If you've ever seen Jaws 4: The Revenge, you'll appreciate our frustration when something once so brilliant is reduced to a far-removed sequel, riding on the coat tails of its pioneering predecessor. Unfortunately, the same can be said for GoldenEye: Rogue Agent. It may share the same name as Rare's groundbreaking FPS that inspired millions to buy an N64, but that's where the similarities end (apart from the option to reconfigure the controls to Classic mode - a la N64 controller - but with the advent of two thumb-sticks, why the hell would we want to do that?).

Bond is also, well, brushed off in the opening act by the black sheep of MI6 - you. You're the titular Rogue Agent, embraced by Auric Goldfinger to help combat the last obstacle in his path to total world domination: S.P.E.C.T.R.E. breakaway Dr. No.

All iconic Bond baddies from the last 40 years are present together in one time frame, one of the many artistic licences EA has taken. After a stylish intro, we're flung headfirst into the action. It's a pity the visual spectacle of this opener doesn't carry its slick production into the main game. Levels are a bland mix of long, open corridors populated by scattered crates and long, open rooms populated by, yes, even more randomly scattered crates. Occasionally these are substituted for those generic computer terminals no bad guy's lair is complete without, yet remain uninteresting and repetitive.

The gameplay isn't as smooth as we'd have liked either. You'd think your Rogue Agent had been discharged for a gammy leg (rather than reckless conduct), such is his frustratingly slow pace. Turning is annoyingly sluggish, particularly with an enemy hammering you in the back. Yet, when you do spin round to blow them away, they'll mysteriously vanish before they've even hit the ground - not the best way to create an immersive FPS atmosphere.

But it's not all doom and gloom; Rogue Agent boasts loads of neat little touches. Enemies, when they're not vanishing into thin air, actually display some engaging AI, intelligently leaning round corners to get a better shot at you. As a result, fighting for every inch of every room is a significantly enjoyable challenge. Multiplayer, such a staple of the original, is again fantastic fun, with up to sixteen players able to duke it out over System Link or up to eight over Xbox Live in Showdown, Domination and Tug-O-War matches (all variants of Deathmatch and Capture the Point multiplayer games).

Obviously you're able to wield dual weapons like the original, and the tools of GoldenEye's trade produce brilliantly varied combos for dealing out death. Pepper a bad guy with a sub-machine gun, or flush them out with grenades before picking them off with the rail gun - it's all superb fun. Scaramanga acts as a surrogate Q, equipping our Agent with an all-singing and dancing 'GoldenEye'.

This features four different upgrades, like the ability to see through objects, remote hack computers and physically manipulate enemies from distance. Combine these with weapons for a multitude of entertaining gameplay options. However, because of the energy-draining nature of these special abilities, their use is disappointingly limited.

You could say Rogue Agent is a bit like that kid at school who, no matter how hard he tried, would never truly be cool. Sure, it's unmistakably Bond, but that can't mask the fact this isn't much more than a lazy shooter. It's not a bad game but, considering the brilliant potential, seems to be a missed golden opportunity.

1. The classic licence squeezes the Bond universe for all its worth - every Bond baddie from the last 40 years is here.
2. A great balance of one- and two-handed weapons ensures plenty of varied gameplay. They all sound brutally beefy too.
3. Your 'GoldenEye' attributes mix up the action significantly, but expire before you can say "Pussy Galo..."
4. The previously pioneering multiplayer returns, and should be top fun over Xbox Live. There's a hefty single-player campaign to boot.
5. Fairly generic environments and repetitive later levels can grate a bit, though you'll need to finish it to open up all the multiplayer options.

All the tuxes and cocked eyebrows in the world can't raise this average shooter to the heady heights of its classic namesake.