IT'S big, it's bad, it's bloody and it's brilliant.

And, not surprisingly, it's the 'big one' for the PlayStation that has had the video games industry in a tizz these past few weeks, Resident Evil 2.

This is surely the game that put the X in X-rated, the game that will keep you AWAKE AT NIGHT....but it is great fun.

You play one of two survivors in a fetid, terrifying land peopled by zombies and monsters and ghouls and all kinds of other unspeakable nasties that are, quite simply, brilliant.

Leon is a cop and Claire is a young woman cool enough to cope as they try to track down and destroy the source which is bringing to life the zombies and their creepy buddies. Not surprisingly, the zombies and co are not too happy, so watch out.

It really is a nightmare world, but the game is a dream. True, there is nothing much new in the way of gameplay: find your way around, solve a few clues etc etc.

Where Resident Evil 2 excels is with the stunning graphics and the heavy, evil-feeling atmosphere.

Resident Evil looks the business.

You are armed with a pick and a gun and gather more and better weapons and ammunition as you go along and, believe me, you will need them with zombies around every corner, lurking in the shadows of every street, in every room.

But the sheer pleasure in blasting these puss-dripping, scabby scumbags is tremendous. Limbs are blown away, heads are blasted off...and they keep coming at you, oozing blood, guts and goodness knows what else.

In the entertainment world, only the mega-movie Titanic has made more money in America this year and it is also the biggest-ever selling game in game-crazy Japan.

It's definitely not for the young, squeamish or those of a nervous disposition and some parents will think it the creation of a sicko world. But then again, some people complain about the violence in Tom and Jerry cartoons, so who is to judge.

Suffice to say, if you like great effects, stunning visuals and a scare around every corner, then Resident Evil 2 is the game for you. JE'@

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.