Price: £39.99

Players: 1-4

James Bond: Agent Under Fire is another game based on the adventures of the charming government assassin, but with the major difference being that this is a whole new outing for the man, so while previous games (Goldeneye on the N64 and Licence To Kill on the Atari ST and Amiga, for example) saw you aim to achieve the missions acted out on film, you knew which way they were heading. Here, anything could happen. Being N64-less, I never got to play Goldeneye but heard so many good things about it and - despite the slow start to the game where the first few levels are too short and require just one or two brief tasks to be performed - once you've got stuck in this title, it becomes a fantastic first-person-shooter (with your Walther PPK and several automatic and semi-automatic weapons) and problem-solver, using gadgets provided by Q's successor, R, to outwit the enemy.

With no slow-down in frame rate when the pace quickens, whether you're working your way in a fairly linear fashion or just dropped into the action with all guns blazing around you. Crisp, sharp, fast, colourful - just what we're expecting from the PS2 at the moment (I say "at the moment" because as we knew with the original Playstation it took a couple of years before higher quality performance was seemingly unlocked, even if it then went back a tad with some recent titles). Soundwise, it's a spectacle too. The classic Bond theme - which never fails to impress, the gunfire, the explosions, the taunts from the baddies as they locate you and then call their mates over to all take a pop at you... There's great directional movement in the audio dept. although a DTS soundtrack would not have gone amiss.

Playability is high on the agenda as well. While it takes a little time to get to grips with the control method for moving and shooting, as well as intertwining this with the gadgets, all your efforts are largely paid off as you watch the end results unfold and the enemy A.I. is much better than I've seen in other games. Once they know where you are, try hiding in the vent ducts and watch as they move from room to room after you. After the single-player option, multi-player fun can be had with up to four people connected via the multi-tap in the 12 deathmatches contained within. Overall, this comes highly recommended, but don't forget to give it a chance past the duff early few levels which made me think I'd rather be playing Spy Hunter at first.

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Review copyright © Dominic Robinson, 2001.