01Which games we pick
Games made by studios in the UK that players in the UK can start today on at least one mainstream platform, and that make a good evening on their own or with other people. Famous or tiny makes no difference.
02How we play them
Over several sittings, on one sofa and online, with friends and family and in public matches with strangers where the game has them. We look through the shop, try the chat and report tools, set up the family controls and time a few ordinary sittings before we write a word.
03What a score weighs
- Play: controls, depth, fairness and how it feels to improve.
- World: art, music, writing and whether it is worth an evening.
- Together: how well it works with other people and with mixed skill levels.
- Value: what it costs, what it sells once you are playing and whether the shop gets in the way.
- Stopping: clear save points, sensible sittings and how hard the game pulls you back.
04Ten segments
One editorial score out of five, in tenths. The bar beside each review has ten segments, each worth half a point, so a 4.5 fills nine of them.
05From score to room
The score sets the room of the Hall a game sits in:
- Great Hall (from 4.7): The best of British: games we would put on any sofa, for almost anyone.
- Long Gallery (from 4.4): Excellent, with a caveat or two that the review spells out.
- Parlour (from 4.0): Very good for the right players; the review says who.
- Back Room (below 4.0): Rough edges, but worth an evening if the genre is yours.
06Sittings and save points
The sitting shown for each game is one we timed ourselves: a few kitchens, a voyage, a chapter or an evening in a world. The save point is the natural moment to put the game down. Neither changes a score; both help plan an evening.
07Where the facts come from
Platforms, chat options, accounts and costs come from our own play and are checked against each game’s official pages, which stay the reference for prices and age ratings. Each studio’s home town comes from its own pages.
08What we never do
No paid placements, no sponsored scores, no invented facts and no reviews written from trailers or press releases.
09Keeping reviews current
Links, platforms and shops are checked regularly. When a big update changes how a game plays or what it sells, we play it again before touching the score.