Wolfenstein

Wolfenstein 3D was the original first-person shooter that would go on to influence some truly iconic titles over the years, including Halo, Call of Duty, Battlefield and of course developer ID's very own Doom series. Like a digruntled old war veteran, Wolfenstein has re-surfaced to show the rest of these young pretenders how it's done. However, while it doesn't actually re-invent the wheel or re-claim its place as king of the genre, it is an exceptional shooter, solid in its design and offering many hours of no-nonsense shoot-em-up action.

The second world war continues to rage on, with series hero William 'BJ' Blazkowicz sent back behind enemy lines to topple the German war machine and investigate the appearance of a mysterious artefact that the Nazis plan on using to conquer the world. While this is years away from the 1992 original, the same over arching sense of menace and the paranormal hits home here.

As you enter the German city of Eisenstadt, you meet up with a group of rebels and are instantly thrown head first into your first shoot-out with German forces. It's loud, explosive and expertly-paced from start to finish, meaning there is never a dull moment and plenty going on to grab your attention. The control system is slick but is standard FPS fare, with a range of single action bolt rifles, uzis and machine guns at your disposal from the start.

Once you reach the heart of the city and the game's central hub, things take a more open-world approach. You are free to explore this vast area as you see fit, exploring abandoned houses, engaging in small skirmishes with packs of troops and discovering hidden loot and pickups strewn throughout. There is plenty to do here and many secrets to uncover. Along the way you will be given missions from key figures in the city, making up the core plot line. These open up new areas in and around the city for you to explore.

The initial aim is to investigate the activity of the ruthless SS Paranormal Division who are toying with the idea of using spiritual powers as weapons. At the end of the second mission you will get your hands on a mysterious relic that allows BJ to enter an ethereal dimension called ‘The Veil'. Here everything goes a tad demonic and incredibly, incredibly turquoise. Once you shift into the veil BJ's speed increases, he can see hidden doorways, enemies stand out better in the dark and you can even conjure up a shield or slow time to get the drop on large groups of foes. Again this is nothing new, but it is great fun, nice and simple.

It's when facing off against other Veil users that the game ramps up a notch. The way they run at you full pelt, use both planes to warp away from your gunshots and provide other troops with shields makes for an impressive adversary. The first time you encounter one may be tough, but get a few together and you are in for a world of hurt.

While the core experience is solid and a riot for the duration, with a visual flair that never lets up, the multiplayer is very diluted. Playing similarly to the multiplayer in predecessor Return to Castle Wolfenstein, small squads of Axis and Allies troops face off in simple deathmatch, modes none of which deliver any real inspiration.

So if you can overlook the dodgy accents and the fact that the game delivers little in the way of real innovation, then you will enjoy a solid 10-15 hour shooter with enough fun to make it worth the asking price.

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Under the previous scoring system (before 09/09/09) this game received a score of seven out of ten.