Comparisons between The Suffering and the daddies of survival horror, Silent Hill and Resident Evil, show how developers have grown more skilful but a little less daring over the years. It tries to recapture Silent Hill's psychological terror and Resident Evil's gory thrills, proving reasonably successful at both.

Survival horror's winning formula demands an intimidating setting, and there are few places as horrific as Abbot Penitentiary, a 19th-century, Shawkshank-inspired prison. Add in a horde of disgusting monsters designed by Hollywood legend Stan Winston (Pumpkinhead), and you're halfway to delivering some heart-racing scares.

Winston's creatures are cleverly based on sadistic methods of execution. Some are recognisably human, such as Horace, an electrocuted wife-murderer, while others are so badly mutilated that they look like puppets. Slayers are the game's staple enemies, swarming in great numbers with blades in place of their amputated limbs. There is something undeniably creepy about hearing them scuttle across the ceiling towards you, especially when they're shrouded in darkness.

Equally disgusting, Mainliners are pincushions of lethal injections that silently emerge from underground. When they pounce on your shoulders, the only way to avoid a lethal injection is to tap the Left trigger, and you'll be doing a lot of that.

Luckily, these sinister creatures hate each other even more than they hate you. Lead bloodthirsty monsters towards a pack of terrified convicts and they'll tear each other apart. Prisoners and wardens also attack you, but they won't be able to after you've blown their arms and legs off with a shotgun. The Suffering has a wilfully unconscionable attitude to bloodshed.

So much gore is splattered about that you're not so much disgusted as amused. Mutilated bodies and executed prisoners lie all over the penitentiary - some even twitch and gurgle as you walk past! If gratuitousness is your thing, you'll also enjoy the extreme level of swearing. Credit is due for the imaginative combinations of expletives but again, they often come across as ridiculously funny rather than 'rock hard" prison talk.

Despite being childish at times, mature themes can be found if you delve a little deeper. At the start of the game, lead character Torque is on death row for the murder of his family. Whether he deserves to do the time (and the lethal injection) depends on your actions throughout the game. Subtlety isn't the game's strong point, so you're more likely to turn evil if you torture someone to death than if you say a cross word to them a la Knights Of The Old Republic. There are plenty of opportunities to become a saint or sinner - toying around with the gas chamber lever ends in a toxic lungful for one unlucky warden. Being evil has side effects though, including insanity, bloodstained clothes and diseased skin to name the worst.

Like Eternal Darkness, the more enemies you encounter, the more you become a few soap bars short of a prison choir. Symptoms include flashing subliminal images of your not-so-happy family and horrible gruff voices commanding you to be a sadist. Fill your insanity bar completely and the Y button transforms you into a hulking whirling dervish of teeth and claws. In this guise, you can dash around, eviscerating enemies with a single blow. It's great fun, and also a well-conceived metaphor for Torque's uncontrollable rage.

Being a beast isn't so bad, especially when the human characters look like cartoonish stick men. Superb sound effects and voiceovers are the only reason to take them seriously at all. As mentioned earlier, the electrocuted wife-beater Horace is absolutely exceptional. His empathy with Torque is disturbing at the best of times.

Ultimately, the game's biggest asset is Abbot Penitentiary itself. Level design is such that you feel like you're really inside a working prison. Visiting rooms, exercise yards and even working execution chambers are there to be explored. There's even a spattering of outdoor levels where the foliage is bristling with monsters. While scenery is occasionally bland and the lighting effects lack punch or volume, the prison still captivates by slowly confessing its hideous past. Spontaneous in-game flashbacks reveal the darkest hours of American history, from 19th-century slavery to spy executions in WWII.

The Suffering has all the key ingredients of an entertaining survival horror and, unusually, can be played in both third and first-person perspectives. Playing through in first-person adds a fresh dimension to the genre. Otherwise, there's little we haven't seen before. While lacking the graphical polish of Silent Hill 3 and Resident Evil 0, the storytelling here is slightly superior. So yes, The Suffering delivers the creepy, gory ride that's part and parcel of the genre, just don't expect to be scared or particularly surprised.

1. Become Torque's monstrous alter-ego
2. Freedom to be evil
3. Creatures fight each other!

1. OTT gore!
2. OTT swearing!
3. Steals ideas

Power
Lighting effects look flat and the humans are cartoonish. Packed with fascinating details though.

Style
Top marks for monster designs, but some look a bit too Silent Hill. Voiceovers are above the norm.

Immersion
As you discover more about Abbot prison, you'll be sucked in and want to play through to the end.

Lifespan
Twenty levels, taking 10412 hours. Three endings add replay value but it'll take patience to see them all.

Summary
Devoid of genuine scares but still gory and imaginative enough to be worth your time. Resi Evil fans should love it!