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Exams, don't you just love them? Hours of sweating over paper just to gain a certificate or entrance to a profession. Well, it may surprise you to know that life is no easier for the shoot-'em-up heroes of space. The Guardian Warrior - that universally famous protector, saviour and all-round nice guy - has exams too. But, of course, being a rough tough tumbly type, his exams require him to use his skill as a fighter, his cunning as a hunter and a rather large gun.

The long and the short of it is that to pass, you survive (having blasted countless nasties en route), and if you fail it's time to go to that great arcade in the sky, where men are sprites and everything else is just asking for trouble. This rather harsh recruitment technique doesn't seem to dampen the enthusiasm of potential Guardian Warriors, who line up by the bucket load to be guided by you on this ultimate test (Can you imagine that down here on Earth? One failure at GCSE woodwork and it's a bullet in the brain?!).

So revision over, it's time to get down to the examination (extermination?) itself. You find your would be Guardian (angel?) wandering along a two way scrolling landscape. The path is littered with obstacles that must be jumped over, shot, etc, and a whole host of bug-eyed creatures who want to see you fail and die (not necessarily in that order).

The screen is colourful, the sprites scrolling around smoothly and easily. The cadet under your control is not the best warrior sprite ever seen but he does the business. Some of the beasties and things that go bump in the night, however, are highly original, ranging from small bird-like creatures to gigantic headless chickens spitting fire in multiple directions (Yes, it sounds daft but that's what they look like!).

Obviously facing such terrifying creatures as forty stone oven-ready poultry means you need some help. This is at hand in the form of the fusion pods, dropped by the aliens when they are zapped. These give your weaponry a much needed boost: bullets that fire upwards, a form of shield and extra lift to the jet pack, to name but a few. These supply drops are few and far between, so it's essential to make sure you collect all the available goodies, because who knows when you'll need the power to jump over a obstruction or to shoot at enemies in four different directions at once?

The basic premise of Dark Fusion is not what you'd call Innovationsville Arizona [Whaaa-?! - Ed], but there are surprising and interesting facets that appear just when you feel that the game may be slipping towards mediocrity. For example, after walking around a bit, blasting a few things, collecting a few fusion pods, etc, etc... what do you know, there's this darned great pillar with an arrow on it in the way?! Now, whilst ordinary people would shy away from taking a peek, big tough Guardian Warriors can't resist it...

And it's now the game gets interesting, because you are teleported away from the nice safe carnage to an alien sub-world where the enemies are bigger, badder and braver than before. This situation is supposedly evened out, since for this section you are transported to a spaceship. Fat chance - these aliens are large, mean hombres and with very little room to move, quick accurate firing is a necessity.

In all of the zones you are to visit, the screen informs you of your state of health, the weapons in use and the power of the shot you are about to release. Take care, however, when collecting weapons pods: you can only use one at a time with one in reserve. Collect any more and you lose the ones you've so carefully saved!

Dark Fusion fails in one key respect: despite the generally slow pace of the game, it is too hard to survive early on. It's not that you're destroyed by too many creatures attacking too fast for your trigger finger to cope with: it's just the awkward nature of zones themselves. Your poor little Grauniad (sorry Guardian) Warrior is left to the tender mercies of the aliens, all of whom take far too long to dispatch, indeed many need three or even four high power shots - which again brings the pace of the game down.

Dark Fusion is a professional and well executed piece of work, every area of the game well planned and presented. The magic that makes a classic, however, is sadly lacking. All that remains is yet another enjoyable blaster battle that joins the already swollen ranks of good, but ultimately forgettable, shoot-outs in space.

This is a bit like a Chinese meal. You've just got to have it, but an hour later you wonder why you bothered. And want another one.

Clearly suitable.

20,000 points.

Graphics 87%
P. A solid graphic display.
N. Nothing new.

Sonics 59%
P. Great variety of effects.

Grab Factor 46%
P. Not hard to play exactly, but awkward.

Staying Power 67%
P. When you learn the tricks, it's possible to do well...
N. But it takes a long, long time.

Overall 68%
P. Glossily finished...
N. But ultimately unsatisfying.