We can't get enough of the graphic style. Explosions and dead enemies leave eraser scuffs on the background.

SketchFighter 4000 Alpha brings so much style to an arcade shooter that it almost forgets to pack the substance. Instead of the latest glossy 3D graphics, SketchFighter animates scribbles from a teenager's math homework into a top-down, 2D arcade shooter - and the uneven, scribbled lines are as stunning as they are simple.

As in other arcade-style shooters, players fly through the mazelike worlds, blasting enemies and finding power-ups. But the single-player game is merely adequate compared to the art-direction's excellence. It's often too difficult, rewarding the most cautious players and penalizing those of us who would rather blaze ahead.

SketchFighter shines, however, in its multiplayer mode. Two people play at the same time, locally or over the Internet, but they can never stray too far apart because of a tether between their ships. This mode offers cooperative and competitive flavors, but we wish that two people could play the full single-player game together.

The bottom line. SketchFighter 4000 Alpha waffles between fun and frustrating. Its gameplay can't match the unique visual experience.

COMPANY: Ambrosia Software
CONTACT: www.ambrosiasw.com
PRICE: $19
REQUIREMENTS: Mac OS 10.2 or later
Fantastic art design. Creative levels. Two-player matches. Includes level editor. Universal binary.
Uneven difficulty. No widescreen support. No gamepad support.