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Many years ago, probably before you were even born, or at least before your hands would have been big enough to hold an Xbox controller, a computer game was created that would become one of the longest-running RPG series through the '80s: Ultima. Ultima Underworld helped pioneer the first-person RPG, whereby you viewed all the action and puzzle-solving gameplay through the eyes of your protagonist.

With Arx Fatalis we have a modern-day Underworld game heavily influenced by a kind of early PC gaming that most of its Xbox audience will have never before experienced. The PC version of Arx secured strong reviews a couple of years ago but in the modern world of console gaming, an Xbox conversion with crusty mechanics and tired visuals finds it hard to stand up against the competition.

Plot-wise things are kept pretty short and sweet, placing the player in an underground city of abandoned mines that the world's inhabitants have been forced into by virtue of the sun's rather selfish departure. The dingy setting laid, the dungeon-crawling exploration gameplay of yesteryear is free to begin again.

Interactivity is the most immediate strong point of the game. Most of the objects you will come across can be moved or used. Find an extinguished camp fire and you can ignite it with a torch, then drop on the raw rat ribs from an earlier kill to get a life-replenishing roasted rib. The interactivity of objects opens up the other real strong point of the title: non-linearity. You can play the game pretty much how you want by approaching problems as you see fit and based on the stats you've given your character.

In addition to the four main attributes (strength, constitution, intelligence and dexterity), the game features nine different skills, which will allow you to perform different actions through your quest. Given your avatar a high stealth rating? Then douse the torch on the wall with a water bottle to successfully sneak past goblins in the shadows.

The developer has gone as far to say that every problem in the game has more than one way to solve it depending on your skills. It's even possible to kil all the NPCs in the game and still complete it to get one of the five possible endings. Unfortunately, combat is a far weaker element, basically amounting to 'pull trigger to hit with bone' gameplay. Every weapon you find has depleting usability and eventually breaks, which will infuriate you at times.

Thankfully, the magic system is better and the puzzles have a certain charm, but this is very old-skool gaming. Given the fact not everyone liked this kind of title the first time round, it's difficult to see how Arx will attract any new fans from generation Xbox.

1. Great environment interactivity
2. Varied endings and non-linear gameplay

1. Awkward old-skool gameplay
2. Poor graphics and cut-scenes

Power
It's not a pretty game but the visuals and effects are certainly functional.

Style
As stylish as an underground dungeon-crawler can be. No sky-filled vistas here.

Immersion
I you know your RPGs it will be fairly easy to get into, otherwise there's a steep learning curve.

Lifespan
More than one way to play always makes for good replay value providing you enjoy it enough.

Verdict This old-skool gameplay is a peculiar taste nowadays so you'll either just like it or absolutely hate it.