KIL.A.TON

When machines eventually make their move to dominate the planet (and I, for one, welcome our robotic overlords), do you think they'll be fair enough to give our puny armies the time to fight back?

Timing is everything in warfare, and while games might give you convenient windows of opportunity to fire at your foe, its unlikely any mechanical masters would wait around happily while you picked your point of attack. That's an aspect KIL.A.TON takes into account and it's all the better for it.

While its gameplay has much in common with Worms (and, more recently, the likes of Star Hogs), KIL.A.TON doesn't give you a handy shooting slot. The traditional format of turn-based play is merely a side option. In this brutal war, everyone fires at once.

The game puts you in control of a battle tank, initially against one rival then against entire batches of foes as the levels progress. Each robot has its sights set on everyone else, but it isn't merely a case of survival of the fittest: sometimes taking out each and every rival simply isn't an option. In this war, you have to choose your targets carefully.

When it comes to controls, your only input relates to the angle and power of your shots. Moving the direction of your fire is a matter of sliding a finger, and the force behind it is determined by how long you press down. The power of each shot is then marked on the power gauge, enabling you to keep track of which shots hit their target and which fell short - a nifty way of finding your foes via trial and error.

Weaponry is, of course, incredibly important and KIL.A.TON provides an extensive range that's suitable for both offensive and defensive tacticians. With credit being awarded after each tussle, it's possible to mount up a serious arsenal ranging from defensive shields that deflect any attacks to full on nuclear warfare. Just how much you have to spend, however, depends on your performance.

The game awards points for each kill as well as bonuses for vengeful attacks or wiping out the current leader. The two career modes - Scenario or Free For All - have the most fruit to bear, each contest consisting of anything from five or more rounds, giving you plenty of opportunity to earn points.

Everything really is up in the air until the last battle, the number of competitors ensuring that even the early also-rans can pull it out of the bag in the last game by wiping out everyone in one swoop. In truth, this happens more often than you might think. The potential for even tighter contests online is almost frightening.

It all leads to a series of battles where anything is possible. Those leading the pack are usually prime targets, meaning it's very hard to be king for more than one round. The mix of weaponry at everyone's disposal means that merely surviving beyond the first turn is an achievement in itself.