Silent Hill: Shattered Memories

Silent Hill , a survival-horror-cum-thriller franchise, has divided gamers in the past – its compulsive storyline and chilling ambience flawed by tedious tasks and puzzles. For those who didn't give up early, or end up on a therapist's couch, Shattered Memories , the game's seventh incarnation, provides plenty more heart-thumping moments during a quest to find your daughter – missing when you regain conciousness in a car wreck. Creeping around the ghost town plays tricks on the senses – visibility is limited due to claustrophobic fog or darkness, although the Wii remote is cleverly used to control a flashlight, phone and, inevitably, to complete puzzles. As with its predecessors, positive and negative alternate endings are achievable, although the title's nature means neither is upbeat, while the gameplay will still divide opinion, although the puzzle elements have been made far more interesting. Which is enough, with the addition of new characters and even a dash of (dark) humour, to bring new life to the series.