A giant shape looms up above Jonny as he tackles the PS2 monster hit.

As the enduring myths of St. George and the Dragon or David and Goliath prove, we love the tale of the underdog who succeeds against overwhelming odds. Our ability to struggle when we know it's futile is a respectable part of the human condition which has become a leitmotif for videogames since day one - whether the protagonist is single-handedly taking out an enemy army Rambo style, or heading straight to Hell with a sawn-off shotgun to put paid to the hordes of the underworld themselves.

Shadow of the Colossus takes a different approach, severely limiting the number of foes, but choosing instead to up their size considerably. Indeed, the 16 monolithic monsters in question here are not in the levels. They are the levels.

As a young man questing through a deserted and cursed kingdom for the outlawed magic needed to bring a dead girl to life, you are charged with the task of toppling the gigantic beasts using just your sword and bow, your horse, and anything else that happens to be around.

But before the kill, comes the hunt, which is equally as important as the slaying and thankfully, equally as captivating. The land you are traversing is quite unlike any you would have seen before. A cursed land, it's completely deserted, save for the Colossi themselves, the occasional bird of prey and the odd lizard scurrying out of the path of your pounding hooves.

Riding your horse, Agro, is a wonder, as long as you expect him to manoeuvre like a horse rather than a car you've ripped off in GTA. He obviously can't turn on a dime, and there is a knack to riding him correctly - once you get this you'll be able to coax him through tight spots, avoid giant foes' stamping feet, and cover great distances with ease.

Some players will get frustrated with these exploration sections, but for many they will be just as enthralling as the battles themselves. It's quite relaxed, you see, and there's no time limit for locating your next foe. So enjoy the beautiful scenery - which ranges from grassland to desert, to beaches, lakes, mountains and valleys. Yes, you'll probably find yourself hopelessly lost at times as the method of locating the Colossi could be a little more refined, but the act of negotiating your steed across narrow winding bridges and through woodland is capable of immense entertainment.

During these quiet, lonely travels, the feeling of anticipation that grows is immense, as you never know when the next Colossus will appear or what it will look like. Will it be a quadruped or biped? Will it fly? Will it shoot lasers from its eyes? Because Sony has been quite secretive about its Colossi it gives your imagination a chance to run riot, and it's rarely disappointed.

Seeing your first Colossus is a genuine jaw-on-the-floor moment. These things are huge. And gorgeous, in an ugly sort of way. Using your magic sword you can locate their weak spot(s) and then the difficult task of reaching them begins.

The grip meter is of utmost importance when it comes to slaying a Colossus. It's possible to hang onto any hairy patch, or to the ledges or platforms which adorn them on occasion. But only for a limited time. So as you scale your massive foes you need to strategise, and give yourself time to rest and replenish the strength in your hands before continuing with the gruesome, difficult and wildly entertaining task of getting a sword deep into a creature's weak spots. Using your sword also has a strategic element to it, as you can charge up strikes to deliver more powerful blows - but wait too long and you'll miss your chance altogether, or lose your grip and plummet from the creature to the ground.

Believe me, your eyes will boggle the first time you're clinging desperately to a pair of massive eyebrows as a Colossus shakes its head, violently trying to dislodge the tiny creature which has crawled up its back and seems intent on plunging a sword through its brain. But when you do kill your first Colossus, something unexpected happens, something which has been noted by everybody that's played it so far. Guilt. More so than in far more violent games where your victims are human, this game brings forth strong feelings of guilt and regret that you don't really understand. You're not actually given any indication that they're even alive, as such - they're more like giant animated golems - but there's an undeniable pang when you strike your final blow and see them topple, so much that you begin to question whether it's actually you that's the monster.

There are moments, usually when a Colossus attacks you and the motion blur kicks in, where you'd swear this couldn't be running on anything other than an Xbox 360. In all, Shadow of the Colossus is right up there among the best looking games around, with a similar graphical style, and quality, to its kind-of prequel Ico.

One thing that was strange about Ico was its lack of screen furniture - icons, health meters, power gauges and the like. From playing Shadow it's apparent that this was not actually an insightful artistic decision but simply because the team seems to have an issue with designing such graphics tastefully. Shadow's hideous display - the centrepiece of which is a large pink blob representing the grip meter - occasionally even threatens to spoil the otherwise stunning visuals on offer.

But that's one of very few criticisms that can be levelled at the game, and it's certainly nothing to get upset about. It is also a shame that it seems to be over too soon, although that's true of any game of this immense quality.

With our recent 2005 Awards fresh in our minds, we're already considering possible nominees for best game of 2006, and even this early it's possible we've found it in Shadow of the Colossus.

