RESIDENT Evil 5, how much do I love thee? Let me count the ways.

You abound in beautifully detailed graphics and your character animations are perfectly realised.

Your soundtrack, while slightly understated, is a perfect accompaniment to your mix of third-person shooter/survival horror game play. Kudos to composer Kota Suzuki (Devil May Cry 4) and the Hollywood Studio Symphony for its small orchestral addition.

And your voice overs aren't too bad either except.

The storylines prettygood too, with a shade of Black Hawk Down sweeping through the narratives twist on gaming's new theme fad - terrorism.

This time around the hero, Chris Redfield, and his sidekick, Sheva Alomar, investigate a terrorist threat in a desert region of Africa.

The addition of in-game partner Alomar - complete with brains, beauty and spot-on weaponry skills - leaves me naught but breathless. It's also a nice way to update a series that's into its seventh title.

Your gaggle of ways to inflict pain and wreak havoc against horrifying enemies is truly kick arse - there's nothing like nifty arms and killer explosions to hold the opposition at bay.

Your collection of big bosses and their intellectual deviancies is mind-boggling in the extreme.

There's more action packed into the combat elements than you'll find at a Melbourne mafia shoot-out, but the weapon controls... well that's another story.

While the initial love affair only lasted 12 hours, the many ways of beating the game serves up enough modes, features and mercenaries to keep even the most hardened gamer coming back for more.

****

Resident Evil 5, how much do you annoy the crap out of me? Let me count the ways.

What the hell is that weapon control system about - it's as clunky as stilettos on a mouse and as second-nature as me sprouting wings and flying. It's dated and, if RE5 wasn't such a fun romp, it would be enough to send a girl into throw-the-controller-against-the- wall mode.