You start out with only a piece of lead piping to defend yourself with, but it isn't long before you acquire more potent weapons. Unlike many games, weapons don't litter the streets waiting to be picked up. You have to either despatch a foe who has the desired gun or purchase one from the shops that are ever present throughout the game. Money can be obtained from missions or enemies, and as you progress, everything from a pistol to a very impressive flame-thrower is available.

Sadly, the weapons you can get early on are incredibly weak, making progress quite tricky. Early gun battles involve much jumping and dodging as a foe steadfastly refuses to go down after twelve shots to the head. Fortunately there's a selection of henchmen hanging around who will join you - for a price. When they're not doing their utmost to get in the way, these henchmen will fight to the death without question. You can sit back and take a rest as four grown men chase each other around and hit each other with sticks. However, the amusement is short lived.

It seems fashionable these days to have a plot instead of meaningless violence and Kingpin does give purpose to the missions. Half-Life-style animated cut scenes provide more atmosphere, as do the amazing graphics. Using a beefed up version of the trusty Quake II engine and demanding a 3D card, Kingpin provides some of the most detailed locations and objects seen in a first person shooter. From the paint peeling off the walls to the neon glow emitted from signs, the world looks suitably gritty and sinister.

Graphics do not make a good game though. The usual multiplayer options are present in the form of the dubiously named Gang Bang mode, but despite the controversial use of bad language and other gimmicks, Kingpin lacks anything to set it out from the crowd. It's a decent enough Quake clone but it lacks the special touches and imagination that are necessary to topple Half-Life from the top.