96 Animal Crossing: Wild World - Putting out the trash
OK, so it's not the first time it's been done - it's not even the first time it's been done in Animal Crossing - but Wild World puts this magical real-time game in your hands. At the flick of a switch and the swish of the stylus you're fishing on the shores of Townsville, drinking coffee with Brewster and entertaining guests from far off DS Wi-Fi-enabled lands.

But when you discover that the recycling is collected at 6am sharp on a Monday and Thursday, that's when you know your life will be truly engulfed by this game; when you realise that putting out the rubbish on your DS can - scarily - be more exciting than real life...

95 Hitman: Blood Money - Theatrical kill
Blood Money's accidental deaths took Hitman to a new level of subtle violence, and none more so than a satisfyingly well-performed mission set in an opera house during rehearsals.

Your target, a perverted singer, is playing a prisoner of war. A quick swap - the theater's prop pistol for a real, loaded weapon - and you have time for a few thrilling minutes of anticipation before the depraved star is executed on stage. Even more darkly enjoyable is realizing that the actor's perfect "performance" leaves his co-stars oblivious to the kill, and they continue to rehearse over his now cooling corpse.

Above: As Jade's rage against the alien machine blasts into space for its dramatic conclusion in Beyond Good & Evil, it's a starburst of heart-skipping anticipation.

94 Driver - Nob Hill
Forget the dodgier-than-a-cut-and-shut-Cavalier sequels, the original Driver is pedal-to-the-metal chase madness at its very best. The first time you floored undercover cop Tanner's roaring Dodge Charger around - and several feet above - the undulating roads of San Francisco's Nob Hill was like being run over by a thirty-ton truck of fun.

Indeed, hurtling down Nob Hill with a pack of angry squad cars in hot and unrelenting pursuit is pulse-racingly thrilling. And then being able to admire the whole tire-screeching spectacle in Director mode is the perfect way to steady your heart rate before jumping back into the driving seat for more.

93 Beyond Good & Evil - Heading to outer space
It doesn't take long to be sucked into this beautiful gem of a game. Watching the rebellion against a shady government gather momentum as a result of hero Jade's actions gives the player a real sense of responsibility for the virtual world of Hillys and its oppressed residents.

With an uprising sparked and the - virtual - people empowered, Jade fits her Beluga space craft with the necessary parts that will take her into orbit for the final stick-it-to-the-man-on-the-moon showdown. Blasting away from Hillys is a spine-tingling moment and even the cold, hard vacuum of space isn't enough to spoil the atmosphere.