Everyone loves an epic movie, one that has everything; action, romance, unexpected twists and a heart-stopping ending. You may be willing to pay around £7 for a sticky seat at your UCI for the privilege, or wait years for it to be broadcast on TV, ad breaks and all. Now at the generous platinum price, you can have a magnificent interactive, cinematic experience with Final Fantasy X. Gape at the mesmerising beauty, learn dazzling sword and magic techniques and enjoy the plethora of imaginative side-games in another RPG quest to save the world.

To cut a long but engaging story short, Final Fantasy X is the journey through the land of Spira, a world governed by the religious Maesters of Yevon and one which is under the threat of obliteration by uber-monster Sin. You control the fortunes of seven companions in their mission to destroy Sin and relieve Spira's inhabitants from its menacing existence. Amongst the group travels Yuna, a summoner with the capabilities to call upon Aeons during battle, god-like spirits with flamboyant (and devastating) attack skills. The rest of the party act as her guardians but are by no means grunts by her side; each has a unique style of fighting to make them a collective kick-ass battle crew.

The Final Fantasy series exploits the full power of the PlayStation 2 for the first time, resulting in a game that is graphically stunning; you might want to ask your local game shop for a three month popcorn subscription. The visual quality of the interactive world is a massive leap from Final Fantasy IX, with the characters taking a much more lifelike appearance. In close up your heroes can be seen to express emotion and the saga effortlessly slips into cinematic scenes of breathtaking quality. Coupled with that is the addition of an audio narrative to accompany the traditional text information system and another bumper soundtrack of sickly-sweet tunes to characterise each part of Spira. There isn't a full map of the world to consult (simply because the world is so large) but there is an invaluable mini-map in the corner of your screen to avoid those frustrating moments of aimless wandering. The game also offers full tutorials and in-fight games help to teach you all the tricks of the trade.

Squaresoft have stuck to the traditional turn-based fight system, with some welcome adjustments in contrast to previous editions. The most notable is the ability to switch freely between your characters without the loss of a turn and the ability to change weapons and armour within a fight. Squaresoft have also reverted back to the three-character fighting method after the unnecessary experiment with four in Final Fantasy IX. Fighting the monsters of Spira wins points, which are translated into moves on the character's Sphere Grid, the game's equivalent of the "level-up" method of progression. Each character's Sphere Grid is identical, containing all the physical, magical and special techniques available in the game, it's just that each starts off at a different location with a different path to follow. No longer are certain characters allowed to learn certain techniques alone: participate in enough fights and each character will be able to learn absolutely everything.

Building up your characters through fights alone would be rather repetitive and would probably require a detachment from any social ties for about three weeks - so the heavy inclusion of side-games is welcome on two fronts; an appealing distraction from the main game and a way to build your characters to amazing strength. The national sport of Spira, Blitzball, is included as such a large and absorbing activity that it feels like a completely different game. Admittedly, some of the side games are complex and scandalously hard and you may want to get your hands on a walkthrough to 100% complete the game. But there'll be no problems reaching the end using your initiative alone.

If you get this game, keep a copy of the Yellow Pages ear-marked on the Home Help page -a willing matron supplying bed-baths and spoon fed dinners may be needed as you turn your characters into mini Goliaths. I don't think there is a bigger game on the market, or many others that can eat up as many hours of you life and still be refreshingly enjoyable to the end. Good RPG's suck you into fantasy worlds and make you feel like part of the action by switching on your imagination. Final Fantasy X almost makes the need for an imagination redundant, with its awe-inspiring visuals and unforeseen twists. I'm an advocate for the "computer games don't influence real life" way of thinking, but felt a near disturbing amount of genuine compassion for the characters during the poignant story points and many a time did a solitary jig after their greatest triumphs. By far the best instalment of an already distinguished series, you will truly feel that you've been on an epic journey once you've completed Final Fantasy X.

Reviewed by AceGamez (All Rights Reserved).