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Resident Evil: Revelations

Mutants, viruses and a nonsensical storyline? It can mean only one thing - Resident Evil is back, this time shrunken and stuffed full of 3D goodness on the Nintendo 3DS. But the questions is, can the series's big scares make the transition to the small screen?

Set in between the stories of the classic Resident Evil 4 and the not-so-classic Resident Evil 5, Revelations packs familiar faces (take a quick bow Jill Valentine, in a skintight wetsuit, and that rugged fop, Chris Redfield) plus some new faces. As usual, the story is... well, all you need to know is that the wretched T-virus is causing mutated mayhem again, but now in a super-duper marine form known as - cue drum roll plus blood-curdling scream - the T-Abyss. Zoinks, Scooby.

This means taking on a globe-trotting series of missions, including creeping round a deserted cruise ship as Jill on the hunt for Redfield, or exploring a mountain range, in the search of those all-important revelations. With the focus on both third- and first-person combat, expect plenty of shuffling zombie hordes plus some all-new critters to unload several rounds of ammo into, even while you're wetting your wetsuit underwater.

What's surprising is just how effective the big chills are on the 3DS's small screen, offering up haunting visuals plus controls that won't make you want to throw your precious handheld across the bus in a fit of frustration. Revelations is also one of the first titles to be compatible with Nintendo's Circle Pad Pro, that adds another joystick for extra ease of movement.

But never mind such additions; what's important is that Resident Evil still shines and, most importantly, still scares in its handheld form. And that's what we call a true revelation.