While the mechanical systems have evolved considerably, perhaps the most significant evolution is one of storytelling. The original title had its moments, of course - jumping cat scares and the occasional clever AI ambush or creepy tunnel - but for the most part, the tension level never ramps up beyond that of your average shooter, despite clear efforts to the contrary.

This time, Monolith hit the bull’s-eye. As a veteran of horror films and an avid fan of the survival horror genre, I can say without hyperbole that no game outside the Silent Hill series has managed to create and maintain such an atmosphere of nervous tension and mounting paranoia. Like that venerable series, the juxtaposition of the ordinary and the freakishly surreal will soon have you deeply unsettled, as paranoid as the protagonist. Did something just twitch under that pile of garbage, or was it just your eyes playing tricks on you?

From the first moment, you find yourself dreading each dark corner, jumping at your own footsteps, equal parts afraid and excited to see what horrible thing just made that squishing noise behind you. So, go ahead - give in to that primal human desire to be terrified. Play this one in the dark.

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