OVERALL RATING		4.0
Presentation		3.5
Control		4.0
Gameplay		4.5
Fun factor		4.5
User Rating		3.5

Survival Horror is still one genre rarely seen on cell phones but I tend to think that it will soon become increasingly popular. I guess it’s a little more difficult to provide that heart-pounding edge-of-your-seat chilling experience on wireless handsets but Centerscore has attempted to do so with Alone: The Horror Begins.

An airplane has crashed in a secluded valley and you are its sole survivor. Injured and unsure of where you are, you take off into the surrounding woods in hopes of finding salvation, but soon realize that you would have been better served had you died in the crash. For some ungodly reason, evil spirits and the dead roam these lands.

Alone has 16 chapters and the first works as a tutorial for key information and mechanics of the game. You quickly find out that the only items at your disposal are a flashlight, an electric cattle prod, and a broken but still serviceable cell phone. As you can tell from your "weapons", a key element to keep track of will be battery power. Batteries will be a key item of the game and can found throughout; so will extra health in the form of bandages. The cell phone will be used as a communication device between you and a character in the game. She will text message you important information and clue you in more on the strange happenings.

There are two main types of foes and each can be defeated with one of the weapons. Howlers will be damaged by light from your flashlight and Zombies can be destroyed with the cattle prod. However, if you use your light against the Howlers, it will attract the Zombies to you. Without the light, Zombies will have a hard time finding you but then you will be susceptible to Howlers. You’ll have to pick your poison and determine what to use and when to defend yourself, all the while keeping an eye on your batteries. Of course, you can also just choose to RUN FOR YOUR LIFE!

Moving around will take some getting used to. The control scheme is similar to console survival horror games where your character rotates to face a certain direction and then pressing up will always move him in that direction he’s facing. Pressing down will move him in reverse. Because this control scheme is a little different than what you would normally expect on a wireless handset, it adds to the difficulty and anxiety of the game.

The illustrations aren’t very chilling since they are small and lack realistic detail. However, the view of the game, which is completely darkened except for a glow surrounding you, is highly effective in creating an unnerving atmosphere. The flashlight helps a little, but many shadows remain and the constant worry of dying batteries keeps you uneasy. Eerie music also plays throughout to add that little touch of suspense.

Alone: The Horror Begins has an intriguing storyline that has more questions than answers. I can’t tell you much of it for fear of giving it away, but know that there are different endings based on what happens in the game and the difficulty level chosen. There are also a number of carefully placed secrets that you may find while wandering around aimlessly searching for a way out. This provides for good replay value. For a mobile game, it does a very nice job on capturing the mental anguish and despair that follows the survival horror genre.