In 1992 Buffy the Vampire Slayer was released. The film hardly sent a ripplethrough the film community and Joss Whedon thought his creation was going tobe put to rest (no pun intended). Skip forward to 1997 and the televisionseries is launched and becomes a phenomenal hit. With the show recentlyconcluding the huge array of Buffy fans have been forced to turn to thespin-off series Angel, fan-fiction books about the series or the upcomingvideo game, Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Chaos Bleeds.

The Xbox original was created by Electronic Arts and The Collective andshocked the gaming world by being a decent game based on a television show.The sequel is being handled by Vivendi Universal and Eurocom and looks setto be even better! Eurocom have previously made Harry Potter and the Chamberof Secrets and The World Is Not Enough so they have experience on all threeconsoles.

The game itself is set between the season five episodes 'Forever' and'Intervention' which sees the gang deal with Buffy and Dawn's mom Joyce'sdeath. After Dawn tried to resurrect her mother it seems she has been sent'to camp' for the convenience of the game. The story itself was written byChris Golden and Tom Sneigoski who have both worked on the television seriesas well as books and other literature revolving around the Buffy universe.The storyline itself involves the first opening up an alternative universe, which will 'bleed' into the current one. The game also ties in with a DarkHorse comic of the same name.

In the game you will be able to play as Buffy, Willow, Xander, Spike, Faithand Sid the Dummy in the single player mode. The game also boasts a hugemultiplayer mode that will feature twenty-four characters from the Buffyuniverse. While the character list has not been confirmed it will containthe likes of Anya, Tara, Giles and many more. Both Sarah Michelle Gellar (Buffy) and Alyson Hannigan (Willow) were unable to provide their voices forthis game, Sarah was filming Scooby Doo 2 and Alyson was filming AmericanWedding. But fans need not worry; Eliza Dushku (Faith), Anthony Steward Head (Giles), Nicholas Brendon (Xander), James Marsters (Spike), Amber Benson (Tara) and Emma Caulfield (Anya) have all provided their voices to thisgame.

In the single player you will be able to play as Buffy, Willow, Xander, Spike, Faith and Sid the Dummy and will alternate between the characters inthe game's twelve levels. There will also be appearances from other membersof the Scooby gang including Giles, Anya and Tara. The characters themselveswill have their own special attributes, with Buffy and Faith using theirSlayer abilities, Willow using magic and Xander using weapons and sarcasm todefeat the un-dead. The game will be mostly fighting and action but therewill also be puzzle-solving throughout the game. The game is set to includeover one hundred and fifty moves (with Willow's magic contributing a largeamount) and fifteen environments such as The Magic Box, graveyards and muchmore.

The multiplayer mode has been introduced in this game and is set to bethe game's main advantage over the original. There will be twenty-fourcharacters to choose from so you are sure to be able to pick your favourite.There will also be various modes including Last Man Standing, Domination, Verses, Bunny Catcher and One on One Combat. According to the game'sAssociate Producer, Harish Rao, there will be two secrets in the multiplayermode.

The graphics in this game have been improved on the original. Thecharacter models are very similar to their real-life counterparts and thegame also boasts impressive textures, lighting effects, a wide-screen optionand a 'target' frame rate of sixty frames per second. The game is also set toinclude impressive reflections, but if the game is to be similar totelevision series hopefully the vampires won't have a reflection. Like mostgames that are released on all consoles at the same time the PS2 versionwill be the worst in terms of graphics and frame rate, while the GameCube'sis improved and the Xbox's version will be the best.

There is set to be a vast array of extras in the game including castinterviews, photos, storyboards, a 'making of' and an e-comic. It has notyet been stated whether these will be present in all console versions or ifthey will be specific to certain consoles.

The game looks set to improve over the impressive original version inmany ways and is guaranteed to be a must for any Buffy the Vampire Slayerfan.