Pikmin (GameCube)

You need to stick with the original day or so of getting all your Pikmin together, sorting out your times, trying a few enemies, and then prepare to have the best gaming time of your life. The aim is to help Olimar put his ship back together, using only tiny aliens. These little guys are all so different - some good at fire, some good at jumping... you know the score. It's got the strategy element of Lemmings, but it's much more interesting and equally addictive. You become really involved with the Pikmin characters. In groups they are brave, but as individuals they are heroic - feisty, loyal, unselfish, daring. My last tiny blue Pikmin was with me for three days before succumbing to a horrible slug. I actually wept. We'd been through all sorts together.

Think I'm crazy? Perhaps. But you try it. I bet you cry, too.

This game is difficult to describe as it is so different to anything else. It's like strategy meets lemmings with a time limit. It might not take long to complete, but once you've done so you'll want to play it again to try and do better.

Basically you have 30 days to collect 30 spaceship parts (but you can do it in less). To do so you need to use your Pikmin to kill monsters, knock down walls and carry back the spaceship parts. But you will need to grow more Pikmin so will also need to send them to collect buds and downed monsters etc to plant more Pikmin to add to your army.

The problem is that Pikmin are really stupid and also pretty aggressive so they are prone to wandering off to do just what you don't want them to do. On top of this you have a strict time limit (one day in game time) within which you have to get them all back or they will die. So basically in an average day of game time you need to create as many new Pikmin as possible, collect a spaceship part, knock down walls and kill monsters to help pave the way for the next days action and get as many as possible back safely.

Now this might not sound great but its one of those games you just have to play. Its got the tactical planning of a strategy game, but with an extra element of chaos and madness thrown in, and while it lasts you won't be able to put it down.

The game revolves around your character escaping after being ship-wrecked. To do so he must harness the natural resources of the planet (in the form of small plant creatures - Pikmin) to gather his damaged ship-parts.

In gameplay terms, Pikmin features resource gathering to increase you number of Pikmin (collecting tablets, gathering up beaten enemies etc), and using your 'troops' to conquer those enemies. Their isn't a great deal of complicated strategy in this.

The Pikmin come in three different colours with different abilities, which adds great depth to the gameplay. Red Pikmin are strong combatents, yellow Pikmin can be thrown further and can use bombs while blue Pikmin can move through water.

I challenge you not to cringe the first time a non-blue Pikmin stumbles into a lake or river, their death is accompanied by shrieks!

The sounds of Pikmin are functional with a few nice touches. The squeaking of the Pikmin themselves are nice, and the shambling noises of the enemies lend a comical air to them. At places the soundtrack cuts to a menacing score, but usually simple, easy-on-the-ear background music plays.

Visually, Pikmin is smooth and very colourful. The trees and grasses are bright, while the enemies unique and colourful. Your character, Captain Olimar is a character, with a quirky style beneath his spacesuit.

Pikmin isn't a particularly hard game, but it has that certain something that keeps you coming back for more. This isn't the most technically accomplished game about, but still a great play, and on Players Choice, at less than £20 - it's a good buy.