Lichdom: Battlemage

This bloody and violent adventure is a surprisingly fun and different kind of experience for mature action fans. You may not have heard of Lichdom: Battlemage, but it's a unique and gratifying experience, especially if you're used to first-person shooters. Once you get the hang of it, it's a blast to run around this magical world while mastering all the different crafts and spells. Many of the demonic enemies are smart, so you'll need to master the art of defense. Even better, the bosses aren't simply level fodder; they serve as an additional challenge to your spell-slinging skills. The level design can be hit or miss, but the ones that are well-crafted levels (pardon the pun) are memorable and very replayable; strafing between columns while exchanging fireballs with skeleton warriors is also inherently exciting -- especially with the lights off and speakers cranked. But be forewarned: The difficulty ramps up after an hour or two, making the game quite challenging; there's only one difficulty level in the game (more than one would have been ideal), with some save points that are too far and few in between, which is frustrating at times. At least the controls are smooth and easy to learn.

Visually speaking, the game is impressive. Big set pieces, fluid animation, high-resolution character models, and impressive lighting and special effects add to the overall atmosphere and immersion factor. The sound and music are also worth noting. It's too bad the game doesn't have any multiplayer, cooperative or competitive, as Lichdom: Battlemage would be a lot of fun with or against human-controlled players. Perhaps that'll come in the sequel? But even with this omission, mature fans of magic lore and first-person action games should give this game a spin.