There's one thing that seems to be true with video games- a spin-off can go in any given direction. True, sometimes you get something that's absolutely enriched with surprise, like the way that the stunning SNES platformer Demon's Crest came to be setting itself apart from the Ghouls n' Ghosts brand. But then sometimes you get drivel that just needs to be pitched as quickly as trash from a campsite, like Namco's miserable Death By Degrees. And then you have Mortal Kombat, Midway's brand of blood-soaked combat that has tried twice to stay off the path of fighting games, and has failed miserably both times.

I speak, of course, about Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub-Zero and Mortal Kombat: Special Forces. Mythologies was produced with a platforming experience in mind for both the PlayStation and N64, but the whole thing felt like a forced affair with lacking controls and a lack of anything resembling enjoyment. It tanked quicker than a drunk at a karaoke party. Then you have Special Forces, which was even worse, trying to put Sonya Blade and Jax into a brawlfest that completely strayed from the MK storyline altogether. Imagine Fish working on the Love Boat instead of Barney Miller's office. You get the idea.

But what goes around comes around, and for everything bad that happens to a brand, some sort of validation has to come into play. Last year's Mortal Kombat Deception brought the series to respectability, and made us forget about the dud that was Mortal Kombat III. And now, making up for the missteps out of the kombat arena, we have Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks, a game that isn't based on fighting but rather duking it out Final Fight-style. The surprise here is, it's a damn good step in the right direction.

The game is based on events that unfold between Mortal Kombat and Mortal Kombat II. Having seen defeat at the hands of one of the warriors from the tournament, Shang Tsung has decided to be a poor loser and is wreaking havoc trying to bring Outworld to the Earth. Raiden is on a mission to stop him, but recruits the help of shaolin monks Liu Kang and Kung Lao to lend a hand, since Shang Tsung has an army consisting of all sorts of freaks. If it isn't Baraka-like foot soldiers who are trying to carve you to pieces, it's larger enemies, like the four-armed Goro or a few possessed souls, some of which may seem pretty familiar. The game follows Liu and Kung as they work their way to an eventual showdown with Shang Tsung, although their quest is anything but easy.

The first thing you'll notice right off the bat with Shaolin Monks is ambience. Ed Boon and company have worked overtime to keep the game's appearance as close to the MK theme as possible, and it shows with some stunning level design. Sure, it's non-linear, but it works very well, even with a little backtracking thrown in for good measure. Some sights will be very familiar, like the spiky pit from the first MK game or the temple from the second. What makes these environments even cooler is that they can be interacted with to dispatch some enemies. For instance, Liu Kang can uppercut an opponent upward and they can actually stick to the spikes for an instant death. Or you can throw an enemy at a tree in the Living Forest and watch them get munched down like an appetizer. In some spots, throwing enemies in certain sections is necessary to proceed, like throwing a foe through a wall or onto a catapult.

The game's graphics look just fine, although there are moments when the animation is slightly off and the camera work can be a little annoying, particularly when you're trying to do some precise jumping to get a hidden icon or reach a platform. Overall, though, the game definitely looks the part, and even has some little effects here and there, like shattered glass and lighting, especially when an enemy catches fire. And it's really cool how many touches from the old-school side of the series are here, including the return of such characters as Johnny Cage and Sonya Blade, among others.

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