Horror fans looking for their next thrill have been told that Alan Wake could be right up their street after it received a number of positive reviews.

Matt Wales, writing for IGN.co.uk, said the game, which is now available on the Xbox 360, takes the best elements from titles such as Silent Hill and Twin Peaks and polishes them to come up with a simple and neat thriller.

Taking up a third-person perspective, gamers control Alan Wake, who is up against the town’s “off-kilter inhabitants and a malevolent force”, which has been lying dormant at the bottom of a local lake.

Gamers are put in a spooky and atmospheric environment, out in the countryside where there are abandoned mining towns, forest and farm yards.

“There’s also a significant shift in gameplay which sees an early driving sequence expanded into several lengthy rides through the mountains, scavenging for munitions and scurrying over obstacles as the apocalypse itself sticks close to your tail,” added Mr Wales.

The title has also received good reviews from IGN’s regional websites, with the US version giving it nine out of ten.

Fans of the Sid Meier series will get to cross swords, or Wii controllers, later this year when Pirates! hits the shelves.

The game, which is being developed by 2K China, will be available to Nintendo Wii users this Autumn, with added motion controls, new character and ship customisation options, and two mini-games included.

Based on the 2005 PC and Xbox title developed by Firaxis, the game will take people’s memories back to the original classic Sid Meier title which was first released in 1987.

“We are big fans of the Wii and think Pirates! is the perfect game to bring to that platform. We’re sure Wii fans will enjoy the timeless adventure of being a pirate captain on the high seas as much as all of our other fans have,” said Mr Meier.

Reviewing the Xbox version of the game, Douglass Perry told IGN that the title was “outstanding”, thanks to its “brilliant” gameplay and long-lasting appeal.

Fans of the latest game in the Call of Duty series will now be able to access extra content on their PlayStation 3 after a period of Xbox 360 exclusivity.

A new Stimulus map pack is available for Modern Warfare 2, containing five new terrains for gamers to fight through.

Two of the maps have been used from the hugely successful Call of Duty 4, where users are set in a dusty square in the middle of Iraq and the other features a run-down village where the enemy is lurking around every corner.

Three completely news maps have been included in the package, with a sprawling warehouse complex and plenty of rain providing a spooky and atmospheric battlefield, while a snowy scrapyard complex provides another warfare background.

Reviewing the package for the Xbox 360, NowGamer said that it was “definitely worth the investment if you’re as mad for Modern Warfare as we are”.

The latest game in the Tiger Woods PGA Tour series will feature a host of new features which will more closely mimic the sport.

Destructoid.com reported that Tiger Woods PGA Tour 11 will include a number of realism-based improvements, which will better an “already spiffy game”.

Advanced plus and tour pro swing options will track the swing rotation and plane even more closely, meaning that the action path of the club is reproduced exactly on screen.

Tour pro mode will measure the point of contact on the ball, which means that gamers could even miss the target under the pressure of hitting a crucial fairway iron.

“There’s a new camera view called true view. This first-person perspective has you actually looking down at the ball, and not Tiger’s back. This puts you in the position to swing the club properly,” added the preview.

Furthermore, golf fans will also get to relive the Ryder Cup, competing as the Europeans or the US for golf’s most famous team trophy.

Fans of the Sims series will get to play the latest title on their favourite console later this year, EA has revealed.

The virtual life game will grace the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Wii console, while the Nintendo DS handheld will also see the game being made available for it.

Having been one of the best-selling PC games in 2009, following an exclusive deal, the news will be welcomed by console-owning fans of the series.

“We’re bringing players the best console and handheld game for The Sims franchise to date and are excited to offer a unique experience for all types of gamers on their platform of choice,” said Sam Player, executive producer for EA.

Furthermore, gamers on the PS3 or Xbox will also be able to share their creations and content via Facebook, while Wii users will also be able to play mini-games head-to-head with a friend.

The Sims is a long-running franchise for EA, with gamers getting the opportunity to control lives in the palm of their hand.

Praise is being heaped on Sony’s new motion controller for its PlayStation 3 console, with one expert describing it as a "great piece of hardware".

Lol Scragg, chief executive officer of Cohort Studios, based in Dundee, has been using the Move while building one of the first titles for the device.

He told Develop that it has a fantastic feel to it and it is "incredibly accurate".

"Having used both controllers a lot, I’d say it was clear that the Move controller is so much more accurate [than the Wii]. And it’s not just across the X and Y-axis either, the Z axis is really accurate as well," he stated.

Mr Scragg also said that Sony and Microsoft’s new wave of motion control peripherals will interest the majority of the core gaming market, some of whom have become opposed to motion control gaming.

According to a number of technology websites, Microsoft’s Natal controller will be released in time for Christmas this year, while the PlayStation Move has yet to have its unveiling announced.

Fans of rugby league have been out in their droves to buy the latest iteration of the series for the Nintendo Wii.

Sidhe Interactive’s Rugby League 3 managed to break into the top five of GfK’s Chart Track during its first week on games shelves, coming in ahead of the likes of Red Steel 2, Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10 and F1 2009.

It is also receiving good reviews from gaming critics, with Ian Knott, writing for Stuff.co.nz giving it three stars out of five.

He stated that having been made with a relatively small budget, compared to EA Sports’ blockbuster titles, the Wii exclusive title focuses more on what is important, namely gameplay ahead of graphics.

With over 80 licensed teams from the NRL, State of Origin and Super League, as well as international squads, the game is "comprehensive", according to Mr Knott.

"At the end of the day I have no doubt that Rugby League 3 is the best League game on the market to date. Once you get the hang of the controls then you can really start to enjoy the game itself," he added.

The new Splinter Cell: Conviction game has been described as “outstanding” in a hugely positive review.

Alec Meer, writing for IGN, said that “classy” is a word which keeps coming to mind when talking about this new stealth title.

“All in all, Conviction is a splendid package, positively glowing with good health. The amount of content is huge as it is, but the range of options for how you play lends it enormous replay value too,” he added.

Mr Meer commented that the fifth game in the Splinter Cell series sees lead character Sam Fisher do away with tactical complexity and instead focus on “panther-like power” and high-speed multi-kills.

He stated that while certain elements have been done away with, the developers have concentrated perfectly on getting other aspects absolutely perfect, such as shooting, punching and hiding.

Splinter Cell: Conviction is proving to be a favourite among gaming fans, sitting at the top of Chart Track’s all format table this week.

Sony’s PSP games console is one of the best on the market, with a number of high-class games to enjoy, according to a blog posting.

A guide written on HeadlineNews said that when the handheld was first launched, it was not too popular as there was a shortage of games to play on it.

However, the last three years has seen a number of titles being made available for the PSP, often following high-profile releases on the PlayStation 3.

Recommending some of the best games, the blog highlighted Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories, as even on limited hardware, gamers can move around the virtual town and do everything that they could on the PC version.

Dante’s Inferno was also given a good review, with the blog stating that its “beautiful graphics” gave it an extra dimension.

Currently, LittleBigPlanet is receiving good reviews on Gamespot.com for the PSP thanks to its originality and level design.