The Punisher: No Mercy

The Punisher: No Mercy is a first-person shooter with an emphasis on multiplayer akin to the Quake series, ability-enhancing powerups and announcers included. There are numerous game variations, each involving you racking up your score by killing as many opponents as you can. Using preselected weapons chosen before matches and between respawns, control is solid, if a little cumbersome, and pulling off kills is satisfying. Doing well to any degree online is a challenge, as every match seems to haemorrhage with lag, making proceedings far more hit-and-miss than they ought to be.

Things run more smoothly offline, and it's here where most of the fun can be found. The motion comics loading screens providing the narrative are the most intriguing parts of the title, the Mike Deodato-drawn panels being as captivating onscreen as they would be on paper, with uncensored expletives helping to capture the mood of the comics perfectly. They'll keep you interested, even if the climax is something of a gyp.

The offline bots are a hell of a lot easier to dispatch than online opponents, not just because you can actually hit them, but also because they're not very bright. These guys will make a beeline for you no matter which weapon you're wielding. It's good fun mowing them all down, but those looking for something a bit more challenging may find this a walk in the blood-stained park...