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Is it sheer coincidence that the THIRD instalment of EA's Aliens-pilfering franchise releases within a week of Aliens: Colonial Marines, the latter finally showing itself after months of pushed-back release dates?

In part 3, well hard space-bound nutter Isaac Clarke is attempting to rid an icy planet of fresh-craving reanimated human corpses, while also seeking out the source of the virus that's been relentlessly spawning the dreaded Necromorphs (rumours that it's one of Tom Broadbent's cooking experiments have proved well wide of the mark).

This typically ace space survival horror experience introduces a drop-in, drop-out cooperative mode, where a second player can take control of a new character named Sergeant John Carver. This does sap some of the claustrophobic terror but adds a new dimension to the experience. You can also mesh together new weapons out of scrap junk, giving you more oomph to battle those bloody perishers as they spring out of snowy blizzards.

Over familiarity means that Dead Space 3 isn't quite as all-consumingly scary as it used to be, but it's still a seriously good action game. One of the best, even.

FOUR STARS