Silent Hill is still one of my all time favourite survival horror games and for me it even surpassed the Resident Evil series in terms of atmosphere and scares, despite being a big Resi fan. It was one of the few games that I can say scared me, or at least left me unnerved after playing it. With the added processing power of the PS2, its sequel does everything the original did and more.

Silent Hill 2 has a completely new storyline to the original, coming with a host of new characters and set in an entirely new part of the town of Silent Hill. The game revolves around James Sunderland, a man who is drawn to Silent Hill after receiving a letter from his wife asking him to return. Nothing strange with that you may think, until you learn that James's wife has been dead for three years. So it's not long before you're plunged back into the twisted and surreal world of Silent Hill and although there are some plot holes in the main story, it nevertheless remains intriguing and gripping. James isn't alone however; there are other people who lurk within the confines of the town and just like the surroundings, they are mysterious and unnerving. There's Angela Oroso, a shadowy woman who James meets in the cemetery and is also looking for someone, a simple minded and childlike man called Eddie who may or may not be as innocent as he appears, a small child called Laura who claims to know James's wife and Maria, a woman who looks exactly like James wife, yet has a completely different personality. Twisted characters for a twisted setting, but I wouldn't expect anything less from a Silent Hill game.

It plays very much like the original, with a bit of exploration of the town, a few puzzles here and there and some combat against some pretty nasty beasties thrown in for good measure. There isn't much new in terms of gameplay here and the more cynical could call this nothing more than an update of the PSOne original, but seeing as that was such a great game to begin with anyone who's played the first Silent Hill will not be disappointed with this.

The new area of Silent Hill comes with a wider array of buildings; a church, a bar and a hotel for example, which at least make the exploration a little bit more interesting. There is a bit of a linear feel to the whole exploring part of the game however, as you're only allowed to enter the buildings that are necessary to the actual game, which basically means most of the houses and buildings you see in the game can't be entered. This is not much of a problem however, after all this is a survival horror and not an RPG, but it would be nice to get a little bit more familiar with the game's surroundings. Also making a return to the game is the "other world," which is basically Silent Hill but in a more demonic form. It again appears when James hears those freaky air raid sirens, which act a sort of warning as to what's about to happen. The fog is replaced with darkness, the walls and floors of all the buildings turn from clean to corroded and the amount of baddies increases greatly. All in all, it's a place you're uncertain to explore, yet still intrigued about what there is to find in there.

The baddies in Silent Hill 2 are nothing short of disturbing; forget the midgets and bird type creatures that inhabited the original, here the enemies look nastier than ever. They look more human for one thing, well they are at least humanoid but that's where the similarities end. There are the human type enemies that basically look like someone in a straight jacket covered in strange type of skin, they have no faces and twist and move around in an unsettling way. Then there are the weird leg-like creatures that look like two pairs of legs stuck to each other and scuttle around strangely like insects and the nurses make a return appearance from the original game, which look and move a lot more like humans, except again they don't have faces. They're freaky to look at as well as fight, though they're nothing compared to the giant pyramid head creature who you'll see from time to time, which walks slowly but packs a serious punch with the giant sword he drags behind him. If the setting of the game isn't enough to send shivers down your spine, then the enemies who inhabit the game certainly will.

Being survival horror there is a lot more to keep you occupied than just shooting the weird creatures you encounter. Puzzles also play a part in the game and this time they've been made extra hard. Some puzzles are fairly easy to complete while others come with their own riddles for you to decipher before you can proceed with solving whatever puzzle you're tackling and while the difficulty of these riddles can be changed to easy at the beginning of the game, it still isn't going to stop some people getting stuck on them. Indeed, those who like a good challenge will get their money's worth with the puzzles, while those less skilled in the problem solving department may want to get a pen and paper handy, as well as seeing about finding a walkthrough.

While so far Silent Hill 2 sounds like just another survival horror game, there is one thing that makes it stand out head and shoulders above the rest and that is the atmosphere. One thing the original Silent Hill was famed for was its ability to grip as well as scare the player with an unhealthy amount of tension and atmosphere. One of the most important features the game uses to create this effect is the sound effects and music. There is more than one occasion where you'll hear something that sounds grotesque, yet you'll never be able to see it, but what makes things worse is that the it always sounds close and the only thing protecting you from seeing where that sound is coming from is the thick fog that seems to have engulfed to town. And as for the music, it plays out more like eerie background sounds than an actual score and combined with the other sounds in the game creates high levels of tension. There are also other things that contribute too, such as the constant fog and darkness of the town, the hellish looking "other world" as well as the whole feeling of being alone in a town you don't really want to be alone in. It might not sound that scary, but just try playing the game alone in the dark; then your opinion might change.

The graphics, far from an important feature, do come with all the polish and detail you'd expect from a PS2 game. The graphics look far from just functional; in fact they look amazing. The character animations and detail are great and are some of the best I've seen in a console game, with equal graphical quality present in the surroundings. The game also comes with a kind of grain effect throughout, which kind of makes it look like you're watching the action through an old TV set. While that might sound like a bit of a step back for such a graphically polished game, it does add to the atmosphere of the game.

While there is a lot to credit in this game, it does have its share of problems. Besides the puzzles, which some may find too hard to complete, the combat on the whole is rather bland. Attacking so simple that it never really engages you. There is no skill involved in taking down an enemy, as their attack patterns are quite predictable, usually consisting of charging straight at you until you kill them. It's just a good thing this game doesn't require a good combat system to be entertaining. Another problem is its length, the game is a bit on the short side with little or no replay value, save for the 5 alternative endings and while that does require you to play the game a bit differently, the lack of any real secrets or extras is a bit of a put off.

Silent Hill 2 is a great game and one of the best survival horror titles to date. It not only keeps the usual exploration, puzzle solving and progressive story elements intact, it also manages to be one of the few games that is genuinely nerve shredding. Fans of the original as well as fans of the genre shouldn't miss out on this exceptional game and if you've never played a survival horror game, then this is a great place to start.

Reviewed by Kieron Giacopazzi for AceGamez (All Rights Reserved).