	Ah, the sweet, sweet smell of crisping demon flesh. The delightful
clink of spent bullet casings rattling to the marble floor. The
baroque tone of the chainsaw. The delicate sensual recoil of the
shotgun. And wonderful, wonderful hellslime as far as the eye can see.
It evokes a warm feeling, a homey feeling, like Christmas. I play Doom
too much. Can you tell? 
	October 10 is Doomsday, the day when software retailers across the
country will be ransacked by the most vile, unstoppable sub-class of
human being ever to own a floppy drive: the Doom freak. Doom II is big
news for fans of first-person shooters, even though it doesn't
represent a real technological leap from Id's original monstrosity.
Minor bugs (mostly having to do with modem play) have been
fixed, but the engine remains the same. What this next installment
will offer is MORE. One more weapon, a few more monsters, and over 30
new diabolical levels which will warp the craniums of any Doom junkie
to stumble through them. 
	The one new weapon offered isn't really new, but is a heftier
version of an old friend. The super shotgun is a double-barreled
weapon, which fires two shells at a time, which gives approximately
double the damage of the regular shotgun and twice the spread at long
distances. Naturally, it also re-loads a little slower, but it's
definitely a good all-purpose weapon for those of us who know the
danger of wandering through a dark winding hallway with a rocket
launcher sticking out in front of us. 
	The inclusion of new monsters is obviously an area of great
interest for Doom veterans. Players of the original game remember the
fear of rounding a corner and seeing a cacodemon shooting ball
lighting for the first time, and it's no surprise that they'll be
looking for the same thrills in the new package. They won't encounter
a whole new monster set, but they shouldn't be disappointed. 
	None of the new monsters are pushovers, although two creatures
from the first Doom will be altered to make them easier to kill. The
barons of hell (you know, those pig-faced guys who bellow and shoot
green bolts from their hands) will be back, but drastically reduced in
"hit points," or whatever term Doom uses to determine when something
dies. The altered pigs will get messy after about three hits with a
rocket launcher. A new, smaller spiderdemon with about the same life
span will also appear, although its larger and much tougher parent
will also be present, giving us all two sizes of bug to kill. 
	Along with the regular cast of possessed humans is a new
chaingun-toting figure, a beefy guy who's fed up with his life and
wants the whole world to know about it. Although he may not seem like
a very important new figure, Chaingun Boy can reduce you to a stain on
the floor in a big hurry, especially if he pops out of the wall behind
you, which he does seem prone to doing. 
	Repeat Doominators who wish they had someone to trade
heavy-caliber fire with aren't likely to feel left out. There's an
as-yet unnamed monster I will refer to as Mr. Big Fat Ugly Dude whose
arms are capped by two rapid-fire plasma cannons. He may not be able
to open a Diet Coke with the greatest of ease, but I don't think he
really cares that much. His shots can be avoided easily enough at a
distance, just don't step on his feet and ask him for a match. 
	Another new member of the Big Gun Club is a large skeleton. He
makes your life fun by firing guided missiles from two launchers
strapped to his shoulders. These missiles aren't as nasty as they
could have been (they don't chase you around corners), but they
will add a lot more excitement to that old game of dodgeball you're
used to playing with the imps. 
	The crowning glory of the new beasts is the arch-vile, the most
terrifying computer creation since Microsoft Doublespace. Presently
appearing for the first time on level 22, this mutated skeletal figure
wanders around, resurrecting any dead monster it comes across. One
look at you is all it takes to summon up a barrage of guided attacks
that roughly equal getting hit in the face with a BFG. He's just not a
very nice guy. Once you meet him, you'll understand. 
	As fun as the new monsters are, gamers will remain knocked out by
the stunning new levels long after the novelty of the new creatures
has worn off. Anyone who admired the craftiness and sickness of the
old game will be absolutely floored by the malevolent, highly
intelligent examples of architectural madness that await. In the first
Doom game, the guys at id were just experimenting with level design,
getting a feel for what could be done and what would make a more
challenging game. In Doom II, the levels will include puzzles and
truly sickening new traps that should have even the most
combat-hardened Doom veteran scrambling desperately for a soul
sphere. 
	Like a fine chalice filled with the boiling blood of a rabid
cyberdemon, Doom II will surely be a well-received addition to what
has already become one of the most popular and successful titles in
the history of computer games. Until October 10, you should make it
your personal goal to kill every monster, grab every item, and
discover every secret contained in the first installment of Doom. It
doesn't get any prettier from here on out.
