Return to Castle Wolfenstein: Tides of War (Xbox)

By JON MINIFIE

(Herald rating: * * * *)

Lately we've seen several high-quality Xbox releases, one of which was this popular former PC shooter.

The story takes us back to 1943. War is raging throughout Europe, the Third Reich is crumbling and Hitler's fascination with the occult sees him dispatch Heinrich Himmler and the SS Paranormal division to uncover an ancient tomb. His ultimate goal is to raise an army of undead to help defeat the advancing allies.

In Return to Castle Wolfenstein: Tides of War, players assume the role of BJ Blazcowicz, a US secret operative with a penchant for doing away with Nazis. The plot is unique but as with most good shooters, it is secondary to the important business of wiping out bad guys with impunity.

The many single-player missions are reasonably compelling though it will probably be more fun playing through them co-operatively, using the split-screen option. Using a system link cable to link two Xbox consoles is another option or you can link several consoles using a hub and standard Ethernet cables.

Each mission holds a variety of challenges and puzzles. The maze-like castle provides a wonderfully gloomy backdrop for the action and its dark hallways and narrow conduits hide countless pitfalls.

Return to Castle Wolfenstein features a serious arsenal of weaponry. Everything from knives and grenades to shotguns and flamethrowers. However, the enemy AI is a cut above what you'll find in most FPS titles. Players need to outwit as well as outgun them. German guards will take cover rather than opting for a suicidal charge. They'll even kick grenades back towards you if they have time.

Visually Return to Castle Wolfenstein is impressive on the bigger screen. The character animation is smooth and realistic and the 5.1 sound is a treat, even with the simplest home theatre set up.

It would have been easy to release a direct port but to their credit, the games developers (id Software) have included new levels, new characters and several highly functional multiplayer options for this Xbox version. Return to Castle Wolfenstein: Tides of War ranks with all the leading Xbox shooters, except for Halo, which remains very much in a league of its own.

Price: $129.95

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