Given that Fallout 3 already contains many retro sci-fi elements, it's not surprising that Bethesda decided to throw aliens into the mix as well. There's already a location in Fallout 3 where you can find a downed alien saucer, but this latest piece of downloadable content sees you whisked off to the aliens' motherhip to be probed by all manner of nasty devices. It's up to you, and a few fellow abductees, to fight your way to freedom and show the aliens that no-one messes with the Lone Wanderer.

Which sounds like great fun, but in actual fact, 'Mothership Zeta' is something of a disappointment. It's extremely linear, unlike the previous 'Point Lookout' release, and doesn't really add much to the game. Mothership Zeta provides you with a couple of new outfits, and one or two new weapons, but the main quest itself is fairly disappointing. The ship doesn't quite have the fifties sci-fi feel that you'd expect it to have, looking only mildly retro. It's also pretty short, and will take you maybe two or three hours to finish. Point Lookout and Broken Steel, on the other hand, add far more to the game than Mothership Zeta.

All you really do is roam around the ship, dispatching a bunch of fairly ineffectual aliens - and a few robots - and you're done. Bethesda mentioned that the content would contain characters from Earth's past, but all you get is a bunch of fairly generic NPCs; a cowboy, a samurai, and a soldier. You don't get to run into Amelia Earheart or Elvis, more's the pity.


Unless you have a bunch of Microsoft Points burning a hole in your virtual pocket, Mothership Zeta isn't really worth buying. It's a fairly uninspiring add-on that's best left alone. It's just a shame that it's the last piece of Fallout 3 DLC - I was hoping Bethesda were going to give the game a better send off. Save your money for Fallout 3: New Vegas, which will be hitting consoles next year.