Disgaea 3: Absence Of Justice is something very special that deserves to be played everyone. But everyone won't play it, because they'll take one look at the 16-bit-esque graphics and pass.

It's their loss. What lies beneath the off-putting graphics is a beast of a strategic RPG in the mould of Final Fantasy Tactics. With anywhere from 50-300 hours of gameplay within, there is plenty of value for money. While the story mode will only take 30 hours or so, that is far from the end of the game.

Like the previous Disgaeas, the Item World serves as the game's highlight. Going 'inside' one of your weapons to level it up (ie make it more effective), you also level up your party at the same time and earn money with which to buy new weapons to level up... and the circle of Disgaea life rolls on.

There's no doubt that it takes dedication, but the series as a whole is far more accessible than reviewers give it credit for, and it's turn-based (with no time limit), so new players and methodical thinkers aren't under any pressure.

Overall, Disgaea 3 is an incredibly addictive, length and (nowadays) cheap game that many will ignore due to its graphics, but contains a half-decent story and amazing gameplay.

One final thing, if you are into Trophies, you're better off importing the US version; as far as I'm aware, the EU Trophy patch hasn't yet gone live.