F.E.A.R.

Yesterday I purchased F.E.A.R. It's a PC first-person-shooter that's gotten high marks in many reviews, higher even than Quake 4, DOOM 3 (or the add on), or any of the other recent shooters.

My only problem with this game is my machine...I've got the fastest CPU and as much memory as the motherboard can handle, which meets the minimum requirements for this game. Needless to say while I can set the game for crystal-clear clarity, as soon as anything happens the action grinds to a halt. Unfortunately I've had to set my graphics to the lowest possible settings to ensure smooth gameplay, so now the game looks like the original Half-Life. Ugly, but playable.

With that said, my graphic problems are quickly forgotten once I start playing.

Basically, I'm dealing with cloned spec-ops agents, who are all guided by one telepathic guy who I'm trying to track down.

What sets this game apart are all the supernatural elements, it makes the game downright spooky. It's a lot like Half-Life in this way, violent action mixed with horror movie moments.

There are no spoilers here...I haven't gotten to any in game, and have avoided them in print & online. With that said, my guy keeps having these...episodes...where he sees things and people who aren't there. Usually it's just a person who vanishes or dissolves into flakes, like the vampires in the first Blade movie. Sometimes my guy has a vision or hears the voice of the telepathic mastermind I'm trying to track down, who usually drops a hint or two as to what's in store for me. But most eerily, I keep seeing a little girl in a red dress who oozes menace. I don't know if these are ghosts or what's going on, but it's really freaking me out. At times I'm thankful for the action sequences when all I have to deal with are guys shooting at me!