Evolva

Evolva, an action game from Computer Artworks, the makers of The Thing, was brought out as a showcase for their experiences in organic art. They constructed an alien world, foregoing any industrial or metallic leanings for natural environments complemented by the curving surfaces of techno-organic weaponry. This unfamiliarity does help a little in stopping the game looking too dated, though prolonged play reveals the world to be a little too artificial.

In similar terms, what seems strange and unusual in the first few levels, soon becomes pedestrian as the veil of mystery is lifted to reveal the structure beneath: standard object retrieval/kill all enemies objectives dressed up in funny-looking clothes. And while the landscapes may look otherworldly, the level layouts still conform to the standard practice of most action/adventures. The whole practice of evolving your characters by absorbing the powers of new species isn't too bad an idea, but lacks much differentiation - you've either got the power or you haven't -and everything else goes into fine-tuning your energy consumption. A billion combinations of character, they said. A fancy way to get a few new weapons and extra ammo capacity, we said. Evolva is worth a look purely for its graphical style, although it's not nearly as clever as it would have you believe.