Get into the groove

And I cringed when I first saw the decidedly dodgy-looking characters in Bust -A-Groove, fashion victims everyone and some so smooth they could slide UP a wall.

But the outrageous '70s fashions - flares aplenty, tight fitting jackets, platform shoes etc etc - are what help make this new dance game for the PlayStation from Sony Computer Entertainment Europe such a giggle.

Parappa the Rappa was all about pressing buttons to get the rap right, Bust-A-Groove is all about pressing the right buttons to create dance moves. Basically, the icons appear on screen (square, circle etc etc) and you repeat them to create the move.

As you get into the groove, hitting the right buttons in the right sequence, so the dance moves become more complex.

Visually, the cartoon-style is a treat, an explosion of colour in various 3D locations, including night clubs, dance halls and even the sewers. You can choose from 100 cool dance dudes who have to have a 'dance off' against each other for the title of dance master. Bust-A-Groove is the world's first two-player dancing game, offering all kinds of styles from hip hop to techno and house, and more than 1,000 individually motion captured dance moves makes the dancers master movers. The game is so silly it's great, offering more fun than a Friday night out on the town - well, maybe not but you know what I mean.

Ninja: Shadow of Darkness

IT'S back to more usual fare with Ninja: Shadow of Darkness, the new arcade adventure from Eidos. The game has been developed by Tomb Raider creators Core Design, and it looks the business. This time it is all down to young Ninja Kurosawa who returns from war to find that evil demons and the living dead have taken over his homeland.

So he's soon back in action, getting to grips with the nasties (and there are plenty of them) armed with traditional Japanese weapons and magic.

As well as taking on the baddies, there are plenty of environmental hazards as you progress through detailed, atmospheric locations in this non-stop action extravaganza. There are some 50 different enemies, including 13 end bosses, 13 stages in full 3D, hand-to-hand fighting (including combos) and bonus points that can boost your health, provide extra lives, weapons and invulnerability.

Worth taking a look at. JE

Down in the graveyard...

IF you like graveyards, zombies and enough spooks to open a rent-a-ghost company then you will probably like Medievil out soon for the PlayStation.

This action adventure/platformer from Sony Computer Entertainment Europe (SCEE) is rich in black humour. It's certainly a funny old game and the main character, Sir Daniel Fortesque, is a real hoot.

He's brought back from the dead to track down the evil sorcerer Zarok.

Sir Dan is a strange, comical looking guy, a bit on the skinny side (and who wouldn't be) with the oddest looking legs in the land, even for a zombie. But he's certainly fun. Of course, before he can get his fingers on Zarok the undead warrior has to do battle with all kinds of weird creatures in a variety of graphically rich locations.

The first of the these is the local graveyard where you have to watch your back. There are chopped off hands scurrying around and coffins spring up from the ground to unleash a wave of zombies who don't take kindly to Sir Dan.

But have no fear, there are weapons aplenty to bash them back to where they belong.

You can collect swords, a shield, lightning bolts and daggers which you can throw at the baddies.

And when you run out of daggers you can always rip off your left arm and use that as a club! You can even throw it a fair distance...and it comes straight back. Crazy! There are up to 55 different enemies to sort out and seven end-of-level bosses before the face-to-face with the horrible Zarok.

There are some lush graphics and oodles of suitably creepy atmosphere.

Fairy tale platformer

ALSO on the way from SCEE is Tombi, the main character in this fairy-tale style platformer aimed at the kiddies.

Tombi is a prehistoric youngster . He's too cute looking for my liking and sports PINK hair but it all fits in well with a lush-looking, beautifully coloured creation with gameplay that youngsters will take.

Tombi swings, jumps, swims, runs and flys past the enemy, the evil Koma pigs, as he tries to locate various items and toys to progress.

Tombi is a combination of platformer, roleplaying adventure and lateral thinking, with questions being asked before Tombi can get past various obstacles.

There are 50 locations to explore, including mysterious forests, castle remains, sunken ships and sky-high towers.

It's colourful, entertaining and youngsters will probably love it. JE

Time for action, man.

IT'S your duty to save the world...and you will have plenty of fun trying to do just that in a new all-action game from Sony Computer Entertainment.

The Fifth Element is based on the film blockbuster of the same name which starred Bruce Willis. Now it is your chance to fill action-man Korben's shoes as you fight, shoot and blast your way to your objective.

The locations, including New York 2213, Flashton Paradise, the Egyptian temple and the Astroport are modelled on those in the film, but there are also new locations to discover and which have been specially designed for the game - Cornelius' building, the depths of New York City and the casino of Flashton Paradise.

All together there are 15 good looking, 3D levels for you to fight your way through, with baddies around every corner. There are no fewer than 16 enemies to keep you occupied, ranging from overweight-looking chaps armed with machine guns and grenades to various monsters.

