Go Go Beckham - Adventure on Soccer Island - GBA

Just when you thought you'd seen the last of him, Man United's Beckham makes a surprise come back to video games in his very own Mario World-esque platformer.

Leaving the pitch in favour of a cutsiefied action game, Beckham's soccer skills will now come into use on the ill-fated Soccer Island. The villainous cretin, Doctor Woe has cast one of his disastrous spells and has instructed his myriad henchmen to wreak havoc on the island. But worse than any of that, he's stolen the balls of Soccer Island! Enter Beckham...

Using his much vaunted soccer skills, your quest as the mini-Beckham hero takes place in an old school scrolling platform environment. But there is a difference: your ball is your only line of defence. In a similar vein to Rayman's detached fist, you must learn to kick the ball into oncoming enemies to incapacitate them and sometimes even solve puzzles. But it's not just footballs you have to kick around. Throwing a little originality into a tired genre, Beckham must also learn to handle 'floaty light' beach balls and toe-crippling cannon balls. Each ball type has its obvious advantages. Beach balls for example, can be booted to great heights and are great for nabbing those hard to reach and valuable collectibles. Cannon balls, on the other hand, are far more damaging, but aren't not so easy to kick around.

There's plenty of variety in Go Go Beckham, and as far as platform games go, this one's unusually refreshing. For a taste of try-before-you-buy gaming, visit www.go-go-beckham.com. Great fun. more