S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl [PC]

Forget everything you know about STALKER. Over the six-odd years of its development, this FPS/RPG hybrid suffered delay after delay and setback after setback, leading many to doubt whether it would ever see the light of day. To considerable surprise, it's in stores now -- and to even more considerable surprise, it's actually good.

Set in and around the ruined nuclear power plant at Chernobyl , where a second nuclear disaster has awakened strange new phenomena, STALKER doesn't exactly have a cheerful theme. You play a scavenger -- one of the eponymous "Stalkers" -- who was attracted to the reactor area in search of valuable artifacts created by these anomalous energy formations.

Think of it as a realistic first-person shooter with a survival horror-esque motif and a ton of open-ended, Deus Ex-like levels. You don't develop your character or improve your skills as in most RPGs, but you can equip various combinations of objects that tweak your defenses or resistances to damage, offering some opportunity to tweak your stats.

STALKER's levels are huge and sprawling, each big enough for many large buildings and plenty of countryside between them. You'll visit ruined cities, factories, military bases, radiation-bathed garbage dumps, and mysterious research labs. Oh, and the power plant itself, lurking at the northern end of the map like some hulking, malevolent reminder of humanity's arrogance. Friendlier zones hold towns (or fortresses) of Stalkers, complete with bars, traders and services.

Shifting from level to level, in contrast to most supposedly non-linear games, is interrupted by a loading pause. If you're expecting Oblivion-like openness, you're in for a disappointment. STALKER is way more traditional about the way it handles level boundaries and transitions, and there's a very definite (and well-managed) progression from easier ones to harder.

They're all packed, to greater or lesser degrees, with mysterious anomalies. Some are relatively harmless, but others will shred you into a fine red mist quicker than a Ukrainian can down a bottle of vodka. Some create useful artifacts over time, so if you come back later you might find valuable goodies where once there was flesh-crushing horribleness.

STALKER's story isn't especially interesting nor particularly well told. Where it succeeds, though, is how well it handles its contemporary sci-fi situation. Though it has its share of strange, pseudo-supernatural goings-on, they're woven so carefully into the game's fabric you barely notice when it crosses the line from the believable to the outlandish. When it does drop you into Crazytown, which it only does occasionally, it does it thoroughly and with terrifying effect.

While its situations may be unusual, its weapon selection will be familiar to most players: pistols, sub-machine guns, assault rifles, grenade launchers. Chunky and heavy-feeling, the weapon models exude a pleasant air of stocky Soviet practicality. Equip an assault rifle with a scope, and you'll find the gun takes up most of the right side of the screen.