Ever seen Platoon? How about The Deer Hunter? Well we have, and we didn't like the look of Vietnam one bit. As fans of the long-since-departed TV miniseries Tour Of Duty would attest, the best thing about 'Nam was definitely the soundtrack of the era. But as grim as the reality must have been, the game is great fun.

Taking the same tack as the previous two Conflict titles (Desert Storms I and II), Conflict: Vietnam incorporates real-life events (like the Tet Offensive) and develops from them a series of hellish scenarios for our fictional foursome of typically gung-ho Gls. Cut off from fellow soldiers and supplies, they must make their way back through inhospitable jungle to, hopefully, the comforting arms of their colleagues.

Whereas the Gulf was dustier than Ghandi's flip-flop, Vietnam was a wretched waterfall of wetness. The lush jungle environment is brimming with vibrant colour and texture, and the dense vegetation actively reacts to wind, gunfire and explosions. Raindrops will keep falling on your head, but you don't mind one bit when, as in Conflict: Vietnam, they look better than any Vietnamese ladyboy we've ever seen. When coupled with fantastic thunder and lightning effects they create a brilliantly moody atmosphere, and it really is terrifying to see a group of Vietcong charging towards your squad out of the mist.

Each of the 14 missions involves challenging objectives, the most important being getting your squad out alive. The combat is pleasingly fast and frantic, with an endless stream of Vietcong to lay waste to. It's brilliant fun blasting through hordes of enemies, although the auto-aim function does sometimes go a bit askew and you will find yourself targeting a tree in the distance, while a VC soldier five feet in front of you pumps you full of lead. Speaking of which, Conflict: Vietnam punishes players for recklessness; several direct hits and you're going home in a body bag.

Your squad is once again indispensable to your efforts; it's not just a case of Rambo-ing through the jungle alone, and patience and careful planning are essential. The intuitive controls make issuing commands a cinch, so players can easily move their fellow fighters around the environment either individually or en masse, as well as perform more complex commands like disarming booby traps or shielding a wounded colleague from enemy gunfire.

Bereft of your own supplies, players must make do with what they can find, namely assorted weapons from fallen Vietcong. Yet here's where your team-mates' AI is called into inconsistent question. As far as following orders is concerned, they're bang on the money, moving to your position and assuming intelligent firing positions. However, when it comes to thinking for themselves, these guys have ‘boot camp reject’ stamped all over them. If they run out of ammo, they'll intelligently switch to their secondary weapon. Yet when this is dry, what do they do? Pick up replacement ammo? Grab a different gun? No. They'll simply stand there, pointing an empty gun in the vague direction of the enemy, hoping the VC will be scared off by macho posing and foul language.

Although it can be a bit infuriating during intense firefights, on the flipside this does encourage active interaction with all four squad members on an equal level. You won't have a favourite in this litter as, after each successful mission, an overall skill rating (enemies killed, shots fired etc) results in skill points allocated to each team member. You can use these to beef up your bad boys' various attributes, and it adds tons of replayability. However, jacks of all trades are definitely masters of guns, so make sure everyone is au fait with pistols, grenades and, most importantly, medikits. If your star shooter or chief quack cops it during a firefight, you're screwed.

We're pleased to say, however, that the Conflict series looks to be steadily improving. Sure, the odd object collision issue still rears its head (as you must to make that headshot register), but the option to mount assorted heavy weapons, mortars and vehicles, along with the slick overall presentation makes up for this. Admittedly the environments aren't hugely varied, but the dark and gritty jungle makes for a claustrophobic experience.

Multiplayer is as fun as ever, and the four-way split-screen provides some cool co-op capabilities, although we'd love to see some System Linkage next time round. But don't worry about that too much. Instead just sit back and thoroughly enjoy beating Charlie on his own turf. Something the Americans could never do...

1. Fast, frantic and action-packed - once it starts going off Conflict: Vietnam doesn't let up. Not for the faint-hearted.
2. The jungle environments look lush and richly textured and, although very similar, provide a dark and gritty playing arena.
3. Fourteen comprehensive, very challenging missions (with more on their way via Live) ensure a respectable lifespan. This is one long tour of duty.
4. Multiplayer is back, and four-player split-screen is immense fun.
5. Enemy AI is very smart.

1. System Link would've made us love this that little bit longer.
2. It's frustrating to survive a huge battle only for one sneaky VC to creep up behind you and frag the whole squad.

Bigger and tougher than its Desert Storm siblings, Vietnam sucks you in and leaves you loving it long time.