WORMS ARMAGEDDON (DC)
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These invertebrates ain't no slouches

By WILLIAM BARKER

If there's one thing that can switch me on after a long day in the office, reviewing endless 3D shooters and real-time strategies, it's worms. Gotta love that itchy feeling you get when, oh. Worms Armageddon that is, heheh... This Dreamcast rendition is the latest in the series and it delivers in spades. Games like these have the playability of classics like Pong, Galaga and other redundant but ultimately enjoyable titles and, as such, will go down in the annals of gaming history as being simple in design yet seriously fun.

Worms has been released on many platforms, so it would only be fitting that the Dreamcast get a revised version. Well, it's not entirely a revision but a great game nonetheless. If you're new to the world of Worms, let me elaborate. First you ingest the eggs, then... Sorry. Worms takes the best bits from games like Lemmings and Missile Command then adds a little humour, some weird visuals and the most warped array of weapons you've seen since Iraq, 1990.

This is a game anyone can play. Your brother, mother, even grandmother - actually no. Pensioners may be alarmed to know there's an exploding old lady in the line-up of weapons who mutters "Oh, oooh, oh," then proceeds to blow up quite violently.

The aim of the game is to be the last team standing. Eradication of all but the faithful is crucial to success. You'd think that being invertebrates would have made these little fellows soft, with no back-bone, so to speak. That couldn't be further from the truth. They fight with more bite than Mike Tyson and trash-talk better than a 200kg transvestite Jerry Springer might throw at a tormented audience.

The controls are very simple, meaning even stupid-heads like me can play. You can tell your worm to wriggle forwards or backwards. They can use a number of non-violent items such as ninja ropes and bungee cords plus parachutes and teleporters.

When you want to get down to business though, you simply select a weapon from usual things like bazookas, shotguns and dynamite, all the way through to super sheep, aerial cow strikes and, of course, the little old lady.

Playing against the computer is quite a lark, but the real meat of the game can be found when playing human opponents. It works like this: ask a few friends over for some lemonade then casually lead them into your entertainment area. Or in my case, a smelly grotto. Then proceed to load Worms Armageddon, set them up for a game and fry their asses!

Simple, gratuitously violent and loads of fun. Worms Armageddon for the Dreamcast looks great, plays nicely and has enough replay value to last you until Sega's next console comes out. Word is they are just releasing an Atari 2600 with a PS2 case. You heard it here first.

ORIGINALITY 80%
SOUND/GRAPHICS 75%
PLAYABILITY 85%
ADDICTION 80%
ENJOYMENT 95%