From Dusk Till Dawn - PC Games

In this shoot-em-up version of the Gecko story, he has been captured and imprisoned for his brother Ritchie's crimes. In a huge floating prison-cum-ghost ship called the Rising Sun, which is manned by Vamps and floating towards New Orleans, Seth has 72 hours and 20 levels to wreak havoc on his vampiric captors and escape before he is executed.

From Dusk Till Dawn is pretty standard action-adventure stuff. You control Seth throughout his break for freedom and along the way meet allies, solve puzzles and get to kill loads and loads of monsters.

The plot gradually unfolds as you complete levels, with the help of some cinematic sequences. Throughout the adventure, other people trapped on the ship help you, including the Pastor, mechanics and some--much more useful--heavily armed marines. They will either give you missions or just help you blow things away depending on their role in the storyline.

Graphically, it looks pretty decent. All the usual realistic effects are present, like bullet holes in walls and, of course, the blood and gore. The game also sounds great. When Seth is in corridors, his voice echoes and you can hear footsteps clattering on metal walkways; ambient sounds add to the "spooky" atmosphere. Seth makes his way to the top of the ship through dimly lit corridors, eerie passages, a cinema and recreation areas until he reaches his final goal, the showdown with chief bat Titus Bell who use a blowtorch to lightly toast his victims.

If you like action games, then this shouldn't disappoint. The fact that it's all set on a ship makes for a claustrophobic Half-Life-style experience (although there the comparisons end) and the different level locations are varied enough that you won't get bored. The puzzles aren't massively challenging and don't detract away from the real reason you are there: slaying the undead by the bucket load. Although it has very few ties to the film, it does share the trait of offering one gory, action-packed ride. --Kristen Bowditch