Each one of Soul Calibur's 19 characters - 10 of which are available from first play - possesses unique attributes and nuances of style. Unlike many other fighting games, where all but the hardcore find it hard to identify with and master the controls of more than a handful of the protagonists on offer, Calibur's combatants are surprisingly accessible. Even fighters that seem unwieldy at first, in time, prove to have hidden depths. Hand on collective heart, Future Gamer couldn't say that there's one bad, unplayable fighter in the whole game.

The one respect in which almost every beat 'em up known to man fails, though, is in long-term, single-player appeal. "It's a flaw indigenous to the genre," argue some. "They'll never solve that problem," lament others. But the fact remains: beat 'em ups are predominately designed to be two-player games first and foremost. This is partly due to the coin-op heritage of the blueprint, but also because the genre's practitioners lacked ambition. Until now.

In Soul Calibur, even the secrets have secrets. And the secrets' secrets? They have secrets too. Not only does Namco's remarkable objet d'art have every play mode you'd care to experience (and more besides), it also has a superb, RPG-tinged 'adventure' mode. In this, you fight themed bouts in locations that expand as you progress. As you complete each quest, you gain points. These can be spent by purchasing one of hundreds of pieces of art in a gallery. Some, although this isn't immediately apparent, also carry hidden bonuses, from extra characters to astounding exhibition performances by each fighter to view. It will take weeks for you to get everything, and even then you'll be happy to start all over again.

Soul Calibur is a modern classic. Polished to a piercing gleam, considered beyond mortally tangible thought, it's the best beat 'em up we've played in years. Hoarse with admiration (and, of course, the exertion of shouting "You bastard! Argh! Another game, then?"), the Future Gamer team can only croak "Magnificent!" as an awed, concluding compliment.

Yet another reason to own a Dreamcast, then - and, uniquely, the most persuasive to date. Start saving your pennies, folks.