Game of the year: ``Half-Life 2,'' from Vivendi Universal for PCs (Mature). It balances a captivating story, graphics, physics so real that nothing looks or feels fake, mental puzzles and a lot of tough combat.
2. ``Halo 2,'' from Microsoft for Xbox (Mature). The cliffhanger ending makes its story disappointing after a three-year wait, but it adds better game play to the already outstanding original.
3. ``Rome: Total War,'' from Activision for PCs (Teen). Two games in one. Takes you from the view of the Roman Empire in Risk-style strategy to the commander's view on a 3-D tactical battlefield.
4. ``Far Cry,'' from Ubisoft for PCs (Mature). A tropical island makes a great setting for both close-up jungle combat and long-distance sharpshooting in this first-person shooter.
5. ``Doom 3,'' from Activision for PCs (Mature). A scary experience made startlingly real with dark lighting and atmosphere.
6. ``The Sims 2,'' from Electronic Arts for PCs (Teen). You get to control smarter, better-looking Sims who still have minds of their own. Great for new gamers.
7. ``Battle For Middle Earth,'' from Electronic Arts for PCs (Teen). This late arrival has magical graphics, even on its strategic map, and re-creates the feel of battles from the Peter Jackson ``Lord of the Rings'' films.
8. ``Pathway to Glory,'' from Nokia for the N-Gage game phone. (Teen) Yes, finally a cell phone game that is hard to put down.
9. ``Full Spectrum Warrior,'' from THQ for Xbox and PCs (Mature). My esteemed colleague blew it when he panned the game in his review. In this warfare tactics game, protecting your squad is your mission.
10. ``Zoo Tycoon 2,'' from Microsoft for PCs (Everyone). This zoo-building sequel lets you zoom in on every animal or guest now.
