There is great sorrow, pain and anger. Countless years have past in the realm of the dead. Now, suddenly he has been called back to the land of the living, to battle for the lives of the innocent against an insidious evil that grows and destroys. Men, women and children are snatched from their homes, disappearing into the terror that is known as the Children of the Change.

Revenant: one who returns from a long absence, much like a ghost.

Eidos Interactive’s newest title, Revenant, is a role-playing fantasy game that borrows from the realms of fantasy to weave a tale of intrigue, swords, and magic. As Locke, you must battle an ancient evil, reborn in the transformed body of a cleric, a demonic parasite that warps the soul and earns for power.

But Locke is not doing this out of a sense of justice, nor for vengeance. He has been bound by a spell, compelling him to journey forth. With few recollections of his past, or his previous power, it is a journey of self-discovery, as much as it is a quest to vanquish evil.

Revenant is styled like Ultima games, the same type of scrolling landscape - which is delightfully rendered with a three-dimensional feel. Interaction with the other inhabitants is not only possible, but encouraged. You will discover clues to succeeding in the mission, and hints of a time past, when Locke was a warrior and mage of some standing. But, of course, blinded to the past, and in many ways denied of the present, Locke flexes not only his considerable might, but his anger and disgust for the weak.

“How does it feel to be dead?” a soldier asks.

“Perhaps you can answer that after I rip your heart out and show it to you, little man,” the warrior replies, his icy voice harsh and unforgiving.

Yes, the game sounds tough and can be violent, but Eidos has tempered the violence with an option that will allow the game player to control the violence level.

This game is a blast. The characters remain true to each’s personality and you quickly find that not everyone is who, or what, they seem. The attention to the look of the program is phenomenal. Even the carpets, in places, have wrinkles in them. The scenes are lush, bright and give the program a real sense of time and place. And then there is the sound. The quality is high, with a wonderfully composed score, and great ambient sounds. Enter the forest and the volume grows with the vibrancy of the locale.

Where the game does slow down is in transition from one section of the huge game board to the next. Every map area must be loaded, and that slows the flow. And while you can see what awaits beyond a wall, at times you must journey through several map zones to get there.

Though the manual provides some great information, the player interface is such that the beginning player can jump right into it with only a modicum of fumbling. Further options include using a keyboard/mouse combination, joystick or gamepad. The latter choices work better for control and quickness of Locke’s actions.

Revenant succeeds on many levels. This program challenges not only reflexive action, but brain power. There are many puzzles to solve, and enemies to defeat. Some are simple, others are fraught with magic.

The game also supports multiplayer gaming, allowing for a great variety of playable characters, though each character must originate on your hard drive.

Revenant follows on the heels of Eidos’ Legacy of Kain, and though the style and look of play are completely different, it successfully follows in the footsteps with ease.

Installation: 6. Nothing really spectacular here, though Revenant eats up about 400 megs of hard drive space, it still installs relatively quickly.

Gameplay: 7. There is some lag as the scenes shift from one area of the map board to the other, but within each scene, the program runs well.

Graphics: 9. Excellent-looking program with the game board well-rendered.

Sound: 8.Excellent effects and wonderful musical soundtrack - totally appropriate for the genre.

Concept: 7. This offers nothing really new, but gives the format a crisp feel.

Difficulty: 8. Step-by-step, you must improve your character, and train before advancing to the next level of play. The game also requires thinking, which adds to the enjoyment.

Value: 8. A well-done program that will intrigue and provide hours of enjoyment.

Overall: 7.5. This program is a lot of fun to play.