If you thought the most fun you could have in winter conditions was hurling snowballs at your younger siblings, then Capcom’s new shooter could change your mind.

You play as Wayne, an unfortunate young chap who finds himself on the icebound planet of EDN III, a hostile place populated not only by ‘snow pirates’ but the original inhabitants, an alien race known as the Akrid. Understandably miffed at having to share their home with human settlers, the Akrid attacked the original settlers, causing most of them to leave 150 years ago. But now the humans are back, packing heavy weaponry and huge, armoured exo-skeletons known as Vital Suits (VS’s).

Wayne is found at the start of the game in the company of his father, who is promptly despatched by a huge Akrid named Green Eye, in an attack which leaves Wayne for dead. He is later found frozen into his VS by a crew of human survivors, Yuri, Rick, and Luka, who nurse him back to health although Wayne still suffers from amnesia and strange visions of his late father. They put Wayne’s skill as a VS pilot to good use, sending him off on a series of missions involving fighting both the Akrid and the snow pirates, often at the same time. These missions generally involve fighting your way through hordes of Akrid or pirates on your way to clearing either an Akrid hive or Pirate base, both of which stand in the way of the plans of Yuri and his mysterious allies the NEVEC, a corporation who want to terraform the planet for their own ends.

There is a twist to the battle with the Akrid; when killed, they release a puddle of thermal energy, which is vital to powering the VS’s, and Wayne himself, who depends on an arm-mounted energy storage system for his survival.

The ‘prologue’ level which sees Wayne and his old man battling Green Eye is not only an introduction to the story, but gets you to grips with a brilliant control system that is not as complicated as some reviews have suggested. ‘X’ fires your grappling hook, which you need to clamber around the mountainous terrain and derelict buildings which litter the environment. Right and left triggers fire your gun and grenades respectively, and the ‘Y’ button cycles through your weapons. Use the D-Pad to change from first- to third-person and accessing the PDA via the ‘Back’ button gives players the opportunity to change movement controls during a game.

Actual combat is at once familiar from any number of similar games, yet pleasingly different, and this in part is due to the two different sets of enemies which you face. There are several varieties of Akrid, from spider-type things which emerge from slimy nests, to huge Tremors-style worms, flying aliens and spiky mace-type critters. The snow pirates, however, are a different kettle of fish. These bad boys are human scavengers, left behind after the original settlers evacuated. Like you, they can use VS machines to attack, as well as rocket launchers and plasma beams. These VS’s come in a variety of models; some turn into turbo-charged bikes, some use jets to hover, and like the weapons, it’s these little differences that go some way to making ‘Lost Planet’ such a joy.

Both the Akrid and the Snow Pirates can be despatched with the array of weapons which are lying around. You start off with a basic machine gun, but can use plasma beams, sniper rifles, and even huge Gatling guns, which are so enormous Wayne grunts when he picks one up and can only fire when he is stationary. These monsters can also be attached to your VS, giving you even more firepower. Different grenades also have different properties; some even stick to what they hit. It’s lucky that weapons and ammo are so plentiful, because you need the thermal energy released by dead Akrid simply to survive. Wayne has the usual energy bar, but this is replenished from the thermal energy device on his arm. Thermal energy ticks down all the time, so it is vital to pick it up whenever you can. In addition to the Akrid bleeding energy, it can also be got from destroying fuel towers and old cars, and also from the Data Points. These items crop up at regular intervals during each level and have to be activated by hammering the ‘B’ button as rapidly as you can (a great arcade-style touch that will have older gamers smiling), an action which also starts Wayne digging in the snow if there are weapons are submerged there. These Data Points also update your PDA map and point you in the right direction, shooting a beam of light to point you towards your next goal.

Graphics are good throughout; the cut-scenes in particular will give HDTV owners a solid reminder of why they upgraded, and the sound is good enough without ever being spectacular. But it’s the actual gameplay itself that stands out; fun without being too easy; simple but not simplistic, this plays like an instant classic.

There are a few niggles; the slightly dull plot would be at home in the straight-to-DVD bin in your local Blockbuster, and the linear ‘fight-a-load-of-little-aliens-then-a-big-baddie-at-the-end’ nature of the levels may grate, or be a nice return to the old-school, depending on your vintage. Despite their variety, the Akrid are a little generic; sort of Starship Troopers bugs crossed with the sort of alien-plant hybrids which used to populate 2-D horizontal scrolling shoot-em-ups back in the day. In addition, the game itself may seem a little short to some. Still, with quality action like this, any complaints are going to look a little churlish.