But aside from the fact it's only sporadically fun, what most kills Demon Stone is what it doesn't include. Firstly, it doesn't include any form of co-operative play, which is genuinely saddening. While they would have had to compromise on the area viewed to make it work, having three unique characters which only ever use their abilities for the small amount of time when you're controlling them seems a waste.

Secondly, it doesn't include much. While Two Towers (and its EA produced sequel Return of the King) were undoubtedly short games, Demon Stone flows through your fingers like water. Starting play on a Saturday night and I'd finished it by the following evening, without even trying seriously and taking lengthy breaks to go and do something a little more entertaining, like the Darwinia Demo, chatting on the internet and arguing with my girlfriend on the phone.

You can just about forgive a game you enjoy for being short. When it's a game you just endure... well, the urge to staple it to the back of a group of hobbits heading southeastward is increasingly attractive.