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Big things sometimes come in small packages. In the case of Resident Evil: Deadly Silence (RE: DS), a big, scary thing has come in a small package. After making its debut on Sony PlayStation (PS) 10 years ago, the first game from the popular horror survival series returns to spook both and old new players on the Nintendo Dual Screen console.

The plot is classic, horror-flick material – a team of agents goes to Raccoon City to investigates a series of gruesome deaths and end up stuck in an old, scary mansion with hordes of blood thirsty monsters around.

You play as either agent Chris Redfield or Jill Valentine, each with different paths, though the objectives are the same. You will unravel the mystery of the mansion by exploring its compounds, while slaying zombies, hellhounds and other creatures from the dark.

Fortunately the title is just not direct port of the Ps game. Players can choose from the new console-exclusive Rebirth mode, and there is a training mode available for those looking for a scare, but easier game play.

The Rebirth modes offer more monsters and puzzles that use the console’s touch screen. There is Wi-Fi multiplayer mode and an unlockable mini-game.

A neat innovation comes in the form of first-person perspective knife battles, which occur sometimes when you enter a room. You cannot move or run away here while the monsters make their way towards you – whip out your stylus because you have to do some stabbing and slashing on the touch screen.

RE:DS uses top screen of the console to display the map, which is very convenient for keeping track of your location. The action takes place on the lower screen.

Like the original, this game makes use of many awkward camera angles to pile on the scares. The constant switching can be disorientating, but you will get used to it.

Be prepared for a few surprises, as the monster makes their entrance in many creative ways. A hint: things lying on the ground are usually there for a reason.

The game’s graphics are not as clear and crisp as some of the other 3D console games I have seen so far, but eerie background music helps to generate a heightened sense of suspense.

All the dialogue from the earlier game is here, and old and new gamers alike can chuckle to the rather lame script (“You were almost a Jill sandwich”). It is also amazing to see quite a few cinematic scenes thrown in, seldom see in a portable game.

The game’s anachronistic controls, however, leave much to be desired. It uses the “tank” control, in which the up and down buttons are used to move forwards and backwards, while the left and right buttons are used to turn your character around. This, coupled with the camera angle switching, makes for some anxious moments as you try to adjust to the new orientations. Though, you will have just to get used to it.

As a first-timer to the horror survival genre, I was genuinely spooked by the game. (Yes, I did jump out of my seat a few times.)

RE:DS is uncompromising in its commitment to fright tactics, and there I plenty to go around. The game is probably not the kind of game you will want to play on the train or bus.

But if horror’s your game, this little package would be the perfect way to get the frights wherever you go.