The bookies' favourite for Christmas No.1 gets off to a poor start, charting at No.2 behind Assassin's Creed.

Assassin's Creed screenshot

Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed makes it two weeks at the top and that's despite a 32% drop in sales. This means EA's Need for Speed: ProStreet has to settle for second place, with first week sales lower than that of NFS: Most Wanted and NFS: Carbon.

Activision's Call of Duty 4 takes a big hit, down 46%, but manages to slide only a solitary place to No.3. The Simpsons Game drops to No.4 and the record-breaking week for Nintendo DS hardware helps Brain Training surge up the chart to No.5 (recording its best week of sales).

PES 2008 climbs three places to No.6, while Super Mario Galaxy takes a hit and drops two places to No.7. Of the new releases Guitar Hero III is the only title besides ProStreet to make the Top 10, placing at No.10. Mass Effect charts at No.12 (No.4 based on sales on individual formats), Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games No.14, Kane & Lynch: Dead Men No.16 and the highly anticipated Unreal Tournament 3 only just scrapes into the Top 40 at No.40 - one place ahead of Crysis which takes a huge drop for week two.

With so many new releases hitting stores some were bound to chart poorly. Titles which failed to make the Top 40 include Ace Combat 6 (No.12 in the Xbox 360 chart), Lair (No.16 in the PS3 chart), Warhammer 40,000: Squad Command (No.13 in the PSP chart), Smarty Pants (No.28 in the Wii chart), Mario Party DS (No.17 in the DS chart), My Word Coach (No.20 in the DS chart), Sight Training (No.22 in the DS chart) and Supreme Commander: Forged Alliance (No.11 in the PC chart).

Check out VideoGamer.com's regular weekly feature, Heads Up, to see which games are hitting stores this week.

Leisure software charts compiled by Chart Track, (C)2001 ELSPA Ltd
Entertainment Software (All Prices) Week 47, 2007

1: ASSASSIN'S CREED
2: NEED FOR SPEED: PROSTREET
3: CALL OF DUTY 4: MODERN WARFARE
4: THE SIMPSONS GAME
5: DR KAWASHIMA'S BRAIN TRAINING
6: PRO EVOLUTION SOCCER 2008
7: SUPER MARIO GALAXY
8: WWE SMACKDOWN VS RAW 2008
9: FIFA 08
10: GUITAR HERO III: LEGENDS OF ROCK
11: HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL: SING IT!
12: MASS EFFECT
13: MORE BRAIN TRAINING FROM DR KAWASHIMA
14: MARIO & SONIC AT THE OLYMPIC GAMES
15: RATATOUILLE
16: KANE & LYNCH: DEAD MEN
17: LEGO STAR WARS: THE COMPLETE SAGA
18: WII PLAY
19: HALO 3
20: COOKING MAMA