Relive, or discover for the first time, two of the creepiest console games of yesteryear as Silent Hill 2 and 3 are rereleased in this collection with HD quality enhancements to bring the games up to date...

Silent Hill: HD Collection bundles together Silent Hill 2 (2001) and Silent Hill 3 (2003) with enhanced HD rendering. Although, I have to admit that other than the cut sequences, which appear slightly improved (but still don't look as impressive as they could do), the graphics still look dated. Also, I'm not sure which editions of the games are included in this bundle (as there were extended and director's cut versions released in different regions).

Play these games alone, in the dark, late at night and they are still as creepy and unsettling as ever. In fact you're likely to get a little unnerved if you play it in the middle of the day with friends.

In all honesty revisiting these games was a little disappointing. My memory of them was much more impressive and I'd forgotten just how boring a lot of the game play can be. Also the fixed camera angles and control system is not the easiest thing to get to grips with.

In Silent Hill 2 you get the option to change the control system to make it a little easier to move your character. You can also listen to the cut sequences with the original or new audio. This is a welcome relief because some of the dialogue in the original game was just downright awful. While the new audio clears up some of the ridiculous lines, the acting is still a bit rough around the edges. But that's not really important as you're not buying this game for the odd dialogue scene - it's the creepy beasties that are the most important thing... and even after all this time the weirdness is still as unsettling as it ever was.

Silent Hill 3 is even creepier, and there appears to be more variety of weird creatures to tackle - they're also harder to kill than in Silent Hill 2. This is the first time the game has been made available for the Xbox (unlike Silent Hill 2 which received an extended game edition release). So now Xbox fans can get to play it at at last.

Both games are interesting enough, and the low retail price makes it tempting. However, it's a title I'd suggest renting first. The difficult to master controls and camera angles may make it a little too frustrating for some.

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Darren Rea