Hands up who knows the French for 'excellent'. Oh, right.

Paris, city of contrasts. During your stay in the French capital you expect to enjoy romantic walks by the Seine, the finest cooking in the world and cafes bustling with lively philosophical debate. The more adventurous traveller can also look forward to urinating openly in the streets, forming a self-destructive relationship with a beautiful but emotionally unstable lover and being savagely murdered during an impromptu invasion by Japanese demons. Magnifique!

The final game in the Onimusha trilogy transports much of the action from feudal Japan to modern-day Paris, where Lord Nobunaga's supernatural army is on the attack. The same plot contrivance also brings the hero from the first game, a mighty samurai called Samanosuke, to the present. Meanwhile, Jacques Blanc (a grizzled Frenchcop modelled on Jean Reno) is sucked into the past. To save humanity and return to their own time, the odd couple must enlist the help of a magical fairy, Blanc's pretty mistress and his mind-crushingly annoying child. Which makes Onimusha 3 sound like some kind of Lottery-funded fish out of water comedy. Mais non. The game itself dispenses with the funnies and instead focuses on the whole demon slaughtering angle. Probably for the best, really.

The Parisian setting and twin hero system are Onimusha 3's boldest strokes, and both freshen the gameplay noticeably. Also successful is the shift to 3D visuals, which retain the eye-watering sharpness of previous instalments, while enabling a dynamic camera that stays tight on the action. Despite the changes, the most noticeable thing is how comfortable everything feels. The other emotion triggered is disappointment. Not because it's a let down - far from it - but because you quickly realise that Onimusha 3 is ruining you for other games, shaming every other makeweight epic with its sparkly brilliance.

Capcom has buffed every aspect of Onimusha 3 indecently hard, but the most important area is the fighting system. Developers take note: if you're going to build your entire game around fighting, make sure it's thrilling to play - and remains so until the credits roll. Onimusha 3 makes the trick seem effortless. The key is keeping the basic moves simple but oh-so-satisfying to use, then adding layers of depth in the form of pyrotechnic special attacks, charge moves and timing-based counters that slice demons apart instantly. Using the left analogue stick for movement (a first for the series) also creates a more free-flowing experience - particularly compared to the thumb-ruining controls of the last two outings. The only enduring moan is that, despite the new camera, you still find yourself being attacked by off-screen enemies. But it's one mouldy crouton in an otherwise appetising soup.

Both characters come equipped with an 0ni gauntlet that enables them to absorb the souls of defeated enemies. Depending on coloration, these souls replenish either health or magical power - which creates a constant risk/reward situation because you need to hoover up souls before they disappear, while simultaneously trying to avooid demonic molestation. Stockpile enough of the red souls and you can also upgrade your weaponry and equipment. Really, it's just a sneaky attempt to prolong the game's life by forcing you to engage in otherwise unnecessary battles. But rather than feeling tricked, acquiring an even more powerful flaming chopper soon becomes an all-consuming obsession. The inclusion of these low calorie RPG elements adds further depth, as does the fact that the two lead characters (three, if you include Michelle - who's playable in two sections) have markedly different abilities. The end result is an actioner that never gets boring. Not even when you're slicing through the same respawning enemies for the fourth time. And that's pretty much the Holy Grail as far as the genre goes.

At this point, it's also worth pointing out just how good the whole thing looks. Short of sticking Virginie Ledoyen into the cut-scenes - just for the hell of it - Onimusha 3 couldn't look much sexier. The parade of graphical majesty, coupled with some gorgeous animation, lends real impact to the action and ensures you always feel compelled to see the next location. Presentation is strong throughout, with intertwining storylines carefully threading through the bloodletting. The game relies on an irritating amount of backtracking, but around halfway through more interesting puzzles based on jumping between the time periods appear.

These involve using Ako, your little fairy chum, to ferry keys and other important items through warp gates. Normally, having a helium-voiced fairy following you around would instantly knock a point off the score, but against all odds, she's actually an agreeable little sort - always happy to flutter off and fetch items for you mid-battle. We like Ako largely because she seems like the kind of gal who'd get a round in. ("Kronenberg for Reno and a bag of nuts for the samurai, please love.") You can also equip here with different outfits that have varying magical effects, from healing your character to automatically sucking the souls out of enemies.

The one thing you can criticise Onimusha 3 for, barring the odd moment of slowdown during the busier scraps and the fact that Reno's voice is replaced by some no-mark American early on, is that it refines an already successful formula rather than makes any attempt to revolutionise. Maybe it's because the structure is inherently linear, but occasionally there are times when, for all the technical excellence and playability, you notice yourself wanting to just 'get it done, see the end and move on'.

So there's no shock of the new here, and there are also times - the dwarf dropping in to invite you on an excursion, or the game snootily informing you that 'easy mode' is now available because you keep dying - when the sense of familiarity is almost overwhelming. But if our only substantial complaint is that Onimusha 3 is a distillation of everything that's good about the series, that should tell you more than enough. The trilogy signs off with an astonishingly enjoyable adventure that pushes the PS2's technical capabilities and delivers consistently high entertainment value. Book the Eurostar now; Paris is where it's at.

Graphics 90%
So pretty it's almost an affront to God.

Sound 80%
Orchestral pomp and reasonable voicing.

Gameplay 90%
Utterly solid in every department.

Lifespan 70%
Not massive, but superb while it lasts.

Overall 90%
The perfect climax to one of the best franchises on PS2. Onimusha 3 has been lovingly crafted for newcomers and old hands alike.