There are many types of 'Jack' in this world. Car jack, microphone jack, jackhammer, jack in the box, the list goes on. There is, however, only one Jack that can single-handedly take down entire terrorist organisations, thwart presidential assassination attempts, interrogate suspects with nothing more than some string and old episodes of Postman Pat, disarm nuclear weapons, and do all this and more in a single day. Jack Bauer, star of the award winning TV show 24 is back, and this time he's all pixels and particle effects.

[Editor's Note: The following rant takes place between paragraph two and paragraph three…]

It was only a matter of time before 24 was converted into a computer game. Anything that can be shown on a television screen and is in any way popular will no doubt be pixellated, animated and turned interactive. Thankfully, as a nation of gamers, we haven't gone completely mad, and so we haven't seen things like Memoirs of a Geisha: The Game, Neighbours: The First Person Shooter, or Countdown Real Time Strategy (Attack of the Vorderman Clones). Okay, so I may be getting a little carried away with those titles, but look at Knight Rider, Starsky & Hutch, He-Man, even the new Godfather game (don't get me started. Okay, you already did. Very nostalgic, not very original, oh my God would you please stop shooting the floor. Sorry Dexter!), they're just not very good. At all. So why do people keep making tie in games on the back of popular TV shows and movies? Simple - because people will buy them. They will see the familiar pictures and titles on the box and they will want to relive the memories of watching the show or movie and want to play as their favourite characters.

Some games do a better job of others of course, Spider-Man 2 was okay I guess and Star Wars: Episode III was…no, no, that was rubbish. Okay, so The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King was…mildly amusing. Oh I give up. [How about The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape From Butcher Bay? Surely a classic spin-off if ever there was one! Ooh, and Indiana Jones and The Emperor's Tomb! Ed] Face it, publishers in most cases spend most of a game's budget on the licence, then more often than not throw together some half-arsed game that vaguely resembles the movie/cartoon/TV show and then flog it to the unsuspecting public. It doesn't need to be a good game because by the time people buy it and get it home it's already too late, and the fat, cigar-chomping producer has just earned himself another swimming pool. Oh, I forgot Fight Club, the game. What a joke.

24: The Game's a bit different though. It's not the greatest, most original game I've ever played, but it's got something else tucked seductively up its sleeve. It's 24. It's scripted by the writers of 24. It stars the actors of 24. To all intents and purposes, it's a whole extra, interactive season of 24. For those of you familiar with the series, you'll know how addictive a show it is. We wait with baited breath for episode upon episode, series upon series; Kiefer Sutherland just signed a multi million dollar contract to make three more series. We just can't get enough. So fans of the show, those who simply need more 24 in their day, are quite likely to rush out and buy this. And so they should.

The developers have really tried to capture the essence of the show and there are many elements from it that have been ported straight into the game. The colour scheme for one will seem immediately familiar, with its yellowish hues and deep shadows. The signature split screen effects are back too and are used in the game, as well as during cut scenes, to heighten the drama. The pacing isn't quite as heart stopping as the TV show, but then again it never really could be. It does try really hard though and these efforts aren't wasted. The cut scenes blend really nicely with the interactive levels and the game as a whole always tries to remain as intense as possible.

Visually things look good. It doesn't look mind-blowingly fantastic, but it doesn't look shoddy either. The environments are detailed and there are plenty of sparks, explosions, light effects, canisters to shoot, panes of glass to smash, boxes to knock over, machinery to blow up; it's all very nice and suitably immersive. As you wander around the various levels there are innocent civilians running about that you can shout at or beat around the head (I suggest the latter) and they'll scream and shout about how terrible their situation is or more commonly ask you who you are. Each level seems nice and alive and you never find yourself in an area that just seems dull and uninteresting.

