Blade II

Resident neck-biters better watch their step, as Blade's back, and he's out to lay the bloodsuckers to rest - permanently. After recent forays into superhero territory with Spider-Man and X-Men on the PS one, Activision return for more Marvel-tastic action on the PS2. Created as a tie-in to the recent movie, and based loosely on its plot, Blade II sees the return of the mean and moody vampire hunter, who sports a nice line in leather and PVC clothing.

Orphaned when his mother died in childbirth after being bitten by a vampire, Blade is half-human, half vampire. Known as the 'Daywalker', he has all of the night crawlers' strengths, and none of their weaknesses. Accompanied by his friend and mentor Whistler, Blade is out for revenge. Using his kick-arse martial arts, and an impressive vamp-vanquishing kit, it's up to you to protect the City, and do battle with hordes of the undead.

Only this time, it's not that simple. There's a new breed of vampire on the block, and they're deadlier than ever. Called 'Reapers', these hybrids will test your stake-wielding abilities to the max, and don't have the same weaknesses as their blood-swilling pure-breed cousins.

Good thing then that developer Mucky Foot has developed the 'revolutionary' multi-directional fighting system, allowing you to have a pop at enemies as they come at you from all angles. The right analogue stick is used to pull off martial arts manoeuvres, whilst the left stick is your directional control. Once you've got the hang of the rhythmic 360 degree fighting style using the two sticks, you can concentrate on knocking the not so-living daylights out of your opponents, rah!

In addition to Blade's weaponry, which includes his infamous glaive, a shotgun, pistol and silver sword, you can also access 'unholy rage powers', such as Shield, Sword and Strength, which render our vamp-spanking hero virtually unstoppable. The icing on the cake, however, has to be the spectacular way in which the bloodsuckers bite the dust. Once you've got a grip of one of the pesky blighters, you can obliterate them with a wonderfully over-the-top kill. Blood-spatteringly brilliant effects include severing body parts, and dramatic, cinematic decay sequences.

As the world's last, best hope against the marauding vampire hordes, Blade must take on the bad guys in a series of bloodcurdling challenges. With lives at stake, it's up to you to get stuck in and convince the vamps that they've bitten off more than they can chew.

* Unique 360-degree combat system, allowing you to engage in multi-directional fights

* Spectacular, over-the-top kill sequences, with gore-soaked effects

* Unholy Rage Powers - make Blade virtually upstoppable

Last updated on 10 December 2007