Wolfenstein isn’t a sequel to the previous games but a reworking, as was every previous Wolfy game. The ‘80s originals had the player sneak around the castle, finally planting a bomb outside Hitler’s bunker. The 3D game by id Software (and its Spear of Destiny add-on) began with the player as U.S. soldier B.J. Blazkowicz first trying to escape the Nazi castle and then confronting its inhuman denizens.

The "Return" in this latest game’s entry refers not to its sequel status but to a plot point later in the game. At the outset, U.S. Army Ranger Blazkowicz and a partner have been captured by Nazi forces while trying to sneak into Castle Wolfenstein. True to the original games, the entire first section has our hero trying to escape his imprisonment. Soon after, Allied spymasters realize he’s in the perfect place to check out disturbing new rumors.

One sidenote here: This phase begins one of the game’s very few flaws. That is, the plot is disjointed, with distinct sections that really have nothing to do with each other. That’s charming when you know a game is the result of modmakers in different countries showing off (a la The Gunman Chronicles), but jarring in a professional title like Wolfenstein. One moment, you’re tracking a supernatural conspiracy, the next you’re escorting a tank through a bombed village. Cutscenes and between-level mission briefings try to tie everything together, but can’t reconcile such gaps.

Back to our plot: Blazkowicz is sent to investigate the SS Paranormal Division, which it turns out is trying to resurrect several "Dark Knights" (I’m Batman!) who will, of course, turn the tide of war against Allied forces.

Really, that’s all just an excuse for the player to use a variety of weapons — most grounded in reality, with only a couple of outrageous superguns — against Nazi soldiers and their creepy crawly creations.

As mentioned above, weapons are a nice collection of guns with some interesting alt-fire capabilities (mostly involving silencers). Return does boast some over-the-top weapons, like the Venom chain gun or Tesla electro-zapper. Best of all is the flamethrower, which has surprising range and just gorgeous graphics.

While most of the levels were fun, I truly began to enjoy myself when exploring a secret Nazi genetics lab. This sequence was pure fun: It had tension, action and my beloved scripted events. One is even activated by the player’s reaction: A "loper" — those electro-charged beasties without legs in all the ads — corners and fries a scientist. Stay at the window, and the loper will turn and stare. (Move, and it’ll lope away, ending the event.) As it stares, an SS super soldier blows it away — and then heads for the player. Truly a great moment.

Alas, that lab mission ends too soon, and then it’s off to the seemingly unrelated (except by between-missions exposition) conclusion. Really, the disjointed flow of the game makes it feel like the level designers were kept segregated during the entire process.

Speaking of level design, Return to Castle Wolfenstein is relentlessly linear. Is that a bad thing? Not always, but it means the only choice left to the player is to either sneak around or go in guns akimbo. And some levels even take away that second option; don’t even get me started on the level that forces one to sneak through a forest. It brings the game’s momentum to a screeching halt.

One curiosity: The manual features "civilian" characters (villagers and the like) as if they were prominent parts of the game. I counted a mere handful. Of those, only one served to advance the game (a mechanic who told how to launch a rocket-jet). The other five or six could just as easily have been left out of the game — why include them unless you go all-out with NPC AI (as seen in games like Half-Life)?

It’s beginning to sound like I hated the game, isn’t it? On the contrary, Return is so fun that these failings really stand out. This was a worthy successor to Wolf3D, and I certainly hope we get an actual sequel next time out.