EA have confirmed that the much-anticipated Dante’s Inferno demo – enticingly entitled “Gates of Hell” – will hit consoles in December. To properly whet appetites, it will feature the opening level in its entirety.

The demo be available on the PlayStation Network from 10 December. Have an XBox? For reasons unknown you’ll have to wait for Santa Claus to bring it to all good XBL Gold Members on Christmas Eve. Sorry about that.

Whether you get to experience it on the 10th or the 24th, the demo is surely worth a look – not least because the February 2010 release date is still a loooooong way off and the expected RRP looks somewhat on the pricey side. I’ll certainly be downloading it; I spent a good half hour of quality time with Dante’s Inferno at the Eurogamer Expo last month and was begrudgingly impressed. Be sure to tell us what you think.

Full press release is under the jump …

Guildford, UK – December 1, 2009 – December is about to heat up! Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: ERTS) today announced that the playable demo for Dante’s Inferno™ will be available as a free download on PlayStation Network on December 10 and on Xbox Live on December 24. Dante’s Inferno takes gamers on a quest through hell, in an action-packed adaptation of part one of Dante Alighieri’s epic poem, The Divine Comedy. The ‘Gates of Hell’ demo includes the entire opening level and gives gamers a taste of the terrifying odyssey to come in the Nine Circles of Hell as depicted in the full game.

In the demo of Dante’s Inferno, players are introduced to Dante Alighieri’s re-imagined past as a crusader who returns home to Florence to discover his true love, Beatrice, murdered. As her soul escapes her body, she is kidnapped by the dark shadow form of Lucifer. Sworn to her rescue, Dante must journey to the Gates of Hell and beyond to battle undead monstrosities, unholy boss demons, and Death himself. Offering a glimpse into the vast world of Dante’s Inferno, the demo serves as a prelude to the player’s perilous journey to the inner bowels of hell.

“The world of Alighieri’s Dante’s Inferno is such a rich, detailed, and often alarming universe, that all of us at Visceral Games put our hearts, and dare I say souls, into creating something truly intense and exciting,” said executive producer Jonathan Knight. “We hope gamers enjoy this tease of hell, and come away from the experience lusting for more when the game comes out on February 5.”

Developed by Visceral Games™, the award-winning developers behind the critically-acclaimed Dead Space™ franchise, Dante’s Inferno is an epic descent through Dante Alighieri’s nine circles of hell – limbo, lust, gluttony, greed, anger, heresy, violence, fraud and treachery. At a blazing-fast 60 frames per second, each circle features unique environments, all new creatures, terrifying demons, story elements and are scored distinctly to set a tone that fits each circle of sinners.

Gamers will get to go to hell in the UK on February 5, 2010 for PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system and the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system as well as the PlayStation® Portable (PSP®). The Gates of Hell demo will be available on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 consoles.

Dante’s Inferno is currently awaiting BBFC classification. For more information on Dante’s Inferno, please follow the Dante’s Inferno team at Visceral Games on Twitter at www.twitter.com/danteteam and visit the game’s official web site at www.dantesinferno.com where the team explores a new circle of hell, with new content and updates on the ninth day of every month.