blow anything up.