Those of you who have already managed to master games like Resident Evil may not find Cold Fear a particularly appealing one. For it belongs to the same ?survival horror? genre, and looks and feels a little primitive in comparison to the other games in the category. But therein lies its charm, and you may appreciate it if you have an eye for detail.

To begin with, the game has an interesting plot. You play the game as Tom Hansen, a US Coast Guard crewman who, along with his surveillance team, boards an apparently abandoned whaling ship caught in a storm in the high seas. Once on board, however, it doesn?t take you long to realise that your team has dwindled to a solitary member ? you.

Even before you can actually get down to some exploration, your teammates are all killed by the strange creatures that have taken over the ship. They are basically humans who have mutated after being attacked by evil creatures, and are poised to give you a tough time throughout your stay on the ship.

Your mission, under such circumstances, is to wade through all the peril and get to the bottom of a grisly tale of a government cover-up, following a series of events about which you?ll learn as you progress through the game. Needless to say, there are lots of exciting moments on your way.

One wonderful aspect of the game is the rocking motion of the ship being tossed about in the storm, which you have to counter at all times throughout the game. It imparts a realistic touch to the game, but also makes things difficult. When you are out on the deck, maintaining your balance is tough ? considering that you have to make your way through torrential rain. You can latch on to the railing of the ship for stability, especially at times when you?re battling zombies on the deck. But then, you have to be that extra bit cautious of the waves which come lashing, and one minor mistake can wash you away with the surge. Amidst all the commotion, you also have to be wary of the freight containers and barrels moving about on the deck to ensure you don?t get crushed under one of them.

The interiors of the ship are dark and stifling, a little claustrophobic at times. And considering it is the locale that sets Cold Fear apart from other games, the spatial restraint also tends to make the game a bit boring. In a while, you find yourself walking down the same corridor over and over again. You have an oil rig as an added locale, but its interiors are visually quite similar to the ship?s, thus adding to your boredom.

Amid the monotony, however, Cold Fear is still a game worth picking up, since it gives you the opportunity to practise your shooting skills under conditions not conceived by developers of other games. And as mentioned previously, there are those little things ? like the ability to zoom the camera into your enemies while you shoot ? that make for a different kind of gaming experience. Just remember to pop in some anti-nausea pills before you boot up, in case you feel sea-sick halfway through the game!

Minimum system requirements: OS: Windows 98/2000/ME/XP; processor: Pentium III 800 MHz or higher; RAM: 256 MB or higher; free hard disc space:1 GB; DirectX 8; Sound card; Video card