When Sega released the original "Panzer Dragoon," it became an instant legend, making a big impact on the underground gaming world. Unfortunately, it never caught on in the mainstream.

The same thing happened with Sega's next two installments, "Panzer Dragoon Zwei" and "Panzer Dragoon Saga," two more great games that received little exposure.

One possible reason could be rail shooters having dwindled into oblivion. Today's generation seeks more control, bigger environments and more depth in video games, so rail shooters have moved aside for the world of first-person shooters and action oriented games.

Regardless, "Panzer Dragoon ORTA" has soared to the streets, bringing the genre back to the people.

Every preconception of a rail shooter is still present. You're fixed on one path, unable to control which direction the character goes while blindly shooting everything in sight. A simple concept, putting emphasis on shooting rather than getting lost, which is a good thing since there's an abundance of things to shoot.

Yet "ORTA" takes it one step further. With addictive gameplay and responsive controls, you actually can take different paths during the game - they're just random and never highlighted - so it's luck of the draw. If you're facing it, you'll go there.

That's not what makes the game great - it's the engaging storyline, astounding visuals and incredible depth that make it a winner.

On to the plot.

The character Orta is saved from the shackles of the Empire by a mystical dragon. The Empire, a rapidly expanding military state, has been recreating bio-genetic terrors from the ancient-age: The dragonmares. These drones wipe out anyone resisting the Empire.

Hence our heroine, Orta, who is half human, half drone and destined to destroy the Empire. Of course, as with all heroes, she's oblivious to her fate as the Empire has had her locked up for life.

Now free, she sets off to discover herself and fulfill her destiny. Spine tingling, isn't it?

Not only are the cinematic cut-scenes gorgeous, the game itself is equally beautiful and the creatures within the Panzer world are imaginative works of art.

The shooting design itself is perfect. The lock-on lasers have always made the franchise compelling, a new berserk attack adds to kill ratios and the defensive aspect makes it challenging from start to finish. You can shoot most enemy attacks and dodge the rest. But it gets tough, even on the easy level.

"ORTA" even comes with a form-changing dragon to fit certain situations and fighting styles.

Base Wing is the most rounded, Heavy Wing is the most powerful and Glide Wing offers greater mobility and defense with lack of lock-on lasers.

Everything is taught in the game's tutorial, so no excuses if you suck.

To keep people coming back, Sega has included Pandora's Box, a storage area for hidden features unlocked by meeting criteria. This includes flight records, an appendix, encyclopedia, sub scenarios and more. So if you complete the game's 10 levels in a few hours, as most gamers might, the burning desire to do better and unlock more features will keep them coming back.

Bonuses are awarded by completing levels with specific scores, on different difficulties and the easiest way, number of hours played. Reach 20 hours and everything unlocks.

If you're good, you can play a sub-scenario game as Iva, the imperial boy plotting revenge against Orta for killing his father, as well as several others. Not as polished as the actual game, but a nice addition and intriguing angle to the other side of the story. Movies can also be unlocked and best of all, the original "Panzer Dragoon" game, which is just plain cool - two games for the price of one.

Sega truly has made the best rail shooter ever. It's a joy to experience, engaging to watch and addictive to play again and again just to beat your previous scores.

And unlock fun little things like knowledge. Who doesn't want to learn what a wormrider is? Seriously: Fun, fun, fun.

This game is for people who've yearned for "Space Invaders" to reconquer the world with its endless swarm of vermin scum and countless, mind-numbing hours of sleepless nights with nothing but caffeine and cigarettes to keep players company.

If you like this game, you should also try: "Battle Engine Aquila," (PS2 and Xbox) and "House of the Dead 3" (Xbox).