Adventures Of Shuggy

Gen cert, Valon Games, Xbox Live Arcade ****

Sometimes the simplest concepts work best. The object of this game is to collect gems dotted around the levels while avoiding the various ghouls haunting the castle. The main character, Shuggy, is a vampire, but a cuddlier-than-average one. The castle is his, left to him by his uncle, and now overrun with goblins, zombies and the odd robot. And Shuggy would like them gone, thanks. Adventures of Shuggy is a cross between a platformer and a puzzle game. There are more than 100 levels, and 36 require offline co-op play to complete. While the basic premise sounds simple, with the potential to get tedious halfway through, it never does. This is mainly due to the different twists applied to the levels. You might be faced with reversed gravity in one room, or even get some Shuggy clones to help you clear the room. A surprisingly brilliant little game.