Project Xenoclone

You May Remember the rampaging all-out action classic Alien Shooter, an ugly but frenetic isometric blaster in which hordes of alien critters attempted to rip out your lungs and turn them into bagpipes. Project Xenoclone tries to implant a strategic spine into Alien Shooter's template of madness and desperation, only it's not all that mad, rarely makes you feel desperate - other than to switch off your machine - and is as strategic as a game of chess... Without any pieces.

The game's main tactical thrust is to make you shoot your red and blue enemies with the opposite colour bullets. Problem is, this limp attempt at strategy ends up falling flat on its arse when you suddenly realise just how uninteresting a hook it actually is.

Matters are improved somewhat by the post-mission PDA and email sections that feed you info. Plus, later levels and bosses do raise the pulse above a disinterested thump, but ultimately Project Xenoclone has to go down as little more than a poor man's Alien Shooter. A missed opportunity if ever we've seen one.