It’s based on some film or other.

Knowing what you know (having presumably watched the movie(s)) would you really want to Enter The Matrix? The game works on the assumption that you do. Despite being a virtual reality prison, The Matrix has a few distinct points of appeal. Most notably, freedom fighters are transformed into leather-clad superhumans who can perform remarkable feats.

Part shooter, part stealther, part beat-'em-up, part driving game, it blends elements familiar from various titles, from Metal Gear Solid to The Getaway. Ergo, it’s not entirely innovative. But you can fulfill your bullet-time fantasies, taking out groups of cops with a well-placed slow-mo roundhouse or a spray of bullets, which spiral toward their targets leaving velocity contrails.

The most significant factor, however, is how the game fits into The Matrix story arc. The adventures of protagonists Niobe and Ghost – partly played out by you, partly provided by cut scenes and live-action sequences unique to the game – fill in the narrative from the close of the Animatrix short Final Flight Of The Osiris, then run parallel to the action in The Matrix Reloaded. It doesn’t make the game a masterpiece – like the original movie – but it certainly makes it worth playing. Daniel Etherington 23 May 03

Enter The Matrix is out now, available on PS2, Xbox, GameCube and PC.

useful link: www.enterthematrixgame.com