It's difficult to know where to begin describing the various game modes, as 24 is such a jack of all trades. It has driving levels, third person 'all-out-shoot-everyone' levels, third person sneaky-sneaky levels, puzzle elements, interrogation, all sorts of things. Each individual element never really stands out and shines; like the phrase 'jack of all trades' implies, it's a master of none. For example, the driving missions, they're not bad at all; the free roaming environment is large and fairly detailed, there's plenty of activity on the roads, the cars handle well enough in the context of the levels. But then you compare it to Grand Theft Auto and all of a sudden it looks like a tramp's pants hanging next to Britney Spears' best knickers. The third person sneaking missions are really quite immersing; tense, well directed, well paced and there's plenty of heart pounding action to keep you amused. Then you compare it to Metal Gear Solid and once again we find a comparison similar to that of three week old milk vs Moet & Chandon Champagne. The thing to remember, though, is that it's not about focusing on any one of these elements. The reason Metal Gear Solid is such a good sneak-em-up, is because that's what its sole purpose is, it focuses around one mode of play. With 24: The Game, it's all about the bigger picture, all the different types of levels combine to make one glorious whole, and it is the whole which makes it great.

The third person levels really aren't bad at all actually. The aiming system works, although sometimes (albeit rarely) you can't seem to lock onto the target you want. The targeting system can be aided by the computer, so that targets are selected automatically, with the cursor zoning in on the enemy becoming more accurate the longer you focus on them. Enemies pop in and out of cover and even try to flank you as you bob and weave through the environments, picking them off one by one. Those dastardly terrorist fellows occasionally take hostages too and as a valiant member of CTU it is up to you to rescue them. Unfortunately for them, the only way to do that is very similar to the Robocop method; aim carefully and hope you hit the bad guy. Unlike Robocop though, you don't have the benefit of his incredibly accurate aiming system and so, inevitably, some innocents will perish. When you're not shooting at people you will sometimes be asked to blend in and explore a building undetected. An amusing level sees Jack join a tour group to infiltrate a secure building and you must then detach from this group just long enough to steal an ID card or put your name on a security roster, then return to the tour guide before she gets suspicious.

Certain doors need to be opened and not all of them have a key to hand. Thankfully you have your trusty PDA which, via an ingenious puzzle system, can bypass door security. There are a couple of different ways of doing this, ranging from rearranging the letters of a password until you get the right combination, patching together missing data files by re-routing certain circuits and remembering a number. That last one bamboozles me all the time. The puzzles may sound freakishly complicated, but they're actually cleverly designed tests of memory, decision-making and observation. Once you crack how they work, most of them are fairly straightforward and give you a wonderful sense of accomplishment in a James Bond kind of way. I just decoded the lock on this door with nothing more than a PDA and a keen intellect, oh yes.

Sneaking plays a big part of this game; it's not all about running around as Jack and shooting anyone and everyone that moves (I found out later you get a higher mission score if you don't mow down innocent civilians with automatic rifle fire). Some missions involve remaining undetected and it is in these missions that the truest nature of 24 shines through; the danger element, the high risk, the sensation that everything rides on the decisions you make from moment to moment. There's an early mission where you take control of Kim Bauer (Jack's daughter for the supremely uneducated) and you must sneak around without being seen by nasty terrorists. You have a stun gun just in case you get too close to a guard, but the main emphasis is on stealth. I mentioned a comparison with Metal Gear Solid, which was clearly a source of inspiration during these sections. The radar with the 'cone of vision' of enemy soldiers is present, as are sections where you must wait for guards to turn a certain way, memorising their movements so you can sneak around them. Mind you, MGS is the original stealth game, so any game that tries to incorporate that type of gameplay is likely to mimic its lord and master. Incidentally, for those with little patience or a sick sense of humour, I played the level through again, stunning a guard early on with the taser gun and stealing his assault rifle. I then sent the sweet and innocent Kim Bauer on a bloodthirsty rampage through the building's corridors, mercilessly cutting down terrorists and uncontrollably giggling to myself at my corruption of her. As you may have guessed by now, I don't get out much.

