"I want to see. I need to see. But I can't see. It hurts my eyes to strain into the darkness. Constantly wondering if that movement up ahead is a rat, scurrying into the fetid black - or another one of these faceless bastards looking to smear my brains like peanut butter over the gravel. As I inch forward, I see him. Filthy words scrawled on his back like the work of the unhinged mind, a dirt-encrusted aluminum bat held close - an obscene teddy bear for a fat man-child. His grotesque visage holds my attention for a millisecond, and that inattention nearly costs me my life as my foot nudges a garbage can. The Aryan archetype lopes towards the sound as my testicles tighten and I slide back into shadow. His stench fills the area as he peers right at me, and my gag reflex nearly offers me up for sacrifice. He turns, and I rise slowly behind him, balancing between function and fashion, sadism and swiftness - then the Devil guides my hand. My knife finds a warm, jagged sheath in his bowels, gouging, ripping, tearing...and in my ear, a man laughs."

I feel ill. I feel elated. I feel guilty at my elation - and I'm wondering how on earth a game managed to push my buttons in such a manner. Is it the subject matter? Gaining one's bearings after playing Manhunt is difficult - and unsettling. This game is rated Mature for a reason, and those of you who have difficulty dealing with extreme violent themes and language need to give Manhunt a wide berth - it is not for you. If you are willing to submerge yourself in a culture that the mainstream shies away from, there's a good game here to be found. Let's recap, shall we?

A general synopsis of the story is as follows: you, as a murderer being put to death, find yourself alive and in a macabre carnival known as Carcer City with the choice that is no choice at all - escape by slaughtering gangs sent to kill you, all the while providing delicious snuff footage for the sick bastard responsible for your release in the first place, Starkweather. Make no mistake, killing will become second nature to you as you as traverse Carcer City, and finding answers to your questions is far less important than breathing. The gameplay embraces the stealth genre as its own, forcing you to duck into shadow and peer around corners, looking to see where the masked gangs roam about and choosing how quickly you make your way forward. The use of radar in Manhunt is different from other titles like Metal Gear Solid 2, for example - you can only 'see' where enemies are on the radar when they make noise, either by walking within earshot, or talking to themselves or others.

If they're not moving, you have no idea where they are. Of course, this works to your advantage as well. By knocking on walls, throwing objects or running, you generate noise and attract attention. Duck into a hidden alcove before being spotted, and you can draw the enemy out and create a situation that's to your advantage. If you're spotted ducking into shadow, God help you - there's no hiding to be had unless you can run out of sight and then move into darkness. It truly is the embodiment of 'fight or flight', and these sick bastards aren't the ones you want to go toe to toe with. They're strong, deal out a fair amount of damage, and generally make life extremely difficult for those gamers who think they can go in guns blazing. The entire premise of the game is geared towards stealth kills, and here's where we cut to the heart of the matter.

Stealth kills are engineered by sneaking up behind an adversary, and holding either the X or Square button. As you hold the button down longer, the target on the gang member will change from white to yellow to red - with varying animations based on these, red being the most violent. It's a fine balance between providing the most visceral kill and not being discovered standing behind a guy, holding a baseball bat. The sheer number of weapons you can use certainly make for a wide variety of kills, from garrotting a man's head clean off his shoulders, to implanting a crowbar into his spine or gutting a gang member like a fish. Later levels provide access to nastier melee and projectile weaponry, all of which have their own special properties. Some can be used only once, others need ammo, still others make a lot of unwanted noise. It's all on the player as to how he or she wants to progress through the game, and you'll find yourself preferring certain weapons over others as time goes on. The killing animations are filmed as if it was being watched through a camera, creating footage for Starkweather's sick snuff industry and providing titillation for the gamer.

The level design in Manhunt starts off in a fairly linear fashion, and while other levels provide additional options in how to approach certain objectives, more often than not you'll find yourself repeating the same plan of attack over and over, no thanks to the save system in place here. With levels split up into several sections, and different save points in these sections, I found myself getting nearly to the end of a section, messing up, and having to go back to the beginning. Enraging? At times, but usually I could point to the problem as being something I had done, as opposed to wonky controls, which is nice. In fact, the controls here are pretty standard to anyone who has played SOCOM or the Metal Gear titles - you can sneak, turn 180 degrees quickly, strafe, creep and press yourself against walls and other surfaces before sticking your head out for a peek. It's all fairly intuitive and you'll pick it up quickly.

The enemy AI behaviour isn't to the same level as, for example, Splinter Cell, although some of the choices made are obvious ones in favour of gameplay balance over realism. If I attract the attention of an enemy, run out of sight and duck into a dark area, it is extremely rare for the enemy to come right into that location unless I make a noise. Now, if it was me, I'd be checking out every dark corner and cranny around the spot where I last spotted someone. I can fight an enemy straight up, run away, and once he calms down, he'll go back to traversing his area normally, instead of going over the area with a fine tooth comb. The higher difficulty level does provide an exponentially harder degree of challenge, but some aspects just don't make sense.

Manhunt is a dirty-looking game, perfect for the subject matter being tackled here. Textures are much sharper than the Grand Theft Auto series, animations are more varied and the game generally does a bang-up job at replicating a dingy and nasty city backdrop. Sound also gets a special mention, being such an integral part of the gameplay. Enemies talk to each other, mutter to themselves, all using an imaginative and interesting script - each gang really has their own personality, and you can hide in the shadows and just listen for a few minutes.

In an excellent use of the Sony/Logitech USB headset, you can use the headset to receive your instructions directly into your ear, and use the mouthpiece to attract the attention of adversaries to draw them into the open. The game doesn't actually differentiate between what you're saying, it's the noise itself that will bring the baddies running - so don't eat potato chips and play Manhunt with the headset on unless you want your virtual avatar to spit out his chiclets on a regular basis.

Manhunt is a strange title - it doesn't advance the stealth genre in too many areas other than the aforementioned headset idea, but what's assembled here is such a strong core of atmosphere, gameplay, and overall tension that the game as a whole doesn't suffer as much for its linearity as it probably should. Would it be as successful without the controversial subject matter? I doubt that. Will you be tempted to go back to it once you've completed the game? Probably to show off to your horrified friends, but that's it. Is it worth playing? Definitely - the gameplay is solid and the twisting, turning storyline will stick in your head long after you turn off your PS2. A good effort from Rockstar North.