John Romero's Daikatana, published by Eidos for PC

SPECS: Pentium 233, 32MB RAM, 200MB hard disk space, 4xCD-ROM, 4MB video card with latest drivers

"ARE you ready?" asks the line on the back of the Daikatana box... and therein lies the whole game's problem.

For yes, we are ready. In fact, we were ready for Daikatana over two years ago when it was supposed to have been released. Daikatana is a game that is long, long overdue. Four years it has been dragging along and, at last, it's on the shelves.

Now Daikatana isn't the first game to suffer from many delays in production, nor will it be the last. But hopes have been riding high on Daikatana, in large part due to the name that you'll see tucked before the title.

John Romero is a legendary figure in gaming terms. Along with John Carmack, he was responsible for the creation of first Castle Wolfenstein, then the ever-popular Doom before finally conjuring up the masterpieces that were Quake and Quake II for ID Software.

Breaking off from ID to form his own company, Ion Storm, Romero talked big in terms of what he would create. But this is only the second release from Ion Storm, the first one being the somewhat dismal real-time strategy Dominion.

But history would not matter if Daikatana delivered the goods. It doesn't.

Despite demanding the very latest graphics card drivers - if you don't have an Internet connection, you'll be very frustrated - Daikatana doesn't really cut the mustard in graphical terms. Objects look too chunky, and figures look too angular, although there are some nice lighting and water effects.

Graphics, however, are not the be all and end all of a game. Many games have been hits despite shabby looks, as long as the gameplay is up to scratch. And here again, Daikatana doesn't inspire.

Far from exhibiting the intricate and finely-crafted level designs to be seen in Quake, Daikatana's design is decidedly pedestrian. Puzzles are simplistic, gameplay is fairly linear and loading times between sections can be very frustrating. All that's left is enjoying the admirable range of weaponry at your character's disposal and trying not to nod off during the game's appalling opening cut-sequence.

Two years ago, Daikatana would have mustered polite applause for its graphics, even if the gameplay suffered from the same problems. Now, in the wake of games such as Half Life, Shogo and Thief, it looks decidedly below average.

Die-hard fans of first person shooters will, after much playing, find some nice aspects to the game in the later levels, but you'll have to put up with an awful lot of dross to get to the fun parts.

Graphics 3/5

Sound 2/5

Gameplay 2/5

Gamespan 3/5

Overall 2/5

STEPHEN HUNT

Daikatana may have been disappointing, but for the patient gamer, there is enjoyment to be had from this latest first-person shooter. We have six copies of the game to be won. To have a chance of winning, simply answer the question below and send your entries to Daikatana Competition, Sub Editors, Evening Press, 76-86 Walmgate, York, Y01 9YN. The closing date is Friday, June 30, and the usual York & County Press rules apply. The question is: Which famous games designer is behind the making of Daikatana?