The last time we saw Rockstar's Manhunt, we checked out an assortment of levels from a work-in-progress version of the game, and we got a good taste of what Rockstar North was cooking up. The disturbing third-person stealth action game offered a promising marriage of style and substance, combined with disturbing visuals and interesting gameplay. After a bit of a wait, we've been able to try our hand at some levels in the game and view a demo of some later levels. The game is shaping up to be a gross, unsettling experience that's actually pretty fun.

There's no confusing Manhunt with the next Olsen Twins game.

We were able to check out four levels of the game--two that we were able to play through ourselves and another two set much later in the game that we saw via a demo by Rockstar reps. Our look gave us a better idea of the game's structure and how the story plays out. There are two difficulty settings to choose from: fetish (normal) and hardcore (hard). After we made our choice, the game threw us into Manhunt's disturbing world. The intro sequence is extremely brief and wastes little time getting you into the game. The tightly edited cinema juxtaposes "video" of the main character, James Earl Cash, being executed with video of a female reporter giving some background on him. Aside from giving us a brief bio on Cash, the reporter also mentions her discovery that someone called Starkweather is taking convicts and using them for his own amusement, and she states that she intends to expose this practice by getting testimony from Cash. Following the brief setup, the scene shifts to Cash's awakening and introduction to Starkweather, the nut job who fancies himself to be the director of the impending craziness. From there, the game's first level, Born Again, begins.

You'll start out on a deserted street in an area of Carcer City that Starkweather has conveniently blocked out for his own use, one of the perks of being filthy rich and being able to buy large chunks of the city. As is often the case in games these days, Manhunt's first level also serves as a tutorial for the game's basic mechanics and control scheme. Starkweather's mad rantings and onscreen help windows will bring you up to speed on how to play the game.

The basic control in the game is solid, thanks to a simple control scheme and an effective use of a context-sensitive action button. You'll move Cash around with the left analog stick and use the right analog stick for a first-person free-look mode when standing still. Cash's default moving speed is a slow creep, to ensure he's not spotted and subsequently eviscerated by the fine people out to hunt him down. However, by holding down the R1 button, you'll be able to run like the wind, which is handy when being chased by a mob. The X button will serve as a multipurpose attack button and will let you fire a weapon if you have one out, throw an item, trigger an execution, or perform a light attack when in hand-to-hand combat. The square button will let you reload your weapon, trigger an execution, or perform a strong attack when in hand-to-hand combat. The triangle button will serve as a context-sensitive action button and will let you perform actions such as kicking objects or pressing yourself against a wall, depending on the situation. The L2 and R2 buttons will let you strafe or perform a quick 180-degree turn when you hold them down together. The L1 button will let you target your opponents. The D pad will let you peek left or right when you press either direction while your back is against a wall.

Say hello to one of the many people you'll be killing.

The solid controls are complemented by a clean interface that keeps onscreen clutter to a minimum. An onscreen radar in the lower left-hand corner is keyed to react to sound and will let you know how much noise you're making as well as the locations of any noisy gang members around you. Enemies will show up as arrows that will let you know their location in relation to you and their level of alertness. Solid arrows on the radar mean your foes are on the same level as you, while thin arrows that point up or down let you know if they are above or below you. Their level of alertness is reflected by the color of their arrow on the radar. Yellow is idle, orange is on alert, and red reflects that the enemy has spotted you. Aside from the radar, you'll see an icon representing Cash, which will change color when you're hiding in one of the shadowy "safe zones" you'll come to rely on as you try to avoid enemies. When the icon is blue, you can't be spotted by an enemy unless he walks into you by accident.