Xbox is fast becoming the new home of first-person shooters and Unreal II is the latest in a long list that includes Doom 3, Half-Life 2 and Halo 2. We've also got the world's best online console gaming service to play with. There are almost as many shooters to choose from as there are racing games, which is a very good thing if you like shooting and driving. Good job we do then.

February 2003 saw the PC version unleashed on the public and fly straight to the top of the charts, which gives you an idea of the huge community behind the Unreal games. Not bad considering there was almost a revolt when the PC game was originally released with no multiplayer options whatsoever. It's like releasing a football game with no two-player options in sight. It doesn't bear thinking about really. Good job then, that Atari and Tantalus saw fit to include full multiplayer support straight out of the box for our version. You won't like us when we're angry...

What this Unreal has over the last one to grace the Xbox, is a story-based single-player game that whisks you off through space to fantastical planets looking for ancient but very powerful and mysterious relics. They're all the rage and it's up to you to find and grab 'em before the various races that populate these planets figure out what you're up to. After a quick training course (that should only be taken if you've never played a shooter in your life ever), you hop on board your little ship and jet off to the first location on the treasure hunt.

First stop is an abandoned factory facility. There's one survivor, trapped inside the command tower, and he can only see you via the cameras scattered around. He'll open doors for you and point you in the right direction, if you agree to save his bacon. The facility might be abandoned by humans, but there's something else lurking in the shadows. The survivor calls them 'monkey freaks' and when you clock one you'll know why.

This is where Unreal II lets itself down. You'd sooner laugh at the monsters (if you can call them that) than run away screaming. Their animations are terrible. It's almost as if the developer created four different frames for them and programmed a line of code to flick between them in rapid succession while making gargling noises. You'll laugh or cry, but scared you certainly won't be. And we have to mention the spiders. Why are we still shooting little spiders? They just get in the way of the bigger things in life, like the daddy spiders. God didn't give us rocket launchers, assault rifles and flame throwers to deal with household pests. More action - fewer spiders, is what we say.

Rant over, because on the whole Unreal II is a very enjoyable FPS. The controls fit onto the Xbox pad perfectly and if you're familiar with Xbox shooters, your fingers will feel right at home. Aiming and shooting is straightforward, but the manic movements of your enemies don't help the situation. If in doubt, just run up to them and fire the shotgun right into their faces at point-blank range - it never fails.

Speaking of weapons, Unreal II packs a serious arsenal. You get to dish out pain with a couple of handgun models, a hefty shotgun, explosive rocket launcher, electric blue shock rifle, grenade launcher (various ammo types), sneaky sniper rifle, rapid assault rifle and even a few organic ones towards the finale. Each weapon has an alternate fire mode so you can cause maximum damage and destruction. It's a shame that with all this firepower under your belt you can't destroy the scenery.

Only explosive barrels and crates are on offer. Certain sections require you to guard areas or objects by placing field generators and rocket turrets. You've got around two minutes before the first wave of enemy forces comes knocking on your door. In that time you must construct a couple of field generators around the landscape the way you see fit and position rocket turrets where you think the enemy's most likely to come from. After you've dealt with the first wave, you get a few moments to repair any damage before the second strolls along. These setpieces make for a nice break in the walk-shoot-find-key- progress process. This feature could have been expanded a little, bringing a slice of real-time strategy into the FPS equation. Maybe next time.

For the most part, the single-player game involves more walking than shooting. This isn't helped by the fact that the assortment of environments - while stunning - is massive. Each level could host a game in its own right and features the trademark level design the series is famed for. More enemies pouring over the hills and stampeding towards you would have notched up the excitement a little. Instead, you get two or three enemies bunched together that don't take long to deal with. Less walking, more shooting in future, please. Still, the levels are truly gorgeous and clearly inspired by scii films such as Star Wars, Aliens and The Matrix.

As your journey around the Unreal solar system progresses, you meet more and more NPCs. And that means the dreadfully overacted dialogue can't be avoided. Just about every sci-fi and action film cliché ever created is in here and at times you can't help but laugh - even when the roof is falling in and the person you're supposed to protect has just kicked the bucket.

Thankfully the background music and ambient noises genuinely add to the occasion. There's even a hint of techno-rock waiting to kick in during some of the more serious firefights and especially when you come face to face with boss characters. And these bosses might look mean, slimy and green, but you can deal with them without breaking into a sweat. The same goes for most of the enemies you face. Playing the game through on the Normal difficulty setting is easy. You rarely die and if you do it's because you've fallen too far. Experienced shooters should jump straight in with Hard for a better challenge.

One of the biggest draws of the long-awaited sequel (if not the biggest for hardcore FPS fans), is the XMP multiplayer mode. This feature missed the PC version but has since become available to download on the web. For the Xbox version though, it all comes in one tidy online-enabled package. XMP is the name of the game and it's all about teamwork - ganging up and going head to head on some very lavish deathmatch maps. Some have been inspired by levels from the single-player game while others have been designed especially for multiplayer carnage.

The best feature of XMP is the vehicles. If you've played Halo, you'll know what we're talking about. If you don't know, go find out. There are three classes of soldier to suit up as and each has unique equipment and abilities. Remember when we said we'd like to see the building mini-bases feature expanded a little? Well, it has been in multiplayer. We'll never tire of gunning around in tanks and jeeps, mowing down anyone who stands in our way. Unreal II certainly isn't a bad game. In fact, it plays very well and looks great in parts. But we can't help feeling that this conversion doesn't do the Unreal universe or Xbox justice.

If you never got round to playing it in all its visually accelerated glory on a cutting-edge PC, then pick it up. Hardcore fans will chew it whole then spit it right out.

1. Good level design
2. Trademark unreal weapons
3. Multiplayer included

1. Too easy
2. Monsters look awful!
3. Dialogue hurts

Power
Stunning environments to explore, but monster and character animations disappoint.

Style
Has the cutting-edge Unreal look about it, but the dialogue seriously grates,

Immersion
Unreal II is just simple and straightforward shooting action, from start to finish.

Lifespan
You'll rip the single-player game to shreds in days, but multiplayer mode has legs.

Summary
A good solid conversion of a great shooter. It's been worth the wait, but only just, thanks to added multiplayer options.