Some games do manage to improve on their predecessor, but the majority fail to recapture the original magic or end up being crushingly disappointing.

Here's the top 5…

5 – Perfect Dark Zero

This sequel was far from perfect (sorry) and was a great upset to anyone who loved the original N64 game. What could have been a great way to introduce the amazing capabilities of the new Xbox 360 turned into a sub-standard shoot ‘em up. More of a victim of high expectations and a hard game to follow.

4 – Super Mario Bros. 2

The fact that this game was based on an entirely different Japanese game series, Yume Kojo, might explain why it was such a vast departure from the first game. With throwable vegetables, no time limits, and the inclusion of a life meter, it remains as one of the most bizarre sequels in the Mario series. Completely against the formula and almost like Mario has eaten a pizza with out of date cheese and entered one long nightmare.

3 – Metal Gear Solid 2

Amazing as the first game was, a lot was riding on the legendary Snake Solid as main character. It was never going to work as soon as he was replaced – never mind replacing him with a namby-pamby, whiny, blonde-haired boy named Raiden. Whilst not necessarily a bad game (gotta love interrogating the guards), it took a long time to accept our new feminine hero. Who, uh, gets naked. It just doesn't seem right.

2 – Driver 2

Remember when Driver was about the driving? Once Grand Theft Auto came along, this game took it on as a personal challenge to to upstage the Rockstar behemoth and failed every single time with its dodgy graphics, confusing control system, and awful AI. Don't take on battles you can't win and don't mess with the original magic.

1 – Every Sonic sequel

How the mighty have fallen. Whereas Mario has kept fresh and exciting on the newer consoles and constantly pushed boundaries, Sonic has found it hard to escape the frantic ring-chasing antics of his roots and plummeted into a barrage of disappointing and dull sequels. Every time a game is released it's like an ageing overweight rockstar making an embarrassing comeback doomed to fail.

[story by Edward Marsh]