Elvira II :

The Jaws of Cerberus

(Accolade, 1991)

Using three of the original game's four game designers, this was one of those rare game sequels, where you couldn't help yourself from making it an all-night playing event. Although Elvira's role was far reduced (and her spell cauldron was gone...awww), this was often even better than the original Elvira game, including less clumsy RPG controls in battle, and more diverse areas to explore. The concept this time is that Elvira (aka Cassandra Peterson) has inherited a movie set, where things are not what they seem. Entering each movie set means entering that horror movie, as if it were real. Such areas to explore include an underground hive of insects (this level's giant spider will have you itching yourself for hours after your computer's shut off), a zombie-ridden maze of catacombs under a church, and the obligatory haunted house. Along the way, you must search the movie lot itself for information and clues, all leading to the eventual meeting with Cerberus himself. While the final battle is pretty gory and borderline disgusting, the rest of the game is classic thrills and chills, and perhaps one of the best horror games I ever played. It even (barely) made it onto Techtite's list of Top 50 Multimedia Classics. At the extreme least, it's a game experience I won't soon forget...

Rating : Deep Impact.

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