Shinji Mikami, the creator and producer of the Resident Evil games, and Hideki Kamiya, the director of Resident Evil 2, have teamed up once again. This time, the duo has created a fast-paced game that's one of the best translations of classic 2-D action in a 3-D world. Two thousand years ago the Devil Emperor threatened to conquer humanity, but was stopped by a benign devil knight. The emperor was imprisoned, but now threatens to escape. It's up to the knight's half-breed son, Dante, to follow in his father's footsteps and defeat the Devil Emperor once again. In addition to being a fine swordsman, Dante is equally adept with guns. In the first half of the game, players slash and shoot their way through. After acquiring a different weapon, the focus changes to close combat. Weapons can be upgraded and new attacks can be learned, adding to the game's variety. As a whole, the action is immense and flows smoothly. A few things impede it, however. During fights with bosses and multiple enemies, the fixed camera angles can get frustrating. The in-game text also scrolls painfully slow. Graphically, this is one of the best-looking games Capcom has ever published, and that's saying something considering its impressive visuals in Resident Evil. The hard-rock-style music is nothing to write home about, though. The voice acting is strong, but there's not much of it, which is a shame, as the interesting setting would have made for some great storytelling. However, the focus here is fast and furious action, and this game elevates it to an art form. Parents should note that this game is gratuitously violent and is not recommended for anyone under 18. --Raymond M. Padilla Pros:

• Outstanding controls
• Topnotch graphics
• One of the best menu systems ever

• Camera angles get troublesome
• Fantastic setting not fully exploited
• Only 7 to 12 hours of gameplay

Devil May Cry is the CD-ROM version. The full version can be purchased by clicking on the "CLICK HERE TO ORDER" button below for around 19.88USD.