He isn't a mighty champion. Indeed, he's rather reluctant about being forced into the position of the village's savior, a quality that is demonstrated in the unenthusiastic and sometimes even sarcastic tone of his interactions with the villagers. This is also reflected in the way you're likely to approach many of the missions, by using stealth and strategy. The direct approach can often work as well, but since brute force isn't among Zak's great strengths, it's seldom if ever the best route to success. The real time combat system includes some interesting features.
Basic melee is simple.
Clicking on an enemy initiates combat, which continues until one of the participants dies or you issue a new command. Backstabbing is a very effective way to begin a fight, and can sometimes even finish the battle with only a single blow. If you're able to maneuver behind an unsuspecting adversary, the attack is automatic. In addition, there's a localized damage system that allows you to aim for specific areas on an opponent's body, with area-specific effects. For example, hitting a foe's arm will decrease the force of its subsequent attacks while damaging its legs will slow its rate of movement.