Just like the 1989 film, John McClane's caught in a high-rise full of terrorists and forced to bring them down one-by one. In the theater, it was a thrill-ride. And it could conceivably be just as fun at your desktop, but developer Piranha Games makes some disastrous mistakes. Virtually all the character voices are soundalikes, as you would guess. The problem is: They sound very little like their supposed counterparts. More troubling, though, is there's very little here that's new. You pretty much know where the story is going and if you've seen the film, you'll know some of the solutions to the game's puzzles.

Those puzzle elements are one of Die Hard's greatest flaws. They are either too easy or predictable. There will be times when you've got to cut a wire, to cut power or open doors, but you'll always know what wire to cut. Even when they are reversed, a note will remind you that they were wired backwards. Objects or items will often give you the clue on how to proceed.

Don't expect any salvation from the A.I. either. Sure the terrorists may duck here or there or even hide behind a desk, but there's a reason why terrorists always die in the movies. Run through a door and back out and enemies will follow, giving you the opportunity to take them out one at a time. Also, while the movie had a handful of terrorists to dog your every step, you'll face a virtual army here.

All this action takes place using the Lithtech engine, which more than shows its age. While some of the weapon models are crisp and clean, textures are bland, environments and character models are low polygon and the game looks like something out of 1996. The lack of visual flare is highlighted with equally bland sounds - particularly lifeless gunfire.

Die Hard strives for a tense atmosphere - and it has some moderate success. And there's an interesting twist in your character's morale level. As you're shot at, your morale drops, making enemies more aggressive. Aggressive enemies, though, aren't a problem since, as we mentioned above, they'd follow you out a window if they could.

Even at its modest $30 price tag, Die Hard: Nakatomi Plaza is nothing more than a vanilla shooter. The engine is dated, the game mechanics are flawed and insulting and if you've watched the movie, the story is irrelevant since you'll know everything that happens next.

It's possible to make a good game based on a film. Spider-Man proved that. It just didn't happen here.

Kevin Viana