The most notable game in this genre is Core Design's Tomb Raider, or, as some like to call it, "That game with the chick with a really sore back." In 1996, Tomb Raider was an outstanding game. It had good graphics, it played well, and it had an excellent theme. However, the game was not quite as good earlier this year when Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation was released. While it was a good game, it was still more of the same.

Then there's the incessant clones that came out. Transformers: Beast Wars, for example, was a decent game, just highly derivative. There was nothing new, but it was a solid game, if incredibly difficult at times. Enter FAKK 2. The folks over at Ritual have taken everything that is good about Tomb Raider and its ilk, trimmed off the fat, tenderized it, put it on the grill and served up a 14-ounce New York strip steak of a game (without A-1, of course. Real steak enthuisiasts will cringe at the thought of "steak sauces").

Let's start with the obvious: graphics. Whether or not you like Quake 3: Arena, you have to give credit to id for making a beautiful graphics engine, and Ritual has put the engine to good use. I just really don't know how to put it. The graphics are out-freaking-standing! Each area has its own persona. The swamps are convincingly grimy, while the village where the humans reside looks like something that might grow up under the watchful shadow of a crashed or damaged spaceship.

The engine is especially useful for the displaying of curved surfaces. And let's face it--Lara's got nothing on Julie when it comes to curves. Look at them. Julie's based on a real woman, and she's All-American. Lara is like a Barbie doll hopped up on Dexatrim and bust enhancer, and she's a limey. I think the choice is obvious. (As an aside, I would have preferred the long hair of the real Julie to the game character's hair-in-a-bun style.) The major problem which arises with the graphic engine is achieving higher resolutions, you need one of the latest video cards; (my dinky Voodoo3 3000 has problems above 640x480). Couple that with a low-end processor (450 MHz) and it makes for some low-resolution play. However, the engine is so well put together that 640x480 looks very good, if a bit jaggy.

Along with the graphics came the controls. Julie is controlled using the standard first-person shooter controls (arrow keys to move, mouse to look/turn). It sounds weird, but it works wonderfully. It will take some getting used to for people who are used to the standard Tomb Raider-style controls, but the result will be well worth it. The game allows the use of standard control schemes, but those that do use them will be doing themselves a disservice and make the game harder than it should be. With a little practice, you'll be controlling Julie with as much ease as your girlfriend controls you.

The game includes a number of very different weapons, including swords, slings, a crossbow, a pistol, a flamethrower and numerous other small and heavy arms. The mouse control also allows for the easy use of the weapons, as weapons can be assigned to either hand, according to your play style. There are a few exceptions, though. Julie is not ambidextrous when it comes to swinging swords, so all swords must go in her right hand, and all shields must go in her left.

The weapons are also very effect-laden. As you would expect, the fire sword is a sword covered in flame. The lightning sword has a satisfying crack of electricity as you smite an opponent. The flamethrower is just a sight to behold. As any arsonist can tell you, fire is such a beautiful destructive power, and that beauty is translated well in the game.

The sounds seem perfect for every aspect of the game. Lightning has that sizzle-pop you might hear from a thunderstorm, fire sounds like a Boy Scout campfire gone horribly wrong and firearms sound powerful (unlike some other games where the sound of a .50 pistol might be the equivalent of shooting a BB rifle into a tin can). The only real downside is the voice acting. Most of the NPCs have lackluster performances. They're not good, but they're really not bad, either. Sometimes it's like watching an anime with horrendous voice acting. However, a few of the actors do stand out, namely the voices of Julie and the Recruiters.

There is a slight problem with the game, though. Just when you reach the end, you want more. The game is short. Talented players will find a few days of after-work play will be enough to finish this game. Some who aren't so blessed might take slightly longer. In any case, making it about 50% longer would have made the game perfect. With a game as linear as this, the replay value is diminished greatly, and a longer game would help overshadow that drawback. Ritual is currently working on multiplayer additions to the game such as FAKK2: Arena and Capture the Flag, and these patches should help extend the replay value of the game.

I did have a few problems with game speed (or lack thereof) running the game in Windows 98. When I loaded it in Windows 2000, the game ran flawlessly and at a good clip, though nowhere near 60 fps, which is the ideal low-end of Quake 3 framerates. There was major slowdown in some areas when scores of large enemies would gang up on Julie, but it was very short-lived. Outside heavy combat, however, the game was smooth.

This game is yet another notch in GoD's heavily marred gun barrel. For those of you who might not live in Texas, that means this game is a good play and GoD continues to validate their develpoer-friendly publishing methods.

· · · The Wok