Return to Castle Wolfenstein: Tides of War takes the classic first person shooter and brings it live on the XBox. Check out the great gameplay!

Just about every action gamer knows the basic story by now. This game is a classic and has had several ressurections. It's World War 2, and the Nazis are trying to gain supernatural powers. The Allies are trying to figure out what is going on and to stop the Nazis.

In this XBox iteration, you learn that back in medieval days, a sorcerer managed to lock away a nasty, immortal warrior. This is who the Nazis have uncovered. You begin the single-player game as an Allied soldier in Africa, being sent in to figure out what the Nazis are up to. The game is a good mixture of action, stealth, and puzzle solving. If you just go in to a "kidnap" mission with guns blazing, you're likely not to succeed. Instead you have to sneak around and achieve your mission quietly.

The graphics are rather impressive. Candle flames flicker, light reflects off your hand-held knife as you walk through the streets. Lights reflect off of surrounding surfaces. The XBox version also boasts Dolby 5.1 sound, from the various weapons you use to ambient noises and rockets whistling overhead.

While the basic gameplay and new missions are quite fun, where the game *really* shines is in XBox Live gameplay. Head on line for a wide selection of mission types and maps. Choose the Axis or Allied side, pick your speciality and weapons. Then head into combat with your team, coordinating your attack! They even tweaked how some items work in multiplayer (venom, flamethrower) to help balance gameplay.

You can also download new content and check your rankings against other Wolfensteinites, always a fun challenge!

Highly recommended!

Buy Return to Castle Wolfenstein: Tides of War from Amazon.com