Devil May Cry 3 (PS2)

Herald rating: * * *

I'm new to the Devil May Cry series so the creepy gothic intro meant nothing to me. Blood spurts from the main character's stomach as he is run through with a sword like a scene from The House of Flying Daggers. An epic fight has just taken place, but what does it all mean?

Here I have to refer to the marketing material: Several thousand years have passed since the demon warrior Sparda raised his sword against the unholy world to save the human race. Victorious and assured that evil forces had been confined, Sparda joined mankind and fathered Dante, a half-human, half-demon son infused with the power of a supernatural lineage.

However, Dante was not the only son Sparda had sired. As devoted as Dante was to defeating the forces of evil, his twin brother, Virgil, was consumed by power and upheld the legacy of his ancestors.

So it's a murderous tale of sibling rivalry? Pretty much. All I know is Devil May Cry is a nightmare to learn to play. The controls don't conform to convention and it's not just a matter of grabbing a weapon and wreaking havoc.

You chose your mode of play, from gunslinger, swordmaster, trickster and royal guard classes. They all have different fighting methods which are hard to master. The enemies are also reasonably hard to kill, even from the first episode which is described as a violent response to an insane caller.

You can unlock an easy-playing mode as you progress if you get too frustrated, and once you get the hang of the controls it becomes a reasonably absorbing saga of demon-slaying played to the tune of heavy metal. Eventually, you will face off with brother Virgil and probably die several times trying to defeat him.

Last week I criticised another devilish game, Constantine, for being too dour and realistic. Devil May Cry has a more surreal feel to it, allowing the developers more room to breathe and think up original settings and stories. 

* (R13), $120