It's a beautiful thing when a zombie explodes.

Doom 3 Platform(s): PC* Company: Activision/id Software Type/Genre: Shooting/Horror Rating: M (Over 17) *-Reviewed • Official Site • Arcade360 Index

Austin retailers verify that the game, as expected, is selling well. Available only for the PC, 'Doom 3' hit the shelf as the new killer app, compelling players with older machines to buy lots of new equipment to power this demanding game. On a high-end system, it's visually stunning, coming as close as any game yet to grasping the grail of photo-realistic graphics -- the better to show exploding heads, my dear.

The 'Doom' series carries a longstanding pedigree, created by Id Software, a game company based in Mesquite. 'Doom' has broken ground with each release -- and does so again -- by setting a new technical standard while maintaining its trademark violence.

The original 'Doom,' primitive by today's standards, was an instant success and an instant lightning rod for controversy when it was released in December 1994. Most notably, it was the favorite game of the Columbine high school killers.

Culturally, though, the video-game controversy seems to have cooled in recent years, stopped short by the argument that though millions of people play violent video games, only a handful become real-life murderers. The lawsuit filed by families of the Columbine victims against video-game makers, including the makers of 'Doom,' was dismissed on that basis in 2002.

But the game carries a "Mature" rating for a reason. It's a vivid dose of ultraviolence, endless bloody killing in a nightmarish environment. It stimulates the lizardly part of the brain, some nerve center susceptible to addiction that twitches first and asks questions never, as those who have sacrificed whole nights of sleep to its ilk will testify. In the game world, that heady addictive quality is a good thing.

As with all the 'Doom' games, the player in 'Doom 3' sees through the eyes of a futuristic marine running through a hellish, claustrophobic environment, blasting monsters with an arsenal of weapons from chainsaw to shotgun. The game is dark, the screams and moans disturbing, the imagery harsh and perverse. Detail is piled on detail to create a vivid sense of reality.

Creatures in the world include zombies, ghouls and monsters, literally the spawn of hell. Every light seen in the game is cast by a real-time source, so one often plays in near complete darkness. Ragdoll physics and plenty of spatter assure that each killing is completely believable. To call it edgy is an understatement. After a few hours of playing -- the game takes about 24 hours to complete on a medium setting -- one emerges shaken and disturbed.

Now why would anyone find that controversial? Besides, if that sounds like your kind of thing, you're probably halfway out the door to buy a copy already.