CALL OF DUTY: WORLD AT WARSYSTEM: PS3, Wii, Xbox360, PC
PRICE: Around $109.95
RATING: MA 15+
*****
WAR - what is it good for? Video games apparently.
This month has seen three big name war games hit the shelves and there's no doubting Call Of Duty: World At War leads the pack.
Competing against console-specific titles Resistance 2: Rise Of Man and Gears Of War 2, Call Of Duty: World At War continues the tradition of solidly presented warfare that we've come to expect from the franchise.
COD 4's developer Infinity Ward handed over responsibility of this title to Treyarch, which has redeemed itself nicely on World At War after its lacklustre efforts on Call Of Duty 3.
World At War is built around the significant locations and campaigns of World War II and, as such, is not for the faint-of-heart.
It's certainly not for anyone under 15 years old.
The opening sequence showing an enemy officer slitting an American POW's throat is proof enough of the bloodshed and violence ahead.
If you're stomach's strong enough to press on, rest assured you'll find the battles in the lengthy solo campaign through Berlin and Japan worthwhile.
The levels are long, although frequent checkpoints abound, and far from easy as you thwart ambushes, empty machine-gun bunkers, stalk snipers and destroy tanks while completing tasks that will ensure your squad's smooth progress.
A wide range of weapons will pass through your hands including rocket launchers, machine-guns and flame throwers.
GEARS OF WAR 2
SYSTEM: Xbox360
PRICE: $99.95
RATING: MA15+
****
TH E machinery of the alien Locust Horde just keeps on turning in this battle between the good and the bad - the latter of which is really bloody ugly.
Anyone expecting a radical departure in the follow-up from the first Gears outing is in for a big shock.
That's not to say it's not a blast - Gears Of War 2 is definitely bigger, bloodier and more fun than its predecessor.
What it lacks in innovation, developer Epic Games has more than made up for with playability, better weapons, more enemies, new environments and a great new range of multiplayer options.
This first-person shooter is not a run-and-gun affair.
You need to be little tactical and not to shy about taking cover during the locust onslaughts.
If there's no cover to be had, this time around you can grab the body of a fallen enemy and use it as a temporary shield.
There are myriad weapons available, including a flame thrower, sniper rifle, mortar cannon and mulcher chain gun, but it's still hard to go past the assault rifle complete with chainsaw bayonet.
Gears is let down by anti-climatic boss battles and a pain-in-the-arse vehicle section that is made even more cumbersome by dodgy controls.
It's also weakened by the short solo campaign, which takes about eight hours to complete.
The real value is in the co-op mode, where players can drop in and out at will, and the online multiplayer mode has more maps, players and modes.
The best multiplayer mode is Horde, in which a team of five players battle wave after bloody wave of enemies.
As long as one player is alive, the team will respawn and the enemies keep coming - bigger, badder and uglier each time.
RESISTANCE 2
SYSTEM: PS3
PRICE: $109.95
RATING: MA15+
****
TH E follow-up to the PS3 launch title Resistance: Fall Of Man, Resistance 2 is an improvement on what was originally a pretty good gaming experience.
Insomniac Games has taken humanity's continuing war against the invading alien Chimera and made it tougher, bigger, smarter and even better looking than you could possibly imagine,
There are a few things that could have been reworked a little, but key improvements can be found in the smarter and tougher enemies, killer boss fights and some kick-arse weapons.
Which is good because if this game had to rely too much on three-dimensional characters and good plot, it would falter badly.
Protagonist Nathan Hale and his comrades-in-arms are among the most run-of-the-mill characters you'll find.
The vague plot is really just there to hang the gut-wrenching action on and only the keenest of trophy gatherers will spend the time needed to track down the hidden intel documents, in each level, to decipher what's going on.
The solo campaign will take about 10 hours to complete but there's no doubt the online modes will keep you coming back for more.
The best of these are the lag-free online matches, with as many as 60 players competing in deathmatch, team deathmatch, capture the flag and skirmish modes, and the online co-operative mode in which as many as eight players fight through hordes of Chimera to achieve a set of objectives.
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