Think of Unreal Tournament 2003 as a great-graphics weapon fest. As a first person shooter it has an OK single player mission series, but the game really shines in its on line tournament play.

Yes, there is a single player mode. You go around shooting things, learning about the weapons and maps. Play with the six races and various classes to learn which best appeals to you and your gameplay style.

The character choices are interesting, and the sound draws you into the game. The booming wrestling-match commands give you that tournament feel. On the down side, there is a lot of cursing in the default taunts, so this is yet another reason the game isn't great for younger kids (apart from the obvious violence).

The graphics and physics are truly amazing. They've gone an excellent job both with indoor and outdoor maps. Players who are used to the Doom-like graphics of some other games out there will really appreciate the attention to detail put into the development here. The way in which your character moves, and the world through which you are moving, are both very realistic.

The weapons represent a good mix of styles. Some might complain that some of the uber-weapons from previous releases are missing - but there's a reason for that, it's called gameplay balance. The weapon set you have available here helps ensure that you have to use some brains and strategy to win, not just raw button-mashing ability.

Where the game really shines is multiplayer. This is what it was made for. Once you've spent enough time in single player to learn the controls, races and weapons, be sure to head on line! You can play classics like deathmatch, capture the flag, bombing run (like football) and domination (a control-area setup).

Highly recommended for any on line fan of first person shooters!

buy Unreal Tournament 2003 at Amazon.com