Codemasters Overlord review

Most games put you in the role of the hero, but here you play as the evil Overlord instead.

You're freshly resurrected and ready to smite the forces of good. Having said that, no-one here seems that innocent. The fantasy setting includes vicious unicorns, greedy halflings and dysfunctional heroes. All this gives a fresh spin to the usual fantasy genre and, as a result, this game is genuinely amusing.

Being a powerful dark lord wouldn't be the same without the toadying minions, though. Luckily, Overlord provides a powerful personal army. You have a gibbering, cackling and shrieking mob of goblins at your command. They are your main weapon and are more than capable of causing serious mayhem. Direct them towards anything and they'll kill, destroy or pillage it as appropriate.

As well as fighting, your minions must be used to solve puzzles, with large groups needed to move objects or open gates. There are four types of minion, all of which resemble goblins or gremlins, and each type has different talents. Red ones can throw fireballs, while green ones can sneak up on your enemies unaware. As the game progresses, you must use the various types in tandem to defeat powerful heroes.

You can support your minions with your own physical attacks, plus a range of spells. Recovering items to restore your ruined tower unlocks new spells and weapons. The easy-to-use controls let you direct both the Overlord and his minions simultaneously. It plays well using a keyboard and mouse, but as things get harder a joypad with two analogue sticks is better still.

The gameplay is fairly linear, and you'll often want to be more evil than the game's objectives allow. But while there's little we haven't encountered before in real-time strategy or third-person adventure games, the blend of the two is accomplished and the experience as a whole is highly entertaining.