In a fictional universe, Shadow Master is an alien dictator and you (surprise, surprise), are the person elected to stop him.
The Master has decided to invade your system to capture its resources and slaughter or enslave its inhabitants. You, the hero of the piece, aren't going to stand for that and with the help of your trusty little moon-buggy-like vehicle are single-handedly going to repel his forces.
That might sound like a thousand storylines from a thousand games you have played before - it is! Basically, all you have to do is explore seven worlds and when engaged by the enemy, fire at will. Encased in your buggy, you have an arsenal of weapons including the standard laser with unlimited ammo. You also have a secondary weapon, which can be a machine gun of sorts, grenade launcher, or other similar type weapons.
Unlimited ammo you may have but you must use it wisely. Overheating renders it inoperable for a short time - time which, when you are faced by hordes of (for example) mechanoid monsters, seems like an eternity. Enemies come in all shapes and sizes and are exquisitely presented. In fact, this game's biggest selling point is its graphics which are among the best seen on the PlayStation - or, indeed, any console. Even on the first level your eyes will be treated to a veritable feast of colour and movement.
While Shadow Master excels itself on the visual front, the gameplay is fairly basic, albeit frantic, and challenging even to the most hardened gameplayer. It can also be frustrating as enemies seem to appear out of nowhere. There is a certain puzzle element to the game but this is minimal. Graphics:
96% Sound: 84% Gameplay: 81%