Dead Or Alive 4 (Xbox 360)

Each character in Dead or Alive 4 has a unique martial arts skill.

Herald rating: * * *

These over-the-top arena fighter games where you bash each other around with physical weapons of mass destruction feel so old. The formula hasn't changed in 20 years. But the graphics have and Dead or Alive 4 looks so new, so ruddy, with the youth and good looks of the Xbox 360, that it will no doubt sell in huge quantities.

There's a staggering range of characters, from busty Japanese acrobats to buff wrestlers, and each has a unique martial arts skill. But you'll have to learn all of the characters inside-out to get your money's worth.

Facing your opponent in a range of settings from an inner-city street fighting den to the Serengeti Plains, you use a combination of kicks, punches and supernatural king hits to deal to them. The Xbox's artificial intelligence makes for formidable competition, but Dead or Alive is better played as a multiplayer game against your real-life friends. Sit back with some wireless controllers, reflex-enhancing beverages and beat each other up as the giraffes look on.

Censor's classification: M
$100