Although Electronic Arts may come under fire from the gaming community for its somewhat cynical approach to development, no one can deny the awesome power and supreme quality of the Medal of Honor series. Now in its fourth year and gracing its sixth platform, the MOH team, headed up by EA production guru Rick Giolito, has again excelled itself.

Jimmy Patterson is this time charged with sneaking behind enemy lines and half-inching an experimental aircraft known as HO-IX Flying Wing. Failur ... more >>

Although Electronic Arts may come under fire from the gaming community for its somewhat cynical approach to development, no one can deny the awesome power and supreme quality of the Medal of Honor series. Now in its fourth year and gracing its sixth platform, the MOH team, headed up by EA production guru Rick Giolito, has again excelled itself.

Jimmy Patterson is this time charged with sneaking behind enemy lines and half-inching an experimental aircraft known as HO-IX Flying Wing. Failure, as ever, could result in Nazi domination of the finely balanced war, so success is imperative.

As with all releases in the series, Medal of Honor Frontline is a first-person shooter with mission-based objectives. In total, 15 missions are assigned to the player, and it must be said that the level of refinement and level-design maturity on display is fantastic. Missions are heavily stealth-orientated, as you might expect from the plot, with GoldenEye-style sneakery winning out over Doom-inspired carnage.

Locations are as varied as they are well rendered, with levels set in stately homes, on trains, deep within enemy facilities and so on. There's even a mission set underneath the Nijmegen Bridge, as seen in the film A Bridge Too Far.

As ever, Patterson is equipped with a dazzling array of faithfully recreated WWII weaponry and has the unerring aid of his squadron.

EA is keen to let you know how far it has managed to push the artificial intelligence aspect of its latest MOH release. Some of the earlier games came in for slight criticism due to the fact that NPC's were often terminally stupid and easily outwitted. This has all been changed, with enemy characters equipped with full-sensory AI that lets them see and hear over certain distances. Your squadron has also been on the brain food and will now proactively progress through the team-focused missions like true professionals.

Enemy units are also heavily reliant on their leaders for direction and organisation. Remove the man in charge and the rest quickly turn into deserters or cannon fodder. A better follow up the brilliant Allied Assault could not have been made. Enjoy! << less