IN Friday the 13th: The Game Players visit 3 iconic locations around Crystal Lake. Whether it's Camp Crystal Lake, the wilderness near Higgin's Cabin, or Pacanac Lodge, where Jason first followed in his mother's footsteps and slaughtered the lake's hapless visitors, it's a game of cat and mouse in which one player acts as Jason and the other seven take on the roles different counselors. Each character and each version of Voorhees has a set of unique characteristics: one counselor can sneak around, another can run fast, and a third; if you can keep him from tripping over your feet. With 10 options to choose from, not to mention the ability to roll perks to customize your abilities a bit, there's plenty of variety for everyone.

At the beginning of each Friday the 13th: The Game match, gamers see a short scene where the villain comes out of the woods after the unsuspecting guys, destroying everyone as they scatter in different directions. Young people need to find each other and survive the encounter with the murderer in one of several ways. These include calling the police and running to safety, fixing one of the available vehicles (car or boat), waiting for the 20-minute timer to expire, and the rarest of all, killing Jason.

The last option will be relevant for those who are familiar with the films of the Friday the 13th franchise. Since the villain's abilities are supernatural, fighting him can be fraught with disastrous consequences. Each sound indicates that an enemy is nearby, as do the screams of the characters themselves. At the same time, the player controlling the antagonist must find all the victims and deal with them before it is too late.