CLASSIC ACTION IS FLIP SIDE OF SHORTCOMINGS; Steve Lawson's games and technology round-up MEGAMAN ZX *** NINTENDO DS.

Byline: Steve Lawson

UNFORTUNATELY, Megaman ZX makes next to no use of the DS's touchscreen capabilities.

The bottom screen is used simply for displaying the information you'll need as you pass through the levels.

But on the flip-side, what you do get here is classic, side-scrolling Megaman action through a series of well-designed levels.

In Megaman ZX, you can choose to play as a young boy named Vent or a girl, Aile.

There are slight differences between the two stories, which helps a little with the replay value. Both work for the Giro Express delivery company and are in the middle of transporting an item known as biometal.

Biometal is a substance that grants humans the abilities of the famous Maverick hunters. It's not long before you're attacked by a group of Mavericks and you come in contact with the biometal, allowing you to transform into Model X, with all the super powers of Megaman X (dash, jump higher, blaster).

The graphics are really well done, with crisp, colourful action and surprisingly good natural effects such as lightning and rain.