PS3; £50.
Age 15+

Metal Gear Solid, one of the great sagas in gaming history, draws to a close with this, the fourth instalment. Once again, you play Solid Snake, the hard-as-nails soldier-spy, who is now somewhat haggard.

The game is set in a Middle Eastern warzone of the future, crawling with guerrillas and mercenaries hired by giant corporations. Your mission is a suitably bombastic piece of nonsense and you enter the fray kitted out with a high-tech camouflage suit, a friendly droid and the finely honed combat skills of a grizzled veteran.

Metal Gear’s mixture of stealth and explosive action is more potent than ever, and at its best it is thrilling and a good showcase for the PS3, which remains short of big-hitting exclusives. The problem is that at times it barely feels interactive at all. Ten minutes of sneaking through rugged mountain country can be surrounded by 20 more of watching waffly footage. The plot is also so convoluted that even fans will be bewildered. MGS4 is a fine finale for such a popular series but will leave many twiddling their thumbs.

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