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Having rocked the role-playing world with the blockbusting Shadowlands, Teque is back with a space-age sequel that should ring a few bells in the heads of Aliens fans. Gary Whitta's on a one-way elevator to Hell. Going down...

Shadowlands in space. Right, that's this game described. Next! [Don't push your luck - Ed] Well, it sounds a bit blunt, but that's basically what we've got here. The isometric RPG produced for Domark by Teque last year turned more than its fair share of heads, mainly because it broke several sacred role-playing conventions by being easy to get into and understand (heaven forbid!) and, more to the point, it was a lot of fun.

By taking RPG depth and shoe-horning it into a format more suited for mass consumption (i.e. it looked more like an arcade game than a hefty role-player) Shadowlands also managed to hook a few people into a genre which is, for the most part, sadly neglected by the majority of Amiga players.

A sequel, then, is of course the order of the day. And while Shadoworlds is by no means an official follow-up (the scenarios of the two: games couldn't be further removed if you tried), there can be no mistaking the game's origins. Using an improved version of the impressive Photoscape graphics system, Shadoworlds is set in the far future, after a galactic war so devastating it has finally convinced humankind to renounce violence forever and embark upon a new era of universal peace.

But just in case, a single weapons research laboratory has been kept active at the far edge of the galaxy - and it's to here that you and your party of super-hard war veterans are sent to investigate when contact is mysteriously lost. Shades of Aliens certainly, but then that's pretty much the point. What happens next is anybody's guess.

As the sequel to Shadowlands, Shadoworlds is just about everything you'd expect - more of the same stylishly-presented role-playing fun, with a few notable enhancements and a suitably moody scenario. Indeed, the space-age setting is one of the game's strongest points, making a refreshing change from the usual unimaginative sword-'n-sorcery dirge. There can be no doubt that Teque have gone all out to recreate the brooding feel of James Cameron's Aliens here, and the ideally-suited Photoscape system has helped them pull it off to good effect although, as sophisticated as the system is, I'm still not convinced that it's as practical as it is attractive. There's a certain amount of frustration when much of the game is played in partial darkness, and there are times when you wish you could just light everything up and have done with it.

If it's a really Alien-esque atmosphere that Teque were after, some rumbling background music and effects would have done the world of good - sadly there's little worthy of note on the sonic side. Regardless of that, Shadoworlds is undoubtedly a very polished, sophisticated and enjoyable role-player - and a big one too. If anything, it's more action orientated than Shadowlands, with more emphasis on combat and exploration than conventional puzzle-solving. I have a few gripes with the control method - it's not quite as friendly as you might be led to believe, particularly when moving the party about. They're not intelligent enough to walk to where you've clicked automatically, they have to be guided round objects and through doors, and this can seem like a chore at times.

Because of Shadoworlds' slick presentation and its slight move away from the puzzle side of things, I think it's less likely to appeal to hardened RPG purists and more to unseasoned adventurers - its swish scenario and friendly interface make it the ideal introduction to the genre. But that's not to say it's a pushover and if you liked Shadowlands (plenty of you, I know) you'll love this. Yes, it's a cliché but it also happens to be true. So there.