Crysis [PC]

There's a point, as you play through the single-player storyline of first-person shooter Crysis, that you'll think, "OK, now this game is just showing off." Does it really need to render the little rainbows that appear in the haze over a waterfall? Is it strictly necessary to model the physics of every single sandbag in that barricade? Would this honestly be less of a game if trees didn't fall down when your stray shots strike them?

The answers, as any committed gamer will tell you, are yes, yes, and yes. Then they'll probably pour scorn on you for even asking. Crysis represents a quantum leap in graphical technology that won't just drop your jaw, it'll tremble your knees, bring a tear to your eye, and quite possibly impregnate your cat. We'll spare you the tedious techno-babble and jump to the punchline: this is the kind of game you'll upgrade your PC to play.

Which is fortunate, because you'll almost certainly need to. Although Crysis looks acceptable at low detail levels, that's like ordering bread and water at a five-star restaurant. For the full experience, you'll want to be packing a modern rig, a top-flight graphics card and, ideally, Windows Vista - and even then, it'll struggle to keep up if you really max the graphical options. Crysis is that ahead of its time.

So, too, is the plot, a near-future story that begins as you, a nanotech-suited commando, are parachuting onto a sumptuous desert island in search of a team of missing archaeologists. Unsurprisingly, not only do most of the North Korean armed forces await you, you'll also encounter some of gaming's coolest aliens along the journey. It'd a beautiful, jungle-covered island if only we could convince the North Koreans to quit the shooting and join us for a cocktail. This is the kind of place where we'd like to have a timeshare, not a gunfight.

Your nanosuit is handily equipped with a number of enhancements: extra armor, super-strength, speed, and a cloaking device. Before long you'll be springing through the jungle like some kind of special-forces panther, so easy are they to use, and the semi-open level design encourage you to come up with creative ways to approach your objectives. Vehicles from beat-up pick-up trucks to great, hulking tanks are in ample supply, and the game pulls off its epic, one-man army feel convincingly.

Just when you're bored with the jungle look, you'll head off for what's possibly the only set of locations that could be considered more exotic than a desert island - figure that one out for yourselves. All told, it's a tight, polished package, if a little by-the-numbers, but Crysis is destined to be remembered more for its graphics than its gameplay. Such is the fate of games that break paradigms.

Strong though the AI is - it puts up quite a challenge, flanking, retreating and using grenades to good effect - you'll surely reach for the multiplayer modes before too long. Although the map selection is a little pokey and there are only two modes to choose from, you'll love the chance to try out some of your nanosuit moves on an unsuspecting audience.

Too often, games that lavish attention on their graphics end up falling short where it really counts. Crysis avoids this trap, giving its eager (and, perhaps, newly poor) players gameplay that's nearly as gripping as its superb, matchless visuals. Come for the eye candy, stay for the action: if you have a machine that'll take the strain, there's no better way to show it off.