Sometimes a game comes out of nowhere and sneaks onto the shelves before the press-types can get their hands on it. Normally when this happens, it's because the product is more than terrible and the publishers don't want any bad press to take away from its early sales. Luckily for those who went ahead and snapped up a copy of Acclaim's latest action title Shadow Man (previously available on PC, N64, and PlayStation), you're in for a pleasant surprise.

In the tradition of just about every movie and game to come out this year, Shadow Man deals with one man's fight to halt Armageddon. Thankfully for us, it handles the subject in a much more detailed and interesting way than the rest of the bunch. It goes a little something like this: Michael LeRoi is the Shadow Man, a Voodoo warrior who possesses the power to walk between the worlds of both the living and the dead. Under the servitude of the priestess Mama Nettie, he has been summoned to the place all things go when they die -- Deadside. There, LeRoi must collect the darkest of souls and take them into himself before the evil known simply as "Legion" can. If Legion and "The Five" (basically horseman of the apocalypse hidden in the guise of various serial killers) can collect these souls, then an eternity of pain and suffering will be unleashed unto the lives of many for all time.A cool story isn't the only thing Shadow Man has going for it. Using a powerfully-gothic soundtrack to help tell the tale, this Dreamcast adventure is a treat for your ears. From the introduction, comparisons to the House on Haunted Hill remake and the classic brooder Seven immediately spring to mind. From start to finish, every little tune my speakers played, no matter how short or how long, kept me glued to the set. If horror music is your thing, then Shadow Man has it.Not to be overlooked are the voice samples. While there are no recognized actors in the mix, the quality of their performances is high nonetheless. My personal favorite has to be the guy who does the voice of Legion. In a tone not unlike the Darth-God James Earl Jones, Legion should give just about anyone the willies with his eerie baritone and subtle use of post-processed echo. Just listen to the very first cutscene the game offers and you'll see what I mean.But the most impressive aspect of Shadow Man has to be it's graphics. Using the Third-person perspective made popular by Eidos' Tomb Raider, the team at Iguana UK takes everything that Lara's adventure was and multiplies it visually by ten. The level of detail and high number of objects on the screen really pulls you into this make-believe world of evil and voodoo. From the swarming bees and boarded-up windows of Louisiana, to the jaggedly-formed caverns and gigantic citadels of terror in the land of Deadside, this is the best looking version of Shadow Man yet.Unfortunately, all that audio and visual flare comes at a price. Because the music, voices, and terrain all stream from the GD-ROM after the initial level has been loaded into memory, the framerate suffers. For example, Mike will be running through a swamp and a church will appear in the distance, creating a sudden pause in the action. The same type of situation rears its ugly head whenever a new music track switches on (or off) as well. While the fluidity problem is a little more than a nitpick at most, it does detract from the game when you start to see it happen more and more frequently.Another minor quibble on the graphics would have to be what I like to call "the silhouette factor". Translation: Sometimes the game is just too damn dark. Even with a torch or flashlight, I often found that when navigating through a cave or a moonlit area I was bumping into a wall I didn't see because it was impossible to make out through the black. I tried playing Shadow Man a few times during the day, but the slight reflection that sunlight provided on my television screen made it hard to get into. I eventually resorted to putting a sheet over my window to block out the light so I could continue on my journey. In other words, my recommendation is play this at night, with ALL the lights off (it's more effective for the story that way anyhow).If you're looking for depth, then this is your game. Using a non-linear style of play, your quest is divided between two massive worlds (Liveside and Deadside). Using the teddy bear of your slain younger brother as a teleportation device (weird, I know), you can traverse between the worlds relatively easy. There's a rather large arsenal (9mm, Violators, Uzis, shotguns) to dispose of the moaning and screaming hordes of dead folk after your hide, and a large amount of special items to collect and puzzles to solve as well.The upgrade system is especially unique. Using what are called "Gads", Mike is tattooed in Shadow form and given special abilities to match each marking. These tattoos will allow you to do everything from walk over fire to swim in lakes of acid. Other bonuses include skulls and Cadeaux whose power is better left discovered by you.Accomplishing everything you need to is pretty easy, as Mike has a wide range of abilities and actions. Jumping, swimming, and climbing long strings of rope are accomplished with the push of the pad. The inventory menu and sniper view can be pulled up at any time as well, and the save screen can be used anywhere (which at first seems like a blessing, but soon you'll realize that no matter how many enemies you killed, or where you are at on the map doesn't matter -- when you restart you'll have to begin at the front of the level anyway). The only real control difficulty comes with the framerate problem mentioned earlier, which makes swimming and jumping a bigger chore than necessary. On the whole though, having Mike do your bidding is a cinch.