Phrantic by Rich "swelt" Jacques is one of the best maps in Quake 3 CPMA. A lot has already been said about the excellent gameplay, so I'm not going to repeat that here. There are good reasons why it's still so popular to this day and you don't have to play it long to understand why.

This is a faithful remake done by Peter "fKd" Ward, so you know you can expect some insane eye candy. The layout and gameplay are basically untouched, but the visual overhaul is huge. The map is filled with loads of detail and nice little touches to make it look even better.

In fact, it's detailed so well that I actually tried to climb the ladder near the toxic waste pit. Which turned out to be just a prop and not an actual escape route. I also appreciate the new areas you can see but can't reach, which makes the map look a lot bigger than it actually is.

There is not much to complain about really. One could argue that the CPMA version is a bit too dark, but this vanilla version has been relit and looks fine. I also don't understand the red blurry levelshot, but to each their own I guess. Go play this stunning map or just get inspired by it.

Reviewed by Sprony