GAME's Verdict

• Possibly the best game of 2006. Probably the best PS2 game of 2006.
• An emotional and touching storyline and a great ending.
• Proves that Sony's machine is still technically as capable of providing true cinematic looks as any other system.

• Some really ugly screen icons in the bottom right of the screen.
• Possibly over a little quickly.
• What did those poor Colossi do to you?

Review by: Jon Austin
Version Tested: PS2
Review Published: 10.02.06

The bigger they are?

Vast, sprawling and peerlessly epic, Shadow of the Colossus is also the most sobering of interactive experiences. Grandiose beyond the scope of most modern action adventures, Sony's spiritual Ico sequel furthers the series' creative ambition while at the same time retaining its forebear's minimalist narrative and artistic values. Already out in the US and receiving universal praise, its truly unique premise and deftly affecting presentation make it deserving of the success often showered on lowlier titles of a less evocative nature.

Ico. Wonderful; ethereal; beautiful; enchanting: the superlatives surrounding SCEI's cult classic reach endlessly on. For many the PS2's defining release, its hardcore credentials were assured when critical acclaim gave way to retail figures every bit as understated as the game's own timeless fairytale. Its journey was of a young boy with horns, striving to escape a half-collapsed castle while safeguarding a mysterious female companion from creatures of smoke, and has endured through the console generation with almost mythic appeal. Shadow of the Colossus is by no means the next chapter in the Ico saga, but rather a graphic continuation of its legacy.

The visual approach that so unmistakably ties Colossus to Ico is at the heart of the game's exquisite fiction. From the breathlessly desolate gameworld to its ragdoll protagonist, his gallant steed Agro and the eponymous monolithic monsters that provide the player purpose, the less-is-more adage has been painstakingly applied here to triumphant effect.

This spellbinding aesthetic overview becomes its most focused at the game's hulking epicentre. The numerous Colossi on which the progress revolves tower over the game in every conceivable way; the attention to detail, the barren landscape they are banished to roam, and especially over the insect-like player character, who faces the daunting challenge of scaling each of the beast-like behemoths.

And that really is the best description of Colossus' core gameplay. Ostensibly, it amounts to no more than a series of boss battles with some intermittent terrain to traverse, but in motion this remarkably rudimentary remit takes on layers of unexpected sophistication.

Scaling a Colossi alone is a feat to be proud of: each is a level in itself, necessitating the most perilous of high-rise platforming skill and increasingly intrinsic understanding of the all important grip meter. Toppling one of the titans means delivering the killer blow from your sword to its weak spot, sending the creature into its final agonising death throes in the most empowering of scenes to be found in this or any genre.

Were that not enough, the variety promised between Colossi should make the game all the more rewarding, bypassing the pitfall of repetition by taking the adventure out of the usual gaming comfort zones. Dry land will frequently give way to other settings for Colossi clambering: from intrepid aerial assaults to deep water diving and on increasingly skyscraping foes with harder-to-reach weak spots. Latching onto each will also extend to ever more extreme examples of daring; steadying Agro to race at full speed and slinging yourself over the edge of a cliff with precise timing as a Colossi passes is possibly the most impressive example.

However, the biggest reservations on the theme come from this undeniable one-track vision. In its single-minded focus the Ico team have crafted seemingly the most divine of devices with which to capture the imagination, but also risked sacrificing the wonderment that came from exploring Ico's own inimitable surroundings. At different times sunlight drenched and shadow cloaked, and encompassing every increment of the scale between open-plan and claustrophobic, its castle grounds lent a charm that Colossus' destitute grey-skied scenery fails to capture.

Yet the eerie emptiness of its world begets an emotive response every bit as profound as its predecessor; lifeless and barren save for the Colossi that roam it, Colossus' landscape is the most sombre of settings for a game of such elegant production. The wonder here is steeped as much in sadness as Ico's was in joy: how did such a world ever become so dead? What exactly are these giants of the land? Just who is the dead girl your character laid in its temple? And will the untimely demise of all 16 Colossi truly revive her, as only hinted at the story's inception?

Like Ico then, a fairytale feel is very much present in the follow up, albeit in a darker essence, and the enigma of the game's plot and place remain amongst the most compelling of contracts any true gamer could wish to undertake.

Whether the Ico legacy also means Ico's poor sales is uncertain, but Shadow of the Colossus undoubtedly deserves to at least match its peers in the adventure department. It's a release befitting the magnitude of its monsters: a once a generation title that, together with the re-release of its direct predecessor, looks set to touch the hearts of anyone willing to take its gargantuan gamble.

Preview by: Mark Scott
Preview Published: 29.12.05