The Vietnam war is currently the war of choice for developers. It's officially cool, and no longer the stigma of American failure it once was - Hell, we've got Iraq now! You want napalm and conscience-free peasant slaughter? You've got it in abundance. But, as if to ram home the point that the Vietnam conflict was still an almighty balls-up, Men Of Valor goes straight for the heart as well as the jugular.

Deep in Vietcong territory, the scripting between your squad is as hardcore as it is heartfelt, with banter between the men rich and cinematic, clearly aiming to set up the realism that flows throughout the rest of the game.

Health packs, ammo - any kind of resource has to be scoured from dead bodies. Vietcong booby traps are littered everywhere, and your machine-gun has a horrible habit of spitting lead anywhere but into the crafty Cong creeping through the undergrowth. War is no picnic, especially this war, and Men Of Valor is out to prove it. That might also explain the almost comedic overuse of blood sprays whenever you hit any target.

It's not all limb-shredding realism though, even if that's what it feels like when you find yourself crouched in sodden reeds, bullets fizzing over your head like bees. This is especially evident where the AI is concerned. Your squad is cannon fodder, unable to be controlled beyond the ability of following you in whatever direction you've set off on. The enemy AI is deeply suspect too, often so inconspicuous and daft in their attack pattern they might just as well put a gun under their chin and be done with it. With every enemy on a scripted attack pattern, success often relies on your replaying certain areas time and again, then plugging them before they've even fired a bullet.

One level in particular highlights the scripted, limited game design. You're waist high in a stream when, high up on the banks, a swarm of Vietcong attack. The logical approach would be to find high ground and get the hell out of the water.

Unfortunately, because of tight rails and the lack of a jump button, you can hardly climb out above your socks - let alone onto safer ground. Once this would have been acceptable, but by today's standards it just isn't - especially when programming restraints take away clearly wise gaming manoeuvres you'd want to use.

Thankfully, a major strength of Men Of Valor is the broader level designs themselves, not necessarily your navigation of them. Whether you're storming a bunker on the crest of a hill before it's torn apart by napalm, or taking cover behind an increasingly unstable tank that looks as though it's about to explode, the action rarely lets up - and you can keep that trigger finger twitching until you're piled high with corpses.

Of course, it also helps that you can get additional cover from a friend (either Live or offline co-op), and that adds even more to the sense that you're actually involved in something a little more than just your standard FPS. With a little more scope, a little less limitation, and a little more to distinguish this from the other Vietnam games around, this could have been a classic.

1. Cool use of scripting makes you feel as though you're more involved than in a lot of other Vietnam games.
2. A lot of it is on rails and littered with scripted enemies. This was good back in the day, but plays a little dated now.
3. If you don't like the colours green or brown you're screwed. The whole thing is awash with them and it never lets up!
4. Great death and explosion animations make those nasty kills even most satisfying. You might even end up enjoying the slaughter!

1. A little more thought and attention paid to AI would have helped. Kills are easy when an enemy comes and stands in front of you.

Neither a groundbreaker nor a stinker. As it is though, it has found its niche family in the 'wet weekend blaster' category.