I GET a little sceptical when I hear that a video game is to be released based on a block-buster movie. It's just another way to rake in the cash; blow the game quality, it will sell on the name alone.

This time, don't worry for Gremlin Interactive's Men In Black out now for the PlayStation is definitely a cut above. The game was actually released for the PC last year and was a huge hit and the PlayStation version, apparently, is superior.

I don't know about that but what I can say is that early impressions are pretty good.

MIB is a third-person adventure with a huge array of locations - around 200! - created with really gee-whiz graphics. And the main characters also look pretty good, as the stars of the film - Will Smith, Tommy Lee Jones and Linda Fiorentino - each gave the OK for their likenesses to be used in the game.

In fact, the game boasts some of the best character rendering yet.

You can be any of the three main characters, but you start with New York cop Jay Edwards. Fed-up with the Big Apple's nutters and weirdos, he swaps his uniform for Ray-Bans and a black suit - and then finds that his life becomes even more weird and fantastic.

Most will know that the MIB travel the world, keeping an eye on visiting aliens and blasting them when they get out of hand. But keep your brain in gear because the MIB are up against an evil plan: an alien race is collecting human brains to turn the earth into a computer chip!

Each of the locations is populated with aliens and robots aplenty to keep you busy but despite the dangers you won't fail to notice the quality of the graphics, whether you are in the frozen wastes of the Arctic or deep in the jungles of South America.

You will also notice that the game has a decidedly menacing atmosphere.

There are various missions and plenty of aliens to blast to bits. Luckily, you can put your fighting skills and shooting abilities to the test in the MIB HQ firing range.

And there are plenty of nasties to destroy, including Bugs, Coyames, Manitoas, Chubbies - they look quite cute - and Roswells.

MIB could well become a classic adventure game in its own right but only time will tell. But it is already receiving great reviews in the specialist press and I can well see why. JE

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