Call of Duty Black Ops

The computer game release schedules have, for a number of years, been dominated by the Call of Duty franchise.

Black Ops is the latest highly anticipated entry in the blockbuster series and the good news is that it happily lives up to and, in many ways, exceeds expectations.

For those unfamiliar with the Call of Duty (CoD) phenomenon, the games are war-based, first-person shooters. Earlier entries in the series were almost exclusively set during WWII but more recent games have dabbled, to great success, with an up-to-date military setting. Black Ops falls almost exactly in between these timelines, covering a period that tallies roughly with that of the Vietnam War.

A globetrotting single-player campaign sees you carrying out missions in a variety of different locations, from Russian gulags to Viet Cong encampments and even the private residence of Fidel Castro.

Each mission is presented as a flashback; a memory that is extracted from the main character under duress by an unseen torturer. The non-linear story flits backwards and forwards through history, while the possibility that your disorientated hero's recollections might not be entirely accurate adds further to the intrigue.

With its espionage-tinged plotline, Cold War setting and epic set pieces, Black Ops in many ways manages to out-Bond 007 himself, whose latest game (see below) is a somewhat low-key adventure in comparison.

Black Ops' main drawback is that its single-player element is relatively short. But the campaign is only a small part of the overall package, as Black Ops also includes Call of Duty's now classic multiplayer game.

This includes several types of gameplay, enormously varied maps and dozens of ways to fine-tune each game.

Add the ability to earn experience points and in-game rewards, plus an entirely separate co-operative game involving zombies, and you can start to see why Black Ops sold two million copies in the UK alone during the first week of its release.

You'll need a reasonably powerful computer to enjoy the game, however, so make sure your PC meets or exceeds the requirements before you buy.

Pegi age rating: 18+