Opposites attract, right? As alliances go, this is about as unexpected as Robbie Williams and Liam Gallagher joining forces to take down One True Voice. Raziel and Kain, two sworn enemies who have been locked in mortal combat for years, come together to slay the ultimate and unspeakable evil. Blood brothers now, with a soul purpose.

The storyline flips between Kain and Raziel, allowing you to control each character in alternating chapters. The controls for both are much the same, making it easy to master all the different moves available for each. Both characters have satisfyingly macabre ways of restoring their health - Kain by drinking the blood of helpless prisoners and Raziel by stealing the grubby soul of any beast he comes across.

Anyone familiar with the previous Legacy Of Kain games will recognise the melancholic settings and foul-looking demons that make up the land of Nosgoth, never before though has it looked so good. The radical new cinematic approach to the view of the game gives it a real epic feeling while the fantastically drawn backdrops and fluid character movements add an air of style to the proceedings.

The biggest improvement is the combat system. During the earlier levels you are given brief in-game tutorials, the complexity of the moves increasing as you progress. Once you have mastered these you will find it deliciously easy to put the dark souls pursuing you through every type of hell imaginable.

One of the new additions is the Telekinesis (TK) mode. By using this attack you can send demons slamming into walls, each other and, most fun of all, nasty big spikes on the wall. This comes in very handy when you're outnumbered, which is often, as you can keep legions of undead at bay while you hack up the others.

To say LOK: Defiance's improvements are only skin deep would be unfair. A lot of work has gone into perfecting the combat system and the balance between carnage and considered puzzle-solving is admirable, however with such a long-running series this is slightly hamstrung by its similarities to its predecessors. Those who have loyally played through the Soul Reaver and Blood Omen games will feel the path is rather well-trodden by now. Fans of the series or those with a high bloodlust will undoubtedly find plenty to feast on here. If, however, you prefer things a bit more frenetic, you may find it slim pickings.

As for settings and foul-looking demons that make up the land of Nosgoth, never before though has it looked so good. The radical new cinematic approach to the view of the game gives it a real epic feeling while the fantastically drawn backdrops and fluid character movements add an air of style to the proceedings.

The biggest improvement is the combat system. During the earlier levels you are given brief in-game tutorials, the complexity of the moves increasing as you progress. Once you have mastered these you will find it deliciously easy to put the dark souls pursuing you through every type of hell imaginable.

One of the new additions is the Telekinesis (TK) mode. By using this attack you can send demons slamming into walls, each other and, most fun of all, nasty big spikes on the wall. This comes in very handy when you're outnumbered, which is often, as you can keep legions of undead at bay while you hack up the others.

To say LOK: Defiance's improvements are only skin deep would be unfair. A lot of work has gone into perfecting the combat system and the balance between carnage and considered puzzle-solving is admirable, however with such a long-running series this is slightly hamstrung by its similarities to its predecessors. Those who have loyally played through the Soul Reaver and Blood Omen games will feel the path is rather well-trodden by now. Fans of the series or those with a high bloodlust will undoubtedly find plenty to feast on here. If, however, you prefer things a bit more frenetic, you may find it slim pickings.

1. Excellent combat system
2. Chance to play as Kain and Raziel

1. Occasional suspect camera angles
2. Not always enough slaying on offer

Power
The sweeping backdrops and fluid character movements are exquisitely done.

Style
The dark and moody feel captures the sense of the nether-world perfectly. Nosgoth looks great.

Immersion
When you're not fighting, the action can sometimes feel a little pedestrian.

Lifespan
There are plenty of puzzles and handfuls of hacking 'n slashing to be had here.

Overall Legacy Of Kain's dark heart has been given a short, sharp electric shock and the result is a nice macabre slice of hack 'n slash.