Recon, the hotly anticipated squad-based shooter, is the first Xbox Live game that has the promise to offer heaps of potential gameplay depth rather than the frantic fun of multiplayer racing, party games or an all out frag-fest.

Amazing voice quality. I was talking on the phone to my sister with my handheld digital phone in my left ear and the Communicator over my right when this Yank came through to say "Hey man, pick teams!" It actually startled me with the clarity and volume, and draws you totally into the game. Speaking of which: why on earth isn't there an indication which way the volume dial turns?!

There were plenty of sessions - even a good choice of co-operative missions. I'd expected them all to be free-for-all firefights, but that wasn't the case at all.

When it worked, it worked pretty well. There were some issues after a kill, with my character suddenly transported back about 50 feet from where I'd been when I fired the shot, but otherwise, movement was fluid and lag-free.

I also often got the seriously weird message whining that the session was running above the recommended number of players in missions where only two or three people were actually signed up and the mission called for two teams of three. Hopefully this is just a teething problem, though.

There's no doubt that the already superb game is made a hell of a lot more fun when it's possible to talk to the guys in your team as you go about your deadly business. But potential for real joy lies in creating your own game and inviting your mates onto it. Sadly, there are plenty of gamers on Recon Live who think it's amusing to shoot you in the back of the head when you're not looking. While this may well get them a job one day with a tyrannical government, it doesn't make completing co-operative missions much of a laugh.

It's early days and, while the trial Beta sessions will all be over by now, the addition of a whole army of UK Xbox gamers should improve the experience tenfold. Connections will be quicker and more secure, you can get more of your own friends into the games and, hopefully, you won't need the patience of a saint to get stuck into a Live session. The potential is there for a cracking online experience and I'll be first in the frontline when more people in the UK get hooked up.

1. Clear, game-enhancing voice comms
2. Mostly great on-line community
3. Superb in co-op

1. "Transportation" after a kill?

Enhancement Voice adds a lot to this game and can be genuinely useful in co-op and firefight missions.

Setup Still in its infancy, the addition of UK gamers will result in far fewer dropped sessions.

Variety Limited to the same modes in the offline game, but in-game options are fine.

Live Rating Shows great potential for deep, involving team play. Problems seem more service-related.

Summary
Recon on Xbox Live looks set to provide the quintessential realistic squad-based shooter experience.