A fatal error has not occurred. This paranoid android is really pushing all the right buttons

Back when I was just a nipper, there was nothing more enjoyable in life than tearing open my Pandora's toy box and unleashing epic plastic hell. My mum and dad would wake each morning to the sounds of Optimus Prime being smacked headfirst into a Tonka Truck. In their minds it was a heinous racket, but in my imagination it was the ultimate battle. It's time to relive that feeling with Metal Arms.

Blow holes in doors, demolish buildings, flatten Mil bots in a tank or shoot them into teeny little pieces. Everything in range is a potential target. All shooters have explosions, but none of them are as spectacular as this adventure. Metal Arms employs a dramatic particle system where shooting an enemy results in tiny shards of metal scattering everywhere. This simple effect transforms the act of shooting into an act of "Oh my God, I'm such an incredible badass!" Lobbing a grenade into a pack of evil Mil bots creates devastation to rival even that of the mighty Otogi.

Everyone needs a battery recharge at times, and to prevent the mayhem becoming too much, there's also a lot of humour in the game. Not only do Glitch and his partners engage in some snappy exchanges, but they all look really chunky and fun. The same can be said for the evil Mils, who would probably get on well with Covenant grunts in the conversation stakes. Their goading and bold threats make it all the more satisfying when you finally manage to nail them. And we do mean 'finally', because the Mils are light-footed and extremely sneaky. They'll attack in formation when you're low on ammo and bleeding lithium or hop away wailing and screaming if you shoot their arms off.

It's these glowing details that remind us another top-flight Xbox shooter - Halo. The AI is like Halo's, the great characters are like Halo's, and even the sniper scope is (knowingly) like Halo's, but all without feeling like a rip-off. This wouldn't be possible without the game's unique graphical style and accelerated gameplay.

Of the whopping 40 missions in Campaign mode, about 30 are a combination of platformer and shoot 'em up. We've already talked about the shooting aspects, but the running and jumping are equally good, courtesy of some responsive controls. The other ten levels, including driving a dune buggy and manning a gun turret, are really diverse and help to keep the adventure fresh.

Another streak of variety comes in Glitch's ability to hack into enemies and take over their bodies. Sneak up behind a 15-foot security droid, 'tether' him and spend the next five minutes wreaking great vengeance and furious anger on his buddies. There are no limitations with the Tether gun, meaning any robot of any size can be yours to command.

Everything you can do in Campaign mode also applies to the excellent multiplayer game. It's a split-screen affair for one to four players with seven variations. There's nothing ground-breaking here but at least you've got the reassuring goodness of King of the Hill, Capture the Flag and Tag modes. Playing the levels with vehicles is eye-wateringly joyful, although it could have been even better with a System Link option or Xbox Live mode for sixteen gamers.

Unless you've been following our news pages religiously, chances are you probably won't have heard of Metal Arms before today, but rest assured it's a title you'll be hearing again and again. Perfect entertainment for kids and even better for anarchistic grown-ups, this has to be one of the biggest and brightest surprises of 2003.

1. Shooting legs off
2. Showers of metal
3. All the Halo vehicles in disguise
4. Using the Tether gun on giants

1. No Xbox Live
2. No System Link

Power
Exhilarating explosions and a cool particle system. Gameplay is solid and the controls are responsive.

Style
Solid graphics, excellent voiceovers and funky music are all dripping in humour. Superb.

Immersion
Multiplayer could've been better with support for more players. So much variety you'll cry oil.

Lifespan
One huge campaign, hundreds of secrets and an ace multiplayer mode makes a toolbox full of bliss.

Verdict Gorgeous, chunky graphics, engaging characters and stacks of variety make Metal Arms an essential shooter.