In Fatal Frame, you play the part of Miku, a young girl who has entered a decaying mansion in search of her brother, who disappeared within it several weeks earlier. The mansion itself is rumored to harbor some horrible secret, and to have been a place where dark rituals were performed. It's a simple enough plot, and it gets you into the story quickly without a lot of fluff.

Now, let's get to the scary stuff. When you begin the game, you're actually playing as Miku's brother. Talk about creepy since you are playing the character that will end up missing very soon ! There's lots of suspsense here as you creep around each turn praying nothing horrible happens to you. As you explore, you learn the basics of the game, and encounter...well, I'll save that for you to discover. Needless to say, after a short bit of gameplay, you start the round over as Miku, looking for her lost brother (hey, wasn't that just you playing the part of the brother ?).

Gameplay
Fatal Frame is clean gameplay at its finest. The controls are simple; you've got basic character movement with one stick, flashlight aiming with the other, and some simple button moves. The main button you'll concern yourself with pulls up your camera, which is your main weapon against the ghosts in the house.

That's right, you have to fend off evil ghosts armed only with an old camera. But this is no ordinary camera, it has the ability to absorb the energy of ghosts with each snapshot. When you come under attack by a ghost, you go into a "camera stance", aim , and shoot away at the phantoms. Your camera's viewfinder has certain sweet spots, which, if you can get a ghost lined up with them, will pretty much take down the ghost in one shot.

The camera is also powerful enough to show you "the unseen". Throughout the mansion you'll come across hidden objects that can only be uncovered by taking a photo of whatever they are hiding behind. Of course, you'll have to have a keen eye in the first place to spot the hints of hidden objects.

Powerups are pretty basic, there's herbal medicine to heal you when the ghosts start tearing away at you (and they will!), magical power stones for unlocking special abilities, and film upgrades. The film upgrades are very useful as they allow the camera to do more damage to ghosts than regular film does. You have to keep an eye on your inventory, however, since all types of film are limited, thus you can't just keep snapping photos whenever you like.

To make life a little easier (and scarier), your controller will thump like a heartbeat whenever evil is nearby. Miku also has a little meter at the lower right of the screen which glows brighter the closer she comes to a ghost or hidden item. There's really nothing scarier than the controller thumping like mad while the meter is glowing fiercely and you having absolutely no idea what's coming next. Expect to jump out of your seat several times while playing Fatal Frame.

Graphics
The graphics in Fatal Frame are quite nice, and the animations are very fluid. The Xbox graphics are a tad better than the PS2's, but on both platforms they are excellent. Textures and lighting effects are well done, as are reflections in mirrors and movement of inanimate objects (such as the hanging ropes in the first level). Ghosts look alltogether too good, to the point where you might just believe in ghosts after playing this game. To make things even spookier, whenever you're viewing a flashback (or playing as Miku's brother early on) the graphics will change so as to make you feel like you've been dropped into the oldest and scariest black and white film ever.

Sound
The soundtrack, while lacking in musical variety, does a fantastic job of increasing the spookyness factor of Fatal Frame. The woeful moans of the damned penetrate the walls of the house, with the beat of the score picking up whenever something very bad is about to happen. With the Xbox's 5.1 sound, this game is fantastic. You'll hear ghosts slip by you on the back speakers, then move alongside you through your fronts. It's an all-out scare fest in sound alone.

Voice acting is exceptional, as each character sports a distinct and well acted voice, which responds appropriately to the situation. The tension of the situation can be heard in various character voices, while the raspy cries (and begging) of the ghosts is enough to send you running from the room in fear.

Replayability
Being a single player exploration game limits the replayability of Fatal Frame. After all, once you've discovered the secrets, they just don't shock you again. The game is also somewhat short, since you're mostly limited to exploring the mansion.

Overall, if you like scary movies, or just feel like a good scare every now and again, Fatal Frame is for you. It's a unique concept that delivers on all fronts. From gameplay to graphics, it's all great. While it may be lacking in replay, the overall experience is so good, you'll be sucked into Fatal Frame from the get-go. And just to give you an idea how scary it really is, I can tell you that many times I had to put the controller down and take a long break from playing while I calmed back down from another ghostly appearance. It's not the ghost attacks that will scare you, it's when they float by, ignoring you completely.  To wrap it up, Fatal Frame is a great game and is great fun.

Editor's Note:
The Xbox version offers the following extra features over the PlayStation 2 version;

• Enhanced Audio: Experience the thrills of surround sound with 5.1 channel compatibility.
• The Xbox release offers new costumes, hidden characters, and frightening new ghosts that will add an enhanced sense of dread to the game.
• A Brand New Ending: After you have defeated the last and most powerful spirit you will experience a different ending than the PS2 version.

See more screens on the Fatal Frame media page