Released back in June of this year, Eternal Darkness had very little hype or anticipation among the casual gamer. But the people who found out about this game, from friends or information on the Internet, know Eternal Darkness is one of the best games on the GameCube so far.

There has been an ancient evil unleashed upon the planet, and only a few who know about this threat are poised to stop it. You control twelve different characters spanned over 2000 years, ranging from roman centurions to an American in World War II. All of the historical events are completely accurate, and it really feels like you are in that time period. The graphics in each area are very sharp, and the textures fit the level you are in perfectly. NOt the best graphics seen, but it works for this game.

Moving through these levels, you attack a variety of evil creatures with maces, swords, crossbows, and guns. Controlling your character during the battles is very simple; simply hold down a button, select the body part you want to attack, and let go. Once you hurt the monster enough, it starts to squirm on the ground, so you can move over and finish it off.

My favorite part of Eternal Darkness is the sanity system. Much like health and magic, sanity has its own meter for your character. If you run away from too many monsters and don't kill them, the sanity meter will drop and crazy things start to happen, such as your character starting to walk on walls, and being attacked by hordes of monsters that you can't escape from. None of these are real, though; these events are meant to trick you, thinking that your character is dying. Some of the best sanity effects in the game will catch you completely off guard.

The spell system is very original and innovative, and most of the fun is learning how it works and creating your own spells, so I won't spoil it for you. All I will say is that spells are used to fight creatures, repair your health, and solve puzzles.

Eternal Darkness is a great action/adventure game to add to your collection. Even after beating it, there are things to unlock that further enhance your game experience. Go out and buy it, and thank Silicon Knights for the great game they have created.