The original Medal of Honour games first appeared on the now age old PSOne, a console where first person shooters where a rare breed. The games themselves weren't the typical first person shooters many people were used to though, trading the usual sci-fi malarkey for a more realistic and historical World War 2 setting. They were great games to play and perhaps some of the best on the PSone. Naturally, because I enjoyed the original games so much I was more than pleased to hear that the series was going to make an appearance on the PC. Thankfully, I wasn't disappointed.

First things first, the one big improvement that will be instantly recognisable is the game's now much improved graphics. It uses the latest Quake 3 technology to great effect with some amazing special effects and set pieces. The environments on offer look amazingly detailed, from the coastal garrisons of the African set missions to the later levels set in a very war-torn Europe, all with exactly the right feel to them for the time period the game is set in. Everything here looks like it's been brought back from the 1940s and dumped in the game; the buildings, the vehicles, even the old billboard posters on the sides of walls, all of which helps to add to the authenticity of the overall experience. Character models also come with a great amount of detail, again with lots of authenticity on the uniforms of the many soldiers you'll meet while playing. Obviously the developers spent a great deal of time doing their historical research and good on them, they've done a fine job.

Anyway, enough about the graphics already, it's the gameplay that's most important. Happily, that's Allied Assault's strongest feature. Like the first two MOH games, there is no story or any kind of plot that'll keep you enthralled, nor is their any real narrative or character development. That's fine though, as it lets you concentrate on playing the game and that can only be a good thing. You play an American G.I. (Lt Mike Powell) sent out to pull off some of the most daring missions of the war, taking you all over Europe in the process.

The first mission is a great introduction and showcases what this new PC version is capable of. It starts off with you and a squad of soldiers in the back of a truck sent to infiltrate a German Garrison and destroy some coastal gun emplacements. Lots of fighting ensues and it's not long before you're alone with no friends to help you. You must free a SAS operative who is being held captive, then help him to destroy the gun emplacements as well as a few tanks and ammos dumps for good measure, before finally getting on the back of a jeep and manning a machine gun while he drives all over a nearby runway. It's incredibly varied and fun, and it's only the first mission.

From here the game goes from strength to strength, providing some quite challenging but highly satisfying missions that easily match what most of the big FPS games can offer. There is a beach landing level, proving to be just as tense and cinematic as "that film", some great stealth bits where you get to go around German bases disguised as a German officer and there is even a level where you get to control a tank though a bombed out French town. Yep, that's right, a tank! Several vehicles make an appearance in the game and while most are on rails and uncontrollable (save for the mounted machine gun you're firing for example) there are a few rare moments when you're allowed to jump into a tank and just level everything in sight. This is just one of the game's many strong points.

Your A.I. team mates play an integral part in some of the missions too and are yet another feature that has been improved. While Allied soldiers never really amount to more than a distraction for the enemy, they can prove to be very useful, especially against a large number of enemy soldiers. They charge in guns blazing, taking down any enemies who get in their way, which does leave you time to do other things like reload or shoot from a safe distance. Their intelligence is a mixed blessing though, as while on one hand they'll heroically jump on a primed hand grenade to save their friends, on the other they don't seem to mind shooting their comrades in the back if they happen to walk in front of their line of fire and that includes you. Not a major flaw though and their usefulness far outweighs their stupidity. Enemy A.I. is a lot more impressive, with German troops strafing between shots and hiding being walls, adding to the difficulty of getting a clean shot. It's not the most impressive intelligence ever displayed in an enemy, but it does add to the challenge of the game.

Also, while not necessarily a vital part of the game, the sound that compliments Allied Assault is quite simply amazing. All of the weapons, background noises of distant battles and some pretty good voice acting manages to create an amazing atmosphere that immerses you completely into the game world's surroundings. Put this together with a truly cinematic orchestral soundtrack and you are left with a game that is as much a joy to listen to as it is to play.

The multiplayer isn't really as spectacular as the single player, but that's not to say it's bad, just uninspired. It takes the basic "Counter-Strike" style set-up with one team versus the other in a series of maps with certain objectives to complete, depending on the game mode. There are the usual game types to choose from; Free For All, Team Match, Round Based Match and Objective Based Match, but nothing really new. Perhaps the main problem with the multiplayer is that it's rather basic, failing to provide anything new or exciting and when compared to the likes of Battlefield 1942 it looks a bit flat. You can still have fun on it, but Allied Assault is more of a single player game than a multiplayer one.

Alas, while much of the game is a great example of how well structured FPS games can be, it does have its downsides. Most notably is its length; the game is far too short, with 30 missions in all spread across only 6 levels. That may sound a lot, but hardcore FPS players will find no trouble whisking their way though all those levels in only a matter of days. There isn't much in the way of replay value either, with only the medal system to go back for, as you can win a medal for each mission depending on how well you've done. The secrets and extras that you could unlock in the original MOH games fail to make an appearance here, which is a shame. Another problem with the game is its rather unspectacular final mission. After spending the bulk of the game being amazed by the varied missions and great set pieces, I found it rather disappointing that the finale is so bland. It's not that it's a bad mission as such; it just never manages to thrill you as much as the levels that come before it. These are, however, small flaws that can be easily forgiven.

Medal of Honour: Allied Assault is an amazing achievement in the FPS genre; succeeding at almost everything it sets out to do. A true cinematic epic in game form and one that has to played again for it to truly sink in. This is the first of the MOH games on PC and it's the best of the series yet; here's hoping this is merely the beginning of what these games have to offer.

Reviewed by Kieron Giacopazzi for AceGamez (All Rights Reserved).