Now let's be honest about this. If you were desperate to read about shoot-'em-ups involving winged beasts, then chances are you would have already stopped letting your fingers do the walking and feasted your eyes on the Panzer Dragoon Orta review elsewhere this issue. But you're here now, which means you want to know how Savage Skies can offer something different against the mighty Game of The Month that is Panzer. And the truth is, it does have a certain appeal, but you'll need to be somebody that goes for personality over looks to get the best from it.

On cosmetic value alone it's easy to dismiss Savage Skies. It's in a different league to Panzer Dragoon Orta - kind of like the Nationwide Conference compared to the Champions League. It's not that it looks terrible - it doesn't - there are some impressive particle effects, some very good landscapes and the beasts themselves aren't short of a decent animation or two.

But where Savage Skies breaks the chains of being labelled a cash-in clone is through the gameplay. For a start, it's not an auto-scrolling title, which means you're relatively free to explore your environment. There are still plenty of invisible walls to bash against, but you do get a feeling of freedom as you swoop and soar between cliff faces and castle turrets.

The missions are also pretty varied. At the start of a single-player game you have a choice of joining one of three factions, with each faction having a campaign consisting of nine missions. The missions look quite different but the objectives remain similar: search and destroy, rescue, protect and escort... you get the picture. Each faction has their own beasts - ranging from some evil-looking skeletal dragons to cuddly owls, so there's an incentive to play through the different campaign options - but it's a shame that all the creatures handle pretty much the same.

Then there are the multiplayer options. You and three friends can duke it out in split-screen Deathmatch mode, or choose between Team Battle, Crystal Capture or various Co-operative missions. So with nearly 30 missions and a comprehensive multiplayer mode, there's certainly a case for Savage Skies to contribute to the shoot-'em-up genre. It's just a shame the publishers decided to release it in the shadow of a dragoon's wing...

1. Good variety of missions
2. Intuitive handling
3. Plenty to unlock
4. Solid multiplayer

1. Average graphics
2. Dramatic narration gets rather cheesy

Power
Nothing too technically taxing and slowdown can occur when there's hectic action.

Style
Pure fantasy style. Voice-overs are very dramatic, like a cross between Brian Blessed and Dr Who.

Immersion
Controls are easy enough and the variety of objectives gives you a reason to take to the skies.

Lifespan
The combination of unlockables and multiplayer mode gives this game an element of lasting appeal.

Summary
It's a pretty decent game but it's no classic. The benchmark has been set by Panzer Dragoon Orta.