You'll realise from the start that this game is heavily inspired by 70's Kung Fu movies, everything from the grainy film effect in the intro movie to the sound of 'Kung Fu Fighting' playing in the background shouts 'Enter the Dragon' at you in a unnecessarily loud Japanese voice. The menu's are also accompanied by the theme tune from Channel 4's cult hit Banzai, and coupled with typically badly worded phrases like "Ready, Make Fighting!" and "Outstandable" it's clear that Kung Fu Chaos isn't a game to be taken seriously.

   

KFC's solo game is called 'The Ninja Challenge', you pick a character from the six initially available (the characters are a very cliché bunch, each with a pun-tastic name - Master Sho Yu and Xui Tan Sour to name but a couple). The story goes that the world's greatest movie director is making a comeback movie (called Kung Fu Chaos surprisingly enough) and your chosen character is the star. The Director (Shao Ting) works you through six scenes, each consisting of a main feature (a scrolling beat 'em up), a solo challenge and a mini-game against other cast members. Scoring is done via a star system, you need three stars to advance to the next level and completing levels with 4 or 5 stars unlock extra characters and features.

The basic multiplayer mode is called 'Battle Game', this is a collection of scrolling fighting bits and mini-games from the Ninja Challenge - the 4 player action works superbly and will see you beating up an opponent and throwing them from a Titanic-sized ship one moment, and punching your mate's faces off whilst also frantically trying to escape a T-Rex the next. The replays are a sight to see, with superb film effects like scratched film and shaky camera work. The Championship mode mixes multiplayer action with the Ninja Challenge in a frantic battle for points.

   

A smart training mode (Rehearsal) will teach you the basic controls and even combos and special moves. If you knock an opponent down then you can taunt them to allow the use of your Super Kung Fu moves.

KFC looks superb in a cartoony way - detailed, smooth, bright, colourful and amusing characterisations from start to finish. The voice acting, sound and music is loud, brash and always appropriate. Kung Fu Chaos's nutty Banzai-style humour might not appeal to everyone, but even if you normally avoid beat 'em ups like the plague it's difficult not to enjoy this unique take on the fighting game genre.