THE Fifth Element was one of those films - along with Mars Attacks and Starship Troopers - that you either "got", or didn't. It would seem that for the populace at large, if a big-budget science fiction film doesn't follow a path from A to B and feature cosily familiar cliches en route, then they're just not interested.

As you've probably gathered, Digitiser has something of a soft spot for the film. A triumph of tongue-in-cheek style over substance, and it doesn't even have any swearing in it!

If you read our exclusive interview with James Morris of Kalisto a few weeks back, you'll already know that The Fifth Element's makers, French movie producer Gaumont, chose to go with the small developer, despite bids from a number of larger firms. It'll either pay off by expanding on the story offered on the big screen, or stink you up bad and be consigned to the pit of Film Game Hell.

There are some 26 levels in The Fifth Element, which are a mix of locations based on those seen in the film, along with a number of new areas including a New York police station.

Sequences are also set in and around the spaceport, Fhlotsam Paradise floating space hotel thing, and the Egyptian tomb where the final showdown with the forces of darkness takes place.

Players assume the role of either Bruce Willis's Corben Dallas, or The Fifth Element herself, the kick-boxing Leeloo. Both characters' dress alters throughout the game, reflecting the Jean-Paul Gaultier-designed costumes from the movie.

The game runs off a game engine evolved from Kalisto's Nightmare Creatures, and the gameplay is a similar mix of third-person camera angles, a-shootin', a-punchin', and a-solvin' of the puzzles. There's a fair bit of work left to be done on the game, but it should be ready for release in September, via UbiSoft on the PC, and Sony on the PlayStation. Mmm... Fifth Elementy!