Zombies and gaming are like chocolate and peanut butter. The appeal of shooting off undead heads and fleeing from a horde of brain-eaters is undeniable. It's unsurprising that there's buzz surrounding Left 4 Dead, the latest in a long line of zombie shooters that dishes out its fair share of brain-blasting action. There's something unique about this undead fest, however, as it ventures into inventive new territory with cooperative gameplay and the exciting ability to play as the infected themselves.

As its name implies, Left 4 Dead groups players into teams of four online or via LAN to tackle a slate of survival scenarios. Four scenarios in total chronicle the group's desperate struggle to stay alive against a rapidly spreading contagion that has turned the population into vicious, blood-thirsty animals; in short, you and three pals have to work together to avoid becoming dinner for a horde of zombies. Unlike most multiplayer first-person shooters, this is an entirely cooperative affair with you and fellow players needing to work as a team in order to solve puzzles, shoot zombies, and stay alive.

Of the four scenarios planned for the full game, we played through the first one set around a zombie-infested hospital. Each scenario breaks down into five acts, the individual acts playing out as bite-sized levels. The first four acts have you moving between safe houses situated at each locale, whereas the fifth act has you defending against waves of zombies in the wait an evacuation vehicle. In the hospital scenario, we weaved through tight corridors and back alleys to reach the safe houses, blasting zombies to bits the entire way. The scenario led us through a subway teaming with enemies and then a gas station showdown against fast-moving zombies. Fortunately, shooting at the pumps killed several in one blow, making it much easier to survive. The final act required standing ground against a ridiculously aggressive batch of zombies as a helicopter waited to pick us up.

Unsurprisingly, the first-person shooter gameplay results in a tempo that is decidedly faster than most horror games. The action is frenzied and visceral, not to mention filled with anxiety. More aggressive than lumbering, the zombies are extremely deadly. Supporting your standard zombie varietal are a few scary forms such as one capable of blinding you with vomit and another that has the ability to strangle you with an elongated tongue. Given that we played through the introductory scenario, we didn't have the opportunity to get acquainted with many of the more advanced zombies. Nevertheless, the stock variety congregating in huge numbers proved sufficiently challenging.

Along with the constant tension of combat comes the stress of limited ammunition. Instead of stocking you with unlimited firepower, you're only able to equip a couple weapons. Complementing a standard-issue health pack and Molotov cocktail are a pistol and primary weapon. Munitions tables in each safe house provide a nice assortment of firearms for the choosing including a shotgun, Uzi, and even a M16. If you're unhappy with your choice of primary weapon, you're given the option of swapping it out at the start of each act. You will run out of ammunition if you're not mindful of your shooting. It was easy to get carried away and madly fire at a group of zombies, unloading clips without caring really about accuracy. Facing a barrage of zombies is hard enough when you and your pals are packing heat, but it's near impossible trying to stay alive when you have to melee fresh-eaters with the butt of a rifle.