Seal Of Evil

An RPG based on ancient Chinese history? Sounds interesting. Except Seal Of Evil is anything but. This ocular violation of an RPG not only fails to make the most of its subject matter - the warring kingdoms of ancient China - but also succeeds in cheapening itself with a highly childish approach to both questing and conversing.

And don't even get me started on the voice-acting. Oh, OK then. Rarely can there have been a collection of would-be thespians butchering their lines with more carefree disdain than this lot. Character voices range from second-rate Kenneth Williams impersonators to surf dudes who think they're in a Bill & Ted movie.

It's not all a complete disaster though. While the visuals are admittedly an insult to your retinas, there are a host of different lands for you to explore and countless characters - all be they more wooden than a tree - to interact with. What's more, the choices you make during your adventures ultimately influence how the game ends.

Seal Of Evil's best feature is its comprehensive item creation system, which offers you a vast array of possibilities when it comes to creating unique objects. What's more, you get to play as five different characters during the course of the game, and these range from dainty magicians to powerful warriors, meaning combat remains mildly fresh throughout.

Despite all of this though, there's simply not enough quality here for Seal Of Evil to warrant your interest. Even if you're a die-hard RPG fan, ultimately this is one title you could very easily live without.