Finding that middle ground between porn and sexism when it comes to games isn't easy. Strong, convincing and logical female game characters are in demand by women, where men are usually looking for more eye candy than then anything else. And while the game industry is doing better at making games that both sexes can play together, there are still plenty of games with offensive female characters.

Part of the problem is that women have a lot of prerequisites - we want to be portrayed as sexy and fun, while at the same time we want to be respected and feared in games too.

Here are some examples of female game characters gone wrong, in games ranging from old school classics to new titles that haven't even been released yet. Maybe if we can look at some of these mistakes, we can learn from them and do better.

There are several different ways that female characters can be annoying. Some female game avatars are just awful; others were put in incidentally without much attention, and that shows. Characters are cloying when they are just window dressing, like the blonde elven barmaid in Baldur's Gate. Another widely shared concern is that female avatars don't wear clothing and armour that suits the style of fighting that the character has to do in the game. There are several female characters that are even psychos or criminals.

Elven Bar Maid

Some games have weak and useless characters, such as Gabrielle in Xena Warrior Princess for PS One, and Yorda from Ico . Others have ridiculous costuming, such as the elf women in the soon to be released Kingdom Under Fire : Heroes. Some female avatars, such as Nina Williams from the Tekken franchise, and her own game Death by Degrees , serve as an example of just how disproportioned a female figure can be.

Cirith

It is disappointing to see that new games, such as the forthcoming