Last month's preview of Interplay's new RPG/shoot-'em-up introduced us to the world of 2027 - a futuristic nightmare society victim to the power struggle between ruthless criminal cartels and the Free World Alliance.

Interplay's Cyberia, newly converted from its original PC CD-ROM version, sets its story against this backdrop. An imprisoned criminal called Zak is offered his freedom in return for undertaking a dangerous mission to steal a deadly biological weapon. Before he gets to the top secret Cyberia base, however, he must rendezvous with the mysterios Santos, collect an experimental fighter plane and undertake a series of counterstrike and pre-emptive missions.

Our preview feature concentrated on Zak's attempts to take possession of the TF 22 fighter plane. In this broader look at the complete game, we look at the other facets of his near-suicidal mission.

Your game position is automatically saevd every time you get past a crucial point, and you can access any saved position you like. The user interface also gives you the chance to precisely co-ordinate the three skill levels on the 'arcade' sections of the game with the three skill levels on the RPG sections.

A cinematic RPG which combines lateral thinking with shoot-'em-up sequences tied together in a strong storyline.

Tackle security systems, bloodthirsty bosses and devious babes in your mission to capture a deadly biological weapon.

In order to win your freedom from solitary confinement you must undertake a dangerous mission - travel to Santos's rig, take the experimental TF 22 fighter plane from a top security hangar and fly the beast through a series of hazardous missions. Once you've overcome these, you must fly to Siberia, locate the Cyberia base and capture the deadly biological weapon code-named, you guessed it, Cyberia. Here's a day in the life of our hapless hero, Zak...

1. The Deal
   William Devlin makes you an offer you can't refuse - risk your life for Cyberia or rot in jail. Anything's better than solitary confinement.
2. Briefing
   You're briefed with information on the Cyberia base and the biological weapon itself via your 'BLADES' (Bio-optic Low Amplitude Displayed Energy System).
3. Base Defence
   No sooner do you arrive at the base then you're pressed into service to defend it from enemy attack by manning a sophisticated anti-aircraft gun platform.
4. Snogs
   Your reward for seeing off the enemy mines and planes - Santos's girlfriend gets a little over-familiar with you.
5. The TF 22
   The first prize on your mission is located - deep inside a top secret hangar lies the experimental fighter plane code-named TF 22.

Although you have no worries controlling the plane (you're flying to a preset course) the journey between Santos's rig and Siberia is a hazardous one. You are put through a number of taxing bombing raids with a mini-squadron of pursuit ships hanging on to your tail.

Mission 1: Open Ocean
Destroy an enemy hovercarrier by detonating an on-board fuel truck. Evade and destroy the three marauding hoverfighters.

Mission 2: Military Islands
Destroy the well-armed munitions dumps on the coastline of a remote island. Watch out for the gunboats.

Mission 3: Norway
Pass through the canyon to avoid long range enemy air and sea defences. Tanks are a danger here.

Mission 4: Archangel Military Port
This is the first obstacle to passing through the local defence grid. This is defended by hoverfighters, attack planes and tanks.

Mission 5: Freight Tunnel
The second obstacle is this heavily-defended tunnel. Be careful not to hit any fuel trucks - the resulting explosions could bring the roof down.

Mission 6: Zubrouska
Your re-fuelling location is currently under attack by Cartel fighters. Avoid hitting the allied forces defending their city.

Cyberia is, by turns, excellent and disappointing. The unequal distribution of two such radically different game styles (arcade and RPG) was always bound to give the finished product an uneven feel. The vast differences between gameplay quality and appearance between the two don't help. The RPG sections are superb - well designed, intelligently structured and carefully animated.

However, when Zak mans the anti-aircraft guns or jumps into the cockpit of the TF 22 it's a different story. At best, you get the impression you are watching someone else play quite a stylish game. At worst, you'll end up banging your head against the wall over the scant interactivity and the curious weapon controls.

On the good side, many of the things that are usually given scant attention in many games - sound effects and music - are all superb, and help paper over the cracks here. Overall though, this is a game that's tried to be too many things to too many people and comes off distinctly half-baked.

At first, this didn't exactly strike me as being one of the most exciting games of all time. It's fairly difficult to get into, and certain parts are infuriatingly mind-bending. The graphics on the whole are very good, with lots of rendered stuff proving easy on the eye and linking the sections together well.

But when you get to the shooting sections the graphics take a turn for the worst. There is no sky to speak of and the overall impression is that the in-flight scenes look a bit rushed. I do like some parts of this game, but not really enough to warrant a recommendation for the whole package.

Graphics 88%
P. Intricate renders, stylish characters and imaginative design.
N. It's far more detailed in the RPG sequences that it is during the shoot-'em-up sections.

Animation 84%
P. The whole game looks like an early Eighties sci-fi film, with multi-angled 'camera' set ups. Character animation is fluid.
N. Everything seems a little static.

Music 90%
P. The rumbling synth soundtrack, supplied by Thomas Dolby's Headspace, sounds like a movie score and is a cut above what we're used to.

Effects 87%
Superb klaxon sounds and excellent speech add to the movie atmosphere.

Playability 79%
P. At its best, this is among the finest in Saturn adventure gaming.
N. Playability is wildly variable between different levels, and styles, within the game.

Lastability 80%
P. A real challenge which should keep you occupied, assuming the inferior shoot-'em sections don't frustrate you.

Overall 70%
Very uneven. At best this is atmospheric and engrossing. At worst, it's clumsy and frustrating.