Pilot Down does one thing right. Just the one mind, and it's not even very spectacular. Before each level, the underlying storyline is played out in the style of a classic WWII graphic novel, with the intelligent use of split screen and some atmospheric sound effects. Hell, for a second we were right back there in short trousers and grey socks, flicking through our little books and reading about how good old blighty beat Fritz and his mates. If only the other 99 per cent of the game were as imaginative and stylish, we'd have a decent actioner on our hands. As it turns out, this limp effort is shot down straight after takeoff.

The rest of this risible title involves sneaking around painfully bland and generic (the developer calls them “desolate", and they're not kidding) towns, industrial complexes and outdoor environments, in a confused mish-mash of action and stealthy gameplay. The visuals are appallingly poor - calling it PSl-esque would be flattering. Each environment is regimentedly on rails, so any sense of adventure or atmosphere is completely lost, and mission objectives are nothing more than the standard evade, reach and collect rigmarole.

Seeing as this game is dependent on stealth, and you're continually reminded that avoiding enemy patrols is better than confronting them, it's puzzling why there's no discernible way of knowing exactly when you're in an enemy's field of vision. It's perfectly feasible to cross an opponent's path a few metres in front of them, yet as long as you're in the magical 'crouch and everything will be alright' position, they won't see you. The AI is also laughable. It's not uncommon to shoot down a guard in full view of their comrades, only for them to turn their back on the apparent source of gunfire, and wait for you to sneak up and perform a stealth kill on them.

You have a gradually-depleting Endurance meter, which can be replenished by eating food or lighting a fire. Yet again, enemies will think nothing of a fire mysteriously springing up in a conveniently discarded oil drum, and you can stand in full view of the idiots while filling up your health bar. Combat is crude and rudimentary - using pistols and rifles is clumsy and inaccurate, but if you're armed and want to carry out a stealth kill, you can't un-equip a weapon, but instead must drop it, then go and retrieve it afterwards. Rubbish.

At the end of each mission you're awarded points depending on the successful completion of objectives, the number of stealth kills you make, and so on. Some degree of character customisation is available through the different upgrades, though such is the vague and uninteresting nature of the title, it's all academic in the end.

Being on the run in occupied Europe should be fun, yet when even the two-year-old The Great Escape does it better, we're left wondering what the point of this game really is. .

1. The story is told through graphic novel-esque cut-scenes, which are the best part of the game. Seriously.

1. Terrible visuals do nothing to make the rigidly on-rails environments any more playable or involving.
2. Combat is crude and laborious. Dropping an equipped weapon just to carry out a stealth attack? Where's the fluidity in that?
3. Enemy AI is shocking. Players are free to go where they want, safe in the knowledge they won't be detected unless under a guard's nose.
4. Some character customisation is present, but you won't be sucked in past the first couple of levels in this wasted opportunity.

Three years in development apparently, yet the quality was certainly rationed for this very disappointing WWII actioner.