12 cert, Vogster Entertainment, Xbox Live ***

Rick Ajax lives in Toxopolis, a cesspool of violence and low- lives. A self-described "comic book hero", Ajax is subject to the whims of "The Maker", the writer and illustrator of the violent comic he lives in. This amounts to some old-fashioned, arcade-style beat-'em-up action. You flick between controlling Rick and his new ally, the feisty Lori, in taking down a horde of thugs.

He's the brawny one who can lift and throw objects and enemies; she's more nimble and can perform nifty flying kicks. The gameplay, mostly side- scrolling in a 3D environment, is similar to countless 1990s arcade beat-'em-ups. The controls are responsive, the variety of moves decent, and the character-switch works pretty well. It's diverting enough, and has a nice layout and sense of humour, but it can't compare to similar games such as Scott Pilgrimand Shank.