The weapons definitely compliment the game and the combat style is very gritty and no-holds-barred. There are more ways to kill and maime other than shooting your pistol and Condemned just about covers it all, from kicking your enemies to punching or bashing them over the head with a metal pipe. Due to the fact that finding ammunition in this game is as rare as finding gold bars lying around in the street, you need to ensure that you're able to fight with just about anything if you run out of bullets. If you do happen to find yourself in this sort of predicament however, there are plenty of metal pipes, 2x4 wooden planks and sledgehammers lying around. Do not expect to get by on your fists alone – not if you want to survive, that is.

You may find yourself being attacked by more than one enemy. This can be interesting and challenging when you're carrying nothing more than a pipe. When you setup your mouse and keyboard controls, make sure you map them correctly. You should be able to block and strike with ease. If you do happen to get injured (and you will), you can locate health packs by walking around and checking out cupboards. The interactive aspect of the game is really well done; you can expect to open and close doors, pick up weapons, use your forensic tools and open cupboards quite often during the game.

Throughout the game, dialogue boxes with game tips and hints will often pop up. This is a great way to make sure you're staying on track with the investigation as well as using all of the interactive components in the game that are easily over-looked. You will also find yourself uncovering pieces of a puzzle that will hopefully lead to clues. One of your forensic tools will help you to zoom in on potential evidence like dead birds for instance. We're not entirely sure what the dead birds are supposed to represent but for each dead bird you manage to locate, you collect points (called achievements) which give you awards at the end of each chapter. Sick and morbid, yes, but we couldn't seem to get enough of it and neither will you.

Condemned is a whole lot more than just your average FPS and the challenging aspects of the game (like collecting the achievements and the investigation itself) are enough to keep you thoroughly engrossed. It's a real treat to be able to engage more than just your trigger finger, and Condemned manages to balance everything just right. This game could easily appeal to all because it stimulates on several levels. In a word - superb.