There are loads of weapons to choose from, ranging from pistols to shotguns and automatic rifles. The beloved sniper rifle makes a couple of appearances too and in the genius way that the game is constructed, one of the early levels combines sniper rifle action with some very clever use of a satellite from back at CTU headquarters. Once Jack identifies that several snipers are attempting to assassinate the Vice President of the United States, via the cunning art of interrogation (which I will come onto in a moment), it's back to CTU to identify where these sharpshooters may be. With a top down view you use the satellite to scroll through the floors of various buildings, searching for heat sources with line of sight to the road where the VP's motorcade will shortly be driving. By holding down the X button above each heat source, the computer then determines whether or not this individual may be a threat. Of course, the time is ticking away as you do this, but let's face it who ever had time to kill in an episode of 24? The tension always keeps a firm grip of you this way and it gives you a real sense of urgency and determination when completing the tasks. Once the potential targets are identified, the information is fed back to Jack, who can then start shooting at people.

I mentioned briefly the art of interrogation. Now this is an art that Jack Bauer is particularly fluent in, as fans of the show will know. Unfortunately, interrogating a subject in the game is slightly more subdued than in the show. The Jack we know and love will ordinarily start a conversation of this type by removing the individual's thumb or threatening a family member. In the game it's all about controlling the mood of the person you're trying to get information from. There are three levels of aggression with which you can ask a question and with a nicely translatable system you follow the mood of your suspect accordingly. If they are rattled and jittery, Jack will use his dulcet tones to calm and reassure them, delicately grooming them for information as he goes. If they get a bit too relaxed Jack will promptly stick his gun in their face and generally start screaming at them. You need to control the pace of the conversation to get what you want and once you have your suspect in just the right frame of mind, you can break them.

Like I said, there are tons of different level types in this game, which really keeps you on your toes as you play and keeps the gameplay fresh and interesting. Instead of repetitively doing the same thing over and over, the game engages you and makes you think on your feet and change tactics continually. The cut scenes keep you glued to the screen and coming back for more, and the developers try to leave the end of each level on a cliffhanger, much like the structure of the TV episodes. The original cast have supplied the voiceovers and a great deal of effort has gone into recreating each character digitally. Everyone's in it too. Usually with tie-ins like this you'll get one or two original actors come in and the rest will be sound-a-likes. In 24 nearly everyone's here, which gives the game a real sense of authenticity.

One of the original script writers from the show has come on board and written a whole new plot thread too, which doesn't just bolt onto the side of what we already know, but weaves into it and compliments it. The game is set between Days 2 and 3 (or series 2 and 3 if you prefer). It introduces Chase and shows Kim starting her new job at CTU. For those of you who haven't seen that far in the series yet, I have absolutely no sympathy for you whatsoever, go and watch them now! Buy them if you have to. The rest of you will know that Senator Palmer is unwell after his brush with an assassin at the end of Day 2 and he's in a wheelchair, but following a threat to the Vice President's life, which is very nearly successful (thwarted by Jack of course), he returns to office. It's all really engaging and relevant, and fans of the show will really enjoy the extra insight into the characters and history of events.

I have to say that I was really suspicious of 24: The Game when I first picked it up, and as a loyal and devoted fan of the show I was fearful that it wouldn't live up to the high standards already set. I was worried it would tarnish my already high opinion of a programme that has really got me hooked. It hasn't disappointed me at all though; it's really quite good. It's not perfect, not by a long shot, but it will please fans and newcomers alike. The different game modes keep things really interesting, the graphics make everything easy on the eyes and the storyline is gripping enough to keep you coming back for more. The cut scenes are well directed, they're not quite Square Enix, but then again when was the last time you saw a dragon in 24?! The voice acting impressed me in that so many of the original cast get involved (even Nina Myers makes an appearance!) I would more than happily recommend this game to anyone who likes a game that engages them, but while playing it you have to temporarily look past the shortcomings of the different game modes to appreciate the bigger picture. It's like one of those paintings by Rembrant (or was it Monet?) where up close it's all dots and squiggles, but when you back away and appreciate the whole thing, it becomes a beautiful composition. Let's face it, who doesn't want to run round as Jack Bauer shouting "Federal agent! Stop where you are!" and shooting at terrorist? Who doesn't want to interrogate a suspect? Who doesn't want to see more 24?! Crazy people, that's who.

Reviewed by Jim Powell for AceGamez (All Rights Reserved).