If you were a fan of Dragon Ball Z then Dragon Ball Z Budokai takes it to a new level with added acrobatic 3D action.

Dragon Ball Z Budokai features over 100 DBZ heroes and villains and an added story mode for extra depth. The games allows you to recreate classic scenes from the TV show in story mode with some lightning-fast fighting moves and the ability to engage in titanic battles. There are around 15 3D scenarios and much improved graphics, levels and special moves. The game uses a "behind-the-back" camera perspective and features all the regular Dragon Ball Z power ups and bonuses.

Players can build up their "Ki" bar to execute various techniques such as the Power Guard, which reduces the damage characters take by 1/4. The Ki bar can also be used to use moves referred to as Blast 2s plus many more death defying moves which can snap your opponents neck in the blink of an eye.

For those that enjoy a good old punch-up, this is a great game although it could do with a few more characters and moves.

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In the Dragon Ball Z start menu, you’re presented with several different modes. Arcade means you go 1 on 1 against the computer; in VS mode you take on a friend; Team VS lets you play various team-up modes against a friend; Team Arcade means various team-up modes against the computer and Team Co-op allows you to beat the crap out of the computer tag-team Dragon Ball Z style. Finally, Training allows you to work on your moves and Watch mode allows you to observe computer controlled characters beat the hell out of each other in various modes. There’s also an options menu where you can configure such things as the level of difficulty, time limit, sound features and controls.

Dragon Ball Z lets you take on the role of of almost 30 characters. Highlights include Chibi Trunks, Future Trunks, Normal Trunks and Mr Boo. As one of these Dragon Ball Z fighters, you take on a series of martial arts beasts in an effort to win battle points and collect dragon balls. If you choose to take on a friend in the “VS” mode, make sure you’ve either got two joysticks or at least one whilst the other plays on the keyboard. For beginners, I’d advise going straight into training mode where you can practice some special moves which range from a simple karate-chop to a “fist of death” hammer blow which involves pressing at least seven different keys at once. Remember those old Amiga and Atari games where a special move literally involved snapping the joystick and you’ll get the picture. You can also customize your own Dragon Ball Z player although it’s mainly limited to changing the name and colours here and there.

Dragon Ball Z itself works on the basis of battle points - the more you beat-up, the more you win. Points give you access to a “skill tree” which enables you to pimp-up your character and give him/her some new moves. Along the way, you also collect dragon balls and once you have collected 7, you can call forth the “dragon of Shenron” which grants you a wish. According to the developers, this can range from adding a new move to your character to creating an entirely new one. The gameplay is just like a classic arcade game thanks to the ever-popular MUGEN graphics engine. Dragon Ball Z's sound is also excellent with some classic satisfying retro kicks and punch effects. On the downside, it can seem a bit limited and boring compared to fighting classics like Street Fighter or Tekken but for a game that’s only around 30 MB , it certainly packs a punch.

Be warned also that although the developers claim this game works on all Windows platforms, some forums report that users with anything above Windows 98 have experienced problems starting the game. More advice is available from the developers’ website.

In summary, a must have for any retro fighting fan.

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