Hands-on: Vanark

Vanark, Jaleco's latest PlayStation shooter, is perhaps best described as a StarFox clone, with a little bit of Panzer Dragoon thrown in for good measure. Your ship, viewed from behind, zips around the screen to dodge projectiles while unleashing a gang of laser bolts and missiles to deal with the opposition, which usually consists of weird-looking bug creatures or… uh… evil trees. During missions, you'll receive advice from your wingman as to which path to take through the level and occasional tips on defeating enemies. Between levels, you wander from floor to floor in your base, where you can hang out with the rest of the Vanark team and fly a training mission in a simulator.

Graphically, the game looks reasonably smooth and runs at a nice speed. The most impressive effect is definitely the huge laser beam that bosses fire - check the screenshots for a closer look. And gameplay-wise, Vanark seems pretty solid.

Vanark is currently scheduled for a late March release. Look for a review on videogames.com soon.