The year is 106 A.D. and Rome is in decline. The beloved emperor, Trajan, has been murdered and Arruntius now sits upon the throne of the empire. While the far reach of the Roman empire is in decline, Arruntius and his elite enjoy a despotic lifestyle. In that vein he has organized a bloody spectacle with the target being the greatest gladiator the sport had known, Invictus Thrax.

Acclaim Entertainment is releasing Gladiator: Sword of Vengeance for the Xbox, a title that takes the player to a time of myth and mayhem, where area floors were soaked in the blood of those who fought battles there.

Into this realm is a solitary warrior, thoughtful, brave, defiant ...

"Who am I? I was ripped from the arms of a mother I can no longer remember. I was the champion of a good and just emperor - one who would have set me free.

"... And so now I wait for an inevitable death. But even in death, there is freedom."

But death is not the freedom that he presumed it to be. The gods are most displeased with what has befallen Rome and wish for the favored Trajan to be avenged. Thus Invictis is give the opportunity to return and to destroy the machinations of Arruntius. But he will have to train and prepare for the coming battle.

Gladiator is a mixed bag when it comes to the graphical content. The game does have a three-dimensional look that only is applicable in the arena/combat setting. At other times, as you run your avatar about, there is a very linear path, also to the extent of side scrolling. And you have to stand in the correct spot to activate quests and such.

The game has spill-over of Greek and Roman mythology. For example, this takes place in the time of Roman, and yet, once Invictus gets the Elysium fields, and is preparing for his return to combat Arruntius, one of the powers he gets is the strength of Hercules.

The control elements go totally out the window during a fight. Forget the left thumbstick tactically moving your gladiator in a set direction to fight. When you invoke the power moves, just keep your thumb glued to the X attack key. He will auto target and often moves away from where you really want him to be. In this regard, the game play suffers. This is particularly apparent when you have a timed combat against a number of foes and you have to destroy certain targets.

Perhaps this is the developers idea of skill, but losing control of movement at key times is not a good thing - especially when you are in timed conflict with a variety of foes attacking you from multiple directions.

Gladiator: Sword of Vengeance does have some nice animation, but also redundant cutscenes (the execution cutscene was nice the first two times but then got a little old). This game is generally a mixed bag of good and average qualities.

Gameplay: 6.8
This title is a mixed of open three-dimensional combat with some side-scroll elements. The cutscenes throw in a lot of information but do give this game a really solid plot that propels the endless fighting along. Control elements are lost in the shuffle during some of the intense, multiple foe combat skill tests.

Graphics: 7.5
Some of the elements are very well done, while others are merely average. Water effects are an example of the average, while the squishing of water-soaked sand, or the dust burst from decapitating skeletons in battle are nice effects. This game is a real mixed bag in this regard.

Sound: 7.5
The vocal acting is rather well done and the musical score is also solid.

Difficulty: Medium
The game starts out quite easy and then gets progressively harder with more opponents and stronger foes.

Concept: 7
This was a tough category to score. The game has a story to support the combat, but the game blurs the myths of both Greek and Roman legend.

Multiplayer: N/A

Overall: 7
This is the type of game that has some appeal, and it certainly has a lot of action, even if locked into a mixed bag of mythical overlays, and linear paths through the world. The graphical elements also vary from the very good to the average. Gladiator: Sword of Vengeance may be a little frustrating at times with its control elements, but is a mildly pleasant diversion.