Roboforge

Don't Be fooled by how this one looks. Although Roboforge will do its utmost to make you think it was a 1992 SNES game running under emulation, what lies beneath the jagged edges and maniacal colours is a very enjoyable mindbender - a unique and addictive title suitable for anyone with more marbles than the average spray can. The idea behind the game is to design your own robot using a variety of component parts, to bless it with artificial intelligence using the Roboforge proprietary programming language, and finally to enter it into a gladiatorial arena where it will attempt to destroy a number of odd-looking opponents. Once you're satisfied you have your very own Terminator alive and well on your hard drive, go online and you'll be able to fight other people's monsters.

The first release was only available direct from Kiwi developer Liquid Edge Games, but now that BTL Publishing has put Roboforge onto CD-ROM it comes with a nice manual, an improved context-sensitive help system, a greater variety of robots to battle, plus a few nips and tucks to give it broader appeal (the original was, in retrospect, a little too nichey for its own good). What hasn't changed is the fascination you get from watching robots develop - from skeleton frames to intelligent automatons that owe their existence and behaviour patterns to you and no other. Aside from CogniToy's MindRover, we can't think of another PC title that manages to venture so far from the mainstream yet remain so approachable. Two thumbs up.