I agree with Red - RPGs with plots! It would be too much to ask that that devs actually get some idea of how RPGs actually work, so they could at least come up with some original storylines.

Multiplayer games....on the same screen. I loathe split screens with a vengeance but can just about put up with them for two players. Any more than that and it's a nightmare. Trying to play Timesplitters3 with four people is frustrating to say the least. I understand the constraints of having more than one player on the same screen but it's about time they were resolved!

Playability - remember when Tomb Raider took weeks to complete? Now it takes hours. Thank you, Sony Corp. Games are far too short now and it all comes down to money. Publishers aren't particularly interested in whether we, the gamer will get good value or loads of enjoyment out of a game, they are interested in a fast return for their investment. And now since Sony set the criteria for game length, publishers can get away with commissioning much shorter games.

Immersion - I want to be completely absorbed in a game. I want to suddenly realise I have been playing for 16 hours solid and not eaten, been to the loo or even moved from my chair......and not even noticed. Ico was the last game this happened with. Unfortunately, that took me less than 16 hours to complete!

Challenging - I want puzzles where I have to use my brain. The Myst series is great for this but at times it is illogical. The puzzles have to make sense, not be so obscure that one has no hope of solving them without the aid of a guide or walkthrough. I want to be able to look at a puzzle or challenge, scratch my head a bit, try a few things and then for the light to dawn! I don't want to look at it and see the solution within five seconds (yes, Lara I'm talking about you again!).

Action - I'm not big on massive amounts of action. OK Timesplitters in arcade mode would be rather pants without it, as would FPSs but in the average adventure game I don't want my character killed off every 15 minutes because the devs have used shoot outs as fillers.

Music - Not really fussed to be honest. I've only ever played one game that I detested the music so much that it completely detracted from the game and that was San Andreas. Generally I find the music works well with the game and if I get fed up with it, I simply switch it off from the optons screen and play a CD.

Fun - I play games for amusement, not to get angry and frustrated. I don't pay good money to massage the egos of devs who think it is clever to make a game so difficult that people can't finish it. I want to feel a sense of achievement at the end of the game; to feel something has been resolved - closure. I don't want to feel that I could have played it with my eyes closed, nor that there was someone with a gun to my head, forcing me to endure it to the bitter end. I want to enjoy myself when I play. I've long since decided that life is too short to sit for hours trying to complete an impossible task/boss fight/whatever.

Looks - not hugely important. I don't mind clunky graphics if the game is good. I still play PSX games from time to time (ditto N64). In fact, I'd love to see games such as Syphon Filter (the first couple) and Tomb Raider (1-5) re-done for the PS2/3 but keeping the same gameplay, length and storylines.

So in a nutshell; good story, solid gameplay, decent length and something that is cerebrally challenging.