Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon won four Oscars back in 2001. That, by all accounts, suggests rather heavily it was good. Simple.

If you've yet to see it, then buy a copy, you won't be disappointed. It soars with a grace and beauty rarely found in movie making these days, and is rich with action, romance, and exquisite cinematography. And then this thing arrives on our desks. It's not that bad, in fact, it manages to be quite inventive at times, but we're not sure whether it was even finished properly.

The game is broken into four episodes, each of which stars one of the characters and sees their personal take on the struggle for the Green Destiny sword. Then, once the first episode is over, you return to the beginning of the story to play it from a different perspective. Good idea? Not if you believe in the art of storytelling.

The action, which was almost balletic in the movie, is integral to the feel of the story, and although the developer has certainly tried to encapsulate it, it falls woefully flat. The wire work, impossible acrobatics, and fluidity of the movie has been squished into some truly bizarre button combinations. The Right trigger makes you jump, while the Black button makes you run. Clicking the Left stick acts as the 'action' button, while all the coloured buttons form punch and kick moves.

You can't kick someone while holding a sword either, so to move between kicking and slashing you have to sheathe and draw your sword repeatedly. You look like some martial arts jumping bean at times, as you sh-sh-sh-shudder your weapon in and out of its sheath, all the while being attacked from every side. Hardly Chow Yun Fat.

The other stunningly beautiful thing about the movie was the use of defensive moves. These are also referred to in the game, but are a pre-animated set of moves that kick in if you hit the defence button (Left trigger) in tempo with a flashing icon. Valiant effort, so points there, but seriously, where's the skill?

The fact that the movie was released four years prior to the game should have sounded the alarm bells way before you even began reading this, but if you are still unconvinced, go buy the DVD and watch the movie again. There is a timeless, aching romance between the leads, compelling treetop duels, sweeping desert vistas, and some of the most imaginatively conceived fight scenes in recent memory. Anything released on a console that would hope to recapture all that is dead long before it even starts. We almost feel sorry for this game, because despite looking every bit as pretty as it should, it didn't stand a chance from the beginning.

1. Looks like the film
2. Loads of cutscenes from the movie
3. Music from the film

1. It plays horribly!
2. Characters are too unresponsive
3. Camera is abysmal

Power
The graphics engine isn't too bad, and everything looks as it should. Shame about the gameplay.

Style
Tries to capture the essence of the movie, but it's an uphill struggle this poor donkey couldn't handle.

Immersion
It's hard to care about your characters when they don't move properly and the camera s pants.

Lifespan
It lasts four times as long as your average under-par slasher. But is that really such a benefit?

Summary
A bit broken, and a bit old. It tries hard, bless it, but for such an epic film it should've been more like Prince Of Persia.