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Apparently, Ocean are into crime. To find out more, we sent an investigative reviewer to examine the evidence. Is their game a rip-off or do they acquit themselves with honour. Let justice be done...

A filthy, low-down, good for nothing tea leaf, that's all he is. No, not Steve Jarratt, Hudson Hawk. The excitement of a career in accountancy was too much for young Hawk so instead he's devoted his life to the humdrum existence that's thievery. But it's not just the odd packet of sausages or carrier bag full of booze that he's after, that sort of thing is strictly for bored celebrities. No, Hudson Hawk goes for the big ones, and at the moment he's taken a shine to the work of Leonardo Da Vinci.

But that's only half the story. Someone, somewhere has mastered the art of alchemy and can turn base metals into gold. Hawk, being a bit smart himself, realises that this will ruin the economy and furthermore, his livelihood. The ultimate aim in this game, then, is to get hold of Leonardo's Mirrored Crystal, the only thing able to destroy the Alchemy machine. However, there's still time for a fair amount of light-fingered fun along the way.

The first of your missions is to retrieve Leonardo Da Vinci's priceless horse sculpture, the 'Sforza'. Unfortunately, it's located on the seventh floor of Rutherford's Auction House, a place not known for its slack security. By hook or by crook, though...

Before you even get into the building, you have to deal with rabid Dobermans, over-affectionate dachshunds and owls that do their deadly do-doos all over your salon-standard flat top.

There are ways to deal with aggro like this. You can either avoid them, by jumping over them, or you can fire little balls at them, a strange course of action I admit, but one that has the desired effects. Firing one at a dog stuns it briefly. Concussing owls, however, is a different matter - you can't, But they do die from a salvo of spheres.

The game design has been well thought out, because as a rule, you can only stun those creatures populating the areas you have to spend time in. For example, the dachshund in level one loiters around the stackable crates that get you out of the first level. If he died when you shot him, the game would be too easy. But instead, he keeps coming round (just to make the crate stacking a right pain). This is far more challenging than instant obliteration. Once inside the auction rooms, the security system is even less easily penetrable.

Cosh or gun-carrying security guards make nuisances of themselves, while ceiling-mounted laser turrets do their best at a bit of crook cooking. It's all a matter of speed coupled with good timing. But, by jingo, it takes a very long while to master these skills.

With one priceless treasure under your bet, it's time for a visit to the Vatican in level two. This time, you're after Da Vinci's sketchbook, The Codex. But, while security guards and sausage dogs are fine for small time operations like Rutherford's, the Vatican needs the very best, highly trained security force there is... nuns! (?!) Er, what are they gonna do, rosary you to death? Almost. They've got these nasty habits, hiding explosive secrets...

Stranger still, in the sewers beneath the Vatican there's this pogo-ing loony with long hair. And very big looney he is, too. So lummox-like, in fact, that you have to shoot him and then punch him before he falls over for good. Despite all these hazards, if you can make your way through the Italian sewer system and through the Vatican itself, the Codex will be yours.

It's time for your final mission a trip to Da Vinci's castle to get the Mirrored Crystal. Any player who gets this far might reasonably expect something new in terms of gameplay. But if one criticism can be levelled at Hudson Hawk, it's that the gameplay is a little linear. Its saving grace is being good to play, regardless.

In case you haven't already guessed, I like Hudson Hawk a lot. The variety of the sub levels, the quirky sprites, the perplexing puzzles and the slick gameplay make it a real winner, That doesn't make it a corker. Hudson Hawk isn't quite as rich in puzzles as Rick Dangerous 2 or as dynamic as Robocop 2 - but it comes pretty close. This is good stuff indeed.

And it's nice to see a complete departure from the beat-'em-up and sliding puzzle cocktail Ocean normally serves up for film licence occasions. Good for them, and I hope they carry on experimenting. We've received some strong opinions on the questionable quality of film-based games in the past, many of them unfavourable. But on the strength of this, to accuse Ocean of daylight robbery would be criminal.

1. Not that varied, overall.
2. More level one-style puzzles would have been appreciated.

1. The graphics are quite odd but they're also original and very effective.
2. The controls are ultra-responsive and the collision detection faultless.
3. Presentation screens add yet another layer of polish.
4. The puzzles are simple - but only once you've done them.
5. Superb static screens.
6. The sprites are great, especially the killer nuns.
7. The transport sequences between levels are gorgeous.
8. Packed with original and well-implemented ideas.