Awesome.
     Just awesome.
     For those of you with a dark bent, a little twist toward the gothic side, you probably already know about Blood Omen - Legacy of Kain. Finally, Crystal Dynamics has released the long-awaited sequel, Legacy of Kain - Soul Reaver, and from my gaming perspective, the child has far outstripped the parent.
     I've been playing the PlayStation version of the game, and even with that game system's inadequate screen resolution - well, it's awesome, just awesome.
     First of all, the game has moved from the top-down role-playing  Diablo-like look of the original to a 3-D adventure game similar to Tomb Raider or Shadow Man. 
     And for you Blood Omen players, Kain is now the bad guy.
     Now you are Raziel, who made the mistake of evolving too fast and too far beyond Kain, who immediately cast the protagonist of the new story into a deep, watery grave.
     Of course, you don't die, but are transformed, well, dissolved, into a warrior to be used by the Elder God in an attempt to destroy Kain's minions and eventually Kain himself.
     It's an intriguing storyline. But the good stuff doesn't stop there. Even though the game flows at you from a TV tube, it is still one of the best produced products on the market both in video and audio (Crank up the volume, open the windows and wait to see how long before the neighbours call the police, or probably more appropriately, an exorcist.)
     There are a variety of ways to do away with the creatures you confront during the course of the game,  from impaling them on a pike, tossing them into a fire, chucking them into water or forcing them into sunlight, and you have to adjust your battle technique to match the creature you face.
     I suppose you've guessed by now it's not a game for the kids, although the one drawback of the game lies in the fact that many of its puzzles could probably be solved by a third-grader.
     That aside, Soul Reaver is one of the best games to hit the shelves in quite a while. So if you tend to wear black, go heavy on the mascara on Friday nights, and carry a valid driver's licence, this game is for you.