Ready to answer the Call of Duty, sir? Well, before you can attend to my Call of Duty, drop and give me a twenty. That's right. A big fat twenty. A twenty'll buy me a lot of things today too. Rations? I'll buy the whole lot! So, if you want to be a comrade general sergeant commander, slip me a twenty and I'll get you up there in the ranks.

That's all this game is going to set you back - a measly £20 with the January sales now started, and boy is this game worth that price tag. Call Of Duty 2: Big Red One will take you to the skies in flying missions, take you along terrain in jeeps, or over the seas in various forms of amphibious transportation - and most importantly, there's plenty of action on land, with your men, shooting the hell out of the opposition. £20 for a Big Red One. Bargain.

WWII games are a little ten-a-penny these days, let's be honest. Big Red One takes you down a fresh WWII route that hasn't been done before, the Big Red One referring to the famous American diversion tactic that I'm not even going to pretend I know anything about. I always compliment Call of Duty storylines, but I feel that the developers have excelled themselves with this story; you really feel a part of it. Scrap that, you are a part of it. Soldiers come up to you and look you in the face as they talk to you and, all of a sudden, you're in a war. This game's presentation adds to the overall story and package, presented in that 'wish you were here' old American style postcard font and feel, with lots of heavy focus on lavish handwriting, to make things feel old fashioned but in a good way. I hate war menus with people dying in the background. Big Red One sees to that!

Like war games before it, Big Red One spreads lots of missions through many different looking locations. Europe is on the agenda, looking quite bad, unfortunately - and it's most definitely the game's low point where missions are concerned. There's no specific reason, it's just that everything seems dull, lifeless, and more like a chore than a war. However, the other destinations more than make up for this. Africa and Sicily are two fine areas indeed; the Italian location (yes, I know Italy is a part of Europe!) is set in an indescribably enchanting area that looks fantastic, but the actual Italian missions themselves are epic, lasting almost half an hour, and seeing you trek miles though many side objectives. That, my friend, feels like a war, and not a chore. There are not many more gameplay elements I can outline with this being a war game, as it takes the same shooting route other war games do. However, you always know that you're getting the best there is. When you go through the building and back out into open land and snipe somebody while you're running, only to see their head spit a steam of blood into the air through your scope after the shot, you know that it's the best possible war kill you can get. I'm telling you - you're going to love this game!

Missions are varied, with a combination of manning gun turrets on the back of piloting or driving vehicles, to actually being a part of the team on foot. Full motion cut scenes quickly dump you into the gameplay and give you some reason behind your killing, which I like. Maybe I'm just a sucker for war games, but I love the whole feeling of a group of men, emotionally bound together and fighting for survival. When a war game recreates that feeling then it's a sure hit in my book. Even though your teammates are controlled by AI, you start to love them like real friends. It really is a superb single player campaign.

Multiplayer is where this game is a letdown, I feel. There's an online mode for up to 16 players, but try to find a game without lag though. If you do, I'll drop down and give you a twenty. I don't always want an online mode though; I want co-op. Playing this game through with a friend would have just made that war bond even stronger and really completed the whole package. A multiplayer deathmatch with bots would have also have been welcome, although I have yet to see any war game incorporate this feature, so maybe it's just not technically viable on current-gen machines.

Graphically the game isn't really pushing the boundaries and while it's unfair of me to compare this game with Call Of Duty 2 for the excellent 360, coming from that to this really feels like a step down. With that said, things like weapon detail are top notch, as are explosions and gunfire. Character animations are very realistic too. I can't really complain with what's on offer, but I have seen much better graphics just over the horizon. The sound is stunning though. As with all great war games, this one is filled with typical cries of war and old planes flying over the battlefield is just one of the ambient sounds that adds a level of authenticity to the gameplay. The voice acting is superb too - and when the moving victorious war music kicks in, prepared to be filled with pride.

Coming from the 360 CoD to Call Of Duty 2: Big Red One was easier than I thought. They both have different stories for And while the two should not be compared graphically, I will say that even with the Xbox 360 version in the back of my mind, this game has received my seal of approval. If you can pick it up for twenty in the sales, then do it. The campaign alone is worth the price; it's like playing through a new war film. Quick march down to the shops, solider! DO I MAKE MYSELF CLEAR?!

Reviewed by Dexter Pearson for AceGamez (All Rights Reserved).