Best described as a squad-based first and third person shooter, C:DS sets you in sandy middle eastern levels with stretches of wide open desert and lots of canyons, and gives you control of up to four special forces soldiers (either SAS or U.S. Delta Force) individually or as a group. It uses a rather clever control system that allows you to order any of the other three men to any visible point, and even decide which direction they'll face when they get there. You can also switch to any of them at any point and take over control of them (first person or third), and then issue orders from their position too - it's a highly adaptable system that seems a bit convoluted at first, but after practice seems to border on genius - it's certainly easier to grasp and more immediately playable than the other squad-based Xbox corker around at the moment (Ghost Recon) and manages to do just about everything you could want a squad game to do.

   

As with most combat games your soldiers have a health gauge, and if this is completely depleted (either by accrued damage from small arms fire or in one stroke from a large explosion like a rocket or land mine) you can "heal" them by reaching them in a limited time with another soldier (as long as they have a medikit). Despite not being particularly realistic this in-game mortality means plenty of heroic rescue runs under fire, and that you'll probably get quite attached to your team (Bradley, Foley, Connors and Jones). Although they get replaced with new recruits if they die, the fact that they improve in ability (weapons accuracy and steadiness of hand is particularly noticeable) and earn medals as you progress through the levels will encourage you to look after them.

These guys aren't confined to foot travel either, and you get to drive a couple of vehicles during the game (sort of Halo-style with one driving and the others controlling weapons or just riding along). We'd have to say that if you don't enjoy the M2 Bradley fighting vehicle level then this really isn't your sort of game. A wide selection of weapons from hand pistols, combat knives and grenades to silenced sniper rifles, and machine guns, rocket launchers and heavy machine guns (and their individual reload sounds) all sound perfect, as do the growling engines of enemy tanks (especially as the game supports Pro Logic II), various ambient sounds like oblivious Iraqi soldiers humming and singing, radio chatter, wind noises and even some stirring in-game music (or joyfully, your own soundtrack ripped from the hard drive if you want it) mean that C:DS isn't short of atmosphere.

The Xbox version of C:DS has a better draw distance than the PS2 version (that was widely criticised for fogging that was just too close for comfort). Although the fog draws in during the multiplayer game and spoils the overall look, we found that it plays superbly as a 2, 3 or 4 player split screen co-operative effort with a surprisingly constant frame rate even when all hell breaks loose (and it does, regularly). If there are only two players then you both control two of the squad alternately or simultaneously, if there are three then one controls two (or something like that - bear with me, it's not as complicated as I skilfully make it sound) - anyway, it works brilliantly and the frame rate problems of the PS2 version (that badly hampered accurate aiming when things got busy) have been completely eliminated. The training mode also gives you a nice, easy tutorial on every facet of the game; from simply negotiating an assault course to ordering your squad around, driving vehicles and even calling in air strikes or artillery bombardments.

   

Desert Storm's graphics certainly won't win any prizes, but what they do manage is to give you expansive, glitch-free and solid environments to play in, better than virtually any other game of a similar ilk. In a time where every third-person game or platformer seems to mess you around with rubbish camera work, C:DS does an excellent job of keeping things playable and visible. Characters are well enough animated have authentic looking uniforms and gear, and the link sequences all use the game engine - which keeps the continuity and immersion going. The vehicles look a little blocky and low on detail but the whole game ties together so well as an overall package that it seems churlish to go picking at weak spots. But I will anyway: Hand grenades are ridiculously difficult to throw accurately and enemies seem stupidly accurate and will pepper you with bullets even when firing at you on the run from 500 metres away. Having said that, the enemy AI also seems a bit dumb at times as you can stand and shoot streams of them as they run like lemmings into your line of fire, but as we've never actually been in a combat situation who the heck are we to say this isn't realistic behaviour in the blind panic of a battle situation?

We'd also have liked to see more of the M2 Bradley fighting vehicle (or anything armoured really), it seemed sadly underused to us. If we're going to be really picky then although you can occasionally get a stealth kill with a silenced weapon or combat knife, it would seem to be impossible to be as sneaky and covert as real special forces would have tried to be, as enemies seem to have eyes like a Terminator and alarms always seem to be raised regardless of how careful we were (but hey, we've had enough of sneaking around in just about EVERY other game of late anyway). Oh, and the game could have been a bit longer, just as we were really enjoying the 4 player co-operative mode the fifteen missions are completed and the game is over - and although you can play it through again on a harder difficulty setting or with the Delta Force instead of the SAS, more levels would have been preferable.

But all the gripes really seem insignificant when you consider how much we enjoyed the game and how well it plays whether it's with 1, 2, 3 or 4 players, in large deserts, hilly canyons areas or interior sections, C:DS is an amazingly playable, adaptable and atmospheric game, and we can't wait for the sequel due later this year (Desert Sabre).