Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter [Xbox]

While its higher-profile cousin is making waves on the Xbox 360, it's easy to forget that current-generation (or, as we're going to have to start calling it, last-generation) versions of the game are coming too. The Xbox incarnation is first out of the game, and will be joined by PS2 and PC ports later this year. Without the next-gen graphics and, puzzlingly, missing a number of standard Ghost Recon features, it's outshone by its competition but still worth a look for the multiplayer.

In fact, listing the same features from the 360 version is easier than running down the differences. The plot, broadly, is the same, although the missions differ considerably both in looks, gameplay, and objectives. The new "cross-com" control system, which combines a view from your teammate and an ordering interface, is pretty much identical. That's about it.

In some ways, it's a much simpler game. You don't choose your loadout in single-player (unless you're replaying a mission), but by way of compensation you are carrying a main weapon, a pistol, a sniper rifle, and a bunch of grenades, giving you choices aplenty. Instead of a full squad of Ghosts, you'll be on your own or with a single partner. It's also first-person only, and unlike past Ghost Recons, you can see your gun as well.

The controls also seem simplified. While you have the option of a short-distance sprint, the game has peculiarly lost its "prone" option -- standing or kneeling only. Aiming has a vague feel in comparison to other Xbox FPSes; you'll be frustrated at the wandering sight when fully zoomed with a sniper rifle, and you'll often end up missing shots you should have made.

Even coming straight from Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter on the 360, the Xbox version is not a bad looking game by any means. Until it gets busy and the framerate dives, that is. Yuk. While GR:AW might show the Xbox can ape some of the flashy features of its new big brother, it would have done better to concentrate on delivering a stable experience at the cost of out-and-out prettiness.

You also might want to be aware that the cross-com only updates about once a second. It's on the small side, too, and tucked away in the corner. In other words, it's nowhere near as helpful as it is on the 360 version. Part of that is no doubt down to the 360's superior resolution, but all the same, this postage-stamp cross-com isn't going to butter any parsnips.

Like its brother on the 360, the multiplayer options go some distance toward reducing the impact of these flaws on purchasers. For one thing, you can play the campaign missions in co-op, split-screen mode: a welcome addition. On Live, there's an equally impressive selection of modes and options, and plenty to keep online gamers entertained.

Smooth though the multiplayer options are, there are much better shooters on offer on the Xbox than this. Hell, there are much better Ghost Recon games on the Xbox than this. If you're envying all the fun your buddies are having with their 360s and Advanced Warfighter, you're better off staying with Halo 2 and the recent Far Cry: Instincts than springing for this -- you'll be in for a disappointment.