Machine Hunter is a fun top-down military action game that deserves much more attention than it received.The plot is simple: it's 2034, our mining robots on Mars have been reprogrammed by aliens, and you, of course, are the last remaining member of a special earthly taskforce called Machine Hunters. Your job, naturally, is to defeat the aliens, rescue hostages, and destroy the renegade robots. Nothing you haven't seen before, but the plot hardly matters in this kind of games - and fortunately it does get better.

In contrast to most similar games, the action in Machine Hunter is very well integrated into the plot. The game offers 16 very challenging multi-level, multi-layered missions, each with its own objectives, and often its own challenges. The best part of the game is that you can "transform" yourself into the robot you kill by taking over its dead body, using its firepower to kill fellow robots. This adds a whole new dimension to the game and makes it much more interesting.

The game is very challenging, not least because there is no way to save in the middle of the mission, which is often lengthy and complex, encompassing many screens. It's not enough also to accomplish the objectives: you have to make your way through the maze to the exit point afterward. It took me many, many times to finish one mission, and to this day I still have not finished the game due to the latter missions being close to impossible.

That doesn't mean Machine Hunter is a bad game. Far from it: it's a great, simple military shooter that die-hard gamers will enjoy. To round off this fun game, Eurocom includes a number of multiplayer options, including head-to-head competition (hotseat) and 2-player competitive mode. If you enjoy the likes of Gauntlet or Alien Breed, Machine Hunter is a fun game that will keep you glued to the screen if you consider yourself a good action gamer. Anyone new to the genre will likely be far too frustrated by the high difficulty level to enjoy it, though. Two thumbs up, way up!