Without much of an explanation, the hero of Paradise Cracked is on the run. Don’t expect a lavish intro that explains the opening action of the game. It isn’t there. All you get is a range of screens, the feeling that someone is using a computer to access files in the city library, some misdirection about Mars and "living in a science fiction novel" and then police banging down the door.

From that point on, the game seems to stumble along its slow-paced course.

Paradise Cracked, a PC release from Mist Land and Buka Entertainment, is a turn- and movement-based chase game. You are a hacker who has, apparently, downloaded something you were not supposed to. The next thing you know, the police are pounding on your door. So you do what any citizen who hacks computer mainframes would likely do - run.

A semi-derelict in the hall tells you to see his contact in Chinatown. But this is where the plot gets confusing. The hacker is told that the Chinatown contact will get him a job. Excuse me? A job? Isn’t he supposed to be on the run here.

Obviously in a chase game, real time action would have been preferable. But this hexagonal-mapped game lacks suspense, even when - at the end of your move - you are treated to partial glances of the enemies’ "hidden movement" phase.

The game takes place in the future. Man has colonized many worlds, there was a rebellion on Mars (isn’t there always?), and somewhere along the line, peace has been restored. But at what cost? And what was in the file that our young hacker downloaded? And if these files were so top secret and guarded, how was he able to get in so quickly to them, and how did they know that someone would hack them, and how did they so quickly find his address?

This plot has more holes than deli-sliced Swiss Cheese, and is about as consistent as cottage cheese.

The sound elements start well then flounder as the game progresses. From the smooth discourse at the game’s start, the dialogue devolves rapidly. You point and order your character, or team (he can pick up help along the way) to a spot and the hacker responds with "biorhythm." That probably is supposed to be a catch-phrase of some sort. The supporting cast overacts poor dialogue, which makes it sound worse.

The graphics lack consistency. There is a running gun battle in the street between fighters. One gets hit and splats into the ground leaving a wading pool of blood that fans out in an 8 foot radius. The fighter beside him gets hit hard and also dies, but without the same results. The animation is somewhat repetitive and strays away from the focal point of the game. You may approach someone and they move past you before addressing you.

The player interface is relatively simple, and players should be able to get into this game quickly.

Paradise Cracked seems to have started out with a sound idea, but the game just can’t hold it together. This game has a solid premise but does not execute it very well. It is an average game trading on stereotypes.

Gameplay: 5
The game is movement- and turned-based. This is surprising considering that someone is on the run and being hunted. By relegating it to this type of turn-based style, with hidden movement phases by the enemy, you take the adrenalin rush out of the game.

Graphics: 6
The environments are decently designed, but the violence is borderline cartoonish and inconsistent. One person hits the ground and the street is awash with blood. A second is gunned down and nothing.

Sound: 5.8
The vocal characterizations starts off strong in the opening narration but promptly begins to falter. The hero responds to movement orders with phraseology like "bio-rhythm." What is that supposed to mean? Is it some hip phrase of the future or just an attempt to try to make it sound as such.

Difficulty: Medium
The player interface is not difficult to learn but the game to be overwrought with ideas that detract from the main objectives. Consider this a 15-20 minute learning curve to get familiar with the interface.

Concept: 5.5
This game has a great idea, but doesn’t seem to go anywhere in particular with it. The opening cutscenes explain little, and the motivation for him running doesn’t seem to really get started. The interface is easy enough to navigate through, and this is a game you can quickly get into.

Overall: 5.5
A solid concept, but the execution is not all that good. The game is stereotypical in characterizations, the graphical quality is average at best and the sound begins well but breaks down quickly. This is very slow paced for a chase game.