Colosseum: Road to Freedom, Sony Playstation

Think of KOEI and you generally think of engrossing slash-'em-ups set in the mysterious medieval East. Well, that and Gitaroo Man. Now KOEI are adding another string to their, er, Gitaroo with the release of Colosseum: Road to Freedom, a foray into the bloody and brutal world of Ancient Rome. Rome is no stranger to video games and we've seen some great games over the years: think Caesar 2, the underrated but brilliant fun Circus Maximus: Chariot Wars and most recently of course Rome: Total War. Chariot racing has been recreated on consoles but it's high time that Rome's other famed spectator sport got the treatment. Colosseum allows you to step out onto the blood soaked sand of Rome's famous amphitheatre and prove yourself in the most brutal form of combat for enjoyment the world has ever seen. Playing as a slave captured from one of Rome's many far-flung provinces, you have 50 days to prove your supremacy and claim your freedom. And all this is set against the backdrop of a plot that threatens to rock the eternal city to its very foundations. As well as grizzled warriors who fight for their lives as drunken Romans scream for blood, the game features a colourful cast: Commodus, son of Emperor Marcus Aurelius, the very same nasty bit of work who starred in the film Gladiator, played by Joaquin Phoenix; his flirtatious concubine the scheming Marcia; even a fighting girl called Nemesis! Train at the prison that serves as your gladiatorial school. Learn moves that will save your life out in the theatre of death. Out there, fight with whatever comes to hand, pick up and throw anything as you fight for survival, and take part in a variety of game modes. Fight against tigers and bulls, in a deadly duel with another gladiator, team battles, or recreations of historic Roman victories, or perhaps a team battle or simply a free for all. Masters of the historical hack-'em-up, KOEI have taken an interesting new direction with this Roman rumble.

Buy Colosseum: Road to Freedom for 14.99 GBP

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