SPECS: 15 certificate, Pentium 233, 64MB RAM, 720MB hard disk space, 3d accelerator, 4xCD-ROM.

EVER want to be a vampire? Step into the World of Darkness with Activision's newest release. Based on the pencil and paper role-playing game, this game is a truly landmark title.

Not for its uneven single-player game, where crusading knight Christof plunges into the world of unlife. No, Vampire's importance is as an online game.

In the online game, a single player can take control of the game and run an adventure for the others, taking control of key characters to engage the players in dialogue and setting up every object and opponent in the scenario. Essentially, this is the first online game designed to tell interactive stories, and that's a radical departure from the shoot-em-ups of old.

It does have its flaws, particularly in the single player game where you can lead a group of vampires (called a coterie). The artificial intelligence can sometimes be a bit clutzy, especially when other members of your coterie use their vampiric powers. Every time you use a power, you use up some of your reserve of blood. Computer-controlled characters can burn through their blood reserves faster than you can sustain, leaving you frustrated at their actions. Enemies could be a bit brighter, too, and the game's difficulty varies quite drastically.

But its flaws are few, while its plusses are many, including a very elegant control system. The game of the year on PC.

Graphics 5/5

Sound 5/5

Gameplay 5/5

Gamespan 5/5

Overall 5/5