MONSTER, monster! Nosferatu, one of the scariest creatures ever to grace the silver screen, has made his way to PC so prepared to be scared by all things that go bump in the night and literally paralysed by your fear.

Nosferatu: the Wrath of Malachi takes place deep in Romania at the Castle Malachi where the Patterson family entourage has made the pilgrimage from England to oversee the marriage of their daughter, Rebecca. She is due to marry the count who owns the castle in the hope that a fresh injection of wealth will recapture the former glory of the now bankrupt Patterson name.

However, the entire family, except your character, James Patterson, is imprisoned by the evil Count Malachi who wants to sacrifice them all and it's up to you to brave the horrors of the castle to rescue everybody.

There's only one problem the Castle Malachi is a very dark and scary place inhabited by ghouls, vampires and flesh eaters, to name but a few.

You do get an interesting range of weapons like the crucifix, cane sword and holy water to dispatch all and sundry which is just as well as the eerie noises and atmosphere within the walls of the castle will have you looking over your shoulder literally.

But be warned, the more prisoners you fail to save, the stronger Malachi becomes which is not good news considering your impending showdown with him.

This first person shooter does include a number of nifty gimmicks like a fear meter which slows down your character's movements the higher it goes but my favourite is the game's ability to change the layout of the castle and the location of prisoners every time you start a new file.

This is a smart, atmospherically charged title which will send a shiver down your spine especially of you play it alone and with the lights out even if it does carry a 12+ rating.

Graphics: 4/5
Sound: 5/5
Gameplay: 4/5 Gamespan: 5/5
Overall: 5/5