Doom 3: Collector’s Edition (XBox)

In Doom 3, the best of its kind so far, the tapping of metallic spider legs on cold metal is chilling.

Herald rating: * * *

The Doom franchise holds a high place in the pantheon of so-called first-person shooter games.

But you can deliver more of the same for only so many video game sequels. And that's exactly what Doom 3 is - more of the same, with better graphics, sound and gameplay.

The storyline isn't new: humans have entered space and are greedily exploiting powerful resources to some corrupt end. Now they face the consequences of their actions.

The Union Aerospace Corporation is the villain this time. It's sucking energy out of the Martian ground but in the process disturbs some supernatural alien force. Snatches of storyline and character are given in fleeting conversations with UAC scientists and engineers but it's all leading rather predictably to the point about 10 minutes in where everything falls apart and the killing begins.

A handheld computer you are given on your arrival on Mars is key to your survival. It holds pass-codes for locked doors and cabinets. You can also pick up other people's computers to use their passcodes, listen to audio messages and watch video clips.

The head scientist you meet at the start of the game is the first clue that all is not right on Mars. His eyes have no pupils.

Once the action is under way, the game is surprisingly straightforward. Doom 3 is very linear. You proceed through levels, pointed in the right direction all the time. The lighting and artwork set the murky tone. Everything happens in the shadows, which will keep you on edge but give you a headache eventually.

The game is incredibly gory. Shoot the walking dead at close range and the flesh literally flies off their skeletons. Corridors end up littered with body parts.

I especially like it when you're standing there in the dark and see the approaching beam of torch lights. You know nasty creatures are holding the torches, but do you open fire in the dark or wait to see their faces?

The monsters are brilliant. The fiery, flying skull is great, as are the various demonic beasts that appear. The tapping of metallic spider legs on cold metal is chilling.

Doom's monsters were always intended as escapees of hell, and the animation continues the theme.

A familiar arsenal of weapons is at your disposal, from pistol and shotgun to the devastating chain-gun and rocket launcher. A new invention, the solucube, drains the energy of mutant enemies and transfers it to you. The game is surprisingly stingy on ammo. But that adds to the terror when a wall of zombies is approaching and you've got enough bullets to take out only half of them.

Overall however, Doom 3 isn't particularly scary. The stakes aren't raised enough through the middle of the game, which grows repetitive. The makers seem more interested in tweaking their hugely successful formula than dreaming up new, original adventures.

I still think the storytelling in Half Life 2, which admittedly owes a lot to the original Doom instalments, is much better. But as an all-out action game, Doom 3 is the best of its kind so far. For me, it's a game that should always be played on the PC, with a keyboard, but the Xbox version is polished.

And as a retrospective of the series Doom 3: Collector's Edition is value for money. It features the original Ultimate Doom and Doom II from the mid-90s, as well as a short documentary about the making of Doom 3.

But wait, there's more! Our own rising Hollywood star Karl Urban will skulk through the same dingy corridors in Doom the movie, which will hit theatres in October.

* R16, $100