In those days, it was a serious proposition - a beat-'em-up not to be taken lightly. In fact, this very machine was responsible for emptying more wallets than an Oxford Street pickpocket at Christmas. Mortal Kombat took the fighting game genre and gave it an almighty bloody nose as it fought tooth and nail to wrestle the mantle of king of beat-em ups from Street Fighter, which was then firmly top of the tree.

In Mortal Kombat, not only could you now make a gory mess of the smug guy who had been hogging the machine for the half hour before you, but you could also add the piéce de résistance by pulling off one of the infamous fatality moves. These spectacular special moves unique to each character were prompted by the words "Finish Him!", meaning your opponent was on his last legs. Only seasoned players would know the correct button sequence, but pulling one off resulted in an over-the-top death sequence that left bystanders in no doubt over who was the daddy.

But spines being ripped from lifeless corpses and more blood than a butcher's back room gave the moral crusaders something to bleat about. Soon an unlikely union of anti-violence campaigners and fighting fan purists (who frowned on Mortal Kombat's unsophisticated combat style) converged to give the franchise a big thumbs down. Which had the effect of a gold seal of approval. The machines were everywhere - at least until the rise of the home console shifted the balance of fighting game power from the arcade into the living room. But now it's back. On your Xbox. And it's more brutal than ever. Need to make a big impression after dragging a worn-out franchise away from its retirement home and thrusting it under the next-gen spotlight? Why not kill the leading name - take out the most recognisable hero right at the start? So from the opening credits depicting the graphic slaying of veteran star Liu Kang, it's as clear as Sub-Zero's breath that Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance is a step removed from its predecessors.

The story continues where Mortal Kombat 4 left off. Arch villain Quan Chi escapes the Nether Realm and forms an alliance with Shang Tsung to take over the Earth Realm. Raiden alerts all the good guys and before you can say "fight!", they are all settling differences in a gentlemanly one vs one tournament to the death. Many of the old characters have been wheeled out for an airing, including such favourites as Sub-Zero, Scorpion, Sonya and Johnny Cage, alongside new entrants like Kenshi the blind Taoist monk. But on initial inspection it is a bit disappointing to find some of the original favourite special moves of the old timers (like Scorpion's teleport) are missing this time round.

But it all starts to make sense as soon as you clock the new "Fighting style of the combatants. Each character now has three very different fighting techniques that can be swapped at will throughout a match. Using the Left trigger, it's easy to toggle between two hand-to-hand techniques and a third weapon-based option.

What this new approach offers is much more in-depth combat, where different styles have varying degrees of success against each other, making this unlike any other MK offering. For example, a weapon-based attack will often deal the most damage, yet leave the attacker open to injury from an unarmed counter-move. This means that learning to switch between styles - and not only how best to attack but also how to offer the most effective counter to your opponent's approach - is vital.

But where the fight mechanics have been enhanced, the control system is firmly entrenched in the old-skool format of D-pad tapping, rather than the fluid movement of analogue controls. In an age when the analogue stick is considered the primary control option in so many games, it feels decidedly weird to completely ignore the thumbstick.

Moves are executed through a very rigid exercise of D-pad taps and button pressing which inevitably makes the combat feel somewhat static. There are no sweeping arc patterns via a stick; instead more of a regimented right, right, B, A approach, which means that no matter how many combos you can pull off through fighting style combinations, it still feels a little less fluid than it should.

Control niggles aside, the game for the most part manages to create a compelling fighting experience - albeit one sacrificing some of the original charm of the MK series. Fatalities, in particular, are disappointing. Limited to one per character, the blacked-out backdrops and movie-style death sequences are less than inspiring.

Graphically, Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance just about holds its own against Xbox beat-'em-up benchmark Dead Or Alive 3. The characters are relatively detailed (including visible facial damage as seen in Rocky) and are animated sufficiently. Blood and gore is typically plentiful and stays where it is spilt during the match. Interactive scenery is given a token nod through occasional destructible objects, but the arenas are certainly not on a par with Dead Or Alive 3.

In addition to the standard one and two-player fare there is a Konquest mode that consists of multiple training move exercises dressed up as missions requiring you to repeat combo moves or imitate a fighting style in order to collect 'koins'. You can collect different colours and amounts of koin through beating opponents and completing missions. And once amassed, your stash can then be spent in the Krypt - a vast room holding 676 coffins that can be opened to offer all manner of goodies including unlockable characters, costumes and concept art. An interesting way to unlock secrets, with the only problem being you don't get to choose which character you want to unlock - the choice is made randomly.

Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance is a solid beat-'em-up for a platform that hasn't exactly been blessed by good fighting games. Its new combat style is a departure from previous MK titles, but it works - even at the expense of many original MK trademarks. To sum up, the game is good without being spectacular. And while Dead Or Alive 3 may be the more polished and visually attractive fighter, if a blood-soaked brawl is what you require, then a new challenger awaits.

1. Highly playable
2. Sophisticated combat system
3. Good AI challenges
4. Blood and guts galore!

1. Few game modes
2. No analogue controls

Power
A slick, fully 3D fighting game with manageable loading times and decent visuals.

Style
Typical Mortal Kombat blood and guts with some good, gory special moves.

Immersion
Over 600 different items to unlock sounds tempting, though many aren't really worth it.

Lifespan
Single-player will keep you going for a while, but it's a fighting game so beat up a friend.

Summary
Not as immediately impressive as Dead Or Alive 3, but Mortal Kombat: Deadly Alliance's multiple fighting styles and blood count make it a worthy purchase.