7 cert, Brightside Games, Xbox Live (also PC) ***

Question: how do you make an old-fashioned, 2D shooter appealing to modern gamers? Answer: think up a gimmick. Specifically, Zeit 2(or Zeit Squared) allows you to time- travel. Passing enemies drains your power, so you rewind time by a few seconds to make sure nobody slips past. The time- travel stunt is a welcome one – who wouldn't like to press rewind in any game and correct their mistakes? Your vehicle resembles a glowing eyeball, a sphere that grows and shrinks according to how much power it has. The enemies and backgrounds blush like deep sea fish and coral. Your health diminishes as you fire, but killing certain enemies will boost it. So you can forget about just holding down the trigger and hoping for the best. The gameplay is smooth, but the main problem with Zeit 2is the repetition – fire, dodge, repeat.