But while its traditional enemies were toying with transferring stock-game styles into 3-D, Square was re-inventing the entire genre. It meant some of the clinging effects of yesteryear had to take a bow. First to go was the health bar. In Bushido Blade, you are a Samurai. The very notion of a health bar is preposterous and, worse, dishonourable. One mistake and a sword is in your belly. Then you, my friend, are with the ancestors filling them in on earthly gossip.

Next to go was the ring. Samurai are not paid to fight for the delight of spectators. They fight for their masters and so choose where they feel like scrapping. Thus, it''s down to the beach, out to some bamboo paddies, or even popping around the castle.

The change from ring to new arenas is not just a matter of background art. Players can interact with their surroundings, and we''re not talking about chucking a barrel at your opponent here. You can run through lapping waves on the beach as you attempt to get away from a superior fighter, or cut through bamboo as you try to get at your terrified nemesis. Or you can explore a castle looking for, perhaps, a set of stairs from which to advantageously make your attack.

But despite these quirks, this is no exploration game. It''s fighting in all its brutal glory. You may be wondering how the game is scored or organised without the trinkets of traditional fighting games. Let''s look at the health bar. Imagine your opponent slicing you in the mouth with his sword. This is very simply translated to ''end-of-chat.'' There''s no 40 percent off your life-status. It''s good-bye old chum and all that. This makes the game incredibly tense and exciting. There are no second chances. Or maybe you hit your enemy in the arm. This simply means he loses the use of that limb, thereby allowing you to slice his head off, or disembowel him. Blood squirts out, but it''s stylised and not at all gross or tacky.

There are no time limits in this game, so in theory you could be battling an opponent for hours. More likely though, the whole thing will be over in seconds. Try to think of this less as a ring combat game, and more of a Samurai simulation. Where it differs from a simulation is that controls are extremely simple. One button will execute whatever command you want to give. One button is always parry, high attack, low attack or mid-attack but the exact attacks vary greatly depending on your stance or what you are doing with your directional pad at the time. The numbers of combinations (as opposed to combos) is huge.

The skill is in getting out of the way of your opponents, and in simply moving into advantageous positions. If you are sick to the heart of combo-memorising-droid-opponents this game is definitely going to light your wick.

There are six initial characters in the game, each with different strengths, and there are others which come to light later on. Kannuki is a 28-year-old assassin from Okinawa. His name comes from a magic trick which means to ''entwine invisible strings around an opponent.'' Mikado is a young woman from Kyoto who works in a Tatara shrine. She may seem innocent, but she''s well-versed in the ways of Bushido. Hotarubi is a Russian woman who came to Japan six years ago to become a ninja. Black Lotus, despite his Asian name, is a true-bred Dubliner who studied knighthood at Oxford University. Tatsumi is a cocky high school student eager to learn the truth of the sword. Utsusemi is the oldest of the six, wise and canny.

You get to choose your character at the start of each game or bout, as well as your weapon. Each character works differently with each weapon, and there is a great deal of enjoyment in just finding the appropriate combination which suits your way of fighting. The differences are subtle and take some mastering. Some weapons are heavy, cumbersome and damaging. Others can be knocked aside because they are so light, but are fast, wicked and true. The weapons vary greatly and include pikes, hammers, swords and daggers. If you lose a weapon in a parry, there is often a secondary tool which can be thrown at your enemy but only - and this does need to be stressed - as a last resort.

Square has included a quest style element to the single-player game and is a bit weird. Essentially, it gives one player some kind of story-line to follow and extra-challenge. But it is the nature of this title to be enjoyed as a two player game. And that is where you will spend hours taking slices out of anyone else who fancies themselves as Samurai. There is also a first person mode in which you can link up two PlayStations which is tough to master, but very detailed and realistic.

Bushido Blade is a stunning game concept and it has been fully realised by Square. Much tougher to master than, say Soul Blade, it is nevertheless rewarding when you learn the many moves and stances, and there''s simply nothing more satisfying than skewering your opponent with a massive sword.

More brutal than anything we''ve seen before on PlayStation, the open structure of the game and lack of energy bars are welcome additions to a genre which was frankly getting stale. There is a lot of impenetrable Japanese text in this game, so many people might be put off buying it on import, but if you want us to e-mail you the instructions in English then we are only too happy to do so. Bottom line, whether it be import or official, Bushido Blade is most definitely worth a look.