Unless you're a total sci-fi buff, you're unlikely to be aware that this game is based on the Russian novel of the same name by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky. The central premise is that there were two planets - Earth and Arkanar - that were very similar and on good terms before a disastrous war severed their union.

In time, Earth developed rapidly in technology while Arkanar remained essentially medieval, and the game starts with a secret agent (i.e. you) from earth visiting Arkanar to see how they're progressing.

Despite the title, this is no God game but an RPG where you do all the usual things such as being given quests, collecting items and health, levelling up and fighting enemies along the way. The main difference from the standard pattern, though, is the weapon range (around 200 in all) which combines simple swords, bows and axes with mini-guns, scorchers and modifiers.

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This all sounds intriguing but the first sign that problems might be ahead was when the game opened with no indication of who you are, where you are or what your purpose might be. There's a brief rundown on how to move, perform actions and mount a horse and then you're off into the forest, vaguely following the arrows on the mini-map.

The horse is designed to make travel faster and provide an advantage in combat but neither fulfil their potential. Horses are often cumbersome to manoeuvre and frequently you can fight better on foot, doing ‘strike and retreat' combos.

The enemy AI is wayward at best and unresponsive at worst. You either get jumped on all at once or you can pick off individuals while their companions just watch. In addition, the constant left-click style of striking rarely happens at the speed you expect and frequently just stops altogether. There are only three weapon classes and only occasionally are you granted some bonus special moves.

Missions follow a strictly linear style where you chat, get your instructions, follow the road, kill the bad guy or bring back the object, then chat again. Often the best way forward is to dress like the enemy and bluff your way past or resort to bribes. You'll come across over 350 unique characters from bandits to monsters and immortals and your weapons will need to be modified depending on the size and power of your opponent.

Both the dated graphics and the predictable sound effects seem to have been bolted together as afterthoughts with no true moments of wonder. Although the maps are extensive, there's virtually no deviation from the designated paths. The one plus on the sound side is that the voice-over acting mostly sounds believable.

All we can say is it's hard to be a fan of a game that in theory has quite a promising mix of ancient and modern weaponry and combat within the RPG framework, but which fails to deliver on so many levels.