From Russia With Love

Publisher: Electronic Arts

Format: PS2. Price: £39.99

Family friendly? 12+

IT'S been a good year if you're a gamer who also loves movies. But has it been a vintage one if you happen to be a fan of 007?

Bond has something of a chequered history in video games. The original Goldeneye remains a classic shooter. Unfortunately, the 007 games that followed weren't in the same class. We've had Tomb Raider-style third person adventures, driving games, a return to first person for a shoot 'em up and now an interactive movie.

Although Goldeneye utilised a (admittedly pretty ropey) likeness of Pierce Brosnan, From Russia With Love is the first game to use Sean Connery's interpretation of the master spy. In fact, Connery did more than just give his permission for the game to use a character modelled on his features (circa 1963). For his first video game project, he insisted on voicing the on-screen Bond as well playing 007 for the first time since Never Say Never Again in 1983.

What a coup for Electronic Arts! And what sort of disaster would it be if From Russia... turned out like last year's frankly awful Goldeneye: Rogue Agent, a sequel in name only to the original Goldeneye. So Electronic Arts has pretty much thrown every resource in its considerable arsenal at this latest adventure.

From Russia With Love runs the action game playbook from stealth and driving missions, non-linear levels, a zoom function for sniping (you'll love it when Bond shoots a grenade on a baddie's belt and blows him to kingdom come), third-person, multiplayer and even split screen modes.

Bond fans will be relieved to hear the plot is pretty faithful to the original. Key sequences from the movie are recreated for your enjoyment: the Gypsy Camp, the battle onboard the Orient Express and the showdown with Spectre assassin Red Grant.

Some liberties have been taken. The game adds some new characters, including a typical Bond girl, the daughter of the Prime Minister (voiced by Natasha Bedingfield) and a female accomplice for Grant. The game's conclusion is also less satisfying than the movie's sensational showdown with lesbian killer Rosa Klebb that had the audience on the edge of its seat in the movie version.

That said, From Russia... does make a decent fist of recreating the style that gripped cinema audiences four decades ago. EA's artists have paid careful attention to the way the film was lit and worked hard to replicate the 60s cinematography to great effect. No expense has been spared on the cut-scenes and the facial animations are second-to-none in the PS2's games library.

And, although Connery now sounds older than his on-screen likeness suggests, it's just great to hear his Scottish brogue as 007 one more time.

The plot has been broken down into 14 missions (plus four "extras" that can be unlocked later) played from a third-person perspective.

Your Bond character can run, jump, crouch, roll and open doors/flip switches etc. He also has the full might of "Q" Branch at his disposal beyond the trick briefcase used in the movie. With no special effect budgetary constraints to worry about, this From Russia... boasts bazookas, lasers, jet packs, the cringe-inducing Q-Copter (so un-British) and grappling hooks. All the while the Bond theme pounds away in the background.

Long-time gamers will find the difficulty level pitched a bit too low but fans of the movies will appreciate the forgiving nature of the "easy" setting.

It's a Christmas tradition that ITV should show a Bond movie over the holiday season. This Yuletide, console loving fans can go beyond Bond and live the dream for real.