Fur Fighters Plus: Viggo's Revenge - PlayStation 2

This time round Acclaim are aiming at a wider audience; the cover art is by Simon Bisley of 2000 AD fame and the already impressive in-game graphics have been give the cell-shading treatment seen previously in Jet Set Radio. Otherwise, the gameplay and story will be very familiar to owners of the previous versions: the evil General Viggo, a very large and pompous cat, has kidnapped the Fur Fighters' various puppies, kittens, baby dragons etc and you must help the worried parents retrieve their offspring. You do this by exploring various vaguely familiar locations (New Quack City) and tangling with Viggo's various henchmen and bosses. Each of the characters has unique abilities (burrowing and climbing walls for example) and some areas can only be reached utilising these talents, which means that there is much swapping of character in each level. You're equipped with a variety of weaponry, which can be upgraded--a personal favourite is the Multiple Meerkat add-on.

Content-wise there's nothing to upset younger gamers (though they may be bewildered by the concept of the family pet armed with a shotgun) but the sheer scale of the levels means that Fur Fighters will really only be appreciated by more experienced gamers. With its dreadfully cheesy in-jokes and varied gameplay, this is definitely for anyone who has enjoyed a Rare tile on the N64. There's even a multiplayer "Fluffmatch" option. Recommended for anyone bored with the glut of driving and fighting games that make up much of the PS2's current line-up. --Michael Bartley