Zack Zero

12 cert, Crocodile Entertainment, PS Network****

Another week, another side- scrolling, 2D platform game. Not that we’re complaining. January seems a an ideal time to release these low-key gems, as they’re not competing with behemoth first-person shooters or mega-budget role-playing games (many of which are en route in coming months).

Anyway, Zack Zerois a retro, Affleck-jawed sci-fi hero in the mould of Dan Dare. Visiting a strange, hostile planet with wild plants and animals, he must rescue a damsel in distress (hey, nobody said it was progressive). Zack battles an array of monsters (from giant bugs to feral creatures to alien reptiles with guns) and has a snazzy spacesuit that grants superpowers: the ice power slows down time, rock gives him strength, and fire boosts his levitating rocket pack (and incinerates the local fauna).

Apart from duking it out with locals, there's plenty of platform-negotiating and trap-avoiding. Zack Zerois stubbornly old-fashioned, as well as dynamic, colourful and fun. And that fancy power-suit gives it an edge over similar games in this crowded genre.