Review by Colin Phipps

"CROSSING ACHERON" is the second level in this series of levels for Doom 2 called "INFERNO". There were several earlier versions of this level released, and I remembered the main parts from the old Doom 1 version that I played some time ago. The main areas are even better than I remember them; the evil temple is excellent, as is the stylish outdoor area with it's octagonal segments and many teleports. There is good use of features like a font in the temple, teleports, and lighting to create a sinister feel.

The gameplay has its ups and downs. The guard on the temple itelf seemed weak, but the main outdoor area is a great fight, with monsters teleporting around, and attacking from several sides. There are some good traps, and quite a few secrets to look for too; most of the more powerful weapons are in secrets of some sort. On the down side, there is a lot of use of shoot-through-walls; several with chaingunners behind in the outdoor part certainly add to the difficulty of the fight, but can be frustrating. Some of the secrets show on the map, but that's probably fortunate, since you need some to complete the level.

This one breaks a lot of the "rules" that I normally apply to gameplay, but it's definitely a good level. Provided you aren't fussy about those things, it's one to play.