Found: Just about everywhere

Damage: Moderate

Speed: Slow

Health: Moderate

The zombie is the staple Resident Evil enemy. A human who, either before or after death, became infected with the T-Virus and lurched back into life with a hunger for flesh. They are, for all intents and purposes, dead, being sustained only by the virus. They have no mental capacity, the brain itself rotting and decaying, and will live on unhindered by loss of limbs.

It is enough of a task for them to move at all, so they do so with a fortunate lack of speed and grace. The most simple tactic against them is avoidance, luring them in one direction and then quickly dashing another. When you feel the need to confront them, a few shots from the handgun are enough to make them drop to the floor, and another few shots will finish them off. A single magnum round or close-range headshot from the shotgun will result in instant decapitation.

The basic zombie attack is to lunge at you and latch onto your neck to drain your vital juices. This ranges from a mere nuisance to a serious health risk, so be careful if you are low on stamina. A zombie on the ground may grab onto your ankles for a meal; this is a much less dangerous attack and will result in them having their head kicked off once they let go. A third, rare attack is acidic vomit. This is decidedly unpleasant, so simply avoid it by not standing in their way.

Found: Balcony, gallery

Damage: Low

Speed: Fast

Health: Very low

Crows are merely crows, and pose little more than an annoyance. They only attack if provoked or spooked by loud noises, and even then just start flapping about. Don't waste ammunition - you probably wouldn't hit them anyway - and just run away. Don't let yourself get trapped by a flock, as anyone who was seen The Birds will tell you.

Found: Corridors, outside

Damage: Low

Speed: Fast

Health: Fairly low

Named after the mythical guardian of the underworld, they are in fact little more than infected guard dogs. They are very fast and often attack in packs, meaning their individually weak bites soon add up to fatal wounds. This technique also means they can be difficult to kill, despite not being very hardy.

Their favoured method of attack is to take a long run up and leap for your jugular. If you can hit them while they are in the air, they will take extra damage and longer to recover than usual. The best defence is simply to run, as if you stay on the move their jumps will usually miss.

Found: Pool, tunnels

Damage: They can hurt you?

Speed: Slow

Health: Unknown

As you run along the poolside path, these black things will drop from the trees above. Don't stop, and they won't even touch you.

Found: Dormitory room

Damage: Low, poisonous

Speed: Fast

Health: Very low

If you disturb the nest of these mutated insects, they will begin to swarm. There are too many to consider attacking, so just run.

Found: Dormitory basement

Damage: High

Speed: Slow

Health: N/A

These genetically modified sharks have broken free from their tank, flooding the basement in the process.

Found: Return to the mansion, tunnels

Damage: High

Speed: Fairly fast

Health: High

The hunter is one of Umbrella's most deadly bio-organic weapons, although exactly what they are is a bit of a mystery. They are big, green, and decked out with menacing-looking claws, and possess unexpected speed and agility. Their purpose is to defend the mansion complex with extreme force, and will flood the house after your encounter with Plant 42.

They will sprint towards you in a flurry of claws, possibly resulting in a deadly one-two combo attack. When not doing that, they will take to the skies with athletic leaps (perhaps revealing frog-like origins?) that may carry them clean over your head. The shotgun or bazooka are probably the best choice of defence, taking up to four well-timed and well-aimed hits from either. Be wary that after being knocked off their feet, you have just a split second once they stand up before they will make another leap.

Most importantly, the hunters have a fascination with the human neck. It doesn't happen too often, but a curious hunter may swipe at yours and sever your head in the process. This is instant, unavoidable death even if you were in peak condition before the impact. Beware.

Found: Tunnels

Damage: Low, poisonous

Speed: Moderate

Health: Fair

The arachnophobe's worst enemy: three-foot-high mutated tarantulas. They can crawl around on the walls and ceiling, and favour dropping from above to frighten you. Their venomous spit is poisonous but otherwise weak, and is easy to avoid because they must stand still and "charge up" beforehand. As with so many creatures, these are best simply avoided.

Killing a spider will result in a litter of smaller ones (relatively speaking) being released. These babies do minimal damage should they latch onto you, and can be disposed of by simply treading on them.

Found: Lab power rooms

Damage: High

Speed: Fair

Health: Strong

Quite what these are, I don't know. Oily black, vaguely humanoid monsters which are just at home on the ceiling as they are on the floor. This, combined with their speed, makes them difficult to hit; if you must do so, the colt python is probably your best choice of weapon.

While hanging from the ceiling, these things will often take sweeping strikes with their extended claws. If you are nearby when they do so, you'll almost certainly take a hit. Use their slow recovery time to high-tail it out of there or turn and get off a few shots. More damaging are its ground-based moves, including a violent vertical strike and near lethal back-mounting attack. Shake it off prepare to use any healing items you have.

Found: Attic, Piano room

Damage: Fair

Speed: Quick

Health: Strong

You'll meet this enormous serpent twice over the course of the mission, with it escaping from the first battle after being weakened. Both encounters are similar in terms of room size and combat tactics. Its primary advantages are speed, being able to slither the length of the room in just a moment, and size, taking up much of the floorspace as it goes. This enables it to wrap around your legs and prevent your retreat, so try not to get caught.

Its actual attacks are poisonous bites, which can only be cured with blue herbs or serum. You have neither of these for the first encounter, requiring you to race across the mansion before succumbing to the venom. If you are low on health, the snake will rear up and swallow you whole; heal if you see it start to do this. All the while, pummel it with shotgun shells or grenade rounds and it will fall relatively quickly.

Found: Dormitory

Damage: Fair

Speed: N/A

Health: High/Low

The mutated plant referred to in the various files, Plant 42 occupies most of a fairly large room. If you get close, it will whip at you with its vines, throwing you off balance. If you stay away, drops of some sort of acid will fall from the roof instead. These are preceeded by a little shower of harmless drops and rubble, so move out of the way once you see this warning. Stick to the walls and dodge the acid to get by without taking too much damage. If you applied V-Jolt to its roots in the basement, it will take much fewer hits before dying.

Found: Tunnels

Damage: Moderate

Speed: Moderate

Health: Moderate

This large arachnid is little more than a supersized version of the other spiders found around the complex, using the same attacks and requiring the same tactics. Its acidic spit does much more damage than that of the regular spiders, but otherwise there should be no problem here. It likes to take a moment to "charge" its attack, so as long as you stay on the move you should survive.

Found: Lab B6, Helipad

Damage: High

Speed: Fast

Health: Moderate/High

Umbrella's ultimate biological weapon, the Tyrant is the result of some quite hideous research and genetic modification. It's big, brutal, and biologically malformed, with internal organs on the outside and an enormous scythe-like claw for a right arm. Despite that, both encounters with the creature are relatively simple.

In the lab, it tends to walk slowly around until it is able to charge straight for you. Use the computer terminals for cover, and unload a round or two from your Python or bazooka. When he starts to charge, dodge to the other side of the room and repeat. Should you find yourself low on health, he will attempt to run his arm straight through you, resulting in an instant and messy death.

The second confrontation, if he appears at all, is all about evasion. His speed has increased, and he now brandishes a new and powerful claw swipe which can throw you the length of the helipad. He is also immune to all of your weapons, so don't bother trying to attack. Just dodge this way and that, staying on the move at all times. Once the countdown timer reaches around 30 seconds, Brad will throw a rocket launcher onto the centre of the "H." Pick this up and a single shot will destroy the Tyrant for good.