Another white-knuckle ride

CONTRA needs no introduction to most of us. It's been around in one form or another since the dawn of console gaming on the NES. Continuing the non-stop excitement of the original NES and Super NES games, Contra: Shattered Soldier offers a pulse-pounding mix of 2D and 3D shoot-'em-up action, as one or two players battle their way through a series of alien-filled stages.

Armed with a succession of increasingly powerful weapons including multiple direction rifles and flame-throwers, with more to collect along the way, the player must run, jump and blast through wave after wave of aliens and counter the huge end-of-level adversaries that punctuate the route.

If all this sounds a bit familiar that's because it is. Contra on the PS2 offers nothing more than the kind of white-knuckle ride its forefathers offered, albeit with a next-gen sheen. Still, nice as the environment may be, you still run across the screen from left to right and face waves of enemies that usually appear from one side of the TV when your character is on the other.

There is a nod to the third dimension here and there but this game remains stubbornly 2-D for most of the time. And that's almost certainly a very good thing. Just think of the other classic games that have gone the 3-D route with disastrous consequences: classics like Sensible Soccer were so poorly translated that they disappeared... apparently forever.

So Konami is wise to stick with what it knows. After all, your character climbs, somersaults and runs across the screen with fluid ease. The game also acts as a stunning showcase for the PlayStation 2 platform, with snowboarding and motorcycle-based stages, incredible pyrotechnics and unrelenting pace ushering the Contra series into this new era. Aesthetically, Contra: Shattered Soldier also boasts input from renowned illustrator Ashley Wood. Famed for his work on Spawn, Aliens, X-Men and Star Wars comics, Wood has created a series of believable and nightmarish alien races, with biomechanical creatures and robotic adversaries lining up against platoons of heavily armed foot soldiers and snipers.

With Contra already a legend in gaming circles, Contra: Shattered Soldier enhances its enviable reputation as an action classic. Beware though, this isn't an easy game: to succeed you need lightning fast reflexes and an ability to think on your feet - particularly against the end-of-level bosses who are rock hard. Still, where's the fun in a turkey shoot?

RESTAURANT EMPIRE

Format: PC CD RoM

Price: £19.99

WE'VE had fairgrounds, town-building and even Jurassic Park. Now a new game gives you the opportunity to open your very own restaurant but does it have the recipe for success?

Restaurant Empire is a food-based god game where you control the culinary kingdom right down to the menu itself.

Whether you fancy running a greasy spoon dishing out burgers or a top-flight nosher capable of impressing Egon Ronay himself is up to you - and your skills as a restaurateur. And just because it looks like the Sims with chips, don't be fooled into thinking this is a game for kids. Beneath the serio-comic book look, there's a deadly serious business sim at work. Open a popular restaurant and fill the tables with customers without getting the staffing right and you'll soon be in trouble. Remember, nothing travels faster than word about bad service at an expensive restaurant.

I'd have liked a camera that could have zoomed further out and some of my mistakes were picked over like a turkey on Boxing Day but, overall, I had a lot of fun with this game.

If you are sick of cultivating your Sims but can't be bothered with a violent twitch game, then Restaurant Manager could be for you. And next time you visit a posh eating-house it'll make you think twice before complaining about the food or the service.

RAINBOW SIX: RAVEN SHIELD

Publisher: Ubi Soft

Format: PC

Price: £40

I FIND Tom Clancy's novels a bit formulaic but there's no denying his success at translating on-page action to the PC. Raven Shield is the latest in an illustrious line of first person stealth-'em-ups that began with Rainbow Six and carried on through Ghost Recon and Black Thorn.

It's pretty much business as usual: 15 missions, each one to be meticulously planned, choosing your men and kitting them out for the task. Then it's on with the night vision goggles and into action.

Armchair generals will find Raven Shield every bit as enthralling as its predecessors. The new game has an improved planning phase, your team performs more accurately and the graphics certainly make it all look unnervingly real (that's the Unreal engine running behind the game and it's never looked better).

The authenticity can be quite frightening at times. Get too close to a stun grenade and the monitor blurs as the speakers emit a high-pitched whine that's supposed to be your ears ringing.

There's a lot to see and do but you'll need a pretty good PC to get the best out of Raven Shield - otherwise you'll need to tweak the game settings to keep things running smoothly.