The Legacy of Kain series has now reached its fifth incarnation; fans of the characters will be waiting to see if various questions about the storyline are finally answered, while newcomers will be scratching their heads wondering where they are.

To some degrees both parties will enjoy this latest title, but there are also severe gameplay difficulties which will have you beating your head against your monitor. Once more we're back in the land of Nosgoth with the immortal vampire Kain and his implacable foe and former chief lieutenant Raziel, this time both fighting other enemies as well as each other.

Much of the history of the conflict between the two protagonists is explained as the story progresses - the big difference now is that you play alternately as both characters. So this means you can enjoy biting necks, sucking blood, hacking with the Reaver sword and general physical combat as Kain, and slipping from the material to the spectral realm and capturing souls with the Soul Reaver blade wielded by Raziel.

There are twelve chapters in total and the fight scenes have been enhanced thanks to some new powers given to the anti-heroes. They now have telekinetic abilities that enable them to pick up opponents and hurl them onto spikes, over cliffs or into the fire. These skills can also be allied to new combo moves and there are artefacts that can be collected to improve Reaver powers and effectiveness, and so on.

In this respect, both Kain and Raziel have near-identical fighting styles (Kain even becomes mist to pass through gates just as Raziel dematerialises to overcome the same barriers), although Kain has additional superhuman leaping and the ability to transform into a swarm of bats, while Raziel can swim (water is lethal to Kain).

This does mean that after a while the fight scenes become rather repetitive, especially as both protagonists are immortal, and even with all the combos and telekinetic powers in action, it takes a while to vanquish each foe.

The graphics, on the other hand, are truly stunning, with powerful use of striking and moody lighting effects, Gothic interiors and snowy wastelands. You really feel like you're in a blighted land struggling for survival in a war between several benighted races. This brooding atmosphere is also in evidence in the several cut scenes that move the story along and in the menacing tones of the heroes' voices.

However, the biggest blot on this bleak landscape is not a demonic sorcerer but the wretched, supposedly greatly improved camera system. You no longer have the ability to be positioned directly behind your fighter so simple actions like jumping across ledges now take much longer because it's so difficult to line up the right trajectory. Fighting enemies also sometimes becomes a lottery when they disappear behind foreground objects, appear suddenly from off-camera or have to be fought partially off-camera.

There are a fair number of clipping problems too, as well as foes being detected behind impassable barriers and the system not allowing you to lock off them. After five versions of this game these kind of basic flaws should be history.

Verdict
Diehard fans of this series will probably buy this in order to tie up the loose ends of the plot, try out the new combat moves and enjoy alternating between the two anti-heroes. But we suspect that many will have their enjoyment tempered by the infuriating camera system.

Company: Eidos

Tags: legacy of kain kain raziel legacy of kain: soul reaver psychokinesis tim kaine stage combat protagonist