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When Professor Chronos created a time machine, little did he realise what chaos his discovery would cause. Accompanied by his assistant, the Professor and his assistant travelled the timeways and all went well... until the machine malfunctioned and exploded, scattering its component parts throughout the centuries. This event ripped apart the very fabric of the Universe, and in the confusion a new Universe began to emerge, destroying the existing cosmos as it developed. The only way that this process can be arrested is if someone collects all of the time machine's scattered components (or anachronons as the Prof calls them). As you're the Prof's assistant, it's up to you to do the job.

Before the mission is undertaken a character is set up. Firstly it has to be given a name and then the character's three different characteristics - force, agility and life - are defined. Each characteristic has an initial value of fifty points and another fifty points are available, allowing the player to distribute them according to playing style. The mission begins when the points have been allocated.

The lab consists of a series of scrolling horizontal levels, linked by lifts and gravity drops. Misplaced artifacts are scattered throughout the complex, and can be picked up by running over them. Geometrically-shaped keys can also be picked up - endowing the character with the ability to cross holes in the floor that can't normally be jumped.

Throughout the mission, the hero is harassed by the lab's guardian androids. These horrors attack on sight, and contact with them reduces the character's numerically represented energy level towards a fatal zero. The hero has the ability to fight back, and can totally destroy an android by repeated kicking and punching.

Every time an object is collected or an android is destroyed, the numerical 'Fifth Axis' rating at the top of the screen increases by a few points. Each time it reaches a multiple of ten the character is sent to the location of an anachronon for a limited period of time. The screen displays a scrolling passageway along which the character runs. An anachronon is situated at the end end, and has to be reached before the time limit expires. The passageway is littered with objects which have to be jumped or ducked, making the run more difficult. Hitting one results in your character stumbling over, and a loss of time is incurred. Recovering the anachronon returns the character to the lab so that more artifacts can be picked up. Failure causes the 'Fifth Axis' meter to diminish, and consequently more artifacts have to be picked up. The mission is complete when the meter reaches 100%.

Fifth Axis initially appears uninteresting - there's not a great deal to look at, and the inlay doesn't make it sound promising. However, when you begin playing it soon holds your interest.

Basically, it's a very simple game, with oddments such as the collection of objects and killing aliens thrown in to add a bit of spice. The animation is particularly striking - the way in which the main character runs is quite realistic. Fifth Axis is a great package - well worth spending some time and money on.

Fifth Axis is visually awful - the backgrounds are very bland, with poor use of colour and very little detail. Similarly, the sprites are only single colour, but they do work unusually well.

The main character is moved around quite easily, and the animation is relatively smooth, with some nice parallax scrolling on the background in the second stage. But basically this is a sort of poor man's Impossible Mission - a bit overpriced, but quite enjoyable.

"Don't judge a book by its cover," says the proverb, and in this case, it's quite true. First impressions of Fifth Axis aren't very good - it even looks grotty on paper. However, when you grab hold of a joystick and start playing you realise that it's absolutely brilliant.

A fair bit of beat-'em-up action spiced with a hefty dose of arcade adventure, all mixed in with some great tunes and effects, results in an extremely playable and enjoyable game. Joystick accuracy and speedy reactions are required, and there's enough action and challenge to keep any player happy for quite some time.

Presentation 85%
Plenty of options and slick in-game presentation.

Graphics 68%
Garish, but there are some imaginative sprites and pretty effects.

Sound 78%
Continuous soundtrack which varies throughout the mission.

Hookability 74%
Instantly enjoyable bashing and collecting action.

Lastability 69%
Saving the universe is a tough, occasionally monotonous, but enjoyable enough task.

Value For Money 59%
Not enough action and playability to warrant its high price tag.

Overall 70%
An interesting and fairly unusual game.