Silent Hill 4: The Room (PS2)

With the Silent Hill series famed for its unsettling blend of psychological and visceral horror, Silent Hill 4: The Room turns the screw even further. Taking the series in a new direction, apprehension and fear immediately run high when the new main character, Henry Townshend, finds himself trapped in his own, cursed apartment.

Only by exploring mysterious portals leading into disturbing alternate worlds will Henry begin to uncover clues as to why he is trapped. However, in true Silent Hill fashion, mysterious new characters, horrendous creatures and the undead will use any means necessary to impede his progress. A tense atmosphere and grotesque enemies will keep the player on edge as Silent Hill 4: The Room delivers a gameplay experience that fans and newcomers will never forget.

Using all-new technology, the Tokyo-based development team has created a host of unique effects designed to add to the game s oppressive atmosphere. Players will notice changes in the environments as the alternate world begins to taint reality, while--in a massive first for the series--the action switches between the traditional third-person view and a new first-person perspective.

Beautifully designed environments, a haunting soundtrack and a roster of macabre and misshapen monsters contribute to one of the scariest games you will ever play, as players travel between Silent Hill 4: The Room s central location and their worst nightmares...

• A new Silent Hill adventure, where terror comes to your room
• Horrific new monsters, including spirits that can attack through walls
• Expansive areas to explore, including a forest, prison and hotel
• A cast of mysterious new characters and a new first person viewpoint
  
   

Irritatingly though the original PS one title remains the best of the series with the last two PS2 titles being little more than hi-res rehashes. The Room manages to shake things up a bit though, ditching the radio and flashlight gimmicks and adding twice the normal amount of side characters and a more involved fighting system. There's also a number of completely invincible bad guys and a new Resident Evil style limited slot inventory system.

The room in question, as you're no doubt wondering, is in fact the toilet. Playing yet another everyman character you wake up from a rather disturbing dream to find out that you're locked inside your flat and the only way out is through a gateway to hell next to the privy. Which almost sounds like a BlackAdder joke, but is unlikely to have you laughing after your first trip.

Within your flat the game uses a first person view, with the series' more traditional third person viewpoint taking over when you go through the portal. A series of weird lens filters and excellent (i.e. very unpleasant) sound lends a real otherworldly feel to proceedings, so that when things do choose to go bump in the night at you, you end up being very scared indeed. --David Jenkins