The evil is immediately identifiable. Forget the conjured monstrosities of other role-playing games – in Catechumen the ultimate boss monster is Satan.

It is Rome, 171 A.D. Beneath the city, a battle rages. It is not one of flesh, though that does play a minor role. Rather it is one of spirituality. Your teacher has been captured along with the Brethren. You must prove your worth in the Colosseum and then take a stand against the evil that waits below, controlling the minds of those above.

Catechumen, from N’Lightning Software, is a revelation in the genre of role-playing games. This program is Christian based. The Brethren are your brothers in Christ. You won’t get to hack and slash in this program, though there are dungeons and dangers that await you. Instead, you initially receive the Sword of the Spirit, which fires bolts at the enemies – which to begin with are Roman soldiers. When you have struck them enough, they do not tumble to the ground. Rather they are encased in light, a chorus gives a quick “Hallelujah,” and they are immobilized in a somewhat humble posture.

And as the angel who gave you the sword stated, it is often better to avoid confrontation. Why? Because your character is not that strong as the game opens. Too many encounters with the soldiers result in the game ending quickly. Of course, you can heal. Just find scrolls containing Scripture and you will heal your character.

You can also find armor and other swords with which to do battle.

This program is, perhaps, harder than most simply because you cannot wade into the midst of the enemies and leave a trail of bodies to follow. You must gain strength, but not necessarily of the physical kind. It is the spiritual nature that is promoted.

Yes, there are all sorts of nasties to encounter, rooms to explore and challenges to overcome. But the game itself states “to survive you have to believe.”

While not stunning game players with graphics or audio (more on that in a moment), this program is, nonetheless, a groundbreaker in the genre. The storyline is refreshing. It does not manufacture the bad guys from the realms of a current designer’s imagination, but rather draws upon legend and the evil that has been part and parcel of mankind’s history since before those long-ago days in Rome. There are demons, lions, a Minotaur, leviathan and fallen angels. To help you, there are angels, captured Christians and your mentor.

The game itself uses an engine similar to the program Unreal. The graphical landscapes are detailed, bright, and contain a wide range of subtle shadow and color. Some of the character animations are a little stilted and jerky, but still carry the game along in fine fashion.

The audio contains some redundancies, but overall is what one would expect from any RPG program on the market. The program does feature 360-degree panoramic game views, with most of the controls handled by the mouse. You walk through an item to pick it up.

While the controls are somewhat intuitive, there are some elements not listed in the hot-key sheet, but are listed in the manual, which is only 14 pages long and a quick read.

Catechumen is the kind of intense game that will appeal to almost all RPG gamers. And if you find yourself yelling for better armor, or better weapons, then you’ve missed the point of the program. The warfare involves the use of spiritual weapons, and asks you to run at times instead of fight, and even challenges you to think through where you go and how you approach a situation rather than simply wade into it with weaponry flashing.

Catechumen does not support multiplayer games, and is rated for Teen due to animated violence.

Install: Easy. Quick and uneventful. This program does require a 3D card

Gameplay: 8. The program moves seamlessly through the different levels and rooms. There is no way to turn off, or speed up dialogue, but that presents the only pause in the program.

Graphics: 8. The characters in the game are a little jerky in movement, but the environments are nicely rendered and may soften a little as you get close to them, but otherwise don’t pixilate. The game itself is bright and colorful.

Sound: 8. Some of the dialogue of the Roman soldiers is redundant, and the fire from torches crackles a little too much. Still, the game features solid ambient sounds.

Difficulty: 8.5. There are five levels, from fledgling to impossible. Even the lower level is hard and presents a challenge.

Concept: 9. This program actually takes the RPG genre in a completely new, and quite refreshing, direction.

Overall: 8.5. Catechumen is a Christian-based RPG that incorporates Scripture, adventure and intrigue. This program presents a welcomed spin on an established genre. Though the game is Christian in outlook, it is still broad-based enough in its storyline to appeal to everyone.