There are also odd-looking, metal flying bugs that sound like a biscuit tin when you crack them one. Korben comes complete with a snazzy firearm, an an unlimited supply of ammunition and plenty of lives so you are in with a chance of getting somewhere. There are also medic kits to be collected (to top up your lifeforce), along with shield boosters, bombs and so on.

It's a third person game and the characters are well put together and agile enough to keep the pace going.

While Korben looks as muscled as a balloon full of conkers, this macho man appears a little prissy when it comes to side steps, jump backs etc. They are all so delicately performed that you begin to wonder about his social life.

The other star is, of course, Leeloo who dispenses with weapons, preferring to chop and kick her way forward. She looks OK but isn't up to Lara Croft standards.

Fifth Element provides some spectacular fun with enough 'special effects' to keep the interest level high. Exploding telephone boxes, laser beams, panes of glass that shatter, space ships taking off and plenty more all combine to make a visual treat.

The gameplay is good and the graphics pretty cool, with nice light and shade effects and atmosphere galore. Fifth Element for the PlayStation is in the shops now. JE

This is a big un

BIG name, big game - that's X-Files just released for the PC by Fox Interactive.

The TV programme has quickly achieved cult status and the game looks set to be equally successful, if you have plenty of time to spare.

Because X-Files comes on seven, yes that is SEVEN, cds which contain more than 40 hours of totally original film footage, never to be seen on TV or video, and an entirely all -new Files storyline. Phew!

The PR people handling the game tell us that thanks to Virtual Cinema technology, you, the player, can communicate with other characters, explore environments, examine clues and interview witnesses while collaborating with Mulder and Scully to solve an X-File.

In fact, it will be just like appearing in a real episode, 'starring' alongside David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson. You take the role of an FBI agent in search of Mulder and Scully, deciding which route to take - the game features full motion video and multiple paths and storylines.

X-Files was developed by Hyperbole Studios and is out there somewhere in a shop near you.

The PlayStation version is scheduled to be released in January.JE

Going googly over International Cricket Captain

Going googly

THE cricket season is over, so what better time to crank up the PC and take a look at a cricketing game!

Still, International Cricket Captain from Empire is definitely worth your time and will give cricket fans something to keep their brains ticking over during the long winter nights.

The sport has been largely neglected in the games world, with the few available relying simply on bashing the ball as hard as possible - and hoping for the best.

Empire's cricket management game, however, looks more towards the cerebral aspects of the sport and, as it is produced in association with Wisden, publishers of the Almanack - the cricket bible - you can be sure that all the statistics are spot on.

International Cricket Captain differs from from the rest of the cricketing games in that you get to manage a team instead of play. You control every element of cricket strategy, both on and off the pitch, and you even control the speed at which you play - game-by-game, over-by-over or even ball-by-ball.

What team to select? What batting tactics? When to increase the run rate? It's all down to you, and so is victory....or disaster.

With about five clicks of the mouse and typing my name in I was playing my first match, making decisions on who was to bowl, how aggressively and how my fielders were positioned. I conceded 450 runs on the first innings then I was up to bat. The batting follows along the same lines as the bowling in selecting who was to bat and how aggressively.

You can buy and sell players from all over the world to strengthen your side while the graphics are the best I have seen in a cricket game. And the commentary is top notch too, with the BBC's respected Jonathan Agnew doing the honours.

If very successful you get the chance to captain England in

the international arena - it's now my ambition to win back the Ashes for England!

All in all this game has bowled me over - and I'm not your hardened cricket fan. So it's back to the PC to captain Lancashire as they thrash Yorkshire (I hope). JE

Fancy a punch-up?

THINK you're hard, eh? Want a fight? Well, sorry I'm a coward with knobs on so go and pick on someone else. Walks in the countryside, listening to the birds sing, half a lager shandy (with lime) that's me.

A violent man, you will understand, I am most definitely not...usually.

But right now isn't usual and the reason is the long awaited, eagerly anticipated release of Namco's Tekken 3 published by Sony Computer Entertainment Europe.

If you're not a fan of the fighting genre then you'll probably be wondering what all the fuss is about. However, if you like a punch up and are a devotee of the previous two Tekken releases then you're probably watering at the mouth, desperate to get your mits on the disc.

Well I can tell you the wait has been worthwhile; you will not be disappointed.

Tekken 3 has been greeted loud and long in the glossy specialist press and deservedly so, for from whatever angle you approach this game it is a winner.

The graphics, gameplay and fluidity of the players is top notch - and then some. Although not a million miles away from Tekken 2, those in the know will spot the improvements and although there are not many new fighting moves, there is greater depth of play and looks-wise, it is in a different class. The fighters look superbly real thanks to a much more powerful engine and you almost wince when you land a solid, bone-crunching punch or kick.

They really do look like they are inflicting pain aplenty.

