Doom 3

Few titles are able to generate the same pre-release publicity as Doom 3.

The game is the latest addition to an 11 year-old series, the first of which firmly established the first-person shooter (FPS) genre.

It's inconceivable, to consider the latest edition going wrong, but fortunately, very little of the hype is propaganda. In Doom 3, ID Software has delivered as promised.

It's 2145 and you, a voiceless marine, have been stationed to a research facility on Mars. Initial exploration of the complex serves to build a feeling of uneasiness before all hell breaks loose and you're on your own - humanity's last hope. The narrative lacks the depth of games such as Half-Life, but amends are made through its highly polished presentation.

References to the original game can be found throughout Doom 3. Everything from the design of the enemy creatures to the strategically placed explosive barrels harks back to the 1993 classic.

Ammunition is far from inexhaustible, so you'll need a cyclical use of your weapons and a cautious approach to dispensing lead. Experienced gamers shouldn't become too frustrated on the standard difficulty level. Armour and medi-paks are fairly liberal in supply and replacement clips can be collected from fallen enemies.

Doom 3's environments are claustrophobic and menacing, crammed full of futuristic machinery, venting pipes and blood-spattered walls. Every room and corridor seems to have a distinguishing feature. Many areas are dimly lit, so you'll be making good use of your torch - even if the game won't allow you to shoot at the same time. The sparse but spectacular lighting effects are breathtaking, with swinging lamps, revolving alarm beacons and flickering strip-lights all adding to the tension.

If you have a high performance PC then you will find no other game as visually impressive as Doom 3. Fortunately, those with relatively low-spec PCs can still join in the fun. Along with our standard test rig, we tested the game using a 2GHz Pentium 4 laptop with a 64MB Radeon Mobile 9000 graphics card. It put up an impressive showing, with no drop in tension or fluidity, although this was only possible using the lowest possible settings.

Without its cutting-edge graphics, Doom 3 is a run of the mill and somewhat repetitive 1990s-style FPS. It lacks the need for strategic thinking that we've become used to in titles such as Far Cry, but by ramping up the quality of its presentation, ID has created an unforgettable play experience.

For better or worse, it is this layer of gloss, rather than the core gameplay, that will keep you glued to your seat, wide-eyed and fearful of what hell will throw at you next.

Contact: Activision
www.activision.com

System requirements:

• DirectX 9 compatible 3D graphics card with 64MB of Ram
• Windows 2000/XP
• Pentium 4 1.5GHz or Athlon XP 1500+
• 384MB of Ram
• 8x CD-Rom
• 2.2GB of free hard disk space
• Broadband (for multiplayer)