Spawn: In the Demon's Hand - Sega Dreamcast

Spawn's entry into the video-game world is a fighting game akin to a smaller scale Gauntlet Legends, with power-ups and weapons that lie around a 3-D landscape that's filled with ferocious enemies. The game offers three distinct fighting modes--team, battle royal and boss--and features graphics that are so sharp it feels almost like you're playing one of McFarlane's comic-book characters come to life.

Unfortunately, the game's controls are somewhat difficult to master--movement is controlled by the digital pad, and aiming is performed with the analogue joystick. Add the incredibly quick action and multiple characters on the screen, and you've got what can be sometimes a confusing mess.

The faint of heart will be pleased to see that, along with toggles for the skill and volume levels, Spawn: In the Demon's Hand features a three-stage violence option that allows the player to ease the gore--though even with the violence level turned all the way down, Spawn's idea of conflict resolution still involves a magic chain to the noggin. --Benjamin Reese