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Hey look, some sort of Nazi-Soviet enemy... never seen those before.

Apogee Software, publishers of this first-person shooter, call Rise of the Triad a "revival" of the 1994 game of the same name. Certainly the two versions share plot, characters, and level design.

In Triad, a group of evil-doers has taken over San Nicolas Island, off the coast of California, who are doing something nefarious in an old monastery. HUNT – High-risk United Nations Task-force – is a top secret paramilitary unit that has been sent to investigate.

The levels are Wolfenstein-like, which is to be expected given that the original game was planned as an expansion for that franchise. They are non-linear, so there are multiple paths through to the end, and each level includes secret areas. The objective is to get to the exit without dying. You blast the bad guys using a variety of weapons that you collect along the way. You can also collect coins and eat "monk's meals" and "priest's porridge" to regain health. After each level you get a report card of your achievement: how many enemies did you kill, how many coins did you find. You can play as one of five characters, two of which are female, who range in their speed, stamina and accuracy. You can use either mouse and keyboard or a game pad controller to play.

Rise of the Triad is fine for the nostalgic, but given how much games have changed in 20 years, it feels uninspired rather than revived. And the crude, silly nature of the humour – characters burp and fart after they've eaten – only serves to date the experience even more.

Developer: Apogee Software. Platform: Windows

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