KUNG FU CHAOS. Publisher: Microsoft. Platform: Xbox. Price: £39.99

HOW many movies did kung-fu legend Bruce Lee make before his untimely death? If you are only on nodding acquaintance with the savage cinema of martial arts then your answer is likely to be several hundred. The true figure is a mere four (and one of those was unfinished).

So why the disparity?

Because when Lee died, movie producers in Hong Kong couldn't bear to see their cash cow wiped out so quickly. Every minor martial arts star underwent a name change in order to make fans believe they were paying to see a movie starring Lee himself.

Between 1973 and 1976 (when the kung fu craze was at an end) we had Bruce Le, Bruce Li, Bruce Lei and many, many more. Not content with ripping off his name, the same companies also pinched the title of his films. Although the real McCoy never made a sequel, cinemas still showed Fist of Fury II, Way of the Dragon II, The Game of Death II (and 3!) plus the usual My Name is Bruce, Bruce Lee Fights Back from Beyond The Grave, My Name is Bruce etc etc.

Other than having absolutely no connection to Bruce Lee, all these films shared three things in common - bad acting, even worse dubbing and a totally nonsensical plot.

So what better genre to emulate for a video game?

Kung Fu Chaos opens with an hilarious seventies-movie style cut scene (complete with scratchy celluloid and over-the-top music) before moving into the game proper.

No prizes for guessing that it's a fighting game. You take a suitably stupidly named character (Master Sho-Yu anyone?) and do battle with other poorly-dubbed martial artists across a series of impressively rendered levels.

The plot is so ridiculously flimsy I'm sure it must have been taken from one of the aforementioned movies for real. Your character is up for a part in a martial arts movie (director: Shao Ting) and, to prove he or she is worthy, they have to fight the other applicants.

The frenetic scrapping and use of interactive scenery reminded me Powerstone but Kung Fu Chaos lacks that title's depth and innovation. The levels just seem to go on and on and, a bit like the genre it purports to spoof, once you've seen one fight you've pretty much seen 'em all.

Yes you can taunt your opponents and giving a bad guy a particularly good licking gives you a star - three stars and the game unlocks a character super-move. And that's about it.

There's a multi-player option for post-pub antics with your mates, too.

As a game Kung Fu Chaos is less Enter: The Dragon and more Battle Creek Brawl. It's probably a good bet for a weekend's rental but the novelty factor doesn't last long enough to make it an essential purchase. Unless, of course, your name is Bruce Lee or Li or Lay or Leh.

Vexx. Publisher: Acclaim. Format: Xbox. Price: £39.99

MY what a timely release. With X-Men 2 just about to explode onto our cinema screens here comes Vexx - a platform hero with a set of special gloves that make him as near as darn it son-of-Wolverine without involving the copyright lawyers.

It's a platform game alright. Vexx has to fight, puzzle, swim and climb his way through his homeland to rescue everyone from some alien bad guys. It looks great - the Xbox is really hitting its stride these days, showing how easy it is for programmers to really get the best from that nVidia graphics chip - and some of the bosses are awesome. The special gloves do more than sprout claws when Vexx gets into a scrap, though. They also help give him a boost when he's underwater and come in handy for climbing.

Unfortunately you do encounter the same bad guys in different worlds which lends the game something of a repetitive feel. I did like the level where Vexx is shrunk to the size of a mouse and has to navigate a normal room via a massive playable games console.

The music, too, is excellent; a sweeping score that really lends an epic feel to the whole adventure.

This game is also available on the PS 2 and, to all intents, this version is a straight port job.

On either platform Vexx is a passable platformer. Fans of this genre will find much to enjoy. Game Cube owners will shake their heads in pity as they boot up the latest Nintendo Zelda adventure (reviewed next week).

Published: 02/05/2003