So, I got totally carried away with this, so it did not fit in the normal reviews on the game's page.
I'll just post it here:

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Let us put something out of the way. I love these games.
I gues, my affection is not entirely rational either (I have a soft spot for scifi, fantasy, time-travel, EGA graphics and 2,5D fps games. So that's that).
But from now on, I'll try to be more objective.
What do we have here:
HISTORY:
Catacomb was a simple, top down shooter, where you ran around in mazes, shot monsters with fireballs, shot walls to reveal passages, find the exit, proceed next level. Fun little game, but way too simple for todays standards. The only interesting fact about it, that it was basically the debut game of John Carmack, who later brought us such legends as Wolfenstein 3D, or the classic DOOM games!
Now then, Carmack would not be the programming genius we know him as, if he'd stick with this simplistic little fart of a game. Nope, he decided to make the sequel the very first 3d shooter to ever feature textured environment (only the walls, but come on, it was VERY impressive back then!). Also, it was one of the first games that had real time action, shown from a first person pespective (successor of Hovertank, also from the same guys). The game was a moderate succes, but Carmack left Softdisk to start his own company with Mr. Romero, and the rest is history. Softdisk though still had the license for the name and the engine, so they decided to make some sequels for Catacomb 3D. All of wich were lightyears better then the original.
THE GAMES:
I refuse to say anything else about the original catacomb, it's just that uninteresting as a game.
Now Catacomb 3D on the other hand...
Is pretty bad also. The engine was a bit iffy, so whenever yo get in touch with a wall, you get stuck to it until you move back. Also, the level designs are VERY bland. Interestingly, there is a hub system after a while, where you can travel to "planes" out of order, but you'll fight pretty much the same 4 types of guys, and all the environments look almost identical anyway.
For reasons beyond my understanding, this is the same basic gameplay which was present in Wolf 3D, and people absolutely loved it. For me, it is very boring and tedious (and it has an ending so bad, it makes Mass Effect 3 look like the wizard of oz).
Catacomb Abyss: This was out as a shareware game, so I guess most of you know only this episode. Comparing to Catacomb 3D, it couldn't be more different (literally. I think they tweaked the engine to the max). in this one, every level has a different theme. All the walls, decoratons and monsters change accordingly. For example, you start in a cemetery, where the dead rise from the grave, you see crosses, mausoleum walls, etc. Cool stuff. The walls you should destroy are more obvious to spot. This is a solid game, and the colorful palette of things to see really elevates this above the original Cat3D.
Catacomb armageddon:
My personal favorite. The levels are much better, harder, and even more thematic. The atmosphere is the best in this one. You get little messages about the places you're in, which adds a lot to the mood. You get new monsters, and new designs each level, which keeps you play through the whole thing.
Catacomb Apocalypse:
Very similar to Armageddon, but this time, you travel to the future even! Also, the Hub system is back for some time, but in this game, you really get the feeling, you're entering different realms.

FINAL VERDICT:
On the downside, the gameplay itself is basically the same in all the 4 3D games. You go from level to level, shoot with the same basic stuff, kill monsters, go to next level. There isn't much variation to it, but on a graphical level, there is a LOT to see.
I strongly suggest at least to try these games, especially if you like nonsensical, very arcadish, very oldschool games. they'll give a you a nostalgia rush, even if you never played them before!
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The only downside in Abyss-Armageddon-Apocalypse trilogy is no music at all, even simple midi is not existant, but creative designs of levels and monster will make you entertained longer. ;-)

In The original catacomb 3d, there is a short musical que. And it is terrible.:)
I really don't mind the lack of music, I just put my own soundtrack in.
C64 remixes, or Laserhawk does magic on the game :)

Great advice. I listen to the Icewind Dale or Divine Divinity soundtracks when playing an old fantasy themed game with no/bad music like Catacombs. When playing Dangerous Dave I play a horror themed soundtrack like the Resident Evil 4 soundtrack.

I don't think that Catacomb 3D: The Descent was a bad game at all. Ultimately, I think it's a game that is difficult to appreciate in this day and age save for a select minority of FPS players.

When I first started the game up I had to modify the controls a bit and had to get used to the fact that I could not strafe with any real degree of ease. To top it off, as the OP mentioned, bumping into a wall results in a dead-stop accompanied with a dull tone that seems to want to say 'hey, fuckhole, you just walked into a wall. Pay attention.' Once I became used to these to gameplay aspects I was able to do what any real gamer does: accept the game on its terms and play it on its terms. Combat was relatively but appropriately slow, however for people who cannot 'machine gun click' the L-Mouse button it would be relatively slow and a death wish. This game is unforgiving when you get hit and the monsters actually try to get around the player, though the people that continue to play through and practise the machine gun technique will be rewarded with more health potions than they know what to do with.

I can't stress enough that I really had to adapt to the gameplay of Catacomb 3D: The Descent, I truly had to play the game the way it wanted to be played. This meant almost sneaking around corners at times (Halls of Blood, anyone?) and at other times carefully testing the walls with fireballs (Labyrinth), but all the while on my toes just in case a goblin or demonic troll of one breed or other popped up in front of me. When I beat the game I laughed: the 'end game' screen is priceless, especially if you're not familiar with the thumbnail-sketch of a story present in the game.

As someone who has many fond memories of Doom, being able to play the game that basically started it all was a very pleasant journey and one that I highly recommend to others with the same experience.

I liked that Catacomb 3D has secret levels that you go to by finding a secret exit rather than using the warp cheats to go to the extra maps like in the later ones. I also liked that the scroll hints actually play a part in the puzzles instead of the largely irrelevant ones that Abyss had. It also had a better difficulty level system and keeping score is arguably nice too. Aside from those things it does feel pretty unpolished compared to Abyss-Armageddon-Apocalypse though, at least to me. Not to mention that the single endlessly repetitive music track in 3D makes me feel like I'm really descending into hell in a not-good way.

I actually dig the lone track. It seemed to me to be very appropriate and setting the mood. I like to reflect it against orchestral music that is becoming more and more common in games, music that is damn good but does nothing whatsoever for setting mood relative to the gameplay.