The game offers more than additional levels and graphics; also included is a fiendish new player character who gets my vote for the most satisfying in-game persona of the series. In addition to the four character classes from the original game, the mission pack incorporates the fiery red-skinned Demoness, a former minion of Eidolon. She too hits upon the idea of resurrecting the fallen Serpent Riders for her own gain, and seeks to end Praevus’ bid for power. While the Necromancer and Assassin are essentially anti-heroes, the Demoness is motivated by pure evil.

She brings several unique abilities to the gameplay, each of which lends credibility to her addition to the cast of characters. For instance, she can fly short distances, enabling her to leap farther, though not higher, and descend more slowly. This brings an interesting dynamic to the gameplay, especially in multiplayer games. Whereas other characters are earth-bound unless they have the Ring of Flight, the Demoness can dance aerial circles around their heads, making her more mobile and a difficult target when properly controlled. This ability is modeled so thoroughly, she can even stop in mid-flight by backpeddling. She also has the ability to gain mana when her health becomes critically low. This enables her to use her most powerful weapons in hopes of negotiating an escape. In deathmatch, she is a formidable opponent, and finally provides some unhealthy competition for the Crusader, arguably the most powerful character in the original game.

The Demoness is aided in her quest for power by a highly destructive armory. Unlike the other characters, who carry melee weapons, her first weapon is a small red shard that shoots forth from her outstretched fingers. It is a magical weapon drawn from her life blood, but it does not drain her mana. To remain balanced against the melee weapons, it has a limited range; the closer she is to the target, the more potent her magic, and at a certain distance, the weapon ceases to be effective. Her second weapon, the Acid Rune, is an artifact of Eidolon that explodes in a cloud of acid, scorching its target. When combined with the Tome of Power, the cloud is larger and more potent, and sizzling particles soar from the explosion to inflict proximity damage.

Her third weapon, the Firestorm, looks similar to the Acid Rune, but produces a deadly fireball that bursts into flame upon impact. When used with the Tome of Power, the fireball is larger, and pummels the target with a dazzling shower of flaming meteors. Her most powerful weapon is the Tempest’s Staff, which can only be used after the player gathers and couples both components. Once completed, it discharges a ball of lighting that has a limited ability to track its target. Upon impact, the ball explodes and bolts of lightning strike the target, doing significant damage. The Tome of Power causes a stream of lightning to arc from the staff to the target. If there are multiple targets in the vicinity, a chain-lightning effect occurs whereby lightning leaps from one enemy to the next. As always, the visual effects are spectacular.

Of course, these delectable new weapons would simply be wasted on the same, tired enemies from the original game. Fortunately, the developers have seen fit to provide three new creatures: the Yakman; the Pentacle; and Praevus. The Yakman comes in two flavors, chocolate and vanilla, though they both taste like blood. He is reminiscent of the Minotaur from Heretic, and casts a freezing spray at his opponents. When you are overpowered by his attack, you stand helplessly frozen in place, incapable of doing anything but watch him charge and shatter you into a thousand pieces. Often, he forgoes the ice attack and will bear down, nostrils flaring, and play bullseye with your stomach. Unfortunately, you do not have a red cape at your disposal to distract the rampaging creature, and must sidestep these attacks or be gored through the paunch. Like all other creatures, he has been given a mildly effective set of evasive maneuvers, including an odd-looking strafe move. The Yakman is one of those rare enemies that induces genuine dread, and has you reaching for the most potent weapons in your arsenal.

Unfortunately, the second new creature induces a different kind of dread. The Pentacles are small, elemental critters that attach to various surfaces, waiting to ambush unsuspecting players. They are camouflaged to resemble various organic surfaces, but the effect never works to surprise you because of their incessant chattering. Their most common form of attack is a toxic projectile, though the creature is not bashful and is more than willing to make a suicidal lunge. Because they are small, they can attack in great numbers without bogging down your computer; however, rather than creating a pulse-pounding encounter, this actually diminishes the flow of combat. Their attacks do significant damage, and they leap quickly from surface to surface, so it is best to engage them from a distance, picking them off one by one. I found this tedious, and sighed wearily whenever I heard their trademark prattling.

Finally, there is the sensational Praevus, who makes the journey from Eidolon well worth the battle. While there is no way I would spoil the joy of discovery, permit me to issue an edict declaring him one of the toughest and most visually impressive bosses to inhabit any 3D game. Although he is a less-than-gracious host, he will certainly make your visit memorable. His death sequence alone left my jaw on the floor. Often, developers seem to run out of steam by the time they design the final boss, but the battle against Praevus is a classic. Hats off to Raven for giving players that extra rush of adrenaline and creating the gameplay equivalent of the final act in a James Cameron action film.