The gamer: Dark Sector / Wii Fit

DARK SECTOR (£49.99 ***) is yet another third-person shooter for the Xbox 360 and PS3, but this offers something slightly different. You play as an assassin/soldier called Hayden as you infiltrate an old fortress in Russia to destroy a weaponised virus. In the first level your right arm gets infected by the very virus you're trying to stop, in a very Spider-Man manner, and you get a new power which you'll then use for the rest of the game. Combat is very similar to Gears Of

As well as using a pistol, machine guns and shotguns, your fancy new weapon is a razor-sharp disc which grows out of your hand called the Glaive. You can chuck this at enemies to cut off arms, legs and heads. Soon into the game you can also apply after-touch and steer it, taking down more than one enemy a time. On the PS3 you can use the Sixaxis controller to steer it; and for once, it's suited here. You can even throw the thing into fire, ice and electricity to give it new powers and then use it to solve puzzles and fight bosses.

The game is fun but inconsistent. You may get bored of running through similar levels before you reach the end, and the quality of the graphics varies from fantastic to distinctly mediocre. There's no real sense of progression as you play. You can upgrade weapons but these aren't available from the start if you want to replay. Two multiplayer modes have also been thrown in: one where you play as Hayden, and everyone else – as normal humans with guns – tries to put you down. Not a bad game, especially if you're chomping at the bit for the next Gears Of War. It may just bridge the gap.

Nintendo are hoping to end gym memberships forever thanks to their latest release, the Wii Fit (£69.99 ****). Video games are constantly being blamed for health problems and kids being overweight, so this aims to tackle that problem. It comes with a balance board, basically a set of flat white scales that also measure your centre of balance. You stand on it and do exercises and games to get you in shape. There's yoga, muscle workouts, balance games and aerobic exercises, and every day the game tests your Wii Fit age based on your height, weight, BMI and balance. As far as having a personal trainer goes, you can choose from a man or a woman. They then go through the motions, whether it's lunges, yoga or press-ups, and you treat them as a mirror image. The balance board also knows if you're doing the moves correctly, judging on the pressure points it measures while you break a sweat. This really works: as you do the exercises at the right speed and get the technique right – you even get encouragement to keep you going. Aerobic games range from spinning your hips to catch hoopla as you're on the board or using it as a step. The balance games are also lots of fun. You can ski and head footballs amongst other games.