The Devil Inside is probably the first commercial game to satirize violence in the media. Films have done it countless times, none more popularly than Paul Glaser's The Running Man. The Devil Inside is the name of a television show hosted by the amusingly named Jack T Ripper. You play the star of the show, Dave Cooper, a copper turned journalist of the bizzare cable TV show. However, Dave is not your usual man. He can, through the use of certain change points, turn into the demonic Deva who has a hot body and the power to zap people with her mystical blasts. Apparently, she's the sexiest devil you will ever see!

The game was made by the Alone in the Dark maestro, Hubert Chardot, whose games inspired the Resident Evil series. In many respects the game is very similar to the Alone in the Dark games, especially when you use the spy-cam with its Resident Evil perspective. The game starts off with Dave outside a mansion house that he is about to investigate. This is where the confusion starts. I was lead to believe that the game would be spooky, not an out and out zombie splatter-fest. This has to be the main complaint about the game: it is too quick to introduce the zombies. More tension building is required because as soon as you walk through the door, you are pumping bullets into the undead. To top things off, the zombies come in such numbers that it is hard to see the threat. During your first encounter, there are only about five of them, so surely it would have been logical to increase the volume as the game progressed. To the contary, the number decreases. So the game gets easier, except for a few set-piece super hard zombies. The variety of undead is the only thing that will keep you interested in the game.

Much like the Resident Evil series, the game is about solving puzzles, pulling levers, and getting keys to open doors, punctuated with the odd gunfight with zombies that rise out of the floor, fall from the ceiling, and burst out of cupboards in the least dramatic way possible. Of course if this is your sort of thing then you'll probably be putting on your coat and heading down to the shops already. For those of you who are staying to read this through, then take heed that this type of gameplay can be a little tiresome and some of the puzzles aren't exactly what you would call obvious. For instance, some pressure pads that open doors do not become visible until you are right on top of them. All this action takes place on the grounds and inside the spooky gothic mansion that you are investigating.

There are two interesting features to the game: the three different camera angles and the two possible characters. As far as the camera views go, the only two you might use are the flying camera, which floats behind your head following your movement (albeit somewhat erratically). The other option is the aforementioned spy-cam. The camera angle you will never use is the live camera which is useless because the camera operator who follows you around is an absolute imbecile. If I were the producer of the show then they would be zombie meat before you could say "Action!" You can also put picture in picture on the game screen so you can have all three views at the same time. The switch between Dave and Deva is not as dramatic as you would think, apart from the obvious growth in chest tissue. In fact, Dave is a far better character to play early on than Deva. Dave can crouch, roll and do serious bodily harm to the undead with an array of weapons, including the shotgun, pistol and the devastatingly gory sander. Deva, on the other hand, zaps a person with dull mystical rays and steadfastly refuses to use her wings to fly, saying in her Germanic voice "No!" Neither of them has mastered the art of the jump, which is annoying when small rises in the scenery impede your progress.

The control system in the game is a bit of a nightmare. The game insists that you use the keyboard to direct the character around -- using the mouse controls the character's viewpoint only, not direction. This makes it hard to get out of places when your energy bar is running low. The character also locks up when you try to walk and strafe at the same time, something that can be quite troublesome when you are in a fight. One of the nice features in the controls is the ability to use a camera pan when you have done some damage to a creature. This is like The Matrix slo-mo -- slowing the action down as the camera swivels around the enemy.

Graphics in the game are excellently done, despite a few collision problems with surfaces. The atmosphere is wonderful as lights flicker and helicopters fly over the grounds recording your moves. Warped statues, religious paintings and crumbling edifices all have a sense of morbid style that you would expect of Hubert Chardot. The 3D engine proves itself very worthy in the game, and the lighting is well done and adds dramatic effect. The architecture, while fairly angular, is brought to life with some lovely textures, which include paintings and Roman-Greco surfaces.

The audio is typical game show fare for the cut-scenes in the studio between areas--think high-power and cheesy synthesizers. Otherwise there is a fairly light industrial sounding track that plays in the background. The contrast is quite startling and very effectively delivered. The rest of the sounds are functional, although I do especially like the whirring of the sander.

The Devil Inside is a game that you can love and hate at the same time. Some moments are extremely delightful, and wonderful graphics make the game a joy to watch, but the control system can be quite annoying. If you enjoyed the Resident Evil series or can't wait for the latest Alone in the Dark installment then The Devil Inside is a must purchase. If, however, you are looking for a Tomb Raider style game then look elsewhere.