It takes a lot to scare me in a video game, but ''Condemned: Criminal Origins" seriously creeped me out.

So it was with wariness that I approached the sequel, ''Condemned 2: Bloodshot."

Well, I needn't have worried: ''Condemned 2" still works the creepy vibe, but it's not nearly as shocking as its predecessor.

The game picks up about a year after the original game. Ethan Thomas, once an investigator for the Serial Crimes Unit, is haunted by the events in ''Condemned," which had him tracking a serial killer through abandoned buildings. He spends most of his time drunk.

A phone call changes all that, when SCU asks him to help find a missing man amid a wave of riots and violent crimes.

So back Ethan goes into the dark and dilapidated buildings inhabited by drug users and crazy people. He must fight them off using whatever is handy - bricks, 2-by-4s, toilet seats, occasionally a real gun - all while performing forensic investigations.

Many of the areas are incredibly dark, with sparse -and unpredictable - lighting. Enemies can jump out of anywhere, and the game's creators seem to love making you jump with eery sounds and movements by birds and dogs.

The combat in ''Condemned" was basic, just hitting a button. It's been reconfigured for the sequel. Punches and swings for each arm are mapped to the corresponding trigger button. If you successfully land a left-right combo, your next hit gets a multiplier that does more damage.

The deeper combat is a double-edged sword.

While it improves the combat system, it also breaks up the game's immersion, which is a lot of the reason why the first game was so scary. When you're busy trying to time your combo punches, you tend not to notice the sounds coming from behind the door or the flickering light bulb. Still, I think players will appreciate the improved combat.

The developers also deepened what was my favorite part of the original: the forensic investigations. When Ethan happens upon a crime scene, he must analyze it. This involves examining the evidence and making inferences, such as one early example when you look at a bullet wound on a body and must select whether it is an entrance or exit wound.

After finishing a check list of question, you send the evidence to a lab wirelessly, which confirms whether you were correct. It's an involved and thoughtful addition to the game.

''Condemned 2" breaks up some of the intensity with its more extensive combat system, but the improvements to that and the investigations help make up for it. And it's still a darn spooky game.

Go ahead, try it with the lights off. I dare you.

Reach Aimee Green at (402) 473-7326 or Aimee.Green@lee.net.

"Condemned 2: Bloodshot"By: Sega, for Xbox 360 (also on PlayStation 3)

Rated: Mature

Cost: $59.99

4.5 out of 5 stars