Imagine the scene as, in the oppressive heat of a spring afternoon, you pick your way silently through the bows of a sleepy forest. Danger lurks behind every tree and bush; sparrows ready to tear you limb from limb and rend your lifeless corpses down to scraps, ready for the gaping maws of their malevolent young; vicious badgers prowl in search of human flesh to satiate their bloodlust; hoards of crimson jawed rabbits with claws that could glide through your bones like a samurai sword through a Twix are ready to pounce. All these horrors and more lie in wait in the first hunting sim on the PS2 - Cabela's Big Game Hunter.

Quite who this title is aimed at I'm not entirely sure and it's fair to say that this game's fan base is going to be pretty small regardless of the quality, but hey mine is not to reason why. It's odd what fluffy animals can do to a videogame and the concept of taking down animals that pose absolutely no threat to your person seems totally alien and more than a little distressing. In fact, the distress starts far earlier than the gameplay with packaging that simply features two deer standing resplendent in their own rather sinister targeting reticules. Yes, there's definitely something a little off about BGH and although chasing down wounded polar bears on a skidoo and finishing them off with a .44 Magnum bullet to the head at near point blank range is a wonderful hoot, but it hardly classes as hunting in the traditional sense.

There's a tremendous depth to the gameplay, rivalling many triple A titles on the market with a well conceived weapon and item loadout system based on weight and stamina, plus some super realistic stealth combat forcing you into situations where patience and a cool head are the only way to get that elusive kill. The wind affects your sneaking tactics and coming at a beast from upwind can be a fatal error, as can wearing the wrong kind of clothing or failing to lead your shots properly. Wilderness survival is as important as getting a good shot and seasonal changes affect both the type of animals available to shoot and the corresponding lures. Add the career mode and tracking mechanic to the mix, which gives you information about age and type of track you can see from any given location and you have a comprehensive game hunting simulation…I think.

BGH plays an awful lot like Hitman with a slightly ropier ethical premise. Ruthlessly pursuing underworld crime bosses and defecting spies somehow seems more justified and eminently more fun even though the method is pretty much the same. A surprisingly straightforward control system rounds out the gameplay making for a solid and lovingly produced title. A few extras like your very own log hut and a large range of trophies and challenges makes BGH a title with plenty of play in it.

There's a fantastic array of hunting gumpf to be had for the right price from the standard hunting armaments like bolt action rifles or slightly less orthodox weapons such as pump-action shotguns and traditional recurve bows. Sadly, assault rifles, rocket launchers and miniguns are nowhere to be seen, but hey you can't have it all. Other object 'd interest include tree nests, allowing you a great vantage point and unsurpassed camouflage; ground blinds, a kind of camo post box from which you can set up awesomely effective kills; any number of decoys and lures to bring in the walking wall mounts and a range of survival goodies like hydration bladders, GPS systems and medikits permitting extended periods in the field.

The environments are more than a cosmetic touch, with summer forests providing a completely different challenge to the rolling tundra of wintertime Alaska. Heavy fogging is the only downside of the graphics that, as a whole, remain clean, fluid and smooth enough to enhance the experience. On the sound front, realism kicks in hard with the most exiting and atmospheric birdsongs you're ever likely to hear forming the mainstay of the ambient sounds. The gunfire is also convincing and the constant footfalls don't irritate, even in the crunching snow.

Cabela's Big Game Hunter features some tremendously rewarding moments when you finally get the kill. Getting there however can be a frustrating and repetitive business, as you scare away your quarry for the fifteen hundredth time or rattle your fake antlers from your treetop hideout in an attempt to draw anything with a pulse into your range. There are also issues with the subject matter and it differs greatly from any other stealth title on the PS2 in that being seen doesn't sound some alarm or bring an army of SWAT guys, it simply makes your job more difficult. BGH does exactly what it says on the tin and whilst it may be a little staid for many gamers, there's quality and depth by the bucketload. This title is very much a small game in the hunting grounds of the stealth genre but with its novelty angle it's probably worth hunting down a rental copy in your local blockbuster.

Reviewed by Tom LeClerc for AceGamez (All Rights Reserved).