The Queen Alien is a horrific sight

You've read the diary, watched the films, eaten from the lunchboxes. Now play the game.
Steve Owen

If you've been following Rebellion's development diary in Future Gamer for the last few weeks, you're probably itching to play the game as much as we were. No doubt buzzing with anticipation for this long-overdue remake of the Atari Jaguar classic, the news you really want to hear is... it was worth the wait.

With Aliens Vs Predator, Rebellion have reinvented the first-person shooter. Don't try and imagine the game in a Quake or even Half-Life setting, because it has carved its own niche.

What you have instead is a game where you actually have to be concerned about your own survival. Forget about being shot by a rocket and surviving, or recharging a power suit, because the one thing you realise when playing AvP is that no-one is immortal.

You can play as any of the three main characters - Alien, Predator or marine - but despite their apparent differences, none is infallible. The Predator, for instance, is by far the toughest character, equipped with the most powerful weapons and a built-in medipak. But he is frequently outnumbered by marines and aliens. The marine has some great weapons and occasional back-up, but it takes just one shot from a Predator and a few decent Alien attacks and he's a goner. The Alien, though, is easily killed with just two or three shots, but is fast, can climb and run on any surface, and can regain health by sneaking up on humans and eating their brains out.