The second game set in the World of Aden and the last RPG published by SSI, Entomorph is somewhat of a hybrid title, featuring a bit of puzzle and item-hunting, light role-playing elements and a heavy dose of arcade-like real-time combat.

However, the exotic setting and plot are where the game really shines. The island of Phoros was once a thriving nation, raising giant beetles for both labour and food. When an incident known as the Darkfall led the beetles to vanish, it fell into chaos. Ten years later, a group of nobles start to bring the beetles back into the island, but multiple reports of missing people and savage insect attacks begin to appear as well.

You play as Warrick, a squire who returns from training in search of his sister, last seen heading for Phoros. In an interesting change, your adventures here are narrated by a storyteller, as he recounts it to your younger brother – sometimes spicing details up a bit. Another cool twist is that, as your quests advances, you will eventually mutate into an insect yourself.

Unfortunately, there ends Entomorph's appeal. The game uses Al-Qadim's engine and tries to follow its blend of RPG, action and adventure, but none of the different elements work very well here. It opens with a big village full of interesting NPCs and a few side-quests, but quickly devolves into a linear and poorly told story that feels rushed and incomplete.

Combat is crude – there are no skills, armour or even weapons, you literally just punch your enemies. And there are no stats or experience points either you only grow stronger by progressively mutating into an insect. The magic system is more robust, featuring 22 different spells, and you can set how much mana to spend when casting each one. A nice idea, but you have so little mana that you'll rarely cast anything but healing spells, except during the rare boss fights.