Players assume the role of John Mullins (also the name of the games real-life mercenary consultant), a soldier for hire who accepts the most dangerous missions the US government offers, including recovering stolen nuclear warheads and infiltrating war-torn Kosovo. Hawk, a burly sidekick voiced by The Green Mile Oscar nominee Michael Clarke Duncan, accompanies Mullins primarily in scripted sequences that advance the grisly story. Soldier of Fortunes single-player story line exceeds genre standards and rivals Valves classic Half-Life for depth and excitement.

A first-person shooter wouldnt be complete without explosive weaponry--Soldier of Fortune certainly doesnt disappoint. The arsenal includes a knife, several pistols, a shotgun, a variety of machine guns, a rocket launcher, flame thrower, sniper rifle, grenades and a futuristic microwave gun. Unlike most action shooters, players select new weapons before each mission--and youre restricted in how much armament John carries.

Soldier of Fortune uses a heavily modified version of id Softwares Quake 2s 3-D engine, and the results are impressively realistic--perhaps even too realistic. Shoot an enemy in the foot with the pistol, and hell clutch the wound and favour his good leg. --Doug Radcliffe

Pros:

• Heavily modified and very crisp Quake 2 graphics engine depicts the carnage with frightening realism
• Varied multiplayer modes provide frenetic online excitement with smooth action on a standard modem connection
• Over two dozen missions with multiple objectives and diverse locations, such as on a speeding train and at Kosovo
• Some of the best weapons and weapon sound effects ever used in a first-person shooter
• Ability to lock out the realistic gore

Cons:

• In-your-face violence could disturb even the most hard-core shooter fans
• Limited enemy artificial intelligence