Having suffered about 17 billion sequels (or thereabouts) and as we wait for yet another one to drop early this year, the original has been tidied up for our retro pleasure.

It’s not the 1996 original-original but the graphically superior Gamecube jobbie from 2002. Probably for the best considering the PlayStation version looks pretty bloody crusty by today’s standards.

So army types, who have been sent in to investigate the disappearance of other army types, stumble across an unwelcoming fog-enveloped mansion in the wilderness, plough on in and find a distinct lack of kittens, rainbows and princess-themed duvet covers.

The place is rammed with tottering corpses with a penchant for chewing on your face. Escape isn’t easy but there are bit and pieces handily lying around the place that will help you make a jolly good fist of it.

Newcomers and those who can’t remember their 13-year-old horror gaming experiences might be annoyed by the static camera angles. One gets used to them, but they can be fatally restrictive, particularly combined with the awkward aiming system. The cut scenes also represent a hilarious low point for voice acting

The wonky view does enhance the voyeuristic atmosphere and creeping from room to room can be a tense affair when you’ve only got a couple of bullets left. Having to watch a scene of a door opening every time, however, is terrifically tedious.

But there are plenty of scares left in the bones of this ageing title which, despite its flaws, represents an old-school approach sadly missing from many of its sequels.

Out on PS4, PS3, Xbox One, Xbox 360, PC