DOOM`s got a nice little place in my heart as the first real online game to keep me up late nights with friends. I`ve played online games before on my Amiga but nothing like DOOM. When DOOM came out of nowhere and hit the Xbox Live Arcade, I was pretty excited at the possibility of reliving the great deathmatch action as well as playing cooperatively with friends. DOOM on the Xbox 360 is a nice port with some little annoyances but gives you all the great action that was so popular back in 1993.

DOOM is a pretty straight port of the game from the old days with some minor changes. There`s a new soundtrack but I`m never one to play the game with the music. One of the better changes as the addition of 5.1 surround sound. When I played through the first few levels, I noticed it right away as I heard grunts and demons in my rear speakers. It also helps out a lot as you know where they are coming from so you can turn to that position quickly to dispatch them.

Everything you remembered about DOOM is there. From the fireballing Imps to the charging Pinky demons, the game is a nostalgic blast to the past. Yes it`s missing some of the great elements that were introduced in DOOM 2 and if I had my choice I`d have released that game over the first one. (Although I can see this as a business decision in that they can release DOOM 2 later on for more money as well.) DOOM was the game to start the deathmatch craze and it is appropriate that this game is the first Xbox Live Arcade release for iD.

Four episodes are available in single player mode. You can play through each of the episodes on five different difficulty levels. This should give the novice gamers and the most seasoned ones the challenge that suites them. Each episode has nine levels and you`ll experience 10 different types of enemies once you get through the entire game. Some of my favorites in the Baron of Hell and the Spider Demon become regulars in DOOM 2 but provide good boss characters for the marine to take down. The architecture, which was one of the aspects that set this game apart from others at the time, allow for different angled walls instead of the traditional 90 degree design and also featured different height levels. The engine won`t allow rooms above rooms but the level designers did a good job of working within the limitations to produce some really nice levels.

Controlling the game with a joystick is actually pretty natural for me. I used to play DOOM all the time with a Gravis gamepad so using the gamepad for the 360 wasn`t much of a change from the old days. Controls are responsive with the joysticks controlling both movement and rotation. One button cycles through your weapons one way while another does the opposite direction. Some gamers will miss the ability to instantly switch to a particular weapon via a number key though. Left trigger will make you run while the right trigger fires your weapon. Mouse and keyboard gamers will miss the setup but the Xbox 360 gamepad does an admirable job. Since there isn`t any vertical aim required, the simplistic controls work quite well.

Online is where it`s at and DOOM succeeds immensely here when you have the right people connected. I was easil...