Computer game review
Nintendo Wii
Sega
Release date Out now

A top-down perspective update of Sega's alien blasting 1987 arcade classic that features mutated alien abominations that really need killing...now with added RPG!

Before starting the epic task of wasting alien monsters, you are asked to select a character class to play as. The options include a demolitions expert, firebug, seal, tank and sharpshooter. The choice you make results in the type of weapon you begin with, though as you complete levels, you amass points that you can put towards proficiencies that define other classes.

As befits the Wii version, the control of your character is handled by the analog stick on the Nunchuk, though you control your aim by means of the Wii Remote. Despite taking a while to get used to, it is fairly easy to blast away in one direction while travelling in another.

Once you get into the game proper, Alien Syndrome is essentially a top-down quest game along the lines of Gauntlet. You get assigned missions (including ‘get a key’ and ‘stage a rescue attempt’), but these tend to be fairly easy, minor tasks. It’s alien killing that is the name of the game and Alien Syndrome supplies plentiful hordes.

There is little in the way of variety here, leaving the game very samey and, as it goes on, repetitive. The environments aren’t too inspiring either, with a lack of distinctive backgrounds that can lift mundane games. The multiplayer version allows four people to take part, but unfortunately it adds little to the game. Jonathan Wilkins

VERDICT: 4/10
This is a title that should have been an enormously fun update of a minor classic. Sadly, it ends up as a below average blast that should have stayed in the past.