Call of Duty 2

WWII never impressed so much...

Join the Red Army's defence of Moscow during the Second World War. Unlock further missions as you progress through the game; your identity of a Russian Private new to the horror and bloodshed of war, morphing ever so slowly into that of a young British soldier and, later, his American counterpart. Okay, so doing things "for the glory of the Soviet Union" may not be your cup of tea. After all, not much difference between Hitler and Stalin. That said, your friends are in mortal danger. They have the courage and skill to cover you with a rain of bullets as you carry out your missions to repair a damaged radio cable, eliminate enemy snipers and blow up tanks that could run you over as easily as more snow could fall onto your shoulder during this computerised Russian winter. Are you a coward? Will you sit out the battle in the safety of "cover" which used to be someone's house? Or will you fight alongside your friends in an epic battle for the good of your country? You will decide your fate in one of the most accomplished first-person shooter games ever.

The levels within this game are beautifully graphically rendered and you really can wander through countless, war torn streets in the midst of the battle. It pays, most of the time, to stay close to your comrades in arms. But, if you fancy yourself as an immortal hero, you can sneak behind enemy lines and let rip with any number of fancy machine guns or rifles. In the heat of the battle, it becomes difficult to be sure who is on your side and firing indiscriminately will only make you a traitor to the Motherland. Charging in with all guns blazing won't do any good either. 'Call of Duty 2' refuses to glorify war. Sometimes, you need to take cover and let your comrades handle the Nazi's hiding on the floor above you. Sometimes, the only dignified course of action is a slow but steady retreat.

The loud, constant play of German propaganda throughout the Russian levels (telling the Russian army that, if only they would put down their arms and surrender, they would be given hot food, medical attention and a whole lot of love besides) is genius. It gets you, as the player, annoyed and hot under the collar. You want to go and blow the heads off a few Nazi soldiers. But beware. Shooting your enemy once may not be enough. He may only be pretending to be dead and may still pose a threat to you and your comrades. The loss of blood on the battlefield and the many ways an enemy can perish makes the game more realistic without being blood hungry. The enemy soldiers are also bright enough to take hold of one of the unexploded grenades you threw into the battle fray and toss it back into your path. The pipeline level is brilliant beyond measure as you clamber through a dark, dank and dirty pipe suspended at a vertigo inducing height above a train yard. You must sneak through the pipe and let loose the dogs of war on the Germans from above. But do not be so sure of yourself. They have the skill to fire up into the pipeline and to pierce the metal with a burning hot bullet.

The pipeline level flows into a siege at the train yard. Defeat the Germans and rejoice in your triumph. Until hordes of additional Germans appear and decide to launch a counter attack. The action in this game makes your heart pump with breakneck speed. The atmosphere is so realistic that you really worry about being killed instead of thinking that it doesn't matter, as it is, after all, only a game. It does become annoying, after a while, that, despite there being a lot of men with guns surrounding you as you march to face the Nazi war machine, you're the one who has to perform most of the duties which complete the various missions. But then, I suppose you wouldn't have it any other way, would you?

The British level is visually stunning and it's reassuring to hear the enemy described as: "Jerrys". The Russians showed their anger at their foe by shouting things like: "It's those fascists" and "that's one less fascist to worry about". Yes, it is reassuring and warmly comforting to be back in the company of people who make sure they pronounce the letter 'H' and speak with a plum in their.... wait, what's this? Cockneys? Oh my. It seems that the leader of our platoon in the British level of this game has been modelled on Grant Mitchell from Eastenders. Of course Cockney folk fought in the Second World War and wars past and present. But this man barking orders at me at the start of the British mission sounds so much like Grant Mitchell that the agony and despair of war has been unintentionally interrupted by schoolboy humour. The realisation that you walk the tightrope between minefields and bunkered down Germans with big guns will soon stem the tide of those giggles. There's work to be done.

Even the tutorial level at the start of the game is a work of genius in this gem of a game. It's a shame that you - as a trigger-happy Private - can't make a mistake and shoot dead the commanding officer. You can't defect to the other side or betray your friends. The game wants you to recognise that, even amongst all this death, carnage and blood, honour is still brave enough to raise its head. This game isn't about enjoying war. It's about surviving. They ought to have this game on every school computer in the country. Hearing tales of terror in the classroom from brave men and women who fought for freedom all those years ago is one thing. But the children could be introduced to the realities, as far as we can graphically render them, of war by being introduced to 'Call of Duty 2'.

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By Martin Drury