Alma, the pre-adolescent psychic spirit with a major grudge, should be pretty busy in the coming months. She appears in Monolith's upcoming Project Origin, since Sierra officially owns the name F.E.A.R. Until then, Timegate Studios carries the responsibility of continuing the official F.E.A.R. series. The developers proved themselves with the original expansion, Extraction Point, which was criticized for its brevity and lack of new features. Now they have a shot to make a full F.E.A.R. game with the Perseus Mandate.

Pereus Mandate's story runs parallel to the original F.E.A.R. and Extraction Point. The player takes the role of a point man on a second First Encounter Action Recon team sent to another part of the city to investigate a second branch of the Armacham Technology Corporation (ATC). Luckily, this new character shares the same enhanced reflexes to slow down time. All the weapons from the first game and expansion make a return, along with some new toys. A new mercenary faction called the Nightcrawlers enter the picture and take the place of the genetically engineered and mind controlled clones from the original game. They bring with them advanced assault rifles that have infra red scopes attached. The scope enhances light in darkened areas, but don't do anything in pitch darkness. Its usefulness also goes into steep decline when bullets and explosives kick dust up into the air, so players can't see anything but a crimson cloud. The game also has a Lightening Arc gun that throws electricity into foes and jumps onto other nearby enemies. However, the gun doesn't stream, stun enemy soldiers or conduct through water. It can take most foes out in one or two hits, but its slow refire rate reduces its usefulness as a strong alternative to the other available weapons.

Everyone, including the F.E.A.R. team, is after something called the Perseus Mandate, while the ATC throws everything they have at trying to defend it. It isn't long before mysterious creatures from the dark appear, from cyber ninjas to the stealth demons from Extraction Point. Some new monsters pop up, but most of all, Alma will play her famous mind games. Even Paxton Fettel, the psychic commander turned cannibal, makes an appearance. As usual, figures appear in the shadows, walk down corridors and then vanish. Ghosts, visions of horror and fiery scenes flash across player's screens before returning to normal. For example, one scene has the player walking through a door that leads to the same room he just walked out of, except it becomes increasingly bloodier.

Timegate does an excellent job recreating the ambience and suspense from the original game, but Perseus Mandate uses the original game engine from 2005 and its limitations were already starting to show when Extraction Point released. Now after two years, the limits on the physics engine and interactive environment weigh the game down. Even the legendary artificial intelligence, where soldiers coordinate and try to outmaneuver the player, could do with some upgrades.

Those who can overlook the technological limitations will get the classic feel of horror and suspense fought with high-tech weapons. For us, the sooner Perseus Mandate releases, the better.