When an elderly relative pops their clogs, you'd expect your inheritance to be something dull and, if you're lucky, a little valuable. Some nice brass ornaments, maybe, a cake tin or even a blunderbuss. The last thing you'd expect, or even want, when your grandfather shuffles off this mortal coil, would be a set of glowing all-powerful gauntlets, that carry with them a highly hazardous world-saving quest for vengeance. Can't we just have an ivory backscratcher or something instead?

But hold on. Don't be so quick to try and sell off such an accursed inheritance on eBay. These aren't just any old metal gloves, y'know - they're razor-sharp talons of war, useful for clambering over all manner of obstacles and duffing the crud out of anyone who so much looks at you funny, as well as exacting revenge on the evil-doers who slaughtered your grandfather. And thus the scene is set for Vexx, a platformer that tries to scale heights other platformers can't hope to reach by equipping the lead character with some enchanted fistwear. These enable him to go hand-to-hand with all manner of nasty beasties in between bouts of high-wire jumping and item collecting.

It's a game that follows neatly in the footprints of 3D platformers gone by. Your main goal, therefore, is to collect special objects - Wraith Hearts, in this instance - in order to unlock themed levels based around a central hub and progress on to the ultimate showdown. Each Wraith Heart requires the completion of a fairly imaginative task to unlock it. On the first level alone (the pastoral Timberdale, a valley filled with waterfalls and sheer cliff faces) you've got a variety of goals to get stuck into. These goals can be anything from taking on the might of a fat-ass mutant sumo wrestler to scaling your way to the very top of a series of floating, sky-high boulders.

There's a good mix of things to do, depending on a combination of fighting and leaping to get things done, and plenty of imagination has gone into the objectives. Some of them do occasionally feel a bit derivative, and you can't help but feel a twinge of déja-vu as you dodge/long jump your way to the top of yet another platforming assault course. However, there is a whole grab bag of cool ideas, as opposed to the usual fun-size pack, to explore. These include mini-games, setpieces, and quirky, fresh objectives, such as an impromptu game of football.

The levels have a refreshing, unique look, and are packed with some great colours and detail. Although it never really manages to outrun that twinge of déja-vu we just mentioned, they do make for some cool playgrounds to run about in. And that's really what it's all about - platformer fans are going to love all the exploring.

Vexx himself is a neat little mover, and the wide repertoire of moves is very responsive and straightforward to pull off. The only slight irk with the handling is that he feels a little sluggish where inertia is concerned, changing directions without enough lope.

As far as gameplay is concerned, the difficulty level sometimes makes your adventure pretty taxing. The tasks you're asked to complete are occasionally a little too demanding, but not enough to make you quit. Granted, it has got a difficulty curve like your average Tony Hawk's vert ramp, but don't let that put you off. While Vexx isn't going to revolutionise the genre, it's enjoyable enough for anyone who relishes a challenge.

Bagging a Wraith Heart feels like an achievement, and there's a genuine pang of desire to see how you'll get your gloved hands on the next one. And that is how it should be.

Vexx isn't going to be crowned the king among platforming games, but that doesn't stop it having pedigree and feeling like a right regal little game. It currently stands as a very good platformer on Xbox - although the competition is fierce, with plenty of potential candidates to chose from. It's colourful, imaginative and dark to boot - it has a slightly more gothic feel (Vexx wears eyeliner, the lush!) than your typically twee and cartoony platform adventures, and is all the more refreshing for it. Give it a go (give the trial version on last month's demo disc a damn good outing first, if you like), and give it a chance. It's got everything a generic jump/thump-'em-up adventure should have, but it's also kitted out with enough decent ideas and cool tasks to make it into something more than just another wannabe. Vexx may just surprise you.

1. Responsive and playable
2. About as fluffy as a marble
3. Colourful worlds
4. A good challenge

1. Can be unforgiving
2. Levels feel a bit bare

Power
Occasionally very impressive, and constantly smooth and expansive levels make it a decent looker.

Style
It's darker than your average fare, and all the better for it. Some cool chunks of level design, too.

Immersion
Outside of a few hairy and cumbersome objectives, it's absorbing and distracting.

Lifespan
Gotta collect 'em all? If you do, you're in for a serious number of game hours.

Summary
An entertaining and fun platform game that has a pretty cut-throat difficulty level. Not for gaming wimps.