Tekken 3, featuring no fewer than seven modes of play, will keep PlayStation people happy for yonks. There is arcade mode, vs mode, team battle mode, time attack mode, survival mode, practice mode and Tekken Force mode and Tekken Ball mode. Just take your pick.

Some leading magazines have awarded Tekken an almost unheard of 10 out of 10, describing it as the best fighting game available on the PlayStation. I don't know about that as I haven't tried every fighting game available for the machine but it does have tons more punch than the beat-em-ups I have come across. JE

Heavy metal, Arnie style

RAMPAGING, mean-looking robots are the stars of Armoured Core, a new 3D platform shoot 'em up for the PlayStation.

With a heavy metal special effects sound track (it could have been recorded in a heavy duty biscuit tin) it's action all the way as you attempt to blast your opponents into scrap metal - before they blow you to bits.

This mechanised combat game is for one or two players and you take on the role of a mercenary able to buy and build your own battle suites called an Armoured Core.

The bits and pieces - body design, engine, boosters (more about them later) and weapons etc - must be bought with cash earned from missions.

And it is the missions which give the game a tad more involvement than other robot games.

You start out in a standard battle suite and the more success you achieve the more cash or credits you get and so on. There are 48 missions in all, ranging from destroying radar installations to demolishing gun emplacements.

The pace is frantic with no time to gather your thoughts as the baddies come zooming in, unleashing rockets, bombs and a whole lot more. And that's where the boosters come in - you'll need to make a quick exit much of the time and the boosters come in really handy. You can fly out of trouble (hopefully) or take yourself to the top of a building for a better shot.

Initially you will find it hard going against the hard men but progress and you will soon be giving as good as you get.

Design wise, the robots look the business - mean, beefy, the heavy metal equivalent of Arnold Schwarzenegger.

The graphics are good too, creating a suitable menacing atmosphere and a fair sense of excitement as you hunt down your opponents.

Created by Software and published by Sony, Armoured Core is a pretty good game. JE

Cool Kula

KULA World is a super cool 3D puzzle game from the burgeoning stable of publishers Sony.

It is basically a fiendishly intriguing platform floating in space and you have control of a beachball (and why not?) which you must roll around the course, collecting various items and jumping over different obstacles as you make your way to the exit point to proceed to the next level.

Now that might not sound too exciting in itself but you are up against the clock all the time and the deceptive quality of the game could soon get you hooked.

The opening levels are a pushover but things get tougher as you progress and you will certainly find yourself beaten by the clock time and again.

The better you do, the larger and more complex the platforms become: you can see where you want to get to, but can you get there in time?

But you won't give up easily. I found myself going back again and again as I entered "I won't be beaten" mode - but I was.

You have to make your way around the floating platform or platforms, flipping the structure through 360 degrees (forget the rules of gravity) as you figure your way to the various objects you must collect. But you will have to think hard about which route to take and the ability to think laterally will certainly help! It can become a bit of a mindbender, not helped by the infuriating ticking clock.

Developed by Game Design Sweden, the graphics are as good as the gameplay across the various platforms in 10 different graphic styles, including ice arenas and deep lush forests. And each level presents a different problem-solving headache.

The obstacles, traps and hazards include spikes which pop your beachball - a really satisfying sound - and ice patches which send you skidding off into oblivion to start all over again.....and again....and again. JE

Tunnel vision

IT might take you some time to get your head around N2o.

This is another PlayStation game from the Gremlin Interactive bods which bursts upon you in an explosion of speed, light, sound and colour.

It's Jimi Hendrix gone visual, psychedelic colours zooming by as you blast your way along.

How to describe it? Well, basically you are in a super-charged 'tunnel runner', a craft that zips along narrow tunnels of pulsating light, blasting anything and everything in your path.

The tunnel twists and turns and you zoom along, manoeuvring from side to side and completing super-quick 360 degree turns that leave you wondering which way is up - or down.

The press release reads a bit like a blurb from some mad scientist so we'll skip the story background (I didn't know what much of it meant, anyway).

Suffice to say, you take control of one of five tunnel runners and fly it through a choice of more than 30 different routes, each one starring a wagon load of alien insects and genetic mutations. Of course, you must blast these.

You kick off armed with a single laser but the more you progress and the more enemies you destroy the better as it releases more N2o into the atmosphere.

You also obtain additional firepower and shields, including 'Zebedee mines'. Keep your wits about you and you will find bonuses galore to snaffle up as they come hurtling towards you at high speed. You can also earn extra points for special killing sequences and other special moves.

As you progress further the ever-changing tunnels shrink, expand and even split open, often changing form and direction. And all the action is set against a throbbing soundtrack by The Crystal Method.

N2o is certainly different and fun. But whether all the flashing lights will eventually drive you mad, well...only time will tell. JE

Life in the hot seat

AS well as knowing the game inside out, another essential for any football manager is an extremely thick skin.

