Shenmue - Dreamcast - £39.99

This game is about a young investigator by the name of Ryo Hazuki; who, after witnessing his father's murder - sets out to find his father’s killer.

At the beginning of his quest, Ryo finds a man called Master Chen who helps him dearly by informing him of a mystical mirror - could this be something to do with his father’s death?

Shenmue is a huge (3 disc!) game in which you will help Ryo find a job (which is tremendous fun because you get to drive a forklift truck!) train for fights and generally live his life in tremendous detail.

The fight sequences in Shenmue are presented in different ways. There are "Quick Time Events" where you have to press a number of buttons in a certain time when they flash on the screen (like the old Dragon's Liar games) and more straightforward beat-em-up sections.

Much like real life, Ryo has to keep appointments with the characters he meets and if you have any spare time (which you frequently will) you can go to the games arcade and play darts and boxing - there's even complete versions of those old Sega classics: Super Hang-On and Space Harrier (well the game is set in 1986!)

The graphics and scenery are great. You get to go into two housing estates (Yokosuka and Sakuragoaka), one town (Dobuita) and a harbour (New Yokosuka Harbour). The best thing about the game is the freedom of exploring every nook and cranny of the towns and it's really funny trying to run down the annoying harbour cat which gets in the way of your forklift truck!

All in all, Shenmue is one of the best games I have ever played - although maybe it is a bit to easy to complete.

Don’t let that put you off though. This is one of the best RPG games in the world, and is definitely worth £40 - so enjoy.

Rating:

By Lewis D