We can just see it now. The episode of Jerry Springer where some RPG fan with a blue rinse is singing the praises of Sudeki. He's changed his name to Tai and has turned into a pyromaniac, setting off fireworks left, right and centre to show off his 'skill strike'.

Do you fall into this category? There's no shame in it because we've all been there. Spending 40 hours on Knights Of The Old Republic and Final Fantasy VII was absolute heaven. But we're not the only ones; it's equally apparent that the makes of Sudeki are just as mad about adventuring.

We can't confirm that the Climax development team has pink hair, but it's obviously been reading obsessively the encyclopaedia of Japanese RPGs. Just like the aforementioned fireworks, Sudeki is a sprinkling of oriental elements, mixed to explosive effect. It's an extremely traditional role-player, most obviously a throwback to SquareSoft's Secret Of Mana and the massively popular Legend Of Zelda series.

In Sudeki's awe-inspiring introduction, we're introduced to four heroes living in the fairytale kingdom of Illumina. They're cute and they're annoying but it's little wonder when they live in such peaceful and prosperous times. It's all thanks to Queen Lusica who rules the right empire like a vindictive mother-in-law. Her latest scheme is to protect the kingdom from invaders by creating a powerful energy shield.

To achieve this, she needs magical crystals and that's where you come in. Controlling Tal, Ailish, Buki and Elco, you venture out into hostile lands and deathtrap dungeons to retrieve the magical stones. Although we can't get away from the fact that the four heroes are horribly cliched ('traditional' can only go so far), the team dynamic is still very entertaining.

That's not just in the way that teamwork is required to solve puzzles, but the way the characters squabble just like friends do in real life. Elco's the lovechild of Dexter and Harry Potter, but he still thinks he's a ladies' man. This really annoys Ailish and Buki who don't take sexism lightly. Buki is especially peeved when the two blokes stumble into the trap of Nassaria the siren. Funny moments like this go a long way to making you warm to the four discordant heroes.

Sudeki's plot winds and twists cleverly, making sure that you control all four heroes rather than just sticking to your favourite one. In the opening mission you'll control just Tal, but from there on you'll use different parties. Learning how to make different heroes work together is bags of fun.

In combat, teamwork is especially important. Battles are real-time and there's a massive difference between the sword-swinging warriors Tal and Buki and the projectile-firing sneaks Ailish and Elco. Melee combat is a lot like Dynasty Warriors. You tap away at the X and A buttons to hack 'n slash, and the better your timing, the more damage you do. There are about twenty normal combos to learn.

In comparison, ranged combat is totally wacky! When controlling Ailish and Elco, the game switches into FPS mode, but sadly it's not particularly good. Very little skill is required to point your crosshair in the right direction and hold the trigger down while running backwards. Even the teleporting monsters have trouble catching you. We reckon that melee combat has the edge, but shooting is useful if you want to take the cheap (but energy-preserving) option. One good thing about ranged combat is that some projectiles pass through multiple creatures, adding an element of skill. Tactics also come into play as you choose which 'enchantments' to add to your weapons. These add spice to your attacks, like afflicting the enemy with poison and weaker armour.

If you're an RPG purist balking at the frantic real-time combat, don't give up just yet! Bringing up the quick menu makes everything slow down to quarter-speed, giving you space to choose from a list of Final Fantasy-style 'skill strikes'. These setpieces are a great visual sensation, not to mention extremely damaging to any enemies foolish enough to be in the vicinity.

Sudeki's monsters look so incredible though, that it seems a shame to slay them. They're an odd mix of killer robots, insectoid sorcerers and Harryhausen-esque mythical beasts. When it comes to monsters, the bigger the better. Sudeki's boss creatures, particularly Krenn and Nassaria are easily the highlight of the game. The animation is superb, their range of attacks always surprising and their AI first-rate. We're always pleased to see monsters working as a team, and Sudeki's magical creatures will usually enchant and heal their kinsman rather than just attacking you. Beating them first will save you a lot of grief.

But it's not just the creatures that look amazing. In Sudeki you get three worlds to explore, and they all look absolutely astonishing. When walking through Transentia for the first time, you really won't believe that this is just a game. Wherever you look, there are incredible details like windmills turning in the distance or legions of mining robots wandering the walkways far below. It's easy to lose yourself, but thankfully you'll never actually become lost.

Although it takes around fifteen minutes to walk from Illumina castle to Brightwater on the opposite side of Light World, the HUD game map is so good that you'll never take a wrong turn. This is also partly because the worlds are very linear, but more on that later.

Sudeki's intelligent game camera also helps you enjoy the gorgeous worlds to their fullest. The camera tracks behind your party, switching to cinematic angles when you're doing skill strikes and solving puzzles. Best of all, the camera can always be rotated and zoomed using the Right thumbstick. You'll never miss out on the best view of the action. It's undeniably a very linear game, and the sub-quests don't have enough of a hook to make you want to complete them all. Whether you fall in love with this will really depend on whether you prefer sprawling worlds with little detail, or Sudeki's smaller worlds with mind-blowing quantities of graphical splendour. Personal taste will also decide how much you like the storyline. It isn't freeform in any way, but it's still enthralling and very well realised.

Ultimately, Sudeki falls a long way short of the scale and longevity of Knights Of The Old Republic, but then again it's a very different kind of adventure. We love Sudeki. It's a colourful, beautiful adventure with a refreshing and distinctive feel. We're sure you'll be dyeing your hair pink in no time.

1. Looks unbelievable
2. Skill strikes are very satisfying
3. AI is superb!

1. FPS combat requires little skill
2. Grating accents
3. Heroes very cliched

Power
One of the best-looking games on Xbox. Stupendous animation and detail. A real visual powerhouse.

Style
The plot is gripping and well conceived but annoying character voices sometimes get in the way.

Immersion
Sudeki's worlds are so attractive that you'll want to pack up your belongings and move there.

Lifespan
Shorter than Knights Of The Old Republic but there's still about 22-25 hours' play. Maybe more if you finish every sub-quest.

Summary
Sudeki was well worth the wait. Very different from the other RPGs on Xbox and a brilliant, vibrant adventure romp.