Take 2, after the usual post-Christmas drought, has kicked off its 2003 release schedule with a literally explosive first-person shooter. Vietcong pits players in jungle warfare as they experience a virtual representation of that infamous conflict in South East Asia.

The leader of a team of the U.S. Special Forces, Vietcong focuses very much on squad-based gameplay, a la Rainbow Six, SWAT and the likes. Going into each of the game's hostile situations prepared and armed to the teeth, you' ... more >>

Take 2, after the usual post-Christmas drought, has kicked off its 2003 release schedule with a literally explosive first-person shooter. Vietcong pits players in jungle warfare as they experience a virtual representation of that infamous conflict in South East Asia.

The leader of a team of the U.S. Special Forces, Vietcong focuses very much on squad-based gameplay, a la Rainbow Six, SWAT and the likes. Going into each of the game's hostile situations prepared and armed to the teeth, you'll begin with no shortage of weapons and ammunition, but neither will the enemy. Caution is advised - games in this genre don't make for an easy adventure and Vietcong is a fine example of this.

Set across a respectable 20 full length missions, you'll be charged with overcoming dozens of formidable obstacles and employing strategies such as stealth in order to progress through the game. You will learn to make use of shadows, infiltrate underground bases and develop a sharp eye for booby traps.

The game world itself is sprawling, and the abundant forest foliage looks very nice indeed, as do the players and characters that populate them.

Once you enter one of the game's online multi-player skirmishes, it's not hard to see why Vietcong has been stamped with a BBFC rating of 18+. It certainly is one of the bloodiest games we've seen for a while, but, as ever, gameplay is paramount and developer GOD has delivered well here. Good stuff. << less