The latest action character to make it to the big screen, Van Helsing, also greets his fans in a new game that puts you inside the movie.

The levels are fairly big in size, and the level of detail in both the scenery and the character models is outstanding. The deep shadows and dim lighting in many of the scenes adds to the story's 19th century feel. The various creatures and characters seem to be taken straight from the silver screen. The amount of detail contained within each model is above par. I was amazed early in the game when I moved the title character close to the camera and could make out many features on his face. The model of Hugh Jackman is much closer to the real thing than the model used in X2 Wolverine's Revenge. Character similarities don't stop with Van Helsing either. All of the major characters from the movie, from Mr. Hyde to Dracula himself, are great renditions of their big-screen counterparts.

With the voice actors also coming from the movie, it is no wonder that the dialog and speeches are just as good as the graphics. The background music has a classic horror feel to it when it is necessary, and just when the action starts to pump up -- so does the music.

The sound effects also do a lot to add to the game's realistic feel. Without the wind and other night sounds to accompany the walking dead when I first entered the small town from the movie, I wouldn't have felt like I was actually there. The quiet hum and peaceful sounds coming from Notre Dame Cathedral in the game's opening (and training) level, once again added to the overall feel and effect.

Van Helsing starts off in the famous French cathedral, as you hunt down the murderous Mr. Hyde. This level teaches you many of the demon hunter's basic techniques, as well as the meaning behind the various power-ups that are scattered along the cathedral floor. This level ends with a quick battle against the massive man and leaves the frail Dr. Jekyl on the ground after going through the Rose Window (just like in the movie).

Overall, the game follows the movie point-for-point, though there are a wider variety of villains in the game (at least I don't recall seeing Fell Spirits, Banshees, Gargoyles and Dwergies roaming around in the movie).

Van Helsing is a demon hunter under the hire of the Vatican. He has no memory of his past, but when he is sent to Transylvania to destroy the evil Count Dracula, he finds that there is something familiar about the ancient vampire. In his journey he will face the Wolf Man, Frankenstein's Monster, Dracula and many lesser creatures that haunt the evil-filled area.

Van Helsing provides a wide assortment of weapons to use against the ghouls. You will be able to use many of the armaments seen in the film (like the Gas-Powered Crossbow and the Tojo Blades) as well as several new additions like a Gatling Gun (seen briefly in the movie at the beginning - this weapon was actually added to the movie when the filmmakers saw it in the game. Cool, huh?), an Elephant Gun and Dual Scimitars. Each weapon also contains an 'Alternate Ammunition Upgrade' -- well all except the Elephant Gun, that is. These upgrades improve the weapon's ability to fend off the fearsome foes that you will face - for instance, the Gas-Powered Crossbow's ability to use explosive-tipped bolts.

Throughout each level, you will collect various glyphs. Most of these will help your life gauge, or ammo in the level, but others, like the Power Glyphs, are used as currency in the Armory after each level. Other glyphs include Life Glyphs (for health), Life Increaser Glyphs (to hold more health), Life Replenisher Glyphs (to fully restore health), Ammo Increasers (ups the amount of ammo you can use), Ammo Replenishers (adds ammo), Speed Boost Glyphs (increases your speed), Cheat Glyphs (used to 'provide new ways to interact with the world around you') and Easter Eggs, which are used at Egg Pedestals to enter the Netherworld.

In the Armory, you can purchase any of the glyphs found throughout the levels (except Cheat Glyphs and Easter Eggs, of course) or you can purchase new moves like Dodge-Fire, Grapple Strike and Melee Explosion.

One thing that you can say about Van Helsing is that it is incredibly linear. Not only are there no branches from the storyline, but there are also very few options in ways to get to the next part of the story. There is typically only one way to solve a puzzle, and when you enter into an area, you can't leave until all the baddies are dead and more than likely you can only go in one direction from there. Yet this doesn't completely take away from the game. Granted, it would have been nice to try out different paths in order to achieve the level's objective, but with me not having to think about where to go next, I set my mind into a basic hack-and-slash mode and just enjoyed the undead dying yet again.

There are parts of Van Helsing that can be a real bore to get through. But most of the time, you will be able to make constant headway and mow down your enemies in a fairly constant manner. In general, Van Helsing isn't difficult. I hardly ran out of ammo, and when I did, the weapons I was left with were able to do the rest of the job. There's never a sense of wondering where to go next since you are all but dragged into the next location.

Van Helsing's control scheme is pretty basic and easy to pick up. The Left Analog stick is used to control the demon hunter, while you fire your primary weapons (typically the projectiles) with the Square and the secondary weapons (melee) with the Triangle. You jump with the X button and use the Grapple Hook with the Circle.

You can change between the types of ammo with the L1 button, and cycle through your available weapons with the L2 button. Holding down R1 lets you aim, and R2 executes one of your finishing moves. Unfortunately there is no control over the camera, making some of the navigation a bit cumbersome.

Van Helsing is a solid third-person action game with plenty of baddies to face and lots of weapons to throw at them. If you're a fan of the genre, then Van Helsing is a game you would want to pick up. If you're a fan of the movie, then you will probably love this game as well.