The Red Star is finally here (after years in limbo), bringing retro-arcade gaming into the 21st Century. Based on the Eisner award nominated 'Archangel' comic book series, the game is set in the URRS, an alternate Russia of the future, where incredible weapons and immense technology rule.

You are thrust into this world of warfare in an attempt to take down the corrupt tyranny of The Red Fleet. The only problem is, there's only one of you against an entire army of gun toting maniacs, giant ED-2O style robots and massive technological weapons - sound a little unfair? Wait until you play the game!

From the moment you pop the disc into your PS2 you're pretty much set up for what to expect. There's no gloriously animated intro scene - in fact there is no intro scene at all. Instead you are taken straight to the main menu where you have two options - 'New Game' and 'Options'. You initially have only two characters to choose from - a gigantic, double-edged-blade-wielding monster of a man who in the game is slower than a bullet in a Matrix film, or an eating-disorder-thin woman who darts around the screen at ridiculous speeds but has a very limited striking range and not a great deal in the way of power. This isn't a great selection to start with, but there is a third unlockable character who is considerably better.

The game starts off by giving you a short text briefing for your mission, which basically tells you to kill anything and anyone who gets in your way, before plunging you head first into the action. The first thing you will notice is the straightforward left to right linear route through the game - there are no free roaming levels to explore here, this is straightforward old school arcade action in the same vein as Streets of Rage and Golden Axe. You walk along in pretty much a straight line, mashing up a variety of enemy soldiers on your way with your fairly limited range of attacks, which include a melee attack, a projectile weapon and a special move, the latter of which has to be charged up by beating seven bells out of your enemies, who vary from character to character.

At first the enemies are bog-standard foot soldiers that are easy enough to pummel with your melee attack, but as you work through the game they become increasingly varied, leaving you to figure out the best strategy to beat them with. This is thankfully one of the saving graces of what would otherwise have become an inanely boring and repetitive 1980s style beat 'em up. The action is also nicely broken up (although perhaps a little to often) by boss-style enemy weapons, which come up a couple of times in each level. These make up the second element of a game that is essentially split into two main sections. Here you find yourself thrust from Streets of Rage back through time to the days of Space Invaders and Asteroids. In these sections you have to avoid bullets and missiles whilst at the same time aiming to shoot at the machine that's firing them at you. Sound familiar? That's because it is.

Now as simple as all this may seem, it's easier in theory than it is in practice. The missiles start coming from different directions and with increasing frequency, you start getting attacked by foot soldiers at the same time and frustratingly your gun only fires for a certain amount of time before needing to recharge, leaving you ducking and diving to avoid insane amounts of enemy fire whilst waiting for that heavenly sound, which means you are once again ready to launch back into an attack.

Graphically, The Red Star is nothing special - it is however in-keeping with the gameplay and therefore difficult to criticise. Somehow it would have seemed wasteful to create a vast, beautifully designed and animated world, inter-cut with awe inspiring cut scenes, when the gameplay is so basic. The characters move smoothly enough around the levels and the landscapes themselves look good enough to not really deserve a great deal of criticism; however, some of the explosions and death animations could certainly have been improved - with the next generation upon us and the PS2 being pushed to its outermost limits, I genuinely didn't expect to see such pixelated fire effects!

As for the music and sound effects, they are again not particularly amazing but they are passable. Developers XS Games have managed to put together a fairly retro soundtrack without it ever becoming annoying - the only time you will find yourself cursing at the screen is during the mission briefings and the loading screens when the same ten-second piece is just looped over and over again. The effects for explosions and gunfire are all convincing enough, if not entirely realistic -but then again, I'm not exactly sure what a plasma rifle sounds like, having never been involved in a fictional, futuristic, Russian cyber-war.

When it comes to longevity it's difficult to give The Red Star a rating; when I first starting playing, I found myself wanting to turn it off after the first five minutes. However, by the time I had completed the first level, I have to admit I was pretty hooked and did struggle to put the controller down until I had completed the entire game - which unfortunately didn't take that long. This is one of those games where you really don't want to let it beat you, because you know that you can beat that evil boss next time round… okay, next time… okay, just one more go and I can definitely get that boss! The lasting appeal and replay value are not that great, although there are a couple of game modes available to unlock upon completion. Once you've finished the game the first time around, the only thing to keep you coming back is the two player mode, which although exactly the same as single player, is a lot more enjoyable - then again, I guess kicking some serious robot ass is always better with friends!

So, who is The Red Star best suited to? Well, if you played and loved Streets of Rage, Double Dragon and Golden Axe as much as I did then you will certainly get something from this. If you played Space Invaders until your eyeballs bled profusely from a lack of blinking then you'll also enjoy this (just make sure you've got someone on hand with eye drops!) The Red Star is simple, harmless entertainment, an old school arcade game jazzed up (a little) for today's gaming generation - and as such, it does just fine.

Reviewed by Jon Davies for AceGamez (All Rights Reserved).