Tekken. Say that to any game enthusiast, and they'll probably recognize it instantly. The Tekken series has gone on for years, starting on the Playstation 1. It's graphics were great for its time, and it's gameplay was excellent.

It became very popular. Namco then released a sequel - Tekken 2 - which produced a lot of crowds, carrying the reputation of its predecessor. More characters, better graphics and more options made it a worthy sequel. Then Tekken 3 arrived, carrying new bonus games such as Tekken Ball, a hilarious version of volleyball, and Tekken Force Mode, a side scrolling beat em up. With even more characters, much better graphics Tekken 3 really pushed the Playstation to its limits.

Now we're in the time of a new era, a new millenium, and the successful Playstation has a bigger brother, the imaginatively named Playstation 2. A next gen console which promised next gen gaming. Tekken Tag Tournament was released, and of course, crowds of eager gamers rushed to buy the new Tekken game, but was it worth the 40 quid, all the hype and crowds?

I was very excited when I got Tekken Tag, I put it in my brand spanking new PS2, and switched it on. The Intro movie represented the graphics beautifully, just as next generation should be. The Story is typical Tekken style, involving the Mishima family in some way (groan). I was very anxious to play the new Tag Option, promising to do more to gameplay. And it changed the gameplay - to a certain extent.

Yes, this is where I point out all the glitches of the Next Gen Game. For starters, is the fact that not much has changed. I need to emphasize this, NOT MUCH HAS CHANGED. The game features all the characters from the past Tekken games - but where's the creativity? Only one new character, and she's rubbish anyway. She's the boss in this Tournament, and she's bonded with the ghost of the Big Bad wolf, who was looking for a new Red Riding Hood. No major changes took place to the options either, tekken ball and tekken force mode (my favourites), were taken away for a bowling game. Bowling? In a fighting game? The reason I liked Tekken 3 was that after you're bored with the arcade mode, you can still fight in the bonus modes - and do some more moves. In Tekken Bowl, just position your character, select the spin, the power and press X. No skill at all. And then there's the Tag Mode, which is very good for about 3 hours. Then you get bored, quickly, and start depending on the other options to ease the boredom, which are exactly the same as Tekken 3 (Team Battle, Vs). You get all the characters, try them out, and that's it. Game's not worth playing.

And the graphics aren't all that, there's still anti-aliasing, which makes the stage look like a giant merry - go - round. This on a Next Gen game? Tekken Tag is a great beat em up, for people new to Tekken, but it won't appeal to Tekken veterans (unless you are a hardcore Tekken fan), as the lack of new ideas really lets the game down.