Story: Upon hearing of her Grandfather's death, Alexandra Roivas, heads to Rhode Island to tend to the family estate. Upon arriving she learns that he was in fact murdered and she believes that she can find out who did it by clues left in the mansion.

The game plays in much the same way as Resident Evil. You start off by controlling Alexandra in the estate and it is when you find the book, The Tomb of Eternal Darkness, that the game really begins. Throughout the game Alexandra finds chapters of the book in the mansion which when read let you control another character. The twist is that all the charcters come from different points in history and you learn of their involvement with the book and the creatures that come with it.

The story then unfolds to tell you of monsters and ancient gods that threaten to devour the world. I don't want to give too much away but the story is very intriguing and kept me playing through the game.

Rating = N/A

Graphics: This was one of the launch titles for the Gamecube and it shows in the graphics. I'm not saying their bad but when compared to some of the games for the system now they seem a bit basic and sparse. This can be seen mainly in the environments which you travel in. They range from the spectacular, like the cathedral's main hall, to the mundane, like any underground corridor.

The character models are well done and detailed. They give each of the characters their own personality and they are all animated differently making them seem more like individuals rather than the same character but with a different skin.

Special effects such as the magic attacks and some of the insanity sequences are also well implemented.

Rating = 7/10

Sound: One of the games major strengths besides the storyline.

The game has no soundtrack as such with the background noise being a mixture of sound effects. These held to give the game a spooky, uneasy atmosphere which really adds to the gaming experience. This is best put to effect when your character has a low sanity bar and they start to hear noises and screams.

The sound effects are good too with realistic weapon noises and the monster's grunts and groans.

Rating = 8/10

Controls: Similar to the Resident Evil series but this control system is more advanced. The control stick is used to move the character in the direction pressed. A button is used to attack, B button is the action button, which lets you open doors and press switches etc... L button makes you run while the R button brings up the targetting mode. In targeting mode you can lock onto an enemies torso, head or arms depending on the direction you point the control stick in. X button allows you to sneack past certain enemies. Z button reloads your weapon. With the X button and directional pad you can assign spells to them so you don't have to go into the menu to cast them.

Okay, so there are alot of controls to remember but it doesn't take long to learn then. The game also provides tutorials when you need to use new skills to help you learn them.

Only problem I found was that assigning magic to keys was a bit pointless. I used it for a while but later in the game there are that many spells that must be used and changed I just didn't bother anymore.

Rating = 8/10

Playability: This is one addictive game. Thanks to the intriguing storyline I did not want to stop playing it until I finished it. By splitting the game into chapters it really makes you want to see what is going to happen next.

The way in which you play at different times in history is good too. As your weapons and surroundings are well suited to their time periods. This can cause frustration in that the earlier time periods do not have guns, just swords. However it is satisfying to hack of the heads and limbs of the creatures so I never found it boring. When you do get hold of a gun it is disappointing though as they are too weak and can take ages to reload so you find yourself going back to a melee weapon quite quickly. During the game though you will come across loads of weapons such as broadswords, sabers, crossbows and even an assault rifle.

The monsters, although well designed, are not as memorable as those found in the Resident Evil or Silent Hill series of games. There is not a very large selection of enemies which can make the game seem a little dull especially near the end of the game.

I also feel that the sanity meter is a bit over-rated as it does not affect the gameplay too much, acting more like a second health bar. Some of the madness effects are quite inventive though such as the ones where the game resets or where your character shoots themselve by accident whilst reloading.

The puzzles are plentiful and are neither too easy or too hard. They just help to break up the fighting.

The magic system is another area I had problems with. To start of with anyway. When you begin it can be a bit confusing using spells but once you start to experiment with them it is a really fun system.

Special mention must go the the characters that you play. Even in some of the shorter chapters you really get to care about what happens to them. It can get quite depressing if they die in a horrific way.

Rating = 9/10

Value for money: It is a fairly long game. Maybe 10 to 12 hours long and you will want to play it until the end thanks to the great story.

My only gripe is that the game is very linear. Now that I have finished it I do not feel the need to go back and play it again. There is also a lack of secrets to unlock. Okay there is a secret weapon to find in the game but I got it easy enough without even realizing it was a secret.

Rating = 6/10

Rarity: Although I haven't seen it in a shop for a while it is not exactly rare. There are always plenty on ebay which tend to go for around £6 - £9 complete.

Rating = N/A

Overall: A great experience that is just too short lived. I would recommend that you buy it anyway but don't pay over £15 for it due to it's poor replay value.

Rating = 7/10