There you are merrily shifting crates around in your trusty mechanised loader when suddenly you’re offered the chance to pilot the meanest, nastiest piece of military hardware in the navy. Well, you'd be a fool to refuse, especially when the offer comes replete with a gun pointed at your head. Thus begins your new life as the reluctant pilot of the spider-like Battle Engine Aquila.

I Know Your Game

I'd love to play a modern version of Battle Engine Aquila, and I'd be eternally grateful if anyone can tell me if such a thing exists. Each level tasks you with either. MODEL- 24034 VENDOR- ATARI FEATURES- Battle Engine Aquila Battle Engine Aquila throws you in a global battle between the Forseti and the Muspell-take charge of the ultimate war machine - the Battle Engine. Whether in walking or in flying mode you have access to an array of destructive weapons.

Although BEA is, without question, a superbly programmed blaster, you can’t help feeling a pang of disappointment. We know that the PS2 and Xbox versions of the game won many fans with slick presentation, bombastic action and character-driven story, but this is the PC, and PC games generally try to offer more to accommodate an older and more thoughtful breed of gamer. However, that’s not to say the game isn’t immersive and, as PC games go, it still has plenty to offer.Piloting a scampering, ordnance laden behemoth with a natural hatred for anything that appears on the radar as a red dot, your mission is to eliminate those dots. There’s a fantastic sense of scale to the battles that rage around you, and you really do feel like you can turn the tide of these conflicts in your side’s favour. Rayman legends switch all characters. Indeed, BEA is a thrilling ride from start to finish.

Arachnophobia

Your ability to transform into a jetfighter (the big spider tucks its lanky legs underneath) and swoop around the sky is another boon to the gameplay. It’s certainly more satisfying pumping a salvo of rockets into a bomber and watching it plummet to the ground than it is mucking about in the dirt shooting tanks.

The gameplay is further enhanced by sea missions in which you launch from a carrier and attack opposing battleships. In these instances there’s added pressure to complete the mission quickly and return to your carrier before your energy depletes and you plop into the ocean. Other avenues of variety include the ability to select one of three configurations for your Battle Engine, depending on the type of mission, as well as a choice of three pilots.

From a visual standpoint BEA is not dissimilar to Gun Metal, which by sheer coincidence is also reviewed in this issue. In fact, when you get behind the HUD and startplaying, BEA is still not too dissimilar to Gun k Metal, full stop. But ultimately the superior class of Lost Toys’ offering does shine through. BEA is raucous fun for a few days, especially if you can hook up with a few mates on multiplayer, but don't expect to be in the pilot's seat this time next month. My stable sporting life jackets.