S.T.A.L.K.E.R: Call of Pripyat

The Stalker series (of which this is the third instalment) has always had its standout moments counterbalanced by irritating lapses in translation and play testing. Call of Pripyat may not shed that inconsistency entirely, but it is the best of the bunch so far.

For a start, few games have made better use of lighting – including areas when only torchlight punctuates the total darkness, and not just the murky, semi-gloom so often used for shock-value alone. All this forces you to rely on your instincts in a way horror games have long understood but first-person shooters have largely neglected. Pripyat is one of the bleakest games you'll ever come across – both in the drab, fetid wastelands you traverse and the mood swings you experience when at last you see a friendly face in the distance, only to discover it will rip your limbs off at the first opportunity. Combine this with the underground levels swarming with mutants and the weather which, when it's not raining, will periodically sear your flesh to the bone, and light relief is certainly not a phrase you'll ever have cause to use.

Pripyat is also rock hard to play, both from your initial vulnerability to the harsh conditions until you pick up better suits, armour and weapons and the unnervingly accurate AI that sees enemies pick you off at distance or in total darkness, apparently without needing any of the gear you need to pull off the same tricks. Upgrades come in numerous forms, from the usual reactive healthpacks and weapons to pre-emptive measures that protect you against the environment. And although friendly human NPC's are relatively few, they always have something useful to contribute, whether it's information, weapon repairs or quests. On the downside, with so many of these sub-quests and such a featureless landscape, it's incredibly easy to get lost, which makes it tempting to simply abandon quests rather than push on to receive the often disappointing reward at the end. The single-player storyline, however, is stuffed with atmospheric set pieces, even if the game's ultimate location, the city of Pripyat, is something of a letdown after all the build up.

If you enjoyed Far Cry and want a nightmarish twist on the same kind of open-ended gameplay, then Call of Pripyat is definitely worth checking out. And even if you've tried the previous Stalker games and found them wanting (usually for technical rather than gameplay reasons) then this one more than justifies a second look.