Worms 4: Mayhem 1

With bold levels, an improved 3D-camera and animation system, and a stunning arsenal delivering comedy kabooms, the loveable, customizable, yet entirely destructible worms are back in force with Worms 4: Mayhem.

The multiplayer mayhem and single-player shenanigans are spread over five themed zones--Jurassic, Camelot, Arabian, Construction and Wild West. Throughout the enlarged landscapes, the entirely destructible scenery works with even greater effect, along with the much-loved worms' armory, featuring even more choices of weapons and fun along the way.

After the stability issues that plagued Worms: Forts, we approached Worms 4: Mayhem with trepidation. Fortunately, the demo installed and ran perfectly. The new weapons offer amusing twists, the graphics look great, and customization shows strong potential. The lack of a tutorial and unavailable features prevent the turn-based strategy demo from earning a top rating, but you can have significant fun if you're patient or already familiar with Worms gameplay.

The demo offers a quick-start game (featuring Scots vs. Police), a full multiplayer map, and one mission from the story mode. Gameplay allows up to four teams of worms with four combatants apiece. Each worm has 60 seconds to make its move. Once an attack has been completed, you have a few seconds to make a defense maneuver. Victory is awarded based either on one team's domination or a time-limited decision.

All of the demo's landscapes are set in the Wild West. Explosions are colorful and environmental damage is realistic. The demo limits customization to creating and editing teams. While it's amusing to name your team after Muppets and give them all handlebar mustaches, the real fun--designing weapons of hilarious destruction--will have to wait for the full game.

Download the Game for free: CNet