So anyway, Mini-Raz's Grandad gets killed by nasty guy Yabu when sacrificing himself to save Mini-Raz (sorry, I mean Vexx), so obviously Vexx sets off to get revenge on…… Oh lets leave it at that - who cares about the stupid plot? - it's a 3D platform adventure set in a world consisting of surreal floating islands, ok?

   

You're given a quick education as to what Vexx is capable of physically during a surreal training level, before you set off on a set of equally surreal set of missions set in surreal, fantastical worlds (it's all rather surreal). Vexx is an athletic little geezer, and can leap in the air, boost jump (great fun), squat jump, somersault and various other tricks like swing on ropes or climb walls thanks to his spikey 'war talon' gauntlets. Also, in a refreshing change from the norm, Vexx also likes to beat, punch and kick the living custard out of his enemies rather than just jump on their heads or gently zap them with a fluffy-bunny-tickle-bubble gun or similar. He can even play keepie-uppies with them, and juggling them quickly tops up a gauge that allows you to unleash a more powerful ranged attack. You're searching for Wraithhearts (don't ask me) and soul jars (ten of which equal one Wraithheart, apparently). Find enough of these and stick them in the portal and you unlock the next world, so there's a nice progressive feel to the gameplay. The levels have various sub-levels that contain puzzles that unlock hidden Wraithhearts (there are a series of slightly crap 321-style cryptic clues to "help" you find them). These sub-levels load separately though, and the loading is painfully slow and intrusive. Some Wraithhearts will require special abilities to retrieve them, and Vexx can wear special suits that give him super abilities…

Visually Vexx is nice in places but has a slight tendency to judder when you turn and enemies fade into and out of view at quite close range. The very first level possibly shows the game engine off to its best with the floating islands being bombarded with asteroids - it's an impressive sight, especially as Vexx can change the time of day with a sundial. Watch out though, because once it's dark different nasties come out to play, and some seem more vicious and harder to kill…

   

Make no mistake, this is one challenging game, and starts off with the sort of difficulty setting that many platform adventures end up with. Tricky jumps, annoying enemies that knock you off platforms, and ledges that Vexx doesn't seem to want to grab hold of for no apparent reason all annoy from time to time. A starting point of only 5 lives also seems a bit tight, as it's quite difficult to amass a lot of lives (and let's face it, most platform games give you unlimited lives or infinite continues nowadays anyway). The camera is frequently a nuisance as well, it's often set too low or refuses to get behind Vexx, and much like Mario Sunshine you find yourself fiddling with it a lot to give yourself a decent view.

Vexx would certainly be a tough introduction into the world of platform adventures, but is without doubt a cleverly crafted and strangely enjoyable game. I didn't like the Vexx character or form any sort of attachment to him, or his bizarre world, but the gameplay was sufficiently challenging and enjoyable to keep me coming back for more. If you thought Jak & Daxter, Ratchet & Clank or Sly Raccoon were all too easy then maybe Vexx is for you.