UK game charts: January 14-20

Few things are a certainty in the video game world, but given the huge crowds that gathered in London for the launch of World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade, it was a fairly safe bet that the game would arrive at the top of last week's UK all-formats game chart.

Not only did Blizzard's expansion pack manage a number one debut, but it also became the UK's second-fastest-selling PC game of all time behind Championship Manager 04. Chart-Track reports that the title accounted for 30 percent of all PC games sold last week. The release of The Burning Crusade has also helped the original World of Warcraft back into the top 40--the game reentered at number 28.

Despite the arrival of Blizzard's massively multiplayer behemoth, the rest of the chart remained largely unchanged. The chart-topping entry has merely knocked last week's top four games down a place each, with Lost Planet: Extreme Condition at number two followed by WarioWare: Smooth Moves, FIFA 07, and Pro Evolution Soccer 6.

The most impressive rise of the week goes to Sega's World Snooker Championship 2007, which jumped from 17 to six thanks no doubt to the Masters tournament coming to a close in London this week. The rest of the top 10 was rounded out by chart stalwarts, with Need for Speed Carbon at seven, Call of Duty 3 at eight, The Sims 2: Pets at nine, and Canis Canem Edit (Bully in the US) at 10.

The Burning Crusade's dominance can also be felt further down the chart, with precious few new entries making their way into the Top 40. The budget PC game market has had a revival, with titles such as Galaxy of Games Red, Sega Rally, and Sonic Mega Collection Plus holding positions from 20-40. The Burning Crusade's reign doesn't face any major challenges next week, with only the releases of Star Fox Command on the Nintendo DS and Rocky Balboa on the PlayStation Portable likely to make an appearance in the charts.