SpaceStation Silicon Valley

Space Station Silicon Vally (hereafter SSSV), produced by the Scottish firm DMA Design - is one of the quirkiest, most curious and delightful games ever made for any console. Combining platforming with polymorphing, the game stands out as the first of its kind.

The character you play in SSSV is EVO - the microchip remnant of a robot that was destroyed when its spacecraft crashed into Space Station Silicon Valley; the human pilot responsible for the disaster (your partner, Dan Danger) survives and continues to give orders. The microchip on the other hand cannot survive by itself in the space station for long, and therefore leaps into the remains of a robotic animal, takes it over, and uses it. That indeed, is the essence of the game: taking over different electronic creatures, and using their various abilities to complete one's tasks. Thus, one can rocket forward as a fox, shoot lightning bolts as a scorpion, ski as a wolf, and camouflage as a chameleon. Yes, it's that strange - and I haven't even mentioned the walrus, emperor penguin, vulture, kangaroos or fish yet. It should be noted that you can effectively play any 'animal' you meet in a given level, though often you must slay it first. Full details of each creature are provided by the video screens within the game.

The game consists of four worlds, (Europe, Ice, Swamp and Desert) each with multiple and varied levels - with a special level at the end of each world. In each level, the player is required to complete a number of tasks and collect various energy balls - with the acquisition of a special artefact as a bonus. Once the first three levels of a particular world are cleared, the player can start on the next world, thus making the game non-linear.

Musically and graphically apt, SSSV shines through its extraordinary gameplay and no small amount of humour; the European version also comes in seven languages, including Dutch and Portuguese. Anyone who enjoys platformers or delights in a hero who takes different forms, will appreciate this game - and will regret that its maker, DMA Design, is no more.