Elvira II: The Jaws of Cerberus

The Good
A combination of two of my favourite things in life, horror and RPG's. Static 2D visuals is in itself an unthinkable horror to many of today's contemporary gamers. However to me it always meant that if the programmers were serious about their product then I would be treated to beautifully drawn images, instead of wallpapered 3D.

The music was always a bit...subtle. But then I changed the setting to use Roland sound with my SB Live card and phwoar! What a change, the music quality was incredibly different and much MUCH better. This is more of an RPG than an adventure with character stats, leveling up, the ability to interact with menial items just because you can AND the ability to pick up everything. One of my favourite elements was the way all the wonderfully unique ways you could die was so graphically illustrated. Ranging from mutilation to being burned alive to decapitation and having your eardrums burst. The haunted house never failed to give me the creeps.

The Bad
As the previous reviewers commented, those mazes...Aaaargh! Make maps or else you WILL get lost, especially in the spiders tunnels. Also I'm not sure if the programmers did it for realism, but make a mistake and you'll bring the flow of the game to a halt and you'll be stuck. For good.You can pick up everything, but you can't carry it all, SO CHOOSE CAREFULLY, and watch what you say to the wierdos you'll meet. Also the sudden deaths you encounter could become very frustrating.

The Bottom Line
An atmospheric horror experience. Play it alone with the lights out for full effect, some of the things you'll see are truly disturbing and will leave their image imprinted in your memory for some time. If the game was released now the censors would have slapped a massive rating on it. Enjoy and don't go opening any doors on a full stomach...