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Hummingbirds are possessed of many interesting traits and abilities. They have brightly coloured wings, they like to sup the sweet nectar of flowers with their long tongues and they can feed on the wing in graceful hover, by virtue of their incredibly fast wing motions.

Unfortunately, lasers, smart bombs and energy shields have they none. This probably explains why no other hummingbird shoot-'em-ups exist on any format. No other than Kolibri, that is. Novotrade, the developer who brought you the epic Ecco (one and two), have added these powers to the hummingbird's existing armoury. Then they constructed a large forest-based blastathon to put the strangely-monikered bird through its paces. The result is Kolibri, a game that proves the 32X dares to tread in areas of gaming that no-one else can be bothered to reach.

Strange crystal formations, like the mystic shards in Ecoo, provide ways to turn Kolibri from a lame duck to a bird of prey. Each globe produces a different firing effect, and picking successive globes of the same type enhances the weapon. Other one-off powers, like shields and smart bombs, are located separately.

In Kolibri's countryside, flowers figure largely. They can be nice - like the pretty blooms in a vase; or vile - like the insect-guzzling Venus Fly Trap. The nice ones burst into life when you clear them of their waspish marauders, but you must be on your guard from the innocent-looking flowers that suck you off to your doom!

Created by Novotrade, Kolibri resembles their previous hit Ecco The Dolphin in the weird scenario stakes.

Free the captive hummingbird and blast the nefarious insects on manifold scrolling levels.

I never enjoyed Ecco The Dolphin - the puzzles had me baffled, the controls wound me up and the music sent me to sleep. As soon as I started playing Kolibri I was overcome with a strange sense of deja vu.

Kolibri shares much the same feel as his seaborne predecessor, although he's thankfully not quite such a dedicated pacifist. The hassle of simply keeping your firebreathing hummingbird airborne and alive is comparable to the hassle of maintaining Ecco's air supply. It's a drag, and it detracts from what is otherwise a fairly engaging game.

Kolibri's real strengths are its beautiful graphics, smooth parallax and intricately drawn hordes of hovering enemies.

Unfortunately, the whole affair is just a bit too well mannered, and ultimately frustrates in all the wrong ways and places.

Kolibri stands out as a particularly charming game in the visual stakes. A Michelle Pfeiffer of console games that promises much but never quite gets its kit off, with few climaxes across its clutch of levels.

There's a constant, steep level of challenge and a steady flow of airborne enemies, with new varieties steadily introduced to maintain the interest level.

And interest is maintained, just about, as you try and get the right power-up to suit the right set of enemies, and try to negotiate each tight bend and cavern. But I felt the game lacked a little something, and my best guess is that as so many of the weapons are aimed automatically, most of what you are expected to do is avoid the enemies' fire. That's not quite as much fun as killing your own, so Kolibri is played more defensively than aggressively. Nice game, though.

Graphics 89%
P. Superb music backdrops, utilising the subtleties of the 32X palette at last.

Animation 76%
N. The motion of Kolibri himself is disappointing in contrast with Ecco. Static enemies like frogs look a bit tacky.

Music 78%
P. Good range of music for each level.
N. The sedate pace of the score doesn't aid the game's appeal.

Effects 73%
P. Neither particularly good nor poor, the effects are definitely fit for a shoot-'em-up.

Playability 85%
P. Novotrade's stock-in-trade: a good control 'feel' is much in evidence. Good weapons and introductory levels.

Lastability 82%
P. Loads of levels, and a generous unlimited tries password system.
N. Repetitive ultimately, Kolibri fails to produce dramatic moments.

Overall 83%
Few shoot-'em-ups can match the depth of the well-tailored Kolibri, but few pulses will rise playing it.