How we score

We don't use number scores. A 7.4 out of 10 tells you surprisingly little, and the whole internet ends up arguing about decimal points. Instead, every review ends on one of four verdicts, named after the best and worst things a die can do.

The four verdicts

• Crit: exceptional. One of the best of its kind, and something we would recommend to almost anyone even slightly interested. Drop what you're doing.
• Hit: good. It does what it sets out to do and is worth your time and money, even with a few rough edges.
• Miss: flawed. There is something here, but real problems get in the way. Only for the curious or for big fans of the genre.
• Fumble: skip it. Broken, dull or simply not worth the price. We don't hand these out lightly.

How we review

• We play, watch or listen properly. We finish games whenever we can, and when a game is enormous we tell you how many hours we put in.
• Board games get several plays, at different player counts, before we write a word.
• We judge things for what they are trying to be. A cosy game isn't marked down for being easy, and a party game isn't marked down for being silly.
• Price matters. A Hit at full price can be a Crit on sale, and we will say so.

What every review tells you

Next to the verdict you will find the exact version we reviewed (the platform, edition or season), the key facts at a glance, and a short list of the good and the bad, so you can decide in thirty seconds or read the whole thing.

Review copies and updates

Sometimes publishers send us a free copy to review. When that happens we say so in the review, and it has no effect on the verdict. Games change after launch, so if an update changes our opinion we update the review and note the date.

Lists, guides and features

Not every article gets a verdict. Our lists, guides and features are recommendations and explanations, written with the same honesty, but without a single final score.