Obscure II features just about every cliché of the survival horror genre, which is infuriating in some senses, as I was hoping for something less contrived. The five main characters and the setting within which the horror takes place is about the only original thing; everything thing else has been stolen from contemporary horror movies, television programmes and, worst of all - an unforgivable crime in my eyes - the Resident Evil series. From monsters jumping out at you through walls to hearing a blood curdling scream when you approach a newly found door, this game is hardly ever bone chillingly scary - but when it is, oh you best believe it is scary.

The story takes place in Leafdale High and revolves around eight students (previous victims of an outbreak that happened at their old school) and a professor, all controllable with different skills for each character, as we follow their ordeal of surviving a horrific outbreak. The cause behind it is a hallucinogenic flower (which plagued the students of the last game), bringing up playable nightmares in which your friends are butchered and mutilated or, worse still, transformed into the bloodthirsty maniacs with grotesque variations of the human form. They climb ceilings, break through floorboards, smash through windows and leap death-defying heights from one tower to another, all in a bid to make you their prey.

The best feature in ObsCure II is the co-op mode, which allows a second player to jump in and play at any time by hitting start on the second controller. This is extremely fun at some points, as you watch the person next to you jump out of their skin and become weary of playing the game any further. The multiplayer isn't restricted for any part of the game, so no matter what you do, you won't be alone - if you don't have a second player then there's always the AI to help make life 'easier' for you, by attacking creatures, although that is all they do. Otherwise you have to hack computers, decipher messages, move boxes and navigate ledges of your own accord, without any help. The AI is very annoying by sometimes getting in your way at times most desperate, and there's also the problem of choosing the right character to accompany you. Each character looks like they belong in The OC (a typical popular American programme about emotions and relationships, yawn), as they are basic stereotypes of teenagers; a computer geek, a strong jock, a flexible athletic, a decipherer and so on.

The origin of the weird flower is never explained, but the consequences of touching it (they emulate save points) are great, as they knock you out. When in these states of unconsciousness, you never know when a terrible nightmare will come upon you, and if one does you'd best get to a cure fast, otherwise you'll be joining your hideously deformed amigos in mutant land. The monsters themselves come in various sizes, some the size of humans, of which they once were, others similar to the Flood in Halo 3 and yet more the size of kittens - but believe me, they aren't kittens! Some are so giant in size that the thought of defeating them would be ludicrous - but defeat them is what you must do.

The battle system reverts to third person when using weaponry - don't even think of using your hands, because you're just not Arnie. The aiming system isn't perfect and needed a bit more work, especially when ammo is in short supply, because every shot missed is a step closer to your grave. There is a tazer, which is rechargeable at various electricity stations throughout the game, but in comparison to a firearm, I'd choose the firearm every time, as it does more damage and allows for a hasty exit. You can mix and match with your pair, so your AI partner (who by the way has no concept of ammo conservation) is given the tazer, while you do the serious damage with the gun. This seemed to work for me and I highly recommend this strategy.

The camera in this game, much like other entries in the genre, is placed in various bird's eye viewpoints, although sometimes it reverts to a third person style perspective. It is true that games of this type normally do have a lot of problems in regard to placement of the camera and the fluidity of it in-game, but ObsCure II features no such issues; I suffered no lag or jerkiness in the camera and found it to be very smooth at times, while exceptional at other times in building up the tension. A classic example of this can be found in the party level of the game, which is not too far in, where the soundtrack and the third person camera following you down the stairs builds the tension beautifully. It's just a shame that this game is very predictable, sticking closely to the rulebook of generic survival horror.

The graphics aren't too bad for a PlayStation 2 game, with aesthetically pleasing cut scenes. They're not groundbreaking, but they don't take away from the fluidity of the gameplay and they represent the high school and the mutated monstrosities that roam it very nicely. This helps the sometimes stale gameplay, as does the soundtrack of unsettling strings and off-key melodies, accompanied by the desperate screams of butchered students and the groans and roars of the fearsome creatures that leap out and attack you.

The aim of the game is to simply survive the hideous outbreak, which involves using a manner of melee weapons such as pipes, tazers and baseball bats, as well as an assortment of firearms. There is also the element of puzzle solving in order to progress throughout levels or acquire extra items that might prove vital later on. This occurs in the form of choosing the right members of the team in order to move boxes with strength, reach ledges with athleticism, crack codes with deciphering skills and hack doors with computing skills, which also requires some general knowledge as they make use of famous people's names. I was very worried when this came up, as I didn't know whether I had to be an inhabitant of America in order to get the names, or whether they were universally known. Fortunately it turned out to be the latter, with historically famous people such as Mozart and Picasso.

Despite being clichéd at every turn, ObsCure II is worth a look if you enjoyed the original, are a survival horror fan or you just wish to invest a few hours in a decent co-op experience. The visuals do their job well and the soundtrack really enhances the atmosphere, and while the story and gameplay are fairly generic, the addition of full co-op, AI companions and a range of characters with their own unique skills does make a difference. It's no Resident Evil, and if you're new to the genre then really that's the place to start, but ObsCure II does provide a few scares and there are far worse ways to spend a few hours on a dark, lonely night.

Reviewed by Brendan Heaney for AceGamez (All Rights Reserved).