Well, here we are at what we're led to believe is the final piece of Fallout 3 downloadable content. It's been a bit of a rollercoaster of dizzying heights and disheartening lows, but here's the overall picture - Fallout 3 DLC is like the half-eaten sandwich next to me: excellent filling caught between two stale, tedious slices.

But what do I mean by that and why on earth am I pursuing this analogy? Well, it's because the first slice (see - I can keep this up!) of action, Operation Anchorage, was pretty dull. It substituted the intrigue and cunning of Fallout 3 for straightforward action in a game where that format is completely unsuited. And the last piece, Mothership Zeta, repeats the formula that few really enjoyed for Anchorage. Three fairly linear combat-themed quests in a different environment just isn't a great representation of the game, especially as there are no side quests and very little to be gleaned from exploring the samey environments. This is really disappointing given that the three other pieces of DLC were excellent and seemed to be on an upward trajectory, offering more and more content and freedom as they progressed - so to collapse back down to Earth (pun not intended, but I'm going to claim it anyway) so limply in this alien-themed add-on is a crushing disappointment and a depressingly low note to end on.

As with past pieces of DLC, Mothership Zeta begins with a message that directs you to a Wasteland marker. Those who found this spot during the main game will instantly have a clue where the DLC is heading (if the whole title and description on the download page wasn't clue enough), because it's the same spot as the Alien Crash Site. Once you arrive, there's not even any time to look around; you're quickly beamed aboard the flying saucer, where aliens plan to do the kind of thing that really shouldn't be done to unconscious bodies to your unconscious body.

If you're thinking this all sounds a bit clichéd already then you can probably stop right there, as it doesn't get any better. You're locked in a cell with another abducted human and together you plot an escape plan where you jump the guards and steal their weapons. Well, you're supposed to, at least - I spent my time punching this poor sap to pass the time, only for us to comically set aside our differences as soon as the game script told us to. Once free, you're in for a trip around the ship that involves loading up on new technology and blasting anyone who gets in your path. It's very much a 'shoot first, ask questions later' approach, but given that the aliens don't speak your language and have abducted you, that seems pretty excusable - except, actually, it's half the problem; with no option to converse with your captors, this piece of DLC becomes a tedious slog through three dull and samey quests. There are no different strategies that you can take, aside from deciding whether it's more entertaining to beat the aliens' inflated heads or shoot them from a distance, and all the intrigue of past DLC - and indeed, the main game itself - is completely lost.

Of course, for completionists, both this and Operation Anchorage give you a good opportunity to build up XP towards the shiny new Level 30 level cap introduced with the Broken Steel add-on, and anecdotally this is a far quicker way to do it. I played through Point Lookout and only levelled up once during its five main quests and two side quests, but the relentless shooting and the high XP denoted to each kill of the fairly easy-to-dispatch aliens in Zeta means that you rattle through the levelling up, which is a bonus if that kind of thing is important to you. All of this feels fairly hollow to me though, as you battle your way through shiny, futuristic corridors that initially seem fresh and new but quickly adopt the depressingly familiar feel of all the disused subway stations you trampled through during the main quest. What's more, the game actually gave me a really annoying bug where it claimed I'd completed a goal before I had, meaning that the map markers were wholly incorrect until I found the destination under my own steam.

Mothership Zeta is a real curveball for anyone who has been following the DLC to date, as until now it has been on an upward trajectory, with each new segment offering more variety, more quests and more hidden extras - yet this last release really breaks that curve. With just three quests and little else to find, no interesting side quests and a few more powerful weapons to add to your now swelling arsenal, there's very little to recommend here. The intriguing plot of The Pitt is infuriatingly absent, the exploration of Point Lookout is nowhere to be seen, and the lovely extras that greeted those who downloaded Broken Steel are non-existent. I'm not even convinced that it's as good as Anchorage - at least that made an effort to fit in with the main game's storyline.

If I may return to the slightly clumsy sandwich-based analogy that I began with, Fallout 3 DLC is like a BLT made with the driest bread possible; the best way to enjoy your sandwich is to throw the bread away and enjoy the flavoursome bacon, fresh lettuce and juicy tomato on their own. So forget about the stale crust that is Fallout 3: Mothership Zeta - take an Atkins diet approach and just head straight for the filling.

Reviewed by Alan Martin for AceGamez (All Rights Reserved).