Review by: Jeff McAllister

Like a lingering odour, Wolfenstein never truly leaves the gaming scene. This Wolfenstein is the sequel to the 2001 title, Return to Castle Wolfenstein, which is a little confusing, but if OSA operative BJ Blazkowicz can figure it out, so can you. As in the previous Wolfenstein titles, the game sees BJ returning to Germany to put an end to the Nazi’s quest for Occult objects that will give them the leg up over the Allies and let them steam roll their way to world domination. And we just can’t have that.

As BJ makes his way into Germany, he is greeted by resistance fighters of the Kreisau Circle, a group who are trying to push the Nazis out of their town of Isenstadt. The rebels help BJ by giving him access to the Black Market, where he can upgrade his weapons and sell valuables found throughout each mission. In addition, the soldiers sometimes follow you on your mission, lending a much needed hand in the firefights. There is also another group known as the Golden Sun that mainly offers information about the powers you gain as well as sending you out on missions to help stifle the Nazi’s gain of power.

The town of Isenstadt acts as a hub between missions, allowing you to go to the previously mentioned Black Market and to find side missions from others around the town. Once BJ gets his hands on the artifact from a dig site, which looks remarkably like a level from DOOM 3, the game is off to the races and starts to pick up its sluggish pace and becomes much more enjoyable.

The artifact is the Thule Medallion, an object that grants the owner power over time and space and allows them to enter a “Veil” that puts them in an alternate reality so to speak. The medallion grants BJ four powers over the course of the game, but really only two are useful when not needed to solve puzzles or to get past conveniently set traps. The powers are Mire – which slows down time, Shield – which gives you a shield but picks and chooses what it actually shields you from, Empower – which allows you heftier firepower and Veil Sight – that allows you see hidden doorways and routes that would otherwise be invisible.