Editor's note: "Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks" was recently released. Here's a look at the series' previous issue.

Game: "Mortal Kombat: Deception."

Console: PlayStation 2 (also available for Xbox and GameCube).

Developer/publisher: Midway.

Genre: Action.

Number of players: One to two.

ESRB: Mature, for animated violence, blood and gore.

Gameplay: The "Mortal Kombat" series has always followed one rule of thumb: Make the game play as simple as it is violent. "Deception" is no different.

New to the game engine are Hara Kiris, self-induced fatalities; and "death traps," which are a messier version of the ring-out in the "Virtua Fighter" games. Death traps can act as an equalizer for the less-skilled player, considering one well-placed uppercut can instantly end a round.

Single-player mode has been left alone for the most part. It is still the same formula of choosing a character and fighting your way up the Underworld's hierarchy of warriors. Parents who are worried about the violence that is the hallmark of the MK series can rest easier with the options to turn off gore and stage fatalities.

"Deception" boasts a new Konquest Mode, which requires you to search for keys and earn coins to unlock prizes as you learn to play the game, and two new mini games: Chess Kombat, which is a creative yet graphic version of the board game; and Puzzle Kombat, an homage to Capcom's "Puzzle Fighter." While these features are fun in their own right, they don't take anything away from the one-on-one fighting that is the best part of this game by far. Also, the online feature should be a welcome addition for any gamer who is tired of beating their own friends.

The good/bad: Negatives first. Although Konquest Mode is fun at first, the novelty wears thin fast. One particularly bad thing about this mode is that you need to play through it to obtain money and keys to get most of the unlockable prizes and sometimes the keys are so hard to find, it's infuriating. However, hard-core gamers will find the challenge rewarding, especially because the coolest unlockables in the game are only obtainable through this mode. Another gripe some may have is that you can't get coins through online mode.

The positives of this game outweigh the bad, however. The new mini games are incredibly fun, especially Chess Kombat, and the theatrics that come along with the new death traps are more entertaining than cutscenes in other games.

Tips: Add color to the crossfire with paintball mode, which you can obtain by pressing Right, Left, Right, Left, Down, Down, Up, Up in the Extras menu.

My take: "Mortal Kombat: Deception" is a great game. The fighting is as fun as it is graphic, the mini games are addictive, and Konquest Mode adds a sense of purpose to the game's kill-everyone-you-see mentality.

Jeremy Castillo is a student at Windward Community College and the editor of the college's newspaper, Ka 'Ohana.