Halloween 2006: Gaming's Best Scares

Silent Hill 4

Publisher: Konami
Developer: Konami

Many of the games in this list are more "horror-themed" than genuinely frightening. This is not one of them. Every game in the Silent Hill series ranks among the most disturbing experiences the video games world has to offer, and the fourth (subtitled The Room) is no exception.

Here's how it starts: you wake up from a nightmare, only to find the words "Don't leave" scrawled on your door, locked shut with an asymmetrical set of black chains. From the inside, naturally. If that doesn't cause the hairs to stand up on the back of your neck, you're a better man than we are. Play this horror classic and find out just how much you can take.

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Alternate Choice: Fatal Frame 3

DefCon

Publisher: Introversion
Developer: Introversion

What could be scarier than the end of the world? Nuclear war strategy game DefCon has by far the biggest bodycount of any of our recommendations -- some six-and-a-half billion, at last count. Yes, everybody dies. Your job is simply to make sure you kill the most people while losing as few as possible of your own.

With stylish, simple graphics reminiscent of classic '80s geek-flick War Games, DefCon was an instant hit at its release last month. Check out the demo, and if you like the game you can get it delivered straight to your desktop in minutes.

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