The consistently high level of animation - particularly in terms of the fine nuances of their movement and expressions - is far greater than anything else on Gamecube right now. However, the piece de resistance is the huge game world.

Woodland veiled by rolling mist, darkness punctuated with flashes of lightning, eerie corridors and damp tunnel walls illuminated by torchlight, beautifully textured interiors caressed by moonlight streaming through gothic arches - each and every location is sumptuous.

All in proper 3D, solidly constructed and utterly believable. A survival horror is nothing without its atmospheric locations and Capcom has nailed this aspect perfectly - with much of your sense of growing fear being drawn directly from your journey through the many environments.

Unlike previous Resi titles, your progress through the game is remarkably speedy. Not in terms of the game's longevity (it's actually a monster - but we'll get to that later), what we mean is its pace. The game doesn't sit still for one minute.

Gone are the days of traipsing down the same mansion corridors, again and again as you slowly unlock more doors for the same area. In its place is a game that pushes you through new environment after new environment.

Yes, there are occasions where you revisit old ground, but these are pretty rare - and the only time we retraced our steps to the point of annoyance was because of our own stupidity in missing the blatantly obvious way forward.

This change of scenery really enhances the experience in a number of ways, not only in that it keeps things feeling constantly fresh and interesting - but it also gives the game a sense of urgency. The feeling that you're either on the run, or in a race against time to keep young Ashley from harm.

These aspects certainly grab you from the word go but as we said before, it's the little things, the details that truly elevate Resi 4 to lofty new standards of brilliance.

Take the game's vastly improved combat system as an example. With the new camera system, aiming is now enriched with full analogue control (something that can't be said for movement, but there you go).

Hold down the R-Trigger and Leon will root himself to the spot and steady his weapon - each one comes with a laser sight for improved accuracy - whereupon the choice of target is in your hands.

Shoot an approaching villager in the shin and watch him drop to his knees. Do you follow up with a shot to the head? Do you close in while he's stunned and kick him to the ground or break his body with a devastating suplex?

How about going the sadistic route? Shoot a guy in the foot while he's walking and chances are he may just hobble on the spot for a second or two.

Better yet, wait until he's running, whip out a pistol, aim at his feet and watch him trip over himself, ploughing into the dirt whereupon you can stand over his body and deliver a couple of shotgun blasts into his back. At which point you may just like to stand and watch as he writhes on the ground in agony.

Choices like this have very real consequences in battle. It's often better to temporarily disable your enemy to buy yourself more time. On other occasions headshots rule supreme - but then this runs the risk of having to subdue a more terrifying enemy when the head is replaced by something more unpleasant.

The sheer depth to the combat is what makes RE4 so utterly satisfying to play. You'll never tire of some of the game's claustrophobic set pieces.

Moments when you're surrounded on all sides, with nothing but a shotgun to help clear space, will make you grimace in disgust as heads explode mere inches from your face, while buckets of gore decorate the environment like a Jackson Pollock in blood and bone.

Surely ultra-violence has never been so much fun. We challenge anyone to find a game with a more satisfying shotgun, a more visceral sniper rifle or a game whose enemy encounters are so unnerving and threatening.

Okay, so Halo, say, might boast exceptional AI - but the actual killing itself doesn't offer anywhere near the level of gratification you get from blowing the sweet-red juices from a pack of steely-eyed hillbillies. And that's a cold, hard, fact.