Never has the Press been so outspoken about a team AND a manager's performance. Get it right and they treat you like a God, get it wrong and...well, just ask ex-England team boss Graham Taylor.

Now all you PlayStation owners are being given the chance to take over the very hot seat, courtesy of Premier Manager 98.

The new release from Gremlin Interactive is the first serious soccer management game for the little grey box and according to the PR blurb it is somewhat addictive.

You can take over the running of your favourite team, whether it's Blackburn Rovers, Burnley, Bolton, Bury or Torquay.

Premier Manager 98 contains the most accurate player data in any management game with the developers enlisting the help of Goal! magazine to provide the gen for all 92 English League clubs as well as European and South American sides. All the statistics on individual players, team formation, tactics etc is used to compute a real game to give the most realistic results possible.

It means that the manager - you - can watch all the highlights of important incidents from each match, created by using the Acuta Soccer 2 engine.

You can settle for concentrating on team management, player selection, training, etc, or you can take complete control, from setting admission prices to planning ground development such as a new stand and the hiring and firing of vital members of staff. Put this together with authentic kits and match commentary and you have a pretty good package. All correct league and cup competitions are included with two modes of play. Premier Manager allows you to take control of any team in the league or start at the bottom and work your way up.

Get it right and you are on the glory trail, get it wrong and you'll be on your way to the dole office.JE

Buckets of blood!

IT'S time for some butchery with Cardinal Syn, the new gory chop-em-to bits 3-D fighting game from Kronos Digital Entertainment.

And if violence, buckets of blood and schoolboy-type bad taste make a good game then this release, published by Sony Computer Entertainment Europe, should do well.

Cardinal Syn is set is set in medieval times (I think) and boasts eight original characters who like a bit of X-rated rough and tumble, bludgeoning each other to a pulp in blood-soaked battle arenas.

And they are a loathsome bunch to be sure. There is Plague whose party piece is throwing up when he's on a loser and Hecklar, a jester-type misfit with an irritating cackle who looks a bit like Worzel Gummidge dressed up for a night out.

They each come armed with various weapons - battles axes, swords and maces - and magical powers. Each, too, has a special move, and although I have not yet discovered them all, I accidentally came across the somewhat unique special ability of Mongoro.

He 'special move" took me by surprise - as it did his opponent - and I can't think of a nice way to describe it. Suffice to say, an ill wind....

There is also a move in which you can slice off an opponent's limb, producing rivers of blood and a victory, on account that your opponent is a gonner.

Each fighter has a home location which look pretty good, with great lighting and a menacing atmosphere. And there are interactive elements to add to the battle interest, like moving coal wagons under which you can throw your opponent. There are also hazards such as fire pits and spike-lined walls. Fight your way through to the end and you face girl power, two female bosses, one of whom turns into a dragon just as you think you've got her beat.

Although there is nothing radically different from other fighting games and it is all fairly easy, Cardinal Syn is graphically rich and promises enough blood to satisfy the hungriest vampire.JE

Take the plunge...

IT'S bathtime. Well, not really but you might feel like you are in the bath if and when you take the plunge with Treasures of the Deep, the action adventure from Namco released by Sony Computer Entertainment.

The game is something of a novelty in that all the action takes place (surprise, surprise) under water. You pull on the wetsuit and flippers in the role of ex-US Navyman Jack Runyan.

He's a tough guy with a conscience, as has the game. If you try to shoot the sharks, dolphins and other weird and wonderful creatures which appear from the murky depths you will lose points - and get told off (in training mode anyway). I know, as I tried to blast everything in sight with my speargun! Naughty I know, but what the hell...

Instead you have to net the man-eating hammerhead sharks and other giants to keep them at bay while you get on with the game. You will find yourself visiting sunken ships, airplanes etc and recovering fantastic works of art and various bits of treasure.

Although you can't destroy the wildlife, there is still plenty to go at, like enemy frogmen, sea monsters and baddy subs out to plunder the treasures of the deep to line their own pockets.

And you have plenty of hi-tech weapons and submersibles to chase and transform the enemy into shark bait.

Your quest for hidden treasure takes you across the globe on 12 hunting missions, from diving in the shark-infested Barrier Reef to the Bermuda Triangle.

You begin with a pretty feeble sub but you can make money as you progress and so trade up for better weaponry - homing torpedoes, heat-seeking mines and even steel mesh wet suites etc - and subs, up to the ultimate Viper attack sub.

The effects of being underwater are quite good, with realistic lighting contrasting between shafts of sunlight and gloomy underwater canyons, with suitably hazy views into the distance. And the sound effects are interesting, with bubbles galore

Treasures of the Deep offers plenty of action in an environment where it definitely is a case of sink or swim.JE

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.