A good horror movie requires craftsmanship: you need just the right amount of suspense, scare, suggestion, open terror, action and of course good visual effects. If anything is missing or the balance isn’t right you get something which is cheesy, gory, laughable or all of the above. The same rules apply to horror computer games. There are a lot of them, but only a few are masterpieces.

Dead Space is such a masterpiece: a third person shooter set on a gigantic starship drifting through space. Your character Isaac Clarke has to fight his way through a nightmarish maze of dark corridors and find a way off the doomed ship. Most of the crew members have been killed and turned into horrible monsters called Necromorphs. Their relentless attacks turn Isaac’s odyssey into a merciless struggle for survival.

The game rivals a good horror movie: gloomy atmosphere, scarce lighting, creepy sounds and things moving in the shadows. The references to Aliens and Starship Troopers are unmistakable. You know that there is a monster lurking around the next corner because you can hear it. But when the monster finally attacks from just the direction you didn’t expect the game still makes you jump.

If you like a game with an interesting plot, tough fights and a good scare you should definitely try Dead Space. I loved and hated it, both at the same time.

It’s dead! I finally got rid of that bastard!

Rid of whom? Oh, sorry. I’m talking about that annoying (almost) unkillable monster in Dead Space. The damned thing is extra crispy now.

You could say that I’m a fan of the Assassin’s Creed series of video games. I’ve played the first two parts and even some of the downloadable extensions. I only decided to skip Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood because I thought that it is only a multiplayer online game which isn’t really my cup of tea. But after I learned that Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood also features an extensive single player campaign I was looking forward to playing this game.

Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood is very similar to Assassin’s Creed II. You move your character Ezio Auditore through three dimensional historic scenery. At any time you can either play one of the many missions or just roam through Rome during the Renaissance. Some new aspects make the game even more interesting:

1. You can rebuild Rome after freeing a district from Borgia influence. You can reopen shops, fix broken aqueducts or renovate famous landmarks like the Pantheon.
2. Ezio can recruit citizens of Rome for the guild of the Assassins. These assassins can either assist him in a battle or undertake missions to earn money and acquire trading goods. Each mission contributes to an assassin’s experience and over time they can reach new levels and learn new skills.
3. New weapons like a crossbow or a battle axe make Ezio an even more formidable fighter than before.