John Vattic is not your average antihero. By definition, an antihero is a roguish scoundrel with a soft underbelly. Vattic, on the other hand, is the polar opposite - a kindly, amiable intellectual with the soul of a tormented homicidal maniac. He's the equivalent of Peter Parker on a chainsaw rampage. Or your granny Uzi-ing down the Post Office staff following a bounced giro. You really don't expect them to be nasty. But deep down, they really are.

Second Sight, as you will no doubt have foreseen (get it?), is a telekinetically themed third-person action adventure with bags of sadism chucked in for good measure. The twist here is that in addition to pistols and sniper rifles, you, as Dr John Vattic, command a wealth of psychic powers for defeating the bad guys. Temporary invisibility and projecting yourself out of body will get you past most tricky obstacles. The craft of self-healing is a total godsend, too, yet none of this quite compares to Vattic's warped ability of propelling oncoming felons through the air via simple thought, forcing them to scream as their necks are wrung and twisted, and blood inexplicably spurts from every orifice. Scientists, doctors, security guards and government agents, you name them - they all feel the brunt of this gifted man's wrath.

In terms of story, Second Sight is basically what XIII might have been if Stephen King had scripted it. An amnesiac (that's Vattic) with telekinetic powers wakes up in hospital to nightmarish, fragmented flashbacks. Cue the token political conspiracy, and you're thrust onto a search-and-rescue mission for an incarcerated psychic and army colonel. The actual structure flickers between present day and the past, with the latter concerning a botched military operation in snow-caked mountains. b> Almost every level can be played with varying degrees of action and stealth. First objective on the checklist is pure 'creepily does it' stuff, requiring you to escape experimentation at a top-secret lab. There are CCTV cameras to be disabled, computers to be hacked and patrolling busy bodies to evade. At this point, a basic Psi-blast (or a grab from behind) is all you have for eliminating anyone deemed a potential aggressor. Yet - now here is where things get nasty - as soon as a harmless scientist spots you, he'll sound the alarm. So you nail him. Never mind the fact he's shaking in the corner like a big girl's blouse - give the nerd a taste of psi and watch his backside roast. It's the old cliché: them or us.

So stealth is important for survival, right? Well, yes and no. You see - here's the other twist - while sneaking about may be fun, the whole stealth concept seems almost utterly pointless. Vattic's incredible powers make him a virtually indestructible weapon. In only a few circumstances is it truly imperative to keep your whereabouts secret, so why not storm in, psi-weapons blazing? Kill them all? Who cares? Most of the enemies are so weedy, a kid on a tricycle could run them down. Conversely, in Normal difficulty, Vattic is capable of absorbing more punishment than a 30-stone S&M fanatic covered in numbing spray. Plus, his healing skill repairs his damage almost instantly (provided adequate cover can be sought). Seriously, dropping your conscience and becoming a psychic mentalist will get you through this game far, far quicker than playing it cautiously. If you really must take the 'steadily does it' approach, then playing it in Challenging is the only option.

Fortunately, the slightly erratic stealth element aside, Second Sight is bloody good fun. The psychic powers are brilliantly implemented and if it weren't for Psi-Ops we'd be saying how innovative and individual they are. Select your chosen skill via the D-pad, use the Left trigger to hone in on a target (for healing friends or attacking enemies) and slam down the Right trigger to unleash the force. If you're using telekinesis, the Right thumbstick controls the direction of the target object, enabling you to create diversions by spinning crates and toppling tables or, as the story progresses, throwing guards through windows, impaling them on fences and tumbling them over ledges (great ragdoll physics, by the way). It's an ingenious system, and makes Second Sight something special.

As a full-on action thriller, Second Sight does the business. It's the kind of game you'll want to play to release some anger: smash some rooms up, hide away in a cupboard and bounce unsuspecting passers-by off far-away walls. It's fun, tense and full of character. It may not be especially big or original in the story stakes, but you'll definitely want to play this game until its bloody, satisfying conclusion. Get it and prove that brain can prevail over brawn. Assuming it's a psychic brain, that is...

1. Great psychic moves
2. Tense, atmospheric
3. Shooting combat is good too

1. Occasionally restrictive camera
2. Weak, stealth-wise
3. Too easy in 'Normal'

Power
Looks like a PlayStation 2 game, but the psychic powers are certainly very impressive.

Style
Second Sight is dark and tense, with a strong comic book flavour throughout.

Immersion
An instant hit. Using the psychic powers is simple and great fun. You'll be hooked.

Lifespan
You'll definitely play it until the end... which unfortunately won't take too long.

Summary
Enjoyable, sadistic thriller with outstanding psychic powers and excellent controls. Brilliant stuff but a tad short-lived, though.