Harbinger

With Still no spacebound version of Diablo to mirror StarCraft, enter instead the dark and dreary Harbinger. Despite superficially cloning all aspects of Blizzard's game system, Harbinger is missing the spark that made random dungeon hacking so essential and fun. Since Harbinger takes place on a slave ship big enough to swallow worlds, one would think that a vast array of environments are to be found. Sadly not. Instead, prepare for endless, dull corridors. Granted, the 2D backgrounds boast some attractive - if homogenous - details and are complemented by an ominous score that gamely sets the tone. But it's far from enough to draw you in.

You play as one of three races (human, robotic gladiators and the bizarre Culibine), and the unfolding story differs for each race. But this three-pronged plot misses enough gripping narrative and strong gameplay to keep you interested. Combat relies too heavily on slow, ranged weapons, meaning success depends on disco-style projectile dodging rather than strategic skill, with little incentive to use the clunky, albeit powerful, melee weaponry.

Additionally, Harbinger fails in its emulation of Diablo's vast stockpile of gubbins. Despite boasting roughly 750 different items, the sense of a collector's glee is missing, partially because each race uses only a subset of the catalogue. There is a sort of map the dungeon' drive that could propel fans of the genre, but without a multiplayer option and a great deal more variation, even that is unlikely to last.