Doom 3
Publisher: Activision
Official Site: http://www.activision.com/

ESRB Rating: M
Reviewed Platform: Xbox
Available Platforms: Xbox, PC
For 1 player.

Overall: D
Violence: D
Sexual Content: A
Language: D
Alcohol/Drug Use: A

What is this game about?

You're a marine assigned to a base on Mars as Doom 3 begins. Within minutes, you discover that people have been getting killed, but the deaths are being blamed on something mechanical in the base. Not surprisingly, the workers are on edge – some of them have even gone insane.

Needless to say, something is very wrong on Mars. As you work your way towards a lab where you're searching for a missing scientist, you discover that a portal to Hell has been opened and demonic creatures have started popping up around the complex.

Now, it's up to you to blast these demons back to Hell with an assortment of weapons, including shot guns, machine guns, chainsaws and that classic Doom weapon – the BFG (better known to fans as the Big [sexual expletive deleted] Gun).

Is it fun to play?

Well, that depends on your definition of fun. If you like having the bejeebers scared out of you, yeah, I guess Doom 3 is fun. If you have a heart condition or get scared easily, not so much.

The game drips with atmosphere and tension, not to mention some truly scary characters, gruesome environments (body parts scattered about, blood everywhere), hellspawn attacking you from the shadows É Doom 3 is an incredibly intense game the first time you play it through. It is one of those survival horror first-person shooters that grabs you right from the word go and doesn't stop keeping you on the edge of your seat until the very end.

The weapons are impressive and do plenty of damage to the zombies and demons roaming the base. The music and lighting (there's not a game I can remember that has as many shadows or a more intense score than Doom 3) combine to create a powerful experience that will suck you into this world completely.

For adult gamers who are fans of survival horror and first-person shooters, you won't find a better thrill ride than Doom 3. It's an incredibly visceral experience, especially if you play it in the dark by yourself. There are parts that, if you get sucked into the environment and the story, will make you jump. So, yeah, Doom 3 is like a ride through a house of horrors: When it's over, you'll look back fondly on all those moments that made your heart leap into your throat.

The only real drawback gamers will find is that the game isn't as intense or scary when you go back and play it a second time because you know what's coming. Still, that first time through is thrilling.

What do parents need to know about Doom 3?

From a parent's perspective, Doom 3 is a game where the warnings about blood and gore and intense violence should be heeded. It's not an understatement to say that this is one of the bloodiest and most intensely violent video games created.

I mean, you're talking about a game where you're tearing apart demons from Hell with all manner of weapons, including a flesh-shredding chainsaw. Creatures, including some hideous looking demons, are everywhere, running around in the dark, jumping out and attacking you from the shadows or when your turn a corner. It makes for a scary, frightening experience – no matter your age.

There is blood everyone, including severed body parts. You'll hear moans and demonic music, see eyes (sometimes lots of them) peering out from the dark. You'll enter rooms in which a pulsating fleshy mass covers the walls and there are demonic symbols painted everywhere.

All in all, visual images and audio effects that even the game's designers agree is not meant for kids 16 or younger will assault your child. But therein lies a lot of its appeal. Most kids will know how well received it was by adult gamers and are going to be curious about playing it.

The question is do you think your son or daughter is emotionally ready to deal with the kinds of images they're going to see and experience? If you wouldn't let your child sit down and watch a horror movie, something like The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, then you'd probably want to keep them away from a game like this.

While I'm a huge fan of this game, there's no way I'd be prepared to let my son or daughter anywhere near this title until I felt they could handle the images and the truly frightening atmosphere Doom 3 unleashes upon its players. My recommendation would be for parents to play the game by themselves first and make a judgment call as to whether or not their child can handle it.

We all know that every one of us likes to be scared a little bit. That's what makes roller coasters so much fun – it thrills and entertains. And Doom 3 certainly does that, but in a very dark manner.

Wayne Chamberlain

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