IN THIS business, you usually reckon it takes around 10 hours of gameplay to be able to do justice to a review, but in some cases it's obvious within 10 minutes that a game is a turkey.

In the case of X2, having a name that's short to type out doesn't make up for the incredible amount of time it takes to get into this game in terms of journalistic man-hours.

After sitting down for the first few sessions of getting to grips with this fearsomely complicated game, I was ready to give up and give it a literary pasting.

Granted, the game had luscious graphics, but the terrible sound, interminably long and generally terrible cut scenes, woeful storyline and general lack of direction meant that X2 was competing with Bionicle for worst game in recent memory.

It was only after deciding to give the game one last try that I realised that, while all the above gripes are true, the depth and freedom of the game, once they become obvious, are where its true strength lies.

This game is the spiritual heir to the 1984 gaming legend Elite, the game that turned everyone with a computer and penchant for games into a buccaneering space trader.

On the surface, X2 The Threat is a plot-driven space game that involves a sub-standard sci-fi storyline.

You know the kind of thing lead character with a hidden past, alien race ready to end the galaxy and over-arching quest to return to the mystical planet Earth.

And if you play it this way you will be disappointed.

The space combat engine is pretty basic, the journey times between targets are stupendously long and the cutscenes that let the story unravel are some of the worst ever seen.

But, where the game survives is in the freedom it gives you to ignore the story and just live in the galaxy.

While all this story nonsense is unfolding the galaxy is still going about its daily business, and you are free to ignore the plot and interract with what's going on in the rest of the universe.

Whether you want to buy high, sell low and go for trading, or hoist the Jolly Roger and indulge in a bit of piracy or anything in between, the choice is yours.

The comings and goings in the galaxy are very detailed, and you can find yourself doing anything from getting involved with border disputes to ferrying emergency medical supplies to an under-siege space station.

So if you are willing to take a long time (10 hours plus) in getting involved in the galaxy at large, then X2 has a lot to recommend it.

But if you're just after a quick fix and want to follow the pre-ordained storyline then avoid this one like the plague.

Graphics: 4/5
Sound: 2/5
Gameplay:What you make of it
Gamespan: 5/5
Overall: 2.5/5

Clive Mendip