Armed and Dangerous (PC)

By PETER ELEY

Herald rating: * * * *

Armed? Dangerous? Try blitzing an Orc-like army of half-man Grunts with a vindaloo rocket launcher or the world's smallest black hole if you have any doubts.

Armed and Dangerous is all about body count, but its inherent violence is countered by a wicked sense of humour. It's fast, furious, fun and highly addictive. You play the leader of a band of bizarre rebels, which include a giant robot kitted out as a Roman legionnaire, a Scottish mole, Jonesy, and Rexus, a bug-eyed mystic

They set out to steal the all-powerful Book of Rule from the villainous King Forge but face vast armies of his henchmen, called Grunts. While it's a third-person action game at heart, it's the style, rather than the substance, which sets Armed and Dangerous apart.

The weapons are wacky, from the shark gun, which launches a tunnelling shark to attack from beneath the ground, the topsy turvy bomb, which makes Grunts turn on each other, to the rather messy vindaloo rocket launcher, which really is hot stuff.

You also have standard weapons, such as a pistol and machinegun, which are probably more use than the more exotic items, if a lot less fun.

The huge body count means you'll need lots of ammo, and you can pick this up from fallen enemies or stock up at the pubs which appear in each level.

The game looks good, has some funny cut scenes, and a well-scripted and interesting plot. It is also difficult in places, thanks to the number of Grunts to get through. Thankfully you can save at any point.

It won't appeal to those who enjoy the hard-core shoot-'em-ups such as CounterStrike (there's no multiplayer mode, anyway) but will find a following among those who like the offbeat. If you want to try before you buy, a demo is available from www.lucasarts.com.

(LucasArts, M15+)

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