Greek tragedy gets a gruesome facelift in the brief, bloody adventure God of War. You're Kratos, a suicidal Spartan warrior charged with killing the immortal Ares. Told in flashback, the tale follows you as you leap across ledges, swim through sinking ships and obliterate adversaries with the Blades of Chaos, matching chain-mounted swords.

Cinematic in nature and dark by design, it's a dramatic mix of reflex- and thought-intensive challenges. One minute you're slicing enemies to ribbons; the next, sacrificing innocents while solving mindbenders. A well-written script and combat system that's both intuitive and attention-getting tie it all together. Consider just a few of the options available during battle: juggling enemies with complex combos, ripping them apart with your bare hands, or impaling opponents for health- or magic-restoring boosts. Icing on the cake is gory finishing moves, activated by pressing buttons in a predefined order. Once invoked, you'll eviscerate rivals or shove steel directly into their brain.

Featuring characters from Homer's Odyssey -- expect cameos by Harpies, Hydra and a certain Cyclops -- it's an offer few fans of the classics could refuse. Even the gods themselves put in appearances, taking the lead with mystic powers. Summon Poseidon's rage or electrify foes using thrown thunderbolts, or enhance your spells courtesy of orbs lifted from assailants' corpses. Incredibly atmospheric and unafraid of showcasing bared breasts, God of War is a one-of-a-kind adult experience. Sample highlight: wrench off Medusa's head with a twist of the joystick, and afterwards you can wave it around to petrify opponents at whim. Despite abysmal voiceovers and minimal replay value -- you'll complete the saga in two nights, tops -- give the game a shot. Minor shortcomings aside, it's an outing of epic proportions.