Doom 3 ( id Software, PC )

By PETER ELEY

Yet again, id is pushing technological boundaries. At this stage, it seems that a top-notch graphics card will be required to play Doom 3.

id is drip-feeding snippets about the game, and early screen shots show brilliant rendering and lighting effects.

And there's little doubt that Doom 3 will be nothing like Doom, or its sequel, Doom 2. They seemed cutting-edge and probably led many PC owners to upgrade their machines, but the VGA graphics look awful now.

And what a difference a few years make. Doom, if you recall, got lots of bad press after the Columbine school shootings in the US. The two students who went on a murderous rampage before shooting themselves were keen players of the game, leading many to ask whether there was a link between violent PC games and such incidents.

* peter_eley@nzherald.co.nz