After the planet Earth was rendered useless through waste and destruction, the future fell into the hands of robots. They may have taken advantage of humanity's failure, but it seems they couldn't get rid of human nature: there's murder afoot.

As reporter D-Tritus, you scour the land for clues. Along the way, you acquire the ability to turn into anybody else. This makes things more fun and lets you in on the skills and quirks of others, handy stuff to know when you're stuck in a rough spot.

The game is set in a 3-D world of mechanized cities, battle cruisers, urbane banker bots, husky police, and the gambler you occasionally have to see in order to win money for gear. You get to build your own ships and use them to duel other robots.

Some of the battles and races sequences take a long time, but if you cycle through your weapons and are careful to note the extra routes and doors and such that are all over the landscape, you should be able to find a way out. Just keep trying. The game rewards ingenuity and persistent effort.

Scrapland is a very different game, with a lot of fun in store. You'll love the main character, the supporting cast is varied and weird, and there's plenty to look at in the richly designed surroundings. If you like Douglas Adams novels, this'll be fun for you. Too bad we don't see this type of thing more often.