Enjoy some devilish fantasy mayhem in Disgaea 3

Venturing into the Netherworld has never been so much fun. Villainy, carnage and crazed penguins await you in Disgaea 3: Absence of Justice - are you up to the tongue-in-cheek challenge?

Mao isn't your average genius - and he's going to prove that with your help. As the lead character of strategy role-playing game, Disgaea 3: Absence of Justice, you step into the trendy trainers of the most honoured student at Evil Academy, a school where the highest marks are awarded to the laziest, rudest and tardiest academics. However, his real goal is a little more effort laden than slacking off at school...

"Truly a super hero... he has 100 dads."

While Mao may be the best at being bad, his aim is to overthrow his father, the school chairman, and assume the title of Overlord. Mao's inspiration in achieving this emerges from some of his favourite manga comics, where he comes to the conclusion that the best way to defeat true evil is to become a hero. Which is where you come in.

Controlling Mao and his selected party of cohorts, you go on an adventure to get the evil genius on his mission, walking through the Academy grounds, buying weapons, items and armour, and engaging in tactical turn-based battles with those who stand in your way, including Number One Delinquent, Raspberyl - a heroine who goes against the school's ethos by being polite, hard working and punctual.

The result is a zany exploit which doesn't take itself too seriously. Disgaea 3 offers a keen sense of humour and cheerful tone that occasionally addresses players for comedy.

Wait your turn...

Mao's collaborators are a varied bunch in appearance as well as skills. Each character has their own ability class such as Fighter, Healer and Thief, which allows for special abilities in and outside of battle (for example, a Thief can gain the opportunity to steal goods from a shop).

Once in the throes of battle, you'll find yourself on a grid of squares where you are given a turn to move your characters around the map and destroy all the present mission critical enemies. Regardless of whether you decide to move around the grid, attack a foe, cast a spell, defend against potential enemy attacks, lift and remove blocks, claim an item or any other type of action, you effectively use up a turn for that character, meaning good strategy and foresight are key - because once your foes start to attack, you may not get another turn to retaliate if you're ill prepared.

Thankfully, with the guiding hands of Geoffry (Mao's butler) providing tutorials on the basics, Disgaea 3 is accessible to newcomers without alienating those familiar with its workings. There are friendly introductions and help screens for all of the game's main features, as well as some of the more advanced techniques, although much of it can be skipped if you choose.

"Dood!"

There's substantial depth hidden within the cartoony visuals of Disgaea 3, making it a game which will take time to master. It looks flashy with the sheer amount of dramatic zooming, dynamic animation and 3D panning used for battles, while the sheer number of different fighting styles, counter attacks, weapon skills, magic, combinations, team attacks and more makes it involving to play as well.

There are even ways to recruit new students, create clubs, organise class seating arrangements to increase your battle performance and other ways to increase your chance to progress in Mao's quest.

Disgaea 3: Absence of Justice combines a complex battle system with a whacky storyline and a wild eyed sense of humour for a memorable experience. If you're craving some strategy action, this is the ideal game to quench your tactical thirst.