Final Fantasy sticks to the plot

It is with some embarrassment that I must admit I have never played any of the previous nine instalments of Final Fantasy, the world's most popular computer game series.

So I approached the 10th game in the series with some trepidation and, hopefully, fresh eyes.

Thankfully, each game is a unique adventure, with its own separate story although the basic premise behind each one remains the same.

In FFX, as it is known, you play a sports hero caught up in a time-travelling adventure which leads you to the heart of your father's mysterious disappearance years before.

In essence, the game is a turn-based role playing game - your character has different skills and attributes which can be developed through fighting and you must take him through a series of battles and plot twists to uncover the story.

Fans of the series will find the gameplay and structure immediately familiar.

Ravishing

The story is presented in lavish, loving detail and the game's many video sequences are among the best ever seen on a console.

The artists and animators at Squaresoft should be commended for producing a ravishing series of video clips that stand comparison with many animated films.

The game has an epic, fantasy quality with the story not too far removed from Japanese manga comic books with a folklore, myth and monsters feel.

There is a strategic and tactical element to the battles and character development, which is essential to master if you want to progress in the game.

But unless you feel caught up in the strategy, much of the games many battle sequences will be little more than "point and click" affairs, reminiscent of the "battles" fought out with trading cards such as Pokemon.

Trite

Whether or not you will enjoy the game is down to your answer to two questions - do you like role-playing games and are you prepared to sit through long and convoluted video sequences?

Sadly, the narrative is trite and the dialogue is rather cliched, although this is a feature of almost all computer game plots and not a unique failing of FFX.

The voice-overs, dubbed into English, are also extremely American and rather grating.

For fans of the series, and they are legion, this will undoubtedly be another successful instalment but Final Fantasy novices may find it a little underwhelming.

Final Fantasy X is released on the PlayStation 2 on 24 May