Call of Duty: United Offensive. Publisher: Activision. Price: £25. Format: PC. Family friendly? Realistic bloodshed means this is a game for 16-year-olds and up only.

JUST as the Second World War was fought between the Allies and the Axis forces, so the battleground simulation genre has splintered into two distinct camps.

On one side, Battlefield 1942 offered a sublime online experience and a so-so single player campaign.

Camped on the other side of the battle line, Call of Duty was a great game to play alone but not the game you'd turn to if a bit of online service was required.

Call of Duty: United Offensive hopes to change all this and, if it succeeds, take a decisive lead in the fight for overall supremacy.

The cut price tells you that United Offensive isn't a stand-alone game. In order to play it, you will need a full copy of the original Call of Duty but I guess most war gamers will already have that classic in their collection.

The single player missions are pretty much the same as what has gone before: you take command of American, British and Russian troops and lead them through 13 assignments.

All of these missions are based around actual events, so you find yourself thrown into authentic WW2 scenarios, but usually there is only one way to win - so the game's re-playability is severely compromised.

The graphics are superb. At times there is so much going on you don't know what to do next - just like, I suspect, the real thing.

With multiple attacks, sniper bullets pinging around your head and injured buddies needing help, it takes nerves of steel and a rare clarity of thought to take your team to victory, especially in the later missions where the odds are stacked very much against you.

Despite the frenetic on-screen action, the game moves very smoothly, provided you have a decent PC to play it on. After a few mistakes, I reckon you should be through the 13 missions within a week or so.

But this time, the single player game is merely the warm up for a terrific online war gaming experience where you pit your wits against armchair generals all over the world.

United Offensive has 11 new battlefield maps to play through. They encompass everything from wide-open areas where the only cover is a man-made bunker, through to claustrophobic Eastern European towns where death could be lurking behind every twitching curtain.

There are some authentically drawn vehicles to use and a few new weapons, including a terrifyingly powerful flame thrower.

The sound effects are powerfully used as well. If you have a surround sound system, this game really does put you into the centre of the action. Before long you'll be ducking for cover as a instinctive reflex when the bad guys open fire, I guarantee.

If you enjoyed the original Call of Duty then this is an essential purchase. It breathes new life into an already terrific piece of software by removing its only weak area. For £25 or less, it represents a bargain buy for 2005.

FOOTBALL MANAGER 2005. Publisher: Sega. Format: PC. Price: £35. Family friendly? Likely to be too complex for the under tens.

CHRISTMAS has been a time to forget if you support one of the North-East's teams. In fact, it's been pretty depressing altogether, even for the neutrals as, once more, the big three asserted their dominance at the top of the Premiership. And critics reckon Formula One is predictable. At least the power of the PC gives us the opportunity to change the status quo.

Football Manager 2005 may be an unfamiliar title but the team behind the game are definitely premier league.

Sports Interactive are the geniuses behind the original Championship Manager series and, following a split with their publisher, have signed for a new team this year.

Although this game looks a bit different, it's clear to see that much of what lies beneath the surface is the good old Champ Manager we have come to know and love over the years.

This season the player stats are more comprehensive (the database is so good that it is even used by club managers in real life) and the management responsibilities even more daunting. You can also decide on specific tactics for your key players in the hope they will produce a little bit of match-winning magic when it matters most.

If you couldn't live without a fix of Champ Manager 4 last season then this is the game for you.