Sometimes there can be too many games to play. With the BAFTA award-winning Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter about to get a sequel, Crackdown on the horizon and achievements still to get on Gears of War and Rainbow Six Vegas, I’m worried that I don’t have enough spare time to finish them all. Maybe I’ll have to start taking long lunches in the games room to keep storming through the ranks on Live...

Marketplace is a cruel beast at times like this. Just when you think it’s safe to jump into a co-op game of Gears of War you notice that your friends are playing the GRAW 2 and Crackdown demos weeks before the games come out! This is why I’m still a Staff Sergeant in Rainbow Six Vegas while I join games filled with officer-ranked players. If Crackdown wasn’t such awesome fun I might be Elite rank by now!

I’m told that the demo gives you time to create a four star agent if you’re playing it properly. Unfortunately my ability to accidentally cause enormous explosions and then start a riot with every gang in the game distracts me from the task at hand as I do my best to stay alive. Fans of Saint’s Row and the Grand Theft Auto series will love the open-ended game play. With a huge selection of crazy achievements to get, you’ll be playing it for months to come. Which doesn’t help me with limited time and GRAW 2 around the corner afterwards...

With a larger co-operative campaign than before, Ghost Recon has never looked so good. Sitting alongside the story of the single-player game, which itself follows directly on from GRAW, I can see myself investing many hours lying in tall grass with a sniper rifle spotting targets. With more weapons, more vehicles and an impressive list of improvements over the already brilliant Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter,

In GRAW 2, you now have direct control of UAV Cypher drones and the new M.U.L.E. drone which you can use to scout around on the ground. Improved AI and graphics are most welcome in the latest guaranteed blockbuster from Ubisoft. Airstrikes, C4 and vehicle explosions are modelled to look better than ever as the battlefield comes alive around you. Give the demo a go on Marketplace and see for yourself if GRAW 2 will pull you away from Splinter Cell and Rainbow Six, the rest of Ubisoft’s impressive arsenal.

Perhaps if it were just these two games tearing me away from Rainbow Six Vegas, I might at least make Second Lieutenant and get that achievement out of the way. Xbox Live Arcade has other plans though – we’ve got Alien Hominid and Settlers of Catan coming up for starters. Then there’s Castlevania: Symphony of the Night for fans of the series, with all kinds of improvements for the Xbox 360 high definition game. WormsHD doesn’t help either – I’m definitely going to need to book a few long lunches in the office working on those achievements!

If all that gaming isn’t enough to distract you, why not try and win a one-of-a-kind custom-made Xbox 360 snowboard as part of our celebration of Big Day Out. Find out how you can win in next month's newsletter - go sign up now.

By Mark Eveleigh, Xbox.com Editor. Gamertag: Making Sparks