Summoner: A Goddess Reborn is actually a port of last fall's Summoner 2 for the PlayStation 2, but with a new title probably meant to keep GameCube owners from worrying about not having played the first game in the series. If you were to compare this new version side by side with the PS2 original, you'd notice a few graphical improvements as well as a couple of technical missteps that seemed to occur in translation. Nonetheless, the underlying game--a story-driven adventure role-playing game--remains quite good and features a strong cast of characters, unusual environments, and some pretty entertaining hack-and-slash combat.

Maia is the queen of Halassar and the heroine of Summoner 2.

It's true, you need not have played the first Summoner to appreciate Summoner: A Goddess Reborn, since the game has only a loose connection to its predecessor. But if you have, you'll appreciate its handful of references to the original and also find that Summoner: A Goddess Reborn makes a number of departures from the first game's formula--particularly with its new action-oriented combat system--while retaining the original's focus on telling a good story. The heroine of the game is Maia, a free-spirited queen of a proud nation who prophets claim is--you guessed it--a goddess reborn.

That actually might sound pretty generic, and what's great is that even Maia herself seems a bit bored by the idea at first. But Summoner soon goes into much more interesting territory than its seemingly straightforward fantasy setting first implies. During the course of her journey, Maia will join forces with a variety of other memorable characters, whose own intentions will eventually be revealed. Sometimes the story is difficult to follow, as characters are introduced quickly and some of the people and places in the game have decidedly tongue-twisting names (the characters actually comment on this at one point). Nevertheless, the game's story is the real driving force behind Summoner. You'll be compelled to press through the occasional frustrating or repetitive combat sequence just to see what happens next.

The action-driven combat system gets off to a bit of a slow start.

The game is played almost entirely from a third-person perspective, and at first, you can't even tell that what you're playing is actually a role-playing game. Summoner opens with a sequence in which Maia is defending her ship against a pirate attack. This encounter will allow you to learn the basics of combat, but it will also be your first exposure to the problems with the camera and the combat itself. You can use the C stick to adjust the perspective, and you'll often have to in order to get an angle on enemies attacking from different directions. Maia and other characters animate somewhat awkwardly in battle, and the game's collision detection isn't depicted very well, sometimes making it seem as though attacks are harmlessly missing their targets even though they may be dealing grievous damage. The good news is, you will get used to the combat and the game's somewhat unrefined graphics, and soon you'll be introduced to some of the deeper aspects of combat, such as the ability to have up to three characters on your team at once.

It isn't long before Maia finds some traveling companions. As your party grows in size, you'll encounter situations in which you'll need to control only certain combinations of characters at a time, and Maia herself may or may not be among them. Even when you have three in your squad, you control only one character directly, though you can switch to the others instantly using the directional pad. Those characters not under your direct supervision will fight and follow you autonomously, and you can choose different behavioral options for them that emphasize their fighting, casting, or supporting skills. Your computer-controlled companions will do a decent job of watching your back in the middle of a tussle, though sometimes they blunder headlong into certain disaster. Other times they'll fare even better than you will. A good strategy is to take command of the weakest character in the bunch and keep him or her out of trouble and in a supporting role while your computer-controlled brethren take to the front lines.