Video game fanatics and horror movie freaks alike rejoiced at the release of “Doom 3” about six months ago. As the next installment in the revolutionary “Doom” series, “Doom 3” combined uncanny graphics with extraordinary gameplay. The fast-paced multiplayer mods also made it one of the most exhilarating games on the market. But months later, “Half-Life 2” was released, casting a shadow over the magnificence of “Doom 3.” Any doubt in the “Doom” series’s greatness is quickly banished by “Doom 3: Resurrection of Evil,” which casts aside the ominous “Half-Life 2” veil.

“Resurrection of Evil,” the first “Doom 3” expansion pack, retains the original game’s eerie ambience and high-powered gameplay. The main character — a different nameless marine than in the original — along with several other soldiers, traverses through uncharted ruins until he comes across an artifact from hell. After grabbing the piece, which opens the gates of Hell, the real fun begins.

“Resurrection of Evil” shows off Activision’s graphic abilities with new landscapes and settings. Most of “Doom 3” took place in a military base with narrow, metallic corridors; huge caverns and massive ruins take their place in the expansion. These new landscapes contribute to the more intense ambience of the game.

The fluid gameplay of “Doom 3” is maintained well in “Resurrection of Evil.” All of the original version’s demons and zombies are present, along with several new ghouls. The revamped imps, which are most common in this expansion pack, prove to be a handful, requiring a fair amount of ammunition to kill. The possessed marines and flying skulls can also be difficult and tedious to defeat.

Included with the standard flashlight, shotgun, pistol and machine gun are a slew of new weapons exclusive to “Resurrection of Evil.” The double-barreled shotgun, the grabber, acts much as the gravity gun does in “Half-Life 2,” grabbing objects and projectiles for redirection. The most useful addition, the hellish artifact, is relatively easy to find early in the game and extremely useful. Running on human souls, the artifact’s abilities change throughout the game. First slowing time, it later grants super strength and invincibility.

The most obvious changes, aside from the different environments, are the scare techniques. In “Doom 3,” the monsters were hidden in every nook and cranny. Their appearance was textbook and soon became predictable. The monsters in “Resurrection of Evil” are sparse in comparison, though they attack in hoards. The scenery often changes to blood red or pitch black with audible cackles and screams without any attack or materialization of monsters. The intermittence of the creatures along with these occurrences creates a nail-biting atmosphere.

“Resurrection of Evil” only falters because it mirrors “Doom 3” so closely; this isn’t a prominent flaw, however. The new weapons, enemies and environments are a fantastic addition, but the expansion pack follows the original too closely to be a legendary game.

Rating: 4 stars out of 5