Rise of the Argonauts

The First Things you'll feel when loading up Rise of the Argonauts are disappointment, anger, and a sense of impending doom. However, these sensations are fleeting and, despite a few niggles, anyone who likes BioWare's RPGs will be completing this game. While it isn't as good as that studio's titles, Liquid Entertainment have made an enjoyable game people will remember fondly.

You'll have to overcome the initial bad feelings, of course. For a start, you can't redefine your keyboard controls, nor does it seem possible to tweak more than the resolution in terms of graphical settings -evidence that the game is obviously console-oriented in design and execution. Usually, this would be a very bad thing, but Liquid haven't churned out an entirely dire, dumbed-down mess.

The closest comparison to Argonauts I can make is Jade Empire. Initially the combat system is weak and repetitive. While it is one of the weakest elements of the game, it does get better as you go on, with more moves, abilities and weapons being made available over time to keep things interesting. And while there's a lot of fighting, it's never overwhelming as there's a lot of interaction with NPCs, using a Mass Effect-like conversation interface.

The RPG elements come in the form of Aspects, which you can earn throughout the game and assign to various skill paths, granting new abilities and powers. There are also four gods to win the favour of - Ares, Hermes, Athena and Apollo - each of which provide different bonuses when pleased. And in a nod to BioWare's many works, you'll recruit an assortment of mythological heroes to form the Argonauts, including Pan (a god), Hercules (a half-god), and Achilles (who thinks he's a god).

The plot and setting are the best things about Argonauts. Liquid have done a brilliant job at making you feel part of the ancient world of Greek mythology. The combat is too much like random button-bashing for my liking, but it has enough sophistication to keep things interesting until you finish it.

Rise of the Argonauts will have its detractors, but it really is one of those games that you need to avoid trusting your initial instincts with. Persevere a little and you'll soon be having a lot of fun.