BY SEAN O’CONNELL

You might have seen an ad for “Dante’s Inferno” during last night’s Super Bowl telecast. Electronic Arts and Visceral Games have timed the release of their third-person action game to hit as gamers patiently away next month’s new “God of War” title. But how is the new video game being received?

So far, reviewers are noticing similarities between “Inferno” and “War.” In the former, players assume the role of Dante, a veteran of the Third Crusade who chases his blonde-haired, beloved princess, Beatrice, into the depths of Hell to free her from the clutches of Lucifer. The game, obviously, is loosely based on the first chapters of Dante’s “Divine Comedy,” and it features the nine circles of Hell as individual levels that must be conquered.

GamePro gave “Inferno” one of its highest grades, rewarding it with a score of 80 (out of 100) and praising its level architecture and combat. But the critic did chastise “Inferno” for the elements it clearly borrowed from other games.

1Up.com, however, took “Inferno” to task for cloning previous games. Reviewer Matt Leone claimed “Inferno” was “as complete a forgery as games come” before claiming that the game “comes up short of creating the grand adventure that it seems to be trying for.” Leone gave the game a C+ grade.

GamesRadar seems to sum it up best when it calls “Dante’s Inferno” a “competent God of War clone.” So if you can’t wait for “God of War III,” which streets on March 16, test drive “Dante’s Inferno.” It hits stands Tuesday, Feb. 9.