They're not the first company you'd expect to release something like this, being known mainly for RealPlayer, but here it is and contrary to what I was expecting from the makers of the rather bloated RealPlayer it's not too bad at all. It basically ties everything together into one program - browsing available games, downloading a demo for it, buying it, and they've even included an integrated launcher for games you buy through the system.

The interface is simple enough so that even newbies should feel at home. Although I did receive a few of the Real Arcade games as review copies, I went and bought The Red Ace to test out the purchasing system and even that is painless - you buy the game using a familiar online ordering interface and it emails you the activation key. I'm sure other games require an extra download to get the rest of the features, but since the biggest full game I saw there on Real Arcade was 40 megs, less than most retail game demos these days, that's hardly an issue.

Of course, none of this would matter if the games on offer were turds, so here's a look at a few of the full games I was able to give a spin as well as a quick peek at the various demos available.

Let's just abbreviate that to TABB shall we? I'd rather not get RSI just yet. TABB sits you in the cockpit of giant robots who get to blow seven shades of silicon out of each other in various arenas using an assortment of weapons. However, for a game that has been pitched as one of the flagship RealArcade titles it's a bit of a disappointment to play. Despite the colourful and varied bots and arenas the gameplay feels a little plain and uninspired. Actually hitting the enemy bots can be a pain as the weapons either fire too slowly, take time to warm up or aren't accurate enough. Aiming also seems oddly difficult, probably because you can't adjust the rather low mouse sensitivity up, as far as I could see. It's also next to impossible to surprise other players in TABB. Not only can you hear enemy footsteps from a mile off, but if they're behind something you get a box around them indicating where they are. The AI is also sub par - bots will often get stuck against a wall for some reason. Most of these shortfalls are no doubt a result of targeting the game more at the casual player but that doesn't stop them from adversely affecting the gameplay overall.

The different gameplay modes such as BattleBall (where you have to pick up a constantly respawning ball and take it to designated areas to score points) and Galactic Domination (which is essentially the same as Domination in Unreal Tournament) help improve matters somewhat - but then a stylish outfit isn't going to do you much good if your arse sticks out a mile, to put it one way. To put it another, different battle modes aren't enough to make the game all that great due to its shortcomings, and boredom quickly sets in before an hours worth of play. There are clearly a lot of levels and bots to toy with in spite of the small download size, but you won't get to see all of it because before long TABB will be nothing but a memory as you move on to another more captivating game.