SHADOW OPS: RED MERCURY. Publisher: Atari. Format: Xbox. Price: £39.99: MICROSOFT'S Xbox console has become the games machine of choice if you enjoy first-person stealth 'em ups.

Hardly a week seems to go by without another title promising gripping gameplay, realistic weapons and exciting fire fights all wrapped up in lovely Xbox eye candy graphics.

So what makes Shadow Ops: Red Mercury any different from what has gone before?

Set for much of the story in the Middle East (with the occasional detour to the Congo, the snowy wastelands of Kazakhstan, and the Parisian subway system), Shadow Ops will leave you gasping at times - both in its audacious adherence to Hollywood-style adventure and in frustration at niggling problems that should have been sorted.

The Red Mercury of the title is a mini nuclear device that can be carried in a back-pack and smuggled virtually anywhere. What's more, the Pentagon has discovered that it's in the hands of terrorists intent on raining nuclear war on the West.

They call on special forces operative Captain Frank Hayden to track the Red Mercury down before Armageddon becomes reality. The chase is on.

If this all sounds a bit familiar that's because Red Mercury borrows liberally from any number of Hollywood blockbusters and a literary body of work that includes Tom Clancy, Stephen Coonts and Jim DeFelice.

The story unfolds via cinematic cut-scenes between Hayden's missions. Expect some unexpected twists and the odd betrayal before the dramatic conclusion.

Shadow Ops may give the impression that you can think your way to victory but the truth is that each mission has only one "right" way before it can be completed. Hayden just presses forward, sneaking past the bad guys, shooting them or rolling a hand grenade into their midst.

The key grunts will demonstrate a degree of self preservation, ducking out of harm's way when Hayden opens fire and retreating in the face of overwhelming fire power.

I got a nasty shock when Hayden threw a grenade at one particularly hard-to-shift sniper - only for him to pick up the deadly pineapple and throw it straight back! Others are just plain stupid. Some of the easier bad guys are ridiculously easy to stop, though. At times my trigger finger positively ached, a consequence of the hoards of enemies Hayden is expected to see off. The game lays on plenty of health and ammunition for the good guys (although you can only carry a couple of clips at a time, so make sure Hayden checks his victims for more) but later missions are so hard you'll need every bit of medication you can find.

Sometimes Hayden finds a machine gun or a bazooka for serious damage but mostly the weaponry is kept to a realistic level. If Hayden dies during a mission, the game forces you to start again from the beginning.

This is a pain because the loading times are pretty long. What is a minor irritation the first time it happens becomes joy pad smashing, probably on the fourth or fifth failure. A mid-level save would have made Red Mercury far less frustrating to play through, especially as some of the levels are massive and the difficulty level is probably pitched a bit higher than normal.

Just like those war movies of old, when a baddie is killed in this game, there's no blood and no protracted death scene. Your enemy just falls to the floor and disappears.

If Red Mercury were a film it would probably carry a family friendly PG rating - and that is a novelty in these days of ultra realistic shoot 'em ups.

COMPETITION

IF you read my review of Driv3r last week you'll know this driving adventure featuring undercover cop Tanner is one of the most eagerly awaited games of the summer. Now, thanks to our friends at CHIPS, the region's leading independent games stores, you can win a copy of your own.

We have teamed up with CHIPS and publishers Atari to give you the chance to scoop one of THREE fantastic Driv3r games for the PS2.

Driv3r is available on PS2 and Xbox for £37.99 at CHIPS and is definitely for over-18s. There are stores in Middlesbrough, Stockton, Redcar, Hartlepool, Darlington, Northallerton, Guisborough, Consett, Bishop Auckland and Chester-le-Street which buy, sell and trade on all major formats and retro games.

To be in with a chance of winning, just answer this simple question:

What is the name of your character in Driv3r?

Put your answer on a postcard, including your name, age and address and send it to Driv3r Comp, The Northern Echo, Priestgate, Darlington, DL1 1NF, by next Friday. Winners must be over 18 due to the game's age restrictions.