Horror meets first-person shooter. Crazy to think that no one had ever thought of that head-smackingly simple concept before. Developers were tripping over themselves to splice genres together, making a little part of us die the day someone tried combining racing and RPGs (Google search it), but no one had bothered with the most obvious combination. As F.E.A.R. proved on PC and is intent on proving again, horror mixed in with first-person shooter works quite well. Notice the deft use of the words ‘quite well’ and not ‘crotch-punchingly, childkickingly, eyes-popping-out-of-your-head amazingly good’. Such reservation isn’t because we want to break the English language but because F.E.A.R. isn’t perfect. There’s clearly a problem that belies its reputation as an FPS classic. But what, exactly?

It’s not the story. For a first-person shooter, a genre that’s usually the reserve of bonehead "I big man with gun, I kill lots of people now" plots, F.E.A.R. is happy to carve an entirely different route for itself. It starts with the usual first-day-onthe- job shtick but subtly moves towards the quiet air of menace surrounding the spooky Alma, a long-haired girl who looks like she could have stepped right out of The Grudge, growing tired of movies and opting for a medium where people shout about polygon counts and dynamic action. It’s to Monolith’s credit that F.E.A.R. takes its cue from J-horror rather than the well-mined zombies and biological freaks splatterhouse flicks of American cinema. The slow trickle of horror builds in pressure cooker fashion until the last few levels, which are some of the best you’ll play in any FPS. Saying more would ruin it. Just know that the last few levels will stick in your head long after the end credits have faded, certainly longer than the cop-out ending does.

The gameplay isn’t the problem either. F.E.A.R.’s main gimmick is the ability to slow down time, which has been done approximately eight million times before but is done rather well here for various reasons – your slowdown bar recharges quickly so there’s not much waiting around, it’s an incredibly tough game to complete without relying on your slowdown crutch – and the effects when activated are stunning. Bullets slow down and you can see the air swoosh around them as they slam into their target. Likewise, grenade explosions look pornographic in slow motion, as bodies contort and debris gets kicked up by the resulting shockwaves. F.E.A.R. settles into a nice staccato rhythm, where you alternate between balls out bravado aided by your slowdown shield and hiding around corners waiting for your slowdown to recharge. We’ve probably made it sound a lot worse than it is, but it works really well when you’re absorbed in the atmosphere.

This is enhanced by plenty of incidental touches: ghostly figures fizzing in and out of view before you can figure out if they’re a threat or not. While F.E.A.R. doesn’t have the acidic atmosphere of Silent Hill or Forbidden Siren – it’s hard to feel that vulnerable when you’re stomping around with a rocket launcher tucked under your arm – there’s almost certainly going to be one heart-stopping moment that gets you. PC gamers often talk about the infamous ladder or air vent scare. You’ll soon realize why and it speaks volumes that the weakest segments in F.E.A.R. are those that don’t have these supernatural touches.

No, the gameplay isn’t the problem either. It’s more that F.E.A.R. is… what’s the polite way of saying this? Old. Ageing. Wheezing. Makes an embarrassing straining noise whenever it gets off the sofa. This version of F.E.A.R. is a conversion of a two-yearold PC game. In videogame years, that makes it an absolute dog, with grey hairs sprouting in unsightly places. Despite Day 1 Studios’ efforts to conjure renewed beauty out of Monolith’s ageing classic, it’s father time who has the biggest say here, with the boxy level design and its pedestrian look showing just how much the FPS has advanced in those passing years.

F.E.A.R. is as solid a first-person shooter as you’ll ever get. The slowdown gimmick lends itself well to the eyecandy and gameplay department while the spooks and shocks will give those who plough through to the end plenty to talk about. But, unfortunately, that’s all F.E.A.R. can ever hope to be in 2007 – solid. It talks the talk but its walk is betrayed by creaky knees and the occasional pause to lean on a wall and catch its breath.

Ryan King