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You can travel to strange, interesting worlds, meet strange interesting people... then nicks loads of stuff off them and kill 'em. Rob Mead hops onto the Express Via, goes the wrong way and ends up behind bars. He really should have known better...

Koshan Inc is holding the planetary system of Shedishan to ransom. The company has a virtual monopoly over a rare, but essential mineral, Echiatone 21, and is keen to expand its empire. However, there is some doubt over the ownership of the planet Bedhin, Koshan's principal source of Echiatone. According to the Shedish Treaty, six people asctually own the planet, and two of them are already dead.

It's your job - as a Bureau of Astral Troubleshooers (B.A.T.) agent - to track down the others, reclaim the title deeds and rescue Shedishan from corporate tyranny. All sounds like a day in the life of your typical solicitor, doesn't it? B.A.T. 2 is a massive role-playing adventure - after you've created your agent you're dropped off at a busy astroport and wander through the streets of Roma 2, Shedishan's capital city. Your first task is to find the hotel where another B.A.T. agent, Sylvia, is waiting to brief you.

On your way there you come across over 200 characters you can chat to, fight with and steal from in a variety of fast food joints, bars and amusement arcades. Because B.A.T. 2 is an open-ended game you can take time out and spend a few days getting drunk or playing games in the amusement arcades - or you could even get a job. And if that isn't enough, you can always travel around in four different flight simulators, compete in car races on the Expressway Via or battle with rather mean-looking gladiators. Well, all this sounds mighty fine in theory, but what's B.A.T. 2 actually like to play?

Virtually anything you want to do in B.A.T. 2 is done by mouse-controlled menus and icons. For example, if you want to talk to a character, a menu appears with a list of options available to you. The same thing applies when you go into a shop, bar and so on. Although the control system and menus are better than in B.A.T. 1, the process still seems very cumbersome - if you want to get a couple of drinks from your inventory, for example, you have to scroll through the whole thing to find what you want and use it. The menu then takes you back to the beginning of the inventory, so you have to scroll through it again to get the other drink - it all gets a bit tedious and frustrating. Other bits - like programming BOB, your agent's computer - seem so incredibly involved that you really can't be bothered - you just want to get on with playing the game.

Another drawback is the movement cursor - it merely displays an arrow for the directions in which you could travel. This can mean you end up walking around in circles, or even backwards to see a bit of the game you haven't seen before. However, B.A.T. 2 more than makes up for these shortcomings with its incredible sound effects - if you have an MV16 sound card that is (get in touch with Ubisoft if you want one) - and graphics which gives the world of Shedishan a very realistic, atmospheric feel. It's unlike any other adventure you've played before.

B.A.T. 2 is going to take you months to complete, if not longer - it is a seriously long-term proposition. The whole thing is jam-packed with detail and has some excellent graphics and sound effects. However, the program's developers have neglected the playability side of the game equation to an extent - getting around is still a hit-and-miss affair and some options such as the Inventory screen, for example - are extraordinarily cumbersome. However, whether you're rule-playing game addict or not, B.A.T. 2 is a thoroughly engaging adventure - one of the best games of its kind.

Stunning graphics in massive adventure that could take you ages to complete.

With five disks it's a shame it's not hard-drive installable. Cumbersome control mechanism.