SOUNDBITE: Funky visuals and sound track give a sixties spy feel to a game that never quite manages to feel evil or a game of genius.

Strategy games have come a long way since the first faltering steps of Peter Moleneux and his brand of GodSim. For many, the last truly addictive game that he developed was Dungeon Keeper, which pitied the player as the evil Demigod out to wreak havoc on an innocent world. The follow up was little more than an add-on pack but still brought with it hours of fun and with the abandonment of DK3 it seemed that the genre had died an evil death.

Evil, there is that word again, which brings us nicely to Evil Genius, the second game to be developed by British based Elixir Studios, who brought us last year’s frankly disappointing Revolution. The game takes the notion of dungeon building and shifts it into a funky world of super-spies and weapons of mass destruction. Where the two games converge is in the idea that it is great to play a decidedly rotten character but even more, the only way to progress through the game is to carve out an empire for yourself, literally.

VISUALS
The look of Evil Genius is fresh. Working from design sketches from Siku – better known as one of the more innovative artists working for Tharg’s 2000AD, his scratchie painting style and been put to full effect on the visuals – the artists should be proud of how they’ve digitalised his design sketches. What would a building game be without 3D scrolling and the full zoom effect? The look and feel of the game have obviously been a labour of love and are some of the best we’ve seen in this type of game in a long time.

AUDIO
With a backbeat that sounds like it would have been played in any café bar on Carnaby Street during the 1960s, the music really gives the game a nice feel, as well as its edge. When it comes to the in-game dialogue, sadly it’s your standard fair – overblown and trite. Best idea is to turn this down and listen to music.

PLAYABILITY
In Evil Genius you are given a secret volcanic island to call home and lair from which you must set forth to conquer the world. Initially this means hollowing out the volcano and building a space to work within. Only then can you gather henchmen. By setting these henchmen to steal money, or commit greater crimes, your infamy spreads – which brings with it heat from the law as well as the attention of other crime lords. The greater your infamy, the more world power you control.

So, building rooms and expanding your resources is the name of the game. Only when you have accumulated a base and enough henchmen to perform dastardly deeds is it ever worth attempting to strike. For the most part you’ll feel like an also-ran skulking from the more powerful world bosses.

CONCLUSION
Evil Genius never quite lives up to the sum of its parts. It takes the GodSim game plan in a new direction but never really seems to work out what it wants to be. While there are some nice ideas in the game and the feel is quite fresh, there is something simply missing with Evil Genius: namely, excitement. Never at one time while playing the game did we feel practically evil or on the verge of being a genius, you end up feeling little more than an over-enthusiastic accountant.

RATING: 6
PRICE: £30 (inc. VAT)
PUBLISHER: Vivendi
DEVELOPER: Elixir Studios
LINK: www.howevilareyou.com