Summoner

Big in Japan for many years, the RPG's recent assimilation into Western climes signalled that maybe US and European software houses should follow suit, and start to concoct some fine homegrown `role-players'. THQ, now a leader in the UK publishing field, brings forth Summoner, a PlayStation 2 RPG offering in conjunction with developers Volition.

Summoners, powerful beings capable of collapsing empires and challenging Gods, are considered saviours by their home population, yet feared as destroyers. As one of the last remaining Summoners, Joseph (that's you) is as yet unable to control his fearsome power. But to save the kingdom from annihilation he must reluctantly embark upon a quest with the rest of his party to find the Summoner's rings.

Contradictory to typical role-playing qualities, Summoner is action-orientated, giving the game an unusual pick-up-and-play feel. However, Summoner still remains a true RPG and features some amazing fantasy themes. As you begin your quest, you will soon discover your ability to call forth dragons, demons and elementals, but only when your character is ready.

Summoner showcases some stunning graphics and technology that demonstrate the much-vaunted capabilities of the PlayStation 2 hardware. Environments are rendered in full 3D, featuring a cast of over 120 characters, giving the game a high sense of realism. Summons, spells, statistics, armour and weaponry are all present in this game, boasting a massive 50+ hours of gameplay.

Summoner is a well-executed game, featuring depth and involvement of gameplay in party-based adventuring and combat.