Orphen: Scion of Sorcery - PlayStation 2

As Orphen--it's his name apparently, rather than Frank or even Martin--it's your job to explore the intricate in-game world, ably assisted by a couple of companions and a handful of other characters which can be picked up along the way, in a typical large-scale Japanese tale of myth, magic and huge monsters.

Eschewing the combat system so beloved of RPG-ers everywhere, Orphen has opted for a simple and very playable control system involving only the symbol buttons on the PS2 controller. These can be assigned to suit, giving the player access to a subset of the huge range of spells and weapons available throughout the game.

Picking the game is easy enough thanks to a comprehensive tutorial system, thoughtfully built in by the game producers (big thumbs up for this, as it gives far more information than the user manuals ever do).

Gameplay is interesting to say the least and provides some irritations, which may put off the less than dedicated player. The CGI movies, marvellous though they are, are a little stilted and in places totally disjointed, with no way of skipping them through judicious use of the X key.

Whilst not everyone's cup of tea, Orphen is an interesting and intriguing game which, while being far from perfect, is an enjoyable romp which will cheerfully pass a good many hours.--James Gordon