Laugh? I almost broke a rib
MediEvil II
Sony PlayStation £19.99 SCE Cambridge
Third-person adventure game MediEvil didn't exactly break the mould, it sort of superficially vandalised it, with inane graffiti and a judiciously placed piece of turf. Anyhow, its clever puzzles and self-mocking humour managed to earn it 800,000 sales worldwide, which was apparently enough to activate the automatic-sequel machine.
So now we welcome back Sir Dan Fortesque, the cowardly, one-eyed skeleton: the only computer game hero with waist measurements to beat Lara Croft's. Five hundred years on from his last outing, he's been woken from his eternal slumber to avert a catastrophe in Victorian London. This time it's an industrialist called Lord Palethorn who's up to no good, and all our Dan's got to stop him is his detachable limbs, a friendly but exasperating ghost, a techno-wiz mad professor, a sexy mummified Egyptian princess, and an arsenal to rival the IRA's.
OK, so it's a little harder than that. With its unusual control system and the almost immediate toughness of the baddies, you'll initially be using your memory card more than you use your own memory. What's more, it's not really worth attempting without an analog controller: after complaints about the original's dynamic camera, SCE Cambridge has placed the player in full control of the view. A noble idea, but when there are already two dozen commands to keep track of, it's a big ol' pain in the coccyx.
For those familiar with the medieval MediEvil, the 19th-century MediEvil obeys all the laws of the sequel. It's still got its irreverent wit. The levels are bigger. The graphics are better. New monsters. New weapons. New shmoo. The game's unique selling point is probably the alternative modes in which you can control Dan. Worried about what's round the next corner? Just rip off your head and your hand, stick one on top of the other and, hey presto, a mobile surveillance unit. You can also control the consequently headless Dan, and a mystery "Dan-kenstein" mode becomes available later in the game.
For the uninitiated, MediEvil II a slightly less po-faced Tomb Raider, only without a face. Intrigued? Thought not. (AB)
May the sword be with you
Star Wars Episode 1: Jedi Power Battles
Sony PlayStation £34.99 LucasArts
Yet another Star Wars game, and this time it's a swashbuckler: the swords have been changed for light sabres and the sailing ships for spaceships, but the differences are largely cosmetic.
The plot is traditional, too. You choose one of five different Jedi characters from Obi-Wan Kenobi to Adi Gallia, hack and slash your way through 10 sort-of-3D levels, and beat the boss at the end of each scenario. It's not an intellectual challenge, but the levels are probably big enough to keep you going until you need a hand transplant.
The enemy droids are amazingly unobservant and will stand around for ages waiting for you to dismember them. However, they do have blasters, which is a bit unfair if you only have a light sabre. Luckily, they are very bad shots, and you can bat their bullets back at them, baseball style. You can also "earn" your own thermite bombs, shields, restraining bolts and so on. The best feature of the game is co-operative play: you and a mate against the Federation. If you enjoyed the arcade action-adventure games of the late Sinclair Spectrum/ Commodore 64 era, you'll probably like this. What's more, it also has terrific Star Wars music and better animations than the little stick-like figures familiar from the 80s - though not that much better. (JS)
It's big but it's certainly not clever
Slave Zero
PC £34.99 Infogrames
Miniaturisation is an underused perspective in computer games. Only Micro Machines and its myriad sequels have really delved into realms of Honey, I Shrunk The Video Game. Slave Zero goes the other way with cities dwarfed by your character, the 60ft bi-pedal robot of the title.
Imagine King Kong in Metropolis and you're part way there. And, of course, you're not the only big bot in town with numerous oversized adversaries blocking the way to freedom. Cue mindless blasting, excessive destruction and oodles of fun.
Well, not really. Fiddly controls make steering Zero harder than you'd expect, while the camera is particularly unhelpful. Likewise, the graphics are barely adequate, though the meaty explosions are worthy of praise. No, the real problem here is the questionable longevity of the game itself. Variety is distinctly lacking as you veer from city to boss baddie and back to the samey city level again. It's not long before the mindless stomping loses its appeal and your mind begins to wander.
Unsurprisingly, Slave Zero has been ported to the Sega Dreamcast, where it seems better suited than the stuffier environs of the PC games market. Ultimately, with so many top-notch games around, something so average doesn't seem worth bothering with. Still, if you fancy a quick blast then Slave Zero is willing and able to deliver. However, if you demand slightly more commitment from your gaming relationships then it's probably best to leave well alone. (GH)
