Devil May Cry 3: Dante's Awakening (PlayStation 2)

The earth opens up and the bowels of hell spew forth another frantic adventure for the deadly half-man, half-demon son of Sparda.

A younger, leaner Dante is the star of the show in Devil May Cry 3, a prequel to the first two games in Capcom's frenzied demon-slaying series. Only it turns out that Dante is not the only son of Sparda; he has a sibling who is quite literally the evil twin... 

He may be fresher faced and still mastering his deadly art, but DMC3's Dante is still one of the most efficient (not to mention stylish) killing machines that you're likely to have come across. The panache-laden combat in Devil May Cry 3 introduces four distinct styles, giving you a giddying array of options as to how you send the demonic minions back to hell. 

'Gunslinger' and 'Swordmaster' focus on ranged weapons, such as Ebony and Ivory (Dante's twin pistols), and blade work respectively. 'Trickster' focuses on defensive and evasive techniques while 'Royal Guard' mimics martial arts techniques whereby the enemies' own strength is used against them. 

Dante and the denizens of hell have never looked finer thanks to a new graphics engine but, more importantly, the series has lost none of its cool. Seeing Dante flick enemies skywards with his sword before juggling them in the air with twin fountains of hot lead will have you grinning from ear to ear.

• Develop your own unique fighting style from four distinct disciplines
• Play as both Dante and a second character, Lady
• Stunning visuals and breathtaking special effects