You might be under the impression that way back in the bad old days of yore, before videogames were invented, kids had nothing but bibles and beef dripping sandwiches to keep them off the streets. Not so, young friend. Comics have long provided the kind of visual stimulus and fresh ideas that the current generation of upstarts would associate with today's top-drawer videogames. Consider the similarities between both mediums and you can't help but wonder why no one has even attempted a literal conversion from page to polygon before - especially when you see how comfortably the clash of cultures snuggle up together in XIII.

The game begins like a Faliraki morning - you regain consciousness on a beach with 'XIII' tattooed on your chest and not a jot of remembrance in your mind muscle. All you do know is that you don't know anything. Not a zip. Having been afflicted with a debilitating dose of the amnesiacs, you're miffed to quickly find yourself facing the dead end of a gun snout and dodging personalised bullets. Lucky for you, it turns out you're as adept at handling firearms as a disgruntled US postal worker and, after gunning down a few would-be assailants, you're soon on your way to Winslow Bank to follow the only lead you have to your identity...

As you can probably guess, the storyline is a real Jessica Fletcher jamboree of mystery, intrigue and conspiracy that unravels like a blood-spattered carpet the further you venture into the game. It sounds heavy going but it's not - there are plenty of light-hearted moments to keep you cheerful, and character dialogue and blurry monochrome flashback sequences are used to ensure that the plot trots along in true comic-book story arc style.

So it spins a yarn like a comic, but does it look like a comic? Fickin' ay it looks like a comic - and with butt-naked cherries on top too. XIII is optical boogaloo guaranteed to quench the thirstiest eyeballs. The cel-shading is straight from the Angel Delight palette of food colourings - it looks big time yum-yum. Macho blokes and young offenders of the opinion that cel-shading is a limp-wristed version of gaming shouldn't be discouraged - XIII is a full-blooded shooter with all the usual gratuitous elements synonymous with the genre. There's plenty of blood juice to spill, a decent selection of weapons with which to warm your hands and a variety of entertaining fatalities with which to flatline your foes.

The cel-shading doesn't just look like the goat's scroats; it suits the overall comic-book style perfectly. Heavy outlines create the impression that characters and objects have been cut-and-pasted straight from the pages of a pictorial tome, while the visual language of comics has been translated so explicitly you genuinely feel immersed in a 'playable comic'. Straight up.

The action is constantly bolstered using traditional comic-book elements: onomatopoeias, picture panels and speech boxes are utilised so well that you could reasonably classify XIII as a comic-sim. Of course, this couldn't been a crock-potch of cheap gimmicks, but it's not.

But enough guff about eye treats, what do listening holes have to look forward to? Plenty, as it happens. Batman and Robin meets Starsky and Hutch is the musical vibe, and it's a masterful choice of accompaniment that serves as more than just a soundtrack. Subdued easy-listening intensifies whenever danger lurks nearby, conveying an immediate urgency that only subsides when the sounds slip back to a more sedate arrangement. Yes, it's been done before - as have many of the game's natty devices - but the way in which it all moulds together so beautifully as a whole gives XIII a truly original feel.

Time for the crunch - does XIII play as good as it looks? Unfortunately, not quite. Several gameplay niggles manage to blemish the peachy good looks and go some way to pooping the party. Public enemy number one is sheer frustration, which creeps its way in much too often to be ignored. Progress relies too heavily on prior knowledge of what's around the corner, and unless you possess prophetic powers, death becomes an all-too-frequent interruption. Finickity aiming deals in some additional aggravation and is culpable for repeatedly causing the most bonus type of Game Over there is to swallow - one that arrives through absolutely no fault of your own.

Other more minor creases are evident (questionable placement of checkpoints, occasionally dump AI, fiddly pick-ups) but to linger on such teeny negatives would be an unfair and unnecessary deviation from what deserves to be a thoroughly glowing report of a genuinely innovative title.

XIII's sublimely stylised aesthetic and delightful comic-book characteristics make it worthy of attention alone. But it's the imaginative idiosyncrasies that make it such a compelling and enjoyable videogame ruckus. And we all know that when something looks good, it's easy to turn a blind eye to the odd blotch of imperfection.

Graphics 100%
Optic nerves have never had it so good.

Sound 90%
Melodies harmonise perfectly with the action.

Gameplay 70%
Frustrating downers inevitably impede your fun.

Lifespan 80%
Tough main course with multiplayer afters.

Overall 80%
An inspired comic-book conversion that's full of fresh ideas, looks gorgeous and demands to be played.