John Romero, codesigner of Wolfenstein 3-D , Doom , and Quake , unveils his action masterpiece in Daikatana . Using sidekicks, a supernatural time-traveling sword, and role-playing elements, Romero made the game of his dreams. Whether its the game of your dreams depends on your appreciation of classic action gameplay and your patience with sometimes screwy artificial intelligence. Utilizing id Software's Quake 2 engine (since eclipsed by Quake 3 , released last fall), Daikatana 's graphics are sharp and serviceable but lack the cutting-edge special effects of recent games. Gameplay follows the standards set by Romero's Doom and Quake designs and rarely deviates from "shoot first, ask questions later." Daikatana 's enormous amount of content offsets its graphical and gameplay shortcomings--there's simply a lot of game to uncover. Players assume the role of Hiro Miyamoto, on a mission to uncover the secrets of a mystical sword called the Daikatana. Over the course of 24 large levels, Hi
