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Sega owners who enjoy role playing/arcade adventure-type games have never had it so good, with two excellent RPGs released this month - Phantasy Star, and this, Ys.

Like Phantasy Fighter, Ys comes with a lithium battery incorporated in the cartridge, allowing you to load and save games as you would with a disk-based game.

The story tells of a swordsman called Aron Christian who is on a quest to retrieve six parts of a magic book before a dastardly sorcerer called Dark Delt can get his mits on it. You play the good guy (of course), and knowing that you're after this magic tome, Delt uses all his evil powers to stop you, and every step of the quest is fraught with danger.

The game is played over a large, scrolling map, with sub-screens depicting smaller locations. Shops can be entered to buy extra supplies, and you can also meet and talk with people, as well as read from the book when you find it to use its magic.

Status and equipment screens can also be called up to check on Aron's experience and hit points, and any weapon being carried can be selected for use.

As well as being a massive and thoroughly engrossing RPG, Ys also boasts some stunning graphics. The backdrops are beautifully coloured and highly detailed, and the sub-screens are superb, with gorgeous use of shading. The sprites are small, but are nicely animated and highly detailed, and the whole thing looks incredible - the best I've seen on the Sega.

Ys offers depth and playability and will keep you engrossed for weeks, and even though it is rather pricey, it's still a must.