To be honest, we didn't think that Under The Skin would make it out of Japan. Its overly bright cartoon graphics and oddball gameplay seem to be something that sits well with the Japanese psyche, but less so for Western tastes. The game stars Cosmi, an alien who has just turned three. On his home planet, when inhabitants turn three they must go to another planet for 'trick-training'. Cosmi is sent to Earth for his, and while there he must cause as much panic as possible while avoiding being discovered.

Set in eight levels, Cosmi is set various challenges, which mainly revolve around collecting the coins Earth's citizens drop when they are panicked. In order to do this without being discovered he must take control of a human's body. These are each equipped with up to five devices for causing havoc, from guns or tacks through to more powerful karaoke machines and fireworks. There is a good selection of devices in the game, although those that cause the most panic tend to be relied upon. Once all have been used, another body must be captured to gain some more.

The levels are all themed and very over-the top, from the cowboys running around Frontiersville to the zombies running through Resident Evil's Raccoon City, although this time looking very different. The cartoon graphics of the game suit the game well, as do the over-the-top humans and devices. Combined with the loud, cheesy music and voiceovers, Under The Skin becomes quite a cacophony of sight and sound. It would have been good for the levels to be a little more interactive or complex, though, as the game ends up being rather too simplistic because of them.

The rest of the populace of the level don't stay still while Cosmi is around, and they start attacking once they have had a trick played on them or once Cosmi shows his true alien form. This can create some quite chaotic scenes, with Cosmi letting off devices while a dozen or more people are chasing him. Complicating matters even further in most levels is a rival alien, also letting off devices and collecting its own coins in competition with Cosmi.

Control of Comsi is fairly simple with the analogue stick used for movement, the shoulder buttons for selecting a device, and a couple of the face buttons for using the device or capturing another human's body. Cosmi is not able to jump or climb, or even able to defend himself without devices. The rather simple gameplay results in frenetically running around, letting off devices, switching between humans and avoiding those who are attacking, all whilst trying to get enough coins to beat the level.

To label Under the Skin 'quirky' and leave it at that would be doing a disservice to the game. Repeated play reveals a level of challenge harking back to old-school arcade games. Two player battles can be back-and-forth bouts, often decided within the final seconds of the period. Even battles against the computer can be very tough, with fast changes in fortune that verge on frustrating. It's not too frustrating, though, as we found out after repeatedly going back for one more go.

It is this marvellously addictive quality that could mark out Under the Skin for some players as something more than just an average game. But with only eight levels, players could be forgiven for thinking they were playing an extended demo, especially given the rather simplistic nature of both the games and the levels. At its essence, the gameplay is rather simplistic as well, and doesn't develop much beyond what can be seen in the first level.