The Evil Dead is one gruesome, gruelling movie. Even now it's difficult to watch without jumping or squirming during some of the nastier moments. So how is it possible that Regeneration (just like the previous videogame adaptations) is little more than parody, almost akin to a Saturday morning cartoon. Maybe trying to gross out and frighten your audience just doesn't cut it any more.

Sadly, Ash's chainsaw is just about the only thing that does. Regeneration is little more than a by-the-numbers beat 'em up with a bit of gore and some dispiritingly unfunny dialogue. You run around, dismember a few Deadites, then run to the next room and do it again. There are a couple of combos, about four drearily predictable slow-mo finishing moves and the ability to turn into Evil Ash. At least you can have some fun juggling enemies in mid-air and a few puzzles materialise once your wisecracking sidekick Sam turns up. But he's way too much like Scrappy-Doo for our liking, and like the series in general, starts to wear you down with too much cheesy slapstick and repetitive combat.

Given how bad the other two Evil Dead games were, the fact that Regeneration was made at all is puzzling. You can't keep a bad zombie down, but we wish they'd just stay dead this time.

The controls are good, but combat is repetitive and the graphics are weak and dated. Not especially funny or scary either.