Silent Line: Armored Core

From Software are responsible for everybody's favourite PS2 mech battle simulator: Armored Core. Now comes the next most exciting instalment in the series, in the muscular, robotic form of Silent Line: Armored Core, published by Digital Jesters.

It's Earth's distant future, and as usual, huge corporations fight a dirty war for control of the planet's resources. And this war is waged chiefly by enormous, state-of-the-art, mechanised killing machines. Those of you already familiar with the series are in for a special treat, as this expansion features the largest range of weaponry yet - a whopping 428 different parts mean that there are practically countless configurations available for selection. And just as you can choose these weapons individually, you can destroy them one by one, too - your enemies' guns are all individually destructible. With a new cockpit perspective point of view option, and Dolby Pro Logic II Surround sound, the experience has never been realer, as you take the battle to your foes across desert, jungle swamp, underground and even into the air. Will you dare cross the titular Silent Line, a mysterious zone that nobody ever returns from?

It's not just the 34 missions that will keep you busy though. A variety of modes will keep you coming back to the game to tinker with the mechs on your own or with friends. An 'Adaptive A.I.' arena allows you to set up behaviours for your robo-cohorts. And then there's the Deathmatch Arena, where up to four players can compete for supremacy, either in a free for all or in a two-on-two co-operative battle.

A worthy addition to the PS2 library, Silent Line expands on Armored Core's previous achievements and ensures that mech combat games are not merely the preserve of PC and Xbox owners.