Galleon - Xbox

Cue the fanfare - or at least an accordian-accompanied drunken jig - because Confounding Factor's swashbuckling adventure is finally (yes finally!) here. Originally announced so long ago that we were to expect a Dreamcast version, Galleon has since promised appearances on the majority of gaming hardware, before winding up now (yes, finally!) on Xbox. And only on Xbox, we hastene to add. In the unlikely event that you hadn't heard, Galleon is the epic high seas adventure from the brain of Lara Croft-inventor Toby Gard, and has aroused considerable anticipation since it was first announced sometime in the late eighteenth century.

The story tells of charming yet dangerous protagonist Rhama Sabrier, a guy who's always up for adventure and who subsequently jumps at the chance to head off and assess a mysterious ship at the request of a wise healer. What follows is a venture into a mystifying world alive with invincible warriors, eerie shipwrecks, heroic battles, and epic legends of folklore, on a journey to discover a source of incredible powers before the obligatory 'treacherous enemy' does.

Obviously, you take on the role of Rhama as you embark on the above quest, set within an expansive game world that spans six islands. And Rhama's not just your ordinary guy either, as he's endowed with a range of impressive kung fu skills for dealing with the game's hordes of enemies, as well as some incredible Qing-Gong abilities, which enable him to do things like run up walls, jump enormous crevasses, fall from great heights, run at incredible speeds, and swim down to mighty depths.

As with any captain of a galleon, Rhama doesn't have to do things alone and can thus rely on support from his crew. Along the way you can recruit new characters to assist you in your quest, each one offering new skills and advantages and subsequently helping to conquer challenges and defeat certain enemies. Female company for the hero includes Faith, a red-headed mystic healer and Mihoko, an oriental martial arts master.

Throughout the game, a rather meaty storyline throws up all the choice cuts such as greed, murder, betrayal and revenge, resulting in what we would all hope for from such a lengthily-developed and greatly hyped game - an epic adventure. It's been a long time coming but Galleon has been worth the wait.
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