Freeman's Revenge is a simple 2.45Mb download. Drug Barons, another Half-Life level currently doing the rounds of the Future Gamer office, is a more hefty 4.10Mb. This, too, is a scenario worth investigating, especially as it attempts to ditch Half-Life's sci-fi premise by way of offering a change. But the level causing the most mouse-mangling at present is the delectable Two Smoking Barrels. With effective use of scripting, it evokes a compelling atmosphere. One sequence in particular sees Gordon - that's you - moving through corridors as shouts (a battle?) are heard in the distance. Spooky. Weighing in at 2.96Mb, it's an essential download, although be advised that you'll need a fairly high-end PC to run its ambitious maps at any great speed.

Despite Half-Life's universal billing as Best Thing Since Breathing, Quake 2 remains a firm favourite of many. At the 3D Map Realm site (again), there are 67 single-player maps for Quake 2. Ranging from short sorties to large-scale assaults, these maps are better than their Half-Life equivalents as they push id's code that bit harder. This isn't surprising as Quake 2 has been out for ages.

Highlights that you should certainly investigate, providing you own the requisite copy of the game, of course, include Dark Undergrowth and Hexorcism. The former is a three-map unit of 3.90Mb in magnitude and 110% in terms of quality. It's a sight to behold and a delight to play, too. Hexorcism is almost as good, and a mere slip of a download at 1.6Mb. Those hankering for a change, however, should make a beeline for Saving Private Monkey. At 8.28Mb it's a beast, yet eminently worth the time and cake money for telecommunication industry giants. The fat, insidious parasites.

The size of the download reflects the amount of new graphics Monkey contains. It's themed to fit WW2-style visuals so it's a far cry from your average Quake 2 map.