What's the best way to escape the brutal cold and snow of winter? Well, one option is to delve down into the dark, terrifying, underground tunnels of Penumbra: Black Plague, which is now shipping to retailers in North America.

If it's not cold and snowing where you live, it certainly is where Penumbra's main character is stranded. In Penumbra: Overture , a man named Philip was on the trail of a father he thought long since dead, only to find himself forced underground by a freezing storm in Greenland. In this mysterious underground complex, Philip not only discovered new clues, he also found himself confronted by a host of deadly enemies, making the game as much of a surivival horror experience as a traditional adventure. In Black Plague, players resume the role of Philip and his pursuit of the truth behind his father's disappearance, although the sequel reportedly focuses much more on problem solving than the combat and stealth found in its predecessor.

Although releasing first in North America, the European launch of Penumbra: Black Plague is expected very shortly.