TRADITIONALLY Nintendo has always been late. The Mega Drive arrived before the SNES; the PlayStation was on sale for more than a year before we even had a glimpse of the N64.

In the past Nintendo could always rely on fans of its games to wait for a new console. Not any more it can't.

That's why UK gamers can now get their hands on Nintendo's newest console, the GameCube. With the PS2 already nestling beneath millions of TV sets and the X-Box breaking into the market, the Japanese giant couldn't delay a moment longer.

But why should you opt for a GameCube? Especially if you already own a next generation console.

The first time you clap eyes on a Cube you can't believe how small it is. No taller than a Game Boy Advance, the chunky Cube is tiny compared to the PS2 and positively dwarfed by the behemoth that is the X-Box.

Don't be fooled into thinking its lack of stature makes a Cube the runt of the current console litter. That award now goes to the PS2, which, on paper at least, is outgunned by both its newer rivals.

GameCube - originally known as Project Dolphin for reasons only known to Nintendo - first saw the light of day at the Tokyo Space World Show in August 2000.

Technically, it falls somewhere between the PS2 and the X-Box. It's IBM processor runs at 400MHz compared to just under 300MHz for PS2 and a whopping 733MHz on the X-Box. More importantly, the new Nintendo is stuffed full of lovely memory chips, some 40MB in all, that allow programmers to create far more expansive game worlds than were technically possible on the old N64.

Nintendo reckons GameCube can push between six and 12 million polygons per second. That's some way off the extravagant claims made by Sony and Microsoft but take a look at the games running side-by-side and you'll be hard pressed to spot any difference. In fact, several Cube titles appear superior, particularly to the PS2 with its difficult to programme architecture and unusual memory arrangement.

Of course what Nintendo does have is the kind of back catalogue only a company that's been in the business from the start could hope to accrue.

Luigi's Mansion may not take the genre forward in the way Mario 64 thrust platformers into three-dimensions six years ago, but it's an excellent launch title nonetheless.

Mario has been Nintendo's mascot through three generations of hardware. Perhaps to show how up-to-date the Cube really is, the adventurous plumber takes a back seat to his younger brother this time.

Fans need not worry, however. Nintendo's talisman does make a couple of guest appearances as Luigi searches for him in a haunted house.

It looks fantastic and the game play is fun, albeit rather short on running time and somewhat linear in nature. Nor are there scores of hidden extras that made you want to explore every last piece of real estate in N64 classics like Mario and Donkey Kong.

As with the N64, the Cube comes with a somewhat unorthodox controller and, as Mario was for the older machine, Luigi's Mansion has been programmed with the extra functionality it brings to the party in terms of character control. Twin analogue thumb sticks are perfect for making your character perform tasks that would be impossible with a traditional digital pad.

The attention to detail is typical of Nintendo. As Luigi marches ever further into the bowels of the haunted mansion, his confident singing becomes an apprehensive whistle and his voice gets ever more tremulous. The lighting effects are done in real time and the environment feels suitably realistic.

In terms of graphical splendour, Luigi's Mansion sets the bar at which all other games will have to aim satisfyingly high. Games players looking for something to change their lives will have to wait awhile longer, though.

The other big hitter you'll find at launch is a sequel to a popular N64 game also praised and cursed in equal measure for its graphics versus game play conundrum.

Star Wars: Rogue Leader - Rogue Squadron II is such a long title it's amazing they managed to fit it on one of the Cube's dinky optical discs (yes, that's right, you can't play DVDs on this console).

The second instalment in a series that began on the N64, it's a sci-fi shoot-'em-up set within the Star Wars universe. With Attack of the Clones almost upon us, this could not be a more timely release.

If Luigi's Mansion looks good then this game is, frankly, amazing - right up there with anything seen so far on the X-Box and even a step ahead of the best PS2 can offer. The first time you see Rogue Leader running, particularly if it's in your local game shop, you'll swear the in-game visuals are just fancy full motion video.

Star Wars fans will love the total immersion in their favourite films that can be achieved with Rogue Leader. Shoot 'em up supporters will also find plenty to enjoy while anyone who wants to lord it over their PS2 owning mates just has to get a copy of this game for their Cube.

Ultimately, of course, it's a bit shallow - even allowing for the different craft and the extras that can be unlocked with perseverance and a good trigger finger - but you'll have so much fun along the way, who cares?

The Cube is priced to sell, at just £129 from your local games store, and Nintendo's aggressive marketing move looks set to provoke an interesting price war. Microsoft has already slashed £100 off the cost of an X-Box while that PS2 you've got half an eye on might just be £50 cheaper any day now. Even the PS1 looks set to be dragged into the barrage of cost cutting.

The history of video gaming is littered with the decaying hulks of consoles that didn't make it. Today no one spares a thought for the Panasonic 3D0, the Sega 32X or the Atari Jaguar, surely the biggest turkey of them all.

History also teaches us that the market for games isn't capable of sustaining three platforms and, although the industry has expanded since the Saturn/PS1/N64 wars, it seems likely that one of the new machines will start to fade sometime in the next 18 months.

Only a fool would bet against Sony. The PS2 has too big a lead to let inferior specifications drag it down. So that leaves Nintendo and Microsoft.

Nintendo has the history, the creative genius and price on its side. Microsoft has better specifications, more money, and a reputation for buying up the best talent. Who will prevail? It's a tough one to call at the moment. One thing is for sure; it's going to be a great ride.