KINGDOM HEARTS Publisher: SCEE. Format: PS2. £39.99

CHRISTMAS is almost upon us and what would the traditional Yuletide celebration be without a good old Walt Disney romp? Except now you don't have to sit back and let yet another re-run of Dumbo wash over you on Christmas Day. You can slap Kingdom Hearts into your PS2 and play a magical RPG instead.

This game has an impeccable pedigree. It's the result of an unprecedented collaboration between Disney and Squaresoft, the Japanese gaming powerhouse responsible for the classic Final Fantasy series.

Plot-wise, it's fairly predictable stuff. Hero Sora is away from home when the bad guys invade and is separated from his friends. Waking in a strange land, Sora begins yet another epic quest to bring peace and harmony to his homelands once again. Only this journey encompasses more than a few very familiar faces.

It's all done with Square's legendary attention to detail. The first hour of Kingdom Hearts feels as thought you are playing through a cartoon world - kind of like a PS2 version of Who Framed Roger Rabbit? Only better.

Each world has a Disney theme, such as Tarzan's jungle homeland, and each one has to be rescued from the evil tyrants before your gang moves on to the next. You travel between each level on a rocketship - loading times are made more bearable by the mini-shoot 'em up that passes for transportation between worlds.

The voice acting is spot-on too. You'll get a feel for the big budget lavished on Kingdom Hearts when you spot names like David (Angel) Boreanaz in the credits.

But for every fan of the Final Fantasy series there is someone who just doesn't "get" the Japanese RPG genre. Critics claim the games are too linear, that the spells and power ups are tedious and the fighting repetitive to the point of boredom.

So Disney has stripped away the minute detail that makes RPG such a turn off to casual gamers and replaced it with real-time fighting. It's got more in common with games like Banjo Kazooie or Zelda than turn-based fodder such as Final Fantasy.

The power of PS2 has enabled Square's programmers to really pack the screen, sometimes to the detriment of what's going on. Don't go thinking this is some childish game you'll blast through in no time, either. Some of the foes you come across are exceptionally tough opponents; although a bit of lateral thinking usually overcomes all.

Hard-core RPG fans will also be pleased to encounter some old friends from previous Squaresoft games.

Unfortunately the Disney heritage (Walt's guys, left to their own devices, have been responsible for some truly rubbish games in the past) may put some video game fans off Kingdom Hearts. If it does then that prejudice will mean they are missing something of a cross-over classic. Kingdom Hearts is an excellent game capable of appealing to gamers of all ages and abilities.

JAMES BOND 007: NIGHTFIRE. Publisher: EA. Platforms: PS2, Xbox, PC. From £34.99

JAMES Bond is another Christmas staple but if you've already seen Die Another Day and can't bring yourself to watch Goldfinger for the umpteenth time, what is to be done?

EA hopes you will splash the cash for this all new 007 shoot 'em up that certainly has all the right licences - but is it really better than the seminal Goldeneye on N64?

Right from the off it's obvious that this game is no cheapjack cash-in. Heck, Nightfire even has its own Maurice Binder-style credits sequence and a brand new theme tune. So far, so much better than Goldeneye which (due to the lack of memory on a Nintendo cart) couldn't hope to compete.

It's played mainly in the first person but, at key moments, switches to a third person view to help with things like climbing along a tight ledge or driving a powerful car.

There are loads of Bond-style gadgets, too. I especially liked the shaver that doubles as a grenade.

And the women; don't forget the women. EA has gone over the top here, quite literally. All the female characters Bond meets are buxom to the point of Carry On proportions. Still I suppose teenage boys will enjoy it and it certainly gave me a bit of a laugh.

Is it as good as Goldeneye then? Probably not. A bit like the Bond movie series, there's nothing really new here, even though it's darn good fun.

Still, for many of us, the N64 has long since been consigned to the loft and this is as good as it gets for Bond fans nowadays.

If you have never played Goldeneye, then Nightfire will come as a pleasant surprise; if you have, then consider this as a pleasing time-waster with the promise of better to come.

Published: ??/??/2002