Some of the older gamers reading this might remember the original Spy Hunter, a popular arcade game where you drove a suped-up spy car with all the Bond fittings, including its ability to transform into a boat and also to jettison most of its armour to become a motorbike when badly damaged. While the original was viewed from high above, Midway have revamped it with next generation graphics and a behind the car view, but will such old gameplay be able to compete in the revolutionary gaming world of today?

The answer is yes and no, as whilst Spy Hunter is both fun and challenging in the short term it has very little longevity or replay value. It is very much the same as the original but with a new view and much better graphics. The first level, which is actually damn tricky if you want to complete all the secondary objectives, is a training level to familiarise you with the handling and weapons of your vehicle, the Interceptor. The handling is very generous and it drives like an arcade racer, so controlling it isn't a problem. You have machine guns, oil slicks and can fire tracking devices at first, but you will soon earn more weapons including a smoke screen, regular and guided missiles and a flamethrower.

Each mission, of which there are a mere fourteen, has one primary objective and a number of secondary objectives. There is a good range of objectives although the gameplay is basically the same on every level: drive along shooting the bad guys, avoiding the civilians and destroying set targets. Every mission is against the clock although the time you're given is quite generous, so if you miss something and have to backtrack you'll probably still have time to get to the rendezvous point at the end of the level. Objectives are generally to destroy things like enemy weapons, equipment and communications towers, to avoid civilian casualties, to tag things with your tracking devices and so on. Some objectives that are a little different include escaping from a warehouse within a tight time limit, escorting and protecting allied vehicles and even chasing and destroying a stolen Interceptor vehicle. However, the gameplay is very samey despite this variety.

The locations aren't hugely varied either and whilst you will drive through towns, country lanes, train stations on land and canals, rivers and swamps on water, the levels aren't really different enough to be hugely distinctive. The graphics are passable and they do the job, but they aren't in any way exploiting the next generation power of the Gamecube. The sound effects are fine but don't stand out particularly and the music is fitting but sits in the background for most of the game.

This might all be sounding quite negative, but Spy Hunter does have one big plus: it's a lot of fun whilst it lasts. The game provides a challenging training level and each mission has enough different objectives and things to target that you have to use skill, timing and thought to successfully complete a mission and achieve all secondary objectives. It's a lot of fun speeding down the road firing machine guns and missiles at the various armoured cars, tanks, helicopters, cars and foot soldiers that fire at you and there are some good jumps to be had. The transformation effects of the Interceptor are nifty as it changes into a boat and it handles as well on water as it does on land. There is also a highly enjoyable two-player mode, where you and a friend can race through any of the 14 missions (but only after you've fully completed them in single player mode). Some are straight races, others require you to kill chickens (!) or drive through icons along the way. You can also destroy each other (don't worry, you respawn) and that adds a huge extra element as the player in front must use his defensive weapons effectively if he is to stay alive as his opponent slams volleys of rockets into him.

Spy Hunter looks and feels dated, not belonging to the next generation of games in terms of its presentation. However, it is a lot of fun and quite a challenge, with an excellent two-player mode to add to the short single player lifespan. This is worth picking up at a budget price and is entertaining and playable but a few hours of play will see the game completed and the novelty worn away.

Reviewed by Geoff Holland for AceGamez (All Rights Reserved).