However, Barracks is not all about special effects. It is actually a very large (1500+ sectors) and very intense level. Doom newbies should probably try it on the easiest difficulty, as UV will prove to be a challenge to those who claim to be doom masters . Saving whenever you do something good is a must, as is conserving ammo. You never know when trouble could be around the next corner. 

As with so many wads, bigger is not always better. While I am not saying that Barracks is bad, it didn't quite have the "fun factor" that some other wads have. I must say that I am not a big fan of running around finding switches and solving puzzles. At times this is what Barracks amounts to, and at times it can be quite annoying. 

In general architecture was quite amazing, to say the least. There are numerous chairs and tables all over the place, and one can only wonder how long it must have taken Justin to create. I won't give away any of the "special effects" and you can rest assured that you will absolutely stunned when you see them. Well, I was at least... 

Monster placement was generally good, with a nice progression in monster difficulty. You are also given the appropriate tools of the trade in order to deal with the enemy. They tend to pop out of here and there, and are always just waiting to mow you down. Those who like to find secrets are also very well catered for. There are 13(!!) in all. 

One thing must be noted, however. If you have a slow PC, then it is likely to struggle under the sheer strain brought about by this enormous wad. All in all, this wad is a must have, just to see the effects. Although, while you are taking it all i n, I also suggest you play it for a while. You just might find yourself hooked to one of the most amazing wads I have ever seen... 

Special FX abound, with a drop through a hole in the floor in one room and other things such as switches sticking out from walls, chairs with legs a platform you can walk under and over and even that classic doom level designing trick, the ladder. 

I can't see how this wad can run outside of Boom, but obviously, that doesn't matter if you use Boom with it. 

The badguy to ammo to health ratios were reasonable, on ultra I ran out of ammo several times and was reduced to fisting some demons in close contact areas. 

Barracks plays almost like 3 levels in one map, and it's length cut down on it's playability for me. All in all, I thought this wad was extremely good, and as a level designer it really made me think about how Doom's engine can be pushed without making a new source port specifically for it. I give it an overall 8 out of 10. 

The special effects in this level give a unique touch to this level, monster placement was good, usage of textures was good but the best thing I liked about the level was the attention to detail throughout the entire level, very good stuff. 

Health and ammo was well dispersed so you usually had a fair chance to survive any room you entered. Weapon placement was good so it made the level pretty fair. What I didn't like that much was the complexity of the level which made it difficult to find all the necessary switches just so you could go to another part of the level, spending most of my time running around after killing everything just to find the right switch to get to the next part is not my idea of fun. 

Puzzles are good, but in such a large level keep it more simple than that. If you're looking for a large level to play with plenty of monsters, complex puzzles then this level is for you. 

Final note: I feel this good have been a better level if the size was kept down or split up into another level. 

I found it annoying to have to press the spacebar more than the fire button, literally! The new textures and the use of them is second to none. Pre-existing textures are exploited to the max to produce interesting results, with light and switch textures especially. A new door texture that allows the player to see through it before entering is quite handy, as you can select the correct weapon for the job at hand. 

Special effects and 'tricks of the trade' are abundant and are absolutely unbelievable. In fact, they have to be seen to be believed. Who would of thought that the Doom engine could produce crouching effects and a good 3D alternative? 

The wad in terms of monsters is actually quite easy, but the puzzles were hard enough to make me rip half of my hair out. How the hell do you get that red key? 

All in all Barracks is a wad most deserving of our award and is a work of art. However, the level does sacrifice perhaps the most important part of any level/game, which is Gameplay. Gameplay is what sets Doom apart from Quake, it is what makes Doom the best game ever made. And unfortunately Barracks simply doesn't have enough of it. Rest assured - your Dooming experience will never be complete until you play this wad!! 

Problem solving and switch finding is what this level is all about. The problem solving didn't seem too hard, but the switch finding was. It took me so long to find one switch my stomach and head started to ache. This is the major downfall of this level and it brought down what could have been a promising level. Though it had all the special effects, it also had many bugs. There were so many that I lost count. This level should have been carefully playtested! Maybe the playtesters got bored playing, and didn't have enough paper to list all the bugs. 

The progression of difficulty was a plus though. At the start, it didn't seem much, but soon you'll encounter two Revenants at once. Saving your game and conserving your ammo is a necessity as the level goes. The placement of the monsters in the beginning was absolutely hopeless. One instance is when a Revenant is standing on a chair. I went up to him and shot him at point blank. It tried to shoot back, but found that all his missiles hit the back of the chair and died helplessly. The author tried to model the level like it is a barrack, and many times I stopped to marvel at some of the things he had made. The architecture of the level stunk (sorry Sacha), 98% of the time there was just a series of square (and rectangular) rooms linked by a series of corridors. 

Overall, I didn't really like this level and found it boring and somewhat repetive in its architecture. Special effects and the progression of difficulty are the major pluses of this WAD. The level is buggy, problem solving and switch finding did not sustain my interest. Not to mention the number of bugs I encountered. The text file also mentioned that it's co-opable, but at one stage when you pass this particular line def, an obstacle gets in the way. When I played co-op with my friend, we had to start again cos I got through but my friend didn't. Then we tried again and both got through. Only to find that when my friend could not come back in when he died. Being such a big level and so many switch finding, you'll probably won't find your opponent when playing DM. Sorry, but I base my overall mark on gameplay. 

Pros: Lots of special effects, progression of difficulty, Duke Nukem type indoor environment. 

Cons: No gameplay, buggy, multi-unplayable, squarish rooms, too many problems to solve and switches to find. Some very bad monster placement. I was looking forward to finishing the level. 

The author really has squeezed every ounce of the Doom engine with this huge level, in terms of sectors. The realistic bits of furniture which can be found throughout the level, take dozens of sectors to build, and the rather complex level structure, such as light bricks, ladders etc, also help to contribute to the level's size. 

When I first played this level, I noticed that many extra graphics had been implented, such as signs, fences,glass etc. While this isn't really that unique or surprising, its still good to see. It gives the level a refreshing look, really setting it apart from others. Perhaps the only criticism I have for this nicely detailed level, is that it lacks features which enhance gameplay 'atmosphere' ie dark (dusk) type areas, massive (high) places, moody type of music etc, all of which in my opinion can really seperate a fantastic level from an excellent one. 

If you decide to download this, which I recommend you do, use the Boom engine. Otherwise you'll find that you won't be able to save if you just use normal Doom. 

Highs : Marvelous detail. Never before seen special effects. Furniture and nice bits of graphics everywhere. 

Lows : Lack of gaming atmosphere. Should have changed the music soundtrack!