Difficulty:

Just Right

Time Spent:

20 to 40 Hours

The Bottom Line:

"Highly addictive"

Then there's the flow of the levels themselves. There's a definite structure to the game. Enter an area, and all the exits are sealed. You then fight off an impossibly large wave of enemies. A path opens. You walk through and repeat the process over and over again. This could easily have been a recipe for boredom, but "Painkiller" is an ingenious mix of unique adversaries paired against a unique mix of weaponry.

There are lots of different kinds of demons, each with a particular attack style. As you're often never quite sure what you're going to encounter, you're constantly adjusting your battle strategies. Even the boss monsters take a thoughtful approach if you wish to emerge victorious. Don't misunderstand. "Rainbow Six" this ain't. But it takes a deep understanding of how your five weapons work to deal as much damage as you can.