The F.E.A.R. series are best described as ‘first person paranormal shooters’ – an exciting enough sentence on it’s own, but add to that the option to play as either the heroic supersolider Point Man or his homicidal psychic brother Paxton Fettel, and F.E.A.R. 3 becomes a more interesting prospect than its predecessors.

It’s a shame then that F.E.A.R. 3 doesn’t really live up to that promise. As the game goes on, it gets bogged down in it’s own convoluted mythology. A complex plot involving a pregnant poltergeist, could alienate the causal player, or someone picking up the series for the first time, but its worst crime is that it just isn’t frightening as parts one and two.

Murky graphics and minimal lighting are no substitute for genuine scares, and they’re more likely to leave you fumbling around in the darkness, bumping into a fire extinguisher before getting shot in the head than create a sense of creepiness.

However, once you’ve got a grip on the controls, F.E.A.R. 3 can be a lot of fun. Re-generating health means the action doesn’t let up, while a two-guns-at-a-time weapons limit, keeps things tense. Intelligent baddies co-ordinate their attacks, giving you the choice of  either finding cover and picking them off with a well-aimed sniper bullet or just charging in madly waving your grenade launcher.

But the game really comes into it’s own with its mulit-player options.  In split-screen mode, the player controlling Paxton can suspend enemies in the air while their partner shoots them. Paxton can even possess the body of an enemy, and attack from within their ranks, while Point Man can slow down time to get his aim in. Using the brother’s different powers to complement each other distinguishes F.E.A.R. 3 from other shooters where all players have similar abilities.

This, together with four online mulit-player modes, saves the game from being just another Call of Duty rip off.

Played on your own, F.E.A.R. 3 remains a satisfying shooter, that’s plenty of fun to play. It’s just a shame that for a game with that title, it’s about as scary as an episode of the Shoe People.