Sierra, Monolith and TimeGate Studios' extension to 2005's creepiest action game of the year, F.E.A.R. Extraction Point, does a nice job of extending the familiar gameplay of the original by offering a handful of new bad guys, weapons and levels. Though the gameplay is pretty short (about 4 -6 hours of gameplay, which is pretty normal for most action game expansions), the story isn't furthered too much beyond what you've already learned in the original game and the encounters are all too familiar, Extraction Point offers enough "fear inducing" action to recommend a purchase for F.E.A.R. players.

In Extraction Point, you once again don the role of the point man for the Pentagon's First Encounter Assault Recon team, right at the time when you are on a Black Hawk trying to get the hell out of Dodge. Just when you think you've escaped the horrors of the deserted city your transport is downed and you find yourself stranded. Your new objective in this game is pretty simple - find an escape route to a brand new extraction point, while dealing with an army of cloned super soldiers and the supernatural powers that you thought you defeated on your way out of your last adventure.

It sounds easy enough but there are other problems to deal with as well in Extraction Point. For one, Alma, the creepy little spirit girl with supernatural powers is back and as pissed as ever - and she's not the only other-worldly force you'll have to deal with. The big bad jerk from F.E.A.R., Paxton Fettel, managed to survive (we use the term loosely in this case) and now has powers not unlike Alma's. So in addition to navigating your way to the new point of escape, you'll be neck deep in replicants, Alma and a more potent version of Paxton.

Extraction Point features the close quarters firefights that fans loved in F.E.A.R., with bullets flying everywhere leaving holes and decals in walls and objects, rooms clouded with smoke, showers of sparks flying everywhere, objects shifting and falling, and bullet-time style gunplay you can use in short bursts. The AI is, at the very least, as smart as it was in F.E.A.R., giving players a real challenge at every turn. Basically the firefights in the F.E.A.R. are extended flawlessly into Extraction Point, giving you more of the same great battles that you loved in the 2005 hit.

Extraction Point also delivers the same kind of horror filled atmospheric gameplay you loved the first time around using decent lighting techniques, ultra effective atmospheric sound and the game's stellar A.I. You'll find plenty of heart-in-your-throat moments as the game throws unexpected encounters that seem almost insurmountable. F.E.A.R. used atmospheric sound and shadows to create tense moments for players the first time around, and Extraction Point continues that trend flawlessly. TimeGate Studios deserves kudos for creating an expansion that fits together flawlessly with the original product.

Much of the level design in Extraction point is different but also familiar. New to the mix is a brand new subway level you'll have to navigate through and some new office areas that make for great (and oftentimes messy) close quarters combat. But while these areas are new they look awfully familiar in the grand scheme of things. Like the rest of this expansion the environments blend in nicely with what we've all seen in the original.

Much like the aforementioned level design, there's only a couple of new weapons to utilize in Extraction Point like the chaingun and the new deployable sentry guns. These new weapons are great and even useful at times, but players will more than likely rely on their favorites from F.E.A.R. like the beloved shotgun or the assault rifle.

Then there are the new enemies. And again, just like the new weapons and areas in Extraction Point, you won't encounter too many new bad guys. Beyond the replicants you'll fill full of lead, there's the rather large armored tank and a semi-transparent spirit creature to deal with. These new bad guys coupled with all the replicants you'll have to take down utilize the game's AI very well, creating some pretty challenging moments as you make your way out of this nightmare and into what you hope will be your exit back to civilized society..

F.E.A.R. Extraction Point offers 4 - 6 more hours of the kinetic single-player close quarters combat that made the original game such a stellar hit. While we wish the storyline was a little deeper and the game was a little longer, Extraction Point still delivers what it promises on the box. Unfortunately, there's no new multiplayer content to speak. That's because it's been broken off into a free product called F.E.A.R. Combat. Still it would have been nice if the developers had tucked away some bonus multiplayer content for their loyal paying customers, but it's not the end of the world. You can learn more about the expansion and the free multiplayer by visiting www.whatisfear.com .