Just when you thought you killed your last demon, someone had to open the next portal to hell. A lot has changed since 1993, when the first Doom exploded onto the PC scene and redefined first-person shooting games with its hideous monsters, blood-splattering gore and eerie, suspenseful levels full of shrieking demons and mutilated corpses.
Now a new slew of awful creatures has emerged on Mars, site of the Union Aerospace Corp. laboratories where a series of mysterious and horrific scientific experiments are being conducted.
While the graphics are undeniably great (especially after blasting demons and zombies into a bloody pulp) in Doom 3, it's the smart use of suspense and the creepy soundtrack -- including moans, groans and frantic cries for help --which make the presentation downright terrifying.
The game is packed with spooky dark corridors, just the type you'd expect something otherworldly to be lurking in. Creatures don't usually announce their presence, instead leaping out at you from the shadows, snarling and hissing and trying to tear your head off before feasting on your dead body.
Throw in the flickering lights and iffy power supply of an outpost like Mars, and you understand why travelling down every corridor becomes a pulse-pounding experience.
The controls are typical for a first-person shooter and there's a pretty standard collection of weapons, including a pistol, shotgun, machine gun and chain gun, while the Soul Cube is good for instantly killing demons and transferring their health to you.
The game comes with a variety of multiplayer modes, including a co-operative campaign mode that lets you and a friend team up to kill the bad creatures.
Online there are deathmatch, team deathmatch, last-man-standing and tournament modes, although they seriously lack the scare factor of the gory campaign mode.
