Most baffling of all, however, is Starbreeze’s decision to remove Riddick from his dark, deep space arena altogether for the final third and flood his newfound playground with frustratingly overpowered gun turrets. Their implementation is understandable to some extent; the game’s expansion pack origins are a clear indication that Dark Athena should have been a much shorter instalment than the fully-blown sequel delivered, and it reeks of Starbreeze lacking confidence in their game length, instead choosing to add tedious chokepoints in an attempt to artificially prolong the experience.

Indeed, the last few hours feel devoid of any imagination at all, waltzing Riddick through the same drab area and pitching him against wave after wave of hulking identikit enemies. Ultimately, and unforgivably, it turns an award-worthy jaunt into a sub-par run and gun. Nevertheless – and much to the testament of the performances delivered by Vin Diesel and Michelle Forbes – Dark Athena remains an engaging experience right to the very end, albeit without the structural finesse of its predecessor.

The remastered Escape from Butcher Bay will, of course, be the starting point for any newcomers to the series, provided here with a lick of HD paint. Unsurprisingly, its presentation isn’t quite up to the standard of its successor; go into Butcher Bay expecting a complete graphical overhaul and you’ll be left disappointed. But what is surprising is in how very little it appears to have aged in the five years since release. Even now, Starbreeze’s ambitious ultra-modern, ultra-violent variant on The Great Escape retains its position as one of the better titles out there.

An all-new multiplayer option has worked its way onto the disc as well, but unfortunately plays like the tagged-on extra that it quite obviously is. The game’s tense ‘Pitch Black’ mode, which casts one player as Riddick and the others as mercenaries, is definitely the highlight, but its severe lack of polish and antiquated design means that Riddick’s multiplayer regrettably seems doomed to failure.

As a package, Assault on Dark Athena stands on a par with Valve’s The Orange Box for value, albeit not quite in terms of quality. Although a no-brainer for those yet to experience Butcher Bay, gamers already familiar with Riddick’s first outing will likely find themselves as frustrated by its sequel as they will be engrossed. Assault on Dark Athena is undeniably an impressive and riveting continuation of the series, but it’s Escape from Butcher Bay that remains the twinkle in Riddick’